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.

Difficulty in Expressing Ourself

This is a double-edged problem: the self that is the identity with the stuff-in-the-mind, and the nature of mind itself. Which ‘self’ are we talking about? Usually we express ourselves through programmed, cultural responses – the stuff-in-our-minds. But it’s different when expressing from the nature of the mind itself.

Intuitively we may know, but cannot express. Actually, the nature of mind – essence – cannot be expressed, but it can shine light onto the stuff in the mind and therefore discern what is and is not beneficial. The light of essence neither accepts nor rejects; it is purely aware.

So what are we wanting to express? Well, the light of essence is clarity. It is clarity that essence brings to the stuff-in-the-mind.

When we are on our own and we need to do things, we see what is needs to be done and do it….or put it off! Most of the time we’re busy – too busy. Or we’re vacant – too vacant. But there are times when we can stand back and take a fresh look, without comment. That ‘standing back’, pausing into emptiness, allows essence – clarity – to express itself because it has just broken out of the programming. The ‘robot’ wakes up!

That IS expressing yourself!

When we are in company, others’ needs come to the fore: this waking-up-clarity shines on another’s problem, not by being clever, but by not reacting to the stuff-in-the-mind. We are connecting to the nature of mind itself. A meeting of minds.

Learning lots of words and phrases and repeating them is merely ‘robot’ talk, even if it’s dharma talk. We express ourselves by allowing space to be, for self and other. This space allows inspiration to occur. This space allows a meeting of essence of minds, not a meeting of stuff-in-the-minds.

This inspiration is blessing. When space occurs, one is open and (here I’m going to sound weird) receptive. I shall say no more 😉

Sometimes we just feel – different.
Everything is an expression of emptiness.
Everything is connected by cause and effect.
Everything has no permanent existence.

Everything having no permanent reality
is an expression of emptiness – reality.

We truly express ourselves in silence
I shall say no more 😉

…but I can’t keep this to myself…absolute expression is love.

Empathetic Compassion

Try not to correct the person.
Clarify the point,
allowing recognition to take place
in its own good time.

There is absolutely no point in arguing.
People have to see for themselves.

At the art academy, teachers came round twice a day to give us a ‘crit’. They looked at the drawing or painting and said, “This is too long” or “This is too short” or “That is warmer” or “That is cooler”. They never said, “You are wrong.” This is something we can appreciate. Teachers went through this same clarification from their teachers: a lineage clears the luggage! Empathetic compassion would certainly make this a better world: it would make us all responsible.

We all have to learn to be teachers.

Respecting Our Lineage

If we have a karmic connection with the Dharma or any spiritual tradition, meaning that we have an attraction to understanding relative truth and absolute truth (ultimate reality), then we have engaged in this process before!!!

This means you have your own lineage: our previous lives are your own ancestors. These ancestors would have had associations with other like-minded people, so that group may also have had a lineage.

We know that traditions are a lineage, and that lamas have lineages…and so have you.

Be true to your ancestors!
You never know who you were.

 Spiritual Centres

Spiritual centres are support groups where teachings can take place. They are good places and good company, with like-minded people. More or less.

However…

They are full of beings from the six neurotic realms from Hell being to Gods, out to project onto you, just like everywhere else, and you may feel that you don’t belong there.

However…

You’re one of these too. Spiritual centres are intense catalysts for change: very annoying. The best part of a retreat is going for tea outside when it’s finished!

However…

The commentary on a text by the teacher is invaluable: the next six months will be spent studying your notes. The purpose of teaching is putting it into practice, and connecting with that which already knows. Practice allows information to become knowledge through experience; knowledge then becomes wisdom, seeing ultimate truth within relative truth. When we reach this stage, our demons are useful as there, recognition has no permanent existence. In fact, the neurotic realms become the Buddha realms. The demons come to cause trouble, but receive only compassion and so move on to bug someone else – the universe is full of emotional beings!

However…

There is a certain dynamic within centres and that is to do with the yanas (vehicles). A group will have a particular attitude, and so will the teacher. Remember, a teacher can only deal with the type of people he or she attracts. All too often, if the centre is Tibetan Buddhism for example, people try to become Tibetan…this doesn’t work. Changing cultures does not change attitudes, and creates jargon barriers.

