# Vajroli, the Diamond Fluid 1) **With this third reading of the course, we begin deep yogic practices which are performed  together with our spiritual partner. What is a traditional way of viewing our partner which is  considered essential during these practices; why is it so considered; and what upward cycle can  assist this view?**   Traditionally, throughout a spiritual partnership, it is very important to see our partner as being  someone who is already enlightened, and who has emanated to us in human form in order to  lead us to perfection ourselves. The idea here is that the practices of the inner body are  extremely delicate and impossible to learn without the help of a high teacher, someone who has  in fact already used these practices to reach their own enlightenment.   Thus we go through careful preparatory training even before we begin hatha yoga, which with  training in the principal paths of renunciation, ultimate love, and the worldview of karma &  emptiness imparts to us sufficient good karma to begin being able to perceive others as being enlightened. We approach our spiritual partner with the idea that our belief in them will draw  forth an enlightened teacher who will be the one who guides us to paradise.   And then every interaction with them, even those that might earlier have been something  worldly, is transformed into a spiritual lesson for becoming someone who can save the world.  It’s important to realize that both partners are seeing each other this way, even if at the moment  they don’t even perceive themselves in this way: it is the high good karma of attempting to see  someone as divine which makes them divine.]   2) **The first of the partner practices detailed in the Yoga of the Sun and this is Moon is called the  “Diamond Fluid.” Give the Sanskrit and Tibetan for this practice, including roots and cognates.  Then list what Master Svatmarama says about how this practice compares with certain others,  and a caveat that must be added here.**  The Sanskrit for “Diamond Fluid” is vajroli, and the corresponding Tibetan is dorje kuwa. The  vajroli is a combination of two words: vajra and uli. Vajra of course means diamond, or  thunderbolt, and is a secret name for the male sexual organ. It comes from a root √vaj {vaj},  which means to be strong, or to be lively. Related English words are waken, vigor, and vegetable.  The uli seems to be derived from words that refer to an oil or fluid, and both words may be  related, as perhaps olive. As for the Tibetan, dorje is diamond and kuwa can mean juice, essential  fluid, and also semen or ovarian fluid.   Master Svatmarama gives what for an ancient Indian or Tibetan writer is a somewhat  unprecedented recommendation of this practice, saying that a person who is able to develop  skill in it then they are a “yogi who is a worthy vessel for all attainments,” even if they engage in  it initially without any proper training, just on their own; or even if initially they are lacking in the  various commitments for proper conduct.   The caveat that must be added here, of course, is initially. That is, it’s not at all difficult to  imagine that a great many people through history, and even we ourselves, might be attracted to  practice with a partner for lesser reasons.   Historically, even in the immediate Indian lineage of this very text, skillful teachers have been  known to purposely attracted disciples of lesser capacity to the spiritual path with promises of  these kinds of practices, and then gradually shift their attention to the deeper aspects. A disciple  who persisted in a lack of proper, moral, and compassionate conduct; or who continued to  undertake advanced practices on their own without the guidance of a teacher, would of course  fail miserably, harming both themselves and others.   Still, it should also be said that all the great texts of the Diamond Way for example state that  practice with a spiritual partner is indeed the fastest way to become enlightened and to help the  entire world.] 3) **What two components of the practice of the Diamond Fluid does the Master say are “difficult  to obtain”? What is a deeper way of looking at this difficulty?**   Master Svatmarama says that “the milk” and “a woman who will follow your wishes” are two  components of the practice which are difficult to obtain. These would seem a simple reference  to the semen of the male practitioner and to seeking a female partner. We have to realize  though that, as usual, the Master is speaking on a much deeper level.   The “milk” being referred to here is not the gross physical constituent of the man, but rather the  white element at the tip of the head in both the male and female practitioner. It’s crucial to  understand that the traditional texts state that only very special men and women in specific  points in history, in certain special places of the universe, can utilize this speedy method to  enlightenment.  For the body to be transformed into light, for us to become an enlightened Angel who can help  all living beings, this body must contain very specific components that can act as the basis of the  transformation. Each drop of every one of these components is created by countless good  deeds towards others in the past; it is said even that the outer outline of the body must be as it  is, for this reflects the actual outline of the body of the enlightened being we must become.   The “milk” then, the white element, is rarer far than rare: in the course of billions of lifetimes,  taken on countless planets in countless forms, it is only here and now that we have even just the  physical components that we need—much less the instructions, much less the drive to serve  others that we need to change the body.   How much rarer then is it for us to meet a perfect partner with whom we can make this  journey; the scriptures say as well that to find a person who is even capable of conceiving of  work with a partner as a spiritual path, as the fastest of all paths, requires billions upon billions of  good deeds: each look, each breath, each tear is the result of infinite kindnesses towards  others. 4) **What is the general method for performing the practice of the Diamond Fluid, how do we  train ourselves to perform it, and what more specifically is the goal with the inner winds here?**     The general method for performing the Diamond Fluid practice is to undertake a contraction of  our sexual organ and suck essential drops up out of the sexual organ of our partner; as we’ll see  later, this can be done either by the male or the female partner.   We train ourselves in this practice, traditionally, by placing a small tube of reed (bamboo or  similar) into the hole of our organ and practicing contracting the muscles to the extent that we  can raise these drops. In modern times a sterile catheter is highly preferred, to prevent  infection, as is distilled water—attempting to introduce any other, unclean liquid into the body  can again cause serious infections. Any introduction even of a catheter into the sexual organ can  cause damage to sensitive tissues, and should not even be considered without a qualified,  authentic teacher with a high level of integrity and training to consult.   