The way to Enlightment

[Guest guest]

On Fri, 24 Sep 1999, Nasir Chang wrote:

>

> Thanks to your kind permission for me to ask any questions, and here is the

> first question from Nasir-ji :-)))

> I got this statement "Buddha was said there are two ways to attain

> Enlightment, there are 'Sutra' and 'Kundalini', if want to attain

> Enlightment in this current life, then must use Kundalini".

> That statement was posted by a man in his Reiki List. And he is the Grand

> Master of Reiki as he gave Reiki Master attunement to some peoples.

> According to him, that statement was based on comment from Dalai Lama and

> other Budhism Master which was wote on books.

> Is that statement true? or do you have any idea or reference about that

> statement? Janpa-ji, what do you say about this? :-)

 

i dont know. i only know what i have been taught, and Tantra is a secret

path, the esoteric path. But in order to clear up a few things....

 

one of the tantric vows is to never say that one cannot attain via the

sutra path, as one can!

 

The Tantric path tho, while it is *fast* it is also *hard*. Kundalini in

tibetan is called rtumm-o, and means the Fierce Woman. The Guyhasamaja and

Kalachakra tantras themselves differ in how they deal with energy stuff.

there is a book out there called "Highest Yoga Tantra" that can explain

the gory details much better than me.

 

Basically Tantra is about transformation. Transforming the obscured body

speech and mind into the body speech and mind of a buddha. So there is all

this reference to Kaya or buddha bodies. dharmakaya is the essence,

samboghakaya is the shadow, and nirmanakaya is the vase. this is my own

wording for this stuff, so forgive me. Dharmakaya is formless, almost

mental. Kind of like mind, but pervading, all things arise from Dharmakaya

and all things dissolve into it too. I may be wrong, i think of it as

Sunyata-ish. Samboghakaya is a rainbow reflection as a dream, without

substance, but seeable. Subtle. Nirmanakaya can dance a jig with you .

Nirmanakaya is the enjoyment body, what we mortals and wierdos can see and

talk with. Svaibakaya, um. i always did forget what this one was exactly.

 

one must also remember Karma. Say one is predisposed from aeons of

following correct views and lifestyles, that this lifetime, no matter

what, they will attain freedom. Do they have to do it via tantra? i dont

know. I personally feel that the slower gradual path will ripen too, and

it will look like one lifetime to an outsider's perspective. Even the

Tantrika has been predisposed due to karma to encounter it this lifetime.

So who can say what "enlightenment in one lifetime" really means.

 

my 2 cents. i also need to ask my guru exactly what the deal is with

reiki's claims to come from tibet. Like i said, the vajrayana vehicle is

also in Japan.....

 

maitri,

 

--janpa

[Guest guest]

On 9/24/99 at 6:34 PM Nasir Chang wrote:

>

>Namaste,

>

>Thanks to your kind permission for me to ask any questions,

and here is the

>first question from Nasir-ji :-)))

>I got this statement "Buddha was said there are two ways to

attain

>Enlightment, there are 'Sutra' and 'Kundalini', if want to

attain

>Enlightment in this current life, then must use Kundalini".

[..]

Indirectly, that statement can be traced to Buddha himself

(according to a book on Buddhist moral and ethics by Ven

Saddhatissa), mentioning the skin becoming purified on two

occasions: on attaining nirvana with substratum and on

attaining nirvana without substratum. Some of those with

active K. will have noticed instances of burning sensations at

chakras; the skin becoming purified means that a such a

burning sensation (very strong, but for a short while) will

expand to the entire skin. So the Buddha was referring to K.,

mentioning one of the side-effects occurring on those

occasions.

 

Note that the Buddha was commenting a memorable event on

attaining nirvana, not enlightenment; the Buddha became

enlightened under the bodhi tree: without any Kundalini

practice, as did Ramana, Patanjali (probably) and many more.

 

Jan

[Guest guest]

Hi Nasirji,

>I got this statement "Buddha was said there are two ways to attain

>Enlightment, there are 'Sutra' and 'Kundalini', if want to attain

>Enlightment in this current life, then must use Kundalini".

