How the Rulers of our World rule…and are ruled!
This presentation has to be taken very slowly, as it is easy to misunderstand if taken out of context. It is extremely simple, but the consequences are enormous.
We are all governed by consent,
driven by the mistaken idea of ‘bettering’ ourself.
Consent has two aspects – inner and outer. We (the absolute nature of non-dual awareness) are governed and imprisoned by attachment to our mistaken beliefs in ideas, so creating a duality – non-dual awareness and the thoughts. We consent to maintaining this mistaken view both personally and collectively. ‘Governed’ means being imprisoned by our ‘I’ obsession: this is the actual jailer…who holds the key.
There are conscious and unconscious negative forces that take advantage of our self-cherishing addiction for their own benefit. As sentient beings, we all take part in this activity, as we are obsessed with our own created self image, and have lost the connection to our natural non-dual reality.
Collectively, we either feed off one another or are attracted to those who support our view. Thus we live in a world maintained by our habitual patterning…we join an emotional realm! Like attracts like.
There are negative energies in the universe ready to feed off our emotional states, but we can give these too much importance. If we credit them with more power than they actually have, we place obstacles within our own mind which gives rise to our negative emotions: if someone abuses us and we react, they will feed off that emotion. Negativity lacks an understanding of absolute reality, and is therefore weak. In our own mind, these negative forces of like and dislike lie in the ambush: we have the jailer’s key (the recognition of non-dual awareness) to open the door, so freeing us from this negative activity.
Emotions give off energy.
If this energy is based upon an “I”-addiction,
it produces coarse, excited energy…
it stirs up minds!
If the emotions are recognised as wisdom,
they produce a light, refined energy…
settling the mind.
Darkness is confusion.
Light is clarity.
Be careful whom you blame, as that very reaction is consent…you are consenting to remain within your created world.
The statement, “We are governed by consent” has many interpretations, and so we have to tread carefully. If we exclaim passionately, “I do not consent!” that very reaction is consentual. We consent, through our habitual behaviour, to hang on to that by which we are governed…our ideas. Unless we recognise this, we will continue to chase our tails.
This principle will be explained from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective (it could easily be explained with different terminology):
Basically, we are governed by our emotions.
We are imprisoned by these emotions.
There are those who feed off these emotions for their own benefit or profit.
They (the usurers) foolishly do not understand that they too are governed by their emotions, and that someone will be feeding off them.
There are three higher, and three lower realms: each realm creates its own feeding habits, and is also fed by the outside. We are driven by the mistaken idea of ‘bettering’ ourself.
..Pride…God realm….
…Envy/paranoia…Jealous Gods realm…
…….………Desire…Human realm……………
………..……..Ignorance…Animal realm……………..
………………………..Greed…Hungry Ghost realm………………….
………….……………………………..Anger…Hell realm……………………………………..
Pride
God realm:
those who believe they have it all.
Envy
Jealous God realm:
those who guard their wealth or knowledge closely (defensive).
Desire
Human realm:
a realm of excessive activity and frustration.
Ignorance
Animal realm:
mechanical, lacking humour.
Greed
Hungry Ghost realm:
cannot digest what they have and are never satisfied.
Hatred
Hell realm:
driven by aggression.
We live within a pyramid of emotional states (a pyramid, because the lower levels tend to be more densely populated in the Kali Yuga). These are psychological states of mind through which we all pass every day, but we each have a characteristic, a predominance for one.
If this is viewed as a pyramid, descending from the god realm to the hell realm, a progression will be seen. Each realm is controlled by its dominant neurotic factor and we consent to stay in these realms because of what we consider to be of value, and by that to which we cling.
Even though there may be a realisation of all these factors, and of the nature of mind, we still have to accept the karma we have created, and therefore have to work through. Our understanding may be refined, but as a result of karma, our manner may lack refinement. We have to work at being skilful in our conduct and speech!
Each realm consents to its situation because of an attitude and set of reactions that are created in the mind. As long as we are fed what we consider we deserve, we remain in that state. It is through our reactions and behaviour that we consent. This is all based on a feeling of a personal “I” which has been acquired from beginingless time.
The mistake we make is believing that those in the god realms are in charge…they’re not! We all create our own personal world, where we can believe in anything. The greatest fear of those in the god realms is the knowledge that their pleasure will not last, because everything is impermanent. This universe – all universes – are governed by two aspects: the entrance to your cave either allows in light or only sees darkness, depending on the direction in which it is facing.
It is in the human realm that dissatisfaction is at its highest, and it is therefore easier to transcend this sentient form. But, as we know, dissatisfaction and desire have their alluring side. This why we need authentic instruction.
We are all enlightened beings, but because of selfishness, we have become en-darkened. It is that simple. We consent to selfishness – or to selflessness. Any reaction places us in one of the realms, and thus we can be controlled, and led by the nose. We do this to one another, in every social situation. We gravitate towards groups who give us consent to what we want (emotionally).
Here we have to mention Mara demons. I won’t go into too much detail: just to say these are dis-embodied beings, practitioners who never finished their training, and acquired powers but no wisdom, and therefore claim everything to themselves. They can cause trouble for us, but only if we consent by becoming subject to desire or aversion. Unfortunately, in the New Age movement, there are many who aspire to gain – and then boast about – supernatural powers, and there is great danger for them in this: that is why compassion and selflessness are of utmost importance. We always have free will, if we but knew it. As Vajrayana students, in order to counter any wrongdoing, we recite Vajrasattva’s 100 syllable mantra daily for purification.
Everything that appears is merely a projection in the mind, whether it be aliens and flying saucers, seductive bodies or electronic toys. They have no reality in the same way that our physical bodies have no reality. They are all (like all phenomena) temporary appearances. We all know how easy it is to trick the mind into believing that what it see is real. Advertisers and hypnotists know all about the power of suggestion!
It does seem that there are those in the world who understand this principle of the six realms, and so control people with promises appealing to their desire for status, power, money, excessive activity and desire to be entertained. The lowest of the low is the freedom to inflict pain on others for self-gratification.
As confused beings we do not understand the deeper context of all this: that each of these six realms has a corresponding realm of wisdom. Through recognising the dark, we can immediately access the light. That is what Buddha in the Mud is all about: the union of the two truths. It’s not a matter of escaping the dark: once one recognises the dark, that recognition of clarity is the light. This takes practice and familiarity. Remain in peace…not reacting. Reacting makes everything appear real. Some will get it. Some won’t. Every time we react, we consent to the projected dream.
Who is above the rulers? No one! Only selfish entities who hate compassion and peace of mind, because that is precisely what they long for. Those who want to rule are easy targets for negativity: they are merely puffed-up gods. You see, the rulers are the fools, as they cannot understand (but do suspect) that they are unable to hold on to their status in the heaven that they have created for themselves. All too soon, everything crumbles and they make their way back through the realms again.
There is only one way out….
When we step back into non-dual awareness.
We do not consent to any thing.
We are free of the emotional realms.
Our work here is to recognise this and achieve stability.
When this is totally clear, enlightenment is reached.
Our freedom starts with meditation…recognising duality.
It ends with non-meditation….recognising non-duality.
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. 