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Archives
- WHY DO WE FEEL WRONG? April 30, 2026
- OUR MORAL LANDSCAPE April 29, 2026
- FOR COMPASSION, WE NEED EMPATHY April 29, 2026
- COMPOS MENTIS – NON-COMPOS MENTIS April 29, 2026
- CONQUERING THE UNIVERSE April 28, 2026
- THIS IS WHERE WE ARE AT April 26, 2026
- WE FEAR COMMUNICATION April 25, 2026
- MISUNDERSTAND OUR PATH April 25, 2026
- THE ASPECTS OF SELF April 24, 2026
- CREATOR, OR CREATIVE PRINCIPLE? April 23, 2026
- STAYING ON THE RIGHT PATH April 22, 2026
- OUR FABULOUS TEACHER April 21, 2026
- THE NON-PERSON MOMENTS April 21, 2026
- WHY DO WE PREFER STORIES TO DIRECT EXPERIENCE? April 20, 2026
- ARE WE A LIFESTYLE, OR LIFE ITSELF? April 19, 2026
- THE AGE OF DECLINE – THE AGE OF NONSENSE April 18, 2026
- LOOK AT YOUR OWN MIND, RATHER THAN SOMEONE ELSE’S April 17, 2026
- THERE ARE MANY ASPECTS TO TIBETAN BUDDHISM April 16, 2026
- WHAT IS WISDOM? April 16, 2026
- THE ULTIMATE ACT OF REBELLION April 15, 2026
- AN ALIENS VIEW April 15, 2026
- PRAYER IS HOPE April 14, 2026
- COMPASSION DOESN’T MEAN WE LIKE SOMEONE April 13, 2026
- DEPRESSION SUDDENLY LIFTS April 13, 2026
- THE JOY OF MEETING IDIOTS April 13, 2026
- IT’S AMAZING April 12, 2026
- UNIFIED DIVISION – AND THE CONSEQUENCES April 11, 2026
- WE SELF CENSOR … WHY? April 10, 2026
- THE DIFFICULTY OF KNOWING WHAT IS REAL April 9, 2026
- WHY DO WE DOUBT? April 9, 2026
- IT’S A MASSIVE SHOCK April 8, 2026
- TRY NOT GETTING BACK TO ‘NORMAL’ April 8, 2026
- THE TACTIC HASN’T AGED April 7, 2026
- INTERCONNECTEDNESS – UNISON OR HARMONY? April 7, 2026
- THE CURSE OF THE MESSENGER April 6, 2026
- FIBONACCI: THE LAWS OF SURVIVAL April 5, 2026
- THE FIBONACCI EFFECT – THE GOLDEN RATIO April 5, 2026
- THE POWER OF FIBONACCI April 5, 2026
- THE FIBONACCI EFFECT April 5, 2026
- QUESTIONING TRUTH April 4, 2026
- BEYOND A SHADOW OF DOUBT April 4, 2026
- THE WONDER OF BEING A LATE DEVELOPER April 4, 2026
- WOUND MEANS SUFFERING April 4, 2026
- PREDICTABLE SUFFERING April 4, 2026
- NATURE (BUDDHA-NATURE) VERSUS NURTURE (MARA-NATURE) April 3, 2026
- BEING BUDDHIST IS BEING ORDINARY April 2, 2026
- A LUCKY ESCAPE April 1, 2026
- SUDDENLY NOT FEELING WRONG April 1, 2026
- REALISATION COMES FROM DROPPING THE MEDITATION March 31, 2026
- WE CANNOT NOT COMMUNICATE March 30, 2026
Author Archives: tony
ALL SPIRITUAL OBJECTS ARE “PLACEBOS” = THEY PLEASE
All Spiritual Objects Are “Placebos” = they please ‘placebo’: from the Latin placere, to please The value of an object is the value we put on it: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This could come as a … Continue reading
SHOULD I JUST CONFORM?
