June 18

Through My Eyes

Saturday June 18

(We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells of the shamanic aspects of Tibetan Buddhism!)

" In reply to the first two questions, I usually say that most of these books are works of imagination and that Shambala exists, yes, but not in a conventional sense. At the same time, it would be wrong to deny that some Tantric practices do genuinely give rise to mysterious phenomena. For this reason I half considered writing to the scientist to say that what he had heard was correct and, further, that I was in favour of experimentation; but I regretted to have to inform him that the person on whom these experiments could be performed had not yet been born! Actually, there were at the time various practical reasons why it was not possible to participate in enquiries of this sort.

Since then, however, I have agreed to a number of scientific investigations into the nature of certain specific practices. The first of these was carried out by Dr Herbert Benson, who is presently head of the Department of Behavioural Medicine at Harvard Medical School in America. When we met during my 1979 visit, he told me that he was working on an analysis of what he terms the 'relaxation response', a physiological phenomenon encountered when a person enters a meditative state. He felt that it would further understanding of this process if he were able to conduct experiments on highly advanced practitioners of meditation.

As a strong believer in the value of modern science, I decided to let him proceed, though not without some hesitation. I knew that many Tibetans were uneasy about the idea. They felt that the practices in question should be kept confidential because they derive from secret doctrines. Against this consideration I set the possibility that the results of such an investigation might benefit not only science but also religious practitioners and could therefore be of some general benefit to humankind.

In the event, Dr Benson was satisfied that he had found something extraordinary. His findings were published in several books and scientific journals, including Nature. He came out to India with two assistants and several pieces of sophisticated equipment and conducted experiments on some monks in hermitages near to Dharamsala and in Ladakh and Sikkim, further north.

The monks in question were practitioners of Tum-mo yoga, which is designed to demonstrate proficiency in particular Tantric disciplines. By meditating on the chakras ( energy centres) and the nadis ( energy channels). the practitioner is able to control and prevent temporarily the activity of the grosser levels of consciousness. The grosser pertain to ordinary perception-touch, sight,smell and so forth-whilst the subtlest are those apprehended at the point of death. One of the aims of Tantra is to enable the practitioner to 'experience' death, for it is then that the most powerful spiritual realisations can come about.

When the grosser levels of consciousness are suppressed, physiological phenomena can be observed. In Dr Benson's experiments, these included the raising of body temperatures ( as measured internally by rectal thermometer and externally by skin thermometer) by up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit ( 10 Centigrade). These increases allowed the monks to dry out sheets, soaked in cold water and draped around them,even though the ambient temperature was well below freezing. Dr Benson also witnessed, and took similar measurements from monks sitting naked in snow. He found they could remain still throughout the night without any loss of body temperature. During these sessions, he also noted that the practitioner's oxygen intake decreased to around seven breaths per minute.

Our knowledge of the human body and how it works is not yet sufficient to offer an explanation of what is happening here. Dr Benson believes that the mental processes involved may enable the meditator to burn 'brown fat' deposits in the body- a phenomenon previously thought to be confined to hibernating animals. But whatever mechanisms are at work, what interests me most is the clear indication that there are things about which modern science could learn from Tibetan culture. What is more, I believe that there are several other areas of our experience which could usefully be investigated. For example, I hope one day to organise some sort of scientific enquiry into the phenomenon of oracles, which remain an important part of the Tibetan way of life.

Before I speak about them in detail, however, I must stress that the purpose of oracles is not, as might be supposed, simply to foretell the future. This is only part of what they do. In addition, they can be called upon as protectors and in some cases they are used as healers. But their principal function is to assist people who possess oracular powers. This is wrong. In the Tibetan tradition there are merely certain men and women who act as mediums between the natural and spiritual realms, the name for them being kuten, which means, literally, 'the physical basis'. "

( We certainly know something of oracles! I promise to add more tomorrow...)

*( please click here to read of the day with me )

* This is from the book Freedom in Exile The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama by Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth

Dalai Lama of Tibet.

Through my eyes

( Please see my spinning for you!)

( Tahshi Deleh gentle one! Kehrahng kusu debo yinpeh? I began the day in our studio spinning for you then worked a bit more on the printing block which with we two working as one pulling strongly and patiently together is going quite well! I'll bring us some pictures of it to look over again soon. After that I headed up gang rinpoche ngah tso gi to begin spraying again. After that I continued extending the electric fence as Groundhog was back to munching , this time in another section. This wasn't unexpected as he's been there in seasons before, so I had much of it set up there already just in case. After that I rested by your Medlar tree as usual before returning to our studio to work on our a land of Tibet. Two as one we've gotten a lot done! We've fixed a few more mistakes on the pages as usual. I'm going to put the pages up on our infosite; I'll put this up for now so we can rest.

And so, as always we'll continue two as one on to tomorrow

my one gentle beautiful patient swift dream bright

long dark mane in sunlight

so for now I bid goodnight...Simjah Nahngo!)


