Words from Padmasambhava
Ten Signs of Progress
Master Padma (Padmasambhava) said, “When you take the Dharma to heart, there are ten signs.”
The lady (dakini/yeshe/tsogyal) asked, “What are these ten signs?
The master replied,
“When your grasping decreases, that is the sign of having dispelled the evil spirit of fixation on concrete reality.
“When your attachment grows less, that is the sign of being free from ambitious craving.
“When your disturbing emotions decrease, that is the sign of the five poisons being pacified from within.
“When your selfishness decreases, that is the sign of having dispelled the evil spirit of ego-clinging.
“When you are free from embarrassment, and holding no reference point whatsoever, that is the sign that your deluded perceptions have collapsed.
“When you are free from concepts of meditator and meditation, object and never lose sight of your innate nature, that is the sign that you have met the mother of dharmata (the ground luminosity of the natural state, inherent as the enlightened essence of all beings).
“When any perception arises as unbiased, individual experience, that is the sign of having reached the core of view in meditation.
“When you have resolved samsara and nirvana as being indivisible, that is the sign that full realisation has arisen within. In short, when you have no clinging to even your own body, that is the sign of being totally free from attachment.
“When you remain unharmed by suffering and difficulties, that is the sign of understanding appearances to be an illusion.
“When you have only a minor degree of the eight worldly concerns*, that is the sign of having recognised the nature of mind.
“In any case, when your inner signs show outwardly, it is like a tree that has sprouted leaves. When the outer signs are noticed by other people, it is like the fruits of the tree that have ripened and can be eaten.
“There are many Dharma practitioners without even a single virtuous quality. People with realisation are extremely rare, so it is essential to exert yourself in meditation practice.”
*The eight worldly dharmas that seduce the mind are pursuit of gain, praise, eulogy, and joy as well as fear of loss, defamation, ridicule, and sorrow.
BUDDHA IN THE MUD is a blog - a living book based on the Dzogchen teachings. Our teacher is life, and life is karma. We are all Buddhas in the mud of concepts. 
Some interesting things to consider there, Tony. Do you think, as westerners, we need to be kind to ourselves when reading something like this? All that guilt we seem to have acquired…
I remember, years ago, going to speak with the lama I was studying with at that time, to tell him that there were quite a lot of times when I just didn’t feel like meditating. I don’t know what I had hoped he would say – a magic wand would have been great! – but all he replied was that neither did his mother, so that was fine. I must say, it helped with my feelings of guilt at the time, but nothing else, and if I’m honest, I did have a feeling of disinterest from him. With the benefit of hindsight, I don’t think it was that helpful – there could have been so much more he could have said. Any thoughts?
Daisy
You have raised important, thorny questions!
Being told you don’t have to meditate if you don’t want to, is either putting the ball back in your court for you to decide, or the teacher hasn’t explained enough about the subject.
I spent years talking to other students about what a lama actually meant. Some came to the conclusion that the teacher hadn’t finished their training, or didn’t understand westerners. I’ve had the ball reflected back into my court so many times! The result of this is that I now feel free, and don’t have to be like a hungry ghost anymore, running to the teacher for everything.
At the right time, we know what we need to do.
Still, saying that, there was a problem between lamas who had just come over to the west and too eager students wanting the exotic. There is also the problem of teachers having loads of students, so there isn’t much time in an interview for in-depth discussion. Lamas do like to attract lots of students as it helps to pay for their monasteries back home, with thousands of nuns and monks to look after. You can see their point of view: this must be quite a balancing act!
I once heard a language teacher say, “If the student doesn’t understand, then that is the teacher’s fault.” I tend to agree. If someone is coming for teachings on whatever subject, it shows they are keen, and not lazy – although it’s expected that we as students will come with baggage of some sort!
This leads us to the feeling of guilt you mentioned. Old easterners had little problem with emotions, but tended to be ‘over relaxed’, and so needed discipline. They needed to be more conscious. However, you cannot give the same instructions to westerners, as they are very conscious already – more discipline would drive them up the wall, to become super conscious and exhausted. No, westerners have emotional problems and have to relax, becoming less driven.
There are many texts like Padmasambhava’s which gives us no place to run. However, remember that his instructions were to Yeshe Tsogyal, who was a highly advanced practitioner. It gives us an inkling of the purity needed, but we have to go step by step. These instructions are good as they stop us feeling conceited about what we think we have achieved, but we do have to be ‘RELAXED’ about it!
I hope you are meditating.
I hope you have dropped meditating!
Meditation is merely being familiar
with just being,
and there you are!