Should I Just Conform? If we do not know, then we have to conform to a common standard of confusion. Conform: comply with rules or standards. Antonym: rebel, differ from. In Buddhism, such rebellion is a way of cognising, of … Continue reading
RECOGNISE TO COGNISE
Recognise To Cognise Recognise: to know again, to recall, to remember. Cognise: to know. Recognition is relative reality. Cognition is absolute reality. Once cognition occurs, recognition is no longer needed, until we forget. As we progress, subtle changes occur. We … Continue reading
WE ARE ALL BUDDHAS IN THE MUD
We Are All Buddhas In The Mud Although our true nature is awake and pure, it is obscured by defilements and attitudes. And so, we forget our true nature, putting more value on the defilements and attitudes. We are like … Continue reading
MEDITATION – THE PRACTICE OF PRACTISING NOT PRACTISING
Meditation – The Practice of Practising Not Practising 🙂 How do we do that? Naturally. Isn’t it the case that, at the end of a practice session, we feel a sense of relief, being at peace? Even if we feel, … Continue reading
DO I NEED A SPIRITUAL TEACHER?
Do I Need A Spiritual Teacher? We need inspiration and guidance. The teacher is inspiration and guidance. The teacher is the mirror to our own inspiration and guidance. The outer teacher is someone whose qualities match our own. A recognition … Continue reading
TANTRA/VAJRAYANA: The value – and misunderstanding – of fantasy
Tantra/Vajrayana The value – and misunderstanding – of fantasy The following is from Wikipedia: Esoteric transmission Vajrayana Buddhism is esoteric in the sense that the transmission of certain teachings only occurs directly from teacher to student during an empowerment and cannot … Continue reading
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Tagged conspiracy sites, deities, empowerments, pointing out instruction, Tantra, Vajrayana
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ENLIGHTENING THE LOAD
Enlightening The Load The path to enlightenment is lightening our karmic load, by becoming aware and wiping the slate clean. The opposite of enlightening is keeping in the dark. We have to look in order to see how uncomfortable the … Continue reading
NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENS
Nothing Actually Happens Although much is written about spirituality, nothing actually happens. Empty essence merely observes karma playing, creating and going through its routine and, by detached observation, unwinding itself. In our human form, we have learnt enough to survive … Continue reading
UNCERTAIN ABOUT YOUR PRACTICE?
Uncertain About Your Practice? About your path, philosophy, or even yourself? It doesn’t matter what we do, it’s all about that which is aware of practice, path, philosophy and self. Uncertainty can strangle commitment; we become tied in knots and … Continue reading
CUTTING THROUGH CHAIN REACTIONS
Cutting Through Chain Reactions Chain reactions occur in within the body, speech and mind. We observe chain reactions in eating food, our actions, what we say, our emotions and our circling thoughts created by previous circling thoughts. ‘Chain’ is a … Continue reading
CONTRIVED SPIRITUAL BEHAVIOUR
Contrived Spiritual Behaviour Spiritual groups develop contrived behaviour. This seems to come from an idea that people follow; a formula of what they think being ‘spiritual’ is. Our greatest problem here is converting theories into genuine experience – and that … Continue reading
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Tagged Contrived SPIRITUAL Behaviour, emptiness, genuine compassion, Spiritual groups.
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WHERE DO WE START? WHERE DO I START?
Where Do We Start? Where Do I Start? Where do we start? We begin by knowing why we meditate, and then we meditate, starting with shamata, twice a day 20-40 minutes. Shamata is focused meditation. (for details, type in search: … Continue reading
WE REALLY DO KNOW
We Really Do Know We all have Common Sense Common sense: good sense, sensibleness, native intelligence, wit, sound judgement, level-headedness, prudence, discernment, acumen, sharpness, canniness, astuteness, shrewdness, judiciousness, wisdom, insight, intuition, perceptiveness, perspicacity, vision, understanding, intelligence, powers of reasoning; practicality, … Continue reading
RECOGNISING NON-DUALITY, UNLIMITED COMPASSION AND SHUNYATA
Recognising Non-duality, Unlimited Compassion And Shunyata Simple. Be aware of awareness, and do not modify. In the moment of pure recognition, there is nothing else; it is therefore non-dual. If there is nothing else, that is emptiness; shunyata. This is … Continue reading
BORROWING FROM THE MASTERS
Borrowing From The Masters …a bit of fun! Over the past few days, a couple of people have discussed Hieronymus Bosch as I mentioned that I was interested in his work. Throughout our lives, certain individuals influence us, as they represent something … Continue reading
THE DHARMA HAS TO ADJUST TO MODERN TIMES
The Dharma Has To Be Adjusted for Modern Times There is an influence on humans now that was not illustrated in ancient text, and that is modern technology. In every walk of life, this has a profound effect on us. … Continue reading
THE PURPOSE OF MEDITATION
The Purpose Of Meditation Being mindful of wandering mind. Meditation demons lie in ambush to distract. These demons are the mind’s attractions, aversions and past experiences. The essence of mind is pure awareness, untouched by impurities. This essence is free … Continue reading
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Tagged meditation - a refining process., The Purpose Of Meditation
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OUR ‘SET POINT’ OF SPIRITUALITY
Our ‘Set Point’ of Spirituality Our set point is the level at which we ‘set’ or fix our standard. It is a level at which we ‘work’. It is our yana. We usually talk about the two aspects of enlightenment: … Continue reading
TRAINING IN TAMING THE MIND
Training in Taming the Mind Some things aren’t easy to explain…they have to be experienced The Dharma, if not practised, is…I was going to say “pointless”, but there is a point to not practising. Not training has its consequences. If … Continue reading
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Tagged Dzogchen, Padmasabhava's Dakini Teaching., Training in Taming the Mind.
