perjantai 11. maaliskuuta 2016

Basics of Natural Awareness (Dzogchen) Part 1

Basics of Natural Awareness 
Part 1 (Dzogchen)

Here, I'd like to present some information of the basics of great perfection (tib. dzogchen) as passed to yours truly by the great mahasiddha Vimalamitra. I've mentioned these two aspects of natural awareness or knowing awareness (tib. rigpa) briefly here. Later I will add another text on this topic covering two more aspects of rigpa.

The reader may keep in mind, that the author's knowledge of dzogchen has not been derived from the exponents of the traditional orthodox Tibetan dzogchen but directly from the mentioned master or masters. In this text, I compare the teachings received by yours truly with a traditional presentation of dzogchen by H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama.



Rigpa


Rigpa which could be translated as "knowing awareness" is a term often heard in Tibetan buddhism and dzogchen. This term, rigpa, points out to a distinct state of our awareness which is natural, unobstructed and always present. Rigpa is described as the "ground" of our being. For a meditator, these description give clear hints of what this rigpa actually is. When elements of thought and emotion subside, the ground of awareness becomes revealed. This is the primary purpose of meditation and spiritual practices, to know ourselves as open spaciousness, as awareness, devoid of any entity.

Dalai Lama* on rigpa: "Generally speaking, when we use the word sem, we are referring to mind when it is temporarily obscured and distorted by thoughts based upon dualistic perceptions of subject and object. When we are discussing pure awareness, genuine consciousness or awareness free of such distorting thought patterns, then the term rigpa is employed".




Aspects of rigpa


In traditional Tibetan dzogchen, rigpa is presented in four different ways. Pure awareness is said to have four aspects to it. Terms of the first two aspects used in traditional Tibetan dzogchen are:

1. Gzhi rigpa - Basis of knowing (gzhi - basis, rigpa - knowing)
2. Ngobo rigpa - Essence of knowing (ngobo/ngowoi - essence, rigpa - knowing)

From Dalai Lama's book* we can find the next translations of these terms:

Gzhi-ground
Rigpa - awareness, pure awareness
Gzhi rigpa - ground awareness/rigpa
Ngobo rigpa - essential awareness/rigpa

As the meanings of these terms are difficult to grasp, I'd like to translate them in the light of my own experience, as transmitted and received from my master.

The two aspects of rigpa can be described as:

1. Thoughtless awareness (gzhi rigpa) and
2. Thoughtless awareness imbued with life and love (ngobo rigpa)



As an experience


First, we have a state of awareness which is devoid of any sort of thought or emotion (gzhi rigpa). Here, thoughtlessness should be taken literally as "no mental content" at all. This thoughtless awareness is the ground or basis of our being, again devoid of entity. Getting to know awareness without any mental stuff is sort of the first "relief" that a beginner of meditation meets with. But again, for it to qualify as gzhi rigpa, according to Vimalamitra, it has to be entirely without thought. This can be accessed briefly, for a second or two, by most beginners and the longer one continues to practice, the more sustained it becomes. The key is to return to it again and again.

The second aspect of ngobo or ngowoi rigpa, is based on the first one, throughtlessness, but has an additional flavour to it, that of extremely sweet lovingness. When speaking of lovingness or lifeness of rigpa, it should be remembered that the love which is referred to here is not gross emotion common to biased mind but rather very subtle one combined with extreme clarity of awareness. Thoughtlessness, emotionlessness, sweetness and clarity are simultaneous. So, the first rigpa is thoughtless and the second is both thoughtless as well as imbued with pure aliveness, pure sweetness. 

It's pretty simple and anyone can glimpse it briefly for their benefit. However, despite of the simplicity of it, it should be said that when speaking of a really comprehensive recognition of rigpa, one has completely and permanently extinguished the confused mind (purity of mind). This is the minimum requirement for it. In the Open Heart Bhumi Model, this would refer to the 6th bhumi or higher.


Conclusion


From this explanation we can come to understand that these aspects of rigpa are not something lofty or distant. Rather, these aspects of pure awareness are the ground of each of us. When in one way or the other the obscured dualistic mind (tib. sem) is momentarily bypassed, the knowing awareness reveals itself and recognises itself. With further practice, this natural recognition becomes extended while the obscured mind gradually looses it's grip. For a fully blown master (mahasiddha/buddha) this state is uninterrupted.

I hope this explanation sheds some light on these commonly used terms.

Thank you for reading. 

- Baba Kim Katami




Open Heart
www.openheart.fi

*Dalai Lama's book: Dzogchen, Heart Essence of the Great Perfection, Snow Lion.

Related links
 

keskiviikko 9. maaliskuuta 2016

Morals of awareness

Morals of awareness

I recently came across this quote by the honoured Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche:

"If we lose nonduality, and if buddhism really puts the importance to morality, it will become very dangerous, because then the value of a practitioner will be judged by who is morally good or right, and this is very dangerous. Somebody could be very good with morality, but they may have no compassion. They may not have the understanding of the truth. And because there is no understanding of the truth, there is no compassion. Morality actually becomes sort of pillar of our pride and arrogance. So the whole purpose of morality is again defeated. Therefore, the morality of buddhism has to accompany with nonduality." 

I would like to present a simple exercise for the reader in order for you to discover the source of common morals and ethics of man. 

If you are not famililar with the idea of selflessness of awareness before, read this for orientation.

1. First, sit down in a good relaxed posture. Close your eyes. Take a few deeper breaths if you feel like it. Then let the breath be on it's own. Scan the inside of the physical body. Be alert to notice any tentions. As you notice tensions, allow them to be released. When a tension releases, what is found from the place of the released tension? Look carefully to find that out... What you find is open space. Good. Continue releasing other tensions by going through the whole body space. No hurry, do it carefully with time and everytime a tension is released notice that open space in the place of the former tension. As you keep doing this for a couple of minutes the small areas of open space begins to feel like one unified field of open space that is both in and out of the physical body. Check if this is so. Make notice of this and marinate in that space. Rest in that with time with some sharpness of mind so that you don't become drowsy or distracted.

2. As the open space of awareness is revealed, let's investigate it in the context of common morals. As you go through each of these questions, see, sense and perceive if what is suggested seems true or not. Do not investigate these questions in your mind on the level of thought. Rather, see if these questions can be answered on the level of direct experience, on the level of open and clear awareness.

  • Honesty. If open awareness could think, talk and act, would it act honestly or dishonestly? Would it deceive others? How does the idea of dishonesty resonate in the space of open awareness? Does it match with it? See which idea is in line with the morals of open awareness itself.
  • Non-violence. If open awareness could think, talk and act, would it act non-violently or violently? Would it harm oneself or others in any way? If it had one, would it ever raise it's fist to hurt others from the motive of violence? Would it kill? Does the idea of self-centered violence match with open awareness? See which idea is in line with the morals of open awareness itself.
  • Kindness. If open awareness could think, talk and act, would it act kindly or unkindly? Would it offer kindness to others when it is needed? See which idea is in line with the morals of open awareness itself.
  • Greed. If open awareness could think, talk and act, would it act from greed or  generosity? If it could act, would it try to get more, possibly with the expense of others? Or would it generously give to those who are in need without holding back? See which idea is in line with the morals of open awareness itself.

Through this experiment it becomes clear that awareness itself, which is without a self and is nondual, is the source of common morals. This experiment shows you within your own mind that morals and nonduality are inseparable already. Through this experiment you probably discovered that throughout your life, you've had the same moral values as awareness does, even though you might not have been able to act according to them because of your mental and emotional confusion. 

Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, a dzogchen-master:

"In fact, all those things that we uncover slowly on the sutra path are actually inherent qualities of pure awareness. The Great Perfection is an effortless path in which you accomplish everything without doing anything. Recognizing the empty essence of awareness perfects the accumulation of wisdom, while recognizing its spontaneously present clarity perfects the accumulation of merit. The union of this emptiness and clarity is the union of the two accumulations. Moreover, this approach is also the union of the development and completion stages that we practice in deity yoga, and of skillful means and knowledge. Once you realize the nature of mind, compassion spontaneously manifests. Seeing the potential that all beings possess, you will naturallyfeel respect for them and want to help them to realize this true nature for themselves. You will also experience genuine devotion for the teachers who introduced you to pure awareness and fully appreciate their accomplishment. So you see, all the qualities of enlightenment are right here with us. We don’t need to look anywhere outside of the present moment."


There you have it. Awake awareness is where the common morals originate from and why they are emphasized by most spiritual and religious traditions. However, how morals are taught, should be direct in helping people to understand the origin of it. Morals are not something from "outside" of us. In essence, morals are not something that we could learn or have to carry with us, although it can be helpful to remind oneself of one's morals when life gets rough. Rather, morals are something that we are already, beneath all the conditioned deluded dualistic mess that has been piled into our minds and carved into our subtle nervous system.

