page 1 of 164 green tare’s moon tantra second lesson’s ... · avalokiteshvara, arya tare, and...

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Green Tare’s Moon Tantra – Second Lesson’s Commentary

Green Tare’s Moon Tantra

Second Lesson’s Commentary by Terton Lama: Jigme Gyatso; Rime Rinpoche

2018-b11-17b

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Acknowledgments

This sadhana or practice text was inspired by:

The termas or psychic instructions I received from:

Avalokiteshvara, Arya Tare, and Padmasambhava,

the oral instructions of Bhakha Tulku Rinpoche, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu,

Lama Chodrak Gyatso, and Lama Olé

meditation manuals composed by Gautama Siddhartha: the Buddha

“Maha Satipatthana Sutta– the Greater Discourse upon the Four Bases of Mindfulness

translated by Maurice Walshe,

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“Satipatthana Sutta –the Discourse upon the Four Bases of Mindfulness”

translated by Bhikkhu Nanamoli and

“Anapanasati Sutta – the Discourse of Mindfulness with Breathing”

also translated by Bhikkhu Nanamoli

a meditation manual composed by Ven. Dr. Madawela Punnaji Maha Thera

“Ariymagga Bhavana – the Sublime Eightfold Way”

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one of the last meditation manuals composed by

Dza Patrul Rinpoche, Jigme Chökyi Wangpo

“The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones

the Practice of View, Meditation, and Action;

a discourse Virtuous in the Beginning, Middle, and End”

and the explanation thereof given by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

translated by the Padmakara Translation Group,

a meditation manual composed by Karma Chagme Rinpoche

“The Quintessence of Spiritual Practice,

the Direct Instructions of the Great Compassionate One”

translated by Eric Pema Kunsang

a sadhana translated by Ani: Thubten Chodron

“Praises and Requests of the Twenty-one Taras”

from “Pearl of Wisdom: Buddhist Prayers and Practices Book II”

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a meditation manual composed by Bokar Rinpoche

“Chenrezig: Lord of Love,

the Principles and Methods of Deity Meditation”

translated by Christiane Buchet

a meditation manual composed by Atisha – Shrijana Dipamkara

“Sadhana of the Venerable Tara:

Tara Battarika Sadhana”

translated by Martin Willson

a meditation manual composed by Lama Kazi Dawa Samdup

“Tibetan Yoga; and Secret Doctrines”

translated by Lama Kazi Dawa Samdup and edited by W. Y. Evans-Wentz

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a sadhana composed by His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje

“The Daily Recitation of the Revered Noble Tara”

translated by the Vimala staff

a meditation manual composed by His Eminence Chagdud Tulku

“Ngondro Commentary:

Instructions for the Concise Preliminary Practices of the New Treasure of Dudjom”

Compiled by Jane Tromge

a sadhana composed by Dudjom Lingpa Rinpoche

“Dudjom Tersar Ngöndro”

translated under the direction of His Eminence Chagdud Tulku

and a meditation manual composed by Lama Surya Das

“Natural Radiance: Awakening to your Great Perfection”

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………pg. 2

Rumination – Patrul’s Last Manual Syllabus……………………………………………….pg. 8

Opening Compassionate Intention………………………………………..……………..…..pg. 9

The Union of Compassion and Openness...................................................…………….…...pg. 11

Tare’s Tibetan Buddha Bowing – Opening Compassionate Intention…….………………...pg. 138

Chart – Class Syllabus……………………………………………………………………….pg. 163

Chart – Twelve Elemental Permutations…………………………………………………….pg. 164

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Ruminating Patrul’s Last Meditation Manual in Sixteen Lessons

Lesson Chapters Pages

1st 1st – 5th 1 – 39

2nd 6th – 10th 40 – 77

3rd 11th – 15th 78 – 117

4th 16th – 20th 118 – 160

5th 21st – 25th 161 – 90

6th 26th – 30th 91 – 112

7th 31st – 35th 113 – 136

8th 36th – 40th 137 – 161

Lesson Chapters Pages

9th 41st – 45th 162 – 186

10th 46th – 50th 187 –

11th 51st – 55th

12th 56th – 60th

13th 61st – 65nd

14th 66th – 70th

15th 71st – 75nd

16th 76th – 82nd

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Opening Compassionate Intentions

NON-violently I practice:

mindfulness, insight and compassion,

as well as apply teacher’s advice

that all beings may benefit! 3 repetitions

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Exploring NEW Material

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The Union of Compassion and Openness

An ancient text explains the Ten-syllable mantra in verse:

Om to the transcendent subduer,

Ar-ya Ta-re, I bow,

homage to the glorious one

who frees with Ta-re;

with Tu-ta-re you calm all fears;

you bestow all success with Tu-re;

with the sound of Sö-ha

I pay homage.

