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.

Treating The Symptoms And Not The Cause

If we use ‘treats’ as a treatment to make us feel better, rather than dealing with the cause of the symptom and thereby bring an end it, we will merely go round in circles. Our spiritual path to enlightenment is eliminating our confusion rather than acquiring the confusion of others: it is definitely not about joining an organisation and conforming to others’ standards.

No one – not even a Buddha – can heal our discomforts. We have to look at our own unhappiness honestly, rather than covering it up with platitudes.

The moment pure consciousness just sees is the moment of liberation. In that moment of just seeing, there is no ‘me’ involved. The self is put to one side – and then we realise that the problem was ‘me’ all along! 🙂

There is no guilt in just seeing. Pure consciousness does not judge; it merely notes. If we note that we are exaggerating our righteousness, for example, this noting is not a sin. It is merely non-conceptual perception, whereas fixation on others’ exaggerated righteousness would sentence us to more ‘treatment’, more judgement and more justification.

The real treat is realisation.

The Four Compassionate Activities
(also known as the four enlightened activities)

PACIFYING, ENRICHING, MAGNETISING AND DESTROYING EGO.
Pacifying: There are no problems. There is nothing for ego to fight against, which brings inner peace to ego.
Enriching: Brings the light of knowledge, clarifying ego’s manipulations.

Magnetising: Bypasses conventional reality, and so attracts naturally. Ego re-cognises.

Destroying: Compassion cuts through ego’s manipulations. Ego has nothing to hold onto.

These activities can be transmitted either in silence or verbally.

Ego is consciousness clinging to concepts. This is what we think we are when, in reality, we are the lord of compassion – pure consciousness. The application of the four compassionate activities is applied to both one’s self and the self of others.

Realisation Is Hopeless!
🙂

The Show Goes On

The word ‘entertainment’ originally meant ‘to maintain’; to maintain our attention. Entertainment has a long term effect on our memories and so, on consciousness, replaying in our mind and captivating us ever after. In this way, our persona – and everything to which we cling – is created. Years ago, our minds were filled with work and survival, and now it’s entertainment because our everyday needs are more easily met.

Food, clothing, film, art, ablutions, driving, shopping, news, music, internet, gaming, sport, wealth, power, religion, philosophy, spirituality … meditation … gurus … can now all be part of our entertainment. It’s like hidden sugar and salt in food; we no longer notice the effect they are having on our health. The devil makes entertainment for idle minds. We cannot be still. If, however, we lose interest in the list above and start to concern ourselves with actual reality, then we will no longer be confused about the meaning of life.

Who’s running the ‘show’? Whomever allows it. As long as there is an audience, the ‘show’ will go on. This attack on our minds will not stop, but we can be aware of its effect rather than being part of the glue, holding all together by our reactions. The show loses its power.

We are all running the show, but we can take back our power by realising that our show is the product of our karma, and all we have to do is clean it up. The moment we see our mind entertaining us is the moment of freedom! Appearances and recognition are simultaneous = non-duality.

There’s No Business Like Show Business
Irving Berlin

There’s no business like show business like no business I know
Everything about it is appealing, everything that traffic will allow
Nowhere could you get that happy feeling when you are stealing that extra bow

There’s no people like show people, they smile when they are low
Even with a turkey that you know will fold, you may be stranded out in the cold
Still you wouldn’t change it for a sack of gold, let’s go on with the show

The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Are secretly unhappy men because
The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Get paid for what they do but no applause.
They’d gladly bid their dreary jobs goodbye for anything theatrical and why?

There’s no business like show business and I tell you it’s so
Traveling through the country is so thrilling, standing out in front on opening nights
Smiling as you watch the theatre filling, and there’s your billing out there in lights

There’s no people like show people, they smile when they are low
Angels come from everywhere with lots of jack, and when you lose it, there’s no attack
Where could you get money that you don’t give back? Let’s go on with the show

You get word before the show has started that your favourite uncle died at dawn
Top of that, your pa and ma have parted, you’re broken-hearted, but you go on

Yesterday they told you you would not go far, that night you open and there you are
Next day on your dressing room they’ve hung a star, let’s go on with the show!! 

