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.

We are the jewel in the mud.

The mud is conceptual thinking. The mud just needs washing off. The mud clings because we (our consciousness) have got used to holding on to concepts about ourselves, and phenomena in the universe.

Yes, Buddhism is about suffering = the mud! It’s not so much about avoiding the mud: it’s more about understanding the cause of the mud, or the nature of the mud. This mud hurts, dries, fixes, and gets very heavy.

This fixation with our concepts is held in the mind, or consciousness. This is the software on the hard drive…it becomes the karmic store we carry around. This is the filter that we generally see through, and it limits the mind. Because we see through this conceptual filter, we create more of the same.

Even seeing through a filter of good concepts can create suffering, because we wish our good life to last. When something unpleasant comes along, we cannot deal with it.

So what is our true nature? It is pure awareness (called emptiness), where no mud can cling.

That is the jewel! It is selfless, because there are no concepts…of self. It is pure perception…pure experience. There is no fixed experiencer (subject) and no phenomena to experience (object).

Here in this body, we, as pure beings, have learnt to identify only with the body and mind. And so, in this seeming reality, we argue, blame, find fault, fear, fight, desire etc. We get easily distracted. That is why instruction, practice and good company are so important.

This confused state in which we live is called samsara in Sanskrit, and means the vicious cycle of existence. What is appearing now is a ‘super samsara’, a mass of negative activity. However, this very darkness reveals more Light (Light means luminosity of Awareness… Pure Light). Just like the presence of the emotions…you can’t miss it!

This is not without its own problems…people could get too excited and cling to this idea of Pure Light. What is needed is cool boredom! To notice without too much interest. This where the term ‘mere I’ comes in handy. In meditation, one barely notices. If we get too interested, our attention moves outward instead of inward. We need insight!

All the best

Tony

This is a very special prayer. By now you may have a better understanding of what it might mean. Form is emptiness and emptiness is form, meaning the unity of the two truths.

THE HEART SUTRA

Om Homage to the Perfection of Wisdom.

Avalokita, the Holy Lord and Bodhisattva, was moving in the deep course of the Wisdom which has gone beyond.

He looked down from on high, He beheld but five heaps (form, feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness. These five heaps are what makes up a sentient being, they are called the skanda) and He saw that in their own-being they were empty.

Here, O Sariputra,

form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form, emptiness does not differ from form, form does not differ from emptiness, whatever is emptiness, that is form, the same is true of feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness.

Here, O Sariputra,

all dharmas are marked with emptiness ; they are not produced or stopped, not defiled or immaculate, not deficient or complete.

Therefore, O Sariputra,

in emptiness there is no form nor feeling, nor perception, nor impulse, nor consciousness ;

No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind ; No forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touchables or objects of mind ; No sight-organ element, and so forth, until we come to :

No mind-consciousness element ; There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance, and so forth, until we come to : There is no decay and death, no extinction of decay and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no stopping, no path.

There is no cognition, no attainment and no non-attainment.

Therefore, O Sariputra,

it is because of his non-attainmentness that a Bodhisattva, through having relied on the Perfection of Wisdom, dwells without thought-coverings. In the absence of thought-coverings he has not been made to tremble,

he has overcome what can upset, and in the end he attains to Nirvana.

All those who appear as Buddhas in the three periods of time fully awake to the utmost, right and perfect Enlightenment because they have relied on the Perfection of Wisdom.

Therefore one should know the prajnaparamita as the great spell, the spell of great knowledge, the utmost spell, the unequalled spell, allayer of all suffering, in truth — for what could go wrong ? By the prajnaparamita has this spell been delivered. It runs like this :

gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.

( Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond, O what an awakening, all-hail!)

This completes the Heart of perfect Wisdom.

(Translated by E. Conze)

Consciousness and Awareness.

Some cultures and traditions use the same word differently, and this can add to our confusion…it certainly did to mine! The words ‘consciousness’ and ‘awareness’ can be used to mean the same thing, or something different.

Just to clarify.

The word ‘consciousness’ may be used in many contexts: some use this word to mean our highest part. In Buddhism, there are 5 consciousnesses of the body, and 3 faculties in the mind (the 6^th  consciousness, which is perception: the 7^th which is discernment: the 8^th which is the memory store). Some texts describe many more consciousnesses. From a Buddhist perspective, Empty Awareness is beyond consciousness.

It goes like this:

Being – which is Empty Essence, cognisant nature and unconfined compassion – views the external world through the 3 mind consciousnesses and the 5 body consciousnesses

This is one reason why text usually needs a commentary, as one word can have many meanings. It all depends on the context: consciousness and Awareness are only words to describe an experience, so use whatever feels right to you.

However, this is why – even though it is very good to experience many ‘paths’ at some stage  – we have to choose one, and practise within it: it is said that we cannot sew with a two headed needle! Further down the line we will understand that all ‘paths’ are saying the same thing…just slightly differently.

The word ‘path’ describes the confused state we are in at this moment: there is Ground, Path and Fruition.

The Ground is our natural essence.

The Path is our present confused state that does not recognise the Ground.

The Fruition is realising the nature of the ground, and that Path never existed in the first place!

Tony

Nothing ever happens.

I meditated and nothing happened.

I meditated some more and nothing happened

I meditated for many years, still nothing happened.

Then I realised that nothing happens.

 In this dream-like passing world, nothing truly happens. Dream-like phenomena is moved by dream-like consciousness. Each dream-like moment seems to exist and the next moment it has gone, like the frames on a cine film. The only constant is the light of dream-like awareness shining on the film.

 If nothing truly exists, can anything be said to truly happen? It is all held together by the stickiness of consciousness in the form of a dream-like “I”. We have been viewing the dream-like film for so long, we do not recognise the flickering (the cinema used to be called ‘the flicks’!)

We can still enjoy the dream, but be aware of turning the dream into a nightmare. Selfish things are happening in this dreamworld, but the trick is not to believe that they are ultimately real.

When the awareness shining on the film is realised as Pure Emptiness all illusions are seen clearly.

“My dream-like form

Appeared to dream-like beings

To show them the dream-like path

That leads to dream-like enlightenment.”

 Tony

The more we recognise our true nature, the less we want to forget it.

“Do you mean to say, I should be aware of my true essence all the time?! This is mind control! Monks and nuns yes, but I have a life to lead!”

Monks and nuns – and us – are all sentient beings, leading lives, and all have the same access to our true nature. We choose the amount we want to switch off in our lives. We have got so used to switching off that we put ourselves to sleep all the time…with a little help from the corporate world around us!

It is up to us when we wake up. Good spiritual company can then help us to stay awake.

Tony

Awareness seeks itself…and finds nothing.

Finding nothing is Emptiness.

Merely rest, neither modifying nor looking for anything else.

That ‘is’ our pure nature.

We are, what we seek.

Be at peace.

Tony

Beyond death.

This is from the Tibetan Book of the Dead…it’s quite colourful! Facing death and beyond is really a psychological event – it is as natural as birth, so that’s ok.

This is just a brief outline, as I will go into more detail in later. How we view so-called death will influence how we view life. If we think life is just this one chance, then we will get old and die. If we view death like life as an opportunity to recognise projections as having no reality, we will not feel old, but stay young at heart. The body will still get old and die, but we will not believe we are old and die, or give up!

I totally trust these teachings, you will have to make your own mind up.

What we call death is called Bardo in Tibetan, meaning gap..in between. There is the bardo experience happening all the time – it’s part of our psychological make-up. We see life as one continuous event. ‘This is my life’. But it’s more like a cine film with individual frames, held together by karma. Karma is the glue that holds it all together, maintained by ‘consciousness’ at a gross level. Each moment there is a gap for a new life, but we hold on dearly to what we think we are because we are used to it. It’s so familiar it seems real…!?

There are six psychological profiles for sentient beings: human, animal, hungry ghost, jealous God and God realm. These are attitudes we hold. Each has both a wisdom style and neurotic style.

There are six major bardo moments. Bardo of life, bardo of dying, bardo of after life, bardo of becoming, bardo of dream and the bardo of meditation.

Depending on the training one has done in one’s life time will dictate what is recognised in the bardo states. This is why repetition of practice is so important. These bardo moments are moments one can recognise one’s true nature and become enlightened. Or, one can go to a higher realm to complete training. Or (as normally happens to sentient beings) we fear the bright lights and try to escape them, not being able to face the truth.

The so-called death period lasts for up to 49 days or seven weeks more or less. Most of us are driven on by karma – our neurotic style. Practitioners recognise that all projections as have NO reality.

The basis of these six psychological profiles are buddhas wisdoms: they are our essence. But the profiles also have a negative side. These Buddhas are represented by deities of brilliant coloured lights. In the first week after death, each deity will come towards us as a light. These are of peaceful in appearance, and will invite us to recognise the projection as our true nature. If we recognise this, we will become a buddha. At the same time a soft coloured light of our neurosis will appear, but it is inviting us to the lower realm of the negative aspect of the deity.

In the second week the deities return in their wrathful aspect: this is, in fact, intense love, to prevent us from becoming distracted. If you look up Avalokiteshvara (a peaceful deity) and Mahakala (a wroathful one), they are one and the same. We always have a choice. That’s if we know we have a choice.

After that, it’s a matter of choosing a new incarnation – but again, because we practised merely reacting in life, we are driven on by our self-imposed karma. It is said the precious human life is as difficult to achieve as a blind turtle coming up from the bottom of the ocean once every hundred years and sticking its head through a rubber ring floating on the surface.

