Chö Practice

Chö is the path I return to when all else falls away. It is not a comfort. It is a confrontation. And it is a great, fierce love. This practice does not build us up—it takes us apart. Not to destroy us, but to reveal what cannot be destroyed.

The word Chö means “to cut.” But what is being cut is not the external world. It is the root of ego-clinging, the grasping that keeps us bound. In Chö, we do not turn away from fear, attachment, or death. We offer ourselves to them. With a song and a drum, we invite what we fear most to sit with us. And then we listen.

The Feminine Voice of Severance

Chö arises from the wild, embodied wisdom of Machik Labdrön—a mother, yogini, dakini, and lineage founder whose teachings still whisper through our bones. She taught not from a throne, but from experience—from deathbeds, caves, and charnel grounds.

This lineage was passed to me through the rare and intimate Ear-Whispered transmission of the Machik Dakini Stream. It was hidden for centuries, moving quietly from one practitioner to another, preserved in silence and retreat. Its power lies not in display, but in depth.

Turning Toward the Demon

In Chö, we go into the places others avoid—the dark forests, haunted ruins, the forgotten inner corridors of our own psyche. We don’t try to slay our demons. We feed them. We ask what they need. We offer our body, our flesh, our self-cherishing, and we watch as they soften.

This is not symbolic. It is real. When the blade of awareness meets the rawness of fear, something opens. A doorway. A tear in the veil. This is where transformation begins—not in comfort, but in courage.

Chö as Path and Companion

Over the years, I have practiced Chö in many places—mountain caves, Mongolian deserts, city apartments, hospital rooms. Each time, the practice meets me exactly where I am. I bring my drum, my bell, and my body. I call the dakinis. I offer what I’ve been clinging to. And in that offering, I find freedom.

Chö is not only for advanced practitioners. It is for anyone ready to meet themselves honestly. In our sangha, we guide practitioners through five progressive levels of Chö mastery, offering both outer form and inner realization, rooted in the authenticity of this rare lineage.

“The demons you fear most are starving for your love. Don’t fight them. Feed them. And they will become your protectors.”