Consciousness Capturing (being entertained to death)
Some things are so important to understand, and so easily missed. We are attracted to convoluted, mysterious and sentimental theories that keep us – or rather, consciousness – confused and entertained.
When our consciousness becomes caught and held by what’s ‘out there’, we have just stepped into a prison ‘in here’. This prison has become our entertainment. Unfortunately, people talk about vibrational holographic realities as if this is what is imprisoning us: it’s not. It’s our own consciousness – and it has always been so. There is nothing new about being distracted.
In Tibetan Buddhism, the word ‘consciousness’ is used to describe the three workings of the mind (perception, judgement and memory) together with the five senses, making eight in all. Firstly, it is important to recognise that the five senses are concept-free; they merely see, smell, taste, touch and hear. In the very first instant, there is no memory or judgement: that comes a moment later.
When information from the five senses comes into the mind, it enters the sixth consciousness of perception. The sixth consciousness merely perceives.
Now the confusion starts… There are two further consciousnesses – judgement and memory. To function as a healthy human being we need judgement and memory in order to survive, otherwise we will keep walking into the door, instead of opening it first! Every creature in the universe has learned this trick of memory and judgement.
The problem.
We, as sleeping Buddhas having confused consciousness about our essential nature, became embodied. Being embodied in a human form is a perfect vehicle to realise our true nature…we must have done something right! So we are here to complete our mission – to wake up to Buddhahood.
Unfortunately, we have acquired a cluttered consciousness, especially in the seventh and eighth consciousnesses of judgement and memory. This cluttered programme creates impure perception, causing that which is seen through the senses to be regarded as having a solid reality. Perception is not pure: it is caught and held all the time. Consciousness seems married to distraction, and we need a divorce 😉
With pure perception, we can touch, taste, smell, hear, see and enjoy…but not cling.
The problem is that we cling, grasping on to entertainment until death. That clinging is what makes everything appear real – and we carry that clinging into our next incarnation, for better or for worse.
Seeing, tasting, touching, smelling, hearing
will tell us everything we need to know.
As long as we think, “I am winning”,
we are captured in a samsaric realm.
Two helpful tips:
Disengage from the physical world and become aware of the space between objects: it breaks up the one continuous dream.
Be aware of peripheral vision: allow the eyes to be still and everything is taken in at once but consciousness is not caught and held by any particular thing.
(this may even be a step into ‘the sixth sense’ of insight, free from clutter).
Some aspects of the teachings take time to assimilate. First, we need the right attitude to receive teachings: without this, we are merely picking up information for the head to toy with, rather than realising how precious the teachings are to the heart. True teachings have nothing to do with sentimentality.
This isn’t everyday chit chat.
Samsara is our fixated attitude, which keeps us enslaved. The prison is not out there: it’s not that we go to a busy city and there is ‘Big Samsara’. Samsara is how we relate to all that appears, both gross and subtle.
Of course, every sentient being lives in their own samsaric world and these worlds can, and will, have an effect on us…but need not. Our present fixated attitude is the result of our previous fixated attitudes – our karmic load. There is also collective karma and samsara to be acknowledged. If we walk into a mad house and start complaining, we may find that we are stuck there with the inmates. We have to be very skilful.
The problem with identifying craziness
is not becoming crazy oneself.
John Lennon said, “Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we’re being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I’m liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That’s what’s insane about it.” This is correct: however, to think that society is run by the insane and that we are not insane…is insane! 🙂 Dealing with this matter takes skill and refinement: without this, we’ll end up creating serious, unwanted karma. Many have been striving for peace in the world for thousands of years, only to realise that it starts within. This is not a matter of sentimentality.
The creation of our samsaric-karmic world is due to our reactions.
We change this karmic-samsaric world through “regret” not guilt.
We were merely made an error.
Regret is acknowledgment.
Regret, smile and laugh.
Poking a stick in a lion’s ear can have serious consequences.
Being aware that we cannot meditate is meditation!
First we must know why we meditate.
The essence and nature of mind is infinite awareness:
it is merely filled with temporary desires and aversions.
We are naturally infinite awareness.
Actually, meditation is for those who want something to do.
Actual meditation is for those who do not want something to do.
Painting with a brush with a residue of colour from previous activities
will contaminate the next activity.
Cleaning the brush is meditation:
then we can express clearly, without contamination.
A seeker seeks the meaning of the words.
A finder realises the meaning of the words.
We all go through stages along our path of confusion to enlightenment, and it’s helpful to recognise these stages in oneself and in others – withthe eye of compassion. This recognition puts an end to any desire to find fault and argue. We reflect by compassionate example, making no demands.
“If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!”
The road is our path of confusion.
If, while on our path of confusion,
we meet a Buddha
– a conceptual idea of perfection –
this is still our confusion so
realise it!
kill it!
and laugh!
If we have an expectation that we should all be one, we will end up as two, and disappointed.
We can be at one, while remaining two…there’s more space!
If we want to stay friends, then we shouldn’t get too close. Friendship is momentary and then we let go, otherwise we might smother, making unreasonable demands and assumptions. Compassion is spacious and generous; it doesn’t mean living in some else’s shoes, and telling them how to walk.
There comes a point when we realise we are not seeing things the same way, and that’s ok. Our paths of confused assumptions are different.
The deeper we go spiritually, the more clearly we see our own fixations, and therefore can empathise with others. Generous space is essential for compassionate communication.
And always remember: we are born alone, and we die alone. And we spend much of the intervening time worrying about being alone 😉
Khalil Gibran said it so eloquently:
“Let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.”
The Proof Of The Truth Is In The Proving Of The Truth It’s in the actual experience, and not in the words
The Buddha’s teachings can be described in one word – recognition (…or awareness…or perception…or consciousness…or seeing…they’re all the same).
We hear of the Four Noble Truths and think “Nice. Now can we move onto the real stuff!”. So we become complicated mathematicians, trying to add to our knowledge while subtracting at the same time: this creates a multiplicity of confusion, and divides us through different uses of language. This actually works against our endeavour to realise the purity of the truth!
If we want the truth dressed up,
there are those who will dress it up for us.
The four noble truths are the acknowledgment that we suffer, the cause of that suffering, the method to resolve that cause and the dissolution of suffering.
They also illustrate the unity of the relative and the absolute realities; from one we realise the other. They go hand in hand. Dissatisfaction reveals innate knowingness.
In addition, they reveal that the negative emotions are, in essence, the wisdoms. Recognising and acknowledging a negative emotion is innate knowingness.
The four noble truths are the whole the mechanism: they are the recognition of the illusory mud obscuring the Buddha.
The Four Noble Truths (or the four recognitions)
1. Recognise suffering/dissatisfaction.
2. Recognise the cause for that suffering/dissatisfaction.
3. Recognise the principles that untie suffering/dissatisfaction.
4. Having recognised the principles, watch the snake untie itself.
We do nothing, but recognise.
In more detail:
1.
Dissatisfaction implies that we naturally know something isn’t right. There is an innate knowingness, but pure being is constantly distracted. This creates unhappiness.
2.
We know there is a cause for this unhappiness but are confused about what this is. Through the teachings, we learn that we are holding onto a mistaken self identity. This is the cause of our dissatisfaction.
3.
Knowing we are not clear, we seek clarity. We find a complete system to dissolve all distractions that obscure that clarity. That system is recognition.
4.
When we are convinced, through testing and recognition, that the system is sound, we resolve to give up…and the snake unties itself.
Buddha activity is pure awareness
Demon activity is anything that obscures Buddha activity
The Earth is full of activity.
The more we move towards Buddha activity, the more we recognise demon activity.
The more we move towards demon activity, the less we recognise Buddha activity.
Even though everyone has a good heart, the head ambushes the heart.
The funny thing is… Firstly, we must know Buddha activity in order to recognise demon activity, which then reminds us of Buddha activity. Recognising demon activity actually helps us to remember. That is the teacher of phenomena – the everyday teacher.
All spiritual activity is to remind us of pure awareness;
if it doesn’t, then its demon activity.
Thank you Buddha
Thank you Demons
Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche 1st. Don’t wander, don’t wander, place mindfulness on guard;
Along the road of distraction, Mara lies in ambush.
Mara is this mind, clinging to like and dislike;
So look into the essence of this magic, free from dualistic fixation.
Realise that your mind is unfabricated primal purity.
There is no buddha elsewhere; look at your own face.
There is nothing else to search for, rest in your own place.
Non-meditation is spontaneous perfection, so capture the royal seat.
We know we should get out of bed,
but we stay a little longer.
Samara is run on two principles; attraction and repulsion. The whole universe is run on these two principles. This includes the mind! Desire and aversion, like and dislike, hope and fear, pleasure and suffering are our control mechanisms. Until we stop ignoring this, we will continued to be enslaved.
These two mechanisms only work because we ignore our true nature, and have not yet pacified our thoughts and emotions. Proper, logical spiritual practice IS the only answer.
Until we can make the connections, we will never understand the history of samsara (the vicious cycle of existence) and wake up. The Buddha said, “First we must recognise suffering”. This is the first noble truth, for without that we will not even start our journey to understanding our true nature and joining up all the dots.
