The Six Elements—Earth, Water, Fire, Wind (air), Space and Consciousness -- remind us of what connects us to one another and to the Earth we inhabit. Rather than seeing ourselves as separate from nature, we can directly see that we are nature.  These wonderful teachings point toward the direct experience of anatta, or "not-self," through the exploration of their continually changing nature. 

This is a good short article about the Six Element Practice by a friend and colleague of ours, Bodhipaska.

Here is a simplified diagram that shows how stupas are often constructed representing the Six Elements.

If you are keen to add some summer reading that might augment your exploration of this practice, below is a link to a wonderful book:

• Living as a River, Finding Fearlessness in Face of Change, by Bodhipaksa

The course was recorded in July of 2020.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

A note from Upayadhi: I have composed these diagrams as a teaching tool and I am happy to share them with you for your personal use only. Thank you.

There are a few very readable books out there about the Five Buddha Mandala:

A Guide to the Buddhas by Vessantara

Wisdom Rising: A Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine by Lama Tsultrim Allione

About Ratnasambhava (Earth Element)

Wikipedia entry here.

Rubin museum entry here.

About Ratnasambhava’s mantra here.

Chanting his mantra, an example here.

Another tune of his mantra with flute, here.

Ratnasambhava Invocation by Dharmachari Saccanama here.

About Akshobya (Water Element)

Wikipedia entry here.

Rubin museum entry here.

About Akshobya mantra here.

Chanting his mantra, an example offered here by Dharmachari Mahasukha here.
Mahasukha offers his mantra and chanting recordings on a donation basis.

Akshobya Invocation by Dharmachari Saccanama here.

About Amitabha (Fire Element)