Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute teaching, Geshe Nawang Dhargyey offers practical instruction on two complementary methods for developing bodhicitta, the enlightened mind dedicated to liberating all beings. He opens with an exhortation on the value of spiritual practice, contrasting the human gift of discriminating intelligence with animal inability to create lasting causes for suffering. He then turns to detailed technical instruction on wind meditation: the nine rounds of breath practice for clearing mental defilements and attaining a neutral mind, followed by the vase-shaped wind held at the navel to straighten and refine the channels—essential preparation for completion stage tantra. In his second half, Geshe-la introduces the equalizing-and-exchanging-self-for-others method, a profound practice in the Kadampa tradition historically guarded and taught only to serious disciples, and discusses how Geshe Chekawa eventually made it public through his Seven Point Mind Training. The teaching assumes some familiarity with tantric anatomy and is pitched at students serious about both sutric and tantric development.
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File: 03 SF 1985 05 04.mp3
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Teacher: Geshe Nawang Dhargyey
Collection: Advice from a Spiritual Friend (Geshe Nawang Dhargyey)
Date: 1985-05-04
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.0 minutes
Words: ~4,682
I must congratulate you for the wonderful practice you are doing. That’s because it’s this kind of practice which is going to do good to us in the long run and otherwise if we cannot embrace and abide by or practice some spiritual values. And then with the passage of weeks, then months will pass by. With the passage months, a year will be gone by will will be gone. And with the passage of years, so sooner or later, one will be one will one will have lived one’s life completely and at the end of one’s life will come to one inevitable.
And at the end of life, and as I explained to you, that nothing except one’s practice of virtues and abandonment of non-virtues will come to one’s help or will do good to one. And that’s why by coming here and trying your best in your practice, you really are doing wonderful things. And other without without this, without any single practice without any practice or without practice of a single virtue, if we were to die, then our death would be no different from the death of animals like, say, the dog, the street dog. So if a person lacks practice and if he’s not able to distinguish himself from lowly creatures, then his death in the human home and the death of street dog in the street would be no different when they when both are wandering in the intermediate state because both have no virtues to support them and yet have non-virtues to afflict them at different times. Trying your best in your own practices.
You are trying to use human capabilities in the right for positive manner and positively Otherwise, because we have positive sense of discrimination intelligence. So we if we misuse our intelligence and abuse our intelligence, so we can be more sinful and we can create powerful non virtues in a matter of short span of time which animals would take for years and for a long time to perform the same kind of non virtue because they do not have thinking power and the type of non virtue that they perform is comparatively very small in degree. It is in view of this that humans can misuse the intelligence and when they misuse their intelligence, they grow extremely non virtuous and perform serious and grave non virtuous actions. And it is in view of this that the great Marpa, the translator prayed, may the sinful live a short life. That’s a very profound prayer because the sinful person by misusing his intelligence can create a very serious causes for long suffering in the future life.
Because of this very reason that humans are intelligent and you can use their intellect, therefore when you have come here for two days meditation and practice, you would have accomplished a very powerful source and cause for lasting happiness. Only the fortunate and the meritorious can think of developing faith in the Buddha and his teaching and only the fortunate can appreciate the teachings of the Buddha and not the unfortunate and those who are unmeritorious. In the same way as in order to enjoy and digest healthy nutritious food, one must be quite healthy and quite strong, not weak. We cannot digest a strong nutritious food. Similarly, in order to appreciate and practice the teachings of the Buddha, people must be very fortunate and that you have already begun to practice his teaching and have met with the teachings.
It’s, of course, to prove that you really are very, fortunate and your merits are standing by you. On engaging in other practices, it will be even nice, you know, it will be even nice to see the image images of the Buddha frequently. And it is said in the sūtra that even if a person sees the image of the Buddha even while he or she is in a strong state of angry mind, still seeing the image of the Buddha while he or she is extremely angry would mean that such a person would have good fortune of seeing ten million Buddhas in the future and seeing such images of the Buddha would also have such a person clear away serious non-virtues and their obstructions. It is mentioned in the sutras or in the scriptures that it’s more meritorious to throw a flower in the sky visualizing that one is throwing the flower to the Buddha, thinking of Buddha and feeling and being inspired by the Buddha’s quality. Then to offer delicious food to to all sentient beings throughout space.
