Chod Practice in the Bon Tradition (Paperback)

Alejandro Chaoul

ISBN 10: 1559392924 / ISBN 13: 9781559392921

Published by Shambhala Publications Inc, Ithaca, 2009

About this Item

Paperback. The dramatic practice of ch d, in which the yogin visualizes giving his or her own sacrificed body to the gods and demons as a way to cut the attachment to self and ordinary reality, offers an intense and direct confrontation with the central issues of the spiritual path. The ch d practices of the B n tradition, a tradition that claims pre-Buddhist origins in the mysterious western lands of Zhang-zhung Tazig and Olmolungrig, are still almost entirely unknown. This book is the first to trace the history of Chod practice in Tibet's indigenous Bon tradition. Chod (cutting through) is a meditative practice in which the practitioner imagines offering his or her body in sacrifice through elaborate contemplative visualization. Although a meditative practice, Chod is not done sitting comfortably on a cushion in a shrine room, but instead is often practiced in terrifying places like cemeteries or charnal grounds. The feelings of fear that result are used by the Chod practitioner to cut through his or her own ego. Chod contains elements of early shamanism, of sutric and tantric teachings also found in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, and of the Tibetan highest school of Dzogchen. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781559392921

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Chod Practice in the Bon Tradition (Paperback)
• Publisher: Shambhala Publications Inc, Ithaca
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1559392924
• ISBN 13: 9781559392921
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

The dramatic practice of chöd, in which the yogin visualizes giving his or her own sacrificed body to the gods and demons as a way to cut the attachment to self and ordinary reality, offers an intense and direct confrontation with the central issues of the spiritual path. The chöd practices of the Bön tradition, a tradition that claims pre-Buddhist origins in the mysterious western lands of Zhang-zhung Tazig and Olmolungrig, are still almost entirely unknown.

About the Author

Alejandro Chaoul received a PhD focusing on Tibetan Religions from Rice University and has been teaching Tibetan meditation and mind-body techniques under the auspices of the Ligmincha Institute in various parts of the United States, Mexico, and Poland since 1995. He is now an Assistant Professor at the McGovern Center for Humanity and Ethics at the University of Texas, Houston, with an adjunct position at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he researches the use of Tibetan mind-body techniques for cancer patients.