On 16 Mar, 16:42, monkeym...@hactrn.ch (Monkey Mind) wrote:
> "Tom"
comcast.net> writes:>> In this, the last chapter of "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism",
>> Trungpa addresses for the first time the aspect of Buddhism that is of,
>> perhaps, the most interest to magicians,the concept of tantra.
>
>> Trungpa says, "Finally we reach the tenth and last stage of the Bodhisattva
>> Path: the death of shunyata and the birth into 'luminosity'. Â Shunyata as an
>> experience falls away, exposing the luminous quality of form. Â Prajna
>> transforms into jnana or 'wisdom'. Â The powerful jolt of the vajra-like
>> samadhi is necessry to bring the bodhisattva into the state of being wisdom
>> instead of knowing wisdom. This is the moment of bodhi, or 'awake', the
>> entrance into Tantra."
>
>> The basis of Tantra is working with energy, "that which aides in the heart
>> of all beings, self-existing simplicity, that which sustains wisdom. Â This
>> indestructible essence is the energy of great joy; it is all-pervasive, like
>> space. Â This is the dharma body of non-dwelling" according to the Tantra of
>> Vajramala.
>
>> As I mentioned in a comment on the last chapter, I see the process as an
>> interaction of the supernals of the Tree of Life. Â Form and emptiness
>> correspond to Binah and Chokmah, and Tantra itself is expressed in Kether.
>> And, just as the qabalists say that Malkuth is in Kether and Kether in
>> Malkuth, Trungpa says:
>
>> "Tantric wisdom brings nirvana into samsara. Â This may sound rather
>> shocking. Â Before reaching the level of Tantra, you try to abandon samsara
>> and strive to achieve nirvana. Â But eventually you must realize the futility
>> of striving and then become completely one with nirvana. Â In order to really
>> capture the energy of nirvana and become one with it you need a partnership
>> with the ordinary world. Â Therefore the term 'ordinary wisdom',
>> thamal-gyi-shepa, is used a great deal in the Tantric tradition. Â It is the
>> completely ordinary version of 'form is form, emptiness is empty'; it is
>> what is. Â One cannot reject the physical existence of the world as being
>> something bad and associated with samsara. Â You can only understand the
>> essence of nirvana by looking into the essence of samsara."
>
>> Alchemical symbolism is also used a lot in the teaching of Tantra. Â The
>> transmutation of lead into gold is accomplished not be destroying the lead
>> but transmuting it. Â "You do not have to change its metallic quality at all.
>> You simply transmute it."
>
>> As in alchemy, the practice of tantra is predicated on the proper
>> preparation of the vessel. Â Without cutting through to shunyata, and then
>> cutting through shunyata as well, you simply haven't got the capacity to
>> handle the energies of Tantra in a controlled fashion. Â Thus, the
>> consequences of doing so are that your results are not predictable, not
>> exactly what you set out to accomplish. Â Sometimes it works, sometimes it
>> has strange and unexpected effects, and sometimes it doesn't work at all.
>> Sometimes it backfires and can potentially do a lot of damage.
>
> There is, after all, a lot of talk about the "spiritual path".
> Preparing the vessel, walking the path, doing the exercises - all of
> these point out (among other things) that there is a lot of practical
> work to do to get there and do that.
>
>> "If a yogi works with energy without having gone through the shunyata
>> experience, then it may be dangerous and destructive. Â For example, the
>> practice of some physical yoga exercises which stimulate ones energy could
>> awaken passion, hatred, pride and other emotions to the extent that one
>> would not know how to express them.The scriptures describe a yogi who is
>> completely intoxicated with his energy as being like a drunken elephant who
>> runs rampant without considering where he is going."
>
>> In yet another parallel, the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage describes a
>> series of practices which are to be undertaken only after one has had the
>> Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel which prepares one to
>> understand and control the energies which the practices are designed to
>> produce.
>
> Interesting. In many Theravada Buddhist schools it is held that the
> pure high concentration states, the samatha jhanas, while they are the
> gateway to the psychic powers, should be developed after awakening,
> because they can so easily be mistaken for the goal. Â Some
> concentration is necessary for insight practice (developing
> wisdom/prajna), but the high concentration attainments have nothing to
> do with insight, unless they are used as an object for insight
> practice.
>
>> Similar cautionary tales are told in occult circles about dabbling
>> with these practices before having been properly prepared. Â Mostly these
>> stories are exaggerated fantasically, so they cannot be taken at face value,
>> but they do point to this notion that you'd better really know what you're
>> doing, just in case you happen, by sheer luck (good or bad), to accidentally
>> power up the system by playing randomly with the switches.
>
> From my own experience, when practicing concentration meditation and
> letting thoughts and memories arise and pass without getting involved,
> some very distinct voices and visual images will become manifest, a
> bit like the way the psyche will split up when dreaming, acting out
> all the different characters. Â A solid background knowledge of what to
> expect and how to deal with it is essential, in my opinion. Â Even
> better is to find an experienced person who knows the territory.
>
>> I think it is important to think about what Trungpa means when he says that
>> Tantra is "working with energy". Â In the physical sciences, energy is that
>> which does work. Â It comes is very specific forms, is easily quantifiable,
>> and acts in very specific, highly predictable ways. Â There is heat, light,
>> kinetic, atomic energy, and so forth. Â In occult circles, the term "energy"
>> is used as if it were something like physical energy, but an energy which
>> conveniently fails to conform to any consistent rules for its own operation
>> and can do anything we imagine it does and only when we imagine that it
>> does.
>
> For years, this "energy" talk utterly prevented me from taking into
> consideration anything the spiritual crowd was talking about. Â I still
> think there are almost always better words than "energy" when talking
> about spiritual concepts.
>
>
>
>> The questions at the end of the chapter give us some idea of the
>> overall formula of the spiritual path of Tibetan Buddhism.
>
>> Opening, surrender.
>> Emptying, shunyata.
>> Integration, tantra.
>
> The last bit, integration, is interesting and important. Â Awakening
> will not automatically solve the mundane problems we have.
I agree - the last bit, integration is interesting. However - imagine
that you become fully integrated, and still you stub your toe, still
you make an ass of yourself. What is left to do then? The Tibetans
do quite a bit of death preparation, and in the moment of death is a
moment of complete surrender of body, mind, self and personality. It
seems a bit chanchy to leave everything until the last moment.
Magicians have the Magister Templi grade where they surrender the self
to the SELF (to quote Regardie). I liken an awakement to a sleep and
this final surrender to death, but death as a peaceful smiling friend
you have invited to visit and are pleased to surrender entirely to.
Perhaps if someone sees a Magister Templi making an ass of themselves
they will not see that it's a Golden Ass? :)
I just had an absurd mental picture of a Magister Templi aspirant
preparing to polevault an dark chasm. lol
> Cheers,
> Florian
>
> --
> Every man passes out of life as if he had just been born.
> Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -- Epicurus (Vatican Sayings 60)- Hide quoted text -
>
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