‘Emptiness’ means uncontaminated consciousness.
“Oh, do I have to be really holy to experience that?”!
When the eyes just see,
the ears just hear,
the nose just smells,
the tongue just tastes,
the body just feels,
the mind just perceives … that is emptiness.
It’s with us all the time,
as we are, firstly and originally, pure consciousness.
All beings experience this but do not notice its significance,
which why the term ‘ignorance’ is used.
Emptiness goes by many names.
Ignorance goes by one name,
and that name is ‘Myself’.
Ignorance isn’t a problem when we notice it –
precisely because of what is noticing it …
that old, old – very old – timeless pure consciousness.
It’s not a matter of what we know; it’s how we are that is important.
We can know all sorts of things about things, but what counts in life is realised contentment. Which do we consider to be superior?
When we are content within,
we know enough.
We are clear of confusion.
If there are ‘aliens’, who would they want to contact? The military, the gullible, or spiritual adepts? This will depend on what sort of ‘aliens’ they are 🙂
As yet, no spiritual adept has claimed to have been visited by ‘aliens’.
At the end of life, how we are is important. What we know, how much wealth we have acquired or whether our people are winning are idiotic Samsaric aims. What is important is whatever is understood, experienced and realised. In other words, realised contentment.
Are we expanding love through empathy and compassion,
or are we restricting it?
Suffering is obvious.
The causes of suffering are obvious.
The solution is obvious.
The practice is obvious.
Attainment is obvious.
Happiness is obvious.
If everything seemed hunky-dory, we wouldn’t bother.
We’d just indulge our self.
The worse is all gets, the better! The more the manipulation, the more it’s obvious. The more the confidence, the more the satisfaction. So we don’t have to go to Honcho-dori* street to find satisfaction. 😀
*“Hunky-dory” relates to a street in Yokohama, Japan, called “Honcho-dori”, where sailors on shore leave found bars, nightclubs and the other sorts of things sailors on shore leave go looking for …
The Kali Yuga is hunky-dory!
It helps to have a well-dressed mind, balanced and unshakeable.
If we think we are sane, we are insane.
If we know we are insane, we must be sane!
Gampopa: “May confusion dawn as wisdom”.
To know we are confused is to see:
pure intelligence is present.
A person is sane if they are rational and able to reason, and can analyse to a high degree of objectivity and logic, and can remain unemotional. If a person is even slightly influenced by personal emotions or cultural norms, their analysis may be termed irrational, due to the injection of subjective bias. We need a clean lens.
If we can only be subjective in our view – which is based on self-preservation – then logically, sanity isn’t present. When it comes to our ideas, we all know when we are being irrational but ignore it. For this reason, we get upset.
Simply recognise what the ‘self-image’ is doing, and be free. This may not be easy to accept as we are more familiar with our ‘self-image’ than with the pure sanity within.
When our normal becomes reliant on others’ irrationalities,
we give up free will.
Is being human a side effect of ignorance?! Are we even supposed to be here?
As humans, we often don’t feel ‘right’; we’re slightly uncomfortable. It is said that our home is in the Buddha realms.
Right meditation; we can see our potential. Right realisation; we have a foot in both realms. Right compassion; we can empathise with human side effects. Right understanding; the Buddha realm is right here.
Realisation and feeling may not always be in balance: we may sense something, but it doesn’t feel right. We might be too sensitive or too stimulated, or past trauma comes to the surface, bringing up subtle feelings. The term ‘bringing up’ suggests the inner wind rising through the channels in the body, and we feel tension. We might just hear a particular name, and up it comes!
Some of us are slow to react, while for others, reaction is instantaneous. Meditation definitely calms us down, but our character soon comes back into play, and off we go again.
Is this something we have to live with?
Yes … and no. We need to be aware of the state of play of inner energy: we do have the option to bring that energy down to a more balanced level. The more sensitive we become, the more we notice our hackles rising 😀 because we are very alert.
We can take a deep, gentle breath, hold it for a few seconds and exhale, as many times as is necessary. Alternatively, Tumo practice of rapid breathing through the mouth can achieve the same sense of restored balance (there are articles on this blog about these practices – use the Search box at the bottom of the page).
As well as these technical practices, we can also do something quite natural such as singing or chanting, or doing exercise. The same thing happens … the tension dissipates and we feel relaxed afterwards. This is why people tell those who become anxious to “Take a deep breath” as this brings the energy down in the body and we don’t feel so hot-headed.
The things that bring up my inner wind (get my dander up) are injustice and hypocrisy. I just have to live with it. 😀
All I’m saying is, don’t be depressed if you have feelings.
We all do.
We are human!
Logic says, “Feelings pass.”
And all the while, pure being sits and watches.
The more we realise, the more inner peace returns.
‘Path’ suggests going somewhere when, in reality, there is nowhere to go. ‘Path’ is actually the way – the way in which we see, which is now, here. The way we see depends on whether the inner eye of intuition that inspires is open – that is, consciousness. It is our responsibility to see clearly, rather than relying on others to tell us what we see.
Ordinary seeing is dark bias.
Original seeing is unbiased light.
We have the responsibility to translate the words of the translators, as we never know the level of understanding of the translator: a translation may either be literal, or have insight beyond words, and our understanding will determine the way we recognise the difference between these.
How do we translate 1 Corinthians 12:13? “For now we see through a glass, darkly;
but then face to face:
now I know in part;
but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
The secret – the truth – to any subject is its essential nature, from which everything flows.
Once we know truth, then we know what isn’t true.
If we know the rule, we will know when the rule is being ignored.
The essence of drawing is correct angle and proportion.
The essence of music is intervals and relationships.
The essence of spirituality is pure consciousness.
The essence of love is selflessness.
Essence has no form, whereas information can take many forms.
All subjects have an essence from which form or expression arises.
Essence is simplicity itself; there is nothing to say.
Just be. Just see.
Form can become information-overload to be debated.
If we fixate on the form, we will never realise the essence,
and we will keep searching for more information – and more things to argue about.
Much is written about spirituality and love;
this information is form.
Nothing can be written about pure consciousness and selflessness as it is plain seeing; this is essence.
Information-overload creates indigestion, confusion and lack of confidence.
This is the essence of evil.
Realising essence creates understanding, clarity and confidence.
This is the essence of love.
The secret to the human body is DNA.
The secret to the human mind is consciousness.
The secret to emotions is wisdom.
Knowledge is neutral and can be either used for benefit or harm.
The secret of our selves is our essence of pure consciousness.
Ignorance of our true nature, and maintenance of that ignorance:
the origin and maintenance of sin.
It may be hard to accept that exaggeration about our self
turns into a life of lies.
The two ignorances – exaggeration and lies.
If we do not know that there is a way out of the ignorance that obscures our true reality, we will be fixed.
We have to realise that we are pure, compassionate consciousness which, in Sanskrit, is the three Kayas: Dharmakaya, Sambhogkaya, and Nirmanakaya. These three aspects (which are a unity) are the basis of enlightened, universal law.
If we ignore this law, we come under the gross universal laws of attraction and repulsion, hope and fear, likes and dislikes. When we realise our true being, we then recognise whatever has been obscuring this reality.
Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Our ignorance will be used against us.
We are encouraged to embellish ourselves, and therefore, in the words of Manjushri, we condemn our life to “the dark ignorance in the dungeon of existence.”
Reason tells us that the only possible way to know ultimate truth is through our own pure perception; anything else is merely a made-up reflection in the mind.
There is the observation and the thing observed. We might then ask, “Is there an observer?”
If we say yes, an identification with whatever is observed is set up, and we become hung up on concepts.
If, on the other hand, we transcend the idea of a personalised observer that judges, our being expands to pure observation. It’s an esoteric thing.
Without pure perception, we wouldn’t know anything, so it stands to reason that, in order to recognise the truth, we have to know it first! This is fundamental to intelligence.
Whatever we are told can never be the truth: even the Buddha said, “Don’t take my word for it”. We have to see. From an esoteric point of view, this means recognising that pure seeing is present. Truth is in pure seeing, pure perception, pure consciousness. Others’ versions are their perception. We have to test whether this is pure, and the only way to test is to know when we are being misled.
How do we see the truth?
As long as we ignore our reality and maintain that view,
we will never realise what reality is.
We talk about giving up attachment, but then we say, “My Guru.” Why?
The purpose of a human and scriptural guru is to teach us to recognise our inner guru of karmic reactions that shows us our neuroses. These reactions reveal how we relate to the symbolic guru of everyday phenomena that is created by our past. We either continue within a vicious cycle of existence, or we cut through it. That is how we actually learn – through raw experience – to see our habitual behaviour.
Realisation does not come from a person or a book. It is in recognition of the arising of appearances in the mind, which reveals our attachments that actually disturb us. We evolve through these realisations – we are not here to collect gurus. 😀
In Tibetan Buddhism (to which I am eternally grateful), Gurus are known as ‘Rinpoches’, which means ‘precious jewel’. Tai Situpa, when knocking at a door, jokingly introduced himself as, “It’s his expensiveness here.” 😀
Genuine teachers are important as they are the conduit of wisdom, but we will only know this when we reach a certain stage. Becoming attached to specific ideas, even though they may be truthful, is not the same as personal realisation. Gradually, whatever we thought we understood changes, and words become more meaningful … or less meaningful.
What is meaningful to one person may sound banal to another. What is banal to one person may sound meaningful to another.
Challenging belief is now a hate crime? Regulators said ‘hate speech’ includes intolerance of opinions.