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In other words the mantra could be translated as saying:

“Hey! I rely upon the archetype of enlightened activity

to cultivate greater: freedom, peace and success; make it so1!”

1 – with apologies to the Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry.

Tibet’s Nyingma sect could categorize these following contemplations

as a liberal take on Ma-ha-yo-ga

whereas Tibet’s Kagyu sect could describe these contemplations

as a liberal take on the Creation Stage practices of Highest Yoga Tantra,

known in Sanskrit as Ut-ta-ra Tan-tra.

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The latter practice is also known as

“bringing rebirth into the path of the Nirmanakaya (or Compassion’s mastery),”

but we’ll explore that in length, in a future lesson.

There are also some that could describe these twelve contemplations

as the Mahamudra (or union) of Compassion and Openness.

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Palms DOWN

12 Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood

IN-breath: Mindfulness

now for me!

Relaxingly intone: Om {as in “Home”} ! one repetition per breath

for one breath

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The phase at the top of the page, “Palms DOWN,”

simply means that we should place each hand, palm down,

upon it’s respective thigh, near its knee.

In future lessons you’ll find that sometimes

one is directed to turn one’s palms up,

and other times one is directed to turn one’s palms down.

This is simply a counting technique,

that we’ll see really utilized to it’s fullest potential

in the tenth through fifteenth lessons.

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Palms DOWN



now for me!


for one breath

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There is a great deal of information in the line:

“12 Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood”

let’s unpack it gingerly.

In the previous lesson we read

that one only learns thirteen gestures (or Mu-dras in Sanskrit)

during this course.

In the first lesson we learned one of those Mu-dras.

In this lesson we’ll learn the remaining twelve.

That makes this the most challenging of the sixteen lessons;

after this, it’s smooth sailing.

So hang in there little buck-a-roo.

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Yes, that could sound daunting,

but if you pay attention to this lesson,

and actually perform your homework

every morning and every evening

within a week or two

you’ll find that you have accidentally memorized all the mudras

as well as their sequence.


“12” is merely this Mudra’s number.

During the second through the fifteenth classes

the mudras will be accessed in order of twelve through one;

in the sixteenth class we’ll explore insomnia’s antidote

wherein we’ll progress through the Mudras in the reverse order of one through twelve.

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Our left Middle-finger,

is simply the digit that we’ll be working with.

Specifically, we begin by touching the tip of our left thumb

to the tip of our left Middle-finger.


The “Mutable” mode

refers to that which is acquiescent, and yielding,

not unlike Taoism’s yin path or Tantra’s moon channel.

In this system it will always refer to the left hand.

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In this system

the element of “water” always refers

to one or both of our Middle-fingers.


In days of yore

the night time sky served as humanities only calendar.

As a way of organizing information

our ancestors observed four elements and three modes.

Since the product of four and three is twelve

it could come as little surprise the in this system

we passively work with, what some like to call,

the twelve elemental permutations.

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Some, who exhibit a high degree of perceptual acuity

have noticed a correlation

between Mutable-water and our feet.


Over the millennia some have noticed correlations

between various archetypes

and our body-parts,

as well as elemental permutations.

Over time people communicated these observations as similes,

the similes became metaphors,

the metaphors became confused with literal statements,

and astronomy mutated into astrology.

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This archetype of Pisces’ surrendered sagehood

is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as:

the mystic, the dreamer, the artist, the poet,

the guide, the guru, the medic, the healer,

the worshipper, the creator, the dancer,

the psychotic, the addict and the visionary.

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Palms DOWN



now for me!


for one breath

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“Mindfulness now for me!”

In our first class we explored that in Buddhism,

that which we are ultimately relying upon

is NOT some real or imagined celestial Santa,

but instead the trio of mindfulness, insight and spontaneous compassion.

I like to describe compassion

as the art of giving a flying fuck about others.

It is NOT so much about emotion,

but rather about volition, intention and will.

Remember… energy is guided by mind,

mind is guided by intention

and intention is guided by words;

be they uttered: audibly and physically or silently and mentally.

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By silently and mentally reciting

“Mindfulness for me!” during the inhalation,

we are using words to guide our intention (or wishing compassion)

that we might develop the subtle mind’s habit

of vulnerably, passively, and NON-conceptually noticing

our five senses of sight, sound, scent, taste, and sensation,

as well as our sixth sense of coarse mind’s

emotion, intention, calculation, recollection and imagination.

Hey!

If compassion is about giving a flying fuck about others,

then why are we wishing good things for ourselves?

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Simple!

Evolution has hard-wired part of our brains

to be self-centered.

It is therefore easier to wish good things for ourselves,

than it is to wish good things for our enemy

who has sworn to make our lives a living hell.