>That statement was posted by a man in his Reiki List. And he is the Grand

>Master of Reiki as he gave Reiki Master attunement to some peoples.

>According to him, that statement was based on comment from Dalai Lama and

>other Budhism Master which was wote on books.

>Is that statement true?

 

He was speaking from the standpoint of Tibetan Buddhism, in which there are

a number of traditions or lineages. The various teachings and practices

are classified as either Sutra or Mantra (Tantra). Tantra can be said to

include Sutra and also to consist of practices that are designed to

establish control of the vital energies ("winds"), especially to direct the

wind or cause it to move into the central channel (sushumna), and to use

this wind (Kundalini) for spiritual development and realization, which in

this case includes the transformation of the physical body itself.

 

This man may have called the second way "Kundalini" because the word

"tantra" has become so misunderstood in the West. One of the tantric

methods is Sexual Tantra, but that term has been so widely used to mean

better sex and enhanced orgasm that to many people "tantra" means "sexual

tantra" and that means fantastic sex. That is not what Tantra is about...

it is not even what Sexual Tantra is about.

>or do you have any idea or reference about that statement?

 

I can recommend _Creation and Completion: Essential Points of Tantric

Meditation_ by Jamgon Kongtrul, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 1996. It

includes the English translation, as well as the Tibetan text. Here is the

Foreword:

> The end of this twentieth century is a time when people are extremely

>busy, whether engaged in their work, family, or assimilating a constant

>stream of new information. Finding a place for the practice of Dharma

>within such a complex and demanding world is not always easy, and so there

>is a need for clear, succinct presentations of meditation theory and

>practice.

> This distillation of essence requires the most accomplished master,

>who not only knows deeply a vast range of texts, but has also realized the

>meaning of which they speak. Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye was such a

>master. One of Tibet's greatest scholars, he was also a realized siddha,

>who through his compassionate desire to benefit sentient beings, composed

>this text on the central forms of practice within the vajrayana, the

>generation and completion stages of meditation. There is an almost

>uncountable number of texts dealing with these topics, too many for any

>one person to study or practice, and so this text that summarizes the key

>points is extremely useful. For new students, who do not know where to

>turn, it leads the way along a direct and clear path, and for old

>students, it gathers into one place and codifies the main points of myriad

>explanations.

> Several years ago I suggested to Sarah Harding that she translate

>this composition and I am very glad to see her work brought to completion.

>May it be the cause of immense benefit for sentient beings limitless in

>number.

>

> Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

> September 1995

> Post Box 4017, Kathmandu, Nepal

 

When Rinpoche came here to lecture on the book, the flyer said that he

wrote the Introduction, but the Library of Congress entry says Sarah

Harding wrote it. Here's what is said there on Sutra and Tantra:

>BUDDHISM

>The Buddhist teachings originated in India in the sixth century B.C.E.

>with Gautama, or Shakyamuni Buddha, the prince who renounced his kingdom

>in search of wisdom. After an inner journey of many years, he experienced

>a total awakening or enlightenment, and went on to teach about this

>experience for forty-five years.

> India at that time already had a strong tradition of contemplative

>practice, but these new teachings were unusual not only in content but in

>that they reached across social and religious boundaries in their appeal.

>They offered to everyone equally the possibility of achieving liberation

>through personal effort. During the forty-five years that Buddha

>Shakyamuni traveled around India imparting his profound knowledge, many

>different aspects of it were presented in many different ways to a great

>variety of people. -snip-

>

>THREE TURNINGS OF THE WHEEL OF DHARMA

>

>The First Turning

>The great variety of Buddhist teachings that arose in India over the next

>millennium are classified into the three "Turnings of the Wheel of the

>Dharma." They are all said to originate with the Buddha Shakyamuni during

>different phases of his teachings, at different places, speaking to

>different audiences, sometimes simultaneously to different audiences. In

>the first phase, the Four Noble Truths were emphasized: the truth of

>suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path to its cessation. Since

>the first pair describe the reality of our experience of life - cyclic

>existence (samsara) - and the second pair encompass all the modes of

>transcendence of it (nirvana), there is nothing not included in this

>simple classification. -snip-

> The people who received, practiced, and accomplished the teachings of

>this early phase of Buddhism were called Arhats. This group includes most

>of the earliest disciples. -snip- These teachings developed over time into

>at least eighteen separate schools. Today they are represented by the

>School of the Elders (Theravada), prevalent in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand,

>and Cambodia. This path was later called the "Lesser Vehicle" (Hinayana)

>by other traditions.

