Seeing, Recognising & Maintaining One's Enlightening Potential

[C T]

[Cobie]

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Edited October 1, 2022 by Cobie

[C T]

[C T]

BUDDHA SPEAKS

All those who clearly understand the fact that enlightenment is everywhere come to the perfect wisdom with a marvelous insight that all objects and structures, just as they are in the present moment, are themselves enlightenment, both the way and the goal, being perfectly transparent to the ineffable. Those who experience the ineffable, known as Suchness, recognise that all structures are radiantly empty of self-existence.

 

Those who attain perfect wisdom are forever inspired by the conviction that the infinitely varied forms of this world, in all their relativity, far from being a hindrance and a dangerous distraction to the spiritual path, are really a healing medicine. Why? Because by the very fact that they are interdependent on each other and therefore have no separate self, they express the mystery and the energy of all embracing love. Not just illumined wise ones but every single being in the interconnected world is a dweller in the boundless infinity of love.

 

***Prajnaparamita

[steve]

On 10/1/2022 at 1:54 AM, Cobie said:

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A precious moment of awareness!

[steve]

“When you run after your thoughts, you are like a dog chasing a stick; every time a stick is thrown, you run after it. But if, instead, you look at where your thoughts are coming from, you will see that each thought arises and dissolves within the space of that awareness, without engendering other thoughts. Be like a lion, who rather than chasing after the stick, turns to face the thrower. One only throws a stick at a lion once.” 
~ H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche ~

 

 

[manitou]

On 10/10/2022 at 7:26 AM, C T said:

BUDDHA SPEAKS

All those who clearly understand the fact that enlightenment is everywhere come to the perfect wisdom with a marvelous insight that all objects and structures, just as they are in the present moment, are themselves enlightenment, both the way and the goal, being perfectly transparent to the ineffable. Those who experience the ineffable, known as Suchness, recognise that all structures are radiantly empty of self-existence.

 

Those who attain perfect wisdom are forever inspired by the conviction that the infinitely varied forms of this world, in all their relativity, far from being a hindrance and a dangerous distraction to the spiritual path, are really a healing medicine. Why? Because by the very fact that they are interdependent on each other and therefore have no separate self, they express the mystery and the energy of all embracing love. Not just illumined wise ones but every single being in the interconnected world is a dweller in the boundless infinity of love.

 

***Prajnaparamita

 

 

Everything I see, everything I touch, I find myself 'thanking'  from time to time.  I thank the intelligence within that form for knowing how to hold together,  knowing how to retain its shape.  I understand at a deeper level what Don Juan Mateus (Castaneda) meant, when he would say 'a shaman is never alone'.  The shaman would be the equivalent of the sage.  They both know that everything contains life and intelligence, and therefore can look at everything as friend.  Plants and objects are friends.  All of humanity is friend, because we all share the common stem, the common dna of our lives that lets human branches go their separate ways in appearance, but in reality are all connected by our common soul.  Apparently different conditionings make for different appearances and different actions.  There but for the grace of (insert yer word) go I.  And when I look into the eyes of another human or other being, that our souls are connecting just for an instant and the oneness of recognition is felt, however briefly.  This is an assumption-free zone.

 

 

[steve]

“First and foremost, we have to understand concretely how our mind is, how our body is, how our energy is, how everything can be limited, and how we are conditioned by these limitations. Before we can even think of directly discovering the nature of the mind, we have to discover our relative condition and become aware of it in every moment. If we do not proceed in this manner, we run the risk of building castles in the air that lead nowhere.”

~ Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

 

[steve]

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

 

~ Rabindranath Tagore

 

 

[C T]

Compassion 

 

MINDROLING KHANDRO RINPOCHE 

 

COMPASSION IS INTRINSIC

We have a confused society, in which everybody struggles to protect himself or herself, and where genuine, basic kindness itself seems so very difficult. But if we sit down and think about it, compassion and kindness aren't something that we have to learn from someone else. Kindness is the intrinsic nature; it is an intrinsic feeling that we all appreciate, and one really doesn't need especially to meditate or practice how to become a good person, how to refrain from harming another person, or to realize that killing, stealing, lying, and so on are negative. All of us [already] understand that.

 

 

 

SHABKAR reiterates.... 

 

If someone has compassion, he is a Buddha; Without compassion, he is Yama (Lord of Death).

 

With compassion, the root of Dharma is planted; Without compassion, the root of Dharma is rotten.

 

One with compassion is kind even when angry, one without compassion will kill even as he smiles.

 

For one with compassion, even his enemies will turn into friends,
Without compassion, even his friends turn into enemies.

 

With compassion, one has all Dharmas, without compassion, one has no Dharma at all.

 

With compassion, one is a Buddhist, without compassion, one is worse than a heretic.

 

Even if meditating on voidness, one needs compassion as its essence.
A Dharma practitioner must have a compassionate nature.

