Difference between revisions of "Charnel ground"
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[[File:Sky Burial (site).JPG|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:Sky Burial (site).JPG|thumb|250px|]] | ||
<poem> | <poem> | ||
− | You are trapped in a horrific video game, crawling with bloodthirsty ghouls. There is no way out. | + | You are trapped in a horrific video game, crawling with bloodthirsty [[ghouls]]. There is no way out. |
When you reach the final level, the boss monster will eat you alive: GAME OVER. | When you reach the final level, the boss monster will eat you alive: GAME OVER. | ||
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It’s your move. | It’s your move. | ||
− | Many [[people]] reject [[Buddhist]] [[Tantra]] in favor of Consensus [[Buddhism]], or modernized [[Theravada]] or [[Zen]], because those seem realistic. These modernist Buddhisms sweep under the rug all the monsters, [[miracles]], [[demons]] and [[deities]] of the [[Pali]] and [[Mahayana scriptures]]. [[Buddhism]] is supposed to be [[rational]], [[scientific]], and pragmatic. | + | Many [[people]] reject [[Buddhist]] [[Tantra]] in favor of Consensus [[Buddhism]], or modernized [[Theravada]] or [[Zen]], because those seem realistic. These modernist [[Buddhisms]] sweep under the rug all the monsters, [[miracles]], [[demons]] and [[deities]] of the [[Pali]] and [[Mahayana scriptures]]. [[Buddhism]] is supposed to be [[rational]], [[scientific]], and {{Wiki|pragmatic}}. |
− | [[Tantra]], by contrast, seems incurably infested with [[magical]] superstitions. | + | [[Tantra]], by contrast, seems incurably infested with [[magical]] {{Wiki|superstitions}}. |
I take the opposite [[view]]. [[Tantra]] is brutally realistic—because [[reality]] is brutal. It is [[Sutra]] (non-tantric [[Buddhism]]) that is a fantasy. | I take the opposite [[view]]. [[Tantra]] is brutally realistic—because [[reality]] is brutal. It is [[Sutra]] (non-tantric [[Buddhism]]) that is a fantasy. | ||
− | [[Sutra]] promises the [[path]] beyond all [[suffering]]. If you do everything right, you can escape this vale of tears into Neverland [[Nirvana]]. | + | [[Sutra]] promises the [[path]] beyond all [[suffering]]. If you do everything right, you can escape this vale of {{Wiki|tears}} into Neverland [[Nirvana]]. |
− | Now there is a [[magical]] superstition. That fantasy runs far deeper than mere [[gods]] and [[demons]]. Spooks, after all, can be exorcized easily by declaring them to be [[psychological]] metaphors. | + | Now there is a [[magical]] {{Wiki|superstition}}. That fantasy runs far deeper than mere [[gods]] and [[demons]]. Spooks, after all, can be exorcized easily by declaring them to be [[psychological]] metaphors. |
− | [[Tantra]] offers no salvation, no escape, no alternative, and no hope. Now that’s [[scientific]], pragmatic, and sensible. | + | [[Tantra]] offers no {{Wiki|salvation}}, no escape, no alternative, and no {{Wiki|hope}}. Now that’s [[scientific]], {{Wiki|pragmatic}}, and sensible. |
[[File:O1_400.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:O1_400.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
− | Antidote to hope | + | Antidote to {{Wiki|hope}} |
− | Many Western [[Buddhists]] implicitly [[imagine]] that [[Buddhism]] can somehow be The Answer To [[Life]], The [[Universe]], And Everything. Otherwise, we’d be totally fucked. | + | Many {{Wiki|Western}} [[Buddhists]] implicitly [[imagine]] that [[Buddhism]] can somehow be The Answer To [[Life]], The [[Universe]], And Everything. Otherwise, we’d be totally fucked. |
This is absurd. [[Life]] is diverse, and couldn’t have a single solution. Moreover, [[life]] is not a problem, so “solution” or “answer” is beside the point. | This is absurd. [[Life]] is diverse, and couldn’t have a single solution. Moreover, [[life]] is not a problem, so “solution” or “answer” is beside the point. | ||
− | Anyway, we’re totally fucked. But existential optimism—“there must be a way out”—makes things worse than necessary. You waste [[effort]] chasing [[imaginary]] salvation, and keep [[feeling]] hurt when it doesn’t work out. | + | Anyway, we’re totally fucked. But existential optimism—“there must be a way out”—makes things worse than necessary. You waste [[effort]] chasing [[imaginary]] {{Wiki|salvation}}, and keep [[feeling]] hurt when it doesn’t work out. |
[[Tantra]] has an antidote. | [[Tantra]] has an antidote. | ||
