Testimonials

On Mending the Broken Heart Practice

”This practice goes very deep. It brings up traumatic situations and shows you your broken parts. Through seeing them they get mended and you get released. You go through all of this with the guidance and help of the rainbow shaman, you are never alone. And with this help you can find the courage to visit your dark places and bring them into light and healing. I am so very grateful for this practice.” - Silvia, Amrita Mandala Sangha Member

*

”I've struggled with low energy and feeling tired for most of my adult life, wondering how so many other people seem to be able to work for a whole day without taking naps and frequent breaks. Over the last 8 years I tried aerobic exercise, biohacking, meditation, yoga, Qigong, and many other things, some of which helped a little bit but none of which solved the underlying problem. In a few days of practicing this teaching, I can already feel the benefits, I feel more whole and rested when I wake up from sleep, a baseline support and vitality that I've never felt before. I strongly encourage anyone who struggles with low energy to try this practice, especially if you have traumatic events from childhood. It's a truly wonderful experience, to feel your body's internals knitting themselves back together, and the calm sense of wholeness that results. Just follow the instructions, try to feel what Amrita Baba is conveying, rather than focusing on the exact words. And pay attention to the instruction about how often to practice it, it's quite powerful, though you may not realize the full extent of the effects until after afterwards.” - Michael, Amrita Mandala Sangha Member

Other Testimonials

"Having studied with lineage teachers in Dzogchen and Mahamudra for over twenty years, my amazement at the brilliance of Amrita Baba's unique yoga is beyond words. What is unique about this original, culturally accessible (for Westerners) practice is its efficacy, its actual delivery of the desired outcome. That is exceedingly rare." - Susan

"Thank you Baba for being rock solid, “whole wood” as we say in Norway. Your impeccable honesty, relentless compassion, and diamond precision is the main reason I am able to finally see the situation for what it is. People like you truly don’t grow on trees."

“For me tantric trauma therapy was very emotional. It clearly hits the trauma where it is. I really like the shamanistic aspect of it. Haven't done any shamanistic stuff previously but somehow it sits well with me, feels right. Why do I think it has a different effect on the psyche compared to other tantric practice? I suppose it is precisely because there is the ”therapy” element to it: you are directly confronted with your trauma, as you would be in a traditional therapeutic setting. Guru yoga addresses trauma in a less explicit manner, little by little. Tantric trauma therapy is very in your face. It deals with the trauma you acquired in this life and shakes you up very concretely. I suppose that's the strength of it, a sign that it could have enormous healing potential.” - Mia, Amrita Mandala Sangha Member

"My practice sometimes seems to plateau, then something like this happens: Last night I woke up and Guru Rinpoche, Yeshe Tsogyal, our Amrita Baba, and Babaji were all with me. The blessings felt like bathing in a bath of warm honey. It was just so lovely! I could distinctly feel the different qualities of every Guru very clearly, and I was struck by the fact, Baba, that you embodied aspects of all of them in fairly equal measure, but maybe slightly more like Guru Rinpoche's energy. I can't describe in words how beautiful this experience was!” - Gwen, Amrita Mandala Sangha Member

"It’s been so easy for me to forget how closed and contracted my life used to be. Running around with zero recognition and such a strong belief in the self. Each time I had an “insight” or “understanding” it felt like such a revelation at the time. However, the understanding was surface level and easily forgotten. Instead, the Amrita Mandala method of opening bhumis just allows the understanding to flood in all at once. The difference becomes clearer every day!

These days I have much more space for others: their thoughts, feelings, concerns bring less “selfing” out of me. The ability to cut through bullshit and introduce understanding and compassion in many of life’s situations is a welcome feature. I am grateful for this ability spawning from progress but recognize I still have a long way to go. - Kedar, Amrita Mandala Sangha Member

I remember hearing people often saying "open" and "clear" after shifts and thought to myself that there must be better ways to describe the experience. However, I myself use those words now. It just goes to show words will always fall short of describing the selfless state. I feel folks will never become believers until they actually experience emerging from the contracted state of perpetual selfing. Until they catch that glimpse, the self will continue to confuse, torment, and sabotage even with evidence laid out.” -Kedar, Amrita Mandala Sangha member

*
”This is easily the most functional and authentically accomplished sangha I’ve come across.”

”In the beginning of the retreat there was a sense of dropping off of needless baggage. At the same time I became more and more aware. In the end it was like the clouds moving in the sky in front of my window, they came and went and the sky was not affected. Like a quiet calm ground that remained unchanged. I was still able to perceive that all day today and it seems to be a good basis for my consciousness. Thank you for this valuable insight that will carry me.”

”I have various meditation and yoga experiences and I have to say that I have not experienced something as effective as the Rainbow Body Yoga. It has an impact on my entire existence. I dream differently, I experience myself and my environment differently. My daily yoga practice has changed. There are moments of clarity that I have never experienced before.”

*

”About Tantric Trauma Therapy. I really loved this 'teaching' and I let myself in fully, even though I had no previous knowledge, or had no reference to the enlightened masters. That didn't matter, because it's mainly about trusting the masters in this situation. And I was full of that. I know a similar approach from other sources, e.g. self hypnosis, where I go to my 'safe place' and then have similar experiences. I can also have similar experiences with imagination which is effective on a less deeper level. They are felt situations or images of being lifted, being safe, being in love and trust experience. What Amrita Baba thinks is wonderful here is the soft, loving way he brings it over. This has an increasing effect on me! Thanks for sharing” - Susanne, Germany

”I just wanted to praise Babas's courage and effort in teaching Dharma in his own unique style. Particularly the Dzogchen Thogal-teachings part 4/4 - Jan 2021 that is on YouTube I find to be very clear and beneficial. Thank you again.”

