![The Bliss of Inner Fire:<br>Heart Practice of the Six Yogas of Naropa](/2021/dec/innerfire_book/thumbnails/innerfire_book.jpg)
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I've sectioned this project into 3 parts done simultaneously:
1. rewriting the entire book in HTML as a webpage
2. summarizing and reviewing the book
3. codifying the practice into a teaching format
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Author: Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935–1984)
ISBN-10: 086171136X
ISBN-13: 978-0861711369
Genre: Yoga, Mysticism, Meditation
Pages: 224 pages
Country: USA
Publisher: Wisdom Publications; Illustrated edition (June 1, 1998)
Publication date: June 1, 1998
Rating:
(5 out of 5 stars)
Why a Book Summary?
By summarizing every chapter after I've read the book (as it is presented in the book), I am assured that I understood what I just read. By doing this, I also ensure that I cover the entire book and not be tempted to skip 'boring' sections. By summarizing every chapter in the book and rewriting it in simple terms, I also make sure I understand challenging passages like, "non-self-existence is the original character of all phenomena". Some parts are not an easy read.
4 Classes of Tantra - for a particular type of practitioner depending on the intensity of the desire energy used in the path to enlightenment.
Six Yogas of Naropa - the foundational basis of these Yogas is the first, Inner Fire Meditation. It is not possible to progress into the 5 Yogas without being established with Inner Fire.
Book Format
In this book, Lama talks about the enigmatic Six Yogas of Naropa, focusing on the practice of Tummo (inner fire) as the first and foundational of the 6 Yogas. Tummo unveils the nature of inner reality through the development of a refined and penetrating mind. Lama taught the Inner Fire, the first of the 6 Yogas of Naropa, to select students - it wasn't his intention to cover the entire yogas. His emphasis was to practise and not to simply make it an intellectual exercise. His teachings on Inner Fire is divided into 6 parts, and it's only on the 4th part where the actual physical practice takes place. Lama died before he could complete the commentaries on the 6 Yogas of Naropa. It is hoped that his reincarnated Osel will finish it.
Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935–1984)
Lama Yeshe was a Tibetan Buddhist monk who was born in Tibet and went into exile in Bhutan during the Chinese occupation. He later moved to Nepal and founded the Kopan Monastery. In Dharamsala, he founded the Tushita Meditation Center. For teaching the Dharma to foreigners during the 60s, he was criticized by fellow monks as being motivated by money - teaching foreigners was looked down upon by the Buddhist spiritual communities during that time. His teachings were deemed unconventional. In the mid-70s, he moved to California and taught Tibetan Buddhism. His many lectures were transcribed and later published as books. Lama died in 1984, and 2 years later, in 1986, reincarnated into a Spanish boy named Osel Hita Torres, who is now known as Tenzin Osel Hita.
Lama carries a blissful aura around himself that people feel even from a picture. He talks to people at the level they can comprehend - much like Buddha himself when he was still alive. There was no one too stupid or too intelligent for him. He communicated in a manner that the other person can understand. He was open to all traditions and kept an open mind. Lama had already achieved an illusory body allowing him to practice the siddhis of yoga.
Writing Style
Lama began learning at Sera Monastery, one of 3 prestigious centers near Llasa, founded by Je Tsongkhapa. He is learned in the sutra (teachings) and the tantra (advanced Buddha teachings to advance enlightenment in the shortest possible time). His pursuit of the tantra focused on the 6 Yogas of Naropa where he attained the Clear Light. Inner Fire is for the most advanced practitioners, but Lama simplified it to his new students. He pursued an open policy that is non-sectarian and universal.
