Dr Asa Heshoff

Healing the Full Spectrum of You

Will You Reincarnate?

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If you were born in a Buddhist country, or if you are a Western student new to this religion, one of the very first things you will learn is the concept of reincarnation. And as an intrinsic part of that concept, the ideas of samsara of karma follow in its train. And as Tibetan Buddhist or Vajrayanist, there is the associated teaching of the six realms of being in which we wander endlessly, cycling birth after birth until we liberate ourselves from different forms of interminable suffering. But that is not the only game in town. As stated in the voluminous Encyclopedia of Reincarnation and Karma. it is surprising “how little real agreement there is on them across a very broad range of writings” on exactly what is going on here.  Indeed, it was traditionally five realms within Buddhism. Hindu cosmology of the eternal soul traveling from one body go back to the Upanishads, some 1000 B.C., while Jainism has four possible pathways of instantaneous rebirth (enlightenment, human form, animals or hell). The ancient Orphic religion of Greece from the 6th century B.C. taught that one continues to be reborn as human and animal until, with the help of the gods,  one perfects their being. Pythagoras and later Plato famously taught how souls transmigrate from one embodiment to the next. The ancient Greeks had their notions too. The Romans, Druids and Celts, the Kabbalists, the middle Eastern Druze and Yezidis. Indeed the variety of ideas around reincarnation on a global scale, just like the concept of heaven and hell, are a fascinating study, though leaving the water further muddied.

Choosing Concepts

Like many in the West, I adopted the Buddhist concept for some time, a novel and fascinating idea for a Jewish boy from the Toronto suburbs. But increasingly all of these ideas seems “New Agey” long before the term New Age was coined. This idealized idea of life as a school, provided exclusively for one’s edification, seemed contrived. Similar to image of a benevolent old man with a white beard (or an angry, strict one if you are a Jew) waiting to usher good little boys and girls into heaven, it seems similarly unnatural. All such narratives are excellent for exoteric religion, providing reassurance and comfort in a violent and uncertain world. Christianity and Buddhism, in spite of wars fought in their name, are civilizing influences, offering a moral code of kindness, compassion, charity, service towards others and the like. Both the strange marriage of early Christianity with Roman law and governance, and the Tibetan merging of monasticism with yogic mysticism, remain problematic to this day. Nonetheless, religious ethics help pacify and uplift suffering humanity, with both grains of truth about who we are and how we should act, and a good mythology to support these guides to a better way of life.

However, there is nothing in the natural world, the one we experience day to day, that conforms this kind of “free ride” travel from life to life. And, when in my 20’s, I came across the profound Gnostic reincarnation teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff, it struck a chord deep in my soul. It is just common sense after all. Our evolution, transformation, the possibility of a secondary light body creation, is not guaranteed, any more than an acorn falling on the ground is guaranteed to become a might oak.  Only one in 10,000 acorns may become a tree, and many will not survive the first one or two years. Of the one hundred million sperm in an ejaculation, only one can become the seed of a new child. And one in two million people will turn out an IQ of 180! We are not acorns, but things in nature do not stack up very well for the average blade of grass. In the Gurdjieffian postulation, reincarnation, like Light Body, is not a given. It is a hidden potential that is only rarely realized. In order to attain this rather lofty goal, the individual must have done the spiritual work that is necessary, have met some real adepts, learned much, studied much, practiced in various specifically formulated ways.

Crystallization

From the perspective of spiritual physics, we need to produce very specific substances in our body, and reorganize our entire energetic and biophotonic matrix. In other words, we have to be stream-winners, on the path towards transformation—light body adolescents or infants at a minimum. j. G. Bennett spoke of two kinds of people in this world, the great major of psychostatic individuals for whom life is just birth, old age and death, and the psychodynamic who become something different, something meta-human. They are mundane people and seekers, who may one day become adepts themselves, the oldest game in human evolution. In is odd, and a great omission, that all the teachings about Light Body or rainbow body formation in Asian traditions only seem to speak about the end-product. Very little or nothing is said about the actual process itself, what happens along the (very long) way. And what degree, what actually percentage of re-crystallization is needed before one does not fall back into ones purely biological form. What threshold specifically, is required for  something within oneself to reincarnate one’s consciousness. If nothing whatever is developed, if a man or woman dies just as they were born, they will be recycled. Earth to Earth, fire to Fire, air to Air, planetary and solar energies back to their source, etc. Bennett talks about the “soul pool stuff,” the place where the spiritual substance which animates one’s being will return to its source. Gurdjieff further maintains that the death of an individual releases energy that helps “feed the moon” in its unstable orbit. Spiritual practitioners actually feed the planets and moon through their spiritual work, whether this is consciously done or not. Whether allegorical or true, it is a process on a cosmic scale, not just individual. The above may seem like flights of fantasy, more mental sophistry, theorizing and philosophical self-entertainment. Fortunately, having spent the better part of fifty years involved with intuitive or empathic healing work on many thousands of individuals, there is some possibility of answers, at least some that have satisfied both my curiosity and clarify the path.

The Thirty Percent Rule

The average person has only a fifteen percent organized bioenergetic or astral field. This happened biologically, as a natural part of living. It is slightly less in children and increases with age, but nothing is guaranteed by biology beyond that basic fifteen percent. Some have less, others a bit more due to individual personality, experiences, intelligence, genetics, and the infinity of life’s challenges and opportunities. But these differences remain small if solely under the influence of the rule of fate, luck or accident. For those who have had a strong spiritual predilection, even since childhood, they will often have felt “different” their whole lives. Others may have an “awakening,” a life-altering event or realization that totally changes their life direction. In either case, an internal magnetic center will forever, and unforgivably, drive them towards a higher level of vibration. Whatever the beginnings, once one has broken through the glass ceiling where their bioenergetic and magnetic fields have re-organized and crystallized in a specific way, then consciousness has a the possibility of entering a subsequent birth to continue that evolution. This progression is a story for another time, as their is much more to the stages of light body creation than is generally understood or taught. And we must realize that this remarkable privilege of being able to go forward and continue our transformative process it itself no guarantee of some future resolution. Nothing is certain in the physical world filled with happenstance, negativity and human madness. But with continued reliance on a solid spiritual lineage and our internal diligence, there is great hope. And yet the vast fields of humanity that merely live and expire like the poppies of the field will be the benefactors of such a unique occurrence. The conscious cosmic ensemble of planets and suns that pervade our world will be also the recipient of those benefits, for we puny beings are part of a grand schema. The earth needs the acorn to become trees, though many must fall by the wayside, while fortunate others find rich fallow  ground.

References

Atkinson, W. W. (1908). Reincarnation and the Law of Karma: A History of Reincarnation Beliefs in Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and Other Religions. London: Yogi Publication Society.

Bhikkhu Analayo. (2018). Rebirth in Early Buddhism and Current Research. Boston, MA: Wisdom Publications.

Gurdjieff, G. I. (1992). All and Everything: Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson. New York, NY: Jeremy Tarcher.

Luchte, J. (2009). Wandering Souls: The Doctrine of Transmigration in Pythagorean Philosophy. London, UK: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Mann, A. T. (1995). Elements of Reincarnation. Dorset, Great Britain: Element Books.

McClelland, N. C. (2010). Encyclopedia of Reincarnation and Karma. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Company.

Ouspensky, P. D. (1957).  In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Thondup, T. (2011). Incarnation: The History and Mysticism of the Tulku Tradition of Tibet. Boulder, CO: Shambala.

Zivkovic, T. (2013). Death and Reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism: In-Between Bodies. London, UK: Routledge.

The Mystery of the Dual System of Vajrayana Chakras

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Biological Chakra Stack The Buddhist chakras, except for a few specific tantras, are described as five in nature. You would naturally expect them to stack up according to their hierarchy, their density, their sequential refinement, just as in the Shaivite approach and their hapless inheritor, the Western New Age chakra system. After all, that is how humans seem to be built. The vertical stack of human anatomy is our natural, biological makeup as our form and function span the gamut, from earth to sky. The stupa or sacred reliquary, found all over the East and especially in Tibet and Japan, echo this arrangement. Below is Earth, then Water, Fire, Air and finally Space. We are installing these elements in the chakras via color, shape, deity, seed syllable and so on. We are fusing a biological stack, the way that chakras exist naturally within us, with an intentional placement of universal forces.

But the tantric path is about building a new body, a new form, one commonly referred to as a light body or rainbow body. The meditations we superimpose (the spiritual stack) on our normal bioenergetic hierarchy (the biological stack) are revolutionary. We are creating a form body that is not just an upgrade or gossamer replica of our biological version. It will have a different anatomy altogether.  Indeed it need not even be a vertical one.

This is visualized progressively from above down, in the head, throat, heart, navel and secret chakras. But the order has changed from our stacked up version we have just described. Now the colors and their signification is quite scrambled up.

In the head center we previously had the blue energy of the Space element. But now we visualize an OM or a white circle, expressing form—Water Element.

In the throat was the green symbol of Air Element. But now we evoke a red AH or triangle expressing energy in all its forms—Fire Element.

In the heart was the red symbol of Fire. Now the blue HUNG circle (a pentagram or circle) of mind appears—Space Element.

In the navel chakra there was a white symbol of Water. Yet now we visualize a yellow SO or square—the Earth Element

Finally, at the navel was the yellow symbol of Earth element. Instead, we visualize the green HA or semi-circle—of Air Element. This is show diagrammatically here.

What does this mean? Why are we meditating on, and evoking powerful elemental bioenergetic forces in someplace other than our bodies natural abode, or sequence? It is vital to note that we are not shuffling the chakras around. It is simply the elements which have been switched. This dual system of chakras is one of the great secrets of Vajrayana. It sits right before our eyes that yet remains unseen. In practice, solving this mystery may not be essential. If we just perform the prescribed meditations with enough diligence and duration, all will transform. But in this case, curiosity has its virtue. Understanding what is actually going on is important for the Western mind, while in the East, knowing that one is earnestly following a tried and true path is usually enough. So let us delve further into this enigma, guided by our insatiable need to understand how things work.

Two possible explanations come to mind, as to why the Buddhist system has a quite different arrangement from both nature and from the other systems. These answers are not found anywhere within tantric literature, nor the oral tradition that I have encountered in forty years of involvement. Certainly the sequence of body, energy (speech), mind, qualities and activity relate to the kayas or Buddha bodies, specifically, Nirmanakaya, Sambhogakaya and Dharmakaya and Svabhavakaya (the total of the previous three). But this only muddies the water further. A more logical sequence, and one that conforms to the three fold division of Daoists and Shaivites, is the form body in the lower field, energy in the middle field and mind or consciousness in the upper field. The following explanations are a theoretical attempt to grasp the deep significance of the spiritual stack, though approached from two very different perspectives.

