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.

Learning To Live With Crap: The Residue Of Ignorance

We are definitely not going to change the people who indulge in beliefs of some sort. Every time someone talks, those beliefs reveal themselves … “Oh, I just heard on the radio …” – it may be true, it may not be true. How do we know?

If the people we listen to are unenlightened – don’t know their true being – they will only be talking about relative, convention things, which is the game of illusions. We get pretty high-and-mighty over material existence, while all the time ignoring what we are and why we are here.

Material existence is the end product – the crap 🙂 – of subtle laws at work. When we know what drives us, we can apply the brakes, and get off.

Where Do We Get Our Information From?

“If you don’t read a newspaper, you are uninformed.
If you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.”
– Mark Twain

We have to read between the lines; in looking for or discovering a meaning that is implied rather than explicitly stated, we may see the truth. Otherwise, we are just believers.

Do Buddhists Get Offended?

Do Buddhists get offended?
Er … yes.

Buddhists are people too.
🙂

Why would anyone be called a “precious one”?
Because someone said they were?

Don’t be offended at this question.
To question is to want to understand.

Understanding is the very opposite to believing.
When we understand, do we become precious ones?

This must have been the intention of the Buddha when he said,
“Do not take my word for truth; test it for yourself.”

Don’t give your mind away to others;
it’s for you to use properly.

🙂

The World Used To Be Crazy …

The world used to be crazy… now, it’s scary.

In the past, mass behaviours were slow to develop, but nowadays, the process of mimicking others is changing fast, and causing great confusion. As long as people are confused, they will readily accept anything as the enemy. People react, and that reaction is then being censored. Even those with seemingly the same view are censoring themselves.

Conspiracies, misinformation, news-entertainment, UFOs, the second coming when the anointed one will set up his kingdom, judge his enemies, and reward the faithful, living and dead …

Hold on a moment! What if these were all illusions? Why would God judge? Wouldn’t God understand? Why would he reward believers? Doesn’t this all sound like the creation and maintenance of hope and fear?

Isn’t this what religions, politics and science do? They give us hope for a better future through fear of what we have now. But now is the future of those in the past. Nothing changes. We mimic hope and fear, that’s all.

Before realising our true nature, everything was just charmingly crazy. Then, we go through inner investigation and realise why and how it’s going wrong. The scary thing is that, through their elaborations, religions, politics and science create an elitist hierarchy that we hope to join, and fear that we will be left out.

This is no way to live. Who can we trust? To be honest, I do trust the Buddha’s simple teaching but don’t trust Buddhists, precisely because the Buddha said, “Do not take my word for the truth …”

Truth didn’t start with the Buddha.
Truth starts with us realising what any Buddha says.
Truth is direct, first-hand experience.

No, you’re not crazy, but thinking you aren’t crazy is scary.
😀

The Truth Cannot Be Hidden Forever

Truth cannot be hidden forever because truth is the consciousness that is always watching. When people realise that they are the truth, the way and the light, no one can ever pull the wool over their eyes again.

You can hide the truth
from some of the people all of the time,
and all of the people some of the time,
but you cannot hide the truth
from all of the people all of the time.

Unfortunately, because most believe or over-react
to whatever changing disinformation they are told,
the confusion rolls on.

Why Make What Is Natural Complicated?

We are pure consciousness. Why make something so natural and beautiful into something so complicated and elitist?

Even through reasoning (a rare event), we can realise that we are pure consciousness. That’s if we have the objectivity to understand without the bias of additional associations. Meditation is realising this so-called mystery, and living daily life free in pure consciousness. Things need to be done, and we do them without holding on to an attitude.

This doesn’t mean we are special.
We live an ordinary life,
attending to whatever needs attention without judgement of good or bad,
thus bringing an end to karmic accumulations.

The creation of rites – solemn ceremonies or acts – separates us from life, making us feel pure and special, and is a dualistic approach to daily existence, feeling holy in hell.

There is no heaven and hell; they are just the experience of the wisdom of one taste. By virtue, of one, the other is known, and they are therefore inseparable. Before the designation of light and dark, there is pure consciousness.

Knowing we are pure consciousness doesn’t isolate us from activities; we still have to do our daily work – fetch water, chop wood – but now life is enhanced in the joy of putting things in order.

When we complicate life with good and bad, life becomes ordinary, or a spiritual entertainment.

Non-duality is simply being one with everything that appears.
‘One with’ is the mirror and its reflection.
What we then do depends on our level of understanding.

Formula; The Unchanging Nature Of Nature

I’ve written before about the three unchangeables: space, consciousness and formula.
Formula: from Latin, diminutive of forma ‘shape, mould’.

Formula is how everything takes shape. It is the nature of everything. We may think of nature as ever-changing, but there is an underlying principle or law at work. That law or formula is attraction, repulsion and inertia (lacking the ability or strength to move).

Inert: from Latin iners, inert- ‘unskilled, inactive’.

