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.

Deliberately Misleading

Life on Earth is deliberately misleading.

Things are meant to go wrong or be delayed so that we can proudly point this out and argue. And things still go wrong all the same; it will never be put right because we live in conflict which keeps it all going. There are systems within systems, temples within temples. This is the maze we’re living in, but it is in finally realising the nature of this amazing maze that liberation occurs.

We cannot be spoon-fed.
It’s for each individual to realise the way out.
Enlightenment is a matter of solving the problem.

The answer is not in the words, but in the experience.
“All that glitters is not gold”.
This aphorism states that not everything which looks precious or true turns out to be so.

As long as we adhere to the words, we will never know the meaning.
It’s not about copying down the answer from someone else’s book.
Courage is needed to work on one’s own.
Life is a test.

The Buddha said so:
“Don’t take my words for the truth; test them.”

Becoming Individuated

We think we’re individuals but, in practice, we all respond in a similar fashion. We only become individuated when we no longer think and see in the same way as others.

Individuated: distinguished from others of the same kind; singled out.

As we traverse the levels of understanding, we will find fewer people to relate to. Our path gradually becomes singular.

Singular: in the sense ‘solitary, single’, also ‘beyond the average’.

Until we realise our true reality, we’re just one of the crowd.

A non-individuated person will react.
An individuated person does not re-enact.
🙂

Never-Ending Deception

We live in a world of never-ending deception, due to those who want more than others. We actually wish/vote for deception.

Vote: from Latin votum ‘a vow, a wish’.

Humans are unenlightened beings precisely because of this never-ending plan of deception. The path to realisation is about recognising this charade in which we live.

Once this deception is actually recognised by an individual, the tables are turned and conversation now keeps us alert.

Still Looking For The Supernatural?

We’ve noticed that if terms such as Dzogchen, Trekcho, Togal, Dharmakaya come up on the blog there’s much interest, as if these are somehow thought to be supernatural. The same thing happens with the word ‘God’.

These words all refer to the nature of our reality, which is pure awareness, pure consciousness. There is nothing supernatural or otherworldly about pure awareness.

Supernatural: beyond the laws of nature.
There is nothing beyond the laws of nature.
Pure awareness certainly isn’t – it is natural.

The gross driving forces of nature are attraction and repulsion – “I like this. I don’t like that” – which is the creation of Mara and mystery.

There Is Always Something To Complain About

There will always be something to complain about
in an unenlightened world.

When we recognise this complaining,
we start our path to enlightenment,
gradually understanding why we are suffering.

We’re bound to an idea of self
that complains about others’ selves.
🙂

Words Are Artificial Intelligence

Humans think that we’re superior because we have language, but we usually only speak to pass on programming, talking about what we or others have done or said, when the look or sound of a person tells us much more than words as we pick up their ‘vibes’ (vibration).

True intelligence is intuitive.

The Word Of God … ?

Does God still speak?

In pure consciousness, there are no words, just empty cognisance – an atmosphere of purity. We are that pure consciousness. To say that, in the beginning, was ‘the word’ blinds us. Words are man-made; they are man’s interpretation or deception.

Humanity is controlled and imprisoned by words;
we argue about words and cause stress.

Each sentient being has to realise its innate pure consciousness that is the link with all other beings. This universal consciousness, common to all, isn’t up there somewhere: it is the spark of clarity – divine splendour – which is the essence of all creatures. We all know what is right and what is wrong, but we’re unable to recognise the source of this knowingness because it is what we are.

We’ve been misguided for thousands of years.
Words confuse, and inhibit our natural ability to truly communicate.

True communication is non-verbal.
We pick up the gist (essence) from someone’s atmosphere
– the quality of their energy level –
before they start speaking.

Why We Switch Off From Reality

The quest to understand our true reality – the purpose of life – has been turned off in favour of intellectual consumerism in science, philosophy and religion. And most people don’t even get that far!

Religion comes the closest, but it was turned into a mystery that became the opium of the people long ago. We fall for the colourful displays, the imagery, the paraphernalia, the words in books, the gurus … all of which impede direct seeing.

The purpose of life is to realise
– through direct seeing –
the wisdom of what we are.

The Level Of Confidence

The level of confidence is equal to the level of compassion.
When we are confident, we have no need to be competitive.

