The Five Secret Tsa-Lung Exercises

Inner refuge

Tsa (Channel)
RANG LÜ GYAL WE KYIL KHOR Ü
YÖN TEN MA LÜ JUNG WE NE
TSA SUM KHOR LO NGA YI LONG
TONG PE KU LA KYAP SU CHI

 

First refuge: Body
The center of the victorious mandala, one's own body,
The source of all positive qualities without exception,
Is the expanse within the three channels and the five chakras.
I take refuge in this body of emptiness. (30 sec)

 

 

Lung (Wind)
DUK NGEL PUNG PÖ TREN TSOK KÜN
YE SHE LUNG GI RAP SEL TE
MA CHÖ KA DAK NAM KHE LONG
Ö KYI KU LA KYAP SU CHI

 

Second refuge: Speech
All the gathered clouds of suffering and misery
Are completely cleared by the wisdom wind,
Revealing the unelaborated, primordially pure expanse of the sky.
I take refuge in this body of light. (30 sec)

 

 

Tigle (Sphere of light)
YE SHE Ö NGE GUR KHANG NE
NYI ME TIG LE Ö ZER TRÖ
MA RIK MÜN PE DRA WA SANG
DE CHEN KU LA KYAP SU CHI

 

Third refuge: Mind
From the pavilion of the five wisdom lights,
Rays of non-dual spheres of light emanate,
Clearing the webs of the darkness of ignorance.
I take refuge in this body of great bliss. (30 sec)

 

 

General

The secret level of this practice also works with the five pranic forms. But this time, they are only addressed through the mind. That is why they are called «secret». In a way, this is a relief, because these exercises can be done anywhere because you only need your attention to activate the Chakras.

 

Each chakra has its own shape and color. The shape is not necessarily related to the chakra, but rather reflects the distribution of energy channels in that body region. The color reflects the elemental energy that belongs to this chakra. The Tibetan syllable A is visualized in each chakra because it supports and protects the corresponding experience.

 

The Tibetan Syllable A (Dzogchen syllable)

 

Do the exercise three times with each chakra. It should feel particularly «clear» afterwards. Then let in yourself ascend the trait that you want to cultivate in particular:

 

Compassion, Inner Peace, Love, Openness, Wisdom, Generosity.

 

Concentrate on the qualities that are of particular use to you in your practice and daily life. This series of exercises is best compared to setting up an altar. First cleanse the room, then set the table, place the holy objects on it, hang pictures of deities, and finally light the incense.

 

 

Crown Chakra

Concentrate on the crown chakra. Imagine how the energy from the throat chakra rises and spreads in the brain like a spanned umbrella. The color of this chakra is a delicate yellow or gold. The upward Prana, which is associated with the earth element, rises through the throat chakra into the brain and then into the crown chakra. (30 sec)

 

Ask that the five wisdoms, the positive divine qualities, awaken in you and that their light may shine strong and vibrant. Feel the crown chakra opening, your connection to the highest levels of spirituality. Visualize a bright white Tibetan A in the crown chakra. It is getting stronger and stronger. (1 min)

 

This syllable stands for compassion. Now let compassion, radiant clarity, and bliss expand until they permeate your entire being - your body, every being, every place. Compassion is alive and real, not an artificial emotion that exists only in imagination. It is the deep compassion that arises spontaneously from the enlightened nature of mind. (2 min)

 

 

Throat Chakra

Now turn your attention to the throat chakra. Allow him to open and relax. A bright white Tibetan A shines in the energy center. (1 min)

 

It stands for inner peace and radiates peace in all directions. This inner peace fills every cell of your body. He permeates the environment and all beings. (2 min)

 

 

Heart Chakra

Now focus on the heart center, where the Prana of Life Force sits. It is associated with the space element. The heart center is wide, filled with white light that takes the form of a wish-fulfilling jewel. The heart center opens and relaxes. This presence in the heart - you become this presence. (1Min)

 

Imagine a bright white Tibetan A in your heart. It radiates love and openness. Both spread through space and time as the boundless, white light emanating from the syllable. (2 min)

 

 