”Rainbow Body Yoga and the Amrita Mandala practices continue to deliver me gold. Baba has brought together quite a beautiful sangha. I’ve been a member of the Facebook group for more than a year now and it’s genuinely amazing how consistent quality it is with minimal drama. Just some good folks going after buddhahood.”

"Rainbow Body Yoga empowerment was felt deeply. A clear and powerful connection to Guru Rinpoche was renewed in tangible fashion again. The emanation of power/consciousness began soft, clean, and gentle; and it bloomed gradually into an awareness of clean, pure, spaciousness and bright awareness that filled everything. I felt it down to my bones. I sit here still radiating this blessedness ... calm, still, quiet, and with a sense of deep ease.”

"Very good! Clear and to the point. I like the clarity and simplicity of your explanation... Something that is sadly lacking in many of the more well-known "rinpoches." ”

*

"Bhumi analysis and mapping attainments is a useful guide to attain buddhahood, finally, after lifetimes of seeking... And a celebration of sorts. We point out other milestones of life, like birthdays and jubileums. The same I feel is okay and nice to do with spiritual practice. I don't think it's a bad thing, just a great tool. A person opened all their bhumis and stabilized their natural state to a degree? Amazing, people need to know that it's possible! My view of the bhumi model and mapping teachers anyway."

*

”I really appreciated the change of emphasis for this retreat to healing trauma. I would like to see it incorporated into more retreats. I have come to realise that the relationship that we hold with our parents has a deep and profound impact on our lived experience and that holding ill will towards a parent or parents is very damaging to the psyche. Through the practices taught on this retreat I have moved towards healing a deep rift I have with my father.”

”I feel you have great both informative knowledge and experiential knowledge and yet your simplicity of delivering the teachings is amazing.”

”Whenever I have gone a period of time without regular Rainbow Body Yoga, I start to feel aged and old. There is less enthusiasm and energy, the body feels stiff and in some places numb, and there is a general unsatisfactoriness. I feel that I have been lacking the drive of inspiration for some time now but what I do know is that this practice is essential for living well and integrating wisdom into the body and heart. Without fail, whenever I return to the practice, that vitality returns to me. This month I have been working long shifts for six nights in a row before getting a night off. Tonight at work I took a moment to do a sloppy and abbreviated RBY session and that alone made a big difference. You can’t argue with such evidence. In those late ungodly hours I do find some perspective and contemplation as I am doing right now.”

”I enjoyed the well planned and refreshing, though at times a bit exhausting, retreat and all of the techniques shared. I have during the past few years become more aware of my own insecurities, and how they affect me in my daily life, and have been looking a while for a method that deals with trauma effectively, without really finding one. Then this retreat kind of fell in my lap, healing trauma being the main focus. I am, like after every Amrita Mandala retreat I've been to, very grateful for the experiences. I especially liked the Dzogchen Metta technique for healing parental traumas, and connecting in unconditional love with others. The very tangible feeling of becoming one with another was very powerful. Also, the short but very efficient visualization for detoxing the physical and emotional bodies left me feeling thoroughly rejuvenated and cleansed. Not to mention the technique to align the Nine Pearls of the body, something I've also been looking for lately. Will make use of these techniques on a regular basis. Thank you very much!”

”For me, this almost 4 day long online retreat has been quite excellent. Some of the sessions proved to be a bit challenging physically, causing a lot of thoughts and emotions around that, but I was able to let myself rest if it got too bad. I also like that we do 15 minutes here and there of rest, I think it's very important with all the energetic practices we do.

I particularly enjoyed the new tantric trauma practices. I found them quite healing, although at times emotionally hard. I feel like I have more trauma than I realised before, perhaps because I had a very narrow definition of 'trauma'. And because I probably have a lot stored in blindspots. It was cool and interesting that one can do this practice with Earth and Sun too, I did not know. Different in a way because I could feel their massive actual physical form and presence, and unconditional support. With my physical parents it was hard, but very nice in a way that now I know it can all be healed if I just continue doing the practice, which I will.

On the 2nd full day of retreat, I believe I had a bhumi perfection, and it got easier to talk and my normal (social) anxiety subsided a bit. Which is always pleasant! So at the end of last session of this retreat I felt it was almost a shame it was so short. Time flew. But looking forward to next retreat.

Thank you for the teachings and this retreat. Very happy we are doing them online and keeping the momentum going. Although it is all happening on a screen for the moment, I still feel the closeness and gratitude for the Amrita Mandala sangha. Really nice bunch of genuine practitioners. I am very convinced I would not have this progression without it.”

”Thanks Baba for a very enjoyable, eventful and penetrating retreat. In particular I refer to the Tantric Trauma Practice. It penetrated at such a deep level that I was surprised I held such untapped emotion around my parents given I have, in the past, through professional help uncovered what I thought was mostly the full extent of it. In particular the Dzogchen Metta with my parents gave me a much fuller and deeper understanding and awareness into the extent to which their emotional expression and awareness was blocked but more importantly for me it uncovered a reservoir of compassion towards them greater than I have experienced before. The practice highlighted for me how joyless life was for them and how fortunate I am in having exposure to this practice and your teaching. The retreat also made the concept of Buddha Nature being present in all beings more real and I look forward to draw on it the next time someone or something pisses me off. Again many thanks.”

”This retreat for me was the most exhausting retreat in my life because a lot of karmic energy steered up. The trauma related practices were so different in my experience, but all of them are really profound. I think I’ll practice them all in my daily sittings.”

”First of all to say that the whole retreat was very sensitively taught, well paced and for me, very effective. It has given me some tools to use to continue to work with my trauma, which is to do with emotional deprivation. I think my whole Pemako Journey so far has been about opening and healing my heart. Thank you so very much for all this, nothing else in my life has even come close to being so helpful.

I agree with most of what you say about 'talking therapies' not being enough to treat trauma. When I retired from Clinical Psychology 11 years ago, people who had symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress 'Disorder' or PTSD were referred on, outside my Service to Clinicians who had specific training in treating this, mostly focussed on the neurological system.

