A-na-pa-na-sa-ti Mindfulness with Breathing First Lesson commentary

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 78 A-na-pa-na-sa-ti Mindfulness with Breathing Forth Lesson practice A-na-pa-na-sa-ti Mindfulness with Breathing First Lesson commentary Smart Phone Edition Terton Lama: Jigme Gyatso, Rime Rinpoche 2018-b12-25d

2 Page 2 of 78 A-na-pa-na-sa-ti Mindfulness with Breathing Forth Lesson practice Table of Contents Opening Material Contents pg. 2 Dao De Ching Syllabus.pg. 3 Body Ka-ya How long breath?...pg. 4 Feeling Ve-da-na Mind Cit-ta Phenomena Dham-ma Appendix Syllabus.pg. 17 Twelve Elemental Permutations...pg. 18

3 Page 3 of 78 A-na-pa-na-sa-ti Mindfulness with Breathing Forth Lesson practice Tao Te Ching Syllabus Lesson Volume Chapters 1 st A-na-pa-na-sa-ti Sut-ta 2 nd 1 st of 14 1 st 6 th 3 rd 2 nd of 14 7 th 12 th 4 th 3 rd of th 18 th 5 th 4 th of th 24 th 6 th 5 th of th 30 th 7 th 6 th of st 36 th 8 th 7 th of th 42 nd Lesson Volume Chapters 9 th 8 th of rd 48 th 10 th 9 th of th 54 th 11 th 10 th of th 60 th 12 th 11 th of st 66 th 13 th 12 th of th 72 nd 14 th 13 th of rd 78 th 15 th 14 th of th 81 st

4 Page 4 of 78 A-na-pa-na-sa-ti Mindfulness with Breathing Body s four Exercises Ka-ya 1 12 Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood IN-breath: How long breath OUT-breath: how long breath? 3 breaths

5 Page 5 of 78 There are many fun things about A-na-pa-na-sa-ti in addition to the fact that it sounds an awful lot like a delicious Italian salad. A-na-pa-na-sa-ti is written in Pali, the language in which, arguably, the oldest recorded discourses of the Buddha have been preserved by the Theravada sect of Buddhism, that is popular in Sri Lanka, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), Thailand, Laos, and Viet Nam.

6 Page 6 of 78 A-na-pa-na-sa-ti, which could be translated as Mindfulness with Breathing is the actual method of meditation that Gautama, the Buddha, is said to have taught, at a time when many of his students accomplished the state of an A-ra-hant, that you and I could translate as enlightenment. You ll find that this method is much easier and quite different than those commonly taught by the contemporary Buddhist sects of: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana.

7 Page 7 of 78 But how are you to know whether this teacher or this teaching is worthy of trust? In both the Sutta of the Kalama s Dilemma as well as the Parinibbana Sutta we can read that the test of a teacher and a teaching is NOT their beauty, eloquence, popularity, age or wealth, but rather the effects generated in our lives when we enthusiastically and accurately apply their advice.

8 Page 8 of 78 Here is an easy, four step process to do just that. First suspend judgement, second receive the teacher s first lesson, third enthusiastically and accurately practice that technique EVERY morning and EVERY evening for six and half days, fourth engage your judgement and notice the results generated by your six and half consecutive days of practice;

9 Page 9 of 78 if you ve become so anxious and cranky that people start calling you little Darth Vader, then go, and find a better teacher. But, if your twice daily practice of the technique of your teacher s first lesson makes you even a little more peaceful, resilient, resourceful and compassionate then it could be in your best interest to return to your teacher and receive his or her second lesson.

10 Page 10 of 78 Sadly, many people confuse mindfulness with breathing with the boring practice of concentrating exclusively upon our breathing. This is a big mistake. In the A-na-pa-na-sa-ti Sut-ta (found in the Buddha s collection of Connected Discourses 54:13 V {or Sam-yut-ta Ni-ka-ya in Pali)}) it is taught that if we coordinate our breathing with our awareness of the four bases of mindfulness we will spontaneously develop the seven enlightenment factors and accomplish the fulfillment of both true knowledge and liberation.

11 Page 11 of 78 In fact, in a more elaborate version of this explanation known as the Sat-ti-pat-tha-na Sut-ta (or discourse upon the four bases of mindfulness) we are promised that if we practice this technique correctly and consistently we could accomplish full enlightenment within seven years, seven quarters, seven months, seven fortnights, seven weeks or even seven days.

