Healing with Form, Energy, and Light The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra, and Dzogchen

by WANGYAL, TENZIN

• ISBN13: 9781559391764
• ISBN10: 1559391766
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-04-24
• Publisher: Snow Lion

Summary

In the highest teachings, the elements are understood to be the radiance of being and are accessed through pure awareness. This book offers the reader healing meditations and yogic practices on each of these levels.

Author Biography

TENZIN WANGYAL RINPOCHE, a lama in the Bön tradition of Tibet, presently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the founder and director of Ligmincha Institute, an organization dedicated to the study and practice of the teachings of the Bön tradition. He was born in Amritsar, India, after his parents fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet and received training from both Buddhist and Bön teachers, attaining the degree of Geshe, the highest academic degree of traditional Tibetan culture. He has been in the United States since 1991 and has taught widely in Europe and America.

Table of Contents

Preface	x
The Prayer of the Intermediate State	xiii
Introduction	xvii
The Bon Religion	xix
The Elements	1	(32)
Three Levels of Spiritual Practice	3	(2)
External	3	(1)
Internal	3	(1)
Secret	4	(1)
Relating to the Sacred	5	(3)
The Five Pure Lights	8	(3)
The Dissolution of the Elements	11	(1)
Understanding Through the Elements	11	(1)
Relating Oneself to the Elements	12	(9)
Earth	13	(2)
Water	15	(1)
Fire	16	(1)
Air	17	(2)
Space	19	(2)
The Elements and Our Well-Being	21	(1)
How the Elements Become Unbalanced	22	(2)
The Arising of Problems	24	(2)
Purification and Cultivation	26	(1)
Knowing Which Element to Work With	27	(1)
Working with the Elements	28	(2)
Choosing the Level of the Practice	30	(3)
The Five Elements in Shamanism	33	(43)
La, Yee, and Sem	36	(2)
Ls, Sok, and Tse	38	(1)
Practices	38	(2)
Working with the Elements in Nature	40	(6)
The Nine Purification Breaths	41	(1)
Earth	42	(1)
Water	43	(1)
Fire	44	(1)
Air	45	(1)
Space	45	(1)
Dedication	46	(1)
Elemental Spirits	46	(4)
Relating to Non-Physical Beings	50	(3)
First Guests	50	(1)
Second Guests	51	(1)
Third Guests	51	(1)
Fourth Guests	52	(1)
Making Offerings	53	(4)
Soul Loss and the Retrieval of the Elemental Energies	57	(2)
The Arrow, Turquoise, and Soul Deer	59	(1)
The Practice of Retrieving the Elemental Energies	60	(14)
Outline of the Practice	60	(1)
The Nine Purification Breaths	61	(1)
Guru Yoga	61	(1)
The Four Guests	62	(1)
The Transformation of the Body	63	(2)
The Transformation of the Energy	65	(1)
Retrieving the Elemental Energies	66	(2)
The Transformation of the Mind	68	(2)
The Long Life Mantra	70	(1)
Dedication	70	(1)
The Goddess Practice with the Other Elements	71	(3)
The Practice in Daily Life	74	(2)
The Five Elements in Tantra	76	(35)
The Horse, Path, Rider, and Armor	77	(6)
The Horse: Prana	77	(1)
The Functions of the Five Pranas	77	(3)
The Path: Channels	80	(2)
The Rider: Tigle	82	(1)
The Armor: Syllables	82	(1)
Aspects of Tantra	83	(6)
Chakras	83	(1)
Positive and Negative	84	(2)
Supporting Positive Qualities	86	(3)
The Practice of Tsa Lung	89	(20)
Posture	90	(1)
Breath and Prana	90	(2)
Transformation in Holding and Releasing	92	(1)
Instructions	93	(1)
The Five External Tsa Lung Movements	93	(12)
The Five Internal Tsa Lung Practices	105	(2)
The Five Secret Tsa Lung Practices	107	(2)
Opening the Chakras	109	(2)
The Five Elements in the Great Perfection	111	(23)
The Great Perfection	111	(1)
Creating Samsara	112	(1)
The Six Lamps	113	(5)
Sound, Light, and Rays	118	(2)
Being with Problems	120	(2)
Dissolving Samsara	122	(4)
Appreciating the Space Element	126	(3)
Integrating with Space and the Other Four Lights	129	(1)
The Dark Retreat: Visions of the Five Elements	130	(4)
Final Words	134	(5)
Glossary	139	(8)
Bibliography	147	(2)
Appendix 1: Astrological Directions	149	(2)
Appendix 2: List of Contacts	151	(4)
Appendix 3: The Prayer of the Intermediate State	155