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.

The Dharma Is Do-It-Yourself

We can go to teachings, do retreats, read books, but these comprise generalised statements or concepts obtained by inference, just like a video on plumbing, electrics or bricklaying.

We don’t actually know until we put the idea into practice, where every situation is different. Once we know, we can adapt.

Confusion is not knowing, so we cannot adapt and have to rely on others (which can get quite expensive 🙂 ). What do we do for ourselves? Just be aware. Of course, we’ll say, “I am aware.” That’s the problem; the I is aware, but this is just a memory in the mind about what is seen. Being aware is just being aware, purely aware without concepts.

And we have to do this ourselves. Our true ‘self’ is pure consciousness, but this isn’t a thing that can be identified, as it’s that which is doing the seeing. Not many on this planet get that, as they are only aware of doing some thing, seeing some thing or enjoying some thing.

When the Buddha said,
“Don’t take my word for the truth; see for yourself,” he meant DIY. 🙂

A teacher cannot be aware for you.
The Buddha cannot be aware for you.

So what are we supposed to be doing?
Just be aware; that is absolute truth.

Once we know this,
anything that distracts is not the truth.

“But I have to do things!”
Just be aware while doing them – without emotion, without attachment;
just momentary satisfaction of completion.

De-escalating 

The ability to de-escalate a situation requires insight and wisdom.
The ability to escalate a situation involves politics, manipulation and reaction.

When we exaggerate or elaborate on a situation, we are lost in fault-finding, which creates further conflict. This is the chronological history of humanity, and the cause of mental bondage.

The ability to reduce the intensity of emotions through understanding is the clarity of wisdom. We awaken to the consequences of our actions, and realise that we have no immunity from karma.

De-escalating is keeping our cool.
🙂

The Esoteric

The esoteric isn’t a teaching in a book of ‘mysteries’; it is that which is reading the book.

The suggestion that the mystery of life – the big secret – is something written down, is the exoteric – the usual deception for academic fools (‘fools’ is a bit strong, but these people profess to be the elite).

The esoteric is arriving at the realisation that we are pure consciousness.
For those who think it is ‘the secret’, it is the golden roof.
For those who know, it is the very foundation of reality.

The only reason this can be thought of as ‘secret’ is because it is misunderstood, and seen as something to ponder over. The esoteric is beyond words. It is pure being, in the sense of the uncontaminated spontaneous moment of discovery, without the usual mental deviations.

The outcome of esoteric understanding is a sympathetic realisation of these mental deviations. Deviations are intellectualisations and philosophies that cause confusion and suffering because of the weight of words and terminologies that spread like a pandemic. This dis-ease is the exoteric, meant for the many who see everything as a mystery … and switch off.

The esoteric is our immune system that protects us from foolishness.

“The Kingdom of God (reality) is inside you and all around you.
Not in a mansion of wood and stone.
Split a piece of wood and I (pure consciousness) am there.
Lift a stone and you will find me (pure consciousness).”

Our reality is in the seeing.

Do not rely on words, translations, commentaries, poetry …
… just see.

Evil Is Out To Get You

🙂
It’s not a problem if you know.

We cannot reason with evil as it has a set script. It tries to find our weaknesses, wanting to charm us, and reel us in like a fish on a hook. Why? Evil feeds (gets satisfaction) from winding us up. The more upset we are, the more pride and fear we have, and the more powerful evil becomes. Evil wants to own us – to get one over on us.

There are systems in the world which are powered by this social control, creating snitches – grumpy bad-humoured people who feel righteous about condemning others. Such behaviour lurks in many conversations.

This oscillation between good and evil / heaven and hell has been the human dilemma for thousands of years. In the first instant of meeting, there is goodness present; it’s natural, but then the mind kicks in with its personal likes and dislikes, and clutters up the atmosphere with confusion.

“Better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t.”
That ‘devil’ is in our mind.

Mind Is Memories

Mind is just memories; it’s what we juggle with, affecting our behaviour and causing discontent and suffering. When we obsess about our past, we’re not relating to now.