We Don’t Have To Obsess About Dzogchen

I did …

We seek the truth because we aren’t satisfied with the world in which we live, so we join an organisation or become attached to set of ideas. Groups use different words about the same subject, and a particular word may attract us. There is nothing wrong with words, but they are just words. These words may be Dzogchen, Mahamudra, dharmakaya, shunyata, Dao, Zen, turiya, unity, not two, non-duality … the list is endless. There is no magic in the words or sounds themselves, save that they are a reminder or a symbol of something. But then again, groups cling to words, so we find that we still have to look further, and that is why the wise who know say, “Do not take my word for it.”

Our ultimate nature is pure, empty consciousness. We can call it what we want in our own language, but the realisation is beyond, in pure experience. The magic is in the realisation, in knowingness, and the world changes from darkness to light. We become more sensitive to the light! We see potential everywhere. This ‘I’ loves Dzogchen, but this ‘I’ has to go beyond the word to realise the non-duality of Dzogchen (or God).

We are told that Buddhism can only be destroyed from within. Now, this can be a either political statement or a wisdom statement. As a political statement, this may refer to internal struggles and the weakening of the teachings, but as a wisdom statement, it is that, in the ultimate reality of pure consciousness, there is no Buddha, no Buddhism, no me, no world, no other. The ultimate disappointment … and relief.

“Neti, neti, not this, not this.”
All Buddhas know that which is not.
🙂

We First Acknowledge Our Dark Side

What is our dark side? It is consciousness clinging to an acquired, imagined image of a ‘me’ – and that is the cause of all our troubles. “No, no, my troubles are caused by other people!” Yes, by other people’s ‘me’: for them, their troubles are caused by your ‘me’. This is living in the darkness.

We are free in the moment of seeing. We are pure consciousness; we are not our concepts. The moment that our clinging to an idea is perceived and acknowledged by pure consciousness is the moment when truth sees the untruth. Now, we can either cling to that seeing, which keeps us in the dark side, thinking how clever ‘me’ is, or we can be genuinely free, by the immediate recognition of the unity of appearances and recognition. Pure consciousness (the mirror) merely acknowledges the reflections. Pure consciousness takes note, and we can now address a situation, putting this ‘me’ to one side, and doing whatever is needed to bring about clarity and inner peace.

What is the difference between the clarity of pain and the darkness of suffering? We mustn’t be confused about how we are feeling, or there could be long-term consequences. Pain is what we feel when the body or mind is harmed or disturbed; it hurts, showing us something. Suffering is when we cling to that pain, and it is this that creates misery and trauma.

Trauma: emotional shock following a stressful event or a physical injury, which may lead to long-term neurosis.

By the way, pleasant things can also cause long-term trauma. We get solace and comfort, and develop attachment to the pleasant, refusing to give it up because we feel safe. In this way, we are relying on a condition. This is conditional happiness; conditions do not last, and so, we return for another fix. Fixation!

The truth is that our dark side does not exist. It has absolutely no reality. It is an image in the mind, or Plato’s cave wall. It appears real because this ‘me’ feels that it is a trapped victim, and so we’re always vulnerable and unsure. This is why we cling to beliefs, and become a victim for others to feed off. Humans conform and are easily addicted, because we have great endurance: even though we suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, we muddle through – which is, in fact, a wonderful quality.

Endurance is a special energy, the tenacity of a seeker after truth. We do not, however, have to seek the light of truth as we are that light! It is the light that acknowledges the dark, and in this way, we bring an end to suffering. That’s it! All we have to do now is the laundry …

This planet is full of light and full of enlightened potential, if we only recognised it. For the first time in human history, these teachings are freely available, and more people are asking questions and becoming seekers. If we accept reincarnation, this spark will be reborn in future generations, and cannot be stopped. 😀

Carl Jung knew!
Carl Jung stated that the shadow is the unknown, dark side of the personality. According to Jung, the shadow, in being instinctive and irrational, is prone to psychological projection, in which a perceived personal inferiority is recognised as a perceived moral deficiency in someone else.

Our ‘shadow’ self is the side of our personality that contains all the parts of ourself that we don’t want to admit having. It is, at first, an unconscious side, and only through effort to become self-aware, can we recognise our shadow.

The Effect Of Feeling Unworthy And Inadequate

The effect of feeling unworthy and inadequate is that we become half hearted and disconnected, and may even give up. Many religious and spiritual set-ups are so theatrical in their appearance that students become just an audience. This may feel good for a while, but then we are bound to return for another performance. And what happens after going to a show or film? We return home believing we are the characters, and of course this charade does not last.

