The Buddhist Enumerations

The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: It’s Fundamentals & History by Dudjom Rinpoche is a must have for serious scholars or practitioners within Tibetan Buddhism.

It is two volumes combined into one book.  The first is the Fundamentals of the Nyingma School and the second is the History of the Nyingma School.  This is where you can find detailed accounts of lineage information and hagiographies of some important and wonderful masters.

One of the most useful parts within the book is the numerical categorization of Buddhism in general.  It sports 181 pages just for this section of the Glossary of Enumerations.  It progress from the two accomplishments all the way up to 6,400,000 verses of the great perfection teachings.

Here are some samples:

• two accomplishments
• two Buddha bodies
• two truths
• two kinds of selflessness
• three kinds of discriminating awareness
• three kinds of mandala
• three uncompounded entities
• four essential recollections
• four eternalistic schools
• four extremes
• four fearlessness
• four great modes of liberation
• four guardian kings
• four kinds of birthplace
• four kinds of desire
• four great axioms of madhyamaka
• four perverted views
• five buddha families
• ten powers
• ten sciences
• twelve modes of dependent origination
• seventeen form realms
• eighteen distinct attributes of the Buddhas
• eighteen schools
• twenty-four pure lands
• fifty-one mental events
• eighty minor marks of a buddha
• one hundred treasure-finders
• two hundred and fifty disciplines of the vinaya
• 21,000 kinds of desire, hatred, and delusion
• 84,000 doctrines of the vehicles
• 6,400,000 verses of the natural great perfection

Ascension of the masters:

One of the most intriguing categories is how a highly realized master dies in Tibetan Buddhism.  It is important to note that this is only explained in Vajrayana Buddhism.

This account has caused other faiths to investigate the dharma to determine the validity of Christ’s ascension into the sky.

Four ways of death:

1. dissolving into space
2. cremation
3. death in the manner of an awareness holder
4. celestial flight

Described respectively as follows: (1) the body and mind dissolve in the emptiness of the buddha-body of reality, (2) as the space within and without a vase merge when the vase breaks, (3) one passes away like a fire with no more fuel, space is filled with light and one dies like an awareness holder, (4) even though one dies, one need not relinquish the body and so one dies as a sky-farer

You can click here to order the book: The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism

Heartbeat of the Dakini

The following was taken from the Jnanasuka newsletter:

Tsogyal Latso, in the valley of Drak on the north shore of the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra River in southern Tibet, is the birthplace of Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal, the mother of Tibetan Buddhism.  Yeshe Tsogyal was the speech emanation of Vajra Varahi.  She lived in the eighth and ninth centuries as the disciple and consort of Padmasambhava, the great Indian master who brought Secret Mantra (Vajrayana) Buddhism to Tibet.

She was entrusted with all of Padmasambhava’s teachings which she committed to memory.  She was also the chosen custodian of his treasure transmission or terma.  Her biography is available in English as Mother of Knowledge and Lady of the Lotus Born.

At the time of her birth, a nearby small lake that had existed in antiquity and had been frequented by the goddess Sarasvati, increased in size and overflowed.  Seeing this remarkable event, her father declared:

Since, when she was born the lake expanded, she shall have the name Tsogyal, Queen of the Lake.

The sacred site of Tsogyal Latso has always been a revered place of worship and pilgrimage.  In the 18th century, Rikdzin Jigme Lingpa stayed overnight at Tsogyal Latso. He slept leaning against a tree and in the morning, he saw the impression of his back on the tree.  Then in the next moment, he saw, rippling in its waters, a vision of Yeshe Tsogyal in the form of Yumkha Dechen Gyalmo.  His mind was imprinted with a secret dakini script he later decoded into the Longchen Nyingtik Yumkha Dechen Gyalmo.

“Master Padmakara took as his consort and support for sadhana the sixteen-year-old goddesslike daughter of Palgyi Wangchuk of Kharchen with the name Lady Tsoygal of Kharchen.  She was endowed with the nature of a wisdom dakini.  They remained in the profound meditation practice of Secret Mantra in the gathering hall of dakinis at the Tregu Cave of Chimphu.”  — The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava

Tsogyal Latso is a revered sacred site for the Nyingma.  In the eighth century, Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal was born there and a long, long time ago, it was the abode of Vajra Varahi and Saraswati.  At Tsogyal’s birth, a spring-fed lake spontaneously expanded in size and a naga chief offered her a pillar from a sandalwood tree grown with special elixirs.

