Instruments for tantra. Chakras: energy centers of transformation. Changing the program of the brain

• Wrote excellent books - The Psychology of Early Buddhism, Fundamentals of Tibetan Mysticism, The Way of the White Clouds, etc. Original Post by Spirit Lama Anagarika Govinda (Ernst Theodor Hoffmann) is a Buddhist..
• The author of the book - Anagarika Govinda (1898-1985) - is widely known throughout the world for his works on the mystical traditions of northern Buddhism, incl.

A Buddhist in Tibet" by Lama Anagarika Govinda and other works in the Books section of the OZON.ru online store. We will deliver the book “The Path of the White Clouds. Buddhist in Tibet" in Moscow with a total order of 3,500 rubles.

The Universal Path and the revival of the sacred syllable OM. The second part of MANI: THE WAY OF UNITY AND INTERNAL EQUALITY. Guru Nagarjuna and the mystical alchemy of the Siddhas. According to Lama Govinda, this principle of continuity is the fundamental concept of the tantric worldview. Another important component of Tantra, besides working with the chakras, is known as kundaliniyoga (or layyoga). The book of one of the most outstanding Buddhist masters of the 20th century, Lama Anagarika Govinda, "Illuminations of a Himalayan Wanderer" was created at the end of his life and spiritual path. In contrast to his earlier book, The Path of the White Clouds.

Pass of Tara and return to Darchen. Mount Kailash - Gang Rinpoche. Tibet, 2. 01. 3 Among the female embodiments of wisdom, Tara ranks special position. She plays an outstanding role in the religious life of Tibet because of her special qualities. Tara is the embodiment of love and devotion, which is why she is one of the most popular figures in the Tibetan pantheon. She unites all the human and divine traits of the Madonna, whose motherly love embraces all living beings, regardless of their merits. She extends her loving care to the good and the evil, the foolish and the wise, like the sun that sends its rays to sinners and saints alike.

Therefore, the Tibetans call her Damtsig Dolma - Devotional Tara. It is the mountain-moving devotion, the wisdom of the heart. Anagarika Govinda, the Lama (Ernst Lothar Hoffmann) . Dhira- Phuk Monastery (5. Drolma La Pass (5.

Zutul- Phuk Monastery (4. Distance traveled - 1. Climb 5. 50 m, reset - 6. The night before, I lay down and fell asleep from fatigue. I didn’t even take my sleeping bag out of my backpack – the local thick and warm blanket was quite enough for a comfortable sleep.

I went to the pass in a polar coat, put on a thin thermal coat, and a down vest on top, knowing that under a backpack on the ascent I would not be cold even in frost. On the ascent, I really didn’t freeze at all, but it was inconvenient to go because of the too short trekking pole, which, exactly on the day before the pass, was formed forever.

Leaving the monastery, you need to cross the river Lha Chu. Pilgrims and trekkers are already moving from here to the pass in ant streams - the vast majority of tourists prefer to spend the night in the opposite camp, closer to the North Face. The people on the rise actively shared their impressions of spending the night, one tourist of a parallel walking group made me laugh with the question -. However, spending the night in the new building near the monastery on this moment- the most comfortable among other guesthouses. Ascent to the Drolma La pass. Tibet, 2. 01. 3 At an altitude of 5. Another hundred meters higher (5.

Shiva Tsal (Shiva Tsal Durtre) is the place where the former life ends, symbolically expressed by the previous section of the bark. The pilgrim comes to a place where you can see the mirror of the King of Death, which reflects all the events of his past. He lies down between two boulders, closes his eyes and faces the court of Yama - the court of his own conscience. He remembers his past deeds, all those who were dear to him, who died before him, all whose love he could not return - and prays for their happiness.

As a sign of this, he brings here something left over from their earthly days. After such a reconciliation with the past, passing through the gates of death, he crosses the threshold of a new life on the snowy pass of the merciful mother Drolma. Anagarika Govinda, the Lama (Ernst Lothar Hoffmann) . The path from here to the Drolma La pass, where the soul is reborn for a new life, is the territory of the bardo. Hindus leave old clothes, hair, teeth, nails on Shiva Tsal, scratch their gums, irrigate the earth with drops of blood.

Good wishes are made to the dead people so that they have a successful rebirth - hair, personal belongings and photographs of these people are burned. In summer, when there is no snow, Shiva Tsal, judging by the photos on the net, looks very much like a rural dump. But in May, when I walked, everything was covered with a thick layer of fresh snow, hiding the discarded items of clothing. Only the stone pyramids left by the pilgrims protruded here and there from the snowdrifts.