However, people who were suffering from the aftermath of sexual abuse, torture, and what might have been thought of as 'small trauma', and who were not showing classic symptoms of PTSD were still referred for talking therapies. I did see some people benefiting greatly from being listened to, being believed, and forming a compassionate and supportive relationship with the therapist. Maybe not 'enough', but what was available and acceptable to the person concerned.

It was good to start off gently by connecting to the Gurus, and establishing the Natural State as a place of safety. I very much enjoyed the experience of connecting with Mother Earth and Father Sun, it was a good way of progressing to the real 'nitty gritty'. I really got into that, in fact, a rash I get on my face if I'm in the sun for too long without protection came up on my face!!! I also really enjoy Rainbow Body Yoga. Why I ever thought Zen was suitable for me I'll never know. So, thank you again, what you are giving us is priceless.”

”Here is a short testimony of my last two years with Amrita Mandala and Baba. From the day I started my practice (first with the Two part formula two years ago up till this day) there has been loads and loads of various emotions leaving the system; anxiety, depression, sense of self-worth and lethargy, many of these are no more, simple as that. The sense of self is totally different, quite transparent, so even when "it" is up to no good it never hit me like it did before, at all(!), which can be translated into saying that suffering in general has this transparency and openness to it pretty much all the time. There is still much left to be done, but the whole spectrum of samskaras is as said, much subtler than before. Also, both on and off the cushion there are glimpses of minds nature, that's every day now. I don't exaggerate when saying that this light-years ahead of the practices I did before coming to know of Kim.

I have also had the fortune to join many retreats, which I highly recommend to anyone interested. They are all about understanding the practices properly and make them work for yourself, and they do, each one of them!

One thing that is a bit hard to explain, but that I have felt I wanted to say something about for a while, is how understanding of dharma practices and literature changes with insight and good instructions. I remember how talk about emptiness, vipassana, tantra, or stumbling across Dzoghcen literature etc.. used to feel completely impenetrable. Like I can neither understand this nor am I "worthy" of experiencing it, no way, not for me.

That has turned completely, without going into detail or claiming too much, I would say that buddha dharma makes a lot of sense now, what it says and promise in terms of result is 100% accurate, especially the "liberation" part of it. I am very grateful to have been empowered through insights and good instructions with the confidence to pursue such a goal to its end. I really want to stress this point, as this is basically what makes the Dharma so very valuable, and still most people have no idea at all that this can be done, even practicioners miss this simple fact or are not believing it properly themselves that they can acheive this. Thank you Baba so much _()_ ”

”Having just finished a four-day autumn retreat of Amrita Mandala teachings I am left with a few impressions that I feel like sharing. Not only did the teachings renew my commitment to spiritual practice, but more importantly opened up the path ahead of me by making it clear which practices to explore next. The main focus of this retreat was healing of trauma, more specifically through processing the relationship to one’s parents. Though I did not feel that either the term “trauma” or “traumatic” fit my upbringing or relationship with my parents, systematically going through the various trauma release practices soon showed me that there was plenty of stuff to work with.

While the initial practices felt very pleasant, fulfilling, and effortless, the last part revealed a surprising amount of reluctance. Within this reluctance, I found strong agitation and annoyance, and I could hear this rationalisation process taking place in the back of my mind, stating that it would be pointless to face this person this way, as not trauma, but this person simply being a nuisance, was clearly the problem. I realised, of course, that these conflicting emotions did indeed stem directly from trauma. It became very clear that trauma does not only arise from extreme situations, where, for example, another person intentionally hurt you. There is also low-intensity trauma, stemming from simply sharing everyday life with other confused beings.

While I did not experience any big relief moments in this particular session, and while the stored trauma did not magically disappear, the experience and the retreats as a whole definitely gave me a direction for my practice in the next couple of days and weeks. In addition to the trauma-related insight, the spontaneous inclusion of standing meditation on the second day also strongly suggested to me that I should pursue this type of practice as well. Needless to say, I feel this retreat has benefited me tremendously and I am very grateful for the teachings received. May all beings be free.”

“Thanks so much Baba. I often can not believe how lucky I am, with the place where I live, having family, friends, a fulfilling job, being healthy, allowed to be part of this retreat, listening to what you say, feeling Guru's blessing. I am so grateful. And my wish to share this is very very strong. So what can I say? Thank you Baba for this retreat, for sharing your wisdom, your thoughts, your feelings and emotions with us, for showing us treasures and telling us how to find them.”

”There’s almost nothing that makes me happier these days than people sharing real dharma instead of pretend-dharma.” - Ben, US

”Somebody should really build Baba a monument for this incredible work that he is doing. His videos keep appearing to me, randomly without searching for them. So spontaneously I start looking at them and then follow his guidance with the practice and I always get incredible outstanding results. In the Bible it is said that you can recognize a tree from its fruits. His practices always bring fruits - which means results, I mean real results. So really, honestly, thank you for doing this Work. It is truly great and you are a blessing to people!” - Jim, Italy

”First and foremost, thank you helping me on this path and introducing me to masters Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal. What a wonderful thing it is, it has given me so much, really, thank you. My humble bows.” - Robert, Sweden

”This summer retreat was something quite special. Not only because I could spend it with great people in a beautiful place in France, but also because the sessions were amazingly charged and very deepening in every sense.

Around the middle of the retreat, the Thogal or Sambhogakaya aspect of the natural state switched on like a light switch. Since then up until now, it hasn't really changed. This aliveness without a center just eats up one conceptual fabrication after the other.

Bodhicitta also has significantly deepened in and since the retreat. There's complete certainty that bodhicitta and the natural state are one and the same thing.