In time, the lake became known as a visionary lake. Both the lake and the tree are called la in Tibetan culture–natural forces that sustained and continue to sustain Yeshe Tsogyal’s vitality and presence in the world.  Hence the name of her birthplace–Tsogyal Latso, Life-Supporting Lake of Tsogyal.  We should also mention the two springs that flow with her secret breast milk  and are banked with white flowers that bloom in winter.  Unbelievably, all this has survived the trials of time and tragedy!

It should be no surprise that Tsogyal’s birthplace is so extraordinary.  Ultimately, she is the mother or source of enlightenment, great emptiness herself.  And on the path to enlightenment, she is the enlightened feminine principle, the wisdom dakini who is our direct line to Guru Padmasambhava’s teachings.  Furthermore, in these deeply troubled times, she is the force behind inconceivable activities that benefit beings.

The Tsogyal Latso Fund:

$22,326 raised since 2009
135 donors

To see more beautiful photos click here:  2010 Tsogyal Latso

Please bring the benefit of the nuns into your life by supporting theirs!  Make a Connection

It’s now possible to connect with Tsogyal Latso in Tibet and the nuns living there.  Whether you shop, donate, or stay in touch — you ensure that the birthplace of Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal and the nuns are cared for.

The Barbara Brennan School

Barbara Brennan offers a generous amount of information that ties psychological patterns of disease in relation to physical wellness and healing.  She is a true pioneer in her field.

With mental imbalance on the rise, it is certainly possible that a fracturing of the nervous-system (scientific term) or its chakras/channels (spiritual term) can lead to a personality disorder such as Bipolar, ADD, OCD, Autism and even Morgellons syndrome.

It is true that the body can affect the mind.  It is also true that the mind can affect the body in ways we are only beginning to realize.  When you understand this principle you can apply the appropriate antidote as you learn how the body-mind works interdependently.

The Barbara Brennan School of Healing is a formal reiki healing-session that goes way beyond the traditional form of reiki.  The fact that it often lasts for 1.5 hours which is forty-five minutes longer than other forms of reiki is an added bonus.  There are three things that make this therapy stand out from all the others:

• The First thing that makes this healing modality unique is you have information to healing your core psychological issues.
• Second, you have a method that you can work at to strengthen your hara-line for aligning you with your life purpose.
• Third, you are taught a specific meditation to heal and improve the function of the core star, soul seat, and lower tan tien.

These meditations will help GROUND you to come into the body rather than being dissociated or disconnected from life.  Due to any form of traumatic incident, we often “leave” the body out of fear or pain.  Psychologically speaking, this pattern of being dissociated means we are not in the present – here and now.  More often than not, the pain has left its mark in childhood and surfaces more apparently in adult life.

The hara-line:

In regards to the hara-line, which is only briefly talked about in martial arts, we come to know that adjusting it properly will align you with your life purpose.  The hara-line is discussed in depth in Barbara Brenna’s books.  The exercise that follows will help you to perceive if your hara line has any distortions or damage.

I remember reading a book by the Dalai Lama saying if you press the spot, four finger widths below your navel, you should feel heat and bliss.  Hold that for a few minutes and breathe gently, in order to discern what affects this has all over your body.  This is a very important point in your body.  It is often referred to as the lower tan-tien

To use a computer analogy, our nervous system is not “online” until the hara line is up and functioning properly.

This is a quick test to tell if your nervous system is functioning properly.  I would say that if you feel an absence of heat or bliss then you have some work to do. Sometimes you may press that spot and feel pain in other areas of the body.  What that means is our whole body is interconnected with other parts of the body in an intricate web-like fashion.  It is interesting to note that with the ‘push of a button’ you can determine the health of your body-mind system.