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It is a “practice of [[view]],” which means developing the [[habit]] of interpreting the [[world]] in a particular way. Specifically, you [[view]] the [[world]] as a “[[charnel ground]].” | It is a “practice of [[view]],” which means developing the [[habit]] of interpreting the [[world]] in a particular way. Specifically, you [[view]] the [[world]] as a “[[charnel ground]].” | ||
− | [[Charnel grounds]], in [[India]], are places where unclaimed [[human]] corpses are dumped to rot, or be eaten. The [[bodies]] are not buried or burned; they are just left out. That’s a delightful buffet for the local carrion-eaters: jackals and hyaenas, tigers and bears, vultures and ravens. | + | [[Charnel grounds]], in [[India]], are places where unclaimed [[human]] corpses are dumped to rot, or be eaten. The [[bodies]] are not buried or burned; they are just left out. That’s a delightful buffet for the local carrion-eaters: jackals and hyaenas, {{Wiki|tigers}} and bears, vultures and [[ravens]]. |
[[Charnel grounds]] are [[dangerous]], horrifying, chaotic places. None of the meat-eaters are picky about whether you are [[dead]] (except vultures). They are [[happy]] to eat living visitors. Unburied corpses also attract demons—in the [[Indian]] imagination—and are likely to produce [[ghosts]] and [[vetalas]] (zombies). | [[Charnel grounds]] are [[dangerous]], horrifying, chaotic places. None of the meat-eaters are picky about whether you are [[dead]] (except vultures). They are [[happy]] to eat living visitors. Unburied corpses also attract demons—in the [[Indian]] imagination—and are likely to produce [[ghosts]] and [[vetalas]] (zombies). | ||
[[File:Charnel ground01.JPG|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:Charnel ground01.JPG|thumb|250px|]] | ||
− | Sane, decent [[people]] avoid [[charnel grounds]] absolutely. That makes them ideal meeting places for [[dangerous]], marginal [[people]]: brigands and spies, for instance, according to lore. Also [[dakinis]] (cannibal witches) and [[yogis]] (sorcerers): that is, [[tantric]] [[Buddhists]]. | + | Sane, decent [[people]] avoid [[charnel grounds]] absolutely. That makes them {{Wiki|ideal}} meeting places for [[dangerous]], marginal [[people]]: brigands and spies, for instance, according to lore. Also [[dakinis]] (cannibal witches) and [[yogis]] (sorcerers): that is, [[tantric]] [[Buddhists]]. |
− | A tantrika takes the same [[attitude]] to [[reality]] as to a [[charnel ground]]. [[Reality]] is a [[dangerous]], horrifying, chaotic place. No one gets out of here alive. | + | A [[tantrika]] takes the same [[attitude]] to [[reality]] as to a [[charnel ground]]. [[Reality]] is a [[dangerous]], horrifying, chaotic place. No one gets out of here alive. |
− | We want to pretend that isn’t true. Most of the [[time]], we convince ourselves that things are going tolerably well, and will get better, and [[death]] is remote. We have hope for the future. | + | We want to pretend that isn’t true. Most of the [[time]], we convince ourselves that things are going tolerably well, and will get better, and [[death]] is remote. We have {{Wiki|hope}} for the future. |
− | Then we are surprised, and unprepared [[emotionally]], any [[time]] something bad happens. We think: it wasn’t supposed to be this way! We think: there must be some way out! We think: Help! [[Buddha]] save me! These ideas are totally unrealistic, and make it harder to deal with whatever catastrophe is at hand. | + | Then we are surprised, and unprepared [[emotionally]], any [[time]] something bad happens. We think: it wasn’t supposed to be this way! We think: there must be some way out! We think: Help! [[Buddha]] save me! These [[ideas]] are totally unrealistic, and make it harder to deal with whatever catastrophe is at hand. |
General [[Buddhism]] recommends that you always remember that [[death]] is certain, and the [[time]] of [[death]] is uncertain. | General [[Buddhism]] recommends that you always remember that [[death]] is certain, and the [[time]] of [[death]] is uncertain. | ||
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So let’s cut that right off: there is nowhere you can go where you won’t find monsters feasting on piles of rotting corpses. | So let’s cut that right off: there is nowhere you can go where you won’t find monsters feasting on piles of rotting corpses. | ||
[[File:Charnel ground-det.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:Charnel ground-det.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
