Sacred In Us

Sacred In Us

Hi friends,

I'd like to take a moment to remind you that there is a perfectly awake, calm, clear and sober being in you, at this very moment. This pure and sober being comes out every now and then, and you might remember incidents of having had a really clear mind that you don't normally have. Maybe you experienced this clarity on the day when you graduated from school, had your first child, got married or sang a song at friend's birthday party, for example. This clear mind is called buddha in buddhism, christ in christianity, or bhagavan in hinduism. All beings have this pure nature and you are not an exception to this rule. Actually, we don't only "have" this nature, we are this nature.

Our basic nature is abound with kindness and goodness. At this very moment, there is this bright and sober being in us, that is perfect as it is. So, find it in you, in your being right at this moment. Discover it and see how your energy shifts. We all know how it feels to be stressed, tense, anxious, angry and depressed. All these negative emotions make us feel small and contracted. We all know this all too well. On the other hand recognising our basic nature, releases our small-minded doubts and judgements, and we feel free and unhindered. It is very empowering to discover who we truly are!

Even if we have hard times in life, we have a mind that is always clear and sober, without irritation and anger, always fresh, realistic and positive. This is the sacred in us all. In you too, right this moment.

Kim, 17.6.2021

About Academics, Practitioners and Yogis - Existential Specialists

 

About Academics, Practitioners and Yogis - Existential Specialists

This morning I watched some videos of a buddhist seminar where some academics, monastics and lay practitioners had given their presentations about various dharma-related subjects. It's not the first time I see such presentations, and also this time, as previously, something poked me from those lectures.

Regarding academic study of yoga, dharma and buddhism I never understood why someone would put more time and effort in the theoretical study of it, over practical study. I never understood why one would spend more time with second hand information about existence when you could get first hand knowledge directly from your own mind by doing the practice. Listening to academics, who often give their representations about various types of information that they have accumulated from second hand sources, to me it feels like driving a car that has flat tires. There is something essential missing there. It is just superficial information, exciting and fascinating thoughts and theories. Without practice, these ideas makes it even worse because there grows a gap between practice and its actual benefits, and purely theoretical information.

To be clear there is no problem with information or academic study, I just never understood about this kind of priorisation of things. If you know you are deluded by your sense of small self, and you know about the availability of various traditions and their practices that can help you to get out from that delusion, why would you not make solving that existential problem a priority in your life?

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche:

“When buddhas look at samsara with the eyes of their omniscience, they do not see it as an enjoyable place. They are acutely aware of the sufferings of beings, and they see how senseless are the pointless, temporary goals that beings try so hard to attain. It is important to become more and more clearly convinced that the only thing worth achieving is supreme enlightenment. Contemplating the sufferings of samsara, you will naturally develop a strong wish to be liberated from it."

In this light pursuing academic studies of yoga, without practice, is just another samsaric distraction.

I always say that we need professional yogis here in the West, and actually everywhere in the world because priests, doctors, psychologists or academics cannot help people with their existential confusion. Only highly trained specialists of the "teaching of reality", i.e. yoga and dharma can do that.

For this reason, especially in these dark times, those who hear the call in their hearts, should make the attainment of supreme enlightenment for the sake of oneself and others, the foremost priority in their lives above anything else.

In relation to this, I was also reminded of this short text by Jon Norris:

http://openheartopenheart.blogspot.com/2019/12/overlooking-yogic-aspect-of-vajrayana.html

-Kim, 29.4.2021

Vows of the Purehearted Being

 

Vows of the Purehearted Being

If, after I attain buddhahood, I fail to bring sentients beings to buddhahood, may I not attain buddhahood.

If, after I attain buddhahood, I fail to teach the dharma of liberation to sentients beings, may I not attain buddhahood.

If, after I attain buddhahood, I fail to bring sentients beings from samsara to nirvana, may I not attain buddhahood.

If, after I attain buddhahood, I fail to offer a place of rest to sentients beings, may I not attain buddhahood.

If, after I attain buddhahood, I fail to be like a mother to all sentients beings, may I not attain buddhahood.

Namo Yeshe Tsogyal Ma,

Kim Katami, 30.9.2020

Pemako Buddhism

www.pemakobuddhism.com

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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

Sailing the Seas of Samsara

Sailing the Seas of Samsara

Hi all!

I hope you're all doing fine and practicing well during this time of global hardship. Coronavirus has taken us all by surprise but really there is nothing new in it as a samsaric occurrence. It is good time to contemplate transitoriness of life and to re-kindle our motivation for mahayana buddhist practice. Hardships like this can be great catalysators for dharma practice because when samsara becomes concrete, veils of illusion drop like drops of water from ducks feathers. The good in hardship like this is that our lazyness, distractedness and nonsensical excuses disappear like mist in the sun. So, please do make use of the opportunity and think about these occurrences in the light of dharma. Without dharma, we'd all be drowning. With dharma we can keep our noses above the water and learn to swim.