Tsa-lung:

Furthermore, if you are fortunate enough to find a qualified lama to empower you to practice Tsa-Lung (yogic exercises for the channels and winds) then healing can move into something much deeper and progress will become swifter.  Within the tsa-lung system there are movement exercises called Yantra Yoga (Sanskrit) or Trulkor (Tibetan) which will help you achieve the quickest and most thorough way to heal your nervous system.

As you dive deeper into Tibetan Buddhism (supervised by a qualified Lama) and complete a Tsa-Lung retreat for a month, it will help you break apart the psychological armor that you have been carrying with you all your life.

In the meantime, it would be wise to investigate the Barbara Brennan School of Healing for those with a serious physical trauma, mental imbalance, or core abuse issue you would like to get a handle on.

Books:

I’ve gone through about eight months worth of this type of healing on a weekly basis.  It was definitely worth visiting a Barbara Brennan Healer once a week to learn about the many facets of our psyche.  If you are serious about having a stable, healthy state of mind then check out the two books she wrote.  The first book is Hands of Light and her other book is Light Emerging.

As one Barbara Brennan Healer put it nicely:

“When people connect to this Core essence aspect of themselves they stop participating in negative patterns and stop putting up with abusive or destructive behavior.  Old situations transform into new ones.  Sicknesses heal.  People heal cancer, auto-immune disorders, thyroid problems, heart problems, digestive disorders and more.”

The first book is a must have.  Both books are well written and explain a path towards health with such in-depth information and illustrations that you can put it to good use for becoming whole.  Since the school has grown internationally, it should be easy for anyone to find a practitioner to work with no matter where you live.

Three important meditations:

For immediate information on how to perform these meditations for more advanced healing purposes click these links:

1. The Core Star meditation to ground and expand your energy
2. The Hara Line meditation to ground and align you with your true purpose
3. The Soul Seat meditation to develop this compassion and inner peace center

The website above is not a substitute for working directly with a healing practitioner or reading her books which will give you much more exact and detailed information.  At the very least, it is something you can start with right away if you are inclined to do so.

Hope that helps!
Neo

We are all the same

Every once in a while you see a video on Youtube that will make you smile or bring tears to your eyes.  This one accomplished both for me.  Have you seen the video that went viral with 34 million hits? It’s called “Where the hell is Matt?” as he dances his graceful step in forty-two countries around the world.

While watching it, I couldn’t help seeing people all over the world having a good time and saying to myself “we are all the same”.  Of course we each have our own unique qualities and differences about ourselves. But at a very deep level…at a core level we are all similar.  According to Tibetan Buddhism they talk about developing five wisdoms.

Five Wisdoms are:

1. All-pervasive wisdom
2. Mirror-like wisdom
3. Discriminating wisdom
4. Sameness wisdom
5. All-Accomplishing wisdom

One of the wisdoms is called Sameness Wisdom. Through this video it is apparent that each of us equally shares the same desire to be happy and have fun.  It doesn’t matter what part of the world we are in.  We all are inherently seeking the same thing…whatever it is that would bring us happiness.

Here is the video:

Feldenkrais Movement Therapy

At the core of enlightenment there is no distinction between Zen Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism.  I have always noticed that within Zen you are solely given the wisdom of the scriptures to work with and they leave it at that.  Zen Buddhism will say something like this:

“When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” ~ Zen proverb

Within Tibetan Buddhism you are not only given a set of wisdom-like principals but also a complete set of skillful methods to bring more mindfulness into our body, speech and mind. In the same way, Feldenkrais Movement therapy is a wonderful and skillful method to bring more awareness into every action our body makes.

From the Into Feldenkrais website:

“Limitations in movement are often due to the unconscious habits of muscular holding we develop through our lifetime.  Most of us have experienced physical or emotional trauma at some point and though our body may have absorbed the effects of this at the time, stresses and strain remain stored in the muscles and held as pattern in the brain.

This creates bad posture and movement which make more stress and strain.  It’s a vicious circle.  Feldenkrais sessions break this circle, helping people recognize habits of tension and discover alternatives to eliminate limitations and restrictions.  As a result we learn better body mechanics and discover ease through natural flexibility and new-found coordination.”

I remember working with my Feldenkrais therapist over ten years ago.  She taught me that just to get up from a seated position and walk across the room is not so easy…but with full awareness one could move with innumerable variations.  After a few months of working with her I came to feel my hips were unlocked – like a swing moving along a cradle.  It was amazing to experience that level of freedom of movement.

