94261375 the False Dichotomy Between Dzogchen and Mahamudra

7/29/2019 94261375 the False Dichotomy Between Dzogchen and Mahamudra

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On the view: the false dichotomy between

dzogchen and mahamudra

An old dharma friend named Jonny wrote me the other day with a question

that he had. We had first met in 1995 down by Mungod in south India

where he was teaching English at Drepung Loseling, and I was studying
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with Geshe Wangchen, under the kind graces of Lelung Rinpoche who

at the time was dividing his time between Drepung Loseling and Nechung

Monastary in Dharamsala.

Over the years as I came to meet and study under the late Kyabje DorjeChang Bokar Rinpoche, and my path crossed with Jonnys and other

dharma friends amidst the annual groundswell of dharma that occurs

during the fall months in Bodh Gaya. It was there that I had the opportunity

to introduce Jonny to this wonderful oceanic meditation master. From that

point onwards that my relationship with Jonny changed to that of dharma

brother, which is where we are in this moment.

After the tragic, unfortunate death of Kyabje Dorje Chang Bokar Rinpoche,

most of his students were left in a place of loss and sadness. The

confounding suddenness of his death created a barren confusion- I

remember from my own experience that this was a terribly painful and

confusing time. The loss of a teacher can be very painful. I had felt that

there was an intimacy in my relationship with Bokar Rinpoche that made
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him feel like a father- it took a number of years to be able to return to his

seat monastery in India without feeling a profound sense of loss and

sadness.

Over time the, winds of karma, the great teacher that might be described

as the impermanence of appearance, blew Jonny into the lap of

Yangthang Rinpoche, and I into the lap of H.E. Gyaltsab Rinpoche. As our

experiences arising from meditation practice change, and as we slowly try

to blend whatever insights that arise from such experiences into our daily

lives, we email from time to time- to check in and see where the other is.

In an email last month, Jonny wrote:

I have a question arising from the Tsele Natsok Rangdrol book Ive just

finished reading. He mentions the traditions of practice of the different

lineages recognising the meditation from within the view or establishing

the view from within the meditation. This has provoked a lot of interest in

my mind, and I keep coming back to it. As far as my very limited
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understanding is concerned, the first approach in this quote seems to be

that of Dzogchen, and the second Mahamudra. The Kagyupas seem to

talk more about meditation, while Nyingmapas focus more on the view. In

mahamudra there seems to be more emphasis on shinay and thenlhaktong in order to realise the view, while in Dzogchen it seems to be

more about instantaneously, effortlessly seeing what is already there. And

this seems to fit with what I said about the quotation above.

Am I on the right track here? Can you comment on the quotation for me?

Or can you recommend a book which illuminates clearly mmudra and

dzogchen and the differences?

Upon reading this email, I put down what I was doing, and with a deep

sense of joy and excitement, considered what he was asking. What an

important question- what wonderful subtlety implied in this question!

At first glance I tend to feel that there is a distinct stylistic difference

between mahamudra and dzogchenin a way. On an ultimate level,
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however, there is a false dichotomy between view and meditation. This is

something that Tsele Natsok Rangdrol touches on in the book The Heart

of the Matter. Rangjung Dorje, the 3rd Karmapa, in his wonderfully

succinct Mahamudra Aspiriation Prayer, and Karma Chakme, in The Unionof Mahamudra and Dzogchensupport this perspective.

In the Tibetan tradition there is often a reference to the term definitive

meaning (nges don) which generally translates as: ultimate meaning,

ultimate truth, truth, objective meaning. Definitive meaning exists

separately from relative meaning. Relative meaning refers to the

comparing and contrasting between things, it is a means through which we

can know and understand one thing from another. The experience of

definitive meaning- ultimate truth- occurs in some combination of gaining

clarity of relative truth. In the experience of resting within our mind as it

arises, within our experience of the arising of phenomena/appearance, we

are afforded glimpses of the definitive meaning. It is a process of

familiarization, and in some cases even described as a homecoming of

sorts; the reunion of the mother and the child.


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I sometimes gain some clarity in viewing both mahamudra and dzogchen

as something akin to mathematical sets. They are two ways to approach

the realization of mind, the definitive meaning of its experience, and the

various qualitative ways in which we experience mind. These two unique

sets, mahamudra and dzogchen, are distinctive incredibly rich paths that

undoubtedly lead to the experience of a definitive meaning, an inner

vocabulary, of our experience of mind. This mind that we experience, is
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the same for both systems, and when we look at their differences, they

often seem to drift into the misty edges of mind essence.

Both approaches recognize that experiencing the minds essential nature is

an experience akin to a mother being reunited with their child; orsomething similar to realizing that we have been carrying a priceless jewel

with us through out our life experience, but failed to notice it- until now.

That noticing, that knowing awareness, and the inner confidence which

arises announcing awakening. In fact, the mere suggestion of there being

an awakening, or a change in our being, draws us out of relationship with

the experience of mind in a definitive manner.

Both mahamudra and dzogchen describe the freshness and immediacy of

our experiences- they are now. Not something planned for the future, not

based upon trying to recreate a past experience. This experience is often

described as clear, blissful, and empty. These four words are translations

from the Tibetan, and what they truly mean for us within our own

experience, is unique to our own particular journeys. Some experience

more of the illusory aspect of mind, others experience the minds clarity,

and still yet others experience the bliss associated with resting within

definitive meaning.


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Bliss can be very dangerous and seductive, not to mention hypnotic. I

have spent much time with patients who have been admitted to locked in-

patient psychiatric facilities who struggle with bi-polar disorder and

schizophrenia; people who in the throes of their mania exert phenomenal

enthusiastic energy in trying to convey the perfect experience that they

feel. Oh, how the bliss lit their soul ablaze in a way that nothing else could.

The feeling that I am often left with when with such patients is that of aweand respect- I find it very compelling to be allowed to witness the

expression of their experience of blissfulness that often occurs within the

experience of mania. I have often found myself hypnotized while in the

presence of such people, dazzled by the passionate feeling of blissful

unity- and yet I am left feeling a profound sadness that I experience while

trying to chaplain patients who appear addicted to a sense of bliss that

disconnects them from the rest of the world.

Bliss arises, and we are taught to not be attached to it- it is one of the

many things that we may experience.

And yet, bliss is important.
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Similar shadows exist around the experience of mind as illusory. Indeed,

the profound experience of the emptiness of all phenomena as

experienced through our interface with the illusory appearance of every

moment- a joining with the totality of what arises as empty of allcharacteristics and the awareness of the interplay between ourselves and

this field of experience- holds the danger of being overly reductive. Its

shadow may be a depressive state.

Bliss, emptiness, and clarity/luminosity- these are three ways that we

experience mind.