When we feel and take into our hearts the confusion and disorientation of people and all beings (really palpable these days!), we become bodhisattvas and things start going click in our mind. Layer after layer, click, click, click, calcified views of our self and existence burst open. That's the bhumis opening and perfecting, indications of correct practice, the ultimate medicine in action. So, please remember that the vow, literally, the *vow* of a mahayana bodhisattva is to personally "I vow to liberate, all sentient beings". Without deeply feeling this motivation, one will not attain the mahayana path to buddhahood and is not likely to have indications of correct practice either. When the course of a boat is right, it is easy to go ahead and sail the seas but if the course is wrong, sailing becomes difficult and you just keep hitting the reef. Bodhisattvas, even though they take a serious and compelling vow, travel with light feet. Bodhisattvas learn to sing and dance on the fields of fire and turmoil. 

 

This world of human beings and animals, by definition, is a samsaric realm. There is never a time when all beings on this planet do not have a need for support. However, during times like this this need is even greater. People are drowning in this ocean of suffering, scared and confused, and yet so many do not have the ripeness and fortunate karma to meet with dharma in one form or the other. But again, our own contemplation, developing of compassion - bodhicitta - and dedicating merits of our practice for all beings is what increases readiness for others. The more we feel the vow of a bodhisattva, the more it gets personal and emotionally binding, the more our practice helps others. Without emotional energy of love, care and devotion our practice becomes reduced to lifeless words and forms. This loving emotion keeps us nourished along the way.

Finally, our gurus, Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal, are fully enlightened and magnificient beings. They are beyond samsara. They have fulfilled their bodhisattva vows and became buddhas. They have done it like we are doing now. They have open invitation for everyone. "Here, grab my hand, I'll pull you to the shore. Just grab it!". When we turn to them for help, we find a safe place in all of samsara. We find a refuge, a safe place where we can come to understand what the heck is going on here. Day and night, we can grab their hand: Namo Guru Rinpoche, Namo Yeshe Tsogyal Ye, Namo Guru Rinpoche, Namo Yeshe Tsogyal Ye, Namo Guru Rinpoche, Namo Yeshe Tsogyal Ye. Spin that mantra with love, for the sake of all sentient beings, and especially for the sake of those around us who are now in deep trouble. Take refuge and share it. Keep taking refuge and keep sharing it!

May all beings be free!

-Kim Katami

Pemako Buddhist teacher,

www.pemakobuddhism.com

Emptiness - Blossoming of Life Itself

Emptiness - Blossoming of Life Itself

Emptiness is not a tasteless, bland, impersonal void of meaninglessness. Emptiness is me, emptiness is you. Do we not have character? Do we not have personality? Emptiness has character, more than anything else, in fact. It is not the fault of emptiness if those who exercise emptiness and try to understand it, lack character. See, the problem is that samsaric minds of people cannot avoid creating fantasies about emptiness which inevitably always misses the mark. To realise emptiness means to really become the person you already are. You know, buddhist art is abound with ornaments and decorations. Those ornaments symbolise character and creativity, the blossoming of life itself that by nature is empty. 

- Kim Orgyen Pema, 21.12.2019 

Pemako Buddhism,

www.pemakobuddhism.com

Solidifying Bodhicitta

Solidifying Bodhicitta

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.

*See Four Thoughts That Turn The Mind from Open Heart Preliminary Practices-book

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.

-Kim Katami, 8^th of August 2019

Open Heart Sangha

www.en.openheart.fi

See also Playlist of Bodhicitta workshops at YouTube.

Wrathful Buddhas

Wrathful Buddhas

Buddhism discusses self-delusion as poisons of the mind (skt. kleshas). These include mind states such as anxiety, fear, anger, jealousy, desire and depression. These mind states are very strong, destructive, hurtful and make us very confused and lost. Because of these poisons we feel lost and are ignorant about our reality.

In tantric practice we practice wrathful buddhas or deities to transform the mind poisons back into their natural liberated unconstricted condition. This is how tantrics transform selfing, one's self-based beliefs and views, so that natural condition can be realised and lived in the society.

Wrathful deity: (skt) Mahakala or (tib.) Gonpo.

Wrathful deities look angry, fierce, mad and crazy with desire. They look scary. They look like demons but are not demons. Perhaps in someones eyes wrathful buddhas look like orcs from the movie. However, it is the mind poisons that are evil, nasty, scary and orc- or demon-like, not the deities. Wrathful deities are liberated buddhas. They are archetypes of our mind and energy in their enlightened, not in their confused, form. This is crucial to understand because if you don't, you just think that this is medieval spirit worship or something silly like that. Wrathful deities are pure and liberated, like liberated anger, liberated jealousy or liberated confusion. We could say that they are dynamic expressions of the liberated mind. We could also say that they are liberated self, liberated me or suffering in its liberated form. This is the meaning of one taste* or sameness of samsara and nirvana.

*one of the main stages of mahamudra

Cultivating wrathful buddhas is not always easy because they stir our subconscious poisons and bring them to the surface. This is actually what they supposed to do and the gift of wrathful tantric practice. It is an immense gift to get to scoop from the bottom of the subconscious mind, to get one's hands to that foundational poison-mud. There is no better way to bring it to light, in the open, than wrathful practice. When poisons come up, they may confuse and make us nervous a bit. Those poisons come to the surface so at times we find ourselves in the middle of a puddle of deadly poison. A mature yogini or yogi can enjoy the ride and let it play out by itself. But someone who is still learning the dynamics of tantric practice, it can be a shock. We simply need to practice what we have learned. That's all and it will work out, like it has for thousand generations of yogis before us. Going through this process gives us freedom and maturation as human beings. People who never had difficulty in their life are naive, spoiled, immature and lack character. Doing wrathful practice is definitely also a way to grow up because it requires one to stop whining and bullshitting oneself and others. In these situations tantric lamas sometimes give you words of encouragement while other times you get scolded for not giving it your all. If you don't give it your all, if you're not serious about it, you're in wrong place. In this case, if you are not committing to the process 100%, you might only be making your life worse with wrathful practice.