12 Page 12 of 78 The four bases of mindfulness, who s awareness of we coordinate with our breathing are: first our physical body, second our feelings (of both body and mind), third our mind itself, and fourth phenomena.

13 Page 13 of 78 The seven enlightenment factors that can automatically develop as a result of coordinating our awareness of the four bases with our breathing are: first mindfulness, second curiosity, third energy, fourth joy, fifth tranquility, sixth collectedness, and seventh equanimity.

14 Page 14 of 78 That is a lot of information enumerated rather cryptically but don t worry we ll go over all of them in detail over the course of this series of sixteen lessons. Let s return to the idea of the four bases of mindfulness. In his concise meditation manual (the A-na-pa-na-sa-ti Sut-ta) each of the four bases of mindfulness are each assigned four contemplations. Since four multiplied by four gives us sixteen, we can see that Buddha s sixteen meditations are not random, but reasonable.

15 Page 15 of 78 For this lesson, and the three that follow we ll play with the four meditations concerning the first base of mindfulness body (or Ka-ya in Pali). During this week s contemplative exercises we ll play with the rhetorical question that asks How long is this inhalation and how long is this exhalation?

16 Page 16 of 78 Now, between you and me, that question, while grammatically correct, is far too long and ungainly to silently and mentally recite as a meditation. So let s throw grammar to the wind and shorten that question with wild abandon. And yes, somewhere an English teacher just doubled over with gas pains.

17 Page 17 of 78 During each inhalation we could silently and mentally ask, How long breath? And during each exhalation we could silently and mentally repeat, How long breath? What if there were two types of questions: hard ass questions that required an answer and easy questions that are merely asked for effect. Welcome to the lazy bastard path of enlightenment where we silently and mentally recite rhetorical questions gently nudging our subconscious minds along the path of simplicity, mindfulness, insight, patience and compassion.

18 Page 18 of 78 This seems like a good time to discuss, what I like to call, contemplative notation. Growing up, my neighbor studied the trumpet as his junior high elective. The first week they trained Rick how to properly finger his instrument (and no, that s NOT a euphemism for puberty) the remaining weeks of the semester the focus was on learning to read musical notation while playing along on his trumpet.

19 Page 19 of 78 The idea was that by the end of his second semester he d be able to play any non-virtuoso trumpet piece, just by reading the notation. That is why these guided meditations are written in a format we could describe as contemplative notation; to make it as easy as possible for students to learn, practice and yes, even master Buddha s path in a remarkably short period of time such as sixteen weeks!

20 Page 20 of 78 Quick note; we are only students if we arrive to each class early and enthusiastically perform our homework every morning as well as every night, otherwise we re merely audience members.

21 Page 21 of 78 At the top of the page, you ll note a highlighted line that reads 12 Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood Let s unpack that. 12 Tells us that we re working with the twelfth of twelve different hand gestures (or Mu-dra in Sanskrit) that correspond to the twelve elemental permutations that predate Buddhism which many contemplatives find useful. In fact, a chart listing the four elements, and the three modes, which when multiplied together give us the twelve permutation; is found in the final page of this lesson s appendix.

22 Page 22 of 78 Extensive Twelve Elemental Permutations Yes, this could sound daunting, but if we pay attention to this lesson, and actually perform our homework every morning and every evening within a week or two we could find that we have accidentally memorized each gesture (Mu-dra in Sanskrit) as well as their sequence.

23 Page 23 of Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood 12 is merely this Mudra s number. We access these mudras in order of twelve through one.

24 Page 24 of Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood Our left Middle-finger, is simply the digit that we ll be working with. Specifically, during our first repetition we touch the tip of our left thumb to our left Middle-finger s set of creases, closest to it s palm. We count our second repetition by sliding the tip of our Left thumb up its Middle-finger to it s second set of creases, as we inhale; and we count our third repetition by sliding the tip of our Left thumb up it s Middle-finger as we inhale.

25 Page 25 of Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood The Mutable mode refers to that which is acquiescent, and yielding, not unlike Daoism s yin path. In this system it will always refer to the left hand. 12 Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood In this system the element of water always refers to one or both of our Middle-fingers.