If I had not been pointed out to this place, I would have passed by without looking. There is a Bardo Trang stone here, . Visibility is excellent, in the most transparent rarefied mountain air, the illusion is created that the top of Kailash is within easy reach from here. Tibet, 2.01.3Slightly more panoramic: Kang Rinpoche. Tibet, 2. 01. 3 Soon the trail makes a new turn, turning to the east - the main ascent to Drolma La begins.

The depth of snow on the pass in early May is from half a meter to one and a half. After lunch, you can get a chic ice rink - you can do bobsleigh! But seriously, the pass is not difficult, there is no reason not to pass it: Dr. Tibet, 2. 01. 3 The same panorama in a larger size.

In early May, when it is still cool and snowing, there is not a single representative of the type covered with legends on the pass. There were no yaks with luggage. By the way, I somehow didn’t notice any Indians on foot either, only Tibetans and foreign tourists (mostly Russians) with guides and porters were walking.

At the same time, from my point of view, there were a lot of people on the trail. What is going on there in the summer .. Climbing Drolma La very much resembles Thorung La in Nepal. The climb, the level of steepness, the distance are exactly the same.

But the top point is two hundred meters higher, so it's hard to go. However, such a difference in heights is not felt much. Dr. Tibet, 2. 01. Throughout the ascent, you can admire the magnificent view of Kailash.

One can sincerely sympathize with tourists who in summer, due to the dense veil of monsoon clouds, fail to see this amazingly beautiful peak. As we approach the pass, Kang Rinpoche begins to hide behind the rocks. Kang Rinpoche. Tibet, 2.

The rise continues inexorably. The last section before the pass is particularly difficult. Tibet, 2. 01. 3 The pass is already very close. Dr. Tibet, 2.01.

At the top they meet the first flags powdered with snow and the sun. Dr. Tibet, 2. 01. Drolma La pass, 5.

Kailash is not visible from here. Overcoming the pass symbolizes the transition from the old life to the new one - all previous sins are forgiven by the goddess of mercy Tara (Drolma), born from the tears of the bodhisattva of compassion Avalokiteshvara. The poles from the lung-ta are brightly illuminated by the sun's rays.

Tibetans offer prayer flags, silk scarves-katas (hadaks), mani-stones, foodstuffs and animal skulls. It is believed that Tara extends her mercy not only to people, but to all living beings, so Tibetan nomadic pastoralists sometimes drive live animals around Kailash to protect their herds from diseases and give them a long life.

Some lubricate the stones with oil and stick banknotes on it. Tibetans walk around it, reciting the mantra Ki Ki So So Lha Gyalo, expressing gratitude to the gods and calling for well-being. The stones along the path of the mini-kora are considered to be the guardians of the three qualities of the Buddha: mind, speech and body. They also represent a symbol. The largest cubic mini-bark stone is called Phawang Mebar.

Tibet, 2. 01. 3 I also hang my bunch of flags at Drolma Do. I tie scarfs-kata brought from Nepal to the ropes - it so happened that I had a whole bunch in my backpack.

In Kathmandu, on the last day before leaving for Tibet, while they were doing a visa, in the early morning I went to Boudhanath to make a kora before dawn. Then I went to the guesthouse of Shimi-La Dolkar, the wife of Lama Wangyal from Muktinath, where I once lived for a total of several weeks between treks in Nepal and my trips to India. Actually, I wanted to have breakfast in a restaurant at the guesthouse - there is always a delicious Kurd there. The restaurant turned out to be closed, but Shimi-La and the neighbors recognized me (!) and sat me down to drink tea with them in the chill-out. Shimi-La and Wangyal are from Mustang but have relatives in Tibet.

When I said that I was going to Tibet with the intention of doing kora, the audience groaned and groaned, and after a while a small delegation of three Tibetan women came to me with hadaks in sealed bags and asked me to offer them to Kang Rinpoche. Here is a story that shows that Kailash has great spiritual significance for Tibetans, although they are deprived of the opportunity to visit sacred places in their own country, having once left it because of the political situation. In general, after that, not reaching the Tara Pass would be complete disgusting on my part. By the way, at the entrance to the border, a narrow-minded representative of the occupying customs forced me to take all these hadaks and flags out of my backpack, open the packages, unfold them and stare at the drawing for a long time, as if looking for the flag of free Tibet in the interweaving of Buddhist symbols.

He especially did not like the images of snow lions. But they didn't take it away. Lemurian in disguise. At first it is quite gentle, traversing along the slopes. Tibet, 2. 01. 3 To the right of the trail, fifty meters below the pass, I determine the theoretical location of the sacred lake Gauri Kund (Yokmo Tso), 5. Another name for the lake is Tukje Chenpo Tso,. In Hinduism, it is believed that the lake was created by Shiva at the request of his wife Parvati. Accompanying her husband while he was meditating in his abode on Mount Kailash, she became so cold that her delicate body turned black from the frost and lost its beauty.

