4/06/2009

Tantra, Buddha Mind and La Petite Mort II

La petite mort, the little death of orgasm gives us a glimpse of panoramic awareness, the distinct feeling that you have lost your edges, and have no center or need of one, you are one with all of it. In complete surrender to the moment, unclouded, non-dual, Buddha mind has been exposed. Spacious, free of desire, and no room for thoughts,
an exquisite and pure taste of naked awareness.


And a taste of death. Or the process of death, and it is a process. We do not die all at once. When the heart muscle has stopped Western medicine tags your toe, and for organizational purposes, labels you 'dead'. This has not been the common wisdom. Complete death takes awhile, just as birth. Tibetan Buddhism suggests 3 days before the consciousness has left the body and 49
days for complete departure.

The Bardo Thodol, from the father of Tantric Buddhism, Padmasambhava, and available to us as the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, is an amazingly accurate (according to science)guide of the death(ing)process along with the practices, and philosophy for making the most of this mind blowing*, once in a lifetime event. A skillful death requires a lifetime of practice, better to begin now.

The an
cient, and obsessive fascination with sex and death, and the mixing of the two, continues for good reason. They are intricately connected and mirror a mind space rarely available in any other way. Humans are, and have always been drawn to these mind spaces. Scarfing, erotic asphyxiation, dates back to the 1600's, and was thought to help with impotence after erections were observed in men post hanging, practiced today for its erotic appeal. A truly shocking visual created by a doctor is available from Turban Sing in 'Exploring Sex and Death'.. Space Monkey, popular with teens, is a choking game played for a high and/or erotic value, involving the loss of consciousness, and the occasional, but very real, tragic oops of accidental death. Michael Hutchins from INXS, is said to have accidentally killed himself with scarfing, making 'in excess ' eerily appropriate.
Some tantric sects have a startling**, and at first glance macabre, often erotic ritual and practice of meditation on corpses, a practice to instill the meaning of impermanence, among other things. ....and it works!
Perfect for the beginning tantric,
a little tantra lite, a simple one hour walking meditation at Forest lawn.... or any cemetery , try it!
Tibetan Wisdom for Living and Dying

*Nirvana: blown out
**One of Christianity's most interesting symbols is Jesus nailed to a wooden cross...ouch!

Art:
kali's necklace
mandala/ 17"x24"
my dakini


Bookmark and Share

Pin It

5 comments:

te said...

md,

just replaced the worn cassette tapes of Tibetan Wisdom with CD's.

ah, the mystique of the little death. if you photograph a persons face at the moment of extreme orgasm it would be hard to tell if they were in agony or ecstasy.

Michael Hutchence, thanks for the music. :)

te

om said...

te,
if you photograph a persons face at the moment of extreme orgasm they may not want to play with you anymore...lol! just kidding, kinda ;)....actually, I was involved with someone who would randomly take pictures of me when I least suspected it....I found it annoying and unoriginal, remember the movie sex lies and videotape?

Forest Lawn, could be the perfect backdrop...hmmmm

te said...

md,

"if you photograph a persons face at the moment of extreme orgasm they may not want to play with you anymore"...

LOL! :) True. "Photograph" a poor word choice. Rephrase as "see" a person's face, if one finds oneself in the sacred private bubble to gaze upon the moment. A grand way to disappear.

Being randomly photographed is something nobody cares much for, evidenced by celebs always clashing with the paparazzi.

Forest Lawn in Glendale is a place visited often over the years. Sprawling grounds, museums, quiet, serene. Always felt like an airport or bus depot for the soul.

te

om said...

......union station gives me the same kind of energy, very mercury....

so, when? forest lawn tantric q&a, 4 minute videos....? Needs to be early morning, sunrise-ish, or dusk

om said...

TE:
a new adventure!
it is during difficult times that artists are needed most...
...series II Berkeley or Kauai?

check your email ;)