Overcoming fear via Chöd practice
Overcoming fear via Chöd practice
Nikolai Suvorov
Contents
Introduction
Definition of
Dampa Sangye and A. David-Néel’s experience
The ritual 11
A Hindu parallel
Conclusion is
Note 🗒
Glossary
Introduction
The central feature of Mahāyāna Buddhism is the universal aspiration to end suffering for
all sentient beings. That ingredient of this denomination of Buddhism is termed bodhicitta (the
heart set on awakening),1 and this umbrella doctrine unites distinguished paths propagated by
different denominations of Tibetan Buddhism. Some of them include practices that are
considered to be transgressive by mainstream society, and Chöd is one of them. On the other
hand, these practices and rituals go back to the pre-Buddhist period of Tibetan history, and many
of them were adopted by newcomer Buddhist teachings to a greater or lesser extent. In particular,
Alexandra David-Néel characterizes this and similar practices - like rolang - in the following
manner: “I need not say that this repugnant mysticism has nothing at all in common with
Buddhism. It is also foreign to true Lamaism, though a few lamas secretly yield to its bizarre
attraction. Its origin must be sought in the light of Tantric Hinduism and the doctrines of the
ancient Bönpo shamanists.”
It is highly likely that David-Néel was among the first people of western origin who described the rituals and practices related to the Chöd tradition as she, during her long journey across Tibet that lasted fourteen years, in particular, visited Lhasa in 1924 when the city considered sacred by Buddhists was still forbidden to foreigners. Moreover, she was the first European woman who was “honored with the rank of a Lama.”3 Among her works, Magic and Mystery in Tibet published in 1932 seems to be the most outstanding. The book finally embodied her vivid description of the Tibetan lifestyle, religion, and superstitions of local people, i.e. she debunked numerous myths enveloping different aspects of the indigenous population and its beliefs.
3 Ibid. pp. xi; 23.
2 David-Néel, Alexandra (1967). Magic and Mystery in Tibet. London: Souvenir Press. p. 131
1 Williams, Paul (2009). Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations, London [u.a.] : Routledge, p. 195-196.
3
Alexandra David-Néel (1868-1969)4
In general, Chöd is a spiritual discipline found predominantly in the Bön, Nyingma, and
Kagyu traditions of Tibet.5 In addition, Chöd is known as ‘cutting through the ego’ as “Chöd is
an expression of the philosophical view of the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra”6 illustrating the concept of
6 http://www.bodhicitta.net/Chod.htm (accessed: August 4, 2021)
5 Chaoul, M. Alejandro (2009). Chod practice in the Bon tradition. Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. p. 7.
4 By Preus museum — Flickr: Alexandra David-Néel, CC BY 2.0,
Emptiness in Buddhist philosophy, although Bön traditions of Chöd follow the highest tantras
and come from the hearing transmission (snyan rgyud) and the Recovered Treasure traditions
(gter ma).7 However, Chaoul stresses that “although chöd is related to the Perfection of Insight,
both in Bön and Buddhism, those who claim that it is the main source of chöd may be
superimposing of the prevalent Buddhist portrayals of it and exaggerating its role.”8 The Sanskrit
analog of the term is chedasādhanā that means “cutting practice.” In addition to the definition
given above, it is necessary to mention Milarepa’s classification of Chöd practices: “External
Chöd is to wander in fearful places where there are deities and demons. Internal Chöd is to offer
one’s own body as food to the deities and demons. Ultimate Chöd is to realize the true nature of the mind and cut through the fine strand of hair of subtle ignorance. I am the yogī who has these
three kinds of Chöd practice.”9 It is also necessary to mention that Chöd never represented a
uniform practice, and it has been embodied in numerous traditions and lineages.10
Dampa Sangye and A. David-Néel’s experience
In its Buddhist embodiment, according to the perception possessed by the Sūtras, it is a Vajrayāna ritual brought to Tibet from India by Padampa (Dampa Sangye, d. 1117) who emerges in plenty of the spiritual genealogies of Chöd.11 In that tradition, Dampa Sangye was a Buddhist mahāsiddha and an adherent of the Indian variation of Tantric Buddhism who disseminated plenty of doctrines based on Vajrayāna to Buddhist practitioners in Tibet in the late 11th century. He visited Tibet at least five times, and on his third journey from India to the trans-Himalayan region, he met Machig Labdrön (1055-1149/1153). His Tibetan name sounds in Sanskrit as Buddha Paramapitā, “Buddha Excellent Father.”12 In addition, in the Life of Yeshe Tsogyal, Padmasambhava allegedly predicted that he would be reincarnated as Dampa Sangye. Padampa Sangye's covenant with the inhabitants of Tingri, an area in Tibet with which he is associated, and where he lived for many years, is recognized in English, in particular, as The Tingri Hundred.13
13 https://sites.google.com/site/tibetological/50-tibetan-geo-texts/Home/the-tingri-hundred (accessed: August 4, 2021)
12 Huntington, John C.; Bangdel Dina (2003). The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art. Serindia Publications, Inc. p. 153.
11 Edou, Jérôme (1996). Machig Labdrön and the Foundations of Chöd. Snow Lion Publications. p. 6.
10 Edou, Jérôme (1996). Machig Labdrön and the Foundations of Chöd. Snow Lion Publications. pp. 6-7.
9 http://www.rinpoche.com/teachings/chod.htm (accessed: August 4, 2021)
8 Ibid. p. 58.
7 Chaoul, M. Alejandro (2009). Chod practice in the Bon tradition. Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. p. 9.
