| Tibetan Yogas of Body, Speech, and Mind |
|
|
Extract :
CHOOSING THE RIGHT DOOR
In the pages to come, I offer a wide variety of teachings and practices related to body, speech, and mind, everything from a discussion of how one achieves the body of light-the highest attainment of dzogchen practice-to mantras that provide healing through sound, to energy practices that enhance clarity of mind in meditation practice. All of this information is based on ancient teachings, and I have tried to present it in the most accessible way possible while still staying faithful to each original source.
For me, the ancient texts are important, and I always present the teachings from that point of view. Yet I find that people relate better and come to a more direct experience of the deeper truths when I bring the teachings down to earth in a very concrete way that makes sense to our modern Western lives. Every teaching that is given should be directly related to the mind that is the object of liberation. When the teachings are understood and touch people's hearts and lives, that is what is really helpful in the end. Those who are ready for more in-depth study and practice will be able to find their way from there. I recommend reading the entire book since many of these wisdom teachings mesh with and complement the understanding of the others.
Which door do you choose at any given time-body, speech, or mind? If your most disturbing problem is physical or if you find yourself relating primarily through the pain body, it may be best to choose a practice related to the body. If your pain is more energy- or speech-related, then the practices of speech, sound, or energy may be best. (Speech is more closely related to energy, or prana, than it is to the body or mind.)
Disturbances of the mind respond well to practices that emphasize work with the mind. It is not that the door of the body is related only to our physical experience, or the door of the niind only to the dimension of mind. Body, speech, and mind all are related. What happens outside us affects what happens within and vice versa. For example, someone whose business is failing may be susceptible to stress-related physical illness. Being physically ill can make one vulnerable to emotional difficulties, and uncontrolled emotions can cloud the mind. I remember a fellow monk in India who developed a bad cough and became convinced he had tuberculosis. In time he developed a limp and needed a walking stick. But as soon as he got his test results and found he was healthy after all, he threw away the walking stick. Sickness can be completely wrapped up in one's state of mind. Words also have powerful effects on us mentally, energetically, and physically. A chronically ill person who says with conviction, "I don't want to die," may actually be able to lengthen his or her life through the force of willpower.
As the pages to come will reveal, having an understanding of the connection between body, speech, and mind can significantly enhance our ability to progress in spiritual practice. However, there is a difference between knowing about this connection and actually applying it. For example, I've known of many devoted yoga practitioners who focus on the physical effects of yoga-how good it makes them look and feel-without having any notion of how the yoga postures and breathing techniques can serve toward achieving a higher realization of their consciousness. On the other hand, there are yogis accomplished in higher meditations of the mind and prana who neglect the physical dimension of their practice.
Practitioners who understand these subtle interactions of body, speech, and mind are much more likely to succeed in achieving the ultimate goal of self-realization.
|
| Back to Tibetan Yogas of Body, Speech, and Mind |
|
|
|
|
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter