Tibetan practices - an overview of the main techniques. Tibetan yoga is all about physical and spiritual development

A yogi is a person who has spent a long time in a hermitage, performing secret exercises to improve his physical, mental abilities and, through such a secret technique, achieving extraordinary control over his mind and body.

Real yogis take an oath to keep their technology in the strictest confidence, and the secrecy of this art is carefully guarded. Recently, some yogis have agreed to reveal their techniques as they seek to preserve their vanishing culture. Although there are many books on yoga today, the information they carry often does not correspond to the true state of affairs.

How did yogis appear?

Especially mysterious yogis are those who lived in the mountains of Tibet. This place is shrouded in a veil of secrets and legends. Fog, snow and inaccessibility made Tibet closed to Europeans. Incredible people with superpowers lived on a vast plateau that is surrounded by the Himalayan mountains. Remote Tibet remained a mystery to the people of the West for a thousand years, they could only add up legends about it.

Only at the end of the 19th century did the first scientific expedition visit the great Tibet. She brought the world the most unique photographs that gave impetus to the development of new fantastic stories. Representatives of the civilized West wanted to believe in the existence of a serene and peaceful country, which is full of compassion and free from wars, hardships and violence.

The philosophy of the people of Tibet was close to what they thought of it in Europe, however everyday life Tibetan residents was full of hardships and hardships. The first settlers of Tibet were nomads who for a long time adapted to the difficult conditions of life in the mountains. The merciless sun literally dried up the eyes of these people, and a sudden hail could completely destroy the most valuable crop and cripple livestock.

The early history of Tibet tells of bloody battles between indigenous tribes and invaders. The inhabitants of this country subtly felt the inconstancy and fragility of life. It is understandable why, in the turmoil of continuous volatility, the Tibetan people turned their gaze inward - they wanted to find peace of mind and constancy.

The king dreamed of uniting the disparate Tibetan tribes and uniting them in one faith and invited saints from India to show Buddhism to the people. The indigenous faith of the Tibetan inhabitants was united with the ideas of Buddhism. Such a Himalayan hybrid of religions is unique - it retained all the symbolism of traditional beliefs, but absorbed the most important foundations of Buddhism.

The Tibetans have adopted a view of life as a continuous stream of rebirths. Human birth makes it possible to independently determine the fate of the next incarnation. Depending on one's righteousness, in the next life a person could be born as one of the lower animals, a human, or achieve a state of complete serenity - nirvana.

Non-harming and full compassion for strangers and friends became the moral foundations of the new religion. The accumulation of good deeds was part of a daily ritual. To subdue the Ego, the Tibetans made long journeys to holy places.

The reading of prayers was accompanied by the rotation of special prayer wheels, which were supposed to send love and mercy to all living beings. Now all life revolved around the new faith.

Monasteries began to be actively built, which served as a home for tens of thousands of people. These temples kept the oldest texts and continued to print literature for the entire Buddhist community.

Astronomy, painting, theater, music and many other disciplines were taught in the monasteries. At its peak, Tibetan monasteries numbered over 600 buildings! Almost every inhabitant of Tibet became a monk. The training started from early age and it took more than 20 years to complete a Ph.D. The adult teacher was called "Lama".

It was in this environment that the most prominent representatives of the Tibetan civilization - "yogis" - appeared. If Indian yogis improved their body, then Tibetan yogis were engaged in the development of the mind. Indian yoga conducted their classes in front of the crowd, and the Tibetan preferred unity. Tibetan yogis are monks who have decided on their own experience to explore all the possibilities of Buddhism and achieve enlightenment (experiencing the bliss of nirvana). Such monks were locked in caves for years and through intense mental and exercise gradually cleared their minds. All Tibetans had great respect for yogis, they inspired people with confidence that it was possible to find a way to overcome all earthly suffering. The Tibetans began to look for the earthly incarnation of the Buddha. One such incarnation was the spiritual teacher of the Dalai Lama.

Expulsion of Tibetan Yogis

Tibetans have never been interested in the other world, but they had to start worrying about themselves when the wave of communist ideology swept over China. Mao Tse Tung claimed his right to the strategically important lands of Tibet and its rich natural resources. In 1946, he announced that Tibet would be returned to China and millions of Chinese would be able to resettle on the high plateau.

Then, under the guise of liberating Tibet from an archaic way of life, Chinese soldiers began to occupy ancient monasteries and villages. The fight against religion and the brutal occupation turned into bloody violence against the inhabitants of Tibet. More recently, Hitler exterminated the Jews, and after 2 years a new war swallowed up Asia.

The destruction of ancient shrines was enormous. This horror cannot be described - Tibetans were tortured, imprisoned and killed in the most cruel and sophisticated ways. Over 1,000,000 Tibetans were killed! This is 1/5 of the population. It is terrible to imagine, but all 6000 monasteries were destroyed. Entire libraries were on fire and icons were desecrated. The Tibetans pinned all their hopes on their leader, the Dalai Lama, who, disguised as a simple soldier, made a dangerous crossing of the Himalayas. Following him, other Tibetan refugees went to India, among whom were these revered yogis. On the way to India, the vast majority of refugees died, because they had to go without food, and injuries and injuries were a constant companion of the fleeing Tibetans. The passage of one group of refugees took more than 2 years, as they were continuously attacked by the Chinese.

Yogis recall that after the departure of the Dalai Lama, ruthless purges began. Those who had fame or money were mercilessly beaten, tortured, and their ears were cut off. Many famous yogis spent their entire lives in prison. Instead of sleeping, they made a huge effort on themselves and continued their meditation. The jailers strictly ensured that no one read prayers, but yogis were good at pretending.

Decades later, Tibetan refugees founded monasteries and schools throughout India. Today the Dalai Lama has achieved worldwide recognition! In 1989 he received the Nobel Prize. China has not yet returned to the Tibetans what it took from them, despite all the attempts of the Dalai Lama to revive their culture, today's knowledge is not what it used to be. Yoga traditions are on the verge of death. And today, once closed people go out into the world to preserve their unique heritage.

Tibetan yoga- one of the areas of yoga, formed in the bosom of the Buddhist tradition. Buddhism entered Tibet from India in the middle of the 7th century (at least, according to most researchers of Tibetan Buddhism) and very soon spread throughout Tibet in the form of the Mahayana, one of its main currents.

Buddhism took shape in Tibet in the form of a number of schools and directions. The most famous of them are: Nyingma, Karju, Gelug, Vajrayana. They have their own special lines of succession, their approaches to the teachings of the Tantras (Holy Hindu and Buddhist books, which are among the canonical texts. In this case, we are talking about the Buddhist tantras), their esoteric treatises and differ in that in the methodology of spiritual advancement they single out one or another aspect of the teachings of Gautama Buddha. At the same time, despite the differences, they all, in essence, use similar esoteric practices. The latter will be the main object of our attention. But first, a few necessary digressions.

Tibetan Buddhism is sometimes referred to as Buddhist Tantrism. In fact, this term cannot be applied to Tibetan Buddhism in general, as The religious world of Tibet is very heterogeneous.

Conventionally, representatives of all areas of Tibetan Buddhism can be divided into two large groups. To the first belong monks and laity, doing in their spiritual development emphasis on observance of the moral requirements of Buddhism and the administration of religious rituals. The second group includes those who also use tantric methods for their spiritual advancement. In other words, in Tibet there is, on the one hand, ritual Buddhism, on the other hand, Tantric Buddhism.

