Intense Mass of Fire Breathing 

Intense Mass of Fire Breathing 

Also called “Forceful Winds of Great Massive Flame”

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

In the Dzogchen Yangtse Longchen it says, “Practice the six essential points of the body.”

Six Essential Points of the Body:

1. Focus the sun and moon on the sky. This means that both eyes gaze upward.

2. Keep the tongue in the jail. This means to touch the tongue to the upper palate.

3. Press the ocean on Mount Meru. This means to pull the stomach back against the spine.

4. Pull the lasso up. This means to pull up the lower wind – the lower secret door.

5. Forcefully bind the face of the raksha (demon). This means to forcefully close the lower gate.

6. Gather from the boundaries of the four continents. This means cross both legs and cross both arms and grab the big toes.

2: Essential Point of the Wind

Do the nine breathing purification practice titled “Cleansing the poison wind within the hollow interior of the Emanation Body.” 

3: Essential Point of the Visualization

Do the three types of the hollow interior practice – Sambhogakaya, Nirmanakaya, and Dharmakaya hollow interior visualizations taught previously. Visualize the three channels and the blessing practice “The blessing of the channels, winds, and spheres within the hollow interior of the Reality Body.”

In the text Golden Spoon it says, “Fire blazes from the RAM at the navel and goes to the crown and touches the HAM. Melt the nectar and pour it into the A-shad fire. The five chakras are filled with fire.”

First do the Four-fold Wind Practice. First, inhaling the wind like cotton. Second, wind filling up like nectar.  Third, holding the wind and forcing downward the fire-like wind of melting. Fourth, exhaling and projecting the wind like smoke. Note: that the third part, holding and forcing, is a bit different than done in the previous practice.

108 Tummo Breaths

The following practice is 108 breaths broken up into a level of eight breaths followed by ten levels of ten breaths. This totals 108 total breaths for the full practice. As you are learning this practice, you can focus on just one of these levels of eight or ten at a time, then relax. You can try to just authentically practice one level and really try to feel the heat during this time of learning the practice. Then relax for a bit and try again. We can take these levels slowly, bit by bit. Then when you are ready you can do all 108 breaths in a single session.

First Level: Eight Breaths A-shad Fire

Inhale and fill up the wind down the two side channels to the junction of the three channels below the navel. Then focus holding the wind downward and place your awareness only on the A-shad fire under the navel for as long as you can hold your breath. Then exhale through both nostrils and visualize the breath coming up the central channel and out the crown of the head as blue incense smoke. Do this for the first eight breaths focusing only on the A-shad fire under the navel. 

Second Level: Ten Breaths Blazing Secret Chakra

Inhale and fill up the wind down the two side channels to the junction of the three channels below the navel. Then focus holding the wind downward and place your awareness only on the A-shad fire but now the heat has spread to your entire secret chakra. Feel the luminous heat of the A-shad fire in every part of the lower body and secret chakra. Do this for as long as you can hold your breath. Then exhale through both nostrils and visualize the breath coming up the central channel and out the crown of the head as blue incense smoke. Do this for ten breaths focusing only on the heat of the A-shad fire in the lower part of the body’s secret chakra. 

Third Level: Ten Breaths Blazing Emanation Chakra

Inhale and fill up the wind down the two side channels to the junction of the three channels below the navel. Then focus holding the wind downward and place your awareness only on the A-shad fire but now the heat has spread up to your emanation chakra at the navel. Feel the luminous heat of the A-shad fire in every part of the emanation chakra at the navel and all of the body below the navel. Do this for as long as you can hold your breath. Then exhale through both nostrils and visualize the breath coming up the central channel and out the crown of the head as blue incense smoke. Do this for ten breaths focusing only on the heat of the A-shad fire in the emanation chakra at the navel and below. 

Fourth Level: Ten Breaths Blazing Reality Chakra

Inhale and fill up the wind down the two side channels to the junction of the three channels below the navel. Then focus holding the wind downward and place your awareness only on the A-shad fire but now the heat has spread up to your reality chakra at the heart. Feel the luminous heat of the A-shad fire in every part of the reality chakra at the heart and all of the body below the heart. Do this for as long as you can hold your breath. Then exhale through both nostrils and visualize the breath coming up the central channel and out the crown of the head as blue incense smoke. Do this for ten breaths focusing only on the heat of the A-shad fire in the reality chakra at the heart and below. 

Fifth Level: Ten Breaths Blazing Enjoyment Chakra

Inhale and fill up the wind down the two side channels to the junction of the three channels below the navel. Then focus holding the wind downward and place your awareness only on the A-shad fire but now the heat has spread up to your enjoyment chakra at the throat. Feel the luminous heat of the A-shad fire in every part of the enjoyment chakra at the throat and all of the body below the throat. Do this for as long as you can hold your breath. Then exhale through both nostrils and visualize the breath coming up the central channel and out the crown of the head as blue incense smoke. Do this for ten breaths focusing only on the heat of the A-shad fire in the enjoyment chakra at the throat and below. 

