NIBTC #10:BQS # 05 Å\ 2004 27/02/10 11:45 Page1

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Newsletter of the IBTC no. 10 February 2010

Khyung-mkhar
NIBTC #10:BQS # 05 Å\ 2004 27/02/10 11:45 Page2
Page 2 Newsletter no. 010
 Editorial
i everybody! And thanks to all
H
those who sent nice words of sup-
ports and encouragements for
continuing the Newsletter! Some people
have asked that we turn it into a bi-month-
ly but I’m afraid this would be too much
work to produce on such a basis. I do my
best to keep it monthly but even this is not
always possible unfortunately. Thus, this
new issue which was scheduled for early
February is actually distributed at the end
of the month, since I could not find enough
time to prepare it for the layout in the past
weeks. But the good point in being late is
that we welcome Kurt (Keutzer) in some
answers to questions formulated by
Tommi from Finland. Thank you guys! We
also hope that our dearest friend Geshe
Chaphur Lhundrup who is now studying
in Los Angeles will soon take part in the
answers given in this Newsletter! JLA
Questions from the readers
Q #034 — You once wrote to me explai-
ning about the various kinds of dark
retreats. Could you elaborate a little bit on
this subject? I’m sure some readers might
be interested. And thanks for the News-
letter! I wait for it eagerly every month!
Asked by F.K.
Hi Frank! Thanks for your question and
glad to see you back here! I feel a bit unea-
sy to elaborate on the actual practices that
are done in the dark but I guess it is not a
problem to just explain the various kinds of
dark retreats (mun mtshams) which exists. I
would list them as follows :
1. Tantric dark retreat style,
2. Trekchö dark retreat style,
3. Longdé dark retreat style,
4. Usual Me-ngakdé dark retreat style,
5. Semdzin dark retreat style,
6. Tsalung dark retreat style,
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7. Zhitro dark retreat style, and
8. Special secret dark retreat style.
Dark retreats nos. 5-8 are of the level of the
Me-ngakdé (man ngag sde) instructions level
but represent particular aspects, to distin-
guish them from the “usual” or standard
kind of dark retreat in this category.
1. In the first case, and to my knowled-
ge you find dark retreat in only one Tantra,
the Buddhist Kalacakratantra. The instruc-
tions given for the practice are not very
detailed but generally they consist in sit-
ting in the Vairocana position and gazing
upwards. This is said to give rise to visions
of empty forms (stong gzugs), although
these must be a little different from the
standard Thögel visions since the descrip-
tion given of these empty forms actually
correspond to the visionary manifestations
associated with the dissolution of the
winds of the elements (‘byung ba). This type
of manifestation can even occur at a level of
Zhiné practice.
2. The Treckhö dark retreat style is the
kind of retreat that occurs in the Chaktri ins-
tructions compiled by Dru Gyelwa Yung-
drung (1242-1290). I haven’t seen anything
similar in the Buddhist tradition. This dark
retreat usually last 7 days and does not rely
on any specific instructions (except from a
breathing exercise given orally by the mas-
ter). It is mainly aimed at stabilizing the
experience of the natural state and intensi-
fying the experience without artifices.
3. The dark retreats performed in the
Longdé (Klong sde) series of teachings (the-
refore only in the Buddhist tradition since,
according to Yongdzin Rinpoche, there is
no Longdé stricto sensu in our lineage) use a
small hole in a whole (eastern direction) so
that a single ray of light enters the cell and
is reflected on a mirror or, if one does not
have any mirror, on small basin filled with
water. The practitioner contemplates the
reflections of the ray of light appearing on
the surface of the mirror (or the water). In
the way I was taught these instructions, the
practice also comes with the use of special
Chülen pills, a special diet, etc. It is a very
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February 2010 Newsletter no. 10
potent practice, despite the relatively few
yogic key-points that are involved.