This has been said before, but even the Buddhists I know do not understand it, whereas the “Establishment” does! Two insiders belonging to the “Fabian Society” (whose symbol is a wolf in sheep’s clothing signifying deception) wrote books either to warn us or to boast: 1984 by George Orwell (1949) and Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley. One is about ruling through anger and fear and the other is creating humans through the use of a ‘chemical’ conveyor belt, where propaganda and pleasure are employed so that people love their servitude.
You join up the dots and see what is happening right now.
“If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” U.S. President James Madison
“A history of false flag attacks used to manipulate the minds of the people! “In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
“Terrorism is the best political weapon for nothing drives people harder than a fear of sudden death”.
Adolph Hitler
“Why of course the people don’t want war … But after all it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship … Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” Hermann Goering, Nazi leader.
“The easiest way to gain control of a population is to carry out acts of terror. [The public] will clamour for such laws if their personal security is threatened”.
Josef Stalin
And
World’s first GM babies born by MICHAEL HANLON, Daily Mail
The world’s first genetically modified humans have been created, it was revealed last night.
“The disclosure that 30 healthy babies were born after a series of experiments in the United States. Fifteen of the children were born… as a result of one experimental program at the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of St Barnabas in New Jersey.
The Daily Mail article was not dated, and upon investigation, the experiments cited actually took place over a decade ago; the study announcing their successful birth was published in 2001.
Everyday life is Dzogchen ‘practice’ itself.
Since a social “I” does not exist,
there is no need to behave in any special way
beyond that which you actually are.
There is no need to strive to reach some
“amazing advanced state.”
Really!
What is Dzogchen?
It is not a practice.
It is what you actually are
– pure awareness.
That’s amazing.
What is pure awareness?
It is beyond body and mind:
uncontaminated reality
experiencing past karma
and not creating more.
Is that all?
Amazingly, yes.
So it’s nothing special?
It’s ordinary.
Extraordinary.
A spiritual path is that which clarifies, and frees us from our own confusion.
It is not something that adds to that confusion.
It is not something that makes us feel guilty.
It is not something that we have to defend.
It clarifies confusion, guilt and defensiveness.
Spiritual paths are a tricky business; we can so easily become attached to them, giving rise to defensiveness, and therefore aggression. Fanatics come in all forms, and turn spirituality into a religion, blindly following dogma. Lacking confidence, they become defensive; feelings of inadequacy and guilt are born from confusion.
I have spoken to many spiritual people, only to find they belong to a religion.
I have spoken to many who hate religions, only to find they too are religious.
Religion is something in which we become stuck.
Spirituality is something that frees us from ‘stuck-ness’.
We are free the moment we realise we are stuck!
On 7th January 2015 fanatics killed 12 people in Paris, seven of whom were cartoonists.
We may not be so extreme…but we can’t assume we’re so very different.
Taking the trouble
to read any material that tries to clarify reality is, in itself,
a practice of the six perfections (the paramitas):
it reveals qualities of
generosity, patience, discipline, concentration
and the wish to understand transcendent wisdom.
Fortunate karma brings us together so that,
in future incarnations,
we may have a good connection with others.
War has always been presented as entertainment and glorified as part of our culture for thousands of years. In becoming involved in violent, militarised entertainment, we become virtual soldiers. Society is participating in aggression through a wide range of media, from news coverage to video games, and from television and filmsto the comments we leave on social media.
The mind is a sensitive instrument
and becomes easily addicted – uncontrolled.
Every time we give way to aggression
we lose our sanity
and place it in the hands of others – controllers.
It is obvious that there are those
who profit from violence and aggression.
We can choose not to be part of their armoury.
The only enemy we need to confront
is the convoluted ideas in the mind
which have no reality at all.
When we forget love,
we are lost.
Before being aware of pure awareness, all thoughts are centred around an “I”; they have an “I” orientation. When resting in pure awareness, our conduct and thoughts become an expression of love, and we become mindful of the effect we are having on others. We therefore maintain pure space to communicate freely: this is the other message we have received for thousands of years to counter aggression.
The battle is only between the dark and the dark.
When the light illuminates the dark,
there is no dark.
Why use mantra? Mantras have a certain quality and, we cannot think of two things at the same time (well we can try, but one will be more dominant).
The mantra RAM is from the Vedanta tradition: Buddhist shouldn’t be narrow minded and sectarian. If it works, do it! I used it for years and still do sometimes.
The RAM Mantra:
RAM mantra is the most practical, powerful, effective and easy mantra to use and to recite.
One should chant it slowly in the mind. Concentrate on the mantra and the sound of the mantra. No other thoughts should come. If the thoughts do come, ignore them and bring the attention back to the mantra.
As with everything, what seems negative can, with a little refinement, be beneficial.
Sometimes we may feel competitive with other students, or even with our teacher. We may think that we know more, or we want and deserve to know more. This is the arising of pride and jealousy which, if viewed correctly, are two wisdom qualities – The Buddha in the Mud!
Actually, we may ‘know’ more; we may be more scholarly than others, but there is one thing we cannot beat, and that is purity. Purity knocks spots off scholarliness. There are practitioners whose practice is pure: they may not be able to express it in an eloquent manner, but they are just ‘it’! I witnessed this in Nagi Gompa in Nepal, where the nuns were out of this world…totally guileless (I actually typed ‘glueless’, and that still works – no stickiness! 🙂 )
The feeling of being competitive or wanting more.
A teacher can only take us so far, and we might even start finding fault with them because we want to know more without practising; that cannot be done, as the practice itself is beyond knowledge. We have to look more closely at our own minds, and experience refinement. Even the Buddha cannot practise for us. Much of our learning is to unlearn.
There is a great difference between knowledge and pure experience. We need an understanding of knowledge to take the next step of actual experience of purity which is beyond ‘me’ experiencing ‘something’.
Understanding pride and jealousy.
Pride: thinking we know better than others; this is debilitating as it locks us into a set position. Jealousy: thinking we are worse than others; this is also debilitating as it too locks us into a set position. We should be more concerned about the state of our own mind rather than that of others.
Q. So, what can we do?|
A. Look, and recognise.
Pride, in the very first instant, is the “Wisdom of Equality”. Whatever we think we know, sooner or later everyone else will reach that same level. Some may even be past that level already; accepting that fact is good karma.
Thinking others are better than us leads us to jealousy which, in the very first instant, is the “All Accomplishing Wisdom”. Whatever we see others as attaining, the actual seeing of that means that quality must also be within us; we can only recognise this manifestation because it is also within us. It is said that by merely recognising good qualities in others, we acquire the same merit – good karma.
So…
being competitive can be beneficial
if it is inspiring and compassionate.
It is detrimental
if we use knowledge as a weapon
against ourselves and others.
Consciousness is said to be “the state of being aware”. However, the word ‘consciousness’ has many interpretations. Science and psychology will use it one way, western philosophy will use it another way, religions another, and Buddhism yet another way, as mind having consciousnesses.
The way we interpret “the state of being aware” has great consequences to our understanding and the way in which we live. If we are brought up through generations of limited interpretation, we become stuck in a narrow confused view. The term “being aware” is a convenient view – a conventional reality, as in “I am being aware”; it is being conscious of something that makes us feel alive and human.
“Being aware” is not the same as “awareness” itself, which is beyond the limits of an intellectual, judgmental, chatty ‘I’. Pure awareness is pure intelligence, uncontaminated and before any I identification; it is absolute reality.
Here is the terrible problem
Modern science seems to be suggesting that the functioning of the brain is the mind. Therefore, if someone is anxious or depressed, their state of consciousness can be treated with expensive chemicals or expensive therapies. Did I say treated? 😉
Modern science cannot find consciousness, so dismisses spiritual teachings on the subject. It is in the very non-finding that consciousness/awareness is found or realised, but that takes practice, and a change in the understanding of words; “double speak” was created to mislead people. Before modern science, we had the churches and superstitions to ‘heal us from our evils’.
The normal state of a sentient mind is to be aware of anxieties, depressions, dissatisfactions and confusions: that awareness that is our path of self healing! And it costs nothing; we merely have to be aware.
Of course, when we identify with thoughts and emotions, this will have an effect on our brain, which will have an effect on our nervous/immune systems – and our whole body.
Let natural food,
and a compassionate chat with a spiritual friend,
be your medicine.
This is Tuesday 6th January 2015. Because of complex political and corporate agenda, hospitals in Britain are in crisis, and cannot cope with the number of people needing help. People have become reliant upon modern lifestyles and have forgotten that the source of our wellbeing is within our own consciousness.
Hippocrates:
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
“As to diseases, make a habit of two things — to help, or at least, to do no harm.”
“A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how, by his own thought, to derive benefit from his illnesses.”
“The natural healing force within each of us is the greatest force in getting well.”
When we become aware of the dream1 we are awake.
However, we still live in a dream-like state
as there is a residue of previous dreams to live through;
the effect of our past actions and reactions.
Through day to day3 living,
we clean up our karma by resting in pure awareness:
our non-reaction affects our conduct,
as reactions maintain the dream
and produce more karma.
Gradually life simplifies, calms down and…
…we stay awake, and compassion naturally arises.
Discover the inner teacher2 and trust it.
1 Believing appearances and our interpretation of those appearances to be reality, when the reality is is the mere awareness of those appearances and interpretations.
2 The inner teacher is discovered by the instruction of the outer teacher, who shows us the nature of mind; this is reinforced by textual commentaries.
