Theorists Avoid Absolute Truth
Theorists prefer second-hand information; an imitation of truth.
They defer responsibility to others,
avoiding first-hand experience of the silence of wisdom.
Theorists want to acquire knowledge.
Practitioners know they are the knowledge.
We have to know what we are looking for,
see it, and drop it.
Goodness Is Seeing Clearly
Goodness is seeing clearly;
pure consciousness.
When we see clearly,
we know what to do and, by definition,
we know what not to do
– and therefore, only goodness will come from that.
The Buddha said,
“Do good” – positive, empathetic understanding.
“Do no harm” – aware of being negative and judgemental.
“Train the mind” – rest in non-distracted pure awareness.
Goodness is a natural outcome of seeing clearly.
What Is Goodness?
It’s interesting that we find it difficult to define goodness, as we’re confused and doubt that we can actually know. Some may say this ‘not knowing’ is because of original sin. We do make life complicated, don’t we? 🙂
Goodness is a clean, clear window.
The implications of this I’ll leave to you …
Pure Consciousness Cannot Be Wrong
Pure consciousness cannot be wrong.
Therefore, it is good – of the highest standard.
We are pure consciousness.
Pure consciousness just sees, and therefore, Surprise! We cannot be wrong.
So what is wrong?
We don’t recognise that we are pure consciousness, and so everything we say, do and think is mistaken, in the sense that we ignore that consciousness, thinking it’s something to use, rather than what we are.
When we say “We” or “I”, this is an identification with thoughts that creates a feeling of an important self, resulting in arrogance.
Both belief and disbelief in God can be said to be wrong as they entail guessing or hoping. Anything that we say, hear or read about what we believe is only a gross generalisation through hearsay.
It is only the clarity of silent, pure consciousness, beyond words, that knows.
When we let go of our self,
we realise what we, in truth, are.
Details Are Meant To Obscure The Complete Picture
The whole is greater than its parts.
Obsessing about the details – bits of information – causes denial, disagreement and refusal to listen. In being negative, we misunderstand the positive aspects contained in knowing the entirety.
When we become involved in the details, we lose sight of the whole. We see this regularly in the ‘officialdom’ of all walks of life, where they can only quote dogma, like four-years-olds at odds with reality. The dogmatic try to censor anyone who’s having trouble believing. 🙂
How are we deluded?
Weak power has to show strength by a display of righteous posturing. Real power is hidden through distraction, by using weak power to create excitement. We’re deluded if we believe in the weak display of pompous self-importance. Again, lots of detail is learnt and presented, but this is only a ruse; it’s trickery, encouraging the weak-minded to follow the band.
If the Buddha said,
“Do not take my word for the truth; test it for yourself”,
Absolute truth is only a mystery hidden to informers, as they have not realised that that which witnesses absolute, complete truth is beyond information. We are that absolute truth.
As long as people nit-pick on the details, they will argue ad infinitum. This very activity distracts us from realising the power of our reality … empathetic love. Evil hates unity, and eternally tries to divide, and break into pieces. We all fall into this category, unless we notice it.
The complete picture is that we are and always have been pure consciousness that expresses itself as empathetic compassion. Any details about the true love that is beyond words merely obscure it. A lack of love is the hallmark of negative enmity.
Myths and stories keep us occupied in the denial and disagreement of relative truth; fixating on details, we become confused. There’s something for us to relate to, resulting in duality, and a feeling of separation and loneliness.
Take the word, ‘capitalism’. We may think of capitalism as private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit – the right to earn a living.
The actual definition of capitalism is; an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
We think it is the government (that’s one of those ‘bits of information’) that we voted for in a ‘democracy’ that rules, when the complete picture is that we are controlled by private owners whom we didn’t vote for.
If we only look at parts of economics, politics and religion, we will never ever look at the history of the world! These are merely different aspects of the subjugation of humanity, which has been brought under a yoke.
Complete meditation frees us to see clearly,
and break free of this yoke.
Complete meditation is dropping the meditation,
as meditation can become a yoke in itself.
It’s All Fake – An Illusion
An illusory ‘I’ looks down an illusory microscope
at an illusory world,
maintaining the illusion.
Constant recognition of the illusion is enlightenment.
As long as we are looking at fake news,
we will never realise that we are fake! 😀
(news is only what others select)
Fake: not genuine; imitation or counterfeit.
An imitation of what?
An imitation of power, diluted.
The genuine reality of power is consciousness;
all else is a fabrication, a creation, a make-believe.
Realisation smiles at deceptions.
😀
The True Currency Of Life
The true currency of life is not wealth; it is compassion for all.
Wealth is for the poor-minded.
Gaining wealth, others go without.
Gaining compassion, no one loses.
Why make 10 commandments, when one will do?
1. We are pure compassionate consciousness;
put nothing before that.
Can Consciousness Suffer?
Consciousness is not a thing; it is not created, destroyed or hurt. Consciousness is the silent witness of mind. When we say ‘mind’, we mean the contents comprising thoughts and memories. The experience of suffering is due to consciousness attaching itself to memories and fixating on them, defending this attachment and believing it is suffering. Attachment causes the illusion of suffering.
Proper meditation not only cuts through and silences mind chatter, it can also reveal that we are pure consciousness. Pure perception cannot suffer; it is mental interpretation that causes the illusion of suffering.
Our Brain Is Our Jailer
Our brain is our jailer;
it keeps us in our groove,
and that’s why it’s difficult – if not impossible – to communicate with others.
Through early experiences, the brain forms in a particular way, creating pathways or patterns. These experiences hold our feelings and memories that are maintained by the mind. The brain is our hard-drive, while the software is our thoughts about this hard-drive.
It doesn’t matter what we do in later life,
our early brain experiences create our illusory limitations.
When we try to reason with someone, we often find it impossible to do so. It’s not in their spectrum of experience. This is why we find we have to generalise, so not to upset others.
The Buddha said:
“Do no harm.
Do good.
Train the mind.”
Meditation helps us know how our brain and mind works. The only way to help others is to be kind. This is how we train. If we could all communicate, the world would be the better for it.
Magic – Or Magick – Is Just Belief
Belief is, however, a powerful spell on the unwitting; a person unaware of the full facts.
The unwitting are also known as useful idiots. In political jargon, a useful idiot is a term used to reference a person perceived as propagandising for a cause originating from a devious, ruthless source without fully comprehending the cause’s goals, and who is being used cynically by the cause’s leaders.
If you get enough people to ‘believe’ in something, they can be used to rebut evidence, that is to say create conflict and confusion. If we cannot see this happening, it’s working.
Waking up to a lifetime of beliefs is a huge shock.
The mind and consciousness brighten up.
To the initiated, this is the lamp that di-spells darkness.
To the uninitiated, the lamp is left lying on the floor.
Don’t Be A Follower, Be An Arriver
Arrive at a conclusion about reality,
and never become upset if others disagree.
Why The World Is Crazy
Everyone follows everyone else,
believing they don’t know.
Dharma Bodging
Use whatever is immediately at hand.
Stop looking elsewhere.
Stop Pretending
At times, we feel grumpy, energised, flat, at peace …
Just let it be, while knowing
pure consciousness is always present.
In this way, we can honestly and empathetically engage with others,
and stop pretending we’ve got it all together.
What Do A.I. And Belief Have In Common?
They both make us dependent and lazy.
Nature and wisdom are all we need to ascend the levels of realisation on the path to enlightenment.
Super-inventions that entertain us distract, inhibit and cloud our minds.
Why is this so important?
As long as we are reliant, we will never realise what we are, as we will always be relating to something.
A.I. and belief make us stupid, trapped in the hell realm (anger), hungry ghost realm (frustration), animal realm (ignorance), human realm (desire), jealous god realm (aggression), and god realm (pride).
Recognise the mental and physical elements that put us together – and destroy our wellbeing.
Belief is the opposite to knowing.
Be aware of others – or a machine – thinking for you.
Aliens May Not Know They Are Aliens
Aliens may not know they are aliens:
they have to remember.
Alien: from Latin alienus ‘belonging to another’.
The word ‘alien’ may suggest something unusual, or even threatening. We’re led to believe in scary UFOs, but what if we came here through reincarnation?
What if there are aliens on this planet who don’t know they are aliens, but feel that they don’t belong in this mental environment? 🙂
Do all enlightened beings stay on Earth, or do they go somewhere else? Maybe some know where they belong, and others have a feeling that they don’t fit in. Most feel this is their real home, while others see it as an illusion.
It takes a certain type of mind to even ask these questions.
Stop thinking of bog-eyed monsters; think consciousness.
How To Feel Good About Our Self
How to feel good about our self: laugh at everything it does.
Be grateful that we see this.
It is the culmination of all our karmic mistakes.
It is our path to enlightenment, just like a Buddha.
What we call ‘myself’, ‘I’, ‘me’ is merely consciousness’s identification with collective ideas. We have been socialised, and made to behave in a way that is acceptable to a society – the rules of the playground.
Everyone in the playground follows karmic social/cultural rules, plus their own personal karmic rules. We all play a part-act in society; it’s how we get by, with a social I. Our distracting likes and dislikes are our guide to realising enlightenment.
If we are social climbing, we are fools to nowhere.