− | The entire [[universe]] is a [[charnel ground]]. It extends to [[infinity]] in every [[direction]]: across [[space]], [[time]], all dimensions. There was no glorious creation, no golden age of the past, no possibility of salvation in the future. If there are any alternate [[worlds]], [[spiritual]] planes, or [[magical]] states of consciousness—they are also entirely [[charnel ground]]. | + | The entire [[universe]] is a [[charnel ground]]. It extends to [[infinity]] in every [[direction]]: across [[space]], [[time]], all {{Wiki|dimensions}}. There was no glorious creation, no golden age of the past, no possibility of {{Wiki|salvation}} in the future. If there are any alternate [[worlds]], [[spiritual]] planes, or [[magical]] states of consciousness—they are also entirely [[charnel ground]]. |
This is a situation of utter claustrophobia. | This is a situation of utter claustrophobia. | ||
− | “But that can’t be true,” maybe you say. “It wouldn’t be fair! [[Life]] can’t just be endless [[suffering]]!” | + | “But that can’t be true,” maybe you say. “It wouldn’t be fair! [[Life]] can’t just be [[endless]] [[suffering]]!” |
[[Suffering]] | [[Suffering]] | ||
− | [[Tantra]] is not interested in [[suffering]]. | + | [[Tantra]] is not [[interested]] in [[suffering]]. |
If you complain about [[suffering]], [[tantra]] says: | If you complain about [[suffering]], [[tantra]] says: | ||
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You are a disposable walk-on [[character]] in a horror movie! | You are a disposable walk-on [[character]] in a horror movie! | ||
− | You were hoping for what? [[Beautiful]] naked [[deities]], [[offering]] you bowls of [[nectar]] and [[ambrosia]], maybe? | + | You were hoping for what? [[Beautiful]] naked [[deities]], [[offering]] you [[bowls]] of [[nectar]] and [[ambrosia]], maybe? |
− | No existential hope | + | No existential {{Wiki|hope}} |
− | The point of viewing all [[reality]] as a [[charnel ground]] is to annihilate existential hope: the hope that you can somehow win the game; the hope that you can somehow escape; the hope that [[Buddhism]] will somehow rescue you from [[old age]], [[sickness]], and [[death]]. | + | The point of viewing all [[reality]] as a [[charnel ground]] is to annihilate existential {{Wiki|hope}}: the {{Wiki|hope}} that you can somehow win the game; the {{Wiki|hope}} that you can somehow escape; the {{Wiki|hope}} that [[Buddhism]] will somehow rescue you from [[old age]], [[sickness]], and [[death]]. |
[[File:834-640wi.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:834-640wi.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
− | Now, I hope my girlfriend will give me a Cthulhu plush toy for Christmas. Obviously, my [[life]] will be greatly improved if she does. A Cthulhu plush toy is the perfect proof of her {{Wiki|affection}}, a superlative home decoration, and the best possible companion for times when she is away. | + | Now, I {{Wiki|hope}} my girlfriend will give me a Cthulhu plush toy for {{Wiki|Christmas}}. Obviously, my [[life]] will be greatly improved if she does. A Cthulhu plush toy is the perfect proof of her {{Wiki|affection}}, a superlative home decoration, and the best possible companion for times when she is away. |
− | But this hope is for a merely practical improvement in my life—a “[[relative]] benefit,” in [[Buddhist]] jargon. A Cthulhu plush toy is a wonderful thing, but it is not a solution. It is really not very [[spiritual]]; it is not an “[[ultimate]]” or “[[absolute]]” benefit. | + | But this {{Wiki|hope}} is for a merely practical improvement in my life—a “[[relative]] [[benefit]],” in [[Buddhist]] jargon. A Cthulhu plush toy is a wonderful thing, but it is not a solution. It is really not very [[spiritual]]; it is not an “[[ultimate]]” or “[[absolute]]” [[benefit]]. |
Alas: it cannot fix my existential state. | Alas: it cannot fix my existential state. | ||
− | No salvation | + | No {{Wiki|salvation}} |
It’s easy to misunderstand the method of [[charnel ground]]: | It’s easy to misunderstand the method of [[charnel ground]]: | ||
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Oh, I get it! What a wonderful, {{Wiki|paradoxical}} [[path]] to [[enlightenment]]! If I just fully embrace hopelessness, then I will be saved! | Oh, I get it! What a wonderful, {{Wiki|paradoxical}} [[path]] to [[enlightenment]]! If I just fully embrace hopelessness, then I will be saved! | ||
− | That is, of course, just more hope. | + | That is, of course, just more {{Wiki|hope}}. |
