Anyone know when or where the whole Rinchen Terzod might be given?

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 20 replies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drubchen
preparing now for the drubchen coming up starting next weekend for eight days. we have 36" square space to sit in 17 hours a day for the practice with only toilet and meal breaks. we cannot speak nor ever see the sun for the duration. we can only brush our teeth and wash our face and that is all. they block out the sun and we sleep in only 5 hour shifts.

one must commit that under NO circumstances (in tibet they don't even remove you if you die) must you leave the temple. you are invited and must procure two vouchers from sangha members who believe you will stay in it.

so i have my tart cherry for pain and inflammation because you can imagine the energetic intensity of it! and oregano oil which is a powerful anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, cayenne for circulation and digestion, cell food which is very oxygenating and green food so that i get nutrition but not by eating so much food.

i also have organic green tea powder so that i stay warm and stimulated if necessary. i will purchase a meditation belt that is critical for keeping in the posture. let's see, i guess that's it except four changes of loose fitting comfy pants, and i have these round cotton pads soaked with witch hazel and tea tree oil which i depend on for cleaning my face.

i will be incomunicado from the 14th through the 22.

i am staying on for losar the tibetan new year celebration which will be catered and quite an event in that it is the garchen institutes 10th anniversary and also a long life celebration for h. e. garchen rinpoche.

if you are in los angeles or pheonix or any nearby places i highly recommend getting some friends together and coming out for losar. you must rsvp because it is a catered event.

http://www.garchen.net/schedule.html#local-schedule

if you have any suggestions or advise i welcome it. this will be the first i've done this.

may we all be benefitted!

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 13 replies

In a recent thread here Saraha was mentioned a number of times.

I thought I'd start a thread to talk about Saraha and the cayragiti, vajragiti, and dohas of this and other siddhas. I hope others will join me.

On a somewhat related note, does anyone have any songs of prose writings from Jalandaripa? Anything in English or Tibetan would be fantastic, but really I'd appreciate anything regardless of language.

Warm Regards,
Ryan

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 49 replies

Keywords and main points: Vajrapani short mantra, Padmasambhava short mantra, Simhamukha mantra. Tara short mantra, Vajrasattva short mantra, significance of 1 M recitations as deity yoga connection, importance of protector practice, authorizations for deity yoga practices, book "Dakini Teachings" by Guru Padmasambhava.

"The fault, dear Brutus, is in ourselves, that we are slaves."
Julius Caesar, in the play by Shakespeare

This is a long post. It covers a lot of tantric Buddhist theory and practice. It was originally written as a direct response to Matt in a thread he started on this tribe Tibetan Buddhist. It grew, because I had to provide the right context and an overall view, one which is so often lacking, and certainly not well communicated among the claimed sangha.

I know about major empowerments and sustained deity yoga practice. I have over sixty eight full Vajrasattva empowerments, and have been practicing mantrayana for thirty years.

I myself am not a Tibetan Buddhist per se, but rather a Sanskrit Buddhist. I did well over ten thousand hours of Sanskrit recitation as Vajrayana sadhana, and am providing a clear and definite response to specific and general issues regarding Mantrayana practice, including a whole set of teachings by Padmasambhava, as a book reference.

Why? Well, it's a primary teaching responsibility, and this is how I teach. Nobody here can break this teaching, in whole or in part. I'd be amused to see anyone try. This teaching is classical, tested, and proven. And quite universal, really. Works great for householders.

It is not intended as specific guidance for any one person, nor is there any claim made for efficacy regarding any one specific need. I always explicitly disavow such claims.

If you know of anything better, by all means do it. If you somehow dislike this classical mahayana dharma or somehow can't understand it, then you probably can't be helped anyway. It's all completely straightforward, and the confusion is, sadly enough, yours alone.

KT


Re Matt
"It seems in the texts I have encountered it usually says that one needs to recite a mantra at least a million times or more before "definite signs will occur." This was referring to the "approach" mantra, while the accomplishment and activity mantras followed. Has anyone actually gone far enough to know what happens when you recite a million mantras? Do you obtain definite siddhis? "

Matt, you ALREADY have the connection.
We all struggle with concerns about the purity and strength of our inner connections, I do too.

The point is to go forward and go upward, at least a little bit, every single day.

It is quite common to recite 1 million *short* recitations of some deity or other per year. That is in fact a very basic practice. You can do mantra washing dishes, you can do it silently in public [ e.g. on the bus ], and so forth. I do it walking around the lake, or while a passenger in the car.

I will address your specific concern with my own definite experience.

I have done 1 million each of
Vajrapani,
Vajrakilaya,
Hayagriva,
Tara,
Mahakala,
Fierce Guru Padmasambhava [ Dorje Drakpo Tsal ].

One way or another I have obtained some result with *each* of these, with all of them. Thank goodness, seems like almost all my friends are the Upstairs kind.

Let's talk about Vajrapani, a major healing and protective practice for me.

In the mid 1980's Vajrapani practice and the Thirteen Golden Dharmas of Sakya [ tantric transmissions given by H.E. Luding Khen Rinbochay which include the Four Armed high aspect of Vajrapani ] literally saved my life.

I was in a very bad place, physically and spiritually, despite years of yoga practice, squeaky clean living and so forth. A yoga teacher and tantric master from North India wanted me off the the scene, and he definitely knew how to "reach out and touch someone."

The Thirteen Golden Dharmas [ empowerments ] saved me. They saved my physical life, together with 1 M short Vajrapani recitations
HUM VAJRA PHAT

This is a restricted mantra, though openly published in quite a few places. I will of course not give the extended Vajrapani mantras here, nor the hastamudra / sacred hand gesture.

Anyway, between recitations 900,000 and 1M of Vajrapani, I developed and then lost some very small skin sores on my feet and a number of basically painless blisters. That was definitely the result of the burning power of Vajrapani practice, which literally expelled bad karma through the soles of my feet, just like the classical texts describe in tantric purification practice. Junk comes out of you, sometimes etheric, sometimes in literal fashion.

My problem was not drugs or alcohol or smoking, my problem was frustration, unhappiness, anger, and oh yes, for those months and years, the world class psychic attack. Sigh. Well, I'm still alive, I passed the test. Maybe the three year retreatants could also, but I don't expect that to be true in general. This guru was one Blue Meanie!

You won't have to worry about world class psychic attacks, they almost never happen, and anyway, this heavy duty [ non Buddhist ] tantric teacher died quite a few years back. I still use his really great yoga manuals, have a big stack of them, and bought two more this year!

So, we can learn a lot by trial and challange and especially from our own "worst enemies." The Dalai Lama said very plainly that of all his teachers, the Chinese were the best, the most important.

Even if we are not presently challenged by genocidal Islamists [ who destroyed the great Buddhist universities of Nalanda and Vikramasila in Old India ], nor the Communists [ who wiped out much of Buddhist civilization in Tibet, China, Cambodia, and so forth ], we all still have problems and challenges.

