Magical Movements ('phrul 'khor): Ancient Yogic Practices in the Bon Religion and Contemporary Medical Perspectives

306 Pages·2006·10.126 MB·English

by  Marco Alejandro Chaoul

RICE UNIVERSITY
Magical Movements ('phrul 'khor): Ancient Yogic Practices in the Bon Religion and
Contemporary Medical Perspectives.
by
Marco Alejandro Chaoul
A THESIS SUBMITTED
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
Doctor of Philosophy
APPROVED, THESIS COMMITTEE:
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Jeffrey J. Kripal, J. Newton Rayzor
Professor and Chair
Relio7u, 'S , tUdi:s
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William B. Parsons, Associate Professor
Religious Studies '
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ith, George and Nancy Rupp
D vid F. Germano, Associate Professor
Religious Studies, University of Virginia
HOUSTON, TEXAS
MAY 2006
UMI Number: 3216682
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ABSTRACT
Magical Movements Cphrul 'khor): Ancient Yogic Practices in the Bon Religion
and Contemporary Medical Perspectives
by
Marco Alejandro Chaoul
Magical movement is a distinctive Tibetan practice of physical yoga in
which breath and concentration of the mind are integrated as crucial components
in conjunction with particular body movements. Present in all five spiritual
traditions of Tibet-in some more prevalent than others--it has been part of their
spiritual training since at least the tenth century C.E.
Focusing on the magical movement from the ancient Bon tradition's Oral
Transmission of Zhang Zhung and its contemporary representatives and lineage
holders, this dissertation will include textual translation and analysis as well as
ethnographical research reporting how it is used in Bon lay settings and
monastic curricula today. In particular I will use a commentary by the famous
Bonpo scholar and meditator Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen, who allegedly attained the
rainbow body in 1934 (a sign, in the tradition, of the highest contemplative state).
He was also part of the non-sectarian (ris med) Tibetan movement of his time.
Although this aspect does not transpire in his Commentary, I feel that Shardza's
example is present as an inspiration to the spirit in which I relate to the context of
the practice and material contained in his text.
Examining the use of the subtle body in magical movement and the
understanding of "magic" in that context, I propose that here magic can have the
external meaning of magic, the internal meaning of medicine and the most
internal or secret meaning of mysticism. Thus, these magical movements provide
the yogin or practitioner an opportunity to break through or go beyond the
limitations of the body and to bring forth the mystical experiences together with
the magical and healing aspects.
Finally, tracing the migration of this practice to the West, both in dharma
or Buddhist centers and the contemporary Western medical settings, I report
some of the benefits of using these mind-body techniques as part of a CIM
(Complementary and Integrative Medicine) treatment for people with cancer.
This may allow magical movement to participate in a larger dialogue, one that
extends the conversation to the fields medical humanity and integrative
medicine, among others.
Attempting contemplative practices without clear understanding of the body ...
is like trying to milk an animal by tugging at its horns.1
1 Drapa Gyaltsen (Crags pa rgyal mtshan), an eminent master from the Sakya School, in Frances M.
Garret, "Narratives of embryology: becoming human in Tibetan literature," Ph. D. dissertation,
Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 1994, p. 56.
Preface and Acknowledgements
My interest in the Bon2 magical movement practices began during a trip to
Nepal in 1993. Staying at the Bonpo monastery of Tritan Norbutse (Khri brtan nor
bu rtse), I was able to observe, and later learn, these movements under the
guidance of Tibetan lamas who followed the teachings of the Oral Transmission of
Zhang Zhung (Zhang zhung snyan rgyud, hereafter ZZ Oral Transmission), which
are central to this study. In 1994, under the guidance of the Tibetan lama and
scholar Geshe (dge shes) Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, who had recently moved to
the U.S.A., I studied and started translating a well-known commentary on the ZZ
Oral Transmission's magical movements, written by Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen (d.
1934).3
The Indo-Tibetan program at The University of Virginia gave me my first
training in Tibetan language, classical systems of Buddhist philosophy, and the
historical context that I needed for this task. However, my M.A. thesis was on the
severing ritual (gcodV so I could not give focused attention to this magical
movement text. In 1996, I continued my academic studies at Rice University,
under the guidance of Dr. Anne C. Klein. A year later, I took a research trip to
2 Bon is considered the ancient spiritual tradition of Tibet. More on Bon will be explained as the
topic of this dissertation unravels.
3 Gyaltsen, Shardza T. Byang zab nam mkha' mdzod chen las Snyan rgyud rtsa rlung 'phrul 'khor In:
NAM MKHA MDZOD Vol. I-III, ed. by Sonam N, Gyaltsen PLS, Gyatso K, Tibetan Bonpo
Monastic Centre: New Thobgyal, 1974, pp. 321-346.