Then Shiva hit the rock with his trident and created the lake Gauri Kund. Parvati bathed in its waters and emerged from them even more beautiful. Tibetan name. A legend is also associated with this name: Once upon a time, a girl worked as a servant in a rich and noble Tibetan family. And one fine day, it is not known from whom she gave birth to a boy.

In general, it is a common thing for Tibetan girls to give birth without a husband. Deciding to make a kora around Kailash, the maid took the baby with her. On the way, she was tormented by intense thirst, and she leaned over the water to take a sip from the sacred lake. The child slipped out of the bandage on her back, fell into the water and instantly sank to the bottom.

The unfortunate girl remained by the lake for several days, in the hope that at least his body would emerge from the depths of the waters, did not eat or sleep. On the eighth day, a miraculous inscription appeared on the stone next to her - the message of her son. The child actually had a divine nature, and seeing how dejected and heartbroken his mother, mercifully asked her not to worry and make thirteen kora around the sacred mountain, promising that this would heal her soul.

This small rock, on which the message appeared, is still there - it can be recognized by the traces of oil on the surface that the pilgrims leave. Pilgrims (especially women) often make a kora around this lake, but, unlike Hindus, Tibetan Buddhists never do a full immersion in the waters of this lake, like at Lake Manasarovar, this is considered a desecration.

The world of Buddhist metal sculpture (based on the collection of the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore) Abstract of a scientific article on art and art criticism, author scientific work- Demenova V. The material illustrating these provisions was the collection of Buddhist bronzes of the Sverdlovsk Museum of Local Lore. Series: Social and Humanitarian Sciences.

B. Text of a scientific work on the topic. Scientific article in the specialty. Demenov. THE WORLD OF BUDDHIST METAL SCULPTURE (based on the collection of the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore). In the world of Buddhist art, sculpture has always existed as a special sacred subspace, created according to strict canons in accordance with sacred rituals.

It was most developed in Vajrayana Buddhism, which became widespread in Tibet, Mongolia, China, and Nepal. The common mythological origins of the manifestations of the Conqueror send us back to the time when Shakyamuni Buddha himself was on earth. The difference between mythological legends about the origin of sculpture and pictorial images is noteworthy: all published sources. Shakyamuni, in one version of the legend, told him to draw his shadow.

1. The book of one of the most outstanding Buddhist masters of the 20th century, Lama Anagarika Govinda, "Illuminations of a Himalayan Wanderer" was created at the end of his life and spiritual path. In contrast to his earlier book, The Path of the White Clouds.
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Unlike his earlier book The Path of the White Clouds. Everyone who thinks that prayer is not happening in the heart, but somewhere else, does not know what prayer is, and even more so. Lama Anagarika Govinda. Where can I download the text "Path of white clouds"? Fundamentals of Tibetan mysticism. Written by Lama Govinda Anagarika. St. Petersburg: Andreev and sons, 1993 - 472 p. The path of unity, fifth part. The path of the great mantra epilogue and synthesis.

The Lobsai-Danbi-chzhaltskhana treatise contains a legend about the image of the Buddha that emerged from the rays. It is connected with the episode when the Buddha “drawn” his image with a beam. Subsequently, it was reproduced in paint by artists and, according to researchers, is associated with the iconography of the halo around the Buddha and the rays emanating from his heart in a number of iconographic variants. One day Anathapindika invited the Buddha and his monks to take lunch with him.

When the Buddha declined the invitation, a wealthy patron of Buddhism asked the Master to erect an image of Him in precious metals. A statue descended from the realm of the gods, its solidified form "perfect in every detail." The sculpture became known as the Jewel. Teacher". In another version of this legend, it is said that when the Blessed One left for the Trayastrimsa heaven, the King of Varanasi made a sandalwood image of the Buddha for his private prayers. When the Buddha again descended into the human realm from the realm of the gods, the statue took six steps in salutation. After that, as the legend says, the Blessed One ordered her: “Go to China in order to sanctify this country!” and a statue known as the "Sandalwood Lord" was airlifted to China. Gerasimova, Ermakov, 1.

We will deliver the book "Insights of a Himalayan wanderer" free of charge in Moscow with a total order of 3,500 rubles. Creative Meditation and Multidimensional Consciousness Lama Anagarika Govinda. Embarking on the Buddhist Path of Kalu Rinpoche.