It's not just sickness and old age and death, not just economic change and the skyrocketing costs of health care.

Our worst enemies, or our best friends, are we ourselves.
Matt, you are your own best friend. You've gotten experience, you've tasted the experience of Dharma as tantra. Knowing this even once, you should go forward, and go forward every single day. It's your life, your magnetic field, you vibration, and your karma and your evolution.

People and situations and emotions can come and go, but you have to be your own light and continue to take refuge in yourself through practice.

I have had many many many spiritual breakthroughs. I could use a couple more. It's not about bein greedy. I've relied on the practices to keep me whole and together and functioning under different conditions of challenge, like the one mentioned above.

But dharma is not primarily about psychic or energetic experiences or visions, although those may be meaningful and indeed real breakthroughs.

Dharma is about developing Wisdom, Compassion, and Power [ jnana, karuna, bala ]. If you are developing a clearer sharper mental state, if your heart is more open and sensitive, if your spiritual strength and magnetic field are even a few percent stronger than a year back, then that is real progress, and something to honor. The changes can be subtle, the point is to make the progress stable and to continue to go forward.

We all need power practices to purify and protect ourselves. Vajrapani is such a practice, and a very good protector sadhana if one has not established a protector practice for oneself.

My general recommendation to Buddhist tantrikas is this:
Do A Million Short Protector Recitations, like say the Vajrapani Four Syllable Mantra.

In my understanding and personal experience, 1M protector recitations is of vital importance on all levels, just as a basic foundation, and Vajrapani, the protector aspect of Vajrasattva, is central and universal to all the schools, even the ancient Chinese Shao Lin School [ of Kung fu ], the Chinese schools in general, and the Japanese school known as Shingon.

A full Vajrapani is completely bestowed in many major empowerments, such as Dzogchen Breakthrough - Patrul Tsik Sum Ne Dek, any high Vajrasattva empowerment such as Cakrasamvara, Kalacakra, even in a major transmission [ not permission blessing ] of goddess yogas such as Vajrayogini, Cittamani Tara, and so forth.

Vajrapani is the principal protector of the Medicine Buddha. So, if you have a Highest Yoga Tantra empowerment of Medicine Buddha, and any Dzogchen Medicine Buddha Padmasambhava includes Medicine Buddha, then clearly you have a High empowerment of Vajrapani. Too bad basically no-one knows about Vajrapani within the Medicine Buddha, even after a high transmission of same.

Many many people in the West have a major Vajrapani empowerment without knowing it, in fact it is common for western tantrikas to have a buch of Vajrapani empowerments [ folded in though the various major transmissions ] and be completely unaware of this remarkable and important blessing! So they can practice, they just don't know they can practice.

I M short Vajrapani done in a focused fashion, like say in a year's time, is a profound way to purify karma, remove obstacles, defend one's magnetic field, remove depression and so forth. It does work for some, and of course no claim is made that it works for everyone, or "handles everything". It is wrong to make any *specific* claim of applicability for any one person, that any one person will get the hoped for result.

It is known to work, it did work for me, and in the case of Jamgon Kongtrul the Great, the practice of Vajrapani, by itself, restored his sight. He was blind, and Vajrapani practice restored his sight. So profound results do happen, we just can't claim they work in general.

It was the combination of tantric transmissions and protector recitations that saved my life in the eighties. After getting a stack of Sakya transmissions, I broke through a life-threatening psychic danger, although not getting out of the woods by any means. I was however able to rebuild my very torn or shredded magnetic field, and was strong enough to practice more and to receive more transmsissions.

In particular, I soon received three major cycles of key Kagyu transmissions from Kyabje Kalu Rinbochay, in Vancouver, Salt Spring Island, and Seattle. E.G. Kalacakra Master Empowerment, Mahakala, Hayagriva, Milarepa, Phowa, Six Yogas of Niguma, Medicine Buddha, Amitayus.

The Kalu Rinbochay transmissions of Hayagriva and Mahakala became a primary focus, and that was what got me through in the longer term. But it was a short and powerful empowerment of Vajrapani, and the short and powerful practice of Vajrapani, that
a] got me out of a near coma
b] got me back on my feet
c] made it possible for me to practice and heal myself, shredded magnetic field notwithstanding.

And I could have practiced a lot more, and a lot better. I *should* have completed, in one year, a million Simhamukha to go along with the Vajrapani! Both were in the Thirteen Golden Dharmas of Sakya. But no one told me about the practice and I had no text. I did not know it was a crucial and powerful protector practice, nor how to do it.

So let's talk about Simhamukha, to help the western students.

If you have ANY Longchen Nyingtik empowerment in full, such as Rigdzin Dupa, or Dechen Gyalmo, Patrul Tsik Sum Ne Dek etc., you have a FULL Simhamukha transmission [ as well as Vajrapani and Vajrasattva ]. Why? Simhamukha is the principal guardian of the Longchen Nyingtik cycle of Great Treasure Revealer Jigme Lingpa.

This year many people in many parts of America received full Simhamukha empowerment, because Lama Wangdor Rinbochay gave Patrul Tsik Sum Ne Dek on an extended coast to coast tour.

So this is in itself a powerful practice for protection and purification, once people figure out they can actually do this, and how much it will help them.

For their benefit, here is the basic mantra:
A KA SA MA RA CA SHA DA RA SA MA RA YA PHAT!

It's a highest yoga tantra practice, and thus restricted to initiates only, even though the mantra has been published all over in public books and websites. I am confirming that this is the correct mantra [ for Nyingmas etc. ], and it could possibly be of great help to some of you who have the authorization.

As with Vajrapani, so with Simhamukha: authorized practitioner can do the 1 M recitations, and perhaps get some good result, even without the text.

I have different kinds of Sakya Simhamukha practice texts, and different kinds of Nyingma Simhamukha practice texts. That is valuable and important, but the main focus is always the same : authorizing empowerment and correct practice and conscious commitment to samaya, as in Mahayana vows.

I do *not* claim to know what practice is most appropriate or most beneficial for any one person, nor have I any idea what manifest results will come of practice. This is a very very general discussion. In particular, it is often the recommendation or personal guru direction to begin Protector practice only AFTER Vajrasattva and guruyoga.

For many people that will be appropriate as a stepwise progressive path. Sometimes a person needs to jump in, and ramp up with daily protector practice. In all cases, use yogic common sense. Don't strain or force anything. It's like athletics. It's a system.

Still, doing 1 M recitiations of a short protector practice, at some point, is very important. Doing 1M recitations of some deity each year is a baseline of practice. This means in the course of five or six years a person can reasonably expect to complete the basic requirement [ 1 M recitations for one diety yoga ] which establishes the connection with several deities.

If you are Kagyu, whatever Kagyu lineage, you are *expected* to do
a) 100,000 long Vajrasattva *after* Vajrasattva-authorizing empowerment
b) 1 M guru yoga recitations *after* receiving the empowerment, such as Milarepa or Karma Pakshi.
That's the baseline.

