Sambhogakaya Hollow Interior Practice

Mediation on the Hollow Interior of the Deities

Meditation on the empty deity of the enjoyment body, Sambhogakaya.

Also known as Sambhogakaya Hollow Interior Practice or “First Tongra.”

Essential Point of the Body:

Body Posture: The essential point of the body is the seven essential points. 

Seven-Essential Points:

1. 1. 1. Sitting cross legged - restrains the lower winds.

      2. Hand in meditative equipoise - abandons activities.

      3. Backbone straight - collecting all the parts of the body.

      4. Stomach pulled in (not forcefully, but naturally with straight spine) - gathering the spheres.

      5. Neck bent (pull head back over shoulders and spine) - being without speech.

      6. Tongue joins the upper plate - being natural.

      7. Shoulders lifted (but not up to ears) - straightening the path of the channels.

Eye gaze is not mentioned in the text, but looking down the nose in the meditative gaze is appropriate. Naturally closing the eyes is appropriate too.

Essential point of the Breath: 

The essential point of the breath is to leave it natural. No need to focus on the breath.

Essential point of Visualization:

Six parts:

1. Visualize the place.

2. Visualize the lotus seat.

3. Visualize the moon cushion.

4. Visualize the sun cushion.

5. Visualize the corpse cushion.

6. Visualize the dakini of tummo as the great mother, Thugjé Kundrolma.

1: Visualize the place. 

The place where you practice tummo, where you sit is not to be viewed as an ordinary place. Instead, visualize all phenomena having material substance dissolve into five lights. Like ice dissolving into the ocean. Then the place becomes the celestial palace (or pure land) of great bliss. This great bliss is the nature of the five primordial wisdoms.

In the center of this place, visualize a palace of the five wisdoms. This palace appears but has no inherent nature. 

To do this, sit and recognize all the objects around you. Feel that everything appears there but has no inherent nature, like a dream. Everything is just the form of emptiness. Everything you see. Everything you hear. Everything you smell, feel, or even taste. Try to feel this as dreamlike and recognize your external place as without essence. It’s only there because of its name, our ignorance, our attachment, and our karmic appearances. And when our karmic appearances are finished, everything disappears just like in a dream. The tiger in a dream vanishes when you wake up. See the dreamlike quality of everything around you as you sit in meditation. It’s all appearing only because of mind. And from the center of this “no-place” is the palace of the nature of your mind – the five wisdoms. Feel this palace – your own natural state of mind – generate emptiness united with compassion/bodhichitta. From these two, then we generate the PAM syllable in the next visualization.

The Celestial Palace

The celestial palace is just a name. This is not pointing to a physical structure. This celestial palace is formed by realizing emptiness. If you practice according to the sutra path, it is taught that everything is emptiness. When we are sitting in meditation, we don’t feel that everything is there with its different names. All the phenomena that surround us in reality is the nature of emptiness. When we sit we try to connect with and realize this reality. Everything appears, but has no inherent nature. See how everything appears due to giving it a name. Don’t grasp at the names, at the objects. Water is not water. Fire is not fire. Leave everything as it is without even a name. When everything is realized to come from the natural state of mind, having the same nature as the natural state of mind, and dissolving back into the natural state of mind (like ice dissolving back into water), that is called the celestial palace. Then simply let everything transform naturally into the five lights. 

The Five Lights

What are the five lights? This is not visible light. The five lights are not seen with the eyes. The five lights are the qualities of the nature of mind. The energy of the nature of mind. The reality of phenomena are the five lights. This is explained in the teachings of dzogchen. When it says everything transforms into the five lights, this means everything transforms into its true reality, what they actually are – the natural state of mind. When we feel that everything has the same nature as mind, then at that level we call this state “the pure realm of the great bliss” or “celestial palace.” But that is just a name, the reality is understanding through direct experience the true nature of phenomena which is the same as the nature of mind. When we visualize this way leaving everything as it is without grasping or even naming, the place becomes the celestial palace of the five lights.

