I am sharing here a bit
and photographs from Birgit's guidance to awakening that she did with
Ugi.
-Kim
Birgit from Germany
awakened!
Here's her final two
reports:
"Dear Ugi, Today
I felt very supported in the selfless space. I called the ego and got
light pressure on my head. Not quite as helmet-like as before, but
rather individual pressure points. I felt into it, but there is
nothing behind it. These points dissolve when I feel them. And then I
had a tingling and buzzing in and around my whole body, as if I was
dissolving. As if the body was dissolving. When I think about the
I, I think about my body and my appearance at the same time. But this
is not the I, because this is somehow changeable. I think the I
exists only as a thought. But what is it that reacts flattered or
happy or angry?"
And the final one:
"Dear
Ugi, yesterday it was very quiet inside me, I felt carried, and
the noise, which usually prevails in my head, was no longer there.
The volume control was probably turned to "quiet". And I
had the subtle knowledge that I had unmasked it: There's no one
there inside of me. There is no I. There is no "control center"
in me from which everything emanates. It is empty within me. When
I called the 'I' this time, it sounded different in me. No longer
meaningful, rather meaningless. It had no effect on my feelings,
because I knew that there was nothing there. A slight, barely
perceptible head pressure, perhaps, but even that had no meaning. I
never left the selfless room. I felt very calm and carried all day
long. And practiced to perceive myself in the selfless space. Even
today everything feels very light. Unconcerned I watch the newsfeed
on FB, which usually takes me quite emotionally. It all feels very
wide inside me. Like I said, rather uninvolved in terms of the outer
life. I feel comfortable inside me. The topic, which has been on
my mind and emotions for the last year, has retreated into the
background. I feel freer and can enjoy life very much. The
tightness in my body is no longer there and in my head it is perhaps
still minimal. But that has no relevance either. Thoughts and
feelings just come. They arise as naturally as my heartbeat or
breathing or the functions of my organs. They also leave again when I
let them. Many greetings and a happy Sunday, Birgit"
Before awakening (left) and after awakening (right)
Cultivation
of bodhicitta, or the heartmind of enlightenment, happens in stages.
In the beginning it might be completely artificial, just saying the
prayers without meaning them because one doesn't yet feel it.
One doesn't get it in the beginning because one does not have much
understanding of reality but it changes with practice, like
everything does. Through efforts towards greater clarity and peace of
mind within oneself, even doing lip service of prayers of compassion
leads to accumulation of experiences which in turn brings about
transformation. Then we begin to say those prayers and thinking all
sentient beings with some care and concern, with some personal
involvement. Through reflection of one's and others' inner state*,
our world view begins to change and we actually begin to care for
others. It doesn't necessarily mean that we come to like people,
because people are not easy to like, but we become concerned where
the whole human operation is heading towards. We realize the value of
dharma for humans and all sentient beings and understand how deeply
screwed we all are. From there arises compassion and it is curious
that it does. It does because under all the bullshit and deceit,
shines basic goodness, (tib. kuntuzangpo). The truth of our
being is positive and life-affirming, not negative and life-denying.
So, after some time, we start feeling something, a bit compassionate.
Bodhicitta keeps growing like a sapling, getting bigger and bigger
year by year.
Something
that I have observed in my students who have opened all their bhumis,
who therefore have no need to search for knowing awareness or rigpa,
is that for many of them it takes a while after the shifts to display
compassion. Even when one has a direct and constant connection to the
buddha within, it apparently takes time for the dynamic aspect of it,
bodhicitta, to grow on the person. At one point I was
actually very worried about this because many students had opened
their bhumis but I wasn't seeing any initiative and action for the
existential wellfare of others. They just bathed in their own clarity
and bliss. I spent sleepless nights over this. I was stressed whether
I had created some sort of a perverted path that lead to clear
awareness but is not compassionate, for that'd be awful. Without
compassion, Open Heart would not be a path to great accomplishment,
that is, mahasiddhi or buddhahood. But then, to my great
relief, they became more active and started showing their concern.
Colour returned on my face!
Avalokiteshvara - Bodhisattva of Compassion. The name literally means "The Lord who hears the cries from below".
When
I started practicing I didn't have all the toys and know-how my
students have, so my path was largely just relying on bodhicitta and
letting that lead me. Nevertheless, it appears that with or without
shifts in perception (bhumi openings), bodhicitta takes time to
develop. Stabilizing rigpa is one thing, something very meaningful to
any sentient being and on top of that, becoming one with bodhicitta
is another. It ensures correct direction of one's practice until full
enlightenment is attained. What does becoming one with bodhicitta
mean?
As
sentient beings we are tied to our self-centered views and thoughts.
From there we start loosening the knots of me, me, me and
begin to think in terms of us all, us all, us all. That can be
scary in the beginning. ”What do you mean 'taking the suffering of
others into my heart'!? Fuck that! No! I don't want that!” Despite
of initial self-based reactions such as panic, we come to see that it
works, if
we have had enough of confusion.Those
who are ready, i.e. have merit, take their practice like ancient
masters have, very seriously. This puts us inside a
machine of sorts that takes us beyond duration and location. By going
through our pain tirelessly like a warrior, we reach the other shore
that is beyond and better than all states and achievements. Para sam
gate bodhi svaha - gone completely beyond to reach natural
perfection.
In
this process, we become unified with compassion. Our mind starts
thinking in ways that are aligned with the very message of ”may all
beings be free” and ”I vow to liberate all sentient beings”.
Our mind becomes united with bodhicitta, which means that it becomes
the heartmind of enlightenment.
We become that and when we do, we embody the fully enlightened
potential we all have.
When
we take the Bodhisattva
Vow, it puts us into this engine that peels off the layers of
self-confusion bit by bit. This can be scary and unpleasant at times.
When the samsaric pus comes out, it hurts and stinks for a moment but
in the long run gets better.
That
we can exercise, contemplate, pray, chant, act and meditate on
bodhisattvic compassion is the greatest gift given by the buddha
within. I highly recommend receiving it. I am not aware of a better
way of solving internal and external conflicts, and since the world
is burning, this is the time when it is needed the most.
What
is Emptiness? How to Make Sense of Emptiness?
Emptiness
in sanskrit is shunyata. Emptiness is also called selflessness,
I-lessness or me-lessness (anatman, anatta). Emptiness and
selflessness refer to the self-empty nature of mind. This is the
basis of buddhist thought and practice. One who has seen his mind to
be completely without a self, has mastered the teaching of emptiness,
is fully awake, that is, a living buddha.
The
main reason why we suffer is the sense of self (skt. atman). We have
thoughts, emotions and reactions within our mind and because of the
accumulation of the self-thought, I or me, these mind elements make
us convinced that we exist independently as separate entities. This
is the basis of delusion and suffering (dukkha).
The
buddhist path is concerned with interruption and putting an end to
cyclic existence (samsara) through proper understanding of the nature
of suffering and through proper yogic effort. Particularly insight
meditation (vipashyana), also called by different names such as
lhaktong or prajna, is what is unique to buddhist
meditation. According to the teachings of buddhist masters
vipashyana, lit. clear seeing, is the key to removing existential
confusion (dukkha).
Buddhist
teachings on emptiness such as the Heart Sutra famously states that,
”Form is emptiness, emptiness is form”. What is the meaning of
this? Form refers to any sort of relative phenomena, physical or
nonphysical. Relative phenomena occurs in one or two ways: 1.
external phenomena reflected on the mind and 2. internal mind
phenomena. If all phenomena are experienced empty, there is no cause
for confusion to arise. If any phenomena appearing in the mind is not
experienced as empty, and hence causes selfing, self-based reaction,
this impulse can and should be used as fuel for vipashyana practice.
Points
Emptiness
cannot be properly understood by contemplating the existence of
external things, such as a chair or a desk. The only way to have a
liberating insight is to see that selfing happens in the mind, not
somewhere outside.
Emptiness
needs to be understood through emptiness. Even though impermanence
(anicca) and suffering (dukkha) are the other two pillars of buddha
dharma it is the insight into the empty nature of mind that
liberates, not the other two.
Understanding
emptiness through insight is crucial for all buddhist meditators, and
in fact to all who suffer of existential confusion.
Meditation
on emptiness is not difficult or lofty, but simple, grounded and
easy-to-understand when taught and applied correctly. If the
instructions are vague and lack clarity, there will be no result or
it will take unnecessarily long time. Without emptiness insight it is
impossible to make sense of any buddhist teachings. This is so
because all buddha dharma is built on realisation of emptiness
(insight, awakening, kensho, semngo tropa). If the foundation of
emptiness is not solid, there is nothing to build a stable house on.
In
the long run, not having a proper insight leads to twisted dharma
that is harmful and misleading. The importance of direct insight has
been stressed by numerous buddhist masters throughout the existence
of buddhism. Without insight, the noncausal paths such as of zen,
dzogchen and mahamudra are impossible to understand.
On
societal and cultural levels the lack of experiential understanding
of emptiness leads to great numbers of lost practitioners who are
unable to have real faith about the buddhist path. For this reason
the mahasangha of all beings doesn't reap true benefits
through interconnectedness. All practitioners should first and
foremost make sure that they understand emptiness through direct
experience.
How
do I know if my understanding of emptiness is right?
Insight,
awakening or kensho means that part of one's deluded self-based mind
becomes permanently deconstructed of the sense of self, me or I.
Figuratively speaking, an insight makes a lasting hole in the wall
through which the sight on the other side of the wall becomes easier
to see. Without the hole one is shut behind the wall of
self-delusion. An insight has a liberating effect. It makes a notable
difference to have even a small hole in the wall, instead of having
none, because looking through the hole instead of looking at the wall
are two very different experiences.
Consecutive
insights (bhumi openings), after the first one, keep making the hole
bigger and bigger and in consequence it becomes easier and easier to
see what is behind the wall. When insights are combined with regular
daily practice, the outcome is that the separating wall becomes
entirely deconstructed.
Also ”glimpses” into the
self-empty nature of mind are needed. The difference between a
glimpse and insight is that glimpse is not permanent.
When
the hole is there our everyday life becomes a significantly
different. A part of our narrow minded selfing has been permanently
removed so this cannot not have an effect on our lives. Social
relationships, work, creative work and other things in life are met
from a more open minded and less opinionated place. Because selfing
no longer happens the same way it used to, how the mind used to
think, feel and react according to the self-based habits, life
becomes more direct, more fresh and more intimate. This is the most
profound change we can have.