 

Compassion is the distinctive characteristic of Buddhism.

 

Compassion is the very essence of all Dharma. Great compassion is like a wish-fulfilling gem. Great compassion will fulfill the hopes of self and others.

 

Therefore, all of you, practitioners and laypeople, cultivate compassion and you will achieve Buddhahood.

 

May all men and women who hear this song, with great compassion, benefit all beings!

 

- from the book "The Life of Shabkar: The Autobiography of a Tibetan Yogin"

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by C T

[steve]

Many modern students follow teachers around and accumulate empowerments and transmissions and take many teachings. But this is not a substitute for practice. Pure students don’t hang around the teachers that much. They come for instruction, or guidance, or clarification, and then they go off and practice.

– Mingyur Rinpoche

 

 

[C T]

The episodic nature of life gives the impression of personal continuity, when in fact, the only continuity is a consciousness that is entirely impersonal yet radiant. ~ Paramito

[C T]

The sense of 'self' is that which painfully calcifies around fluid sense experience. ~ Paramito

[C T]

To be a hermit doesn't just mean to live in the deep forest; it means that one's mind is free from dualistic constructs. ~ Padmasambhava

[steve]

when I believe that my path is the only correct path or that it is the best path for others, I am already lost 

 

 

 

 

[steve]

 

I saw many practitioners who spent many years in the [Dzogchen] Community, and succeeded in learning to avoid an honest look at themselves. And I'm convinced, even now that I wrote these lines, many of you have already read them and say to yourself: ′"This is not me, he is talking about another." Here is a good awareness practice to follow: once in the mind will arise a critical assessment of another person, switch up immediately and try on this judgment on yourself. Then, instead of developing your negative judgements, you can really succeed in the development of your awareness. This is one of the meanings of the symbol 'mirror'.

 

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

[C T]

Advice to a spiritual friend:

 

Thoughts come and go, the ephemeral play of conscious mind, which in its essence remains always pure and lucid in its own undisturbed clear-light awareness.

 

Expectations always carry us away from the simplicity of perfection that constitutes the ungraspable present moment. So long as we are carried away, we will suffer all the hopes, fears, expectations and desires of an unsettled mind.

 

No matter what arises, there is always the peace of the knowing that cessation is the natural fruit of arising...'all that arises ceases and is not-self!'

 

May you re-find your own inner peace this day, far removed from the disturbances of the discursive mind and the variegated play of outer and inner sense impressions.

 

~ Paramito 

[steve]

And even that expectation is pure and perfect provided we are undisturbed and continue to rest and be fully open in its presence.

[Cobie]

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Edited February 17, 2023 by Cobie

[steve]

Happy Guru Rinpoche Day everybody!

 

"Like space, mind is spontaneously present from the beginning. Like the sun, it is free from any basis for the darkness of ignorance. Like a lotus flower, it is untainted by faults. Like gold, it doesn't alter its own nature. Like the ocean, it is unmoving. Like a river, it is unceasing."

 

~ Guru Rinpoche, from the book Advice From the Lotus-Born: A Collection of Padmasambhava’s Advice To The Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal And Other Close Disciples

 

 

 

[Mithras]

6 minutes ago, steve said:

Happy Guru Rinpoche Day everybody!

 

"Like space, mind is spontaneously present from the beginning. Like the sun, it is free from any basis for the darkness of ignorance. Like a lotus flower, it is untainted by faults. Like gold, it doesn't alter its own nature. Like the ocean, it is unmoving. Like a river, it is unceasing."

 

~ Guru Rinpoche, from the book Advice From the Lotus-Born: A Collection of Padmasambhava’s Advice To The Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal And Other Close Disciples

 

 

 

Guru Rinpoche you stand a bit tall

[steve]

8 minutes ago, Mithras said:

Guru Rinpoche you stand a bit tall

 

Especially when seated!

[C T]

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Edited February 1, 2023 by C T

[steve]

On karma:

"Every motivation is 'photographed' by the seventh consciousness (of afflictive emotion), stored on the film of the eighth (Kunzhi Namshe), and developed in the dark room of the bardo for you to see. This process also happens in dreams."

A. Holecek

 

 

 

[Miffymog]

1 hour ago, steve said:

On karma:

"Every motivation is 'photographed' by the seventh consciousness (of afflictive emotion), stored on the film of the eighth (Kunzhi Namshe), and developed in the dark room of the bardo for you to see. This process also happens in dreams."

A. Holecek

 

 

 

 

God sees everything.

 

Or from my own interpretation, your own conscience does.

When I firstly reflected on God seeing everything, it almost felt slightly intrusive.

 

But after a period of time, I felt a sense of freedom from the fact I couldn't hide anything, because this means there's actually nothing to hide (mildly strange logic there).

 

And if you believe there's a loving god, then you don't need to hide anything anyway.

 

(but is this still slightly intrusive, what about all the sexual bits?)