Adopting a Monastic Life
I have discovered a little secret which highlights the importance of contemplating on emptiness before a Tantric practitioner begins his or her cultivation practice. As long as you still your thoughts and empty them, absorbed in this state for one split moment, the spiritual current from the Cosmic Consciousness shall empower you, flowing into your body and mind.
My personal experience on the procedure of this practice goes like this. I first imagine myself sitting on an eight-petalled lotus throne and a luminous moon disc appears before me. Following this, I recite the Contemplation of Emptiness Mantra (the Purification of Three karmas Mantra):
OM SOBHAWA SHUDDHA SARWA DHARMA SOBHAWA SHUDDHO HAM (Recite 5 times) Visualize the moon disc expanding until it is immeasurably massive. I am merged with the pure moon disc. Everything becomes emptiness.
At this moment of emptiness, the spiritual light current flows into my body and mind, filling my being, which at once responds with the eight sensations:
A tinkling sensation - The body experiences a tinkling sensation. An itchy sensation - It feels like having insects crawling all over one's body, resulting in an itchy feeling. A light sensation - The body feels as light as a moving cloud. A heavy sensation - The body weighs like an immovable mountain. A cold sensation - the body feels as cold as water, yet as refreshing as ice. A warm sensation - The body feels like it is on fire, yet it is comfortably warm. A rigid sensation - The body firms up like wooden planks. A slippery sensation - The body feels as slippery as grease.
This is why, when I say that when you cultivate one session of practice, it is as good as receiving an empowerment from the pure spiritual current of the universe. This is tantamount to having a union with the spiritual current where you merge into it and kindle an exchange and interaction with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
This Contemplation of Emptiness is the first secret of Yoga Tantra.
