Tag Archives: Ḍākiṇī

Contemplative Sojourn VI

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Vajragoni

Greetings from Vajragoni here at Unborn Mind Zen!

It seems hard to fathom yet another Blog season has come to its conclusion. We began our season back in August and the most recent series was Unborn Light Reiki, one that was originally published in 2004 and highlights a new Reiki Modality incorporating principles from Unborn Mind Zen. It was initiated just after a series entitled, Vasubandhu and the Absolute—a lengthy study on the Madhyāntavibhāgabhāṣya+ṭīkā, incorporating the scholarship of Theodor Stcherbatsky and Dutch scholar David Lasar Friedmann, both written back in the mid-1930’s. This Western approach, unlike contemporary Tibetan editions, offers a greater emphasis on the “world-view” of the original compilers, like Vasubandhu. In February we offered a series on The Zen Teaching of Instantaneous Awakening by Dazhu Huihai. In keeping with the convention found in blogs here at Unborn Mind Zen, this version of his work was written in the Light and Spirit of the Unborn and its Lankavatarian groundwork. Ours is a Living Tradition, and what is offered here represents an authentic and vibrant spirituality that has been formed and cultivated through many years of study, contemplation, and disciplined dhyana resulting in a Noble Self-realization that the Great Unborn Spirit alone can bestow. read more

Posted in Spirituality, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ḍākiṇī: Dark Mistress of the Unborn

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Vajragoni

In her monumental work, Dakini’s Warm Breath, Judith Simmer Brown describes the nature of the Ḍākiṇī as, “In this her most essential aspect, she is called the formless wisdom nature of the mind itself. On an inner, ritual level, she is a meditational deity, visualized as the personification of qualities of buddhahood. On an outer, subtle-body level, she is the energetic network of the embodied mind in the subtle channels and vital breath of tantric yoga. She is also spoken of as a living woman: she may be a guru on a brocaded throne or a yogini meditating in a remote cave, a powerful teacher of meditation or a guru’s consort teaching directly through her life example. Finally, all women are seen as some kind of dakini manifestation.” (ibid, pg.9) Brown’s marvelous work will be utilized as the primary reference for this series. read more

Posted in Ḍākiṇī | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Terma: A Mind Film by Vajragoni

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Vajragoni

Readers of this blog over the years may have discerned that the posts are cyclical in nature. When the blog-season resumes in August, the subject-matter relates to elements of my own spirituality that explores the deeper regions of the Unborn. After the summer the blog maintains its continuity with sutra and related commentaries. The film presented here depicts the spiritual-practice of Terma, or the discovery of hidden Bodhi-treasures. The opening “Drone-Sequence” was filmed in the Schoharie-Mountain region of upstate-NY. Its location was first observed by me back in 2005 while riding back home from Woodstock with some friends. We were traveling on a lonely country route when suddenly a vast vista appeared of what resembled an ancient and primordial-pool with a glorious mountainous backdrop. The setting is most unique. It was chosen for the film to illustrate the primordial-import of the spiritual mysteries that are woven throughout the cinematic showcase. Most of the action appears in an ancient cemetery, chosen to highlight the spiritual ambiance of Chöd, meaning cutting-through all the barriers to Self-Realization as well as empowering the yogin to sustain a primordial appearance that is free from all fear. The young woman in the film is Tarynia, representative of a Ḍākiṇī—in this instance the bearer and revealer of the spiritual treasures (Dharma-Tools) that are blessed by the Yogin-Bodhi Shaman. A series on Ḍākiṇī and its vast spiritual-import will be forthcoming soon. Enjoy! read more

Posted in Spirituality, Terma: A Mind Film by Vajragoni | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment