We Are Already In The After-Life
We are already in the after-life.
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Life is a continuity from one moment to the next,
and we all carry certain traits affect the moment now.
Don’t think of yourself as one, but many.
We’re not even this person, but a mental amalgamation.
We have to sort ourself out.
Seeing in many dimensions is healthy – and amusing.
All the while, pure consciousness is waiting
for the clarity of mind to stabilise.
Think outside the box.
The Promotion Of The Unintelligible
There is an idiom, âSee no evil, hear no evil, speak no evilâ, which has the the same effect as saying, âSee no truth, hear no truth, speak no truthâ. The universe is complete in opposites; when we know the truth, we will recognise evil. We recognise evil because we know the truth.
The truth has been obfuscated.
Obfuscate: make obscure, unclear, or unintelligible. From late Latin obfuscat-âdarkenedâ.
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND!
Obfuscating is misleading communication by making the message difficult to understand, usually with confusing and ambiguous language.
Obfuscation can either be unintentional (as a result of following others) or intentional, and is accomplished by talking around a subject, with jargon or technical language that uses in-group speak, thus limiting any communicative value to outsiders.
We can even cite Tibetan Buddhism as an example, where we’re enthralled by the Tibetan culture with its exotic and meaningful words and names, but we can easily miss the simplicity of personal realisation and experiential, compassionate understanding.
Realisation is more than doing pujas and prostrations, and ringing bells.
It is knowing what is essence and what is culture.
Troubled Souls
‘Soul’, ‘spirit’, and ‘consciousness’ are all words for the essence of being. Any feelings we have comes from soul/spirit/consciousness; mind doesn’t feel as it’s just memories.
When Buddhism says that we don’t have a soul or spirit, it’s the same as saying that we don’t have consciousness. We are consciousness. We are soul or spirit. There is no need for division, but division is created, and it is this that is troubling.
The soul/spirit/consciousness is not the conventional mind of thoughts and ideologies; it is the very essence of what we are â uncontaminated awareness.
We are troubled by thoughts which create emotions of pride, jealousy, fear, hope, indifference ⌠This is the eternal battle between pure perception and whatever is perceived that creates a separatist world.
We so want to commune with others,
but we’re troubled by differences.
This dis-ease is Mara at work,
and it’s the reason why the world is constantly howling and yapping.
When we understand that there are no differences,
we are available and responsive.
Stop Carrying The Past
All the things that we regard as failures or distortions by ourself and others are what brought us to this present moment.
There is nothing to forgive, because that requires judgement. We’re all deluded because of what is passed down to us; to forgive is to say âI am now rightâ, while you are wrong.
We live in the universal soup of deluded and reactive consciousness.
âBeing in the soupâ is being in trouble.
That which recognises this soupiness
(sentimental exaggeration)
is our reality of pure consciousness.
Our Reality Is Beyond Teachings
It’s not the teaching that will set us free; it is the experience of the teaching that liberates.
For millennia, there have been forces dedicated to deceive us so that we remain a ‘product’. Through stories – childish stories – we are created in the image of our makers.
‘Good’ people think they’re going to heaven and will meet their loved ones. What are we going to do when we get there if we don’t have a body? These stories don’t go any further than a vague belief, and this is what people live their lives by.
Our reality is right here, right now. It is simply being. It’s not being something. We are here to end the effects of karmic attitudes and beliefs we cling to which are handed down to us. It’s simply indoctrination.
Our reality of pure consciousness is beyond
body, mind, memories, stories, teachings, and desires.
Pure consciousness has no attitude
– just empathetic understanding of the plight/danger we are in.
Gurus Aren’t Real
The outer guru is only a reminder of the inner guru – or it should be. Adoration of a guru is counter-productive as it creates a duality â me and my guru. Worldly gurus cannot be with us 24/7; they cannot point out to us precisely where we’re going wrong – we have to do that for ourselves.
Adoration creates competitiveness, a ‘holier than thou attitude’ as we behave as if we’re morally superior to others.