The term "tantrism" is interpreted ambiguously. The main meaning of the word "tantra" in Sanskrit is "activity", "action". Therefore, those who follow the path of action, the path of their own continuous efforts, the path of the practice of raja and buddhi yoga, are considered followers of tantra. However, there are other opinions on this matter. Tantrics are sometimes also called:

a) all those who recognize the Tantras,
b) representatives of some Hindu and Buddhist schools using sexual forms of interaction in their spiritual practice,
c) some Buddhists call Tantrism only Vajrayana - one of the directions of Tibetan Buddhism.

Before proceeding to a detailed examination of the esoteric methods of Buddhist Tantrism, let us briefly dwell on some of the most basic Buddhist concepts.

Some scholars of Buddhism have formed the idea that Buddhism is atheistic, that it denies God. This is probably due to the fact that Buddhists consider God not as some kind of Venerable Person waiting for worship, but as Total Consciousness, poured into everything and perceived as Clear Light. (Although, indeed, in Buddhism there are some few schools that, distorting its foundations, deny the existence of God).

The best spiritual schools of Buddhism, including Tibetan Tantrism, are focused on achieving direct comprehension of God. The main goal of their followers is to merge their individual consciousness with the Divine Consciousness. This goal is realized through a long, hard work on self-improvement, through the acquisition of "three qualities of Buddha nature": Perfect Compassion, which is an analogue of Christian, Sufi, Hindu Love, Perfect Wisdom, Perfect Power. The main emphasis in acquiring these aspects of the Perfection of the Buddha is on the adept's own efforts, since Buddhism believes that every person has everything necessary to become a Buddha.

One of the usual terms in Buddhist practice is the term "Nirvana". It serves to designate the higher states of consciousness achieved by expanding the individual consciousness in one of the two higher spatial dimensions. (Speaking in the language of the Bhagavad Gita - on the plane of Brahman and Ishvara.)

The term "Nirvana" denotes a whole class of states, stages of ascent - from the first achievement of this state to complete affirmation in its highest manifestations. This happens due to mastering the static and dynamic aspects of Nirvana in Brahman, Nirvana in Ishvara. But there is also a very long distance between the attainment of such states and their complete mastery.

In Buddhist practice, there is another term "Liberation". It means the dissolution of all attachments to everything earthly, including one's own body and one's "I". Thanks to this, the adept comes out of involvement in the circle of births and deaths, from the wheel of samsara (manifested being, the world of forms), as the Buddhists say.

Spiritual work in the best spiritual schools of the East and West is carried out simultaneously in three interrelated areas: ethical, intellectual, psychoenergetic. The same, in general, is observed in Tibetan Tantrism.

Let us say a few words about the system of teaching in the schools of Buddhist Tantrism. As a rule, there is no rigid scheme in it. The spiritual mentor, focusing on the individual characteristics of the student, builds the entire training program in accordance with this. At the same time, one cannot fail to say that at certain similar stages of the spiritual advancement of students, the mentor uses a certain set of standard methods and techniques.

The pedagogical system of Tibetan lamas, as a rule, does not include lengthy instructions and teachings. Most often, they use a visual method that provides students with the opportunity to draw knowledge from their own observations and personal experience. (In this, Tibetan lamas are very much like Sufi sheikhs.) Among other things, this form of education enables the student to quickly develop the ability to think for himself. The learning process, very conditionally, can be divided into three stages: preliminary, main, final. Let's take a closer look at each.

Preliminary the stage is predominantly associated with intensive work of the ethical and intellectual plan. The neophyte devotes all his time to the active transformation of his psycho-emotional sphere, ethical improvement, and the study of various canonical texts recommended to him by his mentor. But besides this, a novice adept, if he is capable of further advancement, undergoes a course of preliminary psychoenergetic training, preparing him for the main spiritual practice.

At this stage, special attention is paid to the ethical direction of spiritual development. Already at the very initial stages of his spiritual path, often immediately after initiation, the neophyte takes the Bodhisattva vow. It consists in dedicating one's life to spiritual service and requires the development of immense compassion for all beings. The Bodhisattva vow presupposes the acquisition of such virtues as: passionate striving for the Goal, patience, active service to people, constant meditation, liberation from false attachments and desires, observance of all Buddhist moral requirements, i.e. ahimsa, refraining from lying, stealing, etc.

In an effort to get rid of ethical imperfections as quickly as possible, the adept begins to work tirelessly to eradicate his vices and transform his psycho-emotional sphere. He strives to eliminate all egoistic manifestations, free himself from non-spiritual undertakings and attachments, and also constantly develops positive qualities and properties in himself.

The process of ethical improvement is greatly accelerated through the use of certain psychoenergetic methods. One of them, which plays a huge role, especially in the first years of spiritual practice, is work with yidam.

The practice of working with yidam in Tibetan Tantrism includes two important steps:

1) Creation of a clear image of a mythological creature with a certain complex positive qualities missing to the adept (yidam is chosen by the mentor in accordance with the individual characteristics of the student).
2) Complete identification with this image.

Identification with yidam is carried out at all levels at once. The practitioner, fully getting used to one or another image, begins to perceive, feel the world around him, act in it as a yidam would do. (Working with yidam is also used in other spiritual traditions, for example, in Christianity. Thus, in Catholicism, the image of Jesus Christ is used for identification. Orthodox hesychasts identified themselves with the image of their spiritual mentor.)

This practice allows you to very quickly get rid of all the reactions, stereotypes of thinking conditioned by the previous life, get rid of your "I" and develop a new, "magical" attitude to life.

Novice adepts, on the recommendation of their spiritual mentor, can also use another method - the Chhod rite. The rite is performed in solitude, in a secluded, terrifying place. The adept identifies his passions, vices, false desires with his own body and then, visualizing various supernatural beings, gives them the body to be torn to pieces. If the ascetic has a well-developed ability to produce figurative representations, he really sees his flesh, tormented and torn apart by a host of terrible creatures... The purpose of this rite is to renounce one's "I".

Some work is done in cemeteries, where the bodies of the dead are offered to be eaten by animals. Thoughts about death and the frailty of the body that come involuntarily in such places make the adept take a different look at the time he has left on Earth, and contribute to the elimination of false attachments and desires. In addition, this form of spiritual work can contribute to the emergence of a state of non-discrimination between repulsive and attractive objects. (Similar work is carried out by Indian yogis and Muslim Sufis. Reflections on death are an integral part of the spiritual work of other schools and directions of yoga).

In addition to these original practices, the adept performs a lot of exercises that help put the body and its bioenergetic structures in order (for example, techniques similar to hatha yoga are used), establish a "mental pause", develop the ability to perfect concentration, visualization. At this stage, some rituals, prayers, mantras are widely used, various psychophysical exercises, breathing practices, yantras (symbolic diagrams), etc. are used,

Let's dwell on the art of visualization in more detail, because. it is one of the most characteristic Tibetan tantric practices.

Visualization is the art of creating images. This practice begins with the visualization of one or another mythological creature, individual parts of his body, details of clothing. As the skill grows, the adept easily and quickly begins to reproduce in front of the "inner eye" the whole appearance of this creature. This is followed by work with even more complex figurative representations. In some cases, adepts tend to visualize very dense, material images that other people see as real objects.

The visualization of such dense forms is associated with the development of enormous personal power, often quite brute. It cannot be said that this is a very dangerous path, full of temptations. Not everyone can withstand his temptations and sometimes stop there, refocusing on magic, a demonstration of miracles. The correct way on the path of perfection in the art of visualization is a constant tendency towards the refinement of consciousness.

After an intensive course of preliminary training, the adept proceeds to the main spiritual practice. The goal of the main stage is to overcome duality (in Sanskrit - "dvaita") and gain a living experience of working in a multidimensional space. It involves further honing the "facets" of the art of visualization and includes performing complex psychophysical exercises, working with chakras, energy channels and other energy structures of the body.