Ivanovsky, 1. 88. Let us pay attention to the fact that the Buddha in this mythological plot actually “spiritualizes” the inert matter of the sculpture, and thereby makes the statue proportionate to itself (that is why it takes “steps” towards him). Buddha transforms plastic matter, restructures it. The statue reveals the “otherness” of the nature of the Blessed One and the nature of sculpture. For, as the texts say, “Buddha can be anything and anyone.. Teachings. It should be noted that all somewhat old Buddhist statues have their own mythological history, referring either to the wonderful craftsmen who made them, or to their miraculous “self-appearance”.

Let us also emphasize the special place of sculpture (in particular, the image of the Sandalwood Buddha) as a source, a model for the dissemination of Buddhist art in other countries. Virtually every especially revered statue in the countries of northern Buddhism has a story referring to its "mystical" appearance; there are numerous legends about "flying statues": about statues moving through the air at the behest of the Masters. It is reflected, for example, in a text on the theory of art by the founder of the Gelugpa school, Tsonghava (1.

The first part of Tsongkhava's text - "Clear perception of thirty, five Buddhas, purifying from sin" - is iconographic in nature, the second - "Measures of the bodies of the gods, called the Mirror, in which the reflection of the Victor is perfectly visible" - iconometric. It was cast in the noble technique of the "lost wax model". The casting technique implied the presence of a cavity, the “inner, invisible body” of the sculpture. The imprint of the sacred mystery lay on the very process of casting, when “in the bosom of a clay cocoon” (E. V. Ganevskaya), in the crucible of a cleansing fire, the material was transformed.

The materials involved in the process of creating metal plastics using the method of lost wax - wax, clay and bronze bore a reflection of Absolute nature. In ancient times, it was believed that complex alloys of metals (seven-, nine-component, etc. The birth of an alloy of metals in the "Fire Furnace" also meant by Fire - not just a state of plasma - a flame, red-hot matter, but invisible Fire, a source of power, great creative energy, allowing matter to pass from one state to another.Already in the Upanishads we meet the understanding of Fire as a world-forming structure, where the sacrificial Fire acts as “that from which everything comes and where everything goes”.

Since ancient times, a master working with metals has also been endowed with special abilities of a conductor, if not the Absolute, then the Highest. In his book The Way of the White Clouds.

A Buddhist in Tibet" Lama Anagarika Govinda writes: "Blacksmiths associated with fire and metal <..> are always particularly susceptible to the effects of psychic forces, <..> it is possible that this is a prehistoric tradition dating back to those times when metal was just beginning to . In ancient times, it was believed that the metal was endowed with magical powers, and those who mined and processed it owned magical art. Heinrich Zimmer says this about the “magic blacksmith” who liberated the world from the Stone Age: “A hero who can extract an iron sword from stone is not necessarily a great warrior, but always a powerful magician who commands spiritual and material phenomena”6. The author notes that it was often blacksmiths who, from generation to generation, were chosen by deities to express their will.

This is a material that, on the one hand, in many religions was associated with the creation of the First Man, on the other hand, has been used by mankind in medicine since ancient times, and indeed has a “living” structure, which can rightly be attributed to living beeswax. The artist was faced with the task, by activating his spiritual vision of the deity, to convey in the work a visibly arisen image. Here are the instructions in the ritual in one of the texts dedicated to Tara: “Having strengthened himself in the intention to do good to this world, the worshiper should reflect on the form of the goddess Tara, who is identified with the universe.

She is hailed, she is worshiped and revered by all the tathagatas.” Thus, meditation can be replaced by a mechanical action that has magical power in the eyes of the believer. In the same way, a mystic advanced in the art could only see his deity through the power of concentration. For those who have not developed The world of Buddhist metal sculpture (based on the collection of the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore). The artist himself also had to meditate identifying himself with the protective patron deity. To carry out the complete meditative process, the instructions of the teacher and constant practice were necessary, i.e.

The repetition of a given text involves the restoration of a given plot in memory, since texts of this kind indicate a character, his environment and other elements, thereby this stage restores the constituent elements of the plot in memory and creates the rhythmic basis of the intended image. This stage is a reaction to the restored plot.

It involves the creation of a mental scheme of the image, the establishment of a spatial grid of the image, which is a necessary consequence of the rhythm, i.e. It involves the moment of concentration on the object, the transition from one level of representation to another, expresses the state of equilibrium "with clear perception." At this stage, the results of individual creativity, the creative process, become available to others. We could say that at all stages of "clear perception" the master is included in the future work at the level of his subtle energy, mental bodies. The second stage - “enlightenment” can be considered as the apogee, the disclosure of the master as a vessel, i.e. The inner hollow space of the sculpture was consecrated by the ritual of filling it with sacred investments. Depending on the size and future location of the statue, they put in “rolled up” texts of the Teaching, mantras, as well as sacred relics, the relics of saints.