We are humans with an enlightened potential which includes all flaws and imperfections, revealing exactly how we are, including the bad parts, without hiding anything.
The idea of ‘guru’ is fanciful.
The real guru is our tainted mind,
showing us (consciousness) all our faults.
For that we are grateful.
This teacher bring us back to our home,
right here, right now.
Our Reality Is Beyond Teachings
It’s not the teaching that will set us free; it is the experience of the teaching that liberates. For millennia, there have been forces dedicated to deceive us so that we remain a ‘product’. Through stories – childish stories – we are created in the image of our makers.
‘Good’ people think they are going to heaven and will meet their loved ones (or voluptuous ones đ ). What are you going to do when you get there if you don’t have a body? The stories don’t go any further than a vague belief.
Our reality is right here right now, it is simply being. Heaven cannot be sitting around a circle chatting to ‘loved’ ones. We are here to end the effects of karma = beliefs from past actions clinging to ideas handed down to us.
Our reality of pure consciousness is beyond body, mind,
memories, stories, teachings, and desires.
Human Conditioning
The things we can’t say.
Through tradition, we follow the crowd and stay ‘mum’, not speaking out about what really matters. We only speak out what we are told to speak out about.
We vote for fools: we get what we wish.
Vote: from Latin votum âa vow, wishâ.
Words Can Be Twisted
Direct experience of pure consciousness cannot be twisted, but our perception can be clouded by biased words. We don’t see that we just see – that we are not seeing with clarity â as we are seeing through cultural programming.
If we were born into a different family or country, would we be the same person? We take on that culture which we then identify with. That is our prison. Once we recognise this, we know how to escape – simply by not identifying with ‘local’ ideas. đ
Everything we read or hear has a bias – a cultural identity which limits our perception.
Diversity Divides
Diversity has the illusion of inclusion and harmony,
but in reality, it is meant to divide and conquer,
to maintain tension in a society.
Confused people are easier to keep occupied,
and therefore to control.
This confusion divides the attention of consciousness.
Mara’s Speciality
Mara’s speciality is being true enough to believe in. The consequence of this is that it makes us lazy. We acquire ideas and think we’re the special ones, when we’re just predictable. Feeling special is Mara activity.
Predictable: Latin praedicabilis âable to be affirmedâ, which means that ‘individuals’ must know their place by obeying the form, the culture, policies they’re given.
Mara is predictable
in its vicious cycle of existence;
it doesn’t want us to step out of line.
Mara is watching everything.
We can watch back!
We All Think There’s More To Us
We all think there’s more to us when, in truth, there is less.
By thinking, âThere’s more to meâ, we are thinking either materially or intellectually. We’re only trying to outdo other inmates. đ This is, in fact, a downgrading or moving away from our true reality of pure consciousness.
In truth, we are consciousness that has no special features. It is empty cognisance, which gives rise to unconditional compassion through the understanding of what we are.
We’ve been led astray for thousands of years by thinking we’re better than others.
Dealing With The Abuse, Not The Abuser
The greatest method in reducing karma is non-reaction, seeing the abuse as our teacher, which shows us our state of mind. This has nothing to do with the abuser or whatever they say; Mara can’t help it – it just wants to control.
This isn’t easy if we haven’t controlled our Mara.
Everyone is an abuser.
Everyone seeks validation.
This method is all about our non-reaction. We aren’t ignoring what is said, but we address it in an ‘unlocking’ way – a little side-step so as not to escalate the situation. Mara wants a reaction to feed off, like a hungry ghost that constantly needs satisfaction, so we just give it a titbit to shine a little light.
This is how insanity is turned into sanity.
Until we’re perfectly enlightened, everyone is some sort of abuser,
so everyone is our teacher.
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Just consider what ThĂch NhẼt Hấnh or the Dalai Lama would do.
A False I Is A Reactive I
The sadness of human conditioning stems from the three poisons – attachment, aversion and ignorance – which foster a cycle of suffering and a false sense of self.
