83019478 Tummo Breathing Practice

Tummo Breathing Practice by Kali Ma Directions for Tummo Practice: Tummo practice comes to us through Swami Rudrananda and is used to digest and release tensions, karmas, stuck emotions. He received this transmission when he was six years old and two Tibetan lamas approached him and installed a "vase" inside him and made prophecies about his future work. Later in his life he "discovered" this practice that is often in Tibetan Buddhism called the Vase practice. It is used to expand and strengthen the energy body and to draw in nourishing energy from a higher more refined source. We grow by drawing in nourishment, information and light, from higher energy, from the next level of being, from the next or higher dimension. It is traditionally done with eyes open, looking at a picture of a master, saint or your teacher, the picture of whom should be at least a foot away from you and a foot or so higher than higher than you. This practice may also be used in person, open eyed, looking at your spiritual teacher and drawing energy from them. It may also be used with eyes closed drawing energy from the universe, or from the teacher in their subtle form. In this way it is used as a Guru Yoga practice. The practice should be done gently, without straining the breath. The maximum time to practice is for 30 minutes twice daily, once in the morning and again in evening time. Practice should be done sitting up right in an easy crossed leg position with the hips propped up higher than the knees so that the spine can relax. Sitting in a chair is also acceptable if necessary. Instructions: Sit quietly, settling down and breath a few breaths, becoming present and relaxing yourself. Breathe until you can tangibly feel yourself breathing energy. The whole of the cosmos and the body is energy, as the teachings of Tantra Yoga reveal, as modern physics reveals, and as the experience of meditation reveals. Become aware of the energy centers of the body, where energy is concentrated, noticing each center until there is a tangible shift in energy. This should be done by sensitively feeling. Notice the root of the body, then the creative center at the level of the pubic bone, followed by awareness at the place a few inches below the navel, the center of the chest, the throat, the third eye area and then crown. Be aware in each of these areas until you feel a shift there, then direct your attention to the next center. Then notice, FEEL the place just above the crown. From that place, begin to inhale and exhale as if you are inhaling in the crown, drawing inward breath, awareness, space and energies. On the inhale you are drawing it down into the lower centers and allowing it to fill through the belly/low back. When you exhale, the energy and breath travels from the root up and out the crown, rising up and out. Breathe in this way in and down the central channel and up and out the central channel. Part One: Inhale and hold the breath Continue in this way, and on the next inhalation, draw in breath and energy into the center of the chest. Hold this breath in the center of your chest. Relax as you hold the breath, allowing the light to expand and relaxing the heart deeply. Pray to grow. Pray that your longing to grow would grow, surrender your heart to growth. Swallow, allowing the

swallowing to help the chest relax more, and bring deeper awareness to the inner opening. Part Two: Exhale a fifth of the breath Then Exhale from the center of the chest up through the crown, exhaling a fifth of the breath up and out the crown, inhale again, drawing that higher energy down deeply into you from above the crown, into the crown, past your chest and down into your navel and lower centers. Part Three: Hold the breath in the lower centers. Hold the breath and energy in the lower centers, deeply relaxing and allowing it to break up any density there, dissolve any patterns, digest any stuck emotions, feel breath and energy permeating the lower centers. Fully relaxing as you hold this breath, while allowing it to expand within you as an inner light filling in through the lower centers and dissolving any darkness or density. Part Four: Exhale up and out the crown Exhale up and out the crown, allowing the breath to rise up the central channel, up and out the crown. As the breath rises, surrender and release any tensions. As the breath rises, opening and absorbing the energy liberated by the practice. The breath rises up and out of you as a fountain of light that moves up and through the central channel. Part Five: Return to regular breath Returning to the regular flow and pace of breath, but with great consciousness, drawing in energy and awareness as nourishment on the in breath, and exhaling out tensions, surrendering tensions, and resistance. When the breath comes in it is held for a moment and soaks into your being. Part Six: Repeat After a few minutes of deeply relaxing in this way, when there is a tension or distraction or more to digest, repeat the flow of the double breath cycles (part one through five). Approximately 8 double breaths per half an hour should be done.

Tummo Breathing Practice as taught by Swami Rudrananda in his book "Spiritual Cannibalism" You must find within yourself the deep, sincere need to grow. There is a very simple exercise for this. You can work either in a group or by yourself to quiet the mind and emotions. This is done by using a point of contact. You focus on your teacher or an object as you open to your inner self. This gives you support until your muscles are strong enough to draw energy directly from the atmosphere. The person who undertakes these exercises must believe in God, or in a higher power, or in a great potential within himself. This is necessary because the goal of the exercise is

surrender, the removal of all blocks, to allow the higher force to begin the process of destroying the ego, the physical, lower force within us. The first step involves using an object or a teacher, sitting before either in a relaxed manner. You must find within yourself the deep, sincere need to grow. You must bring the wish deep within your chest area and ask deeply, as if the voiced wish were emanating from your heart, for help to surrender. This wish must be silently repeated several times until there is a sensation of an opening, like the opening of a flower. This is the beginning of the second dimension, or spiritual world. The opening is the inner wish that in turn opens the mechanism of the person, making a place for the higher force to enter. The aim of the exercise is to maintain the opening in the chest and to deepen it by relaxing and asking for help within this area. You are breaking down the blocks of the physical dimension. The energy is refined, and this brings about a chemical change, enabling you to use the spiritual muscles. The opening, or surrender, must be continuous during the exercise in order for the force to enter and for the process of spiritual growth to begin. Spiritual growth is a process of exercising and expanding the psychic muscle and nervous systems until they become controlled enough so they may be used at will. It also becomes, in time, a continuous process which works together with the ordinary life process. A growing spiritual life adds a quality and depth to life. Asking from the very depths of yourself to surrender or attain a state of nothingness is the key to opening to the flow of higher energy. As you surrender and ask to open to higher cosmic energy, work to draw this energy into yourself and channel the energy through your energy centers (or chakras, as they are called). A breathing exercise to use for drawing in cosmic energy is as follows: you draw in the breath high up through the nose and into the heart chakra. As you start the breath into the heart, you swallow in the throat and try to feel the swallow travel down to your heart center. The swallow is to release tension in the throat chakra and allow energy to expand there. After swallowing, you continue to inhale breath into the heart center until the lungs are filled to their maximum capacity. The breath is held in the heart chakra for about the count of ten. This time count may become longer as strength is gained in the breathing. During the time when the breath is held, you bring your mental concentration to the heart center and ask to surrender and try to feel very deeply inside the heart center. You must ask into the very core of your being, or deeply into the subconscious, to surrender to and receive the cosmic energy. After the breath has been held for the count of ten, you exhale one fifth of the breath and inhale again, bringing the energy and the concentration to the energy center just below the navel. The breath is retained in the navel chakra for about the count of ten and then exhaled very slowly.

This double breathing to heart and navel chakras may be repeated from eight to ten times in a half hour period or about every three minutes. You should think of the breath as energy and develop the sensitivity to feel deep expansion of energy and to let the breathing be governed by that sensitivity as your strength and capacity increase. When you are not doing the double breathing exercise, you should breathe into the navel chakra slowly, hold the breath for a few moments, and then exhale very slowly. If you feel an energy sensation in the navel or sex chakra, you should bring your attention to the tip of your spine and rock slowly from side to side on the base of the spine. This breaks up tension and allows the energy to rise up the spine to the top of the head. When you begin to do this exercise, your sensitivity may not be on the deeper energy levels. At first, you may not be able to feel definite energy sensations. This does not mean that the energy is not flowing through those channels but that you have not yet developed the sensitivity to feel it. When this energy, known as the kundalini, rises from its dormant state, various spontaneous body movements sometimes occur. These may be uncontrolled body spasms and vibrations or heat. Also, as the kundalini force passes the throat energy center, the head may move back and forth rapidly. All these movements and indeed any experience must be surrendered to totally. There is no harm or danger in these movements as they are deep, healthful tension releases. The kundalini energy gradually rising to the head over a period of time becomes stronger and stronger and eventually brings enlightenment. This is an organic process of spiritual growth, continuously reaching for deeper and deeper states of surrender and openness to the flow of cosmic energy. The more deeply we attain openness and oneness with this higher energy, the more it will lift us up spiritually and the closer it will bring us to the realization of our oneness with God or everything in the universe. Everything in the universe is energy or a manifestation of energy, and the purpose of spiritual work is to become one with that flow of higher creative energy coming from God through the cosmos. To put a new idea into effect, one must be given added energy. To rehabilitate an alcoholic, he is given vitamins. To help a man grow spiritually, he is given a teacher. Christ said, "I give you my blood to drink and my flesh to eat." This is nourishment any teacher must provide to put into effect the new ideas he presents. To work, any teaching must have within it the vital ingredient of life a living creative force which is transferable. The third step is to lower the point of surrender to the sex center (the seat of the sexual organs) . This is for two important reasons: first, it is for deepening the exercise, a necessity in this work; second and most important, it is for spreading the energy into the true home of creativity in you. These organs which are used for creating life, a child in ordinary life, become, with the force within, the seat of rebirth and regeneration. A

transformation takes place and with it, a sensation totally new to the student. The energy refined is brought up the spine to the top of the head. It matures there and is then absorbed into the body and a real change can occur. This is one of the vital areas where prejudice, fear, all the old wives tales enter into play. We hold great resistance to surrendering within this area. Actually, it is totally without danger; it will do no damage and cause no lessening of the sex drive in you. Surrender in this area can help someone who is blocked sexually, and often does. This exercise requires energy to run freely through you and this frees the life flow within it never limits you. Only by fear and thinking are you closed. Consciousness opens all doors. The word "surrender" as it is used in relation to spiritual development does not have the negative connotation it often has in ordinary speech. The act of surrender, as the term is used here, is the voluntary casting off of the thoughts and emotions that interfere with the realization of the spirit within. There is often a sense of buoyancy or floating it is a freeing of oneself from the dimension of the earth. Something within is returning to a level on which it belongs. At first, you can only work a half-hour to an hour each day. It takes nine months of continual materialization for the soul to be born within a child. The limited amount of time expended in daily exercise makes the spiritual process of rebirth within an adult a much longer event, requiring in most cases years of daily work. This refined energy can only be absorbed slowly; trying to do so faster only builds tension. SURRENDER is the voluntary casting off of the thoughts and emotions that interfere with the realization of the spirit within. Creation is a special property which extends from conceiving a child to all forms of invention. It is also a degenerative process, the breakdown within us of a higher chemistry. For almost everyone, this process takes place in "highly creative periods," which may be a matter of several years, several weeks, or several days. Rare is the strongly endowed person who can create continuously. The breakdown of chemistry during these highly creative periods leaves a person in a state of exhaustion. This is due to the fact that in creative periods certain chemicals are used up faster than they can be reproduced. In these cases, creativity is part of an unconscious death wish. Creativity must become recreativity. Really creative people are the true riches of a country. If the gift is misused, as it usually is, it becomes a curse. It is dangerous to drain a man continually of his natural resources without replacing them; to do so will make him self-destructive. Such misuse of creativity is death-oriented.

Tibetan Tantra Yoga (practice of Tummo)

Tummo is the mystic heat that sensed by all meditative practitioners regardless all of different techniques. In Tantra yoga it’s known exactly as Tummo (the energy of Kundalini). The practice of tummo is the core in Tibetan tantra yoga. Because it was esoteric so it’s hard to find reliable information about this method. Between the numerous documents, there was one book of Lama Anagarika Govinda that I see most sufficient and reliable, it’s The foundations of Tibetan Buddhism. Through this great book you can understand the basic principles and many related issues of Tibetan Tantra by the wise analytic description of lama Govinda, who lived and practice Tantra for almost all his life. My following writing was based on the information of this book. I would like to emphasize that the aim of this writing is to present to the reader the most important technique of tantra yoga in oder to complete the list of meditation techniques those are the subjects of my Blog " Varieties of meditation". The reader may read this as the referent document, no suggestion to practice the Tummo without the careful guidance of a competent Guru. In Indian yoga teachings, our spine is an energetic axis, which consists of three energetic lines (Nadis) these are: Pingala (positive), Ida (negative) and a middle: Shushumma. Along the axis there are seven chakras from the perineum to top of the head: Mudladhara, Svadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Visuddha, Ajna and Sahasrara. Each chakra correlated to a seed syllable. Kundalini, the sacred serpent lie in the Muladhara chakra. This system of seven chakras is Kundalini system. When coming to Tibetan Buddhism, the Kundalini system had a little change; it's because Muladhara and Svadhisthana are associated as one Root zone, so there’s one seed syllable “AH” represent for these two chakras. Because the Ajna and Sahasrara are associated as one Top zone so there’s one seed sylable “HAM” represent for them. We now see

from Muladhara to Sahasrara five seed syllables in order: AH, TRAM, HUM, HRI, HAM. These correlated to five chakras ( or group of chakras) and was called " the Tummo system", a little differ from " the Kundalini system". The principle of Tummo practice is waking Kundalini (seed syllable A, fire, red, positive) to create the Tummo heat, make it rises up and reach the top of the head (seed syllable HAM, water, white, negative). When the Tummo fire liquefies the Sahasrara into Immortal lotion it causes a process of enlightenment. AH absorbs HAM to become AHAM (in Sanskrit= I, me) Lama Govinda described the method of Tummo practice as follow: 1. Conditions Practitioner must study well in Buddhist philosophies, keeping good ethic, having skill in mundane meditation, can imagine vividly the shape and the bright red color of the seed syllable in his mind (see the AH seed syllable in below image). And must have powerful contemplation to realize the Tummo flame and its path.

Tantric tradition requires more serious conditions. To practice the Tummo (one of the six yogas) you have to complete the preliminaries practices which consists of two categories: *The preliminaries that are general meditations derived from the common mahayana teachings. *The preliminaries that belong exclusively to the highest yogic Tantra tradition: -The general Vajrajana preliminaries: Four complete empowerments

(Abhisheka) The Tantric precepts (Samaya) -The preliminaries that emphasized on Naropa system. 2. Process of practice - First, contemplate the seed syllablel “RAM” in his/her umbilical chakra. - Next, imagine of Khadoma (the goddess of hidden knowledge) appear in bright red light. - - Then practitioner absorbs in, and become Khadoma, at this time practitioner puts the seed syllable “A” in the root zone and put the seed syllable “HAM” in the top zone. With the conscious breathing, practitioner makes waking the seed syllable “A” to a heating flame. This flame must be imagined increasing gradually in size and heat level when it rises up along the spinal axis, from the root ( Mudladhara) to the top ( Sahasrara). The spinal axis be come a tube of flame which begin with the tiny flame then gradually become a very large one. This process may be described as ten stages: Stage 1: the flame is imagined as tiny as a hair Stage 2: the flame diameter is large as a finger. Stage 3: the flame diameter is large as an arm. Stage 4: the flame is large as a whole body. Stage 5: the practitioner’s contemplation come to the utmost degree, the flame is now become a very great one and the practitioner body absorbs in an immense fire-storm. Stage 6: the process is in reverse, the fire storm calm, decreasing to the body size Stage 7: the flame is decreased as the arm size . Stage 8: the flame is decreased as the finger size. Stage 9: the flame is decreased as the hair size

Stage 10: the flame disappears, all become void 3. breathing rhythm order Practitioner imagines the seed syllable AH transforms to a fire that’s burning red and rises up the spine rhythmically. Each "breathing rhythm" composes of one breath in and one breath out. In each breathing rhythm the red flame rises up about haft a finger each time. In details, the meditative practitioner:  with the first breath, begins imagine in the Root zone (Muladhara) the red burning flame coming up the spine.  After the 8th breath it comes to the umbilical (Manipura)  Continues the breath in Manipura ten times here.  Down the contemplation back and reach Muladhara at 28 th breath.  Up the contemplation and reach the Anahata at 38 th breath  Up the contemplation and reach the Visuddha at 48 th breath  Up the contemplation and reach the top zone at the 58 th breath  Use the contemplative power to imagine the fire heat up the top zone in ten breath rhythms ( from 58th to 68th breath). Imagine the Tummo fire burns the Sahasrara into the cool liquid (the immortal lotion) which flows down the spine and decreases the heat and the size of the Tummo fire.  At the 78th breath it comes down to the Vishudda.  At the 88th breath it comes down to the Anahata  At the 98th breath it comes down to the Manipura  At the 108th breath; It reaches, cools down, and extinguishes the Tummo heat, see the image below. Tummo flame is a spiritual entity in other words its existence, its position or its rising path depend on the practitioner's contemplative power

Side effects of wrong practice When imagining the Tummo fire burn up the top zone, if practitioner could not imagine the great Tummo flame in Sahasrara (thousands petals lotus chakra) changed its size to a smaller one and became the cooling liquid, it would be a disaster. Many psycho-somatic disorders were reported in wrong practices, they’re called “Kundalini syndromes’’ or "post kundalini syndrome".

The above image simpifies the rising path of the Tummo heat Referent book: Foundations of Tibetan Bouddhism Lama Anagarika Govinda (1898-1985)

Good work Pham!That is really wonderfull you shared here on yahoo360 , also giving links, because there are all arround the world many pleople not searching and maybe here will find your blog interesting and will get curiosity and will start to explore spirituality.Thaks!

Friday March 24, 2006 - 07:55pm (EET)

* heart…

* Offline

Pham!! u wanna know lot and a nice seeker but first u experience Kundalini awakening in urself......preaching without practicing spoils ur VOID chakra which is a place of gurudom in u... please practice Sahaja yoga ,, u would stop throwing blogs on this subject and feel shear joy of union

Saturday March 25, 2006 - 12:17pm (IST)

* heart… * Offline

Pham.. Kundalini is located above Mooladhara chakra,, this information confuses .. please feel in u,, go beyond ur mind logics and calculations

Saturday March 25, 2006 - 12:24pm (IST)

* Pham * Offline

Thank you so much HTMAN, a short and simple writing is not the principle and ennough document about Kundalini practice, you see the information is of Lama Govinda. My blog entries present the diversities of meditation, it must lists a numerous techniques of meditations as the comparative methodology. It doesn't promote any methodes as the best for my friends. I hope that reading my blog, readers will have the clear and wide view of a lot of methods of meditation including the esoterics, the realm that's always believed belongs to some secret sects or guru.

Saturday March 25, 2006 - 02:02am (PST)

* Pham * Offline

Lama Govinda never confused in locating the position of Kundalini. In his book he emphasized that the position of the Kundalini or the pathway that it runs in the body depends on the meditation level of the practitioner in other word it depends on the imagination of each practitioner. It may be in the spine, in front of or in back of the spine, all depend on the capacity of imagination. If you had no power of meditation, it would exist not. Kundalini is a spiritual entity it exist or not exist depend on the power of the spirit, so does its position.

Saturday March 25, 2006 - 02:20am (PST)

* Bogart * Offline

Thank you. Your post are always enlightning. I am glad you said not to practice without the right Guru.

Wednesday March 29, 2006 - 08:18pm (CST)

* heart… * Offline

Pham, Kundalini is dormant and resides in our sacrum bone above Mooladhara chakra when unawakened...its simply a motherly energy(residual energy) which has capacity to work and nourish our whole chakra system including three energy channels called Ida , Pingla ans Sushmana,,, Also raiising Kundalini beyond ur shasrara hakra gives u second birth.......i only meant to say that these things r as spontenious(Sahaja) as a birth of a child by a Mother,,, Just pray and witness and it happens ofcourse thru a thrue spiritual guidance( call it guru if u like)...

Monday April 3, 2006 - 01:29pm (IST)

* Wowwi… * Offline IM

Dear Pham it looks great now I have to read it I will be back with a comment Great job, I do enjoy the post and learning th edifferent methods and aspects of Meditation as I only have surface myself , and your blogs give me more insight and knowledge of what I am expriencing or what i may experience Thanks

Monday April 3, 2006 - 09:17am (PDT)

* Simon…

* Offline IM

Hi Pham et al, I had a look at this post as I used to get a lot of heat in the early years of sitting practice. Although I did Shikantaza (just sitting),I had a residual habit of focusing on my Hara region (just below the belly button). I don't think this brought me any danger although I did relate it to the Fire of Tummo, which i had heard of . Some traditions see the Hara area as the location of another 'brain',or in the Castaneda books,the point from which energy connections reach out to the world .Placing attention here ,if nothing else stimulates blood flow to the centre of gravity, digestion, and our physical centre of being (also the womb in women), and away from the brain and it's obsessive habits of verbalising and abstract thinking.To my way of thinking this is enough to allow our natural intelligence to gain ground ,and open the space for insight and movement. I realize that there are many approaches to 'The Way' ,and that of complex descriptions and practices no-doubt enable some people entry who might otherwise feel uninspired. I also can accept that some descriptions will work as valid representations, and provide intellectual stimulation ,which we as humans do seem to need . I am wary however about getting caught up in these ideas as if they were actually 'the truth'. Such as the discussion above about the location of a particular force. I feel that when one has to refer to someone else as an authority, one has already turned from 'Kundalini',or whatever name we give that energy,and focused once again on ideas as a route to 'truth'. However ,it may well be that if one does take some special method to encourage (or force) change,or evolution, one may not have matured naturally sufficiently to cope with it. Therefore it is important to be wary of complex methods. To my mind freedom, is essentially opening to the 'spiritual' nature of existance,and beyond. As such there is no need to be more than you already are. No need or value to forcing anything. No complex ideas to grasp. No way to hold the immeasurable .I feel that if we determine to be an example we can respect ,to realise our nature and express it, then that is already in accord with 'the Way',and the creative principle. Thank you for your page and the chance to comment, do visit mine ,if you'd like,comments welcome !

Simon.

Tuesday July 11, 2006 - 07:19pm (BST)

* Minh … * Offline

Lama Govinda sang Tibet học đạo với Đức Ngài Tomo Rinpoche . Ông viết cuốn Con Đường Mây Trắng . Phần chú Post lên này thiên về thực hành quá , cháu chưa có ai chỉ dẫn nên không dám hành bậy .:)

Monday December 18, 2006 - 09:25pm (ICT)

* santo… * Offline

hi this is all imagenry part there is nothing to do with breaths.the auther has given very good information but i would like to know is author is a master of tummo has he complete 12 years training as decribed.how much ice he melted

Tuesday May 22, 2007 - 09:06pm (IST)

* Jacqu… * Offline

I work on tumo and the only thing I get is pure cold. The only method I found for raising heat is pushing out violently the residual air from my body. And there is an astonishingly high level of this residual air ! Jacques De Schryver [email protected]

Tuesday February 26, 2008 - 11:15am (CET)

Fashioning A-Wear-Ness

By Troma Rig-tsal Rinpoche

I heard a story of young boy who was walking by a dance studio on the way home from school. He walked by every day and would stop to watch the entire dance class. Noticing this, the teacher finally came out one day and asked him who he was. He replied, "I am a dancer." She asked him if he had ever had dance lessons and he said, no he had not. He had simply walked by there every day and knew that what he saw was what he was. He had no sense of anyone needing to tell him that. He had no sense of needing to have some kind of references to verify that, or even experience. He just knew. She invited him in to attend the class and before long he had become the most famous male dancer in the US at the time.

It happens to all of us. We see Stevie Ray Vaughn playing guitar in total synchronization with his art and we know - that is what I am. We hear the story of Yeshe Tsogyal or Shakyamuni Buddha and we recognize - that is who I am. We hear the story of a warrior or hero and some recognition stirs from deep within. We glimpse our Buddha-nature from outside the window, on the way to somewhere else, and even though we are not qualified, we do not have the credentials, the back story, the right nationality, don't know the language or don't know the steps, but we just know it is what we are. We recognize our own face when we see it. Our Buddha-nature, goodness, so pristine, so innocent, so wise, it is our innermost nature and we glimpse it many times in our lives. But unlike the dancer in this story, we usually do not identify with it so wholeheartedly. When asked, who are you? That is not usually who we say we are. We usually lose track of the sentiment and find ourselves caught up in being whoever we think we should be. But we can just be what we are now. The Buddhist methods are all about stepping right into what we are. Good, creative, kind, juicy, open and wise, our Buddha-nature is always available for us, for every single one of us. Buddhism is a tradition of methods for relocating that way of being that is our inner most nature. In the Buddhist Tradition of the MahaSiddhas, those methods for finding our Buddhanature are unlimited. We could even begin by simply dressing the part.