Our self has absolutely no reality. It is a ghost in the mind that we have to exorcise – a supposedly evil spirit to get rid of :-). The mind is evil both when it’s negative and, strangely, when it’s positive. If we think we have good karma – we’re doing well, know-it-alls – this lays the way for arrogance, and the return of negative karma and hell. The richer we are, the more entitled we feel.
Only in the precise moment now is there no karma. When our habitual reactions set in, karma is re-established, and this is the reason why we are predictable, and go round in circles.
Tony isn’t well educated. His self is lacking in social ways but internally, consciousness is quite different, and just like everyone else. When this is realised, a meeting of minds is possible – and, on rarer occasions, a meeting of consciousnesses is possible too.
When we feel good about being the way we are,
true confidence arises,
together with empathetic compassion.
Enlightenment: Waiting To Be Recognised
The very essence of consciousness is enlightened.
It is unsullied emptiness,
and all we have to do is recognise this without any distraction … forever.
So why aren’t we all enlightened? Put simply, we like distractions, but these distractions can also create doubt, which causes confusion.
I know I doubt. There is an echo in the back of my mind that says, “You’re too ordinary to be enlightened”. Why is this? It’s because all spiritual groups and religions have one thing in common: a dressed up package of rituals that implies a belief in magic – something supernatural.
Mantras, and prayers and pujas chanted either Sanskrit or Tibetan, are merely reminders to focus without distraction. Unfortunately, we take them so seriously that they become the distraction. If the group believes that this works, no one will dare suggest otherwise. It’s the placebo effect. People are given things to do to occupy them while, in reality, ordinary life itself is our karma and teacher.
At a retreat, I once said to the lama so everyone could hear, “Do we have to prostrate every time we come into the shrine room?” He said, “No”, but students still did it, and newcomers still followed. Prostrations are meant to cut through our pride, rather than be used to adorn ourselves with pride. That is what happens when a subtle pressure to conform is created. What suits one culture, which may be lazy one particular way, may not suit another culture which is lazy in another way.
What to do?
Never leave your brains at the temple door.
Realise the essence of a teaching, and do not take another’s word for the truth. Go away and test it for yourself in all situations … forever.
Stop being a devotee and an admirer: be what you are – enlightened.
Life itself is our karma, and our teacher.
Why Is This A Crazy World?
We think it’s normal.
But who set that standard?
How many people question the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to the media, politics, health, religion or military issues. We may complain, but realise that these all have something in common – they create conflict and demand money. People see what is happening in the world and either accept or reject it, and that is exactly the intention – a belief in this or that. Reaction is what sets the standard.
As long as there is conflict, people cannot work together. This will only change when more people look behind the curtain of their mind and ask, “Why did I take sides?”
How does this craziness work?
Self-replicating memes/beliefs. An idea is fed into a society and spreads like a virus via media, enabling the susceptible who are easily influenced by feelings and emotions to expand on these ideas.
The curtain in the mind is our fixations acquired by taking sides, creating micro-aggressive behaviour, both verbal and non-verbal. It slips out in everything we do and say.
We are not supposed to be like this.
It’s not normal.
Normal is what is true.
True is that which never changes.
Whatever we see is not the truth as things change.
Truth is the seeing – pure awareness.
Pure awareness cannot be crazy
as it is the essence of wisdom.
Awareness Is Never Changed By Circumstances
Awareness is never changed by circumstances and therefore, awareness is pure – pure consciousness.
It is the mind of memories that reacts and changes; consciousness identifies with this, and mistakenly assumes that it is changing.
As long as consciousness believes it is thoughts in the mind, we (consciousness) will remain deluded and confused.
In the instant when we perceive through the senses, thought is dormant. Pure seeing is not commenting and judging.
Now for the tricky part 🙂
There are two sorts of judgement: one is spontaneous, direct feedback, as in knowing how hard to hit a nail with a hammer, or how much energy to expend when jumping over a puddle.
The other judgement in born from memories, as in “I don’t like that person because of … ”. That isn’t direct seeing as it is biased, based on memories. You never know – that person may have changed. I did 😀
The Wisdom Of Silence
It doesn’t matter what we think, say or do; all that is merely conjecture – an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information. It’s old-news second-hand memories in the mind to which we constantly – and mistakenly – refer, colouring direct perception.
Our reality is pure consciousness, the arbiter of truth, which is always complete in the moment now.
Arbiter; late Middle English: from Latin, ‘judge, supreme ruler’.
Whatever is presented to pure consciousness, it never takes sides but merely reflects like a mirror. Taking sides is what the old-mind does.
Does pure consciousness do anything?
It knows that all beings are pure consciousness, but do not realise it. That acknowledgement is confident, empathetic compassion. It is then that we know what to think, say or do … and sometimes, silence is golden.
“When in doubt, say nowt.”
