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.

Imprisoned In Our Own Mind

We are each imprisoned in our own mind.
Have you discovered that yet?

We spend our time impressing other inmates.
Have you discovered that yet?

To be free, all we have to do is see.
Have you discovered that yet?

It is our habitual behaviour that locks us in.
Have you discovered that yet?

Sit quietly. See the seeing.
Have you done that yet?

Unadulterated seeing is pure consciousness.
Have you realised that that is what we are?

We Have To Be Careful What We Wish For …
as like attracts like.
It’s unfailing.

Whatever is internal is also external;
if we have a certain disposition, so do others.

We are all three absolute qualities:
empty essenceand cognisant nature = pure consciousness
unconfined compassion= unconditional love.

These three qualities have corresponding negative aspects that control our reactions:
desire, fear, and ignorance (ignorance means that we ignore our true reality of pure, compassionate consciousness in favour of the ideas we carry around).

The sort of blessings we attract will depend on our predisposition (karma) – the world in which we personally live. We can either attract blessings from en-darkened ones (conditional self-servitude), or blessings from the enlightened ones (unconditional, compassionate inspiration) which are attracted either to our relative neurosis, or the absolute qualities of unconditional love.

Some people take to spiritual teachings naturally while others have no interest, so that door is closed to them. In other words, karmic connections may or may not take place. This how teachings are self-secret so that they aren’t abused*. When it was said, “Knock and the door shall open”, this means that if we have genuine questions, we will find answers. Such questions are not born from scholastic achievement; they come from the acknowledgement of personal suffering or dissatisfaction.

This is why life seems to be easy for some, and difficult for others.

* These teachings are abused by some to gain control over others, but misusing such knowledge will have a detrimental effect in the form of bad karma. The teachings are not about gaining: they are about losing … the attitude!

Nostalgia
Sentimental longing for that time in the past.

We may learn from the past, but it is now when we realise what was learnt. This means letting go of the past. If we stay in that longing for a past culture, this will obscure the experience now. The past may have been alluring, fascinating and enriching, and may remind us of a quality of life, but it is in the now that we have to live, warts and all. Today’s disturbances may not be appealing or attractive, but it is what we have to deal with: any attempt to smooth over and make comfortable covers up letting go. We are not fettered by appearances and desire … we are fettered by clinging to appearances and desires.

It’s All Very Enlightening

We are here to realise our enlightened reality. Life itself is our teacher, once we recognise that this is so. Human teachers can only help us recognise the inner teacher of our own recognition. The outer teacher of all phenomena then shows us our reactions that obscure our enlightened reality. True enlightenment is when recognition is continuous.

Milarepa, the famous Tibetan yogi, had nettles outside his cave that stung him every day when he went past. The thought arose, “Cut them!” but then he realised that cutting them was merely a pleasant distraction. To us, that may sound extreme, but then Milarepa did achieve enlightenment in one lifetime. If we cannot put up with stings (!) and arrows of outrageous fortune, but become distracted and attached to these distractions, then enlightenment will remain a long way off.

When we reach the same stage as Milarepa, all social comforts, acquisitions and occupations have dropped away. As town yogis, we do what is necessary but avoid indulging in more than we need.

The path to enlightenment isn’t to create comforts: it takes cheerful discipline.

We Do Not Need Love

We do not need love.
We are love itself.

Everyone cares to some degree about something.
The quality of understanding illuminates the quality of that love.

The Secret Is… We All Know!

The secret is that we all know!
That is the cosmic joke.

All sentient beings know, are aware, and are conscious
but they are unaware that they know, are aware, and are conscious.

Could it be more ridiculous?
😀

Prayer

Prayer is a reaffirmation of an ideal, a psychological perfection in our outlook.

To remain in an altruistic attitude towards all, to remember our true nature of unbiased awareness, and to do no harm – rather than make things worse.

To wish that all beings find happiness, are free from suffering, and dwell in equanimity.

To aspire that the minds of all beings – including ourselves – might find inner peace.

In this way, we remain confident that we are in facing the right direction, and can find a sense of joy in life.

We are not going to be able to change the world but we can change our view of the world by understanding why it is the way it is.

We can write our own pray!

When We Recognise The Truth

When we recognise the truth,
we recognise what isn’t true.

So when we recognise what is untrue,
that very recognition is
the unity of the two truths.