And now dear readers, please feel free to add your explanations, theories, observations and insights in the strange case of the dual-system of Buddhist Chakras.

(The above is partially extracted from Asa’s forthcoming book, “Chakras: True, False & Secret.”

Spiritual Charka Stack

 

Are You a Knowledge-Holder?

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There is a word we come across in reading Tibetan Buddhist books, liturgies or philosophy that is both intriguing and enigmatic. Rig-Dzin literally means awareness-holder or knowledge-holder1. There are other words in that language that mean “being in possession of” or achieving a certain state or level. But here it literally means “holder.” So what is being held, who is holding it, and where is it being kept—and why? Like so many other pieces of spiritual jargon, the answer can only be unpacked with an in-depth experience of its meaning, not through simply thinking or reasoning cleverly about it. Coming to a deeper realization of its inner portent can be life-changing. I, like many other people I know and even care about, have spent many years, some a whole lifetime, in accumulating information about spiritual practices, theories, ideas, ideologies, history and so on. For the fortunate few, this information became knowledge. Information is something that sits on the outer fringes of our being, our Persona or “personality.” This is the formation that we acquire from infancy onward, made up of all the patterns, beliefs, memes, modes of feeling, thought and reactions, all the pre-packaged programs that culture and society will insert into our psyche. They are sophisticated and complex, forming a Persona that is meant to be the interface between your true, essential self, and the artificial culture we inhabit. It is to be the two-way filtration mechanism through which you receive information about the world, and express your inner being—your Essence. Persona is to be passive, while Essence if the actor, the real person with real thoughts and feelings, awareness and values. The Gurdjieff tradition describes this polarity more perfectly than any other source, yet ironically this truth is missed by the whole of modern Persona-based psychology. But it does happens often—it happens most of the time in our modern world—that Persona usurps the throne and becomes the false king or queen. Instead of our real self, our Essence, ruling our world, the made-up fabricated Persona takes charge. And that is a disaster for the inner growth of a person’s “soul,” their true biological, psychological, spiritual nature.

Information belongs to Persona. But knowledge is something that has entered you, become a part of your being, the fabric of your mind-body. You could say it integrates with our energetic DNA, our soul, our true self. It becomes part of Essence. However, even if you live a long and fruitful life, those particles of true knowledge are not such frequent visitors. There are not hundreds or even scores of them. In a life well-lived, there may only be a dozen things that we know from our core of certainty, that resonant with every atom of our being. And thus the rig-dzin, the knowledge-holder. Most people will accumulate information, good and bad, spiritual and worldly. Many of course will not pursue deeper knowledge of the world, of their human nature, of the meaning of life or the possibility of transformation. J. G. Bennett called such people psychostatic, as opposed to psychodynamic. But even for those that are fascinated, interested or involved with transformative information, esoteric subjects or religious traditions, it may not percolate into the core.

 

But when it does, and however much does, to that extent you become a Knowledge-Holder. You become a repository of sacred knowledge and of sacred being. That knowledge (not information) is a living energy, a living substance, a vital cosmic fluid. It is a matrix of meaning that will persist in the center of your Essence throughout life—and beyond this life. You are now a time capsule, waiting to be opened with that sacred knowledge,  filtered and purified in the cauldron of the soul. Even if you never speak, write or pass on your knowledge in this life, it is not lost. That is the economy of spirit. Nothing of its nature is lost. Knowledge has a material and substantial nature. It is not infinite, but quite limited in quantity. And thus when the world becomes more mad, more insane even than usual and beings lose the small portion of sanity that they were alloted by birth, their grains of Essence knowledge are released and made available. It becomes essential that whatever free higher energies exist (even if never utilized) be collected for future generations, for the larger world and for cosmic balance itself. Thus we have the world of today, of 2022, where the sane few and the madness of crowds serve utterly different functions in the cosmic play of life. One discharges, the other collects, though neither of these can be seen with the naked eye or with logic. But the process does happen by the very nature of cosmic law, so you may catch a falling star if you are on the right side of the equation.

Worldly success is based on the accumulation of wealth, property, notoriety or other forms of status, depending on the society and sub-cultures in which a person lives and moves. It may involve the number of friends, well-wishers, loving family members and one’s place in the wider community. This becomes the measure of a man or woman. What one has produced is also a huge factor: books, techniques, technologies, companies, organizations, children. All these are considered one’s legacy. Some of it lasts, some does not. If the memory of someone goes beyond family and friends, and enters history, it becomes more a piece of cultural landscape than something tangible. As interesting or even inspiring as it may be, a story of glory or a cautionary tale, it is now just information. But beyond that, what one has distilled in the inner cauldron’s of one’s Essence survives well beyond personhood. It enters the realm of higher frequencies, not as just an energy of course, but a knowledge-being-frequency packet. This is recycled and re-used in a variety of ways. It can reach other seekers at other times, even in the distant future. This is part of the meaning, purpose and function of lineage, of a line of enlightened lineage-holders. We pray to them, connect with them, say mantras to evoke them, develop a mind of devotion to resonant with their non-dying Essence. But such packets of energy-information can reach us in more immediate forms. Practitioners of various disciplines—Buddhists, Sufis, Daoists, etc.—are aware of various states or mini-spiritual experiences (Tibetans call them nyam). But these can also occur to anyone who is sincerely moving along an evolutionary timeline, with or without some traditional affiliation. Artists, musicians and other creatives may get them too. But without that tradition-based context they will often not quite understand what to do with it, and it won’t land on the inside, but be swallowed up by Persona and Ego.

In truly extraordinary situations such powerful packets appear as treasures (Tibetan: terma) to be revealed at some far future time by highly developed beings. But each of us can get our “small terma,” insights appropriate to our stage and level. This is because among those nyam are what can only be called “downloads.” These are packets of knowing that have been accumulated within the energy streams we have nurtured; They become suddenly available based on our efforts and the special configuration of the time, planets, and cosmic forces about which we can only conjecture.  And with that we have a moment of deeper cognition and feel a shift in the foundation, one that does not easily evaporate. So work, study, learn, allow the magic, power and struggle of a spiritual seeker, a being of light, to continue. Nothing accumulated, no matter how small, is wasted. Nor is it lost. If we die tomorrow, projects unfinished, words unspoken, the chimera of enlightenment, satori or moksha not accomplished, that is not failure. Not a thing that becomes a part Essence is for naught. Some will enter permanently into the crystalline photonic configuration that is the scaffolding of our light-body-to-be. And some will always be there waiting to be unpacked by other fortunate beings. Or by our future self.

References

Bennett, J. G.  (1961). The Dramatic Universe: 2: The Foundations of Moral Philosophy. J. G. Bennett Foundation

Nicoll, M. (1996). Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, Vol. 1-4. New York: Weiser.

Ouspensky, P. D. (1965). In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Rigpa Shedra. Vidyadhara. Retrieved January 4, 2022, from https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Vidyadhara

Shambala Times. 2018, November 18. What is Terma? Retrieved from https://shambhalatimes.org/2018/11/18/what-is-terma/

Wisdom Library. Vidyadhara. Retrieved January 4, 2022, from https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/vidyadhara

Breaking the Prison of Meditation

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Something from nothing

Like any religion, Vajrayana developed a codified set of rules, systems, behaviors, philosophies, and practices intended to guide the seeker sequentially along the stages of the path, directing them toward enlightenment, realization, moksha, the godhead, illumination, or a thousand other names that hint at our ultimate human potential. Some of these systems are fairly basic, while others are highly complex, intricate, and take many years to master. These various spiritual pathways are have their unique forms of stylized dress, ritual, sacred objects, and sets of symbols, and with their own specialized jargon regarding spiritual states and practices. Yet it is important to realize that this entire panoply of ordered systems all came from an unstructured source, from direct inspiration or spiritual impetus, from a space of realization; i.e. from Wisdom Mind itself. No matter how old and established a tradition might be, it takes its strengths from these non-linear origins. While they always arose within the context of an individual and a culture, nonetheless they each represented a new stream, a new force, an original configuration with ideas, concepts, and practices that were different from anything current, and possibly a departure from anything that had gone before.
Some of these innovations may have seemed incremental, while others were radical shifts. Looking back through the history of religions, in some epochs those changes occurred over centuries, while at other periods they appear almost instantaneously at a crucial nexus in time and space. All in all, however, surely the core of every one of these true spiritual paths must be to bring the seeker to that very same point or level as the original creative demiurge from which the tradition itself emerged.

The sticky road

There is an inherent paradox here. Can a set of values, ideas and practices—some of them extremely detailed and rigid in their operation—lead to a state of spontaneous, direct expansion, the antithesis of the method used to get there? The answer to that question can be stated simply: sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. Experience shows that, indeed, ofttimes it is counterproductive. The elaborate construct of beliefs, ideations, and actions acts to inhibit the very thing it is designed to emancipate. Instead of a vehicle of freedom it serves as a spiritual straitjacket. For example, it is common for the tantric practitioner to visualize themselves as a deity and re-imagines their surroundings in various ways. There are very precise instructions (usually within the liturgy itself) on exactly how that visualization should be managed. The different ornaments, dress, form, and color of the body, facial expression, and so on are given in granular detail, as is very familiar to tantric practitioners. The inner visualizations of chakras, mantras, and their recitation are equally exacting. The fruition of these prolonged practices and verbal incantations over time is described as “seeing the face of the deity in reality.” But when that expression of pure energetics-consciousness does show up, will it look exactly like our liturgical description, which itself is highly symbolic in the first place? Should we hold out for something that looks like what we expected? And if it appears in a different, unimagined form, do we need to correct our very perception? What if that luminal expression is not even visual, but intuitive, tactile, auditory, symbolic, physical, material, pure-knowingness. This begins to draw the distinction between meditative practice and meditative experience. It is possible and even usual to have a spontaneous arisal of the expression of the deity that is nothing like what is it in any book or oral teaching. It arises directly from his Wisdom Mind. And isn’t that the point after all?

Teachers anyone?

