Mother Nature

Often we may think there is a division between what is going on inside of us and what appears to us as going on outside of us, but that is not the case. The inside and the outside are not as separate as we think the are. In the world, the elements are out of balance. There is fire, floods, violence, disease, and pandemics. Inside of us, the elements are out of balance. When we experience this imbalance internally, it’s out of control unnamable emotionalities. It’s the five poisons which arise from the five elements, arising out of balance all over the place. Too much of one, not enough of another and in the wrong places. So anger arises in places where there is no need for anger. Fear arises in things that are not dangerous. Jealousy arises where we wouldn’t expect it. Depression arises randomly. Desire arises for all the things we cannot do these days.

So first we may wish to deal with this imbalance inside. Because we cannot effectively deal with it outside. We cannot see clearly what we are able to do to help the world while we are rolling around in confusion. So this practice helps bring balance and clarity so that we can see what can be done in the world.

Recognizing the Nature of Mind

At the highest level, to rebalance within the mind, the method in which to practice is recognizing the nature of mind. Recognizing the nature of mind in which all the emotions arise in their pure forms as the immaculate dance of the five Dhyani Buddhas; of the five elements in harmony and balance. Recognizing this as our own true nature. The imbalance arises in thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. Recognizing those for what they really are; the play of the Dharmakaya nature of mind; the sparkle of the clear light nature of emptiness. Seeing for ourselves the inherent and absolute balance of the unmoving immutable nature of mind which is who/what we really are. Seeing the arising of inner and outer phenomena (thoughts, feelings, and perceptions) arising in mind, as mind, never becoming other than mind, dissolving in mind. Leaving no trace in the infinite empty sky. This activity of non-activity, this natural resting of mind is the fastest and purest way of bringing all of it into balance. From a point of natural balance all doing arise spontaneously and appropriately without me needing to figure it out using thoughts.

But when we are not able to see the emptiness of inner and outer phenomena as it arises, then we simply step back and relax into Mother Nature, Tara Parnashavari. For Tara Parnashavari does the same thing, but with a bit of doing instead of non-doing.

Mother Nature

The Leaf Covered Goddess - Tara Parnashavari

Tara Parnashavari is very powerful. She is the element of nature. She is the storm, the flood, the hurricane, the peace of the forest – the peace that will enforce itself if you try to pave it. 

Mother Nature, also known as Parnashavari is clad in medicinal plants and leaves. Her jewelry is made of nuts and seeds, forest elements such as pine cones. She is the yogini of the deep forest; the goddess of the deep forest. Identify yourself as mother nature for this practice. We begin with refuge. From there we move into bodhichitta.

The very seed essence of the Dharma is bodhichitta. So over and over again and again bring this to mind; the essence of the Dharma is bodhichitta. If bodhichitta is present within your mind then just naturally you should know that naturally whatever you do becomes excellent conduct.

Cultivate this wish of wanting to benefit sentient beings and then the moment this wish arises in your mind think of the form of Mother Nature, Parnashavari. That then is the actual Mother Nature. There is no difference between what arises and Mother Nature. That's because bodhichitta is your buddha nature, and your buddha nature is the same nature as Mother Nature herself. This really is very important and this is the essence.

In the Buddha, Dharma, and supreme assembly, I take refuge until awakening.

 Through the merit of practicing generosity and the other pāramitās, 

May I attain buddhahood for the benefit of beings.

May all mother sentient beings, limitless as space, have happiness and the causes of happiness.

May they be freed from suffering and the causes of suffering.

May they not be separated from the happiness that is free from suffering.

May they dwell in equanimity, free from any bias of attachment or aversion.

Practice of the Body

Imagine that the emanation of Tara appears as at the crown of each sentient being, as many emanations as there are sentient beings. She is holding a vase in her hand and pouring down the pure nectar of the Earth into the crowns of each sentient being and then the nectar fills up their bodies and they become purified. Focus on this visualization single pointedly.

I am golden-colored Parnashavarī, sitting on a lotus seat, my main face is yellow, the right face blue, and the left face white, my hair is bound up in a topknot, and I am full of splendor. I am the embodiment of wisdom and compassion, I dwell in the midst of masses of fire, which is burning like the fire at the end of time; with my three faces and six arms, I look terrifying and wrathful, who has one leg outstretched to perform deeds and the other bent in perfect harmony. Wearing a robe of leaves, holding a hunter's bow and arrow, a battle ax, and a bundle of leaves, all symbolizing death & life, I, Parnashavarī, display the threatening mudra and hold a vajra of indestructibility, great mother, protectress of beings.

On my head are the five victorious ones, that's the five Dhyani Buddhas – the purification of the five poisons into the five wisdoms. This is my crown. From their hearts flow streams of milky nectar filling the body. In this way all imbalances, wrong inclinations and obscurities of ways of seeing things are purified.

Feel yourself returning with the flow of the transformed five poisons as liquid into you who is the entire world, its entire ecosystem. Now you are the entire world's ecosystem in the form of this aspect of Tara. Feel it. Feel the balance returning.

