### **Homework Two** **1) ==The third chapter of the _Yoga of the Sun and Moon_  describes the ten seals.  Give the Sanskrit and Tibetan words for “seal,” along with the Sanskrit root and cognates.  Then explain the two general senses of the word in spiritual practice.==** **The Sanskrit word for _seal_  here is _mudra._  This is related to an Indo-European root √_mei,_  meaning _to fix_ or _to fortify._  The _–dra_ suffix gives the meaning of _the one that does_ the action: thus _mudra_ means _that which fixes,_ which is a reference to _mudra_ as a seal that is used to affix a wax seal to a document or envelope.** **The Tibetan word here is _chakgya_, which also has the basic meaning of the same _seal._** **There are several implications of the word here in the text.  The first and most obvious is that we'll be dealing with yogic practices which involve some kind of _sealing_ of the body or breath to induce movements of the inner wind.** **The Tibetan word for _mudra_ here has the added connotation of a partner in yogic practice.  There are two forms of this partner: the _yeshe kyi chakgya,_ or imagined partner; and the _le kyi chakgya,_ or actual physical partner.  The traditional explanation then is that a yogi or yogini should never be separated from his or her partner; just as a king should never be separated from the sign of their authority—the seal with which they verify a document as their own.** **The words _mudra_ in Sanskrit and _chakgya_ in Tibetan can also refer to a sacred gesture or a sacred instrument—such as a diamond bolt or yogi's staff—typically carried by a particular Angel.** **One of the most important Tibetan texts on the subject of the Great Seal or Mahamudra (which we'll be studying later on in the chapter) is _Highway of the Victors: The Root Text on the Great Seal,_ by His Holiness the First Panchen Lama (1567-1662).  Here the word _mudra_ is explained in an additional way, in relation to the mind.** **It says: “that which acts to place a seal onto every practice, from the very foundation of the teaching (our vows not to harm anyone) all the way up to the highest stage of secret practice.”  And this of course is the wisdom of emptiness—the true nature of all existing things.  The first half of the word, _chak,_ refers to the wisdom of emptiness; while the second half, _gya,_ refers to freeing things from the cycle of pain.  The text goes on then further to describe how this is a particular kind of emptiness, one joined inseparably with bliss, that happens spontaneously when we get the winds to enter, stay, and dissolve into the central channel.** **2) Describe the "Empress of Power"; where She sleeps; and how She sleeps.  Then describe the way in which She awakens, giving reference to the Sanskrit and Tibetan terms for this awakening—the Sanskrit with its root and cognates.** **The "Empress of Power" here is Kundalini, who is sometimes also called Chandali: the Burning Light.  These are all a reference to the inner fire, which is normally said to start in the area of the navel chakra.  This is here called the "opening to the door of the Pure One," where the "Pure One" refers in this instance not only to the upper opening of the central channel but to the central channel as a whole.** **The "opening of its door" then is a reference to the _lower_ opening of the central channel: the point several fingerwidths below the navel where the two side channels and the central channel join—which is the focal point for the growth of inner heat.** **We have a potential here for inner fire to burn, but this potential is dormant until we can awaken it through hatha practices which cause a reversal of the normal flow of the inner winds.  The Sanskrit for this awakening is _prabodha,_ where _pra_ is a prefix that means _very much.  Bodha_ comes from the root √_budh,_ which means _to know_ or _to wake._  It is also ultimately related to the root √_vid,_ which also means _to know_ (or _see_ with the mind)_,_ and is found in the English words _video, wise, wit,_ and _druid._** **The Tibetan equivalent here is _rab tu sepa,_ which means _to awaken completely._  The word _sepa_ is commonly used for the sudden awakening of a karmic seed from a past life, often occurring for example in our teens and causing us to exhibit special, unexpected skills—such as with a musical instrument.** **3)  Give five sets of distinctions that help us define the idea of "inner fire," and state where they come from.** **The following five sets of distinctions concerning inner fire are from Je Tsongkapa's _Book of Three Beliefs:_** **"Each of the former members of the following pairs is higher, and each of the latter members is not as high:** **Inner heat within the channel of vibration, burning first at the navel and the secret place; as opposed to ordinary inner heat, burning outside the channel of vibration.