And the connection to Amrita Baba as my teacher as well as you guys as my Sangha has also taken another unexpected boost. Several times I saw Guru Rinpoche's eyes in Baba's eyes during the retreat, pure glow. ” - Ugi, Switzerland

”First of all, I want to thank you for your teaching. I have never felt transmission so strongly... almost too strongly sometimes! It was an amazing experience and now I feel back on track.”

”Just a quick thank you for the Spring retreat. I'm still bathing in Guru Rinpoche's blessings from a couple of days ago, it's carrying on and on which has been great and it was lovely to reconnect with the Sangha again and Baba's live teaching.”

”Thank you very much Baba for a great retreat. It was really powerful as everyone has already said. There's something more there these days. Every single session was such a strong transmission. Every word of pointing out switched it on and it was really great to feel proper thogal for the first time. Thank you!”

”Thank you so much for retreat. It felt like everytime teacher is leading something powerful is happening. Amazing. And thogal empowerment from Guru Rinpoche.... Deepest graditude! Namo Guru Rinpoche!”

”Free flowing Baba gave spontaneous presence the perfect stage to reveal it's explosive power, again and again, session after session. And the crazy thing is, it noticeably started with the very first minute of the retreat. Like it just took off where the last winter retreat ended (feeling wise). Deepest gratitude!”

”This was a masterpiece of a retreat guidance. Like experiencing the next netflix special from the big ones of comedy. Thank you very much, guru mine”

”Yes the retreat was heart opening, deep, effective, profound and so valuable for the times we all find ourselves in. Thank you Baba for your expert guidance and care throughout and all participants for the joined vibes. Until the next one.”

”I cannot recommend the retreats of Amrita Mandala highly enough to anyone who's serious or wants to get joyfully serious about (starting) their tantric practice into complete nondual realization. The retreats are led by teachers with real insight and they are completely practice-oriented. There's no endless talks like in so many retreats these days.

I've been to two Amrita Mandala retreats so far and my practice has benefited immensely and gained new levels of depth. There are invisible dynamics you just can't get alone on the cushion but only in a devoted group setting centered around the natural state alone. And it gives your personal practice a very strong boost. After the last retreat I stepped up my formal practice time from 2 to 3 hours a day effortlessly, just by using the catalyst effect of the retreat. Go for it, I'd say.

Bow from Switzerland,
Ugi”

"I did 2PF [Two-Part Formula] open eyed sitting on a bench. One thing I remembered was Kim's advice from the book [Awake! Handbook of Awakening] on looking for space behind the eyes and resting there, so I did just that. It worked immediately and I was able to stay with space. What helped quite a bit was that I was looking at the sky and the trees, there were sounds of cars passing by in the distance all around, so everything was conducive to discovering this vast space. The more I relaxed into it, the more I felt the vastness and stillness of it. There was no fear, no discomfort, sometimes thoughts would pop into awareness and I would think "Oh, I'm gonna lose my focus", but then I would immediately realize that there is nothing to lose here, the space is found in losing itself. So I was able to marinate like this, the body feeling light and empty. Then I would affirm the I, and the sensations would appear in all the usual places: stronger sensations in the face, same pattern of a dot somewhere between the eyebrows, some more diffuse tension in the nose, quick sensations in the belly and chest, but they all were immediately relaxed into space. I wouldn't even really think of the pattern of sensations itself, just observing them, seeing that they are just resistance, and releasing that resistance. So I sat like this, alternating between eyes closed and open, comparing the two modes. Even though at this point it felt more like observing the I-mode from the space of the I-less mode. The I felt like resistance, like some sort of confusion that arises from memory, but from the space it's immediately seen as just that, resistance that really has no basis at all."

"By far the single most important thing I've done in my life was to start practicing the Dharma. And my eyes fill with tears just thinking about the invaluable blessing I've been given to encounter the Sangha and the teachings of Amrita Mandala.

It's incredibly rare for a human to develop an interest in the nature of own's being/mind. It's even rarer to develop a burning desire to practice it. And it's even rarer to then find a teaching which really goes all the way and doesn't stop mid-way or loses itself in misconceptions of all kinds.

Even in Vajrayana – which is the highest nondual teaching and which claims the possibility of full Buddhahood in this life time – it is incredibly rare to find and have a access to a teacher with real experience and high realization.

Amrita Mandala turned out to be the unique jewel which just provides that, in a modern, nonreligious and pragmatic way. Without losing contact to the core of the Dharma which is so common in Western spirituality these days.

I cannot recommend Amrita Mandala enough if you have a desire to practice nondual meditation to it's very end."

”Your teachings have been life changing for me. My practice has been improved and deepened immeasurably over the past two years. It’s been a wonderful ride.” - Luke

”I'm occasionally called to guide a Insight Meditation meditation group. On one of those group guidances I guided around 20 people with the Two Part Formula. The response I got from the group was... electric for lack of better words, especially from long-time meditators. Some felt middle-of the head/crown chakra vibrations like I did. One meditator was speechless in her awe after doing it and only seeing her body language could communicate to you the impact it had on her. Same for some others, it was mostly body language and "wow" reactions. I'm sure it planted strong seeds in them to say the least. The way I see it, standard vipassana meditation is very gradual and it takes time before a meditator gets to a point where the subject-self becomes transparent enough for inspection. Two Part Formula gets there faster and seems to produce a "shock", a positive one, in the minds of those who practice it. That's what I perceived in the group after we finished and got their feedback. Some seemed in "shock", like a veil was suddenly ripped off in their minds. ” - Ben

”My faith in the Dharma is reinvigorated and strengthened. I'm very pleased to have found this path. It has saved me, and in particular your instruction.” - Robert, Sweden

”It has been such an honour and pleasure. I have never heard anyone explain these concepts with such clarity and precision, but also in such a beautiful way. I feel a fog has been lifted.” - Sharma, US

”I started to practice meditation in 1998. In 2018 I learned about Amrita Mandala and the Two-Part Formula. 11 days later I had an awakening experience. It was unbelievable after all those years and many retreats. I have continued on the path of Amrita Mandala and now 1½ years later, I had the best retreat I’ve ever had.” - Shaun, UK

”I cannot thank you enough for making these practices accessible. I have had five shifts, five bhumi openings. At the moment I am going through a very difficult period in my medical training and yet my daily practice and its fruit has been life-changing and sanity-giving.” - Benjamin, US

”I have to say that your articles and your videos are very pragmatic, straight to the point, and your methodology seems quite efficient without watering down the Dharma.” - Ludo, France

”Thank you so much for being such an effective teacher, and for getting rid of the shroud of secrecy around these practices. I've been actively looking in various ways for this level of inner peace for 7.5 years, and unconsciously seeking it since I was 3 years old, and now I finally have it.” - Michael, US

”First of all, I would like to thank you for making your teachings available on YouTube, the website and your books. I have benefited greatly from them. I first heard about Amrita Mandala from the Dharma Overground website and was intrigued, I have been practising Theravadan Vipassana meditation for about 10 years and had reached 2nd path but wasn't seeing further progress.

Once I started practicing with your guided meditations on YouTube, my practice became much more enjoyable and felt easier and also started to notice Bhumi openings. And I (humbly) believe that I may have open the 13th bhumi (my experience on the 11th bhumi opening lines up with several of the testimonials I have heard).” - Christine, Canada

”The contents of this book changed my life forever in a wonderful way. THIS is what all of the different sects of Buddhism are trying to show you. The vast majority of dharma practitioners take YEARS (sometimes decades!) to realize what this book did for me within a week. The exercise given, if practiced seriously, will bring about a permanent shift in your experiential perspective that will show you what your true self really is, and much more importantly, is not. The accounts given in the book help you to be sure if the results of the exercise that you experience are what is intended. They show you that there is both variety in what you can experience as well as a very clear commonality - our true nature. I could not recommend this book more to anyone lucky enough to come across it. It's the real deal. Did you think Enlightenment was a myth? You're about to find out.” - Trevor, US

”To you, Baba, I can only express my deepest gratitude for being the channel who's made all of this possible. Since the empowerment an incredible deepening of the practice has happened.” - Ugi, Switzerland

”Opening the bhumis has definitely had a significant effect on my career. When I play, the self doesn't get in the way anymore. I'm much freer to express myself without the voice in my head getting in the way by telling me that what I'm doing isn't working or isn't good enough. My mind is almost entirely clear when I perform so my body is able to completely relax, which is obviously extremely beneficial to my ability to play my instrument. I wouldn't say that I feel the music in a different way, I'm just able to feel it more clearly, to see it more clearly. For me, music was always about the movement of emotional energy and I make my musical decisions by allowing this energy to interact with my mind and body and effectively make the decisions for me. When I am most tuned into this energy no thought is required, the music just happens. So really there is nobody there that is making musical decisions, it's just a flow of creative energy. I was able to experience this before opening the bhumis but it wasn't nearly as clear and only occasionally happened. Now it is a permanent experience.” - Shane, jazz musician, Ireland

”Awakening has made my life much easier”. - Elizabeth

”If you are interested in dharma practice and Dzogchen, I advise you to listen to Baba. Baba is the only one I know, combining tantra and the approach of pragmatic dharma.”

”I am still doing your Dynamic Concentration. I am doing it every day and from time to time I do your Guru Yoga, knowing fully well that they are not conventional as you say. Having brought up in a family of religious people, I know what they will say about my practice as they have so much tradition in their own practices. But I care for results and not tradition and I fully endorse what you are doing. I started over 30 years ago as student of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and since then have gone around from Chagchen/Mahamudra to Advaita of Hinduism, yoga and pranayama, and finally landed with Amrita Mandala. So by the time I discovered you on the YouTube, my heart was already open for anything that is result oriented.
Recently, I traveled to the Myanmar and did dynamic concentration in the hotel. Such a long and peaceful experience it was. I really thought that I got it. It stayed for a long time and I was able to maintain the no-thought awareness the whole day, in the plane journey home, and for the next couple of days.” -Norbu, Bhutan

”I was skeptical at first but decided to give it a shot. They did not ask for any money up front, of course I was happy to donate after it worked. The Two-Part Formula was more effective and direct than any other technique I had tried. It took me 12 days to attain stream entry.”

”Thanks a lot for your guidance. I really appreciate. You are working like a true bodhisattva, for the benefit of many. Much respect to you for all you've done and your work.”

*

”I took buddhist refuge almost 30 years ago but in the beginning did not seriously practice meditation, usually only read prayers. I was a student of a Tibetan buddhist lama for 16 years, and also received empowerments from the Dalai Lama. When I received empowerment of Rainbow Body Yoga, I felt an extremely strong energy. I have never felt such before. It was very comfortable. I experienced a shift, opening of 5th bhumi, during the empowerment, that revealed how the reality is empty of self. The way how you teach Refuge and Bodhichitta was a grand discovery. I have been reading the text of Refuge since 19 years old and never had such a profound effect. The same with Bodhichitta. Very intimate and deep feelings. Thank you again!” - Sergey, Ukraine

”It is so lovely to see the fruition of the practice in everyday life. Just during a past few days I've faced situations and discussed with people that I've felt uncomfortable with for years. Only afterwards I realized that I actually was acting "normally", like there was no reaction of dislike or uncertainty. Effects of the tantric practice don't stop amazing me.”

”I'm not far in my practice but I've noticed I'm much more aware of my own reactions to others and how they can affect any given situation and I bring space to them and feel where they are in my body. I've made peace with one person I never thought in a million years I'd get on with as a result of this practice. Always work to do but the changes are surprising and are starting to rub off on those around me.”

