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[post_content] => After writing about
nondual philosophy a couple weeks ago, I received several requests from readers for more information on nondual Tantric philosophy. Tantra is a complicated subject; there are many forms, and it means different things to different people. In the West, the word “Tantric” is usually combined with the word “sex,” and this pair of words has been used to sell millions of books and workshops on mystical sexual practices that have almost nothing to do with Tantra. But Tantra doesn’t need that lascivious association to be significant; it was hugely influential on the development of yoga, which (in some circles) is almost as popular as sex.
Since I can’t possibly explain this entire system in a brief article, I’m going to focus today on just one of its concepts, called the Five Acts of Divine Consciousness. It is explained in the beginning of a work called Pratyabhijna Hrdayam, “The Heart of Recognition,” written by Rajanaka Kṣemaraja around 1000 A.D.
These five “acts” (pancha kritya) describe the Tantric view of how our reality is created. As Ksemaraja says, “Reverence to the Divine, who ceaselessly performs the Five Acts, and who, by so doing, reveals the ultimate reality of one’s own Self, brimming over with the bliss of Consciousness!” Regardless of where your philosophical and spiritual sensibilities lie, I think you’ll find it an intriguing perspective.
• Srsti. The first act, Srsti, means creation, emission, or the flowing forth of Self-expression. This is the process by which Divine Consciousness (use whatever word you like here – Love, Highest Self, God, Universe, Awareness, Goddess, Divine Light) expresses itself as something. It takes form. It emerges in the world as a person or a flower or a breeze.
• Sthiti. The second act, Sthiti, means holding, preservation, stasis, or maintenance. First Consciousness emerges in manifest form as something, then it holds this form – maybe for a moment, maybe for eons.
• Samhara. The third act, Samhara, means dissolution, resorption, or retraction. After emerging in the world as something and sustaining it for a while, the form dissolves – or is reabsorbed or retracted – back into Consciousness. This is why death of a body is not seen as the end of life in this system – because the body was just a temporary emergence of Consciousness into form, which is then reabsorbed into itself. Thus, none of the vulnerabilities of your body actually threaten what you really are. And consciousness never ends.
• Tirodhana. The fourth act, Tirodhana, means concealment, occlusion, or forgetting. An interesting property to ascribe to the Divine, no? Why would one of its five core acts be to conceal? Well, the explanation is that Undifferentiated Consciousness possesses all possible qualities; in order to manifest as one specific thing, it must conceal all the other qualities that don’t belong to that thing.
Additionally, it explains the limited awareness of sentient beings. When Consciousness emerges as, say, a human, as part of its Divine Play, it imparts itself with only a fraction of its unfathomable awareness. In the process, it forgets what it really is. In this way, rather than acting like its various creations, it immerses itself in them. It becomes them. It’s how you don’t realize you’re Divine Consciousness itself, instead believing you’re “only” a human, disconnected from your Source and all other humans. This also allows for each being to have the experience of free will.
• Anugraha. The fifth act, Anugraha, means revealing (revelation), remembering, or grace. Besides allowing for creative expression, the fourth act (Tirodhana) is also the reason why we suffer. We can’t see the truth of our reality and this is frightening and painful. But this is eventually resolved by Anugraha – when what was hidden is revealed and we remember. As author Christopher Wallis explains, it’s not meant to negate the act of concealment, but to bring it to fruition by revealing its deeper purpose: “Such reconciliation is thus also a reintegration; through it you experientially realize yourself as a complete and perfect expression of the deep pattern of the one Consciousness which moves and dances in all things.”
I’m curious to hear how this concept fits with your own worldview. How do you see things differently? Does this perspective feel more or less liberating than your own? Feel free to share your thoughts below.
Be well,
Dr. Peter Borten
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Back when I was a graduate student doing my internship in Chinese Medicine, I got my first patient whose chief complaint was a lingering cough, and I remember thinking, “This will be easy.” Boy, was I naïve. Even under the guidance of an elder practitioner, it took months of treatment for it to resolve. In the nearly two decades since then, coughs have often proven stubborn. Luckily, they usually run their course within a few weeks – with or without intervention – and I’ve found some herbs that can often speed up the recovery process.
