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“My name is Karma Wangmo; Karma for the law of Cause and Effect and Wangmo for the sovereign queen. I come from the land of ‘Sky-seeing river’ from High-Earth. Although I may not look like it now, I am a human or at least, I was born one. You see, the line gets blurry when you are a Turner in the Great Law.”

  As Kunkhen heard this introduction, his eyes gradually sharpened, focusing deeply at the green stone in front of him.“Karma Wangmo…That’s a unique name. Can be both a male and a female name.” Kunkhen sounded his first thought. Karma Wangmo quickly interrupted with a chuckle as she said. “ My name huh…yeah, it’s quite unique…It’s even got a story of its own.” Karma Wangmo chuckled a bit more, lightly, as she finished. Kunkhen was stunned for a moment, his mind grasping on to a phrase that he found quite curious. A story of its own. Kunkhen wondered what that story could be and even thought of asking. But he kept this curiosity aside as he asked questions that had haunted him for a while.

“High Earth… Great Law… these words keep visiting me…but I don’t know what they mean?...I have faint shades of guesses but they amount to no solid understanding. But it seems that my connection with them is not so simple. Therefore, May you please tell me what they mean? ”

Karma Wangmo took a short pause before she replied. “ You ask me about High Earth and the Great Law. Do you really have no idea? Search in your heart and soul, Do you not feel anything? Do your memories hold no answers for you?”

Kunkhen swiftly responded. “No, I don’t think I have. I understand, through many signs and visions, that I am related to it but I can’t begin to understand how and why. It pains me to be so unaware.”

“Hmm, I see. Do you remember when you passed out before? Can you remember what exactly happened then?”

“Before I passed out?…” Kunkhen asked in a doubtful tone. He wasn’t sure how that could be related to the questions he asked. “Yes” Karma Wangmo replied confidently. So Kunkhen closed his eyes and while reliving his memory, he answered.

“I was slowly making my way to the black wall and resisting its pull with all my strength. And when I reached close to the wall, I felt something stirring inside my body. Suddenly it felt like thousands of worms were wriggling inside of me and eating me. I felt my blood boil and my lungs suffocate. I couldn’t breathe. I could feel this heavy ball-like structure forming near my navel region. Every part of my body was hurting. And then… the pain got to my head. And it was the worst pain I have ever felt. It was like my head was being crushed and minced repeatedly. And then, I felt something burst in my mind. I don’t know what but it felt like a bomb going off. And I saw pictures, images, and other things. I can’t seem to remember totally. But it was like watching a movie, a very familiar one at that. And then… I must have passed out. I can’t remember anything after that.”

“Hmm, I see. I am sorry that the process turned out so painful. But you know how it is with healing and stuff, it’s not always easy. So tell me, do you feel anything different with your body? Take a slow breath, Clearly visualize that breath seeping through every part of your body? Try to be the breath. Try to see what it sees. Try to feel what it feels.” ‘Process…Healing’ That word echoed in Kunkhen's mind as he quickly followed the instructions that Karma Wangmo gave.

Kunkhen took a deep breath, unsure of what this exercise wanted to achieve, and imagined himself as the breath as it seeped through his nose and mouths into his chest. Kunkhen closed his eyes, and felt the breath inside his lungs. He focused all his mind as he imagined himself separating from his body and joining the breath. As Kunkhen concentrated with all his force, he sensed a small touch on his forehead.

Immediately, Kunkhen felt a mild shock run through him. The next thing Kunkhen noticed, his body had disappeared into a mist of sensation. He couldn’t feel his body. He was only a puff of smoke, a ball of spirit, a floating cloud of sensation. Now there was just Kunkhen and the breath, one and the same. As the breath, Kunkhen travelled through his lungs and entered his bloodstream. As he travelled in the blood, he felt himself slowly dispersing inside his body. Kunkhen and the breath separated through three channels. One went through the left side of his body, one through the middle and the last, through the right. Kunkhen followed the three parts of the breath as they travelled through their channel.

The left breath had a cold, dark, and relaxed nature and the channel it went through seemed like a world of frost and darkness. The right breath was the opposite. It had a bright, hot, and excited nature and the channel it went through seemed like a world of warmth and brightness. The middle breath, in Kunkhen’s observation, was the strangest of them all. It appeared as a weird synthesis of the preceding two breaths. It had both the natures of cold and hot, bright and dark, relaxed and active but it also seemed greater than both. If one might be inclined to use a word to describe this energy, it would have been Movement. Kunkhen felt everything being moved and affected by this energy. His breathing, his heart beat, and even his own mind felt moved by this breath.