“So-and-so said this!”
So what?
“Well, the Buddha said this…”
So what?

The point is, what are we doing now? Are we learning anything? Or are we just following what was said in the past, rather than connecting with the moment now? So many families and friendships are destroyed through just a idea.

There are two ways of relating: we can either relate to a situation from memories, so we indulge in more of the same, or we can relate as in a mirror and its reflection, when we see that the reflection isn’t the reality.

The first is relative truth, and this how we usually live, through memories and sentimentality.

The second is absolute truth, where everything that is seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touched is direct perception = pure consciousness, which reminds us that pure consciousness is ever-present.

Thinking Isn’t Knowing

Thinking isn’t knowing;
it’s regurgitating.

When we think, we live in memories,
but what is it that observes these memories?

It is the spontaneous presence of consciousness,
our reality of knowingness itself.

Spiritually-Wise Is Worldly-Wise

‘Spirituality’ isn’t something that has been depicted for thousands of years as being up in the sky with wings. Spirituality is simply consciousness. This is not a vague idea; it is that which is aware. We are consciousness and, being consciously aware, we can deal with whatever the world throws our way, because if we know the truth of our reality, we know what isn’t the truth.

What isn’t our reality is the deceit behind the scenes that obscures it: concepts, beliefs, ideas. If we are unaware of our true nature, we have been deceived, believing our mental state is all that there is. Worldly people are bound up in mental inventions that distract them, not realising that they’re being played for fools.

Politics, religion, our standing in society … these are entertainments to ‘bind’ us to opinions about who is good and who is bad, while the puppet masters see to it that the show goes on.

If we just believe, we can be made to believe anything.
If we fall for this charade we are worldly, but never wise.

When we know what we are,
we no longer have to believe; we are wisdom itself.

When we see both sides at the same time,
they become a unity
– a spontaneous reminder of what is real and what isn’t.

Does Religion Over-Elaborate What Is Natural?

🙂

Consciousness, Conscience, Morals And Behaviour

Our morals don’t mean we are right; they’re about what we decide is right or wrong.

Morals come from the clarity of mind, which comes from the clarity of consciousness (or lack of it) that creates our moral compass, which is the direction we take in life. Morality isn’t about others’ morals – it’s about ours.

Moral Compass.
Morals guide our individual behaviour. Our moral compass is our personal set of beliefs and values regarding right and wrong. Morals aren’t fixed. They may change as we face fresh experiences and gain knowledge to cope with the hardships of life. Everyone’s moral compass is unique.

Conscience guides an individual’s decision-making process. It can be created and modified to justify one’s actions.

Conscience and morals come from the quality of consciousness. Once we know what ultimate truth is, our values and decision-making change; what we saw as good is now poison, and what was poison is now medicine.

The Dharma show us what we are – pure consciousness – but we may not want to know this as we would have to change our fixated views, so we turn away. Having faced our previous predilection which boosted ego, we now see this as our teacher.

The clearer and more direct our view, the more pure consciousness comes to the fore, totally changing our view of life and behaviour. We no longer just follow others’ thinking that they are right; we have to know if they have the ability to control themselves.

Always remember that our morals/mind can be corrupted into believing something that is not true. Beware of smooth/clever operators; a person who achieves social success by manipulating others through a calm, charming and persuasive manner.

It pays to be aware;
we get our sanity back.

The Relief Of Not Being Special

We are all taught to be ‘somebody’, to be something special, to succeed, to win, to better ourselves … to be better than others? This makes life miserable, and we suffer – as do all those around us – by becoming over-excited about our self. Who are we trying to impress in this theatrical-rat-race?

All beings can choose,
as they have an enlightened essenc
inside an illusory identity.

We can lead a life of simplicity,
where we can be what we originally are
– the spontaneous moment, free of anything written down.

PS It’s not easy getting rid of the script.

Satisfaction Is Fleeting

We can complete an action or understand something,
and feel satisfied … for a moment,
and then we’re back to just being aware.