>

>The Second Turning

>The second phase of teachings coincided with the wisdom literature, a new

>phase of literature that began to spread between 100 B.C.E. and 100 C.E.

>and continued to develop for centuries. The two great ideas emphasized in

>this phase were emptiness and compassion. -snip-

> The people who received, practiced, and accomplished these teachings

>were called bodhisattvas. -snip- The goal was the full enlightenment of

>all sentient beings, and thus it came to be called the "Great Vehicle" or

>Mahayana.

>

>The Third Turning

>The third phase was again based on these same concepts, but with a further

>development, that of "buddha nature," the inherent potential for

>enlightenment. -snip-

>...Enlightenment then comes to mean the recognition and full realization

>of this true nature of the buddha that one already is.

> The goal is still the liberation of all sentient beings, and so the

>teachings of this Turning belong to the Mahayana, and the practitioners

>are bodhisattvas. The literature connected with this phase as well as with

>the first two Turnings are called sutras, the discourses attributed to

>Buddha Shakyamuni. The idea of buddha nature that developed in this last

>phase is crucial for an understanding of another kind of literature that

>existed in Buddhist India, that of the tantras.

>

>Tantra

>Tantra refers to a special kind of literature of esoteric teachings and

>also to those teachings themselves and their practice. The path of Tantra

>is also called Vajrayana, the "Indestructible Vehicle." Thus it is often

>classified as a third vehicle, although it is actually part of the

>Mahayana since the intention is the liberation of all beings. Another name

>for it is the "Secret Mantra," reflecting the widespread use of special

>sounds and syllables called mantras. There were both Hindu and Buddhist

>tantras in ancient India, and it is unclear how much one influenced the

>other. The Buddhist tantras are said to have been taught by the Buddha

>Shakyamuni manifesting in various forms on specific occasions to special

>groups of adepts. The main emphasis in Buddhist tantras is the natural

>purity or intrinsic perfection of all being. The method for realizing this

>is to cultivate pure vision or sacred outlook at all times. The lifestyle

>tends to emphasize the unconventional in order to break through ordinary

>barriers and personal inhibitions to a non-conceptual understanding of

>true nature. The techniques that are taught in the tantras are the

>visualization of enlightened forms (deities and mandalas), and the

>cultivation of the subtle energies of the psycho-physical body, along with

>the recognition of the ultimate inherent nature. That is to say, the two

>stages of creation and completion that are the subject of the text

>translated here.

>

> BUDDHISM IN TIBET

>

>Buddhism in Tibet and the other Himalayan regions not only preserved all

>of these strands of Buddhist thought without denigration or contradiction,

>but it maintained a tradition of actual practice incorporating all the

>vehicles in an effective way. In addition, it encompassed the practices of

>the native Bon religion already present in Tibet when it first spread

>there, becoming the rich treasure of spiritual wisdom that we still

>benefit from today.

> Buddhism may have entered Tibet as early as the fifth century C.E.,

>but it was during the reign of several religious kings from the seventh to

>ninth centuries that it became the established religion. King Trisong

>Detsen invited the great scholar-monk Shantarak-shita, who founded the

>monastic lineage, and the tantric master Guru Padmasambhava, who brought

>the esoteric teachings of Buddhism and subdued opposition from local

>forces. This First Spreading of the Dharma in Tibet established the

>Nyingma or Ancient School that continues today. After a dark period when

>the anti-Buddhist king Langdharma suppressed the religion, the Later

>Spreading took place in the eleventh century with a new influx of great

>teachers from India and new translations of sacred texts. Eight main

>practice lineages flourished, as well as many smaller ones. Of those, the

>four main schools, which are well-known today, were established: the

>Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug.

