Foreword by Tashi - Illustrations by Steve Greaves

One of the most outrageous and uproarious missiles to hit the 

bookshelves in recent times was Neil's Book of the Dead by Nigel

Planer and his henchmen.

This book was an instant hit, particularly with my teenage kids 

who watched my reactions to it with great interest. To be honest

I could not suppress the occasional guffaw at the contents which

were, in the main, crazily onanistic and scatological, the philosophy 

obviously being that the best way to shake us out of our spiritual 

preoccupations was the application of full frontal and dorsal nudity 

with smelly farts and masturbatory anecdotes thrown in for good 

measure. The tale of The Holy White Dog Turd raised many a giggle 

and uniquely reflected the Tibetan saying :

"Even a dog's tooth treated with veneration will glow in the dark".

Nevertheless this book points up the fact that the public at large 

believe that the nether regions of our torso are somewhat taboo to 

religious seekers, and that the best way to confound them is

to publicly wave one's willy at them.

Of course it is just naughty schoolboy stuff, but strangely 

enough, although many Raja Yoga and allied Tantric practices are 

purposefully aimed at fortifying the functions of the heart, lungs, gut 

and skeletal muscles there is, to my knowledge, little application 

of these energies to the well being of our reproductive and urinary 

systems.

Hence this book, which apart from bringing most readers to a 

more intimate acquaintance with the ins and outs of their wedding 

tackle will also serve I trust, as a vehicle for some dynamics

of Dharma.

Paramahansa Yogananda's definition of Raja Yoga was that of a 

concerted attack upon the forces of delusion through the four main 

Yogic strategies of:

Devotion,  Compassion,  Karma Yoga and  Meditation.

Therefore Raja Yoga must be seen as a combination of virtues 

and I have had no hesitation in adding to the recipe with a few 

handfuls of Zen, which, if properly digested, could speed the 

transformation process considerably.

My Christian friends may feel that I have served their Way in short 

measure. This is due, alas, to some widely differing conceptions 

of divinity.

Most Christians cling to their sacred ideal of a King/GOD

somewhere in the outer heavens. This level of conception,

with respect to all, is roughly the equivalent to that of Brahma

of the Hindu trinity. The Hindus however transcend their Brahma, 

Vishnu and Shiva trio with the supreme Yogic goal of Brahman, 

Uncreated, Omnipotent, Omniscient and entirely beyond

all definition.

It is relatively easy to create verbal bridges between the

conceptions of Brahman and the Tathagata Womb of us

Buddhists but practically impossible to do the same with the 

general idea of GOD/JEHOVA.

Lama Chime Rinpoche has expressed his wonderment at how few 

Enlightened Christian Saints there are about the planet these days. 

His surprise is understandable.

The teachings of Lord Jesus in "The Sermon on the Mount" and 

those revealed in the Gospel of St John firmly establish

Christianity as a mystic i.e. Unifying religion.

Most church goers however regard their contemplative brothers 

and sisters as harmless cranks. Christianity has produced some 

exceptionally saintly figures in the past. The teachings of St John 

of the Cross, Meister Ekhart, William Law and many others bear 

witness to a genuine revelation of Christ.

A very interesting development is the emergence of the Christian 

New Theology school. Karl Rahner, Paul Tillich and other high minds 

have been busy opening wider doors to the Unimaginable.

Something really creative is going on.

Aldous Huxley, Christmas Humphreys, Juan Mascaro,

Edward Conze, Baba Ram Dass, F. W. Evans Wentz,

Swami Vivekananda, Lama Govinda, Meister Eckhart,

William Law, St John of the Cross, Kabir, Jalal-uddin Rumi,

Ramana Maharishi, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Trevor Leggett, 

Masters Hakuin and Joshu 

and the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, the great Hui Neng.

These are just a few of the good people, scholars, seekers and 

saints whose writings and sayings have opened my eyes to the 

journey and the End thereof.

Paramahansa Yogananda, whose inexhaustable fund of Devotion, 

Compassion and single pointedness helped me in no small way

to gobble up Master Joshu's mutt.

Paramaguru Master Babaji ...

for a most timely introduction to Energy.

Guru Rinpoche; The Lotus Born One, Padmasambhava.

Lastly but not by any means least.

Lama Chime Rinpoche.

His enlightening laughter has sustained me on my Way for

more years than I care to think about.

Conti's Cafe

Carmarthen

1999

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