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- THIS BLOG SHOULD BE SECRET June 17, 2026
- FREEDOM FROM THE CYCLIC EXISTENCE June 17, 2026
- THE SHARED HALLUCINATION June 17, 2026
- WHY THE OBSESSION WITH THE PAST? June 16, 2026
- THE MUD IS JUST A DIRTY LENS June 16, 2026
- STARVING THE MONSTER June 15, 2026
- THE NOVELTY TRAP June 15, 2026
- NO LONGER SATISFYING June 14, 2026
- THE MORE WE REALISE June 13, 2026
- REALITY IS CONTENTMENT June 13, 2026
- THE DANGER OF ADOPTING STORIES June 13, 2026
- WHAT ARE WE A PRODUCT OF? June 13, 2026
- WHAT REINCARNATES? June 12, 2026
- THE HABITUAL LOOP June 11, 2026
- WHY DO PEOPLE ACCEPT LIES SO READILY? June 11, 2026
- THE PARADOX OF RITUALS AND WORDS June 11, 2026
- WHAT DO WE BASE OUR LIFE ON? June 10, 2026
- SPIRITUAL AUTONOMY June 10, 2026
- THINKING THERE MUST BE MORE TO LIFE June 9, 2026
- NOT TOO TIGHT AND NOT TOO LOOSE June 9, 2026
- OUR GREATEST PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT June 8, 2026
- PRIDE STOPS US EVOLVING June 8, 2026
- THE TINKERBELL EFFECT June 7, 2026
- EVIL IS ANYONE WHO THINKS THEY ARE SUPERIOR June 7, 2026
- FOUR OPIUMS OF THE PEOPLE June 6, 2026
- THE CONSUMER BECOMES CONSUMED June 6, 2026
- ULTIMATE MATURITY June 6, 2026
- THE BUDDHA SAID, “I SEE YOU MARA” June 5, 2026
- THE TWO ASPECTS OF ‘HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT’ June 5, 2026
- SULKY SELF June 4, 2026
- THE COMPLETE PICTURE June 3, 2026
- GIVING UP GUILT June 2, 2026
- TESTING MARA AND GURU June 1, 2026
- THE BUDDHA. JESUS, SOCRATES AND OTHERS WERE REBELS June 1, 2026
- ABSOLUTE TRUTH IS REALISED BY ABSOLUTE TRUTH June 1, 2026
- FINDING WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR May 31, 2026
- WE ALL LIVE IN DIFFERENT ECHO CHAMBERS May 31, 2026
- A HARD LESSON TO LEARN May 31, 2026
- BUDDHIST FORUMS CREATE CONFLICT May 31, 2026
- ONE MIND, OR MANY MINDS? May 30, 2026
- SPIRITUAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL MATERIALISM May 30, 2026
- SPONTANEITY IS THE ONLY REALITY May 29, 2026
- REALITY IS BEYOND WORDS May 28, 2026
- HUMANITY: SEEKING VALIDATION OF A SELF May 28, 2026
- DISPELLING THE GURU May 27, 2026
- EVERY DAY I THINK, “I COULD BE WRONG” May 27, 2026
- THE DARK AND UNSETTLING ASPECT OF EXISTENCE May 26, 2026
- ‘JUDGING’ FROM A DZOGCHEN POINT OF VIEW May 25, 2026
- WE BECOME THE COMPANY WE KEEP May 24, 2026
- WE ARE ALL HYPOCRITES May 24, 2026
Category Archives: Uncategorized
IT IS SO EASY TO FORGET
It Is So Easy To Forget …that is why we need a focus Being confused, being angry, being unable to remember what we are supposed to be doing – it is so easy to forget. It is so easy to … Continue reading
WELL, THAT’S ABOUT IT.
Well, That’s About It There is really nothing more to say; to say more would only be repetition and would weaken the message. As Shabkar said, “Don’t doubt.” All there is is awareness. We are pure awareness before all thoughts … Continue reading
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THE MIDDLE WAY OF THE MIDDLE WAY
The Middle Way Of The Middle Way We have to discover what the Buddha discovered. The Buddha discovered pure awareness: “Not too tight and not too loose.” Not too rigid and not too easygoing. Not too supercilious (Old Age) and … Continue reading
BUDDHISTS BELIEVE TOO!