> Many great saints and scholars from these traditions have appeared

>continuously in the Himalayan regions and have contributed richly to the

>great treasury of Buddhist literature that had been brought from India and

>translated into Tibetan.

> In terms of practical application, many Tibetan scholars, such as

>Jamgon Kongtrul, have simply classified all those teachings and practices

>into the two approaches of Sutra and Mantra, representing, roughly,

>exoteric and esoteric. The Sutra approach encompasses the general methods

>and ideas expressed in the Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma. In our

>text, Kongtrul summarizes that approach with the famous verse:

>

> Doing no unvirtuous deed whatsoever,

> Engaging in prolific virtuous activity,

> Completely controlling one's own mind

> This is the teaching of the Buddha.

>

> The approach of Mantra (Secret Mantra Vehicle) or Tantric Buddhism

>is basically the two stages of creation and completion. But to try to

>practice them without the ethical foundation and mental control gained

>through the Sutra approach is considered useless, at best. Kongtrul thus

>advises us in this small meditation guide on ways to practice all of the

>characteristic methods of both approaches. He summarizes them into three

>techniques for dealing with the afflictive emotions: rejection,

>transformation, and recognition (spang bsgyur shes gsum). Describing

>techniques for dealing with emotions that would interfere with the

>meditation process, these three techniques clearly correspond to the three

>phases of teachings described above as the Three Turnings. Rejection of

>afflictive emotion reinforces the attitude of renunciation so important in

>the First Turning teachings. The Second Turning teachings are applied in

>transforming so-called negative states into conducive conditions on the

>spiritual path through meditations based on compassion and the realization

>of emptiness. Finally, recognition of one's own true nature, which is

>intrinsically pure and pervasive even within one's affects, represents the

>ideas of buddha nature expressed in the Third Turning as they are applied

>in the practices of Secret Mantra. In Tibetan Buddhism this involves

>primarily meditation using visualized forms representing the awakened

>mind: the deities and mandalas.

>snip<

>

> One last clarification about the term itself: completion stage

>actually has two applications, and this could cause some confusion. In the

>context of this present teaching, it is the second of the two stages of

>deity practice, and usually corresponds to the actual dissolution of the

>visualization, where mind rests without contrivance in its own nature.

>Since this is ideally the ultimate realization, the term may take on a

>very expansive meaning.

> The other use of the term is in describing a different series of

>meditation practices more commonly known as yogas (rnal 'byor), which

>involve working with the channels, chakras, seminal drops, and vital winds

>in the psycho-physical body. This includes such well-known practices as

>Mystic Heat (tum mo), Ejection of Consciousness ('pho ba), and Dream Yoga

>(rmi Iam), as well as techniques practiced with a partner to develop and

>deploy the sexual energy (phyag rgya). These are all called completion

>stage practices. Some of these prac tices are mentioned briefly toward the

>end of the text. Since they involve a considerable amount of technique,

>including extensive visualization, it is not immediately apparent where

>the connection is with the formless, uncontrived apprehension of the

>natural state that is also called completion stage in deity practice. They

>are, however, related.

> According to the teachings of Vajrayana, there is an intimate

>relationship between the mind and the movement of vital energy or "wind"

>in the body. It is said that the mind rides the wind, or that mind and

>wind are inseparable. This can be noticed when calm abiding is stabilized.

>When the ultimate realization of true nature takes place, what happens on

>the psycho-physical level is that the wind enters the central channel (dbu

>ma, Skt. avadhuti), the main artery of movement of energy in the body. On

>the other hand, a practitioner may choose to work at it from the other

>side. That is, to cultivate these energies purposefully and cause the wind

>to enter the central channel through various physical techniques,

>spontaneously bringing about realization.

