Many Paths: Tibetan Buddhism - class notes - May 28 2006

Pre-class Discussion:

James: We are in our second week of Many Paths, where we touch on a different tradition of meditation each week.
Grace: very exciting for me. This week we are going to continue with another buddhist tradition, Tibetan Buddhism, and a visualization meditation in that tradition.
Sun: smiles
Grace: great :)
James: We usually chat for the first 10 minutes, about meditation or anything related.
Rohr: nice
James: Last week we covered Vipasanna, or Insight Meditation. However, at the end we just did a normal meditation.
Grace: that was a great topic... very good for me, at least
James: This week the meditation will be specific to this tradition.
Rohr: very nice
James: We have a web site with summaries, but I see it has not been updated for last week yet. We did 8 weeks on basic meditation, and another 8 weeks on Chakras.. that is all posted if you want to browse through it.http://meditationpaths.blogspot.com/Meditation Paths
Grace: brb
Rohr: thank u im familiar
James: Does anyone have any questions or comments at this time? or questionable comments? oook
Rohr: what can the one be reduced to
James: Tibetan Buddhism: the one what?
Sun: does this have to do with a rinpoche? i really liked some of pima chadrons meditations
April: Pema Chodran?
James: Its related.. rinpoche is sort of a title
Rohr: keep meditating jimmy ur gettin there
Sun: oops sorry april.. yes
James: Ok.. I am going to start
Sun: you know one thing i liked about that path is that they always tell you to be kind to yourself


Many Paths: Tibetan Buddhism

A mixture of Buddhism, Tantrism and the ancient Bon religion of Tibet. They have a vast collection of scriptures (tantras), which describe powerful rituals. Their teachers (Lamas) are said to be reincarnations of holy teachers who lived in earlier times. The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists is the Dalai Lama who is believed to be the reincarnation of
Avalokiteshvara.

Tibetan Buddhism was brought from India to Tibet by several teachers, including the legendary Indian master Padmasambhave.

It is also called in Sanskrit the Mahayana, or the Great Vehicle, which has as its goal the liberation of all beings. When buddhists talk about all beings, they are not only talking about humans.. they revere all life, and believe all life has an evolutionary path.

Included in the Mahayana teachings is Vajrayana, know as the Tantric or Diamond Vehicle. This is considered to be the pinnacle of meditation practice. It is supposed to perform a kind of spiritual alchemy, tranforming the hindrances of worldly thought and sorrow into blissful states of enlightenment and realization.

These insights are achieved through a sophisticated combination of mental and physical techniques that seek to open the body's various energy centers (chakras).

There are many different meditation practices in Tibetan Buddhism. Many are mantra based, but for our example tonight we are going to look at a Tibetan visualization practice. In this practice the meditator brings their attention and intention to visualizing positive images that they would like to realize for themselves, or a particular person, or even the world. Intention and attention are the key. This reminds me so much of Reiki and the meditation done in healing circles.

Intent is a very powerful thing. Light and a "source of power" are important elements of this visualization practice. Light as used here has a dual meaning -- light on both the sentient and spiritual planes. The spiritual light, "the Buddha light of oneness and openness," as described in "The Healing Power of Mind" by Tolku Thondup, manifests and is perceived by us as blue, white, yellow, red, and green. The power of this dual light is thought to be able to heal physical and mental wounds, transform negative into positive energy, or surpass fear. The "source of power" in Tibetan visualizations is usually a spiritually divinity, such as the Buddha, but you can use whatever form of higher power you wish.

Members of different religions can use their own image of God or Spirit as the Source.