It is widely accepted that Buddhism is about the mind. The MahaSiddha Tradition of Buddhism is the realization of everything in our life as our practice. Because there is no limit to mind, there is no limit to our practice. Wherever we look, whatever we are doing, whatever we are saying - the communication of our entire reality perception is being played out. We are constantly communicating back to our own mind, reinforcing our ideas of self, other and reality. Or we are deconstructing mistaken identities, leaving in their wake an expanded space of open-ended-self, where anything can happen. The way we speak, the way we move, the way we reside in our physicality and the way we dress our body are all tied up in mind, in our sense of Self. We can alter these expressions with awareness and find out how fluid, unlimited and glorious our the nature of our mind really is. In so doing, we discover self not to be an established fact we are stuck with, but instead, an open-ended art that we can find intrinsic freedom in.

Our relationship to body is perhaps the most accessible way to work with our minds. Representing the most gross expression of mind, it gives us a tangible domain in which to find awareness. Body demonstrates the entire continuum of everything we deny in our mental life in the most unmistakable way; the impermanence, insubstantiality and non-duality of our body is irrepressible. Our bodily life confronts us with chaos, and no matter how tidy the world in our mind, body has it's own ways - raging with the elements and teaching us about death. Body rarely shows the either/or mentality; it is a universe of multiplicity and paradox that leaves all our concepts and even our sciences inadequate to describe is profundities. Whatever pictures we have of who we are supposed to be, body is here exploding our boxes with it's full range of human experience. It portrays to us something vaster than our limited identities, more interdependent than our separate sense of Self. How we relate to our bodies arises from how we relate to our mind, and the reverse could be said to be true as well. When we change our relationship with our body, we change our relationship with our mind. We have Yogas to unlock this bodyenlightenment. And one of those Yogas is the Yoga of dress. This is a practice that anyone could engage in by beginning to see dress as a method of relating to mind. Padmasambhava gave instruction to Yeshe Tsogyal to practice the Yoga of dress, inseparable from the Yogas of the vital energies.

"Wear cotton cloth, wear bone ornaments,

and then go naked without adornments,

relying on the Tummo breathing

This is the discipline of dress."

- Padmasambhava to Yeshe Tsogyal, Mother of Knowledge

Practitioners during the MahaSiddha's era didn't have all the choices and buying power that Western practitioners have today. Fashion and society were much less flexible at the time. Yet they still used dress and clothing as a practice none-the-less; the white skirts, the hats, earrings, shawls, bone ornaments. There was no domain that their practice did not pervade. What cotton clothes the tummo practitioners wore, the drums and bells the chodpas and chodmas carried, the long-hair of the yogis all spoke of the view, method and conduct of the path. Fashion and dharma were inextricably interwoven in a full-body declaration of non-duality of emptiness and form. For renunciates, such considerations are less relevant, since their practice is to renounce form and with it body, the material world and ordinary dress. For Tantrics however, our practice is to vividly journey into the celebration of form and find the open, luminous emptiness equally present in all things. It is our duty and our privilege to dress with awareness as a profession to the sacredness of body and all life.

Often we do not dress according to our highest inspiration because it doesn't fit with our lowly identity for who we are. We see that level of flair, color and style as reserved for rock-stars or other people with better figures. We are afraid of making a fool of ourselves. And that is precisely the point. To fall out of step with our fixed self-concepts, to appreciate our

bodies or dress for our Buddha-nature requires us to be willing to experience death; the death of old-identities. That is why it can be an authentic practice. It can thrust us into that open depth, where we come face to face with non-fixed-self. Through a change in dress, our pictures of our self could be allowed to open up so that we can bring forth previously unexpressed aspects of who we are. We must be willing to be a fool to go there; willing to risk, willing to see whatever sense-less, irrational beauty and innocence is there in us, willing to behold the depth of our own sleep. Willing to experiment, even if it brings us discomfort or ambiguity. When we dare to dress for awareness we might find ourSelves less solid and there is fertile ground in that.

"Dancer in the indestructible stream of magical illusion

Power holder. . . Hero. . .Little Yogin. . .

Vagabond. . .Light traveler. . . Champion. . .

Yogin tasting the one flavor of all things

These are some of the masks I wear."

-Drukpa Kunley quoted in Masters of MahaMudra

Or we may dress with amazing attention to appearance, meanwhile we are rotting inside our mind, with all kinds of un-inspected poisonous thoughts. It is always easier to clean up on the surface than it is to actually do any inner work. This kind of artificial beauty leaves a bad aftertaste and

seems to attract people and situations that are equally as fragmented. The most radiant appearance comes from radiant peace of mind. The Yoga of dress is matter of finding our Buddha-nature and discovering what it actually is to genuinely express it in all our activities, even the activities which were formerly considered the most mundane, but which we can discover as equal opportunities for enlightenment. With genuineness is our vulnerability, and there it is again, that willingness to encounter the empty thread that tentatively holds together the sweater of existence.

When I was in elementary school, one of my friends always wore this purple shiny shirt. That purple shiny shirt appeared in the classroom, at school dances, church, the beach, birthday parties and even a funeral. Purple and shiny were not remotely near anything in style for boy's fashion at the time and this was before Prince and Purple-Rain could have vindicated him. At that age, one's fashion was noticed and scrutinized with a brutal intensity; kids didn't hold back when it came to making fun of him. When someone asked him about it, I heard him reply, "This is my favorite shirt. It makes me feel like who I really am."

That is a power in the way we dress. It can arouse a particular state of mind. It can confirm our idea of who we are, or undermine it. It is a daily opportunity to unravel the self-concept that often eclipses our Buddhanature. For the Yogis and Yoginis of our tradition, dress has always been a matter of practice. Adorned in bone ornaments, donning Khatvanga staff, wearing the crown or conventional clothing, how we dress our body is a reflection of how we address our mind.

"Dolled up in unadulterated passion

Classy with commitment

Decked out in devotion So fly in my dharmic longing

Dressed to kill all my illusions..."

- Navina Roberts

Clothing can be liberating. Trungpa in a kilt comes to mind; or a favorite picture of him in sunglasses, polyester collar and bell-bottoms. Ngak'Chang Rinpoche in his blues-man attire, or even his damaru dressed up in an exquisite case lined with fur from Yoko Ono's jacket. Gandhi gave his followers tremendous empowerment in their struggle for independence from foreign domination, when he guided them to destroy foreign clothes and find cultural pride in returning to their own homespun cotton clothing. My favorite scene in Gandhi's life is the one where he shows up in Britain for the Round Table conferences, the British representatives soberly dressed in European formal wear. Gandhi appears wearing nothing but the traditional Indian dhoti and his indestructible human dignity. A cotton sheet suddenly seemed the most regal clothing on earth.

It is a way of using clothing to find the liberated

quality of our own minds. It is wearing for a-wear-ness.

The Yoga of dress is not just about a specific uniform, though specific wielding of dress is a pressing part of our tradition. The visibility of the monks robes are an instant communication about who they are, how they relate to the world and how we should relate to them. When I travel with Lama Tenzin, it is interesting how his monastic uniform instantly opens us up to all kinds of conversations and connections we may not have made, had he been wearing western apparel. I look forward to the day when my Yogic attire will have the same effect - instant recognition at airports, markets or temples that I must be a Buddhist Yogini. But alas, the Yogic attire is less widely recognized than the monastic garb. Last week, Ngak'Chang Rinpoche told us that when he first wore the ordained Yogic robes, teaching about the white skirt, long hair tradition and developing his early Sangha, most people had not even heard of the Buddhist line of Yoginis and Yogis. He shared with us that many people didn't even think it really existed. We ourselves had only received the "lay" tantric version before his gift to us. But now, largely thanks to he and Khandro Dechen's compassionate activity, the ordained Yogic lineage has become more visible - and that is the potential power of dress, to keep alive a religious tradition, to speak volumes and centuries of teachings through color, fabric and pattern. The Yogic clothing, as it has been worn since the time of the Buddha, makes clear that renunciation is not the only serious enlightenment path. The dress signals a way of being, passionate, vivid, colorful, yet pristine. It pronounces a non-monastic, but no-less hard-core Buddhism. Even if the symbols and meanings are not always understood by the viewers, when the robes are worn, the yogic tradition is made visible again, its extinction postponed another day, perhaps another decade or lifetime. May the white skirts and the long haired yogis continue for countless generations and may our humble efforts contribute to manifest that.

Our clothing can open up a line of

communication that otherwise is not available.

The Yoga of dress is about how it makes us feel, and what mind state it puts us in, yet that is just the foundation. The inspirational power of our clothing is the beginning. Just as important is that our dress is a communication with others. It is a communication about what we feel about ourselves, about them and about the situation. Wearing our nicest suit on a date clarifies our respectful intentions. Wearing a bathing suit to church makes clear our lack of respect. Clothing is a communication in a cultural context where clothing is a language that indicates status, power, relationship, taste and individuality. It communicates this all instantaneously and directly and therefore it is a very powerful way to guide the direction of our interactions towards our highest aspirations. Our dress can liberate others or bring to the fore qualities in a situation that were previously peripheral. Our clothing can open up a line of communication that otherwise is not available. When Trungpa gave up his monk's robes he made a transformation from a foreigner with an exotic teaching, to a man with a message that transcended culture. In setting down his monastic clothing, he led his students into a way of being in dignity and wakefulness in their midst of their very own world. Every-time he donned another manner of dress, suit and tie, kilt, kimono, chuba or military uniform, Buddha-nature was revealed anew to all who had eyes to see. Looking at the whole series of costume changes - it seems apparent that "liberation through wearing" could possibly arise in unlimited forms.

"When plunging completely and genuinely into the teachings,

one is not allowed to bring along one's deceptions. I realized

that I could no longer attempt to preserve any privacy for

myself, any special identity or legitimacy. I should not hide

behind the robes of a monk, creating the impression of

inscrutability, which, for me, turned out to be only an

obstacle. With a sense of further involving myself with

the sangha, I determined to give up my monastic vows.

More than ever I felt myself given over to serving the cause of Buddhism."

- Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Born in Tibet

I have loved the yogic clothing from Tibet and India and delight in my ordained robes. They fit well with my body-type and make it much easer to sit, do yogic exercises and teach for long hours in the clothes made for just that purpose. Over these years, I have come to see that it is equally powerful and important for myself and our practitioners to wear conventional western clothing when appropriate too. That wisdom must be also donned. Who else but the Tantrics could communicate the liberating potential of dress? What better way than dress is there to communicate

the sacredness of all things, all, every single thing? We can find and display Buddha-nature in our own culture, in our own time and that sheds new light in a culture preoccupied with appearances. I have met many well-intentioned people wearing the esoteric fashions of India, Bhutan or Tibet whose lovely outfits could not disguise their arrogant, angry minds. In that case, dress has not been used in the way it could have been. All dress could equally be used for neurosis or wisdom. In the Yoga of dress, it is how and why we wear as much as what we wear. It is a mind practice as much as a body and clothing practice. It is a way of using clothing to find the liberated, inspired quality of our own minds. It is not just about the moment we dress in the morning but how we reside in our clothes each moment of the day. It is wearing for a-wear-ness. This is hinted at in the way that new shoes could give us a new perspective; or in the way a clean, freshly ironed shirt could renew our Vajra-pride. It is not a matter of having the money to buy the latest fashion or owning expensive things. It is a matter of windhorse; caring for the clothing that we do have, and wearing clothing in it's fullest glory, clean and pressed when possible, radiant and dignified at all times. Gandhi set fire to foreign-made clothing. Our revolution could take place when we set fire to whatever clothes do not remind us of our Buddha-mind. If we wear only those garments, then we could even be wearing a cotton sheet and discover the demeanor of a king.

