There Is Nothing For A Creator To Do
If the universe is infinite,
why would there be a creator?
The infinite universe is home for infinite conscious beings,
commensurate with their karmic tendencies.
This consciousness is pure,
and needs no physical universe.
The Great Disappointment
Realisation is disappointing.
It’s no big deal.
And even though we realise what we are,
a great sadness arises
as others haven’t yet realised that they are pure consciousness.
This is where the real work begins
in developing compassion through our conduct.
Before realisation, there can be no compassion; just superior pity.
In disappointment, expectations cease,
and we deal with each emotion as it emanates.
Spirituality Can Be A Prison
Doubt imprisons us.
Once we understand the principle of any activity, we are free to go away and develop it. When we get a glimpse that we are pure consciousness, meditation verifies it.
If people do not meditate correctly by knowing that dropping the meditation is the meditation, they will lack confidence. It is doubt that is the never-ending prison.
When we doubt, we become needy; the feeling of being compelled to join others is addictive.
Compassion is just a word, and it’s wishful thinking.
Empathy is experience, and builds our ability.
Talking to others is talking to inmates!
The path to both death and enlightenment is individual.
What Is Realised Cannot Be Unrealised
Once we realise what we actually are – pure consciousness – then the whole of our history unravels, along with whatever is taking place now. We realise that everything we’ve been told is part of an illusion.
Those in power want to stay in power, and it’s not obvious who ‘they’ are. Why not? To put it simply, if we cannot see the target, we aim at the gofers – those in the public eye who run short errands.
Once we realise pure seeing is always spontaneously present without effort, then all intrusions to distract consciousness are seen immediately. Is realisation sudden or gradual? There is a build-up, and then an unexpected snap or shock.
Conspiracy theories happen because of confusion.
Confusion is the aim of conspiracy.
Knowledge Is Our Protector
Knowledge is our protector.
Protector from what?
Belief.
Empathy protects consciousness from the pride of knowledge.
It is wisdom that protects knowledge.
Clueless About Our Original Nature
Clueless: having no knowledge, understanding or ability.
Thinking we know, understand and have ability is just an act.
We are clueless when we acquire others’ ideas, but have not tested these for ourselves.
If we want to know what’s wrong with the world, we need to listen to people.
All the clues are there.
First, know that which is right or true; ‘true’ is something that never changes.
We cannot trust our thoughts or emotions as they changeable and dependent upon conditions.
Only trust that which is stable.
And that is our original nature.
Pure consciousness just is.
That isn’t a clue.
That’s the answer.
Not knowing this makes people crazy.
🙂
Apathy In Consciousness
Apathy is being indifferent to whatever goes on in our mind. We’d rather be drawn into what is going on ‘out there’. This is demonic activity in action = distraction/entertainment which is spiritual laziness. Spirituality is just pure consciousness, and nothing to do with religion. Religion merely fossilises consciousness into ritual.
“No, it doesn’t!”
Show me a religious person
who does not get upset
at someone not believing what they believe.
We are conscious beings, and yet we act unconsciously. Everything that we do and say is a routine projection in the mind, placed there by an unconscious environment.
We only think we are conscious
because we perceive things to which we react.
Even robotic vacuum cleaners can do that!
😀
When we become consciousness-enthusiasts, we can see behind the scenes.
It’s fascinating.
It’s awakening.
It’s shocking.
It’s alive.
It’s spontaneous.
Above all, it’s being interested in others.
Protecting Diversity … Really?
On a relative level, protecting diversity is protecting separation, rather than unity. This tells us everything that we need to know about current agendas, which create conflict, confusion and cultural collapse by dis-integration in the guise of integration.
Diversity can only work when we don’t make demands on others.
At an exoteric level, religions are diverse:
at the esoteric level, there is unity through non-duality.
It’s at an esoteric level,
through understanding our actual reality of pure consciousness,
that diversity can unite us.
Designersaurs
If an unknowable entity created the designersaurs,
and nature destroyed them, which is more powerful?
