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.

Perception Comes Before Deception

Before we judge anything, there has to be pure perception present first. We miss this moment of pure being. We are quick to judge because we judge from memories which obscure pure perception. These memories are a language we use that distorts pure view.

The deception occurs when the word ‘I’ is inserted. It’s claiming an action or an idea. This is the mental disorder we all suffer from when observing through prejudice.

We are pure observation, but we’re not the ‘observer’. The observer come in a moment later. Judgement is our programming to survive just enough to function and be useful, but unfortunately, we never notice that we’ve adopted subjugation to another’s system.

Life is complete in opposites.
It is both deceptive and enlightening.

If we don’t know we are deceived, we’re endarkened and emotional.
If we know we are deceived, we are enlightened, turning emotions into wisdom.

Waking Up

Waking Up To What?

Are we waking up to what is happening in the world, or waking up to what is happening in the mind, diverting conscious awareness?
It is consciousness that wakes up when it realises it has been lulled into a dream state.

Lull: Latin lallare ‘sing to sleep’.

If we are merely waking up to worldly deception and reacting, this is still the dream state, as we argue about the different sides, when it’s one huge theatrical show. Everything is being turned upside down for us to actually see deception; we’re being shown us the deceit, so that we become involved. This is not waking up.

Mara is a deceptive mind,
wanting us all to ‘sing from the same hymn sheet’.

Mara is very clever, too clever for its own boots.
We wake up when we stop believing Mara.

Left Brain, Right Brain, Whole Brain, Half Brain

Too much left-brain-academic-analysis-activity blocks right brain intuition.
Too much right-brain-intuition-insight-instinct blocks the ability to express experience.

They need to work together, but one naturally comes before the other, depending on the type of person we are. We should note that perception (right brain) comes before judgement (left brain).

The Dharma has the same two approaches; we can either start at the beginning, or at the end.

Take the six perfections of generosity, patience, morality, discipline, meditation and transcendent wisdom: we can start with the first five and finally realise the sixth, or be introduced to and realise the sixth, and use the first five to sustain realisation.

We don’t learn from a book: we learn through experience.

You Are Your Own Master

That’s if you want to change,
and stop relying on others.

‘Self’ or ‘I’ is a false reality in the mind maintained by social norms = collective karma. These norms create our identity, our attitude and our behaviour, which inhibits progress.

To realise enlightenment, we must understand how self is constructed.
To do this, we use reverse engineering:
the self is now our instructor.

This instructor shows us (consciousness) what we have been holding on to, obscuring pure perception. Until the moment of full enlightenment, we see that this guide has been steering us in all the wrong directions, making us dependent on social norms.

When we realise this, we are free; we recognise the set-up that up-sets us, and we become the master on the path to enlightenment.

This is the cosmic game of relative reality and ultimate reality.
Realisation is beyond words.

In this way, you can be very pleased with yourself.
😀 😀 😀

Realisation Isn’t About Learning

Realisation of our true reality isn’t achieved by learning a new language, exotic words, or mantras. It is realised through the observation of neuroses in our mind that we cling to and call me.

We are supposed to be homo sapiens (wise beings)
but we act like homo neurotics (foolish beings).

It’s easier to fool people
than to convince them they’ve been fooled.

Realisation occurs the moment this neurosis is observed. We are free in the moment of seeing. In Dharma, we don’t learn ‘this’ and then ‘that’, and achieve enlightenment. Dharma is a personal uncovering of the obsession with ideas that makes us neurotic.

Realisation is personally concluding that we are pure consciousness.
It’s neither religious nor spiritual.
It’s pure knowingness.

Why We Don’t Get It

If we only seek intellectual understanding, we will never find satisfaction. Why not? Because we lack the discipline to experience. We think reading about others’ experience is a shortcut.
It’s not. It’s plagiarism. 🙂

Plagiarism: from latin plagium ‘a kidnapping’.

We need commitment to practise.
Book learning is left brain dominance, which likes words, answers and stories.
Right brain is intuitive spatially aware, knowing without words through direct experience.

As well as mind training, we need brain training. Brain is the hard drive; mind is the software.

The truth of what we are comes before the imposition of words that are someone’s interpretation. We have to constantly remember that there are levels of understanding which have to be verified … by our experience.

