of their different functions
4 An explanation of the stages of meditation on inner fire (tummo) in particular
IDENTIFYING THE TEN DOORS THROUGH WHICH THE WINDS CAN ENTER THE CENTRAL CHANNEL
We must know the ten doors through which the winds can enter the central channel, because it is impossible to generate spontaneous great bliss without bringing the winds into the central channel and these ten doors are the only doors through which the winds can enter the central channel.
Except at the time of death and during sleep, the winds will not normally enter the central channel unless we engage in appropriate meditative practices. Therefore, to be able to meditate on emptiness with a mind of great bliss, the Secret Mantra practitioner must generate spontaneous great bliss by intentionally bringing the winds into the central channel through any of the ten doors through the force of single-pointed concentration.
The central channel begins at the point between the eyebrows and ascends in an arch to the crown of the head. From there it descends in a straight line to the tip of the sex organ. The ten doors are located along the central channel as follows:
(1) The upper tip of the central channel: the point between the eyebrows
(2) The lower tip: the tip of the sex organ
(3) The centre of the crown channel wheel: located in the apex of the cranium
(4) The centre of the throat channel wheel: located near the back of the throat
(5) The centre of the heart channel wheel: located between the two breasts
(6) The centre of the navel channel wheel
(7) The centre of the secret place channel wheel, four finger-widths below the navel
(8) The centre of the jewel channel wheel, located in the centre of the sex organ, near its tip
(9) The wheel of wind: the centre of the forehead channel wheel, having six spokes
(10) The wheel of fire: the centre of the channel wheel located midway between the throat and the heart channel wheels, having three spokes
Just as we can enter a house through any of the doors leading in from the outside, so the winds can enter the central channel through any of these ten doors.
To penetrate the precise points of our own body, we must concentrate on the channels, the winds and the white and red drops. In the Tantric scriptures, these three are often referred to as the ‘vajra body’. The actual vajra is spontaneous great bliss, which arises in dependence upon the channels, winds and drops. Here, the future result is brought into the present by imputing the name of the result upon its cause; hence the name ‘vajra body’. If we wish to meditate on the vajra body, we need a clear understanding of the stationary channels, the moving winds, and the contained drops. These will now be explained in detail.
THE STATIONARY CHANNELS
There are three main channels: the central channel, the right channel, and the left channel. The central channel is like the pole of an umbrella, running through the centre of each of the channel wheels, and the other two run either side of it. The central channel is pale blue on the outside and has four attributes: (1) it is very straight, like the trunk of a plantain tree, (2) inside it is an oily red colour, like pure blood, (3) it is very clear and transparent, like a candle flame, and (4) it is very soft and flexible, like a lotus petal.
The central channel is located exactly midway between the left and right halves of the body, but is closer to the back than the front. Immediately in front of the spine, there is the life channel, which is quite thick; and in front of this is the central channel. As mentioned before, it begins at the point between the eyebrows, from where it ascends in an arch to the crown of the head and then descends in a straight line to the tip of the sex organ. Although its most common name is the ‘central channel’, it is also known as the ‘two abandonments’ because gathering the winds into this channel causes the negative activity associated with the winds of the right and left channels to be abandoned. It is also known as the ‘mind channel’ and as ‘Rahu’.
Either side of the central channel, with no intervening space, are the right and left channels. The right channel is red in colour and the left is white. The right channel begins at the tip of the right nostril and the left channel at the tip of the left nostril. From there they both ascend in an arch to the crown of the head, either side of the central channel. From the crown of the head down to the navel, these three main channels are straight and adjacent to one another. As the left channel continues down below the level of the navel, it curves a little to the right, separating slightly from the central channel and rejoining it at the tip of the sex organ. There it functions to hold and release sperm, blood and urine. As the right channel continues down below the level of the navel, it curves a little to the left and terminates at the tip of the anus, where it functions to hold and release faeces and so forth.
Other names for the right channel are the ‘sun channel’, the ‘speech channel’, and the ‘channel of the subjective holder’. This last title indicates that the winds flowing through this channel cause the generation of conceptions developed in terms of the subjective mind. Other names for the left channel are the ‘moon channel’, the ‘body channel’, and the ‘channel of the held object’, with the last title indicating that the winds flowing through this channel cause the generation of conceptions developed in terms of the object.
The right and left channels coil around the central channel at various places, thereby forming the so-called ‘channel knots’. The four places at which these knots occur are, in ascending order, the navel channel wheel, the heart channel wheel, the throat channel wheel, and the crown channel wheel. At each of these places, except at the heart level, there is one twofold knot formed by a single coil of the right channel and a single coil of the left. As the right and left channels ascend to these places, they coil around the central channel by crossing in front and then looping around it. They then continue upward to the level of the next knot. At the heart level, the same thing happens, except that here there is a sixfold knot formed by three overlapping loops of each of the flanking channels.
The four places where these knots occur are four of the six major channel wheels. As it will be important later on to visualize these channel wheels clearly, they will be explained briefly here. At each of the six major channel wheels, a different number of spokes, or petals, branch off from the central channel in the same way that the ribs of an umbrella appear to branch off from the central pole. Thus, at the crown channel wheel – known as the ‘great bliss wheel’ – there are thirty-two such petals or channel spokes, all of them white in colour. The centre is triangular with the apex facing forwards. (This refers to the shape of the coiled knot through which the spokes emanate, as seen from the top.) These thirty-two spokes arch downwards, like the ribs of an upright umbrella. A description of this and the three other major channel wheels where knots occur is given in Chart 1.
Chart 1 The Four Major Channel Wheels
Since the heart channel wheel is of particular
