“One’s Own Body of Pure Channels and Elements”: The Teaching and Practice of Tibetan Yoga at Namdroling

Naomi Worth

doi:10.3390/rel12060404

Abstract

The Tibetan yoga practice known as “winds, channels, and inner heat” (rtsa rlung gtum mo) is physically challenging, and yet is intentionally designed to transform the mind. This chapter explores the relationship between Buddhist doctrine and this physical practice aimed at enlightenment through the teachings of a contemporary yoga master at Namdroling Tibetan Buddhist Monastery and Nunnery in Bylakuppe, Karnataka, South India. This ethnographic profile exemplifies the role of a modern Tibetan lama who teaches a postural yoga practice and interprets the text and techniques for practitioners. While many modern postural yoga systems are divorced from religious doctrine, Tibetan Buddhist yoga is not. This essay highlights three key areas of Buddhist doctrine support the practice of Sky Dharma (gNam chos) yoga at Namdroling: (1) The history and legacy that accompany the practice, which identify the deity of Tibetan yoga as a wrathful form of Avalokiteśvara, the Buddha of compassion; (2) The role of deity yoga in the practice of Tibetan yoga, where the practitioner arises as the deity during yoga practice, an all-consuming inner contemplation; and (3) The framing of Tibetan yoga within the wider philosophy of karma theory and its relationship to Buddhist cosmology. Practitioners of Tibetan yoga endeavor to burn up karmic seeds that fuel the cycle of rebirth in the six realms of saṃsāra. In Tibetan yoga, the body acts in service of the text, the philosophy, and the mind to increasingly link the logic of texts to experience in meaningful ways.

Highlights

This essay takes a close look at th yoga of winds, channels, and inner heat, a relatively uncommon form of Tibetan contemplation that is offered annually at the monastery
Throughout our conversations, we discussed many ways that the philosophy and history of Tibetan Buddhism play active roles to support the mental transformation promised by the practice
The history and legacy of the wrathful form of Avalokiteśvara are associated with Sky Dharma yoga, and this is an indispensable component of the practice

Summary

Introduction

Contemporary Tibetan Buddhist monasteries are often seen as centers for scholastic learning and ritual performance with few opportunities for meditation (McMahon 2009; Dreyfus 2003). Namdroling Monastery and Nunnery institutionally prioritizes the integration of both philosophy and contemplative practice under one roof. Life in refugee camps has fostered a great deal of sharing among the sects of Tibetan Buddhism, and contemporary Nyingma institutions including Namdroling engage in scholastic practices such as debate more than ever. At Namdroling, monks and nuns really do meditate, and the monastery runs dual scholastic and contemplative curricula throughout the year. Buddhism’s postural yoga tradition is more prevalent among Tibetan Buddhist monastics and yogis than one might expect. Outsiders pick up on what Buddhism emphasizes outwardly, the non-tantric Buddhist teachings on wisdom and compassion. Tibetan yoga is one among many of Tibetan Buddhism’s secret practices that require preliminary practice and initiation

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion