In collaboration with the Sowa Rigpa Institute.
This workshop will introduce the Tibetan Buddhist practice of Chöd, as presented in the Yuthok Nyingthig tradition. Participants will receive instructions on a short sadhana known as the Yuthok Nyingthik Lujin (“Body Offering”) or Kusali Tsok (“Beggar’s Feast”), based on the writings of Yuthok Yönten Gönpo, father of Tibetan Medicine. This is a powerful and pithy practice – and a valuable tool for those interested in healing ourselves, our communities, and our planet.
Based on the teachings of the 11th-century Tibetan yogini Machig Labdrön, the ritual of Chöd ("Severance") has been employed by yogis, healers, and magicians across the Himalayas for centuries. Adepts are famed throughout Tibet and the Himalayas for their ability to quell epidemic diseases and negotiate with local spirits, giving Chöd a prominent reputation as a healing rite. It is particularly potent for addressing the deeper existential, environmental, and spiritual factors underlying our systemic imbalances, including our broken relationships with the Earth and our other-than-human kin.
In this course, Erik Jampa Andersson will offer instructions and commentary on the practice of the Yuthok Nyingthig Lüjin, providing historical and philosophical context as well as practical instructions for starting (or deepening) your own Chöd practice. We will also explore the many links between Chöd and Sowa Rigpa, including Machig's own teachings on medicine as well as approaches to provocation (gDon) disorders in both traditions.
Erik will also discuss the animistic and ecological dimensions of the Chöd practice, including how we can use Chöd to deepen our relationship with the many non-human beings – seen and unseen – with whom we share the world. We will also explore how the notion of ‘offering the body as food’ can radically transform the way we relate with our own bodies, the bodies of others, and humanity’s place in a more-than-human world.
This course includes the following:
· In-depth introduction to the philosophy and 'worldview' of Chöd, including its historical and spiritual context.
· An overview of the life and teachings of Machig Labdrön and Yuthok Yönten Gönpo.
· A line-by-line commentary on the Yuthok Nyingthig Lujin.
· Melody and instrument training (for those who wish to use them).
· Introduction to Tibetan daemonology and provocation disorders.
· Ecological and medical applications of Chöd.
· Practical and ritual advice.
· Resources for further training.
· Audio and video files of the practice.
· Opportunity for regular (weekly/bi-weekly) online practice and Q&A sessions after the course.