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.

WILL MEDITATION MAKE ME HAPPY?

Posted on August 15, 2016 by tony

Will Meditation Make Me Happy?
…and have a better life?
No … yes … depends … yes!

No … because you (pure consciousness) are already happy.

Yes … because meditation is a way of recognising that which is obscuring this naturally existing happiness.

Depends … on what you call ‘a better life’; is it one where we just accept that we have enough?

Yes … because, having realised that pure consciousness is already unconditionally happy, this influences and maintains our daily life in the contented way we conduct ourselves. It is the continuity of unconditional happiness.

But what is happiness?
It is resting in natural, pure, conscious awareness that no outside force can disturb – because pure, conscious awareness doesn’t need conditions. Pure, conscious awareness is clarity. It is seeing everything simply; that’s how it works. Everything is seen as a reflection of pure, conscious awareness. What is aware of this computer screen? Pure, conscious awareness is something never to be forgotten or lost.

But how do I lead a better life?
By remembering what we are.
Our present moment was created by our past, so we have to reap what we have sown. If we continue to react in our usual way, the future will be the same as now. As we sow, so we reap. If we stop reacting in our habitual way – by allowing the mind and heart to be open – the clarity that results from that changes the future. (As spiritual practitioners, we may feel that our reactions have become more intense than they were. This may lead to feelings of guilt, frustration and anger: you can be sure that this is merely the subtlety of clarity seeing what’s going on, and this is why we need compassion for our own past reactions. It’s vital to remember that any reaction is a product of the past.)

Pure conscious awareness is clarity, which has no fear or hope. That’s how it works. Unfortunately, not everyone is aware of this and that can create problems which, in turn, are challenges for compassionate activity.

When we see and others do not, then we are alone. That’s how it is. Trying to communicate is frustrating; it is then that we have to learn to be skilful and responsive to others’ needs. That is love. No one said this is easy 😀

If we want happiness, then we have to accept sadness.
Resting in unlimited compassion
allows space for healing to take place.
We just cannot expect anything in return.
Now, that is love.
And love is happiness.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged being really happy, clarity, compassion, Happiness, Pure Consciousness., reaping what we sow, unconditional happiness | Leave a comment

BUDDHISM: BEYOND BELIEF

Posted on August 14, 2016 by tony

Buddhism: Beyond Belief

To find that which is beyond belief,
we have to turn everything – everything – on its head.

A belief is our viewpoint; it’s our way of thinking , and how we judge. We all believe in something, and it started at a very early age with ‘mine’. Our strongest memories and influences are from when we were young, and we accepted the programming from our parents and environment, both of which were also programmed. TV and the media is all about ‘programming’, and it’s happening faster and at an even younger age because of technology … our modern life consists of pushing programmed buttons and becoming part of the programming. It’s the early stages of transhumanism.

To say, “I have no beliefs” is incorrect. To believe that we have something is a belief, to the extent of claiming, “I have consciousness” as this separates us from the consciousness itself: it is a belief in consciousness, and a point of view rather than the clear view itself. If we judge things to be real and permanent, we are locked into our programme of beliefs – permanently! – and we don’t see that change is possible. We haven’t reached the age of reasoning yet, and are still stuck in ‘mine’.

So, how do we turn everything on its head?

When we step back and honestly observe our way of judging and thinking – which is our point of view – there is merely seeing, smelling, touching, hearing, tasting – without concepts. Merely perceiving. Merely aware. Mere consciousness. Mere means ‘no more than’; that is pure, conscious awareness. This is not a belief as it is knowable now.

Without that pure, conscious awareness, the beliefs we hold on to would not be known. Pure consciousness is like a mirror, reflecting everything. The mirror never changes, whereas the reflections come and go. Pure, conscious awareness comes first, but goes unnoticed.

Some get this, and some do not. Everything depends on what we believe. When we no longer believe, we are not limited and space expands. The space is clarity, and clarity is light.

It is the light that is beyond belief, beyond the darkness. First we have to recognise that it’s dark, which means it could be lighter! 😀

All we have to do is look, and then we know.
This is difficult because the world keeps showing us another toy.

As long as we believe, we are locked in.
The moment we stop believing, the door opens.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Belief, belief is a point of view, BUDDHISM, everything depends on our beliefs, programming, pure conscious awareness, to believe or not to believe | 2 Comments

SPIRITUAL CORRECTNESS

Posted on August 13, 2016 by tony

Spiritual Correctness

If we want to find the truth – as opposed to being told the theory of truth – we have to retrace our steps authentically, from confusion-ignorance to confusion-wisdom.

CURIOSITY AND NON-CONFORMITY
ARE THE TWO WINGS OF SPIRITUAL FREEDOM

Curiosity and non-conformity come about because we are no longer satisfied with our present state; it doesn’t add up, it’s confusing, we feel ill at ease, and we realise that we live in a world of suffering. We look for answers because what we are being told does not satisfy.

It’s vital to remember this, particularly when we join a spiritual group 🙂

Without curiosity, we become mechanical, unreasoning, dumb conformists, interested only our precious microscopic world, obsessing with immediate gratification and status, and oblivious about how mindless – and a little creepy – we have become. We can have as many teachings as we can afford, and still remain ignorant because, without individual curiosity, we will be closed off to finding timeless truth while we memorise textbooks and institutionalise ourselves. In this way, we are adopting “spiritual correctness”.

Like political correctness, spiritual correctness wants to us to be ‘one’, to be the same. This is a Marxist ideal of conformity; spiritual organisations don’t like awkward customers 😀 “Ah! That’s ego!” proclaim the righteous, who expect us to conform to group-think through micro-fear and micro-aggression … such conformity is spiritual correctness. (Incidentally, it is the group that has this Marxist ideal, while one could say that the teacher is the dictator; this is fair enough because they do have a system which they have to maintain, and we have the choice to subscribe solely to that one group or take our information from many sources. Spiritual correctness is imposed (perhaps unconsciously) by the students, rather than the teacher.)

Has political correctness become spiritual correctness? Or did spiritual correctness come first? “In the beginning was the word” and words can have many meanings. The ‘New Age Thinkers’ want us to be all equal and all one: to suggest otherwise seriously risks offending them, and so we lose our ability to discriminate. We may ask questions, but accept generalisations as answers: I found I never asked follow-up questions in case it embarrassed the teacher. It seems that we have to learn the ‘right’ questions, and this denies the various levels of understanding. This might not even be clear to the questioner, as they may be in the midst of a transition between levels, and the teacher should be able to pick this up, as the teachings contain many levels within them.

I have been involved in something termed “spiritual harvesting”, where small groups talked together about their feelings about and appreciation for the teachings, and then came together to feedback to the main group, in the presence of the teacher.

Sounds great! But my wife and I were amazed at the conformity. It quickly became clear that people said what they thought others wanted them to say. They adhered to cliches, and there was no individual, heartfelt honesty. I actually mentioned neurolinguistic programming, as we were expected to agree with everything. That didn’t go down well at all; spiritual people shun very quickly ;-).

Shun:persistently avoid, ignore, or reject through antipathy or caution. ORIGIN Old English shrink back with fear, seek safety from an enemy

The Buddha said, “Do not take my word for it; find out for yourself.” Through this process, we uncover all! He certainly did not want us to repeat a load of rehearsed questions and answers in order to look good.

In the beginning, we learn from working in a group, but we gradually find that the members of that group have subtly different views, different intensities, different energies, different capacities, different backgrounds, which can result in communication problems and lead to potential disagreements. And so one has to tread very carefully: on silent retreat, all we do is smile, nod and walk on.

Political and spiritual correctness both want us to conform, when the whole point is to break out of restrictions and slavery. As in every walk of life, politics plays a part in spiritual centres; there are hierarchies and inner groups.

Politics: activities aimed at improving someone’s status or increasing power within an organisation.

Those who don’t want you to be curious want you to believe that conforming is what makes a person safe and decent; again, this is spiritual correctness in action.

In our fast-paced world, the majority of people don’t feel they have the time to engage in spiritual exploration or a personal search. It’s much easier to hold prepackaged beliefs about ourselves and life. Prepackaged answers are so very convenient … until we realise that, although we are very learned, we lack compassion to those close to us.

We must take care of our spiritual welfare by realising what we truly are, and, through understanding, we do the same for everyone else. We are all pure, compassionate awareness, but we are not all ‘one’ at the same time. If we were all ‘one’, we’d all decide to stand in the same place! 😀

There are a lot of questions to be asked, and in every question there is an answer, until there are no more questions, no more learning. It is all about freedom, and that is our birthright.

If you’re an awkward customer, and would like to chat: Buddhainthemud@hotmail.com

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Political Correctness., Spiritual and political correctness., Spiritual Correctness. | 1 Comment

WE LIKE DOING THINGS

Posted on August 12, 2016 by tony

We Like Doing Things

We want things to do.
In pure awareness, pure consciousness,
there is nothing to do.
That is Rigpa.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche:

“Rigpa: the king that is the single most sufficient factor”. When you are resting in rigpa, no matter what thought arises, it arises and is liberated naturally. It is purification that does not involve purifying. If it is effortless purification, that is rigpa.

“No antidote is needed”: it is very subtle. By our nature, we like things to do; we like using antidotes. We feel that has a chance of working. It has an aspect of satisfaction and we hold on to it as there is a sense of relief, satisfaction. In rigpa, there is no relief as part of the package.

Do use antidotes if you need them – be honest with yourself, and use them if there are times when things aren’t naturally arising and liberating. Use whatever works. Then drop and return to the main practice of non-practice, non-doing.

If thoughts and emotions arise and liberate naturally, you don’t need to use any other method to liberate – stay with the boring rigpa! When you can trust in the practice as being sufficient, don’t use antidotes as that would downgrade rigpa.”

Doing something that is pleasing may be beneficial to our practice as it inspires, gives us something to focus on, and steadies the mind: “Use whatever works.”

The moment we stop, we fall into non-doing = rigpa: “Then drop and return to the main practice of non-practice”.

If we obsess about our practice, we may become addicted to the placebo effect which may be of psychological benefit, but lacks deep rest and realisation.

Placebo: procedure prescribed for the psychological benefit to the patient rather than for any physiological effect.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: from Latin,‘being acceptable or pleasing’, from placere ‘to please’.

The effect of a placebo is to offer reassurance and confidence, but it’s not the actual experience: speaking personally, when I have had private interview with teachers, I always left feeling that everything was OK just the way it was – until the doubts arose again and I had to go back 😀

The antidotal effect of a placebo is a temporary measure.
The recognition of rigpa is the real thing that heals everything:
“The single most sufficient factor.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Rigpa, Spiritual placebos., Tsoknyi Rinpoche | Leave a comment

LOOKING FOR CONSCIOUSNESS

Posted on August 11, 2016 by tony

Looking For Consciousness

When we stop looking, we start to see.
When we drop what is seen,
we realise that seeing/awareness/consciousness
is already present in its pure natural state;
we are that realisation.

As we perfect our practice, there is less room to manoeuvre; because of our understanding and realisation, we are less attracted to distractions, and therefore we do not lose our inner peace. The demons are tamed. At street level, however, we are manoeuvred by demons into looking for this and that.