The statue was covered with a special plate, usually with the image of a vajra. The printed sculpture was perceived as defiled, abandoned by the spirit of the deity. Its composition is described in the canonical collection Tree of Collection 3. Works from the collection of the Sverdlovsk Museum of Local Lore include images of the main groups of deities of the Buddhist hierarchy.

These are Buddhas, bodhisattvas, dharmapalas, yidams. They are included in the structure of the altar compositions of Buddhist temples and personal altars. Along with type specimens The collection presents works that are distinguished by high spirituality of images and fine artistic skill. Such are the Green Tara (XVI century) or Buddha Amitabha (XVIII century). Works by Chinese masters of the 18th-19th centuries predominate. They are distinguished by peculiar plump faces, a special cut of the eyes, relatively large arms and legs, and pointed silhouettes of crown petals. The Nepalese school is represented by a few but elegant works of the 16th and 18th centuries, with their clear luminosity of the sculptural surface, fine elaboration of details, and rich inlay.

An example of the Mongolian school of the 19th century from Dolonnor was created by the punching technique characteristic of it. The subtle picturesqueness of the general solution of this small sculptural form draws attention. As evidenced archival documents, in 1.

Apparently, we are talking about Stanislav Alfonsovich Poklevsky - Cosell (1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, employee of a number of diplomatic missions of tsarist Russia (Persia, Japan), son of a well-known gold miner, one of the founders of the asbestos industry in the Urals, philanthropist Alfons Fomich Poklevsky - Cosell (1. The collection of Buddhist bronzes constituted an important part of the eastern collection of the museum. At the end of 1. 98. 0-s, Doctor of Historical Sciences A. G. Nesterov compiled an individual inventory of most of the sculptures.

It became the basis for further attribution work.

The significance of the Tibetan cultural tradition for the spiritual development of mankind is enormous, because Tibet is the last living link that connects us with the civilizations of the distant past. The mystical cults of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece, the Incas and the Maya died out after the death of these ancient civilizations, and are now forever lost to our knowledge. The only exceptions are some meager fragmentary information that has miraculously come down to us.
The ancient civilizations of India and China are well represented with numerous works of art and literature. Bright sparks of their spiritual culture sometimes flare up even now among the ashes of modern thought. However, their cultural achievements are hidden or permeated with such powerful layers of various cultural influences that it is very difficult, and often impossible, to isolate the true elements from the superficial ones and recognize their primordial nature.
Tibet, thanks to its natural isolation and impregnability (which, moreover, in recent centuries was secured by special political conditions), not only inherited, but also preserved the living traditions of the most distant past, preserved the knowledge of the innermost forces of the human soul, highest achievements and the esoteric teachings of Indian saints and sages.
But in the hurricane of events that are transforming the world and changing the life of all nations on Earth, in the hurricane that has torn even Tibet out of its secular isolation, these spiritual achievements will be lost forever if they are not already now integral part culture of the future and higher civilization of all mankind.
Foreseeing the future, Tomo Geshe Rimpoche, one of the greatest spiritual Masters of modern Tibet and a true Master of inner vision, left his secluded mountain retreat where he had been meditating for twelve years and proclaimed that the time had come to reveal to the world those spiritual treasures that had been preserved and hidden. in Tibet for over a thousand years. Right now humanity needs to make a great decision, to make a choice: before us lies the Path of Power through control over the forces of Nature - the path leading to enslavement and self-destruction; and the Path of Enlightenment through the control of the forces within ourselves, the path leading to Liberation and Self-Realization. To indicate this Path, Bodhisattva-marga, to turn it into reality was the life work of Tomo Geshe Rimpoche.
A living example of this Great Teacher, from whose hands the author received his first Buddhist initiation twenty-five years ago, was the highest spiritual stimulus of life and opened the gate to the secrets of Tibet for him. Moreover, this example prompted the author to convey to the people of the whole world the knowledge, the experience that he gained as a result, to convey to the extent that this experience can be expressed in words. And if, despite all the shortcomings that are inherent in any such attempt, the author could at least somehow help other seekers, then the merit in this belongs to his Guru, who gave people the highest - Himself. And together with Him, the author remembers those Teachers who, after the departure of his first Guru, took His place in order to grow the seeds He sown. To all teachers, the author expresses his deep gratitude

“THE WAY OF THE WHITE CLOUDS” is the name of the book, which has the subtitle “Buddhist in Tibet”. The author of the book - Anagarika Govinda (1898-1985) - is widely known throughout the world for his works on the mystical traditions of northern Buddhism, incl. “Fundamentals of Tibetan mysticism”, “Creative meditation and multidimensional consciousness”, “Psychological setting of the philosophy of early Buddhism”. But perhaps the most surprising thing is that the Tibetan lama Anagarika Govinda, who managed to deeply understand and convey the message of the Himalayas to the world, was a European by origin and, as he called himself, “an Indian by nationality and a Buddhist, a believer in the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity – by confession."