We start all practices by first learning the practice. In the beginning, we get to know the deity or deities. We get a feel of their energy. As we keep cultivating the deity, we become familiar with it and begin to unite with it. Finally, as the deity drills its hole through the poisonous area in our mind, that it's meant for, we see that the deity is me. We also come to see that both me and the deity are empty, and that the deity is actually a marvellous celebration of life itself. This is the gift of tantric practice.

-Kim Katami, 28.6.2019

Open Heart Sangha,

www.en.openheart.fi

Nothing More Precious Than One's Own Beliefs

Nothing More Precious

Than One's Own Beliefs

I thought so too and worked on humbleness, kindness, compassion and perspective for countless internet messages, taking all those opportunities to practice and reflect as they arose. In the process I shed a lot of my insecurities, angers, fears and anxieties; and shed tears of a sad bodhisattva. How could anyone who has all beings in one's heart, avoid shedding tears when feeling their dread and horror that makes them endlessly terrified? This returns our heart to softness, openness and equality. We become mothers and care-givers to all beings. However, being a mother does not mean accepting everything without discrimination. There is confusion and there is liberation. These are two, although liberation is found in the midst of confusion. Lotuses, too, grow from mud.

Samsara is vast and humans who have the greatest potential, are also the biggest fools. We are experts in fooling ourselves, masters in shunning reality. When through sincerity and skillful effort, we shed traits of ignorance and ill behaviour, we access reality as it is, without the slightest bit of self-deception. Those moments and permanent shifts are the moments of being gurus ourselves, assuming the grip of Guru Rinpoche's personal vajra.

Having great amount of light results to great knowledge. It is light of knowing that should be the foundation of practice for shadow of darkness can never replace the light. Yet, as people shun the reality in all possible ways, we mistakenly believe we could replace light with a shadow, and some think their shadow is light, even if it's just a shadow. Then people go around waving the banner of dharma, shouting slogans, "This is dharma! This is what the books say!", like religionists always do. For those idiots, bodhisattvas keep shedding tears. Fortunately(!), the heart of a bodhisattva has no bottom and cannot be broken. If such stubborn and ignorant people have the immense fortune of meeting an exceptional vajrayana lama, there is hope for them, but if they waste their time with donkeys dressed up in yellow and maroon, they'll just keep occupying the wheel of existence like everyone else.

Unless we know we are confused and are ever willing to admit it, faith for dharma cannot arise. If faith for dharma doesn't arise, there will never be correct and sincere practice. If one doesn't practice and isn't hit by the thunderstrike of reality, that kills ignorance, attachment and aversion, one will remain confused and will never understand even a word of the buddhas. It all boils down to acknowledging our own confusion and the immense depth of it. Those who don't acknowledge that, will never understand the dharma. This is the reality of samsara and the destiny of those who cherish the self-view. See, if we fall under the poison of arrogance, there is nothing even the greatest lama can do, except wait.

I am not a guru nor a great lama but what I learned in my years of online debates is that for someone confused, there is nothing more precious than one's own beliefs.

-Kim, 17.5.2019

Open Heart Sangha,

www.en.openheart.fi

Wearing Medals

Wearing Medals

You take refuge and put a medal in your chest. You become a buddhist and put a medal in your chest. You read a pile of books that makes you knowledgeable and again put a medal in your chest. You wear a certain kind of Oriental garb and put a medal in your chest. You get a dharma name and a title, and oh that medal, it really is something special, so you smear yourself with those ideas like pigs roll in shit. ”I became a student of Mega Rinpoche, the head lama, already back in 1967”. You have that medal in your chest and those with similar mindset, who are as stoopid and ignorant, are impressed and sorry that they weren't first instead. They think you are something to look up to because all the medals you have. Years go by and you end up with an impressive resume and yet you remain more or less that same unkind self-centered asshole you were in the first place. Now, after many years of so called practice, instead of being aggressive, you are merely passive aggressive and as confused as ever about your true being. How are you different from the rest of samsaric beings who take credit and create an identity of their accomplishments? You'd fit right in, in the club of selfish businessmen, politicians, agitators and such who think they are better than the rest and deserve more than others because your mindset is the same as theirs. When practitioners look at you, how could they not feel sorry for you? When buddhas look at you, who could they not feel great sadness?

- Kim Katami, 5/2019

North Korean Generals

Teachings on Preliminaries (Spring Retreat 2019)

Teachings on Preliminaries

Open Heart Spring Retreat 2019

For the past year, I have worked on the Preliminary Practices of Open Heart. Preliminaries are largely what Buddhism teaches. The word preliminary itself comes from Tibetan word ngondro or nundro. In total, there are about 30 preliminaries on the list that will soon be published. In the following, I discuss a few of them as practice material for this Spring Retreat of 2019 held near Dublin, in Ireland.

