From the foremost teacher of Tibetan Bon in the United States comes a manual filled with descriptions of practices that enhance the quality of life and can change readers' perspectives about their relationships to the natural world and their own experiences Preface x The Prayer of the Intermediate State xiii Introduction xvii The Bon Religion xix The Elements 1(32) Three Levels of Spiritual Practice 3(2) External 3(1) Internal 3(1) Secret 4(1) Relating to the Sacred 5(3) The Five Pure Lights 8(3) The Dissolution of the Elements 11(1) Understanding Through the Elements 11(1) Relating Oneself to the Elements 12(9) Earth 13(2) Water 15(1) Fire 16(1) Air 17(2) Space 19(2) The Elements and Our Well-Being 21(1) How the Elements Become Unbalanced 22(2) The Arising of Problems 24(2) Purification and Cultivation 26(1) Knowing Which Element to Work With 27(1) Working with the Elements 28(2) Choosing the Level of the Practice 30(3) The Five Elements in Shamanism 33(43) La, Yee, and Sem 36(2) Ls, Sok, and Tse 38(1) Practices 38(2) Working with the Elements in Nature 40(6) The Nine Purification Breaths 41(1) Earth 42(1) Water 43(1) Fire 44(1) Air 45(1) Space 45(1) Dedication 46(1) Elemental Spirits 46(4) Relating to Non-Physical Beings 50(3) First Guests 50(1) Second Guests 51(1) Third Guests 51(1) Fourth Guests 52(1) Making Offerings 53(4) Soul Loss and the Retrieval of the Elemental Energies 57(2) The Arrow, Turquoise, and Soul Deer 59(1) The Practice of Retrieving the Elemental Energies 60(14) Outline of the Practice 60(1) The Nine Purification Breaths 61(1) Guru Yoga 61(1) The Four Guests 62(1) The Transformation of the Body 63(2) The Transformation of the Energy 65(1) Retrieving the Elemental Energies 66(2) The Transformation of the Mind 68(2) The Long Life Mantra 70(1) Dedication 70(1) The Goddess Practice with the Other Elements 71(3) The Practice in Daily Life 74(2) The Five Elements in Tantra 76(35) The Horse, Path, Rider, and Armor 77(6) The Horse: Prana 77(1) The Functions of the Five Pranas 77(3) The Path: Channels 80(2) The Rider: Tigle 82(1) The Armor: Syllables 82(1) Aspects of Tantra 83(6) Chakras 83(1) Positive and Negative 84(2) Supporting Positive Qualities 86(3) The Practice of Tsa Lung 89(20) Posture 90(1) Breath and Prana 90(2) Transformation in Holding and Releasing 92(1) Instructions 93(1) The Five External Tsa Lung Movements 93(12) The Five Internal Tsa Lung Practices 105(2) The Five Secret Tsa Lung Practices 107(2) Opening the Chakras 109(2) The Five Elements in the Great Perfection 111(23) The Great Perfection 111(1) Creating Samsara 112(1) The Six Lamps 113(5) Sound, Light, and Rays 118(2) Being with Problems 120(2) Dissolving Samsara 122(4) Appreciating the Space Element 126(3) Integrating with Space and the Other Four Lights 129(1) The Dark Retreat: Visions of the Five Elements 130(4) Final Words 134(5) Glossary 139(8) Bibliography 147(2) Appendix 1: Astrological Directions 149(2) Appendix 2: List of Contacts 151(4) Appendix 3: The Prayer of the Intermediate State 155