There
is nothing that can replace selfless insight because nothing else
will deconstruct the sense of self. A simple indication that one
matures in insight meditation is that one feels clear minded, open
hearted, fresh and less reactive in everyday life.
Practical
advice
In
Open Heart vipashyana is practiced in both sutra and tantra forms.
Sutra vipashyana refers to the Two-Part Formula for the first
awakening and object-vipashyana instructions after that. Tantra
vipashyana refers to Open Heart Yoga which because of the unique
aspects in the practice has the power to generate a whole series of
awakenings, bhumi openings, within a relatively short period of time.
These awakenings (bhumi openings) are matured (bhumi perfection) by
regular practice over a longer period of time.
A
practice hint: When selfing happens, pay attention to tensions in the
head space. The area inside the head, pre- or post-awakening, is the
place where the impulse can be effectively seen through.
While the great master Padmasambhava was staying at Great Rock Hermitage at Samye, Sherab
Gyalpo of Ngog, an uneducated 61 year old man who had the highest
faith and strong devotion to the master, served him for one year. All
this while Ngog didn't ask for any teachings, nor did the master give
him any. When after a year the master intended to leave, Ngog offered
a mandala plate upon which he placed a flower of one ounce of gold.
Then he said, Great
Master, think of me with kindness. First of all, I am uneducated.
Second, my intelligence is small. Third, I am old, so my elements are
worn down. I beg you to give a teaching to an old man on the verge of
death that is simple to understand, can thoroughly cut through doubt,
is easy to realize and apply, has an effective view, and will help me
in future lives. The Master pointed his
walking staff at the old man's heart and gave this instruction: Listen here old man!
Look into the awakened mind of your own awareness! It has neither
form nor color, neither center nor edge. At first, it has no origin
but is empty. Next, it has no dwelling place but is empty. At the
end, it has no destination but is empty. This emptiness is not made
of anything and is clear and cognizant. When you see this and
recognize it, you know your natural face. You understand the nature
of things. You have then seen the nature of mind, resolved the basic
state of reality and cut through doubts about topics of knowledge. This awakened mind of
awareness is not made out of any material substance; it is
self-existing and inherent in yourself. This is the nature of things
that is easy to realize because it is not to be sought for elsewhere.
This is the nature of mind that does not consist of a concrete
perceiver and something perceived to fixate on. It defies the
limitations of permanence and annihilation. In it there is no thing
to awaken; the awakened state of enlightenment is your own awareness
that is naturally awake. In it there is no thing that goes to the
hells; awareness is naturally pure. In it there is no practice to
carry out; its nature is naturally cognizant. This great view of the
natural state is present in yourself: resolve that it is not to be
sought for elsewhere. When you understand the
view in this way and want to apply it in your experience, wherever
you stay is the mountain retreat of your body. Whatever external
appearance you perceive is a naturally occurring appearance and a
naturally empty emptiness; let it be, free from mental constructs.
Naturally freed appearances become your helpers, and you can practice
while taking appearances as the path. Within, whatever
moves in your mind, whatever you think, has no essence but is empty.
Thought occurrences are naturally freed. When remembering your mind
essence you can take thoughts as the path and the practice is
easy. As for the innermost advice: no matter what kind of
disturbing emotion you feel, look into the emotion and it tracelessly
subsides. The disturbing emotion is thus naturally freed. This is
simple to practice. When you can practice
in this way, your meditation training is not confined to sessions.
Knowing that everything is a helper, your meditation experience is
unchanging, the innate nature is unceasing, and your conduct is
unshackled. Wherever you stay, you are never apart from the innate
nature.
Once you realize this,
your material body may be old, but awakened mind doesn't age. It
knows no difference between young and old. The innate nature is
beyond bias and partiality. When you recognize that awareness, innate
wakefulness, is present in yourself, there is no difference between
sharp and dull faculties. When you understand the innate nature, free
from bias and partiality, is present within yourself, there is no
difference between great and small learning. Even though your body,
the support for the mind, falls apart, the dharmakaya of awareness
wisdom is unceasing. When you gain stability in this unchanging
state, there is no difference between a long and a short life-span. Old man, practice the
true meaning! Take the practice to heart! Don't mistake words and
meaning! Don't depart from your friend, diligence! Embrace everything
with mindfulness! Don't indulge in idle talk and pointless gossip!
Don't become involved in common aims! Don't disturb yourself with
worry of offspring! Don't excessively crave food and drink! Intend to
die an ordinary man! Your life is running out, so be diligent!
Practice this instruction for an old man on the verge of death!
Because of pointing the
staff at Sherab Gyalpo's heart, this is called 'The Instruction of
Pointing the Staff at the Old Man.' Sherab Gyalpo of Ngog was
liberated and attained accomplishment.
This was written down by
the Princess of Kharchen, Yeshe Tsogyal, for the sake of future
generations. It is known under the name 'The Instruction of Pointing
the Staff.'
*TRANSLATED BY ERIK PEMA
KUNSANG, RANGJUNG YESHE PUBLICATIONS
"Before
I discovered the Two-Part Formula I hadn’t much experience in
meditation, in fact, for reasons that I am not entirely sure of, I
hadn’t meditated for nearly 10 years.
