Dakini's Whisper Monthly Journal - November 2022 |
|
|
Practicing in the Charnel Ground Chaos and Freedom |
|
|
(the artwork above by Laura Santi ) |
|
|
"Like the sky, without hopes and fears, Relax without indulging hopes and fears. Like the sky, without clinging to self, Do not cling to a self; give up attachment. Leave your body as a corpse Leave it without an owner Leave your mind as space Leave it with no reference point" - Excerpt from Machik's "Scattered Teachings" |
|
|
INTRODUCTION “Uttering the thunderous sound of PE!” I arrive and take my seat in the charnel ground, though in truth, I know I am not really arriving here. I have been here all along. It’s just that I have used all my energy to turn away from it - this place where no one wants to go, this experience we all want to wish away, this knowing of the futility of it all. Disturbing, daunting, agitating, confusing, and horrifically uncomfortable, I approach and sit. Khandro-la teaches us "there are many ways to talk about and experience this charnel ground.” I see that just recognizing it is shockingly powerful! Then resting in the midst of the horror and chaos, human bone ornaments rise up and begin their dance, a magical dance. The tremendous energy of bewildering bedlam swirls all around me. A crow in the sky above screeches a loud, “caw, caw,” and from her beak, a mirror drops into my hand. Now, suddenly I see my own face. And then I see yours too. Dakini’s Whisper welcomes you here into the charnel ground, this “dojo” for practitioners as Khandro-la calls it, the only place where this is possible – the only place where chaos can morph into wisdom at the sound of a crow’s caw. - Ellen (Yeshe Wagmo), DW Team "What if we can relax in this charnel ground where all expectations and hopes are gone, all projections are stripped away, and all concepts are dissolved? What if we surrender to innate purity and perfection of our true nature?" - Choying Khandro |
|
|
KHANDRO-LA'S CORNER Welcome to the Charnel Ground |
|
|
"See for yourself that on the path of life and death, The live person is completely inside the dead person." - Choying Khandro |
|
|
Let’s get in touch with what the charnel ground feels like for each of us through this short meditation. See if you can bring the entirety of your being; show up, just as you are. We are living in the external charnel ground. As a human citizen, connect to this melting pot of confusion and chaos. Also, really see the wisdom in that charnel ground, the possibility of awakening in this exact same charnel ground. What’s your relationship to this external charnel ground? Now look at your own internal charnel ground, the body, conditioned with its vulnerabilities, changing moment to moment. It eventually decays and becomes compost, back to the earth, recycled. How much attachment do you have to this physical body which is so ephemeral? Can you find freedom in this charnel ground by releasing attachment to changing phenomena? And now, your subtle body…see if you can go a little deeper. Bring your attention to the lower gate. See if you can feel into that chakra that holds the charnel ground of fear. Feel into the second chakra, the lower belly - the debris of unmet needs, unacknowledged emotions, unfulfilled fantasies, and longings - the disowned part of yourself. See if you can rest in that experience. It’s all wisdom in disguise. RESOURCES Watch more videos and read more related to this subject. Khandro-la’s article in Lion’s Roar Magazine on “Welcome to the Charnel Ground.” Khandro-la’s Youtube teachings on the charnel ground: Charnel Ground Dialogue - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEvCCVx-Rw0 Buddha’s Charnel Ground Teaching - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlsuiZeqtqI Teachings on the Charnel Ground - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppoH7ApZAAs Go To Your Charnel Ground - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxaGFvLWDGs Invitation to Healing Cho in the Charnel Ground - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6prg5TLZz8 |
|
|