Overview of the Path
All Buddhist teachings go toward enlightenment as the ultimate goal using 2 approaches - sutra and tantra. Sutra focuses on compassion, altruism and understanding. Tantra envisions the state of enlightenment as if it has already happened - this is the fastest way. With sutra and tantra together, the journey is faster and also deeper. While sutra regards ignorance and craving as negative and to be eliminated, tantra sees it as a means to leverage into the spiritual path. However, it is a slippery slope that requires the help of a tantra master and complete compliance to the tantric precepts. When done properly, enlightenment can be achieved even in just one lifetime or just a few years. Tantra is practiced in 4 progressive classes and the most challenging is channeling the intensity of sexual union into a tantric process. Practicing the Highest Yoga Tantra comes in 2 stages - evolutionary and completion. In evolutionary, one emlulates the virtues of the diety he desires as though he already possesses them. Emptiness is the absence of our misconception/ignorance that what we think of ourselves and our existence is reality - our thinking needs to transcend this. The practice of tantra involves emptiness-yoga and deity-yoga where we dissolve our preconceived notions of our limited selves and replace it with the qualities of the deity we admire. In the evolutionary phase, the linear process of death-intermediate-rebirth are simulated. But it is only in the completion phase, through Inner Fire, that true reality is unveiled when consciousness gains control of the subtle elements of the non-physical body - nadis, vayus, amrita, etc. Inner Fire also brings the mind to its most penetrating state - the Clear Light where all mental aberrations are removed.
Four Classes of Tantra
Tantra and Inner Fire
To his most advanced students, Buddha taught Tantrayana/Vajrayana - the fastest way to enlightenment. Instead of aversion to pleasure, tantra uses pleasure and control it to make a speedier path to enlightenment (tantra only deals with pleasure and not with pain). Tantra works with human desire for pleasure. Tantra not only works with pleasure, it harnesses pleasure to work with. Inner Fire, even though it's only one of the 6 yogas of Naropa, is the foundational yoga for the rest, much like Muladhara Chakra is the foundational chakra from which all the other chakras are activated upon. Inner Fire enables prana vayu to rise up through the sushumna. Inner fire is tummo in Tibetan, and the literal meaning of tummo is "brave female". Tummo is instantaneous - the results are readily experienced. You increase the kundalini power and inner heat. It is also scientific because results will be produced when practiced - it is not reliant on any spiritual belief, rite or ritual. Inner fire meditation is the fundamental path to enlightenment. Tummo is very powerful but surprisingly easy compared to other forms of meditation. The results are fast. Tummo is a doorway to an infinite horizon - manifesting desires and realizations become readily accessible. According to Milarepa, inner fire meditation is far more powerful than samadhi meditation (even if samadhi meditation is done twenty-four hours a day for twenty days). Inner fire meditation will change your entire notion of reality.
The Six Yogas and the Mahasiddha Naropa
The 6 Yogas originally came from Buddha and was passed on through generations until it reached an Indian yogi, Tilopa, and then his student, Naropa who codified it. It was passed on to Naropa's student, Marpa, who then passed it on his student, the infamous, Milarepa. There are many versions of the 6 Yogas depending on whose time frame or yogi being quoted, but ultimately, for as long as the practice is done according to tradition, it doesn't matter how it is categorized or by whom.
This interpretation of the Six Yogas is done by Lama Je Tsongkhapa through his commentaries. His commentaries quotes the lineage lamas (Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa) and sacred scriptures, so confidence is high that these commentaries are accurate and reliable.
Naropa was intellectually realized. He was a top university professor at Nalana, extremely knowledgeable and could out-debate anyone. But he felt something was missing. Through chanting Heruka's mantra, a voice called out and instructed him to seek Tilopa who would be his guru. Naropa became Tilopa's disciple for 12 years until he was initiated - by a whack on the head by Tilopa's scandals. This caused Naropa to sink into deep meditation for 7 days. After that, Naropa was an enlightened man.
Naropa's narrative has a powerful lesson - that intellectual realization, without the pursuit of spirituality leaves a void. Knowledge for knowledge sake, without leveraging from it, is only half the battle.
The Mahasiddha Je Tsongkhapa
The western world wrongly relegates Lama Je Tsongkhapa as a mere intellectual philospher together with his followers. This is not accurate. Lama Tsongkhapa was a great yogi, a mahasiddha, a devote tantric practitioner, who wrote extensively on tantra (not so much on sutra). He has exhibited siddhis by averting floods, avalanche, and even extinguishing fire from a burning temple. It is believed that when one has mastered the elements within (fire, air, ether, earth and water), he also has mastery of the elements outside. He also had psychic powers demonstrated when he knew he would be summoned by the emperor of China - so he just disappeared into the mountain.
