The Buddha’s Teaching Is Made Too Complicated

84,000 afflictive emotions?!

The Buddha’s teaching has to be practical to work for everyone in everyday use. If it’s made too complicated and too elitist, it either goes over our head and we end up confused, or we don’t bother. If we’re confused, we may keep going back for more of the same. If we don’t bother, we give up.

We only have to deal with one emotion as it arises.

Firstly, we cannot ignore that an emotion of like or dislike is controlling our mind.

In the very first instant of perception, before a negative emotion comes on to the scene, something is perceived – “What’s that?” Consciousness brightens up. That very moment is the wisdom of pure consciousness. It’s that simple.

But unnoticed by non-practitioners, this perception goes straight to memory for reference as usual, and a habitual reaction occurs – an emotion of liking or disliking or ignoring. The other 38,997 emotions are just subtle variants 🙂

We only have to hear a name and off we go again because of some personal bias. It’s easy to see this happening.

Appearance and pure perception are inseparable: that moment is non-duality. The mirror and the reflection. It’s nothing great or special. It just is. We aren’t taking sides yet, so contemplation can take place for insight to arise. Then we naturally return to our original reality of the mirror.

It’s meditation: something occurs, we note it, and let it go. In letting go, pure uncontaminated view arises and we do not merely react to type.

It’s not complicated. It’s being mindful of whatever is happening in perception. Complication is what happens when pure compassionate consciousness is turned into an organised religion … any religion.

Seriously.
Waking up isn’t complicated!
😀