Perhaps nature is the creatorsaur?
And consciousaurus fits in where it can…
It always good to think outside the box 😀
Can A.I. Be Trained To Lie?
This is a question we should ask. If people can be trained to lie, so can A.I. It can have bias programmed into it.
A.I. is not consciousness; it’s a memory ‘box’ with sensors that translate.
Machines are not conscious of their own reality. If we just believe what we are told, we are no better than programmed memory box know-alls.
Wisdom is understanding the moment now,
rather than imposing memories.
Long Term Or Short Term Values
Is our personal evolution a long term or short term aim? Life is short, so some conclusion or realisation must be resolved about the value of life, sooner rather than later.
Conclusion: decision reached by reasoning
Realising our true reality – something we have sought all our life – is both shocking and a relief. It’s also shocking to recognise that this reality of pure consciousness has been present all our life.
Why didn’t we realise this before? We were lead astray by interpretations and stupidity.
That’s why the world is so misguided. In realising cause and effect, life becomes fruitful, but not necessarily comfortable 😀
No credentials necessary; just realise that we have been suffering for no reason.
Conclusion: decision reached by reasoning – rather then by adopting elaborate hearsay.
If there are further incarnations … wow … If not … wow 🙂
We Are Primordial Purity
To most, this sounds daft.
That’s because of the world we live in!
When we realise we are pure consciousness – the potential of enlightenment – our world changes. We no longer fit into the common consensus of tit-for-tat, entertaining ourselves and fighting others.
Pure consciousness is embodied in a human form, imprisoned in a virtual, almost-reality. Why is this? Our idiosyncratic tendencies have brought us to where we are now; what we do and say, and the words we choose are the result of the accumulation of karma.
Merely having a glimpse of our reality, we realise the predicament we are in. That’s the reason why we may we feel confused or angry at the antics people get up to … and we just joined in. Partial information messes with our minds, perpetuating confusion rather than explaining the complete picture.
A good heart, easy path.
A troubled heart, hard path.
There is no telling which is the fast path!
😀
‘Intelligent Design’ Versus Nature
Whatever created dinosaurs, they were destroyed by nature.
Nature is greater, therefore, as nature is the creator and destroyer through the natural cycle of the laws of nature.
Whatever ‘intelligent design’ can create, nature can destroy, as everything created is impermanent, and so has no actual reality. The laws of nature are constant, being the formula of attraction, repulsion and inertia. Energy constantly changes and re-forms itself.
Is there anything greater than nature?
Consciousness that perceives nature.
Nature merely reacts to the laws,
while consciousness constantly observes and understands.
Once it is realised that consciousness is emptiness, and that everything created is the nature of emptiness, wisdom arises that transcends the laws of reaction.
Using The Dharma As A Weapon
This happens when we intellectualise the words, and have no experience or understanding of the effect of Mara=demons=ego. Clinging to the words is ego activity. When we lie in ambush with our book learning, it is Mara=demons=ego that is displaying itself. However, Mara is our teacher; Mara is our dark karma.
Tsoknyi Rinpoche 1st:
“Don’t wander, don’t wander, place mindfulness on guard;
Along the road of distraction, Mara lies in ambush.
Mara is this mind, clinging to like and dislike;
So look into the essence of this magic, free from dualistic fixation.
Realise that your mind is unfabricated primal purity.
There is no buddha elsewhere; look at your own face.
There is nothing else to search for; rest in your own place.
Non-meditation is spontaneous perfection, so capture the royal seat.”
Jesus:
“How can you take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye
if you can’t take the log out of your own?”
We cannot help someone else overcome their faults if we have not yet overcome our own.
Evil Nearly Works
Evil uses partial truths to make a lie believable.
So that people would know if the Buddha was telling the truth, he wisely said, “Do not take my word for the truth; see for yourself.”
The Buddha did not invent truth; he merely tested and realised it from previous teachings of non-duality from the Vedanta.
What ‘authorities’ say doesn’t mean it’s totally true.
Authority: from Latin auctor, originator, promoter, author.
