Tummo Tummo Om Ah Hum Vajra Recitation with Wind and Channel Practice. By Garchen Rinpoche
Among the myriad wind energie o! the "ody# there are $%e principal wind. The na%el# where the $re& $re& e'uali(ing wind a"ide# i li)e the royal eat o! all the wind. wind. The practice practice o! %ae "reathing "reathing i to hold awarene there. *n general# there are three principal channel# the le!t and right channel and# "etween them# the central channel. The central channel# or widom channel# i the principal among all the channel. When we draw the wind and mind energie into the central channel at the na%el# we practice the method !or merging mind and wind energie into one point. There are are two mode o! practice !or !ocuing on the energie at the na%el# with %iuali(ation# and without meditating on any any %iuali(ation. %iuali(ation. The latter latter in%ol%e the %ajra recitation o! the ylla"le Om Ah Hum. Thi recitation recitation i i com"ined with !ocu !ocu on the u"tle wind energie. The pine hould "e traight. traight. The three channel# channel# le!t# right# right# and central# are are %iuali(ed. There i no need to thin) a"out the gro phyical "ody at all. At the le%el o! the na%el i a +ame the i(e o! a lentil. A you "reathe in through through the the notril# mentally recite recite the ylla"le Om. Om. The wind energie decend the right and le!t channel and then enter
the central channel "elow the na%el cha)ra. Then hold the "reath !or a hort period o! time# mentally reciting the ylla"le Ah. Bind the lower wind upward# contracting the mucle at the perineum# and pre the upper wind downward with the diaphragm. Thi i called the union o! the wind# the %ae "reath# and it !orm a ealed# pherical reli'uary. When preing the "reath downward# hold the "elly in at the na%el a "it & do not e,pand the "elly. The wind energie enter and naturally a"ide at the na%el cha)ra while doing the contraction and reciting Ah. *magine that the wind lightly !an the "all o! +ame that i a"iding at the na%el# cauing it to "urn "righter. The +ame get tronger and tart crac)ling# "ecaue the wind i meeting with the +ame. The "reath and mucle contraction hould "e held gently# and we hould remain in meditati%e e'uipoie !or a !ew moment while retaining the "reath. Then "reathe out# mentally reciting the ylla"le Hum. A you "reathe in# you can alo thin) that a the Hum i merging with the Ah# you recei%e the "leing o! all the enlightened "eing. Within thi e,ercie# loo) at the empty nature o! mind itel!. When the wind energie are a"iding at the na%el# and you lea%e the mind in it un!a"ricated# natural tate# ometime warmth will intantaneouly arie in the na%el. -tay with the +ame continually# train your mind in it. *! you meditate in thi way !or a while# ay one wee)# warmth will arie. ou will actually !eel heat ariing. At that time# the wind i merging with the $re# that the wind and mind are connecting and merging. The mind doe not get lot# doe not get ditracted. The mind i !ocued together with the wind. Then# without needing to
hold the "reath again and again# awarene will naturally a"ide at the na%el "ecaue o! the warmth. That i to ay# on the "ai o! warmth# mind a"ide in tillne. Thi method o! cauing the mind to a"ide on the "ai o! warmth and "li i e,tremely "ene$cial. A !or the time# one hould train in thi each morning at day"rea). Although we are aware o! the natural +ow o! the "reath in and out# we are not !ollowing it with the mind. *n thi practice# we maintain the !ocu o! concentration at all time on the "all o! +ame at the na%el. Only a mall !raction o! our awarene i di%erted to the "reath# the le!t and right channel# and o !orth. And although there are %ariou %iuali(ation that can "e done with the wind energie# in thi practice there i no pecial emphai put on %iuali(ing. *t i only a method to merge wind energie with mind a we recall the ylla"le Om Ah Hum# and to caue the mind to a"ide at the na%el. Alo# it i not neceary to "e concerned with the e,act location o! the channel and the cha)ra# ince they are immaterial and cannot "e !ound in the gro phyical "ody. The channel and cha)ra are created through the power o! meditation/ thu# they a"ide where%er you imagine them. And although di%ere e,perience# thought and enation can arie in the practice# you hould not "e ditracted "y them. Again and again return to the +ame o! awarene at the na%el# thu li"erating mental and phyical ariing through awarene. *!# in thi way# the wind a"ide through mind!ul