He had thousands of followers who gave offerings to him, but he gave them all away, owning nothing, having nothing. He was a perfect example of a renunciate.
His death was extended by 3 more years due to the intervention of many ascendant Buddhas - he was initiated to receives boundless energy to extend his life. Finally, when he died, Je Tsongkhapa put everything in order and fully accepted his death with no remorse, regret, aversion or resistance. In dying, he also predicted what would happen in 500 years - which actually happened - the return of the relics to India.
In a vision after dying, his disciple, Khedrub Je, was instructed to practice and preach the teachings instead of feeling sad over his master's death. There have been many ocassions when Lama would appear to Khedrub in a vision to give answers, teachings and initiation.
The Point Is to Practice
Mahasiddhas provide a good example on how to practice because there will be times when things are not clear. Intellectualizing/studying and practice go together - intellectualizing alone is not enough. Many scholars can be extemporaneous when expounding on the tantras and sutras, but they have no practice and sometimes have to go to beggars on the street seeking guidance on the practice. When you clearly understand a subject, you should hold it in your heart and practice it - don't try to know ALL the subjects (which can take decades) before you start practicing.
Having the Three Convictions
Receiving Initiation
To go deep in the practice of the 6 Yogas, it is essential to receive the four complete initiations:
Without initiation, teacher and student will just dwell on the lower realms. Before a guru teaches the 6 Yogas to a disciple, it is essential that the disciple has already been initiated (not by the guru). Initiation is when a disciple 'walks away' from his previous notions of himself and reality, and embraces the virtues of the diety giving him the initiation. Initiation activates the wisdom and bliss that already reside in the disciple - the guru does not give you any incredible power. (question: Then, what exactly did Tilopa do to Naropa when Naropa went deep into meditation for 7 days when initiated? Tilopa simply "unleased" the wisdom and bliss that was already with Naropa?) When your intention is to benefit others (and not just you), the initiation process is facilitated. When being initiated by a lama, you should see the lama not as a person but the mandala deity himself, eg. Heruka - a radiant infinite blue. Every initiation is different from everyone, depending on your mind. Initiation is serious business - it took Naropa 12 years of service to be initiated by Tilopa. Even if it feels 'fake' to just imagine things during initiation, it is still a good practice...the message is communicated to the brain. With control and awareness, we can use pleasure to bring about enlightenment.
Purifying Negativities
To go deep in meditation, you have to purify negatives first and make the right conditions. Negativity exists because we created it - yes, it's a choice we made and a reality we created.
The practice of Vajrasattva purification is powerful in removing negativities. It can be combined with inner fire - inner fire in the morning and Vajrasattva in the evening. The problem I have about chanting the Vajrasattva (hundred-syllable mantra) is I can't speak nor pronounce Tibetan - as you can judge from the video below.
The Inspiration of the Guru
While the teachings of Buddha, down to his lineage are all available, it is not enough to learn only from these texts - the results you get may not be the ones intended. You need a guru to teach it in a way books cannot - tantra is highly technical.
Lama Yeshe was criticized for teaching Westerners as they were perceived to be incapable of understanding Buddha's teachings. Westerners are direct without being disrespectful. This is something Tibetans do not understand.
To meditate on guru yoga, it is suggested to visualize Guru Vajradhara through your guru with all the colors of the radiant light coming from everywhere. This part is too alien for me. I will shut my senses to the outside world and simply look within - perhaps something emanates.
How does Evolutionary Stage fit into the Tibetan Tantra Yoga picture?
In Tibetan Tantra Yoga, the 4th and supreme section is the Highest Yoga Tantra (HYT), a practice widely regarded as a passage to enlightenment. HYT is done through 2 sections. The first one is Evolutionary Stage and the 2nd one is the Completion Stage (The 6 Yogas of Naropa).
What is the Objective of the Evolutionary Stage
To identify oneself as divinity...as a realized person...as a Buddha. This is the difference between sutrayana and tantrayana. In tantra, you already assume that enlightenment has already happened
How is this Objective Achieved?
By visualizing and meditating through the 3 stages of life:
Why it is necessary to first practice evolutionary stage yoga?
Evolutionary Stage is not even part of the 6 Yogas, but a practice that should be established before you even begin the 6 Yogas of Naropa (the Completion Stage). It is essential to prime the mind, ease the body and create stillness before embarking on the 6 Yogas. Evolutionary Stage Yoga sets the stage for that.
Evolutionary and Completion Stages can both be practiced concurrently - they both make up the Highest Yoga Tantra (4th and supreme class in Tantra).
Emptiness Mantra
Before we begin on the 3 kayas (evolutionary stage), it is essential we chant the emptiness mantra. For a non-Tibetan, this is nearly impossible for me (I cannot pronounce the words and the words don't mean anything to me). Instead, I simply chant the OM mantra where I internalize that everything we perceive is simply an illusion - including the body, emotions, memories, feelings and intellect. Nothing is left but awarness and the sound of OM in an empty universe.
What are the 3 phases of Life covered by Evolutionary Stage?
Becoming Buddha
After going through the 3 stages of the life cycle and now being reborn, you identify yourself as a divine being... self-realized...a Buddha. Do not intellectualize. Feel it. See the radiant bluish color emanating from you. Your words are mantra, your thoughts architecture reality, your volition is oneness...no separation. You exude an energy of pure bliss. In your presence, heaven exists - here and now where you are. Your aura empowers everyone to see themselves as divine incarnation. This is now your reality.
You have to identify yourself as a Buddha...your words are a mantra, your mind is pure bliss, your feeling is infinite oneness. This allows you to transcend the physical reality and its trappings. Feel the bliss and oneness within the radiance of a blue light. Visualize that heaven exists now where you are, and everybody is a divine incarnation. Let this be your reality.
The body can be categorized in 3 layers:
Controlling the Winds (Prana Vayu)
The more we understand the Subtle Body, the more we can control the energies through meditation. You can learn how to approach the pleasure centers and misery centers and how to switch them on and off. Every cell in the body is talking to you. When you listen and develop an intimate relationship with the body, you can almost tell it what to do. The mind rides on the prana vayu. When we control prana vayu, we essentially control where the mind goes. This is powerful.
The mind can also be categorized in 3 layers:
Lama Tsongkhapa stresses that the mind has many layers but its absolute nature is emptiness. Everything that exists is part of the same singularity - there is no separation. A flower, although tangible, is the amalgamation of the entire cosmos, the ecology, the 5 elements. Without the cosmos, ecology or any of these variables, there is no flower - thus it's empty. Nothing exists by itself. Nothing can exist separately from the entirety of the whole. Therefore, the separation does not exist - it is empty. There is only oneness - inseparable, infinite and all-encompassing.
There are 6 hatha yoga asanas (aka Six Magical Wheels) that need to be done while practicing the 6 Yogas. The first exercise is vase breathing and the next 5 is done while holding the vase breath. This should be done on an empty stomach.
6 Hatha Yoga Exercises to complement the 6 Yogas of Naropa
Inner Fire Meditation requires a clean nervous system and these breathing exercises forcefully unblock the energy passages. Before embarking on the asanas/breathing, get centered and imagine that you are a realized being already...empty and infinite...a Buddha. Don’t think of yourself as an ordinary person. Visualize the three principal channels and the four chakras. Hold the vase breath with strong concentration - the mind has to be aware at all times. The injuries from a bad fall from a tall height can be averted if the breath is held the right way. Breathing should be slow and through the nose (not mouth). Start slow and easy - don't begin doing full-on - injuries might result. Shake your body well after the final exercise. In tantra, taking care of the body is as important as taking care of the mind. The prana vayu (life energy) resides in the body. When this flows freely within the body, pain and misery cannot happen. When you know your own body through exercise and meditation, you can get whatever you want from it. You don’t need to look outside for anything once you have discovered your own pleasure centers and kundalini power (as Wim Hof himself said, "get high on your own supply"). When we can do this, we can also control the energy of our nervous system during inner fire meditation. It is important be in control during sex. If orgasm happens, precious kundalini energy is lost. When proficiency in hatha yoga exercises is achieved, it is possible for the body to spontaneously break into joyful bliss. This is a good thing, but not a particularly high realization.
Be a Buddha
Before starting the actual Inner Fire Meditation, compose yourself first as a diety - not an ordinary person. You are a Buddha with all its virtues and qualities. Bow down in humility to the universe, the divine beings and offer yourself - "Let me be your instrument for good".
Hollow Body
Imagine that the body is hollow - an empty transparent shell with nothing inside.
Sitting Position
Sitting on Inner Fire Meditation should be on full lotus. Tongue pressed on the hard palate just above the front teeth. Right hand over left hand below the navel with thumbs touching as they form a triangle (palms facing up? or palms pressed against the body?) Body is upright and not slumping.
Channels
Although there are many energy channels in the body, in Inner fire meditation, we deal with 3 channels only:
Hmmm...this is similar to Hindu yoga tradition. The 2 chanels, Ida and Pingala, begin at the nostril and go down along the spine until it reaches its base, the Muladhara chakra. The central chanel, sushumna, begin at the Muladhara chakra, extends up along the spine, hitting all the major chakras until it reaches the sahasrara chakra. The energy transfer takes places at the Muladhara chakra instead of the navel chakra...although if the actual location of the navel chakra is not by the navel but 4 finger-widths below the navel, then, both locations seem to be the same...regardless what name you call it.
Inner fire meditation enables the absorption of the energy-winds into the central channel from the 2 channels (ida and pingala) at the navel chakra - which is actually located 4 finger-widths below the navel. This energy-wind-absorption results in heightened states of consciousness.Chakras
For Inner fire meditation, we focus on 4 chakras.
It seems the Third Eye Chakra is not that important in Tibetan Buddhist Yoga. It is mentioned but not focused on.
Training the Channels
We should be able to train our consciousness to move through these channels like riding a bike on a street. How?
Seed-syllable
In the previous meditation, you traveled to all the chakras and investigated their structure. You are now ready to put a seed-syllable (seed mantra?) at the center of each of the four main chakras. The seed mantra or letters should be small and subtle. This will be the object of concentration. These syllables are not uttered mechanically. You reverberate audibly with your heart and mind with its vibrational frequency until you and the syllable sound are one. When the seed-syllable is established,
Short A on the Navel Chakra
Again, of all the chakras, the navel is where you concentrate on. Inner heat is activated at the navel chakra. Inner Fire Meditation focuses on this chakra more than any other. The symbol of the short a is fiery red and should be placed inside the navel chakra which is inside the central channel, very close to the spine (and not to the front of the body). This location is important because this is where the airs enter the central channel from the side channels. Also, the heat generated in this location burns steady and profoundly.
And meditating on the short a at the navel increases the strength of the inner fire because it automatically causes energy to come to the crown chakra. Simply touching the area below your navel, you will feel a sensation at your crown.
When you penetrate the navel chakra, the blockages are released, the chakra opens, and the winds automatically enter the central channel.
Blue Hum on the Heart Chakra
Next place a blue hum with a crescent moon, drop, and nada on a moon disc at the heart chakra. The whole thing is upside down. Our eventual aim is, with single-pointed concentration, to energize the dripping of blissful kundalini down through the syllable and the nada. Concentrating on the hum at the heart helps to develop the clear light (emptiness?).
Red OM on the Throat Chakra
Now visualize a moon disk at the throat chakra and on it a red om. This red syllable stands upright and has a crescent moon, drop, and nada above it. Again, it should be visualized in the central channel, right in the center of the throat chakra.Contemplating and penetrating the om at the throat chakra increases the female blood energy and also helps the practice of dream yoga.
White Ham on the Crown Chakra
At the crown chakra, place a white ham on a moon disk. It has a crescent, a drop, and a nada, and again, the whole thing is upside down. Contemplating the ham at the crown increases the white male kundalini, which is the source of bliss.
During Sleep
In Sutrayana, we need to be awake. But in Highest Yoga Tantra (tantra yoga), even during sleep, we can perform the practice - heart and throat chakras are active during sleep.
