The contemporary Tantric master, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, explains step-by-step how we can generate a deeply peaceful and concentrated mind by harnessing the subtle energy system within our own body. With this blissful awareness we can uncover our true nature, destroy ignorance and suffering at its root, and swiftly become a source of inspiration and benefit for others.
This is an essential handbook for the Tantric meditator.
'A source of great happiness and immeasurable benefit to the beings of this world.'— KYABJE LING RINPOCHE
Excerpt from this book:
Inner Fire
An explanation of the stages of meditation on inner fire (tummo) in particular
According to the present system of Mahamudra meditation, the winds are brought into the central channel at the precise point of the navel channel wheel by means of the yoga of inner fire, or tummo. The yoga of inner fire pervades all completion stage practices. It is the trunk from which all such practices branch. If something is a completion stage practice, it is either a direct or an indirect practice of inner fire. Without igniting the inner fire and causing it to blaze, and melt the two types of drop, it is impossible to generate spontaneous great bliss.
In general, completion stage has various objects of meditation, such as the channels, the winds, the drops, inner fire, or the letters located within the precise points of the various channel wheels; and whether a particular practice is a direct or an indirect inner fire meditation depends upon the actual object of meditation. As explained above, inner fire is the clear, red drop inside the navel channel wheel. It is called `inner fire' because it is the nature of heat. If a practitioner visualizes this red drop as a flame and meditates on that, he or she is practising a direct meditation on tummo.
The Tibetan term `tummo' means `Fierce One' and is generally used to refer to Heroines, who are slightly wrathful in appearance and who bestow spontaneous great bliss on their consorts, the Heroes. The red drop at the navel in the nature of fire is also called tummo because its function is similar to that of the fierce Heroines. In this text, however, it will be referred to simply as `inner fire'.
When practising the yoga of inner fire, we visualize the red drop in the form of the letter short-AH (see Appendix III). This letter is called the `short-AH of inner fire' and, in the practice of Mahamudra, meditation on this letter is recognized as a supreme method for initially bringing the winds into the central channel. In his teachings, Milarepa frequently referred to this letter as `my short-AH'. One day his disciple Gampopa told him that when he practised single-pointed concentration he could remain for seven days in one uninterrupted session. `So what?', replied Milarepa, `You sit for seven days but do not experience the clear light. If you meditated on my short-AH of inner fire you would experience the clear light very quickly.'
By meditating on inner fire, we will quickly be able to attain the realizations of tranquil abiding and superior seeing and, on the basis of these, we will be able to attain both example clear light and meaning clear light. Thus, the fruits of inner fire meditation are manifold. To compare other methods to inner fire is like comparing a donkey to a fine horse.
The practice of inner fire was first taught by Conqueror Vajradhara in Hevajra Root Tantra. From there it was incorporated into other practices, such as those of Yamantaka, Guhyasamaja, Heruka, and Vajrayogini. Thus, all Tantric meditators look upon Hevajra Tantra as an especially blessed scripture. Because the inner fire practices come directly from Vajradhara, they are practised within all Tibetan Buddhist traditions. As the first Panchen Lama stated in his auto-commentary to the root text of the Mahamudra:
If we can bring the winds into the central channel through the force of habits formed in previous lives, this is very good; otherwise we should perform the yoga of inner fire as explained in the Six Yogas of Naropa.
This has been a general introduction to the practice of inner fire. What follows is a detailed explanation of the methods used to ignite the inner fire and cause it to blaze.
According to the present system of Mahamudra meditation, the winds are brought into the central channel at the precise point of the navel channel wheel by means of the yoga of inner fire, or tummo. The yoga of inner fire pervades all completion stage practices. It is the trunk from which all such practices branch. If something is a completion stage practice, it is either a direct or an indirect practice of inner fire. Without igniting the inner fire and causing it to blaze, and melt the two types of drop, it is impossible to generate spontaneous great bliss.
In general, completion stage has various objects of meditation, such as the channels, the winds, the drops, inner fire, or the letters located within the precise points of the various channel wheels; and whether a particular practice is a direct or an indirect inner fire meditation depends upon the actual object of meditation. As explained above, inner fire is the clear, red drop inside the navel channel wheel. It is called `inner fire' because it is the nature of heat. If a practitioner visualizes this red drop as a flame and meditates on that, he or she is practising a direct meditation on tummo.
The Tibetan term `tummo' means `Fierce One' and is generally used to refer to Heroines, who are slightly wrathful in appearance and who bestow spontaneous great bliss on their consorts, the Heroes. The red drop at the navel in the nature of fire is also called tummo because its function is similar to that of the fierce Heroines. In this text, however, it will be referred to simply as `inner fire'.
When practising the yoga of inner fire, we visualize the red drop in the form of the letter short-AH (see Appendix III). This letter is called the `short-AH of inner fire' and, in the practice of Mahamudra, meditation on this letter is recognized as a supreme method for initially bringing the winds into the central channel. In his teachings, Milarepa frequently referred to this letter as `my short-AH'. One day his disciple Gampopa told him that when he practised single-pointed concentration he could remain for seven days in one uninterrupted session. `So what?', replied Milarepa, `You sit for seven days but do not experience the clear light. If you meditated on my short-AH of inner fire you would experience the clear light very quickly.'
By meditating on inner fire, we will quickly be able to attain the realizations of tranquil abiding and superior seeing and, on the basis of these, we will be able to attain both example clear light and meaning clear light. Thus, the fruits of inner fire meditation are manifold. To compare other methods to inner fire is like comparing a donkey to a fine horse.
The practice of inner fire was first taught by Conqueror Vajradhara in Hevajra Root Tantra. From there it was incorporated into other practices, such as those of Yamantaka, Guhyasamaja, Heruka, and Vajrayogini. Thus, all Tantric meditators look upon Hevajra Tantra as an especially blessed scripture. Because the inner fire practices come directly from Vajradhara, they are practised within all Tibetan Buddhist traditions. As the first Panchen Lama stated in his auto-commentary to the root text of the Mahamudra:
If we can bring the winds into the central channel through the force of habits formed in previous lives, this is very good; otherwise we should perform the yoga of inner fire as explained in the Six Yogas of Naropa.
This has been a general introduction to the practice of inner fire. What follows is a detailed explanation of the methods used to ignite the inner fire and cause it to blaze.
