UPCOMING PROJECTS - Chod Graphic Novel Illustrating Freedom - A Graphic Novel To Destroy Delusion by Anreal

In ‘The Path of Severance’ graphic novel we hope to bring you the most intensely poignant depiction of the universal human quest to free ourselves from the perceptions that keep us enchained in the jails of our minds.

In our Graphic Novel we will depict an ancient and obscure Tibetan practice in a modern context, set roughly 24hours before the end of the world.
We follow the last warrior in a lineage of warriors whose singular aim has been, since the beginning of time - to destroy Ignorance of the Nature of the Mind and the resulting suffering of mankind.
These warriors walk what is known secretly amongst themselves as ‘The Path of Severance’.Since their reputation as demon-slayers precede them, they are feared and respected by those who know them, but for the most part they live beneath the radar of ordinary perception.
We join the last warrior in the fulfillment of his destiny as he journeys to do final battle with himself.

Our aim is to lift Dzogchen concepts from its enmeshment in mere intellectual theorizing, instead bringing them to life as personified characters in a narrative world.  Here is a brief look at some of the ideas we will be tackling.

The Illusions that Bind

Look deeply at the world and see an illusion - a magician’s dream.”
- 7th Dalai Lama (Dalai Lama’s Secret Temple)

In this world the landscape of the Mind is depicted as an actual place.   Populated with cities and roads, people and animals, machines and weaponry the mindscape is reality itself.  In the world of the novel the hero is a bodhisattva (enlightenment warrior) who is bound by his samaya (vow) to destroy the demons that plague mankind.  His sworn enemy is Mara (lord of illusions) who employs his armies (frightening apparitions) and daughters (enchanting apparitions) to stop the hero from achieving his goal.  In order to defeat Mara our hero has to travel through the six bardos (emotional landscapes) and overcome the various obstacles in each.  Throughout his journey he is assailed by a stunning array of assassins, demons, elementals, beasts as well as sirens and sorcerers who weave magic webs to ensnare him with.  What makes this battle all the more epic is that the hero is the last of his line and if he fails in his mission humanity will be doomed to an eternal kali yuga (age of destruction).

Cutting through Illusions

Both pleasure and pain is the mind’s creation.”
- KOTALIPA, the Peasant Guru (Masters of Enchantment)

Despite the fact that all odds are stacked against him he is well prepared.  He is a Chodpa (practitioner of Chod) one skilled in the method of cutting through illusions after all.  This martial art of the mind was preserved and handed down from master to student since Machig of Tibet (a real historical female Buddha). 
Chod, the method by which demons (obstacles to awareness) are pacified is a real, although obscure teaching that originated in Buddhist Tibet and the main teaching that this novel is about. 

The practice basically involves facing frightening situations by visualizing it in detail in the mind and then imagining offering ones body up as sacrificial substance.  This naturally involves an assortment of tools and weaponry as one slices, carves, chops, tears, boils, cooks, bakes and burns ones body to be offered to the Guests (people and things one fears).  The entire teaching is based on the notion that all our fears and obsessions are bound up in the mistaken idea that we are concrete entities instead of pure potential.  This identification with our ‘selves’ as real, is inextricably linked to our bodies so by visually destroying our bodies as offering we cut the delusion at the root.  

In the world of the narrative these visual processes will instead be depicted as real, since we are already in the landscape of the mind to start with.   In this way we will see the hero use various weapons symbolic of actual Chod mind techniques, to slice his way clear of the illusory traps that Mara sets for him.  Naturally this means that the hero has to destroy himself to get out of the traps.   With each painful and bloody self-sacrifice, we see his metamorphosis into new forms, providing him each time with new sets of skills and weaponry to be used in the next battle. 

Mastering the Mind

Persevere as he will, the warrior without weapons will always be defeated.
Armed with the sword of Undying Awareness I vanquish my enemies, without regrets.”
- KHADGAPA, the Master Thief (Masters of Enchantment)

The hero and his nemesis are perfectly matched in terms of siddhis (powers).  Mara is the ultimate weaver of magical illusion and the most skilled copy-cat shape shifter ever to have existed.  Our hero on the other hand has mastered the art of the Wish Fulfilling Gem (symbolic of the Dzogchen mind) which gives him the ability to turn thought forms into actual substance.  These can include anything from weaponry such as blades, diamond whips and lighting spears to magical creatures such as nagas (serpentine spirits) and garudas (lightning birds). 

One of the highlights of his journey is when he walks the Vajrayana (diamond path) where he discovers yidams (archetypes).  These are semi-sentient machines with special abilities such as Mahakalla (the lord of time), Yama (the lord of death) or Ekajati (the ferocious guardian of Dzogchen).  When the hero summons a yidam he controls them by melting his consciousness into their circuitry.  This can however leave him vulnerable to the risk that they start possessing him instead.  Of course, Mara has the ability to copy all of the hero’s skills as illusory but realistic forms.   It is up to the hero to pierce these illusions otherwise they feel for all intents and purposes real and can kill him as a result.

As fantastic as the story sounds, in each instance we are in fact adhering to the strictest interpretation of Buddhist terms.   The above is only a tiny speck of what we have in store.  We have, as Terminator says, “detailed files” …

The Art of Awareness

It should be clear to anyone why the graphic novel is the best medium for this story.  Chod is in essence one of the most detailed visualization techniques in existence and to not pen it as illustrations would literally be a crime to art as well as humanity.  Graphic novels allow for the depiction of special powers as well as detailed violence without being disturbing so it provides a safe yet thoroughly entertaining vehicle for these particular teachings.

Get Involved

We are currently hammering out particulars of the story line and in upcomming installments I will discuss some of the options we are looking at in terms of the art.  I am considering approaching some established comic book artists as well as scouting for new talent.  If you are interested in either helping to streamline the writing for graphic depiction, working on storyboards, illustrating, suggesting illustrators or throwing funding at us GET INVOLVED.  I look forward to collaborating with you.

Check the Vision:Projects or newsfeed for progress updates on this and other projects. 

From the Universe, with Love
Anreal