Pemako as Fusion Tantra

Pemako as Fusion Tantra

The past year and post-10th bhumi purification specifically has lead me back to hindu practices and empowerments some of which I have already passed on to my students (Dasha Mahavidya last November). They are way more efficient in connecting the physical body with the enlightened mind and therefore accomplishes the outer marks of rainbow body more effectively than buddhist practices. I could add observations from my own practice but later.

I love to be back with hindu practices and masters. It's a whole new venue after buddhism and of course will and already has changed the tone and feel of Pemako. It is so joyful, playful, light and blissful, and from this perspective more complete than the character that buddhism creates. We've already talked many times about dropping "buddhism" but in addition to that I started to feel that we should come out as fusion tantrics who openly practice both hindu and buddhist tantra.

I am writing the buddha book at present and will explain the justification for using both deities in there. I remember that this was very common back in the mahasiddha era days when after mahayana view had developed and folks were applying it to their hindu tantric practices (which over time developed into buddhist tantra with its distinct feel, tone and purpose). Like I've said, I actually think that buddhadharma wasn't supposed to create a new religion but fix the problems and mistakes of the old one, hinduism, or that's how I see it. Interestingly we have now arrived at that same position, after many years of study, development and results of buddhist tantra and practices. There are practical reasons to "mix kitchens" but I also think this will soften and make Pemako more approachable to those interested in yoga and tantra.

-Kim Rinpoche, 19.4.2022

Asana as Mudra

 

Asana as Mudra

When master yogis, mahasiddhas, go about their daily lives, they naturally manifest the yogic seal (skt. mudra) of the two awakened bodies. These two bodies are; mental body of empty phenomena (skt. dharmakaya) and mental body of playfulness (skt. sambhogakaya). Be it day or night, in peaceful or wrathful circumstances, the minds of mahasiddhas are in perfect harmony and balance. This is the great yogic seal, mahamudra, which entirely concerns nonphysical bodies of man. There is no question about the fact that the foundation of yogic accomplishment is the mind.

In human form, however, seals or mudras can take a further expression of physical postures or asanas. Before delving further into the meaning of asana, the reader should remember that the foundation of all and any type of yogic practice is the nature of mind, in other words, basic wakefulness-kindness-peacefulness. If asana yoga is exercised by practitioners who haven't yet established natural state as their default mode of being and remain in the samsaric state, this needs to be simultaneously adressed during asana yoga by appropriate techniques that enable the practitioner to resume recognition of the two awakened bodies whenever it is lost. Without this, the real meaning of asana as mudra will never be understood as mahasiddhas of the past understood them.

The real meaning of asana is mudra, and the real meaning of mudra is asana. Asanas, regardless of their simplicity or complexity, are physical expressions of the awakened nature of all sentient beings. Also, as is commonly said, asanas are a way to stay healthy and strong. From this perspective we could say that asana yoga is maintenance of our body instrument that we use to live in this world. What is interesting is that contrary to advancement in the yoga of mind*, which is irreversible, one can never achieve a state in physical yoga that would be irreversible. If one doesn't practice asana, be it on yoga mat or in any other form, the condition of the physical body begins to deteriorate.

*purification of mind, advancement in bhumis

Asana as Mudra

A common way that asanas are practiced, is to just do the movements and put one's body into some postures. One tenses, relaxes and stretches the muscles of the body and opens its joints through various applications. From the point of view of keeping the body healthy and strong, this is perfectly sufficient. From the point of view of practicing asana as mudra, however, this is incomplete.

For one to understand what asana as mudra means, one has to meet the following requirements,

1. have recognition of wakeful nature of one's mind

2. feel the spontaneous unification of the wakeful mind and the physical body

3. learn to move the body while recognising the wakeful mind

4. study the alternation of tensing, stretching and relaxing of muscles while recognising the wakeful mind

5. realise that there is no difference between tensing, stretching and relaxing of muscles while recognising the wakeful mind

6. realise that all postures and movements, both in and out the yoga mat, are asana as mudra

I have taught extensively on point 1. how to recognise the wakeful mind so I will simply refer to Pemako-website and youtube, and won't repeat anything here but to introduce this idea, asana as mudra, I will write a bit more on point number two because it is a decisive stage.

Unification of the Wakeful Mind and the Physical Body

All types of yogic physical practices begin from a simple standing posture, known as tadasana or samasthiti. Same is true in Chinese yogic traditions.

The real meaning of tadasana is to have wakeful mind and physical body unified, to study the connection and relation of the two, and to learn to adjust the muscles and joints in a subtle manner that enables staying in this posture for long durations (up to 30 minutes), if so wanted, without any discomfort.