Belief: an acceptance that something exists or is true, without proof.\ Opinion: a view formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge
UK Ofcom (communication regulators) now defines hate speech as: “All forms of expression which spread, incite, promote or justify hatred based on intolerance on the grounds of disability, ethnicity, social origin, sex, gender, gender reassignment, nationality, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, colour, genetic features, language, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth or age.”
This took effect at 11pm on New Year’s Eve.
Witch-hunt: a campaign directed against a person or group holding views considered unorthodox or a threat to society.
Thought control downgrades consciousness and truth.
Don’t let truth become obsolete.
To be able to face the truth, we have to realise that we are the truth. We are the authority. Once we know this truth, we can see evil at work. Many spiritually-inclined people only want to hear positive things, and cannot deal with the negative. This is living in an illusion of spirituality, which is a belief system.
The ability to face and recognise the negative
– and see that it has no reality –
is the positive truth.
How do we improve meditation?
By continually dropping it.
We may feel that we must stay fixed and focused: this can cause subtle tension as we become too tight. Too loose causes us to be vacant and wander off. These two issues open us up to being even more distracted, and we feel we’re not good enough, and that we’re a fake.
Whatever occurs, leave it alone.
Don’t believe it.
Drop it.
Drop all of it.
Come to an end … and relax.
That’s it!
Tightening up again?
Drop it.
It’s like that.
The surprising thing is that we all know this. We want to get ‘better’ at meditation, so we try too hard. Holding an idea in our mind about what we should be doing is exhausting. Our attitude to meditation is created by what we have seen others do, which is a pity. It’s still all about me;my method, my tradition, my special cushion.
Beyond meditation, there are no rules and no traditions. Beyond all that, there is neither meditator nor meditation. There is freedom from all. Holding on to the meditation will have the opposite effect of binding us.
The world around wants us to continue dreaming its dreams, its traditions. In meditation, we are free in the moment of seeing. We have always been free.
Meditation isn’t a lifestyle; it’s not a ‘thing’.
It’s a know-thing,
😀
People have two aspects; there are times when we have answers, and times when we have questions.
In the samsaric world – our vicarious life – the question should be, “Why am I doing this?”
On the path to enlightenment, questioning answers is better than having answers to questions.
It is only in non-duality that there are no more questions and answers.
The ‘I’ is full of why? Pure awareness has no questions because it is the answer.
To see clearly, we meditate.
To see wisely, we drop the meditation
Have a successful new year.
At least, don’t make the world worse 🙂
..Self-identity groups create divisions.
Love decreases.
Divided people find fault,
feeling different and believing they are disconnected.
They are not!
Love does not find faults; it understands faults.
We are one and the same pure consciousness,
each expressing this reality differently.
True diversity is selfless love expressing itself in different ways:
listening, cooking, cleaning, gardening, writing …
studying art, music, poetry, dance, action, sport …
earning a living, contemplating, meditating …
Every human endeavour.
What do you think esoteric knowledge is?
It is knowledge intended for the few;
knowledge for the many is exoteric.
Some secrets are there to protect us from misusing knowledge,
while other secrets are kept with an intention to deceive.
We all know about hiding our real intentions, don’t we?
(even if it is to please)
If we think there are no secret plans, we are deluded. Authorities and corporations – and even Tibetan Buddhism – all have secrets that are meant only for the inner circle. Evidence from the past that shows that this goes on makes us suspicious about secrets and mysteries. It’s only natural.
When people call others ‘conspiracy theorists’, they are merely deflecting their own ignorance. Children speculate about sex; adults speculate about God; disciples speculate about their teacher. It’s only natural – or it should be. 🙂
When these ‘secrets’ finally come to light, it’s too late as they are part of our life. The good news is that realisation is like this!
At the bottom of the scale, mass electronic surveillance is also like that. Those who want their secrets (their true intentions) to remain hidden create confusion and chaos, allowing absurd theories to infect all speculation. As long as we think there are mysteries, we will doubt our common sense, preferring to rely on whatever we have been told.
Why has our true reality has been kept from us?
Because, when we know the truth, we no longer rely on beliefs.
There is nothing as amazing as realisation
that results in pure happiness.
It’s the quickest way to being the devil’s disciple 😀
How? We turn into experts who lack empathy.
To become ‘spiritual’ is to deny that we are already – empathetic spirits. We moved away from empathy when we separated from others and became solids!
Acting in a ‘spiritual’ way is exactly that: it’s acting, and it’s self deception – and it shows.
Beautiful art forms, unfortunately, confuse understanding by obscuring or reversing reality into sentimentality. Spirituality isn’t about beautiful beings floating in the sky; it’s down-to-earth, dealing with raw emotions.
Every sentient beings (even demons) is spiritual in essence, because they are pure consciousness – whether they know this or not. We are all pure spirit/pure intelligence; we are kind and compassionate, without any need for self importance.
Something changed. We became, instead of just being.