We can see that, in human terms, these three principles correspond to desire, aversion, and ignorance. This is nature’s human driving force. Is it created or is it just as it is? How we respond to this question – or not – affects our life.

Having understood this, we can now turn inwards to inner nature. We generally think that consciousness is something that we use to get around and survive, just like nature – but we can never identify what we are. It’s left vague.

We are that consciousness, and there are subtler principles to consciousness:
emptiness/uncontamination, cognisance and compassionate activity.

This what we truly are, but we have become indifferent to or ignore this subtle viewpoint that is present in every moment.

Because we are ignorant of our true essence, we fill it with desires. Desires excite consciousness and activate judgements through aversion. Having formed judgements, through aversion, we lack compassionate understanding.

Emptiness corresponds to desire.
Consciousness corresponds to aversion.
Compassion corresponds to ignorance.

This is how we have turned life upside-down.
Realisation is quite exciting!
🙂

Jumping To Conclusions

The problem with jumping to conclusions about pure consciousness is that we can come to an intellectual belief that we are pure consciousness, but is it experienced? The assumption is a good start, but then it is we who have to prove it, in the silent stillness of meditation. That is where it is first experienced, and then acknowledged in daily life, where we are aware of our true reality behind every occasion and relationship.

In meditation, we are aware of being aware, of being conscious. There comes a moment of subtle vacancy – nothing happening – but we are still aware. That moment of nothing happening is pure consciousness, which is what we are.

The outcome turns our world upside down, and our conduct and behaviour change because we realise that everyone is pure consciousness, but doesn’t recognise it.

The result is empathy – knowing what it’s like not to know. Empathy cannot be an act because true empathy shows. This is challenging as we now have to learn skilful kindness that is direct and has many faces.

The ‘act’ is the main reason ‘spiritual’ people drive me nuts!
😀

Don’t believe what anyone says,
but use it as an indicator of ‘something’.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
Realisation has to be acknowledged at every occasion.

We Are Incomplete Without Meditation

In the ‘normal’ run of life we panic, and exhaust ourselves, falling into vacancy.
Simple meditation is sitting in silence, witnessing the distraction (panic).
Gradually, we calm down, and relax by letting go of exhausting distractions.
Meditation is deep relaxation, without falling asleep.

Completeness is beautiful wholeness,
which includes compassion for others.

It’s worthwhile trying
– to realise what we are.

Awakening To Our Enmeshment

We don’t realise how deeply enmeshed we are in concepts – even righteous ones – where we feel morally right or justified. This what we are seeking liberation from. Our relative reality (the way we relate to everything, creating our behaviour) obscures our absolute reality (pure consciousness).

Meditation is our home base, where there are no concepts; we are just happy to be. All attachments, including to meditation, are dropped. Meditation is the practice of letting go and restoring fine energies that have been usurped by gross energies used to enhance the feeling of me, me, me. 🙂 We all do this.

The real practice is in daily life, in how we interact with others through our conduct. Others bring our deeply-enmeshed concepts to the surface, exposed in our inner reactions. It’s truly uncomfortable.

That very discomfort is our precious teacher,
and a wonderful moment of realisation
– once we become familiar with it.

However, this discomfort does hit our button of self-preservation. It’s normal … for a reptilian brain – fight, flight or freeze. 😀 The practice is becoming used to this feeling rather than pretending it’s not there. Our reactions are merely a residue from memories.

The generous feeling is that everyone has these reactions. We’re nothing special. Now we have a chance to experience the relief of acceptance and traverse the path of the realised ones. That acknowledgement makes life truly fruitful.

Our real practice is in our interaction with others,
which is far more practical than
chanting mantras, waving vajras or theories of emptiness.

Fear Stops Us Being Honest

Fear stops us being honest about how we really feel. This is why we cannot communicate with one another; we talk, but it doesn’t go very far as we skirt around issues. Perhaps in the Kali Yuga – the age of conflict – this is to be expected.

It really doesn’t matter what we disagree upon; what matters is acknowledging that pure consciousness is present. “So what?” Pure consciousness turns everything on its head – what we thought mattered to us is an illusion. We are not going to change the world, as there are too many intent on enjoying power over others and creating conflict.

“Yes, it’s them … them … and them!” We are all part of the conflict-guilt-tripping process.

I don’t have to believing you nor you me, but we can agree – when we calm down – that pure consciousness is present. Some might say that’s the holy spirit. The whole-spirit = pure consciousness.

Everything else is tittle-tattle – casual conversation, typically involving details that are not relevant, but are just idle gossip.

When whole-spirit is a way of life,
there is no time for skirting around issues.

The Ability To Understand

The ability to understand doesn’t come from mantras or scholastic study; both of these merely focus the mind with intention. Understanding comes from realising that that which rests within silent awareness is our reality – that is to say, pure consciousness. What we think is merely from memories, and isn’t understanding. Understanding is perceiving the meaning, with sympathetic awareness of the nature of reality.

“Really? Can’t I just read a book?”
Well, that’s what most people
who have no experiential understanding do
They’re all around us. 🙂

If something is real, it can never not be real, which means that it doesn’t change.
Consciousness, space and formula do not change … formula??

‘Formula’ refers to the natural laws that govern the universe and all sentient beings: at the gross level, they are attraction, repulsion and inertia.

In sentient terms, this is desire, fear and ignorance.
In chicken terms, it’s fight, flight or freeze.

At the absolute level, these three principles correlate to emptiness, cognisance and compassion. Realisation sees emotions as wisdom – search this blog for details.

The universe is infinite space, containing matter in the form of energy that moves through attraction and repulsion. This matter itself is inert and indifferent.

Consciousness is the unchanging empty essence of mind which contains thoughts that form energy that moves consciousness through desire and fear and, above all, ignorance of its own reality.

Due to this misunderstanding, we transmigrate to forms commensurate with our measure of understanding.

Who Or What Do You Believe?

This is the most important – and also idiotic – question possible. It’s tantamount to saying, “Who or what do you accept without proof?” Your life depends on the answer, and ignoring the question has consequences.

What is it that you are believing in? The people at the ‘top’? The top of what? The unenlightened?

If we say, “I believe in no one; I believe in myself”, we are back at square one – belief. What is this ‘I’, this self, that we believe in? It’s just a memory bank of ideas. As long as we are confused about what we are, we are someone else’s agenda.

Always look at the story behind our story.

The value of life is knowing why we are born, and how our direction can change. A miserable life is the manure for growth and wisdom to develop, and for us to realise why we made the mistakes we did. This good intention protects us. Ignoring this inner wisdom, we remain vulnerable and exposed.

The Real Teaching Is Within

The real teaching is within, and never ‘out there’.

Out there is only second-hand generalisation, organisation, institutionalisation …
with lots of long-winded words 🙂

The teaching within has no words.

Is It True Or Not?

Just reading something and identifying with it won’t do. We have to reflect and contemplate with an unbiased eye. That, in fact, is the answer we seek.

It’s not wrong to question a statement. This is the reason why the Buddha said, “Do not take my word for it; test it for yourself.”

In the world, we are encouraged, or ordered – subliminally – to identify with all sorts of ideas which carry us away. In my mind, I still hear tunes, hymns and Christmas carols from my childhood. 🙂

Yesterday’s blog said that the universe is not conscious. Is that true or not? There isn’t a right answer. If we say yes, we view the world one way, and if we say no, we see the world another way.

There’s no right answer because we are all evolving individually, and we have to start somewhere. Most aren’t bothered one way or another, and their evolution will be slower, that’s all. When we come to any conclusion, it is just part of the journey.

Not this, not this.
Thou art that.
To that, we say, not this, not this.

Look, see, drop.

Dream State v Awakened State

When we merely repeat what we have heard or read,
we live in our mind’s dream state.

In the raw (uncooked) moment now,
we wake up and wonder, “What is this?”
= awakening possibilities.

Realising Anything Is Shock
Realisation means change has occurred.
Knowing about something isn’t the same as realising it.

Fixation Is Addiction
What we see in others is but a reflection.

Thinking There Is Only One Way
That is narrow-minded.
Others’ ways show us our ways

Know The Worth Of Others
They will teach you all you need to know to become enlightened.

(feeling a bit Zen-y this morning! :D)

More Complexity = More Reliance

Everything in the world has become more elaborate than is necessary.
When spirituality becomes complicated, we may hear words, but do we experience them?

I speak as one who has sat through decades of lectures and retreats. Why so much talking? It just led to doubts and fantasies. When people start saying they saw a black bird, a cloudless sky, a rainbow, and it meant something … one does wonder.

The creation and construction of a beautiful Kalachakra sand mandala is mesmerising and enthralling – but is it necessary for realisation? It is the Tibetan culture.

When the dream is dispersed,
the veil is lifted,
and the reality is a shock.

A bird is just a bird.
A clear sky is just a clear sky.
A rainbow is just a rainbow.

Emptiness is just emptiness.

Ego’s Nest – The Mind

When we (consciousness) become caught up in concepts – abstract ideas brought together – we build a confused construct in the mind that we think of as ‘home’ for our self. We identify with this housing arrangement that we are so proud of, and consciousness assumes that it’s our reality. As this construct is precariously unbalanced on twiggy-ideas, we feel we must maintain it and defend it.

The twiggy-ideas and the maintenance of the twiggy-ideas are the two ignorances;
confusion, and the maintenance of confusion.

Our nest is a house of straw, where the big bad wolf can huff and puff and blow the house down at any moment. What a way to live! 😀 There are seeming threats all around us – the ‘news’ sees to that.

The secret is to blow down the storehouse of ideas – our memory library – ourselves, and let the fresh air/breath in to build a firm foundation of understanding.

In the still silence of meditation – which is not a religious thing – is the direct experience of the mind, where clarity sees our self being distracted. A clear mind comes from clear consciousness; that is our true foundation to enlightenment.

Temples are even more complex nests.
🙂