A false I is a reactive I.
Our true reality of pure consciousness does not react as it purely perceives, before the conceptual mind obscures consciousness.
The conflict between our reality – the clarity of inner peace within – and these poisons creates the condition of misery in which we live. The root of anger comes from an idea of self which is in conflict with something external that we believe to be real.
Changing this conditioning requires mindful compassion which comes from the realisation of our true reality to transform the mind back to the clarity of inner peace.
Hostility festers and lingers in the mind = holding on.
Compassionate understanding sets us free = letting go.
âMay Confusion Dawn As Wisdomâ
âMay confusion dawn as wisdom.â
â Gampopa
(1079â1153 CE)
The very moment when we recognise that we are confused and in inner conflictâ in fact, suffering â a gap occurs in the mind. This is a moment of clarity, and we have arrived at wisdom. Wisdom is in the clear seeing, without mental turmoil; this is also known as emptiness.
Recognition and realisation are simultaneous.
We notice all our mental concepts are just a collection from others’ confusion. Once we realise the cause of our confusion which creates conflict, we can then empathise with othersâ bewilderment. That is the foundation of compassion.
May my mind turn towards the Dharma.
May the Dharma become the path.
May the path clarify confusion.
May confusion dawn as wisdom.
Gampopa
Mara’s Spirituality
The piggy on our back â spiritual materialism.
Every time we talk or write about spirituality, we have to be aware that Mara isn’t influencing us, in the sense of âBelieve meâ. Mara, or demonic mind, is especially active in spiritual endeavours of oneupmanship. There are enlightened activities and Mara activities, and it’s easy to persuade a seeker to act in a certain way that deviates from the path.
The Four Enlightened Activities
If there is a law of attraction, there is also a law of repulsion. Every action can either be distorted by the ego, or set free by wisdom. An enlightened person will manifest activities that are beneficial to a particular state of affairs, whereas an egocentric person will project their view on to a situation in order to gain control.
In Buddhism, the enlightened activities are pacifying, enriching, magnetising and destroying ego’s games.
Pacifying accommodates everything: it reveals that there are no problems, and that aggression from the ego is unnecessary.
Enriching brings to light the process of growth, and allows the process of knowledge.
Magnetising bypasses conventional reality, where we continually try to draw desired situations towards ourselves and fend off undesirable ones. A realised person simply remains as they are, attracting naturally without ego’s intervention.
Destroying is connected to compassion, and is aimed at cutting through egoâs manipulations.
The Four Demonic Activities
Ego activity is selfish activity: as such, it is demonic. In Sanskrit, this demonic aspect is called ‘Mara’. The following four demonic activities are directed at building and fortifying our concept of self, and correlate with the four enlightened activities which illustrate compassionate understanding.
The Mara of pacifying attempts to make peace by using pleasure and security to eliminate whatever is unpleasant: âIt will be all right: trust meâ. It is an imitation of genuine pacification, which is beyond any self-serving strategy.
The Mara of enriching is the Mara of accumulating, when ego takes natural growth and turns it into its own ground. It takes richness and turns it into my wealth; âSee how knowledgeable I amâ.
The Mara of magnetising attempts to attract, feeding the ego with whatever is desirable, based on the possessive emotions; âI enjoy praying for othersâ.
The Mara of destroying obliterates everything, instead of just destroying what needs to be destroyed; âYou’re talking total rubbish!â. It inspires in the wrong way, and uproots the whole tree. That is the karmic quality of destruction gone wild, unnecessarily.
We need to look closely at the world we actually inhabit, and contemplate our most ordinary experiences. If we do so â and if we can let go of whatever we think, and simply let the truth reveal itself – we will discover that it is nothing other than primordial, inspirational wisdom. Reality is nothing other than wisdom.
Remember: demons do not miss a trick to satisfy themselves. Any whiff of another’s ego, and they will feed off it. Be aware that demonic beings use the principles of Mara activity to twist consciousness. Demonic activity feeds off others – don’t we all recognise this?