But here is the cool thing,

once we have tapped into selfishness’ momentum

of wishing greater mindfulness for ourselves,

we can surf the wave of that momentum,

and have an easier time of wishing greater mindfulness

for our neighbors.

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Like mindfulness,

this compassionate wishing works best,

when it is passive, and non-conceptual.

Luckily, that is much easier and sustainable

than getting lost in the weeds of:

over-thinking, contriving justifications,

wallowing in story and forcing visualizations.

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Palms DOWN



now for me!


for one breath

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Relaxingly intone: Om {as in “Home”} !

Welcome to mantra meditation.

Many folks make the mistake of using mantra as a tool to stop thinking.

While blissing out can be fun,

it does not help us to deal with life’s stress’,

it undermines mindfulness and suspends insight.

However in Moon Tantra

we have found a way to use mantra meditation to multiply

our mindfulness, insight and compassion.

The first step, as we have already covered,

is to marry the compassionate intention with our inhalation,

yes, even if that compassion is for oneself.

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During the exhalation

we marry mantra recitation with relaxation,

thus accessing the insight of letting-go,

which was taught in Buddha’s concise meditation manual

the “Mindfulness with Breathing Discourse”

(or A-na-pa-na-sa-ti Sut-ta in Pali).

In this lesson, and the two that follow,

we’ll be mastering the ten syllable mantra

of Green Ta-re, the archetype of enlightened action.

This week we’ll learn how to intone the ten syllables of her mantra

as well as her seed syllable (or Bi-ja in Sanskrit).

Next week we’ll learn how to intone

the full mantra, in it’s entirety.

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In two weeks we’ll shift gears

and go from intoning the entire mantra over the span of a single breath,

to softly whispering the mantra,

four times per breath.

But first things first.

The first syllable of Green Ta-re’s mantra

is “Om” which rhymes with “home.”

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Palms DOWN



now for me!


for one breath

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one repetition per breath

for one breath

This portion of the contemplative notation is self explanatory;

we perform this exercise once per breath,

for a total of only one breath.

There’s no need to get bogged down with perfectionism;

for by performing this exercise once every morning

and once every evening

over the next six and a half days,

the comfort, skill and mastery

of these twelve sets of exercises

could take care of itself.

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Palms DOWN



now for me!


for one breath

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Palms DOWN

11 Both Index-fingers Fixed-air Calves Laid-back, Smart Generous


for neighbors!

Relaxingly intone: Ta {as in “Goodbye, Ta Ta”} ! one repetition per breath

for one breath

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Welcome to the eleventh mudra,

where we touch each thumb

to the tip of its Index-finger.

Let’s unpack the term Fixed-air.

Air refers our Index-fingers

and Fixed always means we’ll be using both hands.

The fixed mode could be likened to

the balance between Taoism’s yin and yang,

or Tantra’s central channel,

balanced between the moon and sun channels.

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Our calves could be correlated to Fixed-air

which in turn is correlated with

the archetype of Aquarius’ Laid-back, smart generosity

which is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as:

the revolutionary, the scientist, the eccentric,

the visionary, the rebel, the genius,

the outlaw, the free spirit, the activist,

the inventor, the alchemist and the exile.

If we were traversing the path of patriarchy

we might contrive to access an archetype

through the cunning use of these finger positions.

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But upon this path of matriarchy,

we are content to passively and non-conceptually notice

whatever archetype rears its head

as we flow from the twelfth mudra

up through the first mudra

while we play with these contemplative exercises.

For our identity is not determined

by which archetype makes an appearance

but by our practice of passively and NON-conceptually

noticing them and letting-go.

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Palms DOWN



for neighbors!


for one breath

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for neighbors!

During our inhalation

we silently and mentally, recite

“Mindfulness for neighbors!”

Simply by silently and mentally reciting “Mindfulness for neighbors!”

in harmony with the inhalation

we are riding momentum’s wave of personal compassion

into the realm of local compassion.

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Palms DOWN



for neighbors!


for one breath

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Relaxingly intone: Ta {as in “Goodbye, Ta Ta”} !

When intoning the syllable “Ta”

who’s vowel is soft

as in the colloquialism “Ta-ta,”

or the nouns “father” or “palm;”

it is of profound importance

to relax as best you can,

for that is how we train our body and mind

in the wisdom of letting-go.

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Palms DOWN



for neighbors!


for one breath

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Palms DOWN

10 Right Ring-finger Cardinal-earth Bones Affluence and Power


for earthlings!

Relaxingly intone: re {as in “Ray of sunshine”} ! one repetition per breath

for one breath

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Welcome to the tenth mudra,

where we touch our right thumb

to the tip of its Ring-finger.

Let’s consider the phrase “Cardinal-earth.”

Cardinal refers to that which is aggressive and advancing,

not unlike Taoism’s yang path or Tantra’s sun channel.

In this system it will always refer to the right hand.

The “Mutable” mode

refers to that which is acquiescent, and yielding,

not unlike Taoism’s yin path or Tantra’s moon channel.

In this system it will always refer to the left hand.

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Earth always refers to one or both Ring-fingers.

Therefore we access Cardinal-earth

by touching our right thumb

to the tip of our right Ring-finger.

Our bones could be correlated to Cardinal-earth


the archetype of Capricorn’s affluence and power


the old soul, the administrator, the judge,

the mentor, the prime minister, the father,

the entrepreneur, the banker, and the wizard.

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Palms DOWN



for earthlings!


for one breath

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for earthlings!



“Mindfulness for earthlings!”

thus we have surfed momentum’s wave

of local compassion

into the realm of global compassion.

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Palms DOWN



for earthlings!


for one breath

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Relaxingly intone: re {as in “Ray of sunshine”} !

During our exhalation we relax as best we can

as we intone the syllable “re.”

In this system of transliteration,

which is using the alphabet of one language

to pronounce the words of another language AND alphabet,

we pronounce the consonants as if they were English

and we pronounce the vowels as if they were Spanish.

So in this case the vowel “e”

is pronounced as a hard “a”

as in the word “Ray.”

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Palms DOWN



for earthlings!


for one breath

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Palms DOWN

9 Left Little-finger Mutable-fire Thighs Big-picture Thinking


for all beings!

Relaxingly intone: Tu {as in a ballerina’s “Tu-tu”} ! one repetition per breath

for one breath

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Welcome to the ninth mudra,

where wel touch our left thumb

to the tip of its Little-finger.

Let’s consider the phrase “Mutable.”

As we’ve already learned

in this system “Mutable” refers

to the yielding energy of the left hand.

Fire always refers to one or both Little-fingers.

Therefore we access Mutable-fire

by touching our left thumb

to the tip of our left Little-finger.

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Don’t be too overwhelmed by this,

for all this information is organized in a chart

at the end of this commentary

as well as at the end of the practice text,

and the concise instructions are always found towards the top

of each page of the practice (or Sa-dha-na in Sanskrit).

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Our tush and thighs could be correlated to Mutable-fire


the archetype of Sagittarius’ big picture thinking


the wanderer, the tourist, the teacher, the guide,

the philosopher, the psychiatrist, the student,

the benefactor, the comedian, and the free spirit.

Perhaps you’ll notice that many of these elemental permutations

share some of sub-archetypes

not unlike an overlapping Venn diagram.

This is seen throughout the natural world

for evolutionary biology seems to leave a trail of redundant traits.

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Palms DOWN



for all beings!


for one breath

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for all beings!



“Mindfulness for all beings!”

And now we have surfed the momentum of our global compassion

into universal compassion.

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Palms DOWN



for all beings!


for one breath

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Relaxingly intone: Tu {as in a ballerina’s “Tu-tu”} !

As we exhale let’s relaxingly intone the syllable “Tu”

wherein the vowel “u”

is pronounce like the double “o” in “boot”

or as in a ballerina’s “tu-tu.”

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Palms DOWN



for all beings!


for one breath

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Palms DOWN

8 Both Middle-fingers Fixed-water Crotch Deep Desires

IN-breath: Great insight

now for me!

Relaxingly intone: ta {as in “Goodbye, Ta Ta”} ! one repetition per breath

for one breath

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Welcome to the eighth mudra,


to the tip of it’s Middle-finger.

Let’s consider the phrase “Fixed-water.”

As we’ve already discussed

in this system “Fixed” refers

to the balanced energy of both hands.

Water always refers to one or both Middle-fingers.

Therefore we access Fixed-water

by touching each thumb

to its Middle-finger.

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Our crotch could be correlated to Fixed-water


the archetype of Scorpio’s deep desires


the mystic, the alchemist, the detective,

the sorcerer, the hypnotist, the chemist,

the psychiatrist, the witch, the investigator,

the fortune teller, and the guardian.

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Palms DOWN



now for me!


for one breath

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now for me!



“Great insight now for me!”

This exercise, and the three that follow it

have in common the great insight of letting-go

that is the corner stone of the path

taught by Gau-ta-ma, the historical Buddha.

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Our journey from our brain’s

cowardly and competitive amygdala,

to it’s compassionate and cooperative

subgenual anterior cingulate cortex

begins again by wishing great insight

for ourselves.

While the subject of our compassion is great insight,

the object of our mindfulness is our self-identity.

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Palms DOWN



now for me!


for one breath

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Relaxingly intone: ta {as in “Goodbye, Ta Ta”} !