If we draw parallels, then, in general, this corresponds to the work that is done on the steps of dharana and dhyana of Patanjali's eight-fold path of yoga.

For many adepts, this stage is very long. It can take 20, 30 years, a lifetime to master it. At the final stages of the main stage, if the adept reaches them, individual consciousness becomes a reality for him and new opportunities for working with consciousness (in Sanskrit - buddhi) open up before him.

main stage also involves further improvement of the psycho-emotional sphere, its refinement. This happens, in particular, through the use of the art of visualization, for example, those deities of the Tibetan pantheon who can serve as a standard of subtlety. Creating a vivid image of a particular deity, the practitioner, through emotional attunement with him, begins to perceive a completely different spectrum of emotional and energy states.

This practice, in addition to refinement, makes it possible to comprehend the multidimensionality of space. Visualization is also used for purification and development of chakras, energy channels, bringing all energy structures of the body to perfection. To do this, for example, the figure of a particular deity can be visualized in the desired chakra. Work with mantric images, images of tattvas (elements), various colors, objects, processes, etc. is also widely used.

The technique of working with figurative representations turns out to be highly effective for the regulation physical performance. This is most clearly demonstrated by the meditative running technique - lung gom. It is also based on the use of certain breathing exercises and mantras. Lung-gom-pa (the so-called adept who owns this technique) begins, against the background of certain figurative representations, to continuously repeat the mantra to himself. In accordance with it, he regulates the rhythm of breathing and measures the beat of movements. These techniques allow lung-gom-pa to run long distances at high speed, without resting at all, easily overcoming all obstacles encountered on the way. Europeans traveling in Tibet (in particular, the Roerichs and Alexandra David-Nel) had to see lung-gom-pa several times. Descriptions of these meetings can be found in their books.

Meditative running against the background of continuous meditative work is also used by other schools of raja and buddhi yoga. Descriptions of it can be found in particular in Carlos Castaneda.

At the main stage of spiritual practice, some techniques are also used, referred to in Buddhist Tantrism as "Ways of Form". Of these, the best known are those presented in the Six Doctrines of Naropa, one of the most famous teachers of the Vajrayana. We list them in ascending order, as given by Naropa:

Tummo (technique of "psychic warmth" or "inner fire"),
Giyu-lus (practice of working with the "illusory body"),
Mi-lam (dream technique),
Od-sal (clear light technique),
Bardo (technique of working in an intermediate state between death and new birth),
Pho-wa (the practice of transferring consciousness).

Consider those of them that are relevant for the final steps of the main stage.

The "Way of Form" techniques used at the main stage are mainly intended for those practitioners whose consciousness is still "attached" to the material plane. Therefore, the launching pad for starting work is precisely the "world of forms". Techniques are supported in visualization, are associated with the use of powerful psychoenergetic techniques, certain breathing practices. All this helps the practitioner to refine the consciousness, gain the necessary amount of strength, energy for a meditative breakthrough and expansion of consciousness in one or another spatial dimension. If the mind of the adept who resorts to these techniques of the "Path of Form" is sufficiently refined, then he can very quickly approach Liberation through their application.

Tummo (the technique of "psychic warmth" or "inner fire") very quickly allows the adept who practices it (they are called turnips in Tibet, literally, "wearing cotton clothes") to gain personal strength, sometimes quite rude.

Tummo is associated with the use of visualization, specific breathing exercises, psychoenergetic techniques, mantras. Using his skill, the turnip visualizes the image of a raging flame in his body and gradually fills up completely with it. Following this, he strives for the maximum expansion of the image of his body filled with flame - to the whole universe ...

The practice of tummo is accompanied by one very interesting effect - the generation of physical heat. "For the many rap hermits who meditate year after year in ice caves without warm clothes, this by-effect very convenient. So, a turnip that has reached a certain level of development can sit naked all long winter nights in the snow without any health consequences.

Alexandra David-Nel, in one of her books about Tibet, tells how she herself, at the request of her teacher, plunged into an ice stream in deep autumn at an altitude of about four thousand meters above sea level. Then, without changing clothes and body position, she spent the whole night in meditation. What was her own surprise when, after this procedure, she did not even catch a cold.

David-Nel also mentions the peculiar skill tests sometimes given by mentors to their students. One of these tests is the number of wet sheets dried overnight by a naked body, the other is the measurement of the area of snow that has melted under a sitting student.

Practice guiyu lus associated with the comprehension of the "illusory" nature of all objects in the universe and one's own body, i.e. meditative study of the fact that all material forms are only "visible manifestations" of the Divine Consciousness.

Work on the methods of giyu-lus can begin, for example, with the adept contemplating his own image in the mirror. Focusing on his mirror image, he should think about it as something illusory, like a mirage, a cloud, a dream. Then the adept tunes in to the image of the tantric deity Vajra-sattva reflected in the mirror. He does this until the image seems to "materialize" in front of the mirror. What follows is a meditative study of this fact.

Thanks to this practice, the adept receives experimental evidence that there is another reality outside the material world, that all material objects are just "appearance", representing only "emanations" of the Divine Consciousness. Through this direct experience, the adept acquires a state called in the Tibetan tradition "non-duality", i.e. such that everything is "realized in its fullness as Unity". Let us clarify that this requires learning to look at everything from the depths of the multidimensional world, as if through the eyes of the Creator. This, however, is not at all easy. These achievements are possible only for those who have already gone through a sufficient path of refinement of consciousness through other techniques and really comprehended the multidimensionality of the universe.

Closely related to guiyu lus practice mi-lam . It also confirms the adept in the "illusory nature" of material existence, giving him the opportunity to stay in the depths of the multidimensional universe and in the state of dreams.

The final stage spiritual development in the schools of Tibetan Tantrism, as well as the main one, is very long for those adepts who approach it. It is associated with the achievement of Nirvana and following its ever-deepening steps, with the creation of the vajratela (diamond body). Thanks to it, one can permanently gain a foothold in the highest spatial dimension due to the "crystallization" of consciousness in it. This means the final Liberation. To achieve this goal, some techniques of the "Path of Forms" are used, which have not yet been considered by us, as well as techniques of the "Formless Path", which will be discussed later.

Practicing to Achieve Clear Light ( od-sal ) are numerous. Available special exercises designed to be performed during the day, evening and night. Here is one of them, for the daytime, described in the Tibetan text "The Path to the Clear Light". Its sequence is as follows: first, the adept reaches the state of "mental pause", then enters into deep meditation. In a meditative state, he opens the Clear Light-Child in himself and merges it with the Fundamental Clear Light, in other words, the Clear Light-Mother.

These simple words hold deep meaning. They testify to the comprehension of God through a long, huge work, which begins after the knowledge of the Atman, the first entry into Nirvana and is associated with the achievement of its highest levels.

It is believed that some exercises of the od-sal technique can be performed in a state of bardo - an intermediate state between death and a new birth. But one cannot fail to say that only those who, while still living on Earth, through constant yogic practice, have achieved the "crystallization" of consciousness in the highest spatial dimension, can remain in merger with the Clear Light after the death of the body.

Technique pho-wa , "movement of consciousness", gives the adept the opportunity to freely move his consciousness within one or different spatial dimensions. This is one of the most jealously guarded secret practices in Tibet. Although it should be said that the secrets of all the other techniques of the "Way of Form" we have mentioned are transmitted only orally from teacher to student with great discretion and caution.

Unlike the practices of the "Path of Form", the techniques of the "Formless Path" are not associated with the use of psychophysical exercises, breathing techniques, visualization. Therefore, they turn out to be acceptable only for those adepts whose consciousness is already sufficiently developed due to developments in previous incarnations or in this life.