The former merit is sixteen times greater than the merits one would gather by offering food, delicious food to all sentient beings. Last night, I talked about the five primary winds last night, winds, and I said I will talk about the five secondary winds, and I’m going to talk about them. Now, the first primary wind, so the secondary wind is called the mobile wind, literally translating. And the mobile wind is located at our eyes and it’s because of this, the function of this wind is to apprehend the visual objects and to help the eye consciousness apprehend its visual objects. Second wind is called Namprakyat, which is frequently or intensely mobile wind.
This is the literal translation. You may find better word for that later. It’s called intense mobile or frequent mobile wind, and it’s located at one’s nose, and its function is to help the nose consciousness to apprehend its object, the smell. The intensely mobile wind is located at the ear, not at the nose, and its function is to cause the ear consciousness apprehend its object, the sound, and perfectly mobile wind mobile wind is located at the third one. It’s called the perfectly mobile wind.
It’s located at the nose, and its function is to have the nose consciousness apprehend its object, the smell. The fourth primary so second wind is called extremely extremely mobile wind and is located at the tongue consciousness and is function naturally is to cause or to help the tongue consciousness apprehend its object taste. Then the fifth wind is called definitely mobile wind The definitely mobile wind is located at the tactile consciousness, which means once a bodily consciousness and its natural function is then to have body consciousness apprehend its object of touch and distinguish soft and rough and smooth objects of touch, called the five secondary winds or energy. And it’s very important to know the primary winds and the secondary winds if one really wants to know know the tantra well. Consciousness is likened to a cripple man with perfect sight.
Perfect sight because consciousness can apprehend its object apprehend its object has ability to apprehend its object but it’s crippled. In the same way as just as a crippled man with the perfect side, if he can see a fruit tree can it’s just that he can see them but and he won’t be able to go there and pluck the fruits. Wind or energy is likened to a blind man with healthy legs. Now if they make friends, the crippled man with sight and the blind man with the healthy legs, if they make friends, then the blind man can carry the man with the crippled man, and then the man, the crippled man can guide the blind man and then go to the tree and pluck the fruits.
Similarly, it’s only when both consciousness and wind, called energy, are assembled. And when wind serves as the mount for consciousness, then it is able to go to object to be apprehended and then object is apprehended. Because these three days are days for meditation, and I would like to teach you how to do meditation on wind or breath. Nine round breath meditation or nine round wind meditation or breath meditation and meditation or watching breath is a very effective means to make one’s agitated mind or rough mind to make the neutral mind. So when you are about to begin a practice and well if your mind is either attached to or if your mind is deluded by attachment or anger, then it’s difficult to to convert that deluded mind at once into virtuous mind.
That deluded mind is to be converted into a virtuous mind by way of through the intermediary of the neutral mind. And the importance of wind meditation or breath meditation is to dilute the deluded mind and not to think of objects of delusion and then make it neutral. Once you have attained a neutral state of mind, it’s very easy to then make that neutral mind into a virtuous mind. In order to do this nine round breath meditation or wind meditation, we have to visualize the channels. And the first channel, important channel, is the central psychic channel and it is to be visualized right in the center of our body, our being, somewhat towards the back and towards the front and that must be visualized.
The width must be like the width of bamboo stalk or some kind of like a medium sized bamboo, not very thick but not too thin. And its lower end, straight, and its lower end terminates at one’s navel, at the hole of one’s navel, and upper realms terminates at one’s forehead. So coming right up through the back and crossing over one’s head and terminate at one’s forehead. Color of this must be visualized as being somewhat reddish. Then it must be visualized as straight as possible, running vertically straight on your being, on your body, and then curving across one’s head and ending at the forehead, upper realms, ending at the forehead, and it must be visualized transparent as under as a red and transparent.
Then to the right and the left, you have the right and left channels. Usually the right and left channels form knots around the central psychic channel. While doing this meditation, don’t visualize the knots. That’s it. The right channel is the channel for blood.
Therefore, it’s red. And therefore, the red the right red channel, it’s it’s terminate. The lower end terminates one finger breadth below the central the lower end of central channel. Therefore, it’s the it’s longer than it’s longer by one finger breadth. And then the upper realms, it terminates at at one’s right nostril.