4. The standard or usual Me-ngakdé dark
retreat style is based on two consecutive
yogas: first comes the Pressure of the Ocean
(rgya mtsho ar la gtad pa) consisting in pres-
sing in the eyes and then releasing the pres-
sure in order to contemplate the visionary
appearances that spontaneously occur at
that time. Then, second, comes the Entran-
ce into the glow of the Ocean (rgya mtsho
dwangs su zhugs pa) in which one does not
need to press the eyes anymore since the
visions arise by themselves without effort.
The duration of such practices varies accor-
ding to cycles, individuals, etc., but is
usually of 49+ days.
5. The fifth kind of dark retreat is the
one that one finds in the Yangti lineage of
Dungtso Repa (as well as in the Longsel
Nyingpo tradition of Kathog). It is based
on Semdzin (sems ‘dzin), namely short
essential visualizations which enable one to
focus one’s mind and prevent it from dis-
traction. The visualizations are very speci-
fic, involving visualizing “Eyes” (spyan) in
the brain, the heart, etc., sometimes connec-
ted by rays of lights, etc. It’s not the place to
enter the actual details of this yoga but it is
one of the most powerful practices that
exist in the Nyingma tradition and an
incredibly effective means for letting the
visions of the natural state arise by them-
selves.
6. The sixth style is that of the Tsalung
(rtsa rlung) kind of practice, involving
channels (rtsa) and winds (rlung), together
with specific visualizations. This is the kind
of instructions one can find in the Seven
Cycles of Clear-Light (‘Od gsal bdun skor)
from the Zhangzhung Nyengyü cycle of tea-
chings. This system does not exist in the
Nyingma tradition.
7. The Zhitro type of dark retreat comes
from the Yangtse Longchen of the Bönpo tra-
dition and, as it names indicates, involves
the visualization of the peaceful (zhi ba) and
wrathful (khro bo) deities. This system has
been elaborated in a particular form by
Shardza Rinpoche in his Natural Arising of
the Three Bodies (sKu gsum rang shar) and
Page 3
has become some kind of trademark of this
lineage.
8. The “special” dark retreat style is
usually called Tratri (khra khrid), literally
“variegated guidance” or “variegated ins-
tructions”. It is a kind of dark retreat which
combines the devices of a dark retreat (with
a square cell, etc.) and the principles of
Thögel sun gazing. It thus involves pier-
cing tiny holes of specific forms and size on
the walls of the cell (one hole on each wall)
and gazing at the rays of light entering insi-
de the cell through these holes. One hole is
open at a time, the other being covered
until the sun shines on the corresponding
wall (of course, the hole on the northern
direction never sees the light of the sun; it
is closed with some yak hair and is used for
aeration). This practice exists in the
Buddhist and the New Bön tradition but
not in the Yungdrung Bön lineage. It is des-
cribed by some masters (such as the 1st
Kündröl Rinpoche) as the “real” Thögel
practice combining dark retreat and sun
gazing and is regarded as the swiftest
means to progress on the path of Clear-
Light. 
Q #035 — What is the difference between
the Rainbow body, and the Immaculate
Light Body (zag med 'od sku) ?
Asked by Nicolas S.
Dear Nicolas, thanks for the regularity and
pertinence of your questions, always
appreciated. As you may have found out in
the meantime, there is no actual difference
between the Rainbow Body and the
Immaculate Light Body. The cover the
same “phenomena” of reaching the Fruit
and manifesting signs of realizations
through the dissolution of the physical
aggregates into light, the dissolution of
speech into mantric echoes, and the disso-
lution of the mind into the unborn
Absolute Body (skye med bon sku). You will
find the mention of the Immaculate Light
Body in fewer sources than the Rainbow
Body (mostly in biographies). For instance,
there are no references to the Immaculate
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Page 4 Newsletter no. 10
Light Body in the Treasury of Space and
Awareness (dByings rig mdzod) by Shardza
Rinpoche, only to the Rainbow Body and
more precisely to the Great Transfer of the
Rainbow Body (‘ja’ lus ‘pho ba chen po). The
occurrence of the Immaculate Light Body
appears in the Biographies of the A Khrid
Lineage which was redacted by Shardza
Rinpoche himself. I don’t know why he
does not use the expression Rainbow Body
instead of that of the Immaculate Light
Body but it is maybe because the latter is a
more literate reference. 