The only thing hopelessness saves you from is distorted [[perception]]. If you fully embrace hopelessness, you are saved from wasting [[time]] trying to escape the [[charnel ground]]. | The only thing hopelessness saves you from is distorted [[perception]]. If you fully embrace hopelessness, you are saved from wasting [[time]] trying to escape the [[charnel ground]]. | ||
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The charnel ground—i.e., everyday reality—is not a [[hell]]. [[Traditional]] [[Buddhism]] does have [[hells]], several of them, but the [[charnel ground]] is quite different. | The charnel ground—i.e., everyday reality—is not a [[hell]]. [[Traditional]] [[Buddhism]] does have [[hells]], several of them, but the [[charnel ground]] is quite different. | ||
− | The [[difference]] is not in the degree of [[suffering]]. Some [[Buddhist]] [[hells]] might be less bad than some [[lives]] in the real [[world]]. | + | The [[difference]] is not in the {{Wiki|degree}} of [[suffering]]. Some [[Buddhist]] [[hells]] might be less bad than some [[lives]] in the {{Wiki|real}} [[world]]. |
The [[difference]] is that the inhabitants of [[hell]] are so busy feeding their [[rage]] that they see no possibility of curiosity, creativity, or celebration. | The [[difference]] is that the inhabitants of [[hell]] are so busy feeding their [[rage]] that they see no possibility of curiosity, creativity, or celebration. | ||
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In [[hell]], nearly everyone has the [[attitude]]: | In [[hell]], nearly everyone has the [[attitude]]: | ||
− | I shouldn’t be here! It wasn’t supposed to be this way! I [[hate]] these [[demons]] who are torturing me! I [[hate]] everyone who had a better rebirth—they think they are so superior! [[God]] is a mean motherfucker! It’s not fair! | + | I shouldn’t be here! It wasn’t supposed to be this way! I [[hate]] these [[demons]] who are torturing me! I [[hate]] everyone who had a better rebirth—they think they are so {{Wiki|superior}}! [[God]] is a mean motherfucker! It’s not fair! |
When you [[die]], the Sorting Hat sends you to your next destination based on your typical [[emotion]] in [[life]]. For example, if you are [[angry]], you go to [[hell]]. That works the same way no matter where you [[die]]. | When you [[die]], the Sorting Hat sends you to your next destination based on your typical [[emotion]] in [[life]]. For example, if you are [[angry]], you go to [[hell]]. That works the same way no matter where you [[die]]. | ||
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The Hat sends nearly everyone who [[dies]] in [[hell]] straight back there. Some of the [[hells]] are so lethal that the whole process only takes a few seconds per [[rebirth]]. So [[beings]] [[die]] in [[hell]] over and over, for countless eons, because they keep getting [[angry]] about the whole thing. If you just drop that, then you go somewhere else next [[time]] you [[die]]. | The Hat sends nearly everyone who [[dies]] in [[hell]] straight back there. Some of the [[hells]] are so lethal that the whole process only takes a few seconds per [[rebirth]]. So [[beings]] [[die]] in [[hell]] over and over, for countless eons, because they keep getting [[angry]] about the whole thing. If you just drop that, then you go somewhere else next [[time]] you [[die]]. | ||
− | We can translate this into something practical, using the standard modern [[Buddhist]] move of reinterpreting the [[Six Realms]] of [[Rebirth]] as [[psychological]] states. | + | We can translate this into something practical, using the standard {{Wiki|modern}} [[Buddhist]] move of reinterpreting the [[Six Realms]] of [[Rebirth]] as [[psychological]] states. |
As long as you are resentful about [[suffering]], as long as you think the [[world]] should be different, then you are stuck obsessing over how unfair it is, and scheming about how to escape. And that just makes you [[angry]] and [[miserable]] all over again. | As long as you are resentful about [[suffering]], as long as you think the [[world]] should be different, then you are stuck obsessing over how unfair it is, and scheming about how to escape. And that just makes you [[angry]] and [[miserable]] all over again. | ||
[[File:EkwondoNJ.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:EkwondoNJ.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
− | [[Charnel ground]] practice means giving up on that cycle. You simply lose all interest in how [[life]] ought to be. | + | [[Charnel ground]] practice means giving up on that cycle. You simply lose all [[interest]] in how [[life]] ought to be. |