And then the left channel is channel channel for white fluid, which means white drop or like sperm for the flow of sperm and that being white. So the lower end terminates at the same distance at the right center right channel, one finger breadth longer than the central channel. And then upper realms terminates at one’s left nostril, curving straight. And then, of course, like like like the handle of umbrella, like like a bamboo, which is a bend. And then it it bends over one’s head and terminates at one’s left nostril.
You have visualized these three channels running vertically state in your being and, you know, curving and sort of bending over one’s head and ending at forehead and the right and left nostrils. You can take some time to visualize these as clearly as possible. After you have clearly visualized these three channels, then visualize inserting the lower longer end of the right channel into the into this lower end of central psychic channel. Although this cannot literally take place, such insertion cannot take place, but visualize that you are inserting it. And now now with the ring finger of the left hand, press the left nostril.
And pressing the left nostril with the ring finger of the left hand, then breathe in very gently. While doing this, while inhaling very gently, most gently from up to the right nostril, Imagine that you are inhaling at the same time the blessings of the gurus and buddhas and so on. There’s a little correction while inserting while visualizing, inserting the right into the central psychic channel, it’s not the inserting right into the central psychic channel, but in visualizing inserting the right channel into the left channel into the left channel and then pressing the left nostril with the ring finger of the left hand and breathing gently through the right nostril. Imagine you are breathing the blessings of gurus Buddhas And then breathing in gently, what will happen is then the wind from the wind to the right the wind through the right channel wheel flow into the left channel. And as the wind flows into the right channel, the all the defects of the right channel are corrected.
And As the wind will flow in the left channel through the right channel after this channel has been defects been corrected, then hold the wind in the left channel as long as you you can. And when you when you think that you you are about experience physical discomfort holding the wind for too long, then release. And then when the discomfort is about to develop, then release the wind most gently from the left nostril. While inhaling or exhaling, the wind must be quite smooth and gentle without any noise or abrupt, and the wind shouldn’t be exhaled or inhaled abruptly, but gently and smoothly. And now as the wind held in the left channel is expelled through the left nostril generally, imagine that all the concepts, all the minds of hatred are exhaled.
Do these two terms, that is breathing from the right nostril and breathing out from the left nostril. Repeat these three times. And then when you have done this, then we have to visualize the threading of right in right channel into the left. Yes. I understand.
Then as before, with the ring finger of the right hand, press the right nostril. Then inhale most through the left nostril, and while inhaling through the left nostril like before, imagine that you are breathing in or inhaling the blessings of gurus, bodhisattvas. And then as the wind carrying the blessings of carrying the imagined blessings of gurus and Buddha and bodhisattvas. Then flow in the left channel left channel all the defects, the blessings, the imagined blessings correct and all the defects of the left channel and then going down and entering the lower end of the right channel and hold the wind in the right channel as long as you can. And then Holding the wind as long as you can in the right channel and then release releasing it when when you’re about to feel disc disc as uncomfortable.
And while you exhale this wind to the right channel, imagine that all the minds of attachment or like all forms of attachment, passion are expelled or exhaled. Repeat this three times. That is breathing in through the left nostril and out from the right. Repeat this three times. Six rounds are gone in this way.
Now the last three rounds begin in this way. Now imagine insertion of the lower ends of the right and the left channels in the lower ends of the central psychic channel at navel. Then breathing in very gently from both nostrils or through both the nostrils, and then the winds will flow in one’s right and left channels and will go down and go down to the navel to the lower ends of these channels and because the lower ends have been inserted in the central channel then the winds will flow in the central channel and As the wind flows in the central channel, one has to hold the wind in the central channel as long as possible. We have to hold the wind until we begin to feel or one begins to feel uncomfortable. And then we have to exhale the wind.
And while exhaling, although we inevitably exhale through our nostrils, under no circumstance winds should be breathed in or out through mouth. And while exhaling the winds held in the central channel inevitably from the nostrils. But imagine that the winds are exhaled from the upper realms of a central channel, which terminates at one’s forehead. Therefore, imagine that the winds are exhaled from one’s forehead, although inevitably this must occur or must take place through one’s nostril. And then when this happens, I feel that all the minds of ignorance or like all types of ignorance are exhaled.
