Preface
When we are willing to look directly and honestly at where we actually find ourselves in life, the very limitations that we identify become the doorways to greater potential. In society today, we elevate the status of our conceptual mind and seek change through our intellect. But how we experience the mind itself is a product of wind, or lung. (The “u” is pronounced like the “oo” in the word look.) In other Eastern cultures, lung is referred to as prana, qi, or ch’i. The mind’s capacity for either subtlety and clarity or confusion and turbulence is all dependent upon lung. In the wisdom traditions of India and Tibet there is a vast knowledge about lung that has not fully taken root in the West. How can we have access to this wind? It is not through the conceptual mind, but through our direct, nonconceptual awareness. We access the wind by connecting directly with our body, our speech, and our mind—known as the three doors in both Bön and Buddhism.
Life gives us so much opportunity to work spiritually. And I feel very thankful for the difficult situations I have encountered in my life because when I face something that is difficult and bring it to my practice, I can see real change. Every time I teach on these topics it is very lively for me. I am teaching them not as an expert but as one who is on the path. I feel that what I know is small, but the possibility to realize is vast.
We often posit a “later” after we’ve finished certain tasks, when conditions will be better and we will be able to relax. But there is more available to you right now in the very midst of your agitation. Our agitation, conflicts, and habits can be the doorway to another dimension of being, an experience of clear and open awareness, vitality, and positive qualities. Sometimes, when we are bothered by a problem, we think of the problem as being “out there.” We externalize the problem entirely, and we simply conclude that the other person needs to change. Or when we try to fix a problem, we strategize and analyze over and over. Yet, as we mull over our challenges, our strategies and actions are driven by the energy of agitation and discomfort. No action that is driven by our discomfort will solve anything. It will only contribute to the problem. It is only when actions come from openness that true resolution is possible. According to the wisdom tradition of Bön, by nature the mind is open and clear. This is who we are, fundamentally. Openness is the source of our being, and in openness we are connected to all of life. What obscures us from recognizing this source is similar to the way clouds obscure the sun. The sun is always shining, but from our vantage point—namely, our identification with our problems—we don’t recognize the radiance.
But it is through nonconceptual awareness that we are able to directly experience the mind’s openness. The purpose of this book is to support you in becoming more familiar with the power of nonconceptual awareness, so that you can recognize the source within you and the positive qualities that flow from it. How do we go from a sense of being stuck in our problems to accessing the open state of mind that is the source of positive qualities? When you want to make a change in a situation or in your own behavior, it is essential to shift your attention from the story you are telling yourself about what is happening to the inward experience you are having. The first place to draw your attention to is your body, to experience the discomfort and agitation directly. Your pain is the opportunity for transformation, and simply being directly with your pain will bring positive change.
How is this possible? By drawing your attention to your body, you can clearly feel the tensions and agitation that arise when you’re experiencing something challenging. Sometimes the muscles of your abdomen are contracted or your jaw is clenched. You may notice that your breath is shallow or even that you are holding it. Your thoughts may be racing. We identify with our pain, making what is a product of temporary causes and conditions into something that is much more solid than it actually is. While not who you fundamentally are, identifying with your story and your reaction to it becomes a habit. Bön texts refer to this pattern as the karmic conceptual pain body. And this body is not by…
Our moving mind actively produces all manner of stories and logic. This mind actually rides a wind, and when you catch this wind with your awareness, it can be guided. By connecting to the wind, it is possible to cause the dissolution of the structure of the pain body. Catching the underlying wind is like catching a horse, a horse that you can now ride in a positive direction. Through focusing the mind and exercising the body and breath in specific…
In the yogic traditions of Bön there are many methods of working with the internal winds to transform our afflicting emotions (such as anger, attachment, and ignorance) into positive qualities, and transform our confusion into wisdom. By connecting with the internal wind, we catch the horse of the problematic mind and…
But if instead of getting caught up in the logic of the stories, you can simply become aware that you are thinking, it is possible to shift the focus from the content and to discover the wind, the momentum, or force behind thinking. Once you discover and connect with this wind, you can apply skillful methods to clear it and connect with the open space of the natural mind. And having connected with openness, many more possibilities are available to you. It is…
Open awareness means recognizing the fundamental, ever-present natural mind, which is clear and open like a light-filled sky. This state is natural to each of us, and the path of meditation leads us to…
As we have noted, it is this clear and open space that is the actual nature of mind. This is the source of all positive qualities in life. Recognizing and becoming familiar with this source is the purpose of meditation practice. As we recognize and become increasingly familiar with the nature of mind, this enables us to experience a more joyful and beneficial existence. It is simply because we do not recognize and trust our natural openness as the powerful source that it is, and therefore do not live and act from this place, that our good intentions lack the necessary power to overcome our negative habits and we fail to actualize our potential in life.