** **A distinction in how the warmth burns; that is, whether it burns from the very depths of the body, or just 'on the surface,' meaning in the skin and the flesh beneath the skin.** **Whether the initial warmth burns at a particular spot or in a more generalized area.** **Whether the heat invades the body upwards in a very slow way, or more suddenly.** **Whether the warmth is a very deep experience or a more shallow one.** **The way in which the bliss comes to you follows from details such as these, and there are many different stages that you might go through; as such, you will have to learn about differences such getting extraordinary inner heat to burn and getting ordinary warmth to burn; experiencing bliss which is brought on by wind alone and experiencing bliss which is brought on by the meltdown of the inner element; and so on."** **4) Name the ten types of seals, including the Sanskrit for each, and describe each one in a few words.  How many of the seals will be be covering in this course?** **The following are the ten types of seals from Chapter 3 of the _Hatha Yoga Pradipika._  We will only be covering the first five in this course, and the rest in Course 4.** **(1) Great Seal, or Mahamudra: Asana involving a seated forward bend, with retention of breath and thoughts** **(2) Great Lock, or Mahabandha: Meditational posture with retention of breath and thoughts** **(3) Great Spear, or Mahavedha: Asana involving retention and striking of body on ground** **(4) Skydancer, or Khechari: Meditative concentration with a manipulation of the tongue in the mouth** **(5) Flight, or Uddiyana: Abdominal contraction** **(6) The Root Lock, or Mulabandha: Lock of the area of the muladhara chakra** **(7) The Water Catcher, or Jalandhara: Chin lock** **(8) The Reverse Action: Easy shoulder stand** **(9) The Diamond Fluid, or Vajroli: Retention of sexual fluid; includes also the Combined Fluid, or Sahajoli and the Fluid of Deathlessness, or Amaroli, which are similar practices** **(10) Inciting Her Power, or Shakti Chalana: Lotus posture with pressing of lower abdomen** **5) What sections of the third chapter of our text have actually been deleted by editors in the past?  How might this be considered, in an “empty” way?** **The sections on the practice of the Seal of Diamond Fluid, which involve practice between partners, have in the past been edited out by both Indian and Western editors of the text, who dismissed them as vulgar.  And the verse about this practice from the woman's point of view is found in only one modern edition of the text.** **The question of whether to present these verses in a public setting can be considered "empty."  That is, it may be very desirable not to include these verses, since they may give a wrong impression to the casual reader.  Here, the motivation for the omission would be compassion, and correct, although in our opinion the omission should be mentioned.** **On the other hand, censorship of a classical text from another religious tradition simply out of prejudice towards customs which are different from our own—or out of prejudice towards women, within the tradition itself—is of course undesirable, given that the motivation is a kind of ignorance blended with intolerance.** **Any changing of a traditional text at all is a very serious bad deed, since it may actually render the text unable to function in its intended spiritual way, for every generation hereafter.  This is something we all need to be extremely careful with even in transmitting sacred texts to others orally.** **6) ==As we will see, many of the seals that are covered in the third chapter of the _Yoga of the Sun and Moon—_which as hatha yoga practices are founded upon the physical body—also contain a component of mental focus.  Describe this component briefly, stating the principle behind it.  And then go on to give some Sanskrit and Tibetan terms for this same component.==** **As we will see during our study of the ten seals, which are all physically-based practices, there is in many cases directly stated (and always implied) a component of a certain mental focus.  This is where we put the body into a certain asana posture in order to open selected channels, but then go farther to focus the mind at a specific location—typically inside a certain chakra of the body.** **This additional component is based upon the idea of "piercing" or "working" at a critical point of the body.  The idea is that—when we focus the mind on a selected point—the winds will also gather there, due to the principle that our thoughts and our inner winds always move in tandem.  The physical pose helps open up the pathways to allow the winds to flow more freely, and then the focus of the mind on a selected chakra "tells" the winds the destination where we would like them to gather.