Just as we did in our second exercise,

we intone the syllable “ta”

who’s vowel “a” is soft as in the phrase “good-bye, ta-ta!”

while physically relaxing as much as we are able.

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Palms DOWN



now for me!


for one breath

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Palms DOWN

7 Right Index-finger Cardinal-air Kidneys Love and Beauty


for neighbors!


for one breath

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Welcome to the seventh mudra,



Let’s consider the phrase “Cardinal-air.”


in this system “Cardinal” refers

to the advancing energy of the right hand.

Air always refers to one or both Index-fingers.

Therefore we access Cardinal-air

by touching the tip of our right thumb

to its Index-finger.

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Our kidneys could be correlated to Cardinal-air


the archetype of Libra’s love and beauty


the lawyer, the counsellor, the socialite,

the lover, the peacemaker, the creator,

the seductress, the lover, the flirt,

the minx, the designer, and the mediator.

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Palms DOWN



for neighbors!


for one breath

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for neighbors!



“Great insight for neighbors!”

Now we surf wave of our self-interest


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Palms DOWN



for neighbors!


for one breath

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We intone the syllable “re”

that’s pronounced as “Ray,”

while physically relaxing

to the best of our ability;

for in the A-na-pa-na-sa-ti Sut-ta

we are taught to calm our form.

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Palms DOWN



for neighbors!


for one breath

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Palms DOWN

6 Left Ring-finger Mutable-earth Guts Considerate Meticulousness


for earthlings!

Relaxingly intone: Tu {as in a ballerina’s “Tu tu”} ! one repetition per breath

for one breath

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Welcome to the sixth mudra,

where we touch our left thumb

to the tip of its Ring-finger.

Let’s consider the phrase “Mutable-earth.”



to the yielding energy of the left hand.


Therefore we access Mutable-earth

by touching the tip of our left thumb

to its Ring-finger.

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Our intestines could be correlated to Mutable-earth


the archetype of Virgo’s considerate meticulousness


the healer, the perfectionist, the servant,

the analyst, the alchemist, the messenger,

the martyr, the nature spirit, and the naturopath.

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Palms DOWN



for earthlings!


for one breath

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for earthlings!



“Great insight for earthlings!”

Here we surf the momentum of local compassion

into the realm of global compassion;

extending our well wishes to all beings,

whether they walk, crawl, swim, or fly;

even if they didn’t vote the way we wish they had.

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Palms DOWN



for earthlings!


for one breath

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Relaxingly intone: Tu {as in a ballerina’s “Tu tu”} !

Again we intone the syllable “Tu”

just as we did in the fourth exercise of this set,

while physically relaxing,

as much as we can.

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Of course the great celestial joke

is that we evolved to subtly tense during every inhalation,

which correlates with mindfulness,

and we tend to relax during every exhalation,

whether overtly or subtly, even if we don’t mean to

(which correlates with our insight).

How delicious it is that each of us has the physiological potentiality

to attain full enlightenment,

if only we’d get out of own way.

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Palms DOWN



for earthlings!


for one breath

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Palms DOWN

5 Both Little-fingers Fixed-fire Liver Charismatic Leadership


for all beings!


for one breath

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Welcome to the fifth mudra,


to it’s Little-finger.

Let’s consider the phrase “Fixed-fire.”

As we’ve already discussed


to the balanced energy of both hands.


Therefore we access Fixed-fire


to its Little-finger.

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Our liver could be correlated to Fixed-fire


the archetype of Leo’s charismatic leadership


the protector, the warrior, the artist,

the actor, the ruler, the performer,

the golden child, the healer, the prophet,

the magician, the king, the queen, and the guardian.

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Palms DOWN



for all beings!


for one breath

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for all beings!



“Great insight for all beings!”

Again we surf the momentum of our global compassion

into the realm of universal compassion,

unless we’re sci-fi geeks,

then we flow into the realm of multiversal compassion.

“But hey Lama: Jigme,

wouldn’t it be quicker and easier to forget about

self-interest, local compassion as well as global compassion

and just focus on universal compassion exclusively?” one might ask.

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That is exactly what I thought,

many years ago;

even though it is written in the “Developing Loving Kindness” discourse

found in the Digha Nikaya or longer discourses of the Buddha

that one could benefit from wishing good things

such as mindfulness, insight and compassion for all beings.

In it first one wishes well for one quarter of all living beings,

then half, then three quarters then all beings everywhere.

However, in the hubris of my youth I felt that I knew better than the Buddha

and simply wished all beings well;

then as I got older I experimented with actually following Gautama’s four steps

and found, to my very great surprise,

that his method worked much better than mine.