‘A strange sort of energy, so powerful yet so flexible’ Kunkhen thought as his mind kept following this middle breath. The breath ran down through the middle body, through his head, his throat, and his chest until it reached Kunkhen’s navel region. But when Kunkhen saw the scene that lay before him, he was stunned. His navel region was painted in red, blue, and white. Like a strange sort of contradiction, the region was covered with lava rivers, frosted mountains and violent winds. And straight in the sight of Kunkhen, an incredibly dark spherical structure steadily rotated.

Around the sphere, three forms of energy seemed to be spiralling in. The left cold breath, the hot right breath and the middle movement breath, all of them seemed to be entering the dark core. And the dark core, slowly but surely, absorbed them all. Kunkhen had to pause for a moment and gather his wits to understand what was going on.

He stared deeply at the dark core. He could feel power radiate from its rotation, a power that if one could harness could change everything. Kunkhen knew that, his instinct told him so. Kunkhen looked on as the core processed the strange mix of energies that it absorbed. And as it did, the core seemed to rotate a bit faster. Though that might just be a form of Kunkhen’s imagination.

‘What is this core? And what is it doing?’ Kunkhen asked himself. Maybe to appease his own curiosity, Kunkhen slowly moved towards the dark core. As Kunkhen drew closer to the dark core, with each step, unknown emotions bubbled up inside of Kunkhen. Sadness, joy, guilt and anger. Though he didn't know where these emotions came from, Kunkhen could feel the strength and sincerity of them.

And as Kunkhen stopped, just in front of the dark core, he noticed an incredibly brutal crack that ran through the dark core. As soon as Kunkhen saw that crack, an image flashed in his mind- A haunting image. A young man standing in a pool of his blood with numerous blades piercing all over his body and from all directions. His blood and flesh surrounding his body and his face torn with sadness, pain, and anger. Yet, his eyes burned with tragic determination as the light slowly left them. But like a strike of lightning, that image disappeared as swiftly as it appeared. Kunkhen could not remember what he saw, despite all his efforts. Silent tears of sadness trickled down from Kunkhen’s eyes, the only memory remaining of that image.

Kunkhen couldn’t understand why he was crying. He felt like he glimpsed something but he couldn’t remember what. Only a profound sadness lingered on and this sadness found his eyes. As Kunkhen tried to wipe his tears away, Kunkhen looked again at the dark spherical core and the wound on it. And as he did, he saw something that surprised him. He noticed a distinct coating of dark tar-like liquid on the surface of the core. Several strands of this dark liquid were slowly filling up the cracks. And like cement, this liquid would then solidify, slowly repairing and filling the wound that this dark core had.

Understanding what was happening, a strain of relief ran through Kunkhen. This core was being healed, it was recovering. Wherever this wound came from, it was not a light one but it was now being healed. Kunkhen brought his hand to touch the dark core. But as his hand drew nearer, just before it touched the core, something happened. Kunkhen’s concentration faltered and his awareness was dragged away from the dark core. And right after, Kunkhen opened his eyes, and gasped for air. “Not bad. Consider me impressed. You lasted quite long. Looks like you still have some talent.’

Kunkhen heard that. His awareness hadn’t fully returned but he still heard that. Still have some talent, What did that mean? Kunkhen slowly stood up, and supported his hands on his knees. As he was catching his breath, Kunkhen looked in the direction of Karma Wangmo’s voice. “What!…hah…What was that?!… What did you do to me?” Kunkhen complained in gasps. “Oh my! That’s rude! I was just helping you with your questions. Didn’t you say you wanted to know about the Great Law? ” Karma Wangmo chuckled lightly as she answered Kunkhen.

The turquoise stone fluttered around and flickered its golden glow. Though Karma Wangmo was still in her turquoise form, Kunkhen could imagine her expression. As Kunkhen was about to interject with an argument, Karma Wangmo intervened. “Well, how was it? Did you learn anything? Tell me, tell me what you saw!” Kunkhen calmed himself down as he explained.

“ I am not sure. I don’t know if I can describe it properly. But as I concentrated on my breath, I don’t know how and when but, I had become the breath. It felt like my consciousness had separated itself from my body, and it had become the breath. Or maybe it was that I was following the breath, like I was on the breath, no, it felt more like riding a car. Yeah, It was like I was riding the wind, the breath in my body. And I travelled with my breath.”

Karma Wangmo remained in silence, as Kunkhen explained further. He told her about the three energies, and the dark core that he saw that absorbed everything. As Kunkhen finished his story, he concluded. “ That’s all I have. All I remember after that, was being pulled back into my body and hearing your voice. Now it’s your turn. Tell me, explain to me what I saw and how it bears any relation to the Great Law! ”

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“Of course I will. But I must say, Not bad. It turns out you saw quite a lot. That will be helpful, for both you and me, as I explain. Now, pay attention and listen carefully, as these are not things that should be repeated lightly.” Hearing this, Kunkhen readied his posture and his mind. “What you experienced earlier is called the first understanding. It’s one of the first methods used to test and awaken one's ability to cultivate in the Great Law! What you saw, Kunkhen, what you experienced in your first understanding, and to what detail you saw will guide you as you start your journey in understanding the power of the Great Law!”