To perform the ritual, an adept is often alone in a graveyard, and, surrounded by partially
decomposed corpses, kites, foxes, and jackals, he throws himself to the ghosts generated by his
mind. Crowned with the heads of snakes, crocodiles, and dogs and covered in necklaces of bones
and chopped heads, these monsters drink blood from human skulls. They bite into the body of
the adept who feels their stink and sees their crazy and bloodshot eyes. The ghosts tear that adept
apart, and he experiences a second birth, according to the religious belief represented in this
tradition.15
A. David-Néel, who was a practitioner of the rite herself, asserts that a desolate place
where a Chöd ritual is supposed to be carried out plays up to the fear of practitioners and their
superstition, and sometimes a deliberately produced hallucination seems to be so real that it is
very hard to dispel it, and for an inexperienced celebrant, it could end in serious psychosomatic
15 Harding, Sarah (2003). Machik's Complete Explanation: Clarifying the Meaning of Chöd: A Complete
Explanation of Casting Out the Body as Food. Snow Lion Publications, p. 55.
disorder or even death.16 Following that, the female lama describes the ritual that she witnessed virtually by accident. Shortly before that event, she got acquainted with a trapa, lama’s disciple, whose appearance seemed to her so lean and wretched that she offered him medical assistance, but he flatly refused David-Néel’s offer of help and insisted that “he was not suffering from any kind of illness.” Several days later, she found that disciple performing Chöd near the corpse of a defunct man from a group of herdsmen, and she realized that the long practice of the discipline was exactly the reason explaining he was so sickly looking. “The configuration of the land allowed” to observe the celebrant incognito. Having recited the mantra of praise to the Prajñāpāramitā and sunk in meditation, the practitioner exclaimed: “I, the fearless naljorpa, I trample down the self, the gods, and the demons!” Then he invited lamas, spiritual teachers,
Heroes, and Khadomas to join him in the dance. After that, he chanted: “I trample down the demon of pride, the demon of anger, the demon of lust, the demon of stupidity.” The
exclamations became louder and louder until they grew to really “deafening tones,” and that
leads to the suggestion that those extramundane creatures embodying different vices were fully
manifested to the man as hallucinations. A. David-Néel was about to leave her looking post
when she heard something that boggles any imagination: “I pay my debts! As I have been
feeding on you so feed upon me in your turn! Come, ye hungry ones, and you that ungratified
desires torment! In this banquet offered by my compassion, my flesh will transform into the very
object of your craving. Here, I give you fertile fields, green forests, flowery gardens, both white
and red food, clothes, healing medicines! … Eat! Eat! …” In his appearance and “gestures
betokening intense physical pain,” there was no doubt that the man truly experienced demonical
creatures who came to devour his internal organs.17
Compared to Dampa Sangye who is thought to be the father of Chöd, Machig Labdrön is
considered to be a reincarnation of Yeshe Tsogyal and the mother of this practice as they founded
father and mother lineages respectively. She had a profound effect on the development of Tibetan
Vajrayāna and introduced the elements of ancient shamanic beliefs as she elaborated an
uncommon path and named it the Chöd of Mahāmudrā.18 Moreover, under Tibetologist Jérôme
Édou, Chöd adepts were often blended with the role of shaman and exorcist: “The Chö[d]pa's
18 http://www.rinpoche.com/teachings/chod.htm (accessed: December 31, 2020).
17 Ibid. pp. 155-160.
16 David-Néel, Alexandra (1967). Magic and Mystery in Tibet. London: Souvenir Press. p. 153.
very lifestyle on the fringe of society — dwelling in the solitude of burial grounds and haunted places, added to the mad behavior and contact with the world of darkness and mystery — was enough for credulous people to view the Chödpa in a role usually attributed to shamans and other exorcists, assimilation which also happened to medieval European shepherds. Only someone who has visited one of Tibet's charnel fields and witnessed the offering of a corpse to the vultures may be able to understand the full impact of what the Chöd tradition refers to as places that inspire terror.”19 However, we must understand that lineages representing the practices of Chöd in Buddhist and Bön traditions are not the same.20 According to a legend, Machig Labdrön was ordained by the goddess Ārya Tārā herself.21 Machig Labdrön was the concubine of lama
Thodpa Bhadra with whom she had a daughter and two sons. When their relationships were
exposed, a scandal erupted, and Machig Labdrön had to leave her hometown La-phyi (in the
region of Ü-Tsang, Tibet), and Dampa Sangye became her spiritual guide through whom she
comprehended a special way to achieve Mahāmudrā.22 One day, Padamda ordered his disciple to
retire to charnel grounds and the mountains and become a wandering Yoginī. Labdrön followed
the advice of her teacher and, performing Chöd’s rituals in deserted areas and graveyards,
traveled with mendicants around Tibet for some time. As for Chöd’s female branch, it survives to
this day, and, until recently, the doctrine was promoted by a distant relative of Machig Labdrön
named Ayu Khandro (1839-1953) who lived in Tibet and Nepal.
In comparison with conventional Tibetan Buddhist practices common to monasteries,
Chöd was not widespread, and the adepts of this tradition performed their rituals at charnel grounds, and, because of the itinerant and nomadic lifestyle, they were also known as kusali
(beggars). In this regard, Jérôme Edou notes the following: “The unconventional attitude of
living on the fringe of society kept the Chödpas aloof from the wealthy monastic institutions and
printing houses. As a result, the original Chöd texts and commentaries, often copied by hand,
never enjoyed any wide circulation, and many have been lost forever.”23 Hence, there was an
urgent need for the codification and systematization of Chöd teachings and doctrine, and
Rangjung Dorje, 3rd Karmapa Lama (1284–1339) committed himself to that difficult task.
23 Edou, Jérôme (1996). Machig Labdrön and the Foundations of Chöd. Snow Lion Publications. p. 7.
22 https://collab.its.virginia.edu/wiki/renaissanceold/Biography%20Of%20Machik%20Labdr%C3%B6n.html
(accessed: December 19, 2020)
21 Edou, Jérôme (1996). Machig Labdrön and the Foundations of Chöd. Snow Lion Publications. p. 6.
20 Chaoul, M Alejandro (2009). Chod practice in the Bon tradition. Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. pp. 31; 46-47; 57-58.