Q #036 — The texts often talk about the
ten stages of Buddhahood. But in Les
Instructions sur le A Primordial, vol. I, p.
75, it is stated that in Dzogchen, there are
sixteen stages. What are those 16 stages,
and what are their main characteristics ?
Are all of them steps of Thögel practice ?
Asked by Nicolas S.
There are few, but varying, explanations
regarding the sixteen stages of Dzogchen in
Bön texts. According to the Commentary on
the Gradation of Vehicles (Theg ‘grel) to which
Shardza Rinpoche refers in some of his
works, these sixteen stages can be explai-
ned according to the Four Visions (snang ba
bzhi) of Thögel. In a general way, you can
divide each of the Four Visions of Thögel
into four stages (thus totalizing 16 stages)
comprising : 1. the appearance (snang ba) or
display (mched pa) of the vision itself, 2. its
complete display (nye bar mched pa), 3. its
obtainment (thob pa), and 4. its complete
obtainment (nyer bar thob pa).
For example, if we take the second
Vision of Thögel, its appearance or display
corresponds to the visions of lights (‘od); its
complete display corresponds to the
visions of Luminous Discs (thig le); its ob-
tainment corresponds to the fact that
visions (of Thigles, etc.) now radiates in
fivefold colors (before that visions were
transparent or of a single color); and its full
or complete obtainment corresponds to the
stage in which the visions are vibrating
(‘gul ba) and pulsating (‘phrigs pa), while
February 2010
producing at the same time various kinds
of multicolored rays.
Now, instead of grouping them by four,
if we go through each stage individually,
the explanation in the context of Thögel
practice is as follows :
1. The individual who has received the
direct introduction to the real meaning or
principle of Space and Awareness (dbyings
rig gi don) sees the actual truth or reality of
his natural state and consequently gene-
rates a spontaneous joy: this is the first sta-
ge, known as Supreme Joy.
2. During the second stage, known as
the Immaculate Stage, the practitioner reco-
gnizes that the visions which naturally
arise during the practice of Thögel are the
expression of his own Essence.
3. Then, as he contemplates the ever-
increasing visions of lights, he reaches the
third stage, known as the Light Spreading
Stage.
4. After becoming familiar with this
visionary increasing, the visions start to
spread into fivefold lights which corres-
ponds to the fourth stage, known as the
Blazing Luminous Stage.
5. With even more familiarization with
the practice, all obscurations are being
purified and one contemplates one’s Pri-
mordial Wisdom. This corresponds to stage
five, known as the Stage of Complete Puri-
fication.
6. Then, some visions of Body are emer-
ging from these lights and this forms the
sixth Stage, the Manifest Stage. [In this
case, it means that it is the stage during
which Bodies become manifest from a
visionary perspective. The meaning is
slightly different when the stages are
explained according to the Sutra tradition.]
7. At that time, remaining perfectly im-
mutable constitutes the seventh stage,
known as The Immutable Stage.
8. Then, one entirely perfects the dyna-
mism of Sublime Knowledge (shes rab kyi
rtsal) and one thus reaches the eighth stage,
known as Excellent Intelligence.
9. After this, having clearly recognized
the visions of Wisdom as one’s own
visions, these same visions arise abundant-
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February 2010 Newsletter no. 10
ly (lhug par) in a mode which characterizes
the attainment of the ninth stage, known as
the Immutable Realization of the Principle
of Reality.
10. Then all distorted appearances stop
completely and one reaches the tenth stage,
known as the Inconceivable Perfect Array.
