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... I downloaded the e-book. That obe4u.com looks interesting. I say we do it. I used to be able to lucid dream with great effectiveness, oh around puberty I guess, but the ability left me. I have had many dreams I consider precognitive in some mysterious way, also. It might be interesting. The Lamb Lies Down. ...

I think dream work offers the most bang for the buck. A Siddhi/psychic power that is learnable. I'd suggest we set up a Dreamwork thread in the PPF section. Preferably something starting with the letter A or 1 so it'd be on top and easy to find. It might be interesting to see how and if it evolves. For my part I'd keep it simple. A thread going over one book with one practice to be worked on. In the past I've gone overboard on theory and studying. Keeping it simple, not worrying to much about theory, but concentrating on one thing with group support would be my ideal. Maybe call it A Dream Workshop- To Lucidity and Beyond!

Thats a strange point of view mate. But I would go with other . How cool would it be if people stopped making millions for these cock suckers , stopped listening to the law of attraction shite , stopped visualising the violet flame and arch angel who ever and actually put some work in to generate real energy with intent and power. Ah one can only dream. How cool would it be if these people who constantly hop from the alinging the cha-ka-raaas workshop to the how to ascend in 7 days workshop realised , dammmmm , I just need to put some serious gong fu in and maybe , just maybe Ill get somewhere, maybe if i stop going to that tantra class with all the middle class beautiful people and actually conserve and transmute my energy then I might get somewhere. If we could all just taste the tiniest fragment of truth we could see so clearly the lies and deceit laid out before us on this multi million dollar path to enlightenment. But , looking at it one way , least we know these frauds and spiritual sharks will indeed have to face the consequences of there actions of the blatant soul stealing one day. Ahh happy happy.

The original Star Trek had an episode that demonstrates the existential danger of making war fare to easy. Drones make warfare relatively cheap, clean and far away. No solders at risk, collateral damage thousands of miles away. Killing so easy that we don't see a need to stop it. A military strategists wet dream. And it starts feeding the ever hungry military industrial complex.

Mess up your kitchen. Get some bread crumbs and sprankle it around the kitchen. Open all the storage containers and spread some bread crumbs in storages aswell. When you make food, throw around some extra bread crumbs before you start eating. When you're done eating, throw around some bread crumbs. Leave the food in the kitchen, make bread crumb pathways to the left overs. Then when you're done doing that, randomly throw around some bread crumbs to celebrate what you've just made. When you watch TV, get some bread crumbs ready to throw when you get excited. If you had a bad dream, throw some bread crumbs for the mice on your bed to protect you from bad dreams. A bed cover keeps you safe, but if you add mice and breadcrumbs to that, your defense rating goes up. Always have bread crumbs ready in your pocket. So that when you get very excited, throw around some bread crumbs.

@Bax44 The only other thing I can think about in addition to what people have said recently is that what really helped me is understanding or "reality". I won't waffle on here because I can go quite in depth but the fact of the matter is, whether sleeping or awake, you're in a dream. Everything is effectively a perception in which your mind is portraying a series of events. What is emotionally different from a nightmare or having a really bad day? Not a lot! And you will notice that you can have physical reactions from nightmares, right? Most common being heavy breathing, increased heart-rate and sweats. Emotional stress causes physical stress...but everything is mental right from the word go. So begin this practice: When in day-to-day activities, stop yourself every now and then in mid-flow and ask yourself "Am I dreaming?" Then mindfully touch something and just get used to the sensations. Then, before bed, begin mentally preparing yourself for whatever reoccurring scenarios/beasties you come across. Start thinking of a plot twist... Soon, you will be able to control the outcomes of these dreams...but firstly, you will be controlling your role within the dream, as opposed to you just being swept away by it.

Taking this into consideration, we should then reflect on how we are skewed towards extremes, in every moment of our day-to-day experiences. In subtle and gross states of experience and manifestations of thoughts, in the meditative and post-meditative periods, deep dreamless sleep and dream states, etc.; whether we stray towards reification and depreciation, affirmation and rejection, craving and aversion, etc.

Hello Sifu Terry,, I didn't dream, the second part of your comment wasn't there the first time I read it right? If it was, I feel a bit stupid for insisting and asking you more details about why masters healers were more focused on humans than the rest. So sorry for that. Thank you very much for your answer. Could you please elaborate on what is exactly an avatar? Christlike or others? Can the same avatar be met under different shapes? Thanks, Best regards, Aurélien

Definitely. Actually I feel like it's completely different from how it was before. I can recognize a few stages that seem to happen each time I sit now. First, there's a sort of snapping to attention that occurs - I don't try to do this, it seems to happen naturally even if I let my mind wander a bit - and soon after that I become very relaxed and the pleasant bodily feelings start. After sitting with those feelings for a bit, they'll usually take off into mind and body euphoria (piti? sukha?). I've had two different things happen after that. One will be a sinking feeling as the euphoria seems to taper off (this reminds me very much of how the stages of Jhana are supposed to go) and this sinking feeling can end in a kind of complete emotionlessness, or it fades back to normalcy before it gets all the way there. The other thing that can happen after the peak is the euphoria turns into a very bizarre buzzing and my eyes start to vibrate very quickly. It puts me in mind of a black hole sucking you in, maybe? I've had some of these stages happen independent of mediation as well. The emotionless/empty feeling has just kind of happened a few times without any catalyst - though I should say that I've been paying close attention to my mental states and trying to remove judgments from them, so this might be a kind of meditation anyway. The buzzing has happened a few times when I've been laying in bed - actually just last night I was laying there, and I had the feeling that I was aware of my skull (if that makes sense, lol!) and I was moving my jaw and thinking about how the bones and skin are very odd. I felt kind of like I was inside of the skull or something. That's when the buzzing started and I felt a bit like I was being sucked down a drain. I should note that I wasn't tired during this, so I don't think it was a dream state. I tried thinking about my jawbone again this morning - kind of moving it up and down - and I had a similar feeling appear again. I used to have that happen sometimes, actually. I'd get very dull and fuzzy and feel a bit numb after I got up. It felt kind of odd, really. Sorry to go into all the gory details, haha, but I just find all of this very interesting. If I went back a month or so and told myself about these mind-states, I probably would have thought I was lying or I'd gone crazy. O_O This is a good idea. I used to read a passage or two of the DDJ every day and just kind of lounge and think about it. ^^ It's a lot of fun to go back to it now! You're totally right, of course, haha, but I'm not really aiming for anything in particular, so it's just fun to see what other people could tell me about all of it. When the first event happened, I definitely over thought it, but I don't think that's too much of a danger now. When I realized that all the good things that had happened were tied to letting go, it was hard to justify holding on to anything. I had a week or two where I kept finding myself all caught up in an emotion and I just realized how ridiculous I was being, haha. I've had a lot of trouble with anxiety in the past, but at this point I don't see how it could catch me again. If I feel some kind of negativity, it's very easy to dissociate from it and just let it be whatever it is. It goes away within a minute.

He had a dream

Looks like a must-have. I'm currently reading The Tibetan Yogas Of Dream And Sleep Very impressive it is too.

MPG's posts above plus his apocalypse dream with John Chang together equal a strange picture. Is he the first horseman?