Form is the radiance of Buddha-nature, even with all it's apparent restriction and limitation. We can find it's boundaries and responsibilities do not constrict our freedom, but actually lead us deeper into it by demanding us to be present, on the spot with what is. We can encounter that the fabric of form is sewn from the thread of emptiness. Even our bodies are saturated with the ultimate reality. Sometimes that is easy and pleasurable. Other times, it is pain as the path. Being in a body is a discipline, and that is good. Comfort is not all it has been made out to be. Formality is not the downer it has been portrayed as. Too much comfort is laziness. Our mind hangs out all over the place. Our sloppiness degrades us, others and our environment. It firms up our self-hate and feeling of unempowerment. Think of the strictness and crispness of a military uniform. It brings out a particular state of mind - alert, at attention, commanding respect, ready to face whatever comes, even death. Any uniform is like that to some extent, imposing a sense of structure and principle, clarifying our situation. When our clothes fit well they do that. They hold us in a container of dignity and uplifted-ness. When we dress up, instead of

dressing down, we can find more freedom - freedom to feel sharp, alert, fabulous and joyous, freedom to express our respect for others and our world.

Whenever we dress for our mind-state, we are giving awareness form. There could be a marriage of mind, body and dress. We could artfully use their combination to encounter the non-self and all its limitless expressions. We could use it to celebrate form and show intrinsic dignity of ourselves, others and this world. We could choose colors with the Buddha Families in mind, eliciting the particular dynamics we are most needing at the time. We can pay close attention to what notion of self, other and all things we are dressing for each day and in doing so find awareness. The yoga of dress is about showing up as who we really are. We are Buddha-nature, and Yidam. We are noble practitioners, daughters and sons of Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyal, open and wakeful, dignified and free, dressed to kill all illusions that imply otherwise.

tummo  

Jan 28, 2007 at 2:23 PM Post a comment

Inner Fire Yoga, or Tummo, is the basic method used in the advanced stage of most tantra systems. When doing this practice, we will need to visualize our body in a certain way. This is called the “Vajra Body” and incorporating it into our self-image provides a useful way to work with our bodily energies. The structures visualized are not actually there when the body is autopsied. There are correlates with our physical bodies, yet that is only part of the picture. When we close our eyes and feel our bodies, it is hard to deny that different parts of the body have different energies and feelings. In any case, to do the practices, one needs to suspend disbelief and visualize the postulated structures and energies. After extended practice, the visualizations become internalized and become powerful tools for calming ourselves, connecting with the body and channeling energy. As babies, we are born with blissful energy freely flowing throughout our entire body. As we develop, this energy is inhibited by the traumas of life and stored in our neuromuscular systems. We no longer breathe freely and our muscles become distorted with tension and stored psychic and physical pain. Inner Fire Yoga teaches us a method to free up this trapped energy and use it to our advantage. If we look carefully at emotion, we find that an emotion is actually a energized physical sensation in one part of the body or another. Thoughts are superimposed on these energies. The energy of emotion can scatter us, or we can learn to use it to center ourselves. In Inner Fire Yoga, energy is generated and collected in the navel chakra and spread upward through the center of our body, centering and energizing us in a positive way. Sexual desire and anger can be very useful. Sexual energy in most adults is usually limited to the area of the sexual chakra. When this energy is spread throughout the body, it really isn’t just sexual anymore. It is a total body energized or “blissful” feeling. This is not the ordinary limited bliss of orgasm. Sexual energy can be freed up and distributed

throughout the body by moving it into the navel chakra and then doing the Inner Fire Yoga. Anger is energy also, but the energy can be harmful. In the inner fire yoga we can learn to take the energy of anger (usually felt in the solar plexus) and throw it also into the navel chakra as fuel. Emptiness: The “blissful” body is only half of the equation in Tantra. The other half is the indispensable understanding of non-dual awareness, or “emptiness” (the mind free or empty of conceptual divisions). The practice of tummo is a core practice in Tibetan tantra yoga. I would like to emphasize that the aim of this article is to present to the reader the technique of tantra yoga. The reader may read this as a reference document: I do not suggest you practice Tummo without the careful guidance of a competent Guru. In Indian yoga teachings, our spine is an energetic axis, which consists of three energetic lines (Nadis) these are: Pingala (positive), Ida (negative) and a middle: Shushumma. Along the axis there are seven chakras from the perineum to top of the head: Mudladhara, Svadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Visuddha, Ajna and Sahasrara. Each chakra relates to a seed syllable. Kundalini, the sacred serpent lies in the Muladhara chakra. This system of seven chakras is the Kundalini system. When it was incorporated into Tibetan Buddhism, the Kundalini system changed; it’s because Muladhara and Svadhisthana are associated as one Root zone, so there’s one seed syllable “AH” represent for these two chakras. Because the Ajna and Sahasrara are associated as one Top zone, there’s one seed sylable “HAM” to represent them. We now see from Muladhara to Sahasrara five seed syllables in order: AH, TRAM, HUM, HRI, HAM. These relate to five chakras (or group of chakras). The principle of Tummo practice is waking the Kundalini (seed syllable A, fire, red, positive) to create the Tummo heat, make it rise up and reach the top of the head (seed syllable HAM, water, white, negative). When the Tummo fire liquifies the Sahasrara into Immortal fluid, it causes enlightenment. AH absorbs HAM to become AHAM (in Sanskrit= I, me) Preconditions The practitioner must study well in Buddhist philosophies, behave ethically, have skill in mundane meditation, must be able to visualize vividly the shape and the bright red color of the seed syllable in his mind (see the AH seed syllable). And must have powerful contemplation to realize the Tummo flame and its path. Tantric tradition requires more serious conditions. To practice the Tummo (one of the six yogas) you have to complete the preliminaries practices which consists of two categories: The preliminaries consisting of general meditations derived from the common mahayana

teachings. The preliminaries that belong exclusively to the highest yoga tradition: The general Vajrajana preliminaries Four complete empowerments (Abhisheka) The Tantric precepts (Samaya) The preliminaries for the Naropa yogas. Practice First, contemplate the seed syllablle “RAM” in the umbilical chakra. Next, imagine the Khandroma appear in bright red light. Then the practitioner absorbs, and becomes the Khandroma: at this time the practitioner visualizes the seed syllable “A” in the root zone and visualizes the seed syllable “HAM” in the top zone. With conscious breathing, the practitioner awakens the seed syllable “A” to a heating flame. This flame must be imagined as increasing gradually in size and heat level when it rises up along the spinal axis, from the root ( Mudladhara) to the top (Sahasrara). The spinal axis becomes a tube of flame which begins the tiny flame, then gradually grows. This process may be described in ten stages: Stage 1: the flame is imagined as tiny as a hair Stage 2: the flame diameter is large as a finger. Stage 3: the flame diameter is large as an arm. Stage 4: the flame is large as a whole body. Stage 5: the practitioner’s contemplation come to the utmost degree, the flame is immense and the practitioner’s body is absorbed in an immense fire-storm. Stage 6: the process is reversed, the fire storm calms, decreasing to body size Stage 7: the flame is decreased to the size of an arm . Stage 8: the flame is decreased to the size of a finger. Stage 9: the flame is decreased to the size of a hair. Stage 10: the flame disappears, all becomes void

The practitioner imagines the seed syllable AH transform into a fire that is burning red and which rises up the spine rhythmically. Each “breathing rhythm” consists of one breath in and one breath out. In each breathing rhythm the red flame rises up about half a finger, each time.

The meditative practitioner: · with the first breath, begins to imagine in the Root zone (Muladhara) the red burning flame coming up the spine. · After the 8th breath it reaches the umbilical chakra (Manipura) · Continue the breath in Manipura ten times. · Descend and reach Muladhara at 28th breath. · Ascend and reach the Anahata at 38th breath

· Ascend and reach the Visuddha at 48th breath · Ascend and reach the crown chakra at the 58th breath · Use the contemplative power to imagine the fire heat up the top zone in ten breath rhythms ( from 58th to 68th breath). Imagine the Tummo fire burns the Sahasrara and produces a cool liquid which flows down the spine and decreases the heat and the size of the Tummo fire. · At the 78th breath it reaches the Vishudda. · At the 88th breath it reaches the Anahata · At the 98th breath it reaches the Manipura . At the 108th breath; It reaches, cools down, and extinguishes the Tummo heat itself. The tummo flame is a spiritual entity, in other words its existence, its position or its rising path depend on the practitioner’s contemplative power. When imagining the Tummo fire burn up to the crown chakra, if practitioner could not imagine the great Tummo flame in Sahasrara (thousands petals lotus chakra) change its size to a smaller one and become the cooling liquid, it will cause damage.

SAKYA TUMMO Heat Yoga

HISTORY OF TUMMO

Tummo is a spiritual technique taught by Tibetian Lhamas. Tummo in Tibet is not translated as heat, but rather depicts mystical technique, and the energy generated was not primarily to warm the body of the practitioner, but to support the spiritual progress of the practitioner.

Tibetians divide Tummo into three categories: Tummo exoteric which grants the body the ability to heal and subtle warmth. Esoteric Tummo which allows the body to survive even in extreme cold, and the Mystic Tummo (Kriya Yoga) which gives warmth in spiritual achievements while living in this world. Tummo esoteric (Chandali) is very well known and is mastered by many Tibetians who either gain it through one's own effort, or through initiation or Angkur from a Vajra Master. While Tummo exoteric and mystic is not mastered by many people, even among Tibetian mystic, there are only several people who mastered the three kinds of Tummo.

BENEFIT OF TUMMO

With the flow of Tummo in oneself, all body level, physical, mental, emotional and intuition level will progress much faster. With Tummo esoteric of course one can survive in extreme cold even without any single cloth like what happened at Lachi Kang (near Everest summit), Himalaya.

The mastery of Tummo exoteric is very beneficial for the curement of various kind of ailments and illness on all levels, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. It is very easy to use Tummo because it does not require concentration at all and the healing will happen automatically simultaneously at all levels of beingness. A Tummo practitioner himself doesnt need to know and able to diagnose the patient's illness, this way it helps patients who feel embarrassed to speak of his/her illness. Tummo mystic will surely cause Tummo practitioner to achieve meditation perfection in very short time.

SAKYA TUMMO

Sakya Tummo is a Tummo system that originated from Buddhism. Therefore, this Sakya Tummo is of direct lineage: Sastra Vardhana - Your Name.. Different with other Tummo system in general, Sakya Tummo only gives angkur once, which is of Vajra Master grade. Despite of that, the Sakya Tummo angkur is already comprised of all grades wholefully, mantras and mudras, and also vajra body protector, vajra weapon and many others. It is a Tummo system that is very integrated and is very powerful. Sakya Tummo allows a disciple to accelerate his/her spiritual advancement and inner power in healing others.

ENERGI COMPOSITION OF SAKYA TUMMO

Inside human body, there exist at least three kinds of energy. Those three kind of energies are utilized optimally as Booster in Tummo technique. Those three kind of energies are:

1. Vayu, Living energi of the universe that flows inside the body. Vayu is of wind element. There are many kinds of Vayu, but the most important among them are five, which are: * Prana, Pra means the first . Na means the smallest energy unit. This energy is obtained through breathing. It functions to move and maintain all physical organs. * Samana, This energy functions to help digestion process in disassociating nutrition from useless matters, which would result in bodily waste (feces). * Vyana, This energy helps dissipating prana and samana (ojas and tejas) to the whole body. * Apana, Apana functions to push out wastes and any other unneeded materials out of the body. * Udana, Udana pushes air out of the lungs and skin surface. Including pushing out the spirit out of the body.

2. Ojas, Energi generated from drinking. This energy is of water element. Ojas is obtained from water that we drink, juicy fruits and fresh vegetables. 3. Tejas, Energi generated from food. This energy is of fire element. Usually comes from solid food.