The practice is meditation, and seeing how it affects our daily life, and our reactions to others. Do we remain open and kind-hearted, or are we obsessed with ideas and judgements?

When we get it – we know.
Wisdom is knowingness.

Knowingness: knowledge or awareness that is secret or known to only a few people.

What is the difference between knowledge and knowingness?
Knowledge can be acquired from reading, taking a class, or practical lessons at work. It is external. Knowingness, on the other hand, is a certainty that comes from experience, contemplation, and reflection.

Knowledge is factual, while knowingness is experiential.

This is what causes conflict in the world
– the spiritual war between belief and realisation.

Words Are Mass Destruction

We see the world through words.
Words brainwash.

There are weapons of mass destruction, and there is talk of mind-altering weapons that can affect the way we think. This is merely a distraction.

The actual weapon that has always been used is words. Words alter minds. While we’re engaged and fascinated by intriguing machines and suggestions that cause stress and panic, we aren’t noticing the effect of words.

You only have to make some people believe or disbelieve something, and that causes a disturbance in the mind which creates conflict.

We see someone and may hope that we can communicate, but once we start talking, differences arise because of words. We avoid each another because of the words we speak.

Before words is consciousness.
Words obscure consciousness.

“But how do we communicate?”
As little as possible.
😀

Sitting in silent awareness,
consciousness controls the words in the mind

Do You Cringe?

Cringe: experience an inward shiver of embarrassment.

Do you cringe at things you said and did in the past?
This is good news! It means you have changed. 🙂
Conversely, if you don’t cringe, no change has occurred.

What is it that cringes?
It is consciousness that remembers how the mind used to think before it woke up.

Cringing is enlightening.
😀

The Universe Is Binary – 0 And 1

Emptiness and materialisation.

Our natural being is empty cognisance – pure consciousness – but due to our ignorance of this absolute reality, we create karma – a mental materialisation which reincarnates to suit that attitude.

We may find that we are born into ‘unfavourable’ conditions; this should not be judged as bad, as it may be just the incarnation we need to accelerate realisation of our original state, as 1 returns to 0.

Throughout our lives, we oscillate between 0 and 1,
but we miss the recognition of 0 because of wanting to be 1.

The universe is complete in opposites.

There Isn’t Just One Way

Each teacher, each guru, each lama emphasises reality in their own way. Every student understands in their own way. Never think that any individual’s teaching is the only way (even though they might think that. :-)) We aren’t all going to become enlightened together – that just doesn’t happen.

It’s important not to feel guilty, and like an outsider because we don’t experience in the same way as others. Unfortunately, most people think their way is the only way. This is what Mara-mind wants us to think. Some teachings may satisfy for a while, and then they become mechanical, and the students become protective, obsessive and closed-in.

Once we get the gist of a teaching, we merely have to test it to see if it works (just like plumbing :-)), which means we are confident and generous of heart. We don’t have to join in with group-adoration.

We haven’t gone off doing our own thing.
We’re not perverting the teaching.

We simply realise what unites everything, and what divides everyone.

There Isn’t Just One Way

Each teacher, each guru, each lama emphasises reality in their own way. Every student understands in their own way. Never think that any individual’s teaching is the only way – even though they might think that. 🙂 We aren’t all going to become enlightened together – that doesn’t happen.

It’s important not to feel guilty or like an outsider because we don’t experience in the same way as others. Unfortunately, most people think their way is the only way. This is what Mara-minds want us to think. Some teachings may satisfy for a while, and then they become mechanical, and the students become protective, obsessive and closed in.

Once we get the gist of a teaching, we merely have to test it to see if it works, which means we become confident and generous of heart.

We haven’t gone off doing our own thing, or perverting the teaching. We just become sky dancers – the joy of emptiness – although, of course, this may be irritating to others who have their own ways. 😀

Buddhas In The Mud

We are all Buddhas, but we are stuck in the mud of concepts – words that muddy perception and obscure the enlightened essence within. This essence isn’t something supernatural as we are led to believe; it is simply natural pure awareness, pure consciousness, pure perception, without the usual commentaries.

Essence isn’t something we learn. It’s what we personally uncover – it’s what we are. Our only problem is that we keep forgetting by being distracted, and organised religions don’t help. In fact, they add to the confusion.