She told me that one of her lamas saw Moshé Feldenkrais walk across the room and the high lama looked at her and said “Rinpoche”.  Now, Rinpoche is an honorific title in Tibetan Buddhism that means precious one.  I was a little disturbed when I heard this because he never taught the dharma in a formal sense and his books lacked the clarity that I had been familiar with.

However, only years later do I understand how it is quite possible that Moshe impressed the lama through the profound awareness he brought into the way he moved his body.

The dharma teaches us that there are many thousands of emanations of Buddhas all over the world doing various works to relieve the suffering of sentient beings.  We just don’t know who they are because they look so ordinary – just like us.  Likewise, a bodhisattva with a good intention can bring profound benefit to others when one has an aspiration to help all sentient beings and a skillful method to accomplish healing.  When we look at the results of his or her work the truth becomes readily apparent.

“Through awareness we can learn to move with astonishing lightness and freedom.” – Moshé Feldenkrais

To show how beautiful this process can be… here is one simple method I found on YouTube that has its basis in movement therapy.  This particular gentleman of 4 Season Fitness has a one minute exercise to quickly remove pain or stress.  See if you can notice the channels or nerves opening up in various parts of your body such as your back or neck.

Centerpointe research

One of the better programs I have come across is something called Holosync technology at the Centerpointe Research Institute. When karma ripens and subconscious feelings of pain, stress and fear start to surface sometimes the suffering can be too much to bear.  If that begins to happen, it is wise to seek help from a qualified lama or reiki healer that you can begin to place your trust in to assist you. Getting out of your comfort zone is so important because when you work with someone else they can more easily see the problems you are facing.

There are times when we go through so much pain and suffering and depression that it can be quite overwhelming and we need immediate relief. I considered this the lazy way to get back on track in that you can lay in bed and allow the guided meditation to work on you. It is a really great, emergency tool to have.

From a Buddhist perspective this practice is very good at fixing and repairing broken or damaged channels. In western scientific terms, that means your nervous system can get an upgrade! Here is an excellent explanation of how this sort of technology works from Bill Harris:

While you are listening to the Holosync® soundtracks used in the program, your brain is creating new neural pathways between the left and right hemispheres. After approximately four months of practice with Awakening Prologue, the initial level of the program, the brain will have completed its creation of the new neural structure needed to handle the stimulus it’s been receiving. (It is the creation of this new structure that is responsible for the positive changes in mental abilities, emotional health, stress level, and self-awareness people experience in the program.)

Just as a runner running a mile each day for several months reaches the point where running that mile will no longer push him into better condition, the Holosync® stimulus from Awakening Prologue will no longer push the nervous system to further changes once the brain has created the structure necessary to handle the input it is receiving.

It should be noted that this therapy does NOT take the place of your regular meditation practice and working on your core issues.  It is what Tibetan Buddhists would call a “branch practice”. One’s root practice should always be something authentic like shamatha (concentration) and vipashana (insight) meditation.

As you learn new skills and methods of healing you come to know yourself.  Whatever went wrong in the first place happened for a reason. When you step forward to receive authentic help you can begin to see progress being made and get your life back in alignment.  I hope you can take these tools to heart so you can quickly discern the real causes and conditions of your problems and heal much faster.

Good luck!
Neo

The importance of breathwork

Tibetan Buddhism tells us that there are 84,000 channels in our body.  For the scientific minded, these channels are the nerves or veins that carry blood or electrical signals throughout the body.  When the nervous system gets damaged the reflective person seeks to find the cause of it as well as the right antidote.  As you begin to ask the right questions the answers will follow.

In the advanced teachings, we are taught that our “mind rides on the wind”.  As you learn about your breath in relation to your body you will discover that sometimes the breath is stuck and heavy.  This leads us to ask, “What is the best way to decondition the breath from this improper habitual tendency?”

In our daily lives, interacting with others causes our breath to get stuck and we tend to breathe in a shallow manner.  With this exercise you can decondition your habitual breathing patterns.