So sometimes, it is time to move on. If you have a genuine Dzogchen temperament, it will go crazy within a Hinayana set up – and the same applies in reverse. You have every right to chose what suits, and change if necessary.

Hinayana does not like demons and so stays away from them. Dzogchen practitioners welcome demons. In old Tibet, practitioners would go to graveyards at night to face their fears, because they believed in that sort of demon. This will not work for westerners: we don’t have that sort of fear. All we need to do is go to spiritual centres – there are enough demons there, which are reflected within!

However…

Saying all this, I’ve taken a break from spiritual centres for a while….too much sugar for my taste! And I’ve learnt so much, for which I am grateful. I’ve found my spiritual centre!

However…
Nothing lasts!

🙂

This is just a reminder that my name is Tony Barrs and the email address is 

buddhainthemud@hotmail.com

If you would like to say “Hello”

🙂

Re-inventing the Dharma Wheel

The Buddha’s teaching are complete.
But how do you know?
Just by being told they are the truth
isn’t knowing the truth.

We have to deconstruct the Buddha’s teachings
and re-build them.
We have to re-invent the teachings
to recognise, understand and live them for ourselves.

Then we know!

Spirituality is not a Package

When we talk,
we say much about our self.
When we listen without comment or reaction,
our self is out of the picture.

That is emptiness.
That is love.
It’s that simple.

You don’t need
a special name,
a special attitude,
special clothing,
or to be a spiritual package.

Just be ordinary.
Pure intelligent awareness.

Follower, Seeker, Finder, Accepter, Supporter.

At death, we forget and have to re-remember at birth.

However, in each of us, there is a residue left from the past; a tendency, which may be good, bad or indifferent. Most of us ignore these tendencies, even though they may be having an effect on our lives. If a tendency is strong, it can cause a conflict within us; it could even give rise to depression, as we may feel something but cannot express it in unsympathetic company.

If we are fortunate, we find a supportive path that matches our tendencies (our decent human tendencies rather than our cruel ones), and we become a follower.

Once we have an understanding of the language of this path, we become a seeker and are a little more independent.

Through experience we become a finder; we have understood the language.

Having found – or realised – what we were looking for, we can rest and become an accepter; we allow life to play itself out. And, in our next incarnation, maybe this residue will be stronger and we will not have to waste so much time in conflict.

If our understanding is unshakeable and we are full of joyous confidence, the tendency of love will arise. We become a supporter, going back down the path to see who might need help. Then, we become a follower again, obeying others’ needs – but this time, there is a unbreakable, diamond quality to our actions.

It’s what we all want…and what we all need.

Do you follow?

😉

Give your brain a rest

Give your brain a rest
Give your heart a rest
Give your guts a rest
Give your senses a rest
Give judgement a rest
Give referencing a rest

Rest as if being scanned and nothing is registering.

No activity, but awake.
Perception is wide open but not active
The senses are wide open but not active

All clear?

A teacher is anything that causes you to realise something
that you hadn’t realised before.
That teacher is clarity.

All clear!

When clarity is present,
ignorance isn’t.

This Present Moment of Consciousness

This present moment of consciousness was created by the previous moment of consciousness. This seems reasonable enough, until we realise that this is precisely how we keep our very limited programming running. This is precisely how essence is distracted. We have consciousness; we are not consciousness itself.

The problem I had in the past with the idea of consciousness was due to the way in which the word ‘consciousness’ was being used. In the west, we use this word to mean awareness; “I was conscious of the fact”. This, to us, means the same as, “I was aware of the fact”. I have even heard the expression, “a ‘conscious’ work of art”.

In Buddhism, the word consciousness means facilities in the mind. There are eight levels of consciousness – five of the senses and three of the mind: perception, judgment and reference. It is how we perceive, or how perception takes place, and so we believe that because of this, there must be a perceiver. In fact, that so-called perceiver is still mind consciousness. Ultimately, pure perception has no perceiver as that would be a duality. In pure perception there is merely pure perception – no time for reference. The idea of a perceiver arises a moment after we come out of pure perception.

So how does knowing that this present moment of consciousness was created by the previous moment of consciousness help us? Remember that ‘us’ is pure awareness that mistakes appearances as being reality, when pure awareness is the reality itself.