So in this balance, what is too tight and what is too loose? As the old adage says. When do we tether the mind to the visualization and when do we loosen it up a bit and let it flow naturally? And when do we let the reins fall free so that Wisdom expresses itself with full possibility? In a perfect world, we could say that this depends on the teacher, the guide. Because in that perfect world, the lama, teacher, priest, sifu, roshi, shaman, Great Kahuna, knows exactly when it is time to train the mind and when it was time to let that wild horse gallop over the plain where sky and horizon become one. Such teachers are not easily found. This is partly because there is no surplus of highly developed beings, but also because in today’s context it is difficult for many students to have that relationship. They receive an empowerment, go to teachings, do some group practice, and may get an interview once in a while. The real mentorship that is required in the guru-chela relationship is often absent and guru devotion is not a substitute for such direct interactions or interventions. On the other hand, it is not easy to guru oneself. Yet If the aspirant is particularly astute and allows themselves a certain level of creative freedom, they may in fact discern when it is time to loosen the reins and fly free. But even here that very much depends on a prior relationship. If a teacher does not have the perceptive ability and are themselves not creatively free, they would tend to err on the side of caution and conformity.

Civilized shamans

All religions are conservative by the nature of their organizing structure, the pressures of conformist culture, and their need to protect an ideological model. Tantra is surprisingly so, considering its origins and the “transgressive” methods it employs. This conservatism is certainly a major factor in limiting the kinds of teachings and direct tutelage given to Westerners. A direct mind relationship with a teacher is possible, but it is not standard. As described to me by one advanced teacher-practitioner: “There are teachings for monks, those for the level of the Rinpoche, those reserved for the tulkus, and finally there is the one-on-one disciple transmission.” And that may only be given to a few students in a particular lifetime. The Westerner at the same time wishes to be compliant and observe the proper protocols and so may not demand more than scraps. This is not advocating some kind of artificial democracy or equality among seekers. Yes, there is an element of meritocracy, of the deepest transmission being given to the prepared or the deserving. But like the rest of life, the Dharma is not fair, and bloodline, connections, favoritism, cultural background, nepotism, patronage, money, and influence can be crucial factors in where such attention lands. Yet even in optimal situations, it does not guarantee a personal touch.

Go guru yourself


In our less than perfect world, in our new Dharmic age, the student is required to take their own self in hand. They must recognize that there are these different phases, and have the self-discipline, if no teacher is available that can adequately supervise, to continue learning the practices, but also the internal freedom and internal permission to “let go and let flow.”
One of the ways this can be integrated is to allow those moments of creativity to interpenetrate between more formal or rigid practices. This is accomplished in some measure in the way that Mahamudra or Dzokchen meditation can be interspersed between form-based practice. But this can wind up being rather stale, vacillating between two different forms of straitjacket. Deciding “Now I am going to open” is not necessarily a state of freedom and can easily become an artifice. Placing that creative experience—moments of expansiveness or openness—right within formalized liturgies and visualizations may be a more effective way to move toward spontaneous wisdom realization. Even better is permitting one’s claustrophobic spiritual ideology to breath and fall away during daily experience. When making offerings to the buddhas, see what shows up. When practicing Chöd, see what arrives. When sending light and sound out from the heart of the self-deity, be open to something unplanned and unexpected.

Locus internus

Self-trust or trust in Wisdom Mind is one of the greatest requirements of realization. And distrust of one’s psyche, one’s Wisdom self, is one of the greatest hindrances. And so constant admonitions that “ego mind is bad” puts students on a fool’s errand. Befriending mind as a whole, yet being able to differentiate between “garbage-in garbage-out” mind and Wisdom mind, between persona and essence, between essence and spirit, is the key to real progress in the Dharma. There is no greater spiritual gift from a teacher than helping an aspirant to gain confidence in their Mind—not confidence in their skills or their meditation, or their status, ability, or years in service, or their good karma or even their morality. All of these are superficial markers and are far too often promoted as an indicator or monitor of progress. In fact this very much hampers the ability of the student to grow up spirituality and to have the capacity to differentiate the bubbling up of expansive awareness. Indeed, many times when such things happen, the student is prompted to report it to the teacher for affirmation or denial. Again, these training wheels can be quite useful if correctly applied. Traditionally that is the modus operandi. But it may become just another set of handcuffs in which the student cannot trust their own intuition or perception. This continues to reinforce an external locus of control instead of an internal guidance system. The magnetic center in which they can assess or at least consider and ponder their experience for themselves.
The outer guru is only true if it brings you toward your inner guru. Otherwise these are false gods. Worshipping a false god hasn’t worked out yet, be it a political, financial, relational, or spiritual construct. It is a way of mental enslavement and, in some times and places, it also ties one’s body and life to that wheel. We need the map, the compass, and our own permission to allow Wholeness to occur. But with an accurate cartography of big and small mind, a working system of seeing where we are moment-to-moment, and allowing the creative force of realization to descend into our daily experience, we can move to the point of transcending these tools. And freedom is its own reward.

Asa Hershoff

Trauma and Transformation

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Female Spinal Cord Brain Anatomy - blue concept

TRAUMA DHARMA

The greatest obstacle to spiritual development is—not what you might think. Various religious and spiritual pathways talk about our disturbed emotions, our anger, our anxiety, our past actions. Others dwell on the persistent clinging or attachment to various aspects of our outer world and inner experience. Still others site our self-centeredness, our  grasping at a self or so-called “ego-clinging.” Each of these is valid in relation to different stages and aspects of the path. And in every case we could also debate their value or relevance or the misunderstandings that arise in regard to any of these complex issues. A plethora of books are also available that focus on one or another of these factors, but they all neglect a major obstacle to our progress. Indeed most of these factors that contribute to our suffering are based on a still deeper cause. Like the mythical many-headed hydra, it can manifest in hundreds of ways, yet if you cut off one head, ten more grow in its place. That overarching cause is simply this: Trauma. Before we can either reject or accept such a notion, we need to define what trauma is, beyond the limited concepts offered by either the popular press or clinical psychotherapy. And though the extensive literature and methods of working with PTSD and trauma are well-developed, diverse and generally effective, for our spiritual development, the impact of trauma is different, as are the solutions.

What is a Trauma?

For our purpose, a trauma is anything whatsoever that disrupts our normal physiology or homeostasis on a body, mind or spirit level—and leaves a chronic, seemingly permanent and distorting imprint on our optimal bioenergetic structure. There is no need in this short article to present a full catalog of the toxic impacts we are subject to all the live long day. These are inflicted on our biological being in the form of internal wastes and oxidative by-products, along with thousands of toxins in our food and water and atmosphere. There is a gigantic grab bag of genetic predispositions, toxic metals, drugs, viruses and other microbes, and other pollutants. Psychologically there is past or ongoing stress, loss and grief, fear, worry and abuse and so on. From the more complex spiritual perspective, there are astrological forces, ill-will and “curses,” non-human entities and of course the effects of our own actions i.e. karma. Karma simply means cause and effect and so it is not just “what you did” but also what was done to you, what your experienced and what your endured.

None of the above are necessarily traumatic if the body-mind-spirit fends them off and recovers perfectly—or at least almost so. But intense shocks create a semi-permanent record that results in dysfunction somewhere along the traumatic spectrum. Rather than a temporary impact, it becomes a perpetuating, recurring, usually hidden and resistant pattern or program that will sabotage our health, wealth, well-being or sanity whenever it is triggered or we become weak enough that one or another such trauma rears its proverbial ugly head.

Trauma Effects

The range of symptoms produced by trauma are legion. Being a form of stress, the effects are not only psychological, but metabolic, neurological, immunological, vascular and so on. While none of these problems specific to trauma alone, the real key is to appreciate what trauma means for the bioenergetic body, for the intricate web of electrical, magnetic and photonic forces and fields that make up our subtle body.

Our physical form itself functions as a liquid crystal matrix, with the fourth, magnetic stage of water being an important part of our composition. Our connective tissue matrix and PVS (primary vascular system) interweaves through every organ and tissue. Beyond this exquisite network of minute vessels and microscopic collagen, we also have an energy body. Just as there is network of ever finer arteries and capillaries, and ever more subtle branches of nerve fibers, there is a highly structured energy field. Imagine a polished diamond or some other magnificent gem with billions of facets, intersecting and overlapping in perfect symmetry, reflecting photons carrying complex qualia of light and information. This network, these formative patterns, are the basis on which our physical organism is built. And all structure and all function follows these invisible lines of force.

Buddhist and Hindu texts describe the body as having 84,000 energy channels, known as nadi (Sanskrit) or tsas (Tibetan). This is certainly a figurative number, or represents only the more coarse channels. The main energy pathways have been detailed in Chinese Medicine and Daoist alchemy, in Buddhist Vajrayana and Hindu Shaivite and yogic practice. But for now we only need the broadest of brushes to understand the role that trauma plays in disrupting or damaging this complex energy body.

Traumatic Channels

Trauma exists within our body, tissues, cells and molecules. Recent research has given us extensive new understandings about what happens within the vascular system and how blockages and distortion, or a lack or excess of angiogenesis (blood vessel building capacity) accompanies disease.  Such disruptions also occur within the complex web of energies, the vibrating strings of light and organized fields that belong to each unique organ and tissue. These take the form of weakened or broken lines of forces, distorted or expanded “bubbles” within the bodyfield or thickened, tangled or blocked energetic pathways. The perfect symmetry and organization of our bioenergetic structure is transformed into a tangled skein. To make matters worse, these areas, large and small, develop defensive fields, not unlike the physical scabs and scars with which we are so familiar. The traumatic imprints become walled off and inaccessible, “safely” stowed away—yet becoming a ticking time bomb.

While the energy body will reflect the impacts of long-held traumas, these impacts also live in our memory. The location of memory may be disputed by science, but in reality it exists within the bioernegetic matrix. These various disturbed and distorted areas, whether deficient or congested, hold the traumatic memories, the overwhelming impacts that we could not resolve and could not eliminate. They are stuck there, adding to the accumulated burden of negative, unresolved experiences.

Trauma Repair

The fact that trauma is stored in the physical organism, the energy body and the mind is also our key to resolving these points of dysfunction. In mainstream Vajrayana Buddhism we have already have many of these tools, though for cultural reasons they have not been used to full effect. Vajarasattva practice, for example, is used to cleanse the body and psyche in preparation for deeper meditations. But while this kind of practice is used for “karmic purification,” it can and should be used to specifically target physical and psychological trauma. Some would object that this is a form of therapy and not dharma, and that the two should not be conflated. It is a valid point, except that one discovers that the two are intimately and irrevocably intertwined. The only thing that makes something therapeutic, as opposed to spiritual practice, is one’s orientation. Is this about making me a better, healthier, saner person or moving me towards enlightenment? I see these both as valid goals for a creating better world for all of us, call it what you will.