Thank you for reading,

- Baba Kim Katami

 Open Heart,
 www.openheart.fi


Read also "Loving kindness of awareness": http://openheartopenheart.blogspot.fi/2016/02/loving-kindness-and-awareness.html



 

perjantai 4. maaliskuuta 2016

Bhumi Study Series, Part 1: Before and After Awakening + 2nd-5th bhumis

Bhumi Study Series, Part 1
Before and After Awakening
+ 2nd-5th bhumis

Bhumi Study Series presents information on many of the contemporary gurus, lamas and spiritual teachers, and their respective spiritual attainments, or bhumis. This study has been conducted by two founding teachers of the Open Heart-method, Kim Katami and Pauliina Katami on the basis of photographs available about the concerned persons. For more info on Open Heart, go to http://www.openheart.fi

Familiarizing yourself with the Open Heart bhumi-system is recommended, in order to understand what this series is about. Read "Stages of Spiritual attainment" and go through Kim Katami's video documentation on the topic to get a better picture of what bhumis are. Studying and understanding bhumis in this manner is a deep subject which requires meditation and analytical skills. One may or may not be able to discern the outcome of this study series without extensive practice experience. On the other hand, the differences are quite easily seen when studied attentively and when the information is offered in context as has been done here, where one may compare between teachers, right next to each other. The study has been divided into several categories. As the Open Heart-bhumi model is universal, it applies regardless of possible differences in methods used by distinctive traditions.

This Bhumi Study Series has been made public in order to bring awareness, lucidity and clarity to the present spiritual culture of the world by explaining and showing what many of our well known teachers have actually been able to attain. There is much confusion about this topic, so we wanted to clarify this matter from our part, for the benefit of all.  

May this study help and serve many in their understanding and study of the path of mind training.


Bhumi Study Series

Bhumi Study Series, Part 1: Before and after awakening, and 2nd-5th bhumisBhumi Study Series, Part 2: 6th bhumis with notes
Bhumi Study Series, Part 3: 7th bhumis
Bhumi Study Series, Part 4: 8th bhumis
Bhumi Study Series, Part 5: 9th bhumis  
Bhumi Study Series, Part 6: 10th bhumis
Bhumi Study Series, Part 7: 11th bhumis 
Bhumi Study Series, Part 8: 12th bhumis
Bhumi Study Series, Part 9: 13th bhumis  
Bhumi Study Series, Part 10: From Zero to Mahasiddha Bhumis
Extra: How to do Bhumi Mapping




Related posts:

 


 Before and After Awakening
+ 2nd-5th bhumis


  
Before awakening (bhumi 0, left), after awakening (bhumi 1, right):
See this also.


Bhumi: 1/13, 8/2014.



Bhumi: 1/13, 6/2015.


Bhumi: 2/13.

 
Bhumi: 3/13.



Bhumi: 4/13.



Bhumi: 5/13.



Bhumi: 5/13.



 Before awakening (bhumi 0, left), after awakening (bhumi 1, right):


Bhumi: 5/13.



  Before awakening (bhumi 0, left), after awakening (bhumi 1, right):


Bhumi: 1/13.



 Bhumi: 2/13.


Bhumi: 3/13.


Bhumi: 3/13.


Bhumi: 4/13.



Bhumi: 5/13.



Bhumi: 0/13.


Bhumi: 1/13.


 Bhumi: 2/13.


Bhumi: 3/13.


Bhumi: 4/13.


Bhumi: 5/13.


Bhumi: 0/13.


Bhumi: 1/13.


Bhumi: 3/13.


Bhumi: 4/13.


Bhumi: 5/13.


Bhumi: 2/13.


Bhumi: 3/13.


Bhumi: 4/13.


Bhumi: 5/13.



Bhumi: 1/13.



Bhumi: 3/13.


Bhumi: 4/13.


Bhumi: 5/13.



Bhumi: 1-4/13.

Bhumi: 5/13.



 Before awakening (bhumi 0, left), after awakening (bhumi 1, right):


  Before awakening (bhumi 0, left), after awakening (bhumi 1, right):


Before awakening (bhumi 0, left), after awakening (bhumi 1, right):

  
Before awakening (bhumi 0, left), after awakening (bhumi 1, right):


 Before awakening (bhumi 0, left), after awakening (bhumi 1, right):


Bhumi 2/13 and bhumi 3/13:


Bhumi 4/13:


Bhumi 5/13:



 Before awakening (bhumi 0, left), after awakening (bhumi 1, right):


Bhumi 2/13 and bhumi 3/13:


Bhumi 4/13:


Bhumi: 5/13.



 Bhumi: 2/13:


Bhumi: 3/13:


Bhumi 4/13:


Bhumi 5/13:


 All people in this episode are Open Heart-practitioners.
 Thank you to all people who offered to use their pictures here! 

See also "Silent with the awakened"-video at YouTube: