Gentle Basket Breathing

Four subdivisions:

1. Essential point of the body posture

2. Essential point of the wind

3. Essential point of the visualization

4. Essential point of the enhancement practice of Thrulkhor

The Essential point of the enhancement practice of Thrulkhor is too large of a topic to explore in this teaching, and can be the entire focus of teachings in a future teaching.

1: Essential Point of the Body Posture

The essential point of the body posture is a six-point body posture. First, with the legs crossed in the yungdrung posture (full lotus posture. If it's too difficult, sit in your normal meditative posture.) Second, the tongue touches the upper plate. Third, sun and moon focus on space. This means the two eyes gaze upward into empty space. Fourth, two hands placed in a vajra fist (thumbs inside with four fingers wrapped around thumbs) which are pressed on the left and right channels (in the junction of the legs and hips). The fists are facing down. (if you wish to flip the fists, that is okay too. The main point is to press down on the two channels.) Fifth, press the two elbows against the body, pressed against the channels of the kidneys. Sixth, the neck door is pressed. This means to bend the neck back, pulling the voice box back towards the spine. 

2: Essential Point of the Wind

The essential point of the wind are the three special preliminary practices.  

1. The building of the protection tent within the hollow interior of the Perfection Body

2. Cleansing the poison wind within the hollow interior of the Emanation Body

3. The blessing of the channels, winds, and spheres within the hollow interior of the Reality Body

Do each of these special preliminary practices one time before each session.

3: Essential Point of the Visualization

From the space of the three hollow interiors, it says in the text Dranpag Sangsgrub, “the three seed syllables are the horse of the vital point.” The entering breath has the nature of OM. When you inhale the breath through both nostrils, its essence is OM, all existing phenomena. The wind/breath abides as the nature of A. The breath is the essence or quality of the natural state of mind. The exhaled wind is the nature of HUNG. When you exhale all the negative emotions and states of everything (disease, blockages, unbalanced elements) is exhaled as the nature of HUNG.

Entering Breath as the Nature of OM

As you breathe in, the clear wind of the surrounding empty space goes in both nostrils and down the right and left channels. Imagine that both channels become inflated like an intestine balloon when blown up. As the breath goes down to the junction of the three channels, it touches the A-shad fire. 

Wind Abides as the Nature of A

When this breath arrives at the junction of the three channels and touches the A-shad fire, completely compress the wind below the navel. Hold the breath below the navel at the junction of the three channels. When you hold the breath, the A-shad fire becomes ten times hotter than before. Feel and imagine this. From the blazing fire’s heat the bodhichitta sphere HAM at the crown of the head begins to melt. The bodhichitta sphere becomes ready to melt, but does not yet melt at this time. At this time, feel clearly and vividly the bliss beginning to generate – but does not yet arise. This bliss is like the foreplay feelings when two people engage in sexual union. This is what is meant by ready to melt, but not yet melting. Hold the breath for as long as you can. Longer is better, but only as long as you can. One minute is good, thirty seconds is average time. 

Exhaling Wind as the Nature of HUNG

Once you are unable to hold the breath, slowly exhale the wind from the central channel out the crown of the head and exhale all the remaining wind without exception. This wind goes out an arrow length in front of you in a thin line. Then you can inhale a little bit, and give an extra exhale to fully empty the winds. 

The practice of the three breaths (inhaling, holding, and exhaling) should be smooth like a wave dissolving into the ocean.

To start, do seven breaths in a session, then thirteen breaths, and increase to twenty-five breaths until you can do 100 times in a single session. If you are familiar with this practice, you can do four sessions a day of 108 breaths. In between sessions, you can practice the fifteen Thulkhor.