The Whiff Of Consciousness
Most of us are bedevilled by the material, mental and spiritual worlds, where there is no rest. Words cause never-ending conflict, confusion and suffering. We live in a relative reality of relating to everything, judging from our cultural point of view. We pick up the whiff of a culture and run with it.
Once we get the scent that we are none of the above and that we are consciousness, we see the world differently. We are never again beguiled by the hungry ghosts and magicians who try to fool us.
We see this bedevilment for what it is – the play of Mara, which instantly reminds us that we are being played. The whiff of consciousness is the whiff of freedom. Mara is no longer the enemy, but our teacher.
There are two truths: relative and ultimate.
Our relative reality argues about this word and that word.
Our ultimate reality is the gap between the words,
and is our path to enlightenment.
Realisation Is Personal
The wonder in personal realisation lies in ‘imperfection’, the subtle and annoying nuances of change (traditionalists don’t like change: we can be ‘perfectionists’, and still be stuck-in-the-muds).
Religion makes these nuances appear ‘perfect’, and so, unattainable. When we identify with a system, we feel we have to be perfect within that system, which inhibits natural growth.
Outside, it is as it is, warts and all.
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Theism, Atheism, Agnosticism And Pure Consciousness.
Theists, atheists and agnostics believe something.
Pure consciousness rests in the solution.
Unless we investigate all views without bias, we can never come to an obvious conclusion. It does not matter what we think or believe; the truth is in the observation â pure consciousness.
We are what we seek.
Realisation Shrinks The Need For Many Words
Examples:
Not two.
The unity of appearance and recognition.
Pure consciousness.
These each contain the complete Dharma.
Beginners like collecting words,
but the truth is never in words.
The Reality Of Listening
Which is real?
The words in our mind, or that which is listening …?
Real is that which never changes.
Spiritual Deception
Spiritual deception: trusting the majority; being a follower; believing anyone who claims to speak the truth; merely agreeing instead of realising the meaning of the words.
Do we think that The Daily Mara wouldn’t use our cherished desires to divert us? We are easily deceived and ready to believe whatever we hear or read. We’re suckers for the ‘good’ look.
Frankness and directness aren’t always welcome. Why do you think the Buddha said, âDon’t take my words for the truth; test themâ?
We don’t have to become something.
Spirituality (conscious awareness)
is undoing whatever we have become.
Just be natural. Be that which we forgot. How do we know whether someone is trustworthy?
As an individual, we are the authenticator.
The Beginners And The Advanced
Beginners adore complexity.
The advanced realise simplicity.
Beginners collect words and names.
The advanced see everything as one taste.
Why Do We Cut Ourselves Off From Others?
Why do we resist reaching out?
‘Reaching out’ means to initiate contact to offer help, seek connection, or communicate.
When we join a group, become a type, hold a belief, we adhere to group values and regard ourselves as moral and virtuous. This self-value colours our view of others whom we regard as different.
Even when there is a similar understanding, we still keep one another at arm’s length. Why? We are holding on to something. We aren’t recognising that this attitude is our personal obstacle on the path to enlightenment. It’s our challenge, and we don’t like being challenged.
We may become sentimental over words and images, but when it comes to personal interaction, we freeze.
Letting go is extremely subtle.
Anything that provokes ego’s reaction is our teacher.
What Is Karma?
Karma is not a punishment; it’s our personal algorithm, our set of rules, or programming. It’s a habitual pattern of behaviour created by the residue of acquired ideas from the past. And so, the same sort of things set us off. It’s our personal prison and ⌠the key to freedom.
When we can control our reactions and emotions by letting go – dropping them – the key is cleaned of rust. Enlightenment is eliminating all karma. How do we do this?
This isn’t about having no reactions or emotions;
those are our tools.
By just being aware of our reactions, a gap occurs and there is a hiatus, a pause in our thought process. We are that gap – an opening between words. That gap in conscious awareness. In practice, it is a gap of pure consciousness rather than vacancy.