The nature of mind is unmoving and clear—it is unchanging. It is also the unceasing source of all happiness and positive qualities.
The Nine Breathings Of Purification
The rider—the mind of innate awareness— Is mounted on the horse of mindfulness. Propelled by the wings of the unimpeded wind, It moves through the path of the bodhicitta central-channel and Arrives at the secret door of bliss at the crown. The king of innate awareness nakedly arises. Concepts—the veil of the intellect—are removed. The self-arising primordial wisdom sees its own face. Ignorance—the darkness of delusion—is lifted.
We have spoken of the nature of mind, referred to as the natural mind, as being clear and open. It also is pure and without fault. One who fully realizes this nature is referred to as a buddha, or sangye in Tibetan. Sangye is composed of two words: sang, meaning pure, and gye, meaning perfected. Since the natural mind is already pure and perfected, when we speak of purifying the mind, it means clearing that which obscures the recognition of one’s pure and open nature of mind. Purification as a process releases the patterns that obscure the recognition of the natural mind and culminates in the recognition of the nature of mind, which is wisdom. The definition of wisdom is the recognition of the nature of mind. Perfection refers to all positive qualities—such as love, compassion, joy, and equanimity—which arise naturally and spontaneously as the result of abiding in open awareness. The source is openness, and the awareness or recognition of this openness is referred to as union, a union that gives birth all positive qualities. Perfection is not something to strive for as in the saying “Practice makes perfect.” You already are perfect; it is a matter of recognizing openness and dwelling there, being there, and trusting this source within you.
Perfection is not something to strive for as in the saying “Practice makes perfect.” You already are perfect; it is a matter of recognizing openness and dwelling there, being there, and trusting this source within you.
While you may think enlightenment is a long way off or a lofty ideal, it is actually right now, in this present moment. To think it is anywhere else is delusion.
These positive qualities are fundamental to us. Even hearing this truth can loosen the grip of the mind’s tendency to get caught in a seemingly solid world “out there” in which we are endlessly trying to find something or to fix something, and instead, can help us to turn the attention inward to connect with and to trust the true nature of mind.
Basically, the practitioner takes an upright posture that supports wakefulness and imagines a simple, sacred anatomy of three channels of light within the body. After reflecting upon the presence of the challenges in one’s life, the focus is brought to the inhalation as the breath is imagined moving through specific channels in the body, held slightly, and then released with the exhalation. As the practitioner releases the breath through a specific channel, subtle obscurations are released, facilitating the recognition of openness. After nine successive breaths, the practitioner rests in open awareness, bringing clear attention to the openness itself and connecting to this source of all positive qualities.
Connect with Stillness, Silence, and Spaciousness As you settle into the posture, connect for a moment with the stillness of the body, the silence of speech, and the spaciousness of mind.
