You have come this far, so now it is time for the Secret of Secrets!

First, we must look at the toilet door for instruction…

Does it say “Occupied” or “Vacant”?

When viewing ourself – and others – we notice that we are either occupied or vacant: rarely are we – or they – just ‘being there’.

We easily notice being busy, but rarely notice being vacant or blank.

If one only takes a superficial glance at meditation, one might mistake a vacant state for meditation. The vacant blank state is, in fact, what the masters of old called Ignorance. There is no virtue in it…no emotion, no thinking, no insight and no knowing. It is indescribable, as nothing whatsoever is going on.

Here we will have to return a previous article that mentioned the 8^th consciousness. The 8^th consciousness is called the Alaya or All-ground. It is our memory bank. There are two aspects to it : ‘the bank’ and the ‘memories’ stored in it (equivalent to the ‘hard drive,’ and the ‘software’ on the hard drive*)

In meditation, when the mind falls silent, we may find ourselves in a thought-free vacant state…this is the 8^th consciousness. The 8^th Consciousness is still a conceptual state: although it is a vacant state, there is still an “I” present.

It’s not a bad state at all…it’s near enough!

Now the good news!

By merely being aware of that blank vacant state with no thought or mental activity, look naturally into that which perceives this state, and remains without thinking. When doing so, there is an awareness, free from an experiencer and experienced – it is non-dual. The “I” has gone. There is merely…e x p e r i e n c i n g.

Once you have resolved that this is your own nature (Essence), and that there is nothing besides this, you arrive at conviction!

This nature is also indescribable, but has a different quality from the previous vacant state. It’s bright and clear. 

We will find that we oscillate between the 8^th consciousness and essence. It’s important to know the difference. Resting in Essence through recognition will gradually be sustained.

This is what it is all about – but don’t expect to not trip up now and again! Now we know where we are, we can fill out the details.

There is one important instruction – “Short moments, many times”.                                                                                         With this method, we have to keep breaking the meditation, in order to keep it fresh, and to not hold onto it.

This is, in fact, a meditation for those who do not want to meditate…who just want to ‘be’!

All the best,

Tony

 *When the ‘hard drive’ is destroyed enlightenment is said to occur.