A friend of mine created this healing therapy.  He is a genius at how he produced such a fantastic healing tool through knowledge of binaural beats.  We’ve done many one-month retreats together when one day he handed me his Breath CD that changed my life.  With it, I have received tremendous benefits over the years.  There are two tracks; the whole thing is one hour long.  The first is for relaxation and the second is deeper for sleep.

This guided meditation allowed me to access several non-ordinary states of consciousness such as several past life-regressions and one rebirthing experience – to the time I was being born.  It was that powerful!

Whenever you have done too much breathwork for the day it is best to disconnect from the breath by focusing on the third-eye point (between the eyebrows).  I wish this will help others who do a lot of pranayama work move from breathing with effort to effortless breathing.  Perhaps that is one reason the Hindus were that mark on their forehead – as a reminder that witnessing the breath is very freeing.

Remember the mind rides the wind like a rider and horse.  Sometimes you have to “get off” the breath by focusing on the third-eye point in order to experience some peace and relaxation.

This video I uploaded is a short sample from the first track.  Remember if you have high blood pressure or any type of heart or lung condition be careful and consult your physician before attempting to practice pranayama.  There is no holding the breath so it should be fine for most people.

Dr. Bates eye therapy

It is interesting to note that according to Tibetan Buddhism the eyes are connected to the central channel (the median nerve) when open produces a quiet, relaxed mind.  This network of channels extends from the eyes down the spine and all the way to the root chakra.  Therefore, pay attention to the eyes at some point in the spiritual journey because the whole nervous system is connected to the eyes.  In order to completely relax, our nervous system needs to be healed fully.

Both the mind and the nervous system are interdependent in such a way that when you relax the mind, the nervous system is healed and when you heal the nervous system, the mind is relaxed.

Dr William H Bates (1860 – 1931) was an American physician who practiced ophthalmology and developed what became known as the Bates Method for better eyesight. He used his method for short sight, long sight, astigmatism, old-age sight, squint, ‘lazy’ eye, and even structural diseases such as macular degeneration – nothing was left out and he found all could be benefited by learning normal and relaxed use of the eyes and mind.

There are quite a few vision exercises.  The one in particular that I found very beneficial is called the moon swing. This vision game is a movement exercise to remove the habitual stare that develops due to grasping at visual phenomena. There are many variations to this exercise so click here to read the instructions:  Moon Swing.

Utilizing Dr. Bates theories this group has created a very important tool using “animation which encourages awareness of movement throughout all angles and at the same time provides insights into central fixation.”

It can be useful as a training tool in order to correct the function of your eyes as well as increasing your understanding of the interrelation between the stress of the body and the stress of the mind. Click on the image below to practice right now:

The key point is learning how to achieve central fixation in order to relax and heal. When you have understood this precisely then you can carry this effortless ability with you throughout your life.  But, if you go into the practice with the idea of gaining quick results and never having to wear glasses again you could be disappointed.  Even though it is true that some people were successful enough to give up their glasses completely, they were the ones that went to a trained professional who could teach them on an individual basis.

When you get out of your comfort zone and take an active role in your health, you’ll tend to see more benefits with having personal guidance.  Working with a healer will give you the specific advice you need according to your own condition. As with everything, take your time when you work with these eye-exercises, knowing that the process is just as important as the goal.  I remember Paul Brunton mentioning this about the eyes that always stuck with me. He says:

“A true sage is more often than not unhurried in manner and slow in speech and eye-movement.” — Paul Brunton

As an exercise in discrimination, take the time to look at this video on Youtube. See who has achieved central fixation:  a sense of complete relaxation and expanded awareness. The video is titled:  Tibetan Yoga Masters 3/3

It is only a three minute video but you can see all sorts of lamas in their meditative absorption.  Even Dudjom Rinpoche is there at the 2:34 mark. Can we look at these masters and learn something from them? I think so.  Dudjom Rinpoche appears like he is beyond everything to the extent that it is hard to put into words to describe his state of mind. It is very amazing to watch.

The meaning of 108

I always smile when MH, the Barefoot Herbalist, keeps asking others, “What is the meaning of the number 108?”  Mysteriously it keeps being revealed to him in various ways in his daily life.  He believes no one will ever know the answer.  However, with a little help the meaning can be known.