19 Edou, Jérôme (1996). Machig Labdrön and the Foundations of Chöd. Snow Lion Publications. p. 61.
Schaeffer reveals that the Third Karmapa codified the Chöd elaborated by Machig Labdrön, and he notes a few of his literary works in Tibetan on Chöd: “Rang Byung was renowned as a systematizer of the Gcod teachings developed by Ma gcig lab sgron. His texts on Gcod include the Gcod kyi khrid yig; the Gcod bka' tshoms chen mo'i sa bcad which consists of a topical outline and commentary on Ma gcig lab sgron's Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa zab mo gcod kyi man ngag gi gzhung bka' tshoms chen mo; the Tshogs las yon tan kun 'byung; the lengthy Gcod kyi tshogs las rin po che'i phren ba 'don bsgrigs bltas chog tu bdod pa gcod kyi lugs sor bzhag; the Ma lab sgron la gsol ba 'deb pa'i mgur ma; the Zab mo bdud kyi gcod yil kyi khrid yig, and finally the Gcod kyi nyams len.”24
24 Schaeffer, Kurtis R. (1995). The Enlightened Heart of Buddhahood: A Study and Translation of the Third Karma Pa Rang Byung Rdo Rje's Work on Tathāgatagarbha, the De Bzhin Gshegs Paʼi Snying Po Gtan la Dbab Pa.
University of Washington. p. 15.
Machig Labdron, the Tibetan Yoginī — Google Art Project 25
25 By Unknown author — NAGostS-H4Xh4w at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21908298
The ritual
As it can be seen from its definition and some general descriptions given above, Chöd is
explicitly designed for cutting through kleśas which are barriers and impediments on the way to
enlightenment, and the adept visualizes them as forms embodied in demons or what is
considered to be gods whom he sees utilizing his psychic vision. To make it clear, the demons
stand for such human frailties as ignorance, anger, and dualism characterized by the perception
of the self as intrinsically significant; the latter contradicts the Buddhist concept of anātman
(non-self). To overcome those obstacles, they should be perfect in the right perception of demons
that can be found in Machig Labdrön’s words: “A demon is anything which obstructs one’s
progress towards enlightenment. That’s what is known as a demon. Therefore, loving friends and
relatives can become demons insofar as they obstruct one’s liberation. Especially, there is no
greater demon than one’s self-grasping. As long as one has not cut this self-grasping, then all the
demons are standing around with their mouths wide open.”26 Furthermore, Jamgön Kongtrül
asserts that Chöd comprises “accepting willingly what is undesirable, throwing oneself defiantly
into unpleasant circumstances, realizing that gods and demons are one’s mind, and ruthlessly
severing self-centered arrogance through an understanding of the sameness of self and others.”27
In comparison with Chöd, there is a denomination of Tibetan Buddhism named Dzogchen
that aims to achieve the knowledge (vidyā) of purity/emptiness, spontaneity, and compassion.
Consequently, Dzogchen forms of Chöd facilitate the maintenance of that knowledge. To clarify,
Chöd ritual characterizes as fundamental the elements of phowa, gaṇacakra, prajñāpāramitā
(the perfection of (transcendent) wisdom; reaching the other shore through the perfection of
wisdom-awareness), lojong (mind training), maṇḍala, brahmavihāra, and tonglen (giving and
taking).28
Chöd is normally launched by phowa, in which the practitioner envisions their stream of
mind (cittasantāna)29 as the five luminous lights30 escaping the body via the breach of the
Sahasrara at the top of the head.31 In most versions of the sādhanā, the mindstream is engaged in
31 http://chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/Chod (accessed: January 1, 2021)
30 https://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?t=1358 (accessed: January 1, 2021) 29 Keown, Damien (ed.) with Hodge, Stephen; Jones, Charles; Tinti, Paola (2003). A Dictionary of Buddhism. Great Britain, Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 62. 28 http://www.rinpoche.com/teachings/chod.htm (accessed: January 1, 2021) 27 Powers, John (2007). Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Revised Edition, 2007, p. 426. 26 Chaoul, M Alejandro (2009). Chod practice in the Bon tradition. Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. p. 30, footnote 146 to Machig Labdrön, Namshä Chenmo, 109-110, quoted in Savvas, “A Study of the Profound Path of gCod,” 83.
a tulpa (sort of mental phantom)32 creation of Vajrayoginī.33 The latter is a key figure in the advanced practice of Chöd, where she appears in her Kālikā or Vajravārāhī34 forms. In general, it is highly likely that this practice, embodying the returning to what is considered to be the divine feminine, and Śakti worship, widely spread in Hindu Tantrism, have common roots going back to the pre-Buddhist period of Tibetan history. What’s more, I would venture to guess that ferocious features of such mythological figures as Kālī and Bhairava/Śiva evolved in a great extent not from the religious system of the Indus valley civilization (IVC) — as it is generally considered in the community of scholars — but from shamanic beliefs of the Himalayas and Tibet that had dominated the Roof of the World before conventional Hinduism and Buddhism penetrated it, thus having merged with local worldview.35 What’s more, Bön could have
influenced Śaivism and transformed it into the ideological system that we know today, having blended with the doctrine of Upaniṣads, in particular, and Vedas and Vedānta, in general. Although there are striking features in the iconography of some items excavated from the archaeological sites of the IVC, and they are traditionally considered to be predecessors of modern Śaivism, we will hardly ever restore the religion of IVC in detail as there are still no written sources that could explain to us what was the philosophical background of people who inhabited that region. In addition to that, Mount Kailāsa is a sacred site for four religions, namely Bön, Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Jainism, but I suppose that Bön was the core of the belief in that mountain as an ultimately significant religious center. What’s more, Biswanarayan Shastri notes that many names and terms used in tantras are either of the Himālayan origin or Assam-Bengal origin; and a few names may be traced in the Burmese language too.
36 Biswanarayan Shatri (1982). Yoginī Tantra. Delhi, Varanasi: Bharatiya Vidya Prakashan. p. XXX 35 According to the indigenous Bön legends, the tradition emerged eighteen thousand years ago. To accept it or not is a matter of belief, but there is no doubt that before the advent of Buddhism to Tibet in the seventh century CE, this religion had become a sophisticated and well elaborated system that was able to exert significant influence on the ideologies and doctrines followed by the political and geographical neighbors of Tibet. See Chaoul, M Alejandro (2009). Chod practice in the Bon tradition. Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. pp. 21-24. Additionally, under endnote 114, Chaoul, referring to D. Martin, stresses that “Tonrap Shenrab’s medium-length biography in two volumes (Gzer mig) and his long biography in twelve volumes (Gzi rjid) not only have a certain similarity to Buddha” Śākhyamuni’s “and Guru Rinpoche’s lives, but also to the epics of Gesar and the Indian Rāmāyaṇa.”