Just being aware,
just being conscious,
is where we are.
There is nothing else to look for.
Then, whatever occurs,
is brought back to balance.

What are you looking for?
Why are you looking?
You’re already here.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Looking for consciousness. | Leave a comment

OMNISCIENCE – THIS WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!

Posted on August 10, 2016 by tony

Omniscience – This Will Blow Your Mind!

Omniscience: having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things.

Theists believe that God is omniscient. Buddhists believe that a Buddha is omniscient. This is presented as The Great Mystery, way beyond our current capacity to understand. What I am about to say is not meant to disturb any mind or belittle teachings: it is just something to consider.

If omniscience is thought of as a great mystery, then it separates us from the reality of now. When we think of omniscience, we may see it as meaning the unchanging knowledge of everything in the universe, beyond time of past, present and future.

What if omniscience merely means knowing the omniscience of the universe – within our own mind?

We have a choice: we can see omniscience either as an unknowable, unachievable, distant state or as pervading wisdom awareness that we can access within us right now.

In essence, our mind is empty and pure, and therefore has no boundaries. It is also cognisant, having a knowing quality. Because of this realisation, unconditional compassion arises for all one’s mistaken views and those of others. Understand that everything appearing within emptiness (our universe) – including thoughts and matter – is made up of parts. When something relies on other parts for its existence, and comes about through causes and conditions, it cannot be said to have any reality of its own – despite the fact that we believe it to be real. It is merely a series of temporary events, of creating, dwelling and dissolving, the energy of which is the spark for the next creation, be it an idea or a solar system.

Once we understand how things arise, dwell and cease, we understand the essence and nature of every sentient being in the universe. We won’t know the details, but we will understand the general principle of ‘existence’ (and if there are ‘aliens’, they will have the same potentials and misconceptions as us … more or less).

If we take into consideration the possibility of rebirth, and the fact that we have had infinite incarnations, then every sentient being has been our mother, father, enemy, friend. We know what it’s like to live in a world dominated by hatred, greed, stupidity, desire, jealousy and pride – and we also know that there is a realm of wisdom and love which is impartial and manifests the unconditional compassion that is our essence force. As Yoda meant to say, “May you be with the force”. 😀

The point is to consider which of these omnisciences is more beneficial to our practice. Is it the one that is, for now, out of reach? Or is it the one that is within our own recognition and experience, right now?

Likewise, if we are reviewing definitions, when the texts speak of a realised person manifesting 100,000 emanations, is this literal, or does it simply mean that a wise person who expounds the truth influences many, who in turn, echo this truth to others. Perhaps 100,000 just means ‘lots’: we are all emanations of something!

By taking another look at what we mean by ‘omniscience’, we may bring the teaching right into our own back yard where we can evolve and live, solving all problems by utilising whatever manure is available – as manure is the source of all fruit.

This approach, without a focus on the unattainable and supernatural, makes the Buddha’s teaching easier to access and realise – although applying it may be challenging, moment by moment. Now, we are not relying on a belief, but on actual recognition and understanding.

Can it really be that simple? That’s for each to consider for themselves. Don’t we all have a deep longing for an omniscient universe of love that includes everyone? This is the positive emotion deep within every sentient being (which turns negative when self importance arises).

The Buddha’s teaching could be described as ‘ordinary’, without elaboration or confusion.

Of course this does bring up other questions, such as …why all the ceremony, rituals, observance, service, sacrament, liturgy, worship; holiness, eminence celebration, performance, act, practice, order, custom, tradition, convention, institution, formality, procedure, protocols?

Universal knowledge is within us all.
We are that omniscience.
We’re just a bit busy at the moment 😀

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged God and Buddha., Omniscience. | Leave a comment

SOMETIMES, WE FEEL WE ARE WRONG

Posted on August 9, 2016 by tony

Sometimes, We Feel We Are Wrong

Sometimes, we experience doubt, worry and anxiety taking place in our mind. We might equally experience joy, happiness and confidence. Either way, we might feel wrong, confused, or even guilty.
How wonderful!
How wonderful?
How wonderful to wake up and find the pillow is clean and fresh – or very smelly. It doesn’t matter which, as long as we wake up!

The very fact that these experiences are taking place in the mind and being observed reveals awareness of all these doings.

We don’t have to wait until we are Buddhas to recognise wakefulness, as it is happening now.

At the end of a meditation session, some say the dedication prayer of merit by Nagajuna:
By this merit may we obtain omniscience.
Having defeated the enemies, wrongdoings,
May we liberate all beings from the ocean of existence,
With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

Sounds quite high falutin’, doesn’t it? Some future event that’s not taking place now.

But consider:
If we exchange the words ‘omniscience’ for ’empty essence’ and ‘wrongdoings’ for ‘an identification with anything arising within empty essence’ – and if we understand ‘liberate all beings’ as ‘clarify for all beings the difference between the thinking mind and the empty essence of mind’ (including the unity of these two), then we experience the cessation of suffering. Birth, old age, sickness and death are merely the body moving through its natural stages while the mind remains clear.

We don’t have to live in hope of benefitting others: we can do something right now. We can even be positive about the negative, and in doing this, we transcend suffering.
That’s why we are here … to learn.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Awareness, Buddhahood, spiritual doubt, waking up | 1 Comment

WHEN DO WE WAKE UP?

Posted on August 6, 2016 by tony

When Do We Wake Up?

The very moment we (pure awareness/pure consciousness) disengage from identifying with the dreaming of the chattering mind. When we are distracted and occupied by thinking, or spaced out and vacant, the moment ‘now’ is obscured by a dream state and we lose the clarity of wakefulness.

The moment ‘now’ can easily be misunderstood – and likewise, too easily understood – and we miss the point. Wakefulness is sustained experience without an ‘I’ and without effort. Wakefulness is naturalness – which reveals how unnatural we have become. As it is ordinary, we might think, “Is that all? Has my life changed?” It has changed, but we need to become familiar with this separation, this detachment of seeing and experiencing, stepping back from situations. This stepping back, this pause, is the non-reaction of clarity…being awake instead of habitually diving in with “the same old, same old”. It is an enriching experience of personal investigation. When we become proficient in recognising the arising of thoughts, thought and pure awareness are simultaneous; the two truths are a unity.

The phrase, ‘too easily understood’ appertains to the fact that we need to be aware of mere intellectual understanding – “heard that, know that”. There is a danger that the truth, when pointed out, is so obvious that we feel we’ve known it all along. This is actually true, but even so, we can still be in confusion, because words are so simple to say, but not so easily understood. We hear, and think we know, but we are unaware of eternal knowingness; knowingness without knowing something!

Take mindfulness meditation: this can be confused with awareness meditation which, in certain contexts, may be seen as the same – but it’s not. We use mindfulness as a reminder to be aware. When we are aware, we do not have to keep being mindful, as this works against itself and we become too ‘self’ aware. Upon waking up, we don’t have to doubt whether we are actually awake.

Another example relates to the use of the word ‘consciousness’: we may ask someone, “Are you conscious?” and they will reply, “Of course I am!” But is this consciousness (perception) impure consciousness (involving judgement and memory) or pure consciousness (complete detachment without indifference)?

If consciousness is merely sensory perception, judgement and memory, then this is the mechanical, sentient nature of all creatures; it is impure consciousness because it involves an ‘I’ – a personal identity as opposed to pure consciousness. “I am” as opposed to am/is/pure being.

Has waking up changed my life?
It has changed because life is now different. We find situations the same with all their mess, but now we can clean it up, by addressing our karmic reactions. Waking up is the first step towards enlightenment; it’s being half a buddha. Having purified our habitual reactions, exhausting karma is the other half of the equation – full Buddha!

The Buddha was logical.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged impure consciousness, mindfulness, Pure Consciousness., too easily understood, Wakefulness | Leave a comment

THE NATURAL LIBERATION OF DISTURBING EMOTIONS

Posted on August 5, 2016 by tony

The Natural Liberation of Disturbing Emotions

“…In the undistracted state, there are no poisons.
The three poisons arise as a fault of distraction.
Look undistractedly into the essence of the three poisons.
Look and meditate without being distracted.
The three poisons disappear and turn into empty wakefulness.
Rest undistractedly in this empty and awake state.
That is the total purification of the three poisons.
It is called The Wisdom of the Three Kayas”

from Self Liberated Mind
by Patrul Rinpoche

Note.
The three poisons are desire, aversion and ignorance.
The three kayas are empty essence, cognisant nature, and unconfined compassion.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Patrul Rinpoche, Self Liberated Mind., THREE KAYAS | Leave a comment

LIVING IN A WORLD OF FEAR

Posted on August 4, 2016 by tony

Living In A World Of Fear

from Wikipedia:
“The fear response arises from the perception of danger leading to confrontation with or escape from the threat (also known as the fight-or-flight response) which, in extreme cases of fear (horror and terror), can be a freeze response or paralysis.”
(note there are three elements to our primitive responses).

Fear is connected to hope: they are two sides of the same coin.
We fear that something will happen, or we fear that it will not happen.
We hope that something will happen, or we hope that something will not happen.

Because of our confusion, we become paralysed, and fall into not-knowing. This comes about because we ignore what is taking place, and so we need instruction to clarity our situation.

What is taking place?

We, as sentient beings, are governed and controlled by three factors; desire, fear and ignorance. Attraction, repulsion and inertia. It is because of this formula that we are not enlightened, being imprisoned in darkness and in danger of being abused.

In Buddhism, desire, fear and ignorance are the three negative emotions in which we become caught and held. Desire and fear stem from ignorance of our true nature, which is pure awareness, pure consciousness without identification. Identification creates a duality – something identifying something else – whereas in pure consciousness there is nothing but pure consciousness. This is a very subtle experience and can only be recognised within inner peace, and not in intellectual discussion.

So what do we do about living in a world of fear and hope/desire, which is manipulated and enacted in the media day in and day out, at the request of those who know how these things work. Understand that those who think they know how these things work…do not! The very same three negative emotions – the formula for our confusion – can be turned on their heads, because they are actually the three pure wisdoms of liberation. How’s that for spiritual defence against those captors of fear, desire and ignorance? 😀

These three wisdoms (or liberations) are emptiness, awareness and compassion, and are known in Sanskrit as ‘the three kayas’. They are the essential elements of our true nature.

When we have realised our true essence as these three wisdoms, the very first instant of the negative emotion appearing – before the “I” goes into its act – is inseparable from our true essence! It is within the space of mind and cannot be separated from that, in the way that water is indivisible from wetness. While resting in emptiness, whatever occurs within that space cannot be separated from the emptiness within which it arose, because whatever arises is an illusion and is therefore empty of any true existence. To repeat: this is only understood within the stillness of practice.

This is why it is so important to work with the emotions. The three poisons are the three wisdoms: one always reflects the other. Result = no fear! Wisdom is liberation from suffering!

How does it work?

The three kayas – the qualities of our enlightened being – are not a ‘belief’ as they are observable; to be more precise, they are to be realised. We are the unity of the three kayas.