> The first approach is termed the Path of Liberation ('grol lam) and

>the second the Path of Method (thabs Iam). The first is the direct

>approach of recognizing mind nature, already described in the previous

>discussion of completion stage. Although it may seem more direct and, to

>some people, more attractive, it is evasive and difficult. It is one of

>the skillful methods of tantra to work first with the physical energies of

>the body, for there the mind will follow. The well-known yogi Milarepa was

>an example of a practitioner of this path. But generally one practices

>both, often in conjunction, and since the goal is the same they are

>mutually supportive. This is the relationship, therefore, between the two

>uses of the term, and one need only be informed of which method, form or

>formless, is under discussion.

[Guest guest]

Help!

Is this the way to Enlightenment?

Makes me feel sorry for Enlightenment,

makes it so far off.......

all those turns........

when it is always here and nowhere else......

 

Love always,

 

Mira

 

 

 

http://welcome.to/mirror

 

 

 

> Dharma <fisher1

>

> Hi Nasirji,

>

> >I got this statement "Buddha was said there are two ways to attain

> >Enlightment, there are 'Sutra' and 'Kundalini', if want to attain

> >Enlightment in this current life, then must use Kundalini".

> >That statement was posted by a man in his Reiki List. And he is the Grand

> >Master of Reiki as he gave Reiki Master attunement to some peoples.

> >According to him, that statement was based on comment from Dalai Lama and

> >other Budhism Master which was wote on books.

> >Is that statement true?

>

> He was speaking from the standpoint of Tibetan Buddhism, in which there

are

> a number of traditions or lineages. The various teachings and practices

> are classified as either Sutra or Mantra (Tantra). Tantra can be said to

> include Sutra and also to consist of practices that are designed to

> establish control of the vital energies ("winds"), especially to direct

the

> wind or cause it to move into the central channel (sushumna), and to use

> this wind (Kundalini) for spiritual development and realization, which in

> this case includes the transformation of the physical body itself.

>

> This man may have called the second way "Kundalini" because the word

> "tantra" has become so misunderstood in the West. One of the tantric

> methods is Sexual Tantra, but that term has been so widely used to mean

> better sex and enhanced orgasm that to many people "tantra" means "sexual

> tantra" and that means fantastic sex. That is not what Tantra is about...

> it is not even what Sexual Tantra is about.

>

> >or do you have any idea or reference about that statement?

>

> I can recommend _Creation and Completion: Essential Points of Tantric

> Meditation_ by Jamgon Kongtrul, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 1996. It

> includes the English translation, as well as the Tibetan text. Here is

the

> Foreword:

>

> > The end of this twentieth century is a time when people are extremely

> >busy, whether engaged in their work, family, or assimilating a constant

> >stream of new information. Finding a place for the practice of Dharma

> >within such a complex and demanding world is not always easy, and so

there

> >is a need for clear, succinct presentations of meditation theory and

> >practice.

> > This distillation of essence requires the most accomplished master,

> >who not only knows deeply a vast range of texts, but has also realized

the

> >meaning of which they speak. Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye was such a

> >master. One of Tibet's greatest scholars, he was also a realized siddha,

> >who through his compassionate desire to benefit sentient beings, composed

> >this text on the central forms of practice within the vajrayana, the

> >generation and completion stages of meditation. There is an almost

> >uncountable number of texts dealing with these topics, too many for any

> >one person to study or practice, and so this text that summarizes the key

> >points is extremely useful. For new students, who do not know where to

> >turn, it leads the way along a direct and clear path, and for old

> >students, it gathers into one place and codifies the main points of

myriad

> >explanations.

> > Several years ago I suggested to Sarah Harding that she translate

> >this composition and I am very glad to see her work brought to

completion.

> >May it be the cause of immense benefit for sentient beings limitless in

> >number.

> >

> > Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

> > September 1995

> > Post Box 4017, Kathmandu, Nepal

>

> When Rinpoche came here to lecture on the book, the flyer said that he

> wrote the Introduction, but the Library of Congress entry says Sarah

> Harding wrote it. Here's what is said there on Sutra and Tantra:

>

> >BUDDHISM

> >The Buddhist teachings originated in India in the sixth century B.C.E.

> >with Gautama, or Shakyamuni Buddha, the prince who renounced his kingdom

> >in search of wisdom. After an inner journey of many years, he experienced

> >a total awakening or enlightenment, and went on to teach about this

> >experience for forty-five years.

