Cultivation of life
Cultivation of life
By Yundan Trinley Dorje Rinpoche
"Cultivating life" means learning to maintain a pure mind in all kinds of environments. Many people believe that meditating or chanting scriptures indoors constitutes cultivating life. This is a biased view. Cultivating life is not limited to indoors or outdoors.
Tibetan Tantric Qigong differs from general Qigong. Tibetan Tantric Qigong focuses on the changes of the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and space, while general Qigong practitioners only focus on the sensations and changes of these elements.
People who practice Qigong will experience sensations of soreness, heat, numbness, warmth, and coolness. Some Qigong masters emphasize speaking in the language of the heavens, which is actually their Alaya consciousness recalling the languages of other beings.
"Tibetan Tantric Qigong" is not Qigong. Qigong is simply the practice of transforming the four elements (earth, water, fire, wind, and space) into "emptiness." Each element has "emptiness," and the interaction of the four elements also changes within "emptiness." Therefore, "Tibetan Tantric Qigong" is a cultivation of human life, not Qigong itself. Qigong is merely a feeling, a change in interactive ability, that we transmit, and it is also a manifestation of the generation stage practice in Buddhism. However, the higher levels of attainment are beyond the reach of even the highest Qigong masters.
The highest realm for a Qigong master is to cultivate oneself and harmonize with the natural universe. The "natural universe" referred to in Qigong only refers to matter and spirit. Buddhism, on the other hand, speaks of "emptiness."
The "love" advocated by Qigong masters is also a manifestation of the generation stage of Buddhist "compassion." The care and love that Qigong masters speak of for others emphasizes "good intentions," which are also "mercy" within Buddhist "compassion."
There are three kinds of compassion. The first is "compassion arising from causes and conditions," also called "compassion arising from objects." We generate good causes and conditions from the "environment" that arises from cause and effect and conditions. This refers to the "pity" that arises in the minds of most people.
The second type of "Dharma-based compassion" is the clear understanding of all true reality, also called "Dharma-based compassion".
The third type is "unconditional compassion." Few Qigong masters can achieve "unconditional compassion."
Most Qigong practitioners can reach the stage of "compassionate perception of objects," but they cannot realize the true nature of all phenomena. This is the difference.
"Tibetan Tantric Qigong" is a practice of the five elements of life. When we practice using the five elements of the physical body—earth, water, fire, wind, and space—it is the beginning of Buddhist practice. The main point is that our practice process is closely related to our life, death, reincarnation, and enlightenment. Therefore, "Tibetan Tantric Qigong" transcends the scope of mere qigong.
The teachings the Guru imparts to you are a course on the practice of the five elements of change: earth, water, fire, wind, and space. The Guru hopes that everyone will practice diligently.
When we have cultivated the Five Elements well, that is the time of perfection. When we reach the end of this life, the influence of the Five Elements on us will be zero.
While you are physically alive, you can deeply experience the changes in the four elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and space. As you approach death, when these four elements dissolve, the earth element melts away, creating a feeling of high mountains. You fall into the water element, experiencing the sensation of entering water. The fire element feels like being in fire. After the fire element, you feel yourself vanishing into nothingness, as if there is wind flowing. After entering the wind element, there are no more material sensations, only consciousness entering the state of emptiness.
From this, we can understand that while we are alive, our five senses can generate thoughts and sensations. At the time of death, the physical body enters a stage of dissolution of the four elements, and the subjective sensations of the four elements become completely ineffective, arising entirely from the pull of karma. Even in the intermediate state (bardo), karma remains in a controlling and dominant position.
The practice of "Tibetan Tantric Qigong" is closely related to our cycle of birth and death and the intermediate state (bardo). Everyone should practice diligently and not treat it as ordinary Qigong.
When practicing the "Heart-Center Meditation Method," bring your hands together in the "Amitabha Mudra." You may feel heat in your body, which is a manifestation of the "Fire Element." Some people may feel their body becoming increasingly heavy, which is a sensation of the "Earth Element." Some people may experience sweating, which is a manifestation of the "Water Element." The manifestation of the "Wind Element" is "flow," and some people may feel a breeze flowing within their body.