Reality of the Channels
In reality, the channels are not really crystal clear with open passage ways. The branches obscure their passage ways, sometimes, they are withered in some areas, crooked in some, shriveled and wrinkled, etc. By focusing on the central and side channels, and when we do the breathing practice, we open up the passageways and straighten the channel shape from the navel all the way up to the crown - like blowing into a balloon to dilate its volume. As the wind dilates the channels, the wind brings along the mind, thus consciousness penetrates the channels/chakras, allow them to activate. Sometimes, energy winds can flow the opposite way resulting in pain or sickness. This is why it is essential to be established in the following preparatory practices:
The mind goes where the energy-winds go. By penetrating the chakras with the energy-winds, we also take the mind into the chakras. With consistent and persistent practice of the above, the body and mind will adopt and internalize, making the practice a lifestyle choice...like riding a bicycle.
Significance of Vase Breathing
Vase breathing meditation is the first of the six hatha yoga exercises according to Having the Three Convictions. The other five hatha yoga exercises are performed while holding the vase breath, and, most important, the inner fire meditations are performed on the basis of this breathing technique. Successfully bringing all the airs into the central channel depend upon vase breathing.
9-Round Breathing: Dispelling Impure Air
Before attempting to practice vase breathing, you should first dispel all the impure airs with the nine-round breathing exercise.
Total 9 rounds.
Being Buddha
visualize yourself as the Buddha and make a vajra fist. Visualize clearly the three main channels and four principal chakras. Concentrate on the short a in the navel chakra inside the central channel.
4 Steps to Vase Breathing
empty stomach with straight back:
Pre-requisites for Inner Fire Meditation
When we are already established in the following, then we can proceed with Inner Fire Meditation:
While the evolutionary stage is like dreaming (to prime the mind), the completion stage is like an actual rocket being fired - it's real and powerful. A successful inner fire meditation (the first of the 6 Yogas), brings the wind energies into the central channel, and produces the following:
While airs can be introduced at the different chakras, entering the central channel through the navel chakra is the safest and easiest.
Preparing for Inner Fire
Third Eye Chakra
Next, visualize that your third eye chakra and your right nostril shoot out an inner fire in all directions within this universe, reaching the lineage lamas - Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa, and the great yogi Lama Je Tsongkhapa. Their bodies absorb this inner heat through their left nostrils and melts the kundalini in their 4 chakras. This inner heat is then shot from their right nostril and is captured by your left nostril where it penetrates the crown chakra, the throat chakra, the heart chakra and the navel chakra. Kundalini drops melt and feed into the intense heat. Great bliss emanates.
Again, do not intellectualize. Feel and be the short a. Repeat vase breathing again and again until it becomes second nature and effortless to visualize.
Practice and Do Not Intellectualize
You have to do the practice and not intellectualize. The practice will guide you deeper, letting you know the dos and don'ts. Don't force anything otherwise you'll end up with superficial heat. Just let go and proceed gently but surely. At some point, the process will happen automatically. Remain focused on the short a at all times. Initially, it can be difficult, but with repeated practice, inner fire meditation happens effortlessly. At some point, you won't even need to do vase breathing. With regular practice, Inner Fire will happen just naturally from contemplation and all the benefits will be there - bliss, intoxication, oneness, emptiness. Continue the practice until this point is reached.
Inner Heat vs. Ordinarty Heat
When the practice is done right and not forcefully, Inner Heat will inevitably happen. When kundalini melts, bliss and oneness unite. When the fire rages on, we burn everything we don't need - anger, revenge, resentment, the need to be right, the need to impress. We burn out all our garbage. When all this negative energy enters the central channel, it is tranformed and perfected and it can no longer be harmful. Inner Fire should start out subtle and gentle. And then it builds up in intensity and heat...until the chakras, channels and the entire hollow body are ablaze. During Inner Fire, press slightly on your navel chakra - it enhances the bliss and triggers the crown chakra.
Ordinary heat is not useful to our practice. It feels painful and uncomfortable. If you feel that, then your prctice is not right. Sometimes, this happens. It's ok.