Visualize the Three Channels of Light Visualize, imagine, or feel three channels of light in your body. The central channel begins four finger-widths below your navel, rises straight up through the center of your body, and opens at the crown of your head. It is a channel of light, radiantly blue like a clear, sunlit autumn sky. Imagine the diameter of this channel to be like that of your thumb. There are two additional channels, one to the left and one to the right of the central channel. They have diameters slightly smaller than the central channel, more like that of your smallest finger. On your left side is the red channel; on your right, the white channel. The three channels come together to form a junction four finger-widths below the navel. While the central channel opens at the crown, as the side channels approach the crown, they curve forward under the skull, pass behind the eyes, and open at the nose—one at each nostril. The white right channel opens at the right nostril and represents male energy and method or “skillful means”; the red left channel opens at the left nostril and represents female energy and wisdom. While connecting with the three channels of light, continue to settle into the posture and rest in stillness. Listen to the silence. Connect with spaciousness. The First Set of Three Breaths: Clearing the White Right Channel Selecting: Bring to mind a fresh experience of anger or aversion, or become aware of the simple tendency to push your experience away. Imagine this; feel it; connect with it in your body, emotions, and mind. Releasing: Press your right ring finger to your right nostril and slowly inhale pure, light-green air through your left nostril. Imagine that this breath follows the path of the red left channel to the junction. Hold the breath slightly here as you switch the finger over to press the left nostril closed. Following the pathway of the white right channel, breathe out slowly and gently at first and then more forcefully at the very end of the exhalation. Feel that whatever you have connected to releases through the right nostril with the exhalation, dissolving into space. Repeat this cycle for a total of three breaths, noticing the space that opens up as the white channel clears. Maintain a connection to the openness as you bring your attention to the red left channel. The Second Set of Three Breaths: Clearing the Red Left Channel Selecting: Bring to mind a fresh experience of attachment; holding on; or the simple tendency to fill the space, to fill the silence with chatter. Releasing: Press the left ring finger to the left nostril and slowly inhale pure, light-green air through the right nostril. Follow the path of the white right channel to the junction and hold the breath there as you switch the ring finger over to press the right nostril closed. Exhale slowly, gently at first and then more forcefully at the end of the exhalation, imagining that the breath moves through the red left channel, clearing…
Visualize, imagine, or feel three channels of light in your body. The central channel begins four finger-widths below your navel, rises straight up through the center of your body, and opens at the crown of your head. It is a channel of light, radiantly blue like a clear, sunlit autumn sky.
Conclusion: Resting in Openness Resting: Feel all three channels—right, left, and central—more open and clear. Draw attention to the center of your body, and be centered in that openness and clarity as you breathe gently and normally. To cultivate some familiarity with the experience of openness, simply rest your attention in open awareness. Abide. Don’t plan the future; don’t dwell on the past; don’t change the present. Leave it as it is. This concludes the instruction for the Nine Breathings of Purification. Next we will explore in more depth some of the principles that will make this practice useful in our lives.
I cannot overemphasize the importance of connecting directly with what you are feeling. When your observation is not naked, raw, and direct, you tend to just crank out thoughts. You think you are changing, you think you are developing, you think you are working; but actually there is no development, only thinking. You are in the same place, circling around and around. When the clouds are moving in the sky and changing position, it does not mean clouds are clearing. Some parts of the sky are getting a little break from some specific type of clouds, but the sky overall is not becoming free of clouds. By contrast, there is no doubt when there is the experience of the cloudless sky. When you feel clear and open, that is very different from simply moving things around or rearranging stuff in your mind. So when you recognize anger or anger-related qualities of mind, behaviors, or states of being, simply see this; be aware without judging or analyzing or explaining.
So we need to look at anger with new eyes: raw, direct, nakedly observing. The gap between having resistance and being open is not a big gap, but sometimes it can be a very long gap. Some people can take ten years just to get to that place of feeling comfortable about looking at things.
Now we reflect for a moment on the root poison of ignorance. By ignorance, I am referring to something very specific—the lack of realization of oneself. What does that mean? According to wisdom traditions, our true nature is like the boundless sky with infinite light pervading it. Light refers to our awareness, which recognizes the open space of being. When we connect with the space of being, when we recognize this, we are fully connected to ourselves. We are at home. The space of being and the light of awareness are not separate but in union. An experiential way to express the union of space and light is to say open awareness. Open awareness is the source within. Connecting with the source within, one has a deep sense that nothing changes, nothing can destroy or shake oneself. This is our true refuge.
Basically, each of us searches to achieve some stability in life. There is nothing wrong with stability, but the problem occurs when we think that stability comes from causes and conditions outside ourselves.