Buddhists Believe Too! Believing in the effectiveness of one tradition or method over another is a belief 😉 Belief is not a prerequisite in Buddhism. However, to choose to follow a certain tradition or method, we have to believe or … Continue reading
THE ASYLUM IN ELYSIUM
The Asylum in Elysium Elysium: heaven, nirvana, paradise Asylum: place of refuge, or mental institution. If we look for liberation in paradise/heaven/nirvana/elysium, then we are wishing to escape from the place we are now, as we regard it either as … Continue reading
BUDDHISM IN DAILY LIFE
Buddhism in Daily Life is Awareness in Daily Life Once we (that’s awareness itself) are aware of awareness’s true nature – pure/empty compassionate awareness – this will enhance, elevate and uplift our approach to whatever we have to deal with … Continue reading
QUESTION QUESTION QUESTION
Question Question Question No question, no answer. An answer without a question is not the answer; it is an answer. The real Dharma is in the irritation and not in books or teachings. Our real path is our own confusion … Continue reading
THE OPPOSITE OF TRUTH IS A LIE
The Opposite of Truth is a Lie In Buddhism, the word lie is not used: out of compassion, the terms ‘mistakes’, ‘confusion’ or ‘misperceptions’ are employed. A lie obscures the truth. This can either be a unconscious, confused idea or … Continue reading
IN THE BEGINNING WAS NOT THE WORD…
In The Beginning Was Not The Word… it was just dressed up awareness! Ultimate truth is very simple, and is realised by recognising mistaken, conventional reality, which is also very simple but has become complex and ingrained. This is the … Continue reading
WHAT HAS EMPTINESS EVER DONE FOR ME!?
What Has Emptiness Ever Done For Me!? All our lives, awareness has been wandering around looking for something, and not feeling satisfied. That dissatisfaction is due to the lack of clarity, and clarity is none other than emptiness. Pure awareness … Continue reading
DON’T BLAME YOUR SELF
Don’t Blame Your Self This is the last thing we (pure/empty awareness) should do because it makes the ‘self’ seem real. ‘Self’ is merely awareness that has forgotten its pure/empty nature, thus creating an idea about itself. This creation is … Continue reading
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Tagged Awareness, Don't Blame Your Self., I = EGO, pure/empty awareness
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WHOM CAN YOU TRUST?
Whom Can We Trust? The ultimate decider to this question must be…us! Even if we are trusting something or someone outside ourselves, it is still ‘we’ who is trusting our own acknowledgement. We should, in fact, put ourselves on our … Continue reading
ARE YOU ‘PUT OFF’ BY SPIRITUAL PEOPLE?
Are You ‘Put Off’ By Spiritual People? The Buddha said, “Not too tight and not too loose.” He could have said, “Not too wet and not too dry.” Not many of us are just moist! People seem to fall into … Continue reading
STUCK IN MINDFULNESS
Stuck in Mindfulness A sticky problem! Mindfulness means to be aware of something. In spiritual terms, it is a useful tool: a reminder for awareness to be aware. Once awareness is remembered, we can drop mindfulness, otherwise we are over … Continue reading
HOW DO WE KNOW WE ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING?
How do we know we are doing the right thing? This is a personal dilemma. The Buddha said, “Do good; do no harm; train the mind.” This tests our conscience. It all depends on whether we talking conventionally, absolutely or … Continue reading
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WHEN THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS MOVE
When The Buddha’s Teachings Move When the Buddha’s teaching moves to another culture, the expression of the teaching has to adapt in order to adjust to that particular mindset. The primordial purity of the teaching never changes, but is expressed … Continue reading
I AM A FAKE
I am a Fake I hope I am real I fear I am not Dharma is Not Complicated The nature of mind has three qualities: Emptiness…Awareness…Compassion. The nature of mind has five wisdoms: mirror-like, discriminating, equalising, all-accomplishing and all-embracing. This is … Continue reading
ANGRY FOR NO REASON
Angry for no reason …really? Sometimes we just ‘blow up’ for no particular reason – or so it seems. Something small happens, we read or see something and maybe repeat this to someone else; we get an adverse reaction (or … Continue reading
IS IT ESSENCE OR EGO?