The story is all about our true reality. We are living Dharma, and know everything there is to know for enlightenment. Whatever we feel about our self and our life is part of the act; the show is actually taking place within consciousness. This self is an actor, a persona, a mask. Pure consciousness is the witness, the audience. Everyone is acting and reacting. All pure consciousness can do is be aware.

When we realise we are “that which is not”, liberation occurs. That which is not some thing is pure consciousness, beyond all ideas about a self.

When we realise that pure consciousness is worthy of recognition, we just get on with our lives – consciously. The fewer our needs, the richer we are. Our path is our confusion. A path should not add to our confusion: it should eliminate it. Never give up on your self as it tells you (pure consciousness) all you need to know. Our whole reality is the unity of self, playing to pure consciousness. When the actor (self) realises it is being watched, it upgrades its responsibility to act for the benefit of others.

The only thing that makes us feel unworthy
is forgetting our true nature.

We are the reality that we seek.
We are also the love that we seek.
We are the Dharma that we seek.

Why Are We Are So Busy?

It is not difficult to reason that we have consciousness, and to reason that consciousness has to be pure consciousness in order for us to see perfectly clearly. This consciousness is, in fact, our pure state of being. We don’t have to engage in complex methods to be conscious; we just have to be aware that awareness is always present.

It isn’t easy to remain in this pure state as there are many distractions that prevent us from seeing clearly – and because we don’t see clearly, we remain distracted 🙂

Why are we so busy, and so do not see clearly?
Because we conform to others’ standards of entertaining ourselves.

There is nothing religious, spiritual or poetic about our ultimate nature: it is unconditional love. We may make elaborate manifestations of expression, as long as these point to our ultimate nature directly, and do not confuse. Every realised person has their own expression which is helpful to others, but every realised person has had personal experience beyond elaborate names and elaborate forms.

We have to figure it out for ourselves.
Time and space allow the mind/consciousness to see.

“But I have no time to sit and practise!”
You have no time to be conscious?

Wanting To Be On Top Of The Pile

“The pile of what?”
– Sadhguru

“If we want to be better than others,
then we want them to be worse.”
– Sadhguru

“What is the most sophisticated machine on the planet?
Us.
Have you read the users’ manual?”
– Sadhguru

“We consciously obliterate the boundaries of our individuality.
There is longer you versus the universe.”
– Sadhguru

There Is No Need To Be Confused Ever Again!

There is no need to be confused ever again!
There are merely different names for the same non-thing.

Our interpretation of how we think others think may be biased: there is no right and wrong, but just different expressions.

The Vedic tradition is older than Buddhism. The Buddha must therefore have known about the Vedas and the Upanishads. It is suggested that the Vedic teachings came to northern India from the Aryans in Persia/Iran.

Whatever one’s opinion on the origin of teachings, there is the thread of one truth that has been handed down to us, and that is wisdom of our true nature, the purity of emptiness of consciousness, or ‘turiya’. Turiya is Sanskrit for pure consciousness.

Turiya is the fourth state of consciousness, in which the individual attains final liberation from ego consciousness and is united with infinite spirit, as all beings have the same pure consciousness.

Turiya refers to both Atman – the individual self – and Brahman – the infinite self – representing their spiritual union. The individual soul (consciousness) realises and transcends the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep. We realise this true nature as pure knowledge and bliss and thus, we are freed from desire, delusion and duality in the external world.

Turiya is not a state separate from the more gross states; it pervades all levels of reality. Ramana Maharshi interprets turiya as the natural state (emptiness) that permeates the other states. That unity is our whole reality. The Mandukya Upanishad discusses turiya as pure consciousness, which is indescribable, incomprehensible and unthinkable by the mind, but is ultimately realised as the one true self (our true nature).

Turiya = pure consciousness = emptiness
= not two = non-duality = our true nature.

It’s nice to know we are not different in any way.
Now that is true liberation!

If We Just Do What Is Needed

If we just do what is needed
rather than what we like,
our problems would diminish
and contentment increase.
Our likes and dislikes are
products of our past.

Assessment of what is needed
is down to the individual’s understanding.

Milarepa had to assess
whether to clear the nettles
in front of his cave every day,
or just go back inside and practise.

Of course, we are not Milarepa,
but we know when we are doing
the right thing.