Dharmakaya = empty essence (absolute truth)
Sambhogakaya = cognisant nature (relative truth
Nirmanakaya = unconfined compassionate energy (the unity of the two truths)

The three negative emotions and the three wisdoms correlate in this way:
Desire = Emptiness
Aversion = Awareness
Ignorance = Compassion

Our ‘being’ is Empty; it is pure sacred space.
Desire fills that sacred space with concepts when an “I” is present.

Our ‘being’ is Awareness; it has a knowing quality.
Aversion arises when the “I” starts judging.

Our ‘being’ is Compassion; it is confident joy.
Ignorance arises when empty awareness forgets its true nature, and that of others.

This is an extremely subtle matter that should really be attended to and reflected upon over a period of time as there is much to assimilate.

How wonderful is this? You never, ever, need to be afraid of your emotions again – or anyone else’s. When this is realised, true, unshakeable confidence can arise.

Awaken the warrior, awakening real love.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged BUDDHISM, Flight Fight and Freeze response., Living In A World Of Fear., negative emotions, THREE KAYAS | Leave a comment

DON’T BECOME A BUDDHIST!

Posted on August 3, 2016 by tony

Don’t Become A Buddhist!
😀

I didn’t become a Buddhist to become a Buddhist.
I became a Buddhist to find out about the nature of reality.
I didn’t come here to be a Buddhist and add to my charade.
I follow the Buddha’s teachings.

Buddhism is a series of methods and principles aimed at training our minds, and dropping the attitude that limits our potential. It is the path to end suffering, and the realisation of our enlightened nature. These teachings help us to understand how we are, and recognise the mistaken ‘I’ that pure consciousness clings to.

In reality, we are all Buddhas – but at the moment, we are sleeping Buddhas.
As long as we are Buddhists, we will remain asleep: we have to become constant practitioners.

Every encounter is an opportunity to drop the ‘I’ attitude – although we do need a little social ‘i’, a little ego, to function. We just have to know the difference. In this way, we can communicate without smothering. We don’t think that, because we are Buddhist, we should be or act in a certain way. There is just perception, which can be transformed into pure perception, pure consciousness. This is love in action.

Conventionally, we might say, “I am Buddhist” so that the other person has an idea about where we are coming from – but if the ‘I’ becomes ‘Buddhist’, this is just another charade.

When we become spiritually aware, we become decent human beings.
Without a label.
Labels divide us.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Buddha, BUDDHISM, Don't Become A Buddhist! | Leave a comment

JUST CHATTING

Posted on August 2, 2016 by tony

Just Chatting

This blog is created in gratitude to past teachers and teachings. Spiritual commentary is spontaneously inspired as a constant reminder of our true nature as opposed to the persona we have adopted. Truth may be expressed in many different ways.

Hopefully, there are phrases here that connect with the reader, explaining how we are and feel, so that, when chatting to others, we can clarify our view in a reasonable way.

Chatting is a way of passing ‘it’ on.
Just chatting? Not at all; there is purpose to everything, and that purpose is love.

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WHY AM I NOT HAPPY?

Posted on August 2, 2016 by tony

Why Am I Not Happy?

This is such an interesting question 😀

Knowing that we are not happy presupposes that we already know what happiness is, and we assume that we don’t have it.

So what is happiness? Contentment? Being trouble-free? Loving, and being loved? Having everything we desire? Or does it lie in the desire itself?

As long as we have a body, we are vulnerable. It will have problems from time to time; it deteriorates, and will get sick and die. It’s true that when we are young, our bodies are everything and this is exciting, but it doesn’t last! To ignore this is to limit our understanding. Body consciousness cannot be where happiness lies, as true happiness never changes.

Happiness – true happiness – is therefore not of the body: rather, it is of the mind. Is it in our thoughts then? Well, thoughts are changeable. We can have nice thoughts, but that doesn’t make us happy because they don’t last. So what is happiness?

It’s just being now.

“That doesn’t sound like much fun!”
Oh, on the contrary, it is constant fun – and a constant relief from constantly chasing after everything.

Happiness is letting go. In understanding change, we are free to just enjoy the moment now, without holding on to it.

The I can never find happiness, but you can.
When you’ve found your true self, you can enjoy your heart’s desires.

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THE SECRET CODE OF THE UNIVERSE

Posted on August 2, 2016 by tony

The Secret Code Of The Universe

Attraction, repulsion, and inertia.
All planets and minds obey
desire, aversion and inertia*.
These are the laws of the universe.

But there is a deeper, secret code.
This may sound sweet-talking, but it is love.
How on earth is love the deeper secret?
Love is more than caring; it is understanding.

Once we are free – or even semi-free – of these laws of the universe,
we notice that others are not.
We can then empathise, have compassion,
and express love by understanding.

Unconditional love counters the three imprisoning laws of the universe.
We are no longer pulled or pushed around,
because we now know.

Is there an even deeper secret; the deepest secret?
Yes.
Emptiness.
One simply cannot go beyond emptiness.

*Inert: unmoving, motionless, immobile, still, stock-still, stationary, static, dormant, sleeping; unconscious, out cold, comatose, lifeless, inanimate, insensible, senseless, insensate, insentient; inactive, idle, indolent, slack, lazy, loafing, slothful, dull, sluggish, lethargic, stagnant, languid, listless, torpid; unconcerned, apathetic, indifferent;

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Attraction repulsion and inertia., The power of Love., The Secret Code Of The Universe. | Leave a comment

BALANCING MIND AND HEART

Posted on July 31, 2016 by tony

Balancing Mind and Heart
The hard stuff and the soft stuff!

This is truly a difficult subject to talk about, and get the right balance. Essence, the emptiness of being – known as Rigpa in the Nyingma tradition – could be called
‘the atmosphere of being’ – the soft heart in the hard world of mind.

To survive in this physical form, we need a strong mind, clear and practical, to get it ‘right’, otherwise we don’t eat or have shelter.

However, getting it ‘right’ isn’t without beauty and joy.

If we only consider beauty and joy in our life, the peas and broccoli may not come to fruition. And without a sense of beauty and joy, the peas and broccoli may not feel happy! Everyone wants to feel loved, don’t they? That is the magical stuff of growth. If we just stuff seeds in the ground without care, the only things that will take hold are weeds that choke everything.

It’s the same when dealing with people. We need to pacify them, enrich them and magnetise them, destroying any friction so that this beauty and joy may be shared. The mind judges and criticises; the heart want to put things right. Putting things ‘right’ needs the balance of both mind and heart – we are relative and absolute creatures after all.

Too often, comments made in ‘social’ media are harsh, cruel and judgmental. This is the one-sided, chattering mind. The heart wants to be included, to bring about balance and be of benefit, but doesn’t know how, and so it becomes clumsy. The heart and mind need clarity – a recognition of our inner balance – and a willingness to support others.

All we need is to loosen up, soften up, and remember that everyone wants love, beauty and joy in their lives. They just cannot admit this, because they are usually too busy with ‘me’ and ‘my ideas’. Of course, if we are too soft, we might not make sense. 😀 😀 😀

Perhaps the words ‘love’, ‘beauty’ and ‘joy’ have lost their meaning in this modern world: they’ve been downgraded to ‘my’ love, ‘my’ beauty and ‘my’ joy, arising from a sense of selfishness in a ‘my mind’ world.

Deep down, we all want a heart of gold, but are afraid or lack confidence, which can make us seem aggressive, as we fear we will be brought down.

Love, empathy and compassion are nicer worlds than this harsh mind world, in which to live. But we do live in a harsh world, and life requires courage: courage comes from a firm foundation of confident understanding. It is then that we can practise the six perfections of generosity, etc.

Don’t let anyone steal
your love, empathy or compassion.
Just give it!
It is always being replenished.

Mind always wants to be perfect: the heart is already perfect. In balance, a heart of gold knows how to express itself with clarity. Not having to be perfect is such a relief. That sense of relief is perfection. Life is magic. Magic is uplifting, inspiring…singing.

The complex Dharma (and there’s a lot of it!) is all about us. About being naturally what we are. We are not trying to squeeze ourselves into a complex system; rather, the system is merely explaining how we are. And all we have to do is simply look!

What the Buddha meant was,
“Not too hard and not too soft.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Heart and Mind, love beauty joy, what the Buddha meant | 1 Comment

THE ADAPTABLE ADEPT

Posted on July 30, 2016 by tony

The Adaptable Adept

As humans, we are highly adaptable. This is a double-edged sword: we have both the potential of becoming an adept in enlightened activity and the ability to remain ingenious adepts at staying unenlightened.

There are thus two aspects, and these appertain to both our physical world, and the world of knowledge:

We accept that we have enough, know our motivation, and enjoy adapting to situations. This offers freedom to live in peace within our circumstances.
The alternative is that we constantly feel we don’t have enough and crave more. In this way, we become addicted to living a life of bondage through temporary enjoyments, lacking any sense of inner peace.

We already know but don’t recognise that we know.

Adept: an individual who is skilled or proficient

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged craving, dissatisfaction, enough is enough, spiritual aptitude | 1 Comment

BARELY AWARE, SLOWLY AWARE…

Posted on July 29, 2016 by tony

Barely Aware, Slowly Aware…
is more aware;
the experience of timelessness.
Try it.

Timeless awareness is more relaxed, more spacious, less stressed and happier.

Everything we do is speeded up in our modern world. Information is immediate and gets us going, doing and exhausted. We fill up time and the days flash by; life blurs and we become hardly aware, instead of barely aware.

Slowly slowly catchee monkey mind.

There is a breathing exercise to count the outgoing breath from 1 to 10; if we become lost in thought, we return to 1. It can become tight, as if there is something to achieve, and therefore it’s easy to feel we’ve failed. If we slow down and relax, taking each breath as each moment passes, it is deeply relaxing: it’s actually a practice of always being at 1!

Are you relaxed? Now try 108… 😀

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Simple breath meditation., Spirituality = barely aware. | Leave a comment

“SOME DAYS, I JUST CANNOT MEDITATE”

Posted on July 28, 2016 by tony

“Some Days, I Just Cannot Meditate”

What nonsense.

You are aware of not being able to meditate, right?
“Yes.”

That is meditation. Meditation is so natural; it’s being aware. Being aware is mind training.

Mind training is noting thoughts but not following and fixating upon them. Gradually, we may find that the attitude of habitual clinging to our ideas isn’t there any more; it’s gone, and we are aware of many possibilities at once. Our horizon expands. This is rather like, when talking someone who is giving out a lot of information and we’re picking up attitudes and body language, we note that our minds are registering all this and then we merely listen: we suspend judgement, but discernment may help to bring about a balance. The person may becoming flustered: in our non-reaction, they have the opportunity to calm down.

“But I’m aware that my mind is full of rubbish all the time!”

If that is true, then you are naturally in meditation all the time. If you were not aware of the rubbish, you would be the rubbish. Meditation is not something we do: it’s what we are. When we are aware of what is taking place in the mind, then there is no fear, and nothing defeats us. We join the lineage of the victorious ones.

Those who are not aware of the meditation process live in the ideas placed in their mind by their environment, and have no control. Whether things are going well or otherwise, all we are is awareness of one taste. Spirituality is recognising this, and gradually, clinging and purity switch places.