** **Remember that the point behind this is, as we will see in our text itself, to induce all the inner winds to enter the central channel, to trigger the direct perception of the clear light and to help transform the body into light—the light-body of an Angel who can go and serve all beings.** **This technique is described at length in the Tibetan yogic literature, where it is called _piercing a crucial point_ or _working at a crucial point._  The Tibetan term here is _ne du nunpa_, where _ne_ means _crucial point_ and _nunpa_ means _to pierce_ or _to work at._  This is in fact sometimes the Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit word _vedha_ in the name of the third of the seals, the Great Spear (Mahavedha).** **7) We are told in our reading that the practice of the ten seals can bring us the “eight divine powers.”  How do many traditional Indian schools of yoga list these eight?  What does the fact that the list as found in the Tibetan tradition differs in many respects tell us about the yogic tradition itself, and how are we to think about this?** **Many traditional Indian schools of yoga list these eight powers as the following:** **(1) Smallness, or anima: the ability to turn ones body as small as an atom** **(2) Weightlessness, or laghima: the ability to become weightless** **(3) Largeness, or mahima: the ability to become as large as the universe** **(4) Heaviness, or garima: the ability to become heavy** **(5) Psychic travel, or prapti: the ability to reach any place** **(6) Underwater, or prakamya: the ability to stay underwater (sometimes also described as the ability to maintain youthful vigor)** **(7) Control, or vashitva: control over all objects, living or inanimate** **(8) Power, or ishatva: ability to create and destroy at will.** **The list as found in the Tibetan tradition, as we will see, differs in many respects.  This is just one indication of the many differences that grew up in different lineages of the yogic tradition.  One reason for these differences is simply textual and similar corruption which crept in over many centuries of a tradition that was often passed on by memory.  Another reason is that different teachers will have made a conscious decision to emphasize different elements, and even make changes to lists like this according to their disciples' needs.  Yet another reason is that different people began to experience different powers; which emphasizes what a personal experience all these practices of the inner body are.** **We can see that where simple corruption of a text is the reason for a difference, we should sniff it out and try to correct it, leaving the tradition "cleaner" for the next generation after ourselves.  And we can see that we have no reason to feel any concern at all about differences which have come about through the other reasons: they are simply a reflection of the importance of the Teacher and their personal experience and knowledge in our yogic education.** **8) What is a traditional presentation of the Eight Divine Powers from the open teachings of the Tibetan tradition, and how are they characterized?** **These eight are:** **(1) The Sword, which allows one to travel anywhere** **(2) The Pill, which enables you to become invisible or assume any outer form** **(3) The Eye Ointment, which helps you see minute or very distant objects;** **(4) Swift Feet, the ability to travel at high speeds** **(5) Taking Essence, an ability to live off nothing but tiny bits of sustenance** **(6) Skywalk, the ability to fly** **(7) Invisibility, the ability to become invisible by smearing a special substance on the forehead** **(8) Underground, the power to pass through solid ground like a fish through water** **They are characterized with the term "common," which has two connotations: these are special powers which are shared with religious traditions other than our own; and they are only worldly, and not high spiritual attainments.** **This in fact is how we see both these and the traditional Hindu supernormal powers described in the original masterwork of yoga, the Yoga Sutra: we are not to consider these miracle powers to be an important spiritual goal in themselves, only something that will aid us in reaching it, and helping others along the way: the type of people who might be attracted to the higher goals by a display of some kind of miracles.  Even our own text of course mentions "thereby the highest goal": we use these powers only as an aid to reach the highest goal, and to bring others there.** **9) How does Lama Quicksilver present the “Eight Divine Powers” mentioned by Je Tsongkapa himself in the secret teachings?  What general distinction does this bring up between the different lists of the powers?  How do the Sanskrit and Tibetan terms for them here reflect this distinction?