Cho in the Intensity of this Moment [Student:] My question is about Cho practice in the intensity of this moment and how it speaks to all that we're experiencing right now. [Khandro-la:] In a sense, this Cho practice is a practice of this moment, this time. The inner offering of our body, which we are most attached to, we offer. A lot may be surfacing, all these unprocessed feelings and emotions. We might say, “I thought I already went over that! You again?!” But this is a Cho practice, right? We welcome that; we don't shove it into the closet. We bring some sense of a realization of the core of what and who we are. We think this ego, this small, separate self here, is who and what we are. That gets you in trouble. We need to practice with both the ultimate and the relative reality. They are two sides of the same coin. So we don't want to drop any side of it. If we go with only the ultimate reality, then we're bypassing, so-called spiritual bypassing. The juicy part of the human condition, human life, the charnel ground, is manure for transformation. This is Cho practice, right here, right now, at this moment. Advice for Going to the Charnel Ground [Student]: How about advice for when you are going into the charnel ground and dealing with your issues, whatever they may be? Is it a practice of letting go? [Khandro-la]: There are many approaches that Buddhism presents. Here, specifically focusing on the Dakini teaching, “Dakini wisdom of devastation,” that points out the wisdom of emptiness, wisdom of ultimate truth. It’s different from letting go. Letting go and pushing away is different as well, right? First, you could be avoiding, not looking. You’ve had that experience? The second approach could be transforming or thinking about it, and then trying to change it somehow, mentally. “Okay, this happened, this is karma, what can I do? Just let go?” And what else? We can directly rest in the energy If something is coming up, strong emotions, feelings, grief, just allow or even welcome it, like an ocean wave coming up. Directly rest, and see if you can see the nature of it. It’s just energy. It’s empty. Dakini is pointing out that it’s empty appearances. This is an opportunity to look deeply into this kind of thing instead of missing the opportunity by either pushing it away, drowning completely or bringing in the storyline and getting caught up with it. Look at the Dakinis, completely naked, and sometimes very fierce. You need the courage to do that; become courageous. The Four Ways to Walk to the Charnel Ground [Student:] Do you have some advice for going to the charnel ground? [Khandro-la:] Kyabje Pabongkha Dechen Nyingpo (1878-1941), composer of our Ganden Ear-Whispered Lineage Cho practice, Dedicating the Illusory Body As a Feast Offering, tells us how to approach these charnel grounds. We go “by the four ways of walking.” We are not approaching the charnel ground as some ordinary human schmuck who has shyness or timidity! Walk like a Brave Tiger! Fearless, courageous and with joyful confidence, I come. Walk like a Yogini’s Heel Step. I enter the charnel ground with a playful and delightful attitude— hopping, skipping, joyful! Walk like the Coiling Black Snake. Crawling on the ground, I go, coiling into the charnel ground, quietly, secretively, and perhaps, shockingly. Walk like the Dakini’s Dance. I dance like a Dakini! If you were a Dakini, how would you dance your way there? That is how we enter the charnel grounds. Fully integrating these four ways of walking into the most fearful place. Imagine that you have finally arrived. How do you embody all of them in your life and practice? |
|
|
DW STUDENTS’ REFLECTIONS What does the charnel ground mean to you? How do you walk through it? How do you move in it? How does it dissolve into you or you into it? |
|
|
“Without relating with this basic charnel ground, there is no other way. You might ask, ‘Isn't there a cleaner, more respectable place you can build?’ Doesn't seem to be.” - Trungpa Rinpoche |
|
|
Subtle body mandalas emerge from a Charnel Ground in the sand, Artwork above by Shona W. Everyday Life Charnel Ground A while ago I made this image by carving two meandering lines through the layer of discarded waste deposited onto the beach from storms. It was playing in the charnel ground of the beach - not a particularly pretty place. I make artworks in Nature, using what I find available to me at different times and locations - in everyday life. Everyday life is for me The Charnel Ground, the practice and challenge of transforming the 'ordinary appearance' of life into 'non-ordinary' awakened activity. Occasionally this transformation happens when I am creating artwork with Nature, actively, and creatively engaging with whatever is here or there. This artwork in particular was such a profound and visceral experience and teaching. I had no idea what would emerge from that interaction with detritus on the beach, surrendering to the process of play, such beauty arose. It was quite magical and wonderful. The