Navel Chakra

Pay attention to the navel center. It is located in the middle of the body, behind the navel, and is red in color. There, the fire-matched Prana has its seat. The canals run away from this center like the spokes of a wheel from the hub. Feel the warmth of this chakra. Let all tension dissolve in it. (1 min)

 

Imagine a bright white Tibetan A in the middle of the chakra. It exudes the qualities of clarity and wisdom. Let the natural state of the mind light up, which now permeates the entire existence. Everything is clear presence. Every being is a manifestation of pure wisdom. (2 min)

 

 

Muladhara Chakra

Now focus on the chakra between the navel center and the secret chakra. It lies about four fingers below the navel, where the side channels open into the central channel. The all-pervading Prana, which belongs to the air element, has its headquarters here. Feel the all-pervasive quality of the air. (1 min)

 

Imagine a bright white Tibetan A. Out of it emerges the positive aspects of the air: flexibility, clarity, intelligence. From the chakra these positive qualities penetrate the whole space like green rays of light. (2 min)

 

 

Secret Chakra

Now, the mind gathers in the secret chakra, where the down-facing Prana, which communicates with the water element, concentrates. The energy channels have the shape of a bellows whose tip is directed downwards. Feel the strong presence of the element. (1 min)

 

Imagine a white Tibetan A. Out of this arises the feeling of generosity. Let it get stronger. It dissolves all knots of greed and desire in this chakra. Release the tension of basic self-centeredness and the fear of loss. Emit openness to give the will and to be there for others. (2 min)

 

Use your imagination to develop your experience to bring the altered quality to awareness to create and stabilize the positive qualities. (2 min)

 

 

Work with all chakras or just one. Pay attention to the difference in your experience as you focus on the different chakras; experimenting with it. Do the exercise during your meditation session or throughout the day. Do it when you need to focus on yourself. Or simply, whenever you like.

 

When you need energy, you should do the body-oriented exercises. They will you enliven. Do the exercises for the more subtle levels afterwards; or if you cannot perform the exercises on the other levels for some reason. You can also do the «secret» exercises when you go for a walk or just sit down somewhere.

 

Whenever the positive quality of a chakra has become an experience, radiate it to benefit all beings and their environment. In Tantra, we strive for this kind of transformation until it becomes the normal view of things. There is enough goodness in this world. Only the distortions of our Karma ensure that we cannot perceive them directly.

 

When you have a headache, you feel peace in your pain. When there is trouble - angry people or raging elements - be aware that peace is behind the turmoil: the peace of the space through which the storm is raging. If you work with the individual qualities, you will discover them under the most unlikely circumstances. As if you were listening to the silence in the heart of the hurricane.

 

 

Dedication

(ngo mön)
GO SUM DAK PE GE WA GANG GYI PA
KHAM SUM SEM CHEN NAM KYI DÖN DU NGO
DUK SUM SAK PE LE DRIP KÜN JANG NE
KU SUM DZOK PE SANG GYE NYUR TOP SHOK

 

All pure virtue done through the Three Doors,
I dedicate to the welfare of all sentient beings of the Three Realms.
Having purified all afflictions and obscurations of the Three Poisons,
May we swiftly achieve the complete Buddhahood of the Three Bodies.

 

 

Dedication prayer

(ngo wa)
KYAP NE SUM LA DING CHEN TOP PAR SHOK
GO SUM NYAM TOK YE SHE GYE PAR SHOK
DUK SUM DAK NE KU SUM TOP PAR SHOK
RANG GYÜ DRÖL NE ZHEN LA PEN PAR SHOK

 

May I gain great confidence in the Three Refuges.
May my experiences and my realization of wisdom of the Three Doors increase.
By purifying the Three Poisons, may I receive the Three Bodies.
By liberating myself in my own being, may I benefit others.

 

 

Explanation of the terms in the dedication:
Three Doors — Body, Speech, Mind
Three Realms — desirable, shape, shapeless
Three Poisons — Aversion, Desire, Ignorance
Three Bodies (or dimensions) —

 

bön ku or Dharmakaya;
dzok ku, long ku, or Sambhogakaya; and
trül ku or Nirmanakaya