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Palms DOWN



for all beings!


for one breath

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Again we intone the syllable “re”

that sounds like “Ray”

just as we did in the third exercise of this set;

while relaxing as best we can.

Don’t worry,

every time we do this,

it get’s easier and easier.

Additionally take heart,

for we do not have to re-read this commentary twice daily.

It will suffice to limit our homework

to that of the exercises of the concise practice text.

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Palms DOWN



for all beings!


for one breath

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Palms DOWN

4 Right Middle-finger Cardinal-water Stomach Mother Henning

IN-breath: Compassion

now for me!

Relaxingly intone: Sö {as in “Sowing seeds”} ! one repetition per breath

for one breath

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Welcome to the fourth mudra,


to the tip of its Middle-finger.

Let’s consider the phrase “Cardinal-water.”



to the advancing energy of our right hand.

Water always refers to one or both Middle-fingers.

Therefore we access Cardinal-water

by touching the tip of the right thumb

to its Middle-finger.

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Our stomach could be correlated to Cardinal-water


the archetype of Cancer’s mother hen


the healer, the psychic, the mother,

the invisible man, the maiden, the witch,

the counsellor, the seductress and the psychologist.

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Palms DOWN



now for me!


for one breath

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now for me!



“Compassion now for me.”

Again we begin with self-interest seeking compassion…

how ironic is that?

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Palms DOWN



now for me!


for one breath

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Relaxingly intone: Sö {as in “Sowing seeds”} !

We now intone the syllable “Sö”

that sounds like the word “Sow”

as in the phrase “Sowing seeds;”

while we relax to the best of our ability.

And if this single syllable intoning starts to get old

don’t worry,

it’s just for a week.

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Palms DOWN



now for me!


for one breath

.

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Palms DOWN

3 Left Index-finger Mutable-air Upper limbs Playful Creativity


for neighbors!

Relaxingly intone: ha {as in “Ha ha, good joke”} ! one repetition per breath

for one breath

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Welcome to the third mudra,

where we touch our left thumb


Let’s consider the phrase “Mutable-air.”



to the yielding energy of our left hand.

Air always refers to one or both Index-fingers.

Therefore we access Mutable-air

by touching the tip of the left thumb

to its Index-finger.

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Our upper limbs’ hands, wrists, arms and shoulders could be correlated to Mutable-air


the archetype of Gemini’s playful creativity


the student, the storyteller, the gypsy,

the wander, the journalist, the trickster,

the comedian, the child, the writer,

the teacher, and the messenger.

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Palms DOWN



for neighbors!


for one breath

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for neighbors!



“Compassion for neighbors!”

Come, let us ride the momentum of self-interest


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Palms DOWN



for neighbors!


for one breath

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Relaxingly intone: ha {as in “Ha ha, good joke”} !

Now we intone the syllable “ha”

that sounds a bit like laughter.

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Palms DOWN



for neighbors!


for one breath

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Palms DOWN

2 Both Ring-fingers Fixed-earth Throat Affluence, Rooted Hedonism


for earthlings!

Relaxingly intone: Tam {as in “Palm”} ! one repetition per breath

for one breath

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Welcome to the second mudra,


to it’s Ring-finger.

Let’s consider the phrase “Fixed-earth.”



to the balanced energy of both our hands.


Therefore we access Fixed-earth


to its Ring-finger.

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Our throat could be correlated to Fixed-earth


the archetype of Taurus’ affluent, rooted, hedonism


the nature spirit, the musician, the silent one,

the object of passion, the owner, the temptress,

the artist, the creator, the banker, and the designer.

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Palms DOWN



for earthlings!


for one breath

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for earthlings!



“Compassion for earthlings!”

Again we ride the momentum of our local compassion

into the realm of global compassion.

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Palms DOWN



for earthlings!


for one breath

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Relaxingly intone: Tam {as in “Palm”} !

Let us intone the syllable “Tam”

whose vowel is soft like the “a” in “palm.”

I can not emphasize enough

how important it is to relax as best we can

as we intone

for that is how we viscerally, non-conceptually and passively explore

the non-graspability of:

all earthlings,

our compassion for them,

as well as our very self-identity.

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Palms DOWN



for earthlings!


for one breath

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Palms DOWN

1 Right Little-finger Cardinal-fire Crown Adventurous Courage


for all beings!


for one breath

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Welcome to the first mudra,


to the tip of its Little-finger.

Let’s consider the phrase “Cardinal-fire.”

As we’ve already explored


to the advancing energy of our right hand.


Therefore we access Cardinal-fire

by touching the tip of our right thumb

to its Little-finger.

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Our crown could be correlated to Cardinal-fire


the archetype of Aries’ adventurous courage


the pioneer, the explorer, the combatant,

the freedom fighter, the defender, the rescuer,

the worthy opponent, the dare devil,

the adventurer, and the new born.

