Mastering the Core Teachings of Buddha - An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book

Note, I will use the word magick with a “k” at times due to being influenced by this and related traditions, as they advocate making a distinction between show magic (illusions based on mechanisms and slight of hand) and the territory of the powers or real magick. Donald Michael Kraig’s Modern Magick is a classic on the subject, as are the works of Aleister Crowley. Opinions on Crowley vary widely, but buried in his frustrating works is gold that is hard to find elsewhere. Despite all his quirks and failings, I have a deep appreciation for many synchretic aspects of his work and the depths of his dedication to making meditation and magick accessible.

It is also possible to use the experiences of the psychic powers, particularly the visions and traveling out of body, as a basis for insight practice by the standard method of bare sensate investigation with a focus on the Three Characteristics of those sensations, as they arise out of extremely high levels of clarity and concentration. These experiences can also be so otherworldly in content that our normal fixations and preoccupations may be left behind. Experiences of insight in these realms can be staggering and awesome. They are not soon forgotten.

Tantric visualization practices at their best make powerful use of this fact. By definition, if you have visualized a 3D intelligent entity that is doing its own thing, you are in strong concentration in the fourth jhana and it is just a question of seeing the Three Characteristics of that to get some serious insight.

“Psychic powers” can also arise spontaneously from insight practice, particularly at stage 4. The Arising and Passing Away and sometimes at stage 11. Equanimity (see The Progress of Insight later). While the fourth jhana is traditionally said to be the basis for the psychic powers, simply getting so strongly into the first jhana that you can no longer perceive a body coupled with the previous intention to have these experiences can sometimes be a sufficient to make them occur. Get really into the jhana, leave it, resolve to have these experiences, and see what happens. Repeat as necessary. If that doesn’t work, learn to visualize the colors white, blue, red and yellow clearly as stable experiences and then repeat the above instruction. If that doesn’t work, find the rare teacher who will actually guide you into this esoteric territory. Better, find a good teacher before getting into this territory!

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The Concentration States (Samatha Jhanas)

If all of that is not enough, here is my best advice for working with the powers formally. Once you have enough concentration to get into hard fourth jhana with a range of objects and colors, here’s traditional Buddhist Magick 101 with some practical points thrown in:

1. Make the bases clean, meaning bathe quietly and put on clean clothes. This instruction helps but is not necessary.

2. Find a suitable place to work, meaning a place that is quiet and free of distractions. If you can’t find such a place or you feel compelled to do magick in less than optimal circumstances

(such as in public on the fly), obviously skip this step.

3. Think the whole thing through before you proceed. Never, ever skip this step if you can possibly help it. This step not only helps to keep you from seriously screwing up, it is actually part of the spell and a very important part of the set-up. Essential things to include are:

a. what you are asking for,

b. how to phrase it or intend it, being as specific as you

possibly can,

c. why you are asking for that, particularly if there is some more fundamental desire you hope to fulfill that you

should focus on while letting the less important specifics

happen as they may,

d. exactly who or what is involved,

e. and every single possible good and bad ramification of

what you are about to do that you can possibly think of.

Really take your time with this one, visualizing the whole

thing out in time and space as far as it could possibly go.

f. Note: if the ethics of what you are going to do feel at all strange in any part of your being, particularly your heart

or gut, you probably need to go back up to the top and

rethink the whole thing while looking at the problem

from other points of view.

4. Rise from the first to the fourth jhana. Build each one up carefully and fully along the way so that you have a good

foundation from which to work. Those who can access the

formless realms (discussed shortly) might rise all the way

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The Concentration States (Samatha Jhanas)

through them as well. Then leave the fourth (or eighth) jhana and formally intend to make whatever you want to occur

happen, which is to say let the full energy of your intention fly without hesitation or restraint. If you are going to do this, make sure you commit to it, which is why the third step is so

important.

5. Let it go and see what happens.