** **The Tibetan sage Ngulchu Dharma Bhadra (1772-1851)—also known as Lama Quicksilver, a high master in our immediate lineage of the Angel of Diamond—explains the Eight Divine Powers mentioned by Je Tsongkapa in his _Book of Three Beliefs._  This explanation is taken from a book of questions and answers between Master Quicksilver and his close disciples:** **(1) The first of the eight divine powers is the "holy body."  This refers to the ability to emanate many bodies at once.** **(2) "Holy speech" is the ability to teach the Dharma to every living being in his or her native tongue, all at the same time.**  **(3) "Holy mind" means perceiving knowable object there is, while simultaneously remaining in a state where nothing is conceived as self-existent.** **(4) The divine power of "performing miracles" refers to the ability to perform limitless miracles at will.** **(5) Being "ever-present" is the quality of reaching to all places and all times.** **(6) "Fulfilling all wishes" is the ability to bring about, in its entirety, whatever people might wish for.** **(7) "Creating all things" is the power to show oneself, with no more effort than simply wishing it, as a whole variety of worlds and the beings who walk the surface of these worlds.**  **(8) "Possessing high qualities" means to possess all the high qualities related to the ten powers of an enlightened being.** **If we look at the verse in the Yoga of the Sun and Moon here carefully, we can see that Master Svatmarama is actually using a different word than the normal word for the "eight attainments."  These are usually called (in Sanskrit) siddha (siddha), the Tibetan equivalent being ngudrup, both of which literally mean that which is reached, or attained.** **Here though Master has been careful to call the eight of them ishvarya, or divine powers.  This then refers, as we see from the Tibetan use of wangchuk gye in Lama Quicksilver's list, to a completely different set of powers.  (Wangchuk is a direct translation of ishvarya, and gye means eight.)  These powers are the enlightened powers that are directly usable in helping all living beings: they in themselves are a description of where we really want to go, ultimately, with our practice of hatha yoga and the ten seals.** **10) Master Svatmarama notes at this point that we should keep our practice of the various seals as secret as the location of a box of jewels; or as secret as the “sexual play of a woman of nobility.”  First of all, what is a way to read this verse which is not appropriate?  Secondly, a more general question: It's obvious from some of the seals or mudras that we've mentioned that we've reached a part of the teachings on hatha yoga which was traditionally considered highly secret.  How can we justify covering these topics in a class of westerners, in an open yoga class?** **It would not be appropriate to read this verse, as some have, to suggest any act of adultery by the woman of nobility mentioned.  It would be highly incongruous for the Master, a high proponent of the ethical code of the yamas and niyamas, to make any crude reference of this kind.  An extra interpretation that might be fitting here is a veiled reference to awakening the feminine power of kundalini through practices involving a partner.** **Secondly, students of modern yoga should understand that the yoga asanas themselves are considered by tradition a very high secret practice, an integral part of the secret teachings.  And so a strange phenomenon has occurred with modern yoga where millions of people are engaging in a high secret practice without any prior training or background, and without really realizing that they are engaged in such a profound practice.** **We personally feel then that we are in the position of trying to catch these students up to where they are: retrofitting them, in a sense, with the necessary knowledge that will turn their asana practice into an actual path to liberation.  And we have been encouraged in this attempt by our own teachers.** **The "career path" that we hope to establish here is that a person realizes that they have a deep connection at least with asana practice from their past lives, and is strongly attracted to it.  We then present teachings like that of the Tibetan Heart Yoga program, or courses on yoga classics such as the Yoga Sutra or Hatha Yoga Pradipika.  This helps determine whether a student is really going to be the type who will benefit from going further at this time.** **We then encourage them to gain the philosophical and meditational background found in the Asian Classics Institute courses, which lead to formal empowerment and training in the higher practices of yoga through the Diamond Mountain University programs.  This we believe truly gets the student on a path to save their life and the world at large, while still maintaining the traditional requirements of secrecy.**