Category Archives: Uncategorized

THREE ASPECTS TO OUR LIVES

Three Aspects To Our Life Our self programming. Others’ self programming. Our innermost spontaneous presence. We have to be aware of the programme we hold, and the programme of others that we hold. We – spontaneous presence – are free … Continue reading

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MINI ENLIGHTENMENT, SYNAPSES AND INSIGHT

Mini Enlightenments, Synapses and Insight In other words… Eureka! Getting ‘it’. The funny thing is, we already have ‘it’; it’s all about making the connection and realising ‘it’. There is a connection between desire, practice, insight and achievement, and it … Continue reading

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THE POWER OF KINDNESS

The Power of Kindness The Dalai Lama said, “This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple. The philosophy is kindness.” Me said, “Kindness? … Continue reading

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NO REFERENCE POINT

No Reference Point is Non Duality Within pure awareness, there is merely pure awareness. There is no pure awareness of pure awareness as there is only pure awareness. The nature of mind is resting in its own natural state. That’s … Continue reading

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DEALING WITH MENTAL TURMOIL

Dealing With Mental Turmoil There are many approaches to this problem, and we have to find the one that suits us – or rather, suits that moment. For example, exercise or chanting can channel energy; channeling energy is the key, … Continue reading

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IS ENLIGHTENMENT A MYTH?

Is Enlightenment A Myth? This is an important question, and one that should be asked; we can’t say enlightenment is a certainty as that would be blind faith, but as you are reading this, you must feel – like me … Continue reading

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LONELINESS, COMPETITIVENESS AND HONESTY

Loneliness, Competitiveness and Honesty For sentient beings, friends are not easy to come by. When we say ‘friendship’, this means mind-to-mind unconditional support, and not just acquaintances in our group. (Friend: ORIGIN Old English frēond, of Germanic origin; related to … Continue reading

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NO MEDITATOR, NO MEDITATION

No Meditator, No Meditation When there is meditation, there is a meditator. So how can there be no meditator, and no meditation? This is not a mental conundrum; it is logical experience, gained by looking, seeing and dropping. When pure … Continue reading

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ACKNOWLEDGING THE SIMPLY UNITY OF THE TWO TRUTHS

Acknowledging the Simple Unity of the Two Truths Acknowledging the mistaken view is acknowledging the ultimate view. Putting this into Practice Seeing the mistaken is the mirror of clarity. See the mistaken but look to the good. The Problem We … Continue reading

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WHERE DO ALL THE EXTRA PEOPLE COME FROM?

Where do the extra people come from? On the planet 267 people born every minute (79,945,296 this year and counting) and 106 die every minute (55,000,000 this year and counting). Where do the extra people come from? Some of us … Continue reading

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HAVING A PROBLEM WITH GURU-NESS?

Having A Problem With Guru-ness? Don’t bottle it up; investigate! We have all, at some time, wondered, “What on earth have I got myself into?!” especially when we see others acting in strange ways, blindly adoring the Guru/Lama. This can … Continue reading

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THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS USED AS A WEAPON

The Buddha’s Teachings Used As A Weapon The Buddha taught that we are controlled by our emotions. Knowledge is neutral. Everything depends on how this knowledge is used as to whether or not it is beneficial, and who benefits from … Continue reading

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THE SUPREME FINDING

The Supreme Finding The supreme finding is looking into the mind, and finding nothing. What is looking? The mind itself. This mind is not created or reliant on something else. It just is. It never changes. Mind is clear, luminous … Continue reading

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THE PROBLEM WITH REPEATING WORDS

The Problem With Repeating Words Every day, I am self critical while writing this blog, the reason being that words are meaningless unless experienced, and put into practice. Practice makes perfect ‘-) . Merely repeating, “It is emptiness” is of … Continue reading

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HOW FAR ARE WE FROM ENLIGHTENMENT?

How Far Are We From Enlightenment? We are as far from enlightenment as the sky… …and the sky touches the earth! When we realise that altruism is relative compassion When we realise that emptiness is ultimate compassion When we realise … Continue reading

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DEALING WITH NEGATIVE CRITICISM

Dealing With Negative Criticism. Whether it’s our own criticism, or criticism from others, negative criticism is a product from the past. It’s our/their way. This is the most important issue in spiritual development because we are defending a mistaken ‘I’. … Continue reading

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BEING CRITICAL = MORE PERCEPTION

Being Critical = More Perceptive It’s surprising when you think about it; the more one perceives, the more precise one becomes. Of course, it could just mean one’s being more picky…! Here we are talking about positive criticism. This is … Continue reading

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CRITICSM – RIGHT OR WRONG?