Sixth Level: Ten Breaths Blazing Great Bliss Chakra

Inhale and fill up the wind down the two side channels to the junction of the three channels below the navel. Then focus holding the wind downward and place your awareness only on the A-shad fire but now the heat has spread up to your great bliss chakra at the crown of the head. Feel the luminous heat of the A-shad fire in every part of the great bliss chakra at the crown and all of the body below the crown of the head. Do this for as long as you can hold your breath. Then exhale through both nostrils and visualize the breath coming up the central channel and out the crown of the head as blue incense smoke. Do this for ten breaths focusing only on the heat of the A-shad fire in the great bliss chakra at the crown of the head and the whole body below. 

At this time, all five chakras are blazing with the heat of the A-shad fire. Feel the whole body blazing with heat.

It’s important as a beginner when doing this practice, to not visualize the A-shad fire as growing bigger than the navel chakra. The A-shad fire is only four fingers in length at the base of the three channels, and only grows one finger in length for each level. It never grows higher than the navel chakra. It is the heat from the A-shad fire which rises and permeates each chakra and the whole body level by level. We still visualize the A-shad fire with its four qualities. 

Once we are proficient in the practice, then we can allow the A-shad fire itself to grow up to each chakra level by level to the crown of the head. 

The Secret Treasury of the Khandros says, “Until the respective signs of warmth are generated, the flames of fire should not go higher than the navel. Keep the flame under the navel four finger width in length. Do not switch to the next stage until the previously generated level of bliss becomes clear. “Clear” here means your visualization and feeling are very clearly experienced and felt. At the times the flames of fire blaze, if you let the flame become longer than four fingers, hindrances will occur and the benefits will be poor. When you are ready to increase the flame’s height do so only in four finger width intervals at a time to prevent obstacles.”

Four qualities of the A-shad fire:

1. Color is red.

2. Luminous like a sesame oil lamp.

3. Heat is like feeling molten iron (or the top of the butter lamp).

4. Shaped like a copper needle. Four finger widths tall.

Two Ways of Understanding What A-shad Fire Means:

1. Physical Level: This means we have experience of the fire. When we focus on the A-shad fire’s four characteristics the body can become easily controlled by heat. In this physical practice we can feel heat in this physical body.

2. Mental Level: This depends on our visualization. Mentally everything manifests without inherent existence. We can see something there, but when we search we cannot find it. Everything appears without any nature. This means even though the A-shad fire can be felt it symbolizes how much we are mentally connected to the nature of mind. If we understand the Dzogchen view of the natural state of mind, the quality of the natural state of mind, and the nature of the natural state of mind, then your tummo is the authentic ultimate reality tummo. Even if you cannot feel physical heat, if you are connected mentally to the fire which is the nature of the mind you are practicing the ultimate state of tummo. 

The main point is not about how much heat you feel, or if you can dry wet clothes. That is not important.  What is important is when you practice tummo how much your mind transforms into the reality of the nature of the body, speech, and mind. If your mind is not changing through this practice and is just the same as it was before – normal ordinary mind – then your tummo is nothing and brings no benefit to you. That is why the important thing is understanding the nature of phenomena, and to try to live from that nature. That is the most important part.

But even the physical level of practice has some benefits. It benefits purifying the blockage of the elements and channels, purifying disease, and helps cleanse the body through the heat of the A-shad fire. But that does not free us from suffering and samsara. We are healthy, but still in samsara.

To free ourselves from samsara we need to practice at the level of understanding the nature of mind. When we understand the nature of mind then all practice becomes authentic and realistic. All these methods and wisdoms of practice become the causes of liberation and Buddhahood. Otherwise all these practices just reduce our suffering, but don’t ultimately liberate. If we do not understand the natural state of mind, then we will not be free of samsara. It is only through connecting/understanding the natural state of mind, that we can transform and liberate ourselves from samsara. Every practice should connect us to the natural state of mind if we aspire to liberation and awakening in this life. 

But just try to practice what you have learned up till here. Don’t expect to be perfect. Don’t think “I need to perfect this practice.” All of us have our own causes and conditions which will affect how we practice. There are so many unique causes and conditions. Just set aside time to practice a little bit at a time without judgment. Don’t let yourself be caught in trying to do it perfectly or figure it all out. Just do the best you can.

Having done the 58 breaths, now we can continue with the second half of the 108 Tummo Breaths.