And in my own experience, the 5 Elemental connection is the crucial missing component, even in this practice. Using Vajrasattva of the five different colors, or using the Elements themselves, their forms, colors, seed syllables and sounds, allows one to specifically target the trauma. With a thorough understanding of the Five Elements in both their healthy and maladaptive forms we can focus on which Elemental or subelemental energy field combinations suffered the original damage.

Additionally, Western psychological methods such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and HMR (Holographic Memory Resolution) are useful and effective methods. Integrated with various bioenergetic models, they have the potential to be even more profound in their effects.

Trauma Defense

While we are clearing up past impacts, we may also be busy accumulating fresh trauma! The solution seems straightforward—protect oneself. But how to most effectively ward off these attacks, large and small? Fortunately Vajrayana again is replete with defensive methods, and in fact a good deal of the daily practice of a tantric Buddhist professional is spent in this way. Daily water offerings, smoke offerings, morning Tara practice and evening protector practice are largely dedicated to stopping harm to one’s health, possessions, companions, spiritual practice and the transformative teachings in general. The extensive and widespread practice of Chöd is another unique way of clearing “incoming karma” before it manifests into serious obstacles and difficulties. Then again, merely holding to the identity of the Yidam or meditational deity archetype provides ongoing protection, as we discard our habitual identity, the proverbial “magnet of suffering.”

The Trauma-Resistant Form

Inner work of another sort is also necessary and highly effective. This takes of form of building up one’s five element structure, area by area, noting where there are weakness and filling in the gaps. The integrity of our Elemental matrix is our greatest asset and greatest bulwark against the forces of entropy and decay. They are formative patterns of meaning and intelligence that provide a scaffold for biophotonic light, electricity, magnetism and eventually a vital form built of molecules, cells and sinews. The Elements should be our first concern in the morning and our last thought at night, providing diurnal protection. If one can achieve full Mahamudra pure light states, do that. But the Elements will still be our guide through the mundane world of apparitions and the confused wandering of sentient beings.

The Trauma World

Without question, we are in one of the most turbulent and disruptive times of our collective lives. That means that the traumatic impacts—physical, mental and spiritual— are coming hard and fast, with no certain end in site. Working daily to clear out “hits” of the day is more essential than ever. Meanwhile, opportunities arise to whittle away at our lifetime backlog of karmic impediment. Every liability can become an asset. The spiritual alchemist knows hat we are here to transform lead into gold, poison into nectar, confused bumbling into sacred living. We just need to put into practice what we already know and let it slowly enter our Essence.

Bibliography

Hershoff, Asa (August, 2021). 5 Element Energy Healing: The Ancient Key To Health, Vitality And Wholeness Through Life’s Formative Forces Of Earth, Water, Fire, Air & Space. Healing Wisdom Books.

Hershoff, Asa (Oct, 2021). Elemental Psychology: The Ancient Key to Awakening Your Inner Strength, Dominion, Creativity, Wisdom & Open Heart. Healing Wisdom Books.

Babbel. Susanne. (2018). Heal The Body, Heal The Mind: A Somatic Approach To Moving Beyond Trauma. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications.

Chia, Mantak and Hilton, Doug. (2017). EMDR and the Universal Healing Tao: An Energy Psychology Approach to Overcoming Emotional Trauma. Rochester: Inner Traditions.

Emerson, David and Hopper, Elizabeth. (2011). Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body . Berkeley: North Atlantic Books

Fireman, John and Gila, Ann. The Primal Wound: A Transpersonal View of Trauma, Addiction, and Growth. SUNY Press.

Gyatrul Rinpoche and Norbu, Trinley. (1978). Commentaries on the Practice of Vajrasattva. Ashland: Mirror of Wisdom Publications.

Kalsched, Donald. (1996 ). The Inner World Of Trauma: Archetypal Defenses of the Personal Spirit. New York: Routledge.

Levine, Peter A. (1993). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, The Innate Capacity to Transform Overwhelming Experiences.  Berkeley: North Atlantic Books.

Shapiro, Francine. (2012). Getting past your past: take control of your life with self-help techniques from EMDR therapy. New York: Rodale Press.

Van der Kolk, Bessel. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. New York: Viking Press.

Wolynn, Mark. (2016). It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle.  New York: Viking Press.

Yeshe, Lama Thubten. (2004). Becoming Vajrasattva: The Tantric Path Of Purification. Somerville: Wisdom Publications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purity, Impurity & the 5 Elements

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Purity is not a word you hear once a week, or even once a month—except in a commercial for a new laundry detergent. Yet every culture is based on specific ideas about pure and impure. Socially, these concepts determine status, reputation, and trustworthiness. On a personal level, they inform our morality and ethics, as well as motivation and life goals. While we don’t tend to use the word in relation to health, its equivalent—detoxification—is a major theme in the healing world. Energy-based practices like yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness rely heavily on fundamental ideas of bioenergetic purification. And it is at the very forefront of all religions, both as a moral dictum and an esoteric methodology. When a theme or motif shows up consistently in so many different forums, we should pay attention. It means there are deep layers of meaning held within these ideas and practices, some obvious, some secret.

What is impure?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines impurity as something adulterated, contaminated, diluted, polluted, tainted, thinned, weakened. That paints a vivid picture and conjures up meaning, wherever we may choose to focus. Some ideas of purity and impurity are culture-based, learned beliefs. But many are hardwired, innate realities that are associated with these words. There is no argument about drinking mud from a stagnant pool rather than from a sparkling fresh brook. There is an established way that everything in the known universe is meant to work, whether it is a tree, a star system, or the psyche. In spite of the variations within the range of normal, there is a point at which something is toxified, in trouble, damaged, and leads toward its own destruction. In the human body, a few degrees of temperature, or a few percentages points of blood oxygen level is the difference between life and death. In terms of human behavior, we have a much wider latitude, but at some point in the sullied mind there is delusion, there is madness, and yes, there is evil. So the idea of purification is both objective (factual) as well as subjective (individualized or personal) and it becomes crucial to know which is which in each circumstance.

What is purity?

Because impurity exists, so does purification. We have a certain biological nature, a certain mental harmony, a certain inherent purpose, and a certain amount of free will. In all these cases there can be contamination. This can happen as part of collective karma, being born in difficult times or places. We may be victimized (for example, by glycosphate in our food). Or we may make bad choices (eating processed junk food), or we may intentionally poison ourself or others (smoking or selling cigarettes). There are degrees of harm and a seeming infinite number of circumstances and variables that only discriminating wisdom can differentiate. Purification means rectifying these factors on any level and simply returning us to our original purity—things as they were meant to be, doing what they were meant to do in some optimal fashion. This purification process is inherent in every cell, in every species, in every ecosystem. And in subtler ways it is part of mind, including sleep, “which knits up the raveled sleave of care.” We can start our cleansing journey by taking a tour of what the impurity-purity polarity means on different levels—body, mind, energy, spirit—and then look at a possible way to accomplish the Herculean task of “cleaning the Augeas stables” with a single shovel.

Purifying the body

The saying “healthy body, healthy mind” is certainly true from a biological perspective. A toxic body with heavy metals, pesticides, and viral loads will impair and dysregulate brain function, neurotransmitters, hormones, immune defenses, and so on, affecting mood, vitality, clarity, perceptivity, decision-making, and casting a shadow over our entire life. Still, a purified, well-oiled organism does not a saint make! One can be a fit psychopath, a super-healthy racist, or a trauma-filled vegan. By the same token, enlightened beings eventually become sick and die. Age, time, and genetics all play their role. But to be sure, poor diet and a toxic intake have no upside whatsoever. And a purified diet and metabolically detoxed organism give us a great advantage toward our material, psychological, energetic, and spiritual goals. That is why purification methods are a core part of every traditional medical system, from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians to the Daoist, Hindu, Buddhist, Arabic, and Native American approaches to healthcare. Oddly the ideas of physical detoxification, standard throughout recorded history, have no place in the pharmaceutical drug approach of today. In fact, they themselves provide a formidable source of toxicity.

Psychological purification

There are a vast number of approaches to mental wellness, ancient and modern, but they all agree that the laundry list of hostility, anxiety, confusion, doubt, depression, self-hatred, and addiction are debilitating and not life-affirming. They destroy society and debase the already difficult human condition. And in all cases it is agreed that a purified psyche is known by the qualities of peace, calm, compassion, alertness, creativity, courage, integrity, rationality, decision-making, and all the various attributes listed in what is currently called positive psychology. Some methods seek to modify behavior, purging our life of wrong actions. Cognitive psychotherapy aims to “purify” the mind of wrong ways of thinking and perceiving. Because many of these conflicted mind styles are learned, rather than innate, it is possible to change. Yet it is a long haul, as psychological patterns become deeply habitual and embedded, surrounded by defense mechanisms and justifications of an ingenious variety. Chronic mind habits and biology-based “impurities” can be managed through breathwork, yoga, homeopathy, and many other mind-body interactive approaches. Mindfulness itself is a threshold therapy, partly an energy-based system, simply allowing the wild and unstable “winds” in the body-mind to settle, while developing the habit of awareness, itself a purifying force.

Subtle body purification

Here we move outside the field of mainstream psychology and medicine, while re-grounding in the body. Hindu yoga, Buddhist trulkor, Daoist qi gong and tai chi, among others, are physical-based exercises that can have profound transformative effects. Bioenergy fields are like the interactive hub at the center of body, mind, and spirit. Detoxifying the subtle body thus impacts our total being. But in working with biofields we are not just moving energy around like pieces on a chessboard. Instead, we enter the arena of pattern-change, of shifting the very blueprint of our lives. Bioenergy medicine includes homeopathy, Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. These affect physical and mental symptoms, but on a deeper level they can change the long-term weaknesses and susceptibilities that are part of the individual’s constitution. Even past trauma and karmic imprints can be cleared through refreshing the original template of our energy-body. These powerful methods need to be used with precision, which is why energy medicine systems such as acupuncture and homeopathy have a highly complex architecture that can require decades to master. What is important is that energy fields are the access point for affecting all other levels. And these fields are always present in a five-fold, five-element pattern.