We can now see why reacting through emotions – fear, pride, anger, jealousy, desire and ignorance – can cause us much suffering, with little or no control.

We need to see that this so-called death process is happening all the time, and it is our consciousness that is holding this illusion together.

Tony

Esoteric secrets.

The body and mind are very delicate instruments. Most of the time we, as ordinary sentient beings, live in a coarse, comical world of caricatures: we write the script, acquire the part, and then act it out.

To be able to understand the nature of reality, we have to grow up, be stable, and be decent human beings. Therefore, the mind has to have clarity, the emotions have to be tamed and our hearts have to be truly open. This is not achieved through guess work, or reading books. It has to be experienced.

The esoteric teachings are secret. They are secret because they cannot be misused. They could damage this delicate mind and body, and so they are secret out of compassion. In fact, they are “self secret”, meaning that even if you heard these teachings, they would be ignored – they wouldn’t register. These teachings need a commentary in order to be understood.

Of course, we all want those sort of teachings, but we have to be ready for them. We have to be prepared. For example, one key element would be seeing the world as a sacred place, and all beings as deities: we therefore give the world the appropriate respect, even though it is all an illusion. Basically it is all Guru Yoga…but we have to fully understand what that is, before we jump to conclusions. A correct understanding of devotion and compassion are essential.

Devotion is the supplication of a greater power than we have at this present moment. We may think we have a storehouse of knowledge, when it may actually turn out to be a junk shop!

If we merely approach this as speculation or entertainment, then we will only get more confused, and we will suffer – and probably cause much suffering for those around us. Working for the benefit of those around us (compassion) overrides our own inclinations!

From Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. Chogyam Trungpa.

It is important to see that the main point or any spiritual

practice is to step out of the bureaucracy of ego. This means

stepping out of ego’s constant desire for a higher, more

spiritual, more transcendental version of knowledge, religion,

virtue, judgement, comfort or whatever it is that the particular

ego is seeking.

One must step out of spiritual materialism. If we in fact practice it,

then we may eventually find ourselves possessed of a huge

collection of spiritual paths.

We may feel these spiritual collections to be very precious.

We have studied so much.We may have studied Western philosophy

and Oriental philosophy, practiced yoga or perhaps studied

under dozens of great masters.

We believe that we have accumulated a hoard of knowledge.

And yet, having gone through all this, there is still something

to give up. It is extremely mysterious! But unfortunately it

is so. Our vast collection of knowledge and experience are

just part of ego’s display, part of the grandiose quality of ego.

We display them to the world and, in doing so, reassure ourselves

that we exist, safe and secure, as spiritual people…

…instead of beautiful antiques we created a junk shop!

Be prepared,

Tony

Never lose your passion.

 It’s important to recognise the wisdom in the emotions, and not to be afraid of our reactions to the emotions. Emotions are not bad, if they are viewed correctly! It’s easy for others to stir up our emotions, and therefore we need to be able to recognise transcendent wisdom. If it wasn’t for passion, we just wouldn’t get anything done: the ‘rush’ of energy is important – as long as it is for constructive reasons and is done with a good heart. This is quite useful when cleaning the kitchen, toilet, and the mind!

 As I have said before, I used to fence. Fencing, like all sports, is controlled aggression – energy. One uses the energy at the right moment, by not over reacting or giving away one’s intentions to the opponent. It’s also great fun! If the opponent is any good, they will be doing the same thing – controlling their actions. It is such a wonderful feeling to fight someone who knows what you know. At the end of the match, we would whip off our masks, grinning from ear to ear, with much appreciation, respect and a shaking of hands. Did someone win? Did someone lose? Who cares!

 The emotions have another secret, and that is of merit – if viewed in the proper way. Merit is the acquisition of good karma, through patience, generosity, discipline, diligence, concentration and wisdom. These are called the six Paramitas. It is through these Paramitas that we recognise the good qualities in others, and so we gain as much merit as them.

 PRIDE…is the wisdom of equality. Recognise that others can know the same things of which we are proud, and so we can be generous and not so lofty. 

I could be proud of certain knowledge that I have, but it’s important to remember that this was given to me by others.

JEALOUSY…is the wisdom of accomplishment. Jealousy shows that we recognise, admire and appreciate something in others, and in ourselves.

I was once watching a fencing match with a friend, and the words in my mind were, “I envy him.” My friend, unprompted, suddenly said, “I admire him.” I was shocked at my jealousy: it was only through understanding later that I realised we had a mutual appreciation of the skill we had observed, and in that appreciation, one’s own understanding was revealed.

 ANGER …is the wisdom of mirror-like clarity. Whatever we see as wrong is precisely reflected, and in having confidence in that, we can be compassionate. This does not mean we are sitting and doing nothing: at the very least, we are not compounding the problem!

I could be angry at the state of the world, but in seeing the causes and conditions clearly, I can better understand others’ points of view (it doesn’t necessarily mean I condone them!).

 DESIRE…is discerning wisdom. Whatever is desired is precisely felt. This is detached discrimination being objective, without subjective clinging.

When I’m painting a picture, I desire it to be “right”: one has to be objective in seeing what isn’t working, and correct it. It’s spontaneous in the moment, and without desire for appreciation: it is therefore objective. The subjectivity may come later, but isn’t dwelt upon because the next situation arises.

 IGNORANCE…is all encompassing wisdom. Whatever is ignored, and for which we feel indifference, is encompassed within spaciousness. Spaciousness can be a little laid back: we merely have to recognise – not too tight and not too loose.

This is connected with being care-free, and not care-less. Care-free allows everything to take place. Care-less means we are not bothered about what takes place.

When dealing with others, we need to take a few steps back to see a bigger picture, and not get bogged down with time. Sooner or later we will all ‘get there’! This is why the paramitas of patience, generosity, discipline, diligence, concentration and wisdom are so important.

 However, as the universe is infinite with infinite sentient beings, our work will never be completed. Some advance practitioners choose to go directly to the Buddha realms, and do not come back: it’s their choice.

Tony

We have too much ‘interest’ in the karmic bank!

From time to time ego-fixation has to be challenged. If we do not do this, we will not see the ego at work, and we won’t see the need to change anything.

Spiritual practice is a antidote used to eliminate ego clinging and self cherishing. A spiritual practitioner sees suffering everywhere and wishes to remove this suffering. In this modern age, it’s more difficult to see this suffering as we spend all our time covering it up.

Ego-fixation is maintained 24 hrs a day. This is what keeps us in the dream of concepts.

In the normal run of things, we are aware of our body and the world around us through the five sense of touch, taste, smell, sounds and sight. This information is transmitted to the brain, and then to the mind consciousness.

This action builds up a karmic bank of impressions, names and experiences. We hardly notice that we have also built up a storehouse of reactions of likes and dislikes. This “hardly noticing” is called ignorance.

If we look no further, we will not notice that we have locked ourselves into a cycle of existence which is very limited. Therefore, we are imprisoned in our minds and bodies, and we happily maintain this prison… “For we know not what we do”!

These bodies and minds are merely vehicles, and if we give them too much interest, becoming fascinated with them, they can create obstacles for us. We become too attached to them, and over time, believe this body and mind to be us. We reify the body and mind, meaning believing them to have a real permanent existence of their own. These strongly-held beliefs create inner obscurations or obstacles. These inner obstacles have become demons: they obscure pure perception – our primordial purity.

 Shantideva said, “Whatever harm there is in the world, whatever the fear and suffering, all these arise from ego-fixation. That is the greatest demon. There is nothing to fear in outer demons. It is through our ignorance, attachment and aggression – through these poisons within us – that the demons can appear as outside entities.”

 All phenomena are, by nature, lacking in inherent existence. They are all, in essence, empty. By not realising emptiness (or primordial purity), sentient beings are taken over by awareness and focus outwards: as a result, all kinds of phenomena appear.

 Within that sphere of awareness (clarity), it is possible for demons to exist. Everything arises because sentient beings have not realised the true nature of reality. Clarity is consciousness at a high level, but it lacks purity.

 We are so used to clinging to our ‘acquired’ ideas, and are so familiar with our ‘clothing and under garments’ (bodies/minds and chakras) that we do not notice that we are more than meets the eye.

It is very simple to say, “Oh, I know I am a being of light..!” …easier said than done…!

We are all aware, or conscious: that is what ‘being sentient’ means. But conscious of what? Here we have to differentiate between what we have read or heard, and what we actually experience.

Do not be too quick to make claims, as every thing can be looked at much more closely, and taken apart, until it cannot be taken apart any more…like sharpening a knife on a wet stone…until nothing is left of the stone – or knife.

However – there are quicker ways!

Rarely does consciousness look within to find its source. Oh, we will talk about it, but that is merely philosophy speculation. This where we need help: I have never heard of anyone finding their source without help. If there wasn’t external help, you wouldn’t even begin to look.

We can know all the right words and be able to trot out a religious mechanical prayer – and still steal someone else’s meditation cushion….I’ve seen this all happen!

Thinking that everything is so wonderful because we are having a great time, is only putting a plaster on our suffering. Actually, things are wonderful, but they have to include the warts and all, when things are not going so well. This is called the yoga of one taste.

We can go deeper…much deeper.

Going deeper is finding the subtlest quality of consciousness. In truth, consciousness is still in the conventional level of reality. However, through meditation, when looking for that subtlest level of consciousness, nothing is in fact found. At the subtlest level, nothing could ever be found, as we are at the purest level. We are pure awareness, aware of the consciousnesses in the mind.

In absolute reality, nothing inherently exists: everything arises from causes and conditions.

It is in the non-finding that absolute reality is realised.

But remember, this very non-finding means there is still a perception – but it is now pure perception. There is nothing to discuss here, as it is beyond complicated bells and whistles, or ‘nyam’ (meditation experiences).

There is nothing to discuss here, as it is only experienced in meditation…or rather, in non-meditation.

In fact, there can be no experiencer and nothing to experience…there is merely experience, because we are at the origin – a non-state…ordinariness. If this is ordinary, what does this make everything else? A distortion!

All spiritual practices are a means to an end, which is realising one’s true essence.

We have a choice of a long or short journey: if we get too fascinated with the practice, that in itself creates an obstacle. This is why have to be taught to break the practice, so that we do not become attached to it.

As a Zen master would say, the harder you try, the longer your journey. The pure essence, which is empty of any fabrication, is called Emptiness. It is not an empty void, but luminous and radiant, and within it, everything can arise. When the relative and absolute reality are a unity, this gives rise to unconfined compassion. That is when knowledge appears that is not from the outside world, and this is also when we have free will.

There are two forces in the universe – pure and impure. The pure comes from enlightened beings (those who were once sentient), and through their compassion they are sending out blessings. It is said that an enlightened being can create 100,000 emanations, to help sentient beings. All we have to do is ask. That is called supplication.

And so to the impure forces. These forces hate compassion: they do not know emptiness or primordial purity. They feed off the negative emotions that we generate, such as fear, anger, jealousy, pride and aversion.

When we are in one of these negative states, we not only harm ourselves, but we attract the impure beings. Like attracts like! This is how beings are being controlled. We control our own world, but it is also being manipulated by these impure forces. Sentient beings potentially have two sides to their nature, the good and the evil. At an absolute level, such distinctions do not exist…but we live at the relative level, and so they do exist

 Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have the altruistic attitude to benefit sentient beings. They offer a positive “spray” to the world. In the same way, there are other beings who have negative wishes, and who want to cause unhappiness. They do not wish to help beings.

 As we have spoken about before, the nature of reality has the 3 qualities of Empty Essence, Lucid Nature and Compassionate Energy. Demons arises when an “I” is present in the form of the 3 poisons – Desire, Aversion and Ignorance. These ego-created negative forces are the demons.

 If we want liberation, we cannot ignore these facts. This is a relative world of confusion in which we have to work, in order for transformation to take place.

 Speculating, guessing and arguing will only serve to keep us in an habitual confused loop. To get out of this looping will take more than the same old concepts we keep holding on to now. We can’t fight a concept with a concept: we need something much more powerful.

If we think we know more than the ancient esoteric teachings that are here to liberate sentient being from delusion, then we are fooling ourself. Trying to re-invent the wheel is possible, but you will only end up with a wheel!

This is why one needs to test, study and analyse much more closely to verify their reality.

Deep down, we know the truth, but in this age it is obscured…and is constantly being obscured.

The karmic bank that was spoken of at the beginning is obscuring our true ordinary natural essence. 

It is now the filter through which we see everything – and, unfortunately, the bank is now full of mistrust as well!

It is not at all easy to let go, but this peeling away will lead to our bankruptcy, which the ego does not want. Bankruptcy is enlightenment!

Real knowledge is always available to us. All we need to do is keep the tap of deep appreciation for the teachings (devotion) turned on. Blessings of clarity and compassion will flow.

The impure element in the universe wants the tap turned off. The impure forces hate meditators, and will attack them and seduce them. The trick is to be beyond fame or blame, with one taste.

Some practitioner pacify these negative forces and so incorporate them into the practice, as the forces also long for peace, but just cannot help themselves. They are asked to leave, which they do, when they realise this practitioner will not be dissuaded from their practice, as their motivation is the wish to help all sentient beings.

A practitioner is unmovable. This is the path of a Bodhisattva.

Tony

The dumbing down of the population.

We are very intelligent sentient beings who have been dumbed down. We are wisdom holders who are unaware of our true essential nature.

Some of you will have heard this before, and assumed it referred to other people. This dumbing down includes all of us as well…now! Don’t ever “think” you are awake! That message is part of the New Age Dream dumbing down propaganda.

To be awake is to be enlightened – to dwelling beyond thought. We are still sleeping Buddhas, slightly aware we are dreaming. The answer to this dumbing down has been in our own hands since time* existed. All we have to do is not comply with the standards set by the world around us. The world in general is ignorant of its true nature, and there are worldly Mara who are intent on keeping it that way for their own benefit. Mara are demons, and demons are just negative influences, which we feed through our holding onto ignorance, and clinging to like and dislike.

Here is a prayer that describes the situation.

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.

Be mindful,

Tony

*Time only relates to things that change, having a beginning a middle and an end, and so are impermanent. Our pure essential being does not change so dwells in timelessness – like the space in front of you. Things may come and go in that space, but the space itself is unaffected.

The true nature of desire, aversion and ignorance.

Desire = Emptiness.

Aversion = Awareness.

Ignorance= Compassion.

Our ‘being’ is Empty, meaning pure sacred space. Desire fills that sacred space with concepts.

Our ‘being’ is also Awareness, meaning has a knowing quality. Aversion arises when an “I” is created and we start judging.

Our ‘being’ is Compassion, meaning confident joy of being. Ignorance arises when empty awareness forgets its true nature, and that of others.

Emptiness = Ultimate truth.

Awareness = Relative truth.

Compassion = the unity of Ultimate and Relative truths.

This is where a balance is needed.

If one remains just in Emptiness, one can become spaced out = Nihilism.

If one remains just in Awareness, things and oneself will appear solid = Eternalism.

There is therefore no chance of real love.

The important point is that, when the negative aspects arise, if one is aware of the quality of one’s true being, these negative aspects immediately remind us of our true qualities

That is wisdom. That is unconditional love.

Tony

There is no such thing as an ego.

 I’ve always had a real tussle with this, mainly because I thought that if Awareness is present, I assumed that ego is as well. Well it is…and it isn’t!

 Ego is Awareness without Emptiness.

Awareness on its own clings, grasps, and holds onto an idea of every thing being real and solid… this is called “ego clinging”. Empty Essence is knowing the true nature of everything as being an illusional reality. There is no thing called ego: it is a made up expression which has become a thing in people’s minds.

 Awareness – when forgetting Empty essence – goes straight to perception (this not pure perception) in the mind, and then into its usual routine of naming and judging…and sticking to that!

 It is the sticking to judgements that turns Awareness into what is called Ego. Ego just does not… NOT… exist. Awareness has merely dimmed and held on to something! When Awareness is united with the Empty Essence, Awareness is bright and lucid…this is pure perception.

 So when people say, “I need my ego to function!” this is ludicrous and limited. It does make one wonder how this idea of ego came about! Was it just to make people feel guilty, and therefore control them? Hmm…? We can see that getting people to identify with an idea, makes them both prisoner and prison officer.

 However, being relative creatures we still have preferences – likes and dislikes. I like grilled tomatoes on toast, but do not care for caviar (true, I have very little sophistication!) We have a body and have to care for it, and maybe because of our upbringing, we have cultural preferences. The body quite often tells us what it needs. If we do not obsess on this, there is no clinging…no ‘ego’ clinging!

 Not obsessing is due to a feeling of spaciousness, of carefreeness, of Empty Essence being present. We all get glimpses of this freedom, when we are not bothered one way or another, and we are happy to fall in with others’ wishes. The preferences of others have no effect on us.

 “The meek shall inherit the earth” is not saying the weak shall inherit the earth. As spiritual warriors, the strong serve the weak: the weak are those who do not know their true nature.

 Until we are Enlightened, there will always be some sense of an “I”, but we can have a mere “i”. As we proceed, we develop a feeling of one taste. Flowers smell, manure smells – it is all just smell…then we make a decision about that smell! Getting obsessed about flowers or manure may obscure the function of creation.

Tony

Spirituality is the psychology of recognising our true nature,

and destroys ego

Spirituality is a belief system of our true nature,

and does not destroy ego.

Fast track or slow track,

we always have a choice.

Tony

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Awareness is seeking itself.

Tony

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Don’t wobble.

 We all fall into doubt or lack confidence in ‘knowing’. We may think it is too high and mighty to claim that we know pure awareness. It’s our natural state – it is just there! It is not an achievement. When you ‘get’ the pointing out instruction of the nature of mind, you will say… “Oh! Is that all? I knew that all along!”

 It is just awareness, pure and simple.

 We make up fancy ideas about it, and hold onto them. We do this because others do it: that is part of neuro-linguistic programming. If you don’t quite ‘get it’, merely be aware of that which is aware of not quite ‘getting it’, and there you are!

 It is just awareness, pure and simple.

 So what is the problem? It’s the world we live in. This world is intent on keeping us entertained, distracted and not ‘getting it’…not knowing.

What is soooo funny, is that in recognising ‘not knowing,’ there is ‘knowing’.

 It is just awareness, pure and simple.

 My teacher always says, “If you don’t ‘get it’, fake it!” This means just assume it is there: it is only waiting to be recognise.

 So don’t wobble or doubt! The dots will connect, and what is no longer needed will drop away.

When we are aware of awareness – pure and simple – we will be better equipped to deal with this fake world. Its true nature is just there, waiting to be recognised.

 If we practise properly, we will become clearer every day.

Tony

Techniques and Practices.

There are lots of them!

 If you go to a Dharma centre you will acquire a whole plethora of chants, mantras, pujas, prayers…things to do. All of them are ways to remembering Pure Awareness.

