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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
DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM?
Do you have a problem? Laugh!!! Of course you have problems! We all have problems! Life is a problem…laugh! We solve one problem and there’s another one just coming up behind. We could always seal ourselves up in a empty … Continue reading
THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS ARE NOT THE TRUTH
The Buddha’s Teachingsare not the Truth The Truth is the experienceof the Buddhas’ teachings,which is timeless awareness. The Buddhas’ teaching is the boat,used to carry us to our ultimate destination. Once we have arrived,the boat may become a hinderance.We … Continue reading
WE CAN SEE THE TRUTH FOR OURSELVES
We can see the truth for ourself We don’t have to imagine or speculate about the truth:it is our crystal clear awareness that is awake. The mind and senses,through which awareness sees,may be clouded and confused,but essence wakefulness is always … Continue reading
OUR KNOWING MAY NOT MANIFEST …YET.
Our knowing may not manifest…yet Emotional barriersproduce subtle expectations. “My mind is clear,”is not a clear mind. We have potential.In time, it assimilates and manifests. There is knowing…and knowing. In silent awareness,our capacity may express itself. We are cognisant and … Continue reading
ONCE DOUBT IS CLEARED
Once Doubt is Cleared Once doubt is cleared, don’t forget it, because the memory of that clarity will serve us well for the next bout of doubt (doubt isn’t permanently cleared for some of us 😉 ). Once we recognise, … Continue reading
CONQUERING DOUBT
Conquering Doubt There are two method to conquering doubt; reason and ritual. For some of us, we need a huge dose of logic to free ourselves from doubt, whereas some of us find logic too brain-numbing, and we just prefer … Continue reading
BUDDHISM WITHOUT THE TRAP-PINGS
Buddhism without the trap-pings Before we can understand Buddhism, we have to first understand the Buddha’s teachings. In one word, awareness. Getting caught up with the trap-pings of terminology, jargon and rituals can obscure our understanding and experience of awareness, … Continue reading
TALKING AND WALKING WITH DEMONS (2)
Talking and walking with demons (2) Noticing a “disturbance in the force”, we become aware of demon activity. The force – is pure uncontaminated essence.The disturbances – are our emotions of desires, aversion, pride, jealousy and ignorance.The demons – are … Continue reading
Blogger’s note.
Blogger’s note. Writing about experiences and conclusions isn’t easy to put into words, and I sometimes (quite often) get a little long winded :-)! Most of the time I just have to get it typed up. So from time to time I’ll rewrite … Continue reading
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REASONING WITH UNREASONABLE PEOPLE
Reasoning with Unreasonable People Reason:The capacity for consciously making sense of things, applying logic, verifying facts, and changing beliefsbased on the insight of knowledge. Unreasonable:Unable to apply the above, due to fixated assumptions. Conclusion: You cannot reason with someone who is … Continue reading
TEST FOR DEMON ACTIVITY
Test for demon activity(this could drive you nuts! 😉 ) Chinese proverb: Correct fools and they will hate you.Correct the wise and they will love you. We have to see – and admit – that we all have … Continue reading
THE IMPORTANCE OF DEPENDENT-ARISING
The importance of dependent-arising(For every thing to arise, it must depend on something else) Gradually, our sensitivity will acknowledge the significance of the fact that all phenomena arises out of causes and conditions. That everything has no origination of its … Continue reading
CONSEQUENCES OF CONDUCT
Consequences of Conduct As we sow, so we reap. Everything arises out of causes and conditions. Everything is subject to our consciousness and attitude. It is important to understand this. Without it, we will just keep ‘pulling the wool over … Continue reading
SUSTAINING THE NATURAL STATE
Sustaining the Natural State Awareness is natural.Pure awareness is natural. Awareness is ‘I am’ – ‘I’ am ‘being’:a duality. Pure awareness ‘is’ – just being:non-duality. There is a very subtle distinction to be recognised here. To be aware … Continue reading
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Tagged DUALITY AND NON-DUALITY, I am, Sustaining the Natural State
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THE DIVIDED SELF
The Divided Self Modern psychology believes a ‘divided self’ is an ‘illusory’ self, separated from our ‘real’ self – it is a disorder. The popular view is that the self is the experiencer, and that there isn’t any experiences without … Continue reading
PLANET EARTH – A PLACE FOR ADDICTS
Planet Earth – a Place for AddictsWelcome to the club! Addiction is a mental and/or physical reliance on a particular thing, substance or activity. All sentient beings are addicted to something. This happened the moment we created a self identity…a … Continue reading
IS EVERYTHING AN ANTICLIMAX?
Is everything an anticlimax? Is everything an anticlimax? Not quite what you are looking for? Life is like that! We are satisfied for a while (a moment), and then deflation and disappointment sets in. So, we keep on looking…but not … Continue reading
WHERE DO THOUGHTS COME FROM?
Where do thoughts come from? First, we have to acknowledge that all thoughts come from both the long term and the immediate past. Then, we must separate these thoughts from images and experiences. Our thoughts merely describe images and experiences: … Continue reading
COMPASSION AS CONDUCT
Compassion as Conduct Compassion –conduct and empathy with others – is our teacher. Understanding and recognising our true nature is straightforward: we have awareness and that awareness is pure, at its most refined. This is simple and logical. Our … Continue reading
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Tagged compassion, FOUR ENLIGHTENED QUALITIES, TWO IGNORANCES TWO WISDOMS
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THE NINE LEVELS OR YANAS
The Nine Levels or Yanas by Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa This is a transcription of a teaching given by Tai Situpa Rinpoche, who is one of the regents of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. Within a system, if … Continue reading
BEING SKILFUL
Being skilful Being skilful has many levels: whatever we think we understand can always be refined.As well as being compassionate to others, being skilful is protecting one’s own mind from pride. As we advance through the levels of perception, we … Continue reading
‘BEING’ LOCKED IN THE MIND
‘Being’ locked in the mind This is our essential being imprisoned in our thoughts, thus creating a totally neurotic world. Can’t possibly happen? It is precisely what is happening. This is the confused state in which we live. … Continue reading
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Tagged BEING IN A MENTAL PRISON OF THE MIND, The four noble truths
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HAVING COMPASSION FOR EVIL?
Having Compassion for Evil? Before you start raving and screaming at this statement ;-), this is about protecting your mind. If you are already righteously smouldering, you are already in the clutches of evil, and have contaminating your own mind. … Continue reading
WORRY
Worry Worry is a mixture of hope and fear: we either hope something will happen and fear that it won’t, or fear something will happen and hope that it won’t. This is a human’s lot – there is always something … Continue reading
DOUBLESPEAK
Doublespeak – your mind is not all your fault. If you do not control your mind – someone else may be doing it for you. Spiritually, we have to be aware of all the causes of suffering. Even though the causes … Continue reading
A YOUNG PERSONS GUIDE TO BUDDHISM
A Guide to Buddhism for a young person who has reached the age of reasoning Buddhism is all about questions. Buddhist science is a practical investigation into our true nature, using logic. It is guaranteed to make you smarter! Buddhism … Continue reading
YOU HAVE TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTION
You have to ask the right question The right questionis that which hits the heart of our problem. However,asking the right question should come with a warning.You will get the answer.Once you have the answer,life will never be the same. … Continue reading
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Tagged asking questions, intuition, Our inner teacher, Pure Awareness
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LIFE’S A BUMMER OR IS IT?
Life’s a bummer* … or is it? There is much to complain about in life: we are all busy feeling unfulfilled and dissatisfied, and muddle along the best we can. We intuitively know something, but don’t quite know what – … Continue reading
CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO IGNORANCES
Caught between two ignorances Traditionally, from a Buddhist perspective, these ignorances are our misunderstanding of our true nature, and the maintenance of that misunderstanding – conceptual and co-emergent ignorances. Delusion and double delusion. So, the traditional explanation is that it’s … Continue reading
HOW WILL WE KNOW WE ARE ENLIGHTENED?