Sakya Tummo Angkur will also give harmonious adjustments with the universe energy that will enter from your Crown Chakra, and arouse the awakening of Kundalini energy(only to extent of Kundalini energy. Not the consciousness nor such higher level. Kundalini is contained in 7 layers of concentris ball. The rotation of this seventh layer will be accelerated) which will arouse from your Base Chakra, which will then be combined with Vayu, Ojas, and Tejas. That is why Tummo is felt by some of its practitioners have stronger energy power than Reiki. Someone which serious to true elaborate area of spiritual shall also take system of Tummo, because in system of Tummo hence we will obtain

* Activation Source of Energy in Body like Bottom, Middle And Upper Tantien. * Activation and evocation fully Kundalini * Activation of Shield or Aura Protector of Body from all metaphysics attack * Activation and stabilize system of Yin Yang body * Activation all 72.000 band of nadis and 365 chakra in physical and eterik body * Activation of universe energi and earth * Activation of Third Eye, Pineal and Pluitary Gland, and Ajna System * Activation all energy system of body include Vayu, Ojas, Tejas and Tattva.

CONTENTS:

1. Introduction about Tummo and History 2. History of Buddha Sakyamuni, Founder of Buddhisme 3. How To Receive Angkur Tummo and Afirmation 4. How To Improve Tummo Energy 5. Symbol and Meaning 6. Mantra of Sakyamuni Buddha 7. Spiritual Weapon, Shield and Mudra of Sakya Tummo 8. Citta Sudhi Pranayama Technique 9. others..

G Tummo Gtummo

What is gTumo ?

Gtumo is inner fire a cosmic heat energy from astral body that increases spiritual achievement of a human being. Gtumo also functions to cure various types of physical and psychical diseases. Application of gtumo to heal is not followed by concentration, breathing technics and medicines. It can be said that gtumo flows when we think of other things beyond healing effort. Application of gtumo for first grade practitioner is done by palmhand touch, while for second grade, master grade and vajra master grade practitioners is done by palm-hand touch and using energy patterns enabling distance healing to one or more patients collectively.

GTumo has been practised by lhama ( tantra buddhis monk) on Tibet for since buddhism enter Tibet. Still practise now by selected monk, included Dailai Lhama himself.

Gtumo can be applied by everyone after get the attunement of gtumo. The gtumo can be attuned by vajra master grade practitioner in 10 minutes for each grade and instantly the new practitioner can aplly gtumo to him/her self and others by only touching palm of hand. Application to your self is done by palm-hand touch on both thighs generally, while for others are done by touching palm of hand on the patient's shoulder.

Before do all this meditations you have to get angkur or initiations from vajra master of gtumo. There are three levels practisioner + vajra master of gtumo, practioner for each level must have angkur first from vajra master before practise and use it. Totally there are four levels of gTumo : three levels for practisioner ; Respa, High Respa, and Personal Master. One level for Master Teacher : Vajra Master.

Meditation for gTumo Level 1 (Respa of gTumo)

gTummo: #1--a gentle chakra-lights meditation

This might not be so for everyone, but it's been my experience that when a meditation is too complicated and intricate, it's difficult if not

impossible to maintain the meditative state. Trying to remember the right colors, how many petals the lotus has, etc., will pop you right out of alpha or theta, and right into wide-awake beta. In my meditation, I can tell when I've done this easily: I go from a feeling like gliding over a perfectly calm lake to bouncing along in choppy water. So it is, that for me, one of the best chakra meditations I've tried is the first one ever taught me, long before I even knew what a "chakra" was. You can vary it somewhat to emphasize one chakra or another, but here is the "bare bones" of it: Begin at the base, and imagine a light there. Don't worry about colors--did you know that different systems are going to give your chakras different colors anyway? So your colors just might vary anyway. Thus--no particular color, but a light. If you see it in a particular color, fine; if not, also fine. Accept whatever it is you see as your personal gift. It is yours. Never mind the size of it: just acknowledge the light, and enjoy it, love it. Now up to the next centre, the spleen center; do the same, noting the light in that center. And so on to the crown, which is where we now change directions. Moving down now, we return to the 3rd eye, then to a place WITHIN the head, right in the center of it in fact; now down to the throat, and to the heart. Change directions again. Back to the throat, the 3rd Eye, and crown. Change again, back to the 3rd Eye, the place in the middle of the head, throat & heart. Repeat this sort of figure-8 as many times as you feel comfortable with, dwelling on each light as long or as short as you like. End the meditation, always, with the heart centre. As to removing a particular block, as in the throat (a real common one!), I've found the harder you "try" the more stubborn it becomes. It's almost

as though by concentrating on that one spot, and the problem you believe is there, the more energy you send to the block, making it stronger. If I do the work on all the centres more or less equally, I notice "blocks" gradually dissolving, sort of like a sand castle in the wind, a few grains at a time, but over time, the castle smooths, then diminishes, and then it's gone, absorbed into the universe of the Beach. Full body Reiki is a wonderful help for this process, but it does take time for most folks.

Meditation for gTumo Level 2 (High Respa of gTumo)

Working with the gTummo fires: NOTE: This meditation has been adapted from Lama Thubten Yeshe's meditation in his book, "The Bliss of Inner Fire." Although there are references to kundalini nectar, this is the nectar from the kundalini as the fires heat up. It's very blissful, but this is not the same as kundalini rising--although in time, it might, but very gently. So, to begin. You can do this any time you have a few moments. First make yourself peaceful and centered. You can lie down or sit; if you sit, make sure your back is straight and your legs uncrossed. Use the lotus position for other things, but not this. Start with the basics, and become comfortable with that practice, then move on to "Blazing the Inner Fire", practice that awhile, then move on to the next and so on. If at any point you feel discomfort, stop, and try again at a later time. Basic. Now, first picture all your chakras. Start from the root and go up, and see each one as a lotus. Now envision your entire body, with all the chakras, all the lotuses present and shining. The petals are sort of waving, as though a fine breeze is caressing the petals of all the lotuses. Enjoy the feeling a few moments. Now focus on the area just below the navel, which is the gTummo. See a flame, reddish in color, like a lit candle flame. The lotus petals again stir as you take in a deep breath, making sure it enters the central channel. Release the breath, again through the central channel, stirring

the lotus petals. Make that small flame grow taller, rising up the central channel. As it reaches upward, it rises past the solar plexus, the heart, throat, third eye and crown lotuses. It is like a flame suddenly blazing up--and now it dies down again. You will feel a blissful heat, which should be soft, not harsh, very warm, but not painful. If painful, stop awhile, but so far, I've not had that happen. Repeat your deep breath sequence, and become one with the flame, and intensifying your inner fire now. The brilliant red fire now radiates up the central channel to embrace the heart, throat, and crown chakras (lotuses). From crown to feet, your entire body is filled with blissful radiant red light. The heat from this should be subtle, gentle, and pleasant. Blazing the Inner Fire: Again, the breath sequence, and remember to concentrate on the central channel. As you breathe, imagine you are drawing in all your negativity to be absorbed, burned, and cleansed by these fires. Take another breath, and swallow, pressing down firmly, whilst also tightening your lower muscles. Notice the increase in heat in the gTummo area as it becomes greatly enlivened. Now the fire explodes, blazing up 3-4 inches up the inner channel. Before, the fire was small and only lasted a few moments. Now it is powerful and doesn't die down. The blissful heat shoots up the central channel and automatically stimulates the other chakras. The lotuses are now on the verge of melting into blissful kundalini nectar. Hold your breath as long as its comfortable, then release it, imagining winds shooting up your central channel. Feel the bliss. Tighten the lower muscles again slightly; this adds more bliss and more explosions of heat. Repeat tihs deep breath again, imagining the gTummo as a sort of chalice

of fire; the winds from your breath whip around the edges of the chalice shape causing the fires to blaze and to generate incredible heat. The more heat there is, the more response you'll feel from the upper chakras. The heart chakra begins to vibrate, and it's almost ready to melt. Soon the throat chakra follows suit, and then the crown. Blissful k. is about to drip from these lotuses. Every movement of energy encourages your consciousness to unify with bliss and the Divine. Your entire body is filled with bliss and Divine heat. Blazing and Dripping. Repeat the breath sequences, tightening the lower muscles as before. Negative energies now no longer exist; only the positive energy in the central channel. Feel a new movement of energy coming from the gTummo now, intensifying your inner heat and melting the kundalini. The flames blaze all the way up to your heart chakra; it wraps around the heart lotus 3 times, and it becomes superhot. The lotus fills with blissful kundalini, which then flows downward to the gTummo; it's like pouring liquid butter over a fire: it blazes even higher. Your entire nervous system becomes fire, causing still more blissful k. to flow down. Concrete concepts automatically wither and disappear; you rest in the feeling of utter satisfaction. Blissful energy explodes into an intense awareness of wisdom and universal reality. As more wind enters the central channel, preconceptions disappear, and you transcend your current reality. Again, the breath sequence & the tightening of the lower muscles, causing the flames to again blaze up, higher now, beyond the heart and to the throat chakra. The fires fill up the throat lotus and wraps itself around it three times, superheating it. Blissful k. now drips down from the throat lotus, through the heart lotus, to the gTummo, causing the flames to flare up still more. You are filled with much bliss. Again, the breath sequence & the tightening of the lower muscles; again the flames blaze up, still higher now, past the heart & throat to the crown. The crown lotus begins to melt and flow downward, filling the throat with intensely blissful k., which mixes with the throat k and flows down to the heart; here also it mixes with the heart k and then flows down to the gTummo. The gTummo fires now bursts limitlessly, filling your entire body (spiritual and physical) with blissful heat. Every nerve, every hair, every pore is one with bliss. Extraordinary blazing and dripping. As before, do the breath & tightening of the lower muscles; the flames flare up again.

They blaze up to the heart, filling it with fire, while the heart drips downward; the throat, filling it with flames, while it drips k. downward; the crown, filling it with fire, while k. drips downward. Flames are moving up, while k. drips down. Now the fires blaze downward to your feet, from just below the navel to your feet; your entire body is filled with blissful inner fire. Your chakras and channels are filled with it. You're one with blissful inner fire. Now imagine your brow chakra (3rd eye) and your right nostril shooting out, lightning, this blazing fire into the universe. It reaches all the supreme beings, bodhisattvas, great teachers, and Masters, and it enters their bodies through their left nostrils, touches their 4 centers (gTummo, heart, throat & crown), and melts their k. Now the blissful energy comes out their right nostrils and enters your body through your left nostril, and their supremely blissful energy comes to your energy centers, generating supremely blissful heat throughout. The bliss itself, says Lama Thubten Yeshe, should be digested and transformed into wisdom. Bliss becomes wisdom; wisdom becomes bliss. Otherwise, the experience is only pleasure, which can create desire, which will create nervousness and other negative conditions. Integrate what you experience into blissful wisdom to avoid this. It activates all the chakras, clears them of negativity, literally melting away any blocks you might have created in this lifetime or brought with you from others. With your Reiki, you might find, as I do, that this practice also makes your hands a little hotter.

Meditation for Level 3 (Personal Master of gTumo)

Meditation using hand positions: Here is a series of hand positions you can use to work with your gTummo a little more directly. As you work with it, you can imagine the sacred flames being fueled by your blocks, any illness that might be present, past traumas that might still be hanging on, etc. Just imagine the flames

reaching these (you don't even have to name them), and as the blocks, etc., get hotter, they begin to melt. As they melt, they drip down to the gTummo, and feed the flames. Your impurities will feed and fuel your soul's growth. Begin by placing both hands at about the gTummo area. This is located about three fingers (or so) below the navel, but as with the acupoints, the "general area" will suffice. Call forth the fires, or allow them to flame up (either will work ok). Hold the position as with the regular Reiki hand positions, 3-5 minutes OR until you feel some heat. If no heat, continue with the rest of the meditation/hand positions. Eventually you'll feel it. Once you get the heat going, imagine the fires building until they move upward, and as they do, move one hand (I'm using the right hand) to the solar plexus, leaving the other hand at the gTummo. Imagine that you're taking all that heat with it as you do so. It should be hot from gTummo all the way to the s.p. Now hold that position (one hand at gTummo, one at s.p.) until you feel the heat at the s.p. area. Next, imagine the s.p. fires moving upward, and as you do, move your left hand (which was at the gTummo) up to the heart area, leaving the rt. Hand at the s.p. Hold this position until you feel the heat at the heart area, 3-5 minutes or however long it takes. When the heart fires begin to move upward, move your rt. hand (which was at the s.p.) up to the area just below your throat, the place between the collar bones, where there's a little hollow. Imagine the fires following it up. Meanwhile leave the left hand at the heart. When the heat at this center begins intensifying and moving upward, move your left hand to the 3rd eye area on the forehead. You might not feel as much heat here, but imagine the fires anyway. The right hand remains at the base of the throat. When you imagine the fires are growing brighter (and warmer) from the 3rd Eye area, now move your right hand up to the crown--now you are likely to feel more heat in the entire head area, very yummy heat at that! Wait until it "feels right" or a minimum of 3-5 minutes, then move your left hand up to join your right hand on the crown. Let the hands sort of form a circle around the crown, and leave them there about 3-5 minutes or until you feel it's "done." This sounds complicated, but it's simply a little "hand over hand" thing, and you can start with the right hand or the left hand--

experiment with it a bit. The places I get the most sensations are when I have one hand at the heart, the other at the base of the throat--and the 3rd eye/crown. I suspect that others will have different areas where this happens. What I SUSPECT this does is give those gTummo fires a little "assist" in rising up to melt all the impurities, etc., along the central channel. When I'm done, I really feel "light" and blissful/peaceful. So in brief, it's: 1. Both hands at gTummo 2. Rt. hand at s.p., left hand at gTummo 3. Left hand at heart, rt. hand at s.p. 4. Rt. hand at throat hollow, left hand at heart 5. Left hand at 3rd Eye, rt. hand at throat hollow 6. Rt. hand at crown, left hand at 3rd eye 7. Both hands at crown.