If you are Nyingma, you are *expected* to do
a) 100,000 long Vajrasattva *after* Vajrasattva-authorizing empowerment
b) 1 M guru yoga recitations *after* receiving the empowerment, such as Padmasambhava in particular.
That's the baseline.

There are very good reasons for this kind of approach. Vajrasattva purifies obstacles and clears the magnetic field, and connects one with all the Hundred Familes of Buddhatantra. Guruyoga connects us with the lineage.

This kind of approach [ Vajrasattva plus Guru yoga ] is not strictly speaking necessary across the board for everyone. But it does cover a lot of ground.

Simply put,
a) if you do the 100K Vajrasattva, a lama has to give you *some* respect.
b) if you do the 1 M guruyoga, a lama has to give you *some* respect.
a) if you do the 100K Vajrasattva *and* 1 M guruyoga of Any Kind, a lama has to give you some real respect as an actual tantric Buddhist, no matter their lineage or yours.

There are other ways, of course.

Here is a basic short mantra for Vajrasattva:
OM VAJRASATTVA HUM

Here is another
OM VAJRASATTVA AH

Once initiated for Vajrasattva, and not otherwise, one can do 1M of these short Vajrasattva, in one formula, not both. That is also a real practice connecting one to Vajrasattva, and thus worthy of respect among the claimed-to-be sangha.

It is easy to do 1M short Tara mantras. Here is the basic short and universal Tara mantra:
OM TARE TAM SVAHA
It is quite common to complete 1M of the standard
OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SVAHA

It is easy to do 1M short Padmasambhava recitations. Here is a little known but valid short and universal mantra for Padmasambhava, which I have in Tibetan and Chinese script. It is

Padmasambhava:
OM PADMA VAJRA HUM

To do this one MUST have a Padmasambhava guruyoga empowerment. But it is only six syllables. Ig a person cannot complete 1 M recitations of 6 syllable Padmsambhava in one year, then the problem is one of time management and commitment, not difficulty or elaborateness of practice. I did 1 M fierce Padmasambhava in one year, and that was 17 syllables, not 6 or 12.

Here's the deal : you can do more than you think, more than you know to be possible. And, it will take time and commitment.

Padmasambhava made it clear that SOME daily practice is a requirement of highest yogatantra. You can read that in the book "Dakini Teachings" which talks about the perspective, the vows, and so forth very clearly and concisely. I have vows of daily sadhana, daily practice. Since tantric empowerment and practice quite literally saved my life, I never consider this a burden, but rather a source of life and healing and wisdom.

This one book, "Dakini Teachings", a record of teachings given by Guru Padmasambhava, is a whole library of tantric Buddhist discipline and practice. The first 100 pages of this book are invaluable for all Mahayana and Tantrayana practitioners and would be practitioners, and you can get the book openly from Amazon, Snow Lion and so forth.

This book is inexpensive, and sidesteps the need to try and get this kind of teaching in bits and pieces over time. What a great blessing! It can save you years of confusion and doubt and wasted time, and really establish a person on the path of Mahayana and Tantric practice through correct understanding.

No one anywhere can speak against this book. It is my professional recommendation. You can try hard over a period of years to find anything better. Too bad nobody ever mentions it, eh?

Someone has to know how these things work. Anyway, you have been helped.

Sarva mangalam! Siddhi rastu!

KT

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 48 replies

Well, there are several kinds of blessing pills and Tibetan medicine. I will share the little bit that I know about this subject and hope that others expand on it.

There are Nectar pills, Namjom pills, Wisdom pills like Manjushri, Vajrayogini pills, Mani Pills, Longevity Pills, and many more names.

Precious Pills are a medicinal pill that actually have a seal of authenticity.

Most all fall into the category known as Chulen. Chu is the essential substance of the elements: it maintains the physical body and, if our energy is uncoordinated, it co-ordinates it, if it is weak, it reinforces it. Therefore, chulen is useful, above all, to harmonize energy and develop clarity.

The pills are made of up to 20-30 substances representing the elements’ essence. They are prescribed to ensure the 5 winds, 5 biles, and 5 phlegms remain in balance.

Imbalance is thought to cause disease.

These pills often contain the relics of previous great meditators and Tulkus as well as the elemental substance and herbs . They are made under special processes and ceremonies to imbibe and empower them with lineage blessings and compassionate curative powers.

Tibetan medicine also includes blowing on the affected part of the body (like LLDD’s head) to effect healing or pain relief. (Using compassion as the healing medium). Visualization is also part of the healing process.

I mentioned Karmapa pills in my last post…they are sometimes called Black Pills or Karmapa Black Hat Pills. I will copy an article on the Black pills under separate post if you are interested.

Happy Thursday!
Bill

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 9 replies

I would like to be a little bit more skilled at fear, to not simply avoid it ignorantly. I want to use it, or become tolerant of it long enough to make progress in being at peace, and having longer and more sustainable spans of calmness in my life.

Perhaps my goal is misguided, thusly my strageties for it's attainment are innately flawed...
but for now, I have some clarity, that this is what i currently need to focus on: nature of fear, becoming familiar with it, relate to it well, use it, become it, transmute it, transcend it.

I may have some experience dealing with it, living life some time now, but it is now that I am intent at looking at fear with focus and intentions.

Your thoughts, questions and comments are greatly appreciated.. thank you!

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 31 replies

Hello Mark and friends,

Just wanted to say hi and send out some expansive good wishes that your retreat endeavors are bearing fruit for yourself and all beings!

Daily life does offer unlimited learning and practice opportunities!

Love and devotion and gratitude,

Cliff in Cleveland

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 6 replies

I have been at a 16 drops Kadampa initiation (a tantric initiation) given by the Dalai Lama, and somebody also explained the 16 deities involved in this initiation to me shortly, but I can't find anything more detailed on the internet on this initiation.

Does anybody know the names of the 16 deities of this initiation and any other details about it? I think Guru Rinpoche was one of them, and several Gelug masters as well. I would also like to know what the exact purpose of this initiation is, I heard that it should be good to open the heart.

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 0 replies

Tantric Buddhist empowerments and retreats ( San Francisco area ) by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche ( January - June 2010 )

Keywords: tantric empowerment, yoga sadhana, Mahayana, Buddhist yogic teaching retreat, Tibetan Buddhism / Nyingma lineage, Guru Padmasambhava as Wealth Lord Padmasambhava / Orgyen Khandro Norlha, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, Orgyen Dorje Den Alameda CA, Vajrayana Foundation Corralitos CA, Heart Teachings audio video resources for tantric Buddhist practice.

Tharchin Rinpoche's coming to town!
Tharchin Rinpoche's coming to town!
Tharchin Rinpoche's commminnnng to towwwn!


