Good days for chod

[michaelb]

If you don't do chod as a regular daily practice are there any specific days of the lunar calendar that are good. I recently read (here) that the 9th, 19th and 29th are good days. I've also heard that the 15th is a good day and I imagine that the 25th might be too but I do something else on that day. Are these good days and why? Are there any other days considered good?

thanks,
Michael.

ps. here are a couple of links to HH Karmapa's recent teachings in Palampur after giving chod transmission to Tsultrim Allione and others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izcSOnVwevI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0jfhIIF1pA&feature=relmfu

[gregkavarnos]

Go ask your lama for the super short daily version of chod for keeping samaya intact.

I have the Greek translation of the title so get ready for a heap of discrepancy: The Words of the Ancient Saints - a Brief Chod Practice

Let's see how "off" my tibetan will be!

snyo na/ gya/ gru ba/ tso ba/ da ga/ gi/ ga su nya/ rgyu na/ ba shu ga sa/ so

Pretty bloody awful I bet!

[Yudron]

I'm traveling and don't have Machig's Complete Explanation with me. I don't think she discusses better and worse days for doing chod pers se, but among the very detailed instructions for ongoing practices in her lineage--which look to be quite difficult to maintain--I believe I remember the standard requirement for tsog on the 10th and 25th as a minimum.

IMHO the essential meaning of Mahamudra chod can be practiced any time anywhere with no text or implements. I follow the Saraha Nyingthig, but Dungse Thinley Norbu RInpoche taught that Mahamudra Chod and the Dudjom system of Dzogchen based chod are the same.

[michaelb]

Thanks for your replies. I suppose I'm not really looking for a way to make this into a daily practice, I already have something for that and I definitely don't want any more to do on the 10th and 25th as these are my two 'busiest' days, practice-wise. I was just looking at ways of getting chod into my 'repertoire' as it were, as it has always struck me as the most wonderful practice and way of accumulating merit and wisdom. I did the Longchen Nyingthig ngondro so have a short version in the kusali offering. But if I was to do a more extensive version I wondered when was best to do it. The dates mentioned in the blog I linked to interested me because I have never heard that before. I wondered if anyone else had and what the reasons for 9th, 19th and 29th being good chod days were.

thanks,
Michael.

[michaelb]

I just checked Machig's Complete Explanation (I probably should have done that before.) After I quick look through I found, "Every [lunar] month [observe] these four dates: the first, the tenth, the twenty-fifth, and the eighteenth. Also these three: the fourteenth or the twenty-ninth, the new moon, and the eighth or the fifteenth. On these seven days, get up early, and once you've done prostrations and polished [the shrine], arrange the three supports and light incense..." (p206)
So, of the three days mentioned on the KTD website, only the 29th is mentioned, but I have something else to do on that day, too.

Oh well, I might just do it when I feel like it.