Mid 19th century proverb, advising against taking action
when one is unsure of one’s ground.
There is wisdom in silence.
There Are Two Aspects To Us
There are two aspects to our being: mind/body and consciousness.
The mind/body pecks at the fruit, while consciousness watches in silence.
Depending on our disposition, one aspect will dominate our life.
Are we full of life on the outside but vacant inside,
or full of life on the inside, and watching silently on the outside?
🙂
Once realisation takes place, consciousness watches in silence.
Your Karma Is Unique
Your karma is unique; this is why we shouldn’t follow anyone else’s karma/ways. Gurus lump us altogether under their system, and that can never work as we become a copy, an imitation. We can learn everything we need to know from our karmic reactions, as well as from the karmic reactions of others, whereas mimicking merely binds us. As the Buddha said, “Don’t take my word for it.”
Once we realise our true reality is pure consciousness, we voluntarily relinquish our reactions born of ignorance. Then, pure consciousness merely watches the play of karmic effects on the collective consciousness.
Do Not Follow The Dharma; Fly With It!
The Dharma is the teaching on our true reality of pure consciousness – it’s what we are. Once we know what we are, we can live life with all its karmic abnormalities, which are the consequences of our past decisions.
The more we face our peculiar ways and habitual behaviour with honesty, the easier our path. We no longer hide from ourselves; no longer running downhill with the ‘devil’, we sky dance with the enlightened ones.
We learn to fly in the sky of bliss and emptiness where we belong, instead of lumbering along the long and painful paths of samsara, searching for satisfaction but never finding it.
When we fly, we become lighter...! 🙂
The Difference Between Wanting And Needing
Need: require something because it is essential or very important rather than just desirable.
Want: have a desire to possess or do something; wish for.
Life is about what we need in order to realise inner peace and understanding of our true origin, which is simply pure consciousness, our very essence. The format our life takes is created by our previous assumptions. When we recognise this, everything that comes our way is meaningful and fruitful – even hostility.
What we actually need is immediately at hand, like the old bodger chair-makers, who travelled around the country using simple tools and whatever was available; they knew what they were looking for.
If we do not recognise that we have everything we need at hand, we will simply replay every moment of wanting something more, but without ever knowing what that something is, so life becomes one huge dissatisfaction. In this way, we become addicted to fixating and obsessing.
To be found wanting is to be lacking in what is needed.
Filling Our Mind With Elaborations
Elaborations confuse us, but entertainment us. This is the tender trap that humanity has been in for thousands of years. It’s an entertaining old story, regurgitated.
Meditation rids consciousness of clinging to entertainment. Unless we practise, we will only talk entertainment.
When we fill our mind – courtesy of all media – we become wilful by being attached to concepts,
developing a determined intention to do as we want, regardless of the consequences.
Consciousness is naturally empty, and thus clear to see straight. If distractions are placed in its path, these can either inhibit realisation, or advance realisation.
How?
When distractions become attractive, we lose all sense of direction.
When distractions are recognised for what they are, realisation receives a boost.
This is the unity of opposites – non-duality.
Life is the teaching; the light that dispel darkness.
When elaborations no longer entertain, they become meaningful.
When Humans Cannot Understand Reality,
They Make It Up
‘Making it up’ is what humans do when they don’t see clearly, as in mistaking a rope lying in a dark corner for a snake.
Long ago, from the area known as Persia, the path of non-duality = not two = pure consciousness was known to have made its way to northern India. It was called the Vedas: we are the truth that we seek – pure consciousness.
At the same time (more or less), a concept was conceived that turned non-duality into a duality, and so a belief in an external God was born. Whether this was deliberate, or created for those who could not understand non-duality isn’t clear, but its promotion lives with us today, and has caused much conflict and separation with its claim that, “The truth we seek is out there for us to unite with”.
Non-duality is unity.
Duality is separation.
It’s a subtle change.
The understanding of non-duality is for the esoteric, who realise it.
Duality is for the exoteric, who do not understand non-duality.
It all depends on our ability to comprehend.
We cannot adopt pure consciousness as it’s what we are.
This cannot be proved wrong.
Truth isn’t about converting or adopting; it’s about seeing for yourself. It certainly isn’t about believing in a name. Devotion or appreciation is to the truth that we can see, and never to a person.
What someone taught and what others say about what that someone taught may not be the same thing. Translators are not the origin.
There are two sides to religion – essence and form. Don’t just look good – show that you care. Belief is for those who are lazy, and just like a good story, full of mystery.
Knowing is the science of actual seeing which reveals that all observation comes from pure consciousness.
Mere Information Separates Us
Mere information separates us.
Unbiased experience doesn’t.
Information is merely theory – a belief. Defending theories and beliefs is defending the indefensible because they haven’t been proven yet.
Theory: an idea used to account for a situation or justify a course of action.
Invent a theory that is unproven, and a belief system follows. If we want to create confusion, we just invent a theory by first creating a cause, and then an effect follows. Once we become steeped in belief, we may experience all sorts of temporary euphoria resulting in disturbing emotions, which we then try and defend.
Genuine experience is knowing, without doubt; that gives rise to true confidence, and doesn’t cause temporary euphoria resulting in disturbing emotions. 🙂 Genuine experience is able to explain, in plausible terms, the causes of abnormal behaviour. Seeing and understanding the common factors in both those who believe something and those who don’t, compassion arises ie one has compassion for those who claim to be happy as this is usually a temporary happiness, and empathy with those who are in doubt.
Who defines truth?
There is no truth that can be defined. Truth is beyond mere words. Truth is that which perceives without comments. It is not just consciousness; it is pure consciousness. It’s what we are. Pure consciousness is inconceivable because pure consciousness is not capable of being imagined or grasped mentally; unbelievable.
Saying all this, it’s still a frustrating world,
and frustration can result in futile diligence.
😀
Challenging The Narrative In The Mind
As long as we adhere to the heap of ideas in the mind, we will never be able to think or see clearly. This heap of ideas consists of vague memories and bits of information that colour everything we now think, and it’s the reason why we react in the way we do.
The starting point of meditation is to become aware of the habitual calculations and reactions going on in our mind. It’s not a matter of stopping these; that merely heaps up more resistance. We have to see what we are doing, all the time. It’s quite a shock to realise that we’re usually on auto-pilot – we hear/see something, and nouns and adjectives come spewing out of our mouth-tap.
The challenge is merely noting expectation and belief that we will – or should – achieve something.
The narrative is an expectation, a belief.
Meditation is absolutely the opposite to expectation, to belief.
Meditation cuts through beliefs and expectations to just seeing, without referring to memories all the time. We spend our life in recollections which obscure just seeing – pure consciousness – which is our origin, before we adopted the stories, the names, the reverential adherence to form-mould.
Challenging the narrative is challenging our self,
which requires a quiet space for contemplation, without any pressure.
If others challenge us, we go into defence mode;
that is the test – and our teacher.
🙂
Meditation: the great uncoupling.
When we look back at the story we carried around,
it’s quite embarrassing!
We Answer Our Own Questions
A person may say this or that, but how do we know it’s true? Merely accepting what others say is just belief.
It is through silent meditation that all is revealed to us, individually. This could take a lifetime – or just one moment.
When ‘someone’ said, “Knock and the door shall open”, and ‘someone else’ said, “Don’t take my word for it …” they knew exactly what they were talking about.
If we just follow names, we will never know ourselves.
Others may have many questions.
Of course, in the end, there is only one answer.
🙂
It’s why we smile.
😀
How Did We Get Here?
Consciousness is imprisoned in a mind/body concept.
Prison: a place where we sentient beings are held as a result of misunderstanding our true reality of pure consciousness. It’s not a punishment; it is a teaching. It’s why we are here – to learn from mistaken views.
Pure consciousness isn’t of the body/mind, but entered a body as a result of karma, which is previous misunderstandings to which we still cling. To have any sense of this, we merely have to acknowledge that the previous moment of habits – if not checked – govern the next moment. It’s a self-replicating programme.
Reincarnation is difficult to prove personally because we feel bound to the body and mind, but it’s easy enough to accept if we don’t have anything more poignant.
The way we approach this subject affects the way in which we live.
Life is either meaningful, or just a pastime.
If enlightenment is an actuality, then it is available to all. Of course, if we doubt this, we will merely pass our time in angst and pleasantries – and this is still a prison that limits our potential.
Once we get to a certain age, we become fixed, and new views are difficult to comprehend.
If we have truly realised something about life, life is fruitful. Thus, if we only learn 1% about enlightenment in this lifetime then, in a 100 lifetimes, we will be enlightened!
Having difficulties in this lifetime could mean it’s our last 🙂 Who knows? The more difficulties we experience, the more we can empathise with others’ suffering, and some may chose to come back to help. It’s what Bodhisattvas do.
Prayer of aspiration:
“May emptiness arise where it has not arisen.
May the conduct of nonviolence arise where it has not arisen.
May altruism arise where it has not arisen.”
Delay Causes Chaos And Suffering
This is cause and effect.
Delay: to make something late or slow, to procrastinate, to create a hindrance.
When governments delay actions,
they store up suffering for the future.
Everyone knows this.
When we delay coming to a conclusion about our reality,
we store up suffering for the future.
Everyone knows this.