− | As soon as you forget about “ought to be,” you are left with [[life]] just as it is: chaos, horror, [[death]] and all. | + | As soon as you forget about “ought to be,” you are left with [[life]] just as it is: {{Wiki|chaos}}, horror, [[death]] and all. |
− | In that, there is absolutely no hope. But there is opportunity. | + | In that, there is absolutely no {{Wiki|hope}}. But there is opportunity. |
Garden of horrors | Garden of horrors | ||
When you accept that it extends to [[infinity]], you realize that the claustrophobic charnel ground—exactly because there is nowhere else—is a land of total [[openness]] and freedom. | When you accept that it extends to [[infinity]], you realize that the claustrophobic charnel ground—exactly because there is nowhere else—is a land of total [[openness]] and freedom. | ||
− | You can set off in any [[direction]] to explore the scenery. The geography is endlessly varied. There are lakes of [[fire]], [[rivers]] of [[poison]], and oceans of blood. There are forests of cannibal [[trees]], and of course the Nameless Lurking [[Evils]] at the Mountains of Madness. | + | You can set off in any [[direction]] to explore the scenery. The {{Wiki|geography}} is endlessly varied. There are lakes of [[fire]], [[rivers]] of [[poison]], and oceans of {{Wiki|blood}}. There are forests of cannibal [[trees]], and of course the Nameless Lurking [[Evils]] at the Mountains of Madness. |
So the [[charnel ground]] is also a horrifying amusement park. There’s lots to see and do—always something new, in fact. | So the [[charnel ground]] is also a horrifying amusement park. There’s lots to see and do—always something new, in fact. | ||
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You could throw a party. You could invite the zombies. (Just make sure to collect lots of {{Wiki|brains}} first. You wouldn’t want to be a stingy host.) | You could throw a party. You could invite the zombies. (Just make sure to collect lots of {{Wiki|brains}} first. You wouldn’t want to be a stingy host.) | ||
You could write a geeky identification guide to the many species of [[demons]]. | You could write a geeky identification guide to the many species of [[demons]]. | ||
− | You could grow a garden of poisonous flowers. You could learn [[alchemy]] and refine poisonous herbal extracts into [[magical]] potions. | + | You could grow a garden of {{Wiki|poisonous}} [[flowers]]. You could learn [[alchemy]] and refine {{Wiki|poisonous}} herbal extracts into [[magical]] potions. |
You could go talk to the cannibal witches. They’re unusual company. They might eat you, but something else could happen. Romance is possible… | You could go talk to the cannibal witches. They’re unusual company. They might eat you, but something else could happen. Romance is possible… | ||
− | Sooner or later, you’ll [[die]] horribly. But you might as well do something interesting in the mean [[time]], not just cower in a corner. [[Reality]] is a splatter movie, but it is also an adventure story and a romantic comedy—all at the same [[time]]. | + | Sooner or later, you’ll [[die]] horribly. But you might as well do something [[interesting]] in the mean [[time]], not just cower in a corner. [[Reality]] is a splatter movie, but it is also an adventure story and a romantic comedy—all at the same [[time]]. |
− | [[Tantra]] is given to flights of fantasy, because [[reality]] is fantastical. Confronted with over-the-top horror in real [[life]], you might as well laugh at the outrageousness of it. | + | [[Tantra]] is given to flights of fantasy, because [[reality]] is fantastical. Confronted with over-the-top horror in {{Wiki|real}} [[life]], you might as well laugh at the outrageousness of it. |
Etcetera | Etcetera | ||
[[Charnel ground]] practice has been part of [[Buddhism]] from very early on. I’ve written a little about the [[Sutric]] (mainstream) approach. Its goal is exactly opposite of tantra’s. The point is to develop “revulsion for [[samsara]].” If you really understood how awful the [[world]] is, you’d be sufficiently motivated to escape it. (Whereas, in [[tantra]], you absolutely can’t escape, and even if you could, you shouldn’t want to. It is only in a [[world]] of [[suffering]] that you can help others.) | [[Charnel ground]] practice has been part of [[Buddhism]] from very early on. I’ve written a little about the [[Sutric]] (mainstream) approach. Its goal is exactly opposite of tantra’s. The point is to develop “revulsion for [[samsara]].” If you really understood how awful the [[world]] is, you’d be sufficiently motivated to escape it. (Whereas, in [[tantra]], you absolutely can’t escape, and even if you could, you shouldn’t want to. It is only in a [[world]] of [[suffering]] that you can help others.) | ||