Dzogchen Preliminary: Going to Nature

Read these passages every day on retreat.



Nature of mind is the same indoors and outdoors so basically there is no need to change anything. Outdoors it is easy to be supported by the natural state of the surrounding nature, while indoors because alive physical nature is not there, it is not that obvious. For this reason yogins and yoginis have always prioritised practicing in nature. Anyhow, if the weather doesn't allow sitting outside, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't (ha!), simply feel nature beyond the building walls. Having a window open so that natural sounds come in is very helpful.



When you sit outside, don't sit too close to other people. You should have the sense that you're sitting alone, in your own peace, just you and the surrounding nature. Also, if it is possible to go to woods with trees and bushes, that is much better than a man made garden.



I have written in the preliminary instruction: Go to a forest or any natural place, like a hill, cliff, riverside or a desert. Pick a place that is pleasant and safe to be. Sit down. Don't meditate. Feel connected with the surrounding nature, sights and sounds. Just be together with the surrounding nature without anything else. Prayers, mantras or other aspirations are not needed, although can be used.



Nature is in the natural state of mind already. Anyone who has spent time in nature hiking, camping, fishing or hunting already knows that. Physical nature, the power of it, is so compelling that even the most stubborn ego will yield when in nature. What is needed to achieve this? Nothing, except you need to go there in the midst of nature. That's it. No need to make effort of any kind. Just go out there and sit, letting the surroundings in... without thought or intention, be together with nature: trees, bushes, animals, sky, ground, wind, light and the aliveness of it all. Just go out there and it will happen by itself. If for some reason you are hopelessly restless, shout Phets. This is the practice. It's nothing special.

Common Preliminaries

(To be read on afternoons)

I had intended to talk and guide workshops about other preliminaries: Transcience of Life, Acknowledgement of Confusion and Value of Dharma. I'll write about this in a nutshell.

Dharma is not about happiness.

Dharma is not about happiness... Say that to yourself a few times. Are you practicing dharma to make your life more happy or to make it better somehow? Well, that is OK but not the real purpose of dharma. None of the yogins and yoginis who realised their nature in full and became enlightened practiced to become happy. Why did they practice? They practiced to see the reality of themselves. Seeing and experiencing the reality of ourselves is the core of dharma. In Buddhism, there are many exercises that are practiced extensively so that we can perceive the reality of ourselves, know ourselves as perfectly and completely awake awareness which is embodied by the contents of our mind and our physical body. Read this last sentence three times.

Padmasambhava

Attachment

We become attached to life. We become attached to comforts, that in our Western society are many. We also want to avoid discomfort. Yes? No? Think about it. Be honest, don't bullshit yourself. Countless causes for dissatisfaction are created because we convince ourselves that we could become happy by momentary pleasures, like delicious food, wild sex, physical exercise, intoxicating drink, intoxicating drugs, luxury massage, new car, new house, new partner, new pet and so on. It can also be something subtler, like being attached to a certain kind of breakfast. None of these examples are causes of suffering, if there is no attachment, that is, self, me-ness involved. If you see that none of these things can give you lasting happiness, you won't rely on them. In that case you get your fix from knowing yourself as a buddha. This fix is no-fix and everyone, everyone, is seeking that. All sentient, samsaric, beings have buddhanature and this very fact is the reason why we cannot get satisfaction from fleeting stuff.



I am sure everyone in the room will have heard this before. "Yeah, yeah, I know all that already", you might think. I am sorry to break the news for you but you don't really know until there is not the slightest shadow in your mind. Admit and acknowledge that you are confused because you are attached to your human condition and the pleasures that are available to you. This point needs to penetrate one's whole being, otherwise you are not doing the practice. If you go to a pub in a samsaric rapture of wanting a good crunk, some fatty food, good laughs and maybe even get laid before passing out into obvilion, if even a trace of that selfish excitement is there, you are still attached. If you are not ready or willing to admit this, fine, no need to force it. Samsara will do it's thing so eventually you will get it.

Transcience of Life

We are all human beings with human bodies, names, personas and we do stuff that humans typically do. Also human beings have buddhanature and therefore can get released from samsara, cyclical existence. Buddhanature itself is the cause for liberation.



I'd like to ask you to contemplate the following: The inevitability of death through accident, illness or old age. Have you heard of anyone who avoided death? Of course not. You, I and everyone else, including our loved ones, will die. I am sorry to put it so bluntly but it is a fact that you, I and everyone else cannot prevent the wheel of time from turning. We can only leap out of it by knowing ourselves as buddhas. So when talking about these three preliminaries as dharma practice, we are to sit down, contemplate and imagine our bodies dying in sudden accidents of various kinds (be creative), or being ill with horrible diseases or being so old that your body simply cannot perform anymore, so that you cannot walk and move anymore, cannot eat because the stomach doesn't digest, you soil yourself, your mouth is dry, your eyes are blurry and your ears don't hear well. If you contemplate the transcience of life in this manner your attachments and self-based confusions will transform and you will become more clear minded, that is, a little bit closer to being free.



We do not know when the moment of death comes but it is certain that at one moment your body will fall down on the ground and the breath stops. Heat will escape the body of a samsaric human in hours and the body begins to decay, rot and smell. Have you seen a dead body with your own eyes?



Statistically, 151 000 people die every day. That's over a million in a week. A million human corpses... Young people, old people, children, black people, white people, Asians, tall people, short people, smart people, dumb people, handsome people, attractive people, unattractive people, leaders, followers, PhD's, millionaires, billionaires, poor people, heteros, gays, lesbians, trans's, liberals, conservatives, activists, extremists, terrorists and a few spiritual practitioners too... How many of them die in peace and have a clear mind? If you are not comfortable with the idea that you will die and leave everything you know behind, you will die confused, afraid and anxious... Such a corpse is not a pretty sight. Yogis and yoginis welcome death with an open mind and die in equipoise because they know it is an inevitable change and life continues afterwards. I am using quite graphical descriptions with the hope that you will be shaken up a bit and listen. Mortality is a good meditation and has been one of my main practices since I was teenager, for over 25 years. I am still not done and am certainly samsaric so when I die you might see my body go dry and black. That's a joke. Haha!



Life is transient and that is one of the beauties of it. Everything is in motion. It is typical for humans, when we grow up, to create a belief system and absorb fixed views about all kinds of things. Self and attachment are present pretty much from the day we are born. Of course it is.



One of the most central teachings of Buddhism is transmigration between different realms. Now we are (samsaric) humans, in 100 years we might be dogs, cats, pigs, angels, gods or demons, depending on what kind of mind we cultivate. Or we might be liberated! Actually even sooner than hundreds of years. When we realise, real-ize or actual-ize our inner buddhahood, depending on readiness or willingness (which is merit), karmic connections meaning teachings and teachers, and effort in practice. Readiness and karmic connections come from previous lives and are further strengthened in this one, if one practices. Effort in practice also comes from previous lives and greatly defines our ability to understand dharma quickly through flesh and bone, instead of brooding on mental concepts.



Some practitioners, the moment they hear of dharma, of buddhas, of emptiness or something like that, are already on the path. It just clicks. It's like the old analogy of a horse and whip. A brilliant horse runs at the shadow of the whip. At the other extreme, the horse walks lazily and takes breaks even if it is hardly beaten. I've seen many such bad horses in people who are very casual about dharma but because they don't practice, they are mere believers, convinced that they know what the teaching of the Buddha is about. When such people draw their last breath, it will be a crazy and scary rollercoaster. Maybe they won't take dharma for granted in future lives. Such people never listened to their teacher and never really did preliminaries. Then there are horses in between these two. What kind of horse are you? Clarify your motivation to yourself to make your path easy and straight. If you are after happiness or just nibble it, bite here and there, you have a long and winding road ahead of you. It is not a problem for me and I am not admonishing you either. So, mortality and transcience of life is a great preliminary.

Honesty

Honesty is another preliminary. We need to be honest and willing to see our own faults. Not many people can practice that well because we want to affect things to our favour, to make it better for us, so that we can be happier. If we cultivate honesty and sincerity, by simply reminding ourselves to be honest in this moment, that already reveals ourselves as buddhas. Honesty and sincerity brings in a flood of energy that is pure, pacifying and grounded. If we remain honest about our thoughts, words and actions, we are already buddhas. It is a misconception to think that if one remained honest for 30 years, then the reward would come after such a period of cultivation. No, the reward of non-reward is instant and has an instant effect on our mind. The preliminary of honesty, reminding ourselves to be honest, like other preliminaries needs to be repeated many times. In that way we are actually transforming our self-centered and self-invested habits. Being honest purifies our actions.

Acknowledgement of Confusion and Value of Dharma

We cannot really know the value of dharma, unless we can acknowledge the depth and seriousness of our confusion. Again, think about the wheel of life (skt. bhavachakra) and transmigration in realms. If you don't practice the dharma, you cannot know yourself. If you don't know yourself, you are unaware of karmic records stored in your subconscious mind that will kick in, in full at the moment you die. When a filled but untied balloon is released in a room it flies all over the place and ends up in a random place! Look at your emotional reactions and you get a sense of where you're heading. Maybe you end up having another human life, but think of all the possible places and cisumstances you could end up... When we are still in a human body and have the opportunity to practice the dharma, that very very very few people do, you can remain honest and acknowledge the scope of your self-based confusion. As tantrics, when we realise that we truly are fucked, that is the moment when we take refuge in the mahasiddha guru, mainly Guru Rinpoche. And he is more than happy to help anyone!



Past mahasiddhas are literally hanging in the air, on all corners of the world, just waiting for people to turn to them. We only need to make the initiative and when we do it's such a joyful and fulfilling ride. Through guru yoga, this association, we come to know the reality of ourselves which is the whole point. Like this, bit by bit, we come to value the dharma. Little by little, appreciation and valuing dharma comes to us. This is nothing else but your awakened nature.

Bodhicitta

All these preliminaries (tib. nundro) give arise to bodhicitta, the heartmind of enlightenment. Bodhicitta is just another way of saying that we begin to become who we essentially already are. Samsaric beings don't give a shit about others because they are only concerned about their fix and the happiness of those they know or who belong to their group. Aren't most people acting exactly like this? It's a bloody mess, isn't it.



By caring for others, bodhisattvas break their bubble made of habits, likes and dislikes, that is, the self. We begin to care for others because we become less self-immersed and begin to see that everyone else around us suffers too.