Among the practices of the "Formless Path" two are best known: Mahamudra (or "Blissful Experience of Nonduality") and "Great Liberation". Their methodologies are similar. The only difference is that they come from different traditions.

primary goal Mahamudra - the merging of the individual consciousness of the adept with the Divine Consciousness - is realized as follows. First, the adept reaches a state of "mental pause". Then he meditatively comprehends the position of his individual consciousness in relation to the material plane as a whole. Revealing the identity of the nature of his individual consciousness and all the material objects of the universe, he brings them in his awareness into a state of perfect Unity. In other words, he comprehends that God is in Everything and Everything.

There are numerous reports that adepts practicing Mahamudra very soon recover the memory of their previous incarnations. Knowledge of the experience of past lives helps them in the fastest achievement of all aspects of Divine Perfection. By the way, it was with these methods that Rajneesh began his journey in the last incarnation.

Adepts practicing techniques "Great Liberation" proceed from the premise that the Divine includes all forms - manifested and unmanifested - being the receptacle of both Nirvana and samsara. Therefore, in order to merge with the Divine Consciousness, the adept meditatively comprehends the identity of the individual consciousness and the Divine Consciousness, the identity of his individual consciousness with all manifestations of the multidimensional universe. This leads him to the realization that God is one with his Creation, to the understanding that merging with God in the aspect of the Absolute (the Creator is one with his Creation) is the only means of final Liberation.

Any yogic practice, especially at advanced stages, is associated with the appearance of supernormal abilities (siddhis). In the schools of Tibetan Tantrism, the intentional pursuit of such abilities is not encouraged, as it may lead one away from the direct path to Liberation. Students are generally warned against deliberately cultivating such abilities and deliberately using them except in cases of extreme necessity.

In the reports written over two hundred years by Christian missionaries, as well as in the works of modern researchers in Tibet and the memoirs of travelers, various cases of the manifestation of siddhis are mentioned. Although adepts who wield them do their best not to detect them, some abilities are very difficult to hide. For example, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, a prophetic gift. Supernormal abilities usually include those effects that give the practice of tummo, pho-wa, lung-gom.

Information about Tibetan Buddhism would be incomplete without mentioning the Vajrayana, which stands out among other schools and trends of Buddhist Tantrism, representing a "high-speed" technique of spiritual development. In addition, it is interesting and important in that it has had and is having a tremendous impact on all aspects of Tibetan Buddhism.

Looking back shows that Buddhism was originally established in Tibet in a form that included the Vajrayana. All the first preachers of Buddhism in Tibet and the founders of the main schools and directions were, in the main, renowned teachers of the Vajrayana. This is - and Padmasambhava - the founder of the Nyingma school, whose name in Tibet has been revered for centuries along with the name of Gautama Buddha, and the legendary Naropa and Tilopa, about whom many go around all over Tibet to this day. amazing stories, and the most revered hermit poet in Tibet, Milarepa, and the famous preacher of Buddhism in Tibet, Atisha, and many others.

And now the Vajrayana can rightfully be considered the core of Tibetan Buddhism. Blofeld in his book "Tantric Mysticism of Tibet" points out that the differences in the application of certain psychoenergetic methods that exist between the Tantric schools of Tibet are mainly related only to the preference for one or another aspect of the Vajrayana.

In terms of its goals, this direction is no different from others. The main feature of the Vajrayana is that its adherents strive to reach their Goal in the shortest, most direct way. But this "Short Path" (as the Vajrayana is sometimes called) ensures the achievement of Nirvana and Liberation in this earthly life only for those who already have a high psychogenetic advancement due to past incarnations.

All this is made possible by the fact that the Vajrayana:

a) gives a clear understanding of the general scheme of a person's spiritual development;
b) requires him to be fully focused on achieving the Goal;
c) uses powerful psychoenergetic techniques that significantly accelerate the spiritual advancement of the adept.

The role of the master, mentor in the Vajrayana is invaluable, because it lacks a "established" curriculum. The tasks and instructions given by the master depend only on the level of intellectual and psychoenergetic development of the student.

Neophytes who embark on the "Short Path" are invited to immediately radically change their attitude to the surrounding reality and to themselves. The adept must learn to perceive everything as a means to an end, must learn to use every moment of his life for spiritual progress. Literally everything becomes the object of his attention: every thought, every word, sensation, action, any circumstances and situations.

The requirements placed on Vajrayana adepts aim them at maintaining unshakable calmness even in frightening and disgusting circumstances. They are initially guided by a spiritual mentor to see in everything only manifestations of God. Gradually learning to remain calm in any situation, not to shy away from anything, not to be irritated by anything, they very quickly do a colossal work to transform their emotional and intellectual spheres, to free themselves from false attachments and desires, to refine their consciousness, etc.

It seems worthwhile to also say a few words about the use sexual forms interactions in Tibetan spiritual practice.

Some Tibetan tantric schools do not pay much attention to sex and even consider it harmful for those who use esoteric methods of spiritual development. Others, on the contrary, attach great importance to the bioenergetics of sexual life, sexual contacts, considering them as one of the opportunities for spiritual growth, as one of the paths leading to Liberation. Therefore, in such schools, sexual interactions are used at certain stages of spiritual advancement. This becomes possible only when the adept becomes free from attachment to sex.

We emphasize that, unlike some Hindu tantric schools, which ritualize sexual contacts, giving them a high symbolic meaning, the Tibetan tradition considers sexual relations not as a ritual, but as an effective psycho-energetic work that significantly accelerates the process of spiritual evolution of partners. (By the way, the same attitude to the sexual sphere of human relations as in Tibetan Buddhism can be traced in Chinese Taoism).

Relations between partners, driven by the desire for joint spiritual evolution, are built on the basis of absolute trust, mutual respect for each other. This relationship is a selfless act of giving your love to another, without any conditions.

Sexual interactions are used to carry out joint bioenergetic work, in particular, within the framework of the main stage for improving the chakras and bioenergetic conductive structures of the body, and later for joint entry into various meditative states. The effectiveness of such work is achieved by combining the energy potentials of partners.

So, we briefly examined the most intimate part of the spiritual culture of Tibet - the Land of Religion, as Tibet is called by its inhabitants. It is obvious that it carries a lot of original, original. Peculiar psychoenergetic practices, meditative traditions of Tibet are a huge contribution to the treasury of esoteric knowledge of the whole world.

And yet, the spiritual paths of Tibetan Tantrism lead along milestones common to all the best spiritual schools in the world, which are determined by the general laws of spiritual evolution.

Starting a conversation about Tibetan yoga, it should immediately be clarified that Tibetan, tantric yoga is still "not quite yoga." Rather, the followers of Tibetan Buddhism understand the purpose of the complexes of psychophysical exercises in a completely different way than, for example, the Hindus. The very word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit root "yuj", meaning "connection", "union" (in this case, "union with the Absolute"). But it can also be translated as "team" or even "yoke". That is, according to the Hindus, the yogi deliberately imposes on himself the yoke of strictly defined restrictions and methods of psychophysiological self-discipline in order to unite his Ego with the Absolute, to merge into it.

At one time, Buddha Shakyamuni advanced very far along the path of asceticism, but the moment came when he realized that this path is not the highest. It was then that he achieved the greatest Enlightenment. Even the practice of the most elementary fast, which is recommended by almost all world religions, Buddha was skeptical. However, some of his closest students tried to introduce the principles of asceticism into Buddhism even during the lifetime of the Teacher.

Tibetan Buddhism, and especially Tantrism, on the contrary, strives for the maximum emancipation of man. From this point of view, one should not drive away animal instincts, dark sides one's personality into the depths of the subconscious, but, on the contrary, to be aware of them and use their colossal energy for higher purposes - for the same unity with the Absolute, with God, with Tao ... - as anyone pleases.