—–
Decide Upon One Thing, And One Thing Only
The conclusion of Garab Dorje’s three words:
“Recognise.
Resolve.
Have confidence.”
Recognise:
the direct introduction to consciousness itself.
Resolve:
decide that there is nothing else.
Have confidence:
in liberating whatever arises within consciousness.
By Definition, Magicians Lie
Magician: from Latin conjurare ‘conspire’.
Conjure: from Old French conjurer ‘to plot or exorcise’, from Latin conjurare ‘band together by an oath, conspire’ (in medieval Latin ‘invoke’) from con- ‘together’ + jurare ‘swear’.
How do magicians work?
Don’t take words as the truth.
Don’t take words as the truth.
Truth is silent observation.
News, films, all forms of media … words, words, words … is a magic trick that causes us to fall into silent vacancy; a state of not knowing, of not being aware. The right teachings counter the magicians’ effect by knowing it’s a trick, and we remain in silent observation = pure consciousness.
There is a realisation that it’s all a magic trick, an illusion, but we still like to be entertained. Pickpockets do the same thing; don’t get sucked in to what they say. Talk is the accomplice!
The Connection: Brain, Mind, Consciousness
Mind overrides consciousness.
Brain overrides mind.
In our formative years, the brain pathways are formed, and this sets up our approach to life. We can either feel entitled – high self-esteem – or feel inferior – low self-esteem, depending on how we are treated. This set-up – or up-set – lasts our entire life; the creation of these deep memories is the reason why we are predictable.
Parents can unconsciously favour one child over another, and that causes the brain to fall into narcissism. This is why, even when we think we have given up certain ways of thinking, the residue is still present. Christmas carols and hymns and their hidden meaning of adherence to belief come to mind. 😀
When we start to meditate and understand how our mind works, consciousness brightens up; we see differently, and the brain develops new patterns. It now has the ability to adapt.
If we think we cannot change, we won’t change.
If we see what is holding us back – that is the path to enlightenment.
Of course, there are those who want us to be confused about brain, mind and consciousness. Subliminal messaging is all the rage. That, in itself, is the reason to change, but this can be disagreeable to those who are set in conformity.
We need the proper practice of realising we are pure consciousness,
rather than repeating ritual
(which merely takes us back to the attitude towards hymns).
🙂
Root Guru – A Sticky Relationship
A root guru is our main teacher, and our strongest connection to the Dharma; it’s sometimes translated as ‘spiritual guide’. The bond is voluntary. Common sense will show us what to rely on.
We have to be aware of pretending that any relationship actually exists.
Binding oneself to a teacher and hoping that they are bound to us is an illusion. It just keeps the ‘wheels’ turning. Any guru has too many students to know anyone outside their immediate inner circle – and even then, it’s an illusion. Been there, done that. 🙂
You may be told that your Buddha-nature is your teacher. This is, in itself, a very confusing statement. You are Buddha-nature, but you’re confused because this Buddha-nature is holding on to something – a self-identity = karma! Karma is the result of previous clinging that drives our mind and body, and reveals itself in our reactions. This is our root guru/teacher as it shows us all our faults, and is therefore our personal guide.
Use common sense. No bond is necessary; we’re already stuck with karma at every moment, until enlightenment. And that doesn’t cost anything. 😀
Karma puts us in the ‘right’ place at the ‘right’ time,
commensurate (in proportion) with our tendencies.
If we are fortunate, the ‘right’ things come along.
That’s if we are aware enough to appreciate them!
🙂
Before An ‘Observer’
Before an ‘observer’ observes anything, pure observation is already present, without the need for an ‘observer’.
Before we judge anything, there has to be observation first, right? The ‘observer’ is merely a self-construct of thoughts/memories/programming that interferes, and jumps in with its opinions which obscure pure observation.
Pure observation is pure consciousness, always present and perceiving through the senses without comment or identification. That pure consciousness is what we are, in reality, but it has no identity. To identify takes up time which obliterates the moment now. This is how we live on past memories.
The eyes perceive, and in the very first instant is the unity of appearances and consciousness; this is non-duality. But for ordinary consciousness (ordinary people), whatever is seen goes straight to memory for reference and judgement, and our habitual reactions take place. This why people become a type, and are therefore predictable.
Self-identification is the reason why we suffer, and infect those around us. It is mechanical reactions that must be cut through to break out of this deluded cycle of existence.
Just sit, back straight, eyes relaxed and open.
Allow the whole scene to enter the eyes.
See without looking.
When thoughts arise, allow them to be, but don’t follow them.
Return to pure perception.
If we do find that we – the observer – become lost in thoughts, merely return to just seeing.
It’s not a matter of being good at this; it’s a matter of being aware of what an observer is doing, that affects and clutters up our life, and the lives of others. If we cannot do good in the world, at least we’re not making it worse. 🙂
Allow whatever is out there to enter the eyes without judgement,
without taking sides.
