Wisdom
air and other secrets
Clarity of mind, or in other words recognition of rigpa, is in direct connection with channels and energies, or traditionally "winds" that blow through the channels. Channels which number up to many hundreds of thousands (I do not think it is possible to count them all, they are so many) are the energetic representation of our being. This energetic representation is the same as "mind" or energy body. In this short text I won't go into channels and centers but wish to mention a few things of the connection between the physical body-to-mind-to-rigpa. Several bits that I am going to say are held secrets of a couple of distinguished meditation traditions. Personally I do not think there is need for over-protecting secrecy.
Wisdom air
A friend of mine mentioned that one of his Tibetan lamas, said to keep one's mouth open during atiyoga. The lama had said that keeping mouth open makes it "wisdom air". What this actually means was not explained. Here's my take on this.
Dzogchen atiyoga is the king and queen of all samadhis and meditation practices. To really "get it" one has to have a lot of "battle experience". By battle experience I refer to calmness and clarity of mind, insights to selfless nature of self and mind content, as well as valid practical conceptual knowledge of the structure and different functions of the mind.
Atiyoga is rigpa practice. Rigpa refers to knowing awareness, knowingness that is not self-based. Rigpa is not an experience, nor it is perceived. I hate to use such a foreign term like ”rigpa” because peoples minds, such as mine, are so easily caught by such attractive designations, but I use it because it really refers to something distinct. Mind is so multilayered and obscured. I do not think anyone really knows oneself as rigpa without extensive training.
Rigpa-genic
areas of the body
The
word ”erogenic” is used for areas of the physical body which when
stimulated cause sexual arousal. In a similar way there are areas in
the physical body which are helpful in making our minds clear.
Ultimately the whole body is a ”rigpa-genic” area but it's not
that obvious to have this insight. I've seen many not so experienced
meditators glimpse this but due to their limited practice history and
conceptual orientation they usually are not able to understand the
core of it. So, some areas a more helpful than others in silencing
our minds and in recognising rigpa. Breathing through the mouth can
also be helpful.
Central
channels
In
general, breathing through ones mouth while meditating, abiding as
sky (three dimensional sky gazing, shamatha meditation without
concretic support), has the effect of activating one or several of
the central channels. The central channel which runs from the pelvic
floor, though the spine to the top of the head has several layers.
It's like an electrical wire with an outer, middle, inner and
innermost layers. When any of the central channels becomes active it
instantly affects the mind. To a beginner of meditation these moments
are precious discoveries. He or she may think, ”Now I found it!”
And in one sense this is valid, even though he didn't get to the
innermost core. So, keeping one's mouth open can and does directly
stimulate the central channel. The same can be done by a bunch of
different means.
Just
by being aware of the central channel, by doing deity practices,
breathing practices, mudras, bandhas and so on. This can also be done
by sensing the centers above the crown.
If
you wish to get to the innermost of them, you can visualise the
channel of hair's width made of transparent jewel. When you do this,
*subtly pay attention*. If
you have the battle experience, you will notice the difference. If
you don't have it, you will not notice anything.
Master
glands
Many
years ago, when my teacher Sara Sivakami was still alive she taught
me a secret practice that she gave only to a few close disciples.
She'd be fine me talking about this on a general level.
Sara
was really skilled in mystical skills. She was a master of astral
projection and lucid dreaming. She met and received many teachings
like that from many teachers, including Lama Thubten Yeshe, a famous
gelugpa lama, who at the time was in between reincarnations.
Once,
she told me, when she had lied down for the night's rest, when she
was subtly picked up by a particular mahasiddha who took her to a
cave in the Himalayas. She recognised this cave as her abode of a
previous life. She went inside the cave, or a network of caves, and
was re-initiated into a very specific type of spiritual practice by
gulping down a few drops of potion that was hidden. She knew where to
look for the drink. When she drank these drops, she remembered these
particular teachings again that she had practiced before. This
happened during an astral projection.
This
practice has to do with master glands inside the head, the pituitary
and pineal glands and the tube connecting the two.
Now.
At the back of the mouth there is something called ”soft palate”.
Check it up to see what it means. By feeling the breath touching the
soft palate, the pituitary gland becomes activated. When pituitary
gland becomes active, the mind becomes clear and there is a
possibility to recognise open awareness (rigpa) and abide as rigpa.
When the activation of pituitary gland is joined with the activation
of the pineal gland, it is hard to miss rigpa. The mind, with all
it's layers becomes so thin and weak, while transparent
rigpa-awareness becomes dominant. I am not talking about dharmakaya
(body of all kinds of mind phenomena) only rigpa.
Interestingly
I've heard of orthodox dzogchen practice called ”yangti” which is
very secret. It is clear to me that an essential part of this
practice has to do with pineal gland.
So,
when the lama said that keeping mouth open makes it ”wisdom air”,
it might have something to do with this. And even if it doesn't, what
I have said above is valid in regards to recognition of rigpa.
Turning
off the radio
Another
point that came to my mind about keeping one's mouth open has to do
with ”releasing body, speech and mind” as taught in Tibetan
buddhism meditation. Inner speech refers to that part of our mind
that is like a radio with a constant program on it: stories, ideas,
comments, music, memories... This involuntary radio can be turned off
simply relaxing the area of the mouth and jaws. If you keep your
mouth relaxed and slightly open with a floating tongue, the
radio-function stays off. This doesn't concern breathing through the
mouth but it is useful and meaningful when calming the mind and when
recognising rigpa. This can also be called ”wisdom air”, in my
opinion.
These
are some of my thoughts on this topic, mouth, breathing, rigpa and
”wisdom air”.
Cheers,
Kim
Katami