3 Day to day living becomes the symbolic teacher: whatever arises reflects the nature of mind – that which is aware of actions and reactions.
To create a better world,
supporting others and inspiring them
to practise becoming familiar
with their true nature.
This is what humanity is about.
Through any of the senses,
we can manifest that which
pacifies, magnetises, enriches or destroys*
depending on others’ sensibilities
and what will be of benefit to them.
This is opposite to being creative
in order to entertain ourselves to death,
corrupting for profit.
Humanity is a portal/gap/bardo**
for the higher realms.
…shame to waste it!
* The four enlightened activities, inspiring and cutting through ego’s games
** In-between gap of conscious awareness, an opportunity to step beyond; there are six portals or gaps called Bardos in Tibetan
.
Six Deaths or Bardos by Tsoknyi Rinpoche.
Death or Bardo means ‘gap’ an in-between state of which we are normally not aware.
KYI-NE bardo
Now when the bardo of birth is dawning upon me I will abandon laziness for which life has no time, Enter undistracted the path of study, reflection and meditation. Making projections and mind the path and realize the three kayas; Now that I have once attained a human body There is no time for the mind to wonder.
The bardo of this life, the bardo of birth. Co-existent with arising and birth is passing and death. On the subtle level everything is constantly momentarily arising and passing – moments, thoughts, emotions, events. On a more gross level, all the necessary conditions and circumstance come together for us to be born – conception and the accumulation of the five kinds of elements: earth, water, fire, wind and space. Since the moment we were born we are passing, our life moves towards completion then disappears. The idea of 70 or 80 years seems like a long time, but in terms of the universe it is very short. On the macrocosmic level is the arising and passing of planets and stars which support our life, which will also eventually disintegrate.
MILAM
The bardo of dreams. The whole of cyclic existence is like a big dream – our ignorance is like sleeping and we are dreaming, but we take it so seriously. We grasp after all these things we see as real and this is where our suffering comes from. Our sleeping dreams reflect what is happening in our lives which is why we need to take our daytime practice seriously and continue being mindful and aware when going to sleep. If we do this then when we die it is the continuation of the nature of our mind. Our child luminosity will dissolve into the ground luminosity and we will be enlightened in the dharmakaya form.
SAMADHI
The bardo of meditation. Here we are talking about purifying our mind of the cloud of disturbing thoughts and emotions, not by force but by resting in our natural mind, dharmakaya. Meditation isn’t something solid, or a place to go. It just means being aware in the present moment in a simple way and letting things be, which is actually quite difficult. Bardo literally means ‘between’, and in between the subsiding of one thought and the arising of the next, that is the bardo of Samadhi.
CHIKHA
The bardo of the moment before death. All our elements dissolve back to the external world – earth, water, fire then air as we stop breathing. At that point the inner dissolution begins. We can have many different experiences here, depending on the kind of life we have led. The important thing is to know, in the confusion of what is happening, that everything we see is a projection of ourselves, and that it is a vision of the bardo. In order to be able to do that, it is important to practice now. There is a glimpse of ground luminosity – if we can recognise this from the stability of our practice then there is an opportunity to achieve realization.
CHONYI
The Bardo of dharmata. What happens now depends on individual circumstances. For a normal person dying peacefully this can last for a few days and we may not be aware we have died. The important thing is how we are programming ourselves in our lifetime, so that we can remain calm and clear and aware of what is happening. We should remember our teacher and any deity we feel a connection with.
SIPA
The bardo of becoming. This can last 7 weeks and again, what happens depends on our karma and mind training. Pure perception and sacred outlook are needed here if we are not to get carried away by anger and jealousy which could lead to a birth in the lower realms. We are at the mercy of karmic winds and look for refuge wherever we can which leads to conception outside our control. If we can maintain our awareness there may be the opportunity to chose our rebirth in auspicious circumstances in the aspiration to help sentient beings.
From Wikipedia:
Kyenay bardo is the first bardo of birth and life. This bardo commences from conception until the last breath, when the mindstream withdraws from the body.
Milam bardo (rmi lam bar do) is the second bardo of the dream state. The Milam Bardo is a subset of the first Bardo. Dream Yoga develops practices to integrate the dream state into Buddhist sadhana.
Samten bardo is the third bardo of meditation. This bardo is generally only experienced by meditators, though individuals may have spontaneous experience of it. Samten Bardo is a subset of the Shinay Bardo.
Chikhai bardo is the fourth bardo of the moment of death. According to tradition, this bardo is held to commence when the outer and inner signs presage that the onset of death is nigh, and continues through the dissolution or transmutation of the Mahabhuta until the external and internal breath has completed.
Chönyi bardo is the fifth bardo of the luminosity of the true nature which commences after the final ‘inner breath’ (Sanskrit: prana, vayu; Tibetan: rlung). It is within this Bardo that visions and auditory phenomena occur. In the Dzogchen teachings, these are known as the spontaneously manifesting Thödgal (Tibetan: thod-rgyal) visions. Concomitant to these visions, there is a welling of profound peace and pristine awareness. Sentient beings who have not practiced during their lived experience and/or who do not recognize the clear light (Tibetan: od gsal) at the moment of death are usually deluded throughout the fifth bardo of luminosity.
Sidpa bardo is the sixth bardo of becoming or transmigration. This bardo endures until the inner-breath commences in the new transmigrating form determined by the “karmic seeds” within the storehouse consciousness.
“Once you develop confidence in your own ability, you’ll be able to make a real contribution to creating a better world. Self-confidence is very important. Not in the sense of blind pride, but as a realistic awareness of what you can do. As human beings we can transform ourselves by our good qualities and reducing our faults. Our intelligence enables us to judge what is good from what is harmful.”
We have to be aware of the programme we hold,
and the programme of others that we hold.
We – spontaneous presence – are free of any programme,
while remaining aware of the programming.
This is the unity of the two truths.
How is this unity seen?
It is seen in the very awareness of the programming:
we are no longer controlled by it
but it is a facilitator – it is our path.
Our path is our programmed confusion.
Programme: a planned series of events or instructions. ORIGIN early 17th cent. (in the sense ‘written notice’): via late Latin from Greek programma, from prographein ‘write publicly’, from pro ‘before’ + graphein ‘write’.
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 all takes place in the mind,
and the brain is a facilitator to understanding
We know.
We are knowingness.
But this knowingness identifies so strongly with fixed ideas,
creating fixed synapses that limit this knowingness.
One day, we will all get ‘it’.
<O> !
!
!
??????
=?
or
<O> !
!
!
!!!!!!
=!
Our only problem is being careful what we wish for!
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?
Is that all?
Kindness is all right,
but I want something more –
a higher teaching than this!”
…little did I know 😉 !
Kindness is the highest teaching: our understanding of this is determined by the level at which we are working at this present moment. The moment we see and admit a negative response in our mind is a moment of transcendence: it is at that precise moment that we have to be kind to ourselves. At that precise moment, we shift levels of understanding. Without kindness, we cover up our feelings of inadequacy and guilt, and remain stuck in our habitual patterning and our programme to self protect.
When kindness is present, absolute reality is present. It is a moment of letting go of needs of ‘self’. Kindness is the practice of the six perfections. Kindness relates to generosity, discipline, patience, perseverance, meditation and transcendent knowledge (for exact details search…Taking the Teachings to Heart). When transcendent knowledge is realised, those same six perfections are manifestations of our absolute nature; transcendent knowledge becomes transcendent wisdom.
Kindness is empathetic compassion. This compassion comes from a perfect understanding of the two truths; the ultimate in the relative, and the relative manifesting within the ultimate.
Whatever appears, kindness dissolves.
Kindness understands the six realms
where beings are caught up.
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 all.
The laundry still has to be done.
Bread still has to be earned.
People still need to be listened to.
Thoughts and emotions will still arise.
Karma (our creation) will still manifest;
pure awareness will reduce its potency.
🙂
PS This is the one thousandth repetitive post… …it’s all one!
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, and this is to do with the subtle body, when energy in the wrong place.
Rigpa – pure awareness – solves all problems. The question is how to get to where we already are.
Here we are dealing with disturbances in the subtle body, which is controlled by the mind. To gain control of the mind, we practise simple Shamata meditation, which is very effective. Watching the breath. If the mind is overactive, then we need to calm it down. On the outward gentle breath, we count one…breathe in…and breathe out, counting two. Thoughts will appear, but just remain counting. If we get lost in thoughts, simply start from one again. This trains the mind. It is not a competition: we don’t have to succeed, just practise. The count can be for 10, 21 or 108; whatever number you choose to complete. This is Shamata ‘with support’. Gradually, the mind settles because we become more aware of the pause between inhalation and exhalation. From being one with the breath, we are now one with the space; this is called Shamata ‘without support’, which leads onto Vipassana – awareness or insight meditation.
We don’t have to remain here: there can be a short, subtle hop to Dzogchen. All methods are to get us to Dzogchen – pure awareness. Dzogchen is the summit of all methods. It is directly seeing the turmoil, and recognising that which recognises the turmoil, and resting there. Look, see and drop, revealing pure awareness. This is Dzogchen. You are Dzogchen.
Subtle Body
This is from Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s book, Open Heart, Open Mind: it’s a very short description of what is called ‘the gentle vase breath’.