− | In [[Tibetan Buddhism]], the best-known [[charnel ground]] practice is [[chöd]]. There are several [[books]] on [[chöd]], but I can’t really recommend any of them; they are either tediously {{Wiki|academic}} or bizarrely Consensus-y. (Turning a horrifying [[ritual]] of [[demonic]] [[human]] sacrifice into a nice safe brand of {{Wiki|psychotherapy}} is an [[extraordinary]] [[accomplishment]]. But, seriously, WTF?) | + | In [[Tibetan Buddhism]], the best-known [[charnel ground]] practice is [[chöd]]. There are several [[books]] on [[chöd]], but I can’t really recommend any of them; they are either tediously {{Wiki|academic}} or bizarrely Consensus-y. (Turning a horrifying [[ritual]] of [[demonic]] [[human]] {{Wiki|sacrifice}} into a nice safe brand of {{Wiki|psychotherapy}} is an [[extraordinary]] [[accomplishment]]. But, seriously, WTF?) |
− | [[Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche]] was the [[abbot]] of [[Surmang]] [[monastery]], which was famous for [[chöd]] practice. As far as I [[know]], he never taught [[chöd]] in the West. However, the [[charnel ground]] [[attitude]] is implicit in many of his [[books]]. Giving up all hope of salvation is the central theme in his [[Crazy Wisdom]], for example. In fact, he defines “[[crazy wisdom]]” as utter hopelessness (page 10). (Chapter 4 is also explicitly about the [[charnel ground]].) | + | [[Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche]] was the [[abbot]] of [[Surmang]] [[monastery]], which was famous for [[chöd]] practice. As far as I [[know]], he never taught [[chöd]] in the [[West]]. However, the [[charnel ground]] [[attitude]] is implicit in many of his [[books]]. Giving up all {{Wiki|hope}} of {{Wiki|salvation}} is the central theme in his [[Crazy Wisdom]], for example. In fact, he defines “[[crazy wisdom]]” as utter hopelessness (page 10). (Chapter 4 is also explicitly about the [[charnel ground]].) |
− | My website [[Buddhism]] For Vampires draws much of its [[imagery]] from [[traditional]] descriptions of [[charnel ground]] practice. If you are into that sort of thing, a good source is Nebesky-Wojkowitz’s Oracles and [[Demons]] of [[Tibet]]. I particularly loved the description of the palace of [[Dorje Shugden]] (pp. 136ff). It’s built from the skulls of [[demons]], ornamented with [[human]] hearts and severed heads. Inside there are festoons of wet intestines. [[Human]] skins and tiger-hides are stitched together into wall hangings. Everything is dripping with pus and blood. Around the throne, skeletons and zombies dance… | + | My website [[Buddhism]] For Vampires draws much of its [[imagery]] from [[traditional]] descriptions of [[charnel ground]] practice. If you are into that sort of thing, a good source is Nebesky-Wojkowitz’s {{Wiki|Oracles}} and [[Demons]] of [[Tibet]]. I particularly loved the description of the palace of [[Dorje Shugden]] (pp. 136ff). It’s built from the skulls of [[demons]], ornamented with [[human]] hearts and severed heads. Inside there are festoons of wet intestines. [[Human]] skins and tiger-hides are stitched together into wall hangings. Everything is dripping with pus and {{Wiki|blood}}. Around the [[throne]], skeletons and zombies dance… |
</poem> | </poem> | ||
Revision as of 23:50, 11 December 2013
You are trapped in a horrific video game, crawling with bloodthirsty ghouls. There is no way out.
When you reach the final level, the boss monster will eat you alive: GAME OVER.
It’s your move.
Many people reject Buddhist Tantra in favor of Consensus Buddhism, or modernized Theravada or Zen, because those seem realistic. These modernist Buddhisms sweep under the rug all the monsters, miracles, demons and deities of the Pali and Mahayana scriptures. Buddhism is supposed to be rational, scientific, and pragmatic.
Tantra, by contrast, seems incurably infested with magical superstitions.
I take the opposite view. Tantra is brutally realistic—because reality is brutal. It is Sutra (non-tantric Buddhism) that is a fantasy.
Sutra promises the path beyond all suffering. If you do everything right, you can escape this vale of tears into Neverland Nirvana.
Now there is a magical superstition. That fantasy runs far deeper than mere gods and demons. Spooks, after all, can be exorcized easily by declaring them to be psychological metaphors.