34 Simmer-Brown, Judith (2014). Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism. Boston, MA:
Shambhala Publications. p. 144
33 Shaw, Miranda (2006). Buddhist Goddesses of India. USA: Princeton University Press. p. 357.
32 Campbell, Eileen (1994). Body, mind & spirit. Boston, C.E. Tuttle Co. p. 216.
12
37 By My photograph of one of my personal thangkas commissioned in Dharamsala India — Self-photographed,
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7975797
I see it fit to provide below the recommendations on how to conduct the ritual given in the Longchen Nyingthig, a revealed scripture (terma) of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.
First of all, it prescribes to fetch essential items.
The articles you need to do this are: to overpower the arrogance, a wild animal's skin
with the claws intact. To symbolize the ascending view, a small tent, and to show the descending
conduct, a khaṭvāṅga. To have authority over the demons, a thigh bone trumpet. To overpower
appearances, a ḍamaru drum. To dominate the hosts of ḍākinīs, have bells, jingle bells, and
tassels with chevrons made of tiger skin, leopard skin, cotton cloth, and small plaits of human
hair. In brief, to practice a mahāsiddha's activity, prepare the necessary, suitable things.38
Following that, it illustrates how to meditate correctly on the Four Immeasurables and
achieve confidence and fearlessness.
Then, in a sacred power spot, without having an arrogant mind that insults the demons or
thoughts of the eight worldly concerns, arouses heroic confidence through the Four Immeasurables. Whatever appearances arise must be crushed instantly. At that moment, if you
don't use your contemplation to overpower appearances, it is as if spies have interpreted your
secret message. Therefore, perform fearless activities with awareness.39
Then, the description of proper visualization comes forward. During this process, an
adept carries out the image projection onto his mental screen. In other words, the images are
summoned deliberately, and the created picture of a demon or another mythological character
must respond with the precision to classical descriptions given in texts considere sacred in this
tradition.
With the sound of PHAT, from your heart center comes a nine-pointed vajra of meteoric
iron — solid, firm, heavy, and strong. It blazes with light and masses of flames, striking like
lightning on that fearful power spot. The hordes of demons dwelling there are unable to scatter
and escape. Think that their bravery and strength are broken, and they are stuck there. Then,
abandon pretense, shyness, and so on, the ordinary doubts and hesitation. With strong
confidence in mahāsiddha activity, proceed in the four different ways. From among these, the
best way to proceed is with the power of realization of the perfect view.
39 http://www.zangthal.co.uk/files/Chod%202.1.pdf ibid. 38 http://www.zangthal.co.uk/files/Chod%202.1.pdf p. 3 (accessed: January 1, 2021)
Further, summon all the demons — those of the entire phenomenal existence, the local demons, and the demons who wander around. Herd them like goats and sheep into that frightening place where they are powerless. As soon as you arrive at that spot, assume the manner and gestures of blazing wrathfulness. Holding the demons by their feet, swing them around your head three times and think that they crash onto that powerful ground. Forcibly cast down your tent and mat. Even if the demons seem spacious and easy-going, it is impossible that they won't become provoked and frantic. If your yogic discipline is weak and ineffectual, apply this according to the level of your realization.
Dance in that way, maintaining your mind without reference points. Then, pitch a small tent on the ground of the cruel demon, which lies on its back with its five limbs extended.
Meditate that you pound in stakes of meteoric iron.
In addition, the literary work depicts special syllables which have to be pronounced.
Often these syllables have no meaning in any existing language, but they are believed to possess
an immense power that can simultaneously create and destroy, and that is why they must be
pronounced by a practitioner correctly and in the right order.
By reciting these syllables as many times as possible, purify, increase, and transform the
offering. If it is the generosity of the variegated feast, generate gardens, food, clothing, medicine,
and so forth. Increase the nature of whatever is desired. For the generosity of the red feast, you
become Tröma Nagmo, the Dark Wrathful Mother, and stripping off the skin of your own gross body, spread it out to encompass the three thousand worlds. On top of it, pile up heaps of bodies,
aggregates, flesh, and blood. Envision it to be like a slaughterhouse. As the generosity of the
black feast, gather what has been accumulated since beginningless time by all sentient beings,
yourself and others — diseases, obstacles, evil deeds, and obscurations. Amassed like a big black
cloud, they dissolve into the heaps of bodies, which the demons devour. Think that your body
then becomes like charcoal. Invite in this way all the guests of your offering and generosity.41
Praying thus, give without holding anything back and meditate within the state of emptiness. At that time if you hold your body dear, or fear and hesitation arise in your mind,
think that your body does not exist; it has already been given to the demons. Your mind is
groundless and rootless; it can't be found by the demons, since even the Buddhas can't see it.