First, one exhales slowly and completely, collapsing the abdominal muscles as close to the spine as possible. As we slowly breathe in, we imagine we are drawing our breath down tan area about 4 finger widths below the naval, just above the pubic bone. This area is shaped a bit like a vase, which explains why it is called the vase technique.
Of course, we’re not really drawing breath down to that region, but by turning our attention there, we find ourselves inhaling a little more deeply than usual, and experience a bit more expansion in the vase region. As we continue to draw breath in and attention down, our “lung” will gradually travel down there to rest. Hold the breath in the vase region for a few seconds (but don’t wait until the need to exhale becomes urgent), and then slowly breathe out again.
Just breathe slowly in this way, 3-4 times, exhaling completely and inhaling into the vase area. After the 3rd or 4th inhalation, try holding a little bit of the breath (maybe 10%) in the vase area at the end of the exhalation, focusing very lightly and gently on maintaining a bit of lung in its home place. It may be a little uncomfortable, but the practice is worthwhile to calm one down.
Vase breath is practised for 10 or 20 mins a day, and can become a direct means of developing awareness of our feelings, and learning how to work with them, even while we are engaged in daily activities.
When we become anxious, tensions arise in the body. These tensions leave a residue in our ‘subtle body’ where our feelings are held. Even when meeting people, this anxiety can rise in the body, triggered by past memories. It’s important to be aware of this ‘subtle body’, especially if we cannot settle in meditation. Stress can cause dis-ease, and so, disease; our health and wellbeing is in our own hands – or rather, minds!
Rigpa solves all problems;
the question is how to get
where we already are
😉
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 – that there is a possibility. Much will depend on what we think enlightenment is. If we see it as clarity of mind and heart, we will have one understanding. If we see it as being omniscient, able to fly, walk on water, leave imprints on rocks and create a hundred thousand emanations, then that is another view.
Clarity of mind and heart: clarity of “heart” is the clear nature of mind, and clarity of “mind” is the exhaustion of all conceptual attitudes. To speak of supernatural phenomena is hearsay. I was once at a monastery in Boudhanath in Nepal just after a Tulku had died, and students spoke about “ringsels” (small whitish pills) lying around as being a spiritual sign of the Tulku’s purity. My first thought was that someone had dropped their “tic-tac” mints, but this belief worked for them. I just have to lay it on the table of potentials for a future understanding.
It is still right to ask, “Is it possible? Do we know of anyone who is enlightened, and could we recognise them if they were?”
Our understanding is individual, and will depend to an extent on our culture. In our modern culture, there is a tendency not to trust anything. This is a misunderstanding of the ancient teaching of the illusory nature of everything combined with people not trusting governments and the media any more. We have muddled cultures.
To start to understand the potential of enlightenment, we first have to be open minded enough to use logical reasoning – not contaminated intelligence. Merely saying, “I don’t understand!” reveals much about our attitude, and our capacity to understand.
It will depend on what we can actually prove for ourselves, what can be inferred and what can be trusted. Maybe it’s 75% provable, 20% inference and 5% trust. That 5% is to do with devotion, but first, we need to warm up a little and have a good heart. It’s what makes us human – the ability to empathise and show compassion. This is more than a philosophical debate.
Many acquaintances laugh when I use the word ‘enlightenment’, but that is because of their view. I follow the Tibetan Buddhist path, so in everyday prayers, there are lines such as “May I become enlightened for the benefit of all.” I take this to heart – it’s my ‘way’. Others have a different ‘way’.
If, through practice and understanding, we feel better, more confident, clearer and above all more able to love and be compassionate, then that is a good sign. From where I started in life, it’s remarkable! Remember that clarity of mind and heart can always be refined.
Is enlightenment still a myth?
Well, life is pretty short, so we have to make our decision, or die confused, and not knowing. We, as sentient beings, have great imaginations which have a powerful effect on us. If we want to be a footballer, we can; the same goes for anything else. How successful we are will depend on the effort we put in, together with our actual capacity, and background.
Let’s say we just want to be wise beyond normal intelligence, to know the difference between what is real and what seems to be real. Well, Buddhism explains that all phenomena in the universe is impermanent, and that all thoughts are also impermanent. And that there is a reality that is constantly clear and aware of all appearances.
I guess it comes down to ‘Enlightenment is clarity’.
It’s just a guess.
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 Dutch vriend and German Freund, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love’.)
Friendship is momentary and without expectations.
It is love without clinging or smothering,
allowing space, and room to breathe.
Friendship is totally open,
non competitive and honest.
This is rare but at the same time,
always available
…as long as we accept that it is
momentary,
without expectations,
non competitive and honest.
(Hmm, I say honest but we have to be skilful in this matter…)
We don’t have to feel lonely, but we do need to understand the psychology of others.
We, as sentient beings, are divided into six realms, or types of beings: Hells beings, Hungry Ghosts, Animals, Humans, Jealous Gods and Gods. These are psychological states; these actually expand into 48,000 types but that’s getting complicated! (search ‘Six Realms’ for more details).
We can easily find those within our realm who support our agenda, but this relationship will not be satisfying because the realm will be too heavy: there will be an element of competitiveness and we find we cannot be honest and so just go along with playing their game, which becomes our game.
People are stuck in a realm; although we all move throughout the realms during a day, there is one that will be dominant). As conscious practitioners, we are aware that we too flit from realm to realm, but our experiences are more fleeting and not so heavy.
If we want to be social human beings, we have to fit into the group. We have to accept the constant games being played with all their samsaric ups and downs. There are times when it’s wise to stay clear, and there are times when we can interact and learn, being aware of our reactions.
What appears – or doesn’t – in our life is due to karma. Karma is controlled by our level of resting in our true nature. There comes a time when we no longer need friends, but we can be a friend to everyone else in that moment, without expectation, not competitive and as honest as they will allow.
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 awareness is present, the idea of a meditator is not.
It is not that you do not exist, but that the idea of you does not exist. There is no time for words, ideas or an experiencer experiencing an experience. Of course, we lapse back into an ‘I’ being aware of the experience; that’s when the meditator reappears, doing meditation.
It takes practice to meditate. It takes effort. Non meditation is effortless…it’s easier!
This is a process of unwinding perception, loosening the grip on what we think of as reality, in order to find reality. There are two approaches in Tibetan Buddhism: we either unwind from the inside outwards, or the outside inwards. Dzogchen and Mahamudra have the same outcome, but different approaches. In Mahamudra, we slowly peel away the layers, revealing the shock of nothingness – emptiness! In Dzogchen, there is a direct introduction to emptiness – the shock of nothingness – and the layers gradually peel away by themselves.
Tibetan Buddhism may sound fancy, but it’s quite simple
Non meditation is a “piece of cake!”
Our conduct is sharing that “piece of cake!”
Addendum: the teachings don’t seem to say too much about this, but when experiencing through one of the five senses, we usually judge whether the stimulus is pleasant or unpleasant: this is ordinary perception. The perception of the senses – the first instant of the experience of light/touch/taste/sound/smell – is neutral, and has the experience of non duality. It could be that, because of our reaction to the sensualities, we become entangled in a samsaric net when, in the first instance, it is merely pure perception which we miss.
Wait a minute…! I’ve just scanned my mind and remember a teaching where a Tibetan king asked a yogi whether there was a path to enlightenment through sensuality. The yogi replied, “Yes, there is – but it goes together with non-attachment”.
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 are coming to the end of another year, and we are sowing the seeds for the next year. It’s the same when we die; at the moment of death we sow the seeds for the next incarnation…the plan, the agreement, the wish, the prayer.
In the Tibetan Book of the Dead, it is said that, at death, our awareness is nine times that of being in the body and that, through thought, we can go anywhere. Anywhere!? This is not all good news however. We are driven by our past karma, and so everything is exaggerated – all our hopes and…fears. It’s also not all bad news as we can do something about it now…hooray!
Where do the extra people come from? The universe is a vast place, so sentient beings can come from anywhere, even from the animal world. To achieve a human incarnation shows some good karma, although looking at the world today, one wonders.
Chogyam Trungpa’s book, ‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead’ is well worth reading, studying and remembering, especially if we want a good incarnation to progress on the path to enlightenment. The work starts now so that, at death, we will understand more about what we are dealing with, as it is possible to make mistakes.
In the Bardo (the gap between) there are many moments of liberation, even before death! If we miss one, there always another coming. So far we have missed them all 😉 so be prepared to recognise.
When we miss so many chances in the Bardo, it all comes down to choosing a womb. The following passages are from the Tibetan Book of the Dead:
from page 91… “In the bardo, as in life, there are many distractions, and we are constantly mistaken and led astray…I will do good. Concentrate on this thought, the womb should be entered. At this time, you should bless the womb you are entering as a palace of the gods, and supplicate the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, and yidams, especially the Lord of Great Compassion. Enter the womb with a longing of a request for transmission.
“It is possible to make a mistake in choosing the entrance to a womb like this. By seeing a good womb entrance as bad, or a bad one as good while under the influence of karma, so again, the essential point of the instruction is very important so do this: even if the womb entrance appears good, do not trust it and even if it appears bad, do not feel dislike for it. The true, profound, essential secret is to enter into the supreme state of equilibrium in which there is no good or bad, accepting or rejecting, passion or aggression.
