Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a lama in the Bön tradition of Tibet, presently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the founder and director of Ligmincha International, an organization dedicated to the study and practice of the teachings of the Bön tradition. He was born in Amritsar, India, after his parents fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet. He received training from both Buddhist and Bön teachers, attaining the degree of Geshe, the highest academic degree of traditional Tibetan culture. He has been in the United States since 1991 and has taught widely in Europe and America.

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a lama in the Bön tradition of Tibet, presently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the founder and director of Ligmincha International, an organization dedicated to the study and practice of the teachings of the Bön tradition. He was born in Amritsar, India, after his parents fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet. He received training from both Buddhist and Bön teachers, attaining the degree of Geshe, the highest academic degree of traditional Tibetan culture. He has been in the United States since 1991 and has taught widely in Europe and America.

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GUIDES

Sacred Syllables: An Interview with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Book coverQUESTION: Sound is important in the world's spiritual traditions and is central to many Tibetan healing and spiritual practices. It seems that sound affects us on all levels-physical, mental, and spiritual.

TENZIN WANGYAL RINPOCHE: Yes, there are different levels of sound practice. Ancient Tibetan yogis who lived in the wilderness far from medical care used sound and other yogic techniques to maintain their health, for example.

We know that in acupuncture, when a needle is placed in a part of the body, it sends a vibration or message to another part, bringing balance and healing. In a similar way, the vibration of sound as it reverberates on the lips, in the head, and in the chest can affect the body and organs in a very healing way. As the health is affected, so are the mind and emotions. If you chant the syllable RAM for the fire element, for example, that vibration opens certain channels and chakras, affecting in turn certain organs, and brings a particular experience of higher consciousness.

Q: How does one know what sounds to use?

TWR: This is a very ancient system and is described in a number of Tibetan texts. I'm teaching primarily from the Bon Mother Tantra (Ma Gyud). The Mother Tantra describes specific sound practices to treat physical ailments such as headaches, chest pain, and other problems.

The right sounds create balance between the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space. These elements, present in nature, are also present in each one of us. Our own particular balance of the elements strongly affects our mental and physical states-so maintaining this balance is essential to good health. There are practices of chanting certain sounds, certain syllables, which activate or pacify each of the elements. These have a subtle but potent effect on our organs, and on our mental and spiritual states.

Q: Please say more about how we should view sound from the point of view of spiritual practice.

TWR: As a practitioner, you can look at sound in three different ways. First, on the ordinary level, one should become aware of one's use of words and how these choices affect oneself and others. Secondly, on an energetic level, one may connect with the sounds themselves. These seed sounds contain elemental qualities that vibrate different parts of the body and different chakras, as I mentioned before. As our chakras are affected in this way, a higher vibration may be activated. Thirdly, and ultimately, the role of sound for the practitioner must be for self-realization.

Q: With the first of these, are you talking about "virtuous speech?"

TWR: Yes, partly. In the traditional teachings, four of the ten "nonvirtuous actions" are connected with speech: lying, slander, harsh words, and meaningless chatter. But where do these arise? It says in the Dzogchen teachings that when the sound and innate awareness merge, it produces speech-enlightened speech and samsaric speech. If the realization of that union of sound and innate awareness (rigpa) is present, then speech is naturally very pure.

Q: Most of us are not at that level of awareness.

TWR: When someone is completely awakened, speech comes out spontaneously in response to circumstances, without a plan and without concept. For someone who is very mindful, having conscious awareness but without this complete awakening, speech is still very pure. Every word has meaning and purpose. It is not idle and certainly not hurtful. Then, if we are not able to achieve this level of mindfulness, discipline alone is a help, with rules guiding how we use our speech.

The main thing is that when there is a lack of awareness, when our inner space is not clear, wrong speech arises. If we observe ourselves, we see this clearly. When I am upset, it is easy for harsh or foolish words to come out if, at that moment, I also lack awareness. I cannot always change the outer circumstances that are upsetting me. But when I have awareness, I can change my inner space.

Q: It sounds like the relationship between sound and mind states goes both ways. Yogis use sound to express certain mind states or experiences. And, as practitioners, we can use these sounds to induce certain physical and mental states. Is this true?

TWR: Sound is one manifestation of certain qualities and essence, so there is a direct relationship there. This means that if you work with sound, you can connect with those qualities and essence. Also if you connect with certain enlightened qualities, you can express them through sound.