In knowing how the present moment was created, we can break through this programming cycle. Just by recognising that moment, pausing and allowing space, a fresh approach will present itself.

There is a faculty in the mind which is the messenger called manas or manas-vijnana http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manas-vijnana We could call this the messenger of the mind, the same as Hermes and Mercury – messengers of the gods.

Here is a personal observation.

When I need to write or respond to someone, falling silent and allowing space – emptiness – the mind stops producing habitual reactions; their residue is still there but one leaves this alone. This allows the mind – the messenger – to scan itself for a response. If the response is not satisfactory, one just says, “Please go back and try again.” What is strange is that it scans for short term memory, but also deeper memories…I’m not sure where they come from! It seems to work. There is no effort involved – it is spontaneous. If nothing comes, then nothing comes. We all have this facility, but are too used to jumping in ‘head’ first!

This cuts through the present moment of consciousness. Then everything is brighter, fresher, inspiring. We have just walked out of prison – the prison of consciousness.

Einstein didn’t look Buddhist

😉

Was Einstein a Buddhist?
No. He was just a human who made perfect sense.

Albert Einstein:
“Insanity; to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.”

*“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”

“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”

*“Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.”

*“Of you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

*“The only source of knowledge is experience.”

*“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”

*“The world is a dangerous place in which to live, not because of people who are evil,
but because of people who don’t do anything about it.”

Is your You in the driving seat?

Your driver is your karma, taking over and driving you all over the place. Some days it’s interesting, some days it’s boring and some days it’s just routine as usual. And, who’s in the back seat?

How do we change this arrangement?

Well, actually we don’t. We merely recognise it. Karma still drive us, but it is just playing itself out…of a job! The closer we look, the more we recognise that the driver is less and less important. It’s now a mere driver, a mere I.

Our route was set up by our past actions and reactions, causes and conditions. If these do not change, then the driver keeps following the sat nav (GPS). When we recognise – meaning that we are aware – from there we can look, see, drop, rest. We remember that we are on a journey to no where…now here!

We lose a sense of direction when our driver goes through the same old routines. Sometimes, our practice feels a little jaded, and we might even want to give up. But that will only invite more suffering. It’s foolish to stop, and we also feel foolish being on the journey to nowhere.

However, being now here allows everything to drop away, and space occurs. It’s not familiar so we are not sure what we are supposed to do in this space. It may sound trite to say, “Just be happy”, but that is your natural state…get used to it! Our karma – our programmed sat nav – has to play itself out while we are not adding to it.

Must go…my driver’s waiting…. 🙂

How Small Ideas Imprison Us

It’s interesting how we can pick up a small idea, and it then colours our whole life. As a four year old, we would say, “You have to do it this way” – we don’t change much 😉 It’s a fear we pick up, that turns our life into a set of beliefs; our ‘protection blanket’.

Most people need their blanket in order to cope with life. It’s understandable, as we’re being pulled in all directions. To a certain extent, we have to conform with others, but not fall into their conformity! If we have no sense of direction, then perhaps we need the support of others’ direction for a while, but this does not entail living their lives.

We may talk about how wonderful …* is, or what a fabulous …* we went to, but rarely about how life is, in reality. This is a denial of suffering, which lacks compassion. We cover ourselves with do’s and don’ts – our banal, spiritual blanket…our prison.

Are spiritual teachers aware of how quickly westerners want to conform and please? How honest can they be?

A lama actually said to my wife, “One cannot be that honest with students.”

We have to be honest with ourselves.
Is the Dharma a two-edged sword?

Acquiring ideas will not set us free.
Honest awareness will.

* insert your own words as appropriate!

“I have no time for spirituality”

“I have no time for spirituality;
the inherent love present in all sentient beings”.
How many people make this statement?
You see, we are not all the same,
at the same time.

The world we create is self-serving:
we are here to serve others,
and in doing so, undo this self-serving world.

Each sentient being will awaken in their own good time.

So how did we start our waking journey?
We encountered someone who displayed a certain quality.

Are you that person?

Maha Ati

Yesterday was an introduction to Maha Ati – Dzogchen – resultant Mahamudra*. It is the completion stage of all practices; the fruition. It is not a practice in itself; it just is. It is effortless recognition – non meditation. Resting in emptiness.

