THE MASTER DANCE of TISZIJI MUÑOZ THE AUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY PART TEN – COMPLETING THE GREat PILGRIMAGE AND TRANSCENDING JAZZ WITH MCCOY TYNER by Nancy Muñoz & Lydia R. Lynch the illumination society presents: The Master Dance of Tisziji Muñoz The Authorized Biography Part Ten Completing the Great Pilgrimage and Transcending Jazz with McCoy Tyner Written By Nancy Muñoz (Subhuti Kshanti Sangha-Gita-Ma) & Lydia R. Lynch (Sama-dhani) Initial Typing & Editing By Jacob Lettrick (Jinpa) Revisions By Karin Walsh (Tahmpa Tse Trin), Karen Muñoz (Karuna) & Janet Veale (Kshima) Cover Photo by James J. Kriegsmann “The Master Dances To Its Own Music.” —Tisziji I The Master Dance of Tisziji Muñoz: The Authorized Biography, Part Ten.By Nancy Muñoz & Lydia Lynch. Copyright © 1990 by Tisziji Muñoz & The Illu- mination Society, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the authors. The Illumination Society, Inc. Newburgh, NY USA www.heartfiresound.com The Master Dance of Tisziji Muñoz: The Authorized Biography Part Ten Completing the Great Pilgrimage and Transcending Jazz with McCoy Tyner By Nancy Muñoz (Subhuti Kshanti Sangha-Gita-Ma) & Lydia R. Lynch (Sama-dhani) Copyright © July 1990 by Tisziji Muñoz & The Illumination Society, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the authors. II The Master Dance of Tisziji Muñoz: The Authorized Biography, Part Ten.By Nancy Muñoz & Lydia Lynch. Copyright © 1990 by Tisziji Muñoz & The Illu- mination Society, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the authors. Table of Contents Part Ten – Completing the Great Pilgrimage and Transcending Jazz with McCoy Tyner Introduction 567 chapter 88 Love Transcends Death 568 chapter 89 The Sacred Knowing of Is 573 chapter 90 Tisziji’s Open Sky 583 chapter 91 The Power of The Word 587 chapter 92 Opening To Time Beyond Time 592 chapter 93 Prove It To Yourself 595 chapter 94 Tisziji Speaks 599 chapter 95 A Family Gathering in Sound 608 chapter 96 Grandfather Bhapuji 610 chapter 97 Intensified Practice 613 III The Master Dance of Tisziji Muñoz: The Authorized Biography, Part Ten.By Nancy Muñoz & Lydia Lynch. Copyright © 1990 by Tisziji Muñoz & The Illu- mination Society, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the authors. chapter 98 Death Is Only An Initiation 621 chapter 99 The Great Stepping Stone 625 chapter 100 A Spiritual Reunion with McCoy Tyner 627 chapter 101 The Power of HU Ageless Music 635 IV The Master Dance of Tisziji Muñoz: The Authorized Biography, Part Ten.By Nancy Muñoz & Lydia Lynch. Copyright © 1990 by Tisziji Muñoz & The Illu- mination Society, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the authors. Introduction The dissolution of The Illumination Society created an opportunity for changes of direction to take place. Tisziji taught that one cannot allow oneself to remain in a static, non-progressing state, that all relations, beings, places, circumstances, and things are to be enjoyed or suffered on a temporary basis, that there is a cycle of fulfillment that seems to complete itself only to begin anew, like the cycle of life and death. The ‘healing’ trips to Toronto, juggling fatherhood, musicianship, the role of teacher, college studies, and absorbing the karmas and suffering of his students were cumula- tively affecting Tisziji’s health. These factors, combined with the inherent stresses and pollution of city living, affected Tisziji physically and intensified his need for subtle-body spiritual practice. He found it increasingly difficult to do pranayama, or yogic breathing exercises, at his lower east side residence. It became evident that Tisziji needed yet another major change, and preparations were initiated for a move to Schenectady, a small city in upstate New York, just west of Albany. Tisziji would also have several death-like encounters that would impact his work as a teacher and musician. In the spirit of transcending all forms of suffering, to include death, Tisziji dedi- cated himself to channeling his realization, which became the heart-source of his writings. Thus, with these preliminary works, The Illumination Society, as an independent publishing company, evolved. With renewed vision and sense of purpose, Tisziji also completed and released his monu- mental Visiting This Planet album. While opportunities to play live were less frequent than in earlier years, Tisziji nevertheless played with tremendous power, which reached phenomenal proportions when he led McCoy Tyner and his trio for two nights of great music in May 1989. 567 The Master Dance of Tisziji Muñoz: The Authorized Biography, Part Ten.By Nancy Muñoz & Lydia Lynch. Copyright © 1990 by Tisziji Muñoz & The Illu- mination Society, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the authors. 