BigSkyDiamond Posted August 2 (edited) On 6/5/2025 at 11:01 AM, steve said: I have a suggestion about Awakening the Luminous Mind. The first half of the book describes a core meditation practice, a lifetime practice if it speaks to you. It is very simple but not necessarily easy. My own experience was that after years of practicing other methods, the techniques described in the first part of this book generated tangible, practical results very rapidly. I recommend you spend some real, quality time with this before getting too immersed in the second half of the book i ordered the book after reading the above post. And this practice is exactly what I needed. Results indeed. Thank you so much for this recommendation. On 6/5/2025 at 11:01 AM, steve said: ...easy for the mind to be activated and become an obstacle to deeper, non-conceptual understanding. ...pointing to discoveries made through the core practices with stillness, silence, and spaciousness. ... teachers who emphasize practice over theory. It is the best approach for me as I tend to be too much in my head. Bingo, yes, me too i especially like about this practice also that it includes inner refuge, which offers the elements of comfort safety protection and nurturing. That is my experience with it thus far, soothing and warm. It is a respite from spinning thoughts, and feels restorative. Edited August 2 by BigSkyDiamond 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
forestofclarity Posted September 22 According to Dzogchen instructions, there are three points to remember. First, track down the dualistic mind or normal attention. Second, discover the mind’s secret identity, what dualistic mind has hidden away. Third, reveal its vanishing point. To track down means to investigate how the attentive quality of dualistic mind behaves, where it comes from, where it is right now, and where it goes. The second point, discovering mind’s secret identity, is actually finding out what mind is, namely, a seeming presence—there is no thing there. It is just some behavior that is mistaken for being a real thing while actually there is no thing there whatsoever. It is only when we investigate that we discover that this attentive quality is not a thing, that it has fooled us. It is called a nonexistent or seeming presence. The last point—revealing the vanishing point of dualistic mind—refers to the fact that the moment you look for this attentive quality and what it is made of, you discover that there is no actual thing. It simply vanishes every time you look. This is the Dzogchen approach: finding out what dualistic mind really is. --- Adeu Rinpoche, from Freedom in Bondage 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bradley Posted September 24 On 9/23/2025 at 2:26 AM, forestofclarity said: dualistic mind or normal attention Thanks for keeping this thread going. I very much like it. It was interesting he equates the dualistic mind to attention. I have heard things about dropping your attention (actually your intention of attention) in meditation, but not stated in such a way that the dualistic mind IS attention. If anyone has thoughts on this would love to hear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
forestofclarity Posted September 24 4 hours ago, bradley said: Thanks for keeping this thread going. I very much like it. It was interesting he equates the dualistic mind to attention. I have heard things about dropping your attention (actually your intention of attention) in meditation, but not stated in such a way that the dualistic mind IS attention. If anyone has thoughts on this would love to hear. I'll link the article. A good thing to work with non-conceptually. Another part of the same excerpt: Quote According to Dzogchen, when your shamatha practice is simply remaining in a neutral, indifferent state without any thought activity whatsoever, this is known as the all-ground. It is simply a way of being free of thought involvement. Moreover, when attention becomes active within the expanse of the all-ground, that activity is known as dualistic mind. When the dividing line between stillness and thought occurrence fades away, and the strength of attention is intensified, rigpa, or pure awareness, is revealed. Depending on whether one is using the Mahamudra or Dzogchen approach, there are different terminologies, but the actual training is essentially the same. https://www.lionsroar.com/dzogchen-mahamudra-two-great-paths/ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
forestofclarity Posted September 27 Quote There may be effort involved in crushing the tender petals of flowers, but there is no effort involved in attaining Self-realization. All one's efforts is directed towards the removal of obstacles in the form of attachments, doubts and negative impressions. When the cloud is dispersed, the moon reveals itself without any effort. In crushing a flower, one need's to exercise one's fingertips; but in attaining Realization, one needs to transcend even the subtle functions of the intellect, not to mention the functions of the body. In fact, there is no mental or physical tension needed in order to sustain the Wisdom of the Self. Yoga Vasitha, 1:18, trans Swami Jyotirmayananda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lairg Posted September 27 When the cloud is dispersed, the moon reveals itself without any effort. There are more preconditions than that - including intent and alignment Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