. . . And he is giving a large cycle of tantric transmissions and retreats this January through June, in San Francisco East Bay and at his home center in Watsonville ( down the coast from San Francisco ).
Tantra means magic and yoga, in this case in the definite context of Buddhist ethics and practice. ( I provide context and substantial information on these below. )

These tantric practices are mainly focused on the lineage of Guru Padmasambhava i.e. the Nyingma school, and lead towards or incorporate the central Awareness Yoga known as Dzogchen, the Great Perfection. To do any of these practices, personal initiation is required. That is why the teacher is of central importance.

For more background on the Great Perfection and Dzogchen, see the book
"The Crystal and the Way of Light", by Namkhai Norbu
also
"Dakini Teachings", by Padmasambhava
and view the extensive materials at
http://keithdowman.net/dzogchen/index.htm

For background on Guru Padmsambhava see
http://www.rangjung.com/authors/padmasambhava.htm
"Padmasambhava : A Short Biography by Jamgon Kongtrul the First"


The home center for Lama Tharchin is
The Vajrayana Foundation
web site
www.vajrayana.org
contact info:
Phone: (831) 761-6266
Email: office@vajrayana.org
Address: 2013 Eureka Canyon Rd., Watsonville,CA 95076

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche is a teacher of Buddhist tantra, extremely gentle and open, yet also profound and powerful. I first began taking teachings and transmissions from him in the early 1980s. This is one of my most favorite people on the entire planet. Just to see him brings real gladness to one's heart, just to remember him is greatly comforting. Please note that I do not represent him in any official sense.

I use texts and practices from his fellowship, the Vajrayana Foundation, which principally focuses on the lineage transmissions of HH Dudjom Rinpoche. HH Dujom Rinpoche was a profound Nyingma lineage holder whose efforts were of central importance in saving major parts of the Buddhist tantra during the destruction of Buddhist Tibet by the Chinese. HH Dudjom Rinpoche trained and authorized Lama Tharchin as a vajra master. Lama Tharchin can train westerners to become full fledged tantric Buddhist gurus - on a basic but functional level - in the Nyingma lineage of Guru Padmasambhava.

KT



See also
http://heartteachings.com/index.html

"Heart Teachings by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche"

"The Friends of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche have put together this site for Lama Tharchin Rinpoche's video series. The video series is the main vehicle Rinpoche uses to disseminate his vast knowledge of Buddhist teachings. Each month Rinpoche records a 1-2 hour long video.

"Anyone interested can purchase any of the past Series as an individual set, or subscribe to the Series in progress on an ongoing basis. There are also a few teachings offered as individual DVDs or DVD sets."

Note - many of these recordings require specific authorization, i.e. empowerment.


From the above site
"Turning the Three Wheels of Buddhadharma: Learning, Practice, and Teaching
Lama Tharchin Rinpoche is a Dzogchen (Great Perfection) master of Vajrayana Buddhism. He is the tenth lineage holder of the Repkong Ngakpas. This is a family lineage of yogis, or householders, and was the largest community of non-monastic practitioners in Tibet. Rinpoche was trained in His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche's monastery, engaged in five years of solitary retreat and then completed the three year retreat with three others under Dudjom Rinpoche.

"In addition to Dudjom Rinpoche, his main teachers have been Chatral Rinpoche, Lama Sherab Dorje Rinpoche, and Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche. Rinpoche left Tibet by foot with his family in 1960.

"Many of the early years of Rinpoche's life were dedicated to intensive study, practice and retreat. Mastering the many traditions of his lineage under the guidance of His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche benefited countless beings through the purity of his heart and his compassionate dedication to all beings. Through many years of practice and retreat, Rinpoche developed the skills and qualities most needed to bring maximum benefit to beings in this lifetime.

"Fulfilling the request of his teacher, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche came to the West with the intention to protect the holy Buddhadharma and to plant authentic seeds of dharma in the West. With an incredible flurry of enlightened activity, Rinpoche's blessings and accomplishments have flowed like rich wisdom nectar. Founder of the Vajrayana Foundation, Rinpoche has established the College of Tibetan Buddhist Studies (Shedra), and the three-year retreat program (Drupta). He has directed study and practice retreats, given us bountiful empowerments and pure Dzogchen teachings, and he has shown us the true nature of our own minds."



From the home page of
www.vajrayana.org
with some notes and commentary


•Orgyen Khandro Norlha Wealth Empowerment and Teaching: January 23rd
Orgyen Dorje Den, Alameda,CA

Orgyen Dorje Den
2244 Santa Clara Ave
Alameda, CA 94501
www.orgyendorjeden.org


"Lama Tharchin Rinpoche has offered to give the empowerment and teachings on the Orgyen Khandro Norlha wealth practice at Orgyen Dorje Den in Alameda as a benefit for the Vajrayana Foundation. “I not only want to benefit Pema Osel Ling,” he said, “but to share this with all the sangha with my love, care and aspiration for positive results for all of us. As the whole world, and I am thinking especially of our country and sangha, are having a difficult time financially, so I would like to share Guru Rinpoche’s wisdom and compassion solution to remove obstacles; how to get success not only for short term material results but long term enlightenment."



•Namchak Putri (Vajrakilaya) Gutor and Losar Retreat: February 5 – 14
2013 Eureka Canyon Rd., Watsonville,CA 95076

Note - this is an ultimate wrathful Vajrasattva practice, commonly practiced to clear away negativity and obstacles in preparation for the Tibetan New Year, 14 February 2010.

•Spring Retreat: April 2 - 4
2013 Eureka Canyon Rd., Watsonville,CA 95076

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche to teach on Shabkar's Flight of the Garuda
Note - this is a primary dzogchen text. See part of the text online at
http://keithdowman.net/books/fg.htm


'Dzokchen, the Great Perfection, is the quintessence of the tantric paths to Buddhahood. This book contains the translation of four Dzokchen texts belonging to the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. These sacred revealed texts, never before freely available, provide inspiration and instruction for the Dzokchen aspirant. The Flight of the Garuda, which gives the collection its title, written by Shabkar Lama in the nineteenth century, comprises a series of twenty-three songs designed to inspire and instruct the yogin practising Dzokchen trekcho meditation. Secret Instruction in a Garland of Vision is one of three texts said to have been written by Padma Sambhava, Tibet's great Guru, himself, who visited Tibet in the eighth century. It belongs to the lam rim genre, a stage--by--stage description of the path to Buddhahood. An extract from Emptying the Depths of Hell, revealed by Guru Chowong in the thirteenth century, provides a Dzokchen confessional liturgy, and The Wish-Granting Prayer of Kuntu Zangpo, revealed by Rikdzin Godemchan in the fourteenth century as part of an extensive Dzokchen tantra, is a prayer for attainment of the Dzokchen goal.'

This collection includes four shiningly clear and starkly beautiful Dzogchen texts. Their common denominator is the soaring freedom of the Dzogchen viewpoint as symbolised by the Garuda -- the divine eagle that is said to fly as soon as it breaks free of its egg.' Robin Cooke in The Mirror.


