Now

The present moment is the entryway to the realm of originating-existence, the liberation that lies beyond desire (kamadhatu) and beyond form (rupaadhatu). In this space, there is nothing to create ignorance, anger, or greed; nothing for any afflictive emotion to attach to, and so no afflictive emotions at all. When in the formless realm (arupadhatu) the mind dwells in mystic contemplation, and upon return to the realm of form it harvests the fruits of the five spiritual powers: faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. The formless realm cannot be accessed in the past or in the future, any more than you can walk through a door in the past or the future. Now is the only portal to the formless and the only means for cultivating more peace of mind.

Mind Essence

The purity of the sky does not vanish just because the clouds obscure the sun. When the clouds pass, everything is clear. Likewise, the essence of mind is pure, though it is obscured by ignorance, hatred, and greed. When these clouds are removed, Mind Essence is realized. The power shining forth through the clarity of mind is Buddhahood itself.

Intuition

We are too often distrustful of our intuition. Yet our intuition is the key that opens the lock to the treasure-house within. As Master Hui Neng said, “The one who knows his own mind and sees intuitively his own nature, he is a Hero, a Teacher of gods and men, a Buddha.”

The Remaining Awareness is What I Am

A precious string of words formed in me while meditating this evening:

After negating all that I am not, the remaining Awareness is what I am.

Afterwards, contemplating about the ego mind, I turned to the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879 – 1950) and was reminded of this: that it is useless to destroy doubts in the mind. When one doubt is destroyed, another arises to replace it, and so on, in an endless chain. But if you deeply inquire Who Am I?, then soon all doubts will cease. Who is the Doubter? Who is doubting? Follow this inquiry and you will discover that the Doubter does not exist. It is bogus. So the doubts cannot exist either. As Maharshi says, “Doubter ceasing, doubts will cease.”

But what about the slip ups during our practice? What is to be done when the ego reasserts itself and we follow its shrill voice and tempting allusions?

"There is the steady impulse of your determination that sets you on your feet again after every downfall and breakdown,” Maharshi notes. “Gradually the obstacles are all overcome and your current becomes stronger. Everything comes right in the end. Steady determination is what is required.”

Everything Changes

The essence of Buddhism can be summarized in two words: Everything changes. This is the basis of the Buddha's Four Noble Truths. Nothing that you can point to or hold is permanent. Point to any object you see: it is not lasting. Hold onto any object (person or thing): it is not lasting. And because of the fact that everything changes -- everything is impermanent -- suffering follows. Our minds think of things as lasting, and we suffer when they change.

Some things change in the blink of an eye: You work hard all your life, save money, correct mistakes, plan for the future -- but in an instant your life is changed by a heart attack, a stroke, a sudden diagnosis of stage four cancer. Or your loved one dies. Or your lover abandons you for someone else. Or you lose all your material possessions. Everything can change over night. Other things change dramatically over time. Your once-youthful body deteriorates into old age.

We call changable things "conditioned," or "composited." They exist because of conditions. We like to think that love itself is unconditional, but we find over and over again that people fall out of love. People can even disown their children. Best friends fall into disfavor. Cherished colleagues drift apart.

New cars and houses become old and need repair or replacement. Even a house of solid stone and steel is composited. The tiny particles in the stones and steel are subject to weathering. They break down. The highest mountains will break down too over the course of time.

So far all of this has been stated in a rather negative light: change brings suffering. But so does suffering bring change! Our pain leads us to look deeper. To have discipline. To focus and to work toward something beyond the conditioned, composited world. Because everything changes, our mental processes can change too. Our understanding can change. Our expectations can change. This is the path of liberation, of seeing things as they really are. Connecting with the unchangable within you that lies deeper even than your mental processes.

We don't need a lover, a room of friends, a new car, a gorgeous house, piles of cash, praise at work, stature in our community. All of these things come and go. (We mostly feel that they go, because it is hard to let go of something that feels good.) We only hold them or point to them for a short time.

Standing on the shore, we can see the ebb and flow of the water. But the ocean remains. If we take our vision off the shoreline of our life, the depth of our being remains unchanged by ebbs and flows, gain and loss. That's what Buddhist contemplation means; what meditation is: looking deeply into your ocean.

Take Heed of Me

Please take heed of me

With an open heart, I plead with you devotedly

Take heed of me

From the expanse of space

From the bliss of emptiness

Come to me

Surround me in your retinue of compassion

Clothe me in your strength

Dispel the darkness of ignorance that obscures my view

Reveal to me the path of liberation

Remove the poisons from my mind

Please take pity on me, glorious teachers

Please forgive me for my mistakes

My eyes are clouded with tears

Suffering pours through my veins

My heart has lost its will

Please heed the cries of your imperfect child

Bless me with your guidance

Bless me with your protection

Grant me refuge

Lift me swiftly into your arms

Let me be contentment within myself

Grant me the realizations of pure body, speech, and mind

Let me learn to alleviate the suffering of others

You who are inseparable to me

Let our minds be as one

No suffering, no illusion, no anger, no ill will

Embodiment of loving kindness

Take heed of me

With devotion I am pleading to you

Please bless me without delay

Please bless me in this very spot

Please bless me in this very moment

Calling the Lama from Afar

In Vajaryana Buddhism, there is a practice called Lama Jang Bö (blama rgyang ‘bod) which means Calling the Teacher from Afar. The practice is deeply rooted in devotion to one’s higher nature. It is posited in the idea that the teacher and the student are spiritually inseparable. In fact all beings are connected to one another. No matter the level of accomplishment, no matter the time (past, present, or future), no matter the realm (earthly or other), all beings are connected. When we ask for the help of others, we are accessing our own ability to help ourselves. Their energy and ours combine to form the conditions we need in order to change our present situation.

I will publish (in a separate entry) a practice from my teaching that some might find beneficial in times of need. May it bring blessings to the world.

Inseparable

In a spontaneous display of love

I am renewed in you

Stop Fighting Nature

There is suffering in life. There is a cause. There is a cure. There is an end.

When we get cut deeply, the pain is a signal to the brain that we must tend the wound. Even after we clean it and bandage it, the cut still hurts for many days. We must tend the wound every day and be patient with the pain. Little by little it improves. The same is true for emotional wounds. We should not try to force ourselves to “get over it.” That is absurd. We must allow ourselves the period of pain while we tend the wound. If we do, then we stop fighting nature and hasten our recovery.

Being Gentle With Yourself

If you think that your life is holy

And ordinary things are unworthy

Your mind is flooded with delusion.

Even the wisest ones are unfinished

Until they have gone beyond.