This is how we maintain clarity, intuition, insight and inspiration.
Clinging to words and names
denies our true potential.
We are merely silent observation.
Forgive Them As They Cannot Control Their Self
We have all been carried away by our self:
an adopted programme running in our mind
from being socialised.
Cutting through this thought-programming,
mere observation remains without an “I” present,
and we leap over the conventional.
Every time we use the word “I”,
a duality is reinforced.
Mere observation, mere clarity, becomes fogged.
Uncontrollable self-importance creates division.
Pure consciousness observes through the senses = pure perception = nothing remains.
“I Don’t Belong To Groups”
“I don’t belong to groups” … really?
Pride says, “I am unique; I don’t need to belong to a group.”
Ever heard of family, gender, town/country, music, culture, language, humanity…?
We are all certain types, and we fall into categories.
We are merely copycats
– one who imitates or adopts the behaviour or practices of another.
We only become unique when we realise our true essence
(and even then, we join a group 😀 ).
How Conspiracies WorK
How do conspiracies work?
By controlling information:
Belief is accepted as truth.
Coordination control = “One size fits all” = create belief en masse.
In the moment now = “One size does not fit all” as the moment now is unique.
How do we recognise conspiracies?
By the introduction of conformity.
We have our own karma to face,
rather than adopting others’ karma.
Conspiracies are slightly hidden
to create division and guise
… a presentation meant to conceal the true nature of something.
“The Great Reset” Is About Redefining Words
Male = female, should = shall, with = of, belief = knowing,
ministry of truth = ministry of propaganda …
Euphemisms = indirect words = meant to confuse.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
The ultimate truth is our essential nature of pure consciousness.
It is how we can know anything and everything.
There is absolutely no point in believing in the existence of an external reality if there is no consciousness to appreciate it. So consciousness comes first, and then looks out to see what all the fuss is about (and sitting in a pram watching the ‘grown-ups’ is truly bewildering :D)
Although we are individual pure consciousness, there isn’t just one way – no one-size-fits-all – to approach this understanding; it depends on our temperament and abilities, and the fog of information.
There are many traditions, and many ways of looking at our reality. Some are faith-bound, some scholarly-bound, some experientially-bound|: I use the word ‘bound’ as we shouldn’t ignore others’ ways in order to be able to empathise and communicate.
Being bound is the work of Mara – the illusion of evil. We all have a dark side as well as an enlightened side, which are ultimately seen as inseparable. By virtue of one, the other is known. The universe is complete in opposites. The more we can see our dark side, the more we are aware of it. 🙂
Mara is our personal karma/teacher,
and has a precise understanding of our personal weaknesses.
Each of us has to face whatever it is that is holding us back
– our inner hopes and fears –
preventing the realisation of enlightenment.
This is why one size does not fit all.
Controlling Events
Controlled events turn us into enabling-belief-machines.
As long as the majority adopt the narrative, it works.
It’s worked throughout history, and it just continues.
If it looks out of control, it’s not.
The adoption of collective karma controls events,
therefore collective beliefs control the population.
If we don’t ignore this, karma is our teacher.
We Get Stuck Because We Copy
This is a question asked by someone in a feltmaking group on Facebook,
which sounds very familiar!
Truth is everywhere.
“How did you all move from buying wet felting kits
and following someone else’s patterns to making your own visions come to life?
“I’ve wet felted several patterns from kits at this point,
but I have so many ideas of things I’d like to make that would rely on my skill
rather than my ability to follow directions.
“I can’t seem to transition over. I get stuck.
Maybe it’s like some form of self-limiting block.
I don’t know.”
Attachment To Ancestry Is An Illusion
The idea of ancestry and family keeps us bound to sentimentality and status. Ancestry is merely a genetic code patterning in our temporary bodies. As humans have been on Earth for around two million years, our genetic codes are probably all connected: we have simply become selective in our attachments.
If we consider infinite reincarnation,
then every sentient being has been our mother …
and has eaten us.
Letting Go
Letting go is not at all difficult.
Simply drop it … drop it!
The echo may still resound, but just let that go as well.
It’s not a highfalutin spiritual experience; it’s a relief.
Gradually, we appreciate not holding on to any thought or emotion.
In that way, wisdom arises.
Words Confuse
We hear and read words differently from one another, and mistake context because of our backgrounds. This creates and maintains the different atmospheres in which we live, and is the reason why we talk at cross purposes. For instance, we may assume that we have consciousness, soul, spirit when, in reality, we are consciousness, soul, spirit. Even if we say, “I am consciousness, I am soul, I am spirit, I am”, this is not ultimately correct.