11. After the interruption of all distorted
appearances, one reaches the eleventh
stage, known as the Universal Light.
12. Then, all the visions appear as those
of the Five Wisdom, which corresponds to
the twelfth stage, known as the Svâstkika-
Holding Light.
13. After that level, one cannot go any
further in terms of the visions of Clear-
Light. This means that the visions of Clear-
Light will not intensify themselves from
that stage onward. However, their display
becomes totally infinite and corresponds to
the stage known as the Light of Natural
Awareness.
14. After this, one reaches the stage
known as the Great Accumulation of
Wheels of Letters during which rays of
light proceed from one’s heart and display
into the infinite confines of the sky.
15. Then, having obtained power over
the Spontaneity of the natural state, one
reaches the fifteenth stage, known as the
Unsurpassable Wisdom.
16. Eventually, one experiences the
stage of Primordial Purity (ka dag gi sa) in
which Wisdom dawns without obstacle
and one conquers the ultimate, sixteenth
stage known as the Stage of the Eternal
Undifferentiated Thigle.
As you may have noted, the names of
these stages in Bön are different from their
equivalent in Buddhism and, as Shardza
Rinpoche noted in his Treasury of Space and
Awareness, these are simply elaborated sub-
divisions of a single stage (sa gcig) which is
that of the Clear-Light of one’s own
Natural Awareness. 
Q #037 — Is anything known about the
history of Thukje Kündröl in the Bön
lineage? I have heard that Vajrayogini in
Buddhism is older figure than Chackra-
Page 5
samvara.
Asked by Tommi Tolmunen
Thukje Kündröl is the central deity of seve-
ral cycles of teachings. She is often associa-
ted with the practice of gCod (pr. Chö) of
which there exist several forms in Bön. For
instance, in the “wrathful gCod” kind of
rituals (which involves destructive activi-
ties such as bsad pa, etc.), she appears in the
form of Tröma Kündrölma (Khros ma kun
sgrol ma). In the teachings associated with
the Knowledge-Holders (rig ‘dzin), she
appears as the consort of Tsewang Rigdzin.
In the rituals centered on the four activities
(las bzhi), she is associated with the activity
of power (dbang).
Dawa Drakpa (1882-1934), a disciple of
Shardza Rinpoche and who himself rea-
ched Rainbow Body a year before his mas-
ter, is said to have discovered a Terma cen-
tered on Thukje Kündröl, entitled The
Profound Chö of Thukje Kündröl (Thus rje kun
sgrol gyi zab gcod; see Enlightened Rainbows,
p. 373 n. 195). There are many more interes-
ting things to mention about gCod in Bön
and we’ll maybe cover that in another
question.
In the teachings aimed at preventing
rebirth in the realms of the six destinies
(rigs drug), Thukje Kündröl is often the cen-
tral figure emanating several subjugating
Shens (‘dul gshen) in order to convert and
purify beings from each destiny. In these
teachings and others, she is considered as
an emanation of Sipai Gyelmo.
As you noted, her counterpart in
Buddhism is Vajrayogini who also appears
under this Buddhist name (Dorje Naljor-
ma) in some Bön cycles, in particular in the
New Bön teachings of the Kündröl linea-
ge.
Q #038 —In the Tsa lung sol dep from the
Kusum Rangshar, in the fifth verse of the
prayer for the lineage masters, it says
something like "I pray to the excellent
field of Mahamudra". What does Maha-
mudra refer to in this context?
Asked by Tommi Tolmunen
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Page 6 Newsletter no. 10
In this precise context, the expression refers
to the natural state itself. However, as
explained by Lopön Rinpoche during the
transmission of the Kusum Rangshar tea-
chings, in other contexts, it can also refer to
the higher Tantric teachings and practices,
such as the fruit of Kyerim and Dzogrim.