 I have lots of things to do every morning – a routine of practices to go through – which keeps me disciplined and connected. It is good to have a small shrine area, and gradually we find we acquire text and prayers. It’s our part of the day, although we might find we have to get up a little earlier to fit everything in!

 Sometimes we need a simple routine to keep us focused: I can put a few simple practices up on this site, but all they are are reminders of…Pure Awareness! It is so easy nowadays to not bother, or to wander off to do something more interesting.

 Doing practices precisely and mindfully is important. Most important is genuine intention and an altruistic attitude – to do the practices for the benefit for all sentient beings. To be a better person in order to be able to help all sentient beings is compassion at work. Thinking this way gives the practice real importance, and helps take oneself out of the picture.

 It is all about our conduct, which is the continuity of meditation, and is therefore reveals compassion in action. It’s all very well being scholarly and knowing lots of elitist jargon, but the intention in the heart is what counts.

 The one thing we must not lose is critical thinking: to know why we are doing a practice. It is so easy for practice to become a life-style. Mingling practice with daily life is merely mindful awareness in our conduct, so that the meditation is not lost. This does not mean we are stiff, but very soft and pliable…so make sure you laugh a lot!

 Techniques and Practices are all about being happy in all circumstances. Remember, we are not monks and nuns! We are householders, so everything we encounter is part of our practice…all those rich emotions.

My wife and I might have a disagreement about something, and we talk it out. It seems to get worse. We talk some more. We get exhausted. We give up. We listen. Awareness is just there…the atmosphere lightens…Conflict is something that occurs between our relative reality and our absolute reality.

 Practice and Techniques are toys: the intention is remain in pure awareness, which is naturally present.

Tony

The surgical knife of wisdom.

 As we progress, the surgical knife of wisdom gets sharper: the world and the mind are brighter and more meaningful. We realise that the only person we should be critical of is ourselves. Great care is needed when the knife cuts through the web of ignorance, especially when it comes to others – that knife can be very sharp!

 All phenomena arise within absolute reality – Emptiness. Nothing lies beyond. The clearer we experience this inner pure sacred space, the more we notice intrusions.

 When we wake up, we have to wash and then dress.

The waking is recognising our basic ground.

Washing is clearing our defilements.

Dressing is equipping ourselves with knowledge in order to be of use to others.

Waking up to what is happening in our mind is the first step to realising why the outer world is so chaotic. This waking up is only the beginning. It gives us the ability to observe the defilements that have been (and still are) obscuring our Essence.

 It is easy to get carried away with excitement about waking up. If we are not careful, this excitement can put us back to sleep again! Any distraction has the same effect. Along the path of increasing perception, there is the path of deception…’here there be dragons’…

 “I” know “this” is not the same as “just knowing”.

 The basis of our ground is profound, peaceful, beyond conceptual limitations and lucid.

To gain conviction about the nature of our ground, we need to study, reflect and practise.

Then we start to wake up, realising that emptiness is lucid.

 At the moment, if we look into the mind, we see that there are still emotional defilements of ego, clinging to this and that. We need to be scrupulous in our purification process in order to be of benefit to others, so we have to be as honest as we can with ourselves.

 There are two types of ignorance: one is ignorance of our basic nature, and the other is the maintenance that ignorance. Practice is doing the Washing – cutting through our habitual fixated reactions.

 Dressing is equipping ourselves to maintain a pure view when addressing the outside world: this is called conduct. With knowledge comes clarity. This clarity sees the illusory nature of phenomena, and therefore we can then address the world with loving kindness, rather than separate ourselves from it.

 Maintaining the awakened state means being precise, and therefore not creating further karma. Being of positive use to others is part of washing away of karma – by not reacting. This produces merit, and good karma. However, this too has to be washed away, by simply letting go.

 As we progress, the surgical knife gets sharper…and we realise that the only person to be critical of is ourselves. The world will still be in chaos, but we will deal with it more kindly…and at the very least, hope to not add to the chaos!

 We are all courageous warriors who possessing great humility and love -”The meek shall inherit the Earth.”

Tony

Thought and thinking.

Taking every thing apart simplifies every thing!

 On first observation, thoughts and thinking seem the same. There are thoughts in the mind, due to experience and subliminal programming: these thoughts are stored in our memory bank. This is a filter through which we perceive everything. I know people who think they are the result of their thoughts – “These thoughts are me! I am the acquisition of all my thoughts!”

 This is so funny, because they are actually admitting that they have (possess) thoughts. Remember: we cannot be what we perceive. In this case, the Awareness has gone unnoticed. In general, because awareness goes unnoticed, perception automatically scans the memory bank for similar experience, and then makes a judgement and reacts. This is our normal patterning, and we can see this process of programming and re-programming day in and day out.

 Thinking needs space: we require a conscious effort not to react, but rather evaluate the situation, and consciously scan the mind for information. There is a gap in our normal response. This is still conceptual, but adds intelligent understanding.

 We can upgrade this thinking process by being aware of awareness, of the emptiness of emptiness. At first there are no thoughts, but merely space – Essence. This space is empty awareness, which notices an imbalance through this pure perception. Compassion arises, and we use/scan the mind, to readdress that imbalance using the data from our understanding.

 I sometimes find intense scanning very helpful in stilling the mind, because the mind is inactive but awareness is not! There is an element called ‘the messenger in the mind’ – it is sometimes known as Manas, Mercury or Hermes – which brings forth answers: if these are not satisfactory, merely say “Not this,” and it will re-scan.

 Of course, we need a background of experience and knowledge for this to happen, but sometimes something unexpected arises, and inspires. This could be called “Blessings”. Blessings are the result of supplicating the enlightened ones, the masters who have gone before. This practice is called ‘Guru Yoga’.

 A simplified version of all this is just having a good heart!

Om mani peme hung (Mantra of the Lord of Compassion)

 Tony

Ignorance is not a firm foundation.

 I used to fence foil in the Olympic squad, and a friend said, “Why do you have to have all those set moves? Just fight!” He obviously didn’t like being told what to do (we can all understand that!). But that is equivalent to ignoring established chess openings, and saying, “I don’t bother with that – I just play.” Or ignoring basic chord progressions if one is a musician. That’s fine…if one is a hobbyist.

 One person in a thousand may not need tuition, but the rest of us require a little help with insight. Having a firm understanding of principles not only gets you started properly, but it can take us to the top – like mountaineering…like anything…!

 When I first started fencing, I was all fight and speed…it may have looked impressive, but it lacked substance, and didn’t get me very far. If we hold on to these same old habits, they will be easily spotted by advanced practitioners. So, I had to train and study, and went through a phase of being very wooden. But gradually, when it came to competitions, my natural instincts would come to the fore, and be supported by the technical skills I had learned, which allowed me to deal with all situations.

 Certain disciplines have been honed and refined through the centuries to turn an activity into a science, and then that science into an inspirational art. To merely dismiss these basic principles is foolish to say the least. Skills that have taken many centuries to refine will take some beating: however, if you do find a better method, a master will certainly listen…if it genuinely works!

 Ancient spiritual practices are exactly the same. They do not have to be reinvented, but just understood and practised. They are completely in themselves. As some cultures are quite aggressive, a little adaptation for different cultures may be needed. In addition, you have to find the right teacher. I have been to many good teachers, but it took some time to find the one that suited me. Teachers have to be tested as much as students!

 Nowadays, there is much cherry picking and watering down of teachings, so that students feel they do not have to do anything. This is true in the advanced stages, but at the beginning this can be easily misunderstood and can lead to a volatile mental instability.

 I have heard much from “new agers” who believe that they are being original, when in fact all is based on the ancient teachings, which have been pre-digested into a palatable form. Nothing is “new”! This hallmark of the new agenda is a lack of emotional control: any questions are taken personally. One sees on forums how touchy people are, and how quickly anger arises! As a fencer, that would mean certain death! As a spiritual practitioner that would mean more covering up of our essence.

 Following a ‘path’ doesn’t mean one loses one’s brains. To be able to follow a path, one would have had a pre-existing inclination or attraction towards it (this could come from work in a previous incarnation).

 We take an easy path because we are lazy, and want to create our own reality. Because of this, we get upset and we suffer.

We take a hard path because we recognise, appreciate and value refinement, and want to be free of fixed ideas.

 We all have a natural longing and a good heart: this can either be enhanced or down graded.

Be honest when knowing your mind.

In all forms of Art, one loses one’s self.

  Tony

The secret life of emotions.

You see a wonky picture on the wall. In that very first instance, that is ‘pure perception’- unfabricated pure awareness. The next moment, a judgement comes up: “It should be straight!”

Then anger arises: “It shouldn’t be like that!”

So, from that pure perception which is like a mirror, and is called Mirror-Like Wisdom, anger arises. If we exchange the wonky picture for a wonky person, the anger that arises is even stronger!

Now, here’s the wonderful thing. If you know your true nature, when anger arises and you can catch that first instance of anger, it will immediately reflect the Mirror-Like Wisdom of pure perception. That is the two truths –  relative and absolute – seen as a unity. They are inseparable. One reflects the other: that is the symbolic teacher.

It is the same with all the negative emotions. They each reflect the wisdoms…!

This is so important! It’s worthwhile reflecting upon again and again, as the emotion link to the wisdom Kayas – Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya.

Tony

How can you make a choices if you are not informed?

We can either chase UFOs, chase governments and corporations, or chase the mind. Either way it is all a distraction. First know thy self, then you will know that which is behind UFOs, governments, corporations and the mind. 

Anyone who is sentient anywhere in the universe will have the very same problems as us – knowing or not knowing our true nature.