•Summer Retreat: May 22- June 21
2013 Eureka Canyon Rd., Watsonville,CA 95076

Dorje Drolod: May 22 – 30
Note- this is wrathful Padmasambhava guru yoga

Throma Nagmo: June 1 – 9
Note - this is a profound and comprehensive great goddess cycle of the Buddhist Kali

Shitro Nakso: June 11– 12
Collection of Seven Treasures Drupchen: June 13 – 21

Note - This is a comprehensive cycle of Great Perfection teachings, but I cannot comment on it. The drubchen means intensive ( day and night ) practice.

------------------------------------------------


. . . And from Orgyen Dorje Den, more upcoming events

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Gutor & Losar coming soon, February 11th-14th, 2010

On February 11, 12 & 13, we will practice Vajrasattva at the request of Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche. (Just like Vajrakilaya can be done to remove negativity from the past year, so can Vajrasattva be done to purify our negativity & obscurations from the last year. Same result.)

Ven. Lingtrul Rinpoche will preside as the Vajramaster and we will practice the sadhana of Dorsem Lama Chodpa from the Dudjom Tersar tradition.
There will be 3 sessions per day and all are welcome to join.


February 14th is Losar, the New Year, according to the Lunar & Tibetan calendar.
On this day we will also practice Vajrasattva, although we will use a more concise sadhana.

Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche may join us and offer a Vajrasattva empowerment if he is available, in other words, if we have the merit!



Orgyen Dorje Den
2244 Santa Clara Ave
Alameda, CA 94501
www.orgyendorjeden.org

Dedication:

Sarva mangalam!
Siddhi rastu!

May this be greatly beneficial to all!
May the lineage of the Dudjom Tersar and of Lama Tharchin long endure!

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 1 reply

My dearest friends,

Many warm greetings and Tashi Deleks to all !

I very much hope that this letter finds you well and happy.

All our Bon children, Redna Menling nuns, monastery monks and myself are wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2010!

On January 1st, a wonderful event will take place early morning on the hilltop above Menri Monastery. We shall all gather for a Sang ceremony and recite Shang-Shung Tibetan prayers for universal peace and happiness to all beings in the existing worlds. These prayers bring success in all endeavors. They help to generate energy and power to push down all negativities and to develop compassion, love and peace for each other.

We shall make plenty of offerings to the local and earthly gods, the Naga water spirits, and to the universal deities, for a happy and peaceful year 2010.

Sounds: we shall offer music, blow conch shells and long Tibetan trumpets (dungchen), beat drums, play cymbals and Bonpo flat bells.

Food delicacies: we shall offer sculpted barley / wheat dough cakes (torma), sweets, pure butter, cheese and milk, roasted barley (tsampa), popped barley, wheat and corn, and puffed rice.

Fine nectars: we shall offer precious gold liqueur (serkyem: medicinal tea in which a raw nugget of gold is steeped) and turquoise liqueur (yukyem: medicinal beer in which a green raw turquoise gem is steeped), silver and jewel nectars, tea, wine, whiskey, Tibetan beer (chang), and we shall multiply all their amounts by prayer, visualization and meditation.

We shall make aromatic offerings: burning incense, scented juniper branches and medicinal herbs, and we shall throw printed paper fliers (lungta) in the hot air rising above the fire.

New prayer flags will be stretched across the hillside.

There will be a tea party with tasty Indian sweets (like the ball-shaped ladus) offered to all of us on behalf of our dearest Western friends.

We shall all pray for your health, wealth and success. Dearest friends, you are sustaining our community, you are helping to preserve and develop the Bon culture and religion.

Thank you so much !

Menri Abbot

P.S.: please note that this year, the day of Losar, the Tibetan New Year, will be the 14th of February 2010.

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 0 replies

The Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche will be giving a public talk in Ojai, CA. on Saturday, January 16th at The Ojai Valley Women's Club, 441 East Ojai Avenue, Ojai, CA 93023.
Teaching on the Medicine Buddha, Poti Wang & Consecration of Ritual Items
Time: 10 am - 12 noon
Contact : oselnyingpo@yahoo.com for more information.

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 0 replies

Re: Re karma and killing: It's okay to irrigate crop fields, which certainly beats starving to death
Mon, December 7, 2009 - 8:02 AM


Okay, this last post still stands.
No challenge in several weeks. No questions as to clarity or meaning.

An important and basic point in Buddhist ethics. I'm sorry some people were misled by naive notions of Buddhist ethics.

If killing insects was contrary to The first of the Ten Precepts, you couldn't drive a car, as driving a car on the highway is pretty much always going to kill one or more insects.

If killing insects was contrary to The first of the Ten Precepts, you couldn't irrigate a crop field, as driving a car on the highway is pretty much always going to kill many many insects, by drowning, don't you know.

Nuff said. Now you know.

Short answer : driving car ok, if not with murderous intent. Irrigating crop fields okay, to feed people. Insect lives lost, but we can still be bodhisattvas. Being a bodhisattva is what it's all about.

At this point we've developed Buddhist ethics to the seventh grade level. That is a starting point.

We can also begin to address the issue of speech karma. As I in fact have already done. Speech karma relates to four of the Ten Precepts, # 4 through #7. Very important here. Very very important.

KT

--------------------------------------------------

PooP...
58 .Intentionally killing insects is indeed contrary to buddhist precept: Do not kill
Mon, December 7, 2009 - 9:26 AM
I disagree with your buddhism K,

It is okay to drive because you are not driving to kill bugs...... you are driving to get some place. Bugs happen to share same space and accidently get crushed underfoot even when just walking. That is the point, it is ACCIDENT. To intentionally kill bugs is bad unless you know something like phowa.

You don't have to intentionally kill bugs to irrigate fields. And if you notice some drowning bugs, it is no big deal to save them in process.

Even Nagarjuna got ripe karma from purposefully squishing bug against blade of grass and because of such he died by beheading from blade of grass.

Bodhisattvas do not discriminate against beings in lower realms.

Nuff said.
I used to like stan lee until I realized he stole everybody's superhero stuff and called it his. It is best to not misunderstand and steal buddha's superhero stuff.

-----------------------------------------------------


K
139 .Re: Intentional killing is indeed different than unintentional killing.

Sat, December 19, 2009 - 6:49 AM

Re:
"It is okay to drive because you are not driving to kill bugs...... you are driving to get some place. Bugs happen to share same space and accidently get crushed underfoot even when just walking."

Yes, that is my point. Unintentional killing is different than murder. Basically all legal systems uphold this distinction.

Therefore, go ahead and irrigate fields, or drive a car or whatever. There will be some collateral damage.

You can even take antibiotics, although that is intentional killing. It is intentional killing, but not of human beings. By all means, take antibiotics if necessary. And make use of common sense wherever possible.