First, a few words on coughs and how they work. The respiratory tract (airway) consists of two main regions. The upper part includes the nasal cavity, sinuses, pharynx (the area where the back of the nasal cavity becomes the throat) and is sometimes considered to include the larynx (“voice box”). This is the site of most common colds, or “upper respiratory infections” (URI’s). Coughs coming from this area are usually due to throat irritation and post-nasal drip, and are pretty responsive to treatment.
The lower respiratory tract consists of the trachea (“windpipe”), the tubes through which it branches into the lungs – the bronchi, the smaller bronchioles, and finally the little sacs called alveoli – and sometimes the larynx. All but the smallest of these passageways are lined with cough receptors, which are highly sensitive to light touch. The presence of phlegm (or dust, or certain chemicals) triggers the cough reflex. Coughing is a cooperative effort between the diaphragm, abdominal muscles, the muscles between the ribs (intercostals), and the structures of the airway – an attempt to forcibly expel whatever’s in there.
Sometimes it’s effective – what we refer to as a “productive cough” – but when the respiratory passages are inflamed and dry, or full of sticky, tenacious phlegm, a cough can go on and on. The hard part is that coughs themselves can be debilitating. We lie down to sleep, the phlegm spreads out, post-nasal drip trickles down, and the cough worsens. It degrades the restorative value of sleep, and the continuous spasmodic contraction of our muscles wears us out, sapping us of the energy to cough in a productive way.
The herbs I’ll discuss here are for these acute forms of cough. Coughs that occur for much longer and those that are due to weakness, asthma, or damage to the lungs fall into the chronic category and they’re beyond the scope of this article because they require more comprehensive treatment.
I have taken and prescribed nearly every Chinese and Western herb that’s commonly used for cough, and they rarely work as well as I hope. That cough reflex is difficult to overcome – and, really, you would only want to suppress it if you were doing something to address the underlying problem. I’ve found that when I’m more accurate about discerning the type of cough (dry / moist, strong / weak, clear phlegm / yellow phlegm), my treatments are usually more effective, but the herbs I’ll introduce today are usually beneficial for most types of cough.
- Mullein: Mullein is a fuzzy, sage-colored plant that grows all over the place in the United States. I see it nearly every day. The leaves and yellow flowers are excellent for coughs. Adults can take an ounce of dried leaves or flowers and steep covered (don’t simmer) in a few cups of just-boiled water. Strain it to avoid drinking the little hairs, and drink it, divided into three portions, over the course of the day.
- Pine, Spruce, and Fir Needles: All of these evergreen needles are useful for coughs and are rich in vitamin C. You can throw a handful of them into a bowl of hot water, put your face over it, cover your head and the bowl with a towel, and inhale the steam. Then you can drink the resulting tea. Or you can just brew a strong tea by simmering a large handful in a couple cups of water. Keep it covered and the heat low, so you don’t lose all the essential oils. I like to chew spruce, fir, and pine needles when I’m out on walks, and the ones that work best for coughs tend to be those with the best, strongest flavor.
- Thyme leaves: Thyme has long been a popular herb in Europe for coughs, and it probably has some antimicrobial effects (one of the noteworthy compounds in the herb, called thymol, is the active ingredient in Listerine and various antiseptic cleaners). The flavor is rather strong, so the usual dose is just one to two teaspoons of the dried herb steeped in a cup of water. I don’t have great faith in thyme on its own, but it can be a useful adjunct herb combined with others.
- Ginger: Ginger’s pungency is good for opening the respiratory tract. The dried herb is considered “hotter” than the fresh stuff, so I use the dried product more for coughs will lots of clear or white phlegm, and the fresh herb more for coughs with yellowish phlegm. You can use approximately a thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced or grated, simmered for a few minutes in about a cup of water (do this multiple times a day).
- Licorice root: Licorice is a mild herb for coughs, but it’s a nice adjunct with other herbs, especially when the throat and/or respiratory tract feels raw and sore. Licorice is sweet and mucilaginous, and has a calming effect on spasmodic coughs and a soothing effect on mucous membranes. You can use approximately 2 teaspoons per day. Keep in mind that prolonged use of licorice or high doses can cause a temporary elevation of blood pressure (usually not more than about ten points systolic).
- Hyssop leaves: This common garden herb is a member of the mint family and has a longstanding reputation, especially in Europe, as a useful herb for coughs and sore throats. Several times a day, steep two to three teaspoons of the dried herb (or much more of the fresh herb) in a cup of water to make a pleasant tasting tea. Hyssop is mild, and therefore best combined with other herbs.