> > India at that time already had a strong tradition of contemplative

> >practice, but these new teachings were unusual not only in content but in

> >that they reached across social and religious boundaries in their appeal.

> >They offered to everyone equally the possibility of achieving liberation

> >through personal effort. During the forty-five years that Buddha

> >Shakyamuni traveled around India imparting his profound knowledge, many

> >different aspects of it were presented in many different ways to a great

> >variety of people. -snip-

> >

> >THREE TURNINGS OF THE WHEEL OF DHARMA

> >

> >The First Turning

> >The great variety of Buddhist teachings that arose in India over the next

> >millennium are classified into the three "Turnings of the Wheel of the

> >Dharma." They are all said to originate with the Buddha Shakyamuni during

> >different phases of his teachings, at different places, speaking to

> >different audiences, sometimes simultaneously to different audiences. In

> >the first phase, the Four Noble Truths were emphasized: the truth of

> >suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path to its cessation. Since

> >the first pair describe the reality of our experience of life - cyclic

> >existence (samsara) - and the second pair encompass all the modes of

> >transcendence of it (nirvana), there is nothing not included in this

> >simple classification. -snip-

> > The people who received, practiced, and accomplished the teachings

of

> >this early phase of Buddhism were called Arhats. This group includes most

> >of the earliest disciples. -snip- These teachings developed over time

into

> >at least eighteen separate schools. Today they are represented by the

> >School of the Elders (Theravada), prevalent in Sri Lanka, Burma,

Thailand,

> >and Cambodia. This path was later called the "Lesser Vehicle" (Hinayana)

> >by other traditions.

> >

> >The Second Turning

> >The second phase of teachings coincided with the wisdom literature, a new

> >phase of literature that began to spread between 100 B.C.E. and 100 C.E.

> >and continued to develop for centuries. The two great ideas emphasized in

> >this phase were emptiness and compassion. -snip-

> > The people who received, practiced, and accomplished these

teachings

> >were called bodhisattvas. -snip- The goal was the full enlightenment of

> >all sentient beings, and thus it came to be called the "Great Vehicle" or

> >Mahayana.

> >

> >The Third Turning

> >The third phase was again based on these same concepts, but with a

further

> >development, that of "buddha nature," the inherent potential for

> >enlightenment. -snip-

> >...Enlightenment then comes to mean the recognition and full realization

> >of this true nature of the buddha that one already is.

> > The goal is still the liberation of all sentient beings, and so

the

> >teachings of this Turning belong to the Mahayana, and the practitioners

> >are bodhisattvas. The literature connected with this phase as well as

with

> >the first two Turnings are called sutras, the discourses attributed to

> >Buddha Shakyamuni. The idea of buddha nature that developed in this last

> >phase is crucial for an understanding of another kind of literature that

> >existed in Buddhist India, that of the tantras.

> >

> >Tantra

> >Tantra refers to a special kind of literature of esoteric teachings and

> >also to those teachings themselves and their practice. The path of Tantra

> >is also called Vajrayana, the "Indestructible Vehicle." Thus it is often

> >classified as a third vehicle, although it is actually part of the

> >Mahayana since the intention is the liberation of all beings. Another

name

> >for it is the "Secret Mantra," reflecting the widespread use of special

> >sounds and syllables called mantras. There were both Hindu and Buddhist

> >tantras in ancient India, and it is unclear how much one influenced the

> >other. The Buddhist tantras are said to have been taught by the Buddha

> >Shakyamuni manifesting in various forms on specific occasions to special

> >groups of adepts. The main emphasis in Buddhist tantras is the natural

> >purity or intrinsic perfection of all being. The method for realizing

this

> >is to cultivate pure vision or sacred outlook at all times. The lifestyle

> >tends to emphasize the unconventional in order to break through ordinary

> >barriers and personal inhibitions to a non-conceptual understanding of

> >true nature. The techniques that are taught in the tantras are the

> >visualization of enlightened forms (deities and mandalas), and the

> >cultivation of the subtle energies of the psycho-physical body, along

with

> >the recognition of the ultimate inherent nature. That is to say, the two

> >stages of creation and completion that are the subject of the text

> >translated here.