I know about Nagarjuna and the blade of grass. That point is relevant. It is also far from central to the kinds of daily ethics we need to apply, which is again MOSTLY about common sense.

KT

------------------------------------
Ash
37 .Re: Intentional killing is indeed different than unintentional killing.
Sat, December 19, 2009 - 2:22 PM
even more basic application than 7th-grade ethics

First on the use of antibiotics. Antibiotics do not kill bacteria. They only slow or stop the growth. This is why a patient with end stage AIDS cannot have a bacterial infection sterilized by antibiotics. It is the white blood cells called macrophages that engulf and kill the bacteria. The white blood cells full of bacteria are what make pus. This is the natural survival and defense of the body. The antibiotics only slow the growth so that the white blood cells can kill faster than the bacteria can multiply.

Mice multiply orders of magnitude faster in artificial settings due to abundant food and few predators. In such circumstances their waste creates a vector for viruses and flea-borne bacterial illnesses. Right intention to protect children from often fatal illnesses guides this Right action of the mother to not only do so for them, but also by Right Effort to correct the artificially created dangerous environmentally damaging murine population explosion.

Right Awareness of how her action and outside crticism affects her seems to be genuinely lacking on the part of her critics. I can't imagine Buddha straying so far off the Middle path as to favor perpetuation of an artificial murine population explosion over safe survival of Children and stopping degradation of the surrounding biosphere. All accounts of Buddha I have read suggest awareness of all facets of living........ not tunnel vision that demands the sacrifice of human suffering. He did suffer before his enlightenement and sacrificed his health..Then he explained why that this only made things worse, not better!

What ever precept one follows must be skillfully reconciled with more basic aspects of the Dharma through awareness. Otherwise it is merely another unskillful failure to intergrate with Buddha's teaching and an ornate intricate deviation into Samsara, dooming one and collaterally others to continuing suffering and poor Karma. If this statement angers the reader then ask yourself why you are angry before you respond.

Love and appreciation,

Ash
-------------------------------------------------
K
139 .Re: Yes, dharma precepts are all about conscious application . . .and public health, too
Tue, December 22, 2009 - 8:58 AM

Re Ash:
"What ever precept one follows must be skillfully reconciled with more basic aspects of the Dharma through awareness. Otherwise it is merely another unskillful failure. . ."

Well said, Ash. Dharma precepts are all about conscious application. Nothing is more important.

Of course, getting to the seventh grade level Does Matter. As in, "Plays Well With Others."

I could comment on the direct effectiveness of natural antibiotics, but that is far from central to this discussion. Short answer, it is quite often a Good Thing to kill off some nasty bacteria to protect public health. That IS In Accord with the Mahayana Dharma. Count on it!

'Nuff said.

KT
---------------------------------------------------
Ash
37 .Re: Yes, dharma precepts are all about conscious application . . .and public health, too
Tue, December 22, 2009 - 6:09 PM
Thanks, KT for your thoughtful affirmation

Though I am a practitioner iin Allopathic medicine (MD) and respect the power of this very valuable tool, I also recognize that like many other powerful things. it is usually misused! Your statement on nartural antibiotics is well received. Lack of Awareness has many dire Karmic consequences that affect not only the actor directly but also others surrogately and collaterally. Awarerness of karmic consequence should lead a skilled teacher of Buddhist Tradition to good karma and not suffering. Too much of what I do in medicine are pathetic attempts to make up for the Karmic consequences of poor awareness and poor thought hygiene. these actions themselves generate Karmic consequences. I fear at times that I trap myself in a form of samsara when I should consider living a simpler healthy more natural life. Perhaps the mother in the case of a mouse infestation is similarly trapped?

Love and affirmation,

Ash

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 31 replies

Ema Ho!

As many of you know, Mark has returned from retreat so I will be returning the moderator responsibility to him.

I have really enjoyed our dialogue and getting to know some of you. I especially appreciate the kindness and respect shown towards me and the fact that, until today, I did not have to remove any posts.

I will stay engaged with the tribe when possible and continue to work with those who need my help.

Mark shared with me that he had some auspicious signs during retreat and emphasized that everyone should take a solitary retreat even if for a short time.

I think he is very "ripe" with knowledge at this time and I hope you all can benefit from his experience.

Please feel free to contact me at anytime. I travel often and enjoy visiting.

OM AH HUNG
Bill

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 4 replies

i am a veteran who who is tryig to awken the govermet of its decline by exsposing human rights abuse throughits va.i need prayersto bring god back into my lfe so i know its for god and country and not for myself,tired of the mess this country is in and hoping to go where where god can use me yhe most, in all his name

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 2 replies

Empowerment, "Entrance to the Great Perfection" Book Excerpt

(What actually happens when we receive an empowerment? Here, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche helps us to understand a little about it, in this adaptation from Entrance to the Great Perfection: A Guide to the Dzogchen Preliminary Practices, a compilation created by Cortland Dahl.)

The term "empowerment" derives from the Sanskrit word "abisheka." Sanskrit is an exceptionally rich language, especially when it comes to the nuances of each individual word. Since one word can contain several levels of meaning, we can end up with different interpretations. That is the beauty of Sanskrit.

The term "empowerment" has two primary meanings. In Tibetan, we refer to these two meanings with the words torwa and lugpa, which can be translated as dismantling and pouring, respectively. In this case, "dismantling" refers to dismantling the cocoon, or shell, of ignorance. "Pouring," on the other hand, refers either to pouring the blessings, or pouring/discovering buddha nature.

When it comes to understanding the implied meaning of empowerment, however, the terms we use can actually be misleading. To interpret the word "empowerment" to mean "pouring" and "discovering," and even when we use the expression "receive an empowerment," can inadvertently lead us to think we are being given a power that was previously not in our possession. The term "empowerment" almost has the connotation of conferring something, not unlike a knighting, for instance.

This interpretation is far from the true spirit of the tantric initiation. In being empowered, one is being introduced to something within oneself, albeit something that has gone unrecognized. Activating this recognition is what we mean by the term "empowerment."

There are various empowerments with numerous divisions, yet according to the highest yoga tantra, there are four main types. Each of these four, referred to as the "four empowerments," is designed to dismantle one of the four defilements. These four are the defilements of nadi, which relate to the veins, chakras, or channels; the defilement of prana, which coincides with speech, or wind-energy; and the defilement of bindu, which is a defilement of mind.

There are two ways to explain the fourth defilement: one is to say it is the residue of the three combined or, in other words, something similar to alaya. Alternatively, it can be described as "the ground of everything," but this second way of explaining it is quite difficult to understand.