Yet, mind is mind is mind is mind. and yes, just as there can be distinct

aspects of the mind that we relate with, or experience, and just as there is

a particular style, or even flavour, that is distinct regarding dzogchen and
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mahamudra, we must remember that these distinctions arise from mind.

We feel and think, and yet from where do these feelings and thoughts

arise; these created worlds, what is their source? We interface with

different aspects of mind, but they are temporary appearances, waveslapping at the edge of a lake- no two are the same, and there is no end,

they just happen. To hold onto the distinction may be problematic.

I tend to wonder if we can say that these distinctions have more

meaning outsideof our personal experience of mind, than say, as opposed

to within our individual experience of mind. The three masters that I

refered to above, Rangjung Dorje, Karma Chakme, and Tsele Natsok

Rangdrol all occupied places within their practice traditions as

Kagyu/Nyingma masters andthe two former masters were recognized as

tertons in their own right. All three were able to hold both: mahamudra and

dzogchen. They were able to come into direct relationship with mind.

From this place, I wonder if all distinctions around how practice is

described, or how mind appears/in experienced is secondary. While I feel

that it is safe to say that individually we may all exhibit a predilection

towards experiencing glimpses of the definitive experience of mind

somewhere within the traditional nomenclature of bliss, emptiness, or

clarity, with one aspect perhaps feeling more natural than another, it

seems important to recognize that our experiences change, and that it is

possible to form an attachment to the way we experience mind-essence.

For example, usually our relationship with our yidam has something to do

with the way in which we interface with the experience of awakening as

each yidam offers a model/modality through which we can act seated

within our experience of buddha-nature. I marvel sometimes how much we

really becomeour yidam (or they become us)- in many ways it seems that

there is a profound transference of quality and of action within the

modalities of expression through body, speech, mind, and essence. At our


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best, there is an experience of natural simultaneity, a natural ease and

effortlesness in which we arethe yidam- in moments where practice feels

forced and contrived, we get hung up on the details, on experiencing

things only one way, that there is a specific way in which we have topractice, a way that we have tointerface with appearance. All of the

sudden we are working to get some where, to be something, or to induce a

particular experience. In yidam practice there are handy tricks through

which we return to focusing upon the implements or mandala of the

buddha of our practice, or a quality, or the transparency of our visualization

so that an antidote of sorts is applied to falling out of relationship with our

experience of the yidam; that which is no other than us.

Similarly, in approaching mahamudra from the perspective of shinay,

lhaktong, and their union, a structural path laid out by the polymath Jey

Gampopa, and as passed on from him down to the 9th Karmapa,

Wangchuk Dorje in the Ocean of Definitive Meaningas well as Kyabje
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Bokar Rinpoche in his essentialized distillation of Wangchuk Dorjes

seminal work, entitled Opening the Door to Certainty, yes, there may be

more emphasis placed upon establishing or perhaps easing into the

view through meditation. This approach to mahamudra, sometimes termedthe Path of Liberation, or sometimes refered to as sutra mahamudra, is

methodical and graded- often a gradual path, but not always so. And I feel

that much thought must be inserted here. As dharma practitioners, or

anyone really who follows a particular spiritual tradition, textual exegesis is

vital to the maintenance of tradition- it is what connects us to the group, to

our lineage. And yet, we must realize that the exegesis that we interface

with surrounds the way we experience mind, which ultimately ends up

being a relatively individual experience. That the Path of Liberation can

only be said to be a gradual path ignores the fact that the possibility of

instantaneous realization is always a present- in fact instantaneous

insights do occur. Karma Chakme spends time treating this particular

problem as it were. For him spontaneous realization is always a

possibility, no matter what the practice may be.

Then there is the Path of Means, often refered to as mantra mahamudra,

or the approach to mahamudra through the six yogas and or inner and

secret yidam practice. In these approaches there is often a more

instantaneous type of resting in the view, something that I feel offers a

similar feeling of sudden realization that dzogchen often refers to. I guess

you could say the Kagyupa have bridged both sudden and gradual;

Gampopa introduced the first Lam rim literature into the Kagyu lineage and

from that point in time it appears that Sutra and Mantra mahamudra was

presented as separate approaches to realizing the minds essential nature.

Peter Alan Roberts in his recent book entitled Mahamudra and Related

Instructions, describes just how distinct Gampopas work was in codifying

the Kagyupa approach to mahamudra, and how often the delineation


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between gradual and instantaneous approaches, especially in the

associated forms of sutra and mantra approaches was made along the

lines of monastic and lay. As the first person to translate much of the core

essence of the early kagyu lineage into a monastic tradition, a split had tobe made between some of the tantric practices that challenged the

conduct maintained by the monastics and his lay followers.

I suppose what I am trying to stress is that Im not so sure that looking for

the difference between the View as described within the context of

dzogchen and that of mahamudra is as helpful as modulating between

both Views within our practice. The View helps keep meditation fresh- it is

necessary to be familiar with the View (how the mind arises). Meditation,

the process of developing familiarity with the View (putting it into practice

and actualizing it) prevents the View from becoming a concept that

appears more real and rigid than perhaps it ought to be. There is a binary

relationship that we need to maintain, a relationship that shifts and

eventually blends into a naturalness in which there is no longer any applied

effort- we just are. Some of us have been lucky enough to meet people

who manifest being in this way- they are indeed buddhas.


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The false dichotomy lies within the fact that there is no real difference

between meditation from within the viewand the view from within the

meditation. The View is mind-essence, the mind as it arises, as it appears,

and how we relate to appearance. Meditation is resting within that

experience of mind. Even the practice of shinay carries all of the aspects

of mind. What is the stillness? What is it that we are we focus upon in a

single pointed way? Where is the stillness? True, asking these questions

is similar to lhaktong, and indeed may be, but that knowing, that

awareness, is always there while we do shinay- it is not necessarily

something that we add to the mix. As far as literary exegesis is concerned

there is a lineal distinction between the approach to mind as we find in

mahamudra, dzogchen, lamdre, and other forms of practice, however
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when we look at the works of great realized siddhas we find descriptions

that offer resounding clarity. For example, Rangjung Dorje says:

Free from being mind-made, this is mahamudra;

free of all extremes, it is mahamadhyamaka;this contains all, and so is mahasamadhi too.

Through knowing one, may I gain firm realization of the meaning of all.

Great bliss with no attachment is continuous.

Luminosity without grasping at characteristics is unobscured.

Nonconceptuality that goes beyond intellect is spontaneous.

May unsought experiences occur without interruption.

Preferential grasping at experiences is liberated on the spot.

The confusion of negative thoughts is purified in the natural expanse.

Natural cognizance adopts and discards nothing, has nothing added or

removed.

May I realize what is beyond limiting constructs, the truth of dharmata.

And Tsele Natsok Rangdrol follows:

The Middle Way, the unity of the two truths beyond limitations,

Mahamudra, the basic wakefulness of the uncontrived natural state,

And the Great Perfection, the original Samantabhadra of primordial purity-

Are all in agreement on a single identical meaning.

This mind that is present in all beings

Is in essence an original emptiness, not made out of anything whatsoever.

By nature it is unimpeded experience, aware and cognizant.

Their unity, unfathomable by the intellect,

Defies such attributes as being present or absent, existent or nonexistent,

permanent or nothingness.

Spontaneously present since the beginning, yet not created by anyone,

This self-existing and self-manifest natural awareness, your basic state,

Has a variety of names:


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In the Prajnaparamita vehicle it is called innate truth.

The vehicle of Mantra calls it natural luminosity.

While a sentient being it is named sugatagarbha.

During the path it is given names which describe the view, meditation, andso forth.

At the point of fruition it is named dharmakaya of buddhahood.

All these different names and classifications

Are nothing other than this present ordinary mind.

With these words as a guide, we find our way, succeeding and failing to

realize the nature of mind- working to familiarize ourselves through practice

with mind and with phenomena. As we settle into natural awareness, an

effortlessness in being, I wonder where all the words go. Perhaps they

too, dissolve into the soft edges of graceful wakeful knowingness.

25J A N

on pacifying, enriching, magnetizing

and subjugating
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I recently attended a long weekend retreat on the Five Remembrances

held by the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. It was

wonderful to have time at the Garrison Institute to reflect upon these five

essential points:

I am of the nature to experience old age, I cannot escape old age.

I am of the nature to experience illness, I cannot escape illness.

I am of the nature to experience death, I cannot escape death.

I am of the nature to experience loss of all that is dear to me, I cannot

escape loss.
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I am the owner of my actions. They are the ground of my being, whatever

actions I perform, for good or ill, I will become their heir.

The Five Remembrances come from the Upajjhatthana Sutra which could

be translated as The Sutra of Subjects of Contemplation. You can hear

the teaching of the Five remembrances as found in the Upajjhatthana

Sutta read by Kamala Masters here, or read a portion of the sutta

translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu here.

The Buddhas discourse on the Five Remembrances resembles the

realization that young Prince Siddhartha had concerning his recognition

that we are all subject to birth, sickness, old age, death, and all of the

forms of suffering associated with each phase of our existence. In the

reading of the sutta by Kamala Masters, the Buddha points out that the first

four Remembrances serve us well to return our focus onto the primacy of

impermanence; doing so is a remedy towards arrogance, over-confidence,

and conceit.
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I will become sick. I will become old. I will experience loss. I will die.

There is nothing that I can do to change this. When that happens, as this

whole existence plays out, my only companion who remains with me

throughout is the collection of my actions.

The Fifth Remembrance, which relates to our actions, the quality of our

actions, or karma, colors the experience of each facet of our being. It can

be the root of our liberation, or the hard kernel from which our suffering

manifests. Id like to take a moment to explore the Fifth remembrance, our

actions, in a general sense and then look a little more specifically at action

from the Vajrayana buddhist perspective, especially as it relates to actions

of pacifying, enriching, magnetizing and subjugating.

Action, movement, friction, trajectories, potential energies. These can

easily refer to different forces and dynamics involved within the study of

physics, which at close glance looks like a wonderful symbolic structure

parallel to aspects of Buddhism, and yet as qualities they easily also

connect to our behavior. Our behavior is composed of reactions or

responses to the events around us, how we see the play of phenomenaunfold before our very eyes. The quality of our perspective acts to

determine the flavor of our actions, and the quality of our actions affects

the continuum of our perspective. The more self-involved our perspective

is, the more our actions involve the preservation and protection of self
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interests. The more we act to preserve and protect self-interests, the more

easily we may think that others or events may be hindering our self-

interests. Likewise, a more expansive perspective affords us the ability to

act in a more expansive way. When we act with a larger concern forothers well being, our ability to see the interrelatedness of self and other

allows more clarity and more peace.

As we pass through this life, a conditioned existence that has been

flavored by past events, the habits of reacting to the display of phenomena
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around us (our daily lives) often become stronger and more ridgid. The

phrase goes: Actions speak louder than words. This seems right, but its

amazing how we use thousands of words to hide or cover up and beautify

our actions. Such elaborate verbal adornments so that we can feel okayabout how we are right now.

The above image is that of Senge Dradrok, or Lions Roar, one of the eight

manifestations of Guru Rinpoche. Guru Rinpoche took this form in Bodh

Gaya when he came to debate and challenge a group of five hundred non-

Buddhist teachers who were trying to disprove the Buddhas teachings.

Guru Rinpoche won the debate and liberated all of them with a bolt of

lightening- most of the village where the non-buddhists were staying was

destroyed, those who survived became converts to Buddhism. This type of

story is not so unique. The life story of the Mahasiddha Virupa and many

others contain descriptions of such events- they are powerful descriptions

of activities that certainly appear to run counter to the typical notion of what

buddhist behavior is thought to be. This energy of wrathful subjugation,

while not generally an everyday occurrence has its place- this hot humid

searing energy is needed from time to time to remove impediments

towards our spiritual growth.

How can we touch the quality of Senge Dradrok within ourselves? What

does it feel like to be him, or Mahakala, Vajrakilya, or Palden Lhamo?

What is the focus of these energies? How can we completely liberate the

hundreds on non-dharmic impulses within us like Senge Dradrok?


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In another form, that of Nyima Ozer, or Radiant Sun, Guru Rinpoche

displayed himself as Saraha, Dombi Heruka, Virupa, and Krishnacharya,

some of the most well-known Indian proponents of tantric Buddhism.

While in this form Guru Rinpoche spent time in the eight great charnel

grounds and taught Secret Mantra (tantric Buddhism) to the dakinis, while

binding outer gods as protectors of his secret teachings. This is an act of

magnetizing, drawing towards him the dakinis and protectors of his

treasured teachings, spreading the dharma in the form of may important

masters. In the form of a tantric master his intensity and use of whatever
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arises as a teaching tool captures the great energy deeply-seated within

through which magnetizing activity becomes manifest. It seems that

essential to the quality of magnetizing is the general awareness of skillful

means; knowing just when to act in a way to be of the most benefit in anygiven situation.