A worldly person has many needs.
A practitioner of consciousness has few.
In the moment of realisation, there are none.

Truth: Simple To Acknowledge, Easy To Forget

That which perceives through the senses is consciousness. That which perceives consciousness is consciousness itself. Finding nothing but consciousness, it is realised as being empty of other. It is pure consciousness. That is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

The ‘me’ is a set ideas in consciousness that interferes with emptiness and thus, perception is diverted.

Focus on this screen, or the room you are in. Awareness is present, consciousness is present. Now slightly defocus the gaze so that you’re not looking at objects, but merely being aware of the gaze. That is pure awareness, pure consciousness. It’s always present. That is our first nature. Our second nature is whatever consciousness acquires; it’s a deeply ingrained habit of repeating something that makes it seem completely natural or inborn. For this reason, we forget simple truth.

In meditation, we focus on an object such as the breath, in order to calm consciousness. Then we defocus to become aware of consciousness itself, and to realise that we are pure consciousness. We do not have to keep defocused, as that is merely so that we are aware of consciousness. Consciousness is our reality. That is the reality of the universe. Matter changes, while pure consciousness does not. Anything we want to know about the infinite universe, consciousness must be present to see, and then we realise that consciousness is the source of every thing. Mind-boggling, isn’t it? It only seems mind-boggling because our conceptual mind cannot and will never understand its source, which is non-dual, pure consciousness.

In ordinary daily life, knowing that pure consciousness is always present and that that is our true reality, we are no longer fixated about the material world, and stop shouting at the radio 😀 We merely become mindful of whatever we are doing, thinking or saying, while maintaining the continuity of consciousness. Remembering is being mindful. Once we remember, we just acknowledge the situation that karma has dealt us, and sustain our composure. There are no mystical tricks: everything we need is at hand.

Just acknowledge contentment throughout life. We are dealt a hand and we play with that. After we are gone, the world will still be shouting at the radio. It is because the world does not acknowledge and remember its true nature of pure consciousness that it remains disturbed and unhappy and shouty.

Personal gain will continue to produce things that are detrimental to human and animal welfare, being mindless of consequences. We all have moments of pure consciousness as we are pure consciousness, but then we become lost in earnest distraction. There is no right and wrong, but just different beliefs.

We can either spend this precious life in simple truth,
diminishing the effects of karma,
or we can waste it by shouting at the radio.

Truth is in the steady gaze of pure awareness.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Confusion = Perfect Maths = Realisation

Confusion is beautiful: the geometry of mathematical properties and relations. An ice crystal is a unique, geometric design, but if we ignore this icy condition, we will slip in a certain way and break a certain bone. Perfect cause and effect. If we don’t take care, we become careless. If we ignore our true essence, we will fixate on other things. If we do not know, we will be confused, and a perfect sequence of events will ensue.

Confusion creates suffering. Because we are confused about our true nature of perfect consciousness, we are governed by our desires and fears. There are three constants – or three truths – in the universe. Space is infinite. Pure consciousness is infinite. Mathematics (cause and effect) is infinite. All we have to do is recognise our true nature and that which obscures this nature, and eureka … like magic, perfect wisdom from perfect confusion!

First The Inspiration, And Then The Reality

When we first seek teachings on truth, we hear positive language to inspire us, offering things we like to hear and associate with. But then, there comes a moment when we realise that we have mental obstacles, in the form of things we don’t want to hear, as we would rather stay with theories and beliefs.

Facing the truth takes courage. The inability to put self aside stops us truly progressing and experiencing reality. Have confidence in our true nature, our self image isn’t needed anymore: when dealing with others, self is put aside. The work is dismantling subtler levels of attachment, resting in the pinpoint moment of now. Dealing with others is a tremendous opportunity to experience this reality.

Students of spirituality have an added problem, as there may be subtle clinging to the teachings. In pure awareness, there are no teachings. Reality is recognising the conflict between compassionate neutrality and habitual reactions. The main point is to recognise heightened awareness in conflict.

What Matters Is What We Are, Not What We Know

Once we know what we are,
then what we know matters.

Once, we had bits of information that we believed in.
Now, we have bytes of information that we believe in.
Belief destroys the potential of knowing.

Teachers Should Be Devoted To Their Students

Teachers should be devoted to their students,
rather than expecting students to be devoted to them.

Teach by example.

