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Experiencing How Pristine Awareness Is Present in the Body

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IIIA. Experiencing This Naturally

The body, composed of the four phases, is the basis for selfgenerating pure presence. The basis of the body is the triad of pathways, psychosomatic energy, and creative potency. The pathways and their energy are united in the causal creative potency. The causal potency is the active energy of the four phases, the basis for pure presence, and is indivisible. The four phases each have their individual dynamism. Thus when these are equal or increasing, the body is maintained and all its excellent qualities are manifest. When these phases are disturbed by certain conditions, their energy goes out of equilibrium and they impair one another’s functioning. As a result, a variety of conditions conducive to disease arise. It is very important not to disturb or impair the causal creative potency.

Because this potency is the active energy of the phases, not impairing but rather increasing, it gives rise to all the special accomplishments. Because all the happiness and frustrations of samsara and nirvana are its functioning, it is very important to know the essential point of how to increase and not impair it.

First, increasing it naturally (see chapter 2, p. 25): from the first day of the lunar month, it increases in stages through all the energetic pathways. The natural process of increase is as follows: the causal creative potency, which is the active aspect of the phases, gradually increases from the first day of the lunar month. At this time it expands into the constitution from the configuration of energy at the sex organs. So then one should visualize the dakini of the Karma family in sexual embrace, symbolic of the active aspect of the phases, within the nexus at the center of the energetic configuration at the sex organs, known as the pleasure maintaining.

Pleasing and beautiful oma- From the point of sexual union, the five colors of the active aspect of the phases each distinctly radiate uninterruptedly, filling the nexus of the energetic configuration and from there pervading all the energetic pathways of the body. This fills the whole body with the creative potency of the pure and total presence generated by innumerable such dakas and dakinis in sexual embrace. One meditates in this way on the first day. In the end this develops the experience of bliss and emptiness. By doing this the phases are harmonized and the conditions for disturbing body and mind cannot arise. The expansion of the active energy gives rise to meditative experience of the unity of pleasure and emptiness, the completion of the accumulations of merit, the purification of the taint of envy, mastery over samsara and nirvana, as well as realizing the mundane and supreme qualities and all the special accomplishments.

Next the active aspect increases upward, expanding to the navel by the fourth day of the month. One should imagine the dakas and dakinis of the Lotus family at the nexus of the energetic configuration of the navel. As of the eighth day, one should imagine the dakas and dakinis of the Buddha family at the heart. As of the tenth day, one should imagine the dakas and dakinis of the Jewel family at the throat. As of the fifteenth of the month, the energy expands to the crown of the head and so one imagines the dakas and dakinis of the Vajra family at the nexus of the energetic configuration there. The visualization is as above.

Because the phases are expanding (upward to the crown), whatever merits one accumulates are increased, and for the same reason one shouldn’t apply bleeding or burning treatments (to the crown) or one loses the creative potency. Because one’s constitutional energy is expanding, one can massage a shaved place at the crown of one’s head with a mixture of sesame oil, sandalwood, and musk. By thus increasing the active energy, the phases of the body won’t be in conflict and the conditions for illness won’t arise. If one does not do this meditation when the energy of the phases is increasing, they will be thrown out of balance; because the phases won’t be in harmony, then disease and so forth can come about.

Then after this, the active aspect of the phases expands downward. By the nineteenth of the lunar month, it has expanded to the throat; by the twenty-second to the heart; by the twenty-fifth to the navel; by the twenty-eighth to the sex organs; and by the thirtieth to the soles of the feet. At these times one should proceed as above. One can apply a mixture of various oils, honey, and nutmeg to the soles of the feet as well as warm them in the sun. Thus the phases won’t be disturbed and obstacles won’t arise.

Through the growing of the energy of the phases and their expansion into the constitution, the contemplation of bliss and mptiness arises, and one makes oneself fit to practice with a partner. Further, innumerable positive qualities arise. Based on this natural process of increase of the active aspect of the phases, one can add the secondary ingredient of such an objective support. This concludes the presentation of the natural process of increase.