My
brother introduced me to meditation about 12 years ago and the first
method I learned was a breathing awareness meditation. This seemed to
have a very positive effect on me so I made a commitment to practice
everyday, even though the idea of awakening or enlightenment was
completely unknown to me at this stage. Around this time I also took
part in a small number of retreats that were focused mainly on the
practice of pure awareness. I stuck with this meditation for a while
but found it
hard
to stay committed. My daily practice became less and less frequent
until
eventually
I stopped.
During
the 10 years of not meditating I had considered returning to a daily
practice but could never find the inspiration that I needed. One day
my
brother
mentioned to me that he had discovered a new meditation technique
that was awakening nearly everybody who tried it. As you can imagine
I found this quite hard to believe but simply hearing about it was
enough to reignite a spark in me. I didn’t go to the 2PF straight
away, there was definitely something in me that was resisting it. It
took a few months before I eventually decided to give it a go.
The
2PF felt strange at first and was quite unlike any meditation
technique I had tried before. I certainly wasn’t one of those
individuals who awakens
after
one or two days. In fact, it took several weeks to break through the
illusion. The 2PF never felt like it was having a very strong effect
on me. I found it difficult to trigger any strong sensations of self,
but I was committed and eventually it worked.
My
awakening happened early on a Saturday morning, but since the
afternoon of the previous day I had felt like a shift had occurred. I
went out that evening to meet friends and go to a concert and
throughout this whole time I felt unusually peaceful. So content and
relaxed, yet energised. Socialising was much easier than usual. I
often had difficulty relaxing in large groups and would usually
resort to excessive drinking as a way of dealing with the tension.
While cycling home I decided to try out the affirmation. Saying the
words out loud and in my head, I couldn’t help but notice how the
words had lost some of the meaning that they previously had. Almost
to the point where they felt like they weren’t bouncing off
anything, like they weren’t triggering anything in me. I went to
bed when I got home and as I lay there, already after 4 am at this
point, I couldn’t stop thinking to myself that something was
missing. This couldn’t be awakening. My experience lacked heart,
lacked warmth and love.
While
lying there I became increasingly aware of a glow between my eyes. I
had felt something like this before during meditation, but it had
previously felt more like tension, like a clenched fist, or a rock,
or a knot in my forehead. Now it felt like it was coming to life ,
growing warmer, and pulsing with energy. I decided to focus my entire
being on it and as I did so it started to expand. The more it
expanded the warmer and freer I felt. Suddenly I realised something
that I had known before, but there was a sudden shock realisation of
what it truly meant. For the first time in my life I realised I can
be me now, really me. I said this to myself out loud. “Oh my God, I
can be me now”. Nothing to be scared of anymore, nothing to chase,
no-one to be, except me.
These
words had such profound meaning to me that I needed to repeat them
several times, completely shocked by the realisation. Suddenly I
started crying
and
the warm glow that was expanding across my forehead suddenly
exploded, releasing a massive wave of energy across my entire body.
The feeling was so indescribably intense that I broke down in
completely uncontrollable tears.
My
body was shaking. It felt like a huge amount of dark energy was
bursting out of my body through this point in my forehead. I’m not
sure how long the tears lasted but as they calmed down they were
replaced by laughter and a feeling of lightness and energy like
nothing I’d felt before. Even though it was 5 am I felt like
getting dressed and running down the road telling everybody I met
what had happened to me and how much I loved them! Crazy! I did go
for a walk but you can imagine what the few people around would be
like at that time on a Saturday morning, so I kept it to myself.
My
awakening was such an intense experience that it took several days to
recover from. The whole experience had rattled me so much that I
could do
very
little for those few days. But as my life gradually returned to
normality reality started to sink in. The sights, the sounds, I no
longer feel separated from them as I did before. I feel so connected
with everything and everyone around me. Such a strange but beautiful
feeling. My self could never have experienced life in this way."
Before
After
For more info and instructions of the Two-Part Formula:
Discover
Your Innermost AwarenessBY
THE DALAI LAMA
In
his teaching on the essence of Dzogchen, the Dalai Lama describes the
shock that naturally accompanies an experience of innermost
awareness, which is actually the basis of all reality.
”I
have great interest in the statement by many wise persons in all the
orders of Tibetan Buddhism that their systems come down to the same
final principle, and I feel that this is what I should and must
explain. Such an exploration may be controversial, but in any case,
these great scholar–yogis say that all these systems come down to
the same final basic insight, the same principle, because there is
indeed a final basic experience on which they all alight. There is no
way they would say this just to be polite.
In texts we
inherited from India, the basic principle is sometimes called the
“fundamental innate mind of clear light” or the “fundamental
innate wisdom of clear light,” these two terms having the same
meaning. In other texts, it is called the “space-diamond pervading
space,” while in yet others it is called the “jewel mind,” as,
for example, when it is said, “Separate from the jewel mind, there
is no buddha and no sentient being.”
Then, in Tibet, in some
texts, it is called “ordinary consciousness” and “innermost
awareness.” These terms are used in the context of speaking about
freedom from thought, which is psychologically and experientially
described as “self-release,” “naked release,” and “unimpeded
penetration.” The innermost awareness is said to be the basis of
the appearance of all of the round of suffering (cyclic existence)
and also the basis of liberation (nirvana). Everything, without
exception, is complete in the continuum of innermost awareness. It is
even said to be naturally arisen, since it has always been and always
will be.