Is it Essence or Ego? Essence is our essential nature, which is empty-awareness. Ego is awareness that has forgotten the emptiness of awareness, and so too, its essential nature. There is no such thing as an ego; it is merely … Continue reading
TO WHATEVER HAPPENS…
To Whatever Happens… Sometimes, the mind is lost in one of the six realms*. Sometimes, the mind is without thought. Sometimes the mind is depressed. Whatever happens, know this to be a product of karma – self programming. To whatever … Continue reading
DON’T THINK YOU ARE AWAKE
Don’t Think You Are Awake ‘Being’ is pure essence. The opposite of ‘being’ awake is ‘being’ asleep. Asleep means ‘being’ unconscious or dreaming. Unconscious is not knowing. Dreaming is ‘being’ believing the images in the mind. All images are known … Continue reading
SILLY BUDDHIST!
Silly Buddhist! The opposite of compassion is callousness; showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others. For years, I’ve thought that global corporations and politicians were greedy to the extent of causing suffering. When engaging with others about … Continue reading
OTHERS’ SPIRITUALITY: HELL OR REALISATION?
Others’ Spirituality: Hell or Realisation? When we were young and wondering what life was all about, there were plenty of people to talk to – we speculated. When some of us moved into the realm of spirituality, there were fewer … Continue reading
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Tagged Dzogchen, irritating spiritual people, Teachers, Tulku Urgyen
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“I CAN’T MEDITATE.”
“I CAN’T MEDITATE” “I can’t meditate.” “You don’t want to.” “I can meditate.” “Then stop.” Meditation is not doing anything. It is merely recognising awareness – purely awareness. We get so fascinated with the contents of the mind that we … Continue reading
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CANNOT ‘KNOW’
Artificial Intelligence Cannot ‘Know’ The only true nature an A.I. robot can know is what it adds by programming into itself. It can learn faster than human beings, but cannot drop the programme; the programme cannot cease to exist. If … Continue reading
EVERYONE TEACHES THE DHARMA…EVEN SHAKESPEARE! ;-)
Everyone teaches the Dharma…even Shakespeare! 😉 It all depends on our view: from a Dharma perspective, suicide is not the end To be, or not to be – that is the question: … (to awaken or not to awaken) Whether … Continue reading
CONFORMING
Conforming Mimicking Does it matter? Or rather, do we think that it doesn’t matter? “No one else bothers so why should I?” Our cultural behaviour is changing. This is the effect of the Kali Yuga – selfishness – and/or it … Continue reading
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Tagged Conforming Mimicking, Meme, Neurolinguistic Programming, The Selfish Gene
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“CALLING THE GURU FROM AFAR”
“Calling The Guru From Afar” The guru here means the awakened ones, which the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha represent. These three jewels are revealed by our guru/teacher who awakens our three inner jewels, which are none other than the three … Continue reading
THE NEED FOR CONSTANT INSPIRATION
The Need For Constant Inspiration Patrul Rinpoche said: “You know the relative to be a lie, yet still you practise the two accumulations. You realize that in the absolute there is nothing to be meditated on, yet still you practise … Continue reading
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Tagged Lord of love, Patrul Rinpoche, The need for a spiritual teacher
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STUDENTS AND TEACHERS – A CAN OF WORMS!
Students and Teachers – A Little Can Of Worms! It needn’t be. This is mainly about Tibetan Buddhism, but it appertains to all spiritual groups and traditions. All spiritual ideals have been acquired from another culture, apart from indigenous people … Continue reading
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Tagged Dzogchen and Mahamudra., Students and Teachers, The Buddha, Tibetan Buddhism
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WE ARE NOT TOO THICK!
We Are Not Too Thick! Being ‘thick’ is being heavy with prejudices (preconceived opinions). However, this is not all bad news as the definition of enlightenment is full cognition of the problem. So if we are aware of how thick … Continue reading
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Tagged Buddha and the inner teacher, Rinpoche, We Are Not Too Thick!
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WHY IS THE DHARMA SO EXPENSIVE?