Thank you and bows for listening. Now practice, actualise, these teachings. Make these words of countless predecessors your life line. Don't waste your time.



Again, I am sorry that I couldn't make it over due to being ill. I wish you all a great Spring Retreat!



Much love,
Kim

About zen, dzogchen and attainments

About zen, dzogchen and attainments


>It’s encouraging that you say that one can get to the 6th bhumi with classic vipashyana practices. Am I correct in saying that after awakening people in the group could carry on with their shikantaza practice?

For example. If a teacher of zen-tradition is awakened they usually are around 2-3-4 bhumis, opened not perfected. Zen-master Hakuin talked of his 18 kenshos but he was one among few exceptions. I've never seen anyone explain his kenshos. He surely did not have the same kensho again and again! I am pretty sure he was talking about bhumi openings, although he didn't use that word because bhumi opening feels like being awakened inside the awakened state, it just gets subtler and subtler, clearer and clearer. Then on the other hand I know soto zen teachers, famous ones, who after several decades of practice haven't even had the initial insight, opened their 1st bhumi. This is reflected in the way how they talk and describe things. I don't think there is a zen-teacher alive today who really knows what Dogen was talking about. I hope there was but I haven't met one. When they "just sit", they are more or less stuck in alaya vijnana. Have seen this with my own eyes.


Almost all great theravada-masters are 6th bhumis, opened not perfected. They seem to get stuck at this stage. Maybe it has to do with their motivation, lack of including all beings. Compassion is the key in opening bodhisattva bhumis, at least until 8th bhumi which is the abode of Avalokiteshvara, Bodhisattva of Compassion. Vajrayana teachers, those who practice themselves and are sincere, are usually on bodhisattva bhumis, opened not perfected. Then there are many teachers of the Tibetan tradition who might have big organisations, fancy titles and everything yet are low in their bhumis, if even awakened. Then rarely someone on mahasiddha bhumis pops up but these are very rare. It's even more rare to meet someone who has all 13 bhumis open and the lowest 6 perfected and hence is a fully attained arhat. To meet a living buddha, who has all bhumis perfected is close to non-existent in physical body but it's great that Amma is there. This is just a brief comment. I think serious practitioners should take this stuff seriously. Any practically applicable system that can shed light on the level of attainments, either one's own or others can only be useful and of help.

By classic vipashyana I mean following some theravadan or mahayanan exposition of vipashyana. No, this assumption is not correct, in my view. Shikantaza is atiyoga. It is dzogchen, from the kadag/emptiness/selflessness perspective. Shikantaza is not a ”practice” and certainly not a practice of the generation/vipashyana stage. I am sorry to say this but I've seen many from zen "just sit". But they don't just sit, except for very brief periods, like glimpses of split seconds here and there. It actually seems that many people start taking back steps with zen. You know, common people with steady lives and basic morals might spend more time in selfless awareness (although switching back and forth with self-based mode) than zen buddhists during the first couple of decades of practice because the poor instructions become a barrier. They are given poorly analysed ways of practice. I've seen whole sanghas sit in the mud. By mud I am referring to alaya vijnana, substrate consciousness often talked about by dzogchen -masters. No real clarity. I am really sad to say this but that is how it is. There is no point to sit and sit and sit endless hours if you don't know what you're doing. I did so for over 20 000 hours. People rant and are in love with the idea of the natural state and ”just sitting” but they don't know what it means. They don't. No clue. So sorry to say this but I am just trying to help.


Someone wrote: "My first buddhist teacher was Kobun Chino Roshi. In one class, someone asked him how to get closer to his lineage or more involved with his lineage. His answer was to look into dzogchen." Another zen-teacher called John Denko Mortensen, who took up dzogchen after becoming a zen-teacher, said, "While zen-masters say weird things, dzogchen-people actually explain things". His excitement of a very different pedagogy in dzogchen which apparently was new to him, was audible. 
 
The point is that one needs to know a whole bunch of things to really make progress on the path. One needs to understand the mechanisms, how the mind works, what the elements are and have a cataloque of various practices to be able to make progress. We need to acknowledge that when we are at the foot of the mountain or at the side of the mountain, we are NOT at the top of the mountain. Dzogchen-masters like Longchenpa make this perfectly clear. One needs to practice vipashyana, in one form or the other. Without this knowledge it is unrealistic to speak of "attaing buddhahood in this life". Entirely unrealistic. Dzogchenpas such as Jigme Lingpa, have been clear about the difference of the subtle mud one can sit in for decades thinking that it is awareness or rigpa. I know such cases who spent decades sitting, doing retreats every month all year around, and yet their practice was subtly coloured. Some clarity, yes, but not abiding at home, still travelling. One needs to know the difference of samsara and nirvana, to able to go beyond both.


>To really do atiyoga practices, does one really need a teacher qualified in these and a lot of preparatory insightful investigation?


