Padmasambhava and Healing Retreat, Berlin, 11-12 May 1996

James Low

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Transcribed by Liz Fox
Unedited
Excerpts
 “…Padmasambhava goes through Tibet and he finds demons and he blasts them away. Everywhere in Tibet he puts everything under his power. He’s the tough guy, a real Rambo man! But we have to remember his name is Padmasambhava. “Sambhava” means “born from”, born from the padma, born from the lotus, born from the mother. So although he acts like Rambo his name is “Mama’s boy”. That’s what his name means. He is the manifestation of method…”
“…The real healing that we are talking about here is not some kind of magical exchange, but is to wake up to the integrated nature of the mind. This is what heals things, because it cuts through the basic ignorance which is the root of the five poisons, which is the root of attachment and all of the sufferings that arise.…”

“…Prayer is a method for using the structure of dualistic separation to intensify an energy of longing so that these two points, which appear opposed, can start to vibrate and come together, and you then get this point of unification. That is really the function of prayer. Prayer, if you use it properly, is a very powerful method for bringing about this unification in the heart. But if you just chant it in a routine way all you do is affirm to yourself “I’m a pathetic pile of rubbish and the Buddha’s right up there in the sky, perfect and shiny.”

Contents

Being a member of AA: Attachment Anonymous……….. 3
Healing begins with avoiding things that are harmful……….. 3
Emptiness is the medicine……….. 5
A method is just a method: it is not the truth……….. 7
Your knowledge of the Five Skandhas has healing power………. 8
For tantra to transform and heal, you have to be in touch with your feelings……….. 10
King Tsongtsen Gampo’s attempt to redress inequalities……….. 12
A mandala is a map of the five poisons……….. 13
Tantra uses the power of the erotic desire……….. 15
Padmasambhava: his history and his role in our practice……….. 18
Kadag and lhundrub……….. 20
Tantric pujas and their structure……….. 27
Prayer and the heart……….. 28
How our emotions and five poisons can intensify our praying……….. 29
Four buddha activities: ……… 33
Tsok offering and conclusion of the puja…….. 35