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Palms DOWN



for all beings!


for one breath

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for all beings!



“Compassion for all beings!”

Again we ride the momentum of our global compassion

into the realm of universal compassion.

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Palms DOWN



for all beings!


for one breath

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Relaxingly intone: Tam {as in “Palm”} !

Again we intone the syllable “Tam”

whose vowel is soft like the “a” in “palm,”

as we relax to the best of our ability.

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Palms DOWN



for all beings!


for one breath

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Reviewing Old Material

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Vajra Fists – four fingers holding their thumb

The Union of

Impermanence and Interdependence

Universal-dissolution

IN-breath: Each world melts… impermanence

OUT-breath: into Earth! interdependence 1 breath

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Global-dissolution

IN-breath: Earth now melts… impermanence

OUT-breath: into here! interdependence 1 breath

.

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Local-dissolution

IN-breath: Here now melts… impermanence

OUT-breath: into form1! interdependence 1 breath

. 1 – “form” is a synonym for body

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Physical-dissolution

IN-breath: Form now melts… impermanence

OUT-breath: into speech! interdependence 1 breath

.

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Communication-dissolution

IN-breath: Speech now melts… impermanence

OUT-breath: into mind! interdependence 1 breath

Tam

.

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Mental-dissolution

IN-breath: Mind now melts… impermanence

OUT-breath: into void! interdependence 1 breath

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Concluded-dissolution a

IN-breath: Infinite…

OUT-breath: openness! 1 breath

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Concluded-dissolution b

IN-breath: Infinite…

OUT-breath: openness! 1 breath

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Exploring NEW Material

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Tare’s Tibetan Buddha Bowing

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Tibetan Bowing Technique

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This is the first of thirteen lessons

wherein we’ll learn what is classically known

as “The Tantra of the Twenty-one Praises and Requests to Tare”

but what I like to call “Tare’s Tibetan Buddha Bowing.”

But why would otherwise rational liberals

wish to perform a bowing practice?

Before we answer that

let’s take a minute or two to check in with the fundamentalists.

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Dud-jom Jig-dral Rin-po-che,

the late head of Tibet’s Nyingma sect of Tantric Buddhism

suggested that one combine the physical act of Buddha bowing

with the verbal act of reciting

“The Tantra of the Twenty-one Praises and Requests to Tare”

after practicing mantra recitation and silent meditation.

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In reference to Tibetan style bowing,

the Sakya Pandita: Kunga Gyaltsen,

the late head of Tibet’s Sakya sect of Tantric Buddhism

explained that, essentially:

1 – pressing one’s palms together

is a cause to attain the mastery of both insight

as well as mindfulness and spontaneous compassion;

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2 – touching one’s palms to the crown of one’s head

is a cause of fortunate rebirth;

3 – touching one’s palms to one’s brow

purifies body’s karma;

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4 – holding one’s palms before one’s throat

purifies communication’s karma;

5 – bringing one’s palms to one’s heart

purifies mind’s karma;

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6 – the separating of one’s palms

is a cause for the mastery of insight

as well as mindfulness and spontaneous compassion;

7 – touching the two knees to the ground

is a cause for all beings to be liberated from unfortunate rebirth;

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8 – touching both hands to the ground

is a cause to accomplish liberation and enlightenment;

9 – touching the forehead to the ground

is a cause for all beings to be benefited;

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10 – extending and folding the arms and legs

is a cause to accomplish the four supernatural activities of:

a – pacifying suffering,

b – increasing well-being,

c – favorably influencing others and

d – exorcism;

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11 – extending and folding the channels and sinews

is a cause to loosen

all their harmful knots;

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12 – articulating the spine and central channel

is a cause for the subtle energy to coalesce

within one’s central channel;

13 – touching the ground and returning to a standing position

is a cause for liberation from the tyranny of stress;

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14 – many bows are a cause

to refrain from selfishly clinging to personal calmness

and instead become the spiritual guide to many;

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to be freed from sickness

and for the auspiciousness of body, speech and mind;

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for one to be reborn in a state of bliss

and quickly become a fully enlightened Buddha.

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Sur-ya-gup-ta the north Indian Buddhist sage,

insisted that if one sincerely and enthusiastically recited

“The Tantra of the Twenty-one Praises and Requests to Tare”

once every morning and once every evening:

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1 – one would be fearless;

2 – one would be completely purified karmicly as well as behaviorally;

3 – one would be freed from the possibility of lower rebirth;

4 – one would receive every blessing of every Buddha;

5 – one would attain every greatness;

6 – one would attain complete enlightenment;

7 – all one’s poisons would be removed; and

8 – one would be freed of all afflictions and sufferings.