Using sound in spiritual practice is not unlike using your body in spiritual practice. Your body is not you in an ultimate sense, but it is an aspect of you. Through your body you can develop. Through your body you can also be sick. Speech is also like this. Physical sound originates directly in the physical body. The quality, energy, and vibration of sound relate to the pranic level. The essence of sound is the nature of mind, one's very being. But does working with one level work with all? That has to do with your level of awakening. You might be aware of the gross sound, but the nature of the sound, the deep quality of the sound can be obscured. When you say the sacred syllable A, it is easy for the ear to hear the gross sound, but to recognize the deeper energetic vibration, you need greater sensitivity.

Q: Mantras, strings of sacred syllables, are very important in the spiritual practices of Tibet, India, and other parts of Asia. Can you say anything about the origins of mantras?

TWR: Historically, there were enlightened individuals who themselves awakened in those sounds, who realized the power of those mantras, and saw how they could benefit sentient beings. They then developed whole cycles of teachings and practices related to those mantras. In essence, though, it is much deeper. Energetically, each individual sound is produced by its own root, which is beyond time and space.

Q: Rinpoche, in the generation stage of classic tantric sadhanas, sounds, in this case seed syllables, are used in a very specific way. There is space. Then the seed syllable arises, and from that the deity. Can you say more about this very special use of sacred sound?

TWR: One can look at this in different ways.

In the Bon Mother Tantra there is a beautiful commentary called "The Birthless Sphere of Light." It says, "From the body of the unborn essence arises the sphere of light, and from that sphere of light arises wisdom. From the wisdom arises the seed syllable and from the seed syllable arises the complete mandala, the deity and the retinue."

Another way of looking at it is like this. Radios and televisions work by picking up a certain frequency, right? There is space and in that space there is a frequency. In order to perceive that frequency you need a good receiver and a good color screen. In terms of the classic tantric sadhanas, it is not as if one letter just pops up in space. It is not like that. Sound and space are infinite. This subtle vibration that we humans, accustomed to sounds and images, perceive as the sacred seed syllable or as the deity exists in that space and appears in compassionate response to a need.

Q: My own experience with these practices is that, at first, I work hard to visualize something, to create a picture in my mind. But as my practice develops over time, I have a sense of connecting with something much greater than my mind could create. Is this what you are saying?

TWR: Yes. Basically one is tuning into something that already exists rather than making something up. We are trying to be in the right frequency ourselves so we can connect with what's there. Sometimes we are able to connect; sometimes we are not able to connect. Through practice, through cultivating certain qualities, certain kinds of stability, the ability to connect increases. It depends on the level of the practitioner. The beginner may be more like an old, blurry black and white TV while the advanced yogi perceives the high quality digital image. The frequency they perceive is the same-spontaneously existing in space and arising with wisdom and compassion.

It is not necessary to see this only in esoteric terms. We use this same process in generating any quality. For example, a person is sad and needs to develop joy. Joy may be present and perfect in its essence but is hidden in experience. How do we bring it into expression? First we try to connect with the seed of joy, like a small flame inside. Once that seed is discovered, we cultivate and develop it. Gradually, then, we act it out. Then it becomes complete, at least for human beings like us who have body, speech and mind. Samantabhadra probably doesn't need to express it in order to feel complete, but we humans do! The "Practice of the Five Warrior Syllables" is helpful for developing such positive qualities. In this modern time, with the many stresses we face, we need to develop ways to balance and harmonize our energy. This is important of course for health. But, most important, it can support our spiritual growth.

This interview with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche was conducted and edited by Helen Gatling-Austin.

Books by Tenzin Wangyal

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SNOW LION NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche on the Practice of the Five Warrior Syllables

Book cover

The following practice was designed by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

It utilizes what are known in Bön as the Five Warrior Syllables (Pa-wo du-nga).

 

Tenzin Rinpoche explains,

“The reason these seed syllables are called warriors is because they are powerful and indestructible. They are associated with the Five Wisdoms—and it is wisdom that is able to penetrate fear and ignorance to cut the roots of samsara.”

Rinpoche adds,

“Our negative emotions, even physical illness, are a result of ignorance. Using sound in this way can be very healing on many levels.”

 

Sing the refuge and bodhicitta prayers.

Find the ground to rest within yourself.

