Seeing, Recognising & Maintaining One's Enlightening Potential

[C T]

Devotion is the Single Remedy
 

"In Buddhism, particularly in the Vajrayana, devotion is very important. With devotion, you appreciate and respect the lineage masters and their teachings, and you stop doubting, hesitating, and searching. Your mind becomes firm, rich, and moist like good soil. With devotion, you are content and realize that everything you have is very precious. Your beautiful qualities bloom, and you see the beautiful qualities in others more vividly than before. You settle into your true nature. Devotion does all this. This is why the Buddha repeatedly said in the tantras that true realization is born from devotion combined with bodhichitta. There is no other method. 

 

The importance of devotion is emphasized not only in the Vajrayana, but throughout the Buddha’s teachings. The Vinaya—renowned as the foundation teaching of the Buddha—talks about devotion. Examine any Mahayana sutra and you’ll read about the importance of devotion. Read the 100,000, 20,000, or 8,000 stanza volumes of the Prajnaparamita teachings—devotion is stressed throughout. The life story of the Buddha himself is a testament to devotion. The Buddha’s realization did not just come by itself. No one handed it to him; it was the fruit of his devotion. This is why the Buddha said that if you do not open the door of devotion, the light of realization will not shine. In the Mahayana sutra of the Light of the Three Jewels, the Buddha said that devotion is like a hand that gathers every good quality, without which we cannot gather and hold what is good. He also said that devotion is like the feet, without which we cannot walk the path of enlightenment."

 

~ Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches
Pointing Out the Nature of Mind:
Dzogchen Pith Instructions of Aro Yeshe Jungne (pgs 129-130)

[C T]

Definition of a Bodhisattva 
 

As for some further explanation of the term “bodhisattva”, its definition is very specific. Sometimes “bodhisattva” is misunderstood as simply meaning somebody who has concern for other sentient beings, and who cares for them. Although this is very good, and constitutes one of a bodhisattva’s ways of dealing with others, it does not make a person a bodhisattva.

 

The defining characteristic of a bodhisattva is the development of bodhichitta, the wish to attain enlightenment in order to benefit beings; once this wish has arisen one becomes a bodhisattva.

 

When we like to give people food, clothing, and shelter, this is very good; a bodhisattva should do these things if it is the best he or she can do, but through such actions alone we will not become bodhisattvas. A bodhisattva is someone who is inspired by the aspiration to realize enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. This is bodhichitta, the characteristic of a bodhisattva. To understand this definition is quite important, as it describes somebody who is wise as opposed to someone who is a very good person but not necessarily enlightened. Thus, the definition of who is a bodhisattva is directly related to enlightenment, to buddhahood.

 

The Tibetan expression for bodhichitta is ‘jang chub kyi sem’. Here, ‘jang chub’ means “enlightenment”, and ‘sem’ means “mind”; ‘kyi’ is a particle indicating that “enlightenment” describes a type of “mind”. Thus the phrase means “mind of enlightenment”, or “mind focused on enlightenment”. The word for bodhisattva, ‘jang chub sem pa’, means one who has this ‘jang chub kyi sem’. The word for buddhahood also uses these terms: it is called ‘jang chub kyi go pang’, or “the state of enlightenment”. So all these are interrelated; in this way the term “bodhisattva” is totally connected with enlightenment.

 

~ Tai Situ Rinpoche

[C T]

Buddhism is not saying that objects have no beauty whatsoever. They do have beauty. The craving mind, however, projects onto an object something that is beyond the relative level, which has nothing to do with that object. That mind is hallucinating, deluded and holding the wrong entity.

 

~ Lama Yeshe

The Hallucinating Mind

[Jeff]

Remove your own impurities

Little by little.

Or as iron is corroded by rust

Your own mischief will consume you.

Neglected, the sacred verses rust.

For beauty rusts without use

And unrepaired the house falls into ruin,

And the watch, without vigilance, fails.

In this world and the next

There is impurity and impurity:

When a woman lacks dignity,

When a man lacks generosity.

But the greatest impurity is ignorance.

Free yourself from it.

 

-From the Dhammapada

Edited September 16, 2015 by Jeff

[C T]

"To get to the essential meaning, it is important not to limit yourself to Shamatha meditation. When you practice Shamatha by itself you have a goal. You are focusing your mind on an object, and trying to stop thoughts. This means that there is effort and grasping in Shamatha. Shamatha is and will always be a duality practice. To realize the nature of your mind, you need a meditation that is based on nondual awareness. This means that you need Vipashyana and Dzogchen meditation. Vipashyana and Dzogchen practice means to be relaxed, casual, and to let go of everything. At the same time, do not be distracted.