These are called the nine rounds of like before, we have to repeat this three times and then these are called the nine rounds of breath meditation. And the reason why it is done is to clear away all defects associated with the right and left channels and in fact all channels. So you have done these nine rounds of breath meditation for the set purpose, you know, to correct the defects of channels and also to attain neutral state of mind. Next is again a breath meditation called the vase shaped wind that we can hold at our heart and at our navel and heart holding the vase shaped. The wind, when held when held, will assume the shape of a vase.
Therefore, it’s called the vase shaped wind. If this is held at heart at the present stage because we are not trained practitioners it can be dangerous therefore it’s advised that such a wind be held at level of one’s navel. While doing this kind of breath meditation or holding the vast shaped wind at the level of one’s navel. And then one must observe all the physical postures correctly, like the legs must be in the vertical cross legged position. And then we must sit up straight.
If you sit up straight, it will straighten our channels. When the channels are straight, the wind will flow through very gently, very smoothly. And if wind flows very smoothly in our channels, in the straight channels, because the wind not only the wind which is flowing, but the wind is carrying the mind along with it. Therefore, when the wind flows gently through the channels it will induce a workable and supple mind and it’s a supple mind that we have to try to attain or develop. Then the hands must be in meditation position or posture, that is the right hand in the BAM of the left hand and the thumbs touching.
The thumbs should touch in the same as the muscles are demonstrated. And such hands hands in this position must be held not too up, not too low, but four fingers breadth below navel. The arms should not touch the other side of the body, or one’s upper part of body, but there should be sufficient gap for the wind to flow freely. Then the neck must be slightly bent in order to press the Adam’s apple. Not slightly.
Then the eyes are understand, not too wide open, not completely shut. Only open enough to see the tip of one’s nose. Then the tip of tongue should touch one’s palate. And then the position of the lips and teeth should be natural and do not try to contour positions for lips and teeth the same as people who are not used to facing camera and when pictures are being taken. So then there is a contrast of different positions and expressions about their face and naturally the photo is not something nice to look at.
I like that the positions of these two must be natural. Even sitting in this position itself is quite meritorious and it is said to be because this is kind of physical posture maintained by one of the primordial Buddhas called Vairochana. And Vairochana being the perfection of form aggregate is expression of the perfection of form aggregate. Our form aggregates therefore if you can maintain this posture it will also go to achieve perfection or thorough purification of our form aggregate and thus attain the state of Vairochana. Then we have to begin meditation on the vase-shaped wind.
In doing v shaped wind, wind must be breathed in or breathed in or inhaled in the central psychic channel. Therefore, you can dispense with the visual visualizing the two channels for this purpose and then breathe in or inhale extremely gently through the nostrils and the purpose of our extreme gentle inhale is in order to avoid back pains otherwise that people develop when they do not breathe in gently. And then after wind has been inhaled extremely gently from the nostrils, when it reaches one’s throat, then press that wind by swallowing saliva, a drop of saliva without any noise. And swallowing a drop of saliva noiselessly and without noise, then the wind will be pressed down in this central channel and bring it down to one’s your navel. And after that, also draw wind from the from one’s anus and to press your anus a little bit.
And as this as this happens, the wind will be drawn in in through the central sacral channel, and it will go up to the navel. The two winds will meet at an in the central sacral channel at one’s navel and then the shape that the winds will such a meeting of two winds will assume it will be kind of the shape of a vase. How the wind at navel in the central psychic channel as long as you you can until you begin to experience physical discomfort holding it a bit too long. The moment you think, you know, you are developing physical discomfort, discomfort, then release the wind very gently or extremely gently through the nostrils and then repeat the process. The ultimate purpose of doing this kind of vase-shaped wind meditation is to facilitate our practice of completion stage practice of tantra in the future and because one will achieve perfection in one’s practice of completion stage yoga of tantra only when we or one has been able to draw all the winds, the winds in the central psychic channel and by doing this kind of practice now it will go to pave the way for such a practice.