The Purpose Of Life

The purpose of life is to realise what we are,
rather than what we can do.

What is are is pure cognisance beyond the functioning of body and mind.
What we do is a pastime for the body and mind.

How Is Consciousness Happiness?

How is consciousness happiness?
Happiness is realising the answer to our reality.

Whatever appears, physically or in the mind, is observed by consciousness.
No consciousness; no point to anything.

When pure observation is taking place – without comment – there is nothing else going on.
That is pure consciousness, our ultimate reality of divine light.
In this, there is no time for an observer, just pure observation.

Why divine? Divine means godlike – beyond mortality.
Everything changes, except consciousness, space and formula (that which creates form).

What created that formula?
Attraction and repulsion – magnetism.

Magnetism: a physical phenomenon produced by the motion of electric charge, which results n attractive and repulsive forces between objects produced by electrons orbiting within the atoms; in most substances, the magnetic effects of different electrons cancel each other out, but in some, such as iron, a net magnetic field can be induced by aligning the atoms.

In an infinite universe, magnetism just is. There is stuff flying through space which becomes attracted to bigger stuff; it wants to repulse, and is thus suspended in orbit. When enough big stuff collides, big bangs occur, and a solar system evolves. Conditions are then conducive for simple organisms to take form; these attract consciouses – and there we are, flying around the infinite universe, looking for a home.

Realising the answer is happiness.
It is we who have to take responsibility for our life,
and where we land up.
🙂

Of course, you can believe in something else…

Becoming Annoyed

We become annoyed, upset or anxious when something happens which we feel isn’t ‘right’, and we might be able to do something about it.

If, however, we see that every thing isn’t right, we can’t do anything about it. We’ve discovered a pattern, and once we can identify this pattern, there’s no problem, as recognising that pattern is the solution.

Even if our protests change one thing, the next pattern is created. A consciously aware person sees the cycle of all things – the pattern of creating hope and fear. Our everyday likes and dislikes reinforce this annoyance. It’s all our own doing.

In realising what’s going on, we can remain stable, happy in knowing that everything that is wrong is only recognised by the light of clarity. The light in the darkness.

This is what matters.

Reality Beyond Words

Our reality of pure consciousness is beyond words and names.
To experience this reality, we meditate, which is a method to come to mental stillness.

Once still, we drop the method, and rest in pure consciousness, pure awareness.
This is the reality of what we are, beyond who we are.

Thoughts will arise; the discipline is not to follow them.

It may seem like the mind is getting worse. It’s not.
We’re just noticing more, which becomes a way of life.

Hell And Paradise

Hell and Paradise are in the same place
– the mind –
right here, right now, and nowhere else.

Paradise is the pure space of cognisance.
Hell is whatever we put into that space.

If we are discontented, we are in Hell.
If we are contented, we are in Paradise.

Hoping for something better is a conjured-up fantasy placed in people’s minds.
We only get out of Hell when we recognise that we allowed ourselves to believe.

Just How Gullible Are People?

Gullible: easily persuaded to believe.

How does this happen?
We are led to believe from birth, and we go on believing.

Let’s Start From The Beginning … Again

It’s the place to be!

We want to be happy, but we aren’t. We seek something better, but we can’t find it. We know there is more to us, but we can’t verbalise this. We are dissatisfied with inappropriate rationalisations.

We’re doing exactly what the Buddha did – asking what is happening. But maybe we shouldn’t jump in too quickly for an answer.

There is a reason why we seek something better as there’s so much that disturbs the mind. It is easy to say that the cause of suffering is an identification with a self, but first we have to recognise what this self is, what holds it together and why it causes suffering.

The idea of self
is a programme running in the mind
that consciousness – our true being – clings to.

It is this idea of self that makes us feel vulnerable. We join a tradition or group and immediately we feel like crap – the dregs of beer. 🙂 This feeling of inferiority makes us desperate to appear as if we’re in the know – maybe even over-enthusiastic, zealots!

The start of our investigation is not about joining others; this only leads to conformity. The problem with jumping into a spiritual tradition is we have to lump it or leave it. We can’t question it, and we have to accept everything it says (which is very fishy). A tradition is something set; change isn’t welcome, and why should it be? We have to test the integrity of the atmosphere.

