Right - I know one of the previous posts suggested that any act of will is an act of magic. What I'm trying to figure out is what people believe they can do with magic that I don't think I can do by natural means. I'm more interested in finding out where you think the limits of your capabilities are than the labels we use for different types of actions.
What do you mean by this? Do you mean something like "whatever you can do, you can do magically", or do you actually mean that anything and everything imaginable is within (or potentially within?) your ability?
I mean, we've had one person here say that magick won't let him predict or manipulate the lottery (though we've had another who says that it can). I assume - maybe wrongly - that most practitioners of magick don't believe they can do "movie magic"-type things like levitate or materialize objects out of thin air... but what I'd like to find out is what things they do believe they can do that I would think are beyond my capabilities.
OK. The supreme example of magick is the Tibetan practice of tong len.Tong len means giving and receiving. Tong len is the magick of Loving Kindness. Loving Kindness is the motivation, the method and the result. Compared to Loving Kindness, all other forms of magick are dross.
There are many forms of tong len, but the basic principle and action is easy to understand. Here is an example -
You know a person who is suffering. The suffering may be physical, emotional or mental. To begin, you practice shamatha meditation, which means resting in tranquility. Then you imagine the person who is suffering, and visualise their suffering as a cloud of dark smoke enveloping them like an aura.
You consciously amplify the feelings of compassion and goodwill toward this person. You begin a process of deep but relaxed yogic breathing. During the inhalation, you visualise inhaling the the dark smoke into yourself. Inhale it into your heart centre, the place where you feel the sensation of loving kindness.
Adopt the attitude that you will accept the suffering in yourself, renounce any feelings of self-protection, allow the negativity embodied by the dark smoke to be fully absorbed in your heart centre.
During the exhalation, you visualise (imagine is a better word perhaps) the positive state which you wish for the suffering person leaving your heart centre and travelling into the person for whom you are doing tong len.
For example, if the person is suffering fear, you generate a feeling of fearless confidence and 'see' that feeling travel from your heart into the other person.
If the person is suffering pain, you imagine a feeling of comfort and well-being and 'see' that feeling travel from your heart into the heart of the other person.
Continue this practice until you have visualised the whole cloud of dark smoke disappear from the other person and be totally absorbed in yourself. As far as you are able, take the attitude that you will accept their negative condition and absorb it into yourself, without fear.
Do this practice as many times and for as long as it seems necessary.
This practice produces profound results. Many so-called magicians and witches will tell you that this is crazy advice which could do you terrible harm. Ignore them. They are simply still attached to self-cherishing.
I have used this technique to, among other purposes, resolve longstanding animosity between myself and others. The first time I used it that way produced an instant and startling result. A man had been a friend but through circumstances become an enemy. I practiced tong len to relieve him of his animosity, and unexpectedly met him a short while later. He crossed a crowded room of people and without a word embraced me in a heartfelt loving way.
This method is so simple to understand and practice, yet often extremely difficult to bring yourself to do.
One lama was being asked by students if this was a safe practice. A student asked "but what if I get sick myself ?". The lama laughed and said " well, you will know that it is working !"
I practiced tong len for a cat which had been abused and had a broken hip, and was unable to comfortably walk. I really loved that cat, and practiced tong len, fully prepared to accept the pain myself if necessary. The cat had an extraordinary recovery, a real surprise even to the vet - a few days after my practice a dog ran under the wheel of my pushbike (unhurt thankfully), and I broke a bone in my left hand, which was a bummer because I play guitar. But I was prepared to accept that, and my hand healed with no problem.
Generally though, the practitioner is not harmed. In fact I was not really harmed either, the experience was good for the soul.
I could give various other examples, of tong len and other forms of magick. Maybe I will. Watch this space !