Hands on gtumo and applications

There are several good sets of hand positions. We'll cover a few of them here. The first one is good for general, all-around healing and relaxation. Although it might seem to be based on the chakra system at first glance, if you examine traditional Chinese acupuncture charts, you'll note that many important acupuncture points are covered with this first, basic set of hand positions. Use this set for your first self-healing, and for most of your daily work.

Now, to begin. First, do the front of the body.

TREATING OTHERS

1. Open the aura, then the crown chakra. Visualize it, or use an "opening" motion with your hands.

2. Place your hands over the eyes, palms toward the forehead, fingertips toward the mouth. Gently--and if your palms are at all sweaty, spare your client the discomfort, and place a hankie or kleenex between your hands and the person's face.

3. Place hands under the back of the head, just over the occipital ridge, fingertips toward the neck. Your hands will have to be slid under the head if the person is lying down. Brief, gentle pressure on the stillpoint (the indentation just below the hairline) can increase relaxation.

4. Hands over the cheekbone, fingers pointing down. Little fingers should be near or lightly touching the bottom of the ears.

5. Fingertips together, place hands lightly over throat. It may be that the patient is more comfortable if you don't touch the throat at all--ask

if they are comfortable when doing this position.

6. Hands just above the breast for the heart chakra, one hand in front of the other, forming a line with your hands. Some teachers suggest placing hands between the breasts, but some women may be squeamish about this.

7. The solar plexus--hands just below the breast, one hand in front of the other, forming a line with your hands.

8. The navel area--hands as in #6 and #7.

9. Just below the navel, across pelvic area and above pubic bone, hands as before.

10. Hands on either side of the hip bone area.

Now it is time for your patient to turn over, so you can do the back.

The back is done differently, working from the bottom up, following the energy's natural flow of down the front, up the back. There are only two back positions.

1. Place one hand at the base of the spine, and one at the base of the head.

2. Place both hands at the top of the head (at the Crown).

Additionally, you might want to consider doing the legs and feet, cradling the knee and ankle joints in both hands, and holding each foot in that way. Time and intuition will be your guides.

How long should you hold each position? Ideally, between three and five minutes--or until you feel the flow of energy lessen or stop. You might be guided to hold one or more positions even longer. Time might be a consideration in this, too. Use your best judgment.

As you move through the hand positions, the patient might experience relief and release from conditions that were longstanding. Emotional blocks could be removed, releasing buried feelings. It is not uncommon to hear a long, intense sigh after about ten minutes or so. There can also be weeping or groaning. These reactions do not occur in every patient, however. If your patient reacts this way, let him or her know that this is fine, and not to fight it. Mentioning it before the session, however, could be like a "self-fulfilling prophecy." There's no point in bringing it up unless it

occurs. Each person is unique, and will have unique experiences.

When you are done, soothe the aura with gently sweeping motions from top to toes, and back again. Then close it. Do not close the crown chakra.

In all likelihood, your Reiki client will be "spacey" when you're done. Don't rush him or her off the table or out of the room. Allow time to reorient, and for questions. Often, there are lots of questions, especially with a first-time patient!

Some Teachers say that it takes three treatments to get the job done, but some cases will require more, and some clients will come only once or twice. You'll have to be flexible in your work: life demands it.

SELF-HEALING

Reiki, along with Huna and one or two other methods, is almost unique among the spiritual healing modalities, in that it works as well on yourself as it does on your clients. This is because you are not using your own energy. You are using energy channeled from the universe, and there's a never-ending supply of this type of energy. When you are done with a

client, you should feel energized, as some of the Reiki stays with you as you pass it on to the patient--a little bonus for the healer.

Every Reiki practitioner should take care of him or herself first. A healthy channel is a good channel, after all. It's not self-indulgence, it's good maintenance. Follow the hand positions for healing others, and apply them to yourself with these exceptions: the first and third positions should have the fingertips pointing upward; rather than hands pointing in the same direction on the torso positions, point fingertips inward, hands facing one another. In the throat position, it might be more comfortable to point the heels of the hands inward--experiment, and do what works best with you.

You should do self-healing daily, without fail. If you haven't the time to do it all at once, split them up--maybe the head positions in the morning, the front of the torso at lunch, and the back at bedtime. At least do the front positions--a little Reiki is better than none!

In other matters, consider your diet and lifestyle carefully, and drink at least six, preferably eight glasses of water daily. Reiki will cleanse the body of a lot of collected toxins, and the water helps wash it out. Try to include potassium-rich foods, or take a supplment, and add a little more protein to your daily diet.

OTHER HAND POSITION SETS: CHAKRA BALANCING

Sometimes, because of an imbalanced kundalini flow or for other reasons, including emotional upsets, the chakras will become imbalanced. This hand position set is good for restoring the balance to the chakra system.

1. Begin with one hand at the 3rd Eye, in the middle of the forehead, and the other hand at the root chakra. Hold the position until the energy feels the same in both hands.

2. Next, place one hand at the throat chakra, and the other at the spleen chakra. Hold as before.

3. Now, place one hand at the heart center, and the other at the hara area. Hold as before.

4. End with both hands at the Solar Plexus. Hold at least three minutes, or longer if guided.

ACU-POINT BASED HAND POSITION SET

This set has been widely published on the internet and in books, and is

excellent for bringing the the entire body--physical, mental and spiritual--into balance. Originally, it was designed for use with acupressure, but it's perhaps even more effective when used with Reiki. In all, there are ten hand positions to be held for a minimum of three minutes each.

1. Place the RIGHT hand atop the head, on the crown chakra area, while at the same time placing your left hand over the 3rd Eye area.

2. Leaving the right hand atop the head, now move the fingers of the left hand to the tip of the nose.

3. The right hand is still at the crown; move your left hand to the heart center area.

4. Leave your right hand at the crown, and now move your left hand to the solar plexus area.

5. The right continues to remain at the crown, while you move your left hand to the spleen center area.

6. The LEFT hand remains at the spleen center, and now the right hand moves

to the corresponding area on the back (back side of spleen center).

7. Now move your right hand to the back of the left shoulder, at that point where the neck joins the shoulder. At the same time, your left hand holds or rests upon the left buttock at the point where the buttock meets the leg.

8. Leave your right hand at the back of the left shoulder, and move your left hand to the front of the body, at the position of the left groin.

9. Now place your left hand on the back of the right shoulder, while your right hand holds or rests upon the right buttock at the point where the buttock meets the leg.

10. Leaving your left hand on the back of the right shoulder, now move your right hand to the front of the body, at the right groin.

Instant Delayed Gratification

Enlightenment is not achieved, it is realized. It is not something that we GET it is something we discover as innate to existence. This discovery is delayed nor is it instant. It only happens now, rather than in the far future, and yet the future is also contained in the now. It has this curious quality of ineffability. When it is chased, it is far off. When it is forgotten it is not lost.

As sincere practitioners enter the path, awakening is the state of being at hand and at the horizon. Yet those with the fixation on instant gratification can have such frustration in dharma.

I am always amazed to see the variety with which my students grow in awareness. The pace is always unique, some very quickly, others much slower than they like. We are living in the time of instant gratification. Whenever we want to reach someone- we do via cell phone, email, pager, and fax. If we do not know where we are, we can use the satellite tracking system in our car, which tells us immediately. If we have an emotional problem we pop a pill and enjoy our pharmaceutically induced state of chipper-happiness. If only the realization of the teachings could be that fast for everyone. Just punch a few numbers, hear a few rings, and then… the voice in your head of the cosmic operator espousing true meaning of reality! When you are feeling lost inside, flip a switch and that great Vajra Satellite in the sky finds you and tells you where to go! When you have an emotional crisis you don’t know how to resolve, then take the prajna pill and you are through it! I have seen many people approach the dharma this way and then find frustration, or boredom when it doesn’t quite work like that, or when it seems to work that way for others around them, but not within their own mind.

The instant gratification approach to the teachings is part of why so many people try to “fake” enlightenment through taking on a god-realmpersonality-performance that is so arrogant, or candy coated that it is just another form of dualism as it looses touch with what is. In that pseudospiritual state, people pretend that their intoxication with self, and notions of light, happy, passivity is equivalent to enlightenment. It is the child’s version of enlightenment, where enlightenment is seen to mean being happy and serene all the time.

Cynicism is also a result of the instant gratification culture, whereby, before truly knowing through sincere, thorough exploration and experience, one makes a decision against spirituality. It short cuts experience, and is more instantly gratifying in one’s shallow search for meaning. People may settle for this because of their own inadequacies in dealing with the nature of reality and the experiences of pain and confusion their in.

This instant gratification approach also manifests as jealousy when one’s fellow practitioners proceed further along on the path than you do. There is the feeling that you should get what you want because you want it. There is the feeling that you might deserve it through whatever actions you have generated based on achieving the outcome of being special.

This instant gratification fixation, in Vajrayana is called “clinging to the self.” The nature of dharma is not to fix things, or to give you gratification. However Dharma is INSTANT, it is about what is happening right now. It is not about what happened last week, how you compare to others in what happened in the recent past, or what you anticipate happening in the future. It is about this instant letting go of the urgency, demands, clinging, obsession with gratification, comparison-mind and instead simply being present. Just present. Clear, adorned awake-ness. Simple. It has a quality similar to acceptance and spontaneity combined.

When a moment of awareness occurs, it accomplishes the work of the magic pill, the Vajra Satellite and the Cosmic Voice, because awareness is the ultimate gratification. However you may be very weak in your capacity to experience pure awareness and the completion it carries, its own fulfillment of itself. Thus Dharma is not only Instant, it is also delayed. The Instant aspect is Dzogchen and the Delayed aspect is the transformation process of the Tantric technologies and view. Thus, in addition to the instant availability of awareness, there is your re-connecting with it, uncovering it, maturing in your capacity to remain in it. Within the transformation of Tantra, is the leela of unraveling and transforming obstructions. The pace at which you do this is your own. As Patanjali says, the pace is determined by the intensity with which you practice. It is also determined by how much support you give yourself to live the teachings, which refers to the three jewels, your teacher, the teachings and the community. Yet when applying the sadhanas, your resolution to grow and connecting with your refuge, though this is a process, it is ALSO INSTANT! It is instantly liberating, it instantly empowers you and generates more freedom. The instant gratification is there- just not the way the “self” thought it would be. Even better than achieving some goal of the picture of enlightenment, in the moment you are actually becoming more enlightened. Yet there may be more there, and more and more. And so there is the quality of delay of gratification as you continuously never arrive. The ground is never solidified. The final “aha” never happens as many ahas continuously unfold the endless mystery of existence. Gradually the fruit of Tantra, which is non-duality arises- and you are no longer grasping onto instant gratification, nor are you obsessed with some

delayed gratification of some distant achievement in the future. Instead you are in the instant delayed gratification of the moment. You are in the continuous, and discontinuous nature of the moment. The complete and incomplete nature of the moment. The pleasurable and painful qualities of the moment.