When people think of spirituality, what do they imagine? A beautiful building, rituals, robes, special words, all of which have nothing to do with their daily life? The work is to realise that enlightenment is in everyday action and reaction, and not in chanting or wishful projections.

When speech is limited or there are things we cannot say, we lose the faculty to express how it is for us. We can no longer can think for ourselves, so we borrow from others – and that turns spirituality into spiritual materialism. Unfortunately, this twist puts us in a conundrum.

Our beginning is pure consciousness,
the moment before we believe others.

To recognise evil’s distraction at work in the world,
we merely have to meditate
to see what consciousness clings to.

Consciousness Gives Purpose To Life

It is essential to recognise consciousness which gives purpose to life. Otherwise, we are just being entertained/distracted by those who don’t want us to recognise our true reality. Why not? Because they would have no control over us. Until we know what we are, we’re controlled through the media.

The inter-net catches more fish every day.

The Power Of Entertainment/Education

Entertainment is the ancient craft of communicating by telling stories, be they in images or words. It is the means by which people pass on their cultural values,

The entertainment industry – which has been adapted to suit any scale, even global – has been developed over thousands of years to hold the attention of an audience.

The Difference Between Mimicry And Understanding

Mimicry: quoting and acting like others.
Understanding: direct, raw experience.

Raw: strong and undisguised, frank and realistic.

Meditation In Action

When we hear or read information but don’t have actual experience, we become talkative to compensate for our lack of understanding. We guess, believe, assume, have opinions – all of which are acceptance without experience that leads to pointless talk.

Meditation is silent awareness of thoughts and their effects. Letting go leads to the realisation that we are and have always been that silent awareness. We have arrived, and can therefore drop the method of meditation.

We are not an opinion, an assumption, a belief, a guess.

Transcendent wisdom, beyond normal or physical human experience, has to be practised to be realised. Then we have the ability to deal with situations and people in an enlightened manner.

Listening, seeing, tasting
… without judgement from preconceived ideas …
is meditation in action.

We may then be able to say something worth saying.
🙂

Wearing Our Self Out

There comes a time when we’re fed up with the way we all react. It’s like everyone is addicted to a tradition of some sort to all think the same way. They may seem happy enough – unless they meet someone outside their comfort zone, their familiar world.

Wearing our self out is like wearing out an old coat that no longer fits.

We find life frustrating, going round in circles. Spiritual understanding is also like that. What was satisfying isn’t any longer. We see people stuck in a tradition without questioning it, just seeking validation.

Letting go of this self – this bunch of ideas – is done through simple meditation, stepping outside the familiar playground. Through meditation, panoramic vision develops; it’s like entering a room and taking the whole scene in, before we start deciding what we like and don’t like.

We have to be aware that there will always be a residue from the past interfering with the present, but this is precisely our path to enlightenment.

Don’t Make It Academic Or Religious

Don’t make it academic or religious –
‘it’ being our natural state of pure consciousness.

If we make this into something, we turn off the light of clarity,
and become heavy and serious.

Sanitising Informatiion

Sanitising information is removing data from the mind, and replacing it with another version to make something acceptable/believable. Euphemisms are used to play down information likely to disturb people.

No! Wake them up to the reality!

A lie has to have an element of truth to be believable. We’re told that one thing is reality when, in truth, reality is something else. This has been going on for thousands of years.

What Gives Me Sorrow?

What gives me sorrow?
What gives me joy?

What gives me sorry is the tap leaking and I don’t know why, and I can’t afford a plumber.
What gives me joy is understanding, on investigation, why the tap leaks (limescale in the cartridge) and dissolving it with vinegar.

The problems in the world do not give me sorrow
as there’s nothing I can do about them.

A simple life is a joyous life.

The Unprofitable Workings Of This World

How weary and unprofitable are the workings of this world.
In an unweeded garden, gross things grow.

 (sort of borrowed from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.)

This sentiment turns our mind to deeper things.

Different People Say Different Things

We hear a lot different things, so we have to choose what makes sense to us. The important thing is not to criticise others because that comes from a reaction in our mind, and we all have our personal paths to realise our enlightened essence. Being competitive and arguing is detrimental to everyone’s progress.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t notice other views, we just don’t need to follow them. Sitting in a town square, we see the manifestation of all sorts of decisions walking around. 🙂