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WE LIVE IN HELL, AND HELL IS A MYTH
We Live In Hell, And Hell Is A Myth Hell: a place regarded in various religions as a spiritual realm of evil and suffering, often traditionally depicted as a place of perpetual fire beneath the earth where the wicked are … Continue reading
CULT MENTALITY
Cult Mentality (cult: to cultivate worship) Everyone has the right to see ‘it’ another way. The Buddha’s teaching are perfect…people aren’t. Sometimes it’s useful to refer to other traditions when explaining something as this can help expand our understanding; we … Continue reading
BUDDHISM – A DIVINE COMEDY
Buddhism – A Divine Comedy Dante’s Inferno – The Divine Comedy A poem by the 14th century Italian poet Dante Alighieri One might think Dante Alighieri was Buddhist! The Divine Comedy is a poem of a symbolic journey through the … Continue reading
WHO HAS BECOME ENLIGHTENED LATELY?
Who Has Become Enlightened Lately? Who has become enlightened lately? I have no idea. Is enlightenment possible? I have no idea. Will we become enlightened at death, or just after? I have no idea. So what are we doing? Remaining … Continue reading
EXOTIC CAN CREATE CONFUSION
Exotic Can Create Confusion I love Tibetan Buddhism; it’s profound, logical and enlightening (in the senses of understanding). It takes everything apart and leaves you with nothing! It is very colourful, and full of imagery in the form of deities; … Continue reading
RIGHT TEACHER, RIGHT TEACHING, RIGHT SUPPORT
Right Teacher, Right Teaching, Right Support Where do we start ? Right Student – Right Teacher How do we find the right teacher, the right teachings and the right dharma centre? It all depends on what we are looking for. … Continue reading
WE ARE CONTROLLED BY HOPES AND FEARS
We Are Controlled By Hopes and Fears As we are controlled by our own hopes and fears, we are also controlled by others’ hopes and fears and so we control others by our hopes and fears. It’s a conscious – … Continue reading
SUBTLE DOUBTS ABOUT SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Subtle Doubts about Spiritual Practice We may doubt whether we are doing a practice right, or even doing the right practice. “Well, there are so many teachings, and so much detail, and others act so ‘holy’, I can’t be doing … Continue reading
HOW DO WE MAKE DECISIONS?
How Do We Make Decisions? There are many elements to our decision making. Much is to do with the power of suggestion from outside sources, through words and action. We fall into others’ patterning by our choice; we may identify … Continue reading
RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY
Religion and Spirituality It can be confusing. Preconceptions fill our mind so no spontaneity can take place. Knowing spontaneous presence is the magic! Ideas, notions, presuppositions, assumptions, prejudgements, expectations…beliefs are mental bias. This is the reason why, in order to … Continue reading
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Tagged Buddhism is not a belief system, or is it?, Religion and Spirituality.
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WHEN WE REALISE WE ARE ALL MAD
When We Realise We Are All Mad When we realise we are all mad, life starts to make sense 🙂 “I’m not mad, I’m just like everyone else!” 🙂 🙂 😀 When we realise that we are obsessing with our … Continue reading
HOW DO WE TEST THE GURU-TEACHER?