Then we may reach a point of, “Some days, I just cannot stop meditating; I feel that I see too much.” That is when our sense of responsibility changes, and our level of understanding upgrades. We are not a fixed entity.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged “I Can't Meditate”, natural meditation | Leave a comment

GETTING INSIDE THE DEVIL

Posted on July 27, 2016 by tony

Getting Inside The Devil

‘Getting Inside The Devil’ is merely getting inside and investigating our own minds. Is there an external devil? Only in the sense that the devil is in everyone else’s minds as well. The devil is our own clinging to likes and dislikes that creates reactions. Others feed on these reactions, and we do the same. It’s that simple; it’s a psychological event in our minds. We are only controlled by external events if we consent, and this is why we need to be honest about what’s going on in our minds and not cover it up. Then we can have compassionate empathy for the frailty of others, rather than using it against them: righteous judgement spreads like a virus. If we are superficial in our understanding, we become easily caught up in hysteria and sentimentality.

We are only controlled by external sources if we consent. Most of the time, we are unconscious of what is taking place, but there are instances when we know exactly what we’re doing; we’re wanting to elicit a reaction from others. The ‘media’ (all forms of media) is used precisely to get a reaction of like and dislike.

When we read comments to articles, there is often a button for like and dislike. Need I say more? It doesn’t matter whether you like or dislike – they have the reaction. That is what it is all about; keeping confusion circulating, under the guise of reporting. We become addicted to the news in the hope of hearing something worthwhile, but it’s only more of the same, decade after decade, hypnosis upon hypnosis.

As human ‘scientists’, we discern whether something is beneficial to our physical and mental health in order to survive. But the devil in us puts an extra impulse of righteousness judgement into our reactions to justify them: good/bad, right/wrong, like/dislike.

There are some terrible acts of violence splashed across the media: this definitely gets a reaction. When we look for a cause, we see that there is a deliberate motivation behind it. Division creates control, and with modern technology, mass division is instantaneous.

We have to look deeper.

‘The devil is in the detail’ refers to a catch or mysterious element hidden in the details that will arise to cause trouble later: it derives from the earlier phrase ‘God is in the detail’, expressing the idea that whatever one does should be done thoroughly i.e. details are important. This observance of detail comes from looking, which comes from awareness, pure awareness, pure consciousness.

In clarity, there is no devil.
The devil lies in confusion,
and confusion never existed.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Devil psychology., Getting Inside The Devil., The devil is in the detail., The Media controls confusion. | 1 Comment

THE HEART SUTRA

Posted on July 26, 2016 by tony

The Heart Sutra
is a beautiful poem.

But if we only accept its beauty, we may miss the beauty of the pure nature of our own mind. Beauty attracts. Like attracts like. It is in our own seeing and recognition that beauty lies: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

If we rely on ‘spiritual correctness’ by merely adopting an attitude or sentiment (the same as ‘political correctness’ which hinders our own reasoning), we may perform, chant and repeat beautiful words, but miss the origin of beauty – the experience. The actual recognition!

All forms appear within the emptiness of mind.
Because of the emptiness of mind, all forms are seen.
By virtue of one, the other is known and cannot be separated.
This is the meaning of the unity of the two truths.

So? So we remain in non-attachment, allowing all this to pass – as all things must pass – resting in emptiness, while dissolving karma. This is the enlightened, altruistic perfection of a Bodhisattva.

The Heart Sutra

Translation by E. Conze

Om Homage to the Perfection of Wisdom the Lovely, the Holy !

Avalokita, the Holy Lord and Bodhisattva, was moving in the deep course of the Wisdom which has gone beyond.

He looked down from on high, He beheld but five heaps, and He saw that in their own-being they were empty.

Here, O Sariputra,

form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form ;

emptiness does not differ from form, form does not differ from emptiness, whatever is emptiness, that is form,

the same is true of feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness.

Here, O Sariputra,

all dharmas are marked with emptiness ;

they are not produced or stopped, not defiled or immaculate, not deficient or complete.

Therefore, O Sariputra,

in emptiness there is no form nor feeling, nor perception, nor impulse, nor consciousness ;

No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind ; No forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touchables or objects of mind ; No sight-organ element, and so forth, until we come to :

No mind-consciousness element ; There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance, and so forth, until we come to : There is no decay and death, no extinction of decay and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no stopping, no path.

There is no cognition, no attainment and no non-attainment.

Therefore, O Sariputra,

it is because of his non-attainmentness that a Bodhisattva, through having relied on the Perfection of Wisdom, dwells without thought-coverings. In the absence of thought-coverings he has not been made to tremble,

he has overcome what can upset, and in the end he attains to Nirvana.

All those who appear as Buddhas in the three periods of time fully awake to the utmost, right and perfect Enlightenment because they have relied on the Perfection of Wisdom.

Therefore one should know the prajnaparamita as the great spell, the spell of great knowledge, the utmost spell, the unequalled spell, allayer of all suffering, in truth — for what could go wrong ? By the prajnaparamita has this spell been delivered. It runs like this :

gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.

( Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond, O what an awakening, all-hail ! — )

This completes the Heart of perfect Wisdom.

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BUDDHISM DOES NOT EXIST

Posted on July 25, 2016 by tony

Buddhism Does Not Exist

In the reality of meditation,
no thing can be said to truly exist,
except pure consciousness that is aware
that nothing truly exists.

Buddhism is just a suggestion of a path to take.
As the heart sutra says, “Gone, gone, gone, gone beyond.”
There’s nothing to get hold of.

If we are well adjusted to ‘group think’ – we are crazy.
If we are not well adjusted to ‘group think’ – we are crazy.

When we know we are crazy, wisdom begins.
That’s crazy wisdom!
“May confusion dawn as skilful wisdom.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Buddhism Does Not Exist., Crazy Wisdom. | Leave a comment

CONFUSING TRADITIONS

Posted on July 23, 2016 by tony

Confusing Traditions
Confusing metaphors
Confusing confusion

It isn’t easy to find a tradition that supports one’s temperament. Neither it is easy to find a teacher with whom one can connect, or find a teaching that will clarify one’s confusion, and not add to it.

Your experience may be different, but I started off in Buddhism within the Karma Kagyu tradition: the fruition is Mahamudra, and we sat for many years watching the breath and enjoying good company. Some rang bells and waved dorjes. For me, this wasn’t totally satisfying, and I didn’t know why. Wanting to know what Mahamudra was was referred to as “wanting the golden roof before the foundations were established”.

At the end of one particular retreat, the lama asked what teachings we would like next: I was fascinated by the word ‘Dzogchen’ but didn’t know what it meant, so I said, “Dzogchen!”. Other students accused me of being arrogant in requesting such a teaching, as it was considered to be the golden roof. We duly received the teaching – and I didn’t understand a word of it, and said so. It was obvious that I wasn’t fitting in (and maybe that’s the obvious reason that I was kicked out after 11 years).

My wife and I went to Nepal, and discovered the Nyingma tradition, the main emphasis being Dzogchen. In Dzogchen, you receive the pointing out instruction of the direct nature of mind – the golden roof. Having received this, it seemed to me that it was the foundation of practice, as one couldn’t even start one’s journey without knowing where one was going.

My confusion lay in how Dzogchen could be considered to be the golden roof and the foundation at the same time. How could I explain this to anyone else? And then I received the teaching of the ground, path and fruition: the ground is our true nature, the path is our confusion about that true nature and the fruition is the realisation that the path never existed and we were the ground all along. That is how the golden roof and the foundation are exactly the same.

It’s clear how confusing things may be if we do not have the complete picture. This reminds me of the story of several blind people each touching a different part of an elephant and trying describe the whole creature from their partial, limited viewpoint.

Our spiritual journey starts with dissatisfaction. We can all find that which we are looking for as long as we ask – and continue to ask – questions.

There are those who don’t ask questions and just join in, finding everything wonderful. It may be that we cannot talk to such people because they do not empathise with our dissatisfaction and confusion; their ready acceptance can be off-putting because their personal belief prevents them from investigating the nitty gritty of dissatisfaction. It is this dissatisfaction that is the motivation to refine our understanding and resolve that longing (even though we may not be able to put words to it) for clarity, happiness and satisfaction beyond doubt.

Once we understand the nature of confusion, this is the point of no more meditation.

Beyond thoughts, there is a knowingness that has to be clarified, and that is where empathetic support is necessary. In truth, there aren’t many teachers out there. There are those who read texts and make commentaries on these, but a teacher is one who checks whether people understand what has been taught. If a student does not understand, it is the teacher’s responsibility to clarify.

We have enough confusion of our own without adopting others’ confusing confusion…

Understanding clearly is realisation.
Realisation is being real.

It’s not an act of knowing;
it is the act of knowing.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Buddhist traditions., Confusing Buddhist traditions., Dzogchen, Mahamudra. | Leave a comment

THE TRUTH IS EVERYWHERE WE LOOK

Posted on July 22, 2016 by tony

The Truth Is Everywhere We Look

If we tell people that we know the truth, they usually run away. This is because they either prefer a vague idea, as understanding means ‘change’, or they have their own belief – or they think you’re crazy!

When looking for the truth, we may look here and there, at this and that, but there is a common denominator and that is in the awareness of the looking itself – in the seeing, which is conscious awareness. Seeing never changes; interpretation does! We are beings that are aware and conscious, and perceive. There is no language needed, nor any intellectualisation, and neither are we required to adopt a foreign culture. Pure consciousness is happening now.

I love Tibetan Buddhism, with its detailed analysis and logic, but there is no need to carry around this information. Information shows us the ways in which to look, but we have to look – and see. We’re not acquiring a philosophy about ourselves, thus developing a ‘spiritual’ attitude to impose on to every situation. We are just being ordinary – in an unusual way. We don’t need to learn Tibetan, Sanskrit or Pali. Years ago, we needed translations, but now we get the message. Of course, language is need to express experience, but we can express this experience in our own language – even with a limited education – when we gain compassionate confidence in seeing, and are mindful of generosity, patience and discipline.

It comes down to looking, seeing and dropping any comment about what is seen, and remaining in silent awareness, beyond language or culture. There is no need to impose text we have studied onto a situation, merely repeating without empathy. As we were saying yesterday, in the first instant of sitting down to drink tea, there is just pure perception. That’s it. It’s everywhere, at every moment. All we have to do is remember, without doing anything with that. “Short moments, many times” safeguards against trying to hold on the experience, trying to make it special.

It’s just being normal in an unusual way – in natural knowingness, rather than in knowing something!

Everything we see is a psychological inspiration, a reminder; all we are doing is seeing. Just being aware. It’s uncommon, unusual, spontaneous.

But it can’t be that simple…can it?
That’s for you to look, and see, and gain confidence.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged The Truth Is Everywhere We Look., Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Sanskrit Pali. | Leave a comment

MEDITATING IS EASIER THAN NOT MEDITATING

Posted on July 21, 2016 by tony

Meditating Is Easier Than Not Meditating
Non-Meditation is Easier Than Meditation

When we sit down with a cup of tea, in that first instant, we are totally relaxed. We have given up everything; no worries, no tensions. We just are. That is non-meditation.

