Original Mind And Originating Mind …
… and original sin
Original mind is just resting and relaxing in conscious clarity without an I representation. Original mind is non-dual: it is oneness, not twoness.
So when did this original mind start originating and creating? This happens when it forgets its clarity and focuses on desire, creating scenarios. The sin is forgetting, and wanting something other. That is the origin of original sin; it created a conundrum – a state of confusion.
To get out of this state, we need light, which is clarity. Using methods is useful, but this can become a crutch, engendering more scenarios.
Meditation – and its accompanying mannerisms and trappings – can become an obstacle, giving rise to a duality of me and the method. True meditation is non-meditation. It’s much simpler.
When we end a meditation session and relax … that isthe meditation! This is where we actually start; relaxing, just being aware of natural, ordinary, original mind and resting there. It does not have a name and is indescribable.
Personally, I find meditation retreats like that. When it’s all over, I leave it behind and go for a coffee and a bun. It is in that moment that everything opens up and melts away … bliss.
Do we need to go on retreat? Yes, until the penny drops.
The penny drops: A belated realisation of something after a period of confusion or ignorance, meaning. “Now I understand”.
The Oxford English Dictionary states that this phrase originated by way of allusion to the mechanism of penny-in-the-slot machines.