To those who want to practice asanas purely for physical benefits, standing in stationery posture might sound pointless. However, in this stage one makes a wonderful discovery after the other about how the body becomes unified, in the midst of basic wakefulness. One's whole being becomes full of delightful light and subtlest of blisses (skt. sahajananda) often discussed in the writings of mahamudra masters. This stage of learning is demanding because it takes some time and effort to strengthen the internal muscles of the body and consequentially feel unification that can be described as sense of unified relaxed strength, that feels as if the body was weightless.

All right, I think this is enough for now. Feel free to contact me if you have questions. I'm happy to share my understanding of asanas.

KR, 19.1.2022

Garchen Rinpoche About Bhumis + Kim's comment

Garchen Rinpoche About Bhumis 

+ Kim's comment

”As Milarepa has said: the empty clear mind just becomes increasingly clear as you keep meditating. That's what we call the Bhumis and the paths, the different stages. Even though they're given different names, it's just an increasing becoming clear of your natural state ...

So this is how the four yogas really are a gradual development of the realization of the mind. So even though we count and list different Bhumis and different paths and there's different teachings on that, this is really how we should see it.

This is also a very important teaching, the most important teaching by Milarepa where he said that the so-called Bhumis and the paths are the progressive realization or recognition of the clear and empty nature of the mind. The Bhumis and the paths are nothing but signs or road signs so you know where to go. You know where you're at. So practitioners need some kind of signs so they know they're on the right track.”

- From Garchen Rinpoche's introduction to the Four Yogas of Mahamudra (May 13th 2021), translated by Ina Bieler 

 

Kim: It is said here precisely how it is. All the grandiose and impossible-to-attain descriptions from commentaries and other texts are sheer nonsense that should be thrown away because the only thing they actually do is lead people astray. Old texts and traditions gather so much extra baggage and weird views that in the end it doesn't make any sense and has no relevance with the actual practice. Ignorant people should never not touch and alter the teachings of the masters.

The most important teaching of buddhism is gradual increase of clarity of mind, through emptiness of phenomena, that happens in stages just like is presented in Pemako teachings. Everything else comes far behind and pales next to this main point.

It is best to forget everything else and focus on realising empty mind that is loaded with compassion. If you do that wholeheartedly even for a year, your life will be different forever. If you take it all the way to completion, you'll change the lives of those you meet.

-Kim, 5.6.2021

 

 

Buddhahood! Will We Ever Get There!?!?

 

Buddhahood!

Will We Ever Get There!?!?

I took a long break of bhumi readings and therefore it seems discussion about bhumis has been very little during the past year or so. Let's bring it back! Nevertheless, people have been practicing diligently and making excellent progress. We have a number of sangha members who have opened all their bhumis and made significant progress in perfections which is also unique. One of the reasons why I took that break is that I wanted to have unoccupied time and space for my own practice to better understand the process of karmic purification in terms of the 13 bhumi model. Based on this, I gave specific instructions for perfection stage practice of Rainbow Body Yoga that are now available to all sangha members.

I cannot convey to you the joy and satisfaction I feel for being able to do this because what we are looking here are very precise and detailed instructions for purification of the whole karmic body, one layer or one bhumi after the other, until it is entirely dealt with. Together with genuine concern for the liberation of all sentient beings (bodhicitta), this is a purely mechanical and logical procession of tantric vipashyana leading to full enlightenment or buddhahood. I could not have done it without my gurus so my gratitude goes out to them again and again and again!

The thought of *our sangha members* attaining buddhahood is something that I've intentionally brought up many times in my talks since 1-2 years ago. Last time I did this was on the last retreat when I read a bit from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, who said that in his lifetime he met "many men and women" who had attained buddhahood, that it is "not a fable or a fairytale" and that it is possible indeed for people "world over". These words can be found from his book Repeating the Words of the Buddha.

By talking and discussing this topic among our sangha I've wanted to bring the big, bad, great and unreachable "buddhahood" closer to us, to pop some of the imaginary bubbles we might have about it. There is so much fluff about it that I think this kind of demystifying discussion is very necessary. Just like we have absorbed values and views from christianity that we might not even be aware of, in the same way, and I think I can speak for all those who have been exposed to buddhist culture, we have absorbed ideas and limitations from it. The most harmful of them being the subconscious idea that buddhahood cannot *actually* be attained by any of us little people and that buddhahood is the property of only the most excellent practitioners living in the holy caves of the East. Even if masters such as Tulku Urgyen repeatedly tell to us that it is indeed possible, I don't think I've ever met anyone who would have really taken this seriously. Oh gosh... This brings back (limiting and absurd) memories! It's time to put an end to false views and ineffective and unsuitable practices.