Creative Explosion: Year of Green Male Wood Horse 2014 is for folks who want practical tools to get deeper into their Natural Self. Dear Lovers of China's Earthly 12 Animals Wisdom, Happy Lunar New Year! I hope every one is able to ride the Celestial Cloud Horse of their choice with an Open Heart to swiftly enjoy their highest creative worldly and spiritual destiny in this Year of the Green Male Wood Horse. I normally wait a week into the Chinese New Year before writing about it, so I can sample it energetically. But I grew up riding horses. Ionce horse-packed for two weeks in Wyoming's Wind River Range. I was also married to a Water Horse woman for 25 years - Joyce Gayheart, who leaped (a horse-like trait) from her body into higher dimensions of soul-life on Feb. 29, the 2008 "leap day". Joyce had the quintessential horse personality - stubborn and independent, smart, creative, loved to travel, a gifted teacher, an ambitious explorer galloping in all directions, and socially skillful. Horse-types have big hearts as horse epitomizes the fire element, and she was widely loved. She even had the big bones of a horse body. So I know the horse energy well. I was not surprised to recently have a spontaneous "visitation" by Joyce shortly before her January 2014 birthday and the start of this Wood Horse Year. I'd kept open the portal to her soul since she passed, and we've done a lot of powerful spiritual work together since our "heart transplant" operation three days after her death (see link below to read more about Taoist "shijie" liberation from the corpse). On this visit she was radiant, smiling and beaming love on the rapid changes galloping through my life. It was an auspicious encounter, so strong that I could not only feel her but in my third eye actually see her etheric presence in the room. Joyce said she came to bless my life with Jem (my current wife) and our process of conscious conception. She hinted the child, spiritual name Emerald, has been waiting for the right astrology to support its destiny. Then Joyce departed like a Celestial Horse flying back to heaven. As an alchemist, I love these fluid shifts between realities, and our potential for having multi-dimensional relationships. Why limit ourselves to a narrow 3-D reality? Different Schools of Astrology - Which is Right? Joyce Gayheart is coincidentally the subject of one of the best astrology books ever written - it compares 12 different systems of astrology for their accuracy against Joyce's real life "Horse story". The book is Under One Sky, by Rafi Nasser, who is also a Taoist adept. Under One Sky has 12 blind readings of Joyce's chart from 12 different astrology schools. You can read Joyce's amazing life story and decide for yourself if the chart readings match her life (we have a few copies in stock, you can also order the book). Joyce herself felt four of the 12 readings were accurate, four were so-so, and four were completely worthless. You can still get Joyce's Divine Love Elixir she alchemized from 72 flower essences, as well as her fantastic CD set "My Body Moves Easily - I Feel Graceful and Light", designed for Primordial Tai Chi adepts but useful to anyone). One lesson I got from Joyce's book is that astrology's usefulness depends on 1) the SKILL of the astrologer; there is little objectively predictive in it. Two people born in the same place at the same time will have totally different destinies. 2) once you have a skillful reading, use of it depends on your WILL to interact consciously with the cosmic forces flowing into one's personal chart/Energy Body map. So it's risky to predict the stock market using astrology, because markets involve the free will decisions of millions of investors. They could use the Horse Year energy to drive it higher or suddenly gallop lower. The best we can do is energetically merge our personal Energy Body (the layers of our soul and body-mind) into the larger Qi field and absorb the information we most need moment-to-moment. This essay explores in depth the Chinese horse mythos, which is central to the roots of Chinese culture. This includes Dragon-horses and the I Ching, blood-sweating "Thousand Mile" horses and the Magical Flying horses of Fergana that I first encountered while following the Silk Road across China in 1985. Plus a Taoist parable on horses, and loads of lovely horse paintings and sculpture. Horses are a favorite topic of classical Chinese painters. Taoist Living Astrology vs. Abstract Mental Astrology My top focus is on HOW TO CONNECT TO HORSE ENERGY this year. Most modern astrology has devolved into an abstract mental exercise. I myself didn't take it seriously until I re-read a Chinese astrology reading done before Joyce and I got married, and realized, 20 years later, how incredibly accurate it was. Until then, astrology for me was "interesting mental garbage in/ interesting mental garbage out". Readings for most people are like New Year resolutions: we think about it for a day or two, and then forget it as life's real demands overwhelm our abstract ideas or wishes about Life. I now take very seriously the Taoist art and science of Living Astrology, which preserves the lost initiatic roots of inner alchemy. It gives a PRACTICAL way to interact with the planetary cycles that link our personal Energy Body to the Cosmic Energy Body of the stars. What is beyond the Zodiac is what underpins all astrology and karmic patterns - the great Central Sun of Oneness and pure love (called Tai Yi by Taoists). The Planetary & Soul Alchemy Formula (aka. Greatest Kan & Li, or Water & Fire) deals exclusively with Living Astrology (taught in March in Holland, see below). See my Taoist Cosmology Diagram to clarify this energetic map. It's an excerpt from my forthcoming Primordial Tai Chi book. Let me emphasize the Independent nature of horse types. In China, Fire Horse female babies were often killed because they were considered too independent and so unmanageable (by men) as to be un-marriageable. I valued Joyce's high level of independence, so I have a different cultural perspective than the Chinese. My current wife is equally independent. When astrology systems cross borders, they must adapt to new cultural values. Transition from Water Snake to Wood Horse Year is BIG! The Lunar calendar Chinese New Year (2nd new moon after Winter Solstice) starts Jan. 31 in China, and runs through Feb. 18, 2015. The Solar calendar New Year starts on Feb. 4, 2014 and runs to Feb. 4, 2015. There is a 4-day cusp between Jan. 31 and Feb. 4 where newborns may have qualities from both the departing Black Female Water Snake and the arriving Green Male Wood Horse. I recommend doing your own "welcome in Horse qigong ceremony" during the first week of the New Year to capture the billions of Asians charging it up emotionally with their festivities. Horses are skittish about Snakes, so this cusp period could be a delicate transition period for some - and possibly for the planet. My wife Jem and I got a very strong omen about this just before we did our first set of "Welcome Horse Energy" qigong ceremonies last night. Within two minutes we each broke a favorite water vessel - an antique ceramic tea cup and a glass tea decanter with a lovely yin-yang symbol on it. Were these two rare household accidents happening at random, or an omen of how the Male Yang Wood Horse Year is literally busting out of the Yin Water Snake Year container? By Tao theory of synchrnicity, there are NO ACCIDENTS. As an omen, it may portend that people will be shocked by how powerful and rapid changes coming this year will "break" the comfortable patterns of their old life. (AP Report): Another bizarre omen: on the very last day of the Year of Water Snake, a California schoolteacher was arrested after at least 300 living and dead pythons were found in plastic bins inside his stench-filled home in suburban Orange County..... L: Animal zodiac in China is indigenous. It bears absolutely no historical resemblance to early Babylonian zodiacs. R: Every animal or element (fire, water, wood, etc.) is also governed by laws of yin-yang harmony and balance. These forces keep Nature in harmony with itself. LOOK UP YOUR OWN CHINESE 4 PILLARS CHART This essay is not just for those born in a Horse year. Everyone's Chinese 4 Pillars Astrology chart has four Animals, so even if you are not born in a Horse Year, you might have a Horse Moon, Horse Day, or Horse Hour. To see your chart, go to my website, click on FREE READING, enter your data, and copy it for future study:http://www.healingtaousa.com/ZiPingWeb/ziping-reading.html If you want a professional Chinese astrologer to help you understand your chart, just email me (hit reply) and I will refer someone to you. David Twicken, a Senior Healing Tao instructor, is also offering a ten week webinar on Chinese astrology, suitable for those wanting to offer consultations. Sundays starting Feb. 23. See below. Even if you have NO horse energy in your 4 Pillars chart, everyone on planet earth will be experiencing this year's Male Wood Horse energy, so it pays to understand what is going on. Chinese astrology is earth-centered and body-centered; Western, Hindu and Middle Eastern astrology systems are sky-centered. All astrology systems that have withstood the test of time are valid, they are just isolating different information. But I find it curious that the sky systems ignore the planet that is closest to us, Earth, while they focus on the other far-away planets. The last wood horse year was 60 years ago, in 1954, and we'll review the explosive creativity that happened then. The Big Picture Astrologically The Female Water Snake Year 2013 was about digging up deep unconscious personal patterns and bringing them into the Light so they can be shed, like an old skin, by our wise inner Snake. We've been in a re-boot and cleanup pattern for the first six Animals of the Chinese zodiac. The Yang Water Dragon 2012 year was about re-shaping our personal and collective Mythic Self. The Wood Horse of 2014, number 7 Animal in this 12-year cycle, is about kick-starting the second half of the cycle into action. I used the Water Snake Year to explore the roots of the Healing Tao lineage on Mt. Changbai, a lake-filled active volcano in China. If you missed that story, I feel its one of the most important I wrote this year: http://www.healingtaousa.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?rm=mode2&articleid=168 I plan to use the more expansive Wood Horse Qi to launch my new website and my new book, Primordial Tai Chi: Way of Enlightened Love. The nano-motor funded in 2008 by Taoist investors from this newsletter is now taking off, and it promises a radically disruptive technology that will change the globe. That in turn will fund my vision of Taoist Temple of Heaven & Earth in North Carolina, so western Taoists will have a place for deep retreats and training. Mobilize your Will to Ride Your Inner Horse This Yang Wood Horse Year promises to give us a yang boost in manifesting our newly cleansed selves - BUT ONLY IF WE CHOOSE TO ALIGN WITH THAT POTENTIAL. Nothing is automatic within these large cycles of Nature. People struggle against the flow of nature all the time, and suffer for it. The ultimate result is often disease, unhappiness, poverty, divorce, etc. All personal evolution requires exercising our free will, love, and imagination. That's called "embracing life and responding to it creatively, in the Present Moment". The essence of Taoist self-cultivation is to harmonize with the broader cycles of change and put its Qi (chi) to work within our body and our personal destiny. We can ground the macro-cosmic Qi cycles with qigong and dynamic Taoist meditation like the Micro-cosmic Orbit. You don't have to be born in the Year of the Horse to benefit from it - you can tune in and CAPTURE the creative horse qualities through your intent and energetic practice. Horse Qi is "in the air" this year - just start breathing it in. The best qigong ceremonies for capturing these large planetary energies involve facing all four cardinal horizontal directions and connecting that Qi into our body's core channel. This in turn aligns our worldly outer life with the vertical Heaven-Earth spiritual axis. I rely on three qigong forms that best meet this criteria: Primordial Tai Chi (aka Wu Ji Gong), Deep Healing Qigong, and Shamanic Big Dipper 7-Star Stepping Qigong. The first two are available on DVD, the last one is currently only taught to those who come on my China Dream Trip. Each works a little differently. There is an acquired skill to focus the Qi they gather to accelerate your evolution. 12 Animals = Chi Clock in Mother Earth's Body Chinese medicine has a 12 -hour "Chi Clock" that describes the progression of Qi flow through the 12 major vital organ and bowel meridians of the body. (I'm interchanging Chi and Qi to get readers used to the fact they are identical in meaning and pronunciation). The Chi Clock works like a snake swallowing and digesting a meal - there is a large "lump" of expanded energy that moves every two hours from organ to organ. Think of the 12 Animals of the Chinese zodiac as the 12 organs of Mother Earth's planetary body. This makes the animal zodiac - the 12 Earthly Branches - into the meridians of the planetary "chi clock". Earth is just beginning to puts its inner mouth around the Horse lump. Every 12 years Mother Earth cycles through 12 animal-organ energies, one per year. Now we have Horse energy for an entire year. To make sure the energies are well digested, and keep our "energetic diet" varied and interesting, the Tao rotates the Five Element/5 Phase Qi from Heaven through the 12 Animal cycle FIVE times. 12 Animal Years x 5 elements = 60 year cycle. This gives each of the 12 animals a chance to experience all five elements (five, earth, gold, water, wood). This is THE operating system of Nature, just like your computer has an operating system. This natural system ensures that change (= evolution) is balanced and harmonious. If you can sense the Horse energy as the vital organ Qi from Mother Earth, it makes it more tangible. When I called in the Horse Qi during my "welcoming the New Year qigong ceremony", I knew exactly where it is coming from and its function in the planetary psyche. In 2014, the "yang" or male Qi and the Wood element are like flavors from Heaven that color the Horse-earthly Qi. This is a big energetic "meal" to eat, and we'll be digesting it all year long. But the key is to start inviting the Horse Qi into your qigong practice. Your yang wood qi will gradually increase. I'm feeling this Yang Male Wood Horse Qi in 2014 is that it's essentially a Fire Horse on Steroids. Horse is naturally excitable, due to its dominant Fire element. Horse hour is high noon in the human body daily chi clock, the time of greatest fire. The Horse month is June in the planetary chi clock - a time of high heat and the longest day. When you feed a fire-horse Wood-element fuel, it is like pouring gasoline on a flame. Then you add Yang/male Qi into the mix, and it becomes even more volatile due to its extreme expansiveness. So that's why I theme this Yang Male Green Wood Horse as the Year of Explosive Creativity. Horse is considered the most yang of all 12 animals. It's a fire horse stoked up on steroids (Wood element) and Yang force as "speed" (the street drug). That makes for huge potential - both positive and destructive. In 1954, during the last Wood Horse Year, they exploded the first atomic bomb above ground on the Bikini Atoll. In 2014, it could be the global economy or some major government that blows up. The 2014 horse energy is amplified by the galactic cycle that we are in, just two years shy of finishing our 36 year journey across the dark rift of the Milky Way's Galactic Center that began in 1980. (Read that Mayan Solstice 2012 letter: That empowers this Creative Horse energy with super-charged potential on a collective scale. Will that happen? Let's find out! HORSE FIRE IS LOVING This explosive potential for creativity is softened by the fact that horse-Fire is very heart-centered and loving at its core. The Wood Horse also has very spiritual qualities; it's known as a Celestial or Cloud Horse. Wood Qi is expansive, it rises up to heaven. Within our body, wood is expressed by our Hun Soul, aka "our Cloud Soul", whose physical palace is our liver. It's spiritual nature is Celestial - it can see and hear things far away, and travel there instantly. A Cloud Horse Year offers us a high view of our life. But if we don't mount the saddle of our Wood Horse (= mobilize our creative body-mind) and ride hard towards our Highest Destiny, then we may end up feeling trampled upon by the hooves of change pounding all around us. It's time to Ride Your Own Horse Or Be Ridden by Others. Change actively or sit by passively and watch yourself Be Changed. BEST YEAR FOR TRAVEL 2014 is a good year to Travel, either physically or spiritually. A Wood Horse year is perhaps the best of the 60 Animal-element years to physically travel in. Wood Horse makes it an extremely auspicious year to join the China Dream Trip in May 2014 (see below). The next trip is not until 2016. This 2014 Wood Horse China Dream Trip takes you deep into China's Earth element (its sacred mountains). So it is pefect for folks who want to ground their heart energy and deepen their earth. You will get a Cloud or Celestial view of your life, doing qigong and sitting atop magnificent sacred peaks. Travel takes you away from your old life quickly, and puts you into a space where you are free to change yourself. The China trip will help harvest and ground the Wood Horse Qi being offered in this dramatic new cycle. This is the 31st year in a cycle of 60 years. This Yang Wood Horse Year offers fresh yang energy needed to kick start the second half of the 60 year cycle. If you prefer spiritual travel, take a retreat. Naturally I recommend the 20 fantastic low cost retreats offered by Healing Tao University between June 21 and July 22 (see details below). But any retreat that attracts you will work fine. Warning: an undisciplined horse can go galloping off a cliff. Please don't let yourself go flying off in ANY direction, make sure you have chosen it. The Horse is a FIRE animal, which implies rapid and creative change, but a horse is also very well grounded with four strong legs. This is another way of saying: align your heart fire with your body-earth stay grounded. Harness the Fire and Earth power together to effect positive change. Qigong can help us capture that wood-fire yang movement and direct it to create New Earth (= anything real and solid) in our personal life. L: Horse painting by Jesuit visiting China in 1715 of rider with arrow R: Horses are very independent, but they still love to run in herds. This expresses as "social skills" amongst human horse types. Susan Levitt, a talented Chinese astrologer, author of Taoist Astrology and Taoist Feng Shui (both are excellent, sold in my summer retreats Tao book store) summarized the mandate of this Horse Year very succinctly: The Wood Horse year is a time of fast victories, unexpected adventure, and surprising romance. It is an excellent year for travel, and the more far away and off the beaten path the better. Energy is high and production is rewarded. Decisive action, not procrastination, brings victory. But you have to act fast in a Horse year. If you are not 100% secure about a decision, then don't do it. Events move so quickly in a Horse year that you don't want to gallop off in the wrong direction. (Note: Get a cool Tao T-shirt with the I Ching bagua taken from Susan's book cover art at: http://www.healingtaousa.com/cgi-bin/prod_list.pl?ppage=mts05s_m Horse is one of Chinese favorite animals. Horses like to compete with others. They pursuit for their freedom, passion and leadership. That implies that people will have busy schedule for their goals in the year of Horse. The characteristics of those born in Horse Years I also found applied accurately to my own Horse wife Joyce. This summary is from Fortune Angel: Strengths The spirit of the horse makes unremitting efforts to improve themselves. It is energetic, bright, warm-hearted, intelligent and able. Ancient people liked to designate an able person as 'Qianli Ma', a horse that covers a thousand li a day (one li equals 500 meters). People born in the year of the horse have ingenious communicating techniques and in their community they always want to be in the limelight. They are clever, kind to others, and like to join in a venture career. Although they sometimes talk too much, they are cheerful, perceptive, talented, earthy but stubborn. They like entertainment and large crowds. They are popular among friends, active at work and refuse to be reconciled to failure, although their endeavor cannot last indefinitely. Weaknesses They cannot bear too much constraint. However their interest may be only superficial and lacking real substance. They are usually impatient and hot blooded about everything other than their daily work. They are independent and rarely listen to advice. Failure may result in pessimism. They usually have strong endurance but with bad temper. Flamboyant by nature, they are wasteful since they are not good with matters of finance due to a lack of budgetary efficiency. Some of those who are born in the horse like to move in glamorous circles while pursuing high profile careers. They tend to interfere in many things and frequently fail to finish projects of their own. Celebrities Born in the Year of the Horse Louisa May Alcott, Chopin, Davy Crockett, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Sandra Day O'Connor, Rembrandt, Teddy Roosevelt, Sir Isaac Newton, Barbara Streisand, Cindy Crawford, Cynthia Nixon, Denzel Washington, Harrison Ford, Jason Biggs, Jackie Chan, Jerry Seinfeld, John Travolta, Leonard Bernstein, Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Rembrandt, Ashton Kutcher, Emma Watson, Josh Hartnett, Katie Holmes, Kristen Stewart, Kobe Bryant, Genghis Khan, Emperor Kangxi and Yongzheng of China’s Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). Show biz and politics is said to be filled with horse types because of their great communication skills and warm hearts. For 60 modern Horse actors, see Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/01/13/chinese-new-year-2014_n_4590770.html The most interesting name on the Horse Year list for me is that of Khengis Khan. He had a military strategy that used small sturdy horses and quickly conquered most of Asia and Europe. Each horseman had three to four horses, so one would always be fresh. Mongol cavalryman even knew how to sleep in the saddle. That's why they could travel long distances without stopping. We know horses can sleep while standing. Mongolian horses had even a better sleeping skill. When they ran in a group, the horse in the center slept while running. This speed of his cavalry allowed Ghenghis Khan to overrun his enemies before they had time to organize a defense. Be sure to read the other horse sections below on the close relationshiop between horses and dragons in China, and how horses are at the root of Chinese culture and history, Source: Healing Tao USA Newsletter http://www.healingtaousa.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?rm=mode2&articleid=177

Embodying the role of saintly heretic, revealing the hypocricies of man, meshed in throes of hypocrisy; not bound, not free, no worry: night plum blossoms spreading under a branch between her thighs narcissus revolves smell it? she'd play with it almost anywhere day and night touch it with the deepest part of herself a beautiful woman's hot vagina's full of love I've given up trying to put out the fire of my body a butterfly hovers in front of her face how long will she sleep http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ikky%C5%AB: Eight inches strong, it is my favourite thing; If I'm alone at night, I embrace it fully - A beautiful woman hasn't touched it for ages. Within my fundoshi there is an entire universe! My Hovel trans. by John Stevens The world before my eyes is wan and wasted just like me. The earth is decrepit, the sky stormy, all the grass withered. No spring breeze even at this late date, Just winter clouds swallowing up my tiny reed hut. Crazy Cloud is a demon in Daito’s line But he hates the hellish bickering. What good are old koans and faded traditions? No use complaining any more, I’ll just rely on my inner treasures. My real dwelling Has no pillars And no roof either So rain cannot soak it And wind cannot blow it down Every day priests minutely examine the Dharma And endlessly chant complicated sutras. Before doing that, though, they should learn How to read the love letters sent by the wind and rain, the snow and moon. Crow With No Mouth versions by Stephen Berg Hearing a crow with no mouth Cry in the deep Darkness of the night I feel a longing for My father before he was born ~ trans. by Soiku Shigematsu Void In Form When, just as they are, White dewdrops gather On scarlet maple leaves Regard the scarlet beads! Form In Void The tree is stripped, All color, fragrance gone, Yet already on the bough, Uncaring spring! mirror facing a mirror nowhere else the mind is exactly this tree that grass without thought or feeling both disappear not two not one either and the unpainted breeze in the ink painting feels cool nobody before me nobody after writing it nobody knows shit nobody lives anywhere hello dust! pine needles inches deep hug the ground no one lives here all koans just lead you on but not the delicious pussy of the young girls I go down on thirsty you dream of water cold you want fire not me I want the firm warm breasts and wetness of a woman a crazy lecher shuttling between whorehouse and bar this past master paints south north east west with his cock ten years of whorehouse joy I'm alone now in the mountains the pines are like a jail the wind scratches my skin the crow's caw was ok but one night with a lovely whore opened a wisdom deeper than what that bird said ...Among those who came to him for guidance was Murata Shuko, the most eminent tea ceremony master of the day. Visiting Ikkyu, he was asked what he thought of Master Joshu's well known reference to tea drinking (in spite of their different responses, Joshu invariably said to three monks training under him "Have a cup of tea"). Shuko remained silent, and at last Ikkyu served him a cup of tea. As Shuko lifted the cup to his lips, Ikkyu let out with a Zen shout and smashed the cup with his iron nyoi (Buddhist implement). Shuko made a deep bow. "What are you like" Ikkyu said, "when you've no intention of taking tea?" Without answering, Shuko got up and moved toward the door, "Stop," Ikkyu replied. "What are you like when you've taken tea?" "The willow is green," Shuko said, "the rose is red." Ikkyu, approving of Shuko's grasp of Zen, smiled broadly. ... http://sweepingzen.com/ikkyu-bio/ - A short bio. Keep note, that "Red Thread Zen" is not an actual Zen lineage and that he had a daughter, not a son. http://www.whitepine.org/wildways.pdf - Preview of "Wild Ways" by John Stevens http://thegreenleaf.co.uk/hp/Ikkyu/00ikkyu.htm - Selected poems by John Stevens and Stephen Berg

Hello and welcome to TTB ! Some stuff that came after reading your post .. In dreams like this it is usually how our subconciouesness " sees " calmness and peacefulness . This is individual perception of how this type of peace is felt . Different type of language . Language of a soul . Infact your dream gives you a very clear instruction for which I am not sure if you are listening attentivley enough . You have heard it faintly in the dream but decided to concentrate on details . This is the guide , we know so much , only if we listen (not that I do it always ), it uncovers . Reality of dreams like this are not in any bodily sensations that seem real in the dream , but just in a dream as it is . Dreamwork is my thing , and I am not claiming some superior/undisputable understunding , just disscusing what I see and comments are welcome .

The entire point of yin vision is to see spirits so you can give them freedom from hallucinatory existence in the bardo as a wandering and often hungary ghost. Ghosts often attach to people because they need prana or energy to live. 5 thunder magic is a hybrid of Vajrayana / Taoist exorcistic methodologies, but it is a violent method that injures the ghosts and should ONLY be used on violent spirits. Personally, I prefer Tibetan bardo chod to liberate ghosts, because it is a compassionate non-violent method. Most ghost are not violent, just confused (lke in a dream) and hungry. http://www.tibetanchod.com/curriculum/bardo-chod/ Yin vision is also useful to see if the cause of a persons suffering or illness is spiritually related. Mak Tin Si not not trained or initited into ANY Taoist orders. He is a self proclaimed master. I'd suggest you learn ritual from an authentic linage master like Lama Jinpa, who has gone thorugh the traditional 3 year 3 month solitary retreat to EARN the title of Lama. Guru is a title that gets thrown around FAR too loosely here in the west.

The other two quotes become clearer when understood in this way: http://thetaobums.com/topic/33394-meditation-on-the-nature-of-thoughtsappearances/?p=515844 As the glorious Chandrakirti wrote, Things do not arise causelessly, nor from Ishvara, Nor from self, nor other, nor both; Therefore, it is clear that things arise Perfectly in dependence upon their causes and conditions. Things do not arise from any of the four possible extremes: from self, other, both or without cause, and there's no fifth possibility. Therefore, things do not truly arise—they do not come into existence; they do not actually happen. Then what is the appearance of them happening? It is just like the appearance of things happening in a dream; like the appearance of a moon shining on a pool of water; and like the appearance of an illusion. It is dependently arisen mere appearance. In this way, since sounds do not exist in genuine reality, and since in relative reality they are just dependently arisen mere appearances, all sounds are simply sound-emptiness. http://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=77&p=212052&sid=02d01499d9cae1bb091cce1e4eaec52a#p212052 Loppon Malcolm: "Indeed, from the perspective of Madhyamaka a thing and its nature are identical. This is not so for those in lower schools. To elaborate, conditions are merely an appearance. The notion of conditioned and unconditioned arises out of the substantialist roots of the substantialist tenet systems. By showing that the essence of phenomena is unconditioned, you are essentially showing that phenomena are in truth unconditioned. This is why the Prajñāpāramita makes statements like: Any teaching by the Bhagavan that matter lacks inherent existence, does not arise, does not cease, is peace from the beginning and is parinirvana by nature, all such teachings are not the indirect meaning, nor the intentional meaning, but must be understood literally. (Ārya-pañcaśatikā-prajñāpāramitā)" What this basically means is that the nature of the conditioned (samsara) is itself unconditioned (nirvana); this should be understood in terms of the 5 skandhas, 18 dhatus, 12 ayatanas. On the relative level, appearances co-dependently arise, endure, and cease, but this is equivalent to an illusion; on the ultimate level, these appearances are free from arising, enduring, and ceasing, therefore all appearances are nonarising i.e. empty. The dichotomy of a conventional and ultimate levels of truth is false, because they are a teaching meant for deluded sentient beings. Appearances are unestablished by nature, since they are only established conventionally as mere imputations, these imputations do not exist in actuality, because appearances are free from the extremes of "is" or "is not" i.e. existence, nonexistence, both, neither.

Lion Spirit Animal By Elena Harris, SpiritAnimal.com Editor 720 50 35 69.7K In the realm of spirit animals, the lion wins the prize for most relentless fighter in the face of life challenges. The lion spirit animal represents courage, strength in overcoming difficulties. The presence of this power animal could also mean that something “wild” or difficult to control is happening. As such, lions symbolizes emotions that are difficult to manage, such a anger or fear. Lion Totem MeaningThe lion as a spirit animal or totem symbolizes: Strength, assertiveness, personal power A common meaning for the lion spirit animal is predatory feelings, such as anger, aggression directed at someone else or towards you Personal struggle to deal with these feelings Lion spirit animals warn about a threatening situation or event in your life Lion spirit animal, symbol of personal strength and courageThe lion spirit animal is generally associated with a representation of personal strength. If the lion appears powerful to you, its presence as a spirit guide can be interpreted as a positive representation of your self-confidence or personal power. As such, lions point to qualities of strength, courage, assertiveness. Lions are also animals who dominate other animals in nature. Remember as an example the expression “the lion, king of the jungle”. When a lion appears as your power animal, it could reflect your ability to lead others or tendency to dominate in relationships or at work. When lion spirit animals warn about challengesThis spirit animal could point to one of your weak spots or a difficult situation you’re experiencing. The lion animal spirit guide is perhaps showing you the way to deal with the issue and keep going with the courage it also embodies. Lions could also represent an authority that may feel overpowering or a conflicting relationship with power and authority. When you see a lion as a spirit animal, it could symbolize external power, authority, forces that dominate or rule parts of your life. For instance, if you dream about a scar or threatening lion, it may remind you that you need to deal with an overbearing boss, partner or teacher in your waking life. Lion spirit animal, symbol for anger & personal struggleSeeing your lion spirit animal could be an invitation to control your temper or your moderate aggressive impulses. For instance, observe if you could really listen to what people have to say before striking back at them. Or explore how to express your needs or anger more openly and constructively to reduce your level of frustration. If you are dreaming of being chased by a lion, it may represent a situation that brings about personal struggle. Common dream scenarios with threatening lions are as follows: A lion suddenly appears in your dream. You feel threatened by this wild animal known for devouring its prey with no mercy. The lion is now preying on you. You’re trying to escape, but it still behind you, chasing you like you’re about to get devoured. Dream interpretation: Being chased by a lionThis lion dream scenario is classic. Dreaming of being chased by a lion is one of the most common themes featuring this creature in the dream world. The lion chasing you generally connects to the struggle the dreamer is experiencing regarding feelings of anger or aggression in waking life. The dream about your lion spirit animal could point to anger you may feel towards someone or aggression that is directed at you. Being chased by a lion in a dream could be a warning from your animal totem that you’re struggling with these feelings and how to express them. The lion totem could mean that you’re having difficulties dealing with a situation where someone is mean or aggressive with you. Scary dreams about lions Terrorized by your lion spirit animal?If you are terrified by a lion, reassure yourself. The dream is expressing in strong images what you feel inside. It is a symbolic representation of strong psychological or emotional tensions you may experience in your life. Dreaming about a lion in this way is an invitation to examine what’s happening in your life that is causing tension and despair. Most likely, you’re facing a challenging situation or behavior that is hard to comprehend at a conscious level and the lion appears as a spirit animal to help. It may be too hard to deal with or seem unacceptable to you and therefore is rejected out of your awareness, a bit like a protection, a defense mechanism. The presence of your lion spirit animal could be a warning to pay attention to a situation or person who’s creating worries or concerns for you. On a positive note, a terrifying lion is likely indicating that you’re in the process of becoming more aware of the issues at hand. It works as a reminder that whatever is bothering you in your waking life needs to come out in the open to be dealt with. Bring forth the courage that lion totems symbolize. Lion spirit animals in dreams: When the lion bites youA lion that bites you in your dream could be a warning from your spirit animal and signify that you’re feeling overwhelmed in your waking life. The source of worries could be about feelings you or someone else may have or a situation that is particularly challenging. The image of the lion bite is a strong call to look at what’s going on in your life that could feel threatening or dangerous before it really “bites” you. Another interpretation of such lion dream is to ask yourself what is dominating your life these days and see if you can bring more balance. Scary images of lion spirit animals and the “shadow self”When you are scared by the presence of your lion spirit animal, whether it’s in dreams or in waking life, this could be an invitation to look at your “shadow self”. The shadow self is a part of yourself that you prefer to keep “in the shadow” or the dark. In other words, a part of yourself you would hide or reject because it’s not likeable, you or other people think it’s unacceptable, not worthy, etc. Your spirit animal indicates the need to look at these aspects of yourself and resolve the tensions inner conflicts may create. For instance, by just starting to acknowledge parts of your “shadow self”, looking at them, perhaps understanding what they are about, what they are connected with, you can start bringing a better understanding of yourself.