Criticism – Right or Wrong? It all depends on the context. To sit on the wall and make blanket statements that we shouldn’t criticise is dumbing down our intelligence. I’ve often heard such statements used as a spiritual weapons to … Continue reading

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WHAT IS MIND?

What is Mind? It is awareness and ignorance. It is awareness of ignorance and it is ignorance of awareness. The opposite of awareness is ignorance. However, the moment awareness recognises ignorance, ignorance dissolves. When knowing is present, not knowing vanishes. Mind … Continue reading

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TAKING THE TEACHINGS TO HEART

        Taking The Teachings To Heart OM MANI PEME HUM is the mantra for the Lord of Compassion – Chenrezi (Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit). This mantra within the practice enhances our own compassion for all beings in the … Continue reading

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ANGELS?

Angels? “I’ve never seen one!” “Oh, really?!” It all depends on whether we see this as an external or internal matter. If this is an external matter, then we will need someone to intercede for us, as we are not … Continue reading

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THE REASONS WHY WE SHOULD MEDITATE

The Reasons Why We Should Meditate. There are three reasons why we should meditate. One – to be free of our mental obstacles (concepts in the mind) and so realise our true nature. Two – to be free from everyone … Continue reading

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WHY DO WE MEDITATE?

Why Do We Meditate? Meditation is becoming familiar with our true nature. Techniques clear the mental distractions that obscure this pure nature. Meditation is not something we do; it is recognising what we are. Pure awareness. Humans are excellent at … Continue reading

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THE PROBLEM WITH BUDDHISM

The Problem With Buddhism I’ve been a Buddhist for thirty years and am truly happy, so perhaps I have some insight… The Buddha’s teachings are perfect. However, when the teachings move from one culture to another, there are problems, and … Continue reading

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WHY ACT WITH VIRTUE?

Why Act With Virtue? The Buddha said, “Do good. Do no harm. Tame the mind.” What is ‘doing good’? What is ‘virtue’? It is a sympathetic understanding of cause and effect. A simple sentence can have a whole load of … Continue reading

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DON’T MISS THE BLISS

Don’t Miss The Bliss True emptiness is bliss True relief from fabricating is bliss True confidence in recognition is bliss True joy in knowing is bliss True compassion and devotion is bliss Bliss can easily be missed. What is bliss, … Continue reading

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ESSENTIAL DZOGCHEN

Essential Dzogchen Essentially, we are Dzogchen bliss These teachings are principally about clarifying confusion. Tulku Urgyen wrote about Dzogchen; “It is what a spiritual practitioner needs to reach complete enlightenment in a single lifetime.” Padmasambhava explains: “You must make sure … Continue reading

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THE PROBLEM WITH DHARMA CENTRES

The Problem With Dharma Centres This is in response to the points Daisy raised yesterday. What she wrote sounds familiar, although first we have to say that if we want to find out about the Buddha’s teachings, then we have … Continue reading

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DOES SPIRITUALITY PUT YOU OFF SPIRITUALITY?!

Does Spirituality Put You Off Spirituality?! “…OMG, they’re at it again…!” When spirituality becomes a facade, we recognise this immediately, and it causes us confusion. Happy-clappiness is emotional blackmail to suck us in; “Everything is wonderful! And you’re being negative … Continue reading

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BUCKET LIST PART TWO

Bucket List Part Two Our choice of achievements, before we die, will be driven by our desires and interests – or maybe by the interests and desires of others! We live in a collective bucket list. If we can accept … Continue reading

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“THE LIGHT’S ON AND NO ONE’S HOME!”

