Are You a Knowledge-Holder?
There is a word we come across in reading Tibetan Buddhist books, liturgies or philosophy that is both intriguing and enigmatic. Rig-Dzin literally means awareness-holder or knowledge-holder1. There are other words in that language that mean “being in possession of” or achieving a certain state or level. But here it literally means “holder.” So what is being held, who is holding it, and where is it being kept—and why?
Creative Dharma
Something from nothing Like any religion, Vajrayana developed a codified set of rules, systems, behaviors, philosophies, and practices intended to guide the seeker sequentially along the stages of the path, directing them toward enlightenment, realization, moksha, the godhead, illumination, or a thousand other names that hint at our ultimate human potential. Some of these systems […]
Why Spirituality (Sometimes) Fails
The Two Functions You live within an amazing transformative machine. It’s called the body. It has two very different functions. I would guess that ninety-nine percent of people use it for only for the first, which is to eat, sleep, excrete, reproduce, have a variety of pleasant, painful and interesting experiences, and die. The second […]
Purity, Impurity & the 5 Elements
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines impurity as something adulterated, contaminated, diluted, polluted, tainted, thinned, weakened. That paints a vivid picture and conjures up meaning, wherever we may choose to focus. Some ideas of purity and impurity are culture-based, learned beliefs. But many are hardwired, innate realities that are associated with these words….
In Search of the Buddhist Body
There are good reasons why we should want to know our Buddha-Elemental family connection, organically and inherently. It directs us towards the deities, protectors, meditations and mantras that are aligned with our nature.
Since the five Buddha families are also expressed as the five Elements, this orientation can be a roadmap to one’s entire life trajectory. We expect a strong correspondence between spiritual typology, psychological type, and body type, giving guidance towards our career, lifestyle, diet, activities and more.
The Mystery of the Five Elements
The Elemental Conundrum The five Elements are the very bedrock of Vajrayana. Which makes it all the more extraordinary that, to date, there has been no attempt to define more precisely what these phenomena are, and how they exist as principles that structure our entire world. Those master yogins and yoginis that have achieved an […]
Light Body 11—The Magic of Three
Five Becomes Three Iam obsessed with the five element model, certain at my core that it is a fundamental formative principle of body, mind, world, life. But it is not the only operant system that still alludes modern science. The Law of Three also pervades our experience, and knowledge of its workings is a feature […]
Light Body 10—Energy Sensitivity
We have spoken about the biophysical and conceptual aspects of Rainbow Body formation from various angles. But how do we proceed in the actual process? Of course, the whole of the Vajrayana moves in that direction, but certain crucial pieces are missing from the description and application of tantric methods. This may explain why, after […]
Light Body 9—Dying into the (Elemental) Light
The Road Beyond this Life An individual who achieves a fully perfected Light Body or Rainbow Body in this very life is like a hologram, a gossamer web of photons, a powerful electromagnetic field that holds to human form until that allotted moment when it is time to leave the bubble of flesh behind. In […]
Chöd in the Time of Pandemic
In the vast garden of Vajrayana Buddhism, with its riotous profusion of fragrances and textures, its fantastic hues of greens, golds and red, one flower stands out. The shimmering foliage seems to branch endlessly, expressing itself now as diaphanous petals, now as thorny stems, now as plump and luscious fruits. This unique plant is both […]