4 "Tracing the origins of cho (gcod) in the Bon tradition: a dialogic approach cutting through
sectarian boundaries." M.A. Thesis, The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA , 1999.
VI
Nepal and Tibet under the auspices of a fellowship from the Rocky Foundation
for Buddhist Studies. The original intent of my trip was to investigate the
possibility of a dissertation on pilgrimage. However, I quickly realized that
traveling to pilgrimage sites in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, where the
masters of the ZZ Oral Transmission lived and practiced, was burdened with
political obstacles. Upon my return to Nepal, and then back to the U.S.A., I
understood that I had to re-direct my research to the inner landscapes of the
subtle body. When I told Professor Klein, her face brightened, and we both
laughed as we had failed to see the obvious. The topic was there all along: 'phrul
'khor, magical movement.
Along the long road to finishing this project, many people have helped
me. Certainly, it would have been totally impossible to do if it were not for the
teachers and protectors of these teachings, passed on both in written and oral
forms. Especially, I would like to thank the Menri Trizin Lungtok Tenpa'i
Nyima, Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, the Menri Ponlob Thinley Nyima,
Khenpo Nyima Wangyal, Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung, and last, and certainly not
least, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. There are no words to express how extremely
grateful I am to all of them for such precious gifts, and I hope that this
dissertation becomes a viable medium to share some of those benefits.
Many other people were also crucial in this long and winding road. I
would like to thank Anne Klein, Edith Wyschogrod, William Parsons, Richard
vii
Smith, and Jeffrey Kripal from Rice University and David Germano from The
University of Virginia, who served as readers and advisors, helping me polish
my dissertation in many ways. All the tarnish left is mine.
I would also like to thank Lorenzo Cohen from The University of Houston
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, who was vital in my work of applying these
practices with cancer patients in a clinical research environment and helped me
include them in this dissertation. I am grateful to Steve Lewis, Jeffrey Kripat and
Gary Wiht who played an important role in helping me finish what seemed like
an endless project. And a special thanks goes to Deb Blakely, who came into this
process at the precise moment I needed her, to help me refine my English (a
second language for me after my native Spanish). Her help and Simone Rieck's,
her assistant, were invaluable.
I am very grateful to my family: parents, sister, children and in-laws, for
their faithful support. And of course the biggest THANK YOU goes to my wife,
Erika De la Garza. Her loyal support and understanding were unsurpassable.
And so, in case I do not get you the t-shirt I will say it here: "you have survived
your husband's dissertation.//
viii
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Moving into the Magic
I. Overview 1
II. Historical Context: The Bon Religion 5
III. Defining Magical Movement 16
A. Mind-Energy-Body 21
B. Origin of Magical Movement from the ZZ Oral Transmission 29
C. Magical Movement in Western Translations 30
D. Importance of Orality 31
IV. Practice and Practical Applications of Magical Movement 33
Chapter 2. Understanding Bodies 40
I. Theoretical Framework 40
A. Asceticism and the Body 41
II. A Brief History of Yoga and Tantra 44
A. Indian Yoga 51
B. Mind-Energy-Body in Tibet 53
C. Buddha Nature 57
III. The Landscapes of the Subtle Dimension(s) 58
A. Elements of the Subtle Dimension(s) 64
1. Channels 64
2. Energetic Centers 67
3. Vital Breath Currents 69
B. Inner Landscapes: Charting the Mart1ala 71
C. Vajra Hermeneutics 74
D. Mahayana Ethics 75
E. Mart1alas as Buddha Dimensions 77
ix
IV. The Yogi's Dynamism 79
A. Ma:r:t<;iala-Dynamics 83
B. Moving the Gears 83
C. Radiating Ma:r:t<;ialas 87
Chapter 3.
Texts and Lamas: Interweaving Textual and Oral Wisdom 93
O. ZZ Oral Transmission Text(s) and Interpretations 97
A. Preparation: Channels, Vital Breath Currents
and Magical Movement 98
I. Cycle 1: Foundational Magical Movement Cycle 102
A. The Foundational Magical Movement Set 104
i. Purification of the Head 105
• About Concluding with Ha and Phat 106
ii-v. Purification of the Legs, Arms, Torso, and Lower Body 108
ii. Purification of the Legs 109
• Breathing 109
iii. Purification of the Arms 110
iv. Purification of the Upper Torso 111
v. Purification of the Lower Body 112
A1. Benefits 112
II. Cycle 2: Root Magical Movement Cycle 115
A. Root Magical Movement Set 116
i. Striking the Athlete's Hammer to Overcome Anger 117
ii. The Skylight of Primordial Wisdom
that Overcomes Mental Fogginess 118
iii. Rolling the Four [Limbs like] Wheels, to Overcome Pride 119
iv. Loosening the Corner Knot to Overcome Attachment 119
v. Skyward Waving the Silk Tassel to Overcome Jealousy 120
vi. The Stance of a Tigress' Leap to Overcome
Drowsiness and Agitation 120
AI. Benefits 121
• Benefits in Quintessential Instructions 122
i. Striking the Athlete's Hammer 123
ii. The Skylight of Primordial Wisdom 124
iii. Rolling the Four Limbs Like A Wheel 125
iv. Loosening the Corner Knot 126
v. Skyward Waving the Silk Tassel 127
vi. Stance of a Tigress' Leap 127