Then we might think, “I should be mindful of what I am doing”, and we become self conscious. We become aware of our thoughts and feelings. That is meditation.

Gradually, we forget, and either fall into a careless vacancy, or start to think about things we have to do. We worry, and our anxiety rises. That is when we are not meditating.

Meditation is a method or technique for calming the mind until we can recognise pure awareness/pure consciousness; then, we no longer need to meditate. That is resting in non-meditation.

When we start to investigate the nature of mind and the nature of reality, we become aware of the philosophy and workings of relative and ultimate truth. This brings up experiences we hadn’t previously noticed: we come to realise that we spend most of our lives in complex tensions, and have become so accustomed to this that we think such behaviour is normal. When we become aware of these tensions, they appear to get worse; we are merely noticing more, and this can have the effect of making our actions self conscious, exaggerated, and perhaps a little wooden.

There’s a great saying: “First there is a mountain. Then there is no mountain. Then there is.” Mountains are just mountains. Mountains do not exist. Mountains are just mountains.

A fuller explanation:
At the level of ordinary, street mentality, mountains, trees and flowers are just mountains, just trees and just flowers. We dismiss the joy in pure seeing as we have better things to do.

When we become more aware and analyse, we say that mountains, trees and flowers are empty of any true existence, and therefore cannot be said to have any reality. This is our philosophical self-conscious stage.

When we realise the nature of reality, we can appreciate the beauty of a mountain, a tree and a flower. The mountain just is. The tree just is. The flower just is. The experience just is. There is joy in merely seeing, and we can rest there. That is non-meditation.

I once tried to paint a sunset, interpreting what I was seeing. Being engaged on this interpretation, I was missing the experience. So I dropped my brush, and just watched. The original is always better that the interpretation.

The joy of seeing a sunset is marred by announcing how beautiful the sunset is.
The exclamation of how beautiful the sunset is, is marred by not even noticing the sunset.

Meditating is better than not meditating
Non-meditation is better than meditation

When we sit to practise meditation, in that moment of just sitting, we are totally relaxed – and then we feel we have to meditate. That interferes with the first instant of just sitting: we only use meditation techniques when we forget to rest in the clarity of emptiness – which is non-meditation/non-duality.

We could say that too much method interferes with natural being, but it’s vital to be honest about this, because sometimes we need discipline and inspiration to sit down in the first place and apply techniques when necessary. The danger lies in re-applying the technique when it is no longer needed, which sends us round in circles and subtly confuses us. It is easy to become stuck in the technique, which interferes with pure experience. The completion stage of any practice is dropping the method and resting in the clarity of emptiness, rather then continually stirring it up.

It is here where religious practice can interfere with spirituality; it’s possible that this could be the element that destroys the teachings from within.

We are not supposed to fall into a vacant state. We are resting in the clarity of emptiness. It is imperative to remember the Buddha’s statement, “Not too tight and not too loose.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Buddha, Meditating Is Easier Than Not Meditating., Philosophy v Experience. | 1 Comment

THE ILL-EFFECTS OF CORPORATE MINDFULNESS

Posted on July 20, 2016 by tony

The Ill-Effects of Corporate Mindfulness

Mindfulness: a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations; used as a therapeutic technique.

Corporate: a large company involved in loss and gain*.

Mindfulness is the ability to remember to be in the moment, the now. If this is used to improve ‘business’, then we are cherry-picking from ancient traditions, and missing the vital point of understanding the reality of our true nature. We become more and more enmeshed in samsara, and manifest as samsaric gods. That is the path of more confusion and suffering. What we think of as ‘mindfulness meditation’ is not meditation. Mindfulness prepares us for meditation. It’s easy to acquire a level of understanding, and still misunderstand.

The moment, now, brings many challenges – and, if not viewed correctly, creates more of the same problems.

The moment, now, is what we are.
In the moment, now, there is no I.
The moment, now, is pure consciousness without other: without an I enjoy it.
There is joy – pure joy – but no audience.
Pure joy is non duality.
“I enjoy” is duality.

Once pure consciousness – which is empty essence – is realised, then, and only then, can whatever arises be transformed and serve as a reminder of our essential nature. That is the point of meditation.

Only now does it become applicable to be “grateful for the moment, the now” because, through non-reaction (which doesn’t mean ignoring), no karma is produced, and karma that has already been accumulated is gradually exhausted, and therefore purified. This is why we are here. From beginningless time we have been searching for this moment.

We are here to be mindful of the eight worldly concerns that cause suffering:
*Hope for gain and fear of loss.
Hope for happiness and fear of suffering,
Hope for fame and fear of insignificance,
Hope for praise and fear of blame.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Corporate Mindfulness., The Eight Worldly Concerns | Leave a comment

DIFFERENT CAPACITIES

Posted on July 19, 2016 by tony

Different Capacities

From The Union of Mahamudra & Dzogchen by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche.

“STUDENT: I have a problem reconciling the statement about the basic equality of all sentient beings on the one hand, and the enormous emphasis which Buddhism lays on differences. Especially differences between what we call the ‘ordinary person’ and the ‘enlightened person’ or the ‘person on the way to enlightenment’ and also, the different degrees of capacity and capability.

“RINPOCHE: First of all, one should understand the two truths. First, the relative or conventional truth is what is true on an experiential level, concerning the conditioned appearances of things. Ultimate truth is what is true in essence concerning the nature of things. When beings are confused or deluded, they only perceive relative truth, not the ultimate truth. For those who are free from delusion, who have no obscurations, perceive both relative and ultimate truth. According to the degree of confusion one has, the degree to which one’s obscurations have been purified, and the degree to which one is realised, one will perceive things in a different way. That’s why there are different kinds of beings. In short, regarding the two truths, relative truth is what is true in one’s experience, and ultimate truth is what is true in essence.

“The conditioned things which are experienced are relative, or conventional truth. The ultimate truth is the nature of things, which is empty. Again, we can say that conventional truth is the truth of how things are experienced – their seeing mode – and the ultimate truth is how things actually are – their real mode.

“We do experience things, such as seeing through the eyes, hearing through the ears. We smell, taste and touch. Our mind experiences all kind of thoughts, good, bad and neutral about past, present and future. We feel different emotions and so forth. To say all these experiences are unreal or not true would be improper. Yet, because of considering only what appears or what is experienced in reality, we have wandered endlessly in samsara…

“…The true Dharma is something that should be reasonable, logical and sensible, which can only be proved both through one’s own understanding and one’s own experience. Through study and reflection, one’s understanding of how things are becomes increasingly clear. In addition, if one combines this intellectual understanding with the direct knowledge resulting from meditation practice, one can gain full realisation of how things are…

“…Usually, we hear, see and feel different things, one after the other, without thinking much about what’s happening. We simply experience sensations. If, however, we suddenly start to analyse what is going on, and ask ourselves, “What is sight? What is sound? What is it to hear, to taste, to see?” then we must find some kind of answer to this. We must try to define or describe our perception in some way, and once we start to have some understanding of what is going on, our perception will differ from that of someone who has never analysed anything.

“That’s why there are differences between people.”

Note.TE.
It all depends on our level of clarity and purity.
The word Bud-dha means total clarity and purity.
This all depends on how much and what we have practised.
This all depends on our understanding of reality revealed in our conduct in daily life.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Different spiritual levels., Spiritual capacities., The Union of Mahamudra & Dzogchen. | Leave a comment

WHERE DO I FIND TRUTH?

Posted on July 18, 2016 by tony

Where Do I find The Truth?

Truth is reality.

Reality is that which remains when we stop believing and speculating.
And that is pure awareness, pure consciousness, pure perception.
Without that, you wouldn’t even be asking the question!

What is truth?It is that which YOU realise!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Where Do I find The Truth? | 1 Comment

MIND’S HIDDEN FAULTS PART 5

Posted on July 18, 2016 by tony

Mind’s Hidden Faults Part 5
by Patrul Rinpoche

“There are some meditators who are delighted when their mind is feeling well, but who hate their own mind when they have restless thoughts. That is not the correct view; the fault lies in not knowing how to sustain the essence in whatever takes place. Let your mind rest loosely when you have agitated thoughts, and in that state, rest directly in the one who is feeling agitated.

“There are some meditators who concentrate and then relax without there being any real need for that. That is not the correct view; it is being a little too unnatural. The fault lies in not knowing how to let their minds be. Concentrate and relax when there is need for it, but don’t when there is no need. Simply rest, clear and wide, in naturalness.

“There are some meditators who, at the thought of delicious food and drink, are unable to continue meditating. They get up and try to find a tasty drink or a nice bite of food, after which they indulge in the enjoyment of the delicious food of drink. If you do that, the sustenance of samadhi will disappear and you will not acquire good meditation. By being a sweet tooth or a glutton, one turns into a stubborn practitioner. Don’t be attracted to the nice taste of food and drink. Feed the sustenance of samadhi.

“There are some meditators who are unable to meditate when they are comfortable and rich, feel on top of things, have power or are honoured. At this time, they are exhilarated and jubilant. When they suffer, meet with misfortune, sickness or pain, are slandered or taken to court, then they are unable to meditate. Dark clouds gather on the their faces, they exclaim the most unpleasant words and even tears drop from their eyes. If you act in that way, you will not become a good Dharma practitioner who is able to equalise joy and sorrow. You will be a Dharma-less, ordinary, stubborn person who is overwhelmed by joy and sorrow, and the eight worldly concerns*. You should therefore equalise joy and sorrow and be able to bring them both to the path.”

* the eight worldly concerns:
hope for happiness and fear of suffering,
hope for fame and fear of insignificance,
hope for praise and fear of blame.
hope for gain and fear of loss.

Basically, it’s not being controlled and programmed by attachment and aversion, which obscures our clarity.

When Do You Think You’ll Be Ready? 😀

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Subborn meditators. | Leave a comment

OUR UNDERSTANDING DOESN’T BELONG TO US ANY MORE

Posted on July 17, 2016 by tony

Our Understanding Doesn’t Belong To Us Any More

Once we recognise and understand the nature of reality,
we have a compassionate duty to benefit others
Can we argue with that?

Fulfilment:
The achievement of something desired, promised, or predicted.
Satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing one’s potential.
The meeting of a requirement, condition, or need.
The performance of a duty or role as required, pledged, or expected.

We don’t have to wait to be enlightened to be able to support others.
Even a smile can strengthen resolve!

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MIND’S HIDDEN FAULTS PART 4

Posted on July 17, 2016 by tony

Mind’s Hidden Faults Part 4
by Patrul Rinpoche

There are some meditators who don’t allow what is being thought to be thought, but who press hard and try to take hold of their minds. That is not the correct view; it is a suppressed state of mind. Let your mind rest in quietness when it is quiet, and let it rest in thought when it is thinking.

There are some meditators who falsely pretend that their mind is empty and open, and then sit and glare vacantly. That is not the correct view; it is pretentious and hollow staring. Rest clearly and wide awake in the empty state.

