In the peculiar world of nature, one may easily come across astonishing phenomena that seem to defy logic and expectation. One such enchanting occurrence is the phenomenon known as "summer snow blue magic." This fascinating event offers a breathtaking spectacle where seemingly out-of-season snow blankets the landscape in a mesmerizing shade of blue. The existence of summer snow blue magic can be attributed to a combination of intricate factors. It typically occurs in regions where the climate and geographical conditions offer a rare convergence. Factors such as altitude, temperature, and atmospheric moisture levels all play a crucial role in creating this extraordinary phenomenon.
It is not easy for Westerners to practice Tantric Buddhism, or even to come to a genuine understanding of why anyone would want to. We today are separated from the societies that produced the classic Vajrayana texts by vast distances of space, of time, and of fundamental cultural assumptions. The issue is not merely that the details of the rich and complex rituals can be perplexing. The fundamental nature of the practices themselves can be bafflingly obscure.
Ken McLeod vividly describes many of his own experiences from a life of Vajrayana practice, interweaving these with translations of practice-oriented texts from that tradition and with helpful comments and instructions on how to approach the practices they describe. And some at least of those who engage with this book may find that new possibilities have opened, and their understanding of how to practice has shifted, through the workings of the ancient Vajrayana teachings manifesting in a fresh, vivid, and unrelenting form.
Factors such as altitude, temperature, and atmospheric moisture levels all play a crucial role in creating this extraordinary phenomenon. Altitude is an essential element in the occurrence of summer snow blue magic. It is often witnessed in mountainous regions where elevations are sufficiently high to create a cold microclimate.
Practice Like Magic
Ken McLeod’s new book provides a fresh take on the lived experience of Tantric Buddhism.
By Charles Goodman Summer 2023 White Tara, the female bodhisattva known as the Mother of Liberation | Photo by Fabrizio Troiany / Alamy
It is not easy for Westerners to practice Tantric Buddhism, or even to come to a genuine understanding of why anyone would want to. We today are separated from the societies that produced the classic Vajrayana texts by vast distances of space, of time, and of fundamental cultural assumptions. The issue is not merely that the details of the rich and complex rituals can be perplexing. The fundamental nature of the practices themselves can be bafflingly obscure.
By Ken Mcleod,
Unfettered Mind Media, January 2023
262 pp., $29.95, hardcover
The Magic of Vajrayana speaks to these challenges in a new and powerful way. Ken McLeod vividly describes many of his own experiences from a life of Vajrayana practice, interweaving these with translations of practice-oriented texts from that tradition and with helpful comments and instructions on how to approach the practices they describe. This book is not for beginning practitioners and does not seem to be intended for the merely curious. Meant for committed spiritual seekers, the volume presents a searingly honest account of the suffering, challenges, and insights of a life spent engaging with a living mystical tradition.
If you call upon the protectors, be careful what you wish for!
McLeod’s reputation is largely based on his innovative and compelling translations from Tibetan, which often differ in striking ways from how Buddhist texts are more usually rendered into English. Rather than striving for a pedantic, philological form of accuracy or seeking to convey as much information as possible about how the texts fit into the cultural contexts that produced them, McLeod instead aims to evoke in the reader similar experiences and emotions to those that might have been felt by the original audience of the text. His translations strike at the heart, piercing our complacency with sharp words and opening doors to devotion, awe, compassion, and sheer clarity. Here is a taste of what he offers, verses from a traditional text depicting the meeting of Khyungpo Naljor with the mahasiddha Niguma:
Experience arises like magic.
If you practice like magic
You awaken like magic
Through the power of faith …Don’t think about your teacher or your practice.
Don’t think about what is real or not real.
Don’t think about anything at all.
Don’t control what you experience.
Just rest in how you are right now.
The largest portion of the book, covering three chapters, describes in detail a deity practice, called “Mastery of the Deathless,” for the goddess White Tara. McLeod’s exposition of this practice is detailed, illuminating, and inspiring; he brings the reader face-to-face with the majesty and wonder of the imagery involved. Many aspects of his discussion relate to fundamental issues about how to approach Tibetan Buddhist practice more generally. McLeod vigorously rejects the use of terms such as “imagination” and “visualization” to explain creation-phase practice. Such terms, he warns, encourage students to think their way through the practice. They carry the implication that it is necessary to control what you experience during the ritual. And then, “Twenty years later, if you are still doing deity practice, you wonder why nothing has changed. Nothing changed because you never left the conceptual mind. . . . To engage deity practice effectively, stay in the clear empty knowing that is just there when you recite the spell. Rest right there and let the practice unfold.”