How will you know when you are enlightened? My guess is, you won’t.There will be no ‘you’ present to identify anything.The sun just shines.The eyes just see.What is…is. Of course, out of compassion,an enlightened being must manifestfrom timelessness to time,just … Continue reading
WORDS CAN LEAD US IN THE WRONG DIRECTION
Words can lead us in the wrong direction Words have either the magic of wisdom, or the magic of deception. Sometimes, language can be misleading: this why it is so important to understand words within a context. In modern English, … Continue reading
DEITIES/YIDAMS
Deities/Yidams Deities – or Yidams – are what Tibetan Buddhism all about: it is guru-yoga. This is Tantric or Vajrayana practice. It is the fast path with few hardships…so they say. Yidam practice has very colourful visualisations, and can sound … Continue reading
DESPONDENCY
Despondency Sometimes, life just doesn’t turn out as we might have hoped. This could happen in our spiritual life as well. We might feel, “It’s not working.” We become aware of feeling jaded or disheartened. There is much in Tibetan … Continue reading
FUTURE LIVES
Future Lives Our destiny lies in our ability to sustain awareness undistractedly: this is pure awareness. This will ensure a better or higher rebirth in future lives, so that we can practise more freely, with fewer obstacles. We have to … Continue reading
BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
Better the devil you know Better the devil you know,than the devil you don’t.Better to train the devil.Better to tame the devil.Best to know that the devilnever existed,because the devil is a confidence trick! Let’s expose this trickery! The … Continue reading
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Tagged Archons, Better the devil you know, demons, Fallen angels, Jinn, Mara
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HAPPINESS IS KNOWING
Happiness is knowing. Happiness is knowing.Unhappiness is not knowing. What is it we are knowing?We (knowingness) recognise knowingness
AM I HAPPY?
Am I Happy? (this is only relevant if you are asking the question yourself) Happiness means different things to different people. Happiness: Well adapted, well being, contentment, pleasure, contentedness, satisfaction, cheerfulness, cheeriness, merriment, merriness, gaiety, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, joviality, jollity, … Continue reading
ACCESSING THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS
Accessing the Buddha’s Teachings The reason for this web-log Not everyone has access to the Buddha Dharma, to a teacher, to a centre, the right books and valuable commentaries, or can even afford to go on retreats. There is plenty … Continue reading
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Tagged Accessing the Buddha's Teachings, The absolute teacher.
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THE ANSWER TO LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING
The Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything Firstly, don’t be fooled by appearances. The world is not what it seems. Life is not what it seems. Every thing is not what it seems. All that appears has absolutely no … Continue reading
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Tagged Buddha, CONSCIOUSNESS, The Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything
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GUILT TRIGGERS ALL THE EMOTIONS
Guilt triggers all the emotions Because of our conflict between what we know and our habitual patterning, we become both defensive and aggressive. Guilt promotes pride, anger, fear, jealousy, ignorance…and if we are not aware of this, we are stuffed! … Continue reading
SPIRITUAL GUILT
Spiritual guilt We all feel guilty at times – not aware enough…not practising enough…not compassionate enough… We have an ‘all knowing’ voice in the back of our mind which says, “Well, I’m only human!” Funny that…? Spiritual guilt is an … Continue reading
I’LL TELL WHAT’S GREAT!
I’ll tell you what’s great! All the Buddha’s teachings are within us. All the knowledge and wisdomof all the enlightened ones who have ever been, or will be,are also within each one of us. Like making butter:the ingredients are already within … Continue reading
FRUSTRATION
Frustration This is the lot of a human being. We are bound to get frustrated…we are not vegetables! We desire, we aspire and we expect, and when we don’t get what we want, we get frustrated. Frustration is a double-edged … Continue reading
DISCOVERING YOUR TRUE NATURE
Discovering your true nature This is the simplest ‘thing’ in the universe: p u r e r e c o g n i t i o np u r e a w a r e n e s sp u … Continue reading
PURE!…PURE?…PURE!
Pure?…Pure!…Pure? The word pure can easily be misunderstood: it seems to have connotations of something unattainable and scary…“Nobody’s that pure!” Every thing has contaminants, especially our minds. When talking about ‘pure awareness’ – about this being our true nature – … Continue reading
CYNICISM, SCEPTICISM, DISBELIEF ARE ESSENTIAL
Cynicism, Scepticism and Disbelief are Essential However.Cynicism, Scepticism and Disbeliefhave to go together with an open mind,otherwise we will learn nothingabout emptiness. We have to dissolve everything, and the Dharma is the vehicle by which we achieve this. If we … Continue reading
FIRST, BE A DECENT HUMAN BEING
First, be a decent human being To practise the Dharma, we must first be decent human beings, fitting vessels. Not gods, not jealous god, not animals, not hungry ghosts, not hell beings…just decent human beings. Decent human beings have morals … 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. 