The Third Eye

Draw your attention to the third eye.

Clearly focus there, feeling openness, spaciousness and changelessness, with no boundaries. Be aware of that space and rest in it.

TibSyl A.png

Sing the seed syllable A (pronounced “ah”) three, seven, or twenty-one times, clearly feeling the vibration. Then rest within the changeless space.

The Throat Chakra

Draw the attention to the throat chakra.

Sing the refuge prayer, requesting blessings to open the chakra, dissolving any blocks and obstacles to connecting with the ceaseless, pure potentiality of the four immeasurables: love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.

TibSyl Om.png

Sing the seed syllable OM three, seven, or twenty-one times as you feel the spontaneous perfection of these qualities. Then rest in the space of pure potentiality.

The Heart Chakra

Draw the attention to the heart chakra.

Sing the refuge prayer, requesting blessings to open the heart and dissolve any blocks to connecting with the quality you most need to manifest for your realization and well-being.

TibSyl Hung.png

Sing the seed syllable HUNG three, seven, or twenty-one times as you feel this quality vividly awakened in your heart. Then, rest in that awakened quality.

The Navel Chakra

Draw the attention to the navel chakra.

Sing the refuge prayer, requesting blessings to open the chakra and remove any obstacles blocking the ripening of this quality.

Ram TSU.JPG

Sing the seed syllable RAM three, seven, or twenty-one times as you feel the quality fully active, defined, and ripened, as if it could burst forth in your life. Then, rest in this fully ripened quality.

The Secret Chakra

Draw the attention to the secret chakra, the chakra of action and union.

Sing the refuge prayer, requesting blessings to open the secret chakra and remove any blockages or hindrances to fully manifesting the quality that has been cultivated.

Book coverSing the seed syllable DZA three, seven, or twenty-one times as you imagine this quality fully manifesting in your life. Then, rest in the fruition, the complete expression of this quality.

Dedicate the merit of this practice to all beings.

For more information:

 

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a lama in the Bön tradition of Tibet, presently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the founder and director of Ligmincha Institute, an organization dedicated to the study and practice of the teachings of the Bön tradition. He was born in Amritsar, India, after his parents fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet. He received training from both Buddhist and Bön teachers, attaining the degree of Geshe, the highest academic degree of traditional Tibetan culture. He has been in the United States since 1991 and has taught widely in Europe and America.

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Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche: Finding Stillness

The following article is from the Spring, 2012 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

Sleeping lion, finding stillness ONE OF THE CLOSEST EXPERIENCES YOU CAN HAVE HAPPENS WHEN you are able to reach a deep place of stillness, like the stillness of a mountain. Being in this deep place of stillness can be no different from abiding in the inseparable state of the essence and nature of mind.


With the mind practice, one contemplates all the thinking one has done over a lifetime and on arriving at the place of exhaustion, one releases all the thoughts into the space of pure, thought-free awareness, like a clear sky.

Exhaustion can bring YOU to this kind of stillness. After working a long, hard day of physical labor, you arrive home feeling utterly depleted, fall back into a comfortable chair, and relax fully into that sense of stillness. The body is still, the speech is still, the mind is still. There is a deep sense of release, of connection, of completion, of wholeness. This is a clear example of how the pain body itself may be used as a doorway.

Without practice, this experience of stillness will remain only until a distracting movement occurs. Even a simple hand gesture can lead to a loss of connection, drawing your mind back into its habitual patterns.


The body is still, the speech is still, the mind is still. There is a deep sense of release, of connection, of completion, of wholeness.

The distraction comes not from the movement but from your relation to the movement. This is the point of regular meditation practice—even when your body is not literally exhausted, through meditation you can bring yourself to that same deep place of release. You can relax into the stillness, abide in it, familiarize yourself with it, and over time stabilize it. Once the experience is fully stabilized, no physical movement will disturb it.

There is a specific dzogchen meditation practice in which we bring ourselves to the place of stillness by closing the eyes and contemplating all of the body's physical actions over a lifetime, action by action, day by day, year by year. Although we can't review our entire life in a single meditation session, we can elicit enough physical memories to bring ourselves to the point of exhaustion.

The instant we arrive at this point, we release all the actions into the stillness of the moment and abide without changing. "Abide without changing" means that as our thoughts and experiences continue to arise and dissolve, we continue to rest in our own nature and simply observe without elaborating. We try not to follow the past, plan the future, or change the present. We "leave it as it is."