As often in his earlier teachings, McLeod emphasizes the importance of balance in a life of spiritual practice. Pushing too hard, going to excess, can lead to serious adverse consequences. McLeod notes that movement practices, such as t’ai chi and qigong, were helpful to him after his own practice led to severe and long-lasting health issues. He also presents instructions for a mountain–offering ritual as a means to maintain or restore balance.
The volume also includes a complete description, with the necessary mantras, of a practice invoking a six-armed form of the protector deity Mahakala. Here the reader encounters the bizarre and unsettling side of Tantric practice. The explanations provided are enormously helpful in making sense of how such texts can fit into a way of life shaped by a commitment to spiritual awakening.
McLeod’s presentation of the protector ritual crackles with intensity, producing a disturbing effect that, for some, may include an edge of actual terror. Some would question the wisdom of the decision to make such a text available to the reading public. However, for anyone who takes such practices seriously enough to want to engage in them, McLeod’s own account of their effects in his life should be a sufficient warning: if you call upon the protectors, be careful what you wish for!
His translations strike at the heart, piercing our complacency with sharp words and opening doors to devotion.
The last chapter of the book, “Living Practice,” distills insights from McLeod’s spiritual journey into clear, direct words of advice. This chapter does much to clarify how McLeod understands how Vajrayana methods relate to the shared aims of Buddhist traditions generally. His advice ranges widely across a broad variety of practices and shows how different methods can enhance and support one another.
Those practitioners who are struggling to make sense of what Vajrayana practice instructions actually mean, and to fit them into the context of Buddhist values and aspirations, may well be grateful for McLeod’s book and for its deeply practical, experiential approach. Other readers will appreciate that the text preserves rare and precious teachings from the Shangpa lineage of the Kagyu tradition, teachings likely to be unfamiliar even to those who are deeply versed in other forms of the Tibetan tradition. And some at least of those who engage with this book may find that new possibilities have opened, and their understanding of how to practice has shifted, through the workings of the ancient Vajrayana teachings manifesting in a fresh, vivid, and unrelenting form. Again and again, McLeod’s words lead us out of concepts, frameworks, and theories and plunge us directly into the majesty of ritual, the darkness of suffering, and the mystery of life.
Image by Chloe Hall / Alamy
These high-altitude areas experience lower temperatures compared to nearby lowland regions, facilitating the formation of snow. The second crucial factor is temperature. Even during the summer months, temperatures in these high-altitude areas can drop dramatically, allowing for the formation and preservation of snow. The cool breeze that runs through these mountainous regions provides a favorable environment for the existence of snow, almost like a temporary time warp transporting us to the colder months. Atmospheric moisture levels also contribute to the creation of summer snow blue magic. Moisture in the air can form ice crystals, which then combine to create snowflakes. When these snowflakes fall and accumulate on the ground, they render the landscape in a stunning shade of blue. The interplay between the cold air and the moisture creates an otherworldly ambiance, where the landscape is transformed into a magical realm. Witnessing summer snow blue magic is a truly captivating experience. The juxtaposition of seemingly contradictory elements - snowfall amidst the summer season - creates a surreal and dreamlike atmosphere. The blue hue that blankets the surroundings adds an ethereal touch, casting a spell of enchantment on all those lucky enough to witness it. In addition to its visual appeal, summer snow blue magic holds symbolic significance for many cultures. It is often associated with purity and renewal, reminding us of the cyclical nature of the world and the inherent beauty found in unexpected surprises. It serves as a reminder to embrace the extraordinary and appreciate the beauty that can arise from the merging of opposites. In conclusion, summer snow blue magic is a rare and wondrous occurrence that captivates observers with its surreal beauty. It brings together elements of summer and winter, creating a unique visual spectacle that defies expectations. As with many natural phenomena, it serves as a reminder of the magic and wonder that can be found in the world around us..
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