It’s a good place to be,
as holding on to the satisfaction creates pride.

Is Buddhism The Illusion Within The Illusion?

The Buddha’s teaching is a realisation of the Vedic teaching of “not two” – non-duality. Any appearance is simultaneous with perception, as in a mirror and its reflection.

Take note that all appearances, all phenomena, are just impermanent events observed by ever-present reality of pure consciousness.

Believing this without personal experience is just an idea – an illusion in the mind. The Buddha wasn’t Buddhist; he realised that we are pure reality and, dropping all attachments, became enlightened.

Religions and philosophies are just generalisations; they point the way, but they aren’t the way itself. The reality is in the experience and not the words … in any language.

The Buddha’s teaching does not have to be ritualistic or complicated, with many incantations and symbols. It is merely looking, seeing and dropping whatever is seen to realise that pure seeing, pure consciousness is ever-present. That’s it. What do we arrive at? It is indescribable and probably slightly different for everyone. It’s not ecstasy or bliss exactly, more like release.

The Dharma is medication to heal the mind of its attachments, but we don’t get hooked on the medicine. In meditation, there is no Buddha, no Buddhism … no meditation … no meditator.

Divine Splendour And Everyday Life

Divine splendour doesn’t mean we have no problems;
we just see them clearly.

Clarity: the quality of transparency or purity.
Middle English (in the sense ‘glory, divine splendour’): from Latin claritas, from clarus ‘clear’. 

It’s A Shock

We are the alpha and omega – the beginning and the end.
We look for the truth, and realise we are the truth,
when we stop living others’ histories.

Our truth is pure consciousness.
Once we realise this, we have a firm foundation to live by
that shows us everything we need to know about the world we live in.

Thinking We Are Communicating

We think we are communicating, but in reality, we are unable to communicate. We usually talk about a history we’ve inherited, which lacks empathy and relevance for what’s in front of us now.

We long to open up to another, but how quickly we want release from the words that separate us.

The problem is that we don’t give enough time to pause and reflect in silence.

The madness in the world is caused by words which affect the mind, and so, our behaviour. Words say much about us – they give us away.

Communication is in the level of sharing. The more we realise the more we can share with anyone.

Locked In The Mind Through Suggestion

Locked in the mind through suggestion: Middle English (in the sense of ‘an incitement to evil’).

Hypnosis is the power of suggestion. Although not necessarily evil, it can be used in this way, as in believing without proof.

We are all prisoners in our own minds – or rather, consciousness is imprisoned by a mind taken over by suggestions. It’s only when we drop all ideas and just be, that we are outside the mind’s control. Then we are free.

Whatever is happening in the world is not the prison. Events are interpreted for us as a ‘suggestion’ that incarcerates us, while allowing us to choose the lifestyle of our prison.

Suggestions capture our mind. The news is all about suggestion; information is exaggerated to attract us, making us think we know when we’ve merely adopted the ideas of others.

When we are purely aware with no attachment, we are free. It’s really that simple. Remaining open-minded in pure perception, we hear, see, smell, taste and touch, all of which are non-conceptual. That is to say, we can enjoy life with all its ups and downs, but not be attached and imprisoned by events.

If we adhere to the programming, we create our own karmic attitude. However, we all feel there is more to us than that. There is … it is pure consciousness – liberation from all suggested programming.

There are all sorts of things we’re led to believe through suggestion, but we don’t see the agenda behind events.
When we stop believing, we start knowing.

Living In The Real World

The real world is conscious awareness, rather than ideas held in the mind. Life is fruitful when we realise that we are this consciousness awareness: the reality that never changes.

We’re not puppets to have our strings pulled through a belief in stories, pictures and songs; we are here to realise what we are, which is more than just thrill-seekers. Our essence is consciousness, pure and simple while, at the same time, we function as human beings to drop our repetitive karmic attitude.