We could add words such as instigator, creator, architect …
We have to be careful when condemning exaggerations and elaborations,
as we may become drawn in, and enable them.
The truth is always just in the seeing … full stop!
Short Moments
Meditation and daily activities should both be paused from time to time, to just be. In this way, we remember that we are pure consciousness, and never get lost in the activity. This is balancing meditation and life – being not too tight and not too loose.
In meditation – which is mindfulness meditation – we drop the meditation (the method) from time to time to arrive at our reality of pure consciousness. We usually find that when we stop meditating, meditation is taking place.
Meditation is the reminder; it is not the end product.
When we drift off, we meditate again, returning to the method,
and then drop it again to counter any fixation on the meditation.
Mindfulness meditation is the rowing-boat to get to the shore-of-realisation; once we arrive at the shore, we do not need the boat or we will merely be digging the oars into the sand-of-effort. If we drift off, we will find we are back in the ocean-of-turbulence 😀
In daily activities, we can do the same. We need to be mindful in our activities so that we don’t have accidents, but it’s beneficial to drop the activity from time to time, and enjoy just being. Gradually, we become more mindful of whatever we are doing.
The gap between mindfulness and effortless reality becomes shorter and shorter.
The Light That Dispels Darkness
Our darkness is our absorption in being vacant or occupied.
We are rarely just there, senses wide open, making no judgements.
Merely look into that which perceives this absorption.
The moment when consciousness recognises this state is the light that dispels darkness.
We are free from distractions and able to rest in our original reality.
This is the purpose of life; to re-cognise and remember.
It’s that simple.
When this is constant, enlightenment occurs.
It is that simple.
Facing Death
What may happen after death is hearsay, but it’s worth considering as it has a psychological effect on our behaviour now. Facing death is exactly the same as facing life.
Some may believe that there is consciousness after death, and some not. Most don’t want to think about this subject at all, so their life is one of psychological indifference.
We may be anxious about death,
feeling we’re not perfect enough.
That, in truth, is not correct.
We may also feel we’re not perfect enough to face life.
This is also incorrect.
All we need to know is that phenomena projected on to our mind is not our actual reality. Our reality is pure knowingness – pure consciousness.
We may not be the best meditators, but if we are aware of both pure, ethereal consciousness and the illusory clutter in the mind, that – in itself – leads to a confident life, and a fearless death.
When we think of ourselves as products,
we fear being consumed by death.
When pure, ethereal consciousness is realised,
there is no product to die.
Our essential nature is already enlightened.
We just doubt.
Thoughts Arising In Meditation
All thoughts are related to the past (memories): even if they are considering the future, they still relate to the past. So when a thought appears, just say inwardly, “Past” and let it go, just as a reminder of how we dwell on memories
It’s always good to change one’s pattern, and see if it works.
🙂
We Believe Anything But The Truth
A narrative is a story, and we like stories as they enchant us.
Enchant: to fill someone with great delight; charm, put under a spell, delude.
Stories and songs can put us into rapture.
Rapture: seizing and carrying off.
Rapt: transported by religious feeling.
As long as we are seized by anything,
pure consciousness is obliterated.
When truth isn’t realised, life is scary, and so we seek comfort.
When pure consciousness is realised, life is amazing.
Balancing The Books
We each have a book – a ledger of karmic activities that have corrupted our mind through desire, creating a habitual pattern of behaviour.
Our path to enlightenment is to lighten this load
of precious winnings.
We have to re-pay these ‘gains’ through generosity, patience, morality, discipline, concentration and wisdom, all of which add up to empathetic compassion, and we stop filling up conscious space.
The result of en-lightening karma is an end to selfish reactions; when they do explode, that becomes a pointing-out instruction. It is therefore karma that is our precious teacher. Karma does not excommunicate us or shun us: it is with us, moment by moment, until the moment of perfect enlightenment.
Our debts are repaid by a feeling of gratitude
for the service this karma has provided.
The great undoing!
Why Do We Want Freedom?