41 http://www.zangthal.co.uk/files/Chod%202.1.pdf p. 17 (accessed: January 1, 2021)
40 http://www.zangthal.co.uk/files/Chod%202.1.pdf p. 3 (accessed: January 1, 2021)
Arouse a courageous mind, recognizing deep down that whatever arises in one's own display. There are substantial obstructing demons, insubstantial demons, demons of excitement, and demons of uncertainty. Shout PHAṬ and sever those into the space of emptiness. Further, to indicate the times of the day for the feasts: in the morning, in order to complete the two accumulations, increase the white feast as the nature of amṛta. At mid-day, in order to purify habitual tendencies, dedicate the striped feast in whatever way is appropriate. In the early evening, in order to accomplish a mahāsiddha's activity, give the red feast to sever ego-clinging. At night, purify evil deeds by the black feast. All of these change with one's intention, so mainly practice by doing the visualization. At this time no matter what illusory reactions arise, subdue them with a view that is beyond experience. Once the practitioner has entered the space of meditation, if the swirling demons are difficult to tame, or are not transformed by the great space of meditation, you should do the visualization of the white skeleton:
Shouting PHAṬ, instantly you become the white skeleton, blazing with fire. From that
enormous fire, another fire arises, which burns the threefold world, particularly the dwelling
place of the demons. Finally, dissolve the skeleton and the fire into the light and rest in the state of Emptiness. This practice also provides protection against contagious diseases. If signs of
accomplishment have not arisen, and the malevolent demons target you, visualize your
awareness in the form of Tröma and spread out the skin of your corrupt body to the extent of the
three thousand worlds. On top of that scatter a display of flesh and bones, which the demons and
obstructions devour longingly. At that moment, Tröma quickly folds up the fold of skin and ties it
with a noose made of snakes and intestines. She whirls it overhead and then smashes it on the
ground. Think that the flesh and bones of the demons become pulp, which many wild animals
consume. Then, rest in equipoise with space and awareness intermingled. Through that practice,
signs of accomplishment will definitely arise. The cruel and obstructing demons will be
overcome. The mind that holds everything dear will be given up. It is very important to retain the
confidence of the View. At that time, the danger may seem like an accomplishment, or
accomplishment may seem like a danger. Or both appear mixed, and habitual tendencies may
seem mixed. Practice regarding signs of attaining stability or failure as just experiences.
Ultimately, egolessness is Samantabhadri, the great mother Prajnaparamitā. Fathom that
realization, and you accomplish the practice of Chöd.42
42 http://www.zangthal.co.uk/files/Chod%202.1.pdf pp. 25-26 (accessed: January 1, 2021)
Based on the aforementioned translation, it can be asserted that the adepts of Chöd, in
particular, use in their rituals such items as khaṭvāṅga, kaṅgliṅg, or human thigh bone trumpet,43
and ḍamaru, a two-headed drum. Initially, especially in the Bön tradition, a ḍamaru made of two
skulls that belonged to a sixteen-year-old boy and a similarly aged girl — preferably, died in an
accident, not through illness — was applied, but because they are hard-to-reach, their wooden
substitutes are predominantly used.44
Khaṭvāṅga is a long club that was initially used as a weapon, and then they stylized it
converted into a ritual utensil. Beer presents how the metaphor of the khatvāṅga in Vajrayana,
especially the Nyingma denomination of Tibetan Buddhism established by Padmasambhava, was
an explicit borrowing from the Śaiva kāpālikas, who were regular customers of charnel grounds
and crossroads which they considered to be suitable for their “left-handed path” (vāmācāra)
45 By user:BambooBeast — Own work, GPL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=908127
44 Chaoul, M Alejandro (2009): Chod practice in the Bon tradition. Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. pp.
53-54.
43 Attala, Luci; Steel, Louise (1 May 2019). Body Matters: Exploring the Materiality of the Human Body. Cardiff,
Wales: University of Wales Press. p. 166.
sādhanā: “The form of the Buddhist khaṭvāṅga derived from the emblematic staff of the early Indian Shaivite yogis, known as kāpālikas or 'skull-bearers'. The kāpālikas were originally miscreants who had been sentenced to a twelve-year term of penance for the crime of inadvertently killing a Brahmin. The penitent was prescribed to dwell in a forest hut, at a desolate crossroads, in a charnel ground, or under a tree; to live by begging; to practice austerities; and to wear a loin-cloth of hemp, dog, or donkey-skin. They also had to carry the emblems of a human skull as an alms-bowl, and the skull of the Brahmin they had slain mounted upon a wooden staff as a banner. These Hindu kāpālika ascetics soon evolved into an extreme outcast sect of the 'left-hand' tantric path (Skt. vāmamārga) of śakti worship. The early Buddhist tantric yogis and yoginīs adopted the same ḍākinī attributes of the kāpālika. These attributes consisted of bone ornaments, an animal skin loincloth, marks of human ash, a skull-cup, ḍamaru, flaying knife, thigh bone trumpet, and the skull-topped Tantric staff or khaṭvāṅga.”46 46 Beer, Robert (2003). The handbook of Tibetan Buddhist symbols. Shamhala Publications. p. 102.
As for kaṅgling — that is preferably made of the thigh bone of a teenager, but animal
substitutes are also permissible — A. Chaoul provides us with his detailed description of its
functions: “The top part of the thigh bone represents the path of ghosts and evil spirits, while the
part that becomes flat is the sky goers' dancing stage — where they push down the evil. On the
side, it should have a small hole signifying the yogi’s insight. The double bell consists of two
holes, of which the right one should be bigger so as to represent insight, thus creating a higher
knob symbolizing the divinity. The left hole should be smaller, so as to represent the faults, and
thus creating a lower knob signifying the demons.”48
48 Chaoul, M Alejandro (2009): Chod practice in the Bon tradition. Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. pp. 55-56.
47 By Softdynamite at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10764456
Kaṅgliṅg
One of the most important elements of the iconography of Chöd is the kartikā, a
curved-bladed knife50 that “symbolizes the cutting of conventional wisdom by the ultimate
insight into emptiness. It is usually present as a pair, together with the skullcup, filled with
wisdom nectar. On a simpler level, the skull is a reminder of (our) impermanence. Between the
knife and the handle is a Makara-head, a mythical monster.”51
On the other hand, it is necessary to mention here the attitude to such substances and items as bones that are considered to be impure and defiling in mainstream Hinduism against which Buddhism stood in opposition at the very beginning of its biography. In other words, the followers of Brahmanism try to get rid of anything related to a human corpse as soon as possible, and the latter job is usually done by untouchables who are perceived by orthodox Hinduism as people who are defiled by their negative karma and consequently deserving to perform that humiliating kind of activities. By contrast, John S. Strong presents to us the following: “Bones, 51 https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001744/http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/tantra_symbols.html (accessed: January 1, 2021)
50 http://keithdowman.net/essays/guide-to-kathmandu-valley.html (accessed: January 1, 2021) 49 By Owlmonkey — Original work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9013768
however, served another purpose in Buddhism besides just memorializing the dead; they also provided opportunities for enlightenment. Buddhists advocated (or semi-advocated) “cemetery meditations,” a practice that separated them from Brahmanical householders but tied them more closely to sannyāsins (renunciants) and other Hindu ascetics who, like them, had moved beyond certain social norms and so were to some extent already dead to the world. These practices consisted not only of being a śmāśānika, that is, one who lives in a cemetery (or by a stūpa) but also of contemplating the various stages of decomposition of the corpse to realize the impurity and the impermanence of the person’s physical form.”
