It
is widely believed, especially within the Nyingma school of Tibetan
buddhism, that only few chosen ones can receive dharma teachings
mystically, non-physically, and be "dharma treasure revealers",
or tertons. I asked my good friend and student Karl Eikrem to write
down his initial account of receiving his first nonphysical teaching,
or terma as they are traditionally called. In this video he reads his
account (follow the link to read it) and then guides the actual
practice that he learned. At the end of the video I read a couple of
related quotes and expound the matter a bit more. I hope this sheds
light on this matter and makes people think a bit more open mindedly
about it all.
To
conclude I would like to present a quote from Kunzang Dechen Lingpa,
as stated by his close student Acharya Malcolm Smith:
”My
late teacher, an important terton, said if you want to be a terton,
the only real requirement is faith in Guru Rinpoche. If you
supplicate him strongly enough with genuine compassion for sentient
beings, then you might be able to reveal terma.”
Hidden
treasures, or mind treasures (tib. terma) are teaching that are
concealed by a mahasiddha, such as Guru Rinpoche, for later discovery
by yogins with karmic connection to the master. The reason for this
is to make sure that authentic teachings, suitable to particular
cultures are available for generations to come.
As
impermanence also applies to the physical forms of dharma, teachings
that have been in circulation for a long time, for example in old
lineages, have a tendency to loose their efficiency because they get
(1) outdated; that is their form is no longer suitable to a
particular culture, mind set, paradigm etc., or (2) they get modified
by teachers lacking in sufficient understanding of the underlying
principles of dharma, rendering the teachings impotent or less
effective.
Sakya Sri.
Hiding
termas to be revealed within future cultures is a brilliant way of
avoiding this.
In
this text I would like to write about my own experiences with
receiving termas, particularly the first teaching I received from the
wonderful 19th century mahasiddha Sakya Sri.
To
conclude I would like to present a quote from Kunzang Dechen Lingpa,
as stated by his close student Acharya Malcolm Smith:
”My
late teacher, an important terton, said if you want to be a terton,
the only real requirement is faith in Guru Rinpoche. If you
supplicate him strongly enough with genuine compassion for sentient
beings, then you might be able to reveal terma.”
Find
out more about Sakya Sri here. This text can be viewed as a video lecture by Karl Eikrem with additional notes by Kim Katami here.
***
In
September 2017, my teacher Kim Katami and I did a short casual
retreat at a cabin in Eastern Finland. One evening, as we were about
to meditate, Kim showed me a picture of Sakya Sri on his phone. As
soon as I saw the picture, my being was flushed with a warm presence
and the room lit up with powerful blessings that clarified our minds.
After a while of sitting and taking in the blessings of Sakya Sri,
Kim said to me:
”If
you now ask for a teaching, advice or an instruction, you will get
it.”
Being
unfamiliar with the experience of receiving teachings from
non-physical masters, I asked the mahasiddha to make sure to remove
my doubts by making it obvious that this was not a product of my own
imagination.
A
moment after passing the request, my body started feeling very hot.
In my mind's eye I saw a fireball, a bright burning star forming
above the crown of my head. At first I was taken back a little by the
sudden change of the inner environment, but I kept watching the ball
as it took on a life on its own.
First
it slowly descended from above the crown, through the skull and down
the central channel within the spine stopping at the perineum. As it
was moving, the ball of light was illuminating the central channel. I
could see and feel it very clearly.
After
sitting at the base of the spine for a few moments, the fireball
started slowly going back up again, but this time it stopped at the
crown inside the skull. Then the light started expanding upwards,
splitting my skull open to form a sort of upside down cone of light
emanating from the top of the skull. It felt like a volcano eruption
from the top of my head. After that the whole central channel, still
glowing, expanded to cover my entire aura, or energy field, an area
of approximately 3 meters in diameter around my body. After a while
the intensity slowly faded, until there was nothing but spacious
awareness left. I remember experiencing an afterglow that lasted the
entire rest of the evening, as well as a feeling of euphoria due to
not having purified all karmic patterns.
***
During
the time that has passed since this evening , I have received a few
teachings from different masters, all of which have been less intense
experiences. I actually realized that I have received teachings
before the one described here, but because I had no framework with
which to understand and make sense of the experience, there was no
way for me to interpret it and make use of it.
Although
some tertons, such as Dudjom Lingpa, seem to have been gifted with
the ability of unlocking termas from childhood, it seems to me that
most people need a framework to do so. This idea has lead to believe
that receiving termas isn't necessarily that rare an experience, it's
just that most people and cultures don't have this framework.
Because of this, very few people are able to making use of these
universal experiences.
I
hope that the writing and publication of this short text, will be a
small contribution to the general acceptance of the fact that human
beings have the ability to communicate and receive teachings from
non-physical beings, and that this again will help us move towards a
more mature culture, one that embrace all the principles of dharma.
May
all beings be free!
Dharma
Sun Visualization of Shakya Shri
Sit
down, relax and recognize the basic space.
Ask
Sakya Sri to give a blessing for yourself, for it to benefit of all
sentient beings. Receive it and feel it for few moments.
Then
visualize a bright sun above the head. See the bright light, feel
the warmth of it. Bring the sun down the central channel, through
the top of the skull and down to the base of the spine. Notice that
it illuminates the central channel as it moves. Then, feel the light
erupt from the base of the spine, shooting upwards through crown,
like a fountain of light. See that, along with this eruption, the
central channel expands to a diameter of 2½ to 3 meters so that it
covers the whole aura. Feel it in your whole being.
Leave
the active visualization and enjoy the natural state for as long as
you wish, at least 10-15 minutes.
Give
thanks to the master and dedicate the merit of the practice session
to all sentient beings.