2: Visualize the lotus seat. (The Three Concentrations)

In the center of this celestial palace of five wisdoms, visualize the syllable  པཾ PAM

This PAM syllable is born from the creative power of emptiness and compassion. It is generated from the dynamic energy of the emptiness of the natural state of mind, and the compassion of the natural state of mind. Emptiness means at this time the first samadhi/concentration of suchness – absolute bodhicitta. This is generated in the first mediation on the place. Compassion is the second samadhi/concentration of all-illumination (all illuminating or all perceiving) – relative bodhicitta. Here we need to connect to our natural state of mind. Not only its emptiness but specifically its compassion/bodhicitta. 

The third samadhi/concentration is causal concentration – the union of emptiness and bodhicitta. This causal concentration is the seed syllable PAM. We focus on this PAM for two to three minutes. Then the syllable PAM dissolves into light, from which arises a lotus seat. This lotus seat with one thousand petals facing upwards. This symbolizes the purification of the birth place. Buddhas have purified their birth from karmic traces. This is why they all sit on lotus flowers. The lotus comes out of the mud, but is not deluded by the mud/five poisons. 

Meditate in this way again and again, until the lotus petals are clear in your mind.

The color of the PAM is not mentioned in the root text.

3: Visualize the moon cushion.

On the lotus seat visualize a syllable white ཨ A. The white A dissolves into light, from which arises a flat white moon cushion. 

4: Visualize the sun cushion.

Now on the white moon cushion visualize a syllable orange ར RAM. The RAM melts into light, from which arises a reddish-orange sun cushion.

5: Visualize the corpse cushion.

On the reddish-orange sun cushion, visualize a lifeless corpse cushion. This lifeless corpse whos heat and radiance has not yet vanished. This corpse is fresh.

6: Visualize the dakini of tummo as the great mother, Thugjé Kundrolma.

On the lifeless corpse cushion, visualize a reddish-orange syllable མ MA. The syllable MA melts into light and becomes a ball of light which transforms into a curved knife. 

The curved knife rolls into a sphere of light and gradually transforms into the form of the great mother Thukjé Drölma. Now focus on the great mother Thukjé Drölma. 

The Visualization of the great mother, Thugjé Kundrolma:

Thugjé Kundrol stands dancing on a corpse lying on a sun and moon cushion on a thousand-petalled lotus. The color of Thugjé Kundrol is red, like the red from the sun rising over a mountain peak. It is a bright red color. She has one face, two hands, three eyes, and smiles wrathfully. On the crown of her head, is black hunting pig face. In her right hand is a hooked copper knife. She raises this knife into the expanse of the sky. Her left hand holds a skull cup close to her heart. This skull cup is filled with blood. Her head is adorned with five dried skulls. She has a necklace of fifty-on skulls dripping blood. Thugjé Kundrol is naked and adorned with six bone ornaments. First, the crown and its skulls, earrings, neck ornament, body ornament, bracelet, and bell. In her left hook of the arms is a meteoric iron trident. She is youthful, the age of sixteen. She has two legs with the right leg bent, and the left leg extended dancing on the lotus, sun, moon, and corpse cushions. She abides in the center of a great blazing mass of primordial wisdom flames. Furthermore, from the point of view of emptiness, none of these has even an atom of substance. When we visualize, we need to think this way. From the point of view of clarity, there is not even the black and white of her eyes. All is clear and unobscured. From the aspect of the union of emptiness and clarity, imagine the appearances are like the reflection of the moon in the water, or a reflection in a mirror. They are without inherent existence. In that way, meditate focus without distraction single-pointedly on the visualization of Thugjé Kundrol.

Regarding this visualization, if you are unable to remain and lose focus due to the power of conceptual thought, then you should meditate on half of the form of the body; like just the head or a single aspect. In time you can grow the visualization. 

How to Meditate & Visualize on the External Form of Thugjé Kundrol:

First, look clearly at a physical image of Thugjé Kundrol for several minutes. Then close your eyes, and imagine the image as clearly as you can in your mind. We are using the word “image” here, but we don’t mean “image” in an ordinary sense. This “image” is the light form. It’s transparent. There is no material image. It is the form of the consciousness, a form of the mind. This is how we meditate. 

Also, don’t expect Thugje Kundrol to appear all at once suddenly. She appears slowly, slowly, step by step. Just try your best without distraction, without trying to get it perfect. 

We should meditate like this everyday. Just for five to ten minutes, and then resting. Then simply begin again. Meditating like this for thirty minutes is too long. Many short sessions with resting is recommended.

We should meditate in this way for three, five, or seven days minimum. We can meditate like this in the morning when we wake up, then at 10:00 am, then around 1:00 pm, then in the evening around 6:00 pm, and finally before you go to bed. Trying to meditate at the same time each day can be very helpful.

Up until now we have been describing the practice of external visualization. Once we are very familiar with this external visualization of all the many parts, we can move to the internal visualization of Thugjé Kundrol in the heart. 

The Meaning of Visualizing:

There are two types of visualizing practice of Thugjé Kundrol. There is an external visualization and an internal visualization. 

External visualization means to visualize all the many parts of the visualizations as existing parts of the khandros. Visualizing Thugjé Kundrol’s eyes, arms, head, feet, adornments, etc. And visualizing these as externally existing objects who are abiding in a specific location such as above your head, in front of you, or in your heart.

External visualizing Thugjé Kundrol is a preliminary practice to help prepare for the inner visualization practice. When we are beginning and learning the practice we can start with the external visualization, and then when we are proficient in the practice we can do the internal visualization. But once we have learned the practice and decide to practice in a retreat setting, we should only do the internal visualization practice. 

Internal visualization means you are training your mind. You are transforming the mind, our palace of five wisdoms. Where is this palace of five wisdoms? In the center of our heart. It is this mind that abides in the center of your heart that transforms into khandro Thugjé Kundrol. At that time, don’t feel that Thugjé Kundrol is just in the heart and the rest of your body is still your ordinary physical body. That is not the visualization. When it says “your mind transforms into Thugjé Kundrol” that means that you transform into Thugjé Kundrol. When you transform into Thugjé Kundrol, this means all of your connections, your body, your speech, your thoughts, your contaminated phenomena, all of that you call “I” transforms into the space of the luminous khando, Thugjé Kundrol. At that time you are in the state of Thugjé Kundrol. 

But what does it mean to be in the state of Thugjé Kundrol? Thugjé Kundrol is said to have many symbolisms such as three eyes, one face, and two hands but all of those are symbols not reality. Symbolisms are not real. We utilize symbolism to help us understand. If we were to say Thugjé Kundrol is just space or just emptiness, we might not understand. Thus we use symbolism to help us understand. The main reality of Thugjé Kundrol is your own mind – the natural state of your mind. You need to connect with that state. If you transform that state into the symbolism of Thugjé Kundrol that is enough. If not, then just connect with that natural state of mind. When you are connected with the natural state of mind you are transformed into Thugjé Kundrol. This is the deeper meaning of the internal visualization. Mind itself connects with its own self-knowing awareness. 

Why does Thugjé Kundrol abide in the center of the heart?

In Dzogchen, Kuntuzangpo taught that rigpa –our natural state of mind– abides at the center of our heart. Kuntuzangpo abides in the center of our heart. This is why we generate everything from the center of our heart – the source of our awareness/rigpa. Once our rigpa/awareness, heart essence, and natural state of mind transforms into Thugjé Kundrol, how are we not other than Thugjé Kundrol herself?

How to Practice the Internal Visualization:

Imagine the boundary of the physical body, the inside which is only empty space. This empty space is the internal landscape of the subtle body. The subtle body is like an empty crystal bottle filled with light without any substance whatsoever. Visualize the same six visualizations starting with the place which is now the empty space in the center of your heart.

The red letter MA symbolizes the speech of the great mother Thugjé Kundrol. The curved knife symbolizes the mind of the great mother Thugjé Kundrol. The curved knife gradually transforms into the form of Thugjé Kundrol. This symbolizes the body of the great mother Thugjé Kundrol. 

Now your body, speech, and mind are not separate from the great mother Thugjé Kundrol. This is the internal visualization.  The main point is that your mind in the space at the center of your heart slowly transforms step by step into Thugjé Kundrol.

How big or small is the great mother Thugjé Kundrol in the space in the center of our heart? It is our mind which transforms into Thugjé Kundrol. How big is your mind?

Once you are stable and proficient in both the external and internal visualization practice, proceed to the second tongra, the Nirmanakaya Hollow Interior Practice.

How does the great mother Thugjé Kundrol appear?

Through three steps of the speech, mind, and body which are the MA syllable, curved knife, and form. From that your mind is transformed into Thugjé Kundrol.