Pure consciousness is unattached, silent awareness.
It’s not a thing.
Buddhists say there is no such thing as soul, in the same way that there is no such thing as consciousness. Words confuse because they are a generalisation, and not the experience. Whatever we talk about, it’s out there in the mind; it’s some -ism, some theory.
The truth is conscious awareness, the arbiter, the supreme ruler. But even this can confuse. 🙂 As long as we are confused, evil sees to it that we have no sense of direction.
Words are not truth.
That which realises the meaning is the truth.
“But that celebrity guru said such-and-such!” Once we know, we don’t need to know what a particular celebrity guru knows. This doesn’t mean they don’t know – it’s just their version of what we know … and we’re back to generalisations.
It is because someone says something in a different way that we may doubt what we know, especially if they come from a different culture.
These words being written now are a generalisation. That which is reading and experiencing them – without intellectualisation – is the truth. The truth is never, ever ‘out there’.
Talking confuses.
Our reactions say much more.
Pure awareness of our reactions tells us everything.
There Are Other Ways
It’s very important to understand that there are other ways, otherwise we can become narrow-minded. There are many paths up to the peak.
The search for ultimate truth comes with the realisation of what it is that perceives this ultimate truth. The two are inseparable. The summit is pure consciousness but, depending on the path we choose, we may find that the summit has always been at the base. 🙂
In other words, there is no point in arguing about who has the better path. One person sees it one way and another sees it a different way. I’ve experienced sitting in retreats with 120 people and we all have individual approaches and inclinations. I definitely wouldn’t want to be in their shoes – too serious – and they, in turn, will think something odd about me. So what?
When we know where we are, does it matter if others think we shouldn’t be there?
Of course, there are momentary meetings of minds, but there comes a time when we realise our paths or vehicles are different.
There is no universal consciousness;
if there was, when one gets it, we all get it!
This doesn’t happen, does it?
It’s not a virus … 🙂
Universal consciousness is merely a substitute term for God. If we believe in a God, or universal consciousness, or universal nature, that is the path we choose, and we have to accept the consequences, which relate to something ‘out there’ and are therefore a separation. If we become upset, that is a consequence of our choice of path. If the path results in genuine understanding of others and compassion for all, then it’s worthwhile.
We should be confident in our path,
but be willing to change if refinement presents itself.
You never know – it could be God’s will 🙂
People With Fixated Ideas
Fixating – having an obsessive attachment to someone or something – holds us down to a mundane level of existence. To say we are happy with our obsession is an oxymoron – pointedly foolish, as it’s a addiction that has to be continuously regenerated. In other words, hell! A constant misery, a state of great physical or mental distress.
This is suffering. If we are intelligent, we will seek relief from suffering, which is the Buddha’s first noble truth. If, however, we put up with our fixations (‘samsara’ in Sanskrit, describing the vicious cycle of existence), we just go round in habitual circles.
Samsara is seeking happiness/satisfaction without realising that that is our original nature. As a result, we cling to some idea or personage.
Personage – medieval Latin personagium, ‘effigy’. An idol …
All that’s required is to see what’s going on in our own mind, and consider the reason why. Why? We merely mimic others, without any understanding.
The result of realisation is no longer taking ourselves seriously,
while having empathy for others’ misunderstanding.
Idealism: Going Round In Circles = Theories
The reason why Idealism does not satisfy.
If we’re going round in circles, we prefer theories to actual direct experience.
Idealism is ideas-ism, idealising words and theories. It’s the devil’s work, and meant to confuse. 😀
In philosophy, the term ‘Idealism’ describes metaphysical perspectives (abstract reasoning) which assert that reality is inseparable from perception; that reality is a mental construct, closely connected to ideas.
In all misinformation, there is an element of truth. Idealism, like philosophy, talks about truth but never experiences it. Philosophies make it complicated. Religions make it complicated. Science makes it complicated. People therefore become complicated.
Truth is what we are in essence, and that is pure conscious awareness.
If we exist on theories and opinions without acknowledging conscious awareness, we will never, ever actually know what it’s all about and transcend this vicious cycle of existence. We need discipline to sit in silence to be aware of awareness, to realise that we are that awareness, and to further realise this awareness is pure consciousness.
Not disciplining ourself to sit and just be aware is for lazy philosophers.
It’s not a mind game to become a memory man, as in the film, “The 39 Steps” – that is just an act.
If we think the Buddha is wrong,
but cannot come up with anything better,
we will merely continue in the vicious cycle of existence …
… becoming more and more grumpy.
😀
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BUDDHA IN THE MUD is a blog - a living book based on the Dzogchen teachings. Our teacher is life, and life is karma. In this way, Dzogchen is practical - no bells and whistles required. 