Spiritual purification/empowerment

Religion spends a great deal of time addressing the issue of morality, negative emotions, and the actions that they engender. In past epochs and cultures, and still in our own time, religion can take the place of philosophy and psychology in attempting to purify the minds of individuals. Christians have the seven deadly sins, Buddhists the 10 negative actions of body, speech, and mind, and Hinduism, Islam, and all the rest have their list of non-virtuous actions. In general, we are told to purify the mind and heart by avoiding these acts and not turning them into bad habits. This is basically behavioral therapy, and it is certainly true that whatever we persist in eventually becomes our norm. But this may not go deep enough to change underlying psychological structures. After all, this an exoteric aspect of religion and is not inherently a spiritual practice. Every religion also has numerous forms of ritual purification, usually involving water or ablutions, but fire is a common vehicle as well. These are seen universally in Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and so on. They range from the Japanese tradition of washing before entering a temple, to Christian baptism through water, or the Hindu bathing in the sacred Ganges. Many of these traditional ablutions are actually hygienic, protecting one from contagion and uncleanliness. They are also symbolic, an obvious expression of the wish to purify one’s mind and heart. Ritual can be incredibly effective as a reminder of one’s spiritual commitments, but it can also become empty, a habitual action devoid of meaning. On the other hand, there is the possibility that they are more than merely a reminder or a symbol, but part of the path itself. The North American Indian sweat lodge is both a physical therapy and a potential visionary experience. Practices within Buddhism and Daoism combine bathing with visualizations or mantras that cleanse on multiple levels. Indeed, every well-worn religious ritual had its origin in some act of actual transformation. By repeating the ritual, we attempt to recreate that original purificatory event and partake of that sacred experience.

Karmic purification

In its most basic sense, purification simply means eliminating what is harmful. Yet beyond our current thoughts, our speech, and our actions, there are always underlying causes. These causes must, by the nature of our time-based reality, be centered in the past. Everything has a precedent, all is subject to cause and effect. And so, at least in the East, the understanding arose that we need to clear all the past negative seeds that we have planted so that they do not ripen in our present or future. Especially in Tibetan Buddhism, there are sophisticated ways of purifying karmic seeds before they manifest as obstacles of mind and body, events and experiences. It is taught that good behavior may do this—over countless lifetimes. But for those who don’t want to wait, visualizations, mantras, and meditations, such as that of Vajrasattva, provide a very rapid path for clearing vast swathes of karma in the space of hours or days, instead of decades or lifetimes. Clearing these patterns, one may expect to see changes in one’s health, well-being, and spiritual unfoldment. Indeed this may be the only way to verify the existence of the invisible threads of karma that bind up one’s life, until such time as the invention of a “karmometer” that will be able to detect and measure these quanta. One could say the the single greatest cause of failures in both physical and mental healing (medicine and psychology) is the lack of attention to the karmic aspect of sickness and mental suffering. Karmic work does not substitute for working directly with the body or mind, but ignoring it shows how unwise we have become in our technocratic, materialistic age.

Purifying consciousness

As so many spiritual paths tell us, Buddhism prominent among them, consciousness does not need to be purified, as it is the inherent stainless, primary canvas upon which all experience is painted. The Vajrayana practices of Dzogchen (the Great Perfection) and Mahamudra (the Great Seal) are designed to bring the aspirant to a point beyond the duality of pure and impure. Directly experiencing the ground of all, it is as of one taste. All of the tensions of opposites are resolved. Such a realized being is liberated from the false dichotomies that torture us in our mundane condition. This is considered the ultimate purification, where even observer, observed, and observing are not separate, but seen as different aspects of a seamless whole. Note however, that this state of realization, even when permanent, does not make the polarized, toxic world go away! It persists for us and it persists for the “realizer.” But he or she will pass through life as if it were an apparition, an appearance with no fixity beyond the stainless consciousness in which it is reflected. At death we may be reborn in Buddhist Pure Realms. These do not exactly correlate with the Christian view of Paradise, a place where all the contamination of mind and body no longer exists, and even death and decay hold no sway. Heavens and Pure Realms are not identical, as heavenly realms or states may exist in this vast universe, but equally there will be hellish realms and states where polarization and impurity reach new levels of distortion and darkness. Both exist within luminous consciousness, from which anything can and does manifest.

Vajrayana: the single solution

Looking at the many factors and levels involved with purifying our being, the task seems immediately overwhelming. Fortunately through the skillful means of Vajrayana, we have a singular weapon that cuts across these multiple layers and lines of development. That weapon, that tool, is actually at the very center of Buddhist tantra. The Five Element model was already an intrinsic reality in the pre-history of ancient India, Tibet, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, and eventually Greece and the Western world. And if that view of reality is indeed correct, then it is also at the core of our universe. It is the template of the physical world, biological world, psychological, karmic, and spiritual worlds. This means that working directly with the Elements can impact the entire fabric of our personal journey, and provide a real shortcut for the arduous purification process. This is not a new discovery, for in fact such multi-layered purification methods have also existed for thousands of years within various spiritual lineages. For example, purifying an area in the body that has a toxic build up of Earth, with contraction, rigidity, and hardening, may also help clear some rigid, fixed, conforming part of the psyche. This may in turn clear some ancient karma or trauma tied to the Earth Element. Through purifying and altering our energy field, our spiritual connections are enhanced. Then again, with Elemental karmic purification, both body and mind begin to shift, sometimes subtly, sometimes very tangibly. In the Vajrayana tradition, Element work descends from the highest spiritual level, flowing down in a stream of purification, though it is also seen as originating from the sacred elements within our own human form. All in all, these are two-way streets—or multilane highways—every action of Elemental purification moving up and down the chain of being. There are practices within the meditative rituals of Chöd, for example, where one goes through each Element, emptying out all toxic imprints of body, mind, and karma, and re-infusing oneself with the pure Five on all these levels. This Elemental “oil change” is multi-faceted, designed to heal each person according to whatever blockages and distortions they have come to embody. Such impurities don’t necessarily go away easily. A deeply embedded, ancient karmic pattern, or a long-established physical illness, will take significant time to be dissolved away. Fortunately, if you are reading this, you still have some time.

Buddhaghosa (trans. Bhikkhu Ñānamoli). 2011. Visuddhimagga: The Path of Purification. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society.

Ghose, L. 2007. “Karma and the Possibility of Purification: An Ethical and Psychological Analysis of the Doctrine of Karma in Buddhism.” Journal of Religious Ethics. 35(2):259–90. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9795.2007.00306.x

Cherng, Wu Jyh. (trans. B. Adam). 2015. Daoist Meditation: The Purification of the Heart Method. London: Singing Dragon.

Khan, Hazrat Inayat .2012. Mental Purification and Healing: Sufi Teaching, Book 4. Commodius Vicus. Nigam, Harsh. 2012. Miasma: The Road Less Travelled. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers.

Parker, Robert. 1983. Miasma Pollution and Purification in Early Greek Religion. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Satyasangananada, Swami. 1984. Tattwa Shuddhi: The Tantric Practice of Inner Purification. Bihar, India: Yoga Publications Trust.

Yeshe, Thubten. 2004. Becoming Vajrasattva: The Tantric path of Purification. Boston: Wisdom Publications.

In Search of the Elemental Body

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In Search of the Elemental Body

Seeking the Buddhist Body

The Tibetan empowerment or wongkur is an essential part of Vajrayana—Buddhist tantra—as well as Shaivite and other Eastern traditions. It is the entry point, the transmission of the seed of enlightenment, and permission to enter the mandala of enlightened mind. One obtains the stream of form, energy and consciousness, transforming mundane aspects of embodiment, sound and awareness into their sacred, transcendent form. Empowerments can be brief or quite elaborate, lasting days. During the preparation process of the longer empowerment rituals, one is given a stick or flower that is thrown onto a colorful mandala plate of the five Buddha families. Depending on where the object lands, this shows the family to which you belong. Maybe some invisible karmic hand guides the placement of that flower, or maybe it is purely symbolic or suggestive. In remote times, before empowerments had become highly formalized and stylized, this may have been left to more than chance. A teacher or master meditator likely directed the student towards the body of practices subsumed under one of the five possible families. This could be a life long proscription, or something to be reviewed and reassessed at a future date, depending on the inner changes of the meditator.
Of course teachers still do prescribe specific meditations for students, but this is often generic and colored by the guru’s lineage and background. In any case, it behooves the seeker to investigate and develop a personal understanding of what such family alignments mean. Doing a variety of deity meditations, we may receive a direct experience (Tib: nyam) or psychic insight (Tib: ngön shay) into a meaningful connection. This is not common, nor something upon which we can reliably depend. But we can learn much from our own particular body, mind and emotions. They reveal our predilections, tendencies, strengths and weakness, and our basic make up as an embodied human being. There is a saying that if you want to know about your past karma, look at your present thoughts, feelings and activities. And so investigation into our body and mind is not outside our spiritual, transformative path.

Why It’s Useful

There are good reasons why we should want to know our Buddha family connection, organically and inherently. Most obviously, it directs us towards the deities, protectors, meditations and mantras that are aligned with our nature. Such practices would be a more certain path to both personal healing and inner change. Since the five Buddha families are also expressed as the five Elements, this orientation can be a roadmap to one’s entire life trajectory. We expect a strong correspondence between spiritual typology, psychological type, and body type. Knowing and confirming this relationship gives valuable guidance towards our career, lifestyle, diet, activities and more. And like other typologies, a Buddha family-Elemental system can show what kinds of compatibilities and antipathies there are between people.
Yet, body-mind typology can be over-simplified. For further refinement, there are excesses, deficiencies and distortions for each category and also a series of possible subelements. Because the universe is built upon a 5-part template, The Buddha family is an accurate base upon which to build these understandings. With investigation, we can discover that today’s most popular typologies, such as the Enneagram and the Jung-based Myers-Briggs system, all have the five Elements as their foundation, but with a series of omissions, duplications, mixtures and subelements that them inaccurate on many levels. They each deserve a detailed analysis to demonstrate what is right and what is mistaken, using the litmus test of the 5 Elements and their variations.

Seeking the Elemental Body

In seeking our Buddha family, the physical form is a rich area of investigation, and absolutely central to Tantra. It is thus interesting that in the more informal West there has been less attention to the body than tantric tradition itself would dictate. This problem was already inherent in Vajrayana, where body practices (Tib: tsa lung) are compartmentalized and separate from daily life. In the past, Tibetan lamas and monks were notoriously out of shape and unhealthy, largely because of this disconnect. Chinese Qi Gong has had a far more complex and integrated approach to embodiment, which includes extensive health practices, movements and diet. But without needing to alter or disrupt the extraordinary tradition of Buddhist Vajrayana, we can greatly augment our own body practice and development, drawing on both the East and West. So before building up a picture of the Elemental body, we need to look at the resources that can help us complete this process.