Why do we want freedom?
Do we assume that we haven’t got it?
Why is that?
We live cluttered, unnatural lives.
Why is that?
We follow everyone else.
Why is that?
We don’t know anything better.
Why is that?
Our true reality of pure consciousness has been kept from us.
Why is that?
So that we rely on belief.
Why is that?
A very old power is working behind the scenes.
What can we do about this?
Know that that power is hope and fear.
Know that what we are is already free.
There are special days of extra belief
that keep the ‘business’ going!
When Information Is Misinformation
When we know that information is misinformation,
then misinformation is information
– and the end of confusion!
😀
If we do not test information, it is merely a belief. Repeating this belief is misinformation. Information may either be a guide, or deliberate misguidedness. How would we know? Is this the cause of the illusion we live under?
This unenlightened world is maintained by beliefs, hearsay and misinformation. We live in accordance with a truth according to a ‘book’: there are experts whose only experience is through a ‘book’.
A food recipe is a mathematical formula. It is not until we try it out that we know how the dish is made and how it actually tastes. If we buy it already prepared, we are prepared to ‘swallow’ anything.
Words are like food, to be tasted to see if they are good.
Don’t even rely on a Buddha’s words.
When we know,
then misinformation is information!
😀
The More We Communicate, The Better The World
To communicate is to know what we have in common.
When we only spout the facts we have learnt, this isn’t communication – it’s repetitive, and can be a form of aggression, usually ending up in conflict.
True communication is intimate and honest, and we have the courage to experience others’ suffering and joy. To be honest, both of these are uncomfortable as they are challenging to ego. For those who are suffering, we have empathy, and for those who are happy, we have compassion because that happiness is transient.
True friendship is having generosity, patience, morality, discipline, concentration and, above all, the wisdom to understand. We’ve each experienced every emotion possible; that is the wisdom store.
As students of the Dharma, we need to keep this store open.
Messing With Our Mind
It is through our mind that we communicate.
If our mind is full of junk, we communicate junk.
If our mind is clear, we communicate clarity.
The world creates nonsense,
and complaining about it fills our mind with more of the same.
It’s not the nonsense that is junk; it’s our reaction.
If we stick with the reaction, our mind becomes contaminated.
In the very moment of realising we are contaminated, the mind is free.
To be effective, we need a pure mind overseen by pure consciousness.
This isn’t about being holy;
it’s about being whole.
Isolated From Reality
The contents of the mind is our barrier to pure perception, as the mind identifies and translates almost immediately, not noticing that a moment of pure perception has taken place, and that pure consciousness is present.
Ignorance of this pure moment means we are isolated
– locked outside! 😀
How do we get in?
Stop believing that the outside is our reality.
When Is Life Complete?
Life is complete when we let go of self-memory.
Mind is memories (software) stored in the brain (hard-drive).
Self is created by the watcher-consciousness that clings to these memories.
When consciousness is in its pure state, there is no watcher, no memories,
but the mind can be scanned for guidance.
This realisation may not make us perfect, but it brings an end to expectations.
We use the limited skills that we have to express the reality within the illusion.
Is there further to go?
First, we have to get over ourself.
🙂
Translations
If someone realises something in one language, in order to communicate this realisation, it has to be translated into others’ languages. As we know, there are many translations of the same text: much will depend on the the translator personally experiencing the original realisation – or it can become a dry translation.
The interesting factor is that realisation is beyond words.
Words can make a fine feast,
but may not supply the nourishment needed to receive that one taste.
Dzogchen text is about our original essence. It’s about what we are now, and not about an intellectual, mystical experience. All we need is a glimpse of what we are, which is pure consciousness.
When I received the pointing out instruction on the direct nature of mind, it was the essence of consciousness that recognised what was happening. This was the direct instruction, indirectly.
Nothing happened. There was nothing! No doubts. It was ordinary. No words were needed. Everything else seemed like nonsense.
What was realised was something I had known since I was four years old, but had doubted because all around me were life’s ‘enthusiasts’.
That was the release.