awarene# later there will "e no need to hold the "reath# and there will "e no need to hold onto the %iuali(ation. Through mind!ulne# the wind will remain at the na%el. Then# e%en though we "reathe in and out# the place where the wind energie will tay i the na%el. There# you will accumulate the %ital eence o! wind# or prana# which will a"ide together with the wind energie. When you conjoin the in and out "reath with the Om Ah Hum recitation# the wind and mind will alway "e mingled. Thu# you will "e !ree o! o"tacle & that i# o"tacle arien !rom ditraction. At preent# the wind and mind are eparate. The wind naturally go where they will. The concioune wander elewhere. But# through training in thi way# we "ring mind and wind energie together a one. When you e,perience "li !rom thi practice# you need to loo) directly at it nature. *t i a mental ariing. When we loo) at the nature o! "li# we will recogni(e it emptine. *t in0t neceary to meditate on emptine. Rather# jut lea%e the mind in the nature o! "li itel!. The e,perience o! "li "ecome empty/ thu# there i no $,ation on it. When you "egin the meditation# !ocu on the three channel1 the le!t# right and central. But once you ha%e "ecome ha"ituated to thi# and particularly ha"ituated to the central channel# you hould undertand that thi i the ingle root o! all o! the other channel/ thi i the "ai !rom which all o! the other channel arie. -o to !ocu your attention completely on the central channel will u2ce# a it encompae all the other channel. *t i li)e the
ingle trun) o! a great tree. 3ow# in the ame way that a tree ha many "ranche that pread out# o too the central channel ha lim" that "ranch out at the le%el o! the $%e cha)ra. Thee then !urther "ranch out into u"idiary and !urther u"idiary channel# into countle $ne u"tle channel which reach out to all o! the pore o! the )in. 3ow you hould not "e %iuali(ing all o! thi. *t i jut important to undertand it. -o a you !ocu on the central channel# you hould alo ha%e jut a general# appro,imate awarene that !rom thi central channel "ranch o4 countle other that per%ade the entire "ody. Then when you engage in the practice o! tummo through the mantra recitation# the warmth that i generated at the na%el will pontaneouly arie and per%ade the "ody. ou don0t need to caue it to per%ade the "ody# rather you hould undertand that it naturally doe o. *! you water a tree# all o! the tiny root# all o! the "ranche# twig# lea%e# and o !orth are naturally per%aded "y that water. By meditating in thi way on the warmth at the na%el# the eed eence i regenerated. The reult that will "e attained# and the length o! time that it ta)e will correpond to the degree o! e4ort that one put into the practice. The tudent o! highet capacity will gi%e rie to the e,perience o! warmth within a wee). Other will gi%e rie to ign o! accomplihment within one month# i, month# and o !orth. *n general# heat that i e,perienced immediately i unta"le# changea"le and not
particularly "li!ul. *n thi practice we are culti%ating a ta"le# conitent e,perience o! "li& warmth that gradually de%elop together with clear awarene o! mind0 nature. *n any cae# once the warmth ha "een generated# e%entually you will reach the point where it i not neceary to engage in the practice in order to gi%e rie to the e,perience. The warmth will naturally a"ide a the mind a"ide. Then# during daily acti%itie# a you naturally "reathe in and out# awarene o! the continual cycle o! Om Ah Hum will per%ade our mind. ou can alway do the Om Ah Hum "reathing where%er you are# at all time. A you are wal)ing# you can practice it. ou don0t ha%e to ay Om Ah Hum# jut thin) the ound. When you lay down at night# a you !all aleep# thin) Om Ah Hum. Then a!ter ome time# e%en in your dream you will "e a"le to remind yourel! o! Om Ah Hum. When you wa)e up in the morning# do thi practice at dawn# jut "e!ore the un rie. ou will "e aware o! the natural Om ound o! the inhalation. The ound o! Ah will immediately "e recalled at the na%el. The Hum ound will accompany e,halation. 5ach time you "reathe in# the +ame will "e renewed# a when one "low on li%e coal. At all time# when you are pea)ing# or doing other thing# alway collect the wind together with your mind# ha%e them !ocued together. There are great 'ualitie in that. The principle apect o! thi practice i that one0 mind and one0 wind are gathered together a a method to "e unditracted.