Dakini showed herself. - Shona W. Revolving Layers of Charnel Ground I used to view the charnel ground as a singular place that swirled around me externally. As I fought against the layers of inner and secret, the outer layer became a groundless place and I was forced inside. Through learning how to embody practice from my subtle body, I was able to find the confidence to dig into the inner layers of myself where there too, I found a groundless state. And yet, I could not feel more supported within myself to be able to practice the wisdom I feel that blossoms around me the more and more I dissolve into the revolving layers of my personal charnel grounds. They too dissolve into me revealing the answers to the questions my subtle body unlocks, and I am grateful for the journey. - Kate T. Charnel Ground Fires of Timeless Awareness Through sadhana practice, I enter the charnel ground fires of timeless awareness. These fires burn obscurations that separate my identity from the purity of the essence of all phenomena. I have all the ego-clinging faults of the eight worldly concerns, yet I seem the most stuck in early childhood feelings of abandonment and lack of love and support. These were and are overwhelming feelings, yet their continuous arisings give me opportunities to see, hear, and feel the truth of my existence. These intense feelings of despair timidly move me into the charnel grounds. As I allow these feelings to be seen and felt, they slowly dissolve into emptiness, a deep respite if only for a few minutes. After offerings, prayers and requests to Awakened Beings, I rest in this felt sense of quiet dissolution—naked, aware, and joyfully grateful for this glimpse that is available to all. How wonderful! May all beings experience the wonder of the charnel grounds. - Betty O. |
|
|
Artwork Above by Yen Chua Bodhisattvas Are Born Here Seen from a distance, the charnel ground appears strangely enticing. There is a yearning to go where others won't, to wade into what's normally rejected or buried, to really know: who am I, if unceremoniously stripped of everything I cling to as "me"? There is no place as uncompromising and direct for this than the charnel ground. I approach, casting some things aside as I go. But it's a different story once I'm there. Somehow, I crossed the border into the charnel ground before I realized I was doing so. All at once, I am assaulted. The belongings I chose not to leave behind on my way in were ripped from my hands. My once unstoppable body quite suddenly decides it can't fight anymore. I am disoriented in the dark, spinning in circles of fear, despair, rage, and blame. I feel I am the only one who suffers as I do. So unfair, I complain. Eventually, I discuss it with the demons, who turn out to be good teachers with wisdom to share. They remind me that I asked for this. Bodhisattvas are born here, not elsewhere. I begin to relax into the possibility that there is infinite freedom to be found in this place. I know there are more stormy nights to come. But I can see in the dark; it feels less like walls closing in and more like space. The charnel ground starts to look different if you accept it as home. - Amanda S.
Thankful to Gods and Demons I am so thankful to feed these gods and demons of mine to release myself and all others from responsibility for my feelings and to walk these latter years of life in union with all aspects of self and others, hopefully gracefully and with much gratitude. - Betty O. |
|
|
Artwork Above by Yen Chua Navigating the Eight Great Charnel Grounds (Heruka and Vajrayogini Practice) The Eight Great Charnel Grounds are not widely taught or even mentioned in commentaries or other lineage sadhanas. The significance of that omission is a focal point because we here with precious human lives are literally plunked down into one of them. Our prayers to Vajrayogini ask Her to use us in any way to help sentient beings and so, when in each of the Eight Great Charnel Grounds we see Yoginis, Chodmas, and Tantrikas manifesting in various forms at different times, we realize that is us! It would go against the idea of impermanence if we looked at one of the charnel grounds and said, “This is my home,” because all eight should be recognized as a home to us. Home is where we live and thrive all in our comforts and as we venture out into the charnel ground, we see the womb-birthers, the eagles, emanations we can feel but cannot see – and then there are the other dharma practitioners whose light recognizes our own beacon. We are the lighthouses Khandro-la