Drikung Phowa Chenmo Practice – The Standing Blade of Grass

[Taoist Texts]

There is this ritual when a stalk or a blade of grass is inserted into the crown. Some say it is inserted into a physical hole ; some say it is inserted into a swelling lesion. My question is why to insert anything into it if that spot is visible to the eye and accessible to touch?

Quote

 

https://texts.mandala.library.virginia.edu/shanti_texts/node_embed/39036

There may be itching sensation on the crown or blood or pus oozing out to indicate the effect of the practice. Often a blade of kusha grass is pierced through the crown to check if the trainer has succeeded in phowa.

 

I do not understand why it needs to be pierced and what exactly does the piercing proves?

 

https://dakinitranslations.com/2022/09/25/practice-given-by-guru-padmasambhava-to-king-trisong-detsen-for-his-minister-who-accidentally-killed-his-parents-the-treasure-tradition-of-phowa-introduction-to-the-treasure-phowa-tradition-its-hist/

 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by Taoist Texts

[Lairg]

As I recall Lobsang Rampa recounts a Tibetan practice of drilling a hole in the top of the head.

 

It is hard to understand that could be of direct value.

 

Perhaps it is an outer form of an inner practice.  For example there are often adverse entities attached to the top of human heads deliberately blocking the vertical inflow of Light.

 

 

 

[Lairg]

I recall now that the Tibetan practice was drilling a hole in the forehead so that the third eye would operate.   It seems a very dense approach to a spiritual faculty.

[Creation]

5 hours ago, Lairg said:

As I recall Lobsang Rampa recounts a Tibetan practice of drilling a hole in the top of the head.

This is a fabrication and of no relevance to discussions of actual Tibetan practices.

[Taoist Texts]

6 hours ago, Creation said:

This is a fabrication

given who he was it most likely is

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobsang_Rampa

now the question is - how we know the grass inserting story is not a fabrication as well? one way to know is to ask 'is there a reason to do that'? And there is none so far

11 hours ago, Lairg said:

 

It is hard to understand that could be of direct value.

exactly! no reason no value...

 

now, to me the reason is a religious vestige of Hinduism (similar to medicine buddha=shiva). the ritual is intended to turn the practicer into the god Vishnu providing the former with a token of Vishnu's hair:
 

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The Garuda Purana states that the kusha grass is born of the hair of Vishnu, and that it offers residence to the essence of all three of the Trimurti. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusha_grass

 

 

Edited January 12, 2023 by Taoist Texts

[Lairg]

Lobsang Rampa (at least in the earliest books) has some significance.  His publisher variously described him and tall and fair,  and short and dark.  Perhaps he  really was moving his substance to his new body.

 

It is likely that important Tibetan techniques were veiled with allegory. 

[Zhongyongdaoist]

23 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

There is this ritual when a stalk or a blade of grass is inserted into the crown. Some say it is inserted into a physical hole ; some say it is inserted into a swelling lesion. My question is why to insert anything into it if that spot is visible to the eye and accessible to touch?

Quote

 

https://texts.mandala.library.virginia.edu/shanti_texts/node_embed/39036

There may be itching sensation on the crown or blood or pus oozing out to indicate the effect of the practice. Often a blade of kusha grass is pierced through the crown to check if the trainer has succeeded in phowa.

 

I do not understand why it needs to be pierced and what exactly does the piercing proves?

 

https://dakinitranslations.com/2022/09/25/practice-given-by-guru-padmasambhava-to-king-trisong-detsen-for-his-minister-who-accidentally-killed-his-parents-the-treasure-tradition-of-phowa-introduction-to-the-treasure-phowa-tradition-its-hist/

 

9 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

Quote

 

The Garuda Purana states that the kusha grass is born of the hair of Vishnu, and that it offers residence to the essence of all three of the Trimurti. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusha_grass

 

 

 

It is surprising that you would visit Wikipedia for Kusha grass and not simple check out the entry for Phowa which explains the practice in detail.  Simple summary, the whole in the top of the head is so that the practitioner can leave the body at the time of death, the point of putting the grass in the whole is to acknowledge success at the practice and show that you are a truly holely Buddhist (bad pun is intentional and not merely "sic" humor).

 

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Signs of success

The mark of a successful phowa practice is a small drop of blood directly from the center of the vertex.^{[clarification needed]} To demonstrate a successful practice traditionally a Kusha-grass was pushed into the small opening created in the fontanel.^[7][8] According to Khenpo Tsultrim Lodrö, the “mark of a successful phowa is that after death, there is visible hair loss, a bump or some yellow liquid seeping around the vertex” at the crown of the head.^[9] (Wikipedia, article on Phowa)

 

 

I hope that clears up the confusion.

 

I could say more about Lopsang Rampa, but why bother?

 

ZYD

 

 

Edited January 12, 2023 by Zhongyongdaoist
I put parentheses around "sic" above to show that it is not a mispelling of sick, but another bad joke.

[Shadow_self]

22 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

There is this ritual when a stalk or a blade of grass is inserted into the crown. Some say it is inserted into a physical hole ; some say it is inserted into a swelling lesion. My question is why to insert anything into it if that spot is visible to the eye and accessible to touch?

I do not understand why it needs to be pierced and what exactly does the piercing proves?