There are some meditators who believe that their mind is empty, and then meditate upon that. That is not the correct view; it is a fabricated meditation on emptiness. Rest directly in the one who thinks, “This is emptiness!”.

There are some meditators who look when they are feeling quite blissful, empty or clear, but don’t look when they are feeling uncomfortable, ill at ease, vacant and without a reference point. That is not the correct view; it is accepting and rejecting. Don’t accept or reject anything. Rest directly in whatever takes place.

There are some meditators who look when they are having good thoughts, but don’t look when they are having evil or dirty thoughts. That is not the correct view; it is called ‘choosing the good and rejecting the bad’. Don’t choose what is good, and reject what is bad, but rest directly without distraction in what is being thought, whether good or evil.

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MIND’S HIDDEN FAULTS PART 3

Posted on July 16, 2016 by tony

Mind’s Hidden Faults Part 3
by Patrul Rinpoche

“There are some meditators who don’t feel confident that their mind is empty, but who speculate about whether or not it is so, and remain in doubt. The fault lies in not having understood the real meaning. There is no reason to doubt. Since your mind is empty from the very beginning, rest in that empty state, and that is exactly it. If you feel doubt then let go directly into the one that feels doubt, and that is exactly it.

“There are some meditators who don’t look into the thinker, the mind itself, but who constantly look at the object of their thoughts; their belongings, utensils, the earth and the rocks. This is not the correct view – it is a dualistic view. Let go into the thinker itself, and see.

“There are some meditators who don’t regard perception and mind as inseparable, but who chase after and pursue that which is perceived. That is not the correct view; it is a dualistic view. Don’t chase after the perceived externally. Don’t hold on to a concrete thing internally. Rest in perception and mind as being inseparable.

“There are some meditators who don’t rest naturally in themselves, but who watch every occurring thought like a cat waiting for a mouse. Just rest directly in the thought when it occurs, and the absence of thought when there is no occurrence.

“There are some meditators who don’t know how to let the mind rest in itself. They keep watch and chase after what is being thought. That is not the correct view; it is chasing thoughts. Don’t chase after thoughts, but rest directly in the one who is chasing.

“There are some meditators who don’t let their minds rest directly, as long as it can remain in whatever occurs. They hanker for a ‘good’ meditation, and they press and force and stare intensely. This is not the correct view; it is a fabricated state of mind. Don’t fabricate your mind in any way whatsoever. No matter what takes place, let it rest by itself in the continuity of whatever happens.”

NB It is obvious that Patrul Rinpoche is saying, “Be ordinary. Be natural. Don’t project and add to whatever takes place”. Of course, we notice that we are constantly trying to make it better than that: the only way to improve things is to be more relaxed and completely at ease. We don’t have to be religious, or become clever scholars.

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THE WORLD IS RULED BY REPTILIANS!

Posted on July 15, 2016 by tony

The World Is Ruled By Reptilians!

We’ve all read this on the internet, and…it’s true. However, it’s not what you think!

Where are these reptilians? Can we see them? Oh yes, it’s quite simple; the reptilians are at work everywhere, and they control OUR world.

Within our brain is what is called the ‘primitive’ brain, sometimes referred to as the ‘reptilian’ brain, which controls our instinctive reactions of survival; of desires and fears, and also of indifference. This is known as the motor reaction of flight, fight and freeze. The three F’s 😉 Usually, the primitive brain is said to control fight or flight, but on closer observation, we see freeze happening as well. All sentient beings are controlled by these basic instincts of desire, aversion and ignorance.

These are the inner demons that rule us. They rule us as individuals and we, in turn, try to rule others …more or less. Social hierarchies have their foundations in this.

Inner demons are conflicts of hope, fear and ignorance in the mind.
Outer demons are everyone else’s conflicts of hope, fear and ignorance.

How do we resolve these demons?
Easy. Give up hope, fear and ignorance.

And how do we do that?
Neither accept nor reject anything that occurs. Whatever arises is our path. If we say, “Well, I don’t like it – I want another path” we’ve just given in to accepting and rejecting again – and are governed by reptilian brain again 😀 We cannot get off our path; there is nowhere else. All we can do is shorten or lengthen the length of time on the path.

In neither accepting nor rejecting, we just become aware of what is taking place, and pause to look more closely because it is telling us something – whether we recognise it or not. This moment is extremely important because, even though we may be able to join up the dots, there are finer dots within that pattern of dots, and a deep change can take place from a recognition of this. This is illustrated in the nine vehicles of Buddhism, where the same words are used but the meaning changes and becomes clearer – as in, “How on earth did I not see that before?” said in response to something to which we had previously responded with “How on earth did I not see that before?” 😀

We are only controlled by our – and others’ -reptilian brains because we consent to it. From a Dzogchen perspective, these same reptilian activities are seen as wisdoms.
Crazy but true.

You may wish to read more:
https://buddhainthemud.com/2013/07/27/videos-for-reptilian-brain-beauty-and-the-beast/

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged A Reptilian World., BUDDHISM, Crazy Buddhism!, Reptilian - beauty and the beast., Reptilian Rulers. | 2 Comments

MIND’S HIDDEN FAULTS PART 2

Posted on July 15, 2016 by tony

Mind’s Hidden Faults Part 2
by Patrul Rinpoche

“There are some meditators who do not let their mind rest in itself as it should. Instead, they let it watch outwardly, and search inwardly, as one shouldn’t. You will neither see nor find the mind by watching outwardly or searching inwardly. The fault lies in not having understood the meaning. There is no reason whatsoever to watch outwardly or search inwardly. Let go directly into this mind that is watching outwardly or searching inwardly, and that is exactly it.

“There are some meditators who do not let their mind in the thinking when there is thinking, and in non-thought when there is no thinking. They believe that the mind comes from some other place and then search for it here and there. Because of this, they don’t recognise their minds. There is no reason to search here and there. Just let the mind rest directly in thought when there is thinking, and in no-thought when there is no thinking. That is exactly it.

“There are some meditators who don’t feel confident that their mind is empty, but who speculate about whether or not it is really so and they remain in doubt. The fault lies in not having understood the real meaning. There is no reason to doubt. Since your mind is empty from the very beginning, rest in that empty state. That is exactly it. If you feel doubt, then let go directly into the one that feels the doubt, and that is exactly it.”

NB As we can see, whether we are thinking or not, the mind can still be at rest. We simply don’t get caught up in or attached to that thinking – or not thinking: the thinking is taking place within the clarity of emptiness.

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MIND’S HIDDEN FAULTS PART 1

Posted on July 14, 2016 by tony

Mind’s Hidden Faults Part 1

An Exposure of the Mind’s Hidden Faults
by Patrul Rinpoche

“It sometimes happens that some practitioners believe it is impossible to recognise the nature of mind. They become depressed and sad. There is no reason at all to be sad: it is not at all impossible to recognise. Rest directly in that which thinks that it is impossible to recognise the nature of mind, and that is exactly it.

“At times, it happens that some meditators say that it is difficult to recognise the nature of mind. It is not at all difficult. The fault lies in not knowing how to meditate. One does not need to search for meditation. One doesn’t have to buy it, cultivate it or go somewhere else for it. One does not need to do any work. It is sufficient to simply let your mind rest in the state of whatever takes place, in whatever happens.

“One has had one’s mind from the beginning. It is not something that can be lost and then found, and nor is it something that you can have, and then not have. This mind that you have had from the beginning is precisely that which thinks when you are thinking, and that which rests without thoughts when you are not thinking. No matter what the mind is thinking of, it is enough to sustain it undistractedly by resting directly in that which is being thought of, without trying to correct any thing. It then becomes simple and naturally easy. If you feel that practising Dharma is difficult, it is a sign that you have many misdeeds and obscurations.”

…to be continued tomorrow.

NB sometimes, when translations of Buddhist text contains words such as ‘obscurations’, ‘misdeeds’ and ‘defilements’, we may experience guilt. I’m sure that’s not the intention: in other cultures it may act as a spur to practise, but it may also turn modern people off and cause a barrier to progress. Maybe just think of ‘defilements’ as habitual attachments in our confused programming of which we weren’t aware: sin is merely not recognising our true nature, and isn’t a big deal, although it is the cause of our suffering.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged BUDDHISM, Mind's Hidden Faults., Patrul Rinpoche | Leave a comment

GREAT SOULS THINK ALIKE

Posted on July 13, 2016 by tony

Great Souls Think Alike

Great = immense quality
Soul = essential nature
Think = wisdom clarity
Alike = oneness

Great Souls Express Uniquely
Great = immense quality
Soul = essential nature
Express = expounding wisdom clarity
Uniquely = particularly remarkable

NB Buddhism does not recognise a soul, but one of the dictionary definitions is ‘essential nature’: this cannot be denied. A Christian might say, “I have a soul, an essential nature”. A Buddhist might say, “I cannot say that I am that essential nature: neither can I say that I am not that essential nature”. In the moment of realising essential nature, there is no enquirer left…we can say that we are that essential nature, but that’s not the actual experience. The actual experience is non-finding. Total absorption.

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THERE IS NOTHING – TO REMEMBER

Posted on July 13, 2016 by tony

There is Nothing – To Remember
This is not the same as remembering nothing.

There are thousands of Dharma texts and teachings all referring to the clarity of emptiness. In the spontaneous moment of now, there is nothing hold onto, not even Dharma. That spontaneous moment of empty clarity is what we are; the real Dharma. This is relatively easy to understand.

So what is difficult?
Remembering that everyone else is this clarity of emptiness.

Compassion is absolutely challenging.
It challenges our understanding.

It is for that reason that our conduct is so important; we remember and sustain the view of the clarity of emptiness which is continued and influences our conduct.

First realise absolute bodhicitta
in order to express relative bodhicitta.*

*bodhicitta: the altruistic attitude of loving kindness

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HOW IS CONFUSION, WISDOM?

Posted on July 11, 2016 by tony

How Is Confusion, Wisdom?

This is so simple…
This is so simple…
This is so simple…
Ready?

That which recognises confusion, bewilderment and doubt is the emptiness of wisdom itself: impossible to find, but possible to realise.

“So?”
So now you are no longer confused, bewildered or in doubt.
Wisdom has been waiting all along for confused mind to wake up.

“But this hasn’t change my life!”
Yes it has.
Pure awareness, pure consciousness
will now become more and more familiar with the way in which
mind holds on to confusion, bewilderment and doubt in the form of clinging to incomplete concepts.
This is the dawning of wisdom!
It is a gradual awakening: perhaps we should say, “the yawning of wisdom.” 😀

“Do I have to do strange practices?”
Yes – if you want to. But you don’t have to.

“But I’m confused about all those strange practices.”
So was I!

Tilopa was a mahasiddha in 11^th century India who achieved enlightenment near the Ganges delta. His poetry was written just over a thousand years ago and is as relevant today as it was then because it offers a complete teaching. In order to show how easy it is to understand, this is a passage from one of his (very long!) poems: when we take out the idea of mystery, poetry and culture – which cuts us off from the simple meaning of purifying the mind and waking up to mind essence – we can recognise the essential meaning. Notice the repetition on the same theme, and note that there is nothing more!