How do you know what to choose to bring into your practice? Choose what chooses you! Listen to yourself. If you reflect on your inner speech, you know what you worry about. If you listen to your inner thoughts, it will be something that you often find yourself engaged with, something that seems to follow you around. If you look at how you act, you know what chooses you in terms of the body. Choose what chooses you. I am not suggesting that you review all of your reasons or discern whether your reasons are valid or not; that is not our interest here. We are trying to feel and connect with the horse of that doubtful mind. I have introduced this notion of catching the horse of your doubt. How do you catch it? First, be aware of a situation in which you experience doubt or lack of confidence; then, bring your attention to how you experience the doubt in your body, in your energy field, and in your consciousness at this very moment. Once you are aware of this, you are no longer concerned with the event. The circumstance is simply brought to mind to evoke the feeling.
As you breathe out, pull your stomach in a bit and breathe out a little more forcefully at the end of your exhalation. The wind of doubt is propelled into space as you imagine that your exhalation is expelled through the crown of your head. Physically you are exhaling your breath through your nostrils, but you imagine the energy, or subtle wind, moving up the central channel and shooting out through your crown, carrying the doubt with it.
The Power of Nonconceptual Awareness
The openness that you can discover as a result is what we call the source—in this case, the source of the antidote to your doubt. Perhaps you are concerned about a problem and think, “I don’t have time to do this kind of exercise. I have to deal with this very real person in the real world.”
When you judge, criticize, and analyze yourself, you are not really feeling what you are feeling, and therefore you are not experiencing the wind. The problem is the same whether you are focusing outward or inward: you don’t have a clear, direct connection to yourself. To resume our analogy of the computer, we can look at three folders on your computer. One is called “anger,” one “attachment,” and another “ignorance.” In each of these folders there are many files containing many different memories and stories. It is not necessary to open each and every file, because the core of any story can be reduced to anger, attachment, or ignorance. If you are trying to open all the files inside, is it helpful? Maybe you can say, “Oh yes, then I’ll know more about myself.” Does it really help to review all the details of your anger and hurt, or the injustices you suffered? Is it not good enough to know that you have ignorance, or do you really need to spend even more time doubting whether you should be with this person or that person? Can you resolve anything by going over and over the stories? The suggestion here is not to worry about all the files you have accumulated and certainly not to create new files with the same old story driving the action.
You also understand the basic instructions in clearing doubt in the practice of the Nine Breathings.
That inner dialogue, that conceptual mind, has no real relation to the energetic state of the doubt. It actually obscures the underlying energetic condition. Don’t allow yourself to go on and on. Don’t continue the inner dialogue.
We need to value the power of nonconceptual awareness in order to change things. Nonconceptual awareness is the basis of positive transformation, the transformation of confusion into wisdom. Nonconceptual awareness allows us to change, transform, transcend. All positive qualities come from nonconceptual awareness.
Whenever we can empower that awareness, we will be able to meet our challenges successfully. Whenever the connection to nonconceptual awareness is weak and we solely rely on the thinking mind, we will have more problems.
Sometimes we complain when somebody else judges us, but when it is we who judge ourselves, it is even more horrifying.
The nonconceptual mind is able to process doubt. But when you judge or evaluate the experience, you bring in the conceptual mind. When the conceptual mind is brought in, the experience cannot be deleted.
Each time we practice the Nine Breathings of Purification, remember the four phases of the practice: connect with stillness, silence, and spaciousness; allow your experience to arise and then select; perform the exercise and delete; be aware of the space and abide in open awareness. The instructions for abiding are to not dwell on the past, not plan the future, and not change the present. Leave it as it is. Simply allow everything to be as it
The awareness of openness is like the sun shining in a clear sky. If the sun is shining, there is warmth in the space. If there is awareness of openness in the central channel, there is warmth in the central channel, in the core of your being. When there is warmth in the core of your being, that warmth gives birth to positive qualities that flower internally and benefit your life. The longer you are able to remain in meditation while being open and aware, the more you will feel the warmth of awareness in that open space. The more warmth you feel, the more chances that positive qualities will manifest.