Do We Know And Have Enough?

If we know we have enough, we are rich.
If we think we don’t have enough, we are poor.
This applies to both the material world and spirituality.

When we know we are pure consciousness within a limited body and mind, the value of conscious life goes up, and our material needs diminish. This clarity of being becomes obscured when we mimic, conform and are programmed, both in the material world and within spiritual circles. Acting in this way, we live like hungry ghosts or robots, in constant conflict.

Pure awareness knows enough; trust it.

Hungry ghosts: In Buddhism, this applies to those who have emotional wants but cannot digest or find satisfaction.
Robot: programmed to appear autonomous. From Czech robota; ‘forced labour’.

How Do Demons Think?

How do demons think?
You know.
And you know you know 🙂

Demons aren’t something over there; they’re right here. Demons are our own desire, anger, fear, jealousy, pride.

Our demons are created the moment when we forget our true nature of pure awareness – and to realise that we have become demonic is a bit of a shock. We think that demons are outside our experience while we actually entertain them, as demons feed off emotions, opinions and gossip.

Demons aren’t scary as they don’t actually exist. It’s all in the mind.

“We are free in the moment of just seeing.”
Tulku Urgyen

“Recognise our true nature.
Decide on that one point.
Gain confidence in that point.”
Garab Dorje

Circumstances no longer overtake us;
they are now our teacher.
No challenge, no progress.

Dear Oh Dear, Don’t They Make It Complicated?

Complication can hide the simple truth that
we are pure consciousness; the truth that we seek.
It is from that, that everything flows.
There is nothing in inner peace but inner peace.

From Absurdities To Atrocities To Realisation

It is truly amazing that we can all see things differently while ‘clear seeing’ itself remains the same. We are all the same Buddha nature, Christ consciousness, original consciousness of purity. Ignoring this pure view, we maintain our differences, believing these to be more interesting. Self belief adheres to other beliefs, which lead us away from the ultimate truth of oneness.

“Those who can make you believe absurdities
can make you commit atrocities”.
Voltaire

Although it may not seem like it, the world is changing for the better. There is so much more ‘special knowledge’ available and this cannot be stopped, but we first have to acknowledge that life is not fulfilling, even though we have more absurd ‘toys’. People are suffering mentally, and pills are not the answer; if we dull the rawness of life, we won’t ask the right questions.

Acknowledging this, we can then look for the original cause of this suffering. We need a method to bring an end to our uneasiness; only then can we resolve our heartache. There are always consequences to ouractions and inactions.

The cause of uneasiness is when the inner turns outward.
We pervert our minds because we invert being.
‘Invert’ from Latin invertere, to turn inside out. 

Where Do Our Thoughts Come From?
Or rather, where does our programming come from?

When we perceive anything, this perception takes place in the mind, and we end up with a reservoir of information, causing the brain to wire in a particular pattern. Gradually, whenever we then perceive anything, we refer to these memories, making judgements which affect our behaviour. The programme is now in full swing, and we relive the past, time and time again.

If we do not question our thoughts, we will remain unaware that we are being fed information that turns us away from even considering that we’ve been trained like Pavlov’s dogs. We mentally salivate at the latest ‘goodies’ and ‘news’.

Thoughts have no actual reality as they are merely ideas we have acquired and then hold on to. They express themselves in everything we say and do, down to our tiniest mannerisms, and can either bolster our ego or be used to clarify a situation. Due to our clinging to these thoughts, we lose control, and become indifferent to our true reality.

The good news that has been kept a secret is that we are the pure consciousness that sees all, but which goes unnoticed, or is covered up.

The positive aspect of this reservoir of information is that it offers us the facility to scan the mind for memories and, not being so quick to judge, we can stand back and investigate while reviewing a situation.It isn’t the perception that is the obstacle: the problem lies in our reactions, which reinforce a limited view and obscure our true potential of clarity.

Dinner table chatter merely regurgitates past projections into the present, whereas enlightened speech is directed to now, and serves only to enlighten the atmosphere.

We may worry about being targeted and profiled by technology, but first we should worry about our willingness to accept that these developments could be of benefit. We have already been programmed! The media wants us to react, and then we will thinkwe’re doing something. We thinkwe’re in charge.We thinkwe have choices.

Merely be aware of that which is aware of these thoughts. That awareness – that pure awareness – is what we actually are, rather than the thoughts we repeat again and again. In the presence of awareness, these thoughts gradually subside into emptiness of pure awareness.