 

Cant speak for that  lineage specifically , but my understanding is via the practice you alter the structure of the  posterior fontanelle, and reopen a space near where it originally was,  such that at the time of death, consciousness can be directed out of that aperture.

 

I believe it is more of an emergency thing, a "break glass in case of" if you would

 

 

Pretty sure theres a similar practice done in neidan too.

 

Check out the Zhen Longhu Jiuxian Jing, there's discussions around it there.

 

Being able to get the blade of grass in is a sign that you've successfully opened that space

 

 

 

[Taoist Texts]

58 minutes ago, Shadow_self said:

Being able to get the blade of grass in is a sign that you've successfully opened that space

 

1 hour ago, Zhongyongdaoist said:

the point of putting the grass in the whole is to acknowledge success at the practice and show that you are a truly holely Buddhist

thank you very much you good gentlemen.  So you both believe that the grass is just a sign to show serving no useful purpose except showing success.

 

Thats a valid viewpoint. Of course i am still in doubt why you need an addition sign beyond a visible hole? Is the hole too small to see without the grass? And to whom is the sign directed to? The rest of the monastery?

 

And if it is just a sign why to keep the grass there for three days?

Quote

 

Next morning when Lopon looked, he was at last able to insert a blade
of kusha grass, which must stand upright in the hole in the fontanelle
to demonstrate that the practice has been successful. The
blade of grass was about twelve inches long and remained upright
for three days.

https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg175605.html

 

 

Thanks again for your replies! Your are the best!

[Taoist Texts]

1 hour ago, Shadow_self said:

Check out the Zhen Longhu Jiuxian Jing, there's discussions around it there.

https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&chapter=829751&remap=gb

perhaps. The crown is mentioned 28 times but nothing about the grass in the hole.

[Shadow_self]

6 minutes ago, Taoist Texts said:

 

thank you very much you good gentlemen.  So you both believe that the grass is just a sign to show serving no useful purpose except showing success.

 

Thats a valid viewpoint. Of course i am still in doubt why you need an addition sign beyond a visible hole? Is the hole too small to see without the grass? And to whom is the sign directed to? The rest of the monastery?

 

And if it is just a sign why to keep the grass there for three days?

 

Thanks again for your replies! Your are the best!

 

5 minutes ago, Taoist Texts said:

https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&chapter=829751&remap=gb

perhaps. The crown is mentioned 28 times but nothing about the grass in the hole.

 

Just two points here

 

1. Perhaps it was to prove it to the practitioner, not the teacher. after all the hole can be quite small starting out. Have you ever tried inspecting your own posterior fontanelle? Keep in mind these things were developed long before a camera

 

Some rather interesting pictures here

 

https://www.gloje.org/en/phowa_dharma_auspicious_signs

 

2. The 3 days.

 

3 days seems to be a common thing in various traditions. I would not read into it too much. Either there's a reason or its just a tradition

 

Here's a counter question. How come you are concerned with this? Seems a rather trivial point  to be concerned with no?

[Taoist Texts]

1 hour ago, Shadow_self said:

Here's a counter question.

good question.

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How come you are concerned with this? Seems a rather trivial point  to be concerned with no?

yes it is trivial for most. but for a professional like me its an important research topic: the last stage of the whole process!  Also it is an intellectual puzzle which is  amusing to solve especially when all the experts are so widely mistaken on it.

 

In reality what is going on here  is  a sacred grass (kusha in tibet/india or yarrow in china) is needed to  find  and to improve the hole. The  hole is not a physical, visible opening as the experts naively think  but an energetic one which  transforms the flesh and bone around itself into a mix of matter/energy that can be penetrated with a sacred grass  only.   Without inserting a grass the opening is not visible. And the purpose of the grass insertion is twofold: 1st - to  find and to confirm the hole; 2nd - to enlarge and to preserve it energetically . (an additional layer of complexity here is that all of the above might take place  not in physical reality but in the minds of the native  buddhist community).

[Shadow_self]

3 minutes ago, Taoist Texts said:

good question.

yes it is trivial for most. but for a professional like me its an important research topic: the last stage of the whole process!  Also it is an intellectual puzzle which is  amusing to solve especially when all the experts are so widely mistaken on it.

 

I dont find it important, but I dont practice it so thats why. Im sure its very important to those who do

 

3 minutes ago, Taoist Texts said:

In reality what is going on here  is  a sacred grass (kusha in tibet/india or yarrow in china) is needed to  find  and to improve the hole. The  hole is not a physical, visible opening as the experts naively think  but an energetic one which  transforms the flesh and bone around itself into a mix of matter/energy that can be penetrated with a sacred grass  only.   Without inserting a grass the opening is not visible. And the purpose of the grass insertion is twofold: 1st - to  find and to confirm the hole; 2nd - to enlarge and to preserve it energetically . (an additional layer of complexity here is that all of the above might take place  not in physical reality but in the minds of the native  buddhist community).

 

Sorry what might take place?

 

 

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you meant?

 

Though Im not big into the whole sacred grass thing.

 

 Ill leave you to do that research friend  

[Cobie]

4 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

…The  hole is not a physical, visible opening … but an energetic one … 

That’s been my experience.  

 

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… not in physical reality but in the minds …

 

All systems are mental constructs that can be discarded when the goal has been reached. 
 

4 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

…  Without inserting a grass the opening is not visible …

 Sure, it takes grass (pot, weed) 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2023 by Cobie