The more we accept limitation, the deeper our reliance.
When we realise what we are, we realise happiness.
We are Buddhas!
The word ‘Buddha’ means ‘enlightened’.
Enlightenment is attained through
generosity, patience, conscience, discipline, meditation and wisdom.
Meditation helps awaken the truth of our potential.
The moment we recognise the limitations of our attachment
is the moment we are free.
Celebrate!
By using contractors, you don’t get blamed when things go wrong, and the contractor blames the customer.
If we only want to consume good things, the devil will provide a delightful table.
(of course, there is no such person as the devil; there are only those who are ego-driven)
We might think, “My life’s okay, so I don’t have to bother about a devil and its contractors”, without realising that we are, in fact, one of those contractors who blames others. 😀
It’s possible to ignore that the world is being driven into the ground at a fast rate and people are suffering, but none of us has immunity to suffering – that is, unless we have the ability to see the complete picture that there are demons, angels and salvation; salvation is personal realisation beyond suffering.
When they are suffering, people will turn to anyone for relief, without realising the cost in body, speech, mind and consciousness. We sell our soul/spirit/consciousness for temporary relief and are willing to follow any idea that stops the pain, without looking at the cause of the pain. Following others is the opposite to the Buddha’s teachings; the Buddha wanted us to see for ourselves, and not to just follow. To be “Free in the moment of seeing” – Tulku Urgyen.
Equality has two aspects: we either have the ability to realise our enlightened nature, or we consent to obeying the collective, as in the Borg from “Star Trek”, who are cybernetic organisms with the mantra, “Resistance is futile”: they are linked to a hive mind with the intention of assimilating all others.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
All we have to remember is that we are free in the moment of seeing.
As contractors, we tear-up the contract, and no longer sign our life away.
What is truth?
That which is purely aware.
Truth is never-changing.
What is untruth?
That which obscures truth.
Untruth is changeable.
So?
So if obscurations are untrue,
they have merely a seeming existence.
Does the truth of pure awareness exist?
We cannot claim that it does. We cannot claim that it doesn’t.
To say it does would mean that we have made it into something.
To say it doesn’t would mean that we are not aware.
Various spiritual traditions use language differently,
making teachings seem incompatible.
They are not.
Language isn’t reality. Language is limited, and therefore the vocabulary we use to explain experience is limited. We all find it difficult to express our intangible feelings, and we sometimes need empathetic help to explain how we feel: prayer is like that, when we open up to unexpected consequences.
If we stick rigidly to words, we limit experience. Words that are used too often become redundant and turn the mind away from subtle understanding, and back to gross understanding.
Our choice of words will depend on the situation. We may find words and their meaning difficult to understand – they can either sound too clever or nonsensical. This is how teachings become self secret, as they have to be heard or read at the ‘right’ time, when we are on the verge. Through through the channel of quiet confidence, truth emerges; there is a feeling of something being ignited/enlightened … you know what I mean 🙂
True communication: apart from meeting someone who is on the verge (at an extreme limit where something specific is about to happen), there’s not much we can say. The ‘verge’ could be said to be crazy wisdom, where we give up and something unusual happens – eureka!
We may drip-feed words into conversations to see if they’re picked up. Actually, life itself is like that! Something significant happens and we wonder, “Where on earth did that come from?”
This is so easy to say but so difficult to accept.
Life itself is pure spirit, pure consciousness. Unfortunately, we are far too occupied or vacant to notice the experience of this.
We prefer to believe in the mess that we create as it’s familiar. We all know this truth, but ignore it.
The word ‘pure’ may sound as if it’s only for the holy, but it is actually our very nature. Purity is uncontaminated spirit. It’s what we are, but we believe otherwise. Why? Because we don’t want to give up being occupied or vacant as we are – unwisely – addicted to these states. As a result, we suffer.
The word ‘spiritual’ may make us feel uncomfortable because we think that we have to stop whatever we are doing. We don’t. We just have to be aware that there is something beyond our self; acknowledging this regulates our conduct of compassion that knows what is truly right and wrong. What is of benefit and what is harmful.
To help us remember, we take a break twice a day. This isno called meditation, which is being aware of the essence of life in the knowledge that this awareness is what we are. Gradually, the quality of meditation permeates everything we do. We become calmer and more precise, and experience less dissatisfaction. We value the importance of life, and are naturally of benefit to others, accepting that human life is one of turmoil and anxiety.
This is the best way to face everything. Whenever we become vacant or occupied, pure spirit notes this.
There is unwarranted confusion in the world, but our honest reality is never confused.
Artificial intelligence is able to perform tasks such as visual perception, speech recognition and decision-making that require human intelligence. It is programmed to interact with its environment, and with other A.I.
‘Artificial’ means it’s not the real thing; it’s a facsimile, a fake, an imitation, but it gets the job done.
A.I. will never know it is artificial as it cannot question its existence.