Yet another activity form of Guru Rinpoche appears as Pema Gyalpo, or

Lotus King. In the form of Pema Gyalpo, Guru Rinpoche taught the
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inhabitants Oddiyana the Dharma as he manifested as the chief spiritual

advisor for the King of Oddiyana. His selfless dedication and

compassionate timely teaching activity enriched all who came into contact

with Pema Gyalpo such that they became awareness-holders in their ownright. This enriching activity has untold benefits; the effects of the nurturing

support that Pema Gyalpo displayed through his teaching activity caused

an incredible expansion of the Dharma in Oddiyana.
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This final image is of Guru Rinpoche as himself, who among most

Himalayan Buddhists is considered the second Buddha in the sense that

he is credited with bringing Buddhism to Tibet. While he wasnt technically

the first, he was the first to introduce tantric Buddhism in a way that tookhold, and is credited with helping to construct the first Buddhist monastery

in Tibet. A dynamic teacher, Guru Rinpoche embodied all of the qualities

of his eight manifestations and countless others. Through the expression

of his life Guru Rinpoche was able to display pacification, enriching,

magnetizing, and subjugation both in Oddiyana, India, Bhutan, Tibet, and

even now.

Within tantric Buddhist literature we often find references to the importance

of adopting the behavioral modalities of pacifying, enriching, magnetizing,

and subjugating as illustrated by the eight manifestations of Guru

Rinpoche. These activities were seen as extremely important as they

pertain to embodying the qualities of a variety of tantric buddhas as well as

the essence of Buddhahood in all emotions. Furthermore, they are

utilitarian activities, they support and enrich and massage us as we travel

the path of enlightenment. References to these activities can be found in

the translations of various tantric texts by a variety of outstanding Buddhist

scholars such as David Snellgrove, David B. Gray, Christian K.

Wedemeyer, and Vesna A. Wallace to name a few. One can also rely

upon the namthars (liberation stories) of many Indian and Himalayan

Buddhist Siddhas to feel the range of possible human action on both inner

and outer levels of being. Finally, our practice sadhanas contain a wealth

of wisdom and guidance- the words in sadhanas are not arbitrary- and they

often capture with great clarity the essence of dharma being.

We are aging. We will experience illness. We will die. We will experience

loss. Our actions are our ground and we are the owners of our actions.


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That this is the case is undeniable. We cannot change the first five

certainties, but we can change our actions. Our actions, and the related

ability to perceive, directly determine how we relate qualitatively towards

aging, illness, death, and impermanence. Lets apply the depth and rangeof possibilities as exemplified by Guru Rinpoche and other Buddhist

Siddhas- lets refine, strengthen, expand, and deepen our relationships with

ourselves, with the world around us and with our experience of mind. We

are completely capable of manifesting in this way- it doesnt matter if we

wish to embody Tilopa, Virupa, Tsongkhapa, Taranatha, Machik Labron, or

Garab Dorje, we are all capable of touching their essential being. No one

can do this for us. At the end, as we lay dying, who can really blame for

our shortcomings?

2J A N

Sacred geography: external, internal

and in-between
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As part of my CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) training with the New York

Zen Center for Contemplative Care we have been exploring aspects of

Jungian psychology especially as it relates to symbols and images. We

recently finished a great week of classroom experience which included a

conversation with Morgan Stebbins, the Director of Training of the Jungian

Psychoanalytic Association, a faculty member of the C.G. Jung Foundation

of New York, and a long time student of Buddhism. Stebbins presentation
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on Symbol and Image was dynamic and quite moving- he embodies a

depth and conviction that I find compelling. In addition to this, Stebbins

visit to our class came at a point when Ive been playing around with

writing a blog post about sacred geography. Very timely indeed.What does sacred geography have to do with me? one might ask. I

would answer, Everything.

Within the framework of Buddhism geography and therefore pilgrimage,

has come to be something of an important phenomena. Certainly this is

not anything unique to Buddhism; we have a tendency to want to return to

places that are significant for us. Sometimes there is spiritual significance,

sometimes it is societal, and most often it is interpersonal. An example of

these would be making the Hajj if you were Muslim, perhaps visiting

Washington D.C., or taking your children there so that they could

appreciate the way that our nation governs itself, and perhaps the place

where ones parents were born, or where they died. Geography allows us

to honor the meaning that we value in our lives. We live within time and

space, and within the latitude and longitude that time and space afford us,

we intentionally (and even unintentionally) plot the course of our lives and

identities within their dynamics. How many times has a particular season or

even date reminded us of an event that occurred in the past around the

same time? My root teacher passed away on Christmas eve over a

decade ago, and I am always reminded of that great loss whenever

Christmas approaches. On the other hand, the Fall months feel like a time

of rich growth for me- they always have, and for some reason these

months continue to prove to be significant for me. These are two

examples of how I plot meaning within my experience of time.

In most faiths pilgrimage has become something that one engages to

touch the past; it is a means to feel the link of those who have come before


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us and charge the present moment with their power. It can be the Wailing

Wall, St. Peters, the Kabba, Bodh Gaya, a sacred mountain, river, the

ocean, a tree and it can also be imagined- something symbolic, a living

pulsating image such as a mandala.

According to the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha predicted that

students of the path would visit the place of his birth, his enlightenment,

where he first taught, and where he would die. He stressed that this may

be something that one does if they want to, if it brings meaning, inspiration,
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and context to their path. It was a suggestion, not a directive, and

ultimately a very insightful reading of how we relate to time and space.

Within Vajrayana, or tantric Buddhism, pilgrimage appears in a more

visionary manner. In addition to the four major sites associated with the

Buddhas life, various pithas, or seats (places of power and meaning

associated with the dissemination of Buddhist tantra) became included into

various lists of sacred places. For example, there are twenty-four

pithas throughout the Indian sub-continent that are associated with the

places where the Buddha revealed himself as Chakrasamvara and taught

the cycle of Chakrasamvara and related practices. The pithas, while

relating to actual places, also correspond to places within our bodies that

have an internal energetic significance. The exact location of these

pithas vary from tradition to tradition, but there is a relative constancy of

the mirroring of external and internal meaning in relation to these sites. In

some ways, and according to some teachers, pilgrimage can be done

without ever leaving where you are as all of the major pithas exist within

the matrix of our energetic body. This approach is touched upon by the

Buddhist Mahasiddha Saraha who in once sang:

This is the River Yamuna,

This is the River Ganga,

Varanasi and Prayaga,

This is the moon and the sun.

Some speak of realization having traveled and seen all lands,

The major and minor places of pilgrimage.

Yet even in dreams I have no vision [of these].


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There is no other boundary region like the body;

I, virtuous, have seen this for good and with certainty.

Stay in the mountain hermitage and practice self-restraint.[i]

This could be considered the more essentialist approach to pilgrimage and

sacred geography; wherever we are, we are sitting on the vajrasana under

the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya. I feel that this is a great place to be. This

approach is excellent. However it can be important to recognize that we

are constantly changing, and that there will sometimes be times when we

dont feel connected in that essentailist kind of way. What then? Well,

then there is the benefit of pilgrimage. One could go to a place of

significance to try to touch upon the inspiration that such places offer us.

But perhaps, they may not have to be in India
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In his book Sacred Ground, Ngawang Zangpo has addressed in a very

detailed manner the thoughts of Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye on the

importance of sacred geography. Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye lived in

Tibet from 1813 to 1899. He was a famous meditation master of the

Kagyu, the Nyingma and Sakya Lineages. Through his wide and open

attitude Kongtrul helped define and spread the Rime, or non-sectarian view

of the dharma, in response to a general atmosphere of sectarianism

amongst all schools of Buddhism in Tibet at the time. He was a

compiler of termas (revealed treasure teachings) and was a terton

(treasure discoverer) in his own right. A real renaissance man,
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Kongtrul not only helped shape and preserve the Kagyu lineage, but all

forms of Dharma in Tibet.

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye identified a variety of places in Tibet as

reflections of the twenty-four pithas in India. This change in perspectivehad the effect of being quite dynamic in that it placed Tibetans directly in

the center of their own world of sacred geography. Of course some brave

souls still made the journey to the twenty-four pithas in India, but many

visited the sites that Kongtrul and his dharma friends Chokgyur Dechen

Lingpa and Jamyang Kheyntse Wongpo felt were equivalent. For some,

this type of translation/re-orientation was too much; indeed the great

Sakya patriarch Sakya Pandita took issue with the possibility that several

pithas could be located in Tibet.

Sacred Ground is an excellent book for exploring the thoughts and

teachings of Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye on the subject of pilgrimage

and inner spiritual geography. Ngawang Zangpo translates

Kongtrul Rinpoches Pilgrimage Guide to

Tsadra Rinchen Drak[or Pilgrimage Guide to Jewel Cliff that

resembles Charitra(the union of everything)]- an amazing text that treats in

great depth the nature of that particular pilgrimage location as well as its

inner and secret significances as it relates to various energetic centers

found throughout the body. Zangpo includes a chart listing the manner in

which the pithas correspond to the body according to the Chakrasamvara

tantra, an appendix that includes three fascinating texts one by Kongtrul

and Khyentse Wongpo, one by Chokgyur Lingpa, and a compiled list of

sacred sites in Tibet by Ngawang Zangpo. Of particular interest is a

reference to a note found in Mattheiu Ricards translation of The Life of

Shabkar:

It must be remembered that sacred geography does not follow the same

criteria as ordinary geography. Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-


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91), for instance, said that within any single valley one can identify the

entire set of the twenty-four sacred places. Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche

(1903-87) also said that sacred places, such as Uddiyana, can shrink and

even disappear when conditions are no longer conducive to spiritualpractice. The twenty-four sacred places are also present in the innate

vajrabody of each being. (p.442, n.1)

A similarly fascinating book on this subject is the collection of essays

edited by Toni Huber entitled Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places in

Tibetan Culture. These essays offer a rich exploration of issues

surrounding pilgrimage sites, sacred geography and geomancy. Of

particular interest is the essay by David Templeman entitled Internal and

External Geography in Spiritual Biographyin which he explores the

relationship that the mahasiddha Krishnacharya with the twenty-four

pithas, especially that of Devikotta. Templeman considers the importance

of these sites as internal locii and suggests that while pilgrimage to these
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sites was indeed important, there is little evidence to support that many

siddhas visited all of them. In fact, Templeman suggests that some sites

more than others are of particular significance and have been over time,

while others are dangerous, home to subtle harmful beings (wild flesheating dakinis) that need to be appropriately tamed before one can occupy

that particular location. In the case of the mahasiddha Krishnacharya, his

untimely end occurred at the site of Devikotta, as this site had a reputation

for incredible unpredictable volatility that was well known throughout India

at the time.

I tend to wonder where this place of volatility, with beings that need to be

subjugated, resides within me. A three paneled chart provided by

Templeman in his article listing the twenty-four pithas according to the

Chakrasamvara Tantra, the teacher Jonang Taranatha and the Sakya

master Kunga Drolchok, indicates that Devikotta -this very powerful site- is

located within my energetic body around both of my eyes. I wonder where

its mirror locations are?


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What I find most compelling about these books, and this subject in general

is that it has a lot to do with how we relate to the world around us, how we

import meaning to this world, and what we allow of ourselves in being in

relation to time and space. The essays in Hubers book and the work by

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye describe both the Tibetan cultural, as well

as the general vajrayana approach to sacred geography- these two are not

by all means identical as Huber points out in his essay. Huber suggests

that Tibetan culture influenced vajrayana making it distinct from the Tantric

Buddhism that developed in India which then spread to Tibet. While the

distinction is subtle, it speaks to how meaning is translated. It is arguable

that there can never be a one-for-one translation of a text from one

language to another, and perhaps, a one-to-one translation of a religion is

similarly unlikely. That said, without straying into the soft edges of

hermeneutics, I would like to wonder out loud, How does Buddhist sacred

geography translate to Buddhism in the West? I think that a great
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response to such a question is, Thats a silly question, Buddhist sacred

geography is as present in the west as it is in Tibet or India. Id also add

that we should map it, live within it in a more open way, and make it ours.

If Jalandhara is a site that corresponds to the crown of my head, Oddiyana

a site that corresponds to my right ear, and Devikotta my two eyes, all the

while representing sacred places reflected upon the Indian Sub-continent

and or the Tibetan Plateau, where would they be reflected upon the

geography of the United States for example? Or more playfully perhaps,

Brooklyn? It seems that some of this has to do with fully owning and

bringing vajrayana home. In so doing, I would love to see how this type of

re-orientation occurs. Can we do for ourselves what Jamgon Kongtrul

Lodro Thaye did for Tibetans?

As Buddhism takes root here in the U.S. and continues to flourish I would

love to see all of the twenty-four pithas of the India subcontinent reflected

here. Perhaps as we learn to slow down and notice our relationship with

our surroundings this will be more evident. Im very curious to see how this

aspect of vajrayana in particular translates to western culture; it seems like

there is great potential.


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[i] Schaeffer, Kurtis R. Dreaming the Great Brahmin: Tibetan Traditions of

the Buddhist Poet-Saint Saraha. Oxford University Press, 2005. Pg. 151.

16N O V

purity, impurity and inner offerings
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From the nature of emptiness wind and fire arise.I remember very clearly the cold late November afternoon in Gangtok,

Sikkim, fifteen years ago when I was taught Milarepa guru yoga. It was

one of those incredible experience of being shown something for the first

time: electrifying, new and magical. One of the things that instantly spoke

to me about the practice was the imagery of the inner offering of the five

meats and five nectars that appears in the beginning of the text. Indeed, in

looking back at it I think that the inner offering in Milarepa practice (as wellas in many other tantric Buddhist practices) has been something that has

held great meaning for me. Part of it may be the fact that this prelude to

Milarepa practice is a wonderfully clear metaphor for Mahamudra; one of

the central forms of meditation passed down through the Kagyu Lineage.
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The inner offering presents a different form for approaching the minds

essence from other meditations- chod involves cutting and offering,

samatha/vipassana is quiet and still, some practices involve fiery wrath,

others still, a warm familiar tenderness. Each of these emotivebackgrounds illustrate a modality, an emotion, a style, or an outlet through

which we may we express and experience ourselves within the context of

awakened activity; the union of clarity of being and luminosity of mind.

Within the context of the inner offering, the metaphor is that of boiling and

melting (not unlike the athanor which refines the prima materia in

Alchemy). This burning and melting is so powerful that a sublime blissful

nectar is produced, a non-dual nectar that confers the blessing of the

Buddha. This part of Milarepa guru yoga came to be, and remains, an

exciting fun part of my practice, instilling a sense of dynamic power that

seems to illustrate the potential atomic nature of Vajrayana.


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In a skull on a tripod of skulls GO KU DA HA NA become the five meats

and BI MU MA RA SHU become the five nectars.The inner offering is a product of medieval India (roughly between the 6th

through 12th centuries), when both Tantric Buddhism and Tantric Hinduism

were taking shape. This was a time of immense social upheaval

throughout the Indian sub-continent. In both Hindu and Buddhist circles,

groups of siddhas broke away from the orthodoxy of their respective

majorities in order to develop, practice and teach tantric forms of Hinduism

and Buddhism. One of the principal causes of such a move was a theadoption of an antinomian attitude towards the strictures of Indian society

with its caste system, its brahmanic tendencies towards purity, and the

establishment of Buddhist monasteries so large and wealthy that their

leading teachers often lived very comfortable lives of scholastic celebrity.
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This shift was often exemplified by the lives of the 84 mahasiddhas, some

of whom left their teaching positions at the famous monasteries of

Nalanda, Somapuri, and Vikramashila to practice in jungles, others were

kicked out for their outlandish behavior, while a few were kings or princesand princesses afraid to give up their wealth, and many were of low-caste

status. Disregard for the religious and cultural status quo led to a shift

towards the charnel grounds as gathering places, frightening dirty

locations, where wild animals scavenged the remains of the recently dead.

It was a time where meditation instruction was sung in vernacular so that

the everyday person could be touched, not just those who were ordained

or occupants of a higher social station. This time also marked a focal shift

(as far as practice goes) towards cities where the concentrated hustle and

bustle of everyday life revealed itself as a ripe field of opportunity, a place

where one is faced to deal with a full range of emotions. For some it was

also a shift into the seductive luxurious courts of both major and minor

royalty. Human experience, in all of its forms was recognized as

embryonic in nature allowing most anyone who exerted themselves in

practice to become pregnant with realization. This became the birth right

of all, not just those born into one caste, and certainly not just those who

were literate or educated. Perhaps one could go so far as to say that this

period was a time of spiritual anarchic-democratization.


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One of the most interesting aspects of this time period was the apparent

looseness of sectarian divisions between the then Saivite sub-sects that

represented the forefront of Hindu tantra and the Buddhist equivalents who

ushered in Chakrasamvara, Hevajra, Candamaharosana, Guhyasamaya

and other early tantric deity practice. The shared iconography between

Saivite Kapalika Hindu tantra and Buddhist tantra is clear evidence of

some common direction and praxis orientations. Such symbolism makes

use of skulls, flayed animal and human skins, invocations of the more

wrathful nature of these deities, and sexual union with their consorts.

Similarly, the dual identities of the siddhas Matsendryanath, Gorakanath,

Jalandhara, and Kanhapa who are counted as four of the eighty-four

Buddhist mahasiddhas as well as founders of the Hindu Nath lineages

suggests that there was much more dialog between the more iconoclastic

progenitors and practitioners of Hindu and Buddhist Tantra. These four

siddhas are credited with the development of Hatha Yoga, which has many

applications within Buddhism and Hinduism. David Templeman, in his

fascinating paper Buddhaguptanatha and the Survival of the Late

Siddha Traditionhas suggested that the interaction between Buddhist

and Hindu yogins was more common than most Tibetan scholars had
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assumed. This was a perplexing and fascinating subject for the erudite

Tibetan scholar Taranatha, and according to Janet Gyatso, in her

book Apparitions of the Self, the great Nyingma terton Jigme Lingpa was

very curious about such points of contact. In some way it appears that theassumption of difference seems to be a convenient projected

organizational tool used to try to clarify such a difficult topic of study. A

way to try to define that which tries to defy definition. The Centre for

Tantric Studies offers a forum for exploring the history and development

of tantra in and around the Indian Sub-continent.

Much debate and uncertainty surrounds the issue of how tantra came into

being, even more debate surrounds how we should approach

understanding tantra. The works of scholars like Geoffrey Samuel, Roger

Jackson, Ronald Davidson, David Gordon White, Elizabeth English and

Christian Wedemeyer (to name a few) have helped to illustrate some of the

more pertinent issues surrounding the subject of Buddhist tantra.

They are melted by wind and fire.

As a means of throwing open the gates of ultimate realization, the

Pancamakara: madya (alcohol), mamsa (meat), matsya (fish), mudra

(edible foods) and maithuna (sexual intercourse) were included in Hindu

tantric rituals as a means to effect a eucharistic understanding of non-

duality. In essence, by consuming that which is culturally regarded as

impure in ritual context, one undermines the very notion of the

purity/impurity dualism that keeps us trapped in feeling fragmented and

lacking expansiveness. These particular objects, when handled and

offered by practitioners of this more radical form of Hindu Tantra were held

with the left hand, the hand reserved for handling impure substances. In

adopting an enthusiasm and greater equanimity towards these violations of

cultural mores regarding cleanliness (spiritually as well as otherwise) one

was directly contradicting the rules of conventional Hinduism. It should be
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noted that the use of the left hand in offerings is also prevalent in one form

or another in Buddhist Tantra. This dynamic was central to the Kapalika

sect whose influence upon the corpus of Yogini Tantas was

considerable. While few scholars can agree who influenced who, themost important thing is that these traditions arose.

Light from the three seeds attracts wisdom nectar. Samaya and wisdom

become inseparable and an ocean of nectar descends.

In Buddhist sadhanas the five meats and the five nectars share a certain

equivalency to the Hindu Pancamakara. Rather than the transgressive

five Ms (madya, mamsa, matsya, mudra and maithuna) we have the five

meats: the flesh of cow, dog, horse, elephant and man, and the five

nectars: semen, blood, flesh, urine, and feces. The five meats arerepresentative of the five skandhas: form, feeling, discrimination, action,

and consciousness. Likewise, the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind,

correspond to the five nectars. Depending on the explanation lineage of

the inner offering, these associations may vary, but generally the essence
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is the same. In this practice we join the five wisdoms with the five

elements to produce a non-dual intoxicating ambrosia that has the

capability of revealing the qualities of awakening and in that sense

provides a powerful spring-board of potential realization. In other wordswe are joining our perceptions with the objects of our perceptions- entering

into direct relationship with phenomena; uncontrived and expansive. We

boil perceptions and the ability to perceive in a five dimensional way

thereby naturally releasing our habitual confused samsaric reaction for a

more aware equanimous relationship with the world around and within us.

This is the very mechanism of samsara/nirvana! Whats more, as this

mechanism unfolds, it reveals the don-dual vastness of Dharmakaya, a

spring-board for sacred outlook. For a moment everything is okay, relaxed

into ease.

These substances emanate from their specific syllables and are brought

together to be mixed in a kapala (skull cap bowl), one then generates a

flow of prana which strikes syllables for fire and wind underneath the

kapala to make its contents boil and in a sense unify. This now ambrosial

nectar (amrita) emits the syllables Om, Ah, Hung, dispersing the blessing

of pure Buddha body, speech and mind. This simply radiates. It is used to

bless torma offerings and nectar used in offerings, or in a more general

way tsok offerings as well as the general environment.


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Om Ah Hung Ha Ho Hri Hung Hung Phe Phe So Ha.

There is another side to this as well; it seems an importantly powerful thing

to keep in mind at some level that the five meats and five nectars were

intended to be transgressive repulsive substances. Shocking and caste

destroying, they arose directly out of the charnel ground culture that figures

so largely in Buddhist Tantra. There is power in our response to disgust, to

fear, guilt, lust and all those emotions that lurk around the edges of our

movement through the world; we all have our own relationships to purity

and impurity, and they are a lot more complicated than we like to assume.

Guilt, fear, self-righteousness, abandonment, woe, depression, anger,

disgust- an army of emotions- are related to how and why we connect

to/react to purity and impurity- we carry these reactions with us wherever

we go as we label the things around us as clean and or unclean, desirable

and undesirable.
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A few years ago I was speaking with the abbot of a Buddhist monastery in

India about the historical development of tantric applications of using

impure substances. In his reply he said that things are so much more

different today in trying to connect with these practices. Its hard to seerotting corpses, scary wild animals feasting on human remains, lepers, one

cant go down to a charnel ground these days to do a puja around bodies

in various states of decay. With the use of toilet paper, some of the stigma

of the use of the left hand in India is less powerful, and in western

countries there never really was the same kind of stigma in this regard.

This he suggested that this is one of the reasons why we use/rely upon

visualizations- they can be quite powerful.

However, I wonder where these places of fear are- we all have them-

perhaps they are more individualized, or abstracted. Homelessness,

illness, mental illness, terrorism, and death, perhaps these are some of the

newer untouchables of our times. It is important to locate them for

ourselves, touch the fear or terror that they bring, and then offer them up-

the essence of fear and terror is mind, and minds essence is primordially

pure. If we can take these sources of impurity and throw them in a pot and

cook them with wind and fire, energy and exhaustive passion, they can be

seen for what they are, not much different from the purity and

wholesomeness that we so easily cling to. What then is the difference?

And why to we always run from one towards the other?


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1N O V

Pointing out the Self with the Iron Hook

of MindIn the first post on Ganachakra for the launch of www.changchub.com I

wrote a partial introduction to the very venerable Pathing Rinpoche. I

would like to return to Pathing Rinpoche, to share a teaching song he

composed and shared with my dharma brother Erik Bloom and I.
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If I had to be stranded on a deserted isle with one set of instructions, just

one teaching, I would choose this one. The title alone sets the tone, it is

strong and direct. Pathing Rinpoche is clear in his description of the view,

the path (of cultivating the view), and the fruition (of familiarizing oneselfwith the view; how to blend it with your being). The tantric imagery is rich

and beautiful. This is a truly precious a wonderful teaching. If you have a

moment, take a second to clear your mind, settle down, and have a read.

Id love to hear what you feel after reading it.

Instructions on Pointing Out the Faults of Self with the Iron Hook of

Mind

In general, everything in the universe, outer, inner and secret, I offer to

satisfy and benefit the six classes of beings.

The whole field of accumulation, the three Jewels as well as the three

kayas, the entire universe I offer to the inner and secret deities, may they

be satisfied.

To the Male and female yogis and yoginis I offer vajra food and vajra

water, may they be satisfied.

Primordial Awareness, the mandala of pure amrita, I offer so that those in

the lower realms may be satisfied.
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The body mandala deities who are the union of bliss and emptiness, who

are primordial awareness, may they be satisfied.

Everyone, in an outer and inner sense, is a dakini; to them I offer this

melodious song, may they be satisfied.

As a last resort to stop all filthy activities I offer this torma, may the six

protectors and local deities be satisfied.

In this context sing this vajra song if you like.

Just as the many male and female deities, dress in the disguise of a

heruka. When prostrating do so in accordance with our noble tradition.

First, make a humble request as follows:

Ho!

Please consider me. Three times.

The lord of empowerments, Samantabhadras great mandala of perfection

is good and noble.

As stated in The Pearl Necklace, the ocean of the supreme assembly, both

outer and inner, come and join together in an excellent manner to make

the offering complete.

Visualize that the offering assembly enters and confer empowerment into

the mandala. One should exert oneself in singing this song. Thus I ask

you to pay attention to the reality of the inconceivable power of the ocean-

like display of this vajra song.

Karma and aspiration, dependent origination and the like appears as it

does.


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In this way, make offerings to the assembly when renouncing that is which

to be abandoned.

Wholly let go of finding amusement in creating conflict.

Revile material things and so on, reproach that which is rough and coarse.

Just like Guru Rinpoche, the Lord of Uddiyana, one should arise with the

power akin to a wolf when coming to the ganachakra.

Endowed with the three authentic perceptions,

the female goddesses of the ganachakra should be visualized as nectar. If

you do not realize this you will be reborn as a preta.

In this regard, endowed with the three authentic perceptions, think of the

Lama as Heruka and the Buddhas with their consorts.

Think of the Vajra siblings, fellow practioners, as male and female deities.

Recognize the blessings of the Ganachakra.

Do not be separated from the three circumstances.

May we never be separate from the yidam; our ordinary body.

May we never be separate the mantra of speech.