Class Discussion:

James: Are there any questions?
Grace: a real concentrated manifestation going on, it sounds like, in this type
James: yes..it really reminds me of the type of meditation we use in healing circles
Grace: yes
MS: It does me also
Grace: I like this one.. sounds very good.
James: Its been said that Reiki is a lost art of Tibetan Buddhism.. this focused intent does seem to be aligned.
Grace: it does seem so... very much so
James: In this Many Paths series we are attempting to give you a flavor of different techniques and traditions. If you find you like something you can persue it in more detail.
Grace: I love this series. :)
James: We are going to do a visualization together in a few minutes, and that will take the place of the ending meditation, so we should have more time to chat or discuss at the end. Usually we meditate the last 15 minutes.Has anyone read any of the Dalai Lama's books?
April: some yes
James: He seems very warm and loving.
April: yes and serene
Grace: I haven't... but he does seem so.
James: I have read mostly other Tibetan authors, like Tarthang Tulka. And I read a book and have a tape of one of the Rinpoche's. I forget his name now, but I remember his laugh, and how he kept saying "Be Spacious" all through the tape.He kept saying it with different inflections. Sunset, it sounded like you had some exposure to this. She must be taking care of her children.
Sun: yes i have.. well some parts of it
James: oh , there you are :)
Sun: i have read some works by pema... i really liked them... she talks alot about creating and cultivating loving kindness with yourself.. and being gentle
James: Yes
Sun: which is very nice..and she also talks about embracing the warrior within you
James: hmm, is that a buddhist concept?
Sun: which is comprised of compassion, and generosity and pereverence
Grace: sounds like something I'd like to check out
James: Can you share the names of those books?
Sun: well she is a tibetan buddist practicing in canada..she runs a monastary for shambayala... yes i can... let me look
James: the warrior term through me till you explained what it was comprised of buddhists are not very warlike.. some of them wear bells on their ankles to warn bugs to stay out of their footpaths
April: one of her books is The Wisdom of no escape
Grace: I should try that James...
April: its about non resistanceSun: the ones i have are wisdom of no escape.. the path of uncertainty
James: You need to make buddhists out of your cats
Grace.Grace: lol
James: So they will stop stalking your friendly spiders.
Sun: or sorry comfortable with uncertainty
Grace: rofl
Sun: the wisdom of no escape
James: the spiders need the wisdom of escape
Sun: and the places that scare you ... you know to be honest
Grace: thank you Sunset... I wish to read these
James: That sounds interesting.
Sun: many are stories and talk about meditation techniques.. the stories..are just flat out cool... really inspiring stories
James: Sounds like a good read. Thank you for sharing that.
Grace: awesome, I love when they incorporate true stories
Sun: the one about comfortable with uncertainty actually is a 108 different teachings for cultivating compassion
Grace: something the world can use so much more of..
James: Yes indeed.
Sun: james have you heard of the meditation of tonglen?
James: Sounds familiar but I am not sure.
Sun: it is one that they teach... it is really powerful i think although i have never done it. it talks about instead of breathing out the negative and on the inbreath breathing in the positive.. you do the reverse..taking in the negativity of the world or embracing it to make you more compassionate and breathing out positivity into the world
James: wow
Grace: interesting..
James: thats interesting...echo
Grace: lolSun: yeah .. so it's kind of like recycling
Grace: could be hard for an Empath...
Sun: and instead of pushing it away you bring into you.. to help bring you more courage and compassion by understanding
Grace: involves letting the screen down... filters off..
Sun: yes emerging i wouldn't recommend it for you
James: That would take courage.
Sun: yes i know
James: Not a practice for beginners.
Sun: but at least in a group situation..that could have very profound and positive effects
Grace: indeed, James
James: Might be somethign we could try in a group.
Grace: yes, it surely could
Sun: it takes time to cultivate they don't practice it for at least a year after initial studying
James: Ok.. not something for a quick weekly study then.
Grace: sounds very wise... have to be in the right place for it, to be sure
Sun: well they talk about doing it in stages first
Arlene: I have a question now
James: ok Arlene
Arlene: Is there a specific meditation for beginners?
James: Alrene, we recommend a basic technique that is kind of universal. You can find it on our web site as summaries of the 8 weeks beginning January 8th. did you get that link? http://meditationpaths.blogspot.com/Meditation Paths
Arlene: ok will check it thank you
Grace: the website is awesome, Arlene... covers all the classes.. very helpful
Arlene: oh great
James: Feel free to contact me with questions Arlene.Arlene: ok thanks James
James: We will do beginning classes again in here. this is an ongoing meeting every Sunday night.
Grace: makes my Sundays :smile:
James: Right now we are doing a series called Many Paths where we are focusing on individual technques and traditions.
Arlene: oh okay
James: We are going to to a visualization based on Tibetan Buddhism in a couple of minutes.
Grace: because what works for one... may not work for another.. and so on
Arlene: What time Sundays?
Arie: do you do shamatha and vipassana?
James: this hour We did Vipassana last week.
Arlene: EST?Arie: cool beans
James: 10 EST
Arlene: ok


Group Meditation:

Lets all get comfortable for the meditation now. We do this at the computer, but you can do it alone somewhere more comfortable later.