”Some changes I have noticed due to practice. A few experiences come to my mind, there are probably several more. I am at ease in negotiations or similar situations, where I would be very nervous before. Growing older I developed a fear of heights, which has diminished significantly. I've been up on the cottage roof this summer doing some inspections, without getting paralyzed. I have disliked going to dentists, but nowadays I am not uncomfortable at all when going. My parenting has become less about me being right and trying to prove it, and more about firm boundaries and compassion.”

”I’m not advanced in my practice, but I’ve noticed that a critical edge that used to constantly exist in my thoughts, be it criticism of myself or others, has been muted. I wouldn’t say it’s disappeared yet, because it will still manifest when I’m extremely stressed out, but I’m more aware of it than I used to be. In addition, when interacting with people, I’m much more aware of their state of mind rather than only focusing on myself.”

”I've noticed my anxiety towards flying disappear. I didn't have it bad as a kid, but growing older I started to be really anxious at takeoff and landing. Not really panicking and in the need of medication but I would be quite terrified internally and had to come up with coping strategies. My latest would be to imagine a buddha figure engulfing the entire airplane and basically doing mantras the entire takeoff/landing period. But the last time I flew there was no need for that! My heart rate did not rise for a second even though there was heavy wind causing the plain to shake and all. I was totally cool looking out the windows and just enjoying it. No fear, no anxiety. My previous flight was two years before that and it was completely a different story!”

”I had a very angry confrontation recently on street-road rage type incident. In the past I would have been overwhelmed and shook for hours. This time I felt the fear in the moment but it dissipated very quickly with no residual after shock. I believe it’s the healing clearing effect from Rainbow Body Yoga, tantric practice that is bringing this significant change about.”

”I am psychotherapist. I was practicing and reading about Zen from 13 years old. I’m 30 now. I awakened last year with the Two-Part Formula and probably opened new bhumi every month since then. I want to thank you for the 13 Bhumi Model and Rainbow Body Yoga. Before I found your system I couldn't imagine, that my life could be so clear, open and full of love. I went to psychologist since I was 15 years old and all these years had therapy. But only deep meditation helped me to integrate all things and conflicts inside me. I'm very deeply grateful to you.”

”I attended a non-residential City Retreat, a first for me. In addition to the usual tantric techniques and atiyoga, we practised rushen, a more "dzogchen" version of metta, dzogchen dance and shamatha.

The first night the atmosphere felt really electric and intense, somehow, felt a bit like someone sucker punched me. That evened out during the next day.

We began with rushen practice in the morning, it was interesting to witness how the body movements started to become less coarse and chaotic. A powerful, grounding practice that I was unable to appreciate the first time I tried it.

Metta practice didn't involve any visualizing, smiling, trying to be particularly warm or anything - we just sat facing each other. First time I tried this, it was probably my favorite of all the practices we did. Warmth and presence certainly came up, but there was also a heightened sense of clarity without so much of an overwhelming desire to love everyone, which I've had more when practicing metta with visualisations.

Amrita Mandala practitioners have had some trouble with dark nights, so Kim gave shamatha a bit more emphasis. We practised a technique where one tries to feel the breath in a fist-sized area between the belly and the back (a location in the body that does not get karmically affected). I keep having trouble feeling the insides of my body properly, and had a bit of trouble locating that spot, but once my attention hit it I got a glimpse of the natural state almost instantly.

Baba also did a verbal teaching or two per day. He explained some of the tantric techniques and deities from a dzogchen point of view - that the deities are not external beings and that we are not taken over by any spirits or such during rushen, but that these are expressions of things inside ourselves. These talks really clarified some confusion I had had.

Baba was also very present and attentive throughout all practices, he didn't just passively recite the instructions, zone out or anything. On several occasions, he correctly identified the problem or mental state I was having from my body language, and gave corrective feedback. I found this very impressive and useful.”

”I think of Amrita Mandala as a siddha school of yogatantra. It's very Pure in the sense of not having a large body of text or dogma or a "school of thought". Purely practice based, nondenominational and having a family of mahasiddhas supporting the transmission.”

”You don't know how much I appreciate all that you have done for me with the Two-Part Formula. I am forever grateful to you for your help and guidance.”

"Honestly I'm more interested in what works than whose endorsed it. I have found Amrita Mandala techniques a useful adjunct to the Bön dzogchen teachings. Amrita Mandala has clarified much. Especially the plain English explanations. True lineage comes from within. Western culture is not hierarchical, perhaps more evidence based. Does it work? Tick. Do it. Does it have any adverse repercussions? No? Then do it.”

”I’m still absorbed in ecstasy after last weeks awakening! It’s been an amazing few days, last weeks shift has stayed strong in my mind and given me a whole new perspective on dharma practice, to be honest I’m still assimilating the experience.

I did a retreat with a certain teacher, he’s currently stand in senior teacher in a well known dharma center. Such a disappointing experience! He’s supposed to have been a forest monk for 15 years or whatever but really, I left more confused than I arrived. The basic teachings on emptiness are really pretty straightforward, not high brow jumbo jumbo at all, but it seems some of these teachers just seem to like talking for the sake of it. It’s particularly disappointing as they represent the dharma and it’s damaging the beauty of the teachings in the long run.

Anyway, it’s a big relief for me to finally have a breakthrough using the Two-Part Formula as this has reduced my anxiety about the confused state of dharma teachings at the moment. Now I see things much more clearly I feel a lot more independent and self confident about the Dharma so I’m not so concerned about what goes on ‘out there’ but I still admire your passion to challenge the status quo and get to the truth of the matter. Thanks again for your help.”

”I'd just like to thank you properly. The last time (right after awakening) I said that I need some time to realize what has happened. That some time has passed. Now I'm totally sure about what has happened and how it affects my life. It's a really profound change! The most profound in the whole life, I would say in terms of impact. Being real me is such an awesome experience, it's like an anchor to survive all the mind storms. Lots of self-impulses are still here, but I'm able to look at them from above, recognize that they're not me, they're not a part of my true nature. Finally, I could cope with freaking mood swings which are my problem since the childhood. It also gives hopes that the existential pain could be healed.

Also, as far as I can recognize, my wife is awakened now too. So the Two-Part Formula practice made a massive difference in the life of my family.
Thank you very much, Baba, for the personal help to me and the Amrita Mandala teaching itself. It really serves people.”

”Thank you for your work! What you do is outstanding.”

”Following Baba's instructions about sitting meditation has been so easy, enjoyable and meaningful. I've tried several other methods, too, giving them a few months to a year or two, so I can really tell the difference. Recommended!”

”From being a stern critic in my reaction towards Amrita Mandala 10 days ago or so, I today have already found that I'm recommending the Two-Part Formula! In fact I feel like I want to tell everyone about it!”

”I like Rainbow Body Yoga very much. I think you are doing something really good, sincere and valuable. Your techniques are superb, the Guru Yoga is personally a breakthrough and everyone must be feeling that. The Two-Part Formula is Really Good! People are breaking through with that like popcorn on a hot stove! Its genius. All those people hovering around the edge, falling through. You must realise that is something quite special. As far as I know, that only happens with a master who really knows what he’s doing and who can teach and transmit. Very rare, very valuable. I can’t quite believe that I lucked out here. I also like the way you have removed many of the cultural aspects from the teaching, keeping it purer. Its good because it keeps teachings simple and clean.”

"Thank you for the transmission. Its all a bit familiar from other Tibetan practices I have done but with some slight differences and I find, those differences have been very powerful. I am really amazed and grateful, thank you so much for being available! Just for an example, your Guru Yoga is the first time I could really understand and get something from that practice. I am really impressed with your teachings as they have had a profound effect on me very quickly, almost immediately. I have been doing meditation and practices since a little girl, now I am 60 years old."

”When I read about The Two-Part Formula for awakening it seemed to me very obvious that the self was like a condensation of this energy in the body, like the knots you described. A tightening or clumping of this energy in the head or heart which is uncomfortable.”

”You are offering awakening and then progression to seriously refined states of nonmeditation (dzogchen) in a matter of a few years, less even. Is there any group out there anywhere offering this? I doubt it, maybe one or two groups, if that. Diamonds are expensive because they are rare, and what you and Amrita Mandala offers is a diamond.”

”Thank you so much for making these talks freely available. They are an incredible gift.”

”I'd like to elaborate a little bit my experience when visiting the Amrita Mandala center. I highly recommend visiting to everyone. Baba has explained a little bit about the benefits of visiting the center and the teacher. In fact the reason why I wanted to go there, was that I had previously read from Baba's posts, that there is a felt blessing at the center. OK, this I want to try out, I thought. The moment I opened the center door was like entering another kind of dimension, like being immersed under the bottom of the sea. In a good, clear way, not suffocating or anything like that. Maybe a bit intoxicating at first, but that passed fairly quickly. I was at the height of my mental abilities, clear as the sun, for the next few days in fact. That is why I would say, if you have the chance go and find out if you also experience a benefit like this.”

”The service you are offering is priceless.”

”I feel I've made more progress in one week with you than five years with other teachers. Thank you!”

”Awakening (permanent awakening, not glimpses) is still very rare, all across the world and pretty much in every tradition of buddhism. And Amrita Mandala have literally 'cracked the code' of awakening, something that as far as I know has never been done before. The concentration of awakened people in Amrita Mandala, and their opening of bhumis is totally off the scale worldwide.”

”I've never even met you but somehow you managed to get me awakened!”

”This is so wonderful. The distinction between the subject-self and the object-self is such an important distinction to make, something I never understood until I came across the Guidance on the Amrita Mandala-website. Really crucial to awakening. I spent 18 years working with the object-self doing vipassana which would have knock on effects on weakening the subject-self, but left it still alive and kicking, whereas after two weeks looking at the subject-self in the Guidance with Baba I finally woke up! I feel so grateful for this - it's been life changing for me. I don't think there are many teachers out there that understand the subject versus object self distinction. Amrita Mandala is really lucky in this regard. In terms of spirituality in general, this really is ground breaking stuff.”

"I studied the texts of Buddhism, including mahayana and tantra, and figured out that what you teach is according to the scriptures, except that Amrita Mandala teachings are stripped off of any baggage."

”Amrita Mandala is truly blessed that awakening is generated so soon in practice with the Two-Part Formula (2PF). It literally takes most practitioners years to awaken with traditional practices, whether Theravada or Mahayana. So much of the struggle of the practitioner working with the self, and the paradox of practice is circumvented by generating awakening so early. That's why I'm so enthusiastic about the 2PF. That tool could be employed to great use in so many other schools of Buddhism, since awakening is pretty much a universal goal for all dharma practitioners. A massive boost.”

”Before I came to Amrita Mandala, I thought that the just sitting and Chan were the same as Dzogchen/Rigpa. In one sense they have the same open, non goal orientated spirit, but doing Amrita Mandala practices I have been really impressed at how much deeper and primordial the experience of the ati-yoga is to my previous practice. I think it is because of all the elements of how the Rainbow Body Yoga practice is put together: the empowerment, guru yoga, the jewel visualisation, working with the chakras and nadi technique, the mantras, the specific instructions on 'sky gazing' and the embodiment and the refuges. I'm finding that this really takes me directly to a primordial place of stillness to a depth that wasn't there in my old practice. It's actually almost shocking sometimes, the depth of it all. And it's a healing experience.”