In Praise of Dharmadhatu by Nagarjuna tran. by Karl Brunnholzl pg, pgs. 68-82 Anguttara Nikaya: O monks, the mind is luminosity, and yet it is defiled by adventitious defilements. An ordinary being who has not heard about this does not realize it as it really is. Therefore, I say that an ordinary being who has not heard about this does not possess the cultivation of mind. O monks, the mind is luminosity, and yet it is freed from adventitious defilements. The noble shravaka who has heard about this realizes it just as it really is. Therefore, I say that the noble shravaka who has heard about this possesses the cultivation of mnd. What is taught to be always like the sky, nonconceptual, luminous, and free from middle and extremes is said to be this wheel of dharma. Astasahasrikaprajnaparamitasutra says: The mind is no-mind. The nature of the mind is luminosity. and: Subhuti, these minds are natural luminosity. It is thus that the Tathagata, based on this prajnaparamita, fully knows reality just as it is -- that the undefiled minds of these sentient beings immeasurable [in number] are in fact undefiled. Pancavimshatisahasrikasutra: "...Thus, the mind is no-mind. The nature of the mind is luminosity." Shariputra asked, "What is mind's luminosity?" Subhuti said, "Venerable Shariputra, it is the mind neither being associated with nor dissociated from desire, neither being associated with nor dissociated from hatred, ignorance, upsurges, obscurations, contaminations, entanglements, or wrong views. This, Shariputra, is mind's luminosity. And about the all-pervasiveness of this luminosity: Since form is natural luminosity, it is completely pure and undefiled. Since feelings, discriminations, formations, and consciousness are natural luminosity, they are completely pure and undefiled. Since [everything] up through omniscience is natural luminosity, it is completely pure and undefiled. The Samadhirajasutra says: In whose name and form subtle discrimination operates, In that name and form, the mind will be without craving and luminous. The Saddharmapundarikasutra says: The genuine ones among the bipeds, the Buddhas, Know the nature of phenomena to be always luminous. Thus, I teach a single yana. And about the Buddha's wisdom: The power of my wisdom is like that -- It is very luminous and without all extremes. The sutra's final part praises its qualities in terms of the pure bodies and mental faculties of bodhisattvas (such as being able to instruct others by knowing all teachings, the minds of beings, and so on). The concluding verse states: Their mental faculties will be completely pure, Lucid, luminous, unsullied, Fully knowing dharmas of many kinds, Be they bad, virtuous, or in between. Sagaramatipariprcchasutra: Likewise, Sagaramati, bodhisattvas know the natural luminosity of the mind of sentient beings, but also see that it is defiled by adventitious defilements. The bodhisattvas think: "These defilements have not entered the natural luminosity of the mind of sentient beings. May I be able to teach the dharma in order to remove these adventitious defilements of sentient beings!" The Uttaratantra says: The luminous nature of the mind Is changeless, just like space, It is not defiled by adventitious stains, Such as desire, born from false imagination. The Madhyantavibhanga declares: What is afflicted and what is purified Refer to being with stains and without stains. Purity is asserted to be like the purity Of the element of water, gold, and space. ... It is neither defiled nor undefiled Neither pure nor impure, Because of mind's luminosity And the adventitousness of defilements. The Mahayanasutralamkara states: Mind is held to be always luminous by nature, Contaminated [only] by adventitious flaws. The Dharmadharmatavibhaga says: To penetrate the nature [Of the fundamental change of state]: It is suchness without stains, So that adventitious stains do not appear, While suchness does appear. ... Examples for the fundamental change of state Are space, gold, and water. Furthermore, Asanga's Yogacarabhumi states: In brief, the Bhagavat taught that a sentient being is a [mind] that has defilements from a long time in the past, yet is without a creator. At present, it is momentary and naturally luminous. He taught that, in the future, it will be [further] defiled through heedlessness or purified by heedfulness. Kambala's Navashloki: You may think, "This naturally luminous mind, which is free from apprehender and apprehended and is completely pure, since the stains of ignorance (such as desire) are relinquished, actually exists." In order to eliminate such clinging to the existence of this mind, it is taught to be like the reflection of the moon in water... "Clear" means being free from the turbidities of latent tendencies.... Since perfect wisdom dispels the darkness of ignorance, pacifies the burning heat of the afflictions, and is not tainted by the stains of latent tendencies, it resembles the moon. Although this [moon of wisdom] appears in that way, it is not found as something that is directly perceptible, because what dawns in such a pure mind stream is not apprehendable as a real entity. The reason for this is that, from empty phenomena, nothing but empty phenomena come forth. Since that wisdom is unarisen from the very beginning, it is like the reflection of the moon in water. Thus, since it has the nature of the dharmadhatu, any clinging to entities or nonentities does not exist. Hence, it is not found as something that is directly perceptible. His Alokamala proclaims: The victors who have relinquished the obscurations Have declared, in brief, that samsara Is the mind with stains, such as desire, And liberation consists of being devoid of these. ... When their insight into themselves Is obscured by stains born from being covered, Just as crystals, minds appear As having another nature. ... Saying, "in the end, everything vanishes" Is a rhetorical device for childish beings -- Something else shines forth That cannot be expressed or analyzed. There, dwelling in a place with nothing [to hold on to], That brightly shining space Illuminates the emptiness Of itself and of emptiness Dignaga's Prajnaparamitapindarthasamgraha states: The consciousness of ordinary beings Is pure by nature And expressed by the term "Buddha" just as a bodhisattva is [called] a victor. Its own nature is enshrouded -- Being under the sway of ignorance, It appears otherwise, just like an illusion, While the fruition is like quitting a dream. Dharmakirti's Pramanavartikka says: Mind is naturally luminous, The stains are adventitious. Bhavaviveka's Madhyamakahrdaya says: Unborn, without aspect, Changeless, luminous, Unequalled, infinite, Nonconceptual, without characteristics, Just like space, without anything to look at, It is seen by great beings. The text also presents a number of similar quotes: It is primordially natural luminosity, unborn as any nature whatsoever, not established as subject and object, or knowing and what is known, nothing whatsoever, not dwelling in any extremes, not within the range of any expressions or reference points, inconceivable, unthinkable, and beyond thought. Therefore, do not mentally engage, but meditate by abandoning mindfulness and mental engagement. It even quotes Nagarjuna twice as saying: Everything internal and external is mind as such, Being just like an illusion. This mind is explained as luminosity, Nirvana, all-empty, And dharmakaya. Avalokitavrata's Prajnapradipatika says: The essence of mind is natural luminosity. To put an end to this [mind being ensnared by itself] means the freedom from adventitious stains and the fundamental change of state. and: Since mind is naturally luminous, it is undefiled and pure. Since the defilements are adventitious, it is not undefiled and not pure. [Atisha's] Ratnakarandodghatanamamadhyamakopadesa says: As for the mind, it has no color, and no shape. It is natural luminosity that is primordially unborn. The very knowledge that discriminates this is also luminosity. In this interval, consciousness is nothing whatsoever, does not abide as anything, is not established as anything, and has not arisen as any aspect, and all discursiveness without exception is completely at peace. This meditative concentration of space-vajra that is without appearance and in which all the dust of characteristics has vanished is like the very center of the sky that is lit up by the autumn sun. His Madhyamakopadesa says: What is without form is the mind. As for that [mind], the past mind has [already] ceased and perished. The future mind has not [yet] arisen or originated. As for the present mind, it is very difficult to examine. It has no color and is without any shape. Since it is just like space, it is not established. In other words, it is free from unity and multiplicity, or it is unarisen, or it is natural luminosity...Once all specific characteristics and general characteristics are established as nonexistent [through discriminating prajna], this prajna itself is without appearance and is luminous, not being established as any nature whatsoever. Thus, all flaws, such as dullness and agitation, are eliminated. In this interval [of meditative concentration], conciousness is without any thought, does not apprehend anything, and has left behind all mindfulness and mental engagement. For as long as the enemies or robbers of characteristics and thoughts do not arise, consciousness should rest in such a [state]. The last stanza of Maitripa's Madhyamakasatka says: Luminosity free from the four extremes Which has the character of the deity, Is of the nature of nondual bliss, Sheer dependent origination. Milarepa's song on distinguishing the expedient from the definitive in the context of Mahamudra says: Through realizing that delusion has no ground, The water-moon of awareness is immaculate and clear. The cloudless sun of luminosity Lights up the darkness of ignorance to its very brink. Gampopa instructs: Connate mind is the actual dharmakaya. Connate appearances are the light of the dharmakaya. Connate thoughts are the waves of the dharmakaya. Connate inseparability is what the dharmakaya is all about.

I'm currently reading his book on dream yoga and I can't praise it highly enough. I've read a huge amount of dharma books over the years, many of which were scholarly commentaries to sacred texts. Whilst interesting for what they are, such books lack any real "guidance" element, often failing to contextualise the material from a practitioner's perspective. This book is entirely different to that. It's clear from the start that he knows what he's talking about and has experienced it for himself. There's no superfluous content and it's all applicable and accessible. The book goes way beyond the subject of dream yoga, as many (waking time) practices are discussed as an aid to it. He is conversant with westerners and knows how we think and what background we have. He is very skilled in coming at the subject with that in mind. Very refreshing. I think I will be looking out for more from him in the future. My thanks to Silent Thunder for bringing it to my attention.

In Praise of Dharmadhatu by Nagarjuna, trans. by Karl Brunnholzl pg.44-48 [Nagarjuna's] Lokatitastava says: An entity does not arise as being existent [already], Nor as being nonexistent, nor as being both existent and nonexistent, Neither from itself, nor from something other, Nor from both -- so how is it born? ... It is not tenable for a result To arise from a perished cause, Nor from a nonperished one -- You consider arising as being like a dream, ... Dialecticians hold that suffering Is created by itself, created by something other, Created by both, or without a cause, But you say that it arises in dependence. What dependent origination is Is exactly what you consider to be emptiness. Your incomparable lion's roar is That there is no independent entity. In order to relinquish all imagination, You taught the nectar of emptiness. However, those who cling to it Are also blamed by you. Being motionless, contingent, empty, Illusionlike, and arisen from conditions, All phenomena are elucidated by you, O protector, as lacking a nature of their own. The Niraupamyastava declares: O blameless one, you have realized That the world of beings, just like an echo, Is free from unity and multiplicity And lacks transmigration and destruction. Lord, you have realized that samsara Is free from permanence and extinction And lacks characteristics and what is to be characterized, Just like a dream or an illusion. The Acintyastava states: What has arisen from conditions Is said by you to be unarisen. What is not born by a nature of its own You elucidate to be empty. If there is existence, there is nonexistence, Just as there is short when there is long. If there is nonexistence, there is existence. Therefore, both do not exist. "Existence" is the view of permanence. "Nonexistence" is the view of extinction. Therefore, you have taught this dharma Free from the two extremes. Hence you have said that all phenomena Are free from the four possible extremes, Unknowable for consciousness, let alone being within the sphere of words. What is beyond both being and nonbeing. But has not gone anywhere at all, What is neither knowledge nor knowable, Neither existent nor nonexistent, Neither one nor many, Neither both nor neither, Without base, unmanifest, Inconceivable, indemonstrable, Neither arsing nor ceasing Neither extinct nor permanent -- That is similar to space, Not within the sphere of words or wisdom. What is dependent origination Is exactly what you consider to be emptiness. Of the same kind is the genuine dharma, And also the Tathagata is like that. Emptiness is not different from entities, And there is no entity without it, Therefore, you have declared as empty Phenomena that originate dependently. The Paramarthastava says: Due to the nature of nonarising, There is no arising for you, Neither going nor coming, O protector, I pay homage to you devoid of any nature. The Niruttarastava states: In you, there is neither knowing nor nonknowing, Neither a yogin nor an ordinary person, Neither meditation nor nonmeditation -- I pay homage to the unsurpassable. Stutyatitastava (In Praise of The One Beyond Praise): The skandhas, dhatus, and ayatanas You have indeed proclaimed, But any clinging to them too You countered later on. ... In order to relinquish all views, O protector, you declared [entities] to be empty. But that too is an imputation, O protector -- you do not hold that this is really so. You assert neither empty nor nonempty, Nor are you pleased with both. There is no dispute about this -- It is the approach of your great speech. pg.117-129 Dharmadhatustava: While it's blended with the milk, Butter's essence appears not. Likewise, in the afflictions' mix, Dharmadhatu is not seen. Once you've cleansed it from the milk, Butter's essence is without stain. Just so, with the afflictions purified, The dharmadhatu lacks all stain. ... Similarly, mind so luminous Is obscured by fivefold stains. They're desire, malice, laziness, Agitation, and doubt too. A garment that was purged by fire May be soiled by various stains. When it's put into a blaze again, The stains are burned, the garment not. Likewise, mind that is so luminous Is soiled by stains of craving and so forth. The afflictions burn in wisdom's fire, But its luminosity does not. The sutras that teach emptiness, However many spoken by the victors, They all remove afflictions, But never ruin this dhatu. ... Since dharmadhatu's not a self, Neither woman nor a man, Free from all that could be grasped, How could it be labeled "self"? ... "Impermanence," "suffering," and "empty," These three, they purify the mind. The dharma purifying mind the best Is the lack of any nature. ... Any horns there on a rabbit's head Are just imagined and do no exist. Just so, all phenomena as well Are just imagined and do not exist. ... Through conceptions of a self and mine, Discriminations of names, and reasons, The four conceptions will arise, Based on the elements and their outcome. ... Since [things] dependently originate And in dependence too will cease, If not even one [of them] exists, How can fools imagine them? ... How the dharmas of the Sugata Are established as the very middle Is through the ox- and rabbit-horn examples. ... Virtuous throughout beginning, middle, end, Undeceiving and so steady, What's like that is just the lack of self -- So how can you conceive it as a self and mine? ... Covered by the web of afflictions, It is called a "sentient being." Once it's free from the afflictions, It should be be expressed as "Buddha." In dependence upon eye and form, Appearances without a stain occur. From being unborn and unceasing, The dharmadhatu will be known. In dependence upon sound and ear, Pure consciousness [comes forth], All three dharmadhatu without signs. Linked with thought, this will be hearing. Smelling in dependence upon nose and smell Is an example for the lack of form. Likewise, it's the nose's consciousness That conceptualizes dharmadhatu. The nature of the tongue is emptiness, And the dhatu of the taste is viod -- Being of the dharmadhatu's nature, Consciousness is nonabiding. From the nature of a body pure And the characteristics of the tangible conditions, What is free from such conditions Is to be expressed as "dharmadhatu." Once conception and its concepts are relinquished With regard to phenomena whose principal is mind, It's the very lack of nature of phenomena That you should cultivate as dharmadhatu. What you see and hear and smell, What you taste and touch, phenomena as well -- Once yogins realize them in this way, The characteristics are complete. Eyes and ears and also nose, Tongue and body and the mind as well -- The six ayatanas fully pure. This is true reality's own mark. Mind as such is seen as two: Worldly and beyond the world. Clinging [to it] as a self, it is samsara -- In your very own awareness, true reality. Since desire is extinguished, it is nirvana. Hatred and ignorance are extinguished [too]. Since these have ceased, it's buddhahood itself, The very refuge for all beings. Due to realization and its lack, All in this very body. Through our own conceptions, we are bound, But when knowing our nature, we are free. Enlightenment is neither far nor near, And neither does it come nor go. It's whether it is seen or not Right in the midst of our afflictions ... Just as from a mix of milk and water That is present in a vessel, Geese just sip the milk but not the water, Which remains just as it is. Just so, being covered by afflictions, Wisdom dwells within this body, one [with them]. But yogins just extract the wisdom And leave the ignorance behind. As long as we still cling to "self" and "mine," We will conceive of outer [things] through this. But once we see the double lack of self [emptiness of persons & phenomena], The seeds of our existence find their end. Since it is the ground for buddhahood, nirvana, Purity, permanence, and virtue too, And because the childish think of two, In the yoga of their nonduality, please rest, ... The abode of buddhadharmas Fully bears the fruit of practice. This fundamental change of state Is called the "dharmakaya." Free from latent tendencies, you're inconceivable. Samsara's latent tendencies, they can be conceived. You're completely inconceivable -- Through what could you be realized? ... The nonbeing of all beings -- This nature is its sphere. The mighty bodhicitta seeing it Is fully stainless dharmakaya. In the stainless dharmakaya, The sea of wisdom finds its place. Like with variegated jewels, Beings' welfare is fulfilled from it.

Hi guys, i'm from Italy and in the past I practiced Tai Chi. I have been wanting to learn Tai Chi for years, but my dream never came true. It' s possible however I'll get this opportunity not too far. Sure I hope to get as much as i can here. The site looks amazing! Best wishes to you All

A true buddhist mahasiddha is also a bodhisattva mahasattva. In keeping with the spontaneously liberated mind of one who has transcended even the subtlest tendencies of dualistic views, he or she manifests the mind of enlightenment thusly: When bodhisattvas enter into a house, they arouse bodhicitta, thinking "May all sentient beings attain the city of liberation." Similarly, When they go to sleep, they attain the dharmakaya of the buddhas. When they dream, they realize that all dharmas are like a dream. When they awake, they awaken from ignorance. When they arise, they attain the body of buddhahood. When they kindle a fire, the fuel of the kleshas is burned. When it blazes, the fire of wisdom blazes. When they move, they attain the amrita of wisdom. When they eat food, theyattain the food of samadhi. When they go forth, they are liberated from the city ofsamsara. When they descend stairs, they are entering samsara to benefit sentient beings. When they open a door, they open the gates to the city of liberation. Whenthey shut a door, they shut the gates of the lower realms. When they set out on a path they tread the path of the noble ones. When they go upwards, they bring all sentient beings into the happiness of the celestial realms. When they descend, they cut the continuity of the three lower realms. When they meet sentient beings, they meet buddhas. When they step forward, they are going to do benefit for sentient beings. When they lift sentient beings, they are bringing them out of samsara. Ifthey see persons who possesses ornaments, they will attain the major and minor marks. If they see persons without ornaments, they will possess the qualities of purity. If they see a full vessel, it is filled with buddha qualities. If they seean empty one, faults are emptied. If they see people rejoicing, they will rejoice in the Dharma. If they see them sad, they will be sad about compounded things. If they see happy sentient beings, they will attain the happiness of buddhahood. If they see sufferings, all the sufferings of sentient beings will be pacified. If they see sickness, there will be liberation from sickness. If they see returning of kindness, they are returning the kindness of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. If they see it is not acknowledged, they are not acknowledging wrong views as kindness. If they see disputes, they can eliminate all the disputes of the fathers. If they see praise, all the buddhas and bodhisattvas are praised. If they see discussions about the Dharma, the confidence of the buddhas is attained. If they see bodily form, they see all the buddhas without obscuration. If they see a stupa, they become a stupa for all sentient beings. If they see merchants, they will attain the seven aryan riches. If they see homage, they arouse bodhicitta, thinking, "May the world along with its gods attain the non-manifestation of the center at the crown of the head.

http://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=9136&start=0 (has more links to other talks by Garchen Rinpoche) Kyabje Garchen Rinpoche on Garab Dorje's Three Statements Three Statements Striking the Essential Point 1. One is introduced directly to one’s own nature. 2. One definitively decides upon this unique state. 3. One continues directly with confidence in liberation The special teaching or instructions on Mahamudra or Dzogchen is the means of liberating thoughts and negative emotions. When we put this into practice, whatever adverse conditions may arise is transformed into companions. Whatever negative emotions may arise they are transformed into primordial awareness [i.e. ye shes/wisdom]. Thus it is said in the 37-practices of bodhisattvas’ text, “To bodhisattvas who desire the wealth of virtue, all those who do harm are like a precious treasure.” So whatever negative emotions may arise they are simply like fuel that sustain the flame of awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya]. With the arising of negative emotions that flame will become stronger. When we see our mind which is the union of clarity and emptiness, that is the Buddha. Basically with this, we recognize that the mind of the Buddhas of the three times and our own mind is of the same basic nature. There is no distinction between good and bad to be made in the minds of ourselves and the minds of all the Buddhas. On the basis of this, then we must engage in practice and this leads us to the second statement. Absolute conviction in the practice is the second imperative. And so once we have had the introduction, get on the basis of that we must engage it and these first two of the three statements are simple or easy It is said in the 37 Bodhisattva practices in number 36 “In brief, whatever conduct one engages in, one should ask, “What is the state of my mind?” Accomplishing others’ purpose through constantly maintaining mindfulness and awareness is the bodhisattvas’ practice.” And so this mindful awareness [i.e. attention] is the awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] that recognizes whatever thoughts and negative emotions are arising. When we give rise to negative emotions, this awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] recognizes their fault and on that basis of that recognition we can abandon the arising. Even if you don’t understand completely everything that is being stated in English, simply abide in this awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge] and through that you will receive the blessing of the transmission Pure perception is a sign of the accomplishment of the nature of mind. If you engage in the practice of the Buddha dharma you should regard gurus and spiritual guides as objects of refuge and as the object of your faith. And you should regard ordinary sentient beings as the object of your compassion. When you give rise to faith and loving compassion in this way you will receive the blessings. When the mind is abiding in the natural state, this is the view of Dzogchen The special or extraordinary teaching of Dzogchen is about how to transform negative emotions into companions. Right now negative emotions are enemies that do harm so we need to first become skilled at practicing when negative conditions arise and then at bringing those conditions onto the path. If we always abide within mindful awareness [i.e. attention], then however strong a negative emotion may be, it will be immediately destroyed through that awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya], just as we have a blazing fire, we can even feed iron to it and it will melt away. Of course we now have some degree of mindful awareness [i.e. attention], but that mindful awareness [i.e. attention] is like the flame at the tip of a stick of incense, it is very weak and it needs to be cultivated. Yet we must develop and believe in the idea that mindful awareness [i.e. attention] is dharmakaya. The mind of all of the Buddhas of the three times and our own mindful awareness [i.e. attention] are inseparable so if we are looking at various root and lineage masters of the tradition, we should understand that their essential minds’ nature and that of the Buddhas of the three times and our own mind are ultimately inseparable. And there is no distinction between greater or lesser within that mind. All of the Buddhas of the three times are combined in our own practice of mindful awareness [i.e. attention] and so in this regard, Lord Jigten Sumgon paid homage to the mandala of mind’s essence, that is the supreme palace of all the victorious ones of the three times. When we see nature of mind that is like the sky, well, then we see it. In this regard, Lord Milarepa said when mind and space are recognized as inseparable, that is as Dharmakaya as it can get. And this mind’s nature is completely empty and clear. There is nothing that is obtained in that, nothing that we get when we look at the nature of mind. Often time we think when we see the nature of mind this will result in some kind of, something that we obtain. But when we actually see the mind with the mind, there is nothing that we get at all. And so that point should be understood. What is it that we need to know? All of the outer container and inner contents are immeasurable and without limit. All of samsara is vast and limitless, but this has all been created by mind. Mind is the creator of karma, both collective and individual. The basis of that accumulation of karma is self-grasping. And it is through collective and individual karma that all of the phenomena of the universe manifest. When we fail to recognize the natural state of the mind, we give rise to self-grasping and on the basis of that we accumulate the six negative emotions and on the basis of them we engage activities and we create karma. And on the basis of that all of the six realms of Samsara manifest. Thus mind is the ultimate creator of all phenomena. Milarepa taught that we should not sever the root of phenomena but rather sever the root of mind. If we look at the mindstream of a tiny insect, and the mindstream of a human being, they are essentially the same. They all wish to have happiness; they are the same in their generation of negative emotions and the three poisons of attachment, aversion and ignorance. Thus however numerous sentient beings may be, their habit of self-grasping is one, it is the same. On the basis of this self-grasping they engage various activities and accumulate different sorts of karma which condition the various physical forms that they take but all of those forms have been created by mind. The entire six realms come into existence because of mental phenomena. This is something you should think about,consider well, investigate whether this is the case or not So really all of the phenomena of samsara and nirvanaare beyond the extremes of coming and going. On the ultimate level they abide, like the expanse of space, and all appearances manifest within that. Yet they are temporary, dream like and illusory. So in brief, what we are pointing to with this view is that there is no fixation on phenomena as being real at all. When we are free of fixation, then although phenomena still appear to exist, we recognize their empty nature. The natural state of the mind is endowed with the knowing quality, the knowing aspect of the mind. That is the transcendent awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] that recognizes arising thoughts. When we are engaging in Shamatha or calm abiding meditation, the negative emotions of attachment, aversion and so forth are pacified, and within that peaceful abiding the awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] that recognizes arising thoughts is present. When those thoughts are recognized, they are spontaneously free and that is the practice of special insight or Vispasana. When we look at the mind we will see many thoughts arising. If we recognize those myriad thoughts but do not fixate on them, then we don’t need to manipulate them in any way. And they naturally just subside; they do no harm to our practice, or to awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya]. This is what is meant by the term non-conceptual. The text refers the clarity aspect of the mind as being inseparable from non-conceptual awareness wisdom. In this way the thoughts that manifest are like waves that arise from the ocean and dissolve back into the ocean. Although there may be many thoughts, they do not disrupt the continuity of awareness [rigpa i.e. knowledge], that is to say the mind does not waver at the arising of thoughts. When we are practicing calm abiding that is endowed with special insight, if we really wish to train in this then we need to give rise to compassion and great loving kindness. If we lack this then there is no way that the mind will abide in calmness and clarity. So conventional bodhicitta is of greatest importance. When we have conventional bodhicitta we will not give rise to gross conceptual thoughts and the very subtle thoughts that arise will be instantly destroyed through to the power of awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/viday]. So in this way we cultivate conventional bodhicitta, which is love and compassion together with awareness wisdom. When we engage the mind that is the union of emptiness and compassion, a great radiance manifests, what is that radiance? It is the spontaneously arisen light of wisdom and love that pervades all of the pure Buddha realms above and all of the six realms of sentient beings below. All of the sentient beings of the three spheres of existence have accumulated karma and are presently experiencing the ripened effect of former actions. When we give rise to the mind that is the union of wisdom and love, it is like the sunlight that pervades the dark areas of the six realms of sentient beings. So however great our transcendent awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowldge/vidya] is, we will give rise to a correspondingly great compassion. However great our compassion is, we will give rise to the capacity to pervade all of the spheres of existence of sentient being And through awareness [Rigpa i.e.knowledge/vidya], those thoughts and negativities will dissipate. In this way our self-grasping and ignorance are cleared away. And on the basis of this we realize the meaning of selflessness. That realization is like a brilliant light that is more powerful than 100,000 suns. These are the qualities of giving rise to precious bodhicitta. When we abide in the natural state of the mind, we recognize the awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] that is the sky like expanse of mind. We recognize the empty nature of the mind and that recognition is the view. Then having recognized that, we need to abide within that awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge]. And that is meditation, simply remaining the continuity of the non-dual union of bliss and emptiness.Then within that mindful awareness [i.e. attention], we recognize all phenomena to be like dreams and illusions; no matter what activity we engage in, we recognize its illusory nature and that is the conduct. If we abide in a state of Rigpa, or awareness wisdom, all of the view, meditation and conduct are combined within that. Vision is Longchen Rabjam Unelaborated view means is there is no fixation on phenomena as being real. The moment that fixation exists there is elaboration. When we look at the natural state of the mind, it is like space and all of the phenomena of the outer container and inner contents are arisen from that space like mind. And that mind’s essence is the view, and so the first sentence of the text reads, “vision is Longchen Rabjam, the all pervasive vast expanse.” We should understand that the very meaning of his name “all pervading vast expanse” to be a metaphor of the sky, which is the metaphor for the view. When ordinary sentient beings abide in Samsara, they think that the phenomena of Samsara are real and true. This is like perceiving a block of ice and thinking this block is really like stone, and its true on a relative level, a block of ice is like a stone. But when you are introduced to the mind’s natural state, together with that introduction comes a recognition of the possibility of liberation, its as though we finally recognize that the block of ice is not really a stone, because it can melt and become free flowing water. Action is ‘Gwalwa Neugu’ There are different types of students of varying capacities, when one has trained well in former life times, and is a disciple of highest capacity, that person is referred to as one who is kind of instantaneously realizes. Or immediately understands. I asked Rinpoche “Understands what?” and he said,“understands the natural state of the mind, what else is there.” And those who have not done this kind of training or who have trained in only a limited way. Then they are beings who gradually realize in progressive stages. So even if in this lifetime they do not realize mind’s nature then eventually within seven life times or whatever, that realization will dawn. So if those fortunate ones realize the natural state and if they engage in practice like Milarepa did, it is possible within a single lifetime to realize the state of Buddhahood It’s the mind that needs to attain the state of Buddhahood. And when we are free of fixation, then the mind abides like the expanse of space then the body will attain liberation. But we don’t need to look kind of outwardly what we think the Buddha qualities might appear to be on a physical level, rather we need to look inward at the mind to understand the Buddha qualities. And on the basis of that turning inward, we will understand Milarepa taught that when negative emotions and transcendent awareness [rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] are recognized as indistinguishable. That is the perfection of the sign of realization. So whatever happiness and suffering we may encounter, whatever thoughts, afflictions and delusion may arise they are recognized as none other than transcendent awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya]. The mind does not waver regardless of the arisings, rather the minds abides like the expanse of space. And so of course afflictions will arise, the point is for us to recognize them as awareness [rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya]. Without this mode of practicing view, meditation and conduct, although we may intellectually understand the teachings, whenever we encounter adverse conditions in this life, negative emotions, suffering and so forth we will fall under their power. What this is about is bringing adverse conditions onto the path. For example if we give rise to great anger that blazes more strongly than a fire, if with awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] we recognize the fault of that anger then the awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] increases and the anger is overcome. All negative emotion no matter what they may be is to be dealt with in just the same way. Meditation is Khyentse Odser In this regard the text it says Meditation is Khyentse Odser and then Khyentse Odser is another name for the master Jigme Lingpa. In this particular translation then the actual name Khyentse Odser is translated as the “radiance of wisdom and love”. And so if we really wish to cultivate the meditation, we need to habituate the view that is the union of love and compassion with wisdom. When we engage the mind that is the union of emptiness and compassion, a great radiance manifests, what is that radiance? It is the spontaneously arisen light of wisdom and love that pervades all of the pure Buddha realms above and all of the six realms of sentient beings below. All of the sentient beings of the three spheres of existence have accumulated karma and are presently experiencing the ripened effect of former actions. When we give rise to the mind that is the union of wisdom and love, it is like the sunlight that pervades the dark areas of the six realms of sentient beings. So however great our transcendent awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] is, we will give rise to a correspondingly great compassion. Jigme Lingpa is said to be to be one who attained his realization completely without training although there are countless great masters who through training and scholarly endeavour attained understanding of the teachings. Teachers suchas Je Jongapa and Longchen Rabjam pa and so forth. The Vidyadhara Jigme Lingpa isi nconceivably precious in that he attained his understanding of the teachings as well as the omniscient wisdom of the Buddha through his realization of the view completely without training or education. With regard to these three experiences of bliss, clarity and freedom from thoughts, people are different in the kinds of experiences that they give rise to, some will experience great clarity, and have many different clear experiences but whatever it is that is arising, the important thing is to be free of fixation. If we have experience of clarity for example and we think “This is good” then that is fixation. The bliss experience is the same thing, the nature of the mind is naturally blissful thus we speak of the dharmakaya as the great bliss. Yet if we have that experience and fixate on it, this is where we fall into error. Occasionally when we are practicing looking at the nature of the mind, we will experience states free from thought, in which the flow of thoughts and emotions just ceases for a period of time. And within that we think “This is the view” we have givenrise to fixation. Although these various experiences will arise, if we are free of fixation on them, then there will be of no harm. In the three statements that strike the vital points, the first of which is about the direct introduction into the nature of mind, and with this come the recognition that all the phenomena of Samsara and Nirvana are created by the mind. Thus if we only understand the mind’s nature we will understand all the phenomena of Samsara and Nirvana. That which has been made, that is all the phenomena of Samsara and Nirvana, is the nature of emptiness and likewise the maker, the creator of those phenomena which is the mind is empty like the sky. We talked about the non-conceptual state free of the three spheres, in which there is no longer, any division among self and others and the object, or activity that is engaged. And within this non-conceptual awareness there is no distinction to be made between self and other and phenomena of Samsara and Nirvana and so forth. We see experientially that the natural state of our own mind, the mind of the Buddhas of the three times and the mind of all sentient beings are of one singular essence. When we study the meaning about the natural state of the mind, we can begin to understand and eventually to recognize it. But with regard the third point about implicit confidence, in release, this is a little more difficult. When we are introduced to the natural state and then we continuously abide in that natural state, we see the arising thoughts and negative emotions, through their recognition they are liberated, thus no matter how many thoughts may arise they do no benefit to our mind they do no harm to our mind. They naturally are dissipated like water bubbles that spontaneously appear on the surface of water and just as quickly disappear. When we practice in this way, thoughts are naturally destroyedthus no karma is accumulated. If no karma is accumulated, no karmic propensities are established and then one does not experience the fully ripening effect of karma This union of awareness and compassion is like hot water when it is poured over ice, it will immediately melt away that ice. If we lack this union of awareness and compassion, then this frozen block of ice remains just as it is. And this is an example of the delusion of sentient beings. If on the other hand we never part from this union of mindfulness and compassion, thoughts will be liberated on rising but in order to practice in this way, great diligent effort is required. When we see fish in fish tanks we look at all the fishes that is swimming around in the tank, you can follow after them and find out where they are going, and all of these fishes are like the thoughts and emotions that arise in our mind. If on the other hand we shift the focus of attention to the water itself, this is like shifting one’s awareness away from the thoughts to the natural state of the mind. And within this shifted focus, one recognizes when thoughts are arising and when they are not, and there will be junctures in which when thoughts and emotions are not arising, in those junctures we can see the natural state. We should attend to the natural state of the breath. Usually what happens when we are not attending to the breath, and the wind energies, we habitually follow after karmic wind energies. As an antidote to this we can place the tip of the tongue against the hard palate. And when we breath in, we breath in through the nostrils but then when we breath out we gently breath out though the mouth maintaining the tip of the tongue on the hard palate, allowing the out breath to flow over the left and right sides of the tongue. At this time we should be breathing very gently and naturally. This will be of great benefit and has the same effect as the