You can relax into the stillness, abide in it, familiarize yourself with it, and over time stabilize it. Once the experience is fully stabilized, no physical movement will disturb it.

This type of exhaustion practice is not limited to the body; it can be used also with the speech and with the mind. One reflects on a lifetime of speech, then releases all the speech into the silence—a deep silence, like the silence of someone who has awakened from a dream and has no words to describe it. With the mind practice, one contemplates all the thinking one has done over a lifetime and on arriving at the place of exhaustion, one releases all the thoughts into the space of pure, thought-free awareness, like a clear sky.

The stillness of the body, the silence of speech, and the spacious awareness of mind are the true three doors to enlightenment. Ultimately, one aims to connect with, appreciate, and rest in the fullness and pure potentiality of the nature of mind.

Adapted from Tibetan Yogas of Body, Speech, and Mind by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

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Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a lama in the Bön tradition of Tibet, presently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the founder and director of Ligmincha Institute, an organization dedicated to the study and practice of the teachings of the Bön tradition. He was born in Amritsar, India, after his parents fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet. He received training from both Buddhist and Bön teachers, attaining the degree of Geshe, the highest academic degree of traditional Tibetan culture. He has been in the United States since 1991 and has taught widely in Europe and America.

...
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Tenzin Wangyal on the Five Indestructible Warrior Sounds

The following article is from the Winter, 2012 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

By

TENZIN WANGYAL RINPOCHE


The warrior syllables are pure and indestructible. the first sounds that arose from the essence were the five warrior seed syllables "pawo dru nga."

Before the development of human language, there were only the sounds of nature: waterfalls, wind, rain. Sound had no conceptual associations. When we trace sound farther back to its very beginnings, we arrive at the pure, primordial sounds of the seed syllables.

According to the ancient Bon Buddhist tradition, the first sounds that arose from the essence were the five warrior seed syllables, the

pawo dru nga

(pawo, "warrior"; dru, "seed"; nga, "five").

They are called warriors because they have the ability to conquer our demons.  The demons they fight are not necessarily evil beings; rather, they are the familiar demons of our emotions from which the experience of evil may arise.


for every demon, there is a warrior syllable that can overcome it.

There are four other classes of demons mentioned in the teachings, some related to karmic forces, others to the subtlest attachment of our own grasping mind. Whether we are troubled by distracting thoughts, having problems with anger, feeling too much desire or attachment, or suffering from karma-related chronic illness, whatever obstacle or obscuration we have is related to one of these demons.

And for every demon, there is a warrior syllable that can overcome it.


When we trace sound farther back to its very beginnings, we arrive at the pure, primordial sounds of the seed syllables.

The warrior syllables are pure and indestructible. They are able to penetrate through fear and cannot be destroyed by it. They cut through ignorance and open space; they are the doorway to connecting back to the original essence and to the wisdom qualities that arise from the essence.


Tibetan Bon Buddhism, The five warrior syllables are the seed syllables of the five wisdoms.

The five warrior syllables are the seed syllables of the five wisdoms.

Only wisdom can ultimately destroy the deluded ego that is the source of all our demons.

Enlightenment = Empathy + Wisdom(!)

According to Tibetan Bon Buddhism, the profound empathy of compassion is not enough to bring us to enlightenment; there must also be wisdom. Only wisdom can ultimately destroy the deluded ego that is the source of all our demons.

The Internal Warrior Syllables

For several years now I have been teaching a practice of the five internal warrior seed syllables,

A, OM, HUNG, RAM, 'and DZA,

based on a text from an oral transmission of the fourteenth century called The Peaceful Luminous A. These five are the focus of this chapter and the guided practice with the five warrior sounds in the next chapter. However, there are two other sets of five warrior seed syllables.

The biography of Tonpa Shenrab says:

From the mandala of the hearts

of the five deities radiate the

lights of the five wisdoms,

KAM, YAM, RAM, SUM,

and

OM; A, OM, HUNG, RAM,

and

DZA; SO, UM, HUNG, HE, and BHYO;

[which are] the external, internal, and secret warrior [seed syllables].


All three sets of warrior syllables—external, internal, and secret—comprise important original mantras.

images

Authentication of Sacred Images

All three sets of warrior syllables—external, internal, and secret—comprise important original mantras.

