Four
doorways to home (rigpa)
Five years ago I wrote a
book called Four Houses of Enlightenment which is an explanation of
the so called four dantiens (ch. dantien, jap. tanden) known from
Taoism (and it's various practices), and their relation to natural
awareness (rigpa). Since then, my understanding of these four
doorways has changed and developed. This text is a concise version of
this topic.
Inside the space of the
physical body there are three (non-physical) areas that act as
doorways to natural awareness. I like to call this natural awareness,
or rigpa, simply as ”home” because that is what it is, our home
as clear, calm, loving and knowing awareness, devoid of me, yet
having a will.
Each of these doorways are
areas about the size of one's own fist. First is at the lower belly,
slightly under the level of the navel, deep in the gut. Second is
deep inside the chest and is sometimes referred to as the ”spiritual
heart”. Third is inside the head at the level of the eyes. Fourth
is not inside the body (and is not the size of one's fist) but
relates to the three highest of the seven chakra-centers above the
head. These three chakras also relate to what in Open Heart Bhumi
Model are known as mahasiddha bhumis. Through all four of these one
can access home, if the instructions are correct. I say that the
instructions need to be correct because there are many teachings that
basicly teaches about this and yet doesn't.
The way how one can use
any of the doorways is to bring one's attention to the mentioned
location and just be openly aware of what happens in one's body and
mind. The doorways are sort of like balls or bubbles that one's
awareness has to penetrate and unite with. This is something that
cannot be done with force, but rather with gentle attention. The way
how you know ”you're in” is that seeking, questioning and selfing
stops. Your mind becomes clear, lucid and subtle brimming with life.
At first it will be short moments until it grows on you but even
short moments make a difference.
In the beginning it
doesn't matter which door you choose as your main doorway.
Essentially all the doors ”get you to the same location” even
though they have subtle distinguishing characters as well. In the
long run, I feel, it is importat not to get stuck in using only one
doorway because this has the potential pitfall of onesided
interpretation.
The four doorways are not
four separate things, but one underlying whole. As is taught in
orthodox dzogchen, there is one special energy channel (tib. kati,
skt. amrita nadi*) that goes from the eye balls to the crown and to
heart, similarly there are these four doorways. These doorways are
not ”made of” ordinary energy channels but of extraordinary ones
that are beyond cause and effect. These areas do not store karmas but
are ever pure and clear. They are doorways to home for anyone. And
everyone is invited.
*according to Machig
Labdron
When we are talking about
these four doorways, we are really talking about the most profound
essence of all yogas. This is the teaching of great perfection or
dzogchen. There is nothing more profound than this.
About two years ago I was
taught a series of meditation practices by mahasiddha Vimalamitra.
This series is known by the name of Wisdom Meditations or Vimalamitra
sem dzin in Open Heart-teachings. We have an ongoing 3-year
meditation course that focuses on these practices.
However, I have to admit
that regarding the mentioned first doorway, I didn't understand it
until very recently. You see, the way I understood this doorway was
how it is cultivated and applied in Japanese rinzai zen buddhism. I
trained in that tradition for a couple of years back in the day and
always remained a big ”tanden” or ”hara” fan. However, at
some point I started to feel that essentially it is mistaken to teach
about the energetic tautness of the lower belly or hara because then
one is really stil working with the ordinary channels and energetic
sensations arising from them. I feel that the way it, gut practice,
has originally been in zen buddhism must have been the way I am
presenting it here but whether this is historically true or not
doesn't make a difference. When going in through the doorway of the
gut, there is no tautness and there is no need to cultivate or build
a ”strong hara” with special kind of body posturing and breathing
techniques as the Japanese traditions say. One is not working with
ordinary pranic energies here. Therefore, I feel, that at some point
in history some mistakes lurked in into zen buddhism and probably
taoism also. But gee... The zen-priests of the ancient times must
have been amazing if they applied the gut-door the right way. You
know, zen-people sit hours and hours on end on daily basis. This
cannot but have a great and tasty fruit.
Regarding the second and
third doorways it is necessary to emphasize that they are not the
heart and forehead chakras that are commonly known. These two
centers, again, are made of ordinary channels and therefore they
don't do so well as doorways. If you are working with the ordinary
channels, you mind keeps busy with thoughts, forms and lights and
there is no profound clarity of home. In both cases one has to go
deep inside the body to access them. Deep inside the chest, deep
inside the head.
Fourth of these doorways
is a bit more tricky to locate because the mentioned centers are high
above one's crown, floating high up there. It is not impossible but
one needs to have very good concentration and attention skills to be
able to differentitate between the higher centers. But a simple and
functional way to do go in through this door is to relax, open up and
surrender to it. Tibetan Heart Yoga has techniques for this,
as well, but essentially all one needs to do is to surrender to the
rain that falls on you.
Here, as with all
doorways, it is important to recognise the three characteristics: 1.
calmness and clarity, 2. aliveness, lovingness, compassion and 3.
knowingness, cognizance that is selfless.
So there. I hope you found
this useful.
Thank you.
Kim