 

Shamatha is spontaneously present in good Vipashyana and Dzogchen practice without having to struggle. The moment you’re relaxed and undisturbed by thoughts, you attain the perfect stability and peace of the most advanced Shamatha meditation. You can reach this state at any time—just look at your own mind. The moment you look, there is nothing to see and nothing to hold. Do not look for anything else, just glide along in that state. Of course, a thought will arise. Let it come, let it be, and let it go. Maintain this state, and keep letting go of thoughts when they arise. Turn on your mindfulness radar so that you will not swing back into duality.

 

The great master Shigpo Dudtsi reiterates: when a thought comes up, simply let it go and remain in your present state of awareness. Do not analyze and interpret any thought. By practicing in this way, each and every thought will evaporate into primordial wisdom awareness quite naturally. When you remain relaxed and free, letting thoughts come and go without grasping, you are truly meditating. The Dzogchen Semde text known as Lung Rabsal, the Clear Bright Teaching, says that meditation means “abiding in the natural state,” and that any other kind of meditation is like the husk on corn—just a temporary cover.

 

If you’re not abiding in the natural state, all of your efforts are nothing more than the activities of samsara. The moment you recognize the natural state, samsara collapses and the beautiful, rich qualities of your mind begin to shine. These inherent goodness qualities are collectively known as “great blissfulness.” But if you don’t know how to rest in the natural state, “great blissfulness” is just a name. The Dzogchen teachings explicitly state that people who want to experience great blissfulness as a living reality must stop grasping thoughts, and relax without effort in the natural state. The teachings are quite clear that delusion is not liberated by force, but by letting go."

 

~ Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches
The Beauty of Awakened Mind:
Dzogchen Lineage of the Great Master Shigpo Dudtsi (pgs 161-162)

[C T]

For each of us, this little life is precious

 

I was walking with one of my students just before lunch yesterday and he found this squirrel, its back was broken and we picked it up and we sat with it for a while, trying to figure out what to do with this poor little thing. It wasn’t dead, I couldn’t work out how close to death it was and so what to do? And so I’m thinking, well, there’s part of this poor animal that is going to be in shock by being held by these brutes that it spends its entire life running away from; and part of me is feeling to give it as much love and care as I possibly could. So as I looked deeply at it, it was obviously suffering and yet was so surrendered, there was something so graceful about it in its suffering. He was a young male squirrel in his prime. He may well have just fallen from his tree chasing his young love. Looking at him he seemed perfect.

 

We held this poor little creature and then we thought; well let’s leave it somewhere peaceful so that if it dies it dies in its own environment. And we left it there in the long grass in the shade of a tree and I sent love to it as we meditated later and then I felt ‘Oh gosh, you know, dying alone. The poor thing’. And I thought, ‘have I done the right thing?’ – So I went and told Sati , my wife, who was cooking in the kitchen– and she said, ‘oh no, where is it, where is it?’ So we went and we brought it in and she picked it up and she held it in her hands and looking down at this dear creature in its plight. That is not something going on in your head. That connection to this experience that we are all sharing is not something going on in your head. And there it is, the life of this little thing, the life it has, in peril and it’s going to die. There is nothing you can do to help it but be with it. My first instinct had been to put it in nature in a quiet place so it could be left in peace and having done that I thought, ‘no, be with this little thing,’ and Sati held it, and she went to get, as she does, warm milk, and tried to feed it warm milk on the tip of her finger. And then at one point it’s little hand grabbed her finger, and it opened its eyes one last time…and there was something in its eyes, it was saying, ‘I see you, I’m here with you. You are here with me.’ And as it opened its eyes and passed away there was such an overwhelming feeling that it had been met.