How Do We Test The Guru-Teacher? We can only know God by being God. We can only know a Buddha by being a Buddha. We can only know the teacher by being the teacher. The outer teacher reveals the inner … Continue reading
WANTING TO HEAR AND NOT WANTING TO HEAR
Wanting To Hear and Not Wanting To Hear As a student, I know how this feels! It all depends on who is explaining; Spirituality is not about being a fanatic. There are some things in spirituality that are a bit… … Continue reading
THE SECRET OF JOY
The Secret of Joy Where is the joy? It’s in the acceptance and understanding of whatever the moment presents. The moment now may not present joy but there is still joy in the acceptance and understanding of whatever the moment … Continue reading
THE QUALITY OF THE PRESENT MOMENT
The Quality Of The Present Moment The quality of the present moment was created by the quality of the previous moment. The quality of the future moment will be created by the quality of the present moment. That’s karma for … Continue reading
LIVING A GENERIC LIFE
Living A Generic Life Generic: a characteristic of, or relating to, a class or group of things; not specific. We can say “Blue” when the colour is actually “Ultramarine.” Ultramarine: a brilliant deep blue pigment (more to the red spectrum) … Continue reading
DON’T FAKE IT
Don’t Fake It ..and get trapped in the process Sometimes (often) we are taught in a way that makes us feel that we are never good enough. That we don’t know enough, and that we should keep coming back for … Continue reading
LIFE IS MEANINGFUL
Life is Meaningful Spiritual practice is meaningful. Everything we do is meaningful. Being relaxed is meaningful. When we are relaxed we appreciate the ‘life’ within life! That is why life is precious. Life is not meaningless; producing karma and reducing … Continue reading
APPEARANCES OVER EMPTINESS
Appearance over Emptiness We become charmed and enchanted by appearances. “The Kingdom of God is inside you and all around you, Not in a mansion of wood and stone. Split a piece of wood and God is there, Lift a … Continue reading
“TO BE OR NOT TO BE, THAT IS THE QUESTION”…
“To be Or Not To Be, That Is The Question”… Having established pure awareness-clarity-clear light-essential nature-pure cognisance-what we truly are, then anything that arises within this purity is seen as a contamination – a distraction – a mistaken view – … Continue reading
WHEN ‘BAD’ KARMA HITS
When ‘Bad’ Karma Hits It’s like a torrent of blackness. It is bewildering. Whom do we blame? Unfortunately, when we blame, this is the cause of further bad karma in the future …and round and round we go… Poo happens! … Continue reading
GET ANGRY!
Get Angry! Why is there so much toxicity in the world? If we are spiritually aware, we must be socially aware as well, otherwise we are hypocrites – merely actors. We need to have integrity, and we need to get … Continue reading
TEACHER – ARE YOU ENLIGHTENED?
Teacher – Are You Enlightened? No. However… As students, we regard the teacher as more powerful than ourselves, but it can actually be the case that the student is more powerful. Here’s why. It’s to do with the way in … Continue reading
WHAT WE SEE WE CANNOT BE
What We See, We Cannot Be Whatever is seen is an impure contamination which time will destroy as it is created by causes and conditions. We are deceived by time. ‘Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds’ – … Continue reading
VAJRAYANA, SYNAPSES AND GOD
Vajrayana, Synapses and God “Knock and the door shall open.” We knock because we have a question. When we admit that we are suffering, we will look for a cause of that suffering. When we find it, the synapses will … Continue reading
PROOF THAT THE BUDDHA WAS RIGHT
Proof That The Buddha Was Right The Buddha tells us that which we already know; that we are pure cognisance. This is our true nature. How do we know this? Because it is pure cognisance that is recognising. Re-cognising: Latin … Continue reading
PROOF THAT THE BUDDHA WAS WRONG!
Proof That The Buddha Was Wrong! Er… …………………. …………………. …………………. …………………. …………………. ………………… …………………. …………………. …………………. … …haven’t found anything yet! …………………. …………………. …………………. …………………. …………………. ………………… …………………. …………………. …………………. 🙂
BUDDHA IN THE MUD is a blog - a living book based on the Dzogchen teachings. Our teacher is life, and life is karma. We are all Buddhas in the mud of concepts. 