This is why the Buddha said,
“Do not take my word for it …”
Transcendental Understanding
A transcendental experience cannot be understood in ordinary ways: meditation detaches our self-reality from our actual reality.
Our actual reality is moments of pure being that gradually become more frequent with practice; our self-reality is the practice of grasping.
Grasping = greedy = excessive desire.
In transcendental moments,
we are almost there and not there.
All we need to do is acknowledge and let go.
Love is acknowledging the transcendental in others.
Wave and they will wave back.
Smile and they will smile back.
That is the transcendent wisdom of understanding.
When Is Life Complete?
Life is complete when we get over ourself 🙂
Life is complete when we recognise the mind’s faults and limitations which are due to our past, and are content to live with these faults and limitations, because they are not what we are: we are pure consciousness.
This realisation may not make us perfect, but it brings an end to expectations.
We use the ordinary skills that we have to express the reality within the illusion.
Is there further to go?
First, we have to get over ourself.
Mind is memories (software) stored in the brain (hard-drive).
Self is created by the watcher-consciousness that clings to these memories.
When consciousness is in its pure state, there is no watcher, no memories,
but the mind can be scanned for guidance.
When Wrong Is Right
Whenever things go ‘wrong’, there is a cause;
that is the rightness about it.
Information And Wisdom
Information is the repetition of this and that.
Wisdom is the knowingness of when to apply information.
Information is knowing words.
Wisdom is knowing the meaning of words.
Wisdom is choosing the right moment,
or rather, the right moment choosing us – which is karma –
to help us realise the importance of now.
As everything comes about through causes and conditions,
things come about at a precise moment.
In that way, life is inspirational.
The Age Of Dzogchen
Dzogchen is the Tibetan word for the direct realisation of what we are; pure consciousness.
In the Indian text, the “Mahabharata”, this is the age of the Kali Yuga – the age of conflict – but it is also the age of the fast path to enlightenment. Whether we believe the text or not, this is certainly a time of immense stress.
The Dzogchen teachings are here in the age of Kali to awaken humanity and free it from suffering.
If these times were happy ones, the Dzogchen teachings would not work as people wouldn’t bother; they wouldn’t feel they were suffering.
This age of Dzogchen transforms negative emotions
into their pure state of wisdom.
These are times for this realisation to occur,
and the evil in the world helps us
as it is all too obvious.
Offender And Offended
This is the age of conflict; the Kali Yuga.
If there is an offender and an offended, there is conflict.
Offender + offended = conflict.
If there is an offender but no offended, there is no conflict.
Offender + 0 = no conflict with other, only with self.
If there is no offender but an offended, there is no conflict.
0 + offended = no conflict with other, only with self.
To offend is a deliberate attempt at conflict.
To be offended when there is no attempt at offence is a deliberate act of conflict.
Offending and being offended are much encouraged in this ‘popular’ world, and promotes hatred, which is precisely what evil wants. Picking low-hanging fruit is misunderstanding the deeper context of realisation; knowing what is going on behind the scenes.
Enlightenment = never being fooled.
Conspiracy Theories Work
They always have.
Conspiracy theories are made to divert consciousness away from itself.
The ulterior motive of conspiracy is just that,
rather than the conspiracies themselves.
As long as people jump up and down and complain, the conspiracy is working, making us look in another direction. People become ‘celebrities’ through pointing out the conspiracies, but they merely enable the illusion to continue.
“But there are conspiracies!”
Everything that has been interpreted for us is a conspiracy, a secret unlawful plan.
Secret: because we are encouraged to ignore our true reality of pure consciousness.
Unlawful: as we act against the very essence (pure) of nature (consciousness).
Plan: to keep us in ignorance of pure consciousness.
As long as the majority of humanity is kept in confusion, it can be – and is – manipulated. Humanity has therefore always been the target for forgetfulness 🙂
Enlightenment: stop being fooled.
Sorting The Wheat From The Chaff
Chaff: dry worthless outer covering of wheat.
