chöd

Namo.
I pay homage to the guru, to the dakini.
On the moon disk of her heart
Is the letter AH...AH...
















(Click on the painting to see Machig Labdrön's fearless grace!)

"There are many who wish to gain enlightenment
in a man's form, and there are but a few who wish
to work for the welfare of sentient beings in a female
form. Therefore may I, in a female body, work for
the welfare of beings right until Samsara is emptied.

To annihilate the four demons
Is the teaching of the great vehicle.
To neither reject nor pursue Samsara or Nirvana
Is the meaning of the Prajnaparamita.
Making use of unfavorable conditions
Was taught by the vernerable Machig.
To consider adversiy as a friend
Is the instruction of Chöd."

- Machig Labdron and the Foundations of Chöd

Once again, the drum beats my heart and the bell
calls me to splash in the rivers of infinity.
















One of my dear dance students has been battling a nasty cancer demon for several years. As I try my best to help her through the stormy waves of samsara, I feel myself gripped in a dead-lock stare with my own mortality.

By shear grace, the universe tossed us a rope, Chöd, the Tantric
Buddhist practice of offering everything you've got, which, when
one is passing through life's more dire of situations, one can find
that the only thing left to offer is the body... or as a recently seen
bumper sticker proclaimed, "Don't wait till you die to follow the light".

Chöd is a supplication to the great dakini, Machig Labdrön.
It is charnal ground practice so steeped in beauty and magic
that it drops me to my knees. We practice many hours each
week and continue to to be delighted by the wisdom of this
sacred puja.

I must mention how much gratitude I have for Alta Brown for sharing
her lifetime of practice with us and I bow with great respect to her
Guru, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche for so generously keeping
these teaching alive for all to follow in his footsteps.

For more information/inspiration, visit Alta's lovely website: Everyday Chöd