Beyond Buddhism
In the moment of realising our essence of empty consciousness, there is nothing else. Once we realise our true nature, we have no need of methods. Methods are for when we forget.
All we need is an introduction to and recognition of our essential nature, and then we’re on our way. We’re quite capable of looking into our mind and seeing how it’s reacting – and what it is that’s watching those reactions. If we hang on to the method, it’s like rowing to the shore, arriving on land, and continuing to row – it’s counter-productive.
This is the meaning of ‘letting go’ … of pride, guilt, attachment, fear, ignorance.
All paths are the same; they have an ending. We only have to recognise that it is nowhere special.
If we hang on to a Buddha,
we become an ornament.
Ornament: a thing used to make something look more attractive, an accessory of worship (or a lucky charm).
The Tibetan culture sees the jewelled ornament as liberation;
this is the same as pure consciousness.
All paths have the same ending.
No one has a monopoly.
(On a personal note, after decades of attending retreats, Kathie and I stopped about eleven years ago, as it put doubts in our minds – and it was getting expensive :-). Something may be very colourful, exotic and erudite, but it’s possible to become needy and dependent … and we’ve never been happier.)
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 CANNOT BE WHAT WE SEE
We Cannot Be What We See
We see things, and we see the mind commenting on these things, so we are therefore neither this mind nor our things. We are the empty essence of mind, the clear space of clarity, pure consciousness.
Our identification with thoughts and things creates the basis of suffering through hope and fear, gain and loss. It is this identification which we call ‘self’ – our personal prison that the collective believes in, and which is the cause of animosity towards others as we all identify differently.
No oneness, know division.
Know oneness, no division.
We can say that we are social beings, but not be taken in by others’ sense of ‘normal’; that is just the security of the herd. Not being deceived by impressions, we can, however, be both sociable and wise.
Deception isn’t our first nature.
We acquired it through hope and fear,
while ignoring our first nature of pure consciousness.