However, it is up to us to remember to sustain this recognition. Just reading or hearing about it is not enough to gain stability. The last thing we should do is assume we know.

At death, Maha Ati is vitally important, as it is the recognition of our essential nature of pure awareness. In this stability, all appearances are seen as a projection of the mind – rainbow illusions.

To be honest, unless we are an exceptional practitioner, we have to rely on other methods as well. This is the reason Tibetans emphasise deity practice, where all images are merely a rainbow projection…and also a reminder.

Maha Ati yoga is what it’s all about, so we now know what we are looking for; it’s the end of the book. But when we get a little foggy or too agitated, we need the other methods in order to bring about normality…I mean sanity!

It is at death that genuine recognition is extremely important. That is no place for acting!

The recognition of Maha Ati is why we are here, in a human form, on earth.

It is to counter the other reason that we are here as humans on earth;
because of ignorance of Maha Ati!

As my teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche says, “We need Fearless Simplicity and Carefree Dignity” (these are the titles of two of his books).

*Mahamudra starts with shamata and gradually goes up to Maha Ati. Dzogchen starts at Maha Ati and uses the other methods to suit personal conditions.

Are You Maturing Spiritually?

We may hear teachings, but…
We may pretend that “all is well”, but…
We may give generously to people “over there”, but…
We may be “filled” with compassion, but…

How much do we care
about those with whom we interact?

We may know many things, but the brain needs time
to assimilate
to rewire itself
to put theory into practice.

Until then, we will still be caught up in the assumption
that we are progressing.

Am I a better person?
Being honest isn’t easy.
No one said it would be easy.

Putting theory into practice is challenging.
No challenge, no progress.

The Dharma does not make you happier.
Your understanding – and true generosity of compassion – does.

Release your Potential

When we forget our true nature, we become lazy. Lazy, lazy, lazy 😉

When we become lazy, the emotions creep back in to our system. Devotion turns to pride, and compassion to jealousy. Devotion becomes mechanical and routine… “Done that, feel good, what to I do now?” Compassion gets tired of listening to others… “Why doesn’t anyone listen to me?” This is easily done. Of course, this is how we get caught up in samsara…again and again! Lazy, lazy, lazy 😉

So, we are a work in progress.

But. Are we a work in progress? Or do we consider ourselves a finished product?

From a relative point of view, we feel we are the finished product – enlightened – “I know”. In spite of this, we are easily upset, feeling vulnerable because, in actuality, we are not enlightened. We forget knowing: Knowing is rigpa. Not knowing is ma-rigpa. They exist in the same space. These two seem different, but the only difference is that rigpa is the light, whereas ma-rigpa turns the light off. When the light is switched on, the darkness disappears. Rigpa dispels* ma-rigpa.

Rigpa’s magic is that it can dispel the spell of darkness.

We are, in fact, the finished product, but we just don’t know it. We are rigpa in ma-rigpa – knowingness in forgetfulness.

When we realise that we are the finished product, there is still work in progress…and that’s love!

We release our potential.
Rigpa is essence.

Releasing that
is essence love.

* “dispel”: from Latin dispellere, from dis- ‘apart’ + pellere ‘to drive’.

Why doesn’t satisfaction last?

It was a shock when I noticed that I was never satisfied. I should have felt satisfied, but didn’t.

What is it that needs to feel satisfied? The feeling of satisfaction comes from fulfilment of a desire. We spend our lives seeking satisfaction, and this becomes addiction…there is always another desire coming along! Frustrating, isn’t it? 😉

We use words such as “dissatisfaction” in order to spur us on to make progress; the energy from that dissatisfaction is the basis for our next step. We can then use this energy, which produces inspiration, but without becoming self indulgent; our personal agenda will dictate how that energy is used – for self gain or compassionate altruism. We either maintain a state of closure, or we open up.

The feeling of satisfaction is a conventional reality. We need it in order to be motivated; it is energy. It brightens the mind, and that’s all. It’s at that point that we can readjust our reactions. In that moment, what is, is. As it is. On a relative level it’s not perfect. From the ultimate point of view, it is perfect.