- Horehound leaves: Horehound also has a longstanding reputation in Europe and northern Africa as a valuable herb for respiratory complaints, and it’s one of the main ingredients in Ricola cough drops. I’ve noticed that it’s not much used in the United States, perhaps because the FDA claims it has no value in the treatment of cough, but I had one profound experience with it about 20 years ago, when I made some horehound tea and it completely stopped a nagging cough in about a day. You can make a tea using about two to three teaspoons of the dried herb in a cup of boiled water.
- Slippery Elm Bark and Marshmallow Root: These herbs are soothing to mucous membranes and especially appropriate for dry coughs. You can add one or both to your cough formula (approximately a teaspoon per cup of tea) to add a “demulcent” effect that will also soothe your throat.
- Nigella Seed Oil: This herb, also known as “black seed” or “black cumin,” has been trendy recently, though perhaps for good reason. A number of studies show it has promise in the treatment of a variety of health issues, and there’s rather robust research on its value in respiratory problems (asthma, in particular). For cough, you can take a teaspoon of the oil at a time, in a cup of hot water. You can also try rubbing the oil on your chest, over your lungs.
- Umckaloabo root: This African relative of the geranium is useful for upper respiratory infections. It’s available in raw, dried form as well as tinctures and homeopathics. The easiest form to take is as the commercial product Umcka. It’s one of very few substances that can legally claim to benefit the common cold. The specific verbiage allowed by the FDA is, “shortens severity and reduces duration of upper respiratory symptoms.” I always have some of the powdered form of Umcka in the house, which I mix into hot teas to add some additional potency.
- Pineapple Juice: I don’t know of any research on pineapple juice for coughs, but it’s a popular folk remedy, often drunk warm and seasoned with cinnamon, cayenne, or black pepper. I don’t know why it would be beneficial in coughs and I haven’t tried it myself, but it may have something to do with the activity of the enzyme bromelain that it contains. In any case, it’s not likely to hurt – especially if it gets you to drink more fluids.
- Water: Speaking of fluids, staying well hydrated is super important when you have a cough, as it helps keep the mucous in a more liquid state so that it can be more readily expelled. Also, immune function just tends to work better when you’re getting enough water. Other than possibly consuming some pineapple juice with it, it’s best to stick to pure water or tea, rather than juice or sweetened beverages.
Choose a few of these substances, use them simultaneously and consistently (like, all day long), and get as much rest as you can. If necessary, sleep in a semi-upright position to reduce nighttime coughing.
Whenever I write articles on herbs I wonder if I’m doing the field of herbal medicine a disservice by simplifying it and presenting it in such a way as to suggest we can choose herbs simply based on the symptoms we want to treat, without respect for the diagnosis. But I feel the need for accessible home remedies is more important. In the case of the herbs above, they are all quite safe and unlikely to do any harm. However, if your cough persists, if it is severe, if you cough up blood, or if anything else alarming happens, or if you intend to use these herbs on small children, please consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner.
Be well and breathe freely,
Dr. Peter Borten
[post_title] => Tips for Kicking a Cough
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In 1984, followers of the spiritual guru Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, 1931-1990) sprinkled salmonella bacteria into the salad bars of ten restaurants in Oregon, sickening 751 people. A few years earlier, Osho had left his commune in India due to pressure from authorities and purchased a defunct ranch in the Pacific Northwest. Thousands of his students moved in, but the land wasn’t zoned for that volume of habitation. They ran into more trouble with the law because of it, and had to find ways to conceal how many people were actually residing there.
Hiding the expansion of the community was difficult as their numbers grew because they wore highly visible red robes – plus they built an airstrip, restaurants, and fire department on the property. It probably didn’t help that they occasionally drove into town in a Jeep with a machine gun mounted on it. They clashed with locals, government officials, and environmental groups, but eventually hit upon a solution: this would all be legal if they could establish the ranch as a city.
There was considerable resistance from the community, however, and this is what led to the salmonella plan. Through what has been called the largest domestic act of bioterrorism in the U.S., they hoped to incapacitate enough voters to secure wins for their own candidates in the upcoming county election. But despite the sickened population, local voter turnout was high enough to keep Osho’s supporters (AKA “Rajneeshees”) from succeeding.
During this time, the guru was observing a long period of seclusion and had ceased contact with all but a small number of close attendants. However, his devotees bought him a collection of 93 Rolls Royces, and each day he would slowly drive one of these luxury cars down a long dirt road where they waited to catch a glimpse of him.
About a year later, Osho himself reported the salmonella attacks to the authorities. The attacks, it turns out, were just the most visible expression of a chaotic fanaticism that had developed in a portion of his followers. Osho claimed they acted without his knowledge or blessing; they said he sanctioned it.
It’s difficult to discern the truth from all the stories, partly because his form of teaching came with an apparent delight in shocking people. He enjoyed cursing, had an irreverent sense of humor, championed free love, and proposed such offensive measures as euthanizing disabled children. He was both scorned and revered. Many intelligent people regard him as one of the greatest contemporary spiritual teachers, and probably millions would credit him with making a positive impact on their lives.
When most people encounter such a button-pushing issue or figure, they feel compelled to take a side. We like things to be black and white. If we can frame something in terms of good and evil or right and wrong, it makes our lives easier. It feels good to have strong, unwavering convictions. But the truth doesn’t usually conform to such convenient categories. Almost everything falls somewhere along the gigantic spectrum between the extremes. And accepting this requires the work of deeper contemplation and possibly the discomfort of admitting that our position isn’t completely correct.
A recent study showed that people who know the least about a subject are the most likely to take a strongly polarized position on it – perhaps even a zealous, foaming-at-the-mouth position. The corollary to this finding is that the more we really understand a person or issue, the more neutral our position becomes, and the more accepting we tend to be of different viewpoints.
In the case of Osho, my opinion is that he was charismatic, brilliant, enlightened, and also manipulative, self-serving, offensive, and extremely eccentric. I also think, as is so often the case with powerful people, he attracted followers who believed they were living in accordance with his teachings and acting on his behalf without really understanding what he stood for. They were intoxicated by his mojo and used that feeling of power to justify their own convoluted drives. My intention isn’t really to pick on Osho and his disciples as much as it to point out the dynamics that occur on the inside and outside of such a phenomenon, which I’ll summarize here:
Tapping into power tends to amplify not just the presentable aspects of ourselves, but our shadow side, too. It partly explains why so many high-level teachers, artists, and executives end up sleeping with their students and employees, or succumbing to some other vice. Perhaps it’s why a guru might enjoy having 93 Rolls Royces. And it’s also why many traditions, such as yoga, emphasize purifying or balancing one’s mind, actions, and senses before attempting the practices that are likely to unleash a bunch of energy. (Did your yoga teacher introduce you to the yamas and niyamas that traditionally come before undertaking asanas or "poses"?)
Potent ideas tend to be degraded as they are transmitted through human minds. It’s like the children’s game operator. Moreover, we like latching onto such ideas – whether we find them enticing or horrible, or both – and running with them, even though the trajectory they carry us on may not be altogether healthy for us. And again, we favor positionality, even though (or maybe because) it implies conflict. That is, taking a fixed, polarized position necessarily engages us against the opposite position. In order to maintain such positionality, we’re best served by keeping ourselves ignorant.
In light of all these analyses of human behavior, I offer you this homework assignment for the week: Innocence. Be innocent, open, and humble. Feel the compulsion to take positions, and instead, be innocent, go deeper, and learn more.
Be well,
Dr. Peter Borten
P.S. For those who haven't encountered any of Osho's teachings, I’ll leave you with an excerpt from Undone Tao, a series of talks he gave on one of my favorite books, the Daoist classic, Dao De Jing:
"Enlightenment is not a search, it is a realization. It is not a goal, it is the very nature of life itself.
As life is, it is enlightened. It needs nothing to be added to it to improve it. Life is perfect. It is not moving from imperfection to perfection. It is moving from perfection to perfection.
You are here to attain something – that is functioning as a barrier. Drop that barrier. Just be here. Forget about any purpose. Life cannot have any purpose; life is the purpose. How can it have any other purpose? Otherwise you will be in an infinite regress: then that purpose will have another purpose, then that purpose will have another purpose… Life has no purpose and that’s why it’s so beautiful.
Hindus have called it leela, a play. It is not even a game. Now in the West, the word “game” has become very important. Hundreds of books have been published within two, three years with the word “game” in the title: The Master Game, The Ultimate Game, Games People Play, and so on. But there is a difference between game and play. Hindus have called life “play,” not “game,” because even a game has something as a purpose: a result to be attained, victory to be achieved, the opponent has to be conquered. When play becomes a game, then it becomes serious.