The real name of this talented poet, writer, artist, philosopher-thinker and outstanding traveler is Ernst Lothar Hoffmann. His ancestors lived in Bolivia (his great-grandfather was one of the leading generals of the Bolivar army, the leader of the struggle for the independence of the Spanish colonies in South America), and therefore, from childhood, his imagination was struck by the expanses of the highlands and the fabulous world of treasures hidden in the depths of the majestic mountains. To explore these mysteries, he wanted to become mining engineer, but when he matured and realized that he was no longer attracted by the bowels of the earth, but by the depths of the mind, he began to study philosophy, which fascinated him, first of all, with the search for truth.

The future Tibetan lama was interested not so much in the system (i.e., academic forms of philosophical thought) as in its religious expression and incarnation. Young Ernst Hoffmann was deeply shocked by Plato's dialogues, thanks to Schopenhauer he began to study Christian mysticism, the Upanishads and Buddhism, and at the age of 18 he decided to write a comparative study of the three world religions: Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.

The young man was thirsty for knowledge and was far from orthodox views on religion - a researcher awakened in him early. “For me, religion was primarily a matter of persuasion rather than conventional belief,” he writes. But in order to be convinced, I had to know". The further the work on the book progressed, the clearer it became to the author that Buddhism is the only religion that he can follow with complete conviction.

The first, not yet mature work of a philosopher converted to Buddhism, aroused interest in different countries: the book was published not only in Germany, but also in Japan. And after 8 years, Govinda discovered it in Ceylon, where he arrived to gain a deeper experience of meditation and further study the Pali language (it is called the language of the Buddhist Canon), which he began to comprehend at home, in Capri, and then at the university in Naples. In Ceylon, he managed not only to expand his knowledge of the language, but also to gain experience of monastic life in the Theravada tradition, the school of southern Buddhism. And then he realized how skillfully his fate led him to his childhood dream.

“The pilgrimage to the unknown was a return home, to the land of my dreams, which turned out to be much more real than the plans of the mind,” he writes in the book “The Path of the White Clouds”. - For dreams reflect the innermost aspirations of the soul, our deepest essence, and not just fleeting desires and ambitions, hiding behind the arguments of reason. And confirms this idea with the words of Santayana:

Be a wise man - and close your eyes

The inner eye is not yet wisdom:

Wisdom is to trust your heart.

New horizons of religious experiences were opened to A. Govinda later, in Tibet, when the great Guru, Tomo Geshe Rimpoche, entered his life. The light emanating from the Teacher both during his lifetime and after his departure, in a new earthly incarnation, permeates the entire book “The Path of the White Clouds”. Making a pilgrimage to holy places together with the author, the reader himself involuntarily becomes a pilgrim, wandering not only in the outer, but also in the inner space of Lama Anagarika Govinda. Imagine a few pages from a traveler's diary.

O Guru, Chela

and journey to the Light

“The word 'Guru' is usually translated as 'Master'. But in reality, this word has no equivalent in any of the Western languages. A guru is much more than a teacher in the ordinary sense of the word. The teacher gives knowledge - the Guru gives himself. The real learning from the Guru is not in words, but in what goes beyond the possibilities. human speech. Guru is mastermind literally breathes its living spirit into us.

And Chela also means more than the average student taking a course of study. A deep spiritual connection is established between the Chela and the Guru. It begins with an act of initiation, during which there is a direct "transmission of power", embodied in a sacred formula (mantra). By using mantras the disciple can awaken this power at any time and establish contact with the Guru.

The “Power” in question allows the student to become a participant in the experience in the realm of a higher state of consciousness. .

All this was revealed to me on the day when the Great Lama - whose name did not mean anything to me at that time, but it was Tomo Geshe Rimpoche - left the Tskhang-Khang (the name meditation retreat. -A.M.) after many weeks of silent meditation.”

Meeting with Guru

His meeting with the Guru was certainly not accidental, although Anagarika ended up in the Tibetan monastery of Yigah-Choling, where Tomo Geshe Rinpoche usually stayed, by a strange coincidence. As a delegate from Ceylon to an international Buddhist conference, and inspired by the idea of ​​maintaining the purity of the Buddha's teaching, he decided to spread his message in a country where, as he then thought, this teaching had degenerated "into a system of shamanic beliefs and demon worship."