The path to enlightenment is right here, right now, but we get distracted, which causes confusion and takes us away from being open and natural. Distractions clouding pure vision are thrown at us daily, but these are our ultimate guide, reminding us that we are not those ideas by which we are conditioned.

Living in reality is enriching;
being happy for no reason does not rely on conditions.

Levels Of Waking Up

Knowing there are bad people in the world is not waking up.
Knowing there are stupid people in the world is not waking up.
It’s always been this way.

We are meant to see injustice and react, as this creates conflicting emotions in the mind, and makes us unstable – and controllable.

We start to wake up when we notice the effect of this on our minds, and how we believe whatever we are told, being manipulated to take sides. We realise that our mind is not our own when we only quote others.

Waking up is not about what we see out there; waking up is an internal affair.

Grumbling becomes a ‘comedian’s art form;
it’s very clever, but it’s still part of the soporific show,
making us think we see something no one else sees. 🙂

When we realise something is wrong with us, we start to wake up as we know there is more. What has been presented is just a dream, and an illusion of freedom, when it has actually been slavery all along. People function in a dream state – they only look awake; the higher levels of wakefulness are empathy and compassion for this state.

The Buddha’s first noble truth
is to acknowledge that we are suffering, dissatisfied, anxious.

The cause of this dissatisfaction is an identification with an illusory self, which is just an idea in the mind of how clever I am. That is consciousness clinging to an image. That is the creation of ego-I.

Once we can separate what we are – consciousness – from the mind, we can start our journey of ascending the levels of realisations/wakefulness to pure consciousness.

Meditation clears the mind to see directly,
rather than via others’ explanations.

Never take the Buddha’s word for the truth;
it is direct perception – pure consciousness – that is the unchanging truth.

Our Minds Have Been Colonised

Our minds have been taken over, and we never noticed; we surrendered at birth, because our parents told us how to think, just as they were told how to think. We assume this is normal, but while we argue amongst ourselves about the state of the world, and about who colonised who, we do not realise that our minds have already been taken over.

The ‘news’ and ‘alternative news’ make sure we see injustice. All the things going on in the world are merely a distraction for what has really gone on, and these events are not meant to be hidden as they’re in plain sight.

Can we think outside ourself?

History is a illusion. What went on in the past is happening now, with domination of minds while we argue about trivia. It’s all allowed: wars, conspiracy theories, sugar in food, sentimentality of religion, hatred, division, protests, open borders, clashes of cultures, pretend politics …

All the while, we are already incarcerated; like the cave dwellers in Plato’s cave allegory, we watch the shadows on the wall, believing them to be our reality.

Never think evil is stupid; it’s extremely clever. Never judge it by conventional standards; our minds are already dulled. The world is meant to look and behave crazy, and we’re given toys to play with – which we have to pay for.

We can never think we are free.
We have to know it, and know why.

The Immediate Path To Liberation

Ordinary psychology studies (looks at) the mind. Spiritual psychology studies (looks at) that which looks at the mind – consciousness – which is pure logic, but which ordinary psychology omits.

Proof of spiritual psychology is realised by sitting in silent awareness, bringing up thoughts – pleasant or unpleasant – and seeing that these thoughts have no reality. We have just conjured them up, the same as everything that we relate to. The actual reality is in that which sees – consciousness.

Realise that in this immediate moment,
there is nothing else present
– no comments, no words, no attitude.

That is pure consciousness – non-duality.
The spontaneous liberation from all thoughts and anxiety.

We generally avoid unpleasant thoughts because they create a reaction in the mind that is disturbing, like an emotion we shy away from. But that is exactly the moment to realise that pure consciousness is present. Know that thoughts create an idea of a self-entity, which has no reality; it’s all in the mind. If we believe our thoughts to be real, we remain imprisoned in a mental state of belief.

We are that pure consciousness which cannot be described, and has no name; giving it a name creates an identity which causes separation.

Liberation is the recognition by consciousness
of spontaneous, luminous emptiness beyond the mind.

Short moment many times join up!
Note: No bells and whistles.