As we reach the end of our lives, we know – as a practitioner – what is of value.

Ultimate Nostalgia

Nostalgic for what?
We all have this longing
to be in the right place.
But what is this right place?

If we look, we will realise that
the right place is in that recognition.

The right place is not about a place or time;
it is about our being in place.

We are in the right place.
We have always been the right place.

It isn’t a matter of who we are but what we are.
Pure consciousness is the right place, here and now.

What else can it be?

How We Sentence Ourselves

Whatever views, thoughts, concepts, opinions and fixations we hold on to at this moment will be the basis of our next moment and, for most of us, our entire lives, unfortunately. Holding on to thoughts that we have acquired from others is our sentence and imprisonment. None of our thoughts are original: we acquire and react … and repeat. Holding onto thoughts is not the same as having thoughts.

Having a thought and being able to analyse and question, means that we can discern what is beneficial and what is harmful. ‘Beneficial’ means leading to happiness, while ‘harmful’ means causing unhappiness. To be able to progress and refine understanding, we have to be prepared to drop and set free our fixations, our set ideas about the meaning of life. This is how move up the scale of evolution. 😀

“Oh! Oh! You just want us to have your ideas! Mmm?”
Not at all. Just be aware of the power that thoughts and emotions have over us.

Once the mind is free of fixations – or, at least, we are awareof fixations – then the pattern of our life can change. If we cannot or do not change our view, then we become stuck in a rut, a groove of our own making. We’re surrounded by groovers who are digging their own graves. 😀 😀 😀

Groove: Middle English (denoting a mine or shaft): from Dutch groeve ‘furrow, pit’; related to grave.

Life has a meaning and our mind has a function, which is to realise what we are, in reality. Life isn’t just maintenance and entertainment; that is the formula for the corporate coffers. Life it is about freedom to have time and space to get out of the mould and realise that we have the ultimate power of enlightenment.

Formula: from Latin, diminutive of forma; ‘shape, mould’.

Corporations, intellectuals and religions provide us with ideas so that we can be free. Really?! That is their trap, and we fall for it every time because we hope. The truth is that we are already free, but if we are told this, we think it’s something extraordinary.

Unfortunately, we have become so used to the prison that we hardly notice it anymore. The secret is that when we are fed up with this prison, we can just walk out. They don’t tell you that, do they? What is truly extraordinary is that we choose to stay locked up in a mould, in a groove. Amazing!

Once we realise that we are free, we then have to recognise that the situation we are in now is due to past fixations and grooves. As we recognise and stop reacting, these fixations and grooves – our karma – smooth out, no matter what occurs. We still have to maintain this body, but it is no longer a chore; it’s play. Once we can play nicely, we can play nicely with others, and life is full of meaning.

I used to wonder why people ran around doing and saying meaningless things as if these were important. Now I know. They cannot help their-self. ‘They’ are pure consciousness. Their ‘self’ is an addiction to fixated ideas to which pure consciousness sticks.

This feeling of imprisonment has no reality.

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… this blog just hit the 2500^tharticle, saying the same thing over and over! 😀

Seeing, and Then I See

Seeing, and then I see.
Perception, and then I perceive.
There is an extremely subtle difference here.

When consciousness does not realise its own nature of purity and instead perceives something, consciousness starts to narrate about whatever is perceived. We (pure consciousness) miss the moment before, when there was just perception (pure perception) present. It is this relating and narrating that created a feeling of an imaginary I, the witness, the author of our creation of which we became proud.

I see therefore I am is the moment when ignorance is created. I think therefore I am is the moment when ignorance is created. We ignore the milli-moment of emptiness before the moment now. There is an extremely subtle difference between these two views, and meditation is a method to acknowledge this difference.

Whatever is seen is dropped, as there is the next moment of seeing. If we hold on to whatever is seen, we carry this over to the next moment, and our story becomes more complex and emotional. This habit now controls our life.

Satisfaction and realisation are in the seeing, rather than in the incomplete projections in the mind about whatever is seen. Meditation is about seeing and resting in the truth of our reality of pure consciousness. It is about not sitting in silent peacefulness: a cow can do that.