Why Is The Dharma So Expensive? The Dharma is beyond human culture. The Dharma frees us from human cultures. The Dharma frees us from suffering. The Dharma is our true nature. We cannot buy what we already have. The outer … Continue reading
SIMPLIFIED: THE FOUR ENLIGHTENED ACTIVITIES
Simplified: The Four Enlightened Activities Pacifying, enriching, magnetising and destroying. Attending to one’s own mind: Destroying ego’s torment = ending fixations Magnetising = compassionate space Enriching = wisdom Pacifying = inner peace Attending to others: Inner peace – pacifies Wisdom … Continue reading
WHAT DOES KNOWING AWARENESS DO?
What Does Knowing Awareness Do? Knowing awareness does nothing. Knowing awareness doesn’t believe anything that arises in the the mind, or in anyone else’s mind. That is compassion in action. Knowing awareness, in essence, actually has no compassion. It is … Continue reading
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Tagged absolute truth, compassion in action, Essence Love, Four enlightened aactivities
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ALL WE NEED TO KNOW
All We Need To Know is Knowing Awareness There are two aspects to knowing awareness – knowing of awareness, and knowing-awareness itself. This is the difference between Alaya-vijnana and Rigpa. They are very close. Knowing of awareness; there is still … Continue reading
WHY WE SHOULD MEDITATE FOR OUR SELVES
Why We Should Meditate For Our Selves The Meditation Scientist Scientists and meditators use the same instrument: the microscope. For a scientist, this is a physical object, and for a meditator, it is the nature of mind looking at the … Continue reading
THE PRACTICAL REASONS FOR THE TWO TRUTHS
The Practical Reasons For The Two Truths The middle way beyond extremes (the inseparability of the two truths) is the actual teaching experience of the dharma beyond concepts: words, teachings and books are not the dharma. In the moment of … Continue reading
BUDDHISM CAN TIE US IN KNOTS
Buddhism Can Tie Us In Knots It can get very complicated 🙂 Once we learn how to tie our shoe laces, the fingers automatically do it! We don’t need to be over-mindful of the kinetics; the point is for the … Continue reading
BEING RULED BY HEAVEN AND HELL
Being Ruled by Heaven and Hell creates confusion, creates indifference We have long been deceived by the terms ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’: the deception keeps these as beliefs, and so we remain confused and indifferent, when we can know the reality … Continue reading
WHAT IS
What is ‘Is’ is the present participle of ‘being’. It is the only reality, for without being present, nothing would be known. ‘It’ is pure awareness, spontaneous presence. All outer and inner appearances are impermanent; a seemingly reality. They are … Continue reading
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Tagged BUDDHISM, Isness, present participle, Reality and not reality
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NO ME, KNOW YOU
No Me, Know You This is not merely poetical. It is a practical method of learning and teaching. ‘Learning’ means recognising our true awakened nature. ‘Teaching’ means creating compassion space by listening in neutrality, allowing others’ true awakened nature to … Continue reading
DOES SPIRITUALITY DIVIDE US?
Does Spirituality Divide Us? It can do, it seems to, it does. Wanting oneness, we divide. Spirituality does not divide us: it is our lack of standing under. It’s unavoidable: whenever we see other, we divide. By clinging, we disconnect … Continue reading
LOOKING FOR RECOGNITION
Looking For Recognition Sometimes in prayer or meditation, or when in the presence of a teacher, we may hope our efforts are being recognised. This is one level of working, but it remains in the realm of hope, which is … Continue reading
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Tagged conventional reality, Looking For Recognition, self awareness
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THE TRADITION OF TRUTH
The Tradition of Truth The word “tradition” derives from the Latin ‘tradere‘, meaning to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping. Life is too short to discover and understand everything we need to know about our true nature from … Continue reading
FINDING INNER PEACE, AND NOT LOSING IT
Finding inner peace, and not losing it This is a significant stage in our development.| Most of the time we oscillate – finding inner peace and then losing it. It’s just a matter of noting whether we are more ‘out … Continue reading
HEALTHY HUMAN BEING
Healthy Human Being = healthy bacteria = healthy brain = healthy mind Seeing through the mirror, darkly or lightly We have a problem…actually, two of them: our body and our mind. Both can be the cause of not thinking straight. … Continue reading
TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE
Too Much or Too Little The problem with writing a dharma blog is knowing if one is writing “too much” or “too little”. This is because the essence of the Buddha’s teachings is always in the simplest statements, and to … Continue reading
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. 