The Dharma Isn’t For Sleepwalkers

Tibetan practitioners go to charnel grounds (graveyards) or other inauspicious places to train to bring about realisation, as this strengthens resolve. Energy in the mind after liberation can then be used for the benefit of others. We need energy in order to transmit energy in a beneficial way.

Our everyday life is a charnel ground. If we care to look, we see that we are bombarded psychologically by words, sounds and chemicals that are dulling us or creating anxiety and fear*. If we choose to be unaware, our bodies, speech and minds will be contaminated.

Spirituality is not a delicate thing that has to be protected, as in “I must protect my soul”. There is no soul to capture. ‘Soul’ is just a vague word with many meanings: it’s a concept that creates fear, confusion and control.

Cutting through ignorance requires the strong sword of wisdom. At the beginning of our spiritual journey, we need soft toys to feel comfortable, but when we recognise the energy of the essence of awareness – compassion – we strengthen our resolve to help all sentient beings.

*George Orwell and Aldous Huxley knew all about this.