Recall that the classical psychoanalysis of Z. Freud is based on the same principles: driving his passions (especially of a sexual nature), fear and other stressful factors into the subconscious, a person inevitably dooms himself, at best, to a neurosis. And in order to cure such a patient, the psychoanalyst diligently digs with him into his past, looking for the cause of a nervous disease. Having found in the patient's biography the fact that caused the neurosis, the doctor helps his ward to relive, realize him, and then the patient recovers.

Thus, we can say that the methodology of Tibetan Buddhism is aimed at initially protecting a person from neurosis, which may arise in the future when working incorrectly with the energy of his subconscious, as if to help him become his own psychoanalyst. And, as a rule, we are talking about prevention neurosis, and not about the treatment of a nervous disease that has already arisen (although, of course, such cases also occur in the practice of Tibetan lamas).

So, in Tibetan Buddhism, for centuries, a complex method of man's work with his consciousness, subconsciousness and physical body existed, honed and polished. It is this system that Western researchers, by analogy with the Indian system, dubbed "yoga". Let it be. Let's not make revolutions in terminology. Indeed, the Tibetan yoga technique and Patanjali's yoga technique can sometimes seem similar, especially to the Western mind. The main thing is not to forget about the difference in the ultimate goals of these two yogas.

Bardo concept. Tibetan "Book of the Dead"

Also, speaking of Tibetan yoga, one cannot fail to mention the concept of "Bardo" and the famous Tibetan "Book of the Dead", the text of which is intended to be read over the body of the deceased. The fact is that the Tibetan Buddhist considers life in this world, first of all, as a preparation for death.

The "Book of the Dead" is a kind of "guide" to the various levels of the Underworld ("Bardo" - denotes the area into which the innermost essence of a person (soul) falls after death and after being in which a person will have to be born again, but in a new guise) . Throughout their lives, Buddhists have been preparing for death, which is traditionally regarded by them as a long-awaited deliverance from the suffering of earthly existence, that is, it is not perceived tragically.

The "Book of the Dead" states that a person does not lose consciousness at all after the moment of death, that is, the separation of the soul from the physical body that has become unusable. On the contrary, his feelings are aggravated, moreover, the deceased acquires an additional vision that allows him to navigate in the afterlife.

According to the views of the Tibetans, it is after death that a person gets the opportunity to see with his own eyes the whole picture of the universe, because now his consciousness is not constrained by any frames and restrictions that have to be paid for possessing a physical body in the earthly world. In addition, a person gets the opportunity to look into the depths of his own spiritual essence.

Buddhists argue that after death, each person will have to be convinced by their own experience of the truth of the cosmogonic and psychological postulates of the Buddha's Teaching. At this point, it becomes of great importance whether a person was engaged in meditation exercises, yoga or other spiritual practice during his lifetime. If he has experience in this area, then it is much easier for him to navigate and move in the Bardo area, and the nature of his subsequent incarnation depends on the behavior of the deceased in the state between births.

"The duration of the vision of the original pure Light is approximately equal to the time required for eating, and depends on the state of the nervous system, as well as on whether the deceased had an experience of meeting Reality during life.

When the stream of consciousness leaves the body, he asks himself: "Am I alive or dead ?!" and cannot answer. He sees his relatives and friends, as he saw before, and hears their crying. Horrible karmic visions have not yet appeared; the terrible experiences associated with the Death Deities have not yet come.".

“At this time, the deceased sees how his share of food is laid aside, how clothes are removed from his body, how the place where he slept is swept. He hears the crying and lamentations of his friends and relatives; but although he sees and hears how they cry him, his own calls are not heard by them - and he moves away dissatisfied.

And then sounds, light and visions will appear, all together, frightening him, frightening, terrifying, causing great fatigue. At this time one should read the instructions about meeting the Bardo of realizing Reality. Address the deceased by name and clearly, without errors, read the following: O noble-born, listen carefully, do not be distracted! There are six worlds of the Bardo: the natural Bardo in the womb, the Bardo of sleep, the Bardo of ecstatic balance in deep meditation, the Bardo of the moment of death, the Bardo of realizing Reality, the Bardo of returning to samsaric existence. These are the six worlds.

O noble-born, what you call death has come to you. You leave this world, but you are not alone: death comes to everyone. Do not cling to this life - neither out of love for it, nor out of weakness, even if weakness forces you to cling to life, you do not have the strength to stay here, and you will not gain anything but wandering in Samsara. Don't get attached to this world, don't give in to weakness.

O noble-born, at the moment when your consciousness separated from the body, you should have seen the radiance of Pure Truth, elusive, sparkling, bright, dazzling, wonderful, majestic and radiant, like a mirage that permeates the spring landscape with a continuous pulsating stream. Do not be afraid of it, do not be afraid, do not be horrified - this is the radiance of your true essence. Get to know him.

From the depths of this radiance will be heard the natural sound of Reality, like a thousand thunders. This is the natural sound of your true self. Don't be afraid of him, don't be afraid, don't be terrified.

The body you now possess is called the spiritual body of propensities (mental body); it is not of flesh and blood, and therefore neither sounds, nor light, nor visions, nothing will harm you: you are no longer subject to death. It is enough for you to know that these are your own thoughts. Remember that all this is Bardo.

O noble-born, if, despite spiritual concentration and obedience in earthly life, you do not recognize your own thoughts, if you do not accept this instruction, then the light will frighten you, the sounds will frighten you, the visions will frighten you. If you do not master this master key to the instructions, you will not be able to correctly identify sounds, lights and visions and you will be doomed to wander in Samsara".

Further in the Book of the Dead, the wanderings of the soul of the deceased through different levels of the Underworld are described, its meetings on each of them with many angry and peaceful Deities, the appearance of which can sometimes be terrifying. But the deceased must remember that all these visions are the creations of his own consciousness, in other words, we carry all the deities and all the demons within ourselves.

But in order to feel confident in the Bardo state after the death of the physical body, a person is recommended to experience and realize at least the states of the Bardo of deep meditation or the Bardo of dreams during life. These, other than wakefulness, states of the human psyche should help him figure out what happens to him after death during his lifetime and ensure the next more favorable incarnation. This is the meaning of that deeply secret until recently Truth, which is contained in Tantra, or the Secret Doctrine of Tibetan Buddhism.

Principles of Tantric Yoga

Tibetan Tantrism believes that Buddhahood is omnipresent, but the fastest way to know it is to find it within yourself—in your own body-mind mechanism. In the practice of tantric yoga, the main role belongs to consciousness, and exercises for the physical body seem to recede into the background and are used only as auxiliary ones.

The goal of this yoga is to achieve as soon as possible the comprehension of personal experience of what the body, mind and the so-called objective world are, for all this is nothing but manifestations of the Divine State of the Buddha. According to the Tibetans, Samsara is Nirvana; people are manifestations of the Divine, and even the passions and desires that are traditionally considered "impure" are nothing but expressions of the Five True Buddhas.

In fact, here we can talk about the idea of sublimating the energy of unfavorable states - ignorance, hatred, pride, lust and envy - and directing it to higher goals. That is, Liberation and Enlightenment is achieved not by eradicating human passions and desires, but by identifying them, realizing them and relating them to Transcendental Wisdom.

In other words, in its main doctrine, Tibetan Tantrism considers the mechanism of the body-mind of man as equivalent (and even identical!) to the mechanism of the body-mind of the Buddha. On the basis of this postulate, in order to reveal its provisions, the whole methodology of the complexes of psychophysical exercises of Tibetan yoga is built.