So suddenly a Ceylon monk from his tropical paradise plunged into the world of cruel Himalayan storms and one day, during a protracted snowstorm, he found himself “imprisoned” in a mountain monastery. (This is how he imagined “the center of the shamanic world of Lamaism”). But oddly enough, when the snowstorm subsided and the road opened, the forced “captive”, who did not know the language and did not understand the meaning of the symbols of the numerous frescoes and statues of the Tibetan temple, did not want to return to Ceylon. And the longer he stayed in this mysterious world Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the deeper was the feeling that before him opens new life. The pilgrim felt that he was living in the middle of an unknown "thousand" universe.

The author of the book “The Path of White Clouds” does not hide the fact that he was ready to wait at least all his life for his Teacher, who would not only transfer intellectual knowledge, but awaken in him internal forces consciousness. And fate gave him here, in Tibet, a meeting with the Guru. “How great was my joy,” Govinda writes enthusiastically, “to see with my own eyes the living embodiment of those distant ideals—a man who made an indelible impression on all with whom he came into contact. By his very presence, he affirmed that what was described in the sacred books is possible here and now, as in the time of the Buddha.

Bowing before the Great Lama, the pilgrim from Ceylon felt a state of unearthly peace and harmony. “He laid his hands on my head, and from his touch a wave of grace went through my whole body, all the speeches that I was preparing to make, all the questions, disappeared. All problems in his presence have become as if non-existent - this is how darkness dissipates from a ray of light.

“He had short dark hair, a strong body, a straight back, a strong-willed expression. A smile seemed to hide in the upturned corners of his lips, kind eyes". Drawing this verbal portrait of the Guru, who at that time was about 65 years old, Anagarika notices that none of those who tried to stealthily photograph him succeeded - the film was either overexposed or poorly developed. Tomo Geshe Rimpoche did not tolerate any worship and did not want to be made an idol out of him. This is confirmed by the words he said on the day when he officially received the Ceylon monk as his Chel (I want to highlight them especially):

“If you want me to be your Guru, you should not look at me as Guru. Everyone has flaws, and as long as we pay attention to the imperfections of others, we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to learn from them. Remember that everyone has a spark of enlightenment (bodhicitta) and focusing on the mistakes of people, we ourselves deprive ourselves of the light that somehow comes from our fellows.

…As long as we are filled with a sense of superiority over others and look down on the world, we do not develop. But as soon as we understand that we live in exactly the world that we deserve, the mistakes of others will turn into our own mistakes for us, in whatever form they may appear. The "imperfection" of the surrounding world is the result of our own creation, our karma. Only such an attitude can help us overcome difficulties, because it replaces fruitless denial with an impulse for self-improvement and makes us not only worthy better world but also active participants in its creation.

Further in the book are the advice presented by the Guru to those who practice meditation: the main thing precondition It is selfless love and compassion for all living beings. “We must look at everyone as children of our mother or our own”(this attitude eliminates our emotional and intellectual limitations). It is equally important to realize the preciousness of time and understand that every moment can be the last in this life. Reach highest goal meditation - Enlightenment is possible only by sincerely trusting your Guru. “To do this, imagine the Buddha in the form of a Guru and, in order to feel his true presence, see him in the mind's eye sitting in meditation above our heads, and then penetrating us to sit on the lotus throne of our heart. And as long as we imagine the Buddha outside of us, we do not realize it in our lives.”

Penetration into the depths of consciousness

Remembering the day the Guru officially accepted him as a disciple, and the intangible subtleties of the initiation ritual itself, Anagarika notes that it is as impossible to describe the experiences associated with this as it is to express the impact of music in words. But the story of the events that had a powerful impact on his inner world provides the most valuable information for the mind and heart of every thinking person.

The indelible impressions that the meeting with the Guru and the inner connection with him left in the soul of the philosopher later became a constant source of strength and inspiration. But in those days when Chela received his first and most important initiation, he did not yet suspect how the connection with the Guru, even after the death of the Teacher, would help him. Knowing that Tomo Geshe Rimpoche was one of the most revered religious teachers in Tibet, A. Govinda observed his extraordinary abilities without prejudice and more than once witnessed the manifestation of such powers that were traditionally attributed to him. Siddham- saints of antiquity.

