Most Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
Chod – The Introduction & A Few Practices
Note: In order to practice chod, the sincere disciple must have received transmission and permission
from an authentic lineage-holder. The transmission is a spiritual blessing that is passed down in
an unbroken lineage, and as such protects the student on this quite advanced path of practice.
1. Introduction
I am very happy to have the opportunity to speak about chod and hope that my introduction will be helpful for all of you who wish to engage in the practice. It is important to know which tradition of teachings chod belongs to before one begins. gChod belongs to the Secret Mantrayana1 and was brought to Tibet from India within the scope of the Eight Chariots of Accomplishment2 by Machig Labdron. Ma-gchig Lab-sGron, “One Mother, Lamp of the Lab” was born in the region of Lab in Central Tibet and lived from 1055-1152 A.D. It is important to know that Machig Labdron did not invent chod, a practice that brings together the essence of the entire teachings on prajnaparamita that Lord Buddha presented when he turned the Wheel of Dharma a second time in Rajgriha, India.
Prajnaparamita is shes-rab-kyi-pha-rol-tu-phyin-pa in Tibetan and means, “reaching the other shore through the perfection of wisdom-awareness,” in the sense of having left “this shore” of dualistic concepts. Prajnaparamita embraces the complete Mahayana teachings of perfect omniscience - the heart of Lord Buddha”s realization. The Buddha gave short, middle-length and long instructions on prajnaparamita on the occasion of the Second Dharmachakra and meticulously explained insight into emptiness. Prajnaparamitasutras are the scriptures that were later composed in India (between approximately 100 B.C. and A.D. 600). The short text consists of 700 lines, the middle text has 8000 verses and the long text has 100,000 verses. Chod combines the prajnaparamita teachings with the practice of lojong (blo-sbyong, “mind training”).3
Chod means “cutting through,” i.e., severing erroneous concepts about the world of appearances and all illusions regarding the existence of a personal self. The practice of chod is an advanced skilful method that enables practitioners to become free of clinging to false notions and beliefs regarding inherent existence of appearances and experiences and therefore of an inpidual self. Attachment and clinging to a self are forces that give rise to the defilements, which are the source of anguish and pain. Chod is the practice that enables disciples to understand emptiness of all appearances that are fit to arise and therefore can be apprehended. It is an exceptional practice.
One needs to eradicate unfavourable delusions and hindrances and accomplish favourable conditions in order to realize and manifest perfect awakening. Unfavourable conditions are all negative habits that conceal the pure vision of reality. There are three types of unfavourable conditions: (1) delusions caused by past evil deeds, (2) delusions that are present and manifest as disturbing and therefore harmful emotions and (3) the delusion of not knowing the true nature of all things. These delusions need to be purified. Furthermore, a disciple needs to accumulate favourable conditions, accomplished by practicing the six paramitas.
Generally, the six paramitas that a bodhisattva practices in order to achieve the highest goal of awakening are: generosity, ethical conduct, patience, joyful endeavour, meditation and wisdom-awareness. The first paramita (“perfection”) is transcendent giving that dissipates scarcity and wants that beings living in poverty endure. There are three ways to be generous: general, exceptional and very difficult generosity. (1) General generosity is giving cloth…
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