Anam Thubten - Into the Haunted Ground : A Guide to Cutting the Root of Suffering

The first time I heard Anam Thubten teach, I gazed around the audience with a sense that everyone felt as personally touched as I did, as though he were speaking to each of us directly. Along with this impression was a deep appreciation for his teaching style. He has the rare gift of teaching all levels of Buddhism simultaneously. No matter how transcendent or practical the subject, his teaching continually points to the inborn nature of awakened mind and opens the gate of understanding in each of his students, whether they have been meditators for only a week or for forty years.

The aspiration for this book is to bring the seemingly esoteric and sometimes misunderstood tantric Buddhist methods of Chd into a meaningful and personal place in the lives of its readers. Anam Thubten poignantly expresses the ineffable wisdom of this centuries-old tradition. The issues, principles, and advice laid out in this book come from within him, from the teachings he has studied, and from traditions that have ripened in his being. Over several years of attending retreats and doing volunteer work for him, it became clear to me that his teachings and his life are in harmony. He lives what he teaches; he walks the talk. His example helps us understand that regardless of our identities or our positions in society, we are all on this journey together.

This book is not only relevant for Chd practitioners from any lineage but also eloquently presents a practical approach to everyday-life struggles. It provides direct, on-the-spot methods for working with our minds. Anam Thubten weaves anecdotes from his life into what he teaches, allowing readers to learn about their own experiences as well. We are able to develop a sincere, heartfelt understanding of this path through his descriptions of the deeper meaning of this practice. Just as Anam Thubten has woven the lineage teachings and his understanding of Chd into his own life, through this book readers are invited to do the same.

Chd teachings are especially relevant to the chaos and uncertainty in our world. This precious commentary is a natural outcome of Anam Thubtens Chd teachings as they coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Within a week of his last teaching tripa residential Chd retreat in Crestone, Coloradoshelter-in-place measures were declared in California. His typical, busy travel schedule came to a halt, and he found the gift of time to write this book. It is offered as a light that may help illuminate the darkness of the pandemic, with its complexity and confusion. Between March and July of 2020, Anam Thubten dictated this entire book in a series of meetings over video calls. During these calls, he would lean back, think for a moment, and then begin spontaneously speaking the manuscript. The material flowed from and through him as a testament to his deep and precise understanding of Chd and his love for the wisdom of Machig Labdrn, the twelfth-century Tibetan founder of the practice of Chd. The entire content was composed in only five months. As he dictated, I had a deep sense of being in a five-month-long practice session.

Part 1 orients the reader to the background, principles, and view of Chd that can be applied to our personal journeys, whether we are Chd practitioners or not. In the Introduction, Chd in My Life, Anam Thubten shares his own journey with Chd practice in Tibet and his experience teaching it to Westerners on retreats. Chapter 1, Padampa Sangyes Instructions to Machig Labdrn, presents Machig Labdrns seven pith instructions, or slogans, bringing new depth to their subtle meaning. Chapter 2, Journey into the Haunted Ground, goes into further detail on the sixth of these instructions, specifically addressing how these teachings can bring about a deep experience of transformation in the face of the challenges of modern life. Chapter 3, Emptiness, addresses the practices philosophical basis of profound wisdom, without which Chd is in danger of becoming just another pop-spirituality trend. Chapter 4, Rituals and Liturgy discusses the purpose and meaning of ritual in Buddhist practice and differentiates it from forms of shamanism. Chapter 5, Vajra Dance explains the rich method of physical movement in Buddhist practice as an expression of inner freedom and awareness. Chapter 6, Cutting Through in Everyday Life, discusses the topic of self-reflection as a method for bringing wisdom into our daily lives. For formal Chd practitioners and anyone who does spiritual retreats away from society, this chapter shows how to extend the experiences gained in retreat practice into the ordinary experiences of regular life. Part 2 moves chapter by chapter through the sections of The Dakinis Laughter Chd sadhana by Jigme Lingpa: refuge, bodhicitta, mandala, guru yoga, feast practice, and dedication. Even though the sections are part of a particular liturgy of a formal practice, his teachings are not exclusive to it but rather present the sadhanas profound principles as life lessons. The book closes with an appendix, Machigs Radical Path, which presents the main events of the life of the twelfth-century Tibetan founder of Chd, Machig Labdrn.

The details of editing, illustrating, reviewing, and shaping the manuscript would not have happened without significant contributions from a few of his other students. Early on, we invited a group of Chd practitioners to form a cohort of first readers. They generously combed through the manuscript, chapter by chapter, asking good questions and giving practical feedback. These readers were Kay Peterson, Corey Wright, Susan Chow, Lea Barrow, and David Christie. Our gratitude to them is profound. Under Anam Thubtens kind and astute guidance, we, his Sangha, continue to carve the profound meaning of this practice into our hearts through the melodies, cadence, liturgy, and most importantly, through his teachings and guidance. The language in this book makes these authentic methods available for many to understand. From finishing stages to completion, we had the fortune of working with Anna Wolcott Johnson at Shambhala Publications. We are so grateful for her excellent ability to join her craft, her deep knowledge of the principles of Buddhism, and her gracious skill in supporting this project.