As we release doubt, we develop confidence. Confidence flowers as a result of becoming aware of and trusting the clear opening within you. Imagine sunshine coming through a window where a plant grows.
Of course, first you have to feel that inner space. If there are a lot of clouds, the contact is not easily made. When there is little contact, little warmth is available and the flower will not grow. When you delete the clouds, the sky is revealed and true contact is possible. This is not something you produce or force. The open sky of your mind is naturally present.
The flower of confidence will come by itself when you have contact with the warmth that is the result of being aware of the openness in the core of your being. That is what has been missing all along. Being aware of the openness and developing familiarity with it is essential.
If by doing this simple exercise of the Nine Breathings of Purification you feel a greater connection with openness, know that the ability to make changes in your life will come from that openness. If you make decisions about changes you would like to make in your life and none of those changes take place, it is because they were made on the surface. They didn’t come from a deep enough or subtle enough place. Releasing the wind that carries our anger, attachment, and doubt and drawing our attention to the space that has become clearer is how we connect with that deeper, more subtle energetic level.
You no longer lose your sense of being through the movement of your thoughts and the stories that you spin. Thoughts constantly move and change, but your sense of being does not. Our moving mind creates a changeable karmic conceptual pain body. Our true being is changeless essence. As you continue to engage in the practice of clearing all three channels, through repetition and increasing familiarity, you will begin to trust the space of openness more and more. Your sense of refuge in stillness, silence, and spaciousness will deepen. Openness and the awareness of openness—the union of space and awareness—is the recognition of one’s true self. This recognition reconnects you with a deeper quality of being, which is something that was lost.
That is an amazing experience. In the beginning you may question, “How can this really help? This feeling is so intense. I’ve been this way for such a long time. How can breathing out do anything here?” It takes time to become familiar and trust in the experience of releasing through the breath, and to trust that openness is the safest and most reliable place to be. And the ability to shift a familiar pattern is difficult. I know it is difficult. But we need to be willing to shift our allegiance from the familiarity with our pain and our problems and begin to trust openness.
Knowing When To Make Changes In Life
This is something we are clearly aware of, and something that is simple common sense: the later it gets, the harder it is because it requires so much force, so much energy, and so much attention to make a change that we may come to a point where we don’t have the energy required, let alone the skills to deal with making such a radical change.
Having A Sense Of Wind And Mind
But failing to understand the wind and the mind makes it difficult to truly change, because the method used is often part of the problem itself. What is meant by liberation from suffering? Recognizing the nature of mind, one is free from duality. When one’s recognition is strong, duality does not affect one’s essence.
What is meant by reversing duality? Let’s say one negative thought comes or one judgment arises in you. When you are able to recognize this and capture this wind and release it, that dualistic judging mind is not able to affect you. But when things degrade in life, it is because the conceptual mind arises and takes over. Emotions arise and take over. Needs and addictions arise and take over. When we clear this movement of wind through a practice such as the Nine Breathings, we are able to experience a more subtle awareness, awareness that recognizes the nature of mind rather than identifying with the moving mind.
The ability to overcome duality comes down to recognizing the structure of duality, the winds of our moving thoughts and afflicting emotions.
Change is much easier to effect if you are willing to sit down and work with your breath. In our modern society, sitting down is not that easy. To sit down for even five minutes and work with the breath is not that common. There are some people who react to the suggestion to meditate in the same way a child reacts to being given a time-out. My little son goes to day care, and when he comes home, he gives my wife and me time-outs. You don’t have to approach meditation as if it were a punishment.
The highest body attainable is the changeless essence body. This is the body of the eternal now, of pure presence, and it corresponds to the first level of lung, called the lung of the space of bön nature. A grosser body is the changeable karmic conceptual pain body.
Most of the time we experience a changeable body, the karmic conceptual pain body. A common experience of this changeable body occurs when we feel low in self-confidence. “I’m not good enough,” we tell ourselves.
Through the door of your very sadness, through allowing it, connecting with it, opening into and releasing it, you will discover the deeper truth of cessation and the presence of limitless joy.