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.

Cutting The String Of Our Yo-Yo

Our life is a constant oscillation, a yo-yoing of up and down, up and down. When we seek happiness, we are seeking a condition – a temporary event of body or mind – to feel satisfied, and we come to rely on that condition. When the condition stops we become unhappy, and so we look for that condition again. This creates addiction.

To stop this constant yo-yo effect, we have to notice the craving, and pause … which cuts the reaction of attachment to an idea. The relief of being aware is the happiness we seek. That is meditation – just coming to rest.

True happiness does not rely on conditions;
it’s the absence of being conditioned.

What Is Being Awake?

Waking up is awareness; that which is always present before thoughts in our mind. It is a fully aware and non-reactive state.

Living in thoughts and emotions is our dream state, 
where demons can enter.
Every time we react we are back in that dream state.
It’s a very subtle on/off switch.

The awakened state is always naturally present, but is obscured by thoughts. This state of wakefulness is pure consciousness or, as someone said, intuitive knowingness. This is the magic reality of all sentient beings, having the power to influence events by not being taken in by beliefs, and other entertainments. 

Even sophisticated philosophical and scientific ideas and religious beliefs can keep us in a very clever dream state. Noticing distraction is the on/off switch. This is why, when we are awake, even if evil attempts to distract us, it reminds us to stay awake and alert. 

In wakefulness, there are no thoughts, no words, no me.
True communication is to ponder first,
feeling one’s way, rather than becoming a reporter of ‘news’.

The dream is the illusion we live in.

What Decides?

What decides?
Or rather, what forms judgements: what likes and dislikes?

Pure consciousness (which is what we are) is the cognisant empty essence of mind (our being) that does not judge – it observes. It must be obvious that observation must come before a decision is made. Our problem is that we’re so used to judging everything that we miss that precious moment of pure perception. 

We have to judge to survive in this body so that it remains healthy, to give us time to contemplate and realise our reality, without distractions. 

Unfortunately, we love those distractions – they are our entertainment. We enjoy judging, and therefore lose objectivity and become subjective and fixated. This subjectivity forms the illusion of a self with its likes and dislikes; these mental images cause ignorance, which obscures pure objectivity. 

Judgements take place, depending on what memories we put into the mind. This is the birth of ego or I, but this identification needn’t be a permanent fixture. Meditation is the practice of letting go.

We cannot find that which decides. 
Consciousness only notes what is taking place.

I Don’t Belong Here

Do you ever get that feeling? We do belong here as this is our karmic destination, but once our karmic load lessens, we are no longer part of the illusory social fabric that binds us all together.

The feeling of ‘not belonging’ is freedom from this illusion. It is being free to be alone = at one.

‘I don’t belong’ is the realisation that this ‘I’ identification does not belong in the essence of mind, which is pure consciousness. Consciousness can get along very well without an I identification and naming. 

We see a person from a distance, and before we know who it is, we recognise whether we know them or not. That’s just the view; the I doesn’t need a view about them, as this merely maintains a narrative.

The ‘I’ does not belong to the view of pure consciousness.

Forgetting Our Basic Goodness

Just seeing without an opinion is the basis of goodness – we haven’t judged yet. That ‘just seeing’ is pure consciousness as opposed to our usual consciousness which identifies with thoughts and our rules of engagement. Those acquired rules are when we judge others, which is our downfall from goodness. By judging others, we’re looking down on them because they don’t believe what we believe.

When we feel superior in this way, we become isolated and that’s not good, because then we see others as an enemy. However, isolated but open is not the same thing as cutting ourselves off. Until we are fully enlightened (whatever that means), we will appear aloof – not friendly or forthcoming; cold and distant.

If enlightenment is total, never-changing, unconditional love, ignoring this is the cause of unhappiness.

Realisation Is Like A Bonfire 

Realisation is like a bonfire; at the right time, the wood ignites, and burns itself out! The sap has dried up. Likewise, all our opinions and beliefs dry up, and burn themselves out. At the right time, a small light – just a suggestion – and whoo-mph! the realisation of emptiness.

