Tummo: The Bliss Of Inner Fire

Day one is an introduction to the Tantric tradition that Tummo comes from and the masters in the past that have practiced it and how it was handed down through the ages. I discuss the benefits of practising Tummo and why it's different from the foundational Sutra path of Buddhism. You'll be introduced to the key components of Tummo within the context of Tantra and the path to spiritual awakening. There will be a brief guided meditation at the conclusion of each day's teaching session, today we will conclude with a meditation called Vajrasattva purification. Vajrasattva is a being that is a symbol of the eternal pure nature of the mind, the clear light nature. This meditation is a traditonal preparation for the actual Tummo practice and to help connect with the ground of Tummo.

Emptiness is at the heart of Buddhist philosophy and the Tantric Buddhist practice of Tummo utilises skillful means to understand and experience it directly. Ultimately Tummo is the experience of the union of bliss and emptiness as one. In this session you'll learn the difference between sutra and tantra emptiness and how the practice of Tummo includes both. You'll learn how emptiness has a very special meaning in Tantra and relates to Buddha nature or the clear light. It's from this foundation or ground that the totality of Tummo can begin to make sense. The guided meditation at the end is to help guide tou to experience ego-lessness and the space like dimension of the mind which is where Tummo begins.

Today is about Deity Yoga and its role it plays in training in Tummo. Deity Yoga is a central Tantric practice that is a powerful spiritual tecnology that goes along side the breath work of Tummo, to make it a complete Tantric practice. In this sessions you'll learn how imagining yourself and the world as made of light can have a powerful effect on your mind and emotions plus help empower a direct experience of en-light-en-ment. In today's guided meditation I introduce saying the mantra Ah on the outbreath as a way to instantly let go and relax into the moment and connect with the raw experience of energy and awareness. We then go into how to adjust your perceptions to be aligned with blissful wisdom and empower your deepest potential.

Today is the introduction of the subtle energy body and its anatomy in Tummo. This will include kundalini energy, chakras and the three main channels. Particularly the central channel which plays a key role in Tummo practice. You'll learn the details of the chakras and the branches that stem from them. We'll go into details about the colours used to visualize during Tummo and how they are specific to this Tantric practice. The guided meditation will use the imagery of a blooming lotus at the four main chakras that Tummo works with, which are the red navel, white heart, red throat and multi-coloured crown.

We look at the actual breathwork of Tummo and how to ignite the fire at the navel chakra. I'll go into detail about how the visualizations fit into it all. You'll learn the major components of putting this powerful breathing technique together which is the driving force of the entire Tummo practice. The guided meditation today will be a practical lesson in Tummo breathwork.

Once the inner fire has been ignited we practice to move that energy through the central channel which unblocks chakras giving rise to deepening experiences of bliss. This can also be very therapeutic helping to move through stuck emotions from past trauma and stress. The purpose of accessing deepening blissful levels of awareness is to unite the experience with open-ness or emptiness to fully reveal Buddha nature. These are advanced yogic exercises and the practitioner is encouraged not to expect immediate results but can still engage with the practice through the breath and imagination. The guided meditation uses vase breathing to increse bliss and heat at the navel to move energy around the subtle body. Tantra uses visualization as a way to access subtle levels of consciousness.

Today is about the four blissful states. These occur as kundalini moves throughout the central channel opening chakras and unblocking energetic knots. We learn how Tummo can dissolve or purify the energy that supports ignorance and hatred within us. I'll talk about experiences of deepening blissful states as the kundalini energy moves around the central channel activating deeply joful experiences along with wisdom and love. Today is really the culmination of the Tummo practice and the aim of dissolving all prana into the indestructible drop at the heart to experience the union of bliss and emptiness is discussed. And how all the practices lead to revealing the most subtle level of clear light awareness and the very subtle energy it's connected to. The guided meditation leads you through Tummo breathwork and visualizations moving prana around the central channel to reach the final resting place of luminous bliss at the heart.

I disuss how Tummo uses the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy of death and rebirth. Which is the amazing skillful method of Tantra which uses the most subtle levels of consciousness on the path to enlightenment. We learn how to gain access to very deep states of consciousness that empower us to deveop wisdom and self-awareness. The eights stages of death are discussed in detail which outline how the individual experiences the death process of dissolving back down into the clear light. And how this is connected to experiences and signs you can have doing vase breathing in Tummo, when you can successfully dissolve different levels of prana into the central channel. Sound and mantra are used in the guided meditation as we practice A-U-M as a movement of kundalini energy from the belly, heart and to the crown. We then use vase breathing to go into experiencing different types of unions at different chakras until the final union is attained with your enlightened nature .

Get tips and methods to practice Tummo 'on the go' during daily life. Keep the flame alive by contemplating it regularly. Learn the importance of divine pride and pure perception to protect your mind and ignite the inner fire. The guided meditation includes imagining being surrounded by enlightened beings blessing your practice as you breathe in their blessings during Tummo. This is actually an important part of traditional Tummo practice known as 'Guru yoga' and can have a powerful effect on the mind and subtle body.

The stages of Tummo are outlined to help develop a daily practice. Starting small and maintaining a consistent daily practice are emphasized. Practice is the main point. Engagement and Integration are the keys. This is the yogic path. Ultimately Tummo is to connect you with your true self your Buddha nature; the Clear Light. Everybody has this, it’s the very ground of your being, the core nature of your mind. Learn to trust yourself, trust your own intuitive blissful wisdom. This is the profoundly positive message of Tantra. You are essentially enlightened, your core conscious self is blissful and wise. Tummo doesn’t create it, Tummo reveals it. It’s the portal of bliss into the experience of your enlightened being. The guided meditation is the longest so far but still brief. It's an all inclusive practice of Tummo: starting at dissolving into emptiness, arising as the deity, experiencing the light body, practicing vase breathing, blazing the fire, purifying chakra blocks, melting and moving kundalini around the central channel and dissolving into the indestructible clear light at the core of the heart chakra. For more in-depth study I recommend these two books: 1. The Bliss of Inner Fire by Lama Yeshe 2. The Clear Light of Bliss by Kelsang Gyatso