Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. John Landaw introduces tantra through a foundational energy-work practice, framing it as the second prong of spiritual transformation: where mindfulness directly opposes negative mental states, tantra works with the subtle channels and energies beneath the mind. In this 48-minute session, he guides practitioners through elaborate visualizations of the three major energy channels running through a hollow, light-filled body, then combines this with a structured nine-round breathing practice. Practitioners alternate drawing energy through the left, right, and central channels, visualizing impure energy being replaced with vibrant white light and blockages gradually dissolving. He emphasizes that perfect clarity is not essential; what matters is allowing the mind to settle inward through breath work and the intention to release tension and delusion. Suited to those with some familiarity with tantric terminology and meditation posture.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 05 Intro to Tantra Day 1 no date.mp3
UUID: 14630b18-d608-49f5-b129-aadccb7faba2
Teacher: John Landaw
Collection: Introduction to Tantra (John Landaw)
Date: 1984 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Words: ~2,020
A two pronged approach for the spiritual transformation that we’ve been talking about. One approach is to work mainly on the level of the quality of the mind itself, spotting negativities and opposing them with positive qualities of mind. And at the same time, there is another approach which works, which is pointed towards the rechanneling of the very basic energy upon which these states of mind ride. So if we use this double pronged approach, one aimed at the qualities of the minds themselves, and the others aimed at the energies upon which these minds ride, then we shall actually have a very powerful method for transforming the nature of our experience, the quality of our life. So briefly speaking, in terms of the energies, what we’re attempting to do is to rid ourselves of the impure energies found in the peripheral channels of the body, specifically the right and the left channels, which will be described, and opening up the various blockages currently constricting the central channel.
Because by loosening the blockages and opening up the central channel that we help awaken this clear light mind, spoken of as the most essential mind, the mind which itself can evolve into enlightenment. So as before, assume a comfortable but upright meditative posture for this. Starting with a firm base of the feet and legs, whether we’re sitting on the ground or on a chair. And from this base, the torso, the trunk, and especially the back to rise upright and straight, but not uncomfortably so. And with the shoulders level and open, The arms removed from the side of the body to allow ventilation.
The right hand resting on the left and both on the lap. The thumbs touching. The head bowed slightly forward, avoiding the extremes of dullness and distraction. The jaw relaxed and the mouth closed. And the tongue gently touching the upper palate.
The eyes either closed or only partially opened, depending upon our susceptibility to dullness and drowsiness. And looking at the entire posture. And if we notice any areas of body or of mind that are particularly tight and tense, and breathe out from that place, breathing out all of the tension, tightness, confusion, like a dark smoke that evaporates. Let a long deep breath inwards, breathing in and revitalizing white light energy that soothes and opens. And energizes and out again.
All the haziness and the fogginess expelled. Just letting go. Breathe deeply in once more. After a bit, allow the breath to return to whatever its normal pattern may be, and merely observe it as before with the mind at the gateway to the nostrils. Whenever we note the horizon of mental distraction, that tendency of the mind to wander uncontrollably refocus its attention, in this case, on the breath.
And whenever we notice the tendency towards haziness, drowsiness, or dullness, revitalize the energy of the mind through expelling that haziness with the breath and breathing in the pure white light energy. Now we shall attempt to hollow out any heavy, solid, obstructive feeling in our body itself. The way that clouds dissolve into the sky, leaving no trace behind. Allow whatever feeling of solidity remains within the body to dissolve into the empty space which makes up our atomic structure. From the crown of our head down through our feet.
Nothing but a hollow shell filled with light. Weakness. The hollow shell itself, our skin, is porous and transparent. Now within this hollow shell of light, within this empty shell, We feel the presence of the three major channels through which energy flows. Feel the presence first of the central channel, a tube of light, the diameter of one’s finger.
Starting at the point between one’s brow. Then with inside the hollow body, this tube of light arches up until it reaches the crown of one’s head. Feel its presence by allowing one’s interior mental gaze to trace a path from the forehead up to the crown in a gentle arch. Then retrace this path from the crown back down to the third eye position. And back once again, back and forth until one feels its presence.
Narrow tube of light. If our concentration is strong enough, we can see its colors as well. Thus, if we wish to, we can see this transparent tube as having a bluish color on the outside and a reddish color on the inside. But more important than the colors is the mere feeling, the mere presence in the central channel. From the brow up to the crown, and now descending in a perfectly straight line like the shaft of an elevator or a lift.
In the very center of the body, neither to the right nor to the left, but further towards the back, in front of the spine, this shaft of light descends from the crown down through the head, down through the back of the chest cavity, down through the abdominal cavity, towards the back, and terminating slightly below the level of the navel. Establish the presence of this central channel of light by shifting the gaze from the navel back up to the crown and down again repeatedly, slowly and carefully, feeling the presence of this central channel. Having traced the path in this way by shifting one’s gaze, Try to get a feeling of its entire length. From the brow up to the crown, and the crown down to the navel, inside one’s hollow body. And that, now we shall add the presence of the two flanking channels, the right and the left.