When is comes to the moment of death, what will be of most value to you?

Your work and your family?  What about the family before this incarnation and the one before that, have you missed them also?

True love is unconditional.

Tony

A view on Depression.

 We have every right to feel depressed, the world is upside down, not you. There is no need to take pills, you are not pill deficient!

However, long periods of sadness can make one feel exhausted and lethargic, and therefore affect our immune system, so we could be ‘out of sorts’.(‘Being out of sorts’ means that the person is not themselves. They are acting differently, such as depressed; very quiet when they generally are bubbly; secretive or not communicating with their family and friends). So maybe we need a fresh approach, better diet, exercise, a chat with a good friend.

 So what is happening?

First of all there is nothing wrong with you. If you are well adjusted to this mad world, then there would be something wrong with you!

 We have a constant inner conflict between our true reality and a seeming reality of everyone else around us. We just cannot fit in…thank goodness! We get to a point where everything seems pointless. I seem to do this every day!

 The great news is if we are aware of this, we are not covering it up.

However, the feeling is – in its most raw state – really mentally painful. We want to do the right thing, but obstacles are thrown in our path at every turn. Funny that!

 Conventional medicine will want to give you something for this inner turmoil. However, this inner confusion is natural to a sentient being who is questioning, it is not a permanent mental disorder.

Of course where a person is “outside the power of reason” and is in danger, perhaps there will be a chemical imbalance, and conventional medicine can be of use.

 If you are feeling depressed, it is most important to talk it through with someone ‘who will listen’.

We all need to become good listeners.

 If we are looking for reality in a fabricated world, we will not find it. It is the only awareness that can see reality. We will always have a inner conflict until enlightenment, so we have to live with this. Conflict can be like rain, pleasantly refreshing…at times! This means that something is shifting, and the ego feels a little uncomfortable about it.

 If we try and make our lives perfect and protect ourselves in every way, then we have taken the pill, to numb the pain.

 I am speaking as someone who has been depressed…I know how self-destructive and aggressive it is – but, to repeat, you have every right to be dissatisfied, and in that, you will find your answer.

All the best

Tony

“All they do is meditate!”

There is much going on in this world that creates suffering – power crazed governments, greedy corporation, people in back rooms inventing new ways to control the population and put us into debt. We read it in the news everyday – reading between the lines, to hear the “double speak.”

…”And all we do is meditate.”

Those who criticise meditators do not understand that meditation is concerned with having a clear mind – seeing clearly – and therefore not merely guessing and reacting.

If running around like crazy people,  over reacting and mistrusting everything helps to make the world a better place, then do it! But it doesn’t, does it? It only adds to the confusion.

There are subtle influences and manipulations going on, and it needs a subtle mind to see it. That is where meditation comes in, to enable us to be aware of consciousness, and how it can be misdirected. Stage magicians show us how easy that is, and Corporations use Neuro Linguistic Programming to their own ends and not for the benefit of the population.

First we have to be aware, and then deal intelligently with what comes into our lives. If more people had clearer minds, we could work better together and it would be a better world. Until then, we will blindly go round in circles, doing precisely what those in the back room want.

Our real problem is the creation of a self image – an “I” – that has to be defended and maintained, through hope and fear. We do this to ourselves! Outside forces merely take advantage of this selfishness to manipulate us. If we understand how this works, we will understand how everything works.

The body can be manipulated, and the mind can be manipulated, but our essential nature cannot! Our essential nature is Pure Awareness, but at the moment there are screens of illusions in front of it.

Take control of your mind, because others are doing it for you!

It’s good to Know,

Tony

Judging and staying happy.

 Let’s be honest, we make judgements all the time.

Judging, discriminating, discerning, valuing are all part of learning and evolving. But we make the mistake of confusing conventional reality with ultimate reality. On the ultimate level is there no judgement, as there is no judge and no thing to be judged. There is just mirror-like awareness.

 At a conventional level, our judgements may be objective or subjective. Objective would be…“Is this hotter than that?” or “That looks more green,” or“That person seems tense.”

It is something that others could agree on.

 At a subjective level, our judgements may be “I don’t like that,”… “I want this!”… “I don’t care.”

This is a personal opinion, based on our backgrounds and influences, and we will rarely agree!

This is how we run our usual lives, and of course, it creates much suffering, and it keeps us in a prison of this vicious cyclic existence… going up and down all the time.

 The question is, “Does this subjective judgement effect our natural happiness?”

 Our natural happiness is open compassionate space. That is absolute truth.

Whatever appears in the mind is a relative truth: it is to do with our embodied human existence. We live in a relative world, and so we definitely have to make judgements (some things are beneficial to our health, and some are not!)

 In Sanskrit, any appearance in the mind is called a ‘Nyam’.

 Now we come to judging others.

If we fall into merely judging – or blaming – others, because of our own bias and fixated ideas, we will obscure our own mind and we will and become unhappy. Unless we have a large, clear picture of someone else’s background and motivations, we cannot form a clear opinion about their actions…let alone gossip about them! All we can do is be aware of that person’s tendencies. For example, we can be aware that they may exaggerate.

 This is integrating absolute truth and relative truth. What we do about it is…tricky! We can try to bring about balance, or remain silent. Adding to the problem…merely adds to the problem, and we find ourselves getting sucked in a “Nyam”.

 We make judgements from differing levels of clarity: there are coarse, subtle and very subtle levels. The coarse is connected to the physical world, the subtle to the mind and the very subtle to our essence.

 The more the refinement, the bigger the picture. Sometimes we have to evaluate a situation, whereas at other times, it’s right to let be. If an evaluation can create space, then that is positive.

Zen koans are meant to do that – putting the mind into neutral (this relates to the enlightened activities of pacifying, magnetising, enriching or destroying ego created situations – see the essay Wisdoms and Demons).

 Judging takes skill. Sometimes we get it wrong, and so we learn. If we keep making the same mistake and getting the same reactions, then we have become a fixated personality.

 However, we can use the relative levels to peel away our fixated ideas and understand the ultimate level…that is why we are here! Saying all that, we do seem to have preferences – I have a fondness for grilled tomatoes on toast!

 We are beautiful tools,

Tony

In the ‘normal’ run of life we get involved in this and that: we get exhausted, we seek entertainment…we switch off. In the ‘normal’ run of life this is ok – it’s to be expected…we do all this and then die.

The mind has been so filled with this and that, and there is no time left to wonder, “What’s it all about?” We may have wondered at some time, but then went back to getting on with our ‘normal’ life.

The more we wonder, the more questions arise, and the more we are not satisfied. It does seem that the world around us is intent on making us feel satisfied, so that we no longer wonder and ask inner questions…funny, that!

When we start to notice how much our minds are filled, the mind expands. Or rather the contents shrink! That is the purpose of meditation. Gradually the mind has more and more space. This is important: as more space becomes available, the easier it is to notice what’s there.

As the content shrinks, intelligence increases because awareness increases…funny, that!

Therefore, every action and reaction is more significant, as we have become more sensitive.

Meditation is familiarisation.

One can spend years watching the breath and doing strange things to one’s body, but meditation is purely becoming familiar with the awareness of awareness, therefore just being, just essence.

Merely rest loosely in pure awareness. Do not try to sustain it or modify it, as then you are doing something. Barely be aware of space-like emptiness, pure and simple.

In order that we do not get too involved or uptight, it is said to practise “short moments many times”.

So how do we do this?

We don’t!

Pure awareness is naturally there: we just have to recognise it….and let it be.Repeating this will gradually change our view.

In ordinary life we do not learn much. We just go through a repeated pattern.

Meditation changes everything!

Keep going…

Tony

The activities of Wisdom and Demons. One could see this as Buddhist psychology.

All sentient beings are BUDDHAS but do not notice it.
1.Our essence is emptiness/pure/Dharmakaya.
2.Our nature is cognisance/consciousness/aware.
3.Our expression is compassionate energy.

These if gone unnoticed become:
1.Ignorance.
2.Desire/attraction/grasping.
3.Aversion/hatred.

(It is interesting that attraction, repulsion and inertia, are the three main components of every atom in this universe!)

These the three Buddha qualities, prism into five Buddha families, or five wisdoms.

This is a description of the four enlightened activities of Buddhas and bodhisattvas and how the dark forces (Maras-Demons) can pervert them within us.

The following may seem a little complex, it is meant for those who like the idea of being spiritual engineers. Mara are like and dislikes in the mind. When we like or dislike we fall prey to those emotion, which can attract additional negativity. It all depends on our own negativity, that is why I find understanding the emotions is the key to sanity.

THE FOUR ENLIGHTENED ACTIVITIES.

With the laws of attraction, you have to be aware that there is another side to this. Every action can be distorted by the ego! This is because our capacity is not strong enough yet.

I’ll try and keep this brief.

An enlightened person will manifest these activities when a particular situation arises.

These activities are PACIFYING, ENRICHING, MAGNETISING AND DESTROYING.
Pacifying connects to mirror-like wisdom.
Enriching connects to the wisdom of equality.
Magnetising connects to discriminating wisdom.
Destroying connects to all-accomplishing wisdom.
The fifth wisdom of space allows the other four to operate.
(Karma here means action)

The karma of pacifying accommodates everything. It reveals that there are no problems, and that aggression from the ego is unnecessary.

The karma of enriching brings to light the process of growth, and allows the process of knowledge.

The karma of magnetising bypasses the conventional reality. In conventional reality, we continually try to draw desired situations towards ourselves and fend off undesirable ones. A realised person simply remains as he or she is, without this ego intervention, attracting naturally.