There is bad karma and good karma. Which is which is hard to tell. Bad karma could bring a turning point in our life, so it’s good karma. Good karma could give all we desire ⌠and lock us in. đ
It all depends on our sense of development. Karma isn’t an outside force that’s controlling us. Karma is our teacher, showing consciousness all the fixations in the mind that we are holding on to.
Look forward to the next interaction, and see what is happening.
It’s the key to wisdom and enlightenment.
How else are we going to learn?
When Will We See The End Of Evil?
We will only see the end of evil
when we know how evil works.
As long as there are sentient beings, there will be evil ⌠and goodness.
Evil wants power over others. It feeds off reactions. To do this, it has to distract consciousness. Most of us are unaware that we are consciousness, believing we are the memories and suggestions placed in our minds.
We can therefore be led by the nose. Evil wants conformity in the guise of believing in individuation, or being singled out. ‘Celebrities’ are foisted on us in all arenas of life as if they’re important, and we jump up and down without knowing why.
The only power evil has lies in whatever we believe. It’s the power of suggestion. When we stop believing the hype – even spiritual hype – we are free of evil. Until then, we have work to do.
Samsara Is Hell – Samsara Is Heaven
It all depends on our view.
‘Samsara’ is Sanskrit for the vicious cycle of existence.
Most people think – or rather, have been told – that hell and heaven are ‘somewhere else’. Some don’t believe in either, and others don’t even care. Very few of us realise that all opposites are a unity; by virtue of one, the other is known. We’re either living in heaven or hell, or both at the same time.
Heaven and hell are states of mind, and are reflected in our attitudes. Mind has two aspects: empty clarity, and the acquired contents of thoughts. Heaven and hell.
To a practitioner of conscious awareness,
thoughts are but a reminder that they are being observed.
Awareness and recognition are simultaneous.
When we live in our thoughts, we are in hell.
The clarity that observes these thoughts is heaven.
If we believe anything else, we’re being deceived by appearances and words.
This is where we work
– to achieve incomprehensible enlightenment beyond the intellect.
The Gift Of Doubt
Every conclusion collapses under scrutiny.
The real teaching begins when we lose certainty.
When we start our journey, we learn new words and ways and grow in confidence, but we may still feel incomplete. The purpose of Dharma is to first create certainty, which gives rise to doubt, which destroys certainty. We won’t understand this if we just keep going back for more of the same.
Feeling Wrong
When we see others’ display and don’t feel the same, are we wrong? When the academic or religious ways no longer satisfy us, what is happening? When we first enter a religion or spiritual sect, it’s full of new words and ways. It is true that we need discipline and humility so as to become open and not arrogant but, as we inherit the form, we become subtly stuck in those words and ways, and find ourselves going round in circles.
Doubt Is Not For Everyone
âDon’t take my words for the truth; test themâ refers to the fact that the teachings are incomplete if we’ve only memorised them. When we realise them, we no longer react as we used to. A conflict arises between the words we’ve learnt and what is experiencing the words. The meaning changes from worshipping that which is without, to realising that which is within. A doubt occurs – an oscillation. The outer form is but a mirage or mirror. Realisation is incomprehensible.
The beginner seeks the certainty of âIt’s like thisâ and âIt’s like thatâ, but the real teaching begins when we lose that certainty. Only then can we begin to understand and realise the unreality of all phenomena and the ultimate sameness of samsara and nirvana â and that which that observes all that.
This hidden teaching â this gift – waits until compassion, humility, and mature stability arise. All concepts collapse under this realisation, and we are no longer a reactive being. This is the beginning of wisdom.
There was never anything to attain. Just allow ‘certainties’ to drop away, before resting in the truth of ultimate being.
Realisation doesn’t end all suffering.
This is the role of doubt â the gift – in advanced practice.