Tantra offers no salvation, no escape, no alternative, and no hope. Now that’s scientific, pragmatic, and sensible.
Antidote to hope
Many Western Buddhists implicitly imagine that Buddhism can somehow be The Answer To Life, The Universe, And Everything. Otherwise, we’d be totally fucked.
This is absurd. Life is diverse, and couldn’t have a single solution. Moreover, life is not a problem, so “solution” or “answer” is beside the point.
Anyway, we’re totally fucked. But existential optimism—“there must be a way out”—makes things worse than necessary. You waste effort chasing imaginary salvation, and keep feeling hurt when it doesn’t work out.
Tantra has an antidote.
It is a “practice of view,” which means developing the habit of interpreting the world in a particular way. Specifically, you view the world as a “charnel ground.”
Charnel grounds, in India, are places where unclaimed human corpses are dumped to rot, or be eaten. The bodies are not buried or burned; they are just left out. That’s a delightful buffet for the local carrion-eaters: jackals and hyaenas, tigers and bears, vultures and ravens.
Charnel grounds are dangerous, horrifying, chaotic places. None of the meat-eaters are picky about whether you are dead (except vultures). They are happy to eat living visitors. Unburied corpses also attract demons—in the Indian imagination—and are likely to produce ghosts and vetalas (zombies).
Sane, decent people avoid charnel grounds absolutely. That makes them ideal meeting places for dangerous, marginal people: brigands and spies, for instance, according to lore. Also dakinis (cannibal witches) and yogis (sorcerers): that is, tantric Buddhists.
A tantrika takes the same attitude to reality as to a charnel ground. Reality is a dangerous, horrifying, chaotic place. No one gets out of here alive.
We want to pretend that isn’t true. Most of the time, we convince ourselves that things are going tolerably well, and will get better, and death is remote. We have hope for the future.
Then we are surprised, and unprepared emotionally, any time something bad happens. We think: it wasn’t supposed to be this way! We think: there must be some way out! We think: Help! Buddha save me! These ideas are totally unrealistic, and make it harder to deal with whatever catastrophe is at hand.
General Buddhism recommends that you always remember that death is certain, and the time of death is uncertain.
Tantra goes beyond that: you visualize the full, grisly awfulness of death. This is an instance of the tantric method of intensification: cranking the horror up to eleven.
No escape
Often what people do in horror movies is try desperately to escape—usually in the stupidest way possible.
Religion is mostly also idiotic fantasies of escape.
So let’s cut that right off: there is nowhere you can go where you won’t find monsters feasting on piles of rotting corpses.
The entire universe is a charnel ground. It extends to infinity in every direction: across space, time, all dimensions. There was no glorious creation, no golden age of the past, no possibility of salvation in the future. If there are any alternate worlds, spiritual planes, or magical states of consciousness—they are also entirely charnel ground.
This is a situation of utter claustrophobia.
“But that can’t be true,” maybe you say. “It wouldn’t be fair! Life can’t just be endless suffering!”
Suffering
Tantra is not interested in suffering.
If you complain about suffering, tantra says:
Of course there is suffering! What were you expecting?
You are a disposable walk-on character in a horror movie!
You were hoping for what? Beautiful naked deities, offering you bowls of nectar and ambrosia, maybe?
No existential hope
The point of viewing all reality as a charnel ground is to annihilate existential hope: the hope that you can somehow win the game; the hope that you can somehow escape; the hope that Buddhism will somehow rescue you from old age, sickness, and death.
Now, I hope my girlfriend will give me a Cthulhu plush toy for Christmas. Obviously, my life will be greatly improved if she does. A Cthulhu plush toy is the perfect proof of her affection, a superlative home decoration, and the best possible companion for times when she is away.
But this hope is for a merely practical improvement in my life—a “relative benefit,” in Buddhist jargon. A Cthulhu plush toy is a wonderful thing, but it is not a solution. It is really not very spiritual; it is not an “ultimate” or “absolute” benefit.
Alas: it cannot fix my existential state.
No salvation
It’s easy to misunderstand the method of charnel ground:
Oh, I get it! What a wonderful, paradoxical path to enlightenment! If I just fully embrace hopelessness, then I will be saved!
That is, of course, just more hope.
The only thing hopelessness saves you from is distorted perception. If you fully embrace hopelessness, you are saved from wasting time trying to escape the charnel ground.
But, if everything is utterly hopeless, then “wasting time” is hardly an issue, is it?
Or is it?
