Beginning in October, this weekly Chöd Group session will explore the essential practice of Offering the Body (Lus sbyin) in the Tibetan Buddhist Chöd (gCod) tradition.
Each session will include a group practice of the Yuthok Nyingthig Kusali Tsog, a concise and pithy text composed by Jamgön Kongtrul (1813-1899) based on the teachings of Machig Labdrön (ca. 1050-1149) and Yuthok Yönten Gönpo (ca. 1126-1202). Group practice will be accompanied by teachings from Erik Jampa Andersson on the philosophy, history, and ritual methodologies of the practice, focusing on its manifold applications in the modern world.
These group sessions are suitable both for seasoned Chöd practitioners and total neophytes, with each session focusing on a particular aspect or principle of Chöd. While explanatory instructions on the Yuthok text will be offered, these sessions are designed to go deeper into the philosophical and ritual praxes of Chöd, highlighting its key position at the intersection of Indian Buddhist philosophy and indigenous Tibetan animistic ontologies.
Some of our topics will include:
History of the Chöd tradition and its relevance to the evolution of Tibetan Buddhism.
Tibetan daemonology and ‘eco-daemonology’ - how nature spirits are approached and engaged with in Tibetan and Himalayan traditions.
The life and teachings of Machig Labdrön.
Approaches to healing and ecology in Chöd and Tibetan Medicine.
The value of relating to the body as nourishment for non-human beings in an ecological and animistic context.
Chöd in the West: how Chöd has been discussed in western scholarship and Buddhist movements.
How to use the Chöd ritual implements.
Exploration of common Chöd melodies and their ethnomusicological study.
Divergences between the Chöd approach and Tibetan Buddhist orthodoxy.
Weather-control and climatic negotiation in the Chöd tradition.
The historical confluence of Chöd and the Mahamudra traditions.
Dehadana: Chöd and the Jataka Tales.
Feeding Your Demons: psychological approaches to Chöd.
Critically exploring the supposedly ‘shamanic’ orientation of Chöd.
How to conduct a Chöd pilgrimage or retreat.
Cutting Through: Chöd beyond religion.
Dana
Participants are invited to offer £10 per session, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Anyone can use the code LUJIN to receive 100% off your session booking.
If you would like to make an alternative offering, you can do so at https://www.shrimala.com/donation