…“If you do not know how to choose a womb entrance and cannot get rid of passion and aggression, whatever of the above experiences may arise, call on the name of the three jewels and take refuge in them. Supplicate the Lord of Great Compassion. Go on with your head held high. Give up attachment and yearning for relatives and friends; sons and daughters you have left behind cannot help you. Enter now into the blue light of the human beings or the white light of the gods. Enter the jewelled palaces and the pleasure gardens.”
Of course, there is much more to this, and we need help in order to avoid being reborn in a dung heap! Through a precious human incarnation, we can achieve enlightenment. All beings, if they are aware, have Buddha nature.
We can’t know whether the teachings of the bardo are true or not, but they do reflect our earthly life. The bardo teachings are profound and comprehensive, and can enhance our quality of life, especially when it comes to compassion. If you find teachings that make more sense to you, or you have an understanding of something superior to this, do follow that: it’s better than remaining vague.
It all comes down to remaining…remaining…r e m a i n i n g…in pure awareness, and not being distracted. When there is confidence in pure awareness, then unlimited compassion arises. But this for you to decide.
This has taken half an hour to write.
3240 people have died and 8010 have been born in that space of time.
There are 6 days and 14 hours left in 2014:
by the end of the year, 196,885 people will have died.
Time catches up with every body sooner or later.
Best to be prepared now!
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 be very off putting, and because of this, Gurus and spiritual people can get a bad press. To be honest, some Gurus/Lamas like being worshipped and having a large number of disciples…ask any good Guru/Lama!
Still, we have questionsn – spiritual questions – to which we need answers. Like any subject we wish to learn, we need to go to someone who knows, and whom we can get along with and trust. In this endeavour, we need to understand our own karma (that which drives us) and our own intelligence.
One thing to remember is that a good teacher relating to a good student will be irritating; it’s someone who will “kindly cut the crap” to help us understand, either instantaneously or at a later time.
To be honest, talking to disciples or the Guru/Lama about these feelings doesn’t help much. The Guru/Lama will merely smile, and the disciples will become standoffish and angry. You see, we are LL still full of fears and hopes, and haven’t grown up yet. Expecting others to grow up first is not the issue; it’s all about our own spiritual development, and sense of compassion.
It is we who have to take a good look at the organisation to assess whether it is beneficial, or whether the dynamics don’t suit us. That’s ok – maybe our karma there has run its course, even if it’s only been for a short while. Now it’s time to move on, or go away and practise! However, we have to be honest with ourselves; we need discipline and we need to know what we are doing. But that will depend on our karma and intelligence!
We all need help with clarity.
Meditation and prayer will do this, but there are subtle points of instruction that can always be refined, so we do need inspiration from somewhere – and that comes from an authentic lineage. It is we who have to test the teacher, to see if there is any mind to mind transmission. We also need to bear in mind that we may be to hear something several times before we understand and those synapses connect!
There are times when we get involved, and times when we can stand at the edge. Getting too close and we are bound to get hot under the collar. Stand too far away and we tend to wander off.
Buddha’s always right:
not too tight and not too loose!
The teacher will have a certain temperament (they are not all one!) and the students that teacher’s karma attracts will also have a certain temperament. We either go along with the dynamics while focusing on the teachings, or maybe we should be in another tradition that emphasises another aspect of the teaching which is missing in our understanding. I found that out; for me, it was Dzogchen! The students I was with regarded Dzogchen as the golden roof, whereas I saw it as the foundations: that’s how different we can be.
It is all down to us. We can’t keep blaming others. We do have intelligence and we do know…I found that out also 😉 !
The Dalai Lama, speaking of the importance of the guru, said: “Rely on the teachings to evaluate a guru: Do not have blind faith, but also no blind criticism … The operative word is lama which means ‘guru’. A guru is someone who is not necessarily a Buddha, but is heavy with knowledge.”
It is only when we get to the Vajrayana level that the disciple shows great appreciation and devotion to the yidam, the guru and teachings. However we do not have to go the Tantric way, if we follow Dzogchen.
There are four kinds of Guru/Lama/spiritual teacher in Tibetan Buddhism:
The individual teacher .who is the holder of the lineage
The teacher, who is the word of the buddhas (Through these first two we discover the third.) The absolute teacher, which is rigpa, the true nature of mind
The symbolic teacher of all appearances
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 and beyond limits of this and that.
Conventionally, we say, “Oh, I changed my mind.” But we are just changing our thoughts.
In Sanskrit and Tibetan, mind is seen as “space-like”, having the nature of clarity and luminosity, and being beyond limits. This is called the three Kayas, which, together, are named Svabhavikakaya. This is you – pure mind.
Khenpo Pema Vajra says:
“The svabhavikakaya is defined as the aspect of enlightened form that is distinguished by two-fold purity: the natural purity of basic space of reality and the purification of all temporary stains. It is the ultimate Buddha kaya. Its wisdom aspect is called the wisdom dharmakaya. Its appearance, as a form kaya complete with fivefold certainty in the perception of pure beings, is the sambhogakaya. Its appearance, as a form kaya to impure beings, is the nirmanakaya.”
This all comes down to the supreme finding of looking into the mind, and finding nothing
It’s interesting how the meaning of ‘mind’ has been demoted in modern language, obscuring understanding our true nature. I once met a self important man who thought that he was the sum of all his ideas and knowledge; he was a proud, unhappy man who never giggled…
Upgrade mind today.
Don’t entertain anything less.
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 little value in relation to genuine experience. Of course, we need a little theory to be able to identify the truth, and that which is not quite the truth. We need to investigate and see if this ‘truth’ is in fact true. There are no short cuts. There is a difference between knowing about something and . . . !
Just yesterday, I was searching for an expression, and the words, “Ah! It’s pure awareness!” popped in to mind. Then I realised that I’m always saying the words, “It’s pure awareness”! It is…pure…awareness! The words “pure awareness” fit the experience perfectly.
Pure is emptiness = absolute truth
and
Awareness is knowingness = relative truth.
Together they are the unity of the two truths;
the Middle Way.
(every time I see this, I go “Wow!” but it may not mean the same to others).
Back to the problem of the words, “It is emptiness”. We need to see the truth of this for ourselves; we need to take ‘self’ and ‘phenomena’ apart and see what’s left. If a thing can be taken apart, then it has no inherent reality, as it is reliant on other parts for its existence. We need to investigate this ourselves in order to truly understand its significance. Unfortunately, the more we use words, the less we may value them so we’re not so much looking for the experience of the words but finding the words to describe the experience, without overlaying it with conceptualisations.
The problem (a very subtle problem) is being left with a final observer still holding on to a duality – me and it – which also has to be released. That is done in the stillness of meditation. There is no knower and nothing known; just a knowingness (pure awareness). In non duality, an eye cannot see itself; it just sees, empty of any contaminations, impurities, poisons, pollutants or defilements.
If we are really not convinced, then we have to study Madyamika… “Oy! That’ll do yer ‘ead in!” Madyamika takes everything apart precisely, to the extent that there is no book, no words, no teaching and no one reading 🙂 🙂 🙂 …you’ll end up wondering whether you even walked into the room!
The real problem is that we still think we are human beings!
All we can do is “Share and Enjoy”.
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 that non-aggression is compassion in conduct
…self identity melts.
We don’t have to be scholars to recognise our true nature…pure awareness.
We don’t have to be scholars not to react to programming…self control.
Enlightenment is not a matter of being a better personality.
It’s a matter of seeing, recognising, liberating…realising.
It makes sense.
How do we know?
We only have to look.
And anyone can look.
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’. It’s what we have to face, day in and day out; our karmic reactions.
“It’s our/their way”
is the same as saying
“It’s our/their path”.
The path is our/their confusion.
We just have to be compassionate to this confusion, neither accepting nor rejecting it. Compassion comes about when we see clearly…p u r e a w a r e n e s s! No one wants to remain unhappy, stuck in their (temporary) confusion, and grasping to a mistaken view of self and everything.
It’s not sane and it’s not grown up…it’s child’s play!
We don’t over-react; we listen, and do not ignore,
allowing the temporary tantrum
to wear itself out.
If we react, or counterattack,
this merely causes the grip to tighten for ourselves and others, and destroys any future communication.
How do we deal with it?
See it as child’s play.
How we see criticism – positive or negative – will always depend on the quality of our perception.
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 the opposite of desire, and is called “The Wisdom of Discrimination”: a quality of one of the five Buddha families.
During retreats, my teacher is fanatical about the shrine. His home is spotless. His tea has to be just right. He has special plates and cups. To him, it’s critical that we understand the teaching; he will suddenly stop, scrutinise the group and change his approach if he feels his words are not going in. Tenga Rinpoche, after leading a very long prayer with monks, handed out notes to them with corrections to wrong pronunciations.
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 make a person sound righteous.
Many spiritual discussions are confused: conventional responses are given to absolute questions, and absolute responses to a conventional questions. Everything is held to be real (eternalism) or nothing is held to be real (nihilism), which shows a lack of understanding of the two truths. Spirituality has turned into a philosophy, which turns into an argument – which can destroy a relationship for life.
To criticise, or judge, is correct on a relative level; discernment, discrimination and evaluation are tools for dissolving the path of confusion. Of course, voicing our view has to be done skilfully, or nor at all, as we all have filters of perception. I’ll have to admit I’m no expert in this 🙂 !