Fixation: It’s Why We Meditate

Fixating is obsessive attachment, especially to a self identity. We meditate to recognise and acknowledge fixations that limit and cloud our judgment and understanding. We meditate to see clearly and to realise that that which is conscious of these fixations is our true reality. Fixations create our darkness, while pure consciousness is the light that recognises the darkness.

In simple recognition, we become free of darkness.
Realising seeing is enlightening.

The Spirit Of Consciousness Isn’t Something Imposed

The spirit of consciousness isn’t something imposed.
It’s what we are.

It is seeing in the opposite way to the way in which we think.

Pure consciousness has no dogma attached: it is organic, having a harmonious relationship between the elements, the senses, mind and consciousness itself.

We are not original sin. We are original goodness. We merely have to tame our thinking, and avoid being fixated and dogmatic, thereby doing no harm.

Truth Is The Opposite To Ideas About Truth

Truth is common to all.
Ideas divide us.

It doesn’t matter what we think truth is, we all have one factor in common: truth!
We are all conscious, and that consciousness is the path to realising our ultimate awakening of pure consciousness.

When consciousness relates to ideas, consciousness becomes contaminated and impure, and gives rise to suffering. Instead of thoughts, they become mythoughts. Relatingto ideas about truth is not truth: that becomes our prejudice whereby we divide and manifest hostility to others’ views, whereas the truth is our common experience of pure consciousness that has no prejudice. We see someone stumble and we want to help … but then, ideas get in the way!

When these ‘ideas’ become the orthodox view accepted by the many, then anything contrary to that is considered to be wrong view. The common experience of truth – pure consciousness – has now become an irritant, as it is guilty of being original. Crazy world 😉

Throughout history, humanity has sought truth, but ideas have been placed in humanity’s consciousness to distract it from the realisation that it has always been free of ideas and beliefs. We have unconsciously become attached to or repulsed by these ideas. When these ideas are strong, they are the foundation of religious fervour in its broadest sense, and this isolates us from each other. We lose our commonality of pure consciousness, and so we lose the truth.

Although we have a commonality of pure consciousness, the way in which we express this is unique. That uniqueness should inspire us rather than divide us.

Humanity Suffers Because It Believes In Something

We suffer because we believe in something.

The essential nature of mind is perfect, crystal clear cognisance. It’s what we are, but it remains unnoticed as we are usually occupied with ‘self’ and so we ignore this reality. This self knowing awareness is our absolute nature that, when realised, sets us free from the layers of belief inherent in ideas.

These acquired beliefs become our reference point, something to which we refer for security. This, however, is a false security that actually causes us to feel insecure and vulnerable, and perhaps hostile to other’s views. We have implants in our mind, which are ideas that programme our responses. For thousands of years, humanity has been programmed to believe, rather than know. The knowing is knowledge of our true reality, whereas belief is the acceptance of ideas that keep us in an imaginary reality. The word ‘knowing’ comes from the Greek ‘gnostic’,relating to esoteric mystical knowledge.

The idea of a self and what this relates to is a manifestation of propaganda, in that we consent to whatever we are told. We are led to believe that everything is real and permanent, and that there is either a creator or we are the creators.

Our beliefs are whatever we refer to. Whatever we refer to is our reference point. This creates a duality of consciousness and that which consciousness is conscious of. It’s all we know – or so we think.

Belief leads to imagination. Knowledge leads to wisdom. Wisdom is the realisation of our enlightened state. Our enlightened state is perfect, crystal clear cognisance. Our path is recognising that we still believe in something. Our practice is being honest.

To be a creator, we have to have a desire.
Perfect, crystal clear cognisance does not desire
as it is original primordial awareness.

So who is this creator?
Creation distracts reality.

We Are Never Separated From The Enlightened State

Not knowing that this state is within ourself,
we search for it elsewhere.
No matter how much happiness or sorrow we experience,
this enlightened state is never impaired or improved.

Being happy is being at ease with whatever happens.

The Practice With No Hardships

Just be aware of awareness.
All we have to do is remember.

Alternatively, we could make it complicated:
whatever words we use, we’re saying the same thing.

Simply, barely, exactly,
precisely, entirely, absolutely, completely, totally,
aware of awareness.

Our Conduct Must Match Our Realisation

Our conduct must match our realisation,
otherwise we will become arrogant.

Realisation is a “piece of cake”
(so easy that we don’t have to think about it),
while taming our mind and our conduct
is something we have to watch at every moment.

