Is It Really A Scary World?
In a genuinely scary situation, we have no time to be scared as we have something to deal with which overrides fear. Fear derives from rumour – every good filmmaker knows how to achieve this. Merely listening to people talk, with their beliefs in this and that, reminds us how scary the world is! The media is full of scaremongering – so much so that it becomes a comic.
If we wrap our self up in a cosy bubble, we will worry that everything can pop our bubble, and so we feel vulnerable. This bubble is our self-image, which is the cause of our suffering as we have to protect it constantly.
If we have pierced our bubble and immersed our self in this scary world, we are dealing with it moment by moment, and it’s no longer scary.
BUDDHA IN THE MUD is a blog - a living book based on the Dzogchen teachings. Our teacher is life, and life is karma. In this way, Dzogchen is practical - no bells and whistles required. 
Hi, Tony – I have been reading your daily post for a number of years now and I seldom fail to be taken by your message. Can you tell me more about the path you follow and what teacher you revere?
I am a retired Unitarian Universalist minister. One of my teachers, an American Tibetan Buddhist, mentioned Dzogchen almost in passing towards the end of his life. Focused as I was on other things at the time, I didn’t pick up on it. Now, as I try to figure out how I got to be the way I am, I look to my mentors and their lives more than I have in the past. As I do so, my understanding of their practice becomes important to help my own.
Thanks for and help you can offer.
Peace to my own. Rev. Pete Newport
216-203-1876
‘The cost of liberty is less than the price of oppression.” – W. E. B. DuBois
On Mon, May 23, 2022 at 1:07 PM BUDDHA IN THE MUD. Practical everyday insight into Dzogchen Buddhism. It’s not about feeling good about yourself; it’s about feeling good about your self. Your self is your karma and
Hello Pete,
It’s nice to meet you.
Their practice, is not as important as your own.
Spiritual teachings are a generalisation or theory. The raw deal is the reaction in our mind. Dzogchen is pure consciousness, is what you are. Our path is uncovering our own personal confusion and doubts.
Without pure consciousness nothing would be known. Pure mean uncontaminated. Pure consciousness is absolute consciousness, and could be called a god-consciousness.
Being 75 I have had quite a few teachers that inspire, but could only go part of the way. The main inspiration came from a simple quote from the Buddha who said, “Do not take my word for it; test it for yourself.” That was when everything changed.
Most teaching come with cultural attachments and create a form or set of rituals, and the essence is lost.
Genuine realisation is beyond words and any manifestations.
Genuine teachings tell us what we already know, and what obscure this knowing.
We can talk more. If you want to talk in private go to buddhainthemud@hotmal.com
All the best
Tony
Thinking about it. Chogyam Trumpa when he wrote Spiritual Materialism hit the stop, but a lot of people found him too strange.
Tony