In Chöd, all these attributes are considered to be not only permissive but necessary as the
principal purpose of this practice is to overcome fear and be aware of the fact that illusions
deceive the human mind, and Chöd suggests a radical method that involves not the rejection but
the acceptance of what is not pleasurable because fearful demons in this traditions are considered
to be the embodiment of individual faults. Machig Labdrön characterized her practice as follows:
My Chöd instructions consist in the authentic teaching of Mahāmudrā,
And the Mahāmudrā cannot be explained [by words].
Yet though it cannot be explained, this is the way it is:
Phyag is the nature of emptiness [of mind]; rGya is the liberation from the vastness of saṃsāra[’s appearances]; Chen po is the inseparable union [of appearance and emptiness].
A Hindu parallel
A parallel example of this tradition can be found in a Hindu spiritual practice known as
śāva sādhanā, i.e. [the] practice [during which a] corpse [is used]. The practice is predominantly
spread in Bengal, and it is considered to be one of the most important rituals performed in the
vāmācāra denomination of Tantrism and also one of the most secret.54 Before the rite is carried
out, a practitioner or his spiritual teacher (guru) has to find an appropriate corpse and purify it by
means of adequate ritualistic observances. The criteria applied for the appearance of the corpse
are very strict, and the latter must be fresh, undamaged, “low-caste, of a person who died by
54 June McDaniel (2003). Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls : Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal. Oxford University Press. p. 123.
53 Edou, Jérôme (1996). Machig Labdrön and the foundations of Chöd. Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. p. 43, footnote 13 to Phyag chen smon lam, the “Mahāmudrā Aspiration Prayer,” exists in several translations, with Kunzang, 1992 among the most recent. 52 Strong, John S. (2004). Relics of the Buddha. Princeton University Press. p. 16-17.
violence, drowning, or snakebite.”55 Like in Chöd, “he or she will experience fearful images and
sounds, as well as temptation, but he must remain emotionally detached — or else he may go
insane.”56 However, it is strictly forbidden to use the corpse of a woman, a man who died due to
suicide or starvation/famine, a leper, or an aged man.57 In addition to that, if an adept cannot find
a suitable human or animal corpse, he may produce a human figurine of darbha grass or seed of
rice or barley.58
Following that, a practitioner has to find a remote place that could be a cremation ground,
cemetery, deserted house, riverside, a place under a bilva tree, or a hill).59 After that, the corpse
must be washed and purified by mantras, then “placed on a blanket, deerskin or tiger skin.”60 In
order to avoid unexpected troubles, the arms and feet (or the feet and hair) of the corpse must be
tied up.61 Then the adept sits on the corpse and starts chanting a mantra transmitted by his guru.
The recitation must be carried out continuously until the corpse gives out a sign of life. As it has
been mentioned previously, the ritual is considered to be ultimately dangerous as the spirits and
ghosts may overwhelm the practitioner and even capture him, and as a result, he dies or becomes
demented. On the other hand, it is believed that “if the ritual is successful, he may gain the power
to use a mantra (mantra siddhi), or become one with Śiva using the corpse as a mediator, or have
a vision of the goddess. In the visionary case, she may appear to possess the corpse or appear
before the practitioner as a beautiful woman, a little girl, or a great goddess in the sky.”62
Finally, after the aim of the rite is reached, the corpse comes back to its initial condition.
Having washed the dead body and recited necessary mantras, the practitioner has to bury it, cast
it into the water, or cremate it. Moreover, all the ritualistic utensils that have been used must also
be cast into the water. What’s more, it is believed that the spirits possess the body of the adept for
62 Ibid. p. 124, 127-128.
61 Ibid. p. 126
60 Ibid.
59 June McDaniel (2003). Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls : Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal. Oxford University Press. p. 124.
In comparison with that, the fifth chapter of the Yoginī Tantra recommends performing different rituals to fulfill
individual desires and wishes. In 5.75-76 it states the following: “In deserted houses, on the banks of rivers, in the
mountains or in places where four roads meet, on the roots of wood-apple trees, on burning-grounds, in solitude, and
in a place in which there is but one Liṅga he should install skulls for the fulfillment of all desires.” In other words,
the places that are often considered to be inauspicious in mainstream Hinduism are perceived to be suitable for
distinguished tantric rituals carried out to attain such goals as mundane desires and liberation.
58 Banerji, S. C. (2007). A Companion to Tantra. Abhinav Publications. pp. 28–30.. 57 Banerji, S. C. (2007). A Companion to Tantra. Abhinav Publications. pp. 28–30. 56 Ibid. 55 Ibid. p. 124. 22 the following two weeks during which he must abstain from coitus, listening to songs, and observing dances.
Conclusion
Technically, Chöd practices have their roots in the ancient pre-Buddhist religious system
of Tibet that is known as historical Bön that then merged with the teaching of Śākyamuni to a
greater or lesser extent. Later, it evolved into a structure of rituals that allegedly allowed a
practitioner to achieve enlightenment during his current embodiment, and the followers of that
doctrine considered it to be dangerous and appropriate for nobody but an initiated group of
people. On the one hand, it may seem that Chöd has nothing in common with Buddhism, but if
we dive deeper and investigate the practice in more detail, we can find that their scorn of death
and body has a tremendously Buddhist shade as monks and nuns are supposed to realize the
impermanence and impurity of the body, and they contemplate thirty-two different components
of the human body to liberate themselves from the attachment to the mundane world.63
Since Chöd is characterized by its transgressive features, the religious practice has not
gained much popularity, forcing its disciples to perform their rituals at remote grounds, and that
only generated more myths about this tradition. What's more, their literature was often kept
secret, and some sources are lost forever, despite all the efforts of its medieval apostles to
preserve them.