26 Page 26 of Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood In days of yore the night time sky served as humanities only calendar. Our ancestors divided information between four elements and three modes. Since the product of four and three is twelve it could come as little surprise that this system we passively work with, some like to call, the twelve elemental permutations.

27 Page 27 of Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood Some, who exhibit a high degree of perceptual acuity have noticed a correlation between Mutable-water and our feet.

28 Page 28 of Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood Over the millennia some have noticed correlations between various archetypes and our body-parts, as well as elemental permutations. Over time people communicated these observations as similes, the similes became metaphors, the metaphors became confused with literal statements, and rational astronomy mutated into superstitious astrology.

29 Page 29 of 78 This archetype of Pisces surrendered sagehood is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as: the mystic, the dreamer, the artist, the poet, the guide, the guru, the medic, the healer, the worshipper, the creator, the dancer, the psychotic, the addict and the visionary. Now we know how to count to three using just one finger and one thumb. Let s perform the first three repetitions of this exercise on the following page.

30 Page 30 of 78 A-na-pa-na-sa-ti Mindfulness with Breathing Body s four Exercises Ka-ya 1 12 Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood IN-breath: How long breath OUT-breath: how long breath? 3 breaths

31 Page 31 of 78 We are not traversing the path of yang, but that of yin. We are not to be active, but passive. We do not try to answer the question How long breath? for it is rhetorical;

32 Page 32 of 78 but rather we are content to merely silently and mentally recite How long breath? in harmony with our breathing, while passively and non-conceptually noticing what s going on in our body and mind. It is rather as if, we were patrons at a theater, content to eat our popcorn and drink our sodas while watching the action on the screen.

33 Page 33 of 78 We are not the writer nor director, responsible for the behaviors of the actors, or the outcome of the story, but merely an audience member, content to sit back and enjoy the show. For the remaining eleven sets of this exercise we are going to condense the exercise even further, to the chagrin of English teachers everywhere.

34 Page 34 of 78 We ll condense How long breath mentally recited during the inhalation and how long breath? silently recited during the exhalation to merely two, single-syllable words. During the inhalation we ll silently and mentally recite How and during the exhalation we ll likewise silently and mentally recite long?

35 Page 35 of 78 The simplicity and ease of the remaining eleven exercises could feel like an insult to our pride, and their transformative effect upon our body and mind are nothing short of befuddling. According to the highlighted instructions we are to count the next three repetitions upon both our index-fingers, simultaneously.

36 Page 36 of Both Index-fingers Fixed-air Calves Laid-back, Smart, Generous IN-breath: How OUT-breath: long? 3 breaths

37 Page 37 of Both Index-fingers Fixed-air Calves Laid-back, Smart Generous Welcome to the eleventh mudra, where we count the creases of both of our Index-fingers simultaneously, with the tips of their thumbs. Let s unpack the term Fixed-air. Air refers one or both of our Index-fingers and Fixed always means we ll be using both hands. The fixed mode could be likened to the balance between Daoism s yin and yang.

38 Page 38 of 78 Our calves could be correlated to Fixed-air which in turn is correlated with the archetype of Aquarius Laid-back, smart generosity which is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as: the revolutionary, the scientist, the eccentric, the visionary, the rebel, the genius, the outlaw, the free spirit, the activist, the inventor, the alchemist and the exile. If we were traversing the path of patriarchy we might contrive to access an archetype through the cunning use of these finger positions.

39 Page 39 of 78 But upon this path of matriarchy, we are content to passively and non-conceptually notice whatever archetype rears its head as we flow from the twelfth mudra up through the first mudra while we play with these contemplative exercises. For our identity is NOT determined by which archetype makes an appearance but by our practice of passively and NON-conceptually noticing and letting-go in harmony with our inhalations and exhalations, respectively.

40 Page 40 of 78 It is understandable how one could get feed up with this seemingly random sequence of finger positions but firstly in our interdependent bodies the sequence of our finger positions could have a profound effect upon our physical, emotional and mental experience.

41 Page 41 of 78 Please do not squander your time and energy striving to re-invent the wheel, merely follow the instructions every morning and every evening for six and a half days and notice the results you generate. Secondly after one or two weeks of twice daily practice you ll intuit the pattern of the finger sequence thus shattering the illusion that they are random. Of course perusing the chart of the twelve elemental permutations on the last page of this lesson s appendix couldn t hurt either.