One of them - telepathy, or mind reading at a distance - was discovered as if by accident. One day, Govinda, along with a teacher and learned Mongolian lama, who helped him in learning the Tibetan language, discussed some aspects of meditation and the problems that arose during the practice. At some point, Anagarika was distracted from the conversation and, thinking that it was unlikely that fate would again provide him with the opportunity to communicate so closely with the Guru, he mentally asked him to give a visible sign intercom. He imagined something that would daily remind him of Master's kindness, without words, whether it be small image Buddha or something else consecrated by him. As soon as the student uttered these words to himself, Tomo Geshe, as if reading his thought, suddenly interrupted his conversation and, turning to Govinda, said: “Before leaving, I will give you a small statue of the Buddha as a keepsake.”

Looking ahead, I want to add that from the first days of their acquaintance, the Guru communicated with his future Chela, who by that time had not mastered the Tibetan dialect, not only with the help of an interpreter. Even before the official initiation of Anagarika, Tomo Geshe Rimpoche read his thoughts like an open book. But the fact that he “heard” a thought while his attention was on another speaks of his unique ability: in the Buddhist scriptures it is called "divine hearing"- the ability to hear thoughts and respond to them in the same way as ordinary people respond to what was said. “Moreover,” notes the witness of the rare gift of “clairaudience,” “I spoke to him not in Tibetan, but in my own language; therefore, he did not perceive the words themselves, but their essence or that impulse that prompts to speak.

The author of the book honestly admits that he was worried that the teacher would forget about his promise, because he was very busy, many people came for his blessing. But during their last meeting, to the indescribable joy of the disciple, the Guru handed him a small terracotta figurine of Shakyamuni Buddha and said that he held it in his hands during daily meditations. “Since then, this figurine has been with me everywhere,” writes A. Govinda. - ... She saved my life once in western Tibet, when the seal with which the Guru consecrated her confirmed to the locals that I was not a Chinese spy, but a student of Tomo Geshe Rimpoche himself. And in 1948, she pacified, with the blessing of the Guru, the hostile armed people who surrounded our camp, who soon returned, already with gifts, and asked to bless their women, children and herds.”

Prepared by Alla MESHCHERYAKOVA.

To be continued

WISHES AND CHAKRAS

Because Tantra considers desire to be the prime mover of the universe, it does not encourage its followers to give up desire. Other spiritual teachings recommend avoiding desires, which, according to the principles of these teachings, become fetters and obstacles on the path to achieving higher consciousness. Followers of other teachings try to subdue desires by asceticism or by burning the seed of desire in the flame of knowledge so that the seed cannot sprout. However, this raises a paradox: in order to achieve desirelessness, a person must have a very strong desire to get rid of desires!
Tantra states that desires are completely natural and are always inherent in people while they are embodied in a human body. The role of those windows through which desires penetrate into us is performed by the sense organs. This means that desires arise due to attachment to what a person feels. The physical basis of any desire is an immeasurably huge number of electrochemical impulses. The more actively they are suppressed, the stronger they become. Desires contribute to the release of hormones by the glands of the endocrine system. The change in the concentration of these substances in the blood caused by the suppression of desires leads to chemical disorders and diseases.
Desires are directly related to the six psychic centers, which are called chakras. Passing in its natural course - and in accordance with the movement of the Earth in space - through the various chakras, the energy empowers the desires dormant in these chakras. This causes a person to experience one or another desire during the daily cycle. Our physical reality directly depends on the gravitational force of the Earth, on the force created by celestial bodies environment and from the electromagnetic currents penetrating our planet.
The constant presence of desire develops into attraction and love for the object of desire. The human soul is strongly influenced by and conditioned by its object of desire. Much of the desire is centered on the physical body and its comforts. People become slaves to their own instincts, which constitute the lower realm of the personality, and as a result fall prey to anxiety, loneliness, agitation, restlessness, dissatisfaction, selfishness, and suffering. All religions and teachings that seek to improve human behavior try to overcome these difficulties by calling on their adherents to honor such abstract principles as truth, compassion, benevolence, tolerance, self-sacrifice, an unbiased assessment of others, devotion to the sublime, fortitude and forgiveness. However, in order to apply these principles, a person needs practical methods. The mere understanding of such ideals does not make us wise or happy.
Desires do not belong to the sphere of "I", individual consciousness - they are associated with six chakras, and therefore all desires can be classified as corresponding to one or another chakra. Chakras represent the area of ​​manifestation of the five gross elements - akash(ether, or space), air, fire, water and earth - and their source: a subtle element called mahat. In order to transcend desires, a person must rise above these elements, and this can only be achieved by raising the dormant energy at the base of the spine. (kundalines).
Table 1 shows the relationship of the six chakras with the elements and various desires. The seventh chakra is beyond desire; it represents the seat of enlightened beings, the abode of the Self or individual consciousness.

CHANGING THE BRAIN PROGRAM