Every person moves along the path at their own pace. While some make take much longer to penetrate through the thickness of their poisonous patterns, once they do they might proceed forward at lightening speed, living the slogan that the first obstacle is the last. Another might quickly make major breakthroughs in going beyond their limiting patterns for good, but then proceed slowly from there. Others might play more of a shoots and ladders game. Others might instantly “get it,” and go forward like shooting stars blazing through their darkness. Others might have instant, strong realizations that illuminate everything, but are not held on to, like lightening. The most important thing with all sincere, serious practitioners however, whatever the pace, is that you allow yourself to BE where you are. Until you do so, you are slowing your evolution down anyway. The instant awakenings only happens when you are IN the instant- present there! Awake to it! You must befriend the paradox of how Dharma is both Instant and Delayed gratification and once and be present with whichever is true.

This paradox of Instant and Delayed, Continuous and Discontinuous, pervades our whole life. On the one had, death is at the end of our life, but only from a limited perspective. It is also the most intimate element of living, constantly showing us discontinuity, informing every instance. It is both instantaneously occurring and also gradually delaying its most gross demonstration every time we keep breathing.

In many paths it is not believed that one can be enlightened in one’s own lifetime. In this way Vajrayana and its Mahasiddha style exhibited by the MahaSiddha Dharma are very unique. It is the dharma method that makes possible enlightenment in one lifetime. For practitioners considering broader perspective of how many lifetimes one has incarnated, this is the INSTANT DHARMA! Just add sadhana! However our culture is so urgent, now and demand oriented that it loses perspective how short one lifetime is, how it passes in an instant and how we cannot delay our dharma activities in order to realize what is most important while we can.

The way public students often come to teachings is with the instantgratification-hustle-bustle-attitude of Western culture. They are rushing around from one activity to another to another to another to another and another. Then they arrive late to the program. In the middle of the retreat they go to an appointment and then at the end they rush off to leave early for the next appointment. Strangely with all of this rushing around, they are still missing the most important thing- the moment- and subsequently their whole life. Of course there are times when it is worth it to cram a previously committed schedule in order to receive a great teaching. However as a lifestyle, and a chronic condition, this can be severely debilitating to awareness. It doesn’t leave gaps to digest and process oneself. It doesn’t allow spaciousness for spontaneity and moving with the energy. It feels bad to the body/mind, which then reaches for Samsara’s inadequate methods of instant gratification to get some temporary relief. Even though this winds up causing more suffering later, the whirlwind momentum and sheer stress of such a busy-busy life make it impossible to have clear discrimination and make better choices.

Gratification comes in two forms, temporary, and ultimate. The temporary form is very sparkly and overtly seductive, whereas the ultimate form is more elusive. It is elusive because it is basic nature of everything. It has been so ubiquitous you may have missed it, like a fish in the ocean. Giving oneself instant gratification weakens your chances of connecting with the ultimate gratification because you are constantly focused on the temporary kind and suffering because of its insufficient nature- a condition known as SAMSARA! But to reach for the ultimate there is must be a delay inserted where compulsive actions used to immediately take over. However the sadhanas are so powerful in these moments that as soon as you apply them, there is usually some relaxation and perspective, when you do them right. However the angst, and confusion you that caused you to go for the doughnut, might still be there, and there may be a process to unravel that habit. This is not because your enlightenment is not there with you as the nature of existence itself, it is because you habitually disconnect yourself from it through elaborate means which all must be unraveled.

As long as one is unable to delay gratification, they become a slave to the compulsions, habits, and reaction of their conditioned self. This is a very sorry and sad condition. It generates much suffering and destroys relationships, opportunities and drains one’s life-force. The Yogis of India and Tibet understood that there is a special power in harnessing the

energies of desire, a potent friction that ignites the creative and cosmic energies within oneself. Though renunciate paths are famous for these kinds of methods, the Tantric path also equally employs them. Without a control over the habitual, reactionary, compulsions of the conditioned self, there is little peace. Once the energies of desire and impulse in oneself are directed and controlled, then one begins to be consciously in charge of their own life force. Not only does the art of delaying gratification mature a being, it brings a being to life.

Inevitably, the instant gratification conditioning makes it difficult for students who want to learn discipline. If they cannot be spacious to sit through a whole retreat, how can they be patient enough to sit through the urge to be neurotic and apply the sadhanas instead! It takes a power of being that arises through peace with instant or delayed gratification- the power of one’s awareness. Awareness abides through gratification or delay. Awareness has abided throughout your whole life, whether you have connected with it or not. It contains both the power of pausing and spontaneous action.

This teaching is dedicated to everyone who is slower than the rest of the class and all those who desire to go beyond the busy-grasping mind and discover the simple, un-glamorous, but oh-so-fulfilling quality of being in awareness.

With Love

Kali Ma Troma Rigtsal Khandro Sunday, September 4, 2005 Trigug, Santa Cruz Retreat House

Naro's Six Dharmas

The final Completion Stage teachings of the Naropa lineage are grouped into six practices. These are called variously "Naro's Six Dharmas" or "the Six Yogas of Naropa". They are:

Tumo - the Yoga of Psychic Heat Karmamudra - the Yoga of the four Mudras Jangwa, Gyurwa, Pelwa - the Yoga of Dream Time Osel, the Yoga of the Clear Light Mind Gyulu - the Yoga of the Illusory Body Powa - the Yoga of transference of consciousness

This is only one of the enumerations of the Six Yogas. Some texts group them differently, or emphasize different aspects. Here I include Bardo Yoga in with Dream Yoga, and "Forceful Projection" in with Powa Yoga. Under Karmamudra the four Mudra classes are: Karma Mudra - without qualification. Samaya Mudra - with Tantric Vows and Empowerment. Jnana Mudra - Visualized. Maha Mudra - taking the whole universe as the Mudra.

The Sakya tradition, which also derives from Naropa and his sister Niguma thru the Mahasiddha Virupa,

calls them "The Subsidiary practices"

Dharma Teachings

An Interview with HH17 Karmapa, Thaye Dorje, Menlo Park, California, USA.

Sept 2003

HH17 Karmapa, Thaye Dorje

Buddhism Today: It is a great pleasure to speak to you during your very first visit to the United States. What are your impressions of America and American people?

Karmapa: In America everything is very big … I see big roads, big cars, even big people … (laughter). But generally, people have open minds, which is very important for Buddhism.

Since I was very small, back in Tibet, I always wanted to travel. The possibility of seeing different places made me very excited. When I was traveling in Europe, or anywhere else, this gave me a learning experience, and it has been the same here. Even though I've been staying in one place for two months now, I am still learning a lot. All in all, it's been a great experience.

BT: What are the most essential points of Buddhism?

Karmapa: Buddhism is not a religion or a philosophy. What makes Buddhism so special, and different from all the other religions, is the fact that it is a method that enables us to connect to our true essence. Based on Buddhist methods, we can realize the nature of everything. One can say realize the nature of mind, because mind creates this samsaric world. For that reason, mind is quite important, but otherwise, in a simple way one could say "the nature of everything." Whatever we see, whatever we feel, whatever we create, Buddhism describes the nature of it all.

Buddhism is just a method. It is not based on what someone said or on faith; it is based on facts. When using this method, as we try to get to the truth, we not only use the dharma but also all other resources, whatever knowledge we can gain from this world without clinging to any of it.

BT: Where does bodhicitta (the bodhisattva mind) fit in?

Karmapa: For us Karma Kagyu practitioners, who follow the Mahayana and Vajrayana paths, bodhicitta is very important. Bodhicitta makes everything very different. Whatever we do, even though we still do it thinking of ourselves, we should do it with the intention of benefiting others. This is essential for Vajrayana Buddhism.

Both Mahayana and Vajrayana work with bodhicitta.

The Mahayana way is broader and clearer, but it goes by the book, following instructions. Vajrayana uses more direct tools; it is more risky and tempting. We go directly to the last stage, and from that point we try to look back and see how we reached there.

The Hinayana and the Mahayana schools will first plant a seed, then water it and give it more soil, and then they will get fruit. They use a very systematic approach. Within the Vajrayana we try to combine the planting of the seed with the fruit itself. We try to bring them closer and use every possible way to have that fruit within days.

BT: So you take the goal as a starting point.

Karmapa: Yes. That's how we use the most effective tools.

BT: It's like adding fertilizer and using genetic engineering.

Karmapa: (laughter)

BT: Could you explain more about bodhicitta?

Karmapa: Bodhicitta is a Sanskrit word. In Tibetan we use the terms monpa sem khyed and jukpa sem khyed. Sem means mind and khyed means to generate, to generate the bodhicitta mind both in an intentional and actual way. Monpa sem khyed is the intentional practice of bodhicitta, and jukpa sem khyed is active bodhicitta.

First one has to see the samsaric world as suffering, then see that sentient beings are caught in this suffering. On the basis of this understanding, one then develops a commitment to remove suffering and give happiness instead. In Tibetan we call it jampa and nyinje. Jampa means to give happiness, and nyinje means to take away suffering. This is quite simple and basic. I think the English terms are "loving kindness" (jampa) and "compassion" (nyinje).

To give lasting happiness does not mean doing charity work but teaching the dharma and helping beings understand the meaning of the dharma, how to use it and how to practice it. Both intentional and active bodhicitta are necessary.

Bodhicitta is important when it comes to dharma activity. We have to help others as well as ourselves. By helping others we will gain more understanding, and by helping ourselves we will be able to help others more. It works both ways.

BT: What exactly is active Bodhicitta?

Karmapa: Aspiring or intentional bodhicitta is a commitment to reach the state of enlightenment, while active bodhicitta is to actually engage in the path to enlightenment. Active bodhicitta is courage. It is not just making wishes and then running away, but putting them into action, taking the situation into your hands and getting into it. Active bodhicitta involves the Six Paramitas (liberating actions).

BT: For example, when you give teachings or initiations, or when someone starts a Buddhist meditation center, is that active bodhicitta?

Karmapa: Active bodhicitta is a combination of both intention and action. Without an intention, what would one do? When building a center, giving teachings and initiations, or even meditating, we need the intention of doing it to help others, don't we?

BT: You are the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage. What is the Karma Kagyu lineage?

Karmapa: Ka in Tibetan means all the instructions, and gyu means the transmission that has been passed on from one realized master to the next. The transmission is pure, clear and without fault. The Karma Kagyu lineage comes from Tilopa and Naropa. Tilopa received the transmission directly from Dorje Chang and from the realized masters of the four directions of India. It was then passed to Marpa, Milarepa and down to Gampopa. Gampopa gave the transmission to his three main disciples, especially to the first Karmapa Dusum Kyenpa. They used to call the first Karmapa "Khampa Use." Khampa is a region in eastern Tibet, and use means gray hair.

Our Kamtsang Kagyu starts with the first Karmapa. Our main practices are the Six Yogas of Naropa and Mahamudra. Mahamudra is the Sanskrit term we use in the Kagyu school. In Tibetan it is Chag Gya Chenpo, and it is a specific teaching to our lineage of meditating directly on the nature of mind. Of course there are other terms for Mahamudra within the Nyingmapa and Gelugpa schools, like Tawa Chenpo, Uma Chenpo and Dzogpa Chenpo.

BT: What is the difference between Mahamudra and Dzogchen?

Karmapa: These are just different methods. There are different approaches for different people, whatever is suitable for them. In the end, it does not matter which methods we use to attain realization. The fruit is always the same. It's like saying, "Now I am going to Frankfurt, and I can get there with Lufthansa or with United."

BT: In our Diamond Way Buddhist centers, the main practice is Guru Yoga on the 16th Karmapa. Will you explain the benefits of this practice?

