Khenpo Tsultrim Lodrö—a highly accomplished master of Tibetan Buddhism—once said that there are three principal paths to awakening: first, the exoteric practice of Madhyamaka; second, the Vajrayāna practice of winds, channels and essences; and third, the practice of Mahāmudrā or Dzogchen.
What, then, is the practice of winds, channels and essences? In fact, it is the Vajrayāna practice of the Completion Stage. This practice is carried out through the body’s central channel. The central channel lies in the middle of the body, close to the spine, and is said to be about the thickness of a little finger. On either side of it are two additional channels, known as the left and right channels. These channels serve as the pathways through which the inner winds (prāṇa) and essences (bindu) circulate, and they are also the most fundamental pathways sustaining the functions of life itself.
In Vajrayāna practice, one visualizes and trains in the winds, channels and essences, guiding the winds and essences through the central channel into the lower energy center—called the dantian in the Chinese tradition, and the Emanation Wheel in Tibetan Buddhism. Along the central channel are primarily four chakras or wheels (though some systems describe five or seven): the Crown Chakra of Great Bliss, the Throat Chakra of Enjoyment, the Heart Dharma Chakra, and then the Navel Chakra of Emanation.
According to Vajrayāna teachings, once the winds are drawn into the Emanation Wheel, sensations of the physical body begin to dissolve, and the appearances of the external world likewise fade away. Thereafter, through the guru’s pith instructions, one proceeds to recognize the true nature of all phenomena.
Why are we unable to swiftly recognize the true nature of all phenomena? Because appearances continue to arise. Our mind projects not only the body and the external world of mountains, rivers, and earth, but also all kinds of emotions—love, hatred, uncontrollable anger, loneliness, depression, and so forth. These appearances obstruct our recognition of intrinsic nature. Through the practice of channels and winds, such appearances are temporarily dissolved, and one enters a profoundly deep meditative absorption within the ālayavijñāna (subliminal cognition). By subsequently breaking through the ālayavijñāna, one comes to realize dharmatā—the true nature of reality.
—Excerpted and compiled from The Relationship Between Buddhist Theory and Practice
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