42 Page 42 of Right Ring-finger Cardinal-earth Bones Affluence and Power IN-breath: How OUT-breath: long? 3 breaths

43 Page 43 of Right Ring-finger Cardinal-earth Bones Affluence and Power Welcome to the tenth mudra, where we count the creases of our Right Ring-finger with the tip of it s thumb. Let s consider the phrase Cardinal-earth. Cardinal refers to that which is aggressive and advancing, not unlike Taoism s yang path. Earth always refers to one or both Ring-fingers. Therefore we access Cardinal-earth by counting our Right Ring-finger s creases with the tip of its thumb.

44 Page 44 of 78 Our bones could be correlated to Cardinal-earth which in turn is correlated with the archetype of Capricorn s affluence and power which is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as: the old soul, the administrator, the judge, the mentor, the prime minister, the father, the entrepreneur, the banker, and the wizard.

45 Page 45 of Left Little-finger Mutable-fire Thighs Big-picture Thinking IN-breath: How OUT-breath: long? 3 breaths

46 Page 46 of 78 9 Left Little-finger Mutable-fire Thighs Big-picture Thinking Welcome to the ninth mudra, where we ll count the creases of our left Little-finger with the tip of its thumb. Let s consider the phrase Mutable-fire. As we ve already learned in this system Mutable refers to the yielding energy of the left hand. Fire always refers to one or both Little-fingers. Therefore we access Mutable-fire by counting the creases of our left Little-finger with the tip of its thumb.

47 Page 47 of 78 Don t be too overwhelmed by this, for all this information is organized in a concise chart at the end of this commentary as well as at the end of the practice text. Our tush and thighs could be correlated to Mutable-fire which in turn is correlated with the archetype of Sagittarius big picture thinking which is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as: the wanderer, the tourist, the teacher, the guide, the philosopher, the psychiatrist, the student, the benefactor, the comedian, and the free spirit.

48 Page 48 of 78 Perhaps you ll notice that many of these elemental permutations share some of sub-archetypes not unlike an overlapping Venn diagram. This is seen throughout the natural world for evolutionary biology seems to leave a trail of redundant traits.

49 Page 49 of Both Middle-fingers Fixed-water Crotch Deep Desires IN-breath: How OUT-breath: long? 3 breaths

50 Page 50 of 78 8 Both Middle-fingers Fixed-water Crotch Deep Desires Welcome to the eighth mudra, where we count the creases of both Middle-fingers simultaneously with the tip of each one s thumb. Let s consider the phrase Fixed-water. As we ve already discussed in this system Fixed refers to the balanced energy of both hands. Water always refers to one or both Middle-fingers. Therefore we access Fixed-water by counting the creases of both Middle-fingers simultaneously, with the tip of each one s thumb.

51 Page 51 of 78 Our crotch could be correlated to Fixed-water which in turn is correlated with the archetype of Scorpio s deep desires which is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as: the mystic, the alchemist, the detective, the sorcerer, the hypnotist, the chemist, the psychiatrist, the witch, the investigator, the fortune teller, and the guardian.

52 Page 52 of Right Index-finger Cardinal-air Kidney Love and Beauty IN-breath: How OUT-breath: long? 3 breaths

53 Page 53 of 78 7 Right Index-finger Cardinal-air Kidneys Love and Beauty Welcome to the seventh mudra, where we count the creases of our right Index-finger with the tip of its thumb. Let s consider the phrase Cardinal-air. As we ve already learned in this system Cardinal refers to the advancing energy of the right hand. Air always refers to one or both Index-fingers. Therefore we access Cardinal-air by counting the creases of our right Index-finger with the tip of its thumb.

54 Page 54 of 78 Our kidneys could be correlated to Cardinal-air which in turn is correlated with the archetype of Libra s love and beauty which is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as: the lawyer, the counsellor, the socialite, the lover, the peacemaker, the creator, the seductress, the lover, the flirt, the minx, the designer, and the mediator.