However, if one looks carefully at texts
having “phyag chen” (Mahamudra) in their
titles, such as in some works by the first
Kündröl Rinpoche (b. 1700) or by Dechen
Lingpa, it appears that the teachings cove-
red by the Mahamudra label refer either to
basic preliminary practices (sngon ‘gro) or
teachings concerned with instructions on
the provisional meaning (drang don), name-
ly “Gradual Path” kind of teachings. For
example, if you take Dechen Lingpa’s Lamp
of the Path of Liberation, Instructions on the
provisional meaning of the Great Seal, the
contents of the teachings are as follows : 1.
the characteristics of the qualified master;
2. the characteristics of the qualified dis-
ciple; 3. the way to attend the spiritual mas-
ter; 4. the way to listen to his oral instruc-
tions; 6. the value of the human body; 7. the
law of impermanence; 8. reversing attach-
ment to Samsâra; 9. taking the three
Refuges; 10. developing the Pure and
Perfect Mind; 12. collecting the two accu-
mulations, etc. We are in all evidence in the
context of “Gradual Path”-like teachings.
Shardza Rinpoche himself was a strong
advocate of the common non-sectarian pos-
tulate: “Madhyamaka, Mahāmudrā and
rDzogs chen are the same” (dbu ma phyag
chen rdzogs chen gcig pa red). In this case,
Madhyamaka is the central philosophy of
Sūtra teachings; Mahāmudrā corresponds
to Tantric teachings; and Dzogchen to the
various yogas of the Great Perfection. This
position has been strongly criticized by
Yongdzin Rinpoche since his first teachings
in the West.
In the explanations given by Ratön
Kelzang Tenpai Gyeltsen on the prayer you
mention, the reference to the Great Seal
(Mahāmudrā) of manifested existence
(snang srid) is clearly intended to mean that
the whole existence and manifestations
February 2010
perceived by the yogi are sealed with the
non-regressive experience of the natural
state, enabling him to perfect the four
Visions in a single lifetime.
Q #039 — In the Evans-Wentz's book
Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines, Indian
yogi comments on the tummo text that
during kumbhaka the tongue should not
only touch the soft palate but actually go
up to the roof of the nasal cavity. This
khechari mudra is mentioned in the
hindu literature (e.g. hatha yoga pradipi-
ka), but have you seen it any texts of
Tibetan tradition? And if yes, has it been
mentioned in context of tummo or elsew-
here?
Asked by Tommi Tolmunen
First, it may be worthwhile to take a step
back and explore the relationship between
the tummo practices, as expressed in
Bön/Buddhism, and the tummo and kun-
dalini-yoga practices as expressed in hatha
yogic texts of the Shaiva.   That a non-
Buddhist tummo existed at least contempo-
raneously with Buddhist tummo is attested
by the inclusion of the text "Tummo of the
Tirthikas" in the Buddhist Tengyur in text
2393 of the Tohoku catalog. Tirthika literally
means those associated with pilgrimage
places and is used to identify Shaiva practi-
tioners. Moreover, the original lineage mas-
ters of Shaiva hatha yoga, such as
Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath, are
equally revered as mahasiddhas by the
Buddhists. While some practices such as
the vase breath are held in common in both
traditions, I cannot find anything in
Bon/Buddhism resembling the khechari
mudra of the Hatha Yoga Pradipka (III. 31-
53) and Gheranda Samhita (III.25-32) in
which the frenulum of the tongue is physi-
cally cut. What seems likely is that the
ancient practice of simply raising the
tongue to the palate and back to the uvula
(see works such as Maitrayana Upanishad
6.20-6.21 that Feuerstein dates   to a pre-
Christian era) gradually evolved (?) into
practice in which the frenulum of the
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February 2010 Newsletter no. 10
tongue is actually cut. These later evolu-
tions of the practice do not seem to have
made their way into Bon/Buddhism.