”Wow, Chöd really worked for me! I mentioned to Baba that I was looking forward to reading about his solution to getting rid of migraine that he had mentioned in passing a while back as I'm frequently suffering from those. I had just started to have the first symptoms of a migraine, which for me is a pressure sensation behind one eye and everyting looking a bit funny. I usually don't have too much pain but I'm drained from energy and sometimes over sensitive to lights, sounds and smells. Regular pain killers won't do anything, only migraine medication helps. So I got the instuctions and together with Baba and Simha we did the practice and I did the visualization as told. And lo and behold, after the session my eye felt normal again and I still haven't had any migraine symptoms since! This is unusual. For the past three years I've had migraine every single day I spend on a work trip plus all the regular migraines at least couple of times a month, sometimes even three per week. To be honest I did have some maybe-this-is-a-migraine-starting feelings on the bus ride (6 hours!) after leaving the center, but I did some chöd visualizations once more and always felt better afterwards. This was extremely promising and I will definitely continue treating my migraine with chöd in the future. Thanks again, Baba!”

”I've been around Buddhism in the UK and Ireland for a while, and I have knowledge of several groups and what goes on in them. As far as I can see, there is nothing even close to Amrita Mandala around. Groups offering a guidance to awakening? Nope. Opening mahasiddha bhumis? Not a chance! There is no expertise like this around publicly available, and if there is it takes years of training and personal commitment to access teachers at that level.

What Baba and Amrita Mandala are doing is light years ahead of every other dharma group that I know of, including the group I'm now involved with. It's the simple truth! For many years I was practicing what I thought was shikantaza, but it wasn't really hitting the mark. I now realise that one needs a very high quality teacher like Baba to unlock these practices properly.”

”I recently did the Guidance to Awakening with Baba in early 2017. Prior to that I had 18 years of training experience with a well known UK based Zen teacher. After 7 years with this teacher, I started to get glimpses of my buddha nature. These glimpses continued for about 7½ years, glimpses happening regularly each day. After about 18 years of practice (I had about 4 years with another buddhist group prior to meeting my first teacher) I had experienced probably thousands of glimpses of the natural state and about 10 000-15 000 hours of meditation. So I was an experienced practitioner with very familiar with the the natural state. However, despite all this, I never experienced an awakening i.e. kensho. After my teacher passed away I started to look for help from a teacher outside the group to help me awaken and came across Amrita Mandala. As soon as I tried the Two-Part Formula I realised what I had missed in my training - I had been working with the objective sense of self but ignoring the subjective sense of self. As soon as I started the guidance with Baba things started to shift dramatically for me, and the sense of self started to fall away pretty rapidly. After 15 days of the guidance I finally experienced kensho. I can honestly say that this was a watershed moment for me in my 18 years of practice . My previous teacher was also awakened and worked for many years to try and help students awaken, and would have used this Two-Part Formula had he known about it.

All I can do is add my voice here and say that this formula is highly effective at generating awakenings. Many will be sceptical, but some will be willing to try it. Recently, a second person from our sangha has also awoken using this guidance. I am writing this not to prove a point, but because I know from personal experience how hard practitioners work to awaken, and yet despite all their efforts for most it never happens. It was through an online forum that I discovered Amrita Mandala and Baba. I'm sharing my experience here, as discovering this guidance really was life changing for me.

I've continued to practice under Baba to help me with my post-awakening practice. The quality of the dharma teaching that I've experienced with Amrita Mandala has simply been stunning. Light years ahead of what I've experienced to date. I'm more than happy to state this publicly. And my last teacher was a really excellent one. I have a lot of respect for Baba doing this because I'm sure that he's going to get a negative comments regarding it. I trust him and his motivation. The quality of the dharma is my primary concern. There are plenty of dharma teachers out there with fancy titles who are poor teachers. We just have to trust our experience, try the practices, see the results. That's all we can do. We learn as we go. We have to be pragmatic and be willing to take a chance, otherwise we will never get going. If it doesn't work, at least we tried. Yes, the experience I'm referring to stream-entry, not just momentary glimpses of buddha nature. I was skeptical too before I tried it, but I was willing to give it a try.”

”Awakening through the Two-Part Formula was a life changing shift in my life three years ago. I had done no other practices before started with Baba five years ago, but surely did know enough about suffering. There's nothing extraordinary in awakening, but rather ordinary seeing clearly through the sense of "me" - that there is no "me" or "I" and never was, except as an illusion. Once seen through the illusion, it is not the same as before. Only way to prove the method if it's working or not, and what awakening is, is to go through it by yourself and not to believe blindly one way or the other.
For me the most important indicator in our practice is that if the method and the teacher is really helping or not. Are the methods really working? I can be sure that they do, when my everyday life is getting easier and better. I'm not talking about blissful happiness, but clear seeing. Not from "my" perspective but rather from aware empty space.”

”I have been a student for three years and did Guidance to Awakening six months after I started. For me as others have said, awakening was life changing. A huge relief in fact and the necessary steppingstone for further insight into ones own emptiness. To see through the I-based consciousness, to feel and see it fall away permanently and finally live in clarity and freedom was like having a weight lifted from ones mind. I do fully understand how people might see Amrita Mandala with skepticism - that would be normal I would think, especially from people coming from other historically established traditions/lineages. I can only encourage you to try the teachings for yourself and come to your own conclusions. Speaking for myself the journey has been life changing in the most positive of ways and I am very grateful.”

”I have been a student of Baba 1½ years, when I took part in a Guidance to Awakening and thus experientially awoke from identification with the feeling of being a solid "I". Since then I have practiced Amrita Mandala under close guidance from Baba and have experienced a progress that I could not even have dreamt of before discovering Amrita Mandala. I mean, looking back the five years of active spiritual practice before Amrita Mandala feels like a nightmare of just being stuck and reading the classics, wondering why the practice doesn't work as promised. Amrita Mandala teachings and Baba, on the other hand delivers exactly as promised. Simple as that.”