‘first understanding…again…why do I feel so nostalgic when I hear this?’ Kunkhen inquired internally before he said. “First understanding…Hmm, so this will help me understand the Great Law?”

“Well, that depends on your abilities. But roughly speaking, yes. Normally, this exercise is initiated for kids of 10 and below, helping them enter the road of the Great law. You see, where I come from, kids start training in the great law at that age and by age 18, one’s worth or lack thereof would be obvious. There are exceptions, of course, but there are few and far between so the general fact still remains. I tell you this, because I know you are closer to 18 than 10. It’s not an accident that the training of Great Law starts as a kid, and only few adults have picked it up late in their life with any success. Therefore, if you undertake this journey, this journey of becoming a Turner of Great Law, your life will not be easy, that I can assure you. So I ask you this, one last time, Kunkhen of surname Tenzin. Do you still want to step on the path of Great Law and become a Turner?! '' Karma Wangmo asked for confirmation one last time. Kunkhen paused for a moment. He was partially absorbed in the concerned tone that Karma Wangmo had used. He knew she wasn’t feigning it, her warning voice echoed in his mind. But he also felt a strange mix of emotions burst within him as Karma Wangmo talked. Emotions of excitement, hope, and happiness. Kunkhen also remembered the promise he made, his given word to return the favour of blood to the mysterious Old man. As all of these thoughts slowly settled in his mind, Kunkhen turned towards Karma Wangmo and calmly said “ I am sure! '' Silent Determination burned in Kunkhen’s eyes.

One could feel the heat of his gaze. Karma Wangmo then said. “Very well then. I will continue with my explanation. The exercise of first understanding is a way to introduce one to the concept of what we call Turning or Turning the Great Wheel. You mentioned seeing the three energies and the dark core and those three energies being absorbed and mixed in that dark core, right?

“Well, that is what Turning is. When you Turn, you breathe in the Ambient Energy from your surroundings. You cycle that energy around your body until it reaches your core. We call that core a Khorlo, a wheel. The exact reason why, I am not sure. But that is what it’s called. That energy is then stored in the Khorlo and is yours to use. The more experienced one is at Turning, the faster their Khorlo rotates, the brighter it shines, the denser it is and the energy it can store and generate, is something to tremble before.

“Everything in our universe is filled with this Energy, this ambient energy that if you can harvest, if you can turn, you can do things beyond your wildest imaginations. We call that all reaching mysterious energy ‘Rlung!’, literally meaning wind. But do not make the mistake of thinking of it as the ordinary wind. One only thinks of the ordinary wind, that pervades everything and flows with both force and gentleness, as a useful metaphor to explain Rlung. But it is only that, a metaphor. Moreover Rlung carries power and mystery far greater than any ordinary wind. A great turner once said that ‘Within Rlung, every mystery of movement can be seen and within every movement, the mystery of Rlung presents itself!’ Thus it is no surprise that one’s practice in Great Law starts from turning Rlung. And that is also where you must start!”

Kunkhen listened to Karma Wangmo’s explanation with a piercing focus. All of this was what he had been waiting to hear and his laser-like concentration grasped on to every single detail. With occasional nods and eyes moving with deep thought, Kunkhen processed his understanding. ‘ Rlung, that must be the energy I felt in my black core. Turning the Great Wheel…Turning Rlung energy through your body and into the core…A turner, was that Old man a Turner? Did his mystical force come from Rlung? How strong must he be, among other turners?…What about Karma Wangmo? She managed to stop that Old man. How strong is she?…’ Kunkhen lightly gazed at Karma Wangmo, the small turquoise stone, as he wondered what mysteries surrounded the woman.

Karma Wangmo paused for a moment. Then she took a long breath and continued. “You asked about the Great Law right?”

Kunkhen nodded.

“I truly wish that I could give you a concise explanation, but the mysteries of the Great Law still elude all who practise in it. One can only speak in riddles about it. At the place considered to be the birthplace of Great Law practice, there is said to be a pillar on which these words are etched.

‘In the beginning, there was the Great Law and from it and through it, all Greatness sprung to life and all life sprung to greatness. The creator who doesn’t create and the teacher who doesn’t teach. Thus, you find it everywhere and nowhere and you see it in everything and nothing.’

“ It is not known who wrote those words and when, but all who practise in the Great Law are said to be on a quest to understand those very words.