The goal with the inner winds during this practice is actually the same as that with the previous  two seals—the mula bandha and th viparita karani. That is, we are seeking to reverse the flow  of the downward-moving wind to bring its energy up the central channel to meet that of the life wind coming down; which would compact the elements at the heart and induce an experience  of the clear light.   This reversal of the downward-clearing wind is again said to result from the introduction of the  partner’s downward wind through the shared connection—described as similar to the way in  which smoke from one piece of incense passing through a shared pipe would push the smoke of  another stick backwards up the pipe.   5) **What physical precautions would any responsible practitioners take in connection with the  practice?**   Partners who choose to attempt vajroli and related practices should take a practical look at the  physical issues which pertain to sexual relations in general. If the partners have not enjoyed a  long-time relationship and there is even a remote chance of either partner having a sexually transmitted disease such as AIDS, then obviously the partners should be taking appropriate  precautions.   The same applies to some form of birth control; if the partners are committed yogis who have  no intention of making a family and children their practice (which can be an option, where we  practice by perceiving not just our partner but also children as divine beings), then the  appropriate precautions should be taken. On a physical level, partners need to examine the  risks of birth-control methods that might adversely affect hormone production. On a moral  level, partners should be aware that according to the yogic and Buddhist traditions, a human  being begins at conception; and any termination even of a single fertilized egg as a method of  birth control would have the karmic effects of murder. 6) **What social considerations should be taken into account with the vajroli and related practices?**   In India, where the vajroli and related practices have been carried on for many centuries by  yogis and yoginis, there historically appear to have been instances where the practice became  corrupted by untrained and ethically insensitive persons. It’s important for us to recall that  honoring a strict moral code—which means not hurting anyone through our practice—is the very  basis of every yogic practice that exists.   The sexual energy in all human beings is a very powerful force for good, but also for bad—we  have a huge capacity for deceiving ourselves where sexual issues are involved, our desire  skewing our perceptions far beyond what we could imagine possible. A few moments of sexual  misconduct can very often be the cause of many years of emotional pain among spouses and  entire families. And if the partners in these types of practices lack any further commitment, then  for example children may be born out of wedlock, with no provision made for their continued  physical and emotional upkeep and upbringing—a potential lifetime of low self-esteem and  loneliness resulting for the child, and guilt and unhappiness for the parents.   Yogis are by definition spiritual people, and we must consider carefully the effects of all of our  actions upon others, particularly if they are very long-term effects. Our practices should be  resulting in greater harmony and admiration among the people around us.]   7) **Master Svatmarama asks, “Why would anyone ever need fear death, so long as the drops  remained fixed in the body?” Explain what he means here with the “fixing” of drops, and relate  this to the sustaining of life.**   On one level, the “drops” mentioned here are the gross semen and ovarian fluid of the man or  woman practitioner. If a yogi releases them without great purpose, then by definition they have  failed in the original goal of the practice—which was to contract the downward-clearing wind  and bring its energy flowing back up into the body and central channel, not to allow it to flow in  its usual way, “clearing” these fluids “down” out the body.   Each time we have an unpurposeful flow of these fluids and energy out of the body, without  bringing any energy back in, then we are expending as well some amount of the pranic energy of  the body; repeated many times over a lifetime, this expends our vital energy on a gross level,  and on a subtle level trains the winds to move away from the center-directed, dissolution  process which we seek to use to bring on an experience of the clear light. And this locks us into  our mortality: we come closer and closer, with each passing moment, to death.]   8) **Within the practice of vajroli, Master Svatmarama describes a dependent relationship  between mind, body, and life-energy. Explain.**   The Master notes that whether or not a practitioner will be able to retain their semen or  ovarian fluid depends on the power of their mind and motivation for the practice. A well-trained  yogi is staying very mindful of the original purpose of the practice, which is to help all living kind  by transforming the body into that of an angel; which in turn requires bringing the winds in  towards the heart; which of course means that we are not simply using the sexual experience  for physical gratification (as opposed to purposeful bliss used for higher purposes).   This lower pursuit of gratification leads to a lack of purposeful intent, and a corresponding  inability to retain and direct ones sexual fluids. And so the Master wants us to picture semen or  ovarian fluid as something in a cup, resting safely only on the stable table of a mind which is well fixed in higher the higher spiritual intentions of permanently removing the pain of ourselves and  others.   And then he wants us to go further with the analogy and see life itself as something that depends  in turn upon the steady contents of the cup: if the sexual fluids spill out, then life itself spills out.  If we engage in a worldly form of the sexual act, then we are simply expending our life’s energy  without helping ourselves or the world.   In the tradition of these practices as they came to Tibet, retention of the fluids has an important  goal of prolonging the sensation of physical bliss, which is being utilized as a means of seeing  ultimate reality. If the fluids are retained, this means that the downward-clearing wind has been  drawn up and retained as well, within the central channel.   When this wind is retained here and held against the life-wind, then in the stillness of the  resulting capsule we have a high chance of going into the clear light of the perception of higher  reality. With this realization then we are in an excellent position to preserve life in a general  sense: defeating death itself throughout the worlds of this realm.]   Coffeeshop assignment: Please meet with one other member of the class (preferably someone you didn’t  know before the course started) to talk a bit about this class, before the next one.   Meditation assignment: 15 minutes per day, visualizing your perfect imagined partner, and calling Them to  come to you.   Meditation times and dates (homework without this section completed will not be accepted):