However, Chöd is not exclusively a Tibetan phenomenon as its analogs can be found
elsewhere in the world, and śava sādhanā is only one example illustrating that in other religious
practices, there are attempts to overcome and overwhelm death and fear too. On the other hand,
the intentions of practitioners could be different, varying from the enlightenment to much more
banal aims, like wealth, good reputation, and happy family. The thing that is common for all
these traditions is that the participants of Chöd and similar mysteries work with demons they rely
on, entrusting them their bodies and indicating that they are prepared to sacrifice themselves for
the sake of their goals, and that is the feature that could shock any devotional worshiper of a
monotheistic religion considering all these practices to be nothing but service to hostile
extramundane power and witchcraft.
63 Strong, John S. (2004). Relics of the Buddha. Princeton University Press. p. 17.
Note
The image on the title page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share
Alike 4.0 International license. The image is by Christopher J. Fynn — Own work, CC BY-SA
4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45241216 (accessed: August 4, 2021).
Attala, Luci; Steel, Louise (1 May 2019). Body Matters: Exploring the Materiality of the Human Body. Cardiff, Wales: University of Wales Press
Banerji, S. C. (2007). A Companion to Tantra. Abhinav Publications
Beer, Robert (2003). The handbook of Tibetan Buddhist symbols. Shamhala Publications.
Campbell, Eileen (1994). Body, mind & spirit. Boston, C.E. Tuttle Co
Chaoul, M. Alejandro (2009). Chod Practice in the Bon tradition. Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications.
David-Néel, Alexandra (1967). Magic and Mystery in Tibet. London: Souvenir Press. Edou, Jérôme (1996). Machig Labdrön and the Foundations of Chöd. Snow Lion Publications. Harding, Sarah (2003). Machik's Complete Explanation: Clarifying the Meaning of Chöd: A Complete Explanation of Casting Out the Body as Food. Snow Lion Publications Huntington, John C.; Bangdel Dina (2003). The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art. Serindia Publications, Inc.
June McDaniel (2003). Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal. Oxford University Press.
Keown, Damien (ed.) with Hodge, Stephen; Jones, Charles; Tinti, Paola (2003). A Dictionary of Buddhism. Great Britain, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Powers, John (2007). Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Revised Edition, 2007
Shaw, Miranda (2006). Buddhist Goddesses of India. USA: Princeton University Press. Simmer-Brown, Judith (2014). Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications.
Sir Monier Monier-Williams: Sanskrit – English dictionary. First edition 1899. Reprinted lithographically in Great Britain at the university press, from sheets of the first edition. 1956, 1960.
Strong, John S. (2004). Relics of the Buddha. Princeton University Press. Williams, Paul (2009). Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations, London [u.a.]: Routledge
Glossary
amṛta lit., “immortality,” immortality itself, ambrosia, and a drink
considered sacramental and used at the beginning of important
Vajrayāna rituals
Ārya Tārā a female Bodhisattva in Mahāyāna Buddhism who appears as a female Buddha in Vajrayāna Buddhism
Ayu Khandro 1839-1953, a distant relative of Machig Labdrön, promoted Chöd Doctrine. She was recognized as an emanation of Vajrayoginī Beer, Robert b. 1947, a British researcher of Tibetan Buddhist and Newar Tantric art Bhairava lit., “fearsome,” fierce manifestation of Śiva associated with annihilation bilva tree aegle marmelos, a rare species of tree native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is present in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal as a naturalized species.
bodhicitta lit., “awakening-mind,” in Buddhism, is the mind that strives toward awakening, empathy, and compassion for the benefit of all sentient beings Bön a Tibetan indigenous religious tradition developed in the tenth and eleventh centuries and having many similarities with Tibetan Buddhism but going back to pre-Buddhist local belief systems Brahmanism the belief system that developed from the Vedas during the Late Vedic period (1100-500 BCE) brahmavihārāḥ lit., “abodes of brahma,” a series of four Buddhist virtues knows as Four Immeasurables (catvāri arpamāṇāni), namely benevolence
(maitrī), compassion (karuṇā), empathetic joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekṣā)
Brahmin a member of the priestly class in Hinduism cakra lit., “wheel,” distinguished focal points of the astral body. The number differs depending on tradition
Chaoul, M. Alejandro b. , a researcher of Tibetan religions, practitioner, and teacher of yoga and meditation
ḍākinīs In Buddhism, a female spirit supposed to guide a practitioner on the way of awakening. The term may be applied for a human woman considered to have reached a certain level of spiritual development
ḍamaru a two-headed drum used in Hinduism and Buddhism Dampa Sangye d. 1117, a Buddhist mahāsiddha who transferred Tantric teaching from India to Tibet darbha grass desmostachya bipinnata, a plant used in various Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions. It has been considered sacred in India since the Vedic Age
David-Néel, Alexandra 1868-1969, a Belgian–French explorer, spiritualist, Buddhist, anarchist, opera singer, and writer Dzogchen a tradition of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism that aims at the awakening of vidyā (lit., “knowledge”) of the primordial ground of
gaṇacakra in Chöd, a practice, during which an adept offers their own body as meal for otherworldly beings whom he invites gter ma [[[terma]]] Bön and Tibetan Buddhist literary works concealed in caves and other remote places and discovered by succeeding generations of practitioners
Jamgön Kongtrül 1813-1899, a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, poet, artist, physician, and polymath known for over 90 volumes of Buddhist writings, including The Treasury of Knowledge
Jérôme Édou a translator and author of works on Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism John S. Strong b. 1948, an American academic specializing in Buddhist studies and stressing his attention on Buddha’s biography, relics, and beliefs of Indian subcontinent
Kagyu a school of Himalayan and Tibetan Buddhism Kailāsa a sacred site for four religions, namely Bön, Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Jainism Kālī lit., “black,” in Hinduism, the ferocious goddess of death, time, and change; the name of Śiva’s consort
Kālikā a fierce form of Vajrayoginī that is considered to be the key deity in the Chöd practice founded by Machig Labdrön kaṅgliṅg in Tibet, a ritual trumpet or horn made of human thigh bone kāpālikas lit., “skull-[men],” an extinct Śaivite sect characterized by an empty skull that was used as a begging bowl by its disciples; aghoris are often considered to be their spiritual descendants karma lit., “action, work, deed,” in most Dharmic religions and their denominations, of causal link between the actions in previous lives and their consequences in current one kartikā a small, curved-bladed, crescent-shaped ritual flaying knife used in ceremonies of Vajrayāna Buddhism
khadoma a female lama initiated into Vang khaṭvāṅga a long studded club that was initially used as a weapon but later adopted by Śaivism and Vajrayāna as a religious symbol kleśas barriers and impediments on the way to awakening La-phyi Machig Labdrön’s hometown lama a title for a spiritual teacher in Tibetan Buddhism Lamaism now rejected term for Tibetan Buddhism. It comes from Chinese 喇嘛教lama jiao (lit., “doctrine of the lamas”) that was distinguished from Han Buddhism (佛教fo jiao) lojong a contemplative technique used in Tibetan Buddhism for mind training, for which different aphorism or slogans are applied Longchen Nyingthig a terma, scripture of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism discovered in the 18ṫh century Machig Labdrön 1055-1149/1153, a famous master and yoginī that founded several lineages of the Chöd practice mahāmudrā lit., “great seal” or “great imprint,” a Vajrayāna doctrine that seeks
to realize emptiness and liberate from conditionality of every kind
by means of intellectual insight
mahāsiddha lit., “very perfect,” in Vajrayāna, a spiritual teacher and founder of
a Tantric school. M. are considered to possess physical and
spiritual perfections.