We can’t do better than we are doing, but having done it, we can then readjust. In a game of chess, we make a move from hundreds of possible moves, and then readjust our position in relation to the changed board. A brush stroke made by an artist will influence the next mark on the canvas. A conversation is the same: if preconceived ideas are dropped, things are always fresh.

Everything is a learning process. There is only complete satisfaction in enlightenment, so there’s no point in beating ourselves up! We have to accept where we are at this present moment, and be satisfied with that. In that acceptance lies our fastest progress.

Ultimately, there is no satisfaction or dissatisfaction,
so there is no point in looking for satisfaction.
That is a relative activity.
Sorry… 😉

In looking for satisfaction, we will always be dissatisfied.
Sorry… 😉

If we do not look for satisfaction, there will be no dissatisfaction1
Hurray!

The acceptance of dissatisfaction
means there is constant inspiration for the next moment.
Hurray!

What is, is. And then we adjust.
What isn’t, isn’t. And then we adjust.

Karma is Jamming our Perception

Karma is the result of our previous reactions,
which create our present reactions.
If we do not stop reacting,
the same reactions will reoccur in the future.
It is this that is jamming our perception.

Our reactions are stored in the mind:
to be more precise, in the 7^th and 8^th consciousnesses.
The 6^th is perception and other five are the senses.
It is in the 6th consciousness that we meditate.
The 7^th is judgement and the 8^th is our reference library.
This is the Jamming Control and Command Centre 😉

When resting in the spontaneous, present moment
all consciousness is clear.
Perception becomes pure perception,
and no karma is produced.
This is why the present moment is so important:
it is our teacher.

Being in the present moment creates space.
Once convinced of this, the jamming stops
and clarity illuminates.

Our conviction comes down to previous work.
We either see this immediately,
or need time and method to be convinced.

In vajrayana we require
intense compassion
intense intelligence
intense raw emotions…

…though these, it’s easier to recognise directly what is jamming the machinery!

Obstruction to Understanding Reality is Mara

Mara (demon activity) is anything that obstructs our understanding of reality.
Understanding this will depend on how much we value reality 🙂

There are two aspects to mara activity – outer and inner. The outer is activated by the inner; when we are selfish, we attract selfishness. There are three negative emotions that keep us bound in selfishness: desire, aversion and ignorance. Ignorance is ignorance of reality – our true nature – selflessness – non-identification – non-duality. Merely being.

Interestingly, the two energies that control us in the outer world are fear and addiction, and these two are aversion and desire! They only become active when we consent to be activated by them. The news is full of mara activity controlling our base instincts of desire, aversion and ignorance. Remember: like attracts like. Although we always have a choice in this, we are constantly seeking out that which supports our chosen belief system, and this enhances our karmic load.

Mara is anything that obstructs our understanding of reality.

The antidote to mara activity is any thing that dissolves the obstruction to understanding reality. That is Dharma. Dharma explains the nature of the three demonic emotions: desire, aversion and ignorance. These three hold us in prison, but they are also the keys to unlocking the prison doors. That knowledge reveals wisdom. The Buddha in the Mud!

Mara is anything that obstructs our understanding of reality.

Q.“But! But! This means I can’t do anything!”
A. All it takes to recognise the obstruction to understanding reality.

The moment we recognise is the moment of liberation.

A lie gains its power from the element of truth it contains.
The very nature of a poison is where its antidote lies – knowledge and wisdom.
As mara cannot understand this,
that is our protection.
Wisdom dissolves mara.

Here is how it works

The three wisdoms (our true nature) are emptiness, awareness and compassion.
In Sanskrit these are called Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya.
Their demonic manifestations are desire, aversion and ignorance.

When there is an “I-identification” …
Emptiness becomes desire:
Our being is empty – pure sacred space.
Desire fills that sacred space with concepts.

Awareness becomes aversion:
Our being is Awareness – the knowing quality.
Aversion arises when these concepts are claimed and judgements begins.

Compassion becomes ignorance:
Our being is Compassion – confident joy.
Ignorance arises when empty awareness forgets its true nature, and that of others.

We are in balance and compassionate when emptiness and awareness are in unity

Emptiness = Ultimate truth.
Awareness = Relative truth.
Compassion = the unity of Ultimate and Relative truths.