“The Light’s On and No One’s Home!” “The Light’s On but No One’s Home!” The common usage of the saying, “The light’s on but no one’s home” can be defined as: “… a person lacks intelligence or awareness.” “…someone is … Continue reading

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BUCKET LIST

Bucket List “Bucket List: a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime, before they “kick the bucket”. (die).” The Top Five Regrets of the Dying from Bonnie Ware’s memoirs. “For many … Continue reading

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SEARCHING FOR OUR DONKEY

Searching For Our Donkey A man rode his donkey from village to village asking people, “Have you seen my donkey?” Spiritual practices are to realise our true nature, and not to just engage in a practice while missing the whole … Continue reading

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‘DOING’ ENLIGHTENMENT

‘Doing’ Enlightenment It’s something we can all ‘do’… ..and it’s based on reasoning Enlightenment is awareness of absolute clarity of the mind, free of contamination, resulting in pure awareness. Realising that ideas of self and phenomena (contaminates) are made up … Continue reading

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TIME-RELEASE TROUBLE

Time-Release Trouble That’s a load of bad karma. It’s not just our bad karma; we have to put with others’ as well! On a personal level, the trouble we experience was created by our past decisions and reactions. Our future … Continue reading

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DESIRE IS NOT ALL BAD

Desire is not all bad The more we want, the more we want The more we eat – the more we want to eat The more we sleep – the more we want to sleep The more we drink – … Continue reading

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VIEW, MEDITATION AND CONDUCT

View, Meditation and Conduct. View is pure awareness. Meditation is pure awareness. Conduct is pure awareness. There is nothing to view. There is no meditation. There is nothing to do. Recognise pure awareness and rest there. When there is something … Continue reading

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TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF…

Take a look at yourself… Looking at the image ‘we’ have created over a very long period of time and call ourself means that something is aware of something else. We – our true nature, absolute reality or pure awareness … Continue reading

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THE SYNAPSES AND CLARITY

The Synapses and Clarity Have you ever wondered why we ‘sort of know’ something, but either cannot express it or don’t quite get it? From Wikipedia: SYNAPSES It is widely accepted that the synapse plays a role in the formation … Continue reading

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HOW TO PRACTISE

How to Practise “Not too tight and not too loose”. Such wonderful, simple and adjustable advice from the Buddha Shakyamuni 2500 years ago. Not too uptight and not too sloppy; a precise balance of relaxed dignity. “What a relief!”

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What’s in our mind, may not be our mind!

What’s in our mind, may not be our mind! Look very careful at what has happened – and is happening – in the world. We are being led subversively by the nose at every moment. What is in your mind … Continue reading

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WHAT IS MOST CHALLENGING?

What is most challenging? What is most challenging? To see the potential in others. It is only when we are confident that we can be generous. Seeing the potential in others can make us compassionate or angry. It is in … Continue reading

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AWARENESS IN STILLNESS

Awareness in Stillness Awareness in Stillness Awareness in Busy-ness It’s all the same a-w-a-r-e-n-e-s-s! Through mindfulness meditation, the mind becomes still. Because of stillness, we become aware of the awareness of a still mind. Now, anything that arises in this … Continue reading

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STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

Stairway to Heaven! Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche: Rainbow Painting “People have the habit of thinking that something is bound to happen after practicing meditation a while – like going through school – that after ten or fifteen years you will end … Continue reading

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THOUGHT IS SAMSARA AND NIRVANA

Thought is Samsara and Nirvana From one point of view/level/vehicle, thought is ignorance/samsara and From another point of view/level/vehicle, thought is essence/nirvana. ….I laugh in the face of confusion…! Plan A When we start to investigate our mind, we realise … Continue reading

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MENTAL HEALTH – SPIRITUAL HEALTH

Mental Health – Spiritual Health That which we ingest into our bodies and minds affects our physical and mental health. Chemicals, environment, media…everything we come into contact with affects the programming of our natural system. The pleasure-seeking environment in which … Continue reading

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CONFIDENCE BEYOND DOUBT

Confidence Beyond Doubt We need confidence that is beyond belief and wishful thinking. Confidence must be without conceit. True confidence is unshakeable, which leads to unshakeable compassion. This is not for the faint hearted! Although we have much to learn … Continue reading

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DHARMA – MAGIC OR PSYCHOLOGICAL?

Dharma – Magic or Psychology? …or a little of both? Walking around a Stupa (a large circular structure with sacred objects inside, representing the Buddha) in order to gain merit; is there magic in it, or is it psychological? That’s … Continue reading

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INNER PEACE

Inner peace Inner peace comes through recognition of the nature of mind. The nature of mind is clarity; pure uncontaminated view. The continuity of pure view is stability in inner peace. Life and karma unwind through relaxed inner peace. In … Continue reading

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