Every conclusion collapses under scrutiny
all that is left is pure awareness
Go Ordinary
The more we wake up to our reality, the less special we realise we are. Waking up to the richness of spontaneous pure consciousness reminds us not stray back into the dream of believing we’re exceptional.
Thinking we’re special is the dream; knowing we’re ordinary is the reality.
Ordinary: without special features.
This is to say that there is nothing to hold onto.
The comic-video-world wants to exaggerate waking up, turning it into a pageant.
Waking up is simply eyes open, mind open, open heart.
Making A Culture and Replacing a Culture
Culture: the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.
A culture is created by a certain type of temperament which is the code for that society. Some are noisy, others are quiet. A problem occurs when the noisy enter the quiet and upset the balance, demanding that everyone becomes noisy.
Technology changes how we live. Some changes are natural, while others are orchestrated. It’s not actually change; we are constantly being diverted away from our natural state.
Once we recognise the pattern, we’re not surprised – it’s predictable. We see all the lies and false information about reality, and begin to re-examine where we got our values from.
If you were born into a different family or culture who used words in a particular way, would you be the same person? No, you wouldn’t – but the essence of pure consciousness would be the same.
The noise in our head goes round and round â that’s our culture.
Being Disillusioned
Disillusioned: having lost trust in something formerly regarded as true.
When we give up believing, we no longer live in an illusion.
The illusion is belief –
accepting whatever others say which has been said to them.
Wishing you the greatest disillusionment
for the coming year.
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Wisdom Is Sharing One’s Inner Peace
Wisdom does not cause conflict
as it acknowledges the purity within all.
No one can disprove consciousness.
Belief, on the other hand,
has many aspects which cause conflict,
and therefore, belief is not wisdom.
Belief has no direct experience.
Noticing that we are holding on to a belief
is wisdom.
Have a wise new year.
Home Alone
We assume that having a large circle of ‘friends’ means success, while being alone means there’s something wrong with us. It all depends on the level of confidence and insight. Some of us need to be part of a group, while others don’t. This isn’t being isolationist or thinking we’re special; we appreciate deeper connections, and are always willing to help.
Through empathy, we recognise others’ intentions and ability to cope. Friendships are often based on mutual validation – a meeting of facts or photos, which is not the same as a meeting of minds. We’ve stopped being manipulated.
Mara* turns away when not validated. No longer craving attention, we don’t make a drama out of everything, and step back from the chaos of fact fighters, maintaining space and inner peace over selective outrage and concern. There is an understanding that wasting time on gossip, passive aggressive behaviour and attention-seeking is futile.
We don’t need to be included. Silence doesn’t scare us. The more deeply we feel, the fewer people we attract. It’s a natural marketing strategy to avoid wasting time. đ
People aren’t comfortable around those who don’t become over-excited as this feels like a threat Â- it’s one reason why we don’t become involved in others’ assumptions. Mindfulness walks alone. It’s not standoffishness, although it could be seen like that.
Most people avoid self-reflection.
Some are surrounded by noise for comfort,
but we have no need for distractions.
In conscious awareness, distractions are obvious.
This is why Mara can never succeed.
*Mara is our narcissistic tendencies â inflated; self-important; a constant need for admiration; a sense of entitlement; a lack of empathy; exhibiting exploitative behaviour leading to grandiosity; arrogance; fantasies of success; envy; treating people as objects to fulfil needs, all while ignoring the feelings of others. In other words, in love with one’s own self-reflection.
Observation Versus Observer
One is absolute reality; the other is relative reality.
When there is just observation, at that infinitesimal moment, there is no I, no self, no observer present. There is just pure observation. No relating is happening.
This is an important distinction to observe before consciousness starts claiming ⌠âI see.â
The moment when there is a feeling of an observer, a relationship is set up, and an infinitesimal moment of time is taken up. This is also an important distinction to observe.
We have become so used to claiming that this colours everything that is perceived – âI see.â We are not the voice in our head; that is just an echo from our environment.
The real you is the silent observation that has no voice, no ideas.