All of the phenomena of cyclic existence and nirvana
are, when you come down to it, not newly produced by causes and
conditions but integrally complete within the nature of primordial,
naturally arisen innermost awareness; everything is contained within
its sphere, within its scope. On the low end, the basis of the
dawning of all of the phenomena of the world of suffering is this
diamond mind of clear light; on the high end, the basis of the
dawning of all the pure phenomena of liberation is just this
innermost awareness, also called the diamond mind of clear
light.
This is a topic well worth exploring for the sake of
furthering our inner peace by opening our minds beyond our usual
stream of thoughts. We should look into this with the aim of creating
more peace with our neighbors and throughout our world.
Innermost
Awareness Pervades Every Type of Consciousness
No
matter what kind of consciousness we might consider, the clear light
of innermost awareness pervades it. Ice, even when it is solid and
very hard, does not pass beyond the nature of water. In the same way,
no matter how gross, tough, or coarse conceptions might be, the place
from which they dawn and the place into which they vanish when we no
longer think about them does not pass beyond innermost
awareness.
Conceptual awareness appears from within the sphere
of innermost awareness and finally dissolves into the sphere of
innermost awareness. Since this is the case, as the early
twentieth-century scholar–yogi of the Old Translation (Nyingma)
School Dodrubchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima says, just as oil pervades the
entirety of sesame seeds, so clear light pervades all consciousness.
He concludes that therefore even at the time of the manifestation of
the coarser levels of mind—both during thinking and during the
operation of the sensory consciousnesses associated with the eye,
ear, nose, tongue, and body—it is possible to identify, through the
force of a lama or guru’s empowering blessings* and quintessential
instructions, a subtle feature of clear light that pervades each of
these consciousnesses.
*Added
note. Lama Alan Wallace, Dalai Lama's direct student: "(There
are) two approaches to identifying the mind. We can receive pointing
out instructions from a qualified master, or we can just do the
practice".
Practicing
the Path Right Now
How
can we take innermost awareness into the spiritual path right now? It
is through being introduced to and identifying—in experience—the
clear light that pervades all types of consciousnesses and
one-pointedly meditating on this, sustaining attention to it within
nonthought, nonconceptualization.
Then, as the clear light
becomes more and more profound, the types of coarse thoughts diminish
more and more. This is why this practice is called “the essential
path through knowledge of which all states are released.” Coming to
know this single innermost awareness in our own experience, we are
liberated from all sorts of tense situations.
To identify
innermost awareness, the most difficult part is to make the
distinction between mind (sems) and innermost awareness (rig pa). It
is easy to talk about this difference, to say, “Innermost awareness
has never been infected by mistake, whereas mind is under the
influence of conceptualization and polluted with mistaken thought.”
This is easy to say, but in terms of actual experience in our own
mental continuum, it is very difficult. Dodrubchen said that although
we might fancy that we are meditating on innermost awareness, there
is a danger that we are actually, in fact, merely maintaining
concentration on the clear and cognitive nature of a more superficial
mind, and so we need to take care. It is helpful to do the latter,
but it is not so profound.
The
Innate Mind of Clear Light
All
Tibetan systems, in their final view, emphasize the fundamental
innate mind of clear light. In terms of the center of these systems,
all of the phenomena of cyclic existence and nirvana are the sport,
the effulgence, of the fundamental innate clear light. Hence, the
root, and foundation, of all of that is within the scope of cyclic
existence and nirvana is the fundamental clear light.
This
being so, when practicing the spiritual path, there is nothing else
needed to purify these impure appearances—which themselves dawn
from within the context of innermost awareness or clear light—than
to turn the fundamental innate mind of clear light itself into that
through which you practice the spiritual path. Manifesting the fruit
of practicing the path, the fundamental innate mind of clear light
itself, when separated from all obstructive defilements, is the
resultant omniscience of buddhahood, a state from which the greatest
benefit to others can be effected.
Introducing
Innermost Awareness
I
will now explain the first section of the text Three Keys Penetrating
the Core, from the mind of the great adept Dza Patrul Jigme Chokyi
Wangpo (1808–87). Patrul Rinpoche’s teaching, and thus his poem,
is organized around three keys for uncovering innermost awareness,
the Great Completeness. The essential meaning of how to place
yourself in the core of reality is cast into three sets of
quintessential teachings for the sake of severing the life, so to
speak, of self-ruinous mistake. Here, I will discuss the first
key:
The view, the multitudinous expanse, Is cast in
practical essentials of three keys.
I.First set your own
mind in a relaxed state, Not emitting, not withdrawing, without
conceptuality. In this relaxed state of total absorption, Suddenly
shout PAT, striking your awareness, Strong, intense, short. E MA
HO! Not any thing, astounding. Astounding, unimpeded
penetration. Unimpeded penetration, inexpressible. Identify
innermost awareness of the truth body. Its entity is identified
within yourself—the first essential.
I will try
to provide a little commentary.
Relax
The
initial introduction to the view of naturally arisen innermost
awareness cannot be made while you are involved in constantly
generating many conceptions, such as thinking about good and bad and
the like. For instance, it is difficult to identify somebody you
don’t know well in a huge crowd, but once you have been introduced
to a person and come to know him or her, it is easy to identify the
person even in the midst of a big crowd. Similarly, even though
innermost awareness pervades every moment of consciousness, including
every single thought, it is not possible to bring out innermost
awareness in its nakedness without being introduced to it first,
because it is bound and obscured by conceptual thinking. However,
after you have identified it, you can see it even in the midst of a
multitude of thoughts.
Therefore, without making any
adjustments to your mind, such as by conceptually working at
analysis, leave, among the various phenomena of the world, whatever
appears to your mind—people, buildings, mountains, your work, your
friends, your problems, and the like—as just an appearance, and do
not get involved and polluted with identifying it and thinking, “This
is such-and-such.” Since a state of mere appearance and mere
awareness needs to be sustained, do as the author of the poem says
and “first set your own mind in a relaxed state,” not allowing
the busy state of a multitude of thoughts.
Stop
Thinking for A While
Naturally
arisen innermost awareness naturally exists within you; it is
naturally there, not newly generated or constructed by superficial
conditions. Rather, it is original wisdom, naturally flowing
awareness whose continuum is itself fundamental, uncontrived. For it
to become evident to you now, do not allow new superficially
fabricated conceptions to develop. Do not emit new thoughts, and even
when you notice that conceptions have been produced, do not exert
yourself thinking that they have to be withdrawn; just let them
disappear. As the poem says, “not emitting, not withdrawing,
without conceptuality.” Rather, vividly stay completely within the
self-flow, the natural flow of nonconceptuality. On the spot, let go
of all conceptual thinking altogether.
Shock
Still,
it is not sufficient just to keep your mind from diffusing and
scattering. Even if bliss, clarity, and nonconceptuality dawn in
meditative experience, these interfere with being introduced to and
identifying naturally arisen innermost awareness. You need to avoid
even bliss, clarity, and nonconceptuality. You have to get beyond all
of these.
Therefore, in this relaxed state not affected and
polluted by the tightness of conceptuality, suddenly shout PAT
(pronounced “pat” with the tongue curled to the top of the mouth
behind the front teeth while saying the final “t”)—strong,
intense, and short—for the sake of immediately clearing out any and
all of the commotion of thinking It is so-and-so, It is like this, It
is like that. The sudden sound of PAT will strike conceptual thinking
out of your consciousness: “In this relaxed state of total
absorption, suddenly shout PAT, striking your awareness, strong,
intense, short. E MA HO! Not any thing, astounding.”
Old
thoughts have stopped and new thoughts have not yet been produced.
For example, when a boat moves quickly through water, the water is
moved to the two sides with an empty place right then and there in
its wake at the back of the boat.
At the point of shouting
PAT, between when you are unable to think your former thoughts and
before you are able to produce new conceptions, in between those two,
when you cannot make conceptual distinctions, there is astonishment,
clarity, vividness, mere knowing.
If you have faith and keen
interest, as well as a guide’s quintessential instructions, then
remaining in place of the sudden removal of thoughts will be a sense
of shock that cannot be identified as anything, this or that. The
clothing of thought suddenly thrown off, you will be left in a state
of wonder, feeling astounded, astonished.
There are several
types of shock. One is like having your eyes closed and being unable
to think anything; another is a state of nonconceptuality in which
the mind is free from the pollutions of the mind being either too
loose or too tight. There are also others. At this juncture, the
emitting and withdrawing of conceptuality has stopped to the point
where you are in a state of astonishment, having lost the power to
recognize objects as this or that.
With a shock, mental
activity suddenly halts. For example, when a dog suddenly barks near
you, you can be shocked into being unable to think anything. Here, in
this practice, you are released from the varieties of thought, from
the binding confines of the groups of adventitiously generated new
conceptions, but still it is not as if you have fainted. Rather, the
perspective of your consciousness is vividly clear.
Texts
speak of making evident a state in which the usual underlying
consciousness has lost its intensity and conceptual apprehension
cannot get started, and thus during this interval naked innermost
awareness can manifest for a period. The great Tibetan scholar Mangto
Lhundrub Gyatsho cites many scriptural sources, such as:
Between
earlier and later conceptions, the continuum of the clear light of
innermost awareness remains unbroken.
In the space between two
thoughts, there is an easy opportunity for identifying this moment of
innermost awareness.
Therefore, this state of shock is not
just astonishment, but also has, as Patrul Rinpoche says,
“Astounding, unimpeded penetration.” The nature of this is to be
known, just as it actually is, in the context of experience, and is
otherwise indescribable in words, so he says, “Unimpeded
penetration, inexpressible.” Though called innermost awareness of
the truth body, it is inexpressible as any of the poles of being
existent, nonexistent, and so forth. This innermost awareness of the
truth body must be identified in experience.
Unless you can
identify it, there is no way to sustain the view of the Great
Completeness in meditation. This type of meditation, in which you are
sustaining the experience of innermost awareness, is a case of
remaining within the experience of what you are meditating on, rather
than meditating on an object.