If we focus on others’ interpretations/words about this reality, a form is created, and we then find that we’re following the form/religion instead of realising an open mind of enlightenment.

Actual enlightenment
is constant realisation without distraction.

We are what we are searching for.

Someone said, “Seek, and you will find.”
Once we find, we can stop looking, and just see
… and then drop any claiming.

What If Reincarnation Is A Reality?

If reincarnation is a reality,
does that change our attitude?

In an infinite universe, there is an infinite number of beings in an infinite number of places suitable for life to exist. We cannot assume that we will reincarnate on Earth, and therefore beings from other places can reincarnate here. This could be the reason why we’re born with certain tendencies, which are totally different from others. Some people are very aggressive while others show inclinations of wisdom. It may also account for some feeling that they are in the wrong body, the wrong gender.

We may not reincarnate with two legs; four-legged creatures who’ve had close contact with kind two-legged creatures may reincarnate having two legs. We could be surrounded by beings looking for a home, looking for kindness, goodness and stability.

We can all make mistakes. Wherever we land up, we have to deal with life as it is now, created by karma – our past tendencies.

Life is a rehearsal – from Old French: a repeating, from rehercier, ‘to go over again’.

As we ascend the levels of realisation, we play new parts.

No change, no ascension.
Know change, know ascension.

What The Media Never Talks About

The media – or rather, what’s behind the media – will never talk about that which we have in common: pure consciousness.

Once we realise we are pure consciousness, then we know what isn’t pure.

Pure means uncontaminated.

Words Are Parasites

Parasites rule.

Parasite: an organism that lives in or on another species (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other’s expense.

Parasites need a host. They consume the resources of the host and alter that host’s behaviour for their own survival, replicating into a new host.

Words are like brand awareness, in that they get into our brain and hijack it before we even know it. The language we acquire controls the way in which we perceive; we see through others’ words, and that becomes our world, our picture.

Meanwhile, pure consciousness is wordless.

Made To Identify

Made to identify.
Made to measure.
Made to conform.

From birth, we are made to identify with something: culture, education, family, language, religion, social standing, fashion, diet, music, sport, career, politics … and we carry around an ID card – an electronic label – to see if we are following the rules. We are supposed to act as if we’re confused or surprised, pretending we don’t see … and we’re expected to validate others’ identifications.

We are none of the above.
Whose game are we playing?
We don’t have an original thought.

All this identification creates a self. We’re told to be ‘true to our self’, and our makers want us to stay that way as part of the production line to ensure more of the same, generation after generation.

How do we break out?

Realisation is breaking out of this system by knowing what we originally are – pure consciousness. We merely have to drop all attachments through silent awareness.

Knowing what we are is a piece of cake.
Dropping attachments is more difficult.
🙂

Your life is not what you think.

Words Are Not The Truth

Words are about the truth – not the truth itself.

Words represent an experience.
If we just learn and repeat words without experience,
we come into conflict with those who do experience.

Best to live in silence,
with an occasional word for the occasional occasion.
🙂

People Won’t Want To Hear This

Lucifer: a psychotic condition that taught us to believe.

When we worship what we believe,
we are Lucifer’s children.

Widening Our View

Widening our view for complete realisation without upsetting anyone.

What we call ‘pure consciousness’ and ‘God’ are the same thing.
We are both pure consciousness and God.

There are those who talk about something out there, up there, down there, using sayings such as “As above, so below” and “We are one with God”, which the cause of great confusion, conflict and misery.

Intuition is the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning. This is God, our highest part of pure consciousness.

Whatever we need to know comes from pure consciousness. It’s where knowledge and wisdom originate.

What we call ‘me’ is consciousness adopting and identifying with thoughts and calling that ‘myself’. These thoughts are never our own; we only borrow them.

When consciousness drops all concepts, the mind lights up and pure consciousness is present.

As a ‘Buddhist’, God-pure-consciousness illumines hell,
and that clears our path to enlightenment.

How did it all start?
In an infinite universe, there is no beginning.
In infinite consciousness, there is no beginning.

Falling For Propaganda

We know when propaganda is in action
when people don’t or aren’t allowed to talk about a subject.

Speculation and trivia can go viral.
Wisdom doesn’t.