Chöd, which means “to cut,” is a profound path of severing dualistic fixation and ego-clinging. For the chod practitioner, the body is regarded as the primary object of clinging. Through visualizing one’s consciousness as the female Buddha T’hroma Nagmo (The “Wrathful Black Mother”) the yogi or yogini offers the ordinary body to the assembled guests: enlightened beings, gods and demons (personifications of the five poisons), and those owed karmic debts, purifying negative karma and accumulating merit on a vast scale. Combining the view of the Prajnaparamita Sutra with the highest view of Dzogchen, Chöd is known for its haunting melodies and ritual instrumentation. When performed for others, it is a powerful healing ritual.