6ater# when thi ha "een ha"ituated# the mind will a"ide without e4ort. Then# warmth will "e achie%ed in the "ody/ the mind will a"ide in tillne/ awarene will "e clear/ cold&"aed illnee will "e cleared away. Thu# there are many great "ene$t !rom thi practice. Variou concept# negati%e emotion uch a attachment and a%erion# and u4ering are all thought. Thought themel%e are o"tacle. What thi really mean i interruption in practice. 7or e,ample# i! we are trying to culti%ate lo%e and compaion# anger i an o"tacle# an interruption in the continuity o! lo%e. When you are engaging thi practice o! tummo and !ocu on the Ah ylla"le# all thought and negati%e emotion o! attachment and a%erion and o !orth are tran!ormed into the $re. They are "urnt "y the $re. 6i)ewie# all o! your illne# pain# and u4ering are "urnt away. Thi i o! great "ene$t. *t i uita"le to "urn all "ad dream and di%ere thought with the +ame o! awarene. Through the trength o! the +ame# one0 whole "ody "ecome li)e "ig mae o! heat and +ame# and the "ody "ecome li)e a "utter lamp. When thi happen o%er and o%er again# it will decreae el!& clinging. We all cling to our "ody trongly# and thin) the "ody i me. But it i jut li)e a little cotton cloth/ when you loo) through it# it ha no eence# and i !ull o! hole inide. -o there i no real eence. The inner and the outer merge. -o through practice# we reali(e it ha "ecome one. The inner mind and the outer pace# they are eentially one# jut li)e a cloud appearing in the )y# ha%ing no eence or reality to it. *n the ame way# one0 "ody doen0t
ha%e any reality# or eence to it. -o that concept# that my "ody i me# that thi i my "ody# will decreae. At ome point the wind will enter the central channel# and that will "ring great 'ualitie# great "ene$t. When one i doing the practice# naturally one0 concept# phyical illnee# and a8icti%e emotion will decreae# and great 'ualitie will arie. One gain ome independence o%er them. All the impuritie and o !orth# will "e puri$ed# cleaned through the training o! the channel and wind. -o alway )eep the wind at the na%el cha)ra# o that they really will enter the central channel at ome point# and that really gi%e rie to inconcei%a"le "ene$t. Thi "reathing intruction i a %ery a""re%iated mode o! practicing the yoga o! tummo# or inner $re# that wa taught "y 6ord 9igten -umgon. Ha%ing practiced thi myel!# * ha%e peronally e,perienced it "ene$t. ou will not hear thi intruction !rom other who teach many ela"orate )ey point o! channel and wind. * am o4ering it "aed on my own e,perience.
7or ome"ody whoe %iuali(ation doe not "ecome %ery clear# omething that would help i to %iuali(e a +ower# the tem o! a +ower meeting with one0 central channel at the crown o! one0 head. And then you can %iuali(e that the tem act li)e a pipe that i ma)ing the nectar in the water +ow through your "ody. And a the water i +owing through the "ody# you imagine all the channel are "eing
puri$ed. The wind i e,iting# emerging !rom your "ody# e%en through your nail/ together with the water i coming out !rom your "ody# and you %iuali(e that o%er and o%er again# and your "ody will "ecome %ery pliant.