There is nothing else … is that it?! 
That’s it!
Just being, without being something.

That moment of realisation cannot be broken. This isn’t enlightenment, as a few twigs are still damp – a little bit of hope and fear remains. We have to understand that the garden, the earth, will still grow more twigs of misinformation, opinions and beliefs 🙂

Advanced Meditation

Advanced meditation?
Drop it. 
Keep on dropping it. 

Meditation is merely a method to remember that we are awareness. Empty awareness. Once we remember, we drop the method as there is absolutely no point in holding on. Once we forget, we apply the method again. Just keep on dropping it.

Usually, in meditation, we feel we are doing something, and at the end of the session, we feel relaxed. “Great! I can give up!” 

That end is the real meditation, so keep on giving up. 🙂

Don’t Love Your Self; Appreciate It

Your self. Your! 
Do you get it

This self is not what you are;
it’s a programme you’ve acquired and believe in.

You are pure consciousness – the very essence of pure mind. 
Self is a construct in the mind. 

You’ve been had, tricked, cheated, deceived, into believing that you are this programme in the mind. (‘Being had’ means getting a person in one’s power, or at a disadvantage.) 

We are encouraged to ‘better’ our self and feel good about our self, when the self is merely a prison guard. This self-programme is what is holding consciousness back from realising its true, enlightened state. 

Appreciating this self is very different. Ultimately, self or ego or I is our personal teacher, showing consciousness what it is holding on to, and the harm this causes.

Self is no big deal; it shows consciousness the illusory obstacles on the path to enlightenment, so appreciate it. 🙂

Making Our Connection

When we open to the possibility of realising absolute truth – and that there is such a thing – we have taken our first steps on our path to enlightenment. We start to express ourselves commensurate to the understanding on that step. 

I once spoke to a translator, saying, “I find the word ’empathy’ more accurate than the word ‘compassion’.” He just replied dismissively, “No, no! We say ‘compassion’.” Some people think one word suits all, and it’s for us to make the connection, and decide whether to stay or move on. At each step, words take on a different meaning so there’s no point in arguing. 🙂

The Buddha’s understanding came from analysing the Vedas, and meditating. He made the connection. 

Teachings on truth are timeless, and are not limited to one being. 
It’s not a matter of joining any particular group; 
it’s about making the connection with our own ultimate reality.

Have They Lost The Plot?

They haven’t lost the plot – we have.
Their plot of corruption is going very well.

The plot is to stop us from knowing what we truly are. When things are going wrong, we complain, gossip, tell-it-like-it-is, while never seeing the big picture. People are controlled by their complaints, and as long as people have something to complain about, they’re fixated.

Things don’t just happen; there is a cause (plan) and effect (the consequences of that plan). Because we’re not devious, it doesn’t mean others aren’t!

The universe is driven by attraction and repulsion. Plotters know that the human mind is controlled by desire and fear. In our confusion, we lose the plot of what has been planned for us. 

Everything external is leading us somewhere. 
Meditation puts an end to being led … 
… or it should. 🙂

If we cannot drop the meditation,
we’re still in the plot

Drop the meditation, and lose the plot.
😀

We Don’t Have To Become A Type

Becoming a type is an act.

So-called ‘spiritual’ people are duped into making a peculiar display of elitism and aloofness, which gives rise to a lack of empathy. This is not spirituality; it’s one-upmanship. 

And it’s an act.

When we realise reality, we deal with what life deals us. We do not become something different – we accept what we are, even though others may not. What we are is pure consciousness wrapped up in a particular karmic package. Even if we acquire an intellectual mantle – a cloak of invisibility to cover ourselves up – that package is still visible.

And it’s an act.

Missing The Point

Missing the point –
the point of awareness.

Awareness is the moment now, but for most people, awareness is captured by thoughts and emotions about the world around them. 

What we think we know creates pride. 
What we miss is the original awareness. 

That is the point of our reality – pure awareness. 
It’s what mystics know.