Ayurveda and Tibetan Medicine

Ancient Ayurvedic science was transplanted to Tibet, augmented by revealed teachings, including the Yutok medical system. Ayurveda is based on the five elements, which are parallel to the five Buddha families. People, diseases and medicines are classified according to their elemental properties. This includes body types and temperaments. Unfortunately we are limited by the traditional dosha system, which (inexplicably) compacts the five elements into a more convenient three modes. This same truncated system was to form the basis of Tibetan medicine. Apparently though, a pure 5-element system did exist as Buddhist Ayurveda which arrived in Thailand intact, though as Indian Ayurveda took root during modern times it is now only known to a few. Nevertheless, the body types of Fire (Skt: pitta Tib: may), Air (Skt: vatta Tib: loong) and Water (Skt: kapha Tib: beken) give us a good start in understanding our Elemental body constitution—and its Buddha family allocation.

The Hindu Body

Some of the most ancient writings on the Elements are found in the Vedas and Upanishad commentaries. Like its close Buddhist relative, Hindu tantra, in the form of Shaivite, Vishnavite, and Samkya-based yogic traditions, gave tremendous attention to internal energy anatomy. The dynamics of pathways, chakras, inner deities and seed syllables are described in detail, as a guide to working directly with these forces. However there is no actual body typology, other than the Ayurvedic influence as seen in modern day yoga.
At the same time, it is ironic that the caste system which was so fundamental to India and most pre-modern civilizations, makes “type” into an inherited trait, and creates a false hierarchy of more and less valuable kinds of people. This sadly demonstrates how even the greatest truths—such as the five Elements—can be turned upside down into disempowering dogmas instead of elevating ideas.

The Western Humoral Body

The Western Elemental tradition is perpetually attributed to Empodocles (430 BC), though there is ample evidence that this originated through the five Elemental systems of India and Egypt by way of Pythagoras (500 BC). Losing the element of Space, the four element system developed through Aristotle and Hippocrates (400 BC), morphing into the full-blown four-humoral system by the Roman physician Galen (200 AD). Thus arose the four temperaments—melancholic, phlegmatic, choleric and sanguine—representing both a psychological and physical type. Fully materialized, Elements went from formative forces and information grids to liquids sloshing around the body as “humors.” These ideas would last over 2,000 years, up until the present day, persisting in its near-original form within Greek Medicine and Unani-Tibb of the Middle East, Pakistan and the India subcontinent. Fortunately, they do give us wonderful observations of four body types, with space gone missing.

Western Bodywork

Touch and physical manipulation are likely the most ancient of healing arts, taking different forms in ancient China, Greece, Egypt, Rome and on through the development of Western civilization. But the trail we are following here begins with, of all people, a student of Freud. William Sheldon had already developed his well-known somatotype theory in the 1940’s. Based on three primary tissues that exist in the newly created human embryo, he described the basic body types of Ectomorph, Mesomorph and Endomorph with many gradations in between. Around the same time Wilhelm Reich, Freud’s pupil, had observed very specific types of protective adaptations or body-armoring in people. This was further developed by Alexander Lowen and others, becoming the first full-fledged form of body psychotherapy. The five types that were codified in this system are named according to their pathological distortion. Taken up by a series of authors and clinicians, these types have gone through a number of name changes, the one by Kessler being the most elegant: Leaving, Merging, Aggressive, Enduring and Perfectionist. These correspond to the characteristics we would expect from a preponderance of Space, Air, Fire or Water and Earth in our biological make-up. Reich, Lowen, Kessler and others had rediscovered the existent template of body typology—and distortion.

The Homeopathic Body

The central process of homeopathic medicine is matching a total medicinal remedy profile to every aspect of the patient. This entails all symptoms, sensations and psychological events experienced by the person, but also includes various signs and observable differences, such as body structure, facial characteristics and so on. In spite of all the variables, they conform to the fact that in homeopathy there are five underlying patterns that create all chronic illness. It is important to understand that the concept of Miasms developed based on observation, without reference to the tradition of humors or Elements. Again, the natural template of reality was re-discovered in this set of constitutions. With a greater focus on internal disease, homeopathy does not an extremely detailed approach to body morphology.
Observation and analysis of the meaning in the body’s form has it origins in ancient India, Mesopotamia, Greece and China, particularly focusing on the face (physiognomy). This physiognomical approach was particularly popular in 1800’s before it fell out of favor with modern medical science. Also, the Chinese system of facial diagnosis, while very detailed, follows the quite different five-phase or five-process system, rather than the five Elements. However some intrepid Australian homeopathic investigators have created an in-depth system of miasmatic, facial feature analysis. This corresponds to the 5-Element paradigm perfectly, in spite of the fact that they are unaware of these ancient traditions.

Vajrayana as Base

In spite of all these additional resources from different locations and historical epochs, it is Vajrayana, Himalayan Buddhism, that forms the base on which we can successfully build. The five elements are part of the original teachings of Buddha, both as cosmology and as meditation objects, as part of the ten kasinas. These ideas flowered into the Mahayana and reached a high level of sophistication in Tantrayana. Though it focuses much more on the spiritual, transformative aspects of life, a number of modern pioneers have begun to integrate Western psychology with Buddhist Element systems, including Chogyam Trungpa, Tenzin Wangyal, Ngakchang Rinpcohe and others. While these focus on the human psyche, as Western Buddhist practice matures, the body must inevitably follow, like two sides of the same coin.
Next month we will go further in detailing what impact our Buddha family and a preponderance or deficiency of Elements, has on body composition, both as a long term pattern and a defensive adaptation. This can guide our practice towards ever greater expansion and realization.

Asa Hershoff

San Diego, January 2021

References

Bentley, G. (2003). Appearance and Circumstance: Miasms, Facial Features and Homeopathy. Niddrie, Australia. Pennon Publishing.
Chögyam Ngakpa. (1997). Spectrum of Ecstasy: Embracing Emotions as the Path of Inner Tantra. New York: Aro Books.
Greek Medicine. Taken from http://www.greekmedicine.net/
Flood, G. (2006). The Tantric Body: The Secret Tradition of Hindu Religion. London: I. B. Tauris.
Jabin F. (2011). A guiding tool in Unani Tibb for maintenance and preservation of health: a review study. African journal of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines: AJTCAM, 8(5 Suppl), 140–143. https://doi.org/10.4314/ajtcam.v8i5S.7
Jouanna, J. trans Allies, N. (2012). Greek Medicine from Hippocrates to Galen. Boston: Brill.
Kahn, C. H. (2001). Pythagoras and Pythagoreans: A Brief History. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
Kingsley, P. (1995). Ancient Philosophy, Mystery and Magic: Empodocles and Pythagorean Tradition. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Kingsley, P. (1994). Pythagoras and the Turba Philosophorum: Egypt and Pythagorean Tradition. Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes Vol. 57, pp. 1-13. https://doi.org/10.2307/751460
Longrigg, J. (1993). Greek Rational Medicine: Philosophy and Medicine from Almaeon to Alexandrians. New York: Routledge.
Lowen, A. (1975). Bioenergetics. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Norbu, T. (1981) Magic Dance: The Display Of The Self-Nature Of The Five Wisdom Dakinis. Boston: Shambhala Publications.
Pierrakos, J. (1987). Core Energetics: Developing The Capacity To Love And Heal. Mendocino: Life Rhythm Publication.
Rockwell, I. (2002). The Five Wisdom Energies: A Buddhist Way of Understanding Personalities, Emotions, and Relationships. Boston: Shambhala.
Trangu Rinpoche. (2001). The Five Buddha Families and the Eight Consciousnesses. Creosote: Namo Buddha Publications.
Wangyal, T. (2002). Healing with Form, Energy and Light: the Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra, and Dzogchen. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications.
Wallis, C. D. (2013). Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, And Practice Of A Timeless Tradition. 2nd Ed. San Rafael. Mattamayūra Press.

The Mystery of the 5 Elements

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The Mystery of the Five Elements

The Elemental Conundrum

The five Elements are the very bedrock of Vajrayana. Which makes it all the more extraordinary that, to date, there has been no attempt to define more precisely what these phenomena are, and how they exist as principles that structure our entire world. Those master yogins and yoginis that have achieved an inner realization of the Elements should have more to say about them and the part they play in our bodies and minds. Maybe all that is needed is to learn the method, follow the practice, and receive the fruition, as tradition dictates. While the illustrious history of highly realized beings within Vajrayana demonstrate this to be true, there are shortcomings to this approach, especially for the West.

The Need for Renewal

All significant innovation or discovery—including spiritual truths—eventually becomes increasingly codified and structured. Likewise, Vajrayana follows a set of highly structured dogma, creeds and ideologies. Those boundaries serve a useful purpose in keeping the integrity and meaning of a spiritual path intact. Group culture and modes of thought and action need to be preserved, but they can also become excessively dogmatic, canonized and rigid. Such systems might even transform into a lifeless husk, instead of a living, evolving organism. That is the tight-rope of human striving. One way to keep a tradition from becoming petrified is the healthy encounter with new thought, fresh insight, and the experiences of those who plumb the depths of that system, and then bring new pearls of wisdom to the surface. These are the wellspring of new growth and evolution, and s defense against losing the essence, while merely maintaining the outer facade of the tradition.

Western Mind 2.0

We do have a square peg and round hole situation with Western Buddhism. Those who have traveled to “exotic” locations and immersed themselves in Eastern life know how profoundly and essentially different the shape of the mind can be in different cultures and epochs. The interface of Buddhism with modern physics and psychology are two prominent attempts at bridging the gap between how we experience life today, and that of 10th century Tibet or 5th century India. Such dialogues look for similarities and common ground, or for confirmations, but do little to explain or expand on the crucial points of ancient knowledge. The West seeks understanding from the outer world, while Easter wisdom specializes in inner exploration. A possible bridge between the language of the inner and the outer is none other than the Five Elements.
Here we are not trying to solve the riddle of the existence of the Elemental template, but to look at different approaches to that mystery. This can only enhance our path of inner development. A deeper Elemental understanding also augments our ability to heal body and mind, to benefit others, and repair the natural landscape we inhabit. In so doing we fulfill what Buddhism calls the “two benefits” of self and other. Indeed Elemental work is fundamental to our spiritual unfoldment, but also can be a tool for treating illness, mental stress and anxiety and the underlying traumas that limit our vast potential.

Light Body 10—When 3 becomes 4.