Meanwhile, we will enjoy many benefits like longevity, health and digestion of food will accrue to one. Doing this kind of meditation under the guidance of experienced master and then as you keep on doing this meditation, then what will happen is the wind will enter, abide, and dissolve in the central psychic channel. And there will be signs which will foretell, which will signify that the wind has entered in one central psychic channel. And not only then, secondly, the signs that will tell that the wind is now abiding or is in the central psychic channel. And then there are certain signs which will tell now the wind has dissolved in the central sacral channel.
You know, in one’s entry, abidance, and dissolution of the wind in the central sacral channel through the power of meditation. Meditation. Thus, the sign or the implication of entry of wind in central channel is even flow of the wind to one’s nostril. The first sign for entry of the wind in the channel. It’s even flow of the wind through both nostrils.
Otherwise, even now, there’s slight difference in the power of wind flowing through both nostrils. So that will be corrected. And now the sign of abidance of the wind in the channel, in the central channel is movement of the nostrils. I’m sorry, the stoppage of flow of wind through nostril, entry of wind through nostril and the movement of one’s belly. Right now, because the winds are entering and going out, our bellies keep on moving.
That will stop. Then the sign for the dissolution of the wind in the central sacral channel wheel be exactly the same as the sign as the sign of the dissolution sign for the dissolution of the wind in the central channel at death. When when at death, when the elements dissolve into one another, then what happens is the wind is dissolving in the central channel automatically. So the same signs will be experienced when the wind dissolves in the central sacral channel through the power of meditation. So all the signs from mirage like appearance to the clear light mind of death will be experienced even before one’s death and in one’s in one’s meditation through the power of meditation.
Meditation. Meditators are able to experience these signs of the dissolution of the wind in the central psychic channel. Such a dissolution is effected by meditation and please if you can do this kind of meditation sometimes. Now coming back to the topic I’m supposed to talk about and that is the second method of developing the highest form of altruism, that’s altruistic mind of enlightenment, through equalizing and exchanging self for others. And now this the method followed by a group of master called Kadampas, Kadampa masters, their practice, their tradition, before we deal with this, they are called Kadampas are instructionists because they take every syllable of the teaching of the Buddha, of the scripture as kind of a spiritual instruction and they are very particular about instructions or the teachings of their masters and they were disciples of the Indian master called Atisha.
The practice followed by these masters called Kadampa masters in terms of giving teachings on the second method. So they give these teachings only to a small group of disciples or only just one or two or only a very selective disciple and this teaching is given only to those who the master thought would really practice and who the master thought that the students were extremely serious and Atisha gave this instruction only to Dromtönpa. Dromtönpa on his part disclosed these teachings only to three omniscient brothers of the Kadampa tradition. These three brothers of Kadampa tradition are Geshe Chenngawa, Geshe Potowa and Geshe Puchungwa and extremely learned masters And Geshe Potowa gave instructions about this teaching or this instruction how to develop the mind of enlightenment. Think only two disciples like Geshe Sharava and Geshe Langtangpa and maybe one or two more.
And Geshe Sharava gave this instruction or transmitted this teaching to one of his famous disciple called Geshe Chekawa. Geshe Chekawa who is the author of the seven point thought Transformation Teaching. Then Geshe Chekawa thought this teaching is extremely precious and very profound. Even though disciples may not be able to practice, even if they heard this teaching will be extremely meaningful, and he made the teachings public. And then in his attempt to make this teaching public, so for public, he wrote the seven point thought transformation text, and I wonder if you have received teaching on that.
And I taught this seven point thought transformation text authored by Geshe Chekawa in Sydney. Because of your keen interest in the teaching and I’m going to talk about these instructions and you know the master must disclose also for give teachings on these to the interested and if he doesn’t give the teaching to the interested who else is he going to give the teachings? In Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, a text or treatise by great Śāntideva, he said engage in the secret practice of giving this teaching only to the intelligent hiding it from the unintelligent and incapable and unable bodhisattvas. Now therefore we should also be very courageous in receiving these teachings and we should also develop the courage that we can practice these teachings and because we are in a way said to be Mahayanists or followers of the greater vehicle, the greatness of that vehicle is the greatness of the courage and not so much the great path that one follows. So a feeling of dauntlessness in working for sentient beings.
In order to explain this, first let me lay out the five outlines or sections. And when we have the five sections, we’ll form a broad idea of what the teachings are about. The first is called equalizing self with others.