The question is, “How are we any different?” Our intelligence is used to accept programming and most of us do not question our existence.
People may fear merging with the A.I. or they may regard A.I. as a good idea. The reality is that we have already merged: just go to a coffee shop and see what ‘people’ are doing with their thumbs! Humans can be conditioned just as a machine can. Why? Because we are sleepwalking!
The difference between machines and real people is emotions – machines do not have emotions. People have the ability to realise that negative emotions are wisdom. We suffer, whereas machines do not – and therefore, we can be dissatisfied.
We are led to believe that we should avoid emotions because our makers do not want us to wake up and realise our reality. The very first instant of a negative emotion is the path to enlightenment. In that first moment, the mind is bright and clear, and we are bright and clear … before we get carried away … again 🙂 A machine cannot be enlightened, although Dharma can be put into a machine and we bow to it. How subtly we are led astray.
The key to deception looks like the real thing. It’s believable. We may hear about spirituality and consciousness as something to aim for, to better our selves. So near, but so far. That is the deception.
We do not better our self. We are beyond our self.
What is spirituality? It is pure consciousness. It is the ability to acknowledge self awareness. The phrase ‘self awareness’ has two meanings: one refers to being aware of an artificial self identity, and the other is the realisation that awareness is naturally self aware. It’s autonomous. Our highest level of awareness is pure awareness – pure consciousness. It’s what we are.
First we have to know what true normal is.
Normal: according to a standard.
But whose standard?
Ultimately, normal is our original, pure, carefree spirit – pure consciousness. We get moments of feeling this reality, but we either ignore or forget those precious moments.
When we are born, we learn to adopt others’ normal, and we all lose our originality. This is what spiritual endeavour is all about – our inner longing to find our ultimate normality.
Throughout history, humanity has been reset at various times, in order for people to regard the material world as their only reality. The formula: create something; people become dependent on it; it is then used against them. This has the effect of dividing people through confusion.
For example: We are led to be consumers, and then we are blamed for consuming. We are sold fast cars and then fined for speeding. There are hidden sugars in food, and then we are blamed for obesity. We think we vote for a better life, and it gets worse. We are given the internet, and we lose privacy. We believe we are praying to a god, which takes our attention away from our reality. This is a endless list, in the belief that these things will make life better, while it’s all about wealth and power for the few throughout history.
The Great Reset is a proposal by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to rebuild the economy sustainably following the COVID-19 pandemic. It was unveiled in May 2020 by the United Kingdom’s Prince Charles and WEF director Klaus Schwab, and seeks to improve capitalism by making investments more geared toward mutual progress and focusing more on environmental initiatives.
Laughing at the things that are getting you down – your pet likes and dislikes – is freeing. In the moment now, our immediate fancies do not bind us. Problems for us and those around us arise when our demons rule our life.
These demons are just a residue from past experiences; they are little trauma that get under our skin. Just smile when this ‘I’ goes into its old routine, and say, “You’re not getting to me this time! ‘i’ give you no power.” This doesn’t mean that whatever bugs us goes away, but now it’s not all-consuming, and doesn’t get us down.
When playing a board game, we are not trying to be competitive in order to beat others and show how much better we are than them. Rather, we just play the hand we are dealt. This is how we can play games and remain conscious beings, in the same way as we can in daily activities. Others’ devils will do what they want 😀
This is actually the superior position to be in – and if the opponent is also doing this, it becomes a very interesting and smiley game. Of course, there are some who are out to get you, but that’s just their devil wanting to dominate a situation.
“Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”
😀
Of course, we love. We desire to love and be loved. Love is happiness. Our love, however, relies on whatever makes us happy, but if the thing that we love is taken away, we suffer greatly. This is life for most of us; a series of gains and losses.
We either chase after happiness or we fear losing it because we misunderstand the true nature of love and what it actually is. Our love is ‘all about me’ and attachment. For us, this is normal, but it’s based on insecurity.
True love (the real thing) comes from understanding that our ultimate nature is selfless – pure non-dualistic consciousness – and that is where happiness lies. When we realise that we and all sentient beings are pure consciousness and the perfect state of happiness but are unaware of this fact, empathy and sadness naturally arise. This empathetic sadness is love.
Coming from pure consciousness, the wish to alleviate the suffering of others is love.
Dr. Pierre Kory president of the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) called for the government to swiftly review the already expansive and still rapidly emerging medical evidence on Ivermectin.
Important clinical review on Ivermectin findings by Dr. John Campbell:
The one thing – the only thing – you can rely on is you. You are the authority on everything that happens to you.
You are, first and foremost, pure consciousness. A free, living being. In order to know anything, conscious awareness has to be present first. Right?
All else is a play of karmic deception; the things we believe in. We can literally play all day, without attachment. Through detached play, karma dwindles away. Gradually – and then suddenly – we realise what enlightenment could be.