May we never be separate from realizing the nature of mind.

May we be free from the three doubts.

May we be free from any doubt regarding the tantric textswhich are the

enlightened speech of the Lama.

May we be free from any doubt as to whether ganachakra is clean or

unclean.


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May we be free from any doubt concerning secret conduct.

The three things that are not to be done.

One should abandon carelessness of conduct.

One should not allow aversion (hatred, anger) and envy consume the

mind.

Conceptual thought (discursiveness) is not appropriate.

It is improper for Bhikshus to take meat and beer with fear, or based upon

discursiveness.

It is improper to continually engage in Brahmanic pure expression out of

conceptual thought.

It is improper to engage in actions and conduct which is upon worries of

good or bad.

These are the three unwholesome actions not to accumulate.

For one who follows the path introduced by the Lama, do not accumulate

unwholesome actions.

The path of the spiritual instructions is profound, do not accumulate

unwholesome actions.

Do not accumulate unwholesome towards vajra brothers and sisters or

phenomena in general!

These are the three things not to give freely.

Do not give secret blessed substances to others.

Do not give away the oral instructions.


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Do not perform offerings when not suitable.

These are the three secrets.

Secretly, one should make offerings when the feast assembly gathers.

Secretly, one should manifest great numbers of deities.

Secretly, perform activities and deeds that lead towards liberation, this is

the essence.

These are the three things not to practice!

Do not call upon the Lama without respect and devotion.

Do not call upon the feast gathering in an ordinary way.

Do not apply unwholesome forces [actions and thoughts] towards vajra

sisters and brothers.

Thus, in knowing what to adopt and what to abandon, the magnificent

blessings of this ganachakra will flood rotten karma everywhere and

siddhis will arise.

Recognize this!

Sing this feast song if you like; through it you will realize the essence of

dependent origination, karma, and so on. May you receive inspiration from

this vajra song.

In the sky of emptiness this sun dawns,

Appearing, but not remaining, it will proceed to cross over.

Similarly, according to books, precious human rebirth has happened in this

lifetime, not an ordinary birth.


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As soon as one is reborn, one does not remain, death arrives.

Over a long period of time one remains, not accounting for ones actions.

One should approach the path with zeal and diligence while sowing theseeds of Dharma.

Keep Meditating!

In the marketplace people go this way and that, continually abiding in daily

hustle and bustle.

At all times separate yourself from the company of others.

Create an example similar to past masters.

At all times do not remain separate from the master.

Right now, accompany the master.

Discuss the profound Dharma so that you may resolve for yourself its

excellence.

Just as the honey bee gathers the sweet essence of flowers without regard

for the honey gathered

by others, it is just so regarding material goods in the present lifetime.

Do not desire the accumulation of wealth gathered by others; attachments

to the desire realm should not be great.

Whatever you have in terms of wealth, let it go!

Commonplace work and responsibilities, what?!

Due to sporadic effort one will miss the fruits of the autumn harvest.


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Similarly, through sporadic effort and enthusiasm towards the practice of

meditation over the length of a whole lifetime, one will not experience

awakening.

Do not engage in practice which is either too tight or too loose.

Constantly, day and night, generate enthusiastic diligence, keep

meditating!

Achieve the freedoms and advantages that this human birth can bring here

and now!

In this and in later lives, accomplish the aspiration towards liberation.

In your free time guard that the frame of ones mind does not let it become

thin and weak.

Harmonize your mind with its experiences through the practice of

meditation so that they dissolve together.

Through this ganachakra of liberated conditions, we

may we receive the esoteric revelation of this song of spiritual experience

now in this very lifetime.

Here, at this ganachakra pervading the entire sky, may all sentient beings

conquer the undying Dharmakaya citadel.

Gewo!

Written by the authentic Phul Chung Tulku, Known as Pathing Rinpoche,

incarnation of the Mahasiddha Kukkuripa.

Translated by his student Karma Tenzin Changchub Thinley in the western

pure land of Brooklyn, with the gracious guidance from the venerable

Khenpo Lodro Donyo. All errors are mine. Sarva Mangalam!


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30

O C T

Naro Khachoma, Naropas Space LadyRecently I was contacted by a member of Tsem Tulku Rinpoches sangha

who asked if I could write a blog post about Tsem Tulku Rinpoches

activities and recent birthday. In familiarizing myself with his activities, I

was really happy to see that within the larger website for his organization,

Kechara, there are a number of specific blog posts about the Gelug

approach to Vajrayogini: Naro Khachoma.

I invite you to take a look: http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-

rinpoche/category/vajra-yogini

This form of Vajrayogini was given directly to the Mahasiddha Naropa by

Vajrayogini herself. Naropa passed the practice of Naro Khachoma to the

two Nepali Pamthingpa brothers (Vagisvarakirti and Bodhibhadra) who

after spending years studying and practicing with Naropa, brought the

teachings back to Nepal. According to Glenn H. Mullin the Pamthingpa

brothers spent years in retreat in their hermitage in Parping, a very

important site to Vajrayogini practice. Below is a picture of the main

Vajrayogini temple in Parping that I visited in 2008.
http://ganachakra.com/2010/10/30/naro-khachoma-naropas-space-lady/http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/vajra-yoginihttp://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/vajra-yoginihttp://ganachakra.com/2010/10/30/naro-khachoma-naropas-space-lady/http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/vajra-yoginihttp://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/category/vajra-yogini


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Eventually the Pamtingpa brothers eventually ended up teaching Melgyo

Lotsawa Lotro Drakpa, an early Sakya translator/practitioner and teacher

of the great Sakya teacher Kunga Nyinpo. In this way Naro Khachoma

practice was included within the Sakya lineage, and later worked its wayinto the Gelugpa lineage. Naro Khachoma, or Naropas Space Lady, is still

a very highly regarded practice within these two lineages; a practice that is

profoundly powerful in its effacacy of transmuting ones experience of

ordinary being into that of the blissful immediacy of Vajrayogini and her

consort Heruka Chakrasmvara.

Perhaps Tsem Tulku Rinpoche could one day share his thoughts on death

and the process of dying and aspects of bringing Vajrayogini to these

events with us here


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Praising Vajrayogini and the Dakinis

I prostrate of the glorious

Vajra Dakini, queen of the dakinis,
http://karmachangchubthinley.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/vajrayogini1.jpg


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The savior of beings who has

The five wisdoms and the three bodies.

I prostrate to all of the many vajra dakinis

Who cut the bonds of conceptual thought

Even while doing various forms

Of worldly activity.

(Taken from Sermey Khensur Lobsang Tharchin Rinpoches Sublime Path

to Kechara Paradise.

Documents

94261375 the False Dichotomy Between Dzogchen and Mahamudra