> >

> > BUDDHISM IN TIBET

> >

> >Buddhism in Tibet and the other Himalayan regions not only preserved all

> >of these strands of Buddhist thought without denigration or

contradiction,

> >but it maintained a tradition of actual practice incorporating all the

> >vehicles in an effective way. In addition, it encompassed the practices

of

> >the native Bon religion already present in Tibet when it first spread

> >there, becoming the rich treasure of spiritual wisdom that we still

> >benefit from today.

> > Buddhism may have entered Tibet as early as the fifth century C.E.,

> >but it was during the reign of several religious kings from the seventh

to

> >ninth centuries that it became the established religion. King Trisong

> >Detsen invited the great scholar-monk Shantarak-shita, who founded the

> >monastic lineage, and the tantric master Guru Padmasambhava, who brought

> >the esoteric teachings of Buddhism and subdued opposition from local

> >forces. This First Spreading of the Dharma in Tibet established the

> >Nyingma or Ancient School that continues today. After a dark period when

> >the anti-Buddhist king Langdharma suppressed the religion, the Later

> >Spreading took place in the eleventh century with a new influx of great

> >teachers from India and new translations of sacred texts. Eight main

> >practice lineages flourished, as well as many smaller ones. Of those, the

> >four main schools, which are well-known today, were established: the

> >Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug.

> > Many great saints and scholars from these traditions have appeared

> >continuously in the Himalayan regions and have contributed richly to the

> >great treasury of Buddhist literature that had been brought from India

and

> >translated into Tibetan.

> > In terms of practical application, many Tibetan scholars, such as

> >Jamgon Kongtrul, have simply classified all those teachings and practices

> >into the two approaches of Sutra and Mantra, representing, roughly,

> >exoteric and esoteric. The Sutra approach encompasses the general methods

> >and ideas expressed in the Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma. In our

> >text, Kongtrul summarizes that approach with the famous verse:

> >

> > Doing no unvirtuous deed whatsoever,

> > Engaging in prolific virtuous activity,

> > Completely controlling one's own mind

> > This is the teaching of the Buddha.

> >

> > The approach of Mantra (Secret Mantra Vehicle) or Tantric Buddhism

> >is basically the two stages of creation and completion. But to try to

> >practice them without the ethical foundation and mental control gained

> >through the Sutra approach is considered useless, at best. Kongtrul thus

> >advises us in this small meditation guide on ways to practice all of the

> >characteristic methods of both approaches. He summarizes them into three

> >techniques for dealing with the afflictive emotions: rejection,

> >transformation, and recognition (spang bsgyur shes gsum). Describing

> >techniques for dealing with emotions that would interfere with the

> >meditation process, these three techniques clearly correspond to the

three

> >phases of teachings described above as the Three Turnings. Rejection of

> >afflictive emotion reinforces the attitude of renunciation so important

in

> >the First Turning teachings. The Second Turning teachings are applied in

> >transforming so-called negative states into conducive conditions on the

> >spiritual path through meditations based on compassion and the

realization

> >of emptiness. Finally, recognition of one's own true nature, which is

> >intrinsically pure and pervasive even within one's affects, represents

the

> >ideas of buddha nature expressed in the Third Turning as they are applied

> >in the practices of Secret Mantra. In Tibetan Buddhism this involves

> >primarily meditation using visualized forms representing the awakened

> >mind: the deities and mandalas.

> >snip<

> >

> > One last clarification about the term itself: completion stage

> >actually has two applications, and this could cause some confusion. In

the

> >context of this present teaching, it is the second of the two stages of

> >deity practice, and usually corresponds to the actual dissolution of the

> >visualization, where mind rests without contrivance in its own nature.

> >Since this is ideally the ultimate realization, the term may take on a

> >very expansive meaning.