Tibetan yoga is divided into two cornerstone tantric practices - Yoga of Ascension and Yoga of Completion. In the practice of Ascension Yoga, the yogi learns how to visualize and thus identify the external world with the Mandalas, his body with the Body of the Buddha that protects him, nervous system- with three Channels and nadis of the four Chakras, different kinds secretion of the body's glands with Tig-le of positive and negative elements, its aspiration and energy - with the Prana of Wisdom and Light.

The practice of Yoga of the Completion teaches the yogi to dissolve all his Thought-Energy (Prana-Mind) in the Primordial Light (Dharmakaya), which has always been and is in the Heart Chakra, in order to project the Form Body (Rupakaya) from it again and as a result of all these mystical manipulations to bring Buddhahood into an endless series of their actions.

What does the teaching of Tantra mean by stating that Prana and Mind are identical? Tantrism considers the world as consisting of opposite elements and relations in opposition: cause and effect, potentiality and manifestation, noumenon and phenomenon, Nirvana and Samsara, Prana and Mind. Each of these pairs of opposites is actually an inseparable unity.

When a person fully cognizes one of the members of a pair of opposites and masters it, then, according to the views of the Tibetans, he automatically achieves cognition and mastery of the second element of the pair. That is, one who has realized that the essence of the mind is Transcendental Wisdom, at the same time achieves the realization that Prana is the inexhaustible energy and action of Buddhahood. To clarify what has been said, the following can be added.

Each type of manifestation of the action of the mind, or mental activity, is necessarily accompanied by Prana of the corresponding characteristic - either transcendental or close to the earthly plane. For example, a certain mood, feeling or thought is always accompanied by Prana of the corresponding signs and rhythm, which is reflected in the phenomenon of breathing.

Let's say, when a person falls into anger, then not only characteristic feelings and thoughts arise in his mind, but his breathing also changes - it becomes sharp and hard. On the contrary, in a state of calm concentration on solving some intellectual problem, both thoughts and breathing are filled with the same peace.

When the concentration is especially deep, as, for example, when solving a very difficult problem, unconscious breath-holding occurs. If a person is in a state of anger, envy, pride, shame, love, lust, arrogance, etc., then he can feel exactly this Prana (air) in himself, which corresponds to his mood at the moment.

A yogi who has reached the state of deep Samadhi gets rid of all thoughts, and therefore there is no tangible breath. In the first moment of Enlightenment, a transformation of ordinary consciousness takes place, and Prana changes in the same cardinal way. That is, every mood, thought, feeling, whatever they may be - simple and "gross" or complex and "subtle" - is accompanied by a corresponding or reciprocal Prana.

Upon reaching a high level of mastery in the practice of meditation, blood circulation slows down until it almost stops. Breathing also becomes almost imperceptible, and the practitioner himself experiences a certain degree of Enlightenment in a state of mind that is completely free from all thoughts. At this stage, changes occur not only in consciousness, but the functions of the physiology of the body also change.

Putting in. Based on the principle of the Identity of Prana and Mind, Tibetan Tantrism modeled two Paths (or, if you like, two types of Yoga) that can lead a person to the same Transcendental Goal. The first path is known as the Path of Liberation or the Yoga of the Mind, and the second is known as the Path of Mastery or same Energy Yoga.

The Path of Liberation is similar to Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism, in that it focuses on the observation and development of the primordial Mind, in which the external form, both ritual and yogic, is considered not so important. The Second Path, on the contrary, includes many very complex yogic techniques that require great effort from the practitioner and are collectively defined by the terms "Yoga of Ascension" and "Yoga of Completion".

Thus, the teaching of Mahamudra can be attributed to the Path of Liberation, and the Six Yogas, the authorship of which the tradition ascribes to the great Tibetan yogi Naropa (they will be discussed below), we can rightly attribute to the Path of Mastery - to the Yoga of Ascension and, in particular, to the Yoga of Completion.

Considering the Six Yogas of Naropa from the point of view of their significance, traditionally the Yoga of Mystic Heat (Tummo) and the Yoga of the Illusory Body are attributed to the primary and main ones. As for the Yoga of Dreams, the Yoga of Light, the Yoga of Bardo and the Yoga of Transformation, they can be considered to a certain extent secondary, auxiliary. True, if you are more attracted to the study of the "unconscious" and "superconscious", then the Yoga of Dreams and the Yoga of Light may seem more interesting to you than the "basic" types of Tibetan yoga.

The ancient sources recommended that the practitioner first realize the relationship of the human body, the physical body, and the "Buddha Body". To this end, lamas initiated students into the secrets of human bioenergetics: they explained the nature of bioenergy (Prana), the structure and location of energy channels (nadis) in human body, the functioning of the endocrine glands and their release of secrets (Bindu). At the same time, of course, the physical body of a person was not forgotten - about its anatomy and physiology.

It was believed that the yogi should thoroughly study the structure of his body, which, according to the Tibetans, consists of the Six Elements (or Elements): earth, water, fire, air, space and consciousness. In addition, he must know not only how it functions in life, but also the order of its decay after death.

The adept must also know thoroughly how the nadis function, how Prana and Tig-le (Bindu) flow through them. The same applies to understanding the nature of the mind and the various forms the mind can take. The practitioner is also required to understand that all objects are manifestations of Alaya-Consciousness, which can manifest themselves at the gross, subtle and subtle levels.

Before you start practicing Tibetan yoga, you need to do some mandatory conditions. First of all, meditation is necessary, the object of which should be chosen:

temporality of life;
suffering in the cycle of Samsara; — a difficult opportunity to receive an auspicious birth that would allow one to practice the Dharma;
conscious renunciation of worldly life;
compassion and kindness to all people;
boundless Um-Bodhi.

It also requires comprehension of the great Goal and an oath that the yogi will make every effort to bring all living beings to Enlightenment. It is believed that only if all these prerequisites are met is it possible to lay a solid foundation for the Dharma. Only then can the adept proceed to the preliminary practice of Tantra. The Tibetan yoga complex includes:

Yoga Tummo (Inner Heat), which is considered the Foundation of the Path.
Yoga of the Illusory Body, which is considered the Support of the Path.
The Yoga of Dreams, which is considered the Criterion of the Path.
The Yoga of Light, which is considered the Essence of the Path.
Bardo Yoga, which embodies what one has to face on the Path.
Yoga of Transformation (Transfer of Consciousness), which is considered the Core of the Path.

Effects of practicing the six yogas

The effects or attainments that can be obtained through the practice of the Six Yogas are divided into two groups—mundane and transcendental. Worldly accomplishments include the Four Accomplishments and the Eight Siddhis. Let us first list the Four Accomplishments:

gaining the ability to prevent misfortune and disaster for oneself and for others;
gaining the ability to increase achievements and luck;
the ability to attract desired things;
the ability to overcome any evil and any obstacles.

The eight siddhis are:

the acquisition of the "Mysterious Sword", capable of fulfilling all desires;
the acquisition of "Magic Pills", which have miraculous healing powers;
the acquisition of the "Wonderful Balm", endowing clairvoyance;
gaining the ability to instantly move to any point in the universe;
the acquisition of the "Magic Elixir", which is able to turn old age into youth;
gaining the ability to communicate with the goddesses Dakinis;
gaining the ability to hide your body among the crowd;
gaining the ability to pass through walls, stones and mountains.

