When I see the huge amount of suffering in the world, and the ignorance and cruelty of some people, I sometimes get overwhelmed by the weight of it all, and then I’m glad I have a spiritual practice that allows me to do something about it. As some of you know, I really like the imaginative visual meditation style of vajrayana, and the video below, though definitely not a vajrayana practice, can be watched as a form of visual meditation.
Non-aligned practice
I have begun doing a non-aligned vajrayana practice, meaning that my practice is not traditional, or associated with any group or teacher; it is just a practice that came to me while meditating. It’s a combination of refuge, Vajrasattva practice, guru yoga, Tonglen and Dzogchen practice, and the reason I do it is because I have to do something to help heal the suffering that seems to be proliferating all across the world.
The thing I love about vajrayana is that by using sound and light energy, I can transform suffering into joy. Does it actually help others? I believe so, that’s why I do it. For sure it helps me. When I stopped all my Rigpa associated practice, I missed filling myself with light every morning. Doing so is, at the very least, very good for my mental health and emotional regulation.
The very intention to do something for the benefit of others is, I think, beautiful and healing in itself. This is what the videoart below is about and why it begins with beautiful faces.
Art as an expression of spiritual experience
Art has long been an expression of the spiritual for artists, no matter what form the art takes or what techniques are used, and the video below, though created with the assistance of AI, is of the same category. The music is not AI generated, and nor is the intention behind the work.
This video art has angels come to help, not a Buddhist-style deity, but this is not the practice I do itself, just an expression of the feeling of it, and of course, the divine takes many forms.
I hope you enjoy it. If you do, please give it a like on YouTube and leave a comment – it will help this beautiful work get to more people. And please do subscribe to my videoart YouTube channel.
Video details
Music: Hidden Treasure by Kris Newland, from the album Alone at the Dawn of Time https://krisnewland.bandcamp.com/album/alone-at-the-dawn-of-time
AI Tools used:
AI art generation: Midjourney
AI video generators (image to video): Kling AI, Haiper
AI Video compilation: Capcut
Titles: Premier Pro.
A question
Do you miss any aspect of vajrayana practice? Does anyone still do any vajrayana practice?
Tahlia I totally respect your choices…here comes the but…yes of course I still do Vajrayana/Dzogchen practice. For me it is complete in its scope, inspiration and detail. The hermit yogis of Tibet who dedicated their lives to figuring out the many layers of the human mind are supreme role models. Their transcendental wisdom and practical methodology is as relevant today as it was back in the day b4 the Chinese bludgeoned their way into a storehouse of raw materials. But the spirit of Tibet lives on. I’d put money on the ongoing existence of the hermit yogi/ini tradition.
Oh, I still do V/D firmly in accordance with the tradition, with all the elements of traditional practice, just without the cultural overlay or aligned with any particular teacher or group. I fully expect everyone to reject any practice that isn’t directly from a living teacher, but not every yogi of the past got their practice from a human.