Beyond this, as is clear in
Dodrubchen’s writings, if you are able to recognize all phenomena
as the sport, vibration, or effervescence of this naturally arisen
innermost awareness, this allows you to easily see that phenomena do
not exist in and of themselves, independently, and are only set up by
conceptuality. When you identify innermost awareness, also called
ultimate truth, and ascertain that all the phenomena of cyclic
existence and nirvana are its effulgence, then along the way you
understand that all pure and impure phenomena are, as the
philosophical texts say, only nominally existent. You understand that
all appearing and occurring objects of knowledge are adventitious and
essenceless, that although such phenomena have, from the start, not
been established under their own power, they nonetheless appear to
you to have their own autonomous nature, whereupon you adhere to this
sense of seeming existence from their own side. You further
understand that this misapprehension leads to engagement in various
good and bad actions and the accumulation of those predispositions,
leading to still more entanglement in cyclic existence.
To
identify innermost awareness and properly sustain it in meditation,
it is important to have previously reflected on from where the mind
arises, where it abides, and that into which it ceases, as well as
other analytical techniques. For these practices, the reasonings as
they are laid out in the great texts are helpful.
If you can
cause all these phenomena to appear as the vibration of innermost
awareness, not deviating from the sphere of that mind, you will not
come under the influence of conventional conceptions. When you
identify your own basic entity yourself and directly ascertain its
meaning continuously and forever in meditative equipoise, then even
though acting in the world, you are enlightened.”
This
article is adapted from the Dalai Lama’s new book, The Heart of
Meditation, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins from oral
teachings, published by Shambhala, 2016.
...Mindfulness of
breathing is marvelous for this, settle body speech and mind at ease,
and then mindfulness of breathing, full body awareness, let your
awareness permeate the whole field of the body.
And in the midst of that,
let’s already take a little step toward Dzogchen, the Great
Perfection. And that is, while attending to the sensations
corresponding to or correlated with the respiration, throughout the
entire body, kind of the flow of energy through the whole body,
corresponding to or related to respiration, while attending to the
movements within the body, corresponding to the respiration, attend
to this from a place of stillness. Your awareness, your mental
awareness, resting in stillness while simultaneously attending to the
flux, the ebb and flow, of the sensations of the breath throughout
the body - stillness and movement, stillness and movement
simultaneously.
As you calm, as the mind
stabilizes, as the clarity of mind, like the sun rising over the
horizon, the clarity of mind becomes clearer and clearer. Then make a
segue into a practice that is called by various names, one is simply
observing the mind, again from a vantage point of stillness. Direct your attention now
single-pointedly to one out of six domains of experience, the domain
of mental events, of thoughts, of memories, mental images, the same
domain in which dreams arise at night, but also subjective impulses,
like desires and emotions. And from the vantage of stillness, clarity
of stillness, awareness that is at ease, still and clear, observe the
theater of the mind – the comings and goings, thoughts, emotions,
memories, fantasies and so forth. Coming and going, arising in the
space of the mind, dissolving back into that space. And observe it in
an ongoing way from that vantage point of stillness without, what
psychologists call Cognitive Fusion, without getting caught up and
carried away by the memories, the desires, the emotions and so forth. And then as you go
deeper, look to the intervals between thoughts, attend to the very
space of the mind itself. And attend clearly, discerningly …
observe what is the nature of this space. Is it physical space? This
is the space of the mind. Does it have color? Does it have shape?
Does it have a center, a periphery? Does it have form? Does it have
any physical qualities whatsoever? Observe it closely, the very space
of the mind.
And
then as we move along the strategy, this is a very condensed course,
as you are able to maintain that flow of clear, discerning,
awareness, the space of the mind, And observing also how thoughts
emerge from that space...
...Alright.
So observe the space of the mind and now do something very clever.
Withdraw the vector of your attention and withdraw it right into the
very nature of being aware itself. Have no directionality, no vector.
No object of attention outside of awareness itself and simply rest in
an ongoing flow of awareness of being aware - consciousness of
consciousness itself...
Observe consciousness,
nakedly, without mediation. We’re almost there – that’s called
Shamatha, it’s the subtlest and most profound method of Shamatha
there is in the whole Buddhist tradition: the awareness of being
conscious itself. And now one step further
and we’ll step into the domain of Dzogchen. Now carefully,
incisively observe that which is observing. We call it the mind.
Observe the mind. We call it awareness. Observe awareness. Observe
that which is aware, that which thinks, that which intends. Observe
the observer. And cut through the mind, right down to the very
ground, which is Rigpa. And Dzogchen meditation
is nothing more or less than cutting through to pristine awareness,
Rigpa, and viewing reality from that perspective. And that right
there is the view of the Great Perfection. So in your practice, - I
just gave you enough to keep you busy for at least a few days – in
your practice, when you come to the end, when you’re coming to the,
where you’re able to sustain the flow of awareness of awareness,
and then you cut through the flow of awareness of awareness to, the
penetration to, that which is aware, you note a distinction between
the awareness that gets distracted, and gets dull, and gets centered,
and gets distracted again …. And that’s the mind.
But as you cut through to
that which is aware, you may cut through to a dimension of awareness
that is unborn and unceasing, that never moves, because it is not in
time. It is unchanging and you can never wrap your conceptual mind
around it. Because this baseline, this ground of awareness, from
which all conditioned states of consciousness emerge. Transcends the
very parameters of existence and non-existence. It transcends all
conceptual categories. It can be known. It is not an ultimate
mystery. It can be known directly without mediation, but only by
itself. It can know itself. But your conceptual mind cannot grasp it.
It is beyond its pay grade, it is beyond its scope.
So this Rigpa, this
pristine awareness, it is present right now. It is where your
awareness is. It is where your thoughts are, it is not something
separate. It is not somebody else’s, it not God’s or Buddha’s
or some other person’s. It is the ground state of your own
awareness. And I’ll end on this note: hidden and in plain sight. So
try that and see what happens. Thank you so much.
T: >I was reluctant to
contact you for guidance, as I was not sure how intensive the
guidance process is nor how long it would take, but it may be time to
jump in and see what it's about. Before we begin, do I need to take
off of work (kind of retreat-style) to complete this guidance
process?
Kim: - Ordinary
daily life is the best.
>FYI, here is the
rundown of my situation: I have been following your two-part analysis
for awakening, and I have run into somewhat of a wall. It seems so
obvious that the self is a mind-body fabricated sensation. This
feeling is amplified by Part 2 of the analysis. When I am in
Part 1 (direct observation), I cannot see a self because I am busy
just being with sounds/sensations. When I look for a self, of
course the mind fabrication of self is there, because I am looking.
So, I try to wake up to the fact that there is obviously not a self
by just being with the sensations. Unfortunately, after a while
of peace and generally pleasant feeling, my heart begins to race, my
body begins to shake and twitch (mostly in the groin muscles, sides
and upper back muscles), thoughts arise about what is happening, and
I eventually lose the ability to stay with the sensations due to
their amplitude. At that point, going back to Part 2 makes the
twitching/shaking worse, so essentially I quit. This process
usually takes around 20-30 minutes of going back and forth between
parts before it gets too much to handle.
I'm not sure what to do at
this point, maybe I am going about Part 1 incorrectly, or maybe I
should just keep doing what I'm doing and try to be with the
sensations, no matter how severe.
I'd appreciate your help.
Thanks
- Thank you
for your post. Sure, we can do it. But it'll be about 2 weeks from
now when we can begin because I'm busy teaching/travelling until
then. Until then you can prepare yourself by reading the Awake-book
and trying the two part formula on your own. Also you can find a lot
to read from the Open Heart-blog. And in case you are at Facebook,
befriend me there and I'll add you to a group, Awakening and Great
Perfection, where these things have been discussed. Prepare well so
that you're ready when we begin daily messaging. When it's time to
begin, I'll email you.
After a few
days
>You may have another
tally to add to your number of awakenings using the 2-Part analysis!
Of course, there is still a measure of doubt, so I'd still like to
correspond with you about it in a week or so when you are free.
- Oh. Really? Tell me what
is different? What happened? Are you sure? And include photos,
please. Sounds wonderful, of course.
After
checking T's photograph
- Yes, that's it. Wonderful! Congratulations! I'll
comment below to what you wrote.
>I'm sure something is
different... but only subtly. It happened last night after a week of
watching sensations associated with I/me that I felt identified with.
The last two days were the worst with growing frustration that I
still felt identification with I/me sensations, even though I thought
I knew better intellectually. There was a feeling of anguish in
my heart (and left arm) that has been there since three days ago,
though it would sometimes be a feeling of dread or mild fear in my
gut/throat/legs. - It is not a dramatic flashy
thing. Rather, awakening is a disappearance of a stone from one's
shoe. Then it just feels natural. Sense of freedom, sense of
openness. What you experienced with frustration and anguish is very
common. It's just the bundle of conditioning, "I", becoming
untied. >Last night, I gave up
reaffirming I/me sensation. I just sat and watched it. I had the
thought: So what if it is here...what if the peace I'm looking for is
here anyway, even if I feel like there is a me/I? Then there it
was...the identification with the anguish slipped away and I could
feel the ever-accessible peace, which is always here now. It's even
here this morning, which is new for me. I'm used to it being gone
when I wake up the morning after a jhana meditation. My perception
seemed wider somehow, even though it wasn't, and my heart was
pounding with the fear sensation, but it didn't matter. - Yes. After awakening it's
always there. Even with strong emotions, that can and do arise after
awakening, it's much easily accessed, which makes all the difference.
It's a permanent shift. I'm glad for you. >What's cool is that the
anguish sensation is still in my heart...but I don't care about it.
It is just a sensation. I feel like me, but the suffering from the
feelings is gone. I'm trying not to use meditation jargon, because it
always makes me suspicious of claims of this or that when they are
overused, but suffering feels like the right word to use. That's
gone. I apologize that I don't have a
good picture from before starting the analysis. I had planned on
taking it before starting the guidance, haha, and I don't take
selfies. Here is one from this morning (attached). - Exactly! Mental and emotional
stuff does still arise but as there is no one to react to it, it's
significantly different. This in turn allows for seeing all that
anguish or whatever emotions in a different way. Clear seeing
(vipashyana) becomes easy, even effortless. Mindstuff is released the
moment they arise. - It varies how long the honey
moon lasts after awakening. With meditation background, what you
have, it is probably longer than without any previous practice. Good.
Enjoy it while it lasts! However, sooner or later stuff comes up from
the subconscious mind. For this (mind purification) you need solid
samatha-vipashyana practice, whether theravadan or tantric style. - You are third case who by
preparing for guidance to awakening got awakened. No need to do the
guidance anymore. I'm so happy to hear that this happened. It shows
that the formula works precisely as it should. - Congrats again!