 

Now how can you explain that? You can’t explain it, but you can feel it. Experiences such as this go on at a level far deeper than just our ideas. We know we’re sharing an experience and we feel it deeply even though we haven’t figured it out in our minds. This is ability to be fully in our experience, is something that goes on at the heart level. It is at this level that we are actually connected, and it has nothing to do with our ideas. It is when we start to lose that ability to connect and to feel that we start to lose the essence of what it is to be human. We need to reflect, what might it mean to lose that deep connection to life, because in the rush of life, and the overstimulation that comes with it these days, we all too often don’t have the time or attention to be deeply with the things that are going on around us all the time. As that little animal died in Sati’s arms, of course she felt bereft, stroking it, crying; ‘oh no, don’t die, please don’t die.’ And she sat with it for half and hour hoping that it would open up its little eyes again…and I could feel her pain, and who would want to lose the ability to feel that? And yet… We all too easily do…

 

Burgs

Edited September 17, 2015 by C T

[C T]

Try to imagine what it's like when this moment of empty cognizance suffused with awareness starts to last for a full hour, unbroken. The very first moment of empty cognizance already has the potential for full omniscience, as well as the potential for compassion and loving kindness - the potential ability to protect and help other beings, as well as to manifest the activity that functions for the welfare of all. All these qualities are present, but not fully manifest. The longer this duration lasts, the more the qualities become visible, actualized. They don't just appear later on, when realization is fully experienced. When the sun rises in the morning, do we have to wait for it to shine for it to be warm and brilliant? Although the noon sun may be stronger than the dawn sun, all of its qualities are present from the very first moment, though they may not be fully manifested. It's the same in this training. What is essential is to train in order to attain stability.

 

Please understand that 'rangjung yeshe', self-existing wakefulness, is primordially endowed with all perfect qualities. The qualities of enlightenment are not a fabrication or a product. They are not a new achievement, an unprecedented new discovery, or something that we achieve. They are present from the very beginning. It's like the unchanging brilliance of the sun shining in the sky. It can be obscured by clouds, but these clouds are neither primordial nor intrinsic to the sky; they are always temporary, momentary. What prevents full realization of our innate nature of self-existing wakefulness is the momentary occurrence of thoughts and fixation. Because this occurrence is momentary, it can be cleared away. It's very important to understand this.

 

~ Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

[C T]

"Bodhichitta is the foundation of Dzogchen practice. All the Dzogchen masters teach this same thing. Therefore, when you begin any practice session, visualize the objects of refuge in the sky in front of you, and generate love and compassion for all sentient beings. Then take refuge. Bodhichitta and refuge can be a complete practice. If you’re practicing this way, after taking refuge, receive the blessings. Visualize that the objects of refuge dissolve into light, which then dissolves into you. Now meditate on the Dzogchen state. Relax your mind without blocking, grasping, or analyzing thoughts. Be open and awake; let everything come and go without your interfering in any way. Then dedicate the merit."

 

~ Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches
The Beauty of Awakened Mind:
Dzogchen Lineage of the Great Master Shigpo Dudtsi (pg 49)

[C T]

"The Buddha’s complete teaching is contained in the Inner Tantras of the Vajrayana. The Inner Tantras are based on and contain the entire Hinayana, Mahayana, and Outer Tantra teachings, and at the same time go beyond them. In his Inner Tantra teachings, the Buddha said the nature of the ego and of all phenomena is empty—this remains the same. In addition the Buddha highlighted the blissful nature of emptiness.

 

The entire universe is the mandala of bliss-emptiness, and every sentient being is also the mandala of bliss-emptiness. Bliss-emptiness is the true and ever-present nature of reality, but we don’t experience it because we cling to and are obscured by our duality conceptions. The Buddha gave many different teachings to free us from duality; these can be summarized as the Visualization Stage and Completion Stage practices. The Visualization Stage practices, which involve concentrating on and actualizing enlightened body, speech, and mind, are Shamatha. The Completion Stage practices are Vipashyana.

 

Although the Visualization and Completion Stages have different names, they’re not separate or distinct from one another. Through Visualization Stage practice we realize bliss, and through Completion Stage practice we realize emptiness. Bliss is emptiness, emptiness is bliss, and realizing their unity as the true nature of everything is enlightenment. It takes a very long time to accomplish this realization through the Hinayana and Mahayana teachings. Yet the Vajrayana teachings of the Buddha, particularly the Inner Tantras, connect us to this enlightened state directly and powerfully, and in very little time we can accomplish this realization. That’s why it’s called Vajrayana, which means 'Diamond Path.'"

 

~ Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches
The Beauty of Awakened Mind:
Dzogchen Lineage of the Great Master Shigpo Dudtsi (pg 51)

[C T]

One is not capable of achieving one’s salvation by one’s own conscious effort. In fact, it is the very realization that one is so incapable that leads to the transformation that constitutes real Buddhist wisdom: namely, the awakening to non-self.