- One thing I know for certain: One needs to get awakened asap and then open the consecutive bhumis up till 11th. Then you know what atiyoga is. 9th bhumi seems to be some sort of a turning point to most but as 11th is the first mahasiddha bhumi, it isn't until then when you really know it and live it, without the need to do this or that all the time to fix attention or remove something.
That question of a qualified teacher is a tricky one. I am saying this with respect to all concerned. A particular rinpoche who is considered one of the greatest dzoghen masters alive today, said last August (or July) in webcast that "during activity his rigpa-state lasts for 3 seconds at a time". He said this as a response to some people who came to him and claimed to be in rigpa 24/7.
According to my bhumi analysis of him, his bhumi is 10, so he hasn't yet opened his first ms bhumi. From my own experience, and that of my teacher colleagues, I can testify that during the terrain of 9th-10th bhumis it was precisely like that: a few seconds of rigpa and then something else and then a few secs of rigpa again. This changes when hitting 11th. But the questions was about qualified teachers. Thousands of people worldwide from the Dalai Lama to many followers say that the rinpoche in question is a "dzogchen master". He is a great authority on dzogchen. A reality check is needed here. He can not be a master of rigpa as he comes in and out so markedly, according to his own words. It doesn't make sense, does it? There really is a need for some profound reality checks in vajrayana buddhism and dzogchen.

Kim, 2.2.2017.

Cutting through Samsara and entering Nirvana, Part 3: Twist and Shout!

Cutting through Samsara

and entering Nirvana, Part 3:

Twist and Shout!

Check also:

• Cutting through Samsara and entering Nirvana, Part 1: Cutting through-text and video
• Cutting through Samsara and entering Nirvana, Part 2: Cessation/Nirodha-text and video
• Cutting through Samsara and entering Nirvana, Part 3: Twist and Shout!-text

Jigme Lingpa, talks about distinguishing between samsara and nirvana in his famous book, Yeshe Lama. Rushen or korde rushen has the meaning of separating or distinguishing samsara and nirvana. This is the basic training of natural perfection, also known as dzogchen. Jigme Lingpa quoted in italics.

Rushen of body

How to do the rushen of body is explained in the root tantra:

With the body, in motion or reclining,

Or twisting and turning, perform yoga postures,

Stretch and bend the limbs

And put the body through its paces.

Just as you conceive it, physically enact

The behaviour of the six kinds of mythic beings.

Accordingly, in order to revert the physical, vocal and mental activity initiated by karma and natural propensity, and in the future to halt it entirely, go to a place where it is certain that no one will intrude and where you cannot be seen or heard... Then say to yourself, ”I am here for the sake of all sentient beings to separate, distinguish and define samsara and nirvana physically, energetically and mentally, so that in the future I need not return to samsara.”

After generating bodhi-mind in that way, strip naked and... Then, run and jump, twist and turn, stretch and bend and, in brief, move your body in whatever way comes to mind – but without purpose or design.

Rushen of Speech

Then, similarly, in order to pull apart and define samsara and nirvana in speech... Chatter, nonsensically to yourself and speak various languages randomly.

Twist and Shout!

First a reminder: Please remember that yours truly is not an adept of the orthodox dzogchen-tradition.

What we have in the previous quotes is something very interesting when done in action. My interpretation of distinguishing samsara and nirvana by bodily and verbal means is as follows.

Basically, what the great master Jigme Lingpa is saying here is for one to allow the samsaric tensions be released, shaked, vibrated, shouted or voiced by physical means. When this is done, samsara is automatically released and nirvana, open natural awareness reveals itself.

What the master suggests here, in effect is no different than what ancient tribes have done when singing and dancing around the fire. The effect is the same when people of today sing and dance to different rhythmical music at concerts. Recently I witnessed a growd dancing to a wonderful Korean electronic dance group. The thoughtless and clear minds of both these, dancers and musicians were noticeable. The drummer spent long times in the thoughtless state, fervently beating his drums! All these people surely experienced the effect of this, whether they knew to call it with the proper technical term known in dzogchen or other schools.

Kriya

Several years ago I came to spontaneously think that shaking the body briskly is a wonderful way to release tensions, both physical and mental. When one begins to shake the body, soon the shaking takes on it's own and there is no need to continue it anymore as it does itself. This is a natural mechanism of the human nervous system, animals have it and use it too.

In yoga, spontaneous physical shaking, trembling, jumping, moving, shouting and voicing in a non-rhythmical non-composed manner, is called by the term ”spontaneous kundalini kriya” or just ”physical kriya”. To some people this begins by itself, often to their surprise, while to others this doesn't start spontaneously at all. However, the nervous systems of all men have this ability to shake off what doesn't belong there. It's just spontaneous shaking and voicing which naturally covers areas of physical and psychic blocks in the bodymind that seek for a release.

This mechanism may be consciously stopped at anytime. This has nothing to do with going into a hypnosis or a trance. One is perfectly aware and conscious of this happening.

TRE

Dr. David Berceli, founder of the TRE-system has done wonderful scientific research and fieldwork with this principle. TRE refers to ”trauma releasing exercises”. In TRE some simple exercises and stretches are used to get the natural trauma releasing mechanism working which then takes on on it's own. His organisation has educated hundreds of TRE-instructors worldwide. What they do is no different to what Jigme Lingpa is suggesting or what is done by those with physical kriyas. However, the theoretical explanation and the meaning of it varies.

