More about the Kati crystal heart channel

[Tibetan_Ice]

 

Natural Liberation: Padmasambhava's Teachings on the Six Bardos by Padmasambhava

 

INSIGHT

 

Revealing the Nature of Awareness

 

In that way, until genuine quiescence arises in your mind-stream, use numerous techniques to settle your mind in its natural state. As an analogy, if you wish to look at reflections and the planets and stars in a pool of water, you will not see them if the water is disturbed by waves and ripples. But you will clearly see them by looking into a pool in which the water is limpid and unmoving. Likewise, when the mind is jolted around by the wind of objects, like a rider on a bucking bronco, even if you are introduced to awareness, you will not identify it; for once the mind is helplessly manipulated by compulsive ideation, it does not see its own nature.

 

According to the custom of some teaching traditions, you are first introduced to the view, and upon that basis you seek the meditative state. This makes it difficult to identify awareness. In the tradition presented here, you first establish the meditative state, then on that basis you are introduced to the view. This profound point makes it impossible for you not to identify awareness. Therefore, first settle your mind in its natural state, then bring forth genuine quiescence in your mind-stream, and reveal the nature of awareness.

 

Position your body with the seven attributes like before. Steadily fix your gaze in the space in front of you, into the vacuity at the level of the tip of your nose, without any disorderliness or duplicity. This is the benefit of this gaze: in the center of the hearts of all beings there is the hollow crystal kati channel, which is a channel of primordial wisdom. If it points down and is closed off, primordial wisdom is obscured, and delusion grows. Thus, in animals that channel faces downwards and is closed off, so they are foolish and deluded. In humans that channel points horizontally and is slightly open, so human intelligence is bright and our consciousness is clear. In people who have attained siddhis and in bodhisattvas that channel is open and faces upwards, so there arise unimaginable samādhis, primordial wisdom of knowledge, and vast extrasensory perceptions. These occur due to the open quality of that channel of primordial wisdom. Thus, when the eyes are closed, that channel is closed off and points down, so consciousness is dimmed by the delusion of darkness. By steadily fixing the gaze, that channel faces up and opens, which isolates pure awareness from impure awareness. Then clear, thought-free samādhi arises, and numerous pure visions appear. Thus, the gaze is important.

 

In all treatises other than the Tantra of the Sun of the Clear Expanse of the Great Perfection and the Profound Dharma of the Natural Emergence of the Peaceful and Wrathful from Enlightened Awareness, the hollow crystal kati channel is kept secret, and there are no discussions of this special channel of primordial wisdom. This channel is unlike the central channel, the right channel, the left channel, or any of the channels of the five chakras; it is absolutely not the same as any of them. Its shape is like that of a peppercorn that is just about open, there is no blood or lymph inside it, and it is limpid and clear. A special technique for opening this is hidden in the instructions on the natural liberation pertaining to the lower orifice, great bliss, and desire. The lower yānas do not have even the name of this channel.

 

Thus, while steadily maintaining the gaze, place the awareness unwaveringly, steadily, clearly, nakedly, and fixedly, without having anything on which to meditate, in the sphere of space. When stability increases, examine the consciousness that is stable. Then gently release and relax. Again place it steadily, and steadfastly observe the consciousness of that moment. What is the nature of that mind? Let it steadfastly observe itself. Is it something clear and steady, or is it an emptiness that is nothing? Is there something there to recognize? Look again and again, and report your experience to me!

 

***end quotes***

 

My comments are these:

The Kati channel is a separate channel from the central channel. That explains allot. It is developed by gazing with eyes open. In my opinion, it is opened by gazing with love.

[Wells]

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Edited October 29, 2014 by ZOOM

[Wells]

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Edited October 29, 2014 by ZOOM

[Tibetan_Ice]

Interesting info, thanks for sharing.

This text is original advice from Padmasambhava?

Is it printed in a book? If so, in which if I might ask?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Liberation-Padmasambhavas-Teachings-Bardos/dp/0861711319

[Wells]

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Edited October 29, 2014 by ZOOM

[thelerner]

Natural Liberation: Padmasambhava's Teachings on the Six Bardos by Padmasambhava

 

Revealing the Nature of Awareness

 

In that way, until genuine quiescence arises in your mind-stream, use numerous techniques to settle your mind in its natural state. As an analogy, if you wish to look at reflections and the planets and stars in a pool of water, you will not see them if the water is disturbed by waves and ripples. But you will clearly see them by looking into a pool in which the water is limpid and unmoving. Likewise, when the mind is jolted around by the wind of objects, like a rider on a bucking bronco, even if you are introduced to awareness, you will not identify it; for once the mind is helplessly manipulated by compulsive ideation, it does not see its own nature.

 

According to the custom of some teaching traditions, you are first introduced to the view, and upon that basis you seek the meditative state. This makes it difficult to identify awareness. In the tradition presented here, you first establish the meditative state, then on that basis you are introduced to the view. This profound point makes it impossible for you not to identify awareness. Therefore, first settle your mind in its natural state, then bring forth genuine quiescence in your mind-stream, and reveal the nature of awareness.