 

~ David Brazier

[idiot_stimpy]

One is not capable of achieving one’s salvation by one’s own conscious effort. In fact, it is the very realization that one is so incapable that leads to the transformation that constitutes real Buddhist wisdom: namely, the awakening to non-self.

 

~ David Brazier

 

Such a powerful realisation that I need constant reminders about. Contrived mediation/zazen, silent illumination. 

[steve]

One is not capable of achieving one’s salvation by one’s own conscious effort. In fact, it is the very realization that one is so incapable that leads to the transformation that constitutes real Buddhist wisdom: namely, the awakening to non-self.

 

~ David Brazier

 

While there is much truth in this statement, it is a partial truth. 

Most people require much more effort than the simple realization that conscious effort is not their salvation.

I like the words of Peter Fenner in this regard - 'If I didn't do what I didn't need to do, I wouldn't know I didn't need to do it!'

 

The first nail of the Twenty One Nails, a teaching from the Bön canon, addresses this very point. 

The Buddhist teachings include a variety of approaches which are appropriate for practitioners at multiple levels of development.

Beginners generally require quite a bit of conscious effort to gain control of the unruly and undisciplined mind.

With time and experience, less effort is required, and at some point all effort must be released.

Even the subtle effort associated with releasing must be let go eventually.

 

I suspect Mr. Brazier has exerted quite a bit of conscious effort along his path to come to this realization.

Unfortunately, I suspect we each must go through this for ourselves.

The words are just not enough.

[C T]

While there is much truth in this statement, it is a partial truth. 

Most people require much more effort than the simple realization that conscious effort is not their salvation.

I like the words of Peter Fenner in this regard - 'If I didn't do what I didn't need to do, I wouldn't know I didn't need to do it!'

 

The first nail of the Twenty One Nails, a teaching from the Bön canon, addresses this very point. 

The Buddhist teachings include a variety of approaches which are appropriate for practitioners at multiple levels of development.

Beginners generally require quite a bit of conscious effort to gain control of the unruly and undisciplined mind.

With time and experience, less effort is required, and at some point all effort must be released.

Even the subtle effort associated with releasing must be let go eventually.

 

I suspect Mr. Brazier has exerted quite a bit of conscious effort along his path to come to this realization.

Unfortunately, I suspect we each must go through this for ourselves.

The words are just not enough.

I guess Mr Brazier must have hit a wall more than once, and finally gave up, at which point he gained insight into the futility of effort, thereupon, feeling extreme compassion for all fellow beings, uttered the words above, in the hope that others will not need to go thru similar. It is totally valid (for him), coming from his experience, to conclude how he had attained to the truth of selfless awakening. 

[manitou]

Eckhart Tolle says a wonderful thing - that suffering burns the ego out.  Physical suffering, mental suffering.  We are to suffer, apparently, until we realize we don't have to.

 

When we develop the ability to stop labeling things as Good or Bad, this too is the end of suffering.  The Is-ness is what we must walk through - those things that we have somehow attracted to ourselves because our inner I Am knows exactly what it needs for development of enlightenment.  It is constantly trying to shed ego by making ego appear over and over until the surrender is reached.

 

The error of thinking that we can somehow control Life is what needs to be surrendered.  It is all just part of the form-world, the 10,000 things.  For enlightened living, we must face what's in front of us with honesty and love.  And this includes honesty and love for ourselves and each other.  The inner honesty is found by 'gnowing' ourself - through self examination, and one of the best ways is to see yourself in another's eyes.  Are we getting into arguments often?  What is it that we're trying to protect?  If we're arguing often, our ego is running rampant and protecting itself.  Surrendering to the fact that other people have a point of view that's just as valid as our own is part of the equation.

 

Some people actively look for the faults in themselves.  Some folks wait for them to be exposed in meditation, following their own thoughts to their genesis.  There are any number of ways to break down the ego, which creates the illusion of being a separate entity from the rest of humanity.

 

What's the best way to love in this situation?  That's a good question to ask ourselves during the day.  Sometimes Love means just listening to someone, perhaps someone that no one else wants to listen to...but just giving a little of your time.  After all, when you look into someone's eyes and seeing their black pupils, this is the void of Awareness - the pupils.  There is a network, invisible, but extending pupil to pupil, whether it be human or animal.  This is 'God' seeing itself, Life reaffirming that which Is, and seemingly growing in its own direction.  I'm pretty sure the end of the path is Love, although it seems like anything but in the world today.  But sometimes it must get messy before Life straightens itself out.  We just need to Leave Life Alone.