Bliss and Non-Duality
When heat begins, bliss also happens. When bliss happens, we should concentrate on nonduality....oneness...no separation. If we don't equate bliss to nonduality, we can become obsessed with the pleasurable intoxication of inner fire.
Telepathic Experiences
During Inner Fire, it is possible to go into a dreamlike state as though we have telepathic power. We might even get a drift of what other people are thinking. We can even see the different colors of the prana vayu. Our nervous system can be seen as clearly as watching tv. This is because we drift into a realm with telepathic energy. But without the skill of single-pointed concentration, it is not clairvoyance, but a kind of near-clairvoyance. So don't brag about it. Activating the navel chakra develops telepathic siddhi.
Just Let Go
Whatever else happens, stay focused on the short a. Don't get distracted by visions, good or bad. Or experiences, painful or blissful. Anything can happen during Inner Fire meditation. Don't overthink what's happening. Just take them all as part of the process. Just keep focused on the short a.
Enter, Stabilize and be Absorbed
A successful inner fire meditation requires 3 things to happen to the winds:
Siddhis
When you stop breathing through the lungs, you can continue to breathe through orifices in the body - ears, pores, etc. If you can generate fire within, you can also extinguish fire outside (like stopping fire from a burning house). You can also go through solid objects.
4 Joys
When the chakras are all on fire and kundalini drips from the crown to the throat, to the heart and down the navel and to the secret chakra, then the 4 Joys happen where bliss is ultimate.
Reversing the Flow of Kundalini
when the kundalini drops reach all the way down to the tip secret chakra and you are immersed in absolute bliss and wisdom, reverse the flow back to the navel chakra, heart chakra, throat chakra and ultimately the crown chakra. Stop and meditate on every chakra as the kundalini finds its way up. When it reaches the crown chakra, again, immerse in absolute bliss and wisdom of nonduality. The sensation of moving the kundalini up is more powerful than the journey going down.
Simultaneously Born Great Blissful Wisdom
With the complete cycle of kundalini, the yogi has already experienced a glimpse of real wisdom and not merely conceptual. However, more practice is needed to make it a full realization of nonduality wisdom. Practice...practice and practice until inner fire becomes 2nd nature. With Inner Fire, the 2 main objectives are bliss and nonduality (wisdom, no separation, oneness).
Taking a Consort
Consort practice should only take place when the yogi is already established in all the foregoing - from Emptiness Meditation to reversing the flow of the kundalini drops back to the crown chakra. Others argue that the heart chakra should also open up before taking a consort (harder). So, if the energy movement is already happening, and bliss and wisdom are already attained, why bother with a consort? The practice becomes more intense (beyond expression, beyond all concepts, beyond words) and the pace becomes accelerated. Both partners, however, should be at the same level. Once union with a suitable consort is successful, all it takes is to remember the episode and the entire bliss is experienced all over again - you don't need to be physically with that consort again.
Practice
At this point, all the lessons should have been learned, and with continuing practice, spiritual growth is ensured. But you have to practice...not just intellectualize. It is possible to attain enlightenment through Inner Fire in just a year or in just one lifetime. Inner Fire is a technique, not a spiritual belief. Therefore, you will achieve results even if you are not religious. The techniques are in compliance to the natural laws - anyone can achieve it.
Practicing both Evolutionary Stage (in the morning) and Completion Stage (in the evening) brings maximum benefits.
Sometimes you won’t need any of the techniques. Just with natural, subtle breathing, your concentration will be reasonably good, your inner fire energy will grow, and you will feel blissful. You learn to let go of many things until you experience emptiness (not just think but experience).
Tailor-fit your practice to represent your truth - as long as you are still compliant with the tenets of the practice. Make the practice, your OWN. What society or anyone else says you should do is not important as long as you are not harming yourself or anyone else.
Successful inner fire meditation brings physical as well as mental health because the kundalini is fortified. You become physically strong and your resolve is strengthened. The body is the source of simultaneously born bliss - thus, it needs to be kept strong.