Criticism, without skill and intelligence, can be non-productive and can turn into anger and aggression – which is pointless. However, being realistic, we have to suck-it-and-see, and then learn that perhaps it wasn’t skilful to say a certain thing to a certain person… We only learn through experience, and not theory: to believe that no one should criticise puts a block on communication and freezes us in our own little worlds – whereas in actuality, we all have to toughen up!
Being honest is still a relative condition.
From an absolute level, criticism is pointless, so we could say it’s wrong, as anything and everything is allowed to come to pass, and the absolute remains untouched.
Criticism should not be harmful,
but there are times
when we have to cut through the crap!
And therein lies a minefield where we have to tread carefully…
Saying something creates a problem. Saying nothing also creates a problem. Our criticism can only be seen in the light of the four compassionate, enlightened activities of pacifying, magnetising, enriching and destroying. The difficulty is that we don’t have sufficient skill, intelligence and compassion to truly communicate.
Ultimately,
silence is golden
when silence is compassionate emptiness.
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 has two aspects:
an essential nature of clarity
…knowing…
…pure awareness…
…a vessel of no circumference…
and
its contents (thought)
of which awareness is aware,
creating a vessel of fixed circumference.
Mind essence, resting in its own nature, is absolute reality – non duality.
Its contents (thought) are conventional reality – a duality.
When pure awareness forgets its own pure awareness,
it becomes ordinary awareness
and only perceives that of which it is aware; thoughts.
Thus ignorance-duality-conventional-reality is born.
Mind essence is perfect clarity and indisputable.
The contents (thought) of mind are impermanent and disputable.
The conundrum. Our problem is a mind battling in conflict with itself.
When mind essence and thought are recognised as inseparable
– one reflecting the other –
we have the beginnings of enlightenment.
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 six realms.
In the practice, there is a sentence; “May I be like Chenrizi in all my existences.” On hearing this, we may get the idea – as I did – “I’ll do it when I can. May I be like Chenrezi in all my future existences. I don’t need to bother too much now”. Actually, we can do this now. Doing it now means actually taking on all responsibility. This where real change happens, and where knowledge turns into wisdom. Information into reality.
The mantra OM MANI PEME HUM represents the six perfections (also called the six paramitas). When we read about these, we will get a vague understanding. It might even sound boring…“Yeah, yeah, heard it all before…be nice, do good.” However, within these six perfections is the complete method to clear the path to enlightenment.
This mantra OM MANI PEME HUM reminds us of the six perfections of generosity, discipline, patience, perseverance, meditation and transcendental knowledge.
From Wikipedia (edited): “The mantra Om Mani Peme Hum is easy to say yet powerful, because it contains the essence of the entire teaching.
Om it is blessed to help us achieve perfection in the practice of generosity. Ma helps perfect the practice of pure ethics. Ni helps achieve perfection in the practice of tolerance and patience. Pe helps to achieve perfection of perseverance. Me helps achieve perfection in the practice of concentration. Hum helps achieve perfection in the practice of wisdom.
“So in this way recitation of the mantra helps achieve perfection in the six practices from generosity to wisdom. The path of these six perfections is the path walked by all the Buddhas of the three times. What could then be more meaningful than to say the mantra and accomplish the six perfections?”
The essence of this mantra is the inseparability of emptiness and compassion – the Jewel in the Lotus. However, when considered within Dzogchen, our understanding of the six perfections becomes upgraded. Quite often, we hear about the different vehicles/ Yanas/levels and we may wonder what is meant by these. The following is a deeper level of the six perfections.
The six deeper paramitas – this how it works.
The six perfections are generosity, discipline, patience, perseverance, meditation and transcendent knowledge. When transcendent knowledge turns into wisdom (the understanding of emptiness), the six perfections are seen in a different light. In the Tibetan Nyingma tradition, wisdom is the unity of emptiness and awareness, known as Rigpa; this leads to an understanding of the three Kayas of Dharmakaya/emptiness, Sambhogakaya/awareness and Nirmanakaya/unlimited compassion.
Rigpa Generosity. Here, generosity has no attachment, and therefore, no clinging. Non-attachment is the practice of generosity. Rigpa generosity is not the generosity of ‘giving’ which is a conceptual generation of merit. When included within Rigpa, it belongs to wisdom; it is transcendent generosity. So, we are practising generosity at a relative level, and an absolute level at the same time, as they are inseparable. The essence of generosity is non-clinging.
Rigpa Discipline. In Rigpa, there is no attachment and so there is no holding on to commitment; there is just natural discipline. In ‘keeping’ discipline, we may become conceited and attached; there is a side effect of conceit because we are so pure…and this can give rise to a social I (an outer, righteous manifestation). The essence of discipline in non attachment.
Rigpa Patience. Within rigpa, there is no fear, and that absence of fear denotes the paramita of patience. The essence of patience is fearlessness.
Rigpa Perseverance. In Rigpa there is no effort, and so there is therefore no perseverance. When we are distracted, we make effort. The essence of perseverance is effortlessness.
Rigpa Meditation. This is non distraction. The essence of meditation is effortless continuity.
Rigpa Transcendent Knowledge. This is Rigpa wisdom itself – pure awareness. This is wisdom resting in the ground in its innateness. The essence of Rigpsa is clear view.
Within Rigpa, conduct is meditation in action; the six paramitas. Our mind does not leave the clear view. Conduct is the six paramitas automatically expressed, without effort; we are naturally generous etc. There are the paramitas that are practised with effort, and there are those that come automatically, without effort – like a healing arising from within. If we are doing something wrong, when Rigpa is remembered, it will have an effect on our outer behaviour.
“May I be like Chenrizi in all my existences.” This is how we do it – effortlessly.
It is interesting to note that compassion has four aspects – four enlightened activities of pacifying, magnetising, enriching and destroying. Chenrezi is seen as a peaceful deity, but he also has a wrathful aspect called Mahakala; this wrathful aspect is intense love.
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 quite sure what the reality is. If this is an internal matter, then we can see for ourself!
Forget all those old paintings of angels up there in the sky*; these are allegorical and symbolic, and not to be taken literally. Symbolic of what? Of an inner messenger between the divine and the temporal (mundane, earthly). Absolute and relative.
In Buddhist terms, angels are synonymous with clarity. “Angels in the sky” are called “Dakinis” or “Sky Dancers”. They dwell in space/emptiness. Our clarity is dakinis/angels. This allows divine energy to manifest, and also serves as a reminder. The messenger is our own clarity; a link of recognition between the absolute and the relative.
Someone, at some time, confused the message about the messenger!
We are all vehicles of clarity, depending on our receptivity and capacity. Our true nature is divine, pure, empty of contamination. It’s just a bit murky at the moment.
Angels with wings, depicted in paintings, are merely a representation of divine energy. It could depicted just as well be as an old person in rags. In all walks of life, there are moments of genuine kindness; you don’t have to be religious to be kind. It’s about our conscience being touched, and is not sentimentality. Our clarity is merely dwelling in unlimited space. Well, we can all do that – it’s what meditation is all about.
When our channels are open, we can become angels, benefitting others with unconditional acts of kindness. We can also get inspiration from other angels; a sort of blessing to pass on. Do we really think it’s all our own work?
The following are from Wikipedia:
Angel An angel is a supernatural being or spirit: benevolent celestial beings who act as intermediaries between Heaven and Earth, or guardian spirits or a guiding influence. Other roles of angels include protecting and guiding human beings, and carrying out God’s tasks. The term “angel” has also been expanded to include various notions of spirits found in many other religious traditions.
Dakini (in Tibetan Buddhism) Dakinis occur most notably in Vajrayana Buddhism There, the dakini, generally of volatile or wrathful temperament, acts somewhat as spiritual muse (or inspirational thoughtforms) for spiritual practice. Dakinis are energetic beings in female form, evocative of the movement of energy in space. In this context, the sky or space, indicates shunyata, the insubstantiality of all phenomena, which is, at the same time, the pure potentiality for all possible manifestations.
Messengers (in Greek and Roman philosophy) Mercury, like Hermes, is a messenger of transitions and boundaries; he moves freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine, as emissary and messenger of the gods. An intercessor between mortals and the divine.
Of course if there are angels,
there must be devils,
who also pass on their blessings.
We can be one of those as well!
Nothing is out there.
It’s all in the mind.
Mind to mind transmissions.
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 else’s mental concepts 🙂 And three – to be free from the programming of the Establishment’s mental concepts. If we can meditate at least twice a day and then, during the day, recall the qualities of that meditation, we will cope better with life – doing what needs to be done, and letting go. Being aware, but not being ensnared.
While we go about our daily lives trying to do our best, we cannot ignore that there is a “system” perpetually engaged in ‘its’ own maintenance. Our existence on earth may last for 70 years, more or less. The Establishment is here forever (so they think). We are meant to find this subject mundane and boring, so we don’t bother investigating, stupidly thinking that the Establishment is working on our behalf. It’s not…it’s working on its behalf! This affects the whole world, and involves both our home and work environments. It is all hidden in plain sight.
Protecting the establishment. The circle within a circle.
Even though we, as spiritual practitioners, are mainly concerned with spiritual development – usually our own 😉 – there are those who, although not interested in their spiritual development, are suffering. They are unaware of the causes of their suffering, and unaware of the three forces that create their lives.