Shocked?
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Life Is A Conveyor Belt Of Industrial Intellectualisation
We can only laugh at ourselves when we actually get off. đ
Most of us die without knowing the journey we’ve been on.
We play the game of oneupmanship,
all the while scooting along the conveyor belt of re-education.
The know-it-alls never notice that pure consciousness knows nothing.
This is the ‘spiritual’ psychological trap
of learning words without knowing them.
We become hollow sounding-boards of belief.
This is the entrapment of predicability.
When we get off the conveyor belt of industrial intellectualisation,
we are free to ⌠đ
Why Write A Blog
Not everyone wants to consider the truth of their being. People either belong to an idea, or speculate, or aren’t bothered â and realising the truth takes a lot of practice and testing.
Absolute truth is available to everyone as it’s their essence, which is pure consciousness. Having realised the truth, finding the right words to hit the right target is a challenge as the truth is never in the words.
No one can find fault with pure consciousness, and very few appreciate its significance, and what obscures it. When truth is realised, each individual emphasises what seems to be most important.
Karma/self/emotions/belief/ideas are all the same; they are our teacher.
They show us what we are subtly holding on to that obscures pure vision.
In pure vision, there is no I, karma, self, emotions, belief, ideas, obscurations.
n this way, life is never boring.
This blog is coming up to the start of its thirteenth year.
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As We Get Older, We Still Feel Young ⌠Why?
As we get older, we still feel young inside ⌠why? The body changes, but essence – pure consciousness – doesn’t change. Some call it soul, spirit, life âŚ
If we just understand that, our view of life becomes enriched and fulfilled. One day it just hits you! We learn there is nothing to learn, and no need to exaggerate!
We Live Under A False Premise
Premise: an idea on which a statement or action is based.
It’s like a spanner in the works that is meant either to impede performance or stop it completely.
We are governed by the way we think, and the way we think is in words; the meaning of those words is given to us, therefore we don’t have an original thought in our minds.
In the beginning was the word?
For most people, it is
– words which are their code to obey.
Code: words converted into a code so as to convey a secret meaning. Or to provide false data.
Whatever we argue about, we first have to be free from the words. The decipher key is in the reader, not in the words. If the reader doesn’t know their reality, they won’t know how to decode.
Once we accept concepts about life, everything is then based on those, and we never question them again. The idea of self is like this. What is this self?
The Body Is A Vehicle
The body is our vehicle; the mind is our track.
depends on the load we are carrying.
Lightening our load hastens enlightenment.
Theists Argue
Theists argue.
Non-theists argue.
Agnostics argue.
Buddhists argue.
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In pure consciousness, there is nothing to disagree about:
we have arrived.
Clarity is beyond words.
Extremely Subtle Consciousness
Extremely subtle consciousness is extremely simple.
You cannot make a big deal out of it –
if you did it, wouldn’t be extremely subtle.
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It is watching this screen right now,
without the usual fabricated identifications.
Evil is also extremely subtle.
Evil is ignorance of this extremely subtle consciousness.
Evil only want us to believe in the concept of extremely subtle consciousness.
Our essence is extremely subtle consciousness.
It’s not a secret; it’s just ignored.
Who Can We Complain To?
Who can we complain to?
No one.
When things don’t feel right, who can we turn to? There is no one. We live in an unenlightened world, full of religions, politics, sciences and social chattering ⌠all thinking they are right. Even if we join a group, there is still no one to talk to about how we feel. We must accept or leave.
âBirds of a feather flock togetherâ means people who have a similar outlook, belief, or background tend to associate with one another. We see this in all walks of life. Some of us come from nebulous, ill-defined backgrounds, if we don’t have the right feather, we don’t fit.
It is this non-acceptance that we cannot complain about,Â
because followers ⌠just follow
The material world has sides, and the intellectual and philosophical worlds also have sides. Realisation of our true reality isn’t a group activity; it has no sides, and this is where all our questions are answered (or seen as unnecessary).