It is believed that worldly achievements can be obtained by practicing Ascension Yoga alone, while the Transcendental, Highest Achievement necessarily requires the joint practice of Ascension Yoga and Completion Yoga. Here are the four stages of Transcendental Attainment:

One who has entered the Path and strengthened himself in the practice and experiences of both Yogas reaches the first step — the Stage of Preparation of Everything Necessary.
One who can conduct Prana-Mind into the Central Channel and cause the Four Descending Bliss by lowering the pure element of Prana-Mind, has a direct experience of Bliss-Emptiness, infinitely increases worldly achievements associated with Prana and nadis, reaches the second stage - the Stage of Anticipation.
One who can raise the pure element of the Tig-le through the Central Channel, invoke the Four Ascending Blisses, achieve the stabilization of the Tig-le in the Head Chakra, remove in turn all the knots and obstacles that bind the Central Channel, clear all the obstacles in the Six Chakras and eliminate one by one twenty-one thousand six hundred karmic pranas, reaches the third or fourth stage, which includes the Stages of Initial Enlightenment and Further Enlightenment, that is, from the First stage of Bhumi to the Twelfth.
One who can purify the most subtle pranas, nadis and thig-le, transform the physical body into the Rainbow Body, purify thirty-two nadis and eighty dualistic thoughts, thus achieving the disclosure of thirty-two wonderful signs and eighty magnificent forms of the Buddha Body, is considered to have achieved the Perfect State Buddha of the Thirteenth Bhumi Vajradhara.

Since his Prana-Mind is of the nature of Wisdom, and since the syllabic symbols A and HAM (A is the bija of the Navel Chakra, symbolizing the positive element; HAM is the bija of the Head Chakra, symbolizing the negative element. They are also called red and white Tig-le) are in perfect fusion, he attains the ultimate Sambhogakaya of the Two-in-One Buddhahood.

That which expresses in it the absence of the separation of Compassion and Emptiness is called the Dharmakaya; that which expresses in it infinite Bliss and Glory is called the Sambhogakaya; and that which expresses the infinite forms and activities performed for the benefit of all living beings is called the Nirmanakaya.

The unity or identity of these Bodies is called Dharmadhatu, which means "Totality". With the help of these Four Bodies, he will set in motion the Wheel of Dharma in order to give Liberation to all sentient beings until the end of Samsara.

Statue of Tsongkhapa
Potala Palace. Tibet.

Tibetan yoga is one of the directions of yoga, formed in the bosom of the Buddhist tradition. Buddhism entered Tibet from India in the middle of the 7th century (at least, according to most researchers of Tibetan Buddhism) and very soon spread throughout Tibet in the form of the Mahayana, one of its main currents.

Tibetan Buddhism is sometimes referred to as Buddhist Tantrism. In fact, this term cannot be applied to Tibetan Buddhism in general, as The religious world of Tibet is very heterogeneous.

Conventionally, representatives of all areas of Tibetan Buddhism can be divided into two large groups. The first group includes monks and lay people who, in their spiritual development, emphasize the observance of the moral requirements of Buddhism and the practice of religious rituals. The second group includes those who also use tantric methods for their spiritual advancement. In other words, in Tibet there is, on the one hand, ritual Buddhism, on the other hand, Tantric Buddhism.

a) all those who recognize the Tantras,
b) representatives of some Hindu and Buddhist schools using sexual forms of interaction in their spiritual practice,
c) some Buddhists call Tantrism only Vajrayana - one of the directions of Tibetan Buddhism.

Before proceeding to a detailed examination of the esoteric methods of Buddhist Tantrism, let us briefly dwell on some of the most basic Buddhist concepts.

The practice of working with yidam in Tibetan Tantrism includes two important steps:

1) Creation of a clear image of one or another mythological creature that has a certain set of positive qualities that the adept lacks (the yidam is chosen by the mentor in accordance with the individual characteristics of the student).
2) Complete identification with this image.

This practice allows you to very quickly get rid of all the reactions, stereotypes of thinking conditioned by the previous life, get rid of your "I" and develop a new, "magical" attitude to life.

Let's dwell on the art of visualization in more detail, because. it is one of the most characteristic Tibetan tantric practices.

Silver buddha statue
Potala Palace. Tibet.

If we draw parallels, then, in general, this corresponds to the work that is done on the steps of dharana and dhyana of Patanjali's eight-fold path of yoga.

The technique of working with figurative representations is also highly effective for the regulation of physical performance. This is most clearly demonstrated by the meditative running technique - lung gom. It is also based on the use of certain breathing exercises and mantras. Lung-gom-pa (the so-called adept who owns this technique) begins, against the background of certain figurative representations, to continuously repeat the mantra to himself. In accordance with it, he regulates the rhythm of breathing and measures the beat of movements. These techniques allow lung-gom-pa to run long distances at high speed, without resting at all, easily overcoming all obstacles encountered on the way. Europeans traveling in Tibet (in particular, the Roerichs and Alexandra David-Nel) had to see lung-gom-pa several times. Descriptions of these meetings can be found in their books.

Meditative running against the background of continuous meditative work is also used by other schools of raja and buddhi yoga. Descriptions of it can be found in particular in Carlos Castaneda.

Tummo (technique of "psychic warmth" or "inner fire"),
Giyu-lus (practice of working with the "illusory body"),
Mi-lam (dream technique),
Od-sal (clear light technique),
Bardo (technique of working in an intermediate state between death and a new birth),
Pho-wa (the practice of transferring consciousness).

Consider those of them that are relevant for the final steps of the main stage.

The practice of tummo is accompanied by one very interesting effect - the generation of physical heat. "For many turnip hermits who meditate year after year in ice caves without warm clothing, this side effect is quite convenient. Thus, a turnip that has reached a certain level of development can sit naked all long winter nights in the snow without any health consequences.

Practicing to Achieve Clear Light ( od-sal ) are numerous. There are special exercises designed to be performed during the day, evening and night. Here is one of them, for the daytime, described in the Tibetan text "The Path to the Clear Light". Its sequence is as follows: first, the adept reaches the state of "mental pause", then enters into deep meditation. In a meditative state, he opens the Clear Light-Child in himself and merges it with the Fundamental Clear Light, in other words, the Clear Light-Mother.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the temple in front of the statues of Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche and the thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara.
Dharamsala, India.

Looking back shows that Buddhism was originally established in Tibet in a form that included the Vajrayana. All the first preachers of Buddhism in Tibet and the founders of the main schools and directions were, in the main, renowned teachers of the Vajrayana. This is Padmasambhava, the founder of the Nyingma school, whose name has been revered in Tibet for centuries along with the name of Gautama Buddha, and the legendary Naropa and Tilopa, about whom many amazing stories go around all over Tibet to this day, and the most revered hermit poet in Tibet Milarepa, and the famous preacher of Buddhism in Tibet, Atisha, and many others.

All this is made possible by the fact that the Vajrayana:

a) gives a clear understanding of the general scheme of a person's spiritual development;
b) requires him to be fully focused on achieving the Goal;
c) uses powerful psychoenergetic techniques that significantly accelerate the spiritual advancement of the adept.

Apparently, it makes sense to also say a few words about the use of sexual forms of interaction in Tibetan spiritual practice.

And yet, the spiritual paths of Tibetan Tantrism lead along milestones common to all the best spiritual schools in the world, which are determined by the general laws of spiritual evolution.

Yoga is a practice for many Eastern theories. It is used by Hindus and Buddhists, and now European esotericists have adopted it. The habitual hatha yoga came to us from India. But even in ancient times, other types of practice were practiced in other parts of Asia. Tibetan yoga, also called yantra yoga, has been taught by Buddhist monks in caves for centuries.

Tibetan yoga movement: roots go back to antiquity

This is the yantra - the movement

Tibetan yoga is the Buddhist counterpart of Hindu hatha yoga. Its second name is Yantra Yoga. The word "yantra" is, first of all, images for meditation like a mandala. But it also means "movement", because this practice of Eastern monks is also called "Tibetan yoga of breathing and movement." It is a complex of physical and breathing exercises, like hatha yoga. But the yantra is different in that all attention here is focused on movement.

