Post Vajrayana in Kampuchea

     His Eminence Deshung Rinpoche, Kunga Tenpay Nyima, introduced Vajra Breathing by saying something like this: ‘I know you’re interested in the highest Tantric practices His Holiness will give you in India. But I can teach right now the best one. And it’s very simple.’ The year was 1980.      ‘Vajra Breathing’ is how Sonam Tenzin, I believe, translated it. Rinpoche showed us the basic pranayama rounds of ‘three-threes,’ blowing stale air out through our nostrils, left, right, (and together) center. Then he demonstrated breathing in steadily through his nose, instructing us to visualize a white OM. Then he demonstrated retaining that breath, telling us to visualize a red AH. He finished by saying to breathe out measuredly, with a blue HUNG in mind, so as not to rustle even a hair in the nostrils. I don’t remember him saying to imagine our breath going out farther and farther, with each round, as I believe is taught in the Nong Sum. But I’m certain he stre...

  19/6 ‘Scorpio,’ however the sign features in one’s horoscope—or in one’s love life—requires from others a test of faith. It says, “believe in me or not have me.” But this is all at one’s own risk. This is the significance of the often unforeseen, curled up, stinger-tipped tail that comes swiftly from behind. The stakes are always very high. To love a Scorpio or one with attributes I’d call ‘Scorpion,’ is to put everything on the line. To love them is to chase them and suffer a repetition of painful stings. The irony is that Scorpios always appear to think of themselves as only sweetness and light, influencing others as well to see them as such, even after getting repeatedly stung. Is it just Stockholm syndrome’s perverse attraction to abuse? Or the height of love’s romantic ideal? One can find out only by taking its passion filled ride at least once in this lifetime.  21/6  I have only to wait for dawn as it arises, like these words, a supreme blessing. A blissful resul...

27/5             During most personal interactions people are often just looking to ‘find themselves’ through self-validation, reification, ego-boosting, and so forth. ‘Let me tell you this story first,’ they’ll say, and then it ends up only edifying their version of what they think the conversation is about. When you attempt to expand the talk, if it introduces someone or something they’re averse to, then they’ll say, ‘Oh, I don’t even think of them’ or ‘I’ve never heard that before. Is it even true?’ The implication being what you’re saying isn’t admissible, as if the conversation were happening in a court of law.  So then it’s ’back to me’ on one party’s part. Or perhaps both—yours as well—as it ultimately becomes just another exercise in self reification. Like scrolling the internet, which is a waste of everyone’s precious time. And time is precious. Why? Because life is very tenuous and we really do need to ‘find ourselves’—the more interesti...

  22/4/25        Relationships are almost always feckless, unless there’s a spiritual vow in common seriously taken. Then, while still not assured, there’s at least some hope of weathering a progressive dissatisfaction and the certain vacillations of attraction and aversion. For the nescience yogin, ultimately a wanderer in the making, relationships can be instant liberation if the other is already fully Enlightened. This is a great long shot unless one is schooled in the secret communications with such extraordinary entities. Really, it’s an enlightened entity much more than a flesh and blood being one should look for, as in their very unsubstantiated, luminous and unworldly emptiness, the ultimate inspiration lay. Be brave yogins, when it comes to relationships and sexual gratification, follow the Yoga Tantras into their most secret suggestion of extracting supreme bliss, clarity and emptiness. Better to go off the cliff, awake and conscious, buoyed by tantric...