The Shortcomings of Not Training.

 The whole point of meditation is to train in becoming familiar with our true nature, which is pure uncontaminated empty essence, cognisant nature and unconfined compassion. When we (this pure uncontaminated empty essence, cognisant nature and unconfined compassion) created a self image, a mental image, we forgot our true nature, and so we suffer. As Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava said, “..unless you expel this evil spirit, you will find no happiness.”

 This is a partial excerpt from Padmasambhava’s advice to Lady Tsogyal.

 The defect of not training is that you stray from the nature of selflessness.

For ordinary people whose minds have an incorrect philosophy, the self of the individual is regarded as being that which controls and experiences phenomena as solid. Moreover, regarding this self as being permanent and concrete, they fixate on it as being friend and enemy, self and other.

 Tsogyal, you must pull up this stake of fixation.

 The danger of conceptualisation such as individual self is that by apprehending an ego and a self-entity, objects will appear as “something other.” By apprehending this duality, you will regard that which benefits the “self” as friend and that which harms the “self” as enemy.

 Thus the experiences of attachment and aversion will cause you to commit various unvirtuous actions. Through these actions you will wander in the lower realms and the whole of samsara.

 Tsogyal, unless you expel this evil spirit you will find no happiness…Tsogyal, as long as you are not free from the beliefs of the lower philosophical schools you will not perceive the true meaning.

 The danger of conceptualising the self of phenomena is that by such assertion and fixation you will give rise to disturbing emotions. These will cause you to wander in samsara. That is pointless effort even if you were to exert yourself for aeons.