Imagine that the moment Parnashavarī’s form comes to your mind instantly imagine that your body is burned away. It disappears just like a pile of wood is being burned away by fire. Imagine that your body then becomes clear and empty just like a rainbow. Visualize this over and over again, hundreds of times. Every time you visualize this you are purifying obscurations. Then once you have become habituated to it, later on it will appear to you as though you have no more physical body and that's the time when the blessings will actually enter you. When you visualize Parnashavarī clearly but empty of self nature like a rainbow within that nature disease, evil spirits, obstacles, and afflictive emotions do not exist. They have no dwelling place in a rainbow-like body. Therefore visualize it over and over again. When you practice the generation stage you should visualize again and again your body as like a rainbow body.

Feel yourself interrelated, interactive, interpenetrating with all life. Part of it. Gaia, Mother Nature, this world. You are the ecology of the Earth. Mother Earth is the nature of the five elements dancing in harmony. Feel yourself as this. Fire and earth, water, air, and space dancing properly with each other as form in emptiness.

Practice of the Speech

Mantra: OM PISHATSI PARNA SHAVARI SARVA MĀRI PRASHA MANI HŪNG

Next, imagine that from the Mother Earth’s heart the mantra garland emanates, PAM, the seed syllable of Parnashavarī. However, it is also okay if you visualize Green Tara’s TAM syllable. The mantra garland circles around the seed syllable. Visualize that the mantra continuously circles around the PAM at your heart. The first thing that emerges from it is a form of light from the mouth of Mother Earth. This light showers down like rain falling down in the form of mantra syllables. As you repeat the mantra imagine that now you have received the mantra garland which begins to circle around the PAM syllable at your heart. It's important to continuously visualize and meditate on the mantra circling.

The visualization of Parnashavarī's form is what purifies the karmic imprints of the body. The sound of the Parnashavarīs mantra purifies the karmic imprints of the speech; our fixation and grasping at sound and speech. It is because of our body and speech that we develop many thoughts of attachment and aversion. This endless chain of thoughts is what places these karmic imprints into our mind. Through receiving the mantra sound we are purifying all of these previously accumulated negativities and also preventing them from arising in the future. This is why it is important to continuously visualize Parnashavarī and recite Parnashavarī’s mantra. In this way all previously accumulated negativities are purified and are prevented from arising in the future. This is the important point.

Practice of the Mind

In order to purify the obscurations of the mind, meditate on the blue syllable HUNG. Even though all the Buddhas have their own seed syllable the HUNG syllable is the life force of all the Buddhas. Focus on the HUNG single pointedly until it becomes indivisible from your own mindfulness. If you are able to sustain such mindfulness then the karmic imprints of body, speech, and mind all become purified. Your body then you become just like a crystal vase that is filled with pure water. If the crystal vase is pure inside and you fill it with pure water then even if the outside of the vase becomes a little bit stained the stains cannot directly connect to the water. If you do not separate from mindfulness your mind cannot become obscured. The Buddha gave many skillful means to to purify these observations. One of them is to visualize the HUNG syllable. Whenever a thought arises in the mind instantly think of HUNG and the HUNG then completely disperses all thoughts. Then there is no thought. The mind is completely empty and there are no obscurations. Obscurations can easily arise and cloud the mind. But just as easy we can clear them away and purify them with HUNG.

The practice is to recognize who you actually are. The true ultimate nature of the mind in it’s natural state. All of this ceremony and practice is all for that sake. The entire practice is just in order to realize the true nature of your mind. Tilopa has said without a single thought, look decisively at the ultimate nature. Think about no-thing and look at your mind. Then just naturally thinking stops. Then there are no thoughts in your mind. When there are no thoughts in your mind the mind becomes like empty space. We always continue to look at the mind in this way. Always be looking at your mind and then when you look at the mind there is nothing there like space. When you decide upon that again and again with certainty; that is the view of mahamudra. Which is buddha nature. The Buddha said that all beings are Buddhas. So the basis of their mind, their fundamental nature, is Buddha. Thoughts only appear momentarily. So look at your mind right now and in a very direct way without a single thought decisively and directly look at your mind don't give it any name, no concepts, no labels, just look directly at the mind.

Daily Life Practice

As we go into the world, first we need to cultivate love, compassion, and patience. For us ordinary beings this is most important. Love and compassion are like milk. Patience is like the vessel that you pour the milk into. The vessel has to be a golden vessel. A golden vessel cannot break easily and it cannot become damaged easily. To summarize our practice is bodhichitta. That's most important. Bodhichitta is the cause of attaining enlightenment. Bodhichitta is the heart of all the Buddhas of the three times. Bodhichitta is our life force. It is what is most important. To help with this, please remember that Tara Mother Earth is always with us. You are never separate from Mother Earth. What you also can do is not offend the Mamos, the immune system of Mother Earth. Not add to the disarray of elements. Watch your carbon footprint and your impact on nature and the Earth. 

In the Lakota tradition, there is a dance practice. When you feel a negative emotion like anger arise where somebody or something is really made you angry or annoyed you, you can turn it into this little happy dance inside. You sing and dance to it like, "Oh yeah, I hate so and so for blocking in my car, la, la, la." as a way of celebrating the fact that you have the negative emotions within you and then once you're done with your little dance, you simply put it down and go on to other things. It’s a way of saying: Okay, anger arose. I acknowledged it, gave it its little song and dance, and now it's time to get back to tending to daily life. 

When strong emotions about the environment arise we may also want to develop an Inner Resource using the link [here].

Great Goddess of Nature, having take refuge in you, essence, mother of all Buddhists, 

Great Mother Dharmakaya, true nature of our own minds, protect us from all dangers within and without.