Keeping the Flame Alive
Meditate as much as possible on Inner Fire. Make it a lifestyle choice. Even in between meditation sessions, be mindful of Inner Fire...as you wait on a line, as you chill on a park, etc. Create a meditation box if need be. Results should be obvious with regular practice. If there are no benefits, then there is something wrong with the practice - read the book again. As a beginner, do short sessions everyday - like 90 minutes. As you progress, do it longer. It is best to do asana before Inner Fire in the morning. Avoid eating cold food or drinking cold drinks. It gives the body an added difficulty in generating heat if the body is cold. Avoid acidic foods/drinks like lemon. Avoid fish. Practice to build the kundalini energy. When the energy is strong, you don’t need the meditation techniques - the sheer act of mindful breathing can already trigger the bliss and wisdom.
At the end of the day, what you want is to unite bliss with wisdom. The beauty of inner fire is that you don’t have to believe in anything for it to work - you don't even have to be spiritual. Just do the technical meditations like following a recipe...and let go. The experiences and realizations will automatically come.
Ending Thoughts
In the early years of my yoga practice, I came upon a mention of the Six Yogas of Naropa. I was captivated. What kind of yoga is it? It seemed mystical, etheric and ungraspable. When I tried to research on it, I couldn't find anything on the internet except a few descriptive snippets. It was frustrating.
But now, speculating on the Dalai Lama's mandate that Tibetan Buddhist practices should no longer be secret, but a teaching propagated to the outside world, credible authors like Lama Thubten Yeshe, representing a long line of lineage beginning from Tilopa, have come out with this book. It was mana from heaven.
Some parts are very difficult to understand and there's a lot of names to get familiar with, imagery to visualize and intricate processes to undertake in chronology. Even with my Hatha Yoga (yoga from the Indian tradition) of 2 decades, it was still challenging.
What perked my interest is the claim that this inner fire meditation is so powerful that even a 24/7 deep samadhi meditation for 2 weeks could not compare. This is virtually a hack on traditional yoga!
To ensure I understand the teachings, I rewrote the entire book on HTML, summarized the chapters in my own words, and codified the practice in a teaching format. It's all done now. My next challenge is to develop a consistent practice where I can actually measure the results. So, this is a long-drawn blog that will be updated as I continue to develop and deepen my practice.
--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit
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Inner Fire: The Book in HTML:
The Bliss of Inner Fire:
(Dec 1, 2021) Lama Yeshe talks about the enigmatic 6 Yogas of Naropa, focusing on the practice of Tummo (inner fire). Tummo unveils the nature of inner reality through the development of a refined and penetrating mind.....more »»
Heart Practice of the Six Yogas of Naropa
The Whole Book in HTML
Tummo Yoga
(Dec 1, 2021) When I fist heard of Tibetan yogis drying a wet towel wrapped on their bare backs as they were exposed outdoors in the dead of winter, I could hardly believe it. I didn't even know what yoga they were practicing. I learned it was Tummo Yoga. But where do I get research materials for it? It wasn't easy, but I found one. Time to roll up my sleeves and generate some heat. My litmus test? Melt the ice on my ice bath and even turn the water warm or even hot.....more »»
Codified Practice
Krishnamacharya: his Life and Teachings
(Apr 7, 2022) This book comes from Krishnamacharya's direct lineage - his student of 18 years (1971 to 1989), A.G. Mohan. Here, Mohan clarifies ambiguities and explains the legendary stories surrounding this great master. The book is focused on the master's life and teaching about Asana, Pranayama, Kriyas, Yoga Therapy and the Mind.....more »»
For more train info: Bangkok to Chiang Mai trains - departing from Hua Lamphong - MRT (Bangkok)
(I'm using Bang Sue as a starting point because I was closer to it, but you may be closer to the Hua Lamphong station)
Travel Tips for Thailand
This process is BEFORE Covid 19. Not sure what it is now.
60-Day Thai Tourist Visa
NOTE: There is no need to go back to your country to get the Thai tourist visa. Any major city with a Thai Embassy will do. Apparently there is also no need to have an invitation from a Thai establishment to justify the visa.
30-Day Extension
NOTE: When your 60-day visa is close to expiry and you want to extend your stay. No need to leave Thailand.
Book Train Tickets in Thailand Online by Train36.com
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