Sorting the wheat from the chaff: this phrase refers to the separation of direct wisdom from empty repetition.
A name or title is merely an outer covering; we have to decide whether the inner quality is true and nourishing, and not just show. For every ‘expert’, there is a counter ‘expert’.
Ultimately, we are the authority of our lives. The majority decides on which ‘expert’ to follow, but just take another look at the world.
All that glitters is not gold.
‘Facts’ (the wheat) may be bound by interpretation (the chaff).
Who Can I Trust?
Well, we cannot trust our self, as our self is merely an acquisition of ideas of others (who, in turn, trust others’ ideas 🙂 ) So, we cannot trust anyone – not even a Buddha. “Don’t take my word for it!” is a very good start.
Now, we come to who or what is actually asking the question, “Who can I trust?”
A. That which is beyond the thinking mind.
Consciousness?
No.
Pure consciousness by which consciousness can be known.
What’s the difference between consciousness and pure consciousness?
Consciousness is what we are in nature, which is subject to conditions.
Pure consciousness is what we are in essence, which is not dependent on conditions.
How do we differentiate?
Through the practice of absolute stillness
witnessing the movement of consciousness
reaching out to thoughts in the mind,
and thus losing purity.
In moments of doubt and confusion,
remember:
the silence-that-sees is our reality, and is the only thing to be trusted.
Why We Become Extreme
We become extreme because we are confused about what we are. We adopt exaggerated imitations in order to create an appearance of being ‘one-of-them’. Identifying with a certain class, gender, social group, dietary sect, political group or religion, we become a type of slave, and that makes us ill-disposed towards others and affects our conduct. The cause of these acquired identities is a fear of being alone.
When we adopt a persona,
we lose our way,
and suffer for it.
Our natural reality is the same as everyone else’s,
but it’s hidden by invention.
True confidence lies in recognising that we are unconventional,
due to our individual, unique karma/teacher.
By avoiding deviations, we do not lose our way.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line!
Intellectualisation Blocks Direct Experience
Intellectualisation blocks direct, spontaneous experience which is beyond words. If you want to know how an apple tastes, eat it! Intellectualisation is trying too hard at something that is so simple.
The esoteric is intuitive, while the exoteric is a commentary, which is hearsay and rumour (from Latin, meaning noise) that creates doubt.
In sport, thinking is too slow and intrusive.
The thinker who doubts always loses.
Intuition is the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for reasoning. We can only realise something through the personal experience of first-hand, spontaneous knowledge, rather than second-hand hearsay.
Those who follow can never be victorious.
The purpose of life is to enrich understanding
towards our next moment, or incarnation.
The Shock Of Delusion
Delusion: believing any thing that is not true.
First, we have to know what is true before we can recognise delusion. Truth is proven reality, constant and never-changing.
So what is constant? No thing is constant; things have a beginning, middle and end, and are created by a formula of causes and conditions. Believing things to be real is delusional.
If we believe things are real when they are not, then our thoughts are delusional as well. Delusion is therefore a mental disorder – we are not seeing clearly!
When we analyse in this way, it’s quite a shock
to see that we believe everything.
The ultimate question is: what is real or constant and provable?
There are three provable non-things – space, formula and consciousness – that never change, but have a purity.
Space is infinite.
Formula is the laws of nature: attraction, repulsion and inertia, synonymous with desire, fear and ignorance.
Consciousness is that by which everything can be known.
Purified space is mind’s emptiness, cognisance and compassion.
Purified formula is the wisdom of emptiness, cognisance and compassion.
Purified consciousness is emptiness, cognisance and compassion.
Anything else is delusional.
The shock is that we live within the social routines of beliefs.
How often do we come out of our routine?
And meditation?
We have to drop the meditation as well.
😀
Why This Blog Isn’t Publicised
‘Dzogchen’ is Tibetan for pure consciousness – we are Dzogchen.
Dzogchen isn’t exactly a secret, but it can be easily misunderstood.
Those who find their way here do so through serendipity or karma.
