sunnuntai 27. helmikuuta 2022

How Buddhahood Is Attained in Pemako

 

How Buddhahood Is Attained

in Pemako



Q: You say your sangha members have attained buddhahood. Simply, how?



Kim: Hello Rinzin. Nice to hear of you and I'm glad you asked :)

To answer your question properly we should spend few hours in discussion and simultaneously do short sessions of our core practices to give you a feel how we practice yoga and tantra. So, answering in written form in just half an hour or so, is insufficient, but I'll try anyway.

All yogic and tantric practices of the world's various religions and traditions are based on the same universal principles but the way how the principles are applied, is what I have synthesized to form a method that we know as Pemako. It really is insufficient to adress your question like this but I'll give a short list of examples that gives you some idea how we practice.

In Pemako practice,

- Teacher and students spend lots of time practicing tantra (maha and anuyoga) and atiyoga together. Practices are taught during practice sessions and the teacher points out various observations and correct way of practice, according to the level of the student. It makes a world of different for the student to be taught from "inside out", and to share an experience with the teacher.

- We use short and simple (easy to remember and to apply) empowerment mantras that contain many both peaceful and wrathful deities at once.

-Especially in the yoga of centers and channels (anuyoga) we apply the mantras on our energybodies in a very precise manner. We infuse mantric energy to over 40 energy centers within the physical body with practices such as "tapping". We also use a practice called "combing" to infuse the mantras of many deities into the whole energybody/aura around the physical body. As self-based delusion is nowhere else except in the body of centers and channels, we simply infuse the whole energy body in a straightforward manner that covers all of it. As a result, there is no place or area that is left unmarked.

- In tantric guru yoga and deity practices, from the point of view of time spent in practice, we generate (external aspect of tantra) the guru or deity as little as possible but enough to create a strong felt energy. Then, we spend lots of time feeling it, recognising it, noticing the qualities of it, taking it into the subtle and physical bodies, marinating in it (internal aspect of tantra). In this way, I could say there is lots of emphasis on relaxation and surrender towards the mahasiddha gurus, main ones being Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal, as well as peaceful, wrathful, healing and passionate buddha-deities. This takes one very effectively to secret aspect of tantra which is the basic state revealed.

-We apply the previously mentioned "feeling it, recognising it, noticing the qualities of it, taking it into the subtle and physical bodies, marinating in it" to all practices that we do, including basic prayers such as Bodhisattva Vows, Refuge Prayers, Bodhicitta Prayers and Dedication of Merit. In general, there is lots of emphasis on feeling energetic charges and their qualities with one's body because it is easy and rewarding for all levels of practitioners. When you feel something, the deity or the guru, it starts filling one's belly, in other words, you have an experience.

-Another very important aspect of our method is the use of grounds or bhumis. We use a path map called 13 Bhumi Model. The first 10 bhumis are stages of purification (two-fold emptiness, 1-6 arhat, 7-10 phenomena), 11th is dharmakaya, 12th and 13th sambhogakaya. All of these bhumis are directly related to the previously mentioned centers and channels of inside the body, aura and the vertical pillar of energy centers that extends 6 meters above and below the body. It is sort of like a measuring stick where you know and feel exactly what stage or bhumi you're working on. Because of this practitioners can focus exactly on the energetic area that they're working on the get purified. Because of this, advancement is fast. What is also very encouraging, inspiring and empowering to students is that with the help of the 13 bhumi model they know where they are on the map, meaning what is their present position in relation to unawakened state or buddhahood. From the spoken and written accounts given by teachers and other students (we speak openly about spiritual experiences and awakenings in our sangha) other students know what to look for and can adjust their approach accordingly.

-Dynamic practices. As I'm sure you know in various lineages of Tibetan varayana, there are practices where you shout loudly. Ha! Ho! Phet! Phet! Phet! We do shouts, or "dynamic concentration" a lot. We might do 100-300 loud concentrated Hung Phets in a row. We have many youtube videos of this. The reason why we do shouts with syllables such as Hung Phet, guru mantras (Na! Mo! Gu! Ru! Rin! Po! Che!) or deity mantras, is because this dynamic, that is, stronger power of concentration makes a momentarily hole into the energybody and its samsaric habit-patterns, and consequentially there not being any gross, subtle or very subtle self-based patterns going on, the kayas of the natural state can be very easily recognised. Doing lots of shouts or Physical Dynamic Concentration where the tantric elements of mantra, visualization and breathwork are combined with tensing the muscles of the whole body physically, is extremely effective and beneficial because for a moment the whole karmic body subsides.

-I already mentioned the so called "pragmatic dharma" when I said that we speak openly about spiritual experiences in our community. We speak about all these things and it is very beneficial to all members of the sangha. It is sharing of practical knowledge. The basis of proper learning as can be seen in secular education is that information is shared without reservations. Learning about other member's hardships, we can encourage them and learning about their successes we can rejoice together and congratulate them. This creates positive energy and gives meaning.

I hope this gives you some idea how. Thank you for asking. I was actually just about to send you a message :)



KR, 27.2.2022