Edited September 27, 2015 by manitou

[steve]

I guess Mr Brazier must have hit a wall more than once, and finally gave up, at which point he gained insight into the futility of effort, thereupon, feeling extreme compassion for all fellow beings, uttered the words above, in the hope that others will not need to go thru similar. It is totally valid (for him), coming from his experience, to conclude how he had attained to the truth of selfless awakening. 

Agreed

And yet, would he have reached that point without his conscious effort?

Hence my comment - it's important for us to do what we need to do when we need to do it and not give up on active processes while they are supporting us. 

I think we can sometimes allow our intellect to think we've progressed farther than we have only to fall back into confusion.

I've done it.

Edited September 27, 2015 by steve

[steve]

Eckhart Tolle says a wonderful thing - that suffering burns the ego out.  Physical suffering, mental suffering.  We are to suffer, apparently, until we realize we don't have to.

 

When we develop the ability to stop labeling things as Good or Bad, this too is the end of suffering.  The Is-ness is what we must walk through - those things that we have somehow attracted to ourselves because our inner I Am knows exactly what it needs for development of enlightenment.  It is constantly trying to shed ego by making ego appear over and over until the surrender is reached.

 

The error of thinking that we can somehow control Life is what needs to be surrendered.  It is all just part of the form-world, the 10,000 things.  For enlightened living, we must face what's in front of us with honesty and love.  And this includes honesty and love for ourselves and each other.  The inner honesty is found by 'gnowing' ourself - through self examination, and one of the best ways is to see yourself in another's eyes.  Are we getting into arguments often?  What is it that we're trying to protect?  If we're arguing often, our ego is running rampant and protecting itself.  Surrendering to the fact that other people have a point of view that's just as valid as our own is part of the equation.

 

Some people actively look for the faults in themselves.  Some folks wait for them to be exposed in meditation, following their own thoughts to their genesis.  There are any number of ways to break down the ego, which creates the illusion of being a separate entity from the rest of humanity.

 

What's the best way to love in this situation?  That's a good question to ask ourselves during the day.  Sometimes Love means just listening to someone, perhaps someone that no one else wants to listen to...but just giving a little of your time.  After all, when you look into someone's eyes and seeing their black pupils, this is the void of Awareness - the pupils.  There is a network, invisible, but extending pupil to pupil, whether it be human or animal.  This is 'God' seeing itself, Life reaffirming that which Is, and seemingly growing in its own direction.  I'm pretty sure the end of the path is Love, although it seems like anything but in the world today.  But sometimes it must get messy before Life straightens itself out.  We just need to Leave Life Alone.

Beautiful and awakened post as ever manitou.

I just read about an interesting new experimental verification of quantum entanglement.

That pupillary connection, that love that we feel seems to me to be empirical evidence of entanglement in our lives.

No need for scientific verification for us to see the connection and see its importance in our lives.

[manitou]

When a dog barks at you, although he's only knee high to you, he doesn't look at your knees.  He looks at your eyes.  The web of awareness if astounding when you start thinking about it.  Castaneda talks about this web quite a bit.

[C T]

The tendency to concoct tenuous comparisons in time and space, to cling to artificial preferences fabricated from insubstantial clouds of thought, creates all the dissatisfaction that lies outside the immediate peace of just this moment. ~ Paramito Ladakh

[steve]

The tendency to concoct tenuous comparisons in time and space, to cling to artificial preferences fabricated from insubstantial clouds of thought, creates all the dissatisfaction that lies outside the immediate peace of just this moment. ~ Paramito Ladakh

 

I can feel the air, the space, and the restfulness in this beautiful phrase.

How eloquent, concise, and comprehensive all at once. 

 

 

 

[steve]

PS - this is probably my favorite thread on this site.

 

Thank you CT

[C T]

 happy to share.. 

[manitou]

I can feel the air, the space, and the restfulness in this beautiful phrase.

How eloquent, concise, and comprehensive all at once. 

 

 

 

 

 

This just knocks me out to look at it.  Somehow it emanates all the way into the center of the heart.  Instant peace.  What does the character mean, Steve?

[C T]

This just knocks me out to look at it.  Somehow it emanates all the way into the center of the heart.  Instant peace.  What does the character mean, Steve?

Primordial wisdom...

 

[C T]

[manitou]

Well, it feels like primordial wisdom.  It hits hard, if a heart is ready to receive.