True peace, mental health, sanity and knowledge through Jesus

 

True peace, mental health, sanity and knowledge through Jesus

(continued from: http://openheartopenheart.blogspot.com/2023/02/is-it-possible-to-heal-trauma-fully-yes.html)

Uma: I don't entirely agree that Psychology is a totally Sutric method, as research has shown that it is within the relationship between the person and the therapist that healing can take place. So giving someone your respect, undivided attention, understanding, care and love is what helps, and therapies that work best have this relationship as a basis.

Having said that, it is true that due to constraints placed on National Health Service Psychologists related to economics, the best that they can do is to 'stick a plaster on it' and help the person to live as well as possible with the trauma. Healing takes time, and time is money. Not many people can afford lengthy private treatment.

It would be great though if Psychologists could use tantric methods, in addition to the energy created within the therapeutic relationship

Baba: In sutra dharma there is also relationship between teacher and student so that is not what separates sutra from tantra. Empowerments and transmissions do but as you know guru yoga, for example, can be practiced without an empowerment.

That is an interesting point because even most of us western non-practicing christians learned some basic prayers in childhood that invite the blessings of God and Jesus Christ. Inviting Jesus to us *is* guru yoga, so most westerners are already somewhat familiar with the concept even if they weren't taught anything more specific about it.

It is a pity that the christian establishment messed things up so bad. It started quite soon after Jesus resurrected and continues to this day. Consequentially, like I've seen over the years, western yoga meditators get upset even by the mentioning of Jesus's name because they associate him with all the bad, immoral, wrong and dogmatic things exercised by the religious establishment.

From a different perspective, it is very fortunate that the christian establishment exists because of the baptism of babies, and sometimes adults. When a person is baptized it creates a direct karmic connection with Jesus. That is extremely precious even if people have no clue about its effect or are non-practicing christians. It is like taking refuge in buddha, dharma and sangha. These things have a huge impact but to get back to our topic, this karmic link or seed needs to be taken care of and embraced in a non-dogmatic way. In general terms, spirituality needs to be brought back and specifically through Jesus because he's the greatest and best known world guru (skt. vishwa guru) ever.

I think this is the way to bring true peace, mental health, sanity and knowledge (skt jnana) to many people. In the context of psychological therapy, this could be something for therapists to look into. 

 

 

Goals and Goal-orientedness in Pemako buddhist practice

 

Goals and Goal-orientedness in 

Pemako buddhist practice

Every now and then someone sends me a message saying that Pemako practice seems so ”goal-oriented” as if we were aiming for some special experiences. I'll put this into a proper context so that you can understand what goals and goal-orientedness in Pemako means.

In Pemako practice, we have the so called ”bhumi openings” and ”bhumi perfections”. Bhumis (lit. ground) are areas or fields in our mind, i.e. the subtle body made of energy channels and centers, where any kind of awakening/insight/enlightenment experiences happen. The reason we speak of the 13 bhumis in total and purification of the 10 bhumis is because this is a specific way to understand and to apply practices. Because of this knowledge about the subtle body; that there is a chronological continuum from beginning of insight practice (opening of the 1^st bhumi), then consecutive openings (openings of 2^nd to 13^th bhumis), then completion of purification (perfection) of each of these bhumi fields in chronological order from 1 to 10; all this is actually a clear map how it all works. And actually this applies to every type of training system, not only Pemako. So, what we have in the 13 bhumi map is a clear and solid path map from unawakened state to full enlightenment.

As a teacher and founder of Pemako, I put a lot of emphasis on teaching my students about the distinction between self-based mind of confusion and our basic state, or buddhanature. I point this out on all retreats and the reason for that is that practitioners need to know what their buddhanature feels and tastes like. They need to have it pointed out so that they gain confidence quickly. But in our system pointing out instructions given by the teachers is really just a safety valve because our practices enable recognition of the basic state very easily and quickly.

What does all this have to do with bhumis and goals?

If you ask me, there is no other practice in buddhist yoga except to recognise ourselves as fully enlightened, awake and aware beings. In zen, some masters say the same thing that there is no other practice but kensho (lit. seeing one's true nature). The way I teach is that I explain to my students how each technique, be it prayer, mudra, visualisation or anything else makes this recognition happen, so that they know how to do their practice correctly. Not knowing this is, in fact, faulty practice and largely a waste of time.

When with the help of yogic exercises, purposefully and not accidentally, we make our buddhanature appear and its recognition takes place, this is all there is to it in all of buddhist yogas. This moment of the recognition of the basic state is unlike any other kind of experience in all of existence, and that is why the recognition of oneself as a fully awakened buddha has the power to eradicate our self-based existential confusion.

So, what bhumi openings and bhumi perfections are, are moments when our buddhanature shows up and is recognised fully. These bhumi events are so called cessations, widely discussed by all buddhist traditions. Cessation of the mind means that the self-construct that causes confusion and existential pain, ceases to be for some period of time. Even if it lasts for only just few seconds, it leaves a permanent mark in the mind, in other words, a notable bit of the ego-construct becomes untangled and deconstructed. Again, this is what buddhist yoga is all about. This is how we come to know ourselves.

So if we do practice correctly, as a sign of succesful practice, we inevitably have recognitions of the basic state, recognitions of ourselves as buddhas, that is, bhumi events. On the other hand, if our practice and view is incorrect this sign is absent and our basic state remains foreign to us.

So when you hear our sangha members speak about this, they are talking about the signs of correct practice. That's all. This is actually universal not only to all buddhism but to all types of methods. This is because the basic state is the same in all beings, regardless of spiritual or religious denomination or interpretations. You either know yourself or you don't. You are either accumulating first hand experience of your basic state or you aren't.

So on the surface you might think that ”oh those Pemako folks just focus on achieving some momentary goal” but actually we put focus on the correct understanding of practice and then the signs of succesful practice, bhumi events, come automatically.

In us there is perfect purity and freshness, clarity and sobriety. Discover it.

Kim, 9.8.2021

Basic Goodness – The Root of All Religions

 

Basic Goodness –

The Root of All Religions

What is common to all major religions is the element of worship of some higher, more profound or spiritual ideal. Christians, hindus and buddhists all have their objects of prayer, worship and meditation. In this way, practitioners of religion put themselves near to their spiritual idols and gain benefits from doing that. Typically these benefits include the sense of becoming peaceful, sober-minded, patient, tolerant and loving. It is fascinating that regardless of religious orientation, contemplatives of all religions are known by these same marks. From this perspective all paths seem to lead to same or very similar transformation and maturation of the human mind and heart.

What is also fascinating is the similarity of descriptions of inner experience among advanced contemplatives of different religions. They all describe unification with their chosen ideals, and therefore, transcendence of it. Christian mystics describe being unified with God or Christ and buddhist adepts describe realising the buddha within. Hindus and taoists describe the same thing. Isn't it extremely enchanting that based on their accounts, advanced contemplatives seem to go beyond the differences in doctrine but also seem to discover a common bedrock of pure radiance and its many positive expressions, that is beyond all and any of their former spiritual idols? This is transcendence of paths, stages, religious doctrine and idols of worship. The number of contemplatives who talk in this manner is low but nevertheless exists.

I never believed that there would be only one path or one way to existential freedom, that comes through transcendence of particulars. I never believed it because it didn't make sense to me.

All beings have pure and divine nature that cannot be given or taken away but goes undiscovered. That is the very reason why we live our lives in emotional pain and existential confusion, not knowing who we really are. Below the chaos and confusion of thoughts and emotions, there is incredible peace and clarity that is common to all beings. You are basically good! Utterly good! Discover this good in yourself and become an embodiment of it.

In this way, by becoming aware of who we really are, we tap into the common bedrock of all religions that is already in us.

Kim, 18.6.2021

Meaning of Nonduality

Meaning of Nonduality

There is reality and there is fantasy. Nonduality is the absence of fantasy. Hence, one sees, breathes, thinks, lives and embodies the reality. And this reality is full of love... and fresh like wild mint! It is the beating heart, it is radiance of life. It is a word of kindness, it is absence of selfishness. It, nonduality, life without a sense of being a finite entity, is life as it is.

Kim

Three Precious Book Gems from Open Heart By Arwen Jayne

Three Precious Book Gems

from Open Heart

By Arwen Jayne

Copied with permission from:

https://diylearning.blogspot.com/2019/05/three-precious-book-gems-from-open.html

I'm a doing person so I don't get around as much to reading as you'd expect from an author. This week a five hour up and five hour back trip, as a passenger, gave me ample time to finish rereading Kim Katami's first book "Awake! Handbook of Awakening" and read his latest "What's Next? On Post-Awakening Practice" and "Open Heart Preliminary Practices" (linked below).

So what are they all about?