Without this process of experience, enlightenment will remain just an idea.
Our minds need challenging, otherwise we function habitually in auto-pilot. At the moment, we may think we’re normal when, in fact, we are living in a repetitive reality, saying and doing the same things every day of our lives, without noticing that this isn’t our true reality.
This programming should be provoked as our ideas are never our ideas … ever! When people say that the world is turning into a mind controlled environment, it has always been that way. It’s nothing new, but technology makes human control faster and more efficient.
No? Are you in control of yourself?!
Try being more precise today. This may create resistance in the mind and we might want to run to our safe place, but that is the process we need to break out of our ‘endarkenment’.
Feel and hear each note of life.
Don’t just repeat your favourite little mechanical riff all the time! To do so merely gives the illusion of playing.
Why does goodness know? Goodness is naturalness, and there is nothing more natural than pure consciousness. It is our natural, essential being – the essence of knowingness itself. It’s where love, empathy and compassion come from, as it is selfless.
When we have a selfish, heavy-hearted, calculating mind, we can never know knowingness as we care more about things (me and mine) and therefore never truly experience love, empathy and compassion.
Goodness will always prevail over selfishness because goodness can recognise when it is being selfish. Selfishness cannot do this, and so it never knows peace.
With all the troubles in the world, the light of selfless goodness can never be extinguished, whereas calculating selfishness lives in perpetual darkness.
The more precise we are in our methods and execution, the more challenging everything becomes; for the courageous, happiness ensues. This is precisely how we ascend the levels to enlightenment.
We do this by no longer being mechanical and half-hearted. We feel each moment. This doesn’t mean we will necessarily get it right, but practice does make perfect. If we just want to be right, we will take short cuts to achieve a form; an appearance without substance.
When we know that we make mistakes, we are learning.
Why is this important?
It releases us from the materialistic, worried mind.
Spirituality is not a cover-up.
Awakening is the clarity of consciousness,
whereas religion binds us.
We can be bound to anything.
Spiritual awakening is freeing consciousness of fixations,
thereby realising pure consciousness
– what we truly are.
There is no mystery about this.
Mystery is for the materialistic.
Ordinarily, consciousness binds itself to me and mine,
and to fantasies, sentimentalities and politics.
Extreme Mara has no boundaries
– it’s all ‘mine’!
Now for the real shock
(we need a shock to wake us up,
otherwise we’ll continue to dream small dreams).
We have always been spiritually awake – enlightened –
but we are too busy to notice.
I am devoted to and have deep appreciation for the Buddha’s teaching, in the same way I have for the Vedas, Christ’s teaching, Plato, the reality in the Ten Commandments … and any esoteric teaching. They’re all the same.
Most of all, I appreciate my self as my immediate teacher, poor, deluded creature though it is.
When we hear about ‘aliens’ watching us to see if we are ready for them to reveal themselves – a bit like God – this is exactly the same as pure consciousness watching to see if this self-illusion is ready to realise that it does not exist.
To aliens who might be out there: get your shiny head around that!
What do you think you are watching over?!
Some days, inspiration goes off the chart … I said it may sound crazy. 😀
Dharma is the teaching about our own true nature of just seeing. When we just see, we are free.
We simply have to see that we see, and rest there. Resting in just seeing, the idea of self disappears and that which is left is pure consciousness. The physical universe is a play of constantly changing, impermanent phenomena, so its apparent reality is an illusion.
The more we fill our heads with teachings, the more likely it is that we will doubt our own sanity and stay confused and needy, wanting yet more teachings because we think we don’t know enough.
The teachings aren’t about know more; they are about knowingness itself.
Meditation isn’t some hocus pocus to trick our minds, or to hold a physical pose. It is looking, seeing and dropping the meditation into just seeing, just being. We can do this anytime, anywhere.
All teaching is a reminder, but this can become the maintenance of an indigenous culture. The Dharma is held within us already, while adhering to a culture is an additional personal choice. We can learn from untainted indigenous people, but we don’t have to become like them as, at heart, we are untainted indigenous people too.
From early schooling, humans are screened into some sort of conformity which indicates how much we want to belong; this is the carrot for our ascent of the social ladder and it is this that adds the taint. We run around wanting to know more, and as long as we do this, we will never know. This running around after information is believing the phantoms on Plato’s cave wall.
We know everything that we need to know because we are knowingness itself. This is a totally different way of looking at life; we can step off the world stage and just be the ‘audience’.
Pure consciousness doesn’t get better as we practise as it’s always present. It only becomes more obvious.
All media is but a distraction, like Plato’s shadow images on the cave wall of the mind.
We note that we are addicted to certain media/teachings, and as these are never complete, so we stay addicted.
They are complete when we test them for ourselves. That is the completion stage – and we no longer need the media.
Media: mass communication = exoteric. Completion stage: realisation = esoteric.