Rushen-practice in the Open Heart-style

In the beginning of a Rushen-session, sit quietly for a moment, let your breath calm down and relax. After a moment, chant Machig Labdron's guru mantra 4 or 8 times aloud. After this initial contact with the master, stand up, lie on your back or take a position that you feel like taking. Allow physical shaking and/or spontaneous voicing to begin. Let it happen naturally on it's own. Don't manipulate the natural chaotic pattern of the shaking or shouting. Don't try to release tensions, the inbuilt mechanism takes care of this on its own. Allow it to happen. When the body wishes to take a new position, allow it to happen. You will see that the natural stress releasing mechanism goes through all the tensions in logical manner. Just observe this, as you would observe thoughts or emotions come up and go by in open awareness meditation (ati yoga).

Continue for 20-30-40 minutes in one session. After a shaking session, lie down and rest for 5-10 minutes. You might feel very tired after the first couple of sessions but this tiredness goes away eventually. Then sit up and practice Ati-meditation. This Rushen-practice may also be done as a preparation for Tibetan Heart Yoga-session.

The way how the body shakes goes in periods. It may be very slow and calm while on the other hand it might be very fast, aggressive and uptempo. Allow it to be as it comes, don't change it. Yet know that it can be stopped at any time.

What is very important is to be able to observe objectively. This is a basic skill of meditators. However, if you are a beginner, know that sometimes strong emotions can come up. If this happens your body might shake aggressively, you might shout in fear, you might start crying and so on. Something like this that you didn't expect to happen, might happen. It's totally OK. It's subconscious tensions, stresses and traumas, samsaric bodymind content releasing itself. However, if you feel it's too much, you can stop the session at any time. If you feel uncomfortable to return to Rushen-practice, do it in a group or with a friend. You can also do this eyes open which will help you to stay ”here”, instead of getting lost in emotions or memories. In general, one can have eyes open or closed whichever is preferred.

The main reason why this is done is to shake off samsaric mindstuff from our bodymind in order to recognise our natural knowing awareness. It's that simple. Doing this has other benefits as well. Your physical fitness can become better, your sleep becomes deeper and more restful, your overall vitality becomes enhanced and of course you'll just feel fresh and clear after doing these sessions, both physically and mentally. This is because the knots of your dualistic mind are loosened or untied. Rushen (outer) combined with tantric practice, such as Tibetan Heart Yoga, which is called ”inner rushen” by Jigme Lingpa, does the same thing, emphasizing more the inner aspects of our dualistic conditioning. The general purpose of all of this is to cut through samsara and enter nirvana. Use it and enjoy it!

Sources

TRE-introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPFbXdSGSkc

TRE-beginner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyMxQH_39FQ

Kim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1e1zVwX78g

Jerry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfBLJxl9QJQ

Pau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6gZfKGVsw8

Pau doing yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq0IE0ntbks

Spontaneous movements may develop to ”deity embodiment” as demonstrated in several videos by Pauliina:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrY43Y5iGeI

Thank you for reading,

- Kim Katami, 29.5.2016

Open Heart

www.openheart.fi

Cutting through Samsara and entering Nirvana, Part 1: Cutting through

Cutting through Samsara

and entering Nirvana,

Part 1:

Cutting through

Check also:

• Cutting through Samsara and entering Nirvana, Part 1: Cutting through-text and video
• Cutting through Samsara and entering Nirvana, Part 2: Cessation/Nirodha-text and video
• Cutting through Samsara and entering Nirvana, Part 3: Twist and Shout!-text

Cutting through Samsara and entering Nirvana, Part 1-guided practice

Samsara means being caught up by a mind that goes around in cycles. Samsaric mind refers to thoughts, feelings and subtle energy where thoughts and feelings are born from. This includes the sense of separate self or the sense of ”I” or ”me”. Actually all thoughts and feelings are charged with some sense of me-ness.

When the samsaric mind is too busy and makes one go crazy because the mind is so scattered, there is a need to cut this cyclical function of the mind that thinks and feels.

This cutting has to be thorough, a thorough cut through all levels of the samsaric mind. The talkative mind can be silenced simply by relaxing the jaws and the surface of the subconscious mind can be calmed down by relaxing the belly and the physical body but to cut through through all levels of the samsaric mind, we also have to cut through the subtle energy that is beyond the form of thought and emotion. This subtle energy is dormant and has no form. That is why it is not easy for meditators to perceive. However, this is a way to cut through through that as well. And when this is achieved, a stateless state of open awareness, where the mind has been completely blown out, is entered. The meaning of nirvana is literally ”blown out” as in candle's flame that is blown out.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche says in his book Ground, Path and Fruition:

The practice of the Thorough Cut is like taking a great big knife and just cutting the snake of solidified confusion. You take a machete to all the thoughts of the past and the future, to the whole complex of confusion about what is real and what is not, and just hack them down in one fell swoop. There is no visualization. Do not think about it. Just cut it. Drop it. It is very energetic. It is not like having a nice meditation.

There are many methods to help with this and one whole class of those methods is the one called Parting Samsara and Nirvana. In it, you get your body moving-active, walking, anything-and then stop and look, immediately, and in that moment completely cut through all of the thoughts-conceptual, intellectual, gross, subtle, whatever.

You can shake your body violently or you can shout or whatever; just work for four or five minutes and suddenly drop everything.

In terms of the traditional methods of parting samsara and nirvana, practitioners would go to the jungle, take off all their clothes, and just jump, jump, jump, shout, shout, shout, and do crazy things to cause a real breakdown. Or they would jump into icy water. By these methods you can intoxicate all the small states of mind and really stay in rigpa.