So... We have the exact knowhow of purfying each karmic layer after the other... When will we get there then!?

Sivakami, who passed away 10 years ago this month, taught me many useful things and one of those was couple of different kinds of divination. I've used, should I call it perhaps "mahasiddha divination" many times over my career of practice on various things. I have for example used it for finding out when I or my students would reach a certain stage of practice. For example, when my first bhumi opened in 11/2011, I did a divination the same day finding out when the 6th would open. The result of the divination was July of 2013, about 2½ years after the first opening. It turned out correct 2½ years later.

Earlier this week I sent instruction of this type of divination to 11 sangha members who are in the process of perfecting bhumis. The nature of this exercise is to get an answer when one would reach buddhahood, coming up with a date for it. Half of the people haven't yet replied to me and couple of the answers I didn't feel were correct. However, 5 of them did. Based on this it looks like there will be 5 people reaching buddhahood during the next 5½ years, until the Summer of 2026. Three of those before the end of 2022.

One saying that I like is, "This life is not a rehearsal". To put it in this context, our practice is not a rehearsal. It is inevitable that all this stabilising of the natural state, that has been happening since 4 years ago, and quick progress of purification results in complete purification.

I guess we'll see when the time arrives.

May the sun of dharma shine on you, for the sake of all sentient beings.

Kim Rinpoche, 22.11.2020

Pemako Buddhism

www.pemakobuddhism.com

My Experience of Garab Dorje's Three Vital Points by Ugi Muller

My Experience of Garab Dorje's

Three Vital Points

by Ugi Muller

My experience and understanding of a fruitful teacher-student relationship displayed in regards to Garab Dorje's three vital points:

Point 1: »Introducing directly the face of rigpa itself.«

This is the part of the teacher (besides the necessary readiness of the student). The main job of the teacher is to introduce the student to the experiental recognition of the nature of mind. All the teacher does, is either a preparation for this (if individually necessary) or the actual pointing-out in whatever most effective way he knows of at the time.

As I see it, a lot of teachers today are either unable or unwilling to really follow up on their job. To not bullshit around, for the sake of tradition or whatever, but to really provide what they're here to provide: pointing out the nature of mind. To do whatever they can do to make that happen with students who are ready for it.

Pointing-out instructions or direct transmissions are regarded as something very rare and special by so many students and teachers. Of course they are. But in Vajrayana, this rarity IS the daily business - or should be. Buddhahood in this life-time. It's the goal, not a myth. And you train exactly in that, not in whorshipping it …

Garab Dorje

Point 2: »Deciding upon one thing and one thing only.«

This is the part of the student. The teacher cannot take this decision for the student. Not even Guru Rinpoche can. The student has to trust the introduction he received to decide on it again and again and again (practice). In good and in bad times. This way he gains certainty. The teacher cannot provide certainty until the student is ready to decide to be certain.

Of course, the precondition is the fullfillment of point Nr. 1. However, there are so many students who believe that the teacher has all the answers and power, and that they should ask him/her about everything. They don't really start putting things into practice because they don't dare to decide that they can do it. This move is entirely up to the student.

Trusting the liberating authority of the teacher only works if you recognise your own authority. They have to come together. Or else, it's just worship and cultish followership. The student has to acknowledge and fullfill his part of the "deal". The teacher is not here to be worshiped or to be put on a pedestal. He/she is here to help you switch the light on. He can show you where the switch is but you have to pull it.

Point 3: »Confidence directly in the liberation of rising thoughts.«

That's the actual practice that blasts all samsaric clinging. It starts to happen when point 1 and 2 are achieved. Of course, one still may have questions about certain obstacles or aspects of the practice and here the teacher is the one to turn to. However, only when an actual teacher-student relationship has been established. The teacher points to the way again and the student decides to follow up on that, trusting the teacher by trusting himself (and vice versa).

Looking at the state of modern day Vajrayana, I've been immeasurably fortunate to have found Pemako and to be able to experience the fruits of such an actual teacher-student relationship. Deep bow to Kim Rinpoche, Guru Padmasambhava and the Pemako Sangha.

I don't claim absolute truth with this little elaboration of mine here but I trust that it might be useful or interesting for some :)

May all beings be free!
 

-Ugi Muller, practitioner of Pemako Buddhism

5/2020