(zur deutschen Version hier klicken…)
Like all Tibetan traditions, Yungdrung Bön traces all phenomena of existence to the five elements fire, water, air, earth, and space.
Four of these elements – fire, water, air, and earth, are identical with those we know from the Western tradition. The fifth element, space, appears to be similar to what Aristotle called the „quintessenz“ and what has been named „ether“ by the alchemy known from the Middle Ages. It is understood as an all pervasive substance permeating all existence, which is neither physically proofable nor merely mental in nature. The notion „phenomenon“ equally refers to external as well as internal objects, such as the concept of „soul“:
„The concept of soul is the balance of the five elemental essences within ourselves: the earth, water, fire, air, space in it’s forms, in its energy, in it’s more psychological dimension, in its pure vitality energy. So when they all are balanced in ourselves we say: This is like a „healthy“ soul.“ [1]
For a more detailed introduction to the concept of the five elements according to the Bön tradition please see the video by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche provided below.
Perception psychology: The five elements in the dark retreat
According to the Bön tradition at a certain point of monastic education the specially prepared monk would go for a meditation retreat in a completely dark room and stay there for a longer period of time in order to meditate in the dark.
There are few and rather short reports about these retreats from meditation masters who are still living [2]. In these reports one can find hints about certain visual perceptions the person doing the retreat would possibly experience. These visionary perceptions are explicitly not to be compared with the hallucinations that appear to anybody who would lock himself in the dark for several days.
The occurance of these perceptions are traced back to the balance or imbalance of the five elements within the person meditating. The dominance of the one colour in combination with certain geometrical forms might for example point to a preponderance of the fire element whereas other colours, such as blue, might point to a dominant water element. Other combinations might be a sign for balance.
A vivid explanation about the purpose and means of Dark Retreat is provided by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche: [3]:
„After the Dzogchen practitioner has been introduced to the natural state of mind by the master, he or she is taught the Crossing Over practices of tögal: the dark retreat, sky gazing, and sun gazing. Tögal practice is very much about the elements.
In the dark retreat the practitioner spends month practicing in a room or cave into which not even the slightest light enters. It is commonly understood that the lack of physical light can lead to depression and claustrophobia, and there are therapies for depression that are based on exposing people to light. But when abiding in pure luminous presence in the dark retreat, practitioners do not become claustrophobic or depressed, even though they are in total darkness in a small room for a long time (in Bön the dark retreat is traditionally forty-nine days and is often done for longer). In fact, there is sometimes the opposite problem. Because so much is happening, the practitioner may be exited and the thoughts become wild and hard to control. Trekchöd means stabilization in space, a state that results in no claustrophobia. And tögal is the manifestation of light. In the small physical space of the dark retreat there is a lot of space and light – the space of the base of existence and the illumination of instrinsic awareness. Just as external light keeps us from becoming depressed, the internal light protects us. The vitality of the mind, rigpa, gives the body vitality that comes from inside rather than outside.
Anyone, practitioner or not, can put themselves into a pitch-black environment and see lights. And if they stay long enough, they will begin to hallucinate. This is not tögal. If the practitioner has not had proper instruction, has not had the pointing out instructions and cannot abide in the natural state, the visions that arise are simply mental projections shaped by karmic traces. Without trekchöd there is no tögal, and if the practitioner is not abiding in the natural state, trekchöd has not been accomplished.
[…]
In all tögal practices – dark retreat, sun gazing, space gazing – the practitioner is trying to connect with the pure essence of the elements, the five pure lights, and the visions are the signs that the process is occuring. The visions are not the point of the practice, the internal changes are, but the visions are a way to check the progress.
Generally, the visions begin with light and patterns of light. The light is colored – often one or two colors will dominate, or a color may not manifest at all. There are specific shapes and colors associated with each element as it begins to manifest in its purer form: square yellow shapes for earth; circular blue shapes for water; triangular red shapes for fire; green rectangular shapes for air; and white semicircular shapes for space. Eventually fragments of images appear, usually fleeting and unclear. Over time they become whole and stable. […]“ [3]
The five elements as a subject for an electroacoustic composition
Since space is considered as the fifth element the concept of the elements as provided in Bön could also be read as the setting for an electroacoustic composition. In electroacoustic music, too, acoustic space and the compositional handling of movements within this space are fundamental to creating the music. To take a general Buddhist notion as already introduced by John Cage it is space that contains the silence from which all sound emerges and to which all sound dissipates after some time.
Apart from thoughts on compositional techniques possibly derivated from aspects of the Bön philisophy one of the inspirationsal sources for creating music on the subject “The Five Elements” were reports like above where one can learn about the manifestation of the Five Elements in form, colour and (as I was informed orally) sound.
It is important to stress that I have no knowledge nor any experience with the actual conduct of a traditional (or any other) dark retreat. Talks with some of those (Europeans) who went tried to spend some time in the dark themselves suggest that the experiences might vary dependend on the individual.
So it is not the aim of the resulting composition of this project to give insights in the quite advanced practice of a dark reatreat but it has simply been inspired by reports on such.
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[1] Wangyal, Tenzin (2015): „The Five Natural Elements – Finding a Healthy Balance“. Webcast aus der Reihe „The True Source of Healing. Part 2.“ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNCmhKUKKDQ [Zugriff: 06.12.2016] min. 06:29.
[2]
Compare also with the traditional instructions for the Dark Retreat as provided in: Reynolds, John Myrdhin (2011): „The practice of Dzogchen in the Zhang-Zhung Tradition of Tibet. Translations from the ‚The Gyalwa Chaktri of Druchen Gyalwa Yungdrung‘ and ‚The Seven-fold Cycle of the Clear Light‘ “. Vajra Publications. Kathmandu, Nepal.
[3] Wangyal, Tenzin (2002): „Healing with Form, Energy, and Light. The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra, and Dzogchen.“ Snow Lion. Ithaca, NY. S. 131f.
For further information
Explanation and meditation according to the concept of the five elements by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
The explanations start at min 6:10.
My special thanks goes to Birrell Walsh for his kind support, helpful discussion, and proof-reading of the English versions of these texts.