The internal warrior syllables are already familiar to many practitioners of the Tibetan spiritual traditions. For example, in guru yoga practice,

A, OM,and HUNG

TibSyl A.png TibSyl Om.png TibSyl Hung.png

are visualized or sounded to help empower the practitioner with enlightened body, speech, and mind.

 

Tibetan lamas inscribe these same three syllables on sacred images and reliquaries such as paintings, photographs, and large stupas to empower and authenticate them. Without that authentication, a photographic print is no more than paper, and a thangka wall hanging is just cloth.

images

The Bon Buddhist Tradition

In the Bon Buddhist tradition, inscribing A on an image in red ink activates the body and creates space within the image.

Inscribing OM activates speech and all the enlightened qualities, such as love and compassion.

Inscribing HUNGactivates the heart/mind and the ability to radiate and manifest those qualities.

Once fully empowered, the image is said to embody the actual body, speech, and mind of the deity.

The Fourth and Fifth Warrior Syllables

The fourth and fifth warrior syllables are RAM, the seed syllable of the fire element, and DZA, the seed syllable of action. These two have a particularly powerful, active quality and are sometimes included with A, OM and HUNG when authenticating certain images.

images

In meditation practice, voicing these five syllables in progression enables us to connect through the sound in a pure, direct way with higher states of being. Sounding them helps us to connect with the clear, open, primordially pure space that is the base of all, and then in turn to experience, and ultimately manifest, the enlightened qualities we most need.

Through the five warrior syllables, we are able to affect profound shifts in our experience and awareness, with life-changing implications. These syllables are almost unbelievably powerful. In fact, many people don't believe in their power. Reciting them seems too easy—and if a practice is easy, it may seem less interesting.

For more information: Videos and Teachings

The Five Indestructible Warriors Sounds Tenzin Wang

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a lama in the Bön tradition of Tibet, presently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the founder and director of Ligmincha Institute, an organization dedicated to the study and practice of the teachings of the Bön tradition. He was born in Amritsar, India, after his parents fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet. He received training from both Buddhist and Bön teachers, attaining the degree of Geshe, the highest academic degree of traditional Tibetan culture. He has been in the United States since 1991 and has taught widely in Europe and America.

...
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The Warrior Syllables and Healing

The following article is from the Winter, 2012 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

Book coverAn example of how this practice can help free us from difficult feelings from a student of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche:

"When I added the last sacred syllable, DZA, to my formal practice, both times I had a very powerful emotional release. Tears came flooding down my face, and I felt like a lot of the old trauma and pain that I was storing in my secret chakra was released!

"I continued to sound DZA as best I could to release all the stuck pain from the past as you instructed. It was a significant healing for me and I feel more free yet a bit vulnerable and raw.

"Feelings from my childhood that have plagued me for years were coming up, first issues around sexual and emotional abuse, then feelings of insecurity, not feeling good or worthy enough, not feeling heard or acknowledged, etc. Wow! A lot of stuff is coming up each time to be healed.

"As a child, I was very trusting and loving but some took advantage and abused that quality. Many would say I was just 'gullible.'

"Now as an adult I have more discernment at least. I want to be able to open my heart and share love without the fear of being hurt.

"Towards the end of my second formal session I started feeling more love coming in and tears more of joy in gratitude for this healing practice."


Question:

I am wondering if/how these practices could be used to heal an issue of chronic physical pain in my body. In other words, what would be the best way to go about using sound healing to work with physical pain ?

Rinpoche:

Normally when one has physical pain, one can either have a generally good attitude toward it, relating to the pain with some level of openness, lightness, and kindness; or one can relate with physical pain in a negative way, a critical way, a hateful way, thinking "Why me?"

This negative mental relationship to the pain can create even more physical pain as a result. So in that sense I recommend the same approach we are using with the practice:

Try to cultivate more openness in relation to the pain.

Physical pain needs the help of positive attention and loving kindness in order for it to heal. This kind of positive attention might not remove chronic physical pain completely, but by improving your relation to it, it might actually help to minimize it.

For more information: Videos and Teachings

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a lama in the Bön tradition of Tibet, presently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the founder and director of Ligmincha Institute, an organization dedicated to the study and practice of the teachings of the Bön tradition. He was born in Amritsar, India, after his parents fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet. He received training from both Buddhist and Bön teachers, attaining the degree of Geshe, the highest acad

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