No hell on earth
The charnel ground—i.e., everyday reality—is not a hell. Traditional Buddhism does have hells, several of them, but the charnel ground is quite different.
The difference is not in the degree of suffering. Some Buddhist hells might be less bad than some lives in the real world.
The difference is that the inhabitants of hell are so busy feeding their rage that they see no possibility of curiosity, creativity, or celebration.
In hell, nearly everyone has the attitude:
I shouldn’t be here! It wasn’t supposed to be this way! I hate these demons who are torturing me! I hate everyone who had a better rebirth—they think they are so superior! God is a mean motherfucker! It’s not fair!
When you die, the Sorting Hat sends you to your next destination based on your typical emotion in life. For example, if you are angry, you go to hell. That works the same way no matter where you die.
The Hat sends nearly everyone who dies in hell straight back there. Some of the hells are so lethal that the whole process only takes a few seconds per rebirth. So beings die in hell over and over, for countless eons, because they keep getting angry about the whole thing. If you just drop that, then you go somewhere else next time you die.
We can translate this into something practical, using the standard modern Buddhist move of reinterpreting the Six Realms of Rebirth as psychological states.
As long as you are resentful about suffering, as long as you think the world should be different, then you are stuck obsessing over how unfair it is, and scheming about how to escape. And that just makes you angry and miserable all over again.
Charnel ground practice means giving up on that cycle. You simply lose all interest in how life ought to be.
As soon as you forget about “ought to be,” you are left with life just as it is: chaos, horror, death and all.
In that, there is absolutely no hope. But there is opportunity.
Garden of horrors
When you accept that it extends to infinity, you realize that the claustrophobic charnel ground—exactly because there is nowhere else—is a land of total openness and freedom.
You can set off in any direction to explore the scenery. The geography is endlessly varied. There are lakes of fire, rivers of poison, and oceans of blood. There are forests of cannibal trees, and of course the Nameless Lurking Evils at the Mountains of Madness.
So the charnel ground is also a horrifying amusement park. There’s lots to see and do—always something new, in fact.
Instead of trying to escape:
You could have fun compiling an atlas.
You could throw a party. You could invite the zombies. (Just make sure to collect lots of brains first. You wouldn’t want to be a stingy host.)
You could write a geeky identification guide to the many species of demons.
You could grow a garden of poisonous flowers. You could learn alchemy and refine poisonous herbal extracts into magical potions.
You could go talk to the cannibal witches. They’re unusual company. They might eat you, but something else could happen. Romance is possible…
Sooner or later, you’ll die horribly. But you might as well do something interesting in the mean time, not just cower in a corner. Reality is a splatter movie, but it is also an adventure story and a romantic comedy—all at the same time.
Tantra is given to flights of fantasy, because reality is fantastical. Confronted with over-the-top horror in real life, you might as well laugh at the outrageousness of it.
Etcetera
Charnel ground practice has been part of Buddhism from very early on. I’ve written a little about the Sutric (mainstream) approach. Its goal is exactly opposite of tantra’s. The point is to develop “revulsion for samsara.” If you really understood how awful the world is, you’d be sufficiently motivated to escape it. (Whereas, in tantra, you absolutely can’t escape, and even if you could, you shouldn’t want to. It is only in a world of suffering that you can help others.)
In Tibetan Buddhism, the best-known charnel ground practice is chöd. There are several books on chöd, but I can’t really recommend any of them; they are either tediously academic or bizarrely Consensus-y. (Turning a horrifying ritual of demonic human sacrifice into a nice safe brand of psychotherapy is an extraordinary accomplishment. But, seriously, WTF?)
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was the abbot of Surmang monastery, which was famous for chöd practice. As far as I know, he never taught chöd in the West. However, the charnel ground attitude is implicit in many of his books. Giving up all hope of salvation is the central theme in his Crazy Wisdom, for example. In fact, he defines “crazy wisdom” as utter hopelessness (page 10). (Chapter 4 is also explicitly about the charnel ground.)
My website Buddhism For Vampires draws much of its imagery from traditional descriptions of charnel ground practice. If you are into that sort of thing, a good source is Nebesky-Wojkowitz’s Oracles and Demons of Tibet. I particularly loved the description of the palace of Dorje Shugden (pp. 136ff). It’s built from the skulls of demons, ornamented with human hearts and severed heads. Inside there are festoons of wet intestines. Human skins and tiger-hides are stitched together into wall hangings. Everything is dripping with pus and blood. Around the throne, skeletons and zombies dance…