There is no need to have someone to complain to. If we find the problem is within, that is what we are still carrying around from without. The answer to all our complaints is that which questions.
And we don’t have to be like ‘them’.
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The Single Problem With The Human Predicament
The single problem with the human predicament is belief.
Once we believe, we become predictable.
Belief is accepting words that have not been proven personally.
We may believe words to be true, but this doesn’t mean we know – we just follow.
Predicament: from Latin ‘praedicamentum’: quality, category, something predicted, that which is asserted. An unpleasant or trying situation.
From the same root:
Preachment: from Latin ‘praediciamentum’: preaching, discourse, declaration.
Words are about an experience.
To realise the origin, we have to experience the experience for ourselves.
Be careful what you think you think.
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A Lack Of Transparency
If there’s a lack of transparency, we cannot see clearly â or we’re not allowed to see clearly – and therefore we remain confused. We don’t see clearly when our mind is full of ideas – others’ ideas – or something is omitted.
Double-talk is language that appears to be earnest and meaningful but is, in fact, a mixture of sense and nonsense. Deciding which is which can be a tricky business. This why most people are in political and religious conflict with one another. The world is run on redacted texts which we’re not allowed to see.
If we are transparent, we have no hidden agenda.Â
This is emptiness, pure consciousness, shunyata.Â
It’s our natural state.Â
In meditation, when we sit in silent awareness, we have no sides.
When we feel dissatisfied with the way people interact and the world in which we live, we can either start to wake up or remain opaque.
Opaque: from Latin opacus âdarkenedâ.
On the path to enlightenment, the first noble truth of the Buddha is acknowledging suffering, both personal and worldly. Jumping to a conclusion about the cause of suffering is a great mistake, as there are causes behind causes. The original cause is self-interest that obscures the clarity within.Â
Clarity:Â divine splendour.
Word create an agenda, and stop us seeing clearly. The way we use language obscures direct experience. How often do we say something to someone and the other person takes the opposite view because of the words they’ve collected?
It’s up to each individual to weigh up what makes sense and what is nonsense. Some people are very good at talking, but this doesn’t mean they’re telling the truth – even the Buddha.
How do we know someone is telling the truth?
How do we know what is missing?Â
The missing element is direct experience,Â
rather than something borrowed.
We spend our livesÂ
watching images of people… listening to songs… reading what others say…Â
living vicariously maintains the illusion.
Being transparent means not holding on to anything.
The Pointing Out Instruction
The pointing out instruction of the essence of our reality.
In front of you is space.
Whatever takes place in that space, space doesn’t change.
Now look at the space in the mind; whatever takes place in the mind, that space doesn’t change.
That pure space is the pure awareness of pure consciousness that doesn’t change.
It’s that simple.
This unchanging awareness is what we are.
While remaining consciously aware, we come to realise that there is nothing else (there is nothing supernatural about this).
The essence of mind is pure consciousness.
Pure consciousness has no thoughts.
It’s just aware of thoughts; we recognise that are not what we think.
The result of this realisation is unconditional empathetic compassion for those who do not realise their essential nature.
This isn’t so simple but it’s something that increases in value as realisation deepens.
We see in society all the ramifications of remaining ignorant of this reality.
Prayer Does Not Bring World Peace
Prayer does not bring world peace.
It never has.
Praying for world peace is Mara’s suggestion to make us feel virtuous.
Subtle, isn’t it?
Realisation of our true reality brings inner peace to an individual.
Throughout history, when an individual has realised their true essence,
others catch on ⌠for a while,
and then Mara takes over again.
This is why it is up to each of us to rekindle the clarity within,
otherwise the light in the world will go out.
People Are Out Of Control
When we over-react through emotions, we are out of control.
Emotions are created by our mood and our relationship with others.
Pride is a juicy emotion,
and there are influencers who feed off our pride.
This is how evil collects its companions.
The only defence is the sanctity of the inner stillness of pure consciousness.
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. 