Waking up means awakening to the fact that we are more than our mentally constructed and heavily labelled selves, bound by skin and bone. We are beyond the limits of time, space and self. You can understand this conceptually or philosophically and there are certainly many on youtube and other places where people do discuss non-dual reality and experiences. The idea, however, has little meaning until it is experienced. Back in 2012 I was frustrated by all the secrecy that surrounded how to get to having experience. Many fobbed it off as something that would take many lifetimes, in the meantime just lead an ethical life and have compassion for others (not even pointing out that compassion for your own situation was important too.

Not willing to take many lifetimes I'd spent much of my life up to that point looking for practical know how. I found hints of it in the gnostic christian teachings, pagan connection to the oneness of nature, quaker teachings of listening within. Toltec shamanism teachings on love and relationship to others. I attended Satyananda yoga and learned to stare at a flame, learning to witness life as an observer. I learned Kriya yoga, pranayama, breath control etc. Tai Chi was a wonder that taught me the dance of movement and stillness. Shivasim hinted at an absolute. Buddhism entranced but seemed buried in layers, limited in its accessibility to the empowered and the ordained. Always cautious of giving my power away to others I stayed away. At least until I found Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's Bon teachings relating to dzogchen and dream yoga. Then I found Lama Yeshe's book on the clear light of bliss and authors such as Anam Thubten. But by then I'd had my first awakening. That falling away of self and the realisation of the boundless absolute. Connection to everything and beyond thing. Wanting the happiness of all the parts (people animal and things) sharing my physical existence. Wondering at the craziness of the world that chased after so much 'us and them' stuff, competing, striving, setting goals, only to fade and die leaving all at the so called end. But there was no end. Post that first wakening I chucked a heap of books from my esoteric library as they were a bunch of nonsense.

Fast forward to about three years ago. Youtube, its algorithms knowning my interest in dzogchen and the non-dual, started suggesting I watch videos from Open Heart Yoga. It was exactly what I needed at the time to deepen my practice. One of the problems of awakening is that you form an attachment to the experience you've had. You don't want to lose the insights. Yet the world starts to close in on you again. Work, family illness, world events all try to drag you back into that closed awareness of self as the only reality. For me, my way to stop that happening was to write. To journal my ideas, on this blog or hiding them in novels, hoping that most might enjoy the novels but others would see more.  It is that sharing and connecting, developing a sanga of sorts of like minded souls that gives refuge from the pervasive illusion around us.

So, Kim's books.

Possibly one should start with "Open Heart: Preliminary Practices" to lay some ground work. I never did. I came to preliminary practices rather late in the piece, long after my first awakening experience. All good commensense, which I do practise daily now. At least my own version, coloured by the teachings I have followed over time.

"Awake! Handbook of Awakening" - this is the book I wish I'd had fall in my lap much earlier in life. It would have saved so much time and work. It's all there in two easy steps. First: Scan the body and release the tension. In the space where the tension was find, well the space. Allow such spaces to connect up. Rest in that space. Marinate in it. Kim uses this term marinate quite eloquently throughout his teachings. Like what's the use of saying a mantra if you don't take time to accept its blessing, by marinating in it. The second step - well I want give any  spoiler here - read it. It's free. There are youtubes by Open Heart Fi that will explain the same if you prefer an auditory-visual approach.

The last book goes into something that isn't unique to Open Heart Yoga but rarely explained by other traditions. To be honest I initially dismissed this Bhumi model, or explaination of the degree of opening of the chakras and higher chakras as unnecessary to my path. It seemed a bit hierarchical and at danger of being a grading system for practitioners. I hate grades. But finally reading this book I realised that what it was about was extending the awareness of openness one feels upon awakening. Extending that awareness outward and upward, as well as downward, like ripples in a pond. I gave it ago. I felt it. When I looked again at the photos in the book I had an aha moment. Not crazy selfies afterall. You could really look at the change in the amount of openness in the individual as they grew in the path. I looked back through my old license photos. Greyer in the hair yes but there was no missing the inner peace that shone back at me in my latest. Having enjoyed a number of Shinzen Young's videos I appreciated the tale about him seeing a photo book and knowing what the theme of the book was, awakening in the face of great odds, from simply seeing the faces. On a practical level this can be a useful way for us to look at teachers who claim awakening, not to judge them as good or bad (we all have our worthwhile stories to tell) but as an indicator of where they're at, context perhaps.