Realisation is the experience of pure consciousness. That’s easy enough: it is that which is reading these words right now, without comment. A milli-moment later, in comes old brain – old, traumatised brain – and starts its old routine. And there’s our problem.

Our conduct should one of be altruism and emptiness, without causing harm = empathetic compassion.

The writer of these words tries to clarify and understand our human problems through practice and conduct. However, Tony (old brain) is a very angry person, full of trauma and frustrations.

It’s the thing we have to work with
because it is our teacher.
When we see the problem, we see clearly,
and bring about inner peace.

Only then can we empathise with others.
As we progress our manner refines.

Is Seeking The Truth A Sin?

If we seek the truth,
we do not accept that what we have been told is the truth.

Sin: an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.

How does one transgress divine law? Surely, if it is a divine law, it is an inescapable, absolute truth that we can prove.

‘Immoral’ is not conforming to accepted standards of morality, which would be conventional standards rather than a divine standard. The question is, whose morality and truth are we supposed to obey? Man’s idea of law, or absolute law? Mixing these up causes great confusion.

We are led to believe that a sin is something evil but, in reality, it can only exist in conventional terms. In absolute terms, evil does not exist. ‘Sin’ is just not conforming to beliefs set for us. Is it a sin not to believe? Are we born to be led by others? If so, we are not free to think for ourselves, but only to think that we think for ourselves! This is being ruled by insanity. The question then arises, “Who benefits?” The answer is the ‘Sheep-herders’.

This growing Machiavellian theme maintains guilt, day after day, until we think that belief is normal behaviour. People can say the sweetest things, but it is not what people say that matters; it is the effect of their actions. Do they show true compassion and empathy, or do they just follow rules?

These sheep-herders worship power and cannot control themselves, and chaos and confusion ensue. Ultimately – or divinely – sin is anything that causes confusion, harming the mind and body of beings. This harm delays beings realising their true nature, their enlightened nature, pure uncontaminated consciousness.

The moment we see clearly is the moment we are free. Meditation is the method of stepping away from all contrivances, taking back control of our mind and life. The future then looks good.

Don’t be a sheep, or a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Pure consciousness, having no self identity, is naked and transparent.
No beliefs necessary,
so no offence can be taken as there is nothing to hold on to.

The Buddha said, “Do not take my word for it; test it for yourself.”
Jesus said, “Seek, and you shall find.”
They were of one mind – that we have to do some work.

The absolute truth is not in the words,
but in the realisation of those words.

Happiness Is Realising The Problem

We are never unhappy for no reason.
Everything has a cause.

We may be unhappy because we wanted something and didn’t get it.
We may be unhappy because we didn’t want something but got it.
We may be unhappy because we never realised
that we’ve been happy all along.

The problem is all in the mind and, as such,
it never truly existed.

Whatever life presents is our path.
Karma is an excellent teacher.

Whatever occurs,
know that pure awareness is always present.
That is truly wonderful, because it is all we need to know.

When we realise this,
we will be happy with whatever arises.
In this way, we undo the karmic effect.
Everything simplifies.

We are pure awareness.
If this isn’t good enough,
then we will remain unhappy.

Thinking Clearly

Thinking clearly doesn’t mean we have to be great thinkers: it just means thinking outside the box.

Repeating what we’ve been told may make us seem very clever, but this cleverness is still inside the box. Thinking clearly is unbiased perception.

So what’s outside the box?
Freedom, empathy and gratitude for whatever is inside the box.

We Cannot Find It

We cannot find it because we are it,
so there’s no getting away from it.

This ‘it’
is pure consciousness,
– or God.

Truth has to be realised, not worshipped.

The Undo Button

The undo button ends all suffering. We merely have to hold it down until we realise that the suffering does not exist, and that there was no need for a button at all.

We may think that pure consciousness is something amazing to achieve. It’s not. It’s what we are right now. This realisation is nothing amazing. What is amazing is that it to took so long to realise it!

It takes so long because we either ignore our true reality, or we dress realisation up in religion, ritual and philosophy. “But … but … realised people could fly and walk through walls!” Well, we can open a door and walk upstairs 😀

Life is too short to fantasise about what could happen. Realisation is practical; we realise our only true reality, and that is pure consciousness. Our expression then depends on the level of altruism, where there is nothing to gain.