We could just say, “Well it’s their karma”, and leave them to it. That isn’t very compassionate now, is it?
“Who guards the Guardians?” The Guards are there to protect the Guardians, not the public. The Guardians are self-serving. The public are the “outsiders”. That’s how it’s all kept secret! However, even though this is secret (Chatham House Rules) we can be aware of their effects, and not become unconscious supporters. The outer circle doesn’t know what the inner circle is actually doing. They (the inner circle) are constantly involved in control and, in order to control everything, the inner circle needs to control minds. The best way to do this is through deception. We need to take a close look at our own activities. Are we protecting the system?
A little history, from Wikipedia: The Establishment is a term generally used to refer to a dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation or organisation.
The term suggests a closed social group which selects its own members (as opposed to selection by merit or election). The term can be used to describe specific entrenched elite structures, either in government or in specific institutions.
The American Sociological Association states that the term is often used by those protesting a small group that dominates a larger organization. For example, in 1968 a group of academics set up the “Sociology Liberation Movement” to repudiate the leadership of the American Sociological Association, which they referred to as the “Establishment in American sociology”.
In fact, any relatively small class or group of people having control can be referred to as The Establishment; and conversely, in the jargon of sociology, anyone who does not belong to The Establishment may be labelled an “outsider”.
The term is most often used in the United Kingdom, in which context it includes leading politicians, senior civil servants, senior barristers and judges, aristocrats, senior clergy in the established Church of England, the most important financiers and industrialists, governors of the BBC, and the Monarchy. For example, candidates for political office are often said to have to impress the “party establishment” in order to win endorsement. The term in this sense is sometimes mistakenly believed to have coined by the British journalist Henry Fairlie, who in September 1955 in the London magazine The Spectator defined that network of prominent, well-connected people as “the Establishment”, explaining:
“By the Establishment, I do not only mean the centres of official power—though they are certainly part of it—but rather the whole matrix of official and social relations within which power is exercised. The exercise of power in Britain (more specifically, in England) cannot be understood unless it is recognized that it is exercised socially.”
However, author and professor, Carroll Quigley of Georgetown University, in his book The Anglo-American Establishment used the term much more specifically than did Fairlie.
Quigley exposes the secret society’s (sic) established in London in 1891, by Cecil Rhodes. Quigley explains how these men worked in union to begin their society to control the world. He explains how all the wars from that time were deliberately created to control the economies of all the nations.
That society was established by Cecil Rhodes in 1891 and, following Rhodes’ death in 1902, was carried on by Alfred Milner, which society, Quigley refers to as the Milner Group, but sometimes referred to as the Round Table movement. That group, with significant American input, would, following the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, establish and control the Royal Institute for International Affairs, later to become known as Chatham House.
The Chatham House Rule.
Since its refinement in 2002, the rule states: When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.
Purpose. At a meeting held under the Chatham House Rule, anyone who comes to the meeting is free to use information from the discussion, but is not allowed ever to reveal the identity, employer or political party of the person making a comment. It is designed to increase openness of discussion of public policy and current affairs, as it allows people to express and discuss controversial opinions and arguments without suffering the risk of dismissal from their job, and with a clear separation from the opinion and the view of their employer.
The rule allows people to speak as individuals and to express views that may not be those of their organisations, and therefore, encourages free discussion. Speakers are free to voice their own opinions, without concern for their personal reputation or their official duties and affiliations. The Chatham House Rule resolves a boundary problem faced by many communities of practice, in that it permits acknowledgement of the community or conversation, while protecting the freedom of interaction that is necessary for the community to carry out its conversations. It is designed to reduce the risk of what has come to be described as groupthink, where unpopular views are excluded from discussion, reducing the range of opinions an organisation can discuss.
The aim of the rule is to guarantee anonymity to those speaking within its walls so that better international relations may be achieved. The rule is now used internationally as an aid to free discussion. The original rule of 1927 was refined in October 1992 and again in 2002. Chatham House has translated the rule into Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian.
The rule is a contrast (or a compromise) between private meetings, where revealing what was said in the meeting is forbidden, and on the record events where the discussion is completely public.
Generally, the Chatham House Rule is imposed as a condition of being allowed to attend a meeting or event: all participants are understood to have agreed that it would be conducive to free discussion that they should be subject to the rule for the relevant part of the meeting. The success of the rule may depend upon it being considered morally binding, particularly in circumstances where a failure to comply with the rule may not result in sanction.
NB. All forms of media are meant to distract us, allowing us to play games on the merry-go-round happily, oblivious to what is actually going on. If we can be kept excited about the mundane, we will not realise that we are being programmed at every moment. While we are jumping up and down and reacting, the Establishment can do what it wants, thus maintaining the inner circle by using the outer circle. Gobbledegook is meant to be “TAXING!”
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 adjustments are needed. Even though Buddhism is completely comprehensive, it may not be easy to comprehend the incomprehensible 😉 Only through proper instructions and logical reasoning of why and how, and then the putting of those into practice in order to experience, will understanding and realisations take place.
At the moment, we swim or sink, and there is very little back up. If we don’t ‘get it’, then it’s our problem – and there is little compassion shown to such students. People are still busy “acquiring”; they’re still too keen to be given a Tibetan name (I’ve got two!). When asking about problems we were having with meditation, my wife and I have both been told, separately, “You don’t have to meditate. No one’s forcing you; it’s up to you.” Not a helpful response.
The problem is elitism. I heard of an English man who lived nearby, and who was studying in the same tradition and practising the same deity practice as me. I thought, “Wow! It’ll be great to meet up!” At the end of a short phone conversation, he said, “I am addressed as ‘Dorje’” (a Tibetan honorific name): I just said, “Thanks, Greg,” – and we never spoke again…pity.
Buddhism has much to offer this modern, subversively manipulated world. Just yesterday, the front page of the TIMES newspaper ran two articles: “Governments admit to torture and paid $81m to psychologists to devise methods” and “Nearly half the British population are on prescribed drugs”. This is in the year 2014, and logic would wonder why the world was not at peace and why everything is not running smoothly.
The answer is, running smoothly does not make money! How did so much suffering come about? Answer: Greed. The reason why world is in austerity and recession is bankers’ greed; they were allowed – and are still allowed – to make insane profits at the expense of ordinary people. The manipulation comes about through a change in the use of language, and if think we’re free of this manipulation, look up Edward Bernays.
This is what Buddhism needs to be aware of: the suffering of our brothers and sisters, and not what Tibetan name to call your meditation cushion!
I ‘get the teachings’. I don’t ‘get’ the expensive, cultural bells and whistles.
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 profundity, and it’s worthwhile taking time to analyse. I sometimes feel that retreats have too much teaching; too many words and too much talking, when it’s sufficient to study one sentence, and reflect upon it in order to get to the root of our problem.
To act with virtue, we need a sympathetic understanding of cause and effect. The result of cause and effect is a build up of conditions for the future. The future is now! Because of this karma (or karmic reaction) in the past, conditions are created that appear now: this is sometimes termed ‘karmic debt’ coming to fruition, coming in the form of physical and mental productions. Whatever occurs or appears, we have a habitual karmic reaction, and so the status quo is maintained…we go round in circles, creating more of the same!
We should not underestimate how difficult it is to break out of this insane asylum.
A sympathetic understanding is compassionate understanding for whatever arises, both in the physical and in the mind. It is in our reactions that the potential lies. To react to the reactions merely creates more reactions = karma. So, “Do no harm”, thereby “Taming the mind.” We also have to remember that is it not only our mind for which we need a sympathetic understanding; it’s the minds of others as well. It is only through this sympathetic understanding that compassion can truly arise.
The cause of causes and effects is the emotions of desire and aversion; that which we want and do not want. These two go on to create the chain reaction of pride, jealousy and fear, which well and truly imprison us into the dungeon of cyclic existence – the asylum.
Where do desire and aversion come from? They come from ignoring our true nature; ignorance of our true nature is the root cause of emotions, which then go on to create karma. When we rest in our true nature – pure awareness, empty awareness – desire, aversion and ignorance do not arise. And so, when resting in our true nature, we automatically do no harm, do good and tame the mind… producing no karma!
Our greatest problem is our reactions, which are karmically produced. Unfortunately, our reactions seem to be part of us, and that is our curse.
How we deal with all this is down to the capacity of the individual, and how important we feel this is. Acting with virtue smooths the path to pathlessness.
There is one more aspect of which we need to be cognisant: there are actions that are neither good nor bad, but neutral. They are neither harmful nor beneficial, and it’s up to every individual to discern whether these are a delaying tactic, or emptiness itself.
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, or ecstasy? It’s a feeling of totally giving up and letting go. The effect can be anything from deep relaxation to goosebumps, tingles and tears* but these are not obligatory – we’re all different.
How does bliss come about? It’s simply awareness of nothing doing. Emptiness, which is pure empty space, is like another dimension to our conventional reality which we are unfamiliar with but which is naturally present, constantly, all by itself. The whole point of practice is to become familiar with this natural state.
However, we may find that this bliss is enjoyable, and we want it to last. This subtle wanting creates an earnestness, a tension; we are starting to try too hard to maintain it. Effort is being applied which obscures the effortlessness of bliss, and we feel tired. This is subtle clinging. It could be that we now want relief from our endeavours, and so stop the practice. We want to veg-out!