We are out of balance when:
There is just emptiness and, forgetting awareness, we become spaced out = Nihilism.

There is just awareness, and, forgetting emptiness, we mistake everything (and our self identity) as being real = Eternalism
There is therefore no chance of real love.

The important point is that if we are aware of our true qualities, then when the negative aspects arise, they immediately remind us of these true qualities. That is wisdom!

Mara is anything that obstructs our understanding of reality.
All it takes is recognition and we are in reality.
Our practice is to sustain continuity.
Blaming or finding fault with others is mara activity!
To counteract this is a big step.

Dzogchen Practice in Everyday Life 
by HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

The everyday practice of dzogchen is simply to develop a complete carefree acceptance, an openness to all situations without limit.

We should realise openness as the playground of our emotions and relate to people without artificiality, manipulation or strategy.

We should experience everything totally, never withdrawing into ourselves as a marmot hides in its hole.  This practice releases
tremendous energy which is usually constricted by the process of maintaining fixed reference points.  Referentiality is the process by
which we retreat from the direct experience of everyday life.

Being present in the moment may initially trigger fear.  But by welcoming the sensation of fear with complete openness, we cut through
the barriers created by habitual emotional patterns.

When we engage in the practice of discovering space, we should develop the feeling of opening ourselves out completely to the entire universe. We should open ourselves with absolute simplicity and nakedness of mind. This is the powerful and ordinary practice of dropping the mask of self-protection.

We shouldn’t make a division in our meditation between perception and field of perception.  We shouldn’t become like a cat watching a mouse. We should realise that the purpose of meditation is not to go “deeply into ourselves” or withdraw from the world.  Practice should be free and non-conceptual, unconstrained by introspection and concentration.

Vast unoriginated self-luminous wisdom space is the ground of being – the beginning and the end of confusion.  The presence of awareness in the primordial state has no bias toward enlightenment or non-enlightenment.  This ground of being which is known as pure or original mind is the source from which all phenomena arise.  It is known as the great mother, as the womb of potentiality in which all things arise and dissolve in natural self-perfectedness and absolute spontaneity.

All aspects of phenomena are completely clear and lucid.  The whole universe is open and unobstructed – everything is mutually interpenetrating.

Seeing all things as naked, clear and free from obscurations, there is nothing to attain or realise.  The nature of phenomena appears naturally and is naturally present in time-transcending awareness.  Everything is naturally perfect just as it is.  All phenomena appear in their uniqueness as part of the continually changing pattern.  These patterns are vibrant with meaning and significance at every moment; yet there is no significance to attach to such meanings beyond the moment in which they present themselves.

This is the dance of the five elements in which matter is a symbol of energy and energy a symbol of emptiness.  We are a symbol of our own enlightenment.  With no effort or practice whatsoever, liberation or enlightenment is already here.

The everyday practice of dzogchen is just everyday life itself.  Since the undeveloped state does not exist, there is no need to behave in any special way or attempt to attain anything above and beyond what you actually are.  There should be no feeling of striving to reach some “amazing goal” or “advanced state.”

To strive for such a state is a neurosis which only conditions us and serves to obstruct the free flow of Mind.  We should also avoid thinking of ourselves as worthless persons – we are naturally free and unconditioned.  We are intrinsically enlightened and lack nothing.

When engaging in meditation practice, we should feel it to be as natural as eating, breathing and defecating.  It should not become a specialised or formal event, bloated with seriousness and solemnity.  We should realise that meditation transcends effort, practice, aims, goals and the duality of liberation and non-liberation.   Meditation is always ideal; there is no need to correct anything.  Since everything that arises is simply the play of mind as such, there is no unsatisfactory meditation and no need to judge thoughts as good or bad.

Therefore we should simply sit.  Simply stay in your own place, in your own condition just as it is.  Forgetting self-conscious feelings, we do not have to think “I am meditating.”  Our practice should be without effort, without strain, without attempts to control or force and without trying to become “peaceful.”

If we find that we are disturbing ourselves in any of these ways, we stop meditating and simply rest or relax for a while.  Then we resume
our meditation.  If we have “interesting experiences” either during or after meditation,  we should avoid making anything special of them.  To spend time thinking about experiences is simply a distraction and an attempt to become unnatural.  These experiences are simply signs of practice and should be regarded as transient events.  We should not attempt to re-experience them because to do so only serves to distort the natural spontaneity of mind.

