In brief, a preliminary practice from the Six Yogas of Naropa. In meditation, visualize the vajra body as hollow, crystal-like, radiant rainbow light, with channels and chakras (described below) until familiar.
The Three Principle Channels
Visualize the three principle channels (the central, and the left and right) as rainbow-like tubes, smooth, transparent, clear, flexible, and as shiny as silk. The central channel (avadhuti) starts at a point midway between the eyebrows, and the two side channels start at the nostrils. All three curve up to the crown and then run down the length of the body just in front of the spine. Visualize that the three channels end about four finger-widths below the navel chakra. The two side channels curve up into the bottom of the central channel, similar to the Tibetan letter cha (ཆ). The central channel is blue on the outside and red inside. The right channel is red, the left white.
The Four Main Chakras (“wheels”)
- The navel chakra (manipura) is red, shaped like a triangle, with 64 branch channels that point upward
- The heart chakra (anahata) is white, shaped like a ball, with 8 downward branches
- The throat chakra (vishuddha) is red, shaped like a ball, with 16 upward branches
- The great blissful chakra (ushnisha kamala) at the crown is multicolored, and shaped like a triangle. with 32 branches opening down.
The branches opening toward each other symbolize method and wisdom, the triangle is symbolic of the wisdom-female energy and the ball shape symbolic of male method energy.
The navel chakra is the most important in Inner Fire Meditation.
Seed-Syllables
- The short a (or Tibetan a tung, broad at the bottom with a sharp tip, like a candle flame or torma) is bright red in color, topped with crescent moon, a drop, and nada, sits in central channel, in center of navel chakra.
- The blue hūm at the heart chakra in the central channel, with crescent moon, drop, and nada, is upside down on a moon disc.
- The red om (or am) at the throat chakra is upright, topped with crescent moon, a drop, and nada.
- The white ham at the crown, chakra of great bliss, with crescent moon, drop, and nada, is upside down on a moon disc.
A ཨ
Hum ཧཱུྃ
Om ཨོཾ
Ha ཧ
“May I be successful in inner fire meditation. May my entire nervous system experience an explosion of blissful energy. May this blissful energy enter the central channel, and may it comprehend the wisdom of non-duality.”
Lama Yeshe