“…The basis to be purified is mind itself, the union of clarity and voidness.
The purifier is the great diamond-practice of mahamudra, through which
The object of purification, the stains of accidental illusion, is purified.
May the purified result, the stainless dharmakaya, be made manifest.

To cut through misinterpretations of the basis
is to have confidence in the view.
To attend to that undistractedly is the crux of the meditation.
To become proficient in all aspects of the meditation is the best action.
May I gain confidence in the view.

All phenomena are projections of mind;
Mind is no-mind, devoid of any mind-essence.
It is void yet unceasing, manifesting as anything whatsoever.
After careful examination, may the ground and root of everything be known for good.

One’s own projections, that never truly existed, become mistaken objects.
Overpowered by ignorance, one’s mind becomes mistaken for a self.
Under the sway of this dualistic belief, one wanders in the maze of existence.
May ignorance – the state of illusion – be decisively exposed.

It does not exist – even the buddhas have not seen it.
It is not non-existent, being the universal basis for samsara and nirvana.
It is not a combination of opposites but simultaneity, the middle way:
May the true nature of mind, away from extremes, be realised…”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged How is confusion wisdom?, Mahasiddha Tilopa, The dawning of wisdom. | Leave a comment

BUDDHISM IN ACTION

Posted on July 10, 2016 by tony

Buddhism In Action

Wisdom in confusion.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged BUDDHISM, Confusion, wisdom, Wisdom in confusion. | Leave a comment

IS KARMA OUR TEACHER?

Posted on July 9, 2016 by tony

Is Karma* Our Teacher?

We might pick up a book and flip through the pages, and find that our hand just stops: a word or sentence jumps out, and seems significant. Is that just ‘one of those things’, synchronicity, or karma? Our answer to this will depend on how we see life. Synchronistic karma is apparent all the time in the sense that a need is recognised and addressed, in order to bring about balance; if this recognition keeps happening, maybe that’s proof of karma as our teacher! There is constant evidence,; life is telling us something. Our interpretation will be dictated by our level of compassionate understanding.

Personally, I am astounded by how significant everything is – and how unsignificant everything is! At the same time, there are many interpretations of that significance – or insignificance! 😀 Sometimes, it feels as if there is just too much information, and for that reason, we need to step back and review all potentials without bias: we have to take responsibility for our actions and reactions.

Every response in the mind is a product from the past, isn’t it? Karma drives us to react in the same old way. But if we pause for a moment, and just stop the programme running, we slip into neutral – emptiness!

The situation is now active and alive: it is teaching. Remember that our path to enlightenment is our very own confusion that has to be dissolved (‘dissolved’ may not be quite the right word as this implies a reality to the confusion: it cannot be real as it is merely an impermanent, passing event). Caution is required here – as are empathy and compassion – because, being confronted by absolute truth without having taken the appropriate steps towards that, could close the other person down, and create bad karma in both parties. It’s important to avoid projecting our knowledge: it could come across as untimely preaching. Of course, one could argue that, if someone is in our vicinity, they are part of our karma, and we, theirs…

Whatever occurs or appears is always noted by pure consciousness. And whatever occurs or appears is due to karma, the result of previous actions. Pure consciousness sees everything: what we will honestly admit to is another story, because we spend most of our time projecting our ‘specialness’. The Buddhas would not consider themselves to be special, because they would see Buddha nature in every sentient being. The Buddhas only appear to be special because we are confused. Only confused people think they’re special 😉

The outer teacher merely shows the way to our inner teacher (intuition), and so we can consider all appearances to be our teacher; this is the teacher of all phenomena. Another word for ‘intuition’ is ‘clairvoyance’ – clear seeing! The seeing of potentials and the understanding of past actions which are being played out now, and which will replay themselves in the future if nothing cuts through the habitual patterning.

The Hegelian Dialectic describes the process of change in which change is manipulated by exaggerating the opposite in order to bring about the desired result. This is also known as ‘problem, reaction, solution’ and is the formula for control by divide and conquer.

If you can see ‘it’ coming, you won’t be surprised!

*Karma is the principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect). Good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad karma and future suffering.

However, karma is a double-edged sword, as suffering is the cause for our spiritual journey – if we were always happy, we might not bother! 😀 😀 😀

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Hegelian Dialectic ., IS KARMA OUR TEACHER?, Karma Karma Karma., THE BUDDHAS. | Leave a comment

HOW DO WE CHANGE?

Posted on July 8, 2016 by tony

How Do We Change?

Who or what are we?
And…
Who or what changes?

We can answer these questions for ourselves, but we first have to distinguish between relative and ultimate realities to ascertain what can change and what does not change.

Knowing the difference between the thinking mind and the nature of mind, is like knowing the difference between space and things in space. Space never changes. Things have a beginning, a middle and an end, and so are changeable. The same applies to thoughts and emotions.

“Okay. Stop there! Who the bloody hell are WE?!”
We are that which is aware of the bloody question! 😉

We are awareness itself, pure awareness, pure consciousness. This cannot change, has never changed and will never change. It is the final authority in the universe.

“So what bloody well changes?!”
The bloody questions! 😉

Mistakenly, awareness thinks that ‘it’ is the thoughts and emotions that appear in the mind-space, and thus creates a false – but seemingly real – image of itself. A relative self. My self. Awareness relates to appearances in the mind and manifests a relative reality; an attractive, colourful image. Pure consciousness – the clear mirror – became fascinated by the reflection and so, is stuck in confusion… “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” Oh yes, it’s me 😀

It is this that awareness fixates upon all the time, ensnaring itself and going round in circles. When we see this fixation taking place and become fed up with the resulting chaos of confusion, the realisation of this loosens the veils and gradually, our obsessive clinging drops away. The method for this is meditation.

The defilements drop away: that is what changes, because we have realised that these ideas and emotions we’ve been holding on to have no reality!* When awareness stops fixating on external phenomena – including thoughts – it becomes aware of itself. Life is simpler and more intelligent. Everything starts to make sense! Sanity!

This is both simple and difficult because of our confusion about our self. The simplicity of emptiness/pure awareness/pure consciousness cannot be grasped by the thinking mind, because it is the nature of mind itself that is looking. We are pure intelligent mind-space.

Change is simply dropping the righteous idea about ‘me’ (which is the origin of sin), revealing pure righteousness itself…beyond doubt!

“Oh, it can’t be that bloody simple.”
Oh yes, it bloody can!

“What about all that religious stuff?”
‘Religious’ is being reverent, and showing a deep respect to that which reminds us of our true nature – but once we remember, we can drop the religiousness, as it’s not the real thing. If we don’t drop our obsessive reverence, we get stuck in fear and hope..and more craziness.

Is this obsession destroying religion from within? In this age of technology, where it’s easy to be informed, we are perhaps starting to see the true meaning behind spirituality, rather than being merely caught up in our group, which separates us.

*From a Dzogchen perspective, these very emotions are seen as wisdoms: this has been explained in other articles on this blog.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Advaita and Dzogchen, How Do We Change?, The final authority in the universe! | Leave a comment

WORDS SHOW THE WAY

Posted on July 7, 2016 by tony

Words Show The Way
but are not the way itself.

The way is the actual experience of reality.
When the truth of pure consciousness is experienced,
even a thousand Buddhas could not discourage us.

In meditation, what needs to be, is,
and what isn’t necessary, drops away.
Now, words only confirm what we know.

Words have many levels.
There are nine vehicles of understanding in Buddhism,
each using the same words
but the meaning of these words changes.
Each level is complete in itself.

As experiences deepen, the meaning of words also deepens.
Perception refines and clarifies,
and a thousand Buddhas could not discourage us.

The following words can be re-viewed:
“Jesus said to him,
I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man comes to the Father, but by me.”

The ‘way’ is our confusion parcelled up in an image of “I am”.
The ‘truth’ is that “I am” has no true existence,
although there is still conscious ‘life’.
The highest consciousness is pure consciousness; the ‘Father’.
This is only realised through the experience that “I am” has no true reality:
“… no man comes to the Father, but by me.”

When the illusion of ‘me’ is recognised,
that which recognises is pure consciousness.
We therefore have to acknowledge our illusory nature first:
“…no man comes to the Father but by me.”

Words show the way.

NB Another way to look at Christ’s statement (from a Buddhist perspective) is that nobody will understand ultimate truth except via a teacher who introduces us to the nature of mind. Such a teacher must come from an authentic lineage; there is a suggestion that Jesus travelled to India and perhaps received these teachings, going on to express them in his own way. It could also be that writers of the Bible may have influenced the choice of wording which could have obscured the meaning. Of course, the reader may see this differently. 😉

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged illusory nature of self, Jesus and Buddhism, words are not experience | Leave a comment

SPIRITUAL COMMUNICATION

Posted on July 6, 2016 by tony

Spiritual Communication

Religious communication is theory.
Spiritual communication demonstrates evidence of truth.

Through devotional prayer and supplication, which bring to mind the ‘accomplished ones’, we receive blessings of spiritual inspiration. Whether this is in actuality or psychological, it turns our mind towards our own, and everyone else’s, enlightened potential. We then send out this inspiration to all sentient beings as compassionate energy in the form of deeds and words – or even a smile. This compassionate, devotional energy then returns to us in the form of ‘rightness’, and inspires us to pray and supplicate to the ‘accomplished ones’ again, and so forth.

Although this practice sounds like an external event, it is actually what is taking place between our essence and our self identity. That’s where the real communication occurs. Of course, it’s sporadic – that’s why we practise…slowly, slowly, catchee monkey.

This accumulation of merit creates virtue, good fortune and protection – in the sense that the mind remains clear: our physical aspect still has the results of past actions, but with a genuine attitude, the effects can be reduced as we don’t mind so much! 🙂 This has the result of accelerating the process of enlightened potential. The path of a Bodhisattva is the path of the enlightened attitude, realising emptiness and practising non-violence. This includes negative thoughts and words, which is helpful when communicating with others, as it forces us to be more intelligent and compassionate. There is a rightness to it.

This devotion and compassion is
the power of spiritual communication.
Both instances take the ‘me’ out of the equation.

In Tibetan, this is known as the practice of Tonglen – giving and receiving, receiving and giving.

We could call it ‘integrity practice’.
Integrity:
The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.
The state of being whole and undivided.
The condition of being unified or sound in construction.
Internal consistency and lack of corruption.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Devotion and Compassion., Spiritual Communication | Leave a comment

WHEN WE OVER LOOK, WE OVERLOOK!

Posted on July 5, 2016 by tony

When We Over Look, We Overlook!
…and miss the spiritual point.

Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche
THE SPONTANEOUS VAJRA MANIFESTATION
OF AWARENESS AND EMPTINESS

“…To elaborate or to examine is nothing but adding concepts.
To make effort or to cultivate is only to exhaust oneself.
To focus or to meditate is but a trap of further entanglement.
May these painful fabrications be cut within!

Being beyond thoughts or description, not a thing is seen.
There is, however, nothing extra remaining to be seen.
That is the profound meaning of resolving one’s mind.
May this nature, hard to illustrate, be realised!”…

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche., Overlooking the spiritual point. | 4 Comments

WHAT IS OUR PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT?

