Question asked by Lobsang
When I do the five deity chakrasamvara meditation my heart beats abnormally fast at it's worrying me. I have the full empowerment. My lama is currently on retreat so I can't ask him also I have consulted Ngulchu Dharmabhadra's commentary on the 5 deity chakrasamvara but found nothing please help. I don't want to break practice
Dear Lobsang,
Thank you for your question. Heruka Chakrasamvara’s practice can never harm or damage. There is no practice relating to Heruka that can bring damage to oneself, as that would contradict his being the emanation of a Buddha. This is because a Buddha’s body, speech, mind, qualities, activities, and everything about them is to benefit sentient beings. So there is no way that his practice can harm you.
However, if we are engaging in meditations that involve any form of dissolution, or dissolving of the deities or winds, and we hold on to the dissolution very tightly, we can feel an uncomfortable feeling in the chest. This can take the form of palpitations, or the feeling of losing breath. This is possible.
So when this happens during meditations in which we engage in any form of: dissolution/dissolving something that enters the heart centre for blessings; movement of the wind, such as gathering and dissolving the winds in the heart centre; meditating on the deities according to the Heruka tantras in the heart centre; or meditating on the mantras in the heart centre, sometimes there can develop a feeling or tightness in the heart/chest area.
The solution to this, is not to engage in the visualisations, but instead believe it is happening. For example, instead of visualising a railroad, you simply believe that there is a railroad. This will be effective. However, you should continue the practice, don’t break the practice and continue your daily sadhana.
What would be good to combine with your daily Heruka Chakrasamvara practice is the 35 Confessional Buddhas or the practice of Heruka Vajrasattva, if you have received the practice. During this, you visualise Heruka Vajrasattva on your head. Heruka Vajrasattva is in union with his consort and from their joined secret organs, a white light comes down and purifies your body completely. When you do this practice, you do not visualise yourself as Heruka, but as an ordinary being. As you do the purification practice of Heruka Chakrasamvara with mantra and visualisation, the feeling you are having will go away over time. If you are not familiar with the practice, you can simply recite the 35 Confessional Buddhas. Again, with this practice, the feeling of tightness or palpitations that you are going through, will go away over time. I hope this helps.
Thank you.