Grownups play games, children only play. Just the very activity is enough unto itself. It has an intrinsic end; there is no goal added to it. Life is a leela. It is a play. And the moment you are ready to play, you are enlightened.
…
Then you start a totally different way of life. You start being playful. You start being alive moment to moment with nowhere to go. Whatsoever life gives, you accept it with deep gratitude. Grace happens to you."
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[post_content] => After writing about
nondual philosophy a couple weeks ago, I received several requests from readers for more information on nondual Tantric philosophy. Tantra is a complicated subject; there are many forms, and it means different things to different people. In the West, the word “Tantric” is usually combined with the word “sex,” and this pair of words has been used to sell millions of books and workshops on mystical sexual practices that have almost nothing to do with Tantra. But Tantra doesn’t need that lascivious association to be significant; it was hugely influential on the development of yoga, which (in some circles) is almost as popular as sex.
Since I can’t possibly explain this entire system in a brief article, I’m going to focus today on just one of its concepts, called the Five Acts of Divine Consciousness. It is explained in the beginning of a work called Pratyabhijna Hrdayam, “The Heart of Recognition,” written by Rajanaka Kṣemaraja around 1000 A.D.
These five “acts” (pancha kritya) describe the Tantric view of how our reality is created. As Ksemaraja says, “Reverence to the Divine, who ceaselessly performs the Five Acts, and who, by so doing, reveals the ultimate reality of one’s own Self, brimming over with the bliss of Consciousness!” Regardless of where your philosophical and spiritual sensibilities lie, I think you’ll find it an intriguing perspective.
• Srsti. The first act, Srsti, means creation, emission, or the flowing forth of Self-expression. This is the process by which Divine Consciousness (use whatever word you like here – Love, Highest Self, God, Universe, Awareness, Goddess, Divine Light) expresses itself as something. It takes form. It emerges in the world as a person or a flower or a breeze.
• Sthiti. The second act, Sthiti, means holding, preservation, stasis, or maintenance. First Consciousness emerges in manifest form as something, then it holds this form – maybe for a moment, maybe for eons.
• Samhara. The third act, Samhara, means dissolution, resorption, or retraction. After emerging in the world as something and sustaining it for a while, the form dissolves – or is reabsorbed or retracted – back into Consciousness. This is why death of a body is not seen as the end of life in this system – because the body was just a temporary emergence of Consciousness into form, which is then reabsorbed into itself. Thus, none of the vulnerabilities of your body actually threaten what you really are. And consciousness never ends.
• Tirodhana. The fourth act, Tirodhana, means concealment, occlusion, or forgetting. An interesting property to ascribe to the Divine, no? Why would one of its five core acts be to conceal? Well, the explanation is that Undifferentiated Consciousness possesses all possible qualities; in order to manifest as one specific thing, it must conceal all the other qualities that don’t belong to that thing.
Additionally, it explains the limited awareness of sentient beings. When Consciousness emerges as, say, a human, as part of its Divine Play, it imparts itself with only a fraction of its unfathomable awareness. In the process, it forgets what it really is. In this way, rather than acting like its various creations, it immerses itself in them. It becomes them. It’s how you don’t realize you’re Divine Consciousness itself, instead believing you’re “only” a human, disconnected from your Source and all other humans. This also allows for each being to have the experience of free will.
• Anugraha. The fifth act, Anugraha, means revealing (revelation), remembering, or grace. Besides allowing for creative expression, the fourth act (Tirodhana) is also the reason why we suffer. We can’t see the truth of our reality and this is frightening and painful. But this is eventually resolved by Anugraha – when what was hidden is revealed and we remember. As author Christopher Wallis explains, it’s not meant to negate the act of concealment, but to bring it to fruition by revealing its deeper purpose: “Such reconciliation is thus also a reintegration; through it you experientially realize yourself as a complete and perfect expression of the deep pattern of the one Consciousness which moves and dances in all things.”
I’m curious to hear how this concept fits with your own worldview. How do you see things differently? Does this perspective feel more or less liberating than your own? Feel free to share your thoughts below.
Be well,
Dr. Peter Borten
[post_title] => Five Acts of Divine Conciousness
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