Makara a sea creature in Hindu mythology depicted in Tibetan iconography
as a figure having lion’s paws, horse’s mane, the gills and tendrils
of a fish, and the horns of a dragon
maṇḍala lit., “circle,” square-shaped diagrammatic representation of the
world. M. is filled with geometric configuration of symbols that
different interpretation depending on tradition to which they
belong
Milarepa 1028/40-1111/23, one of the most famous Tibetan yogis, whose teaching have spread among various schools of Tibetan Buddhism naljorpa in Tibetan Buddhism, an ascetic allegedly possessing magic powers
Nyingma a school of Tibetan Buddhism
Padmasambhava ca. 730 - ca. 805, lit., “born [from a] lotus,” a spiritual teacher of
Indian origin who played a pivotal role in the establishment of
Buddhism in Tibet
phowa the practice of transference of consciousness after death to a buddha field where Buddhahood will ultimately be attained Prajñāpāramitā lit., “[the] perfection [of (transcendent)] wisdom/insight,” in Mahāyāna Buddhism, refers to an ideal way of the perception of the nature of reality Rangjung Dorje 1284-1339, the third head of Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism
rolang in Tibetan folklore, a zombie-like creature summoned by a sorcerer to satisfy his desire for the occult power. The tantric type of the practice is similar to voodoo zombie. sādhanā a Sanskrit name of spiritual practice sahasrara cakra lit., “thousand-petalled cakra,” the seventh primary cakra in some yogic traditions
Śaivism the Hindu tradition that worships Śiva
Śakti the Hindu conception of what they consider divine feminine
Samantabhadrī a ḍākinī and female Buddha from the Vajrayāna tradition
saṃsāra lit., “world,” in Dharmic religion, the cycle of reincarnation and
transmigration
sannyāsī a Hindu renunciate
Schaeffer, Kurtis R. b. 1966, Professor of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia and Chair of the Religious Studies department
Shastri, Biswanarayan 1918-2002, indologist, Sanskrit scholar, a member of the Lok Sabhā (1967-77), the lower house of the Parliament of India Śiva in Hindu mythology, the god of destruction. One of the primary mythological characters in Hinduism
śmāśānika an ascetic who lives at a cemetery (or by a stūpa)
snyan rgyud oral transmission of spiritual lore in Tibetan Buddhism
stūpa a mount-like or hemispherical structure containing Buddhist relics
Sūtras in Buddhism, canonical scriptures that are considered to be the
records of the Historical Buddha’s preachings
Tantrism esoteric traditions developed within Hinduism and Buddhism Thodpa Bhadra a lama for whom Machig Labdrön was a concubine Tingri a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Xigazê in Tibet tonglen lit., “giving and taking” (in Tibetan), a meditation practice in Tibetan Buddhism
trapa lama’s disciple Tröma Nagmo in Chöd, the Dark Wrathful Mother, represents the feminine embodiment of wisdom
tulpa sort of mental phantom generated by practitioners in Tibet, allegedly by means of meterialization of their thought Ü-Tsang a traditional province of Tibet located in its south-central part Upaniṣads late Vedic Sanskrit texts of Hindu philosophy and religion vajra in Buddhism, symbolically represents firmness of spirit and spiritual power. It is embodied in the form of a centrally symmetric club with two ribbed spherical heads Vajravārāhī a form of Vajrayoginī
Vajrayoginī lit, “diamond [[[Wikipedia:female|female]]] yogi,” a generic female yidam visualized by
practitioners of the different schools of Tibetan Buddhism
vāmācāra lit., “left-[handed] attainment,” the mode of Tantric worship that is
contrary to the mainstream Hinduism/Buddhism but considered to
be the most reliable way to the awakening in this religious branch
vang a form of initiation in which psychic energy is allegedly
transmitted from a being that is considered to be a deity in
Vajrayāna
Vedas scriptures of Hinduism that are considered to be revealed and primordial, namely Ṛgveda, Sāmaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda
Vedānta one of six orthodox schools of hindu philosophy Yeshe Tsogyal the consort of Padmasambhava, considered to be the Mother of Tibetan Buddhism
yidam in Vajrayāna’s mythology, a deity that patronizes its worshiper yoginī a ḍākinī that initiates her worshiper into secret practices; an earthy woman possessing yogic lore .