Instead of giving up, merely veg out a little and relax…and there it is again – bliss. No pills needed!
Tulku Urgyen stated, “Short moments, many times” to stop both clinging and drifting, and which emphasises the Buddha’s words, “Not too tight and not too loose”. Barely rest in meditation. The moment we stop meditating, there is meditation.
“Vegi-Bliss:The meditators’ friend at every moment!”
*One could say it’s like the moment before ejaculation – subtle energy, which is then wasted.
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 your dharma practice becomes the real dharma.
You must make sure your dharma becomes the real path.
You must make sure your path can clarify confusion.
You must make sure your confusion dawns as wisdom.
“When you have understanding free from accepting or rejecting, after knowing how to condense all the teachings into a single vehicle, then your dharma practice becomes the real dharma.
“When, in any practice you do, you possess refuge and bodhichitta, and have unified the stages of development and completion*, and means and knowledge, then your dharma becomes the real path.
“When you combine the path with the view, meditation, action and fruition, then your path clarifies confusion.
“When you exert yourself in practice, having fully resolved the view and meditation, then your confusion dawns as wisdom.
“No matter what practice you do, failing to unify development and completion, view and conduct, and means and knowledge will be like trying to walk on one leg.”
The following is from “Dzogchen Essentials”:
“Dzogchen is the pinnacle of Vajrayana, yet this pinnacle is poised upon the foundation of Hinayana and Mahayana, and includes all the precepts from the lower vehicles, even within a single practice. To quote Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, “In Mahamudra and Dzogchen, the training is not to stray from the empty awareness that is the awakened state of the Buddhas. This empty, aware state of all Buddhas, the awakened state, is also compassionate…by not straying from the empty and aware awakened state, one automatically never breaks the precepts of the lower vehicles.
“At the same time, Dzogchen is not for the ambivalent. The path itself is like a very restricted package tour; we cannot make our own itinerary, even though we might be tempted to fall back into old habits of picking and choosing.
“As Tsoknyi Rinpoche states, “It does not make sense to grab at the highest teachings and reject the rest. It is pointless to invent some personal idea of Dzogchen to train in. If you do, then Dzogchen becomes something fabricated, something you have made up. Calling your own theories ‘Dzogchen’ is a foolish pretence that has nothing to do with the genuine and authentic teachings.”
*Development and Completion: We create a visualisation (a representation of a quality) and then, realising its emptiness, melt into emptiness, reminding us that all projections are emptiness. This apparent and empty form of the deity is a rainbow fabrication of emptiness in which we dissolve. Dissolve into bliss.
Development stage: the yoga of imagined deity.
Completion stage: the yoga of the deity of actuality.
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 to go to a Dharma centre where there is an authentic teacher. Books and blogs cannot tell us everything, although the purpose of this blog is to prepare people for Dharma centres.
A Dharma centre is a community of likeminded people, where we can make new friends, and it can even become an extended family. And therein lies the problem; family member can be irritating! Dharma centres can become quite intense, as we are taking a close look at all our dirty washing, coupled with teachings that the dirty washing doesn’t really exist!
From my experience, the problem lies in the tension between the inner circle around the teacher – the lama – and the outer circle of students. The inner circle comprises of people close to the teacher who become the organisers: they are also the go-betweens for the teacher and the outer circle, and thus, a certain dynamic is set up. The sane are the ones who just turn up, listen to the teachings and leave. The rest become involved in the politics of dharma-samsara 😉
Personally, I blame the teachers, because there is a spiritual/political set up, and as we know, politicians never want to hear genuine feedback, or admit that they were wrong. The whole point of the Dharma is to deal with our day-to-day emotions, and strangely enough, in Dharma centres these are often heightened; this needs to be acknowledged and explained, but teachers are usually so busy explaining their subject that they ignore what’s going on. There’s a possible reason for this. If we take Tibetan Buddhism, it’s very colourful – and therefore, expensive – and lamas have many projects requiring financial support, and so money is always needed. As a result, it takes delicate handling to avoid upsetting or alienating the people who are close to you, and working for you: the outer group has to sink or swim. Dharma centres are a bit like fire; move too close and you’ll get burnt, but stay too far away and you’ll not receive any warmth.
There is another solution however, and that is to become our own Dharma centre, wherever we are. Once we understand the essentials of the Buddha’s teachings – recognising awareness, and that awareness recognising the purity of awareness empty of contamination – then we are free. Until then, we have to cling to centres for support. Or we may wish to support a centre for others to be able to learn about the Dharma, remaining cognisant that it is all too easy to become elitist and arrogant. That’s the way all groups have to function. It’s something we have to decide for ourselves, while being aware of our own neediness. When we have inner confidence and therefore no resentment, we can be compassionate.
The object is liberation: once we feel free and happy, job done! We’re not obliged to keep on going back. Once we understand the Buddha’s teaching, then everywhere is a Dharma centre.
It’s important to remember that Dharma centres are peopled by people. Nothing special: just people. People who can become irritating. I know this for a fact – I am the most irritating person I know, and I have been kicked out of a few centres, basically because I can’t play games. The astonishing thing to me was, having left the centres, there was no communication and no concern for my wellbeing from people I had previously considered to be friends. That says everything – and strangely enough it actually helped as I began to look for the source of the Buddha’s teachings.
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 to say otherwise”. We begin to doubt our own sanity, as the whole point of spirituality is liberation from ‘self indulgence’, while realising unconditional happiness!
It’s a question of manifestation. We may all have the same inner wisdom-qualities, but these manifest differently – we are not all the same. We’re are not all one…but I’m sure you’ll disagree! 😉
When we encounter this facade, we find ourselves either accepting (joining in) or rejecting (walking away) when we should be using the very teachings to solve the problem. I say ‘facade’ because a smily face disguises nothing; underneath, there is still work to be done. Underneath that is the reality. The teaching is neither accepting nor rejecting (like or dislike), but merely perceiving perceptions, and dropping any clinging that causes discomfort. This teaching is known as “One Taste”. We may still experience a feeling of being p***ed off, but this is no different from happy clappy; one taste is beyond reactions.
Don’t let others ‘spirituality’ put you off.
We have to be sound in our own mind.
Recognising that we have made fools of ourselves
– all by ourselves –
is a very good start.
Becoming a Dharma students, doesn’t necessarily mean we have started being students of the Dharma. Read Chögyam Trungpa’s book, “Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism”; he leaves us nowhere to hide. He’s a tough managing director – “OMG, he’s having a go at us again!” – but he gets the job done! We can be grateful for being introduced to the real Dharma, dealing with the moment in the moment, without the need for a smiley facade.
If I’m being honest, much of this is to do with the people with whom teachers surround themselves: there could be an assumption by the teacher that we are all like that group, which we’re not. But here we are in the realm of spiritual politics!
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 or understand the notion of rebirth, then maybe our bucket list was set even before we were born. Desires and interests are part and parcel of our karma, and so the bucket list we are holding onto now was created by our past, and our present, unfulfilled desires are setting the stage for our next incarnation. We are the designers of all our lives. Our existence is one great, never-ending bucket list, each life finalising with thefive regrets of the dying…again!
Life is too short to achieve all our wishes, and firstly we have to sort out what is of true value – truly satisfying. One of the main problems in the human realm is desire itself, because not getting what we want or trying to maintain what we have is frustrating, and therefore we become addicted to our desires. It’s exhausting! Most of our life is driven by the material corporate world – and the rest of the time, we’re asleep.
“…Here is your radio and TV guide for today. Today you will identify with either program 1. 2. 3. or 4. Here is your censored ‘news’. Now take these pills…I mean, check your phone as many times as you can in a day and you will forget your troubles. Don’t forget to leave your phone under your pillow…just in case!”…
It doesn’t have to be like this; we do have a choice, and we can break out of this continuous programming and free ourselves from all this nonsense. We can be realise our full potential and know our true nature – our first nature, rather than the second nature we have acquired – or which has been given to us. I am not this given name of ‘Tony’.
When it come to reaching our full potential (Buddhahood) however, life seems a little short, so we have to be satisfied with every step we take in the right direction. If we haven’t reached our full potential in this lifetime, then that very longing or desire will carry us through to the next incarnation. Interesting, isn’t it? We set the stage. It’s just a matter of stabilising pure awareness, recognising that all appearances are merely projection in the mind….that’s all!
If we do want a wish list, then wish that our life has been fruitful, and hold the same wish for others.
The four mind changes Preciousness of human body
Impermanence and mortality
Consequences of actions – karma
The negative characteristics of social existence – samsara
It is not beyond our understanding to see how precious life is, and that everything is impermanent. It is not beyond our intelligence to realise that there are consequences to our actions, and that the search for lasting happiness in a material world will never be satisfying.
Reflecting on these four mind changes is the mechanism to changing our limited view, with its constant ups and downs. When we start to understand how our fixated ideas are limiting our experience, we may begin to wonder who we are and what on earth are we doing here. We may have considered these questions when we were younger, but we learned to conform and fit into a social lifestyle: we may secretly resent this. The problem lies in our sense of value.
When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.
Life is a choice. It is our life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly.
Choose unconditional happiness;
a happiness that does not rely on conditions.
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. 