Posted on July 5, 2016 by tony

What Is Our Path To Enlightenment?

It is anything that cuts through our confusion,
revealing clarity in the moment
…and not adding to our doubts.

Genuine teacher, genuine words
clarify our doubts,
opening up our path to inner peace.

Genuine teacher, genuine words
reveal what we already know,
and are a constant reminder.

We realise
that our confusion never existed:
we have been clarity all along.

Clarity of now is the genuine teacher.
Once we acknowledge our path,
enlightenment is already in view.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Path to enlightenment., Spiritual teacher. | 1 Comment

MISFIT?

Posted on July 4, 2016 by tony

Misfit?

Misfit: A failure to fit well, a non-conformist.

This is not something we make happen; it’s what we are.
Our absolute nature cannot fit into conventional programming.

Not knowing their absolute nature,
most conform to the collective, and feel emotionally vulnerable.
Some misfits are conventionally bright but,
without realising their absolute nature,
feel extremely emotionally vulnerable, and become unstable.

The conventional is seen within absolute reality.
Absolute reality is seen within conventional reality.
This is the meaning of the two truths.

The true misfit is reality!
We are all misfits, more or less.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged emotionally vulnerable, spiritual misfits, two truths in Buddhism | 2 Comments

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE CLEVER AND WEALTHY

Posted on July 3, 2016 by tony

You Don’t Have To Be Clever And Wealthy
to realise the Dharma.

Repeating what you have learned isn’t the Dharma. Real Dharma is genuine, empathetic experience; it is beyond both cleverness and wealth. In genuine Dharma, there are no words, no cost, and no cleverness.

A teacher’s ability to empathise with someone’s past will inform about the present, to show the way to the future. Quoting well-learned text can create a barrier to that individual’s experience. The student is not supposed to fit into the Dharma like a glove puppet: the purpose of the Dharma is to free the student from the puppetry.

Puppetry: The manipulation of a person that is typically moved either by ‘strings’ controlled from above or by a hand inside it. 😀 😀 😀

Being told, “It’s your clinging ego!” puts up a barrier to honest openness and trust. It’s important to understand a person’s background. We are not all nice, middle-class people; some of us have a very angry background – and in 69 years, I haven’t met a teacher who can deal with this.

The reason I’m saying this is because people outside the Dharma can appear kinder than those within the Dharma. Detachment can make us cold, to the extent that we can become attached to our detachment. The Dharma is meant to set us free, not enslave us in dogma.

The Dharma is the explanation of our true nature, and offers the method to realise this. Why is Buddhism so expensive? I’ve missed teachings because I just couldn’t afford the fees: the ‘heart offering’, the requests for donations, the travel costs, the accommodation and the retreat fee. It should be free and accessible to all, not just the middle-classes: it is for this reason that I write this blog.

There are two main barriers for working-class people to engage in Buddhism – the cost of teachings and retreats, and time: it is difficult for people with jobs and family commitments to take the time to go on retreat.

Dzogchen does the trick!
No words, no cost, no cleverness.

All beings have awareness. Normally, this awareness is used to survive. If we take a moment to ask the question, “Is there more than just surviving?”, life has a way of revealing our path, and eventually we become aware of this awareness. That is meditation.

Now the Dzogchen part: On investigation, we find that there is nothing but awareness. It is pure awareness. It is pure consciousness. And we can realise this now, at this very moment! No words, no cost, no cleverness…no meditation. Meditation is now merely a reminder.

Misunderstanding the pure nature of awareness, we only look outside and never within, thus

mistaking our true nature. With this understanding, relief about the truth arises; the one truth is our own, pure, conscious awareness, for without that nothing would be known! Even if there is a god, it would mean nothing without our own ‘knowingness’ – our pure conscious awareness – would it?

We now realise that people are mistaken about their true nature, because they believe in something external first – and that includes religious beliefs – and forget their human kindness; they have missed the whole point of what is it that is doing the believing.

Sadness and loneliness accompany the realisation of freedom. True empathy and compassion are now experienced, along with love for others’ potential. While watching a film – which can be a catalyst for human emotions – there is sometimes a moment when the characters realise something – and tears well up in our eyes as well. It’s that longing for ‘rightness’ that rarely happens in ordinary life, but is easier to identify in a movie.

The Dharma is a good heart. For a good heart, we do not need words, wealth or cleverness. A good heart is the wealth and intelligence!

The only thing to realise now is that our past will present itself, and pure consciousness remains untouched, so that intelligent expression can bring about balance. This will change the future. Without this, we will not change.

Don’t take the Buddha’s word for it.
Look for your self…….did you find anything?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dzogchen, Simple mind., The Buddha's words, The Dharma is simple., Why Is The Dharma So Expensive? | 2 Comments

TAMING THE DEVIL

Posted on July 2, 2016 by tony

Taming The Devil
Devil, Satan, Lucifer = Obstruction

The idea of the Devil is an absurd charade, creating fear and the worship of hedonistic respectability.
The Devil – the obstructor – is the mind, clinging to likes and dislikes.
That’s all!

Taming the devil is merely
taming our own mind.
That’s all!

For the masses, the devil is seen as something to fear.
For the few, it is seen as something to worship.
Either way, we lose our clarity and power.

Wisdom recognises being pulled one way or another,
and maintains balance.

Hedonism: self-indulgent, indulgent, pleasure-seeking, pleasure-loving, sybaritic, lotus-eating, luxurious, unrestrained, intemperate, immoderate, overindulgent, excessive, extravagant; sensual, voluptuous, decadent.
The belief that pleasure is of primary importance and is intrinsically good. That all people have the right to do everything in their power to achieve the greatest amount of pleasure possible to them. It is also the idea that every person’s pleasure should far surpass their pain.

By obstructing clarity in this way,
we are locked into a cycle of confusion!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged devil, hedonism, Lucifer., Satan | Leave a comment

SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL, SPEAK NO EVIL

Posted on July 1, 2016 by tony

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil
Mixed understanding of this phrase can confuse.

This Confucian proverb originally meant being of good mind, speech and action.
In Buddhist traditions, the proverb means not dwelling on evil thoughts.
In the Western world, it often means turning a blind eye to wrong doing.

However. If we don’t see evil, speak of evil or hear about evil…we won’t see it coming!

As Tsoknyi Rinpoche said “…place mindfulness on guard; Along the road of distraction, Mara (evil) lies in ambush. Mara is this mind, clinging to likes and dislikes…”.

The ultimate view is that there is no evil. Evil is merely a temporary phenomenon of attraction and repulsion in the mind, which created an ‘I’ because we ignored our original essence – consciousness before thought.

What is evil?
Anything that obscures goodness.
What is goodness?
That depends on our understanding of evil.

Before we can negate the ‘I’,
we must first designate what this ‘I’ is.
On investigation, this ‘I’ proves to be merely a load of fleeting ideas.
The ‘I’ is the obscuration, and therefore the source of evil.
Nothing more. Nothing less.

When this designated ‘I’ is seen as an impermanent occurrence,
what is left?

Pure consciousness.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged evil, Pure Consciousness., see no evil hear no evil speak no evil, Tsoknyi Rinpoche | 1 Comment

CAN THE BUDDHA HEAR ME?

Posted on June 30, 2016 by tony

Can The Buddha Hear Me?

This is such a delicate question:
Is it true, is it psychological,
or is it something more?

When we look at a cartoon, we don’t immediately consider how well it’s been drawn; we just identify with the message. We don’t take it literally; the drawing is just expedient to get the information across.

When we watch a film, it may be beautifully shot, with stunning colours and authentic sets and costumes, enhanced with clever CGI, but if the script is poor, it’s all pointless and will never be satisfying.

The same applies to music, art, the media, and the way in which we conduct ourselves in life. A person may dress well and speak eloquently, but have nothing to say.

In Vajrayana practice, we supplicate the ancient masters of the lineage as part of the practice. To be honest, I haven’t a clue who these Tibetan and Indian teachers are, or whether they are listening. If we adopt a culture that has a belief system, this may be beneficial; if walking around a stupa saying prayers (stupa: a huge concrete monument representing the Buddha, which is said to contain relics) works for us, that’s fine, but a day may come when we may find that we have doubts about it all. We may doubt about prostrating to the shrine and the teacher when entering a shrine room, while for others, this may work well and engender devotion. Where is this devotion taking place?

To counter our negative actions, we chant the hundred syllable manta. Does it work? It just reminds us not to do harm and – for me – to avoid being too confrontational. It does not purify me or make me perfect, but it’s a good reminder. If we repeat this mantra mechanically, it is just nonsense.

When we look at such activities, they are psychological events. They are meant to inspire, and thus sustain our practice.

It is said that, when we chant the names of the lineage, we receive blessings. But aren’t we really just opening our hearts and minds to possibilities and potentials? Is that not psychological?

Can the Buddha hear me? The answer is yes – because the Buddha is within, and not outside. We are Buddha nature. The Buddha’s message is that we understand this. It is the same message as Christ, although his teachings could be taken literally or expediently, and explained in many ways to suit the individual’s capacity.

On a personal note: four years ago, my wife and I stopped going to teachings and retreats and, to be honest, my insight has gone sky high since then. I’ve let go of ‘literalism’. This is not to say that teachings and retreats have no value. They have a huge benefit in forming a firm foundation for practice, and for conduct in life. I just found that too many people around me were being religious, taking everything literally, which creates fear…from constantly trying to be perfect – and more perfect than others!

When receiving the pointing out instruction – the direct pointing out of the nature of mind – many incantations and lineage names may be chanted by the teacher, creating a weighty atmosphere. There may be a ‘warm up’ first, explaining awareness and pure awareness, and then there’s a click of the fingers, and that’s it!

My reaction to the event was, “Is that all? … I knew that when I was four years old! … What a relief there is nothing more. … So what’s all that other stuff about?”

As human beings, we doubt ourselves, and anything that comes with confidence and splendour might cause us to have greater belief because it seems more special than something more ordinary – when that which is being realised is the most ordinary thing in the universe. Merely being aware. Mere consciousness.

Can the Buddha hear me?
Pure, conscious awareness
hears everything and sees everything we do.
It is the same reason God knows everything we do… 😀

How do you feel about that?
You don’t have to believe everything you hear.
Know your own knowingness.
We are that pure, conscious awareness.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged can god hear me, can the buddha hear me, pointing out instruction, psychological events and inner mind, pure conscious awareness, rigid religiousness | 1 Comment

FEELING SILLY ABOUT THE PAST?

Posted on June 29, 2016 by tony

Feeling Silly About The Past?
All those things we said and did..

Of course we feel regret, but we didn’t know better at the time. We are only silly if we are still doing and saying the same silly things. And everyone else feels the same way but hides it. When we understand this, we can feel empathy and compassion.

If someone comes up to you and says, “You are ignorant, grasping, self seeking and silly”, or they even ignore you, confident compassion will always show the way.

Somedays I feel really stupid, but that is just a product of the past. I do not feel stupid in the moment now!

Until enlightenment,
I will feel silly in the future
about what I am saying now!

😀

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Feeling Silly About The Past?, Until enlightenment. | 1 Comment

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