Karmapa: One must first understand the meaning of Guru Yoga. Guru Yoga is the practice on one's own teacher. Normally, one could visualize a peaceful or a wrathful deity, but the reason for doing Guru Yoga is that the teacher is a human being, just like us. In this way, it is easier to relate to him or her; we can have a stronger link and a better connection. In fact, without the teacher, one would never know the dharma. A guru is the best guide, the best way. Both deity practice and Guru Yoga are essential, but the reason Guru Yoga is so special is that without a teacher one would never even know the deity. The teacher shows us everything. We are taking all of his or her qualities and using them to reach the same level of realization.

When we think of a teacher, because he is human like us, we can more easily relate to him and gain something. So when we practice Guru Yoga, the blessing we receive will be even greater, simply because our mind is more open. Otherwise, we could just do Guru Yoga on a stone. It's the same. But with the teacher we feel more confident.

On the other hand, we should not think of a teacher as only being human, but also think of his qualities. These qualities are the Three Jewels; the teacher has all three. Like the Buddha, he is not simply a person but someone who shows the path to enlightenment. Secondly, he possesses and knows the dharma, and thirdly, he or she helps us on our way, and

that is the sangha. If you think that Guru Yoga is a practice on the teacher's body only, then it will be a source of samsara. There is no lasting quality in a human body; it's just flesh and bones.

Through Guru Yoga, the teacher enables us to understand the last stage, that final piece that makes everything clear as crystal. The teacher has such a quality.

BT: Guru Yoga seems to be a much more convenient practice for our lifestyle than, for instance, the Six Yogas of Naropa.

Karmapa: Every part of Buddhist practice is essential. Whichever practice you do is important, and they are all effective. If you feel more confident, and something is more suitable for you, you will attain results more quickly. It is a matter of what is most suitable for each individual, for his or her situation, for the time, and even for the culture.

BT: Can we achieve the realization of the great masters without long retreats and such practices as The Six Yogas of Naropa?

Karmapa: When we talk about the Six Yogas of Naropa, we think of so many things we have to do, and it feels like a huge burden. Then we hear that if one simply does Guru Yoga, one can achieve the same result. One says, "Yes, Guru Yoga is very short, and I can do it." But slowly one comes to understand the special qualities of the methods of the Six Yogas of Naropa, like for instance the Phowa, that without doing them one cannot go as deep and cannot actually realize the truth in such a short time. So at some point one wants to practice The Six Yogas; it becomes a necessity. Through Guru Yoga, one will get closer and receive bits and pieces of the Six Yogas of Naropa. One will get a taste of it but not the complete experience.

BT: Could you say something about the power of mantra? What are the benefits of using the Karmapa Chenno mantra?

Karmapa: We use the Karmapa Chenno mantra in the Guru Yoga practice on the 16th Karmapa to get closer to Karmapa's level of realization. In Tibetan, karma means activity, and pa is the person who performs activity. Karmapa means simply the man of activity. So, even the mantra is a form of Guru Yoga.

BT: Just saying the mantra is Guru Yoga?

Karmapa: Maybe not exactly just saying it, but also thinking about its meaning. When we repeat this mantra, we are very close to Karmapa's essence; we invoke his body, speech and mind. These words carry the essence of the three forms of Karmapa: past, present and future. One can simply say that Karmapa, or any other teacher we do Guru Yoga on, embodies the Three Jewels.

When reciting the six syllable mantra of Chenrezig (skt. Avalokitesvara), Om Mani Peme Hung, we open our minds to his timeless qualities. When Avalokitesvara took the Bodhisattva Vow and began his activity, he made strong wishes that all who repeated this mantra would receive his blessing. It is the same with Karmapa Chenno.

BT: Every Karmapa proclaims himself to be the Karmapa, and we understand you did the same when you were a small child.

Karmapa: Yes, though I was very small at that time.

BT: Would you say that it was a strong conviction?

Karmapa: Yes, and I had a strong feeling that I could do something good, simply put, that I could perform the activity of the dharma and take up the challenge to teach. I had very strong confidence. At that time, I was very small and I didn't know exactly what that feeling meant. It was very strange, and I only began to understand it when I was six or seven years old.

Through my practice, I can now say that I can take up and perform whatever the previous Karmapa did, and that I have the capacity to do it. That is what I feel. In that way, yes, I can say that I am the Karmapa. Karmapa simply means the person who carries out activity.

BT: You are very confident that you can take over his task.

Karmapa: Yes, otherwise I am just another version of those people claiming to be Karmapa.

Just saying, "I am Karmapa" is not enough. To recognize the Karmapa, one needs proof. It takes a lot of work and intense meditation on the part of the person who is responsible for recognizing him.

BT: In this case Shamar Rinpoche?

Karmapa: Yes, Shamar Rinpoche with the help of another lama.

BT: Now you are in a completely different environment from Tibet. Do you miss the place where you grew up? Do you have the feeling that you might go back there?

Karmapa: Who knows, I might go back there freely one day. I spent most of my childhood in Lhasa, but I do not miss it that much. What I do miss is the quietness of Eastern Tibet, the grasslands, the mountains and nature.

BT: Do you think Buddhism in Tibet is in decline?

Karmapa: Not completely. Many teachers are still there, and there are many people working with the dharma. If we look at history, the teachings originated in India, later were brought to Tibet, then to China, to Europe, and so on. In India, there are still traces of Buddhism left. There is definitely a strong base in Tibet. At some point in time, Buddhism may again flourish there.

BT: Your father is a high Nyingma lama. Can you tell us how he influenced you when you were a child?

Karmapa: He was a very strong influence. I think that having him as a father, and also my mother, gave me easier access to the dharma. Especially because my father was a high Nyingma master, a Rinpoche,

his knowledge of the dharma was very deep. I learned much more and advanced faster than regular kids.

BT: Did he teach you to meditate?

Karmapa: No, not exactly meditate. He taught me how to read and write. I did not have a tutor at that time. I did not go to school because my parents did not think it would be safe. Since the time I was very small, they somehow had some understanding about who I was. So it was my father and my uncle who taught me everything.

BT: You had the option of learning at home?

Karmapa: Yes, I was lucky. By the time I came out of Tibet, I knew quite a lot. Of course, I had no computer, but I had memorized a lot of texts.

BT: Who are your main dharma teachers now, and can you say something about their qualities?

Karmapa: Well, almost every teacher has his own special qualities, and I have been very fortunate to have many dharma teachers. I received empowerments from Shamar Rinpoche, Chobje Thri Rinpoche, Ludhing Khenchen Rinpoche, Beru Kyentse Rinpoche, Khen Trinley Paljur Rinpoche and Peba Tulku. Topga Rinpoche, Sempa Dorje and Khenpo Chodrak taught me Buddhist philosophy. Sometimes I spend several months meditating in retreat. This is quite important because knowledge is not enough; one has to have the experience of it.

BT: Where did you get your Western education?

Karmapa: I have not gone to any school, but I learned a lot from my previous English teachers. I learned English from several people, including Mark Tschelischeff, an American, Lucy, a lady from the New Zealand Embassy in New Delhi, Professor Sprigg, a Scotsman with a strong British accent, and Shona and Stewart Jarvis from Australia.

Today, one can also learn a lot with the help of modern technologies like the Internet. Even though I have learned quite a lot already, it is still not enough. I must learn more, there is unlimited knowledge in this world. It is an ongoing process, and there is no end to it.

BT: Can you tell us about the most recent initiations into the lost Marpa tantras that you received from Ludhing Khenchen Rinpoche? Why are these tantras considered so precious?

Karmapa: Shamar Rinpoche had asked Ludhing Khenchen Rinpoche several times to pass on these initiations, but it was difficult to find the time for it in India because of Ludhing Khenchen's numerous activities there. When he planned to travel to Seattle, we decided it would be the perfect opportunity to receive these important initiations here in America. These are hidden teachings, which have not been taught in our lineage for two centuries. Fortunately, they have been practiced in the Sakya lineage, and this was a golden opportunity to get them back. I received twenty-two of them; there are some that due to our schedule we could not manage. It took a lot of energy on the part of Rinpoche just to give these twenty-two. He had to practice everyday for six hours in order to prepare for each initiation, and then another two hours or more to give it. The longer initiations took two days.

BT: Why is it important to pass these tantras on?

Karmapa: It is important that a large variety of methods are preserved. They are all of the same essence but have different qualities. In order to transmit an initiation to the public, one has to receive oral instructions and transmission, and then achieve a certain realization. There always has to be someone who has the time to practice it, realize it and pass it on.

BT: Do you think there are students who will be able to practice these tantras today?

Karmapa: I would say yes, everybody could do it. We have to use them, not just preserve them for the future.

BT: But practically, is that possible?

Karmapa: Everybody has to find the right moment and the right time to do it. It is the same thing as saying that everybody has the Buddha nature. For example, there are different types of fruits in a garden, but one can only eat them when they are ripe. If one eats them before, they are bitter and difficult to digest.

BT: So it depends on the individual practitioner, whether he or she is ready for it or not?

Karmapa: Yes, even if students are not yet ready, as a teacher one would still try to create the best possible conditions for them to practice. That's why we have dharma centers.

BT: How do you see your activity as the 17th Karmapa?

Karmapa: It is still quite a long road, and there are a lot of challenges ahead. I am making the first step, and I think that it will be quite interesting.

BT: Is it important for the Karmapa to perform the Black Crown ceremony?

Karmapa: It was important. It was a tradition kept until the 16th Karmapa, but still only a tradition, no more than that. For me it is not so important. We can have it, but if we don't, it will not make a big difference.

We say that the Black Crown is a symbol of Karmapa's activity, and it was true for that time. Now, given the right moment, even a baseball cap could open someone's mind. It's like a door handle that opens a door.

BT: There are different styles of practice within the Kagyu lineage, which sometimes lead to divisions within the sangha. As a head of the lineage, do you see your role as someone who will unite and unify various approaches, or do you welcome the variety of groups and practitioners and consider it a natural way of things?

Karmapa: It is natural to have small divisions. At the time the Buddha taught, there was just one understanding of his teachings. After he passed away, more and more approaches appeared.

Different ways of practicing are good if they are effective and help people. However, if divisions appear and difficulties arise, they should be solved. Modernizing the way of teaching may also be required. The idea is not to bring anything new, but to use different terms while preserving the same essence.

BT: What makes Diamond Way methods unique?

Karmapa: I would say that this is not a proper question. You can find something unique in all other Buddhist methods as well.

Diamond Way is a very modern method, especially effective for the West, and we already have seen a good deal of results. For instance, in Europe there are many practitioners, many centers, and people don't just follow but understand, which is most important. In that way, Diamond Way is very effective for modern times. It is probably better suited for the Western mind, so in this way it is unique.

BT: The development in Europe is mainly due to the activity of Lama Ole Nydahl. Why do you think he was able to achieve such results?

Karmapa: I think he is a great example for everybody. You can see how one individual can accomplish so much. Before he became a Buddhist, he was very wild. But once you tap into your Buddha nature, you can move mountains.

BT: Can we ask you a personal question? Is it difficult for you to always be the focus of everybody's attention?

Karmapa: In a way I am getting used to it. (Laughter) Sometimes it can be irritating, but in some cultures it is a way to show respect, and it is done with best intentions. In the US or in Northern Europe, it is easier and more relaxed.

BT: What is the best way to address you? Should your students call you Your Holiness?

Karmapa: I would not mind whatever name is being used. Karmapa is fine; it is very simple. I think that I would prefer a name to a title.

BT: What about prostrating before a teacher?

Karmapa: Prostrating as a greeting depends on the situation. In Asia, it is part of the culture. In the West, sometimes it would look rather awkward and we can skip it. For myself, whenever I receive initiations, prostrating is a must. In the right context, it is a sign of respect. We should not do it without a reason. Whatever we do in Buddhism, we should do it with a proper understanding.

BT: How do you see the future of the Karma Kagyu lineage?

Karmapa: The future looks very good. (Karmapa smiles.) Within our lineage, there are many people interested in the dharma who are not simply followers but have an intellectual understanding as well. This is a good basis for further development.

BT: Thank you very much.

The interview was conducted by Gosia Pellarin, Alyson Talley, Tomek Lehnert and Brooke Webb

Buddhism Today Vol.13, 2003 Copyright © 2003 Diamond Way Buddhist Centers, USA