In the mystical world, especially to Buddhists, the number 108 is a metaphor for the number of steps required in order to completely “graduate” from this earth plane.  The mind’s labyrinth is deep and complex.  To accomplish this path, first one must discern the 8 consciousnesses and the 10 bhumis.  Putting them together equals 108.

The aspirant is required to develop the mind by sharpening the practice of concentration (shamatha) and insight (vipashana) meditation.

Along with learning, reflecting and meditating one is able to progress through all of these stages of practice.  This is the real meaning of Ascension.

According to the Hinayana path, the Arhat (hearer) and Pratyekabuddha (solitary realizer) have four stages of enlightenment:

1. stream-enterer
2. once-returner
3. non-returner
4. fruition (arhant)

However, according to the Mahayana path, the Bodhisattva (enlightening being or hero) ascends through the grounds (bhumis) to achieve the goal of complete enlightenment with the compassionate intention to reduce the suffering of all sentient beings.

The structure of the stupa represents the enlightened mind of the Buddha. The one above is exactly 108 feet tall.  It is an architectural representation of the entire Buddhist path.  Click the image to learn more about the symbolism of the stupa.  The body, speech, and mind of enlightenment is contained therein.  The Avatamsaka Sutra explains the first part of the number 108 in relation to each of the ten bhūmis:

TEN BHUMIS

1. The first bhumi – the Very Joyous. In which one rejoices at realizing a partial aspect of the truth
2. The second bhumi – the Stainless. In which one is free from all defilement
3. The third bhumi – the Luminous. In which one radiates the light of wisdom
4. The fourth bhumi – the Radiant. In which the radiant flame of wisdom burns away earthly desires
5. The fifth bhumi – the Difficult to Cultivate. In which one surmounts the illusions of darkness, or ignorance as the Middle Way
6. The sixth bhumi – the Manifest. In which supreme wisdom begins to manifest
7. The seventh bhumi – the Gone Afar. In which one rises above the states of the Two vehicles
8. The eighth bhumi – the Immovable. In which one dwells firmly in the truth of the Middle Way and cannot be perturbed by anything
9. The ninth bhumi – the Good Intelligence. In which one preaches the Law freely and without restriction
10. The tenth bhumi – the Cloud of Doctrine. In which one benefits all sentient beings with the Law (Dharma), just as a cloud sends down rain impartially on all things

The second part of the mystical number 108 explains the following eight consciousnesses  in depth:

EIGHT CONSCIOUSNESSES

1. First consciousness: “Eye-consciousness”; seeing apprehended by the visual sense organs
2. Second consciousness: “Ear-consciousness”; hearing apprehended by the auditory sense organs
3. Third consciousness: “Nose-consciousness”; smelling apprehended through the olfactory organs
4. Fourth consciousness: “Tongue-consciousness”; tasting perceived through the gustatory organs
5. Fifth consciousness: “Body-consciousness”; tactile feeling apprehended through skin contact, touch
6. Sixth consciousness: “Ideation-consciousness”; mano vijnana, the aspect of mind known in Sanskrit as the “mind monkey”; the consciousness of ideation
7. Seventh consciousness: “Obscuration-consciousness”; manas vijnana, “obscuration”, “poison”, “enemy”, “ideation”, “moving mind”, “monkey mind” (volition); a consciousness which through apprehension, gathers the hindrances, the poisons, the karmic formations
8. Eighth consciousness: “store-house consciousness”; alaya vijnana, also seed consciousness (bija vijnana); “the consciousness which is the basis of the other seven”. The seven prior consciousnesses are based and founded upon the eighth. It is the aggregate which administers and yields rebirth; this idea may in some respects be compared to the usage of the word “citta” in the agamas. In the early texts the sankhara-khandha plays some of the roles ascribed to the store-house consciousness by later Yogacara thinkers.

While practicing serious meditation and then going through all the dhyanas, samapattis, and samadhis one slowly purifies all their negative karmas, afflictive emotions, and cognitive obscurations which enable one to rises through the 10 levels.  At the 11th Bhumi one becomes a super-man, a fully realized being called a Buddha – the fully Awakened One.

Good Luck!
Neo