From the Tantra of Direct Buddhahood it says, “The path of the channels has the pure spheres. Sixteen spheres are divided in half each time down to four. Wherever there are spheres, bliss arises and the bodhichitta increases.” 

In the Dzogchen Yangtse Longchen it says, “The sixteen spheres are the display of the four joys.”

What are the four joys?

Four Joys:

1. Joy

2. Supreme Joy

3. Special Joy

4. Co-emergent Joy

Each of these joy(s) are more than the one before it with co-emergent joy being the ultimate joy not dependent on causes & conditions. This co-emergent joy can be felt when connected with the natural state of mind. Co-emergent joy is the joy of enlightened beings. Co-emergent joy has two levels, physical and mental. Physically co-emergent joy can be experienced or felt. The experience of an orgasm symbolizes this physical co-emergent joy. Mentally co-emergent joy does not depend on physical felt sensations or experiences. Without relying on the experiences of the body, if you have the experience of dzogchen meditation – the ultimate state – then you can experience the co-emergent joy.

Seventh Level: Ten Breaths Melting the Bodhichitta Sphere at the Great Bliss Chakra

Inhale and fill up the wind down the two side channels to the junction of the three channels below the navel. Then focus holding the wind downward, holding the breath and feel the luminous heat of the A-shad fire in every part of the body. At the crown of the head is the HAM bodhichitta sphere – the sphere of the enlightened mind. The heat from the A-shad fire melt the HAM bodhichitta sphere and many spheres melt out of the HAM sphere. Those spheres fill up the crown chakra. Do this for as long as you can hold your breath. Then exhale through both nostrils and visualize the breath coming up the central channel and out the crown of the head as blue incense smoke. Do this for ten breaths focusing only on the melting of spheres in the crown chakra. 

Eighth Level: Ten Breaths Melting the Sixteen Spheres at the Throat Chakra

Inhale and fill up the wind down the two side channels to the junction of the three channels below the navel. Then focus holding the wind downward, holding the breath and feel the luminous heat of the A-shad fire in every part of the body. Sixteen spheres from the crown of the head descend down to the throat chakra. Focus on the joy that descends from above. Feel the joy that descends from the crown to the throat. Do this for as long as you can hold your breath. Then exhale through both nostrils and visualize the breath coming up the central channel and out the crown of the head as blue incense smoke. Do this for ten breaths focusing only on the joy of the spheres that descend to the throat. 

Ninth Level: Ten Breaths Melting the Eight Spheres at the Heart Chakra

Inhale and fill up the wind down the two side channels to the junction of the three channels below the navel. Then focus holding the wind downward, holding the breath and feel the luminous heat of the A-shad fire in every part of the body. Eight spheres from the throat descend down to the heart chakra. Focus on the supreme joy that descends from above. Feel the supreme joy that descends from the throat to the heart. Do this for as long as you can hold your breath. Then exhale through both nostrils and visualize the breath coming up the central channel and out the crown of the head as blue incense smoke. Do this for ten breaths focusing only on the supreme joy of the spheres that descend to the heart. 

Tenth Level: Ten Breaths Melting the Four Spheres at the Navel Chakra

Inhale and fill up the wind down the two side channels to the junction of the three channels below the navel. Then focus holding the wind downward, holding the breath and feel the luminous heat of the A-shad fire in every part of the body. Four spheres from the heart descend down to the navel chakra. Focus on the special joy that descends from above. Feel the special joy that descends from the heart to the navel. Do this for as long as you can hold your breath. Then exhale through both nostrils and visualize the breath coming up the central channel and out the crown of the head as blue incense smoke. Do this for ten breaths focusing only on the special joy of the spheres that descend to the navel. 

Eleventh Level: Ten Breaths Melting the Two Spheres at the Secret Chakra

Inhale and fill up the wind down the two side channels to the junction of the three channels below the navel. Then focus holding the wind downward, holding the breath and feel the luminous heat of the A-shad fire in every part of the body. Two spheres from the navel descend down to the secret chakra. Focus on the co-emergent joy that descends from above. Feel the co-emergent joy that descends from the navel to the secret chakra. Do this for as long as you can hold your breath. Then exhale through both nostrils and visualize the breath coming up the central channel and out the crown of the head as blue incense smoke. Do this for ten breaths focusing only on the co-emergent joy of the spheres that descend to the secret chakra. 

At this point, all 108 breaths have been done. The entire body is filled with warmth and joy. The entire body is like a skin bag filled with melted butter – the four joys. The nectar of the Bodhichitta continuously fills the body and the heat of the bliss waves and vibrates through the body. 

The first 58 breaths fill the whole body with heat of fire. The remaining 50 breaths fill the whole body with warmth and joy. Together they total 108 breaths.

The sixteen spheres are the display of the four joys.