The empowerment ritual utilizes symbolic implements and substances. First, the guru will place a vase on your head and then pour some liquid into your hand, saying, "Drink this saffron water." Next, the guru will use a kapala, which is traditionally filled with nectar. This substance is actually a mixture of the father and mother consort's essence. These days, however, most of lamas use Bordeaux or Chianti if the empowerment is given in Europe, or tequila if it is being given in America. With the third empowerment, the substance is related to the consort. Nowadays, lamas will flash a picture of a dakini or something similar. Finally, for the fourth empowerment, which is referred to as the word empowerment, a substance like crystal is sometimes used, though technically speaking this is no longer a necessity. The crystal symbolizes the nature of mind.

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 8 replies

Okay, being a recently graduated college student, I don't have a lot of money to be throwing around. No cable or basic television, no fancy gadgets on my cell phone (the only phone I have), no fancy stereo system...just me, my cats, a little apartment...and my iTouch. Yes, I broke down last summer and bought one of these little gadgets and OMG's it is a bunch of fun. I had been traveling a lot this last year, so I liked the idea of having this little doodad which could keep me occupied (& sane) while sitting on a plane with a little screaming brat kicking my seat, for hours on end. Though, we can debate about my apparent level of sanity, it certainly did keep me occupied and in the end, no children were harmed in the making of my flights home.

So, tonight I found myself searching random words at the iTunes store. Specifically, I was looking for podcasts (They're Free!!) and Applications (the free ones...see a theme?) when I came across this: Course on Tsongkhapa's Letter of Practical Advice on Sutra and Tantra.

I had been searching the term "Meditation" thinking I might find some nice background music or something and there it was. And it wasn't the only one I found. It got me thinking; what else is out there? And, what does this have to tell us about the future of how Buddhist teachings are taught?

At first thought, A Buddhist App for an iPhone/iTouch sounds like the antithesis of much of Buddhism, right? But so are all of those cheap concrete-looking lawn ornaments with chubby, Made in China Buddhas.

Anyway, what are your thoughts? Have you used this or any other application/podcast?

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 4 replies

Title:
Human Energy Systems and Kundalini Yoga, Theory and Practice ( Hindu, Buddhist, 3H0 Sikh, etc. )

Keywords:
kundalini yoga, hatha yoga, Ayurveda, tantra, psychic heat practice, comparative yogic practice, Bon, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Buddhist Mahamudra and Atiyoga practice.

Summary:
basic cross-cultural introduction to kundalini yoga, with book references. I give examples of Hindu, Sikh, Bonpo and Buddhist practices of kundalini yoga.

Disclaimer by KT:
the discussion is provided only for informational purposes. Some or all of these practices may be inappropriate for any one individual. No recommendations for practice are given by me. I do not represent any of these teachers or organizations.

Re Super A on tribe Kundalini Yoga:

Is raising Kundalini cheating?
"yeh i wonder, too.. seems kinda manufactured."

Super A:
"well i just wonder if Kundalini may stir on its own.. "

Re Ashleigh on Tribe Energy Workers and tribe Healing Arts:

"I really want to learn about different energy styles and how to relate to different people with different styles well. I almost can't stand lots of repressed anger and denseness around me. . .
I am very attracted to energy work as a therapist. I want to get to the core of someone's energy field and work from there."

KT responds as follows -


Kundalini yoga is an energetic process.

Kundalini yoga is an evolutionary process.

Kundalini yoga is a whole person process, involving the physical system and metabolism and sexual energy, the emotions, consciousness, and the human aura, or bioenergetic field.

Kundalini yoga is the deeper, broader, more complete form of what westerners call "hatha yoga".

Kundalini yoga is consciously practised in
a) the Hindu traditions
b) in the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist traditions
c) in the non-Buddhist Bon system ( Tibetan Bon )
d) in the 3H0 Sikh tradition
and also, in a comparable similar form, in the
e) Taoist traditions.

All the above traditions overlap to a significant extent. In particular, the Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh systems are largely grounded in Ayurveda, the ancient medical science, which uses Five Element theory ( Pancabhuta in Sanskrit ), i.e. Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space.

For more information on Ayurveda, see books by Vedacarya ( Hindu Spiritual doctor ) David Frawley, OMD. These are important references for anyone practising kundalini yoga, be they Hindu, Sikh, Bonpo or Buddhist. I have repeatedly recommended Dr. Frawley's books
"Ayurvedic Healing"
http://www.amazon.com/Ayurvedic-Healing-Revised-Enlarged-Comprehensive/dp/0914955977
and
"Ayurveda and the Mind"
http://www.amazon.com/Ayurveda-Mind-Consciousness-David-Frawley/dp/0914955365

These books are very accessible and extremely useful at all levels of practice.

For a set of example practices in kundalini yoga, as given through the Hindu-Sikh tradition, see
http://www.3ho.org/kundaliniyoga/yogasets.html
This gives 25 short practices.

According to historical account, the Founder Buddha Guru Sakyamuni trained in kundalini yoga and had a tremendously powerful magnetic field. This is symbolized by the "Victorious Crown Knot", in Sanskrit the "usnisavijaya" atop his head. The crown knot stands for a vortex of energy that ascends through and above the crown of a realized being, a Buddha.

The Hindu and Sikh and Buddhist systems share a very similar definition of human energy systems, specifically with a set of three primary energy channels
a) the central vertical energy channel
b) the right vertical energy channel
c) the left vertical energy channel.

This set of three channels goes by different names in different traditions.

The Chinese Taoist system however, although very similar, uses
a) the central vertical energy channel
b) the front/ vertical energy channel
c) the back/ vertical energy channel.
instead of two side channels.

The Buddhist systems are not identical to each other, just as Hindu practices do not necessarily work from the same exact definitions.

In particular, the classical Buddhist systems, known as tantras, are defined to work through sometimes different sets ( different numbers and locations ) of subtle energy centers, or cakras. Cakra is the Sanskrit for Wheel, and in this sense literally means "energy vortex".

In yoga, it is sometimes said, "All Yoga begins at the navel point." That is not strictly speaking true, although it is a very practical and useful statement. It remains true that many key Hindu, Sikh, and tantric Buddhist practices focus on navel point energy. Examples are
a) the Hindu ( and Buddhist ) Ganapati yoga
b) the Sikh practice of Sat Kriya and many related practices
c) the various psychic heat ( Sanskrit candali, for "fierce woman" ) navel point practices found in most major high tantric Buddhist practices.

Examples of the latter Buddhist navel point practices are
- The Great Seal Six Yogas of Naropa
- The Great Seal completion stage yoga of Milarepa
- Great Seal Kalacakra
- Great Seal Cakrasamvara
- Great Seal Vajrayogini
- Great Perfection ( Atiyoga ) practices such as Padmasambhava completion stage yoga, Vajrakilaya completion stage, and so forth.

A typical, but not universal definition of Buddhist energy centers in tantra is
a) Brow Point
b) Throat Center
c) Heart Center
d) Navel Point

This corresponds to the stages of outer and inner empowerment in Buddhist tantra, which begins with the guru placing / activating white light at the initiate's brow, red light at the throat, blue light at the heart, and so forth. The levels and types of initiations differ significantly within the Buddhist traditions, but overall there is this common structure.