The day after I read this book something interesting happened. I was visiting family when I met an energy healer. When she told me she practised reiki and theta healing I didn't dismiss her. I've experienced reiki a time or two but stayed away from it because it was either one extreme or the other, ineffectual or so damn strong it left me jittery for days. She made an interesting offer, to apply some reiki symbols to a ring I wear that has great meaning to me. I had no expectations. After using some water from the tap to loosen the ring off my finger I handed it two her and then ... well! While she was working I felt something strange happening between my heart chakra and my throat chakra, a tingling, a coming to life or something. I looked up later and found that this is the location of something called the thymus chakra or higher heart chakra. The website below has this to say on it "Opening our thymus chakra enhances our willingness to forgive and to show compassion." and that "Reiki can be applied to the client’s entire energetic network or concentrated on selected chakras in spot treatments." All this seemed entirely synchronous. The day before I was exploring the higher chakras and then bam! this. So I am encompassing this chakra in my bhumi practise.



Links:

• Awake! Handbook of Awakening
  http://www.en.openheart.fi/114
  
• What's Next? On Post-Awakening Practice http://www.en.openheart.fi/35532
  
• Open Heart Preliminary Practices
  

https://www.en.openheart.fi/37647

Also see:

• Thymus: The Seat of the Human Soul https://upliftconnect.com/thymus-seat-human-soul/
  

Demand quality from your Guru

Demand quality from your Guru

Muzika wrote:

>Like Krishnamurti he blames his students for not getting what he offers. It just takes a long time, perseverance, and earnestness on a path of self-exploration...He needed to emphasize that there is no truth in words, including his, because words cannot convey his state. All words cause problems until and even after one has entered emptiness... The exact same criticism can be leveled at Ramana. He had a simple and clean awakening to the nature of his existence, but because he did not see through words and concepts...

Baba wrote:

- The criticism of teachers or gurus not being able to "deliver" is a universal problem. The factors of this are quite simple:

1. Teacher does not understand what awakening is or how it happens, even if he (or her) himself is awakened. Therefore,

2. He has no clarity and enough skillfulness in his ways to convey it through exact verbal descriptions and

3. The particular techniques aimed to generate awakening might be altogether irrelevant or only vaguely relevant.

- So if the problem is in the teacher and his methods... and he blames the students for not getting awakened... What does it tell about the teacher? This is professional imcompetence. In every other profession, they'd be kicked out for not being able to do their job. Right?

- Imagine a school teacher shouting at the kids that, "I have been talking about learning to read for you for so long but you idiots are not learning any! What kind of idiot basterds are ya!?" That doesn't happen because the teachers know the basic methods of pedagogy and the ways how reading is taught to kids. It would be considered completely amateuristic on behalf of the teacher not being able to get the kids reading, writing or whatever. This happens all the time in the spiritual scene because of the incompetence of the teachers. Incompetence of the teachers is caused by there being no valid training system to produce teachers. It is not OK for spiritual teachers not being able to get their students awaken because that's the most basic thing! It's the teachers job! And responsibility.

- This problem, which crosses right through the whole spiritual/nondual/mind training scene, covering thousands and thousands of people all over the world. There is lack of clarity in thinking and analysis here (2.). Because the teacher don't understand his or her own awakening, he cannot pass it to others. This happens in all traditions. I am not blaming any of them, as I have also done training under several teachers of various traditions. I am just saying that hello, we ought to do better. Much better!

- It is a pity that there is no culture of rationality within spirituality. I mean, when we go to school we already know the syllabus. We know what we are going to get. If the syllabus said, "We're just going to wing it and teach the kids something vague with a vague outcome", people would tell us to take a hike. In spirituality we are told, "Oh yes, of course, you will get awakened and enlightened. Of course!" but we aren't explained what it means and how it happens. We might be laughed at for asking such questions and the guru might say, "Don't be such a naive child asking that question because you cannot understand awakening". And then the crowd laughs together at such silly question. Wrong! It is the teacher that does not understand awakening if he can't explain it. All things can be verbally explained, in detail. The words, concepts and terms are not the thing itself, of course, but an indispensable and skillful (or skill-less) way to convey the teaching. Verbal means are as important as non-verbal ones. This should be understood. And this all makes sense.

- Be cautious about a nondual/spiritual teachers who don't clearly explain you things. Many people have ended up going to meetings and teachings, year after year, dollar after dollar, not getting anything right, just learning distorted concepts that they then carry around with them, still being miserable and confused about their true nature. I've seen this happen over and over. Enough of that. Demand some craftmanship from the teacher as you do from the guy who fixes your car. You'd never accept a car that is still broken after a while at the carage while still having to pay!

- Baba Kim Katami,

Helsinki, Finland.

Open Heart,

www.openheart.fi