 

Position your body with the seven attributes like before. Steadily fix your gaze in the space in front of you, into the vacuity at the level of the tip of your nose, without any disorderliness or duplicity. This is the benefit of this gaze: in the center of the hearts of all beings there is the hollow crystal kati channel, which is a channel of primordial wisdom. If it points down and is closed off, primordial wisdom is obscured, and delusion grows.

In people who have attained siddhis and in bodhisattvas that channel is open and faces upwards, so there arise unimaginable samādhis, primordial wisdom of knowledge, and vast extrasensory perceptions. These occur due to the open quality of that channel of primordial wisdom.

 

By steadily fixing the gaze, that channel faces up and opens, which isolates pure awareness from impure awareness. Then clear, thought-free samādhi arises, and numerous pure visions appear. Thus, the gaze is important.

 

This channel is unlike the central channel, the right channel, the left channel, or any of the channels of the five chakras; it is absolutely not the same as any of them. Its shape is like that of a peppercorn that is just about open, there is no blood or lymph inside it, and it is limpid and clear. A special technique for opening this is hidden in the instructions on the natural liberation pertaining to the lower orifice, great bliss, and desire. The lower yānas do not have even the name of this channel.

 

Thus, while steadily maintaining the gaze, place the awareness unwaveringly, steadily, clearly, nakedly, and fixedly, without having anything on which to meditate, in the sphere of space. When stability increases, examine the consciousness that is stable. Then gently release and relax. Again place it steadily, and steadfastly observe the consciousness of that moment. What is the nature of that mind? Let it steadfastly observe itself. Is it something clear and steady, or is it an emptiness that is nothing? Is there something there to recognize? Look again and again, and report your experience to me!

 

***end quotes***

 

My comments are these:

The Kati channel is a separate channel from the central channel. That explains allot. It is developed by gazing with eyes open. In my opinion, it is opened by gazing with love.

Interesting. I imagine this as eyes half open and focused, or a sort of defocused on the tip of the nose. With the 'mind feeling' out there, instead of internal. Often the practice of staring at the tip of the nose is overlooked, but its in a few traditions, on a physical basis I theorize it balances the brain. Japanese sources consider the practice a step towards enlightenment. Thus pictures of saints and warriors are sometimes shown cross eyed.

 

The practice feels like its aimed at the head's 'crystal cave' or pituitary stimulation, yet it's considered a channel albeit an acorn shaped one.

 

Very interesting. What else is in the book?

[9th]

its definitely about focusing the energy channels in the head

 

theres another meditation involving eyes stretched wide open, which also comes by way of padmasambhava:

 

[Tibetan_Ice]

Interesting. I imagine this as eyes half open and focused, or a sort of defocused on the tip of the nose. With the 'mind feeling' out there, instead of internal. Often the practice of staring at the tip of the nose is overlooked, but its in a few traditions, on a physical basis I theorize it balances the brain. Japanese sources consider the practice a step towards enlightenment. Thus pictures of saints and warriors are sometimes shown cross eyed.

 

The practice feels like its aimed at the head's 'crystal cave' or pituitary stimulation, yet it's considered a channel albeit an acorn shaped one.

 

Very interesting. What else is in the book?

There is a section on thogal practices and the visions as well as a section on the bardo. The book is over 300 pages long and is quite extensive. Alan Wallace uses parts of the teachings in his retreats, even his latest one..

 

http://media.sbinstitute.com/courses/fall-2014/

 

You can also preview some of the book on Amazon...

 

http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Liberation-Padmasambhavas-Teachings-Bardos/dp/0861711319

[thelerner]

There is a section on thogal practices and the visions as well as a section on the bardo. The book is over 300 pages long and is quite extensive. Alan Wallace uses parts of the teachings in his retreats, even his latest one..

 

http://media.sbinstitute.com/courses/fall-2014/

 

Nice link. Very generous of B. Alan Wallace to provide the public with so much information from his seminar. There 40 separate long lectures with chants and meditations there.

Info from link:

B. Alan Wallace 21 Aug 2014 – 16 Oct 2014

Thanyapura Mind Centre, Phuket, Thailand

This eight-week retreat will focus on three of the six transitional processes, namely:

• the Transitional Process of Living, with teachings on śamatha and vipaśyanā,
• the Transitional Process of Dreaming, with teachings on dream yoga, and
• the Transitional Process of Meditation with teachings on Dzogchen meditation.

All these teachings will be based on the text The Profound Dharma of The Natural Emergence of the Peaceful and Wrathful from Enlightened Awareness Stage of Completion Instructions on the Six Transitional Processes, an “earth terma” of teachings by Padmasambhava, revealed by Karma Lingpa in the fourteen century.

The English translation of this text has been published under the title Natural Liberation: Padmasambhava’s Teachings on the Six Bardos, with commentary by Gyatrul Rinpoche and translated by B. Alan Wallace.

[BaguaKicksAss]

http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Liberation-Padmasambhavas-Teachings-Bardos/dp/0861711319

 

I went to my local newage bookstore to pickup 2 books about Buddhist stuff, for a camping trip. This was one of the two . Thank you for the mention; I will get to reading it (the camping trip was shortened so didn't get very far in).