( This system is very similar to but definitely apart from the "Tibetan Bon" tradition, which employs different energies, colors, and seed syllables at the brow, throat and heart centers. For further information on Bon energy practice, see books by Tenzin Wangyal, especially his "Healing With Form, Energy, and Light". )

All of these Buddhist psychic heat practices focus on the stage of Bliss through "blazing, melting, and dripping". This process is based on breath practices and visualizations which are very similar in many respects, even though the definitions of human energetic structures differ. For example, the Buddhist Great Seal system of Kalacakra has a very different structure than the other Great Seal ( Mahamudra ) practices of the New School of Indo-Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.

For a relevant heavy duty book on Great Perfection / Dzogchen / Atiyoga practice, see the following three books

"Kindly Bent to Ease Us: Part 2, Meditation"
by Longchen Rabjam
http://www.snowlionpub.com/html/product_747.html
and

YANTRA YOGA: The Tibetan Yoga of Movement
by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu
http://www.snowlionpub.com/html/product_9678.html

THE CRYSTAL AND THE WAY OF LIGHT: Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen
by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu
http://www.snowlionpub.com/html/product_758.html

This book gives broader context and shows some photos of Buddhist yoga postures which engage pressure point / energy channel systems.


Again, all the Buddhist systems work primarily from a Hindu-Buddhist-Ayurvedic type set of three primary channels, and the Taoist system does not.


See also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trul_khor
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tummo



book description of "Yantra Yoga" from Snow Lion:

YANTRA YOGA: The Tibetan Yoga of Movement
by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, trans. by Adriano Clemente

Yantra Yoga, the Buddhist parallel to the Hathayoga of the Hindu tradition, is a system of practice entailing bodily movements, breathing exercises and visualizations. Originally transmitted by the mahasiddhas of India and Oddiyana, its practice is nowadays found in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism in relation to the Anuttaratantras, more generally known under the Tibetan term trulkhor, whose Sanskrit equivalent is yantra.

The Union of the Sun and Moon Yantra ('Phrul 'khor nyi zla kha sbyor), orally transmitted in Tibet in the eighth century by the great master Padmasambhava to the Tibetan translator and Dzogchen master Vairochana, can be considered the most ancient of all the systems of Yantra and its peculiarity is that it contains also numerous positions which are also found in the classic Yoga tradition.

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, one of the great living masters of Dzogchen and Tantra, started transmitting this profound Yoga in the seventies, and at that time wrote this commentary which is based on the oral explanations of some Tibetan yogins and siddhas of the twentieth century. All Western practitioners will benefit from the extraordinary instructions contained in this volume. He was a professor at the Oriental Institute of "the University of Naples, Italy, and is the author of The Crystal and the Way of Light and Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State.
Adriano Clemente first studied Yantra Yoga with Chogyal Namkhai Norbu in the 1970s. He is the co-author of The Supreme Source.


•Article from the Snow Lion
For information about Yantra Yoga instructors authorized by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu please contact the Dzochen Community in America through: www.tsegyalgar.org

REVIEWS
"...magnificent.... There is nothing like [this book]. That is why you should read it even if you never plan to do yoga.... For any who have studied yantra this is a deep reference space to which they will return again and again. For those who have not practiced this profound method it is a full picture of the precision and depth of this way and an invitation to enter this practice in an experiential way.... By the excellence of the translation and the fullness of details this work can nourish the understanding of practitioners everywhere."--The Mirror

"Such a beautiful book about a system of practice that involves bodily movements, breathing exercises and visualizations. We learn to twist like a conch, arch like a camel, flame like a lotus, curve like a bow—and know exactly why we are doing it.... All Western practitioners will benefit from the clear and precise instructions."—Mandala

"...the definitive work on yantra...Practitioners of hatha yoga will be interested."—Shambhala Sun

"...an enthusiastically recommended addition to Tibetan Buddhist studies shelves."—Wisconsin Bookwatch

"This is a must-have for anyone interested in an authentic lineage of hatha yoga practice."—Sandra Anderson, Yoga + Joyful Living Magazine

9781559393089 1559393084



HEALING WITH FORM, ENERGY AND LIGHT: The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra, and Dzogchen
by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
book description of "Yantra Yoga" from Snow Lion at
http://www.snowlionpub.com/html/product_6671.html

HEALING WITH FORM, ENERGY AND LIGHT: The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra, and Dzogchen
by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, edited by Mark Dahlby

In the shamanic world-view of Tibet, the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space are accessed through the raw powers of nature and through non-physical beings associated with the natural world. In the Tibetan tantric view, the elements are recognized as five kinds of energy in the body and are balanced with a program of yogic movements, breathing exercises, and visualizations. In these Dzogchen teachings, the elements are understood to be the radiance of being and are accessed through pure awareness. Healing with Form, Energy, and Light offers the reader healing meditations and yogic practices on each of these levels.

Tenzin Rinpoche's purpose is to strengthen our connection to the sacred aspect of the natural world and to present a guide that explains why certain practices are necessary and in what situations practices are effective or a hindrance. This is a manual for replacing an anxious, narrow, uncomfortable identity with one that is expansive, peaceful, and capable. And the world too is transformed from dead matter and blind processes into a sacred landscape filled with an infinite variety of living forces and beings.

"There is more detailed and at the same time easily understood and useful information about the body and meditative practice than any other book I have seen. Spoken with an elegance that melts into your mind."—Anne C. Klein, Professor, Dept of Religious Studies, Founding Director, Dawn Mountain Tibetan Temple, Houston, author of Knowledge and Liberation, Meeting the Great Bliss Queen, Path to the Middle

"The secrets freely given in this volume can help us lay sound foundations for whatever yogic practice we may adopt. Tenzin Rinpoche has rendered all a great service."—Yoga Studies newsletter

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is one of the few Bön masters now living in the West. His skill as a teacher reflects his more than 15 years in guiding Western practitioners. He is the founder and director of the Ligmincha Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is the author of The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep and Wonders of the Natural Mind.

--------------------------------------

Sarva mangalam.
Siddhi rastu!

May All Beings Benefit!

KT, inner medical tantrika

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 3 replies

My Bodhi seed mala has finally totally bit the dust.... more than ten beads are cracked and missing and more on the way! I have never gotten it wet and I am a bit disappointed. What is the best material for a good tibetan mala? I was going to get bone but I here that is only good for wrathful mantra, I am doing mostly Vajrasattva and I suppose I need accumulating mala of Bodhi seed. Is there another durable material that someone could recommend that is a tibetan word equivalent to kosher? Much thanks and hope everyone is having a nice day.

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 12 replies

http://chronicleproject.com/stories_168.html

An Interview with Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche. Please read and consider.

Thank you! Love and devotion and gratitude.

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 9 replies

Happy Tibetan New Year to all.

Metal Tiger I think is good for most.

posted in Tibetan Buddhism - 10 replies