The karma of destroying is connected to compassion, aimed at ego’s manipulations.

THE DISTORTIONS OF EGO = THE FOUR MARAS.

These four demonic activities are directed at building and fortifying our concept of ‘self.’

The mara of pacifying appears as devaputra mara.
It attempts to make peace by using pleasure and security, to eliminate what is unpleasant. It is an imitation of genuine pacifying, which is beyond any self-serving strategy ( … “there, there – it will be alright, trust me”).

The mara of enriching is skanda mara, the mara of accumulating.
Ego takes the natural growth and turns it into its own ground. It takes the richness, and turns it into my wealth (… “see how clever I am”).

The mara of magnetising is klesha mara.
One attempts to attract, to feed one’s ego with what is desirable, based on the possessive emotions ( … “I enjoy praying for others” ).

The mara of destroying is Yama mara.
Yama mara, instead of destroying what needs to be destroyed, obliterates everything. Trungpa Rinpoche wrote, “it begins to get inspired in the wrong way, and uproots the whole tree…And that is the karmic quality of destruction gone wild, unnecessarily” (… “you are talking total rubbish!”).

This reveals that reality is nothing other than wisdom. We need to look closely at the world we actually inhabit and to contemplate our most ordinary experiences. If we do so, if we let go of what we think and simply let the true being show itself, we will discover that it is nothing other than primordial immaculate wisdom.

Remember: the outer demons do not miss a trick! Any whiff of ego involvement and they will feed off it. And off we go round in circles, re-acting… “Feeding time!!”

Be aware that worldly demons use these very principles to twist our consciousness.

All the best,

Tony

The illusion.

Every thing in the universe is in an impermanent state. Matter is constantly changing. So, everything in the universe has no permanent reality. Only a seemingly real reality.

 If a thing is real

If a thing truly exists

It can never not exist

It would be constant.

As every thing is not constant, it only has the illusion of a reality.

 Likewise our minds.

Our minds are constantly filled with data which is  being updated. It too changes.

So, our minds are also impermanent and have no reality either.

Therefore we live in an illusion, a dream world.

Knowing this is so important! Every thing may seem important to us, but it all comes to pass: despite knowing this, we hold onto it for dear life. Phenomena has to be respected – we are in a body and it has to be cared for –  and others too – but know that nothing lasts.

Believing that everything is real and solid and then justifying it is delusional. So what is real? What is constant?     Well, space is empty space. It doesn’t matter what you do to the space in front of you, that space never changes.

The other reality is awareness. That too never changes. When you were a child and now – that awareness has never ever changed. You cannot be what you perceive.

Inner empty space and outer empty space are the only realities.

Ok, this may not seem like much fun, but wait…

Once we have established real reality, and know our true nature, we then increase our intelligence and are more creative. In addition, anger, fear, hope, pride and ignorance drop away, giving us more freedom and less bias. We are no longer weighed down by believing illusions to be real.

 “They are real illusions”

 Truly knowing everything to be an illusion is the union of the two truths – one reflects the other!

All the best with the fun,

Tony

The strong serve the weak.

The strong learn from life’s challenges,

and respond with compassion.

The weak find fault with life,

and blame others.  

Tony

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You have come this far, so now it is time for the Secret of Secrets!

First, we must look at the toilet door for instruction…

Does it say “Occupied” or “Vacant”?

When viewing ourself – and others – we notice that we are either occupied or vacant: rarely are we – or they – just ‘being there’.

We easily notice being busy, but rarely notice being vacant or blank.

If one only takes a superficial glance at meditation, one might mistake a vacant state for meditation. The vacant blank state is, in fact, what the masters of old called Ignorance. There is no virtue in it…no emotion, no thinking, no insight and no knowing. It is indescribable, as nothing whatsoever is going on.

Here we will have to return a previous article that mentioned the 8^th consciousness. The 8^th consciousness is called the Alaya or All-ground. It is our memory bank. There are two aspects to it : ‘the bank’ and the ‘memories’ stored in it (equivalent to the ‘hard drive,’ and the ‘software’ on the hard drive*)

In meditation, when the mind falls silent, we may find ourselves in a thought-free vacant state…this is the 8^th consciousness. The 8^th Consciousness is still a conceptual state: although it is a vacant state, there is still an “I” present.

It’s not a bad state at all…it’s near enough!

Now the good news!

By merely being aware of that blank vacant state with no thought or mental activity, look naturally into that which perceives this state, and remains without thinking. When doing so, there is an awareness, free from an experiencer and experienced – it is non-dual. The “I” has gone. There is merely…e x p e r i e n c i n g.

Once you have resolved that this is your own nature (Essence), and that there is nothing besides this, you arrive at conviction!

This nature is also indescribable, but has a different quality from the previous vacant state. It’s bright and clear. 

We will find that we oscillate between the 8^th consciousness and essence. It’s important to know the difference. Resting in Essence through recognition will gradually be sustained.

This is what it is all about – but don’t expect to not trip up now and again! Now we know where we are, we can fill out the details.

There is one important instruction – “Short moments, many times”.                                                                                         With this method, we have to keep breaking the meditation, in order to keep it fresh, and to not hold onto it.

This is, in fact, a meditation for those who do not want to meditate…who just want to ‘be’!

All the best,

Tony

 *When the ‘hard drive’ is destroyed enlightenment is said to occur.

Why I became a Buddhist.

I was looking for something that could answer all my questions – something complete, and something I could prove from every angle. Buddhism is not a belief system. It is an analysis of truth. I’ve experienced other systems, but they did not make a real change in me, and I was not looking for a path where one just followed the crowd (ok, that can happen in Buddhism too!).

The problem with Buddhism is all that jargon: people can really get hung up on jargon.

However, in describing something that is indescribable, one has to search for words that may not exist in our language, or may be used in a different way. Even then, the meaning changes as perception changes.

Sanskrit and Tibetan are very subtle languages when dealing with spirituality, and one word can have many meanings. Context is therefore very important. That is why some teachings are closed to the public, because much inner work has to be undertaken before questions can be answered at a higher level. One can spend an afternoon discussing one sentence!

At one level, we use an antidote to combat emotions. At another level, the emotions are dealt with as wisdoms. At yet another, the emotions are clearly seen as not truly existing. If one hasn’t a clear view of these last two, they will not make sense.

I was a very angry person – angry at myself, and the world. This caused much suffering for me, and those around me. I had to find the real cause of that suffering, and what I could do about it. It is strange to feel everything to be pointless, be unable to understand or express why one feels that way.

The Buddha’s approach suits me, and specifically within that, the Nyingma tradition: the Dzogchen teachings were what I was looking for. The Dzogchen tradition clarifies the very nature of mind or Essence.

Quite often, people condemn Buddhism because they do not understand it. We cannot get to understand Buddhism from merely reading: it has to be practised, because the meaning is beyond the conceptual chattering mind. It is in the experience.

Now I have to deal with others’ anger!

“What is the truth? Tell me now!” someone might say.

“Well, there are two truths – relative and absolute truth. It is essential to see how they work together,” I might reply.

Then I notice their eyes glaze over…! Oh, they want a quick easy answer! To do no work themselves! It can’t be done!

All the best,

Tony

Religion and Spirituality: a personal observation.

 All humans have different capacities and understandings. Why? Because of work done in previous incarnations. As every sentient being is evolving at their own speed, we cannot judge others, but we can understand where they are ‘coming from’! We also have to understand where we are ‘coming from’!

 The material on this site comes from the highest teachings: there is nothing beyond. Some of these teachings are not easy to understand, unless one practises, has proper instruction and hears commentaries about the teachings. And we sometimes need commentaries on the commentaries…

 As these teachings are very subtle, they need to be expanded upon, with stories, analogies, paintings, images, and symbolic rituals. Maybe for some, it is just enough to go into a building where practice is taking place, in order to get a feeling of the atmosphere.

 One can see how religions are formed around subtle teachings, and the point of these can be lost in these rituals/buildings/images – and dogma is created. But we also have to remember that we all have different capacities! Tolerance, generosity and compassion are needed when dealing with one’s own capacity, and that of others.

 I was once in the company of a elder of a certain church. We were chatting in the kitchen, and an ant walked across the working surface. His fist smashed down on the ant and killed it – I nearly fainted! I was so shocked, but the deed was done. There was no point discussing it with him, as I could see that he would not understand.

 For some, spirituality is going to a building and meeting companions with the same point of view, and hearing stories. There is no criticisms here, as that is where they are at.

 In every spiritual setup there are people with different temperaments and luggage. There are those who are attracted to rituals, those who are attracted to the philosophy, and those who are attracted to the meaning and practice. One is not better than another as they all connect: however, we can get stuck in a certain aspect.

 If one has a good understanding of the teachings, then ritual is a symbolic gesture of that understanding. Ritual can keep one disciplined, and philosophy can help in understanding the nuts and bolts of a teaching. Even in pure practice, we need some foundation work before we can meditate.

Much depends on how WE see things: this will dictate how WE judge them…and that may not be correct, as this will depend on OUR understanding, at that time.

For example:

In Tibetan Buddhism there are three main approaches – Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana plus Dzochen/Mahamudra. Now to get complicated…laugh!

The following will depend on one’s attitude – the type of person we are.

 The Hinayana attitude will be to cut the emotions dead…however, they will still arise.

The Mahayana attitude will be to find an antidote for the emotions…however, they will still arise.

The Vajrayana attitude will be to transmute the emotions into wisdoms.