*The completion stage is the end of a practice where we drop or rest into pure consciousness.
Clarity is esoteric. Cleverness is exoteric. Clarity is just seeing. Cleverness is what we do with that seeing.
Esoteric: intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialised knowledge or interest. Exoteric: intended for or likely to be understood by the general public.
Our clever practice is our reminder to recognise our clarity. This clarity is nothing other than pure consciousness.
Before we can be clever, there has to be clarity present; just seeing. This is the moment we miss. We might declare, “I have clarity!” but we have just declared how clever we think we are 🙂
Spiritual beliefs are exoteric knowledge; we turn the esoteric into the exoteric, and cling to its uniqueness. It’s what we do. There is nothing unique or special about the esoteric as it is the pure simplicity of our being. Uniqueness, on the other hand, is to appear particularly remarkable, special, or unusual.
And it’s what divides us.
Pure seeing is the moment of silent stillness. How we then express this silent stillness is up to us, but it’s easy to downgrade pure experience into the mundane. It all depends on how we see, and on our motivation which modifies that seeing.
Life Doesn’t Change Dramatically When We Realise The Truth
Life doesn’t change dramatically when we realise the truth. We just become honest in our confusion, and let it be. Appearances and recognition are simultaneous; thus, pure consciousness is present. It’s all we need to know!
“But what about all that fancy, esoteric stuff?” If you want fancy, esoteric stuff, you’ll get fancy, exoteric stuff.
The real stuff is Ordinary. Not at all dramatic. No drama.
“What about enlightenment?” That’s what the unenlightened call it.
Enlightenment: there is no longer anything to realise.
Why Is The Word ‘Duhkha’ (Suffering) So Important?
If we become familiar with the origins of our suffering, our heart will open to suffering of others.
To recognise suffering is the path to enlightenment; recognition brings an end to suffering.
Even if we cover up suffering by making do with distractions, we still suffer.
This has always been our choice.
‘Duḥkha’ in Sanskrit translates as suffering, unhappiness, pain, dissatisfaction or stress. It is the fundamental dissatisfaction and pain of mundane life. It is the first of the Four Noble Truths.
This first truth is caused by an identification with the self-image that we cherish: we become vulnerable and protective of this self-image which feels constantly under attack, and so attacks others.
Suffering is what Mara (negative mind) feeds off. Mara lies in ambush, which is significant as we do not attack outright, but need a hook, a vulnerability for us to pounce on. Our vulnerability is our ignorance, our not-knowing.
A bad situation arises, and we can indulge in it, making things seem worse. People never win; people pay and people suffer, and so it goes on …
The good news is that, in times of catastrophe, we suffering en masse. At this moment, the world is ‘suffering’. It may get – or seem to get – worse, but it is the beginning of mass waking up. When we experience total confusion, we experience emptiness.
This is something Mara mind cannot understand. The emptiness of experience is the experience of emptiness.
Before we get involved in anything, we just see, feel, taste, hear or smell. That is always a moment of pure perception, of pure experience empty of contamination. There are no expectations; we are just ‘tasting’. The yoga of experiencing is the moment we step outside, and before we judge whether it’s warm or cool.
This is the experience of emptiness, and the emptiness of experience. As this is so, we can also consider that whatever is experienced is empty of permanent reality, despite whatever designation we may give.
The experience of emptiness is the emptiness of experience.
This is the spiritual and material understanding of everything. It is the basis of the Heart Sutra: “Gone, gone, gone, beyond … ”
THE GREAT PRAJNA PARAMITA HEART SUTRA
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva doing deep Prajna Paramita Perceived the emptiness of all five conditions, and was freed of pain. O Sariputra, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form; Form is precisely emptiness, emptiness precisely form; Sensation, perception, reaction and consciousness are also like this. O Sariputra, all things are expressions of emptiness, not born, not destroyed, Not stained, not pure; neither waxing nor waning. Thus emptiness is not form; not sensation nor perception, reaction nor consciousness; No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; No color, sound, smell, taste, touch, thing No realm of sight, no realm of consciousness No ignorance, no end to ignorance No old age and death, no cessation of old age and death No suffering, no cause or end to suffering, no path No wisdom and no gain. No gain—thus Bodhisattvas live this Prajna Paramita With no hindrance of mind—no hindrance therefore no fear.
Far beyond all such delusion, Nirvana is already here. All past, present, and future Buddhas live this Prajna Paramita And attain supreme, perfect enlightenment. Therefore know that Prajna Paramita is The holy mantra, the luminous mantra The supreme mantra, the incomparable mantra By which all suffering is cleared. This is no other than truth. Therefore set forth the Prajna Paramita mantra. Set forth this mantra and proclaim:
We start with a belief: our problem lies in holding on to that belief and ignoring experience. We need to test beliefs in order to verify them.