> > The other use of the term is in describing a different series of

> >meditation practices more commonly known as yogas (rnal 'byor), which

> >involve working with the channels, chakras, seminal drops, and vital

winds

> >in the psycho-physical body. This includes such well-known practices as

> >Mystic Heat (tum mo), Ejection of Consciousness ('pho ba), and Dream Yoga

> >(rmi Iam), as well as techniques practiced with a partner to develop and

> >deploy the sexual energy (phyag rgya). These are all called completion

> >stage practices. Some of these prac tices are mentioned briefly toward

the

> >end of the text. Since they involve a considerable amount of technique,

> >including extensive visualization, it is not immediately apparent where

> >the connection is with the formless, uncontrived apprehension of the

> >natural state that is also called completion stage in deity practice.

They

> >are, however, related.

> > According to the teachings of Vajrayana, there is an intimate

> >relationship between the mind and the movement of vital energy or "wind"

> >in the body. It is said that the mind rides the wind, or that mind and

> >wind are inseparable. This can be noticed when calm abiding is

stabilized.

> >When the ultimate realization of true nature takes place, what happens on

> >the psycho-physical level is that the wind enters the central channel

(dbu

> >ma, Skt. avadhuti), the main artery of movement of energy in the body. On

> >the other hand, a practitioner may choose to work at it from the other

> >side. That is, to cultivate these energies purposefully and cause the

wind

> >to enter the central channel through various physical techniques,

> >spontaneously bringing about realization.

> > The first approach is termed the Path of Liberation ('grol lam) and

> >the second the Path of Method (thabs Iam). The first is the direct

> >approach of recognizing mind nature, already described in the previous

> >discussion of completion stage. Although it may seem more direct and, to

> >some people, more attractive, it is evasive and difficult. It is one of

> >the skillful methods of tantra to work first with the physical energies

of

> >the body, for there the mind will follow. The well-known yogi Milarepa

was

> >an example of a practitioner of this path. But generally one practices

> >both, often in conjunction, and since the goal is the same they are

> >mutually supportive. This is the relationship, therefore, between the two

> >uses of the term, and one need only be informed of which method, form or

> >formless, is under discussion.

>

> > All paths go somewhere. No path goes nowhere. Nowhere is Now Here. All

paths, places, and sights and perceptions exist only in the Space of

Awareness. Awareness does not come and go but is always Here. You are not

"in" the now. You Are the Now! Here is Home. Home is where True Rest Is.

Home is where the Heart Is. It is the Seer resting in the Seer, the

Self-Nature, the Buddha Nature, or call it what you will. The Radical Truth

is Radiance of Awareness. It is both the path, process, and the goal. It is

Finality of Being without any support. It is Total Independence and Ever

Present. The Truth of the Self needs no psychological or spiritual crutches.

It needs no philosophy, no religion, no explanation, no teaching, and no

teacher, and yet It is always their support. A true devotee relishes in the

Truth. The Truth of Self-Knowledge which is Pure Intelligence. Welcome all

to a.

[Guest guest]

Hello Mira,

>Help!

>Is this the way to Enlightenment?

>Makes me feel sorry for Enlightenment,

>makes it so far off.......

>all those turns........

>when it is always here and nowhere else......

 

This sounds very Buddhist. ) So what bothers you about discussing the

various traditions within Buddhism?

 

Love,

Dharma

[Guest guest]

Dear Master Dharmaji,

> Dharma <fisher1

>

> Hi Nasirji,

> He was speaking from the standpoint of Tibetan Buddhism, in which there

> are

> a number of traditions or lineages.

>

Thanks for the explaination and the story.

It was a very long story, i don't think my mind could remember it, so i just

scroll it down slowly and ask my higher self to read and record it :-)

 

>Is this the way to Enlightenment?

>Makes me feel sorry for Enlightenment,

>makes it so far off.......

>all those turns........

>when it is always here and nowhere else......

>

>Love always,

>

>Mira

 

Hi Mirror,

 

I have an idea for you, just facing you front side to the text, then all the

text will be inside you :-) althought it's just a reflection...:-)

Note: Only clean Mirror could work well.......:-) are clean enough???Lol

 

With Love,

Nasir