All phenomena are completely new and fresh, absolutely unique and entirely free from all concepts of past, present and future.  They are
experienced in timelessness.

The continual stream of new discovery, revelation and inspiration which arises at every moment is the manifestation of our clarity.  We should learn to see everyday life as mandala – the luminous fringes of experience which radiate spontaneously from the empty nature of our being.  The aspects of our mandala are the day-to-day objects of our life experience moving in the dance or play of the universe.  By this symbolism the inner teacher reveals the profound and ultimate significance of being.  Therefore we should be natural and spontaneous, accepting and learning from everything.  This enables us to see the ironic and amusing side of events that usually irritate us.

In meditation we can see through the illusion of past, present and future – our experience becomes the continuity of nowness.  The past is
only an unreliable memory held in the present.  The future is only a projection of our present conceptions.  The present itself vanishes as
soon as we try to grasp it.  So why bother with attempting to establish an illusion of solid ground?

We should free ourselves from our past memories and preconceptions of meditation.   Each moment of meditation is completely unique and full of potentiality.  In such moments, we will be incapable of judging our meditation in terms of past experience, dry theory or hollow rhetoric.

Simply plunging directly into meditation in the moment now, with our whole being, free from hesitation, boredom or excitement, is enlightenment.

We either get it or we don’t

Looking for our self, and not finding anything
The recognition is in the recognition

When we’re looking, we are doing something.
When we recognise, there is nothing doing.
The recognition is in the recognition

Doing nothing is not the same as nothing doing
‘I am doing nothing’ is a reflective duality
‘Nothing doing’ is non-dual absorption
The recognition is in the recognition

Not getting it is a good starting point
We merely recognise that which recognises that we’re not getting it
The recognition is in the recognition

😉

THE RECOGNITION OF RECOGNITION IS BUDDHA NATURE

Dharma = Relaxation

It is difficult to find words to convey a certain meaning: “Relaxation” here means at rest, not busy, dignity of inner peace, wisdom, not hurrying, effortless, barely aware. In the modern world, we are very alert – our consciousness darting everywhere, looking, wanting, judging, referring …’-ing-ing’ all over the place. The mind cannot keep still. And so we have to relax.

The Dharma is the teaching of relaxation.
Meditation is the method to relax.
The Fruition is relaxation.

Even in meditation practices we can forget to relax; “Am I doing it right?” Visualisation practices are extremely complicated, and some things are not explained clearly. The preliminary ngondro practices, which are done before visualisation practices (111,111 prostrations, recitations of Vajrasattva mantra, mandala offerings and guru yoga) are complex and time consuming, but do help with a feeling of relaxation, which is helpful for future practices. I once heard a fellow student begging to do 12 million recitations of a certain practice. Let’s hope it helps him relax. My reaction was, “Sod that!” 😉

We don’t have to make it so complicated, if we can just relax in practice. Could it be that we like complication because we are easily bored? Hm…boring? Now that’s interesting! Interesting? Now that’s boring!

As Trungpa Rinpoche said, “We need cool boring.” Just aware. Merely being present. Sitting back. Perfect relaxation. As the Native American chief was named Sitting Bull – unshakeable!

The effect of being relaxed will manifest in how we speak, how we sit, how we feel, the muscles in our body – everything about us. We reside in the space of dignified relaxation.

Our being is plain and simple – pure awareness.
It’s worth remembering to relax.

We can still enjoy the illusion

If we do not notice that everything is impermanent, we will become caught up in a seeming reality. If our observational skills become sloppy, and we are taken in by the claims of others, we will not see this, and merely join in a pointless parade.

If things were real, they would be permanent – but they’re not!

The only ‘things’ that are permanent are space and pure awareness (actually, I came up with a third – mathematical formula. I’ve had some blank looks from students and teachers about this, but if we have the same ingredients and conditions, we will always create a cookie…but I’m open to being talked down on that one! 🙂 )

Whatever…we can still enjoy the cookies!