55 Page 55 of Left Ring-finger Mutable-earth Guts Considerate Meticulousness IN-breath: How OUT-breath: long? 3 breaths

56 Page 56 of 78 6 Left Ring-finger Mutable-earth Guts Considerate Meticulousness Welcome to the sixth mudra, where we count the creases of our left Ring-finger with the tip of its thumb. Let s consider the phrase Mutable-earth. As we ve already explored in this system Mutable refers to the yielding energy of the left hand. Earth always refers to one or both Ring-fingers. Therefore we access Mutable-earth by counting the creases of our left Ring-finger with the tip of its thumb.

57 Page 57 of 78 Our intestines could be correlated to Mutable-earth which in turn is correlated with the archetype of Virgo s considerate meticulousness which is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as: the healer, the perfectionist, the servant, the analyst, the alchemist, the messenger, the martyr, the nature spirit, and the naturopath.

58 Page 58 of Both Little-fingers Fixed-fire Liver Charismatic Leadership IN-breath: How OUT-breath: long? 3 breaths

59 Page 59 of 78 5 Both Little-fingers Fixed-fire Liver Charismatic Leadership Welcome to the fifth mudra, where we simultaneously count the creases of both of our Little-fingers with the tips of their respective thumbs. Let s consider the phrase Fixed-fire. As we ve already discussed in this system Fixed refers to the balanced energy of both hands. Fire always refers to one or both Little-fingers. Therefore we access Fixed-fire by simultaneously counting the creases of both of our Little-fingers with the tips of their respective thumbs.

60 Page 60 of 78 Our liver could be correlated to Fixed-fire which in turn is correlated with the archetype of Leo s charismatic leadership which is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as: the protector, the warrior, the artist, the actor, the ruler, the performer, the golden child, the healer, the prophet, the magician, the king, the queen, and the guardian.

61 Page 61 of Right Middle-finger Cardinal-water Stomach Mother Henning IN-breath: How OUT-breath: long? 3 breaths

62 Page 62 of 78 4 Right Middle-finger Cardinal-water Stomach Mother Henning Welcome to the fourth mudra, where we count the creases of our right Middle-finger with the tip of its thumb. Let s consider the phrase Cardinal-water. As we ve already discussed in this system Cardinal refers to the advancing energy of our right hand. Water always refers to one or both Middle-fingers. Therefore we access Cardinal-water by counting the creases of our right Middle-finger with the tip of its thumb.

63 Page 63 of 78 Our stomach could be correlated to Cardinal-water which in turn is correlated with the archetype of Cancer s mother hen which is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as: the healer, the psychic, the mother, the invisible man, the maiden, the witch, the counsellor, the seductress and the psychologist.

64 Page 64 of Left Index-finger Mutable-air Upper limbs Playful Creativity IN-breath: How OUT-breath: long? 3 breaths

65 Page 65 of 78 3 Left Index-finger Mutable-air Upper limbs Playful Creativity Welcome to the third mudra, where we count the creases of our left Index-finger with the tip of its thumb. Let s consider the phrase Mutable-air. As we ve already explored in this system Mutable refers to the yielding energy of our left hand. Air always refers to one or both Index-fingers. Therefore we access Mutable-air by counting the creases of our left Index-finger with the tip of its thumb.

66 Page 66 of 78 Our upper limbs : hands, wrists, arms and shoulders could be correlated to Mutable-air which in turn is correlated with the archetype of Gemini s playful creativity which is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as: the student, the storyteller, the gypsy, the wander, the journalist, the trickster, the comedian, the child, the writer, the teacher, and the messenger.

67 Page 67 of Both Ring-fingers Fixed-earth Throat Wealth and Sexuality IN-breath: How OUT-breath: long? 3 breaths

68 Page 68 of 78 2 Both Ring-fingers Fixed-earth Throat Affluence, Rooted Hedonism Welcome to the second mudra, where we count the creases of both our Ring-fingers simultaneously, with the tips of each of their thumbs. Let s consider the phrase Fixed-earth. As we ve already discussed in this system Fixed refers to the balanced energy of both our hands. Earth always refers to one or both Ring-fingers. Therefore we access Fixed-earth by simultaneously counting the creases of both of our Ring-fingers with the tips their thumbs.

69 Page 69 of 78 Our throat could be correlated to Fixed-earth which in turn is correlated with the archetype of Taurus affluent, rooted, hedonism which is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as: the nature spirit, the musician, the silent one, the object of passion, the owner, the temptress, the artist, the creator, the banker, and the designer.