vajra recitation. The important point is that we are not panting, we don’t have our mouth hanging open, we are not allowing all our breath to escape outwardly. By maintaining this point of contact with the tip of the tongue on the hard palate, this actually serves to separate out the pure essence of the wind energy from the gross wind energies So whatever it is that arises the mind, it needs to be recognized through awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya]. This is true of all thoughts, all emotions, all the experiences of bliss, clarity and freedom from thought. And when we abide in awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya], there is no attachment to so called good experiences nor is there aversion towards negative experiences. Even if Guru Rinpoche clearly manifests in front of you still there is no need to focus on this arising as being so extraordinary, unique or precious. It is just the display of the mind’s natural radiance. It is the pure aspect of the mind manifesting and so at such moments we don’t need to look into the appearance or to investigate it in any way. All that we need to do is maintain awareness in its own seed. Then no matter how many thoughts, emotions or experiences may arise there will be no harm in our practice. “In this state of equilibrium and relaxation, abruptly utter a mind shattering PEH forcefully loud and short and there it is”. When we give rise to all of these diversity of meditation experiences, in that very instant, we should immediately shout the syllable PEH, to clear away the cloudiness and to clear away the over excited mind. To clear away fixation and various thoughts and emotions that arises. When we shout the syllable PEH it should be like the flash of a bolt of lightning. Shouted as the text says, forcefully loud and short. Immediately after shouting this syllable PEH, we can see the natural state of the mind, we are completely free of any fixation at that moment, all the recollections of the past have ceased and all the ideas about the future have not yet arisen, so in between these two, in the gap between the two, we can look at the natural state of the mind which becomes like space in the moment that we utter that syllable. When we are alone we can verbally shout this syllable in any case the whole point is to reach a state completely free of any fixation, any concept about doing this practice, and when this is done then the thoughts and emotions are just scattered. The view manifests very clearly and this is what is meant by the term “Zangtal” It is translated inthe text as all pervading freedom of mind. Its kind of unobstructed freedom of mind. This term really refers to being completely free of any fixation on matter or on objects whatsoever. By way of example, if we are sitting in this room and we are meditation on the form of the deity and we visualize that deity as very large and we think now it can’t get any larger because the head has reached the ceiling. This is a fault of fixation If we are completely free of fixation we can visualize the form of the deity filling all of space without any obstruction at all. And this is what is meant by the term unobstructed freedom of mind, it is the all-pervading mind of awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge] without any obstruction posed by fixation All of the erroneous views can be condensed into two views of eternalism and nihilism. When we think that phenomena are actually existent they are real and true then we fall into the error of eternalism. All phenomena are composites; they are the nature of impermanence. Understanding this then we should stay clear of the error of eternalism. When we think that actually there is nothing that is truly existent at all, there is nothing that is real, even karma cause and effect is not ultimately real or true, then we fall into the other extreme of nihilism. If we give rise to negative emotions and on the basis of that we act on that then karma is accumulated and once that happens sooner or later we will eventually experience the ripen effect of that karma. We can look at the example of anger alone and understand the nature of all of the five other negative emotions, anger has a connection to all of them, desire, attachment, ignorance and so forth, so when we first give rise to a negative emotion, if we recognize that with mindful awareness [i.e. attention], the awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] becomes stronger. Eventually the negative emotion will arise simultaneously with mindful awareness [i.e. attention]. When we practice in this way then the awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] is like a flame and the negative emotions are like wood or fuel that feeds that flame. If we can maintain awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya], these negativities are transformed into the five wisdoms. It is a method for transforming negativities into awareness [Rigpa i.e. knwledge/vidya] and poisons into medicine. Milarepa referred to the aspect of the mind that recognizes negative emotions as being awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya]. And so if we are cultivating this awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya], it becomes stronger and stronger with each negative emotion that is liberated. The wisdom dakini, Niguma said, “Even the flame of primordial awareness [i.e. ye shes/wisdom] may be small, it can be refreshed again and again." And so each time we cultivate awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] it grows stronger and stronger. So we must have confidence, that through mindfulness, primordial awareness [i.e. ye shes/wisdom] becomes stronger and more powerful. “Then whether there is quiescence or flow, rage or lust, happiness or sadness, at all times and in every situation sustain that recognition of dharmakaya’s total presence”. So having been introduced to the view, we need to engage the practice of meditation. In this regard we must cultivate meditative absorpsion in a continuous flow at all times and in all situation as the text says. We must protect and preserve a kind of ceaseless continuity of mindful awareness [i.e. attention]. For those who are instantaneous realizers based on the previous training they have engaged in former lives, it is possible for them to be introduced to the view and to immediately realize it in a stable and unchanging way. For such beings there is nothing that really needs to be cultivated nor is there anything that need to be stopped or ended. But such beings are very few, even for those who do recognize the nature of mind when you are introduced to it, many will give rise to pride, thinking “Oh, I have got it” so the point is once we have received the introduction, we must inwardly continue to cultivate it and meditate upon it. Just like the sun and the rays that are spontaneously manifest from the sun, awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge] itself manifests arising as phenomena in an ongoing display. When we understand this then, there is nothing that particularly needs to be suppressed. No matter what arises, it spontaneously manifests, just like waves arising on the surface of water. And naturally dissipate like waves dissolving back into the water. Thus things are naturally arisen and naturally liberated. In this way there is no need to suppress arisings nor is there any need to kind of establish them With regard to this meditation that is free of meditation, when we see the natural state of the mind and we are totally free of doubt about that, we recognize the inseparability of the mind of the guru and the mind of all the Buddhas. And on the basis on one’s devotion to the guru, which is nothing other than awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge], one can begin to experience the inseparability of one’s own mind, the guru’s mind and the minds of all the Buddhas. And so I find that this pith instruction makes the point more accessible Knowing one liberates all and really all of the methods of liberation are combined within Rigpa or within awareness. The guru is not the body of the guru the actual guru is the guru’s mind. The mind is the Buddha and that is the principle importance, when we are cultivating mindful awareness [i.e. attention] that is the ultimate guru. Simply by abiding in the natural state of the mind, thoughts are liberated. Just like the waves that arise on the surface of the water and dissipate back into the water. The Dharmakaya is the very basis, and thoughts are not separate from Dharmakaya, just as the wave not separate from water. Thus we really must understand or recognize that thoughts and mind are inseparable. Looking at the mind itself and abide in the natural state this is like the meeting of the mother and son lights, the text says the son clear light uniting with the familiar mother light. And within this we must understand that these lights are not two; that is the knower and that which is known are of a singular nature. Thus we speak of nondual wisdom, the seer and that which is seen are one and the same. And it is through looking at the nature of the mind that we must recognize this. We say that the basic nature of mind is like a clear crystal or a mirror, although various images or forms that may be reflected in the mirror these are like thoughts that arise in the mind, they dissipate upon arising. Although forms may be reflected in the mirror, the mirror itself has no sense of good or bad with regard to these various appearances. And in a similar way when thoughts arise in the mind, that which recognizes is completely free of fixation on that which has arisen. When we perceive outward phenomena yet we do so while remaining in a state of awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge]. All of these outward forms are not seen distinctly, or individually, rather they are just perceived as a whole. Do you understand the difference between looking at each individual thing and just looking at the broad general picture with awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge]? Tank and fish, yes! When we are abiding in awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] there will be no fixation at all regarding good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant sounds that are heard. And we are thus free from fixation there is no obscuration in the mind. This is what is meant by forms being the union of emptiness and appearance. And everything that is heard being the union of sound and emptiness. When we abide in awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] in this way we will not give rise to attachment to those things that are pleasant nor aversion to things that are unpleasant. This is one of the qualities of mindful awareness [i.e attention] and within this there is nothing that really needs to be blocked or suppressed nor is anything that needs to be cultivated Whereas Rigpa or awareness, is when whatever thoughts and emotions may arise they are immediately destroyed through the power of that awareness [i.e. knowledge/vidya]. This is like a fire that is so strong that it will immediately incinerate whatever is placed inside it. So the difference between what we are calling mind and Rigpa in this context is whether or not all mental arising are liberated. Thus we speak about the transcendent awareness that goes beyond mind and that’s what we are referring to in this term Rigpa. So we need to merge our meditative experience that comes in our meditation sessions with our everyday activities. If we don’t have the leisure of remaining for a long time in isolated mountain retreats, still we can devote an entire Sunday, for example on a regular basis to doing retreat practices. We can devote half an hour to concentrated meditation. In fact it is taught that we should engage short sessions again and again many times. So in this way we cultivate an undistracted mind, eventually we will be able to merge that mindful awareness [i.e. attention] that is cultivated in meditation sessions with all of our ordinary activities. And so if we have the thought “Oh I need to pee”, we don’t just get off the cushion immediately, but rather we look at the mind that’s thinking “I need to pee.” And we look at that mind and cultivate awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] and then within that state of awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] we get up slowly to go take our pee. This is the way it should be with all our activities. They should be done conjoined with vigilant mindful awareness [i.e. attention], and by doing that we merge meditation and post meditation experience If we want to understand these three precepts, we can again and again refer to the verses in the 37 practices text. If we hold these in our recollection and we can mentally recite them, it will cause the mind to become clearer and clearer. So the first among these three is verse 22 and this relates directly to the first of the three precepts, which is a direct introduction into the nature of mind. So in relation to this the 37 practices text says “Appearances are one’s own mind. From the beginning, mind’s nature is free from the extremes of elaboration. Knowing this, not to engage the mind in subject-object duality is the bodhisattvas’ practice.” So this verse is parallel to the direct introduction. With regard to the second of the three precepts, absolute conviction in the practice, this is parallel to verse 30, which reads, “If one lacks wisdom, it is impossible to attain perfect enlightenment through the other five perfections. Thus, cultivating skillful means with the wisdom that does not discriminate among the three spheres is the bodhisattvas’ practice.” And then with regard to the third precept, implicit confidence in release, that is parallel to verse 36. “In brief, whatever conduct one engages in, one should ask, “What is the state of my mind?” accomplishing others’ purpose through constantly maintaining mindfulness and awareness is the bodhisattvas’ practice.” And so if you deeply contemplate these three verses again and again, it will over time give you profound insight into the three precepts that strike the vital point. For whatever period of time that we are sitting in meditation, even if its only five minutes, for that period of time we need to exert ourselves, making effort to meditate with clarity. Just as a seed planted in the ground must be nurtured with light and water and so forth in order to yield a flower, and just as that nurturing is ongoing, so too our cultivation of awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge] must be without interruption in order to become strong. So when we are in a place of trying to stabilize awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya], it is said that we should have strict sessions and during those sessions really exert ourselves in the practice. So how is it that we can avoid falling under the power of conditions, it is through stabilizing mindful awareness [i.e. attention]. When we go outside and we engage our daily activities, if we do so with mindfulness then we will become like Milarepa, who sang “Whenever I go from one place to another, I am bring all appearances onto the path.” So for example if we are sitting down and suddenly we have the wish to get up and go do something, we should just for a moment look at the mind that wants to get up and do. When we do this,the wish to get up and go dissipates and then within a state free of needing to get up, we can get up and engage our activities. When we want to eat something, we should first just recognize that desire to eat, and then the desire itself is liberated. And within a state of desirelessness eat the food. When we suddenly give rise to anger at something someone has said to us, we can look at that mind of anger and it will dissipate and then we can respond in a state free of anger. In this way by cultivating mindful awareness [i.e. attention] we can engage all of our activities in a state free of negative emotions. We can enjoy all of thefive objects of senses pleasure in a state free of fixation. This is what it means to mix awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge] with conduct When we are engaging in activities, we should do so in the context of the Tregchod practice or the practice of destroying delusion. So what is this Dzogchen view of Tregchod, it is when the mind is abiding in a state free of fixation on negative emotions as being real. So for example when you are extremely hungry and then you see food, you immediately want to eat it so that you mouth starts watering, and if in that moment you look at the desire to eat, the desire itself dissipates. In this way you directly cut through the fixation. That is what we call Tregchod or the direct cutting through. We also use this term “Trushak” in Tibetan, which means destroying delusion. If we have pure water for example and we pour milk into it, the water becomes clouded, it is obscured and in a similar way, fixation on negative emotions obscures the mind. If we give rise to great anger and then we recognize the anger, it is purified through the recognition. So we should understand that the fixation is what obscures the mind and when we are free of fixation, negative emotions are spontaneously purified. The awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] that we cultivate is like a flame that burns away the fuel of all arising afflictions. In this way although anger may arise, it does no harm at all. “At all times and in every situation, watch the free play of Dharmakaya alone. Convinced that there is nothing other than that”. Abiding in this awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] is the medicine that cures 100 different illnesses. This is the inseparable union of Shamatha and Vispasana or calm abiding and special insight. With regards to calm abiding, it is whenever thoughts and delusions arise and the mind is completely free of fixation on them. They are naturally purified or pacified, within that state of pacification, we see the clear nature of the mind and that seeing is the special insight or Vispasana. So within this, what is translated as the free play of Dharmakaya in the text; within that state all of the teachings are complete, all of the paths are combined, the entire practice of Shamatha and Vispasana, all of the essential points of the Buddhist’s teachings are included within that. Thus the text says, “Watch the free play of the Dharmakaya alone. Convinced that there is nothing other than that” In the context of Dzogchen practice, it is simply through recognizing the nature or the essence of mind that transformation is accomplished. However many negative emotions may arise, or however gross they may be when they are met with mindful awareness [i.e. attention], they are spontaneously liberated. When this is habituated the negative emotions will arise simultaneous with awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya], and then there is no antidote that is needed. For example anger arises and its like we conquer anger with anger. When the anger manifests together with mindfulness, it is immediately dissipated. The same is true of lust and desire. When it is co-emergent with mindful awareness [i.e. attention], it totally dissipates. And so we merge desire and lust with meditation and on the basis of this no karma is accumulated. The desire itself dissipates and this is what is meant by bringing negativities onto the path. With regard to the subtle ones, if we are meditating and we become kind of dull in that meditation, then many subtle thoughts that we don’t feel may arise. And when we fail to recognize them, they become grosser and grosser until at some point they become gross enough that we recognize them. And realize “Oh I’ve gotten distracted.” So it’s important to understand that if we fail to recognize the subtle thoughts, those will also obscure the mind. And so the recognition is what is important. If we sustain clear awareness then we will recognize gross and subtle mental arisings. Primordial awareness [i.e. ye shes/wisdom] is like a flame and all the gross and subtle thoughts and emotions that arise are like fuel. If we continue to meet the thoughts with awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya], it is as though we continue to feed fuel to the flame, thus it increases in intensity. If we do not recognize the natural state that is the cause for the arising of all of samsara it is because of this non recognition that we continually wander in cyclic existence. So all of samsara can be condensed into the three realms, the form realm, the formless realm and the desire realm. And what is the cause of all these? First we should understand that there is like a fundamental alaya consciousness and really this is a mind of un-clarity or unawareness and it is taught about quite clearly in the aspiration prayer of Samanthabadra. In this state of un-clarity, beings follow after whatever thoughts and emotions that arise in the mind. Because of abiding in this really unclear unconscious state, one is said to attain or take rebirth in the formless realm. If from within this unclear state a subtle consciousness arises, it is not really recognized for what it is. It is not seen. And on the basis of that we start to fixate on phenomena as real and that becomes the cause of rebirth in the form realm. And then from out of