Answer by Kurt Keutzer
Q #040 — Some Indian yogis have also
mentioned about a nurturing drops drip-
ping onto tongue from the nasal cavity
during khechari mudra. a) Does this phe-
nomenon have any equivalent in the chu-
len tradition? b)And are the breathing
techniques of chulen similar to those of
tummo? I understand well, that all the
details of these practices can not be des-
cribed here.
Asked by Tommi Tolmunen
a) The alchemical practices of rasayana or
bcud len have Indian, Chinese, Tibetan, as
well as Persian and Arabic lineages.
Wherever these practices are found there
appear to be two very different approaches:
In one approach the focus is strictly on the
preparation of physical substances that
grant longevity or immortality. Mike
Walter's dissertation entitled The Role of
Alchemy and Medicine in Indo-Tibetan
Tantrism may still be our best source here.
In the alternative approach these nurturing
substances are principally produced by
internal practices. Indeed, one key substan-
ce internally produced or mobilized here is
precisely the nectar that descends from the
crown of the head.
b) Generally, the answer is "yes." For
example, in Shardza's text on bcud len from
the Self-Arising Three Enlightened Bodies, in
the section entitled actual practices the nine
round breathing is practiced "similar to the
time of practicing tummo." However, there
are also a variety of practices of breath and
imagination that are specialized to the
practice of bcud len.
Answers by Kurt Keutzer.
Q #041 — What are the differences, if any,
between Emptiness and Suchness (de
bzhin nyid)?
Asked by Greg.
Page 7
Emptiness is a quality of the self and phe-
nomena. Suchness or Thatness (de bzhin
nyid) is the reality of the natural state. They
are thus different. The essential characteris-
tic of Emptiness means that things and our
own self are conditioned because they
change constantly and this contradicts the
very nature of Suchness which does not
change from one state to the other. For
example, non-virtues are conditioned and
therefore empty, but they do not pertain to
Suchness because they are conditioned,
subject to changes, etc.
One can say that conditioned phenome-
na are empty but they do not pertain to
Suchness, precisely because they are empty
and constantly changing. But, Suchness is
empty itself in the sense of empty of self or
inherent existence, even though it is
uncompounded. It is clearly stated in
numerous scriptures that Suchness is the
same as the state of Buddhahood.
Therefore, it is empty, that is sure, but not
in the sense of being conditioned and based
on the twelve interdependent links. It is
simply empty of inherent existence, being
uncompounded and totally buddha-ized.
Its emptiness is self-discerning itself (rang
gis rang rig pa).
The Newsletter of the International Bönpo Translation
Committee # 10 — February 2010.
First edition, February 2010.
Published by the Khyung-mkhar Association, 14 rue de la
Verderie, 91720 Courdimanche-sur-Essonne, France.
Contact :
khyungmkhar@yahoo.fr
Director of the IBTC :
Jean-Luc Achard (jeanluc.achard@sfr.fr)
Editorial Board of the IBTC:
Marianne Ginalski, Kurt Keutzer, Windsor Viney, Gerd
Manusch.
The entire contents of this issue is copyright © IBTC, February
2010.
Copyright © Khyung-mkhar, February 2010.
No part of this issue may be reproduced, in any way and by
any means (photocopies, scanning for computer storage, etc.)
without the prior written consent of the Khyung-mkhar asso-
ciation.
All issues of the Newsletter of the International Bönpo
Translation Committee are free and should not be charged,
except for non-compulsory donations.
Khyung-mkhar — IBTC
14 rue de la Verderie
91720 Courdimanche-sur-Essonne, France.
email : khyungmkhar@yahoo.fr
NIBTC #10:BQS # 05 Å\ 2004 27/02/10 11:45 Page8

Newsletter of the International

Bönpo Translation Committee

Khyung-mkhar

14 rue de la Verderie
91720 Courdimanche-sur-Essonne
France
khyungmkhar@yahoo.fr

Cover : Welphur Nagpo.