70 Page 70 of Right Little-finger Cardinal-fire Crown Adventurous Courage IN-breath: How OUT-breath: long? 3 breaths

71 Page 71 of 78 1 Right Little-finger Cardinal-fire Crown Adventurous Courage Welcome to the first mudra, where we count the creases of our right Little-finger with the tip of its thumb. Let s consider the phrase Cardinal-fire. As we ve already explored in this system Cardinal refers to the advancing energy of our right hand. Fire always refers to one or both Little-fingers. Therefore we access Cardinal-fire by counting the creases of our right Little-finger with the tip of its left thumb.

72 Page 72 of 78 Our crown could be correlated to Cardinal-fire which in turn is correlated with the archetype of Aries adventurous courage which is like a basket containing many sub-archetypes such as: the pioneer, the explorer, the combatant, the freedom fighter, the defender, the rescuer, the worthy opponent, the dare devil, the adventurer, and the new born. This extensive explanation of the twelve elemental permutations, and how to access them, has been elaborate and exhausting. For a brief and easy synopsis you might enjoy: Concise Twelve Elemental Permutations in the appendix.

73 Page 73 of 78 That s it, we ve completed the first lesson. Doing our homework, assuming we re not rereading the lesson, should take us less than four minutes. Such a short amount of time is easy to shoe horn into our busy mornings and evenings.

74 Page 74 of 78 Consider the first benefit of this week s homework to be increasing our experience of simplicity, patience and compassion whereas the second benefit could simply be forging the habit of twice daily practice; a habit that could benefit us in ways heretofore undreamt.

75 Page 75 of 78 Appendix Syllabus Twelve Elemental Permutations

76 Page 76 of 78 Week Rumination Recitation Meditation First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Anapanasati Sutta or it s Commentary Twelve Elemental Permutations 1 Mindfulness of Breath Length Tao Te Ching 1 st 6 th Chapters Compassionate Opening Intention 2 Mindfulness of Breath Brevity Tao Te Ching 7 th 12 th Chapters Gradually Progressing as a Contemplative 3 Mindfulness of Form Tao Te Ching 13 th 18 th Chapters Compassionate Closing Intention 4 Calming One s Form Tao Te Ching 19 th 24 th Chapters Two Paths 5 Mindfulness of Physical Pleasure Tao Te Ching 25 th 30 th Chapters Four Levels of Practice 6 Mindfulness of Emotional Pleasure Tao Te Ching 31 st 36 th Chapters The Path of Mastery 7 Mindfulness of Thoughts Tao Te Ching 37 th 42 nd Chapters The Means of Mastery 8 Calming One s Thoughts Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Tao Te Ching 43 rd 48 th Chapters Tao Te Ching 47 th 54 th Chapters Tao Te Ching 55 th 60 th Chapters Tao Te Ching 61 st 66 th Chapters Tao Te Ching 67 th 72 nd Chapters 9 Mindfulness of Mind 10 Gladdening One s Mind 12 Freeing One s Mind 11 Collecting One s Mind 13 Contemplation of Change

77 Page 77 of 78 Fourteenth Fifteenth Sixteenth Tao Te Ching 73 rd 78 th Chapters Tao Te Ching 79 th 81 st Chapters Retreat Instructions 14 Contemplation of Fading 15 Contemplation of Cessation 16 Contemplation of Relinquishment Concise Twelve Elemental Permutations 1 Right Little-finger Cardinal-fire Crown Adventurous Courage 2 Both Ring-fingers Fixed-earth Throat Wealth and Sexuality 3 Left Index-finger Mutable-air Upper limbs Playful Creativity 4 Right Middle-finger Cardinal-water Stomach Mother Henning 5 Both Little-fingers Fixed-fire Liver Charismatic Leadership 6 Left Ring-finger Mutable-earth Guts Considerate Meticulousness 7 Right Index-finger Cardinal-air Kidney Love and Beauty 8 Both Middle-fingers Fixed-water Crotch Deep Desires 9 Left Little-finger Mutable-fire Thighs Big-picture Thinking

78 Page 78 of Right Ring-finger Cardinal-earth Bones Affluence and Power 11 Both Index-fingers Fixed-air Calves Laid-back, Smart Generous 12 Left Middle-finger Mutable-water Feet Surrendered Sagehood