teaches us to be for all the beings weaving in and out of the charnel ground at any given time, where we too weave in and out! Within each of the Eight Great Charnel Grounds, there are a few treasures to be found that separate one from another but in essence, we have a tree to sit down under in the shadow of a mountain and in the cool breeze coming off the lake, we smell the different flavors of the Guardian and catch glimpses of the flesh-eating spirits. The treasures we find within the charnel ground are outer, inner, and secret facets of the next layer of our own outer, inner, and secret charnel ground. The whole of the layers is the groundless confirmation of our path that weaves in and out as we follow the brightest beacon of all – Vajrayogini, who makes up every molecule, every breath, and is the very essence of the Eight Great Charnel Grounds - Kate T. |
|
|
ANCIENT SAGE, ANCIENT WISDOM Mandarava (8th century) “A frightful environment such as this is the catalyst for a practitioner’s true practice to emerge. Adverse conditions are the true wealth of a practitioner. A frightening, uncomfortable place is the knife that severs discursive thought" - Mandarava |
|
|
Mandarava is the Secret Primordial Wisdom Dakini that leads the way for us through the great charnel grounds of life, a beacon illuminating the Dakini’s footsteps into the charnel ground. There is great power in realizing that Mandarava started out just as human as we are and that once she was able to practice the Dharma freely, accomplished profound realizations to manifest herself into what each sentient being needed for their own liberation. As one of the two principal consorts of the great 8th-century Indian Vajrayana teacher Padmasambhava, Mandarava was a fully realized spiritual adept, yogini, and spiritual teacher. Firmly set on a life of renunciation, she avoided an arranged marriage and took monastic ordination along with her five hundred attendants. Mandarava’s story comes out of India where we meet her fighting to live an authentic life and in the process of self-cultivation, she hones in on her own phenomena as well. Within one charnel ground, Mandarava sings songs to the demons and elementals stomping and screaming around her – the same melodies we sing today to do the same in our own charnel grounds. When Mandarava realizes some of them aren’t listening, she moves to rise up as a blazing, fierce female of wrath that turns everything to ash around them! In another charnel ground, Mandarava gives us Simhamukha and turns the cannibals into rainbow bodies to liberate them! Each Wisdom Dakini has Her own unique flavor of what She brings to the table, and Mandarava’s contribution is going from charnel ground to charnel ground until her end. On her deathbed, Mandarava lovingly spoke to her followers who were lamenting her impending death and promised to always appear in symbolic visions to continue to help them in samsara. The charnel ground – outer, inner, and secret within each of the three kayas – was Mandarava’s home and our nature of mind is never separate from Her in the state of nondual bliss as we too build our home there. "Examine your own mind, to see how you have squandered your lives on your needs and desires. Thoughtless maidens, get hold of your minds!" - From "The Lives and Liberation of Princess Mandarava" |
|
|
DW End-Of-The-Year Online Intensive TRUL-KOR "MAGIC WHEEL" Transmission, Oral Instructions & Practice From the Ear-Whispered Lineage Sunday, December 17, 1-5:30 pm, PST (Registration Required by December 10) The movement and posture, known as TSA LUNG TRUL KOR, “magical movements of channels and energy wind currents,” works directly with the subtle body, and has been passed on discreetly and directly from master to disciple. MAGIC WHEEL will bring together breath work, visualization, mantra chanting, meditation, and human heart qualities to come to a deeper understanding of the nature of body and mind. We will also learn the theoretical aspect or the view of this profound practice. These precious teachings will give us a precise map of the body's inner landscape, as we move into inner yoga while maintaining relaxation during movement. This sequence of TRUL-KOR exercises is a perfect complement to the Three-Month Householders' Retreat in Dakini's Whisper community. Open to All Physical abilities. Open to all DW Members or non-members with Tantric Vows.
Please register in advance by completing the form here. Free of charge for Sponsor Members (donations are welcome and appreciated)
|
|
|
|
|