These are narrower than the central channel, ideally the diameter of a drinking straw. In the beginning, all the channels may be visualized as larger. The right and the left channels begin at the respective nostrils, And they too arch up within the hollow body to the crown of the head. When their arch reaches the level of the forehead, they flank the central channel. The right channel is immediately to the right of the central one with no intervening space.
Red on the outside and on the inside. And the left is immediately to the left of the central channel with no intervening space. White on the outside and red on the inside. Starting with the nostrils, arching upward inside the hollow body, joining central channel at the brow and continuing on either side to the crown. Clear visualization and color are not important at this time.
Merely sensing their presence is all that is required. They then descend on either side of the central channel through the head. Throat, chest, and abdomen. Closer to the back than to the front. And they come to rest a short distance below the lower end of the central channel.
And allow the gaze to sweep up and down these side channels as well until eventually the presence of all three have been established. If at any time the meditation posture itself becomes uncomfortable, Without breaking the continuity, visualizing these three channels, we can stand and stretch or do whatever is necessary to ease the body. Feel the presence of these three tubes of light. Merely by concentrating on them in this way, the mind becomes more interior. We begin to sense the subtle pulses of energy associated with the activities of the mind.
Now we are going to combine the nine round breathing that we practiced earlier with this visualization of the three channels. The actual practice is much quicker than the description. So while I describe, we should try to apply it to our own visualization and breathing at whatever speed we find comfortable to ourselves. We begin by feeling that we are seated in an atmosphere of brilliant white light symbolic of the unlimited, fully actualized enlightenment experience. The very atmosphere is in the nature of the realizations of the enlightened being, unlimited love and compassion, wisdom and skill, containing no blockages, no experiences of pain, but vibrant.
The first in breath is through the left channel. So we block the entrance to the right nostril as described earlier with the fleshy part of our index finger, and then take a long, smooth, and quiet breath into the left channel. And in one’s mind eye, follow the vibrant white energy as it ascends the left channel up to the crown of the head, down through the bottom, all the way to the bottom of the left channel, and then see the bottom of the left channel as hooking into the bottom of the right, like a piece of plumbing, so that the breath we breathe in collects in the right channel. And while there, it loosens all of the obstructions and impurities, clogging the right channel. And it was when it becomes difficult to hold the breath any longer, close the left nostril with the nail side of the index finger, and breathe out the long, and controlled breath, and follow the pollution as it leads through the right channel, arching up to the crown and then down and out, dissolving into space.
And repeat in through the left, deeply, collecting the right, then by shifting one’s finger out to the right. At the completion of three cycles of breath, we mentally change the plumbing. So now the bottom of the right channel fits into the bottom of the left. And we reverse the entire process in through the right nostril, the vibrant white energy goes through it and collects in the length of the left, where it dislodges all the interior confusion and obstruction. Hold the breath, And then exhale.
Long, smooth, quiet breath. Dislodging all impurities, breathing them out, and allowing them to evaporate into clear and deep space. Then finally, we are going to breathe in through both nostrils. Again, we undo the plumbing and plug in the bottom of the right and the left channel into the bottom of the central channel. And take a long, smooth, quiet breath in through both nostrils.
The energy, the vibrant white energy rises through the channels up to the crown, down both channels to the bottom where they enter the central channel, and hold that energy within the central channel. When it is about to get uncomfortable, exhale slowly, smoothly, And watch the energy as it rises up the central channel. And instead of leaving the body, dissolves within the upper reaches of central channel. Opening it up, relaxing all constrictions, and then repeat in through both nostrils, collecting the central channel, and then breathing out with the energy rising and opening up the central channel to the very crown. So what has gone on is rehearsing.
Now we try to string together nine consecutive breaths, paying attention to the changes in the tubing, breathing in first through the left, and out through the right three times, then in through the right and out through the left three times, then in through both and up the central channel three times for one set of nine, and then maybe be repeated a second and a third time. Slowly and conscientiously, feeling the replacement of polluted energy with the vibrant light energy. Allow the mind to bow in its natural state. Allow the breathing to return to normal. With no expectation.
Dwell in the spaciousness allowing anything to arise but grasping at nothing. So there’s a lot of new elements to this meditation, and we shouldn’t feel frustrated if it’s difficult to grasp the whole thing at first. To whatever extent we can feel or visualize the presence of the channels and so forth, we should just go with that, and not trying to force the clarity of detail. Very important. It is most important instead to allow the mind along with the breath to dwell inwards, to use the breathing to let go of tension, delusion, and obscuration, to let it exhale from the body, exhale from the mind, and replace it with a clear, vibrant energy.
Even doing this for a little time, it is remarkable how much peace, quiet, and openness can be experienced.