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When Three Becomes Four

Meditator made of trianglesFive Becomes Three

I am obsessed with the five element model, certain at my core that it is a fundamental formative principle of body, mind, world, life. But it is not the only operant system that still alludes modern science. The Law of Three also pervades our experience, and knowledge of its workings is a feature of religious, spiritual and transformative systems throughout time and place. G. I. Gurdjieff propounded this principle lucidly, naming them Holy Affirming, Holy Denying, and Holy Reconciling. In simple terms these could be thought of as active or motive, passive or inertial, and mediating or harmonizing. The are the electron, proton and neutron of the unseen world, in actuality. Note that the third force, while neither active or passive, is not neutral. It has a catalytic or unifying effect, without which those opposing forces could never produce a reaction or result. Also, these are not hierarchical in a strict sense, so various series of three’s related to ever higher levels may be something altogether different.

The Buddhist three sacred bodies—Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya or cosmic, energetic/etheric and material—are examples of these kinds of stages. Neither are they a temporal sequence, such as the Hindu Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the forces of creation, maintenance and destruction. And it really won’t help us to become entangled with the mathematical properties of three, as fascinating as they are. What we are interested in is the rarely studied knowledge of these world-creating dynamics, whose traces can be seen in all deeper, esoteric transformative practices. Traditionally, it was these inner spiritual traditions that were the keepers of these truths, at a time when science was still sacred science, and “how things work” was simply mechanics. But the fact remains that three archetypal forces are always involved with the processes of both material objects and living beings.

Traditions of the Three

In some spiritual paths of old, various forces and conscious energies were personified as deities or “gods,” while traditions used symbols and technical terms to point towards these formative energies. Medieval European alchemy, based on Arabic and Persian works, portrayed the three forces as three minerals: sulfur, mercury and salt (active, resistant, reconciling). In this same tradition, the marriage or unification of the three forces were seen as sun (male), moon (female) and spirit (a cosmic bird). They are also graphically portrayed in the familiar Christian Holy Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (or Mother-Sophia, Jesus-Sophia, Spirit-Sophia of Cynthia Bourgeault). Remember, we are not speaking of the exoteric, “Wikipedia” or theological meanings of these terms, but their inner, Essene or Gnostic meaning.

The Egyptian priests recognized these forces as the Osiris, Isis and Horus—though this triplet of gods also existed in several other guises depending on the epoch and region of ancient Egypt. The Vedanta of ancient India maintains the concept of the three gunas: rajas, tamas and sattvic. These can be taken as purely psychological characteristics of desire, dullness and harmonious reason. But on a deeper level, they represent the law of three. Very prominently and well known is the Daoist concept of the opposing forces of Yin and Yang and their unifying context, the Dao.

We must however, focus a particularly bright light on Buddhist Vajrayana, with its practice of the mixing of these three fundamental forces within the physical organism. However, nowhere is the movement, location and characteristics of biological energy more fully discussed than in Chinese Daoism. Yet sifting through the seemingly countless lineages and styles can seem chaotic because, unlike Buddhism, there was no strict codification of teachings, as different masters in the vast land of China developed a wide range of unique schools of thought and practice. To complicate matters, it was a standard ethos to keep the inner teachings of one’s lineage under a strict wall of secrecy. However, there is agreement within Qi Gong and inner alchemy (Nei Dan) that there are two main forms of chi or energy in the body. As we can expect, one is yang and the other is yin. But as the modern Western master, Damo Mitchell explains, they can accurately be described as electric and magnetic energy, respectively. Because electrical energy (ionic depolarization and field creation) is considered yang, it is associated with the nervous system. Magnetic energy is yin in nature and associated with the breath and circulation of fluids. Here we will avoid the  muddle of the difference between magnetic and electrical fields, field oscillation, how they influence and create each other and the mathematical complexities of quantum theory. They are simply quite different energetic forces and contained meanings, as observed (but not understood) by physics. In doing various spiritual practices, we accumulate, condense and spread our electro- and magnetic energies. But what is the third force needed for this alchemy? It is biophotons—carriers of consciousness itself—that is the required reconciling force to cook our inner energy concoction. These three forces—electrical, magnetic and photonic—are the primal yin-yang-dao, the active-passive-reconciling, the sulphur-mercury-salt that we see in so many traditions.

Finding the Three

While every phenomena, small and vast, takes place because of the three forces, it helps our understanding to go beyond theory and discover how they are localized in the body. Indeed, three focal areas are present in different medical and spiritual anatomy systems around the globe. In Daoism, these are the three “dantiens,” or energetic spheres,  denoting the lower body, chest field and head area. This is identical to Gurdjieff’s three centers: intellectual, emotional and moving. It also corresponds to the well-known 3-chakra or three-center system of Vajrayana that we have examined many times. The white father energy, the world of form and name, lives in the head. The red mother energy or life force, dwells in the pelvis. In the center, consciousness resides in the heart, beyond either form-formless and alive-inert.

There is also the three chakra expression of Om-Ah-Hung, symbolic of the form-energy and consciousness that uses the short-hand of forehead, throat and heart. These are the great forces that need to be mixed, stored, circulated, and controlled within our human form. This is one of the major purposes of mantra recitation, pranayama, breath retention, body postures and body movements (tsa lung). But what we seek is the union of the three forces, not just a  build-up of the electro and magnetic fields.   The practice of Tumo in Vajrayana and various internal firings of Chinese inner alchemy or Neidan, are some of complex ways in which these three become a unitary force of change.

The Fourth and Final

And yet the union of these three is not the end of the story. It is only the means towards transformation. If the three are harmonized and truly reconciled, a fourth state is produced. “The interweaving of the three produces a fourth in a new dimension.” And here is the final product in the Light Body formation process. A new “something” arises, something we can barely name. This could be called the “rainbow body cell.” It is a cosmic molecule, one built of internal bioenergies, different forms of chi or prana, the different Hyrdogens in the Gurdjieffian scale of spiritual substances. And that is why the Light Body is not built in a day. These atoms, cells, or molecules of Light Body have to be accumulated over decades, over a lifetime of work, which may run the whole gamut of meditation, yoga, mantra-recitation and energy manipulation techniques that have been perfected over the millennia. This gives the lie to the “ascensionist” school of light body wishful-thinking, or those that believe “heaven” is the reward for a life well lived. It certainly helps, but much more is required for such a gargantuan step beyond our feeble human existence. How many light-cells does it take, and what degree of luminous structuring do we need in order to have a rainbow body framework that will assure an after-life continuity? This gets into Harry Potter territory, with the “muggles” or ordinary folk on one side, and the “wizards-in-training” on the other. But such categorization was already necessary long ago. Buddhists called those who went beyond the karmic wheel, “stream-winners.”

Gurdjieff spoke of “person number 4” who had developed beyond those centered on intellect, emotions or physicality (person numbers 1, 2 and 3), having harmonized their three forces such that they were connected to higher internal centers. There are obviously numerous other titles for those with a little or a major amount of attainment, from rinpoche to shaman, magi or maestro. Mostly these are ceremonial, as outer distinctions are no guarantee of inner development. But according to a private teaching (whose source cannot be attributed) the average “good” person may develop about 10-15% light-form cells within their lifetime, while it requires some 30% of this kind of transmutation in order to assure that one can continue their Light Body development into future lives. This additional requirement is significant, as it simply does not happen by itself. It is not part of Gaia, of the natural or biological world. Nature does not need this, as it loves conformity, every blade of grass like every other. It is the spiritual seeker who shatters the natural order, breaking free of the mundane, the fatal path. They go against the downstream current of life, which takes tremendous force. This is the alchemical meaning of creating gold from lead, of creating the “second Kesdjan body” of Gurdjieff, the transubstantiation of Christianity, the Vajra Body of Tibetan Buddhism, the hong hua (rainbow body) of the Daoists, and the Lataif or subtle body of the Sufis. Wherever we are in our lives, if we clear negative karma, and try to accumulate positive force through thought, word and deed, practicing earnestly in a tradition in which we have confidence, the goal will inevitably arise.

Suggestive Bibliography

Baker, Ian. Tibetan Yoga: Principles and Practice. (2019). Rochester: Inner Traditions.

Bourgeault, C. The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three: Discovering the Radical Truth at the Heart of Christianity. (2013). Boston: Shambala.

Guinness, Lowel. Rainbow Body. (2018). Chicago: Serindia Publications.

Johnson, Jerry Alan. The Hidden Teachings of Christian Mysticism (Vol. 1): Spiritual Transformation & Divine Healing. (2017). Pacific Grove: International Institute of Qi Gong.

Mitchell, Damo.  White Moon on the Mountain Peak: The Alchemical Firing Process of Nei Dan. (2016). London: Singing Dragon.

Rainbow Body 9—Dying into the (Elemental) Light

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The Road Beyond this Life

An individual who achieves a fully perfected Light Body or Rainbow Body in this very life is like a hologram, a gossamer web of photons, a powerful electromagnetic field that holds to human form until that allotted moment when it is time to leave the bubble of flesh behind. In the dying process, such a being can negotiate the after-death or bardo (in between) state with certainty. They may move on to another life consciously, or manifest in a luminous pure land in a far off star system. But what about the rest of us? How can we learn to navigate this uncertain territory with any kind of clarity or direction? The presence of highly developed gurus with masterful techniques would be nice. I have been fortunate to witness such beings literally pluck a lost soul out of the after-death state, or send off an ordinary mortal (even an animal) into a cloud of rainbows on a clear sky day, through the practice of transference or powa. But such people don’t grow on trees. For ourselves, we need a method, a road map and an instruction booklet of some sort. Fortunately these do exist, thanks to the fact that we are not the first to face that precipice! Through the last 1,400 years of Vajrayana Buddhism, many brilliant minds have done the transformational work and traveled the internal dimensions of mind to investigate the territory. Others have died and come back as delogs (literally “returners from the beyond”) and written about their journey. This amazing legacy is available to us, no matter the stage of our development nor the state of our busy lives.

The Traditions

Tibetan Buddhism is vast in its range and depth. But undoubtedly the most well known and popular corner of that landscape is the book collection known as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. First translated and published in the West by Walter Evans-Wentz in 1927, this text influenced a generation of thinkers. And in this century, Sogyal Rinpoche’s Book of Living and Dying was a pop sensation some 65 years later. Today we can find more than a dozen such books by Tibetan and Bhutanese masters and Western practitioners alike. They contain a wealth of valuable common-sense and Dharmic advice. Much of the content of these texts is based on Karma Lingpa’s collection of “revealed” texts from the 15th century. But regular readers will not be aware that this is just one of many systems of after-death teachings. Some 300 years earlier, the famed yogi and author Yonangpa relates knowing 16 different bardo traditions. The system of chöd of Tibet’s greatest female saint, MaChik Labdrön (1055–1149), also has a concise and powerful after-death guidance ritual that is quite distinct from the elaborate visions of Karma Lingpa’s Liberation Upon Hearing. Indeed, working with the transition states of living, dying, dreams, and the afterlife were well-established in the 1100s, originating with the teachings of the great 84 Mahasiddhas from 750 CE onward. Tilopa, Naropa, and Matripa were important adepts in the transition of these texts to the snowy fastness of the Tibetan plateau.