88 Love Transcends Death The karma Tisziji accumulated had begun to take its toll on his physical being. Sacrifices he had made for the sake of others were not without their consequences. In addition, while conducting personal biomagnetic research, Tisziji suffered a major accident that brought him close to death, the first in a series of warnings initiating Tisziji’s relocation from New York City to a more tranquil environment, which he found in upstate New York. Tisziji: “Prior to 1984, when I first considered moving to Schenectady, I was extremely sick as a result of persisting, severe chest pains; and with such difficulty breathing I felt as if I was virtually dying. Earlier in 1983, I had a very serious accident with a magnet. I fell asleep with my head on the south pole of a 3.4 mega (million) gauss industrial magnet. That was an almost fatal but necessary mistake, after which I could not speak properly for almost a week. I couldn’t write. The high power magnetic field had negatively affected my brain. This was the first time I ever experienced the connection between magnetic flux and the hemispheres of the brain. I had the most excruciating migraine headache for over a week. Breathing was extremely difficult, but in a few weeks this condition disappeared. Paradoxically, with this debilitation, I experienced tre- mendous power and insight, which were life changing. This accident occurred around the same time that I suffered a serious burn injury to my left hand and I knew enough at that time to apply north pole magnetic flux to the burn. It seemed as if I was being magnetically transformed from the inside out, atom-by-atom. “These experiences were also ominous of things to come. This included my meeting with the Lord of Death, Lord Yamaraj. During that period in 1983, there was an ending and a beginning occurring with a strong death theme. A tremendous life change accompanied this period. This included the completion of a number of projects and terminating unacceptable living conditions in New York City. This precipitated an auspicious move to Schenectady, not merely for recovery but for resurrecting a new life, a new beginning, and a new sound dharma.” The future of Tisziji’s teaching function was empowered in March of 1983 when he received an ini- tiation in the ‘God Worlds’ plane and brought into the Circle of Eck Masters. Described more fully in Part Seven of this biography, during this meeting Tisziji received clear, direct, silent instructions, which would have great significance in the years to come. Spirit was creating circumstances for Tisziji that would hasten his departure from New York. Having reached a point where his physical body was beginning to break down under lower plane pressures accumulated over the past several years and increased sensitivity to spiritual currents, Tisziji was to experience other death-like states through the dream body in which he would make profound choices about his future responsibilities as a guide. Tisziji: “Practicing one of the spiritual exercises of Eck mastery, one night I put my body to sleep and awakened in one of the subtle worlds. I found myself in front of a council where I was told 568 The Master Dance of Tisziji Muñoz: The Authorized Biography, Part Ten.By Nancy Muñoz & Lydia Lynch. Copyright © 1990 by Tisziji Muñoz & The Illu- mination Society, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the authors. that my physical body was in a cataleptic state, a state of apparent death, and that anyone who found my body at that moment would think my physical body was dead. I was told that my kar- mic and mortal life was complete and that I was granted the opportunity to decide on fulfilling a spiritual mission, a mission of love-service for the sake of the enlightenment of humankind. The choice, because of my level of awakened initiate status, was completely yet paradoxically mine. I chose to return to complete a mission of love. Upon accepting the responsibility of this work, the experience before the council dissolved and, with a shocking and sudden impulse, I was thrown back into the body, gasping for air, and subsequently awakened into the physical dimension.” Directly corresponding in time to Tisziji’s death encounters and related spiritual obligations was an intensely contemplative phase that marked a shift in focus toward the completion of two profound written works which would become the foundation teachings upon which a series of publications would be created. Kshanti Sangha-Gita, recognizing the urgency of Tisziji’s Spirit-driven need to document his unspoken realizations, offered Tisziji the use of her relatively quiet apartment for this purpose.