Try to align head, neck, and trunk.. sitting up comfortably. Having knees lower than hips makes it easiest to relax in this position. The balance... Rest your hands somewhere, either by the keyboard or on your thighs. Then sit as still as you can.. moving only if you need to. Relax and breathe deeply and smoothly and I will begin the exercise.

The following exercise is inspired by "Illuminating the Darkness of Sadness," from "The Healing Power of Mind" by Tolku Thondup. Visualize your whole body and mind as being filled with total darkness. Feel the sadness, without being overwhelmed by it. Now prepare to invoke the healing light.

Imagine the light coming from your source of power. The light could come from within you, in front of you, or from above. In Reiki we say the light comes in through the crown chakra on the top of your head, and down to the heart center.See the beams of light--bright, warm, and joyful as a hundred suns. The warm light fills your entire body, penetrating each and every cell, down to the atoms.

Imagine the light shining beyond your body, lighting the whole world. Feel the nature of the healing light, which is not solid. There is nothing to hold on to, to grasp. So there is no stress, no nothing, just light. You, the universe, and the light are now united in a global, pervasive, ethereal light that bathes the universe. The darkness of sadness is no match for this light. It is gone. Vanished. ~end

We can sit a few minutes and feel this together...


Ending Discussion:

Grace: beautiful..
MS: Wonderful feeling James
James :) Thanks for your attention... I hope you all enjoyed this meditation
Grace: oh yes
April: Thanks James and all
MS: very much so
Grace: thanks for the class and meditation
CK: lovely
Stu: good one
James: thank Tolku Thondup
MS: I miss the Reiki Healing circles
James: I keep thinking of starting them up again.
Grace: I'd really like that
James: Need to pick a time.
MS: Besure to let me know if you do
Mum: thank you...was lightening
James: good Mummy :) We finished a little early tonight because the meditation was part of the presentation. Does anyone have any general questions about meditation? I can't stress enough how much difference it makes if you do some form of meditation every day.. even 5 or 10 minutes.
Grace: yes... I have to get disciplined...
James: We have a good basic technique on our site, and most weeks we do some version of it at the end of each class.
CK: i find i pray throughout everyday which is a type of meditation
James: And we are going to dabble in many other methods this series.
CK: tonight's meditation is a nice one
MS: I have been to laxed since we stopped the Reiki sessions. I need to get back in the swing of it
James: I have always heard that praying is talking, where meditating is listening, but I think you can get into a meditative space when you pray. It is an inward focus.
CK: yes a person can james
James: We may have to do a week on that.
Grace: praying is also supposed to be about listening... yes?
James: I usually like to include a week on Christian meditation, but last time I used a mantra. Maranatha
CK: mantra's are nice... we can learn from all practicesJames: there is a Christian group that teaches mantra meditation using that word..
Grace: indeed we can
James: Yes, this is what this series is about.
Mum: maranatha is a shrine where i have seen angels, mary, and jesus
James: If you have a tradition you think we should spend a week on, please let me know.. I have not layed this out in advance this time.
CK: that is great mummy
James: It means "come lord" I think.
Mum: an apparition site
CK: i had the chance to visit Mariastein Monastary in Basel Switzerland. It is a very holy place
James: http://swamij.com/maranatha.htmhttp://swamij.com/maranatha.htm Our hour is up, unless there are any more questions... Email me to get on our mailing list.
MS: Thanks James I really enjoyed it
James: the energy is still humming in here.. take a deep breath :)
Grace: yes, wonderful class
Ck: thank you james
Mum: cool ck....thank you again for the class james ((((hugs everyone))))