IIIB. The Essential Points of the Experience


Second, the explanation of the essential points of the experience is to be found elsewhere.**


IIIC. The Objects of the Meditation Experience


Illness comes about in our body, which is produced from the active aspect of the four phases, as follows: The causal creative potency, on which the mind and the components of the body are based, is mixed with the active energy of the phases and is found in each. Therefore these are completely pervaded with movement, which can be shown to produce illness through contributory conditions (see chapter 2, p. 32).

When passionate attachment is the contributory condition, warm disease arises. Because the power of the wind-movement of fire increases when this warmth arises, the phases are disturbed and there is illness. When anger and unhappiness act as a motivating cause, wind-movement arises, thereby increasing its power. Once again, the phases are disturbed and there is illness. Then dullness acting as a motivating cause generates phlegm and cold. This increases the power of the movement of the water phase, disturbing the balance of the phases, and disease results. Illness comes about whenever the disharmony becomes great enough. Whenever the functioning of one of the three primary constituents is low, one falls ill; whenever two are low or high, one falls ill. When they are neither high nor low but equal, illness cannot come about.

There is no sentient being who does not have a greater or lesser predominance of a phase. Sleeping during the day generally acts as a contributory condition for illness. Therefore if a person with a predominance of wind falls asleep during the day, they get a wind illness. Further, the wind can be combined with either heat or cold. In the same way, if a person with a predominance of earth sleeps during the day, they generate phlegm. If a person with a predominance of water sleeps during the day, they can get a cold disease. If a person with a predominance of fire sleeps during the day, they generate heat. All of these can in turn be associated with a warm or cold illness. This condition (of sleeping during the day) increases the power of whatever phase is predominant. By disharmonizing the phases, they begin to oppose one another. The disturbing phase produces the illness that is characterized by that phase itself. Therefore one ought to avoid sleeping during the day.

Improper eating and behavior, which disorders the phases and leads to illness, also should be eliminated. In general, obsessing over thoughts associated with the conflicting emotions disturbs the active energy of the phases. Because this generates illness, rather than letting any concepts of the five poisonous conflicting emotions that have arisen get into your system, one ought to neutralize them in the sphere of reality itself.

Further, because the active aspects of the four phases are complete based on the stomach, when these are disturbed they dry up and generate illness. The visualization in this case to cure the illness is as follows: By concentrating on the palpable warmth of the radiance of the fire symbolized by the Lotus dakini in sexual embrace at the center of the generative energetic configuration at the navel, the active aspect of the four phases in the form of fire arises from the point of sexual union. One thereby can imagine that this fills all the pathways radiating from the energetic configuration at the navel. This generates the heat of the stomach, and because of this one cannot be harmed by any illness.

Also, in the case of warm disease, one visualizes the Vajra dakini in sexual embrace at the crown of the head. In the case of a composite illness, generate the dakini of the Buddha family in sexual embrace at the energetic configuration at the heart. Further, in the case of cold diseases, imagine the Padma dakini in sexual embrace with her consort at the navel. For wind disease, imagine the dakini of the Karma family in sexual embrace with her consort at the sex organs.

Further, in regard to all diseases one can visualize one’s body as a sieve or empty form, as described above. Then allow the nectar to flow from the yab-yum forms that are the antidote to whatever disease is present. This will purify the body and its energies and eliminate the disturbance. Concentrate as above with whatever visu

alization is applicable whenever illness, such as a wound and so forth, is combined with heat or cold. This will harmonize the phases, bring the active aspect of their energy there, and thus cure the illness.

Thus one should know the visualizations for all types of illnesses. By so doing, one can obtain mastery of pure presence, quickly and without bodily obstacles, thereby fully awakening oneself.

This experiential core instruction from the cycle of essential teachings was put in writing on top of Rust Mountain and memorized by Yeshe Tsogyal. May it meet with someone who can use it. Thus A Section of Hidden Oral Instruction of the Zta&ra is completed.

Samaya. Sealed. Sealed. Sealed.


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