Stages of Bardo

The entire bardo process is generally divided into the dying stage, the intermediate or after-life stage, and the rebirth process. The various books of the dead represent very extensive and complex rituals with many moving parts, mostly concerned with the after-death process, extending from seven to 49 days. In this short article we are focusing on the dying process, particularly because it prominently involves a sequential dissolution of the Elements. It is notable that the Shangpa tradition (c. 1100), which came from two remarkable female mahasiddhas of India, Sukasiddhi and Niguma, has a practice focused solely on this dissolution process, a wonderful rehearsal for the act of dying. Compared with the more difficult after-death stage, conscious dying provides an opportunity for taking a massive spiritual leap forward. And it teaches us much about our ongoing investigation of both the Five Elements and the Light Body.

Dying Well

The mindset of the dying process is a huge consideration and discussed widely in Western books on hospice and death caretaking (doola). The advice to be surrounded by smiling friends and well-wishers is not just based on sentiment and compassionate care. Yes, what we did in our life has great import, but there is also something within the Vajrayana tradition called “throwing karma.” This means that what we dwell on in the last days, hours, and minutes of life can propel us forward with either positive or hellish momentum. With regard to others, this is not the time for blame, shame, anger, hatred, jealousy, or a thousand other negative emotions. For ourselves, this is not the time for regret, self-admonition, self-pity, worrying, theorizing, fantasizing—or doubting. Letting go of all that, while appreciating the amazing life journey we have enjoyed, is a solid strategy. That is the karma (action) that throws us (propels the mind) past all kinds of obstacles and can even compensate for all manner of missteps that we have inevitably made in our lifetime. Love and compassion toward our loved ones, our helpers, and toward our spiritual teachers, is paramount. Now we are ready for the stages of Elemental dissolution.

Element Transitions

When the Elements drop away, they do so in sequence. If we have practiced working with the Five Elements, learning to dissolve them one into the other on a daily basis, we will already have a familiarity with what is to come. But beyond anything we can train for, something very special is about to happen, something that we would be fortunate to have experienced even once during our lifetime. Because, as each Element appears on the stage of mindbody, a kind of purification happens. One of the great hidden mysteries of our human incarnation is that there are different strata of Elemental forces within us, from gross to fine. We do not yet have a proper nomenclature for this energetic layering, though the basic bones are there. There is the traditional Samkhya or Hindu system of the five koshas or fields. J. G. Bennett provides us with a powerful system of 12 energies in his book Energies: Vital, Material and Cosmic, ranging from the mechanical to the cosmic, based on the works of his teacher, the famed mystic G. I. Gurdjieff. Ken Wilbur in his A Brief History of Everything (1996) and other books has an enlarged schema of eight, 12, or 13 patterns of personal and universal development. These all closely follow our knowledge of the Elements and sub-elements. We can conceive of them in a numerical sense. For example Fire Element appears on different levels: Fire-1 (molecular); F-2 (cellular); F-3 (biological); F-4 (bioenergetic), F-5 (psychological), and so on. Clearly there could be many more divisions and subdivisions, especially on the level of tissues, organs, and mind processes. But for now, this schema provides a framework for the reality of these levels. The deepest gift in all this is that our body contains the highest possible level of these Elemental matrices. Let us call this ultimate cosmic level “Element zero” (Element-0). These finest formative forces are usually not available to us. In life they are inextricably mixed with our material, biological, molecular, and even atomic identity. Much of the work of physical yoga, mantra recitation, meditation, visualization, and other sacred methods are involved with freeing up these primordially pure Elements. Indeed, Light Body formation is not other than freeing, collecting, condensing, activating, and co-mingling these original Elements.

In the Elemental dissolution process as described in traditional Tibetan texts, those pure Elements are described as goddesses, buddhas or dakinis. For many millennia, these indescribable and unutterable phenomena have been personified as spiritual beings, as a kind of bridge to our way of perceiving mundane reality. Since these Elements do entail the highest levels of consciousness, this is quite appropriate. The entire universe is sentient and everything partakes of varying levels of consciousness, from photons to space-time itself, and each strata of the Elements also encompass those stages of awareness.

Signs: Outer, Inner, Secret

Various outer manifestations and inner experiences of the Elements dissolving are extensively discussed in Tibetan texts and their translations. Descriptions of these sensations, sounds and visions­ help an outside observer to monitor the situation for the dying individual. And they can be useful but these signs can be difficult to grasp in the rapidly evolving situation. More accessible are the major shifts in energy that are taking place. Through familiarity with our usual bio-energy states and with the Elements on a day-to-day basis, we have a better chance of monitoring our process with a dispassionate curiosity and happy expectation. After all, we only get to do this once per lifetime. Before we can outline the stages, however, we need to clarify an important technical detail about the process called “untying the knots.”

Knots that are Not

Symbolic and mythological language is used in describing how the channels in the body are transformed. During yogic practices, or during the death process, there is an unraveling of the so-called “knots” within the subtle channels, particularly those that encircle the chakras. These entwinements need to be straightened out, so it goes, so that the winds or bio-energies can flow freely. Texts show painstaking line drawings of these tangled skeins, as well as a version of straightened channels. We now know that the primo vascular system is an important part of the subtle energy pathways, but the model of a kinked rubber hose should be understood as figurative, not literal. So what is being pointed at? During normal life, energy fields around the chakras have been enmeshed with our biophysical processes. When they are suddenly released—either through inner work or at death—that forcefield is withdrawn. The ultimate atom of the Elements is then set free. Whether this lives at the heart of the DNA spiral or in a different molecular or atomic formation, we can only suspect. But once freed, the process of merging the pure five elements with our impure elements is possible. If the “untying of the knots” is done in our meditative lifetime, through tummo or other tsa-lung (channels and psychic energy) methods, we are helping create Light Body. When it happens at the point of death, it is called the bardo of dying.

Stages of Dissolution

Earth Element is the first element to let go. The forces which hold our structure together, the forces of constructive energy in Bennett’s schema, begin to withdraw from the entire body. Where does it go? According to the Buddhist tradition, it dissolves back into the outer Earth element. This is consistent with the famous “dust to dust” pronouncement of Christianity. It also conforms to the schema of different levels of our Elemental mandala, where a more elevated or sophisticated level of the element downgrades into a more primitive or impure form. Solidity, structure, and stability fall away. At the same time the navel chakra field collapses, releasing the pure Earth Element (E-0). This enters the central channel of the body, the uma, and it is possible directly glimpse the Wisdom form of the Element, as the color yellow, a square, a buddha, a goddess.

Water Element is next in sequence. Traditional texts and their translations talk about Earth dissolving into Water. This should be understood as strictly metaphor. No Element actually merges or slips into another, but rather assumes prominence as its denser counterpart slips away. Fluidity, cohesion, and the connectedness of our “universal solvent” of water slips away. This is Bennett’s sensitive energy. Now the heart chakra bio-field collapses. It is possible to experience pure Water Element (W-0) as the Wisdom Element as a white color, a circle, or a white buddha. Once this happens, Water gives way to Fire.

Fire Element begins to be released in its mundane form. The pilot light of cellular machinery, our internal combustion, begins to take flight. The throat bio-field or chakra plexus collapses. Heat dissipates from the head down to the feet and out (the reverse in experienced meditators) and the Wisdom Fire element is released and slips into the central channel. If our mind is lucid and calm enough, we may glimpse or meet directly, the primal Element of Fire (F-0) as a red color, a triangle, or a red buddha or goddess of the Western direction.

Air Element now takes center stage. The power that moves our tissues, nerve impulses, even the atomic vibration of our molecular structure, begins to lose momentum. The pelvic chakra bio-field collapses, releasing the primal Air Element. The four winds (upper, lower, digestive, pervading) all dissolve into the life-upholding wind, which then enters into the five-element life force channel at the heart. The outer breath stops at this point. And Air “dissolves” into Space. We may experience a green color, a semi-circle, or the form of the enlightened beings that personify this Element.

Space Element. The last step is described differently in various traditions. In the Karma Lingpa cycle, Space Element dissolves first, before Earth. In other lineages, Air is said to dissolve into consciousness directly, and only then into Space. This seems to be a conflation between local space and ultimate Space (i.e. S-1–5 with S-0). Here we follow with logical sequence in which Air finally dissolves into Space. The head chakra field collapses, releasing the pure Space element bindu, which enters the central channel. Finally Space gives way to pure consciousness. The bio-energetic field of our five mundane Elements have all dissipated, releasing the original matrix of the Pure Five, which now travel through the central channel to the heart. The accompanying diagram gives some visual sense to these transitions points, and the meditations which can be built around them.

Death is the Beginning

After these stages, a new series of transformations begins, which brings the upper and lower polarities of our being together, as discussed in my previous essay on uniting above and below.* This is done during the practice of tummo, neidan, and other advanced tantric, alchemical, or yogic practices. This also happens during deep sleep. The descent of the white seed of the father from above—the mind of experience—and the red seed of the mother from below—the wisdom mind—and their merger at the heart, is a story for another day. And much more could also be said about the Elemental journey just described, especially in light of the psychological components that must fall away at each stage. The crucial understanding is that we have no less than five opportunities to step directly through the doorway of Elemental purity. And each of those thresholds leads to illumination, the chance to avoid any further illusory meandering in the after-life landscape. Instead, we can return home, merging into the luminous openness where our limited ego-self is neither useful nor needed.

Further Reading

Anyen Rinpoche. 2010. Dying With Confidence: A Tibetan Buddhist Guide To Preparing For Death. Somerville: Wisdom Publications.

Bennett, J. G. 1964. Energies: Material, Vital, Cosmic. Coombe Springs. Coombe Springs Press.
Cuevas, B. J. 2005. The Hidden History of The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Santa Barbara: University of California.
Fremantle, F. 2001. Luminous Emptiness: Understanding the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Boston: Shambala.
Phuntsok Tashi, Khenpo. 2017. The Fine Art of Living & Manifesting a Peaceful Death. Thimpu.
Sogyal Rinpoche. 1992. Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. San Francisco: Harper.
Wilbur, K. 1996. A Brief History of Everything. Boston: Shambala.