Tea, Not The Tea Cup

“When we want tea, we aren’t bothered about the cup it comes in. Likewise, the Dharma we want is the teaching on the nature of reality: the culture it comes with does not matter. We mustn’t confuse the teaching we want with the culture. We do not have to become Tibetan or adopt another culture to realise our true nature.”

Quote from Dzongzar Rinpoche

OM MANI PEME HUM is a Mnemonic
Mnemonics are an aid to memory

The mantra, OM MANI PEME HUM, represents compassion within wisdom. This compassionate wisdom is directed towards what is happening in our own minds, and the minds of others. It is not a magical incantation.

OM MANI PEME HUM is Sanskrit for generosity, patience, morality, discipline, meditation and wisdom; these are known as the six perfections, which is the path to enlightenment.

OM MANI PEME HUM is apractical aid rather than a magical mystery. When dealing with others, it’s essential to remember the six perfections.

How Everything is Perfect

How is everything perfect, when the people are ignoring reality?
If we do not sharpen our tool, the cut will not be clean. We know that a blunt tool will produce a ragged edge: this is not a surprise so the outcome of our inattention is perfect cause and effect.

Likewise, when we ignore our true reality of perfect consciousness – which is perfect happiness, because we understand perfect gratitude – we will not fall prey to desire. If we fall prey to desire, we will not notice that we are already perfectly happy.

Everything comes into existence due to cause and effect, so everything is perfect. “But I don’t like the way the world is, and this makes me unhappy!” That is the perfect condition to realise the cause and condition of that unhappiness.

Perfect comes from perfect.
May we recognise perfection everywhere,
and remain at peace.

Can’t Meditate?

Simply rest in whatever takes place in the mind, in whatever happens. In the very moment of recognition of being aware lies the moment of empty cognisance, pure awareness, Rigpa. Just note and realise that is one’s true nature. When awareness is solely aware of being aware and is not wandering, then everything is perfect. That is the point of meditation. This awareness resting in awareness. The emptiness of emptiness. As we practise, this experience becomes more familiar.

If we want something more, then there are those who will oblige and create elaborations. Or we can simply look into that which is not satisfied and rest in that recognition. There you are, you see.

How Do We Experience Our True Nature?

The reason that we do not experience our true nature is that there is so much going on our minds to distract us. Whatever we see, we immediately judge by relating to memory of previous experience. We do not just see; we relate by referring. This is how we become stuck in a cycle of confused existence.

A subtle obstacle may arise when we read or hear about our true nature. When we experience anything, we immediately relate and refer to this information, which imposes theory on to actual experience. “Ah! This is emptiness!”We rely on an expectation, which becomes a belief.

Belief is a intense force. It can make us do anything. The main result is boosting ego …“I can do this!”

This powerful ego boost can have a positive effect: it can push things so far that we are no longer able justify our reactions, as we have become so full of ourself that we notice we are out of control and, in fact, suffering. We need special energy arising from the recognition of conflict to cut through this ego-created dream world. If we keep trying to make everything nice and cosy, we may never see the need for release.

How do we experience our true nature? Simply realise what is asking the question! The more the ego, the more the confusion, the clearer the view.

Upgrading Our Teacher

To teach means to point out, to show: “Look! See!” But it is wewho have to look and see. And what we are seeing is that we are this seeing. The teacher can only show us generalised guidelines on how to see this consciousness that is seeing. It is we who have to make the journey … in our case, to nowhere – now here. The human teacher or text merely points out how to look, but it is we who have to see, rather than taking the teacher’s word for it. This is not about acquiring teachings: it is a matter of realising that we are the teaching, and that there is nothing to be acquired. That is the upgrade!

Merely repeating others’ words can be annoying as this does not address the current ‘situation’, but imposes itself upon it instead. The outcome of self realisation is empathetic, compassionate understanding that liberates a ‘situation’ … in the eyes of the ‘situation’! Self realisation is due to awareness or consciousness realising its true reality, naturally.

Not all teachers are of the same calibre or understanding. Not all traditions suit everyone. The teacher isn’t the real teacher: a human teacher merely point that out. The real teacher is our mental karma (our reactions) and our karmic situation (whatever our reactions produced) which show the student – pure consciousness – what it is that is obstructing its clear, compassionate view, and what it has become attached to. A human teacher cannot do that for us, but karma is with us all the way to enlightenment. This is making the teachings practical.