The Dzogchen/Mahamudra attitude will see that the emotions never existed in the first place.

We cannot jump levels, as everything depends on our actual relationship with the emotions – especially hope and fear – which is an indication of the strength of the feeling of “I”.

A traditional metaphor to illustrate this:

There is a poisonous berry bush (the negative emotions).

A Hinayana practitioner wouldn’t go near it.

A Mahayana student would put a fence around it to protect others.

A Vajrayana student would produce medicine from the berries.

A Dzogchen/Mahamudra student would understand that the berries never had any inherent existence in the first place.

It’s all about levels of fear…and here comes the twist.

There are those who consider themselves Vajrayana ‘medicine men’, but who are very rigid in their views, and so are actually Hinayana students.

There are those who consider themselves Hinayana ‘purists’, but who exhibit Vajrayana courage.

 There is no point in blaming the world for being the way it is, because that is the way it is. We have no need to try and fit into the dream worlds of others – and we have no need to demand that they fit into ours. All that is needed is to have a clear view of the world we have created – and are creating.

 When I was young, I wondered, “If I could prove God did not exist, would I?” The answer is it all depends on how God is seen, and at what level. Everything can be refined…until there is absolutely no ‘thing’ left…but pure awareness.

All the best,

Tony

Human potential is total enlightenment…so what are we doing?

It is possible to become a Buddha or at least a Bodhisattva – one with the universe and beyond!

So what are we doing? Arguing, feeling proud, eating too much, staring at the computer, maintaining our lofty status… for what?

We live in a world of hope and fear. We are told to better ourselves, to work harder. So a subtle competitiveness gets set up –  mind games, appearances and mannerisms. We become caricatures. So we hope to be better people and become recognised for it, and we fear looking lazy and being recognised for it. It’s a vicious cycle of existence!

First we have to control our own minds.so as not to allow others to do that for us.

Hope and Fear.

Hope and Fear are two poisons that control us. They cloud our ‘view’!

Our ‘clear view’ is our true being, which is naturally Pure, Aware and Compassionate.

This is undeniable. These are the three natural qualities of our being, Emptiness, Cognisance and Love. So now we know what we truly are! We are embodied spirits of pure light.

But, of course, we have an opposite side – not-pure, not-knowing and not-compassionate, because of this “I” fixation!

These three aspects create the three main emotions of Desire, Aversion and Ignorance. Ordinary confused humans are governed by “I like”… “I do not like”… and “I do not care”.

So we blindly react, and our clouded view stays the same. This is because we Ignore our true nature. That is the first poison, Ignorance.

It is strange that the laws of this universe have to same characteristics: Attraction, Repulsion and Inertia. Maybe, our Ignorance, Desire and Aversion created the laws of this universe, that keeps us in this vicious cycle of existence…?!

Ignorance creates Hope and Fear. Ignorance also create Pride and Envy.

Of course they are other beings in ‘this’ universe, who have the very same spiritual-potential-essential nature as us. An enlightened nature! But we also have an endarkened nature, that gives into the emotions of Hope and Fear.

Hoping that there are beings in spaceships off planet to help us, and Fearing what is happening here on Earth creates a confused mind. We can cut through our confusion, by cutting through our cloud of Hopes and Fears.

We are Pure, Aware and Compassionate beings, not part time, but full time. This is an undeniable truth. It is precisely because we are stuck in a world of distractions that we need repetition to focus on our true nature. Once we get a glimpse of this, life will be much richer and more fun…promise!

All the best,

Tony

Nobody ever became enlightened by not meditating.

Nobody ever became enlightened by meditating.

The practice of meditation, is becoming familiar with just being.

The practice of non-meditation, is being.

The practice of meditation is the method to the destination.

When the destination is found – drop the method and rest.

Breaking the meditation – breaks the attachment to the method.

In breaking the attachment, the empty space is found.

On finding  empty space, no thing is found.

Recognising confusion is the beginning of wisdom.

All the best,

Tony

Being critical without criticising.

 Evolving means noting, discriminating and evaluating all that appears. One lets be one’s usual reactions to that, then something fresh maybe seen.

 Only accepting and rejecting because of our biased habitual opinions, leads us into deeper mind traps. We only achieve a more ingrained attitude, and therefore become more aggressive and have less freedom. We have to be critical of our criticising to be even more discerning!

 I find it useful to have an invisible peg board up in front of me, where ‘all’ information is hung, and pended. As more information comes in, the pegs either join up or go nowhere.

 There are two aspects to everything, in this world and our relationship to it. Quite often we criticise the world but don’t notice that we are part of the problem. It’s like being in a traffic jam and complaining about it! Even though we are part of the problem we still have to evaluate …constantly evaluate!

 We know that all sorts of consciousness control (mind control) is going on in the world: we are constantly being distracted into looking in the ‘other’ direction. We also do this to ourselves daily, distracting our consciousness with entertaining speculations.

 We are all different on a relative level, and all we can do is agree to see things differently, and get on with our own evolution. That is the only way to work together and keep our sanity…unity in diversity.

 When we are aware of our own frailties, then we can empathise with others, and communicate.

The more critical – without criticising – we can be of our own reactions, the more we learn to evolve. The trick is to be critical and kind at the same time.

 If we meet a spiritual guide (apart from killing them!), be careful of how we judge them. It is easy to looking for a stereotype of calmness and silence, but they are not all …what you might expect! Some are laid back, laugh a lot and seem to be hardly there, while others are very precise and critical of procedure and language…and can be a bit scary!

Everything and everyone is of value, viewed in the right way.

 All the best,

Tony

 Noticing suffering is not as easy as we think. The word suffering, is a word for ‘being’ not happy. We tend to think, “Well, I’m not unhappy all the time, so I’m not suffering all the time.”

 Maybe we just do not notice our suffering? We also tend to think, “Well, one cannot be happy all the time!”

 That is exactly the point, our true nature ‘is’ happiness, it is there all the time. Once we acknowledge and recognise this, we realise that anything that distracts us from our true nature, is causing some sort of suffering, on some level.

 The object is not to eliminate the suffering, just recognise it. This recognition then serves as a reminder, that we have moved away from our true nature, and because we are still mainly stuck in consciousness (mind) we have to accept that this is our state at the moment.

 When it is said, “Suffering of some sort of level,” we might think that if I do not notice it, it is not happening…not so. Suffering can be on a very subtle hardly noticed level. Equally the more sensitive we get the more we notice suffering…especially in others.

 We sometimes get caught in the trap of thinking, “Well I’m all right, so everything is alright.” Well, it may be alright for you (at this moment) but not for others. This brings us to compassion, we quite often argue with others, and do not note their suffering.

 So suffering is when we move out of essence, into the mind or the physical, and as this is part of being sentient we just have to accept it, but not make a big deal of it. It is a bitter sweet relationship we go through, a sort of joy and sadness, it’s the way things are while we are here.

 We only have to look to see all this for ourselves. We are not totally at ease (resting in inner peace) all the time. This ‘being’ not at ease to a ‘sensitive’ will be called suffering.

That ‘sensitive’ will look for the cause of this suffering. Then that ‘sensitive will want find a way to do something about suffering. Finally the ‘sensitive’ will do something about that suffering.

So the next question would be: What are you going to do about this suffering, if you notice it?

But first one has to recognise one ‘is’ suffering, to be able to ‘want’ to do something about that suffering. Then one has to understand the cause of that suffering.

Remember, everyone who is sentient is suffering, as we are not enlightened…yet!

The whole process is going from the very coarse to coarse to refined to very refined to …….!

Yes, this is a buddhist view, it is called the four noble truths, which one can observe for oneself.

You don’t have to be buddhist to be happy!

1. Recognising suffering.

2. Recognising the cause of suffering.

3. Recognising a path away from suffering.

4. Treading that path.

All the best,

Tony

We live in two pyramids – deception and perception –  because within us are both darkness and light.

The pyramid of deception deals with the past and future of people, places, events, and with not knowing.

The pyramid of perception deals with now, awareness and knowing.

Living in the pyramid of deception creates more deception.

Living in the pyramid of perception creates more perception.

The pyramid of deception makes everything complex.

The pyramid of perception makes everything simple.

The pyramid of deception is controlled by the world in which we live.

The pyramid of perception is controlled by our awareness.

The pyramid of deception has no empathy.

The pyramid of perception has only empathy.

If you know you are in the pyramid of deception, then you are in the pyramid of perception.

If you think you are in the pyramid of perception, then you are in the pyramid of deception.

If you do not know which pyramid you are in, then by default, it will be the pyramid of deception.

Tricky isn’t it?!

We constantly switch between the two pyramids.

All we have to do is be aware.

Inner awareness changes consciousness (the deception pyramid) into essence (the perception pyramid)

Consciousness can be infiltrated and misdirected, as it is built on concepts.

Essence cannot be infiltrated because there is no thing there to infiltrate: just pure awareness… And love of course!

All the best

Tony

BUM ON CUSHION.

As long as you are relaxed and your back is straight, you can sit on a chair or cushion. Lying down is possible, but one tends to go to sleep. Sitting straight helps with natural breathing and flow, and keeps your mind alert.

Hands on lap or thighs, eyes slightly open, or open.

If there are many thoughts, just lower the gaze.

If you are feeling sleepy, raise the gaze.

Nothing forced, everything relaxed.

The senses are wide open.

Here we may have to make a distinction between paths. This is called Shamata meditation, and it uses the breath as a focus. Merely noticing the inhalation and exhalation, thoughts will come – just return to watching the breath. The thoughts may seem to get worse. They are not – you are just noticing more!