We only know what we experience. Anything else is a belief or a theory, and theories are just thoughts. Empirical knowledge is verification by experience, rather than belief or pure logic.
Belief is acceptance that something exists or is true – without proof. Don’t take my word for it! 😀
Anything that we read or hear from others is hearsay; it’s a belief. We can note beliefs, but needn’t accept them as true. In fact, we shouldn’t. We should be sceptical, rather than easily accepting and being convinced.
In order to know, we have to verify for ourselves. Of course, there are things that we cannot personally verify and so take on trust, while keeping an open mind.
When it comes down to the truth, we can only know what we know. This is especially significant when it comes to realisation and enlightenment. Never take anyone’s word for it. Taking others’ word for the truth is the opposite of truth.
“But what about all those things I believe to be true? I know them!” We can recognise them, yes, but knowing isn’t about ideas – it is about that which knows. That which knows is pure consciousness. This pure view is the starting point. Now, when a belief arises and is seen, the belief becomes a tool, in the same way that mindfulness is just a tool.
Are the people in white coats or robes telling us the truth? How do we know?
The Buddha said “Do not take my word for it; test it for yourself”, so the Buddha was saying, “Do not believe in me.” If that is good enough for the Buddha, who are we to disagree?
We first need the clarity of mind to think clearly. For that, we need to meditate.
Our only reality lies in not believing. In not believing, we are questioning.
Demonic attacks do not come from outside; they’re a residue in our own mind.
When we stop our habitual patterning, we stop feeding the habitual patterning of others.
Different cultures (groups) express phenomena in different ways. Just because a culture says, “It’s like this”, doesn’t mean it’s like that for us. It is tremendously important that we do not obscure our own mind by trying to force it into the ways of others.
What may be beneficial for a relaxed culture will not do for a speedy culture. Performing hundreds of thousands of prostrations may be good for Tibetans but, for westerners, it’s like going to the gym for a work out. Similarly, terms such as wind, channels and energies in one culture are just neurotransmitters in another.
This bring us on to the subject of demons or Mara. Demons in history have had excellent propagandists who portray them as something out there that preys on the innocent in order to exert control over the masses … “The bogeyman will get you!” … What fun those propagators have had scaring us with this haunting theme which has become our entertainment. The truth is that we have been led astray by not noticing our actual experience of everyday demons.
Demons – or Mara in Sanskrit – are troubled, un-empathetic minds. A troubled mind is full of likes and dislikes, and waits in ambush to pounce and feed off others. Yes, it’s us. We want to create a reaction in others. You know what I mean! Even if we say nothing, there is still a reaction present because our thinking shows in our demeanour.
Some cultures understand evil as an external force. In one practice, Tibetans go to a graveyard at night to face their fears, while we might just get bored. Better for us to go to a ‘spiritual’ centre to face our fears! 😀
That troubled mind is our self that creates dualistic fixations. Now, we see that these demons are closer to us than we thought – we are full of likes and dislikes.
Until we are fully enlightened, we will have Mara-ego attacks. It is said that, just before enlightenment, even the Buddha experienced attacks symbolised by fear and lust.
The more we become consciously aware, the more raw and sensitive we are, being aware of distractions. We pick up more, and some of it is challenging to deal with. Our path to enlightenment is clearing away our confusion and vulnerability. It’s not about following others. That is for the religious-minded.
So, we can see that the more our practice refines, the more we are aware of the attacks that trigger a residue from past experiences. As practitioners, we become a target. Many historical figures, as you know, received more than just threats.
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.
Seeing demons at work:
Do we get a buzz from money, or from the power that it represents? We know what it’s like when someone is controlling us – it’s horrible and scary. Imagine now having the power to manipulate: Mara is like that, feeding off vulnerability.
It is for this reason that being consciously aware is so important, because truly understanding this gives rise to compassion.
We constantly need to review the reality of how things seem at this moment. Below is a list of events that lead us awayfrom our reality. We may assume that ‘spirituality’ is the way out, and should therefore be at the top of the list but, in the beginning, it’s just an idea that has the potential to lead either to reality or sentimentality. As a result, spirituality has moved down the list, as it’s something we decide upon, as opposed to actual spirituality which is pure consciousness – the realisation of our being where no thought or conjuring occurs.
Pure consciousness
Consciousness
Thoughts
Beliefs
Psychology
Spirituality
Religions
Politics
Warring – a state of competition or hostility between different people or groups
We are pure consciousness. When we ignore or forget this reality, we fall into ordinary consciousness and develop a feeling of self. Thoughts about me and mine follow, maintained by beliefs and the psychology of those thoughts and beliefs. Then we turn to spirituality for a way out, which can either take us back to our origin or become an organised religion. Organisations become political with inner circles, and people who want to rule. This is where our differences come to be a problem, and wars begin.
Once we realise pure consciousness,
we see through all machinations and plots.
The more we become involved, the more the plot thickens 😀
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. 