We associate the words ‘teacher’ and ‘teaching’ with words such as freedom, liberation, release, wisdom and compassion. We would not expect to include the words exclusive sect, being bound, belief, obsession, fixation, idolisation and worship. These are cult-ish words.

True devotion is genuinely appreciating the truth that we seek. And the truth that we seek is our own pure consciousness. The entire point of teachings is that we are this truth. It is all about pure consciousness, here and now. Devotion has a secret aspect that has to be self-realised: this pure consciousness is the same reality in all sentient beings which gives rise to genuine, unconditional love. Now, that upgrades devotion!

The Perception Trap

It is through perception that we navigate the world, but it’s also easy to forget who is navigating!

In the very first instant of perception, perception is non-conceptual. There is just seeing, hearing etc, so that we can immediately discern whether things are harmful or beneficial. When we are aware of this process and don’t create a mental narrative about whatever is seen, the mind can rest in neutrality, always prepared while remaining at peace and unconfused.

It is only when the mind relates to whatever is perceived and holds on to ‘this’ as opposed to ‘that’, that we experience disquiet and a duality is created. In relating to this intrusion, clear seeing becomes occupied. Being occupied isn’t the issue: it is being occupied constantly that causes us to be addicted to the material and mental worlds, and then we are easily led by the nose.

We can also become occupied by the habit of a routine and fall into a state of vacancy, of not knowing. This is the state of ignorance.

To be free from these perception traps, we recognise that perception is non-conceptual, and that we do not have to follow a formula. We are only bound because pure consciousness became trapped in relating, which created the relative reality that has become our norm. By merely being aware, the mind becomes free and open, and we realise that consciousness is, in fact, free from confusion. This clarity is pure consciousness, where nothing binds us.

In the state of perfect meditation, there is empty essence, empty mind, empty perception. That is our natural condition. We don’t have to sit on a cushion to realise this, but it helps.

We Reincarnate At Every Moment

As sentient beings, we become addicted to a programme that we have created and which we relive again and again, unconscious of our true potential. It is the practice of awakening to consciousness that leads us to realise that we are both pure consciousness and enlightened.

We trap ourselves into reincarnating through clinging to thoughts. Instead of judging by using reasoning to think a thing through in the moment now, we rely on thoughts we have acquired – and we become judge-mental.

“There is nothing wrong with thinking:
it is clinging to those thoughts that binds us.”
Milarepa

It is important to note that, when merely perceiving, thoughts are not present. Thoughts come a moment later, creating the continuity of reincarnation, and off we go.

Meditation breaks this patterning of constant rebirth and frees us from being … well, us! We are so much more than money earners and spenders. We are pure consciousness that never changes. It’s amazing that we settle for anything less.

Whether we bodily reincarnate, we will never know as we can’t remember, but we can be aware that we are born with tendencies. The main point is that we can live afresh at every moment, rather than being tied down to a type.

We have to realise what thought is and what thought does. It can be either entrapment or liberation, depending on whether we recognise its reality. Consciousness, if acknowledged, catches demonic activity that obscures pure consciousness. Once pure consciousness is realised, there are three refinements in Dzogchen that offer release from thoughts upon arising:

Like recognising someone we know: appearances and recognition are simultaneous, and consciousness is liberated in that moment.

Like a snake untangling its knots: with consciousness present, a thought or emotion is naturally released.

Like a thief entering an empty house: when empty essence is realised, demons have nothing to gain and therefore do not dwell.

Our practice is recognising how we respond.
That recognition frees us,
and thoughts no longer have power over us.

The Gap Between Thoughts

This is where we will find and realise emptiness – pure consciousness, the natural state of rest free of mental turbulence or dullness. We normally oscillate between thoughts and this gap of emptiness, but miss this process because we project consciousness into the future by memories of the past.

Emptiness is fully cognisant and aware, now. It is this moment of pure perception. Perception is ever present; it is without thought, opinion, judgement or memory. Thought comes a milli-moment later, ignited by memories, and we react. Off we go again!

Spiritually speaking – or rather, consciously speaking – we are dealing with this pure moment of nowness. Missing this precious moment, we indulge in speculations and set up a fabricated reality of constantly relating to ‘this’ as opposed to ‘that’.

If, on the other hand, we are mindful of the gap, the gap expands and consciousness relaxes into its pure state. We do not have to look for pure consciousness: it’s present all the time. It is timeless. We are that timelessness.