“In essence, we think of the Great Law like the grand Order of all existence. The Order that a cause precedes an effect, that seasons change as does everything under heaven, that a person should abide by a moral code, and many more orders of existence that you can think or can’t think, all of them are a manifestation of the Great Law. But one must keep in mind that order is not the only manifestation of existence. That there exists chaos and darkness and despair and tragedy in existence is also a manifestation of the Great Law. Thus the great Law exists above all dualities of existence. Personally, I am a follower of that line of thinking. But you will find that different turners have their own views on the Great Law. Some treat it in abstract and some concretely, but one thing can’t be denied- that the Great Law is very much real! It is truly Great!

“A creator, a non-creator, the laws of the universe, the Great System, the Great Structure, These and more are all epithets for the Great Law. And what a Turner does in their practice is try and understand the Great Law, understand the Great law in its profundities and unravel its mysteries. If you should only know one thing, it is that the Great Law breathes its gifts and powers through one if one attain realisations of its mysteries. And Rlung energy is also a manifestation of the Great Law. Therefore, Turning starts from understanding RLung. ”

Kunkhen’s mind ran with blistering speed as it tried to understand all of what Karma Wangmo just said. He could feel the profoundness of what was being said, every word spoken about the Great Law landed in Kunkhen’s consciousness with a weight that was hard not to notice. Even the rotating column of darkness and the bright light that illuminated Kunkhen’s surroundings seemed to be bending and weaving as the Great Law was being mentioned.

Of course, all of this could be in Kunkhen’s imagination but Kunkhen somehow knew that it wasn’t his imagination. Whatever the Great Law was, Kunkhen could feel its presence clouding around him. So something Karma Wangmo said flashed through his mind. 'You find it everywhere and nowhere and you see it in everything and in nothing.’

As soon as he repeated those words in his mind, a wave of realisation washed through him. The Great Law was around him, it had been there for all time and would be with him for posterity. But whether one sees it or not is a different matter. The order and chaos of existence is out there, in all existence, in all nooks and crannies of the universe. Thus the Great Law exists everywhere and one can see it in everything if one tries. But if one never understands the workings of Existence and the Universe, the Great Law exists nowhere and one sees it in nothing. Unconscious of his own actions and the reasons for them, Kunkhen quickly sat down on the ground with his legs folded in a lotus position. “ What…” Karma Wangmo was about to say something before she stopped herself and remained in silence.

Kunkhen closed his eyes and started to breathe in the Rlung energy. He slowly circulated it around his body as he had done earlier, separating the energy and recombining them later with his core. He kept Turning while his mind meditated on his realisation of the Great Law. He kept repeating the same phrase again and again to himself, like a mantra. ‘You find it everywhere and nowhere and you see it in everything and nothing.’ Kunkhen didn’t know why he was doing what he was doing, but something in him told him that he was on the right path and he should do that. Maybe it was the Great Law guiding him or maybe it was something that he was remembering, whatever he was, he listened to his inner voice.

As Kunkhen turned, he could feel the energy of his surroundings enter his body and be absorbed into his core, his Khorlo. He could feel his dark core picking up its speed as it rotated faster and faster. Kunkhen felt pain surging through his vessels as he pumped his body with more and more Rlung energy His abdomen vibrated in pain as his core rotated, now with a speed of a fast top. Kunkhen felt his core about to crack and the pain was only increasing.

“Don’t stop now. Kunkhen. You have to keep Turning, you can’t stop now.” A voice entered Kunkhen’s mind. This was Karma Wangmo’s voice. As her soft and melodious voice rang through his head, Kunkhen realised how grateful he was to have her guidance now. Ever since he was captured in this dark world, he was alone, ignorant, and suffering but now he had someone to help him, someone to talk to and learn from. He also realised how he hadn’t thanked her for saving him, and well for everything else. ‘I should really thank her after this!’ Kunkhen told himself as he committed to turning again.

Minutes that felt like hours passed by as Kunkhen kept meditating and turning, his entire body vibrating in pain, before Kunkhen felt his pain subsiding. He quickly surveyed his core and noticed a change right away. Now it was not the dark black core that he saw earlier, it was instead a much lighter colour of black, more grey with hints of dark red than black, with a strong glow of light around it. It had become a bit smaller but it rotated much faster than before. It also radiated a powerful and dense energy that was not present in its earlier form.

Kunkhen knew that he had made an advancement, he had changed his core for the better and realising that, he came out of his meditation and slowly ended turning. With a joy that was obvious, he opened his eyes and slowly stood up. He could still feel his core rotating in its power and that power circled through his body. He was stronger, he could feel it. He was a Turner now, maybe not a strong one or a great one, but he was a Turner now. This was the start of his journey.

As Kunkhen bathed himself in this wonderful feeling, he heard a voice.

“Congratulations, you have officially entered the Dhang-rlung stage.”

Karma Wangmo congratulated.