You don’t have to become Buddhist 🙂
This is about personal realisation, and how to sustain that.
It’s definitely not about oneupmanship, as we all need kind support.
This blog may help when looking for that support,
while keeping a watchful eye on what is happening in the world.
The Exoteric And The Esoteric
The exoteric = general discussion.
The esoteric = direct experience in silent awareness.
Words are a generalisation.
The direct experience is the silent essence beyond words.
In spring, we watch the lambs bouncing around in an crazy exuberance – pure esoteric joy!
Slowly, they learn just to follow the herd – pure exoteric murmuring.
The exoteric is very clever.
The esoteric isn’t clever.
Is Religion The Ultimate Quackery?
Is religion the ultimate quackery?
Promising something it cannot give?
We all fall into this subtle trap,
when we forget that is we who have to do the work.
Religion isn’t the same as individual conscious endeavour, which is taking personal responsibility to realise that we are enlightened beings. Religion is a systemised promise of the promised land.
Promise: a declaration or assurance that one will do something or that a particular thing will happen.
The quackery lies in believing that we have to follow, without taking the personal responsibility that is necessary to realise enlightenment. In this way, we are kept wanting. Until we have empathetic compassion without partisanship -prejudiced in favour of a particular cause – we will never realise confidence where there is no ‘comfort zone’.
Claiming to cure something that doesn’t exist is the quackery of belief in words and rituals that we are told will make us ‘better’. It’s a placebo – and we have to be ‘in it’ to be treated.
There are no students, disciples, congregations, followers; these are merely designations for those who believe they are not enlightened beings. rarely, mysterious commentaries are quackery, and confine us to thirsting after more: “Don’t let them wonder, and realise the truth for themselves.”
It is because of this neediness that we will never encounter a truly compassionate spiritual person who can listen, as they’re too busy holding on to their ‘spirituality’.
Have you wondered why there is so much distraction in life?
It allows us to forget!
Slavery
Slave: a person who is excessively dependent upon or controlled by something.
There are two aspects to slavery:
excessive dependence on or devotion to something.
We are all slaves, being dependent on ideas.
How do we get free?
Drop the ideas and the jail door opens.
😀
Meditation Is A Tune-Up
Tune-up: adjusting mechanism to perform at maximum efficiency.
Merely sit in silent awareness, without following thoughts.
The mind can then run silently,
and consciousness will automatically clarify itself.
🙂
Repeating Labels
Label: a classifying phrase or name applied to a person or thing, especially one that is inaccurate or restrictive.
We label ourselves as this or that,
placing a nameplate on our prison door.
I became a Buddhist accidentally (it’s long story) and acquired that label, but soon discovered that people are people, however they dress themselves up.
At the esoteric level, all paths come to the same conclusion beyond scripture – that we are not of the body or mind, but pure consciousness itself.
Labels are for the exoteric, who cling to words and stories.
There Are Many Wise Words
In the past couple of thousand years, there have been many wise words handed down for us to identify with. That is both wonderful, and a subtle problem.
When we identify with words, we identify with names, and that creates a duality – a ‘me’ and a ‘something else’. It’s an extremely subtle trap that creates and maintains separation or division.
To be practical, in conscious awareness we have to realise non-duality, but this doesn’t mean being one with something, as there would still be a duality present.
The question is, what is it that is identifying?
That which is consciously aware and has no name.
The pure experience of true essence is beyond words or names which divide us.
‘Pure’ means without additives.
Personally, I feel that a trick was played on humanity thousands of years ago, and that trick or meme has plagued us ever since: ideas evolve and deviate into different names around ‘one’ theme.
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. 
COMMENTS ARE NECESSARY
Comments Are Necessary …
Comments are necessary
for the Dharma to be practical.
This blog is merely a continuity of comments which lead to further understanding through constant re-vision, re-seeing.
We don’t go to teachings just to receive; we also need to transmit feedback to boldly go where not many have gone before 🙂 It’s therefore bound to be unnerving as we step into the unknown, and this builds practical confidence.
In this way, we become our own teacher.