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Sur-ya-gup-ta also explained that if one were to recite

“The Tantra of the Twenty-one Praises and Homages to Tare”

thrice every morning and thrice every evening

for no less than seven consecutive days:

1 – one wishing a child will manifest one;

2 – one wishing wealth will manifest it;

3 – all one’s wishes will manifest; and

4 – all one’s hindrances will be destroyed.

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Now that we have checked in

with the Buddhist fundamentalists

what is the perspective

of this progressive, vegan feminist?

Perhaps you remember

that in the first lesson we briefly touched upon the phrase

“body, speech and mind.”

Many spiritual traditions around the world

value the balancing of one’s practice between:

the mental, the verbal and the physical.

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Just as last week’s

“union of impermanence and interdependence”

set of eight silent contemplations

was clearly a mental practice,

and this week’s introduction to mantra meditation

in “the union of compassion and openness”

was a verbal practice,

bowing can be a physical practice.

And let’s face it, after sitting still in meditation,

moving about can feel great.

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As a rational fan of science

I can offer no double blind, in vivo,

placebo controlled, interventional studies

verifying the claims of either Kun-ga Gyalt-sen or Sur-ya-gup-ta;

but anecdotally I can attest

that my practice of “Tare’s Tibetan Buddha Bowing”

seems to have benefited my circumstances,

health and spiritual development.

The commentary I’ll provide you in the weeks to follow

will present a liberal, figurative explanations

free from the fearful and superstitious shackles

of the literalism of fundamentalism.

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I would encourage you to temporarily suspend judgment

and add these thirteen installments

of “Ta-re’s Tibetan Buddha Bowing”

to your daily morning and evening practice.

In the fourteenth week of this course of sixteen lessons,

you’ll be practicing the final installment of this bowing practice;

so by the beginning of the fifteenth week

you could engage your judgement and notice

whether the accumulated effects of this practice

seem destructive, inert or beneficial.

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We could conduct ourselves

as intrepid spiritual explorers,

and dispassionately observe

the effects of this practice.

Clearly, as with any type of callisthenic activity

it could be wise to consult your health-care professional.

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But since even Tibetan octogenarians

perform hundreds of Buddha bows daily,

nine times out of ten

it’s a safe gamble.

Let’s be gentle with ourselves

and be patient with our learning curves.

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Compassionate Opening Intentions

NON-violently I practice:

mindfulness, insight and compassion,

as well as apply teacher’s advice

that all beings may benefit! 3 repetitions

.

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Syllabus

Week Rumination Recitation Meditation Prostration

First 1st – 5th Chapters Opening – Compassion’s Intention Union of Impermanence and

Interdependence

Second 6th – 10th Chapters Twelve Elemental Permutations 1/3 Union of Compassion and

Openness Compassion’s Opening Intention

Third 11th – 15th Chapters Two Paths 2/3 Union of Com. & Openness,

1st Union of Awareness & Openness

Conclusion and Mantra’s Meaning

Fourth 16th – 20th Chapters Closing – Good Fortune 3/3 Union of Com. & Openness,

1st Union of Bliss and Openness

Introduction and 1st Homage

Fifth 21st – 25th Chapters Closing – Benediction Dissolution’s Insight 2nd and 3rd Homages

Sixth 26th – 30th Chapters Closing – Meaningful to Behold Swoon’s Insight 4th and 5th Homages

Seventh 31st – 35th Chapters Closing – Fortune Rebirth Bardo’s Mindfulness 6th and 7th Homages

Eighth 36th – 40th Chapters Opening – Invocation Rebirth’s Compassionate View 8th and 9th Homages

Ninth 41st – 45th Chapters Opening – Suffering Tantra’s Four Bases of Mindfulness 10th and 11th Homages

Tenth 46th – 50th Chapter Opening – Interdependence 2nd Union of Bliss and Openness 12th and 13th Homages

Eleventh 51st – 55th Chapters Opening – Impermanence 2nd Union of Awareness & Openness 14th and 15th Homages

Twelfth 56th – 60th Chapters Opening – Opportunity 3rd Union of Bliss and Openness 16th and 17th Homages

Thirteenth 61st – 65th Chapters Opening – Supplication 3rd Union of Awareness & Openness 18th and 19th Homages

Fourteenth 66th – 70th Chapters Path of Mastery 4th Union of Bliss and Openness 20th and 21st Homages

Fifteenth 71st – 75th Chapters Means of Mastery 4th Union of Awareness & Openness

Sixteenth 76th – 82nd Chapters Ascending and Descending Practices

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Twelve Elemental Permutations


2 Both Ring-fingers Fixed-earth Throat Wealth and Sexuality





7 Right Index-finger Cardinal-air Kidney Love and Beauty






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