 The point here is that it is your time to relax, rest and be at peace. The body is still, and gradually the mind becomes still…but aware! You can go back to thinking later. This is called Shiney with support.

 Sometimes, we find ourselves in a vacant state, a dreamy state, which can be mistaken for meditation, but it’s not. It is a state of ignorance…not knowing. When we are day dreaming, we are cut off from our senses, and from what is around us.

 Once we are more or less comfortable with watching the breath, we come to Shiney without support. This is simply noticing that at the end and beginning of each breath, there is a gap – or we notice a gap between thoughts.

In that gap, we rest naturally.

There is a still ‘nowness’ present, and the senses remain wide open.

With the senses wide open and the sense of nowness, one can take the meditation into daily life. One experiences moments of spaciousness.

 Shiney with and without support are both still at a conceptual level, but it’s a start. It is building a firm foundation. It’s good to notice the difference between the two, as sometimes we have to return to Shiney with support when thoughts are rampant!

 All the best,

Tony

MEDITATION.

Before we can meditate, we have to know why we are meditating. Of course we can meditation to just relax and feel good, and that is a good start. But then meditation can become a life style, too precious and must not be interrupted…making us angry!

There are two approaches to meditation, one is meditation with support and then without support,

this is called Shiney and Vipashana. One start here, and gradually what is beneficial is revealed and what is not beneficial drops away. This is a very sound and excellent approach, and is useful to come back to. What is gradually revealed is the “nature of mind”. There are many instructions on this approach, and we will go into them.

The other way is to be introduced to the “nature of mind” and then meditation is merely its continuity. There are not many instructions on this! When the mind gets too foggy or excited one then we use the meditations with and without support, to bring the mind back to balance.

Much will depend on the aspirant’s temperament, and what they meet in their lives. It may be significant that you are reading this now!

There other forms of meditation: Devotion, Compassion, Analysis and bodily movement.

All are about taking the “business as usual “I” out of the picture. We cannot find truth with fixated concepts, we need the practice of genuine experience. However concepts can be used as a tool to unwind the mind!

So to proceed, we need to practise, then the questioning refines. Otherwise the search for truth merely stays at a conceptual level, and we cannot breakout. Gradually we will connect with the inner teacher…in-tuition. This will then lead to seeing all outer and inner phenomena as the teacher.

We could go mechanically step by step, but we first need to get a ‘feel’ of the view.

All the best,

Tony

The Buddha within ‘me’.

The Dharma is really a science

I am a Dharma student, who wishes to share experiences as they come along. At each step on the path, perception changes, although the same words may be used. There aren’t any more words, just more meaning! It is an ongoing process. The purpose of analysing an experience is so it is deepened, clarified and confidence is gained beyond doubt or beliefs.

A couple of years ago, while on a intensive retreat, I realised that the three kayas (the three qualities of our being – Emptiness, Cognisance and Compassion) were in fact the three so-called Negative emotions (Desire, Aversion and Ignorance). This was a incredible breakthrough.

I enjoy writing about this subject as it is the key to cutting through all experiences that are just reactions to external and internal events. Nothing and no one can effect our true being. However our minds or consciousness can be mucked about with – controlled!

The expression aspect to practice is very inspiring.

Once we have recognised or had a glimpse of our true nature, then when an emotion arises (because there is some level of “I” still present), they brighten the mind. At that moment we clearly see the movement away from our true nature of light/clarity and simply return. If not, then we allow the emotions to take control and Wham!!!…the world has turned darkness…again!

The trick is to recognise that the emotions and this acquired “I” never truly existed in the first place.

To find the Buddha within oneself, one does not have to be Buddhist. All one needs is an open mind, the ability to reason, recognise pure awareness…and have a sense of humour!

A sense of humour is needed because, even though we may get glimpses of pure awareness, we still have a residue from past fixated ideas that has to be acted out. We wrote the script for this life time due to the karma we have collected, and it just has to play itself out without us adding more lines.

The word Buddha simply means awake and pure. The awake part is merely recognising or getting a glimpse of one’s true nature, and that is not difficult as it is just there, going unnoticed.

The hard part is the purity. That is a matter of clearing all one’s karma, and that is a moment to moment awareness of one’s reactions. We can either return to our true nature of light/clarity, or allow the emotions to take control and Wham!!!…the world has turned darkness…again!

I look forward to the best of interactions.

Have a good future with a good heart.

Tony

WAKING UP.

Waking up is simply to stop dreaming.

Dreams are merely disconnected concepts floating about in our minds. If we let them drop, we find ourselves awake. However, even though we have dropped them, the thoughts still arise: this is because of our residue of karma. This is just something we have to accept – if we do not just accept this…we get involved again…and again..and again!

Waking up is clarity of mind, and clarity of Essence.

Essence is pure experience, and the mind is the facility to express that experience. So first we need to quieten the mind by a focusing meditation: this is generally done by merely watching the breath, which help us to relax and become aware of all those circling thoughts.

To start with, the thoughts will seem to get worse! They’re not – we are just noticing them more. We become like a ‘doorman’, acknowledging people but not following them in. If thoughts do arise, just say, “Thinking, thinking, thinking!” and return to just being one with the breath.

Gradually we notice a gap between the breaths, and we rest in that…rest in peace.The clearer the mind, the clearer the view. What we do in life depends on this.

The word Buddha means awake and pure.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Awake is recognising one’s true Essence. Recognising the empty space in which the thoughts occur, much like this white page – by virtue of the clean page, the words can be seen.                      Pure means having exhausted all karma and no longer creating any more.

It all takes practice – effortless practice of doing nothing, but recognising.

However we have been busy for a very long time, so do not be too hard on yourself. Kindness to our reactions is of paramount importance. Noting the reaction but not reacting upon it produces no karma…we have started!

All the best,

Tony

THE INTENTION.

Someone has asked a question about online teachings. My intention is just to be a ‘doorman,’ so that when one goes to an authentic Dharma centre or Dharma book, one will have some understanding and may be more familiar with the material – and no one can lord it over you! I spent years wondering what ‘they’ were talking about, as, for me, details were missing…it was unsatisfactory to say the least.

There are two ways of approaching the Dharma: one is from the front of the book and the other from the end. Different paths suit different temperaments, and what was missing for me was the ending. If we start at the end, we then know where we are going, and where we actually are…and the obstacles will be clearly seen. To use cookery as a metaphor: we can have a selection of raw ingredients and not know what to do with them. It’s only after eating a delicious meal made from them that we realise what can be achieved, and this inspires us to actually start cooking.

How this blog will proceed will depend on who comes to the door. There is much to be learned from discussion, as it triggers inspiration. As a group forms, the dynamics change, and with  goodwill we can help one another. So, the dynamics is the teacher!…and that is life!

Information is not knowledge unless practised and experienced. Then from knowledge, we find wisdom. Wisdom is our true nature – Empty Essence, Cognisant Nature, and unconfined Compassion.

Meditation is merely becoming familiar with our true nature.

All the best to us,

Tony

HAPPINESS.

[Writing about these subjects is tricky: if too much is said, it cannot be absorbed. If too little is said, then it is not satisfying. So take it that digestion will take place over many articles!]

Being happy.

That is our natural state…happiness! Happiness here means content and knowing, although that is not so easy in this modern speedy world. So how do we find this natural state of happiness? We find it by degrees of understanding. First, we have to know or trust that IT IS our natural state. From that, a sense of inner joy is discovered that no outside force can disturb.

Sounds good?

There are two aspects to ‘knowing’ happiness. The first aspect is knowing our true nature, which is the awareness of awareness of the emptiness of emptiness. Emptiness and Awareness are two qualities of our true being. Emptiness means uncontaminated – pure, like just seeing or reflecting something in an unexpected moment and being fully aware of that moment with no mental comments. Awareness means cognisant, having a knowing quality.

However, we ignore these qualities of our being and replace them with an acquired mental image of who we are – and the world around us compounds this problem! The second aspect is accepting life as it comes along.

This is so very important!

Our present was created by our past, and our future will be created by our present.  Because of the fixated ideas we hold about ourselves, the same reactions take place, and so we find ourselves going round in circles. Something has to change!

Being practical.

In every situation with which we make a ‘contact’, we have a choice either to react or recognise. If we just re-act, we are doing precisely that: re-acting the part. If we recognise the reactive response (which comes from our past), we can pause, and that creates a space, in which to see what is going on! If we react, we produce karma (the result of causes and effects, which are like filters held in the mind). If we pause and recognise, no karma is produced…simple.

We have just changed our future! When, through meditation or analysis, we recognise the two qualities of Empty Awareness, situations will still arise due to our karma, which still has to be exhausted.

Some days are good. Some days are bad.  Some days are clear. Some days are cloudy.  Some days are exiting. Somedays are dull.

Whatever arises is merely an appearance from the past…they all come to pass! Empty Awareness is always present,whatever occurs: however, it is usually unnoticed.

So what is happiness?

Merely Knowing Empty Awareness, everything that happens is part of our karmic script, which has to be played out. Knowing this brings a sense of relief. Our karmic script is our tool for mingling the meditation experience with daily life (this is known as conduct), and for finding our way back to our original being. We may wish for things to be better than they are, but that is only wishful thinking, this is mainly due to the claims and projections of those around us – and the media –we believe that happiness relies on conditions. That is conditional happiness.

The opposite of this is unconditional happiness, which is a happiness that is already present and does not rely on conditions. When we know happiness, we will know love, because we will recognise what is missing in others.

All the best,

Tony