	Through My Eyes Saturday June 18 (We continue to listen to the Dalai Lama as he tells of the shamanic aspects of Tibetan Buddhism!) " In reply to the first two questions, I usually say that most of these books are works of imagination and that Shambala exists, yes, but not in a conventional sense. At the same time, it would be wrong to deny that some Tantric practices do genuinely give rise to mysterious phenomena. For this reason I half considered writing to the scientist to say that what he had heard was correct and, further, that I was in favour of experimentation; but I regretted to have to inform him that the person on whom these experiments could be performed had not yet been born! Actually, there were at the time various practical reasons why it was not possible to participate in enquiries of this sort. Since then, however, I have agreed to a number of scientific investigations into the nature of certain specific practices. The first of these was carried out by Dr Herbert Benson, who is presently head of the Department of Behavioural Medicine at Harvard Medical School in America. When we met during my 1979 visit, he told me that he was working on an analysis of what he terms the 'relaxation response', a physiological phenomenon encountered when a person enters a meditative state. He felt that it would further understanding of this process if he were able to conduct experiments on highly advanced practitioners of meditation. As a strong believer in the value of modern science, I decided to let him proceed, though not without some hesitation. I knew that many Tibetans were uneasy about the idea. They felt that the practices in question should be kept confidential because they derive from secret doctrines. Against this consideration I set the possibility that the results of such an investigation might benefit not only science but also religious practitioners and could therefore be of some general benefit to humankind. In the event, Dr Benson was satisfied that he had found something extraordinary. His findings were published in several books and scientific journals, including Nature. He came out to India with two assistants and several pieces of sophisticated equipment and conducted experiments on some monks in hermitages near to Dharamsala and in Ladakh and Sikkim, further north. The monks in question were practitioners of Tum-mo yoga, which is designed to demonstrate proficiency in particular Tantric disciplines. By meditating on the chakras ( energy centres) and the nadis ( energy channels). the practitioner is able to control and prevent temporarily the activity of the grosser levels of consciousness. The grosser pertain to ordinary perception-touch, sight,smell and so forth-whilst the subtlest are those apprehended at the point of death. One of the aims of Tantra is to enable the practitioner to 'experience' death, for it is then that the most powerful spiritual realisations can come about. When the grosser levels of consciousness are suppressed, physiological phenomena can be observed. In Dr Benson's experiments, these included the raising of body temperatures ( as measured internally by rectal thermometer and externally by skin thermometer) by up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit ( 10 Centigrade). These increases allowed the monks to dry out sheets, soaked in cold water and draped around them,even though the ambient temperature was well below freezing. Dr Benson also witnessed, and took similar measurements from monks sitting naked in snow. He found they could remain still throughout the night without any loss of body temperature. During these sessions, he also noted that the practitioner's oxygen intake decreased to around seven breaths per minute. Our knowledge of the human body and how it works is not yet sufficient to offer an explanation of what is happening here. Dr Benson believes that the mental processes involved may enable the meditator to burn 'brown fat' deposits in the body- a phenomenon previously thought to be confined to hibernating animals. But whatever mechanisms are at work, what interests me most is the clear indication that there are things about which modern science could learn from Tibetan culture. What is more, I believe that there are several other areas of our experience which could usefully be investigated. For example, I hope one day to organise some sort of scientific enquiry into the phenomenon of oracles, which remain an important part of the Tibetan way of life. Before I speak about them in detail, however, I must stress that the purpose of oracles is not, as might be supposed, simply to foretell the future. This is only part of what they do. In addition, they can be called upon as protectors and in some cases they are used as healers. But their principal function is to assist people who possess oracular powers. This is wrong. In the Tibetan tradition there are merely certain men and women who act as mediums between the natural and spiritual realms, the name for them being kuten, which means, literally, 'the physical basis'. " ( We certainly know something of oracles! I promise to add more tomorrow...) ( please click here to read of the day with me ) This is from the book Freedom in Exile The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama by Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet. Through my eyes ( Please see my spinning for you!) ( Tahshi Deleh gentle one! Kehrahng kusu debo yinpeh? I began the day in our studio spinning for you then worked a bit more on the printing block which with we two working as one pulling strongly and patiently together is going quite well! I'll bring us some pictures of it to look over again soon. After that I headed up gang rinpoche ngah tso gi to begin spraying again. After that I continued extending the electric fence as Groundhog was back to munching , this time in another section. This wasn't unexpected as he's been there in seasons before, so I had much of it set up there already just in case. After that I rested by your Medlar tree as usual before returning to our studio to work on our a land of Tibet. Two as one we've gotten a lot done! We've fixed a few more mistakes on the pages as usual. I'm going to put the pages up on our infosite; I'll put this up for now so we can rest. And so, as always we'll continue two as one on to tomorrow my one gentle beautiful patient swift dream bright long dark mane in sunlight so for now I bid goodnight...Simjah Nahngo!)