Hatha yoga is based on static asanas. It has dynamic kriyas and vinyasas, but the basis, after all, is in statics. Tibetan yoga of breathing and movement is based on the fact that every moment is valuable in exercise. This means that you need to be equally attentive to entering the asana, being in it and exiting it, all these stages are given an equal amount of time.

The book "Tibetan Yoga of Body, Speech and Mind" states that the yantra was created in the 8th century. It contained the tsa lung complex and many other exercises. All this could have remained the secret practice of Buddhist lamas, but in the middle of the last century, Tibet was engulfed in war. Many teachers found themselves in exile in Europe. So yantra, tsa lung and other practices became available to us. Now you can even find a video teaching Tibetan yoga.

Hatha and Yantra: the main differences between the two types of yoga

Tibetan yoga of breath and movement is a complex of 108 asanas. The figure is a bit contrived, because the number of exercises was “tailored” to the number of volumes in the collection of sayings of the Buddha. However, there are enough llamas. Yantra has other features as well.

As already mentioned, the main thing in this type of yoga is not static, but movement. There is no long holding of any asana. And it is based on the emphasis, rather, not on postures, but on exercises.

Here, less attention is paid to physical activity. For example, tsa lung exercises are much easier than surya namaskara from hatha yoga. Almost the entire Tibetan complex can be performed while sitting. In Indian tradition, it is believed that physical exercise help us focus and focus. The Tibetan Yoga of Body, Speech and Mind proposes to achieve this concentration using simple exercises and effort of will;

Yantra yoga does not respect the principle of symmetry. That is, having done the exercise on one side, you do not need to repeat it in a mirror analogy. Women and men perform them with different parties. This is because the energy in their bodies flows differently;

For a long time, Tibetan yoga of the body, speech and mind was available only to a few. Therefore, her exercises are covered with a veil of mysticism. They are often adopted by fashionable European esotericists. That is why it is so difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff, and figure out where the ancient tradition is, and where are the newfangled mystical trends.

Tibetan yoga: indications and contraindications

It is believed that the yantra is most suitable for active energetic people who cannot sit still for a long time.

Yantra is a type of yoga that even a beginner can easily master. At least this applies to the physical aspect of the practice. It is supposed that during it we do deep spiritual work. For example, attention here must be concentrated exclusively by volitional effort. Much time is devoted to meditation practices. And during meditation, as you know, you will not pump up the press or biceps.

Therefore, if you are expecting a lot of physical work, you are better off choosing hatha yoga, or ashtanga vinyasa yoga. Otherwise, Tibetan yoga has no contraindications. It can be practiced even at home using video.

This type of yoga is suitable for pregnant women, people with disabilities and the elderly. In each case, her exercises can be adapted to the needs of the practitioner.

It is believed that the yantra is most suitable for active energetic people who cannot sit still for a long time (or stand in one asana). It releases the accumulated stress. But at the same time you do not get tired and do not waste energy.

Practicing tsa lung, or how to put wind into energy channels

Previously, tsa lung was practiced only in secluded Tibetan monasteries. Now the video of this complex can be easily downloaded on the Internet, or you can sign up for a seminar on this practice.

Tsa lung means "the wind flows in the channels". During this set of exercises, we learn to control breathing. The energy in our body here is called wind, hence the poetic name. Having mastered tsa lung, you can change your outlook on everyday life, reduce negative emotions and accumulate energy in the body.

Tibetan medicine claims that these exercises help not only with spiritual problems, but also with physical ones. If you dedicate at least 15 minutes a day to the tsa lung complex, you can strengthen the cardiovascular system, support the spine, and improve the functioning of the digestion and reproductive system. At daily performance results will be visible in two months.

So, in the morning we drink a glass of hot water and take up asanas. Legs need to be folded in Turkish or in the lotus position. At the beginning of each exercise, we inhale, hold our breath, do what is described and exhale. To make it clearer, you can use the video.

Head tilts. 5 times sharply and shallowly we perform them to the right, to the left, then forward and backward. If you have thyroid or nasopharyngeal problems, you should Special attention devote to this exercise;
Place your hand on your lower abdomen. With the thumb of the other hand, sharply describe a circle above your head. Repeat for the rest of the fingers. Do more often if you have back or heart problems;
Fold your hands on your right knee and rotate your torso 5 times from right to left. Repeat in the mirror version. If necessary, use video instructions. Perform every time you feel digestive problems;
Twist 5 times to the right, then 5 times to the left. The head continues the movement of the spine. If you feel unbalanced or unbalanced, do it more often;
Lean on your fists and try to jump, as it were, lifting your pelvis off the floor 5 times. This improves blood circulation in the genital area, relieves kidney problems.

Try to concentrate on breathing and movement - and then everything will work out, and perhaps you will approach the state of meditation and Tibetan yoga will become part of your life!

Hello, dear readers - seekers of knowledge and truth!

Tibetans are famous for their health and longevity. What is the secret? In this review article, we want to talk about Tibetan practices and how they affect the physical and psychological state of a person.

Conventionally, they can be divided into practices related to Buddhist teachings and practices Tibetan medicine. We will talk about them in more detail in the article below.

Buddhist practices

Tantra Practices

They suggest a system of three elements: contemplation of the icon of the Buddha or Bodhisattva and mental merging with him; use of special gestures - ; pronunciation.

Secret practices of monks

Speaking of them, most often they talk about the runners of the Lung-gompa. This phenomenon has not been scientifically explained, but dozens of eyewitnesses claim to have seen monks who could cover about a hundred kilometers at incredible speed without food and rest. The monks developed such abilities through long meditation and body training.

Medicine practitioners

The fame of miracles is known throughout the world. Tibetan healers reveal the secrets of youth and longevity.

According to their views, the human condition is built on the balance the following items physical body:

wind - symbolizes the movement of air, in other words - the respiratory system, as well as nerves, psyche, mind, the functioning of internal organs;
bile - the personification of fire, is responsible for digestive system and saturation of each cell with energy;
mucus - refers to water and earth, affects metabolism.

Depending on the predominance of certain elements, different types body constitution. The purpose of medicine is to bring them into harmony so that there is lightness in the body, and internal organs functioned well.

Longevity and recovery of the body in case of illness is determined by three factors:

positive mood;
Lifestyle;
proper nutrition.

Proper nutrition lies in seasonality: in summer and autumn, preference should be given to raw vegetables and fruits, sweet and salty, in spring - sweet, as well as rough food, and in winter - warm dishes. In addition, this rule is great for losing weight.

The basis of Tibetan medicine is treatment with medicinal herbs that grow on the mountain slopes of the Himalayas. Doctors believe that they have no contraindications and are able to cure everything from the common cold to kidney stones.

Tibetan medicine gives wise advice about human health:

All illnesses are from suffering.
More movement and exercise.
Don't overeat.
Eat less meat and more vegetables.
Sleep cool.
Constantly train the brain and give food for the mind.
Have your own view of things.
Purify yourself inside and out.
Surround yourself with love, wake up with a smile and fall asleep with joy.
Get rid of obscurations, pride, envy, anger forever and be cleansed more often through prayer.

Thus, combining different types Tibetan practices, both Buddhist and medical, you can achieve amazing results in terms of physical health and mental balance.

It can be a combination of yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, tantric practices, an active lifestyle and herbs from the slopes of the Himalayan range. Excellent confirmation of this - Tibetan monks for health and longevity.

Conclusion

Thank you very much for your attention, dear readers! I would like to believe that the practices described in the article will come in handy for you. Of course, each of them requires careful study, but the purpose of this article was a basic introduction to them. In the future, we will definitely continue this topic.

We wish you physical and spiritual harmony! Join us - subscribe to the blog to receive new articles in your mail!