The body survives in a healthy state because we are good to it. This, in turn, helps us feel relaxed, as long as we are not excessive. The enjoyment actually comes from knowing that things are impermanent: think of a flower or in the changing weather (English weather is quite exciting that way!). There is a spontaneous moment…then it goes…and there’s always another just behind! 🙂

Even though everything has only a seemingly reality, we can still enjoy touch, smell, taste, sight and sounds. After all, it’s what the body does, and there is much that is pleasing. Good communication is pleasing. Satisfying a need is pleasing. It’s also pleasing to experience neutral states: if we pleasured our selves all the time, it would get boring. Ah, breathing’s ok! 🙂 The trick is not to get stuck in the pleasing.

When we see the illusion for what it is and enjoy it, there lies humour – “Ah! Got caught again!” We can then just let it go. Not seeing the illusion is a mistake, and a mistake is funny! I paint in oils, and every painting comes out differently. Sometimes I wish I had a style, but then that would get boring, so I just have to enjoy the changes!

We need time to stop and enjoy and be healthy human beings, laughing – simply laughing – at simple things. (I can’t tell you how uncool my wife and I are…and it’s getting worse…is that better?! We’ve played “pinch punch first of the month” for 36 years now…I think I’m winning…but there again, so does she…)

Dharma is not sophisticated and serious.
Sophisticated and serious is what samsara is all about.

Acknowledging and enjoying the illusion is what compassion is all about.
It’s a constant reminder of smug-free, childlike joy.

How are you?

This is not as easy to answer as it might sound. We normally give an expedient response: “Alright” or “Fine”. This is because most people do not actually want to know how we are because they are often too busy: “How are you?” just means “Hello”. We also have the wish to project a positive image, and may choose not to be honest.

How different life would be if we truly meant, “How are you?” not just in a physically sense, but mentally and spiritually as well. Of course, this would all depend on how deeply we – or the other – investigate life itself. We may also say “Alright” as we may not want to express how we are truly are, as it feels too personal and exposes us. And that’s why we cling to our realm for ‘safety’ and can’t communicate. But it’s not safe at all, as our precarious position is glaringly obvious to others, even unconsciously. This is why birds of a feather flock together.

As we have seen in the past few days, suffering is everywhere, and even if things are going well, there is the suffering of change…it won’t last. This is because we cling to a misunderstanding of our true nature, which is awake and free from adornments.

When we can admit and acknowledge that we don’t feel right, that is the moment that we can change direction by finding the path of liberation, free from suffering. However, instead of doing this, we turn, for distraction, to our usual attachment to entertainment – and this includes ‘our’ spirituality. It’s busy-ness as usual, and this turns out to be our lifetime’s work. Our problems may seem huge but it all comes down to attachment to things, this body, this mind and even our spirituality.

At this moment, Thursday 31st July 2014, there is serious suffering going on in the world. Wars and senseless killing. Wars are political agendas, and their knock-on effect is tremendous even to those who may not be engaged in the situation directly.

I spend my time feeling furious at political agendas…political hell!

Politicians are well-educated and well-prepared – and say nothing, but do much via subversive agents. Wars are created by politicians who are trained to blame others. Who benefits? The huge corporations. Be very wary of saying such things as, “I’m too busy to think about these matters.” This is precisely what governments and oppositions want: it means that they can do the thinking for you.

Take a closer look. Wars are blamed on religions, which are seen as divided groups. Groups are naturally divided because they are groups! Politics is used to exacerbate situations, and drive an even bigger wedge between factions. This is easily done through propaganda, or a single shot. When blame is used, exaggerated strife creates a hell realm, and now both sides can be controlled. It’s outrageous that innocent people are the victims in all this: politicians and the military call this “collateral damage”, when it’s actually murder. Mass murder (I sometimes wonder if this is the actual objective).

So.
How are we now?!

We may feel all right, but we cannot ignore the suffering of others.
We all want to escape suffering.
Better still to be liberated from suffering.
Best is to want everyone to be liberated from suffering.

Ultimately, suffering does not exist
as it is a temporary state.

We start by meditating to understand our true nature. Through meditation, we come to understand that others have this same true nature and we wish them relief from their suffering. Each has to attend to their own story: we cannot do this for them, but we can support. This is empathy and compassion.

So.
How are we?

Sad, but with possibilities.

.