this mind, arise gross thoughts and emotions it condition rebirth in the desire realm. When we generate the great primordial awareness i.e. ye shes/wisdom] it is the cause for liberating ourselves from the three realms and also from all of samsara. This is because of the natural attributes of wisdom mind. For example when we look at a flower, and we see its beautiful form, if we abide in stable mindful awareness [i.e. attention], the mind doesn’t waver, it doesn’t go outside to the object of perception, it is not lost in that flower. And so by holding this kind of stable mindful awareness [i.e. attention], the mind is liberated from rebirth in the desire realm. So then when we experience clarity, the clarity aspect of the mind, if we are free of fixation on the clarity, this purifies the phenomena of the form realm, thus the mind is liberated from rebirth in the form realm. Again we refer to the mind is the union of clarity and emptiness, and whenever thoughts and emotions arise, if we do not investigate them or manipulate them in any way, we give rise to confidence in awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya],and thus the mind becomes very clear, this purifies the unconscious or unawareness state. When we abide in this non-conceptual awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya], we do not need to investigate in any way the mental phenomena that arise. The mind is the union of emptiness and clarity but the clarity aspect of mind cannot be lost, when it is sustained it becomes the basis for liberating the mind from the phenomena of the formless realm. The alaya or base consciousness as I mentioned before, is just a state of unawareness, unknowing and when we see the nature of the mind that is just like the sky, it is also endowed with clarity. That clarity is what liberates us from the formless realm. When we see the natural state of the mind, it gives rise to three principle qualities or attributes. They are known as the sublime intent that fully liberates the three spheres, the three realms. This is an extraordinary Buddhist teaching. This liberation of the three realms is connected with the qualities of the Buddhist three kayas and those three kayas are complete within the mind itself. The mind’s empty nature, which is like the expanse of space is parallel to the Dharmakaya, the mind’s clarity aspect, which is endowed with wisdom, is parallel to the Samboghakaya, and from within this the unobjectified loving-kindness or the compassion without any reference point pervades all of space and this is parallel to the Nirmanakaya. Thus the seed of the Buddhist three kayas is present in our mindstream. These three kayas are endowed with the same power as this sublime intent, which fully liberates the three spheres. When we look at the natural state of the mind, it is said that form is the union of emptiness and appearance. That is to say we perceive the form with the eye but we do not investigate them, we do not engage the mind in contemplation on these forms. The mind does not waver outside to the form, or to become wrapped up in the image, rather it is perceived as being like the reflection in a mirror. There is no real substance to it. And so although all of the myriad phenomena of this realm manifest in one’s mind, they are seen with the eye, when there is no fixation in the mind then the forms manifest while awareness [Rigpa i.e. knoweldge/vidya] is held in its own place. So we give rise to a clear perception of the form yet we abide in a state free from fixation. So this state is free from the dualistic notion of the perceiver and that which is perceived. The mind does not need to wander outside and become involved in that which is perceived. Now the quality of this state is not something that will necessarily be fully grasped through mere understanding of the words, it is when you engage in the practice that you will see its attributes. “By intuiting this liberating aspect of the Dharmakaya, and now to a figure drawn in water there is uninterrupted spontaneous arising and reflexive release.” So in brief we talked of self-arising and self-liberating and this is when the thoughts manifest and spontaneously dissipate just like writing on the surface of water, the moment that we recognize the thoughts with awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya], they cease to be, just like a wave will arise out of the ocean and dissolve back into it. “Whatever arises is the fruit of naked presence and emptiness, whatever moves is the creativity of the sovereign Dharmakaya”. If we sustain unbroken awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] then there is no harm when thoughts and emotions arise. Its like if we have a strong fire burning in the hearth then how much fuel we put inside of it, it will spontaneously be burnt away. And so it is when the flame of awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] is strong, whatever arises whatever thoughts and emotions may manifest simply are burnt away by awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya]. “The way thing arises the same as before, the crucial difference is in their release”. And so for a practitioner the way that thoughts and emotions manifest in the mind, is just the same as the way in which they arise in the mind of an ordinary person. The difference is that for a yogin or yogini whatever arises is spontaneously liberated on arising. This is what is referred to as the play of awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya]. So for ordinary beings, thoughts and negative emotions arise they fixate on those arisings as real and their mind is bound by that fixation. Thus they accumulate karma. For a true practitioner awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] arises simultaneously with the thought and it is liberated. “Without this vital function of release, meditation is a delusory path. Imbued with it we abide in the Dharmakaya of non-meditation.” So even though one may not have engaged this practice for a long period of time still when one cultivates the awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] that liberates thoughts on arising, that awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] is Dharmakaya. Without having cultivated that even if one has engaged meditation practice for many years, still it is nothing but a delusory path. With regard to the fruition it is all about abiding in the natural state of the mind. When we do that the very basis, which is Buddha nature, is realized. We speak about ground path and fruition and that ground is that innate in dwelling Buddha nature. And when we know that natural state of the mind, and we cultivate that, we engage the path. And as a result we experience fruition which is the mind becomes pure. Thus these three ground path and fruition are closely related to the view meditation and conduct. When we really can act in accord with the meditation that we are engaging, then without doubt we are practicing the path In this regard there is a praise of Guru Rinpoche that says: “I pay homage to the one who is unstained by the obscuration of desire. Homageand praise to the Lotus born one.” So this example of the lotus flower is that it rises out of the mud and yet bears a blossom that is unstained by mud is an example of the minds of the Buddhas.So the example of the lotus flower is the example of great primordial wisdom [i.e. ye shes/wisdom]. As I have mentioned that the lotus grows out of a muddy swamp yet its blossom is totally untainted. And so when we talk about the term Rigpa, this is kind of a term that we find in the Dzogchen teachings and there are other terms that are common to the mahamudra but really this term Rigpa is something that is easy to understand, it is the self-recognition of the natural state of one’s own mind and this is the mind totally unobscured by negative emotions. When we speak about transcendent awareness or Rigpa that is nothing other than the Buddha. If we recognize it now in this moment then the mind is unobscured in this moment. When we give rise to fixation, that fixation obscures the mind. When we are completely free of fixation to various thoughts and negative emotions then awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] is sustained and there is no taint. Although thoughts and negative emotions will continue to arise they will not obscure the mind. If we have compassion for sentient beings, this is a sign that we have given rise to pure perception of the outer container, which is this universe, the inner contents which are sentient beings. Although sentient beings temporarily manifest in a deluded way like frozen blocks of ice, in truth sentient beings are unreal, they are dreamlike and illusory. In truth beings are truly Buddha yet when we see the limitless suffering of sentient beings that drive them to madness. It is as though they are made crazy by the limitless sufferings that they experience, we naturally give rise to compassion. Yet at the same time there is an understanding that beings are unreal they are not inherently established, thus it is said that there is neither compassion nor an actual object of compassion on the ultimate level. So for example if someone is sleeping and dreaming we do not see their dream yet the dream may seem so real to the sleeping person that he cries out in his sleep. Similarly allthe phenomena of samsara and nirvana are unreal and illusory. When we recognize that sentient beings are unreal and they lack any inherent existence, this is a sign of having generated pure perception So we should give rise to conventional precious bodhicitta for all sentient beings without exception thinking that there is not one who has not been our kind parent. In this way we should give rise to love for all sentient beings like the love of a mother has for her child. We should have special bond of love with our dharma companions and our vajra siblings. How does this arise? When we engage in practice and we see the natural state of the mind, all of our minds become the same and on the basis of this a great love arises and pervades. So if we are free of the dualistic view of self and other, then what we will findis that others negative emotions of anger and pride and so forth will naturally melt awayand dissipate and we will see all beings as our friends Khenpo Munsel taught that the measure of one’s realization of the view is the compassion that one has generated thus the most precious of attainments is great compassion. Like the rays that naturally manifest from the sun, compassion will spontaneously arise out of emptiness. Although there are other signs of accomplishment such as clairvoyance and many diverse experiences, we should not fixate on any if these but rather should understand that the greatest of all signs of accomplishment is compassion. These teachings one essential point on awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] are the essence of all the Buddhadharma. The mind of omniscient wisdom of a single Buddha pervades all of the Buddhas of all space and time. Likewise the Buddhas of the three times of past present and future are complete in the mind of the root guru. The way that this can be so is the qualities of emptiness The first line of the text that we are working from is “I pay homage to the root lama of matchlesskindness. Of matchless, peerless compassion.” So really the essence of this line is about the practice of Guru Yoga. It is taught that the Guru is all the embodiment of all of the Three Jewels. So, if at the outset in the text, we make prostration and pay homage to the Guru we should understand that by doing that we are prostrating and paying homage to all of the Three Jewels We should understand that the mind of the Guru is the essence of all of the minds of the Buddhas. All the Buddhas are present in the root Guru’s mind. And that root Guru is our own vigilant mindful awareness [i.e. attention]. Within that awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] there is a non-distinction to be made between great and small, good and bad and so forth. The basic transcendent awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] of our own mind is the guru. The guru’s speech is the Dharma, and that Dharma, although it is vast, it is said to contain 84,000 aggregates, still it all comes down to two types of Bodhicitta. Apart from conventional and ultimate Bodhicitta, there is no other Dharma teachings to be found. So all of the Dharma is condensed in the speech of the root Guru, and likewise the body of the Guru is the sangha. With regard to the sangha, when we have listened to the teachings of the Buddha and we have put them into practice by cultivating love and compassion in our minds, we purify the obscurations of our minds. Having purified our own minds, then we are able to guide others thus we become members of the sangha. How is it that we can guide others? Through introducing them to the teachings on Karma cause and effects and to the two truths and so forth. We can show beings the methods for practicing virtue and abandoning non-virtue which is the cause of suffering. So when from our own side we become liberated then we can engage in activities to liberate others. This is what it meansto be a member of the sangha. And it is said then that the Guru’s body is the sangha When one cultivates bodhicitta in his mindstream, that individual’s body is the Guru, his or her speech is the yidam and his or her mind is the dakini. Thus we can say that the Guru is the embodiment of not only the three Jewels but also the three roots. Through relying on the body of the Guru we receive the empowerments and we are introduced to the nature of the skandhas, dhatus and ayatanas as pure from the very beginning. Likewise, on the basis of the Guru’s speech, we are given instruction in generation and completion stage practices. We are taught in the context of generation stage how to visualize ourselves as the deity and so forth. On the basis of this to engage in secret mantra practices, thus on the basis of speech we can realize the Samboghakaya and then on the level of mind, this is the prajna paramitra, the perfection of wisdom. It is the nature of emptiness, the nature of ultimate bodhicitta. And that nature is nothing other than the mind of the Guru. So the Guru, himself or herself is the embodiment of the three roots, of Guru, Yidam and Dakini. When in this way one engages the practice of the three jewel and the three roots, the fruition is to attain the three kayas. And those three kayas are complete in the Guru. The Guru’s body is the nirmanakaya or the tulku and so the Guru has cultivated bodhicitta in his or her mindstream and through that mind which is bodhicitta, emanations or tulku spontaneously manifest. On the outward level, the body of the Guru seems like the bodyof just another human being, like an ordinary person but the Guru is extraordinary in that on the level of mind, he or she has fully cultivated the two types of bodhicitta. So the Guru’s speech is the Sambonghakaya. That is to say on the basis of the words of the Buddha or the speech of the Guru, the Yidams and Mandalas manifest ininconceivably vast numbers. On the basis of the Guru’s mind, which is endowed with loving-kindness, the Dharmakaya is realized. Although the Guru’s mind is the nature of love, on the ultimate level it is empty, this is what is meant by the term the union of clarity and emptiness. So this Dharmakaya, which is vast like space, is the mind of the Guru and then the Samboghakaya is like the various rainbows that arise in the expanse of the sky. What is this fourth kaya? When we are introduced to the Guru’s attributes, then we need to know, and deeply contemplate each of the Guru’s qualities. Then when through practice, we ourselves cultivate the qualities of the three kayas, at some juncture we really get insight into the ultimate nature of the Guru, which is none other than our own mind’s essence. When we realize this, we recognize the sameness of our mind and the mind of the Guru, and that there is no distinction between good and bad to be made between our mind and the Guru’s mind. This is the non-dual union of clarity and emptiness, it is the realization of the natural state of the mind. When we have this experience, we know definitively the non-dual nature of our mind and the guru’s mind; this is the realization of Svabhavikakaya. It is through this practice that our mindstream transforms into the guru. The guru is endowed with perfect qualities, and right now we see a great distinction between ourselves and the Guru. But really the only distinction is in the fact the Guru has given rise to the mind wishing to benefit others. While we on the other hands have great self-grasping and negative emotions. So at the very outset when we first received the vow of refuge, we are introduced to the outer three jewels, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. But then after having received the vows and beginning to really engage in the practice we start to recognize our own mindful awareness [i.e. attention] as inseparable from those three jewels. So on the outer level, we look at the example Guru, or the Guru who manifests in human form. But on the inner level, the ultimate Guru is mindful awareness [i.e. attention]. Having devotion to the Guru, on the outer level, devotion is the faith and the respect that we have for the teacher. But on the inner level, what devotion is, is holding the words and instructions of the Guru as precious and putting them into practice. So for example, although Marpa had many disciples, the real transmission or the complete transmission went to Milarepa and it is said that the one who really held to whatever the Guru taught was Mila Dorje Gyaltsen and that’s the real meaning of devotion to the Guru. The term that we use in Tibetan for Guru Yoga is Lamei Naljor, the first two syllables Lamei means of the guru, the second two syllables Naljor, is yoga. This term Nal is referring to the natural state of the mind. So yoga is the union with the mind’s nature. How is this accomplished? It is accomplished through mindful awareness [i.e. attention] and that mindful awareness [i.e. attention] is the inner guru. The outer body of the Guru is not the ultimate guru; it is just a conglomeration of particles that is subject to impermanence. When we look at the inner guru, we see that there is no dualistic distinction of good and bad. That awareness [Rigpa i.e. knowledge/vidya] is the nature of mind and in order to maintain that connection, love is what is of principle importance. When we have this mind of love and awareness then there is no distinction between near and far. We have authentically united with the inner guru, that is the nature of the mind. And this is the true practice of Guru Yoga. Sentient beings because they are temporaryily obscured by negative emotions do not recognize this and their mind becomes a frozen block of ice. But when they meet with the conditions of having faith in the three jewels and compassion for sentient beings, it is like that ice begins to melt away into free flowing water. Particularly in the context of secret mantra practice, we are taught to cultivate a pure view of the outer container that is the universe and the inner contents, which are all sentient beings. All of the ways of accumulating virtues are combined in or encompassed by pure view. When we have pure view, what it means is that we are free of fixation, whether it is attachment based or aversion based. When we have purified fixation in this way, the ice of our ignorance melts away. And then we recognize the qualities of the inner guru. So if we have pure view, from our own side, whether the guru is a good and authentic master or not, does not matter, we will realize the Buddha qualities from within Milarepa, when he was passing away, told his disciples, “Actually, I will never die, if you have love and believe in me”. Milarepa pervades in the five elements, and thus is always present.” And so it is on the basis of the disciple’s faith that we again and again connect with the Guru or the deity. On the basis of this we receive the Guru’s blessings. So the fact that Milarepa can pervade the five elements, is really one of the qualities of the Dharmakaya of the Buddha. http://www.kunzang.org/assets/pdfs/news ... npoche.pdf

A comparative essay on the principles of Tian'Tai and Huayan Buddhism: http://faculty.fullerton.edu/jeelooliu/Tian-tai%20vs.%20Hua-yan.pdf ...The Flower Ornament Scripture denies that the phenomenal world really exists. The phenomenal world means the world we, as human beings, presently experience. In the Flower Ornament Scripture, this world is likened to dream, illusion, phantom, echo, the magician’s conjuring, and the reflection in the mirror. (Chapter 29, 880-86) Everything we perceive around us, this worldly phenomena, is also like a reflection or an illusion. As reflections, objects “have no location” and “no substantial nature.” (Chapter 2, 175) As illusions, objects do not have a real beginning or end, nor do they have a definite origin or a final exit. In one synopsis, the Scripture says that all things “have no true reality.” (Chapter 5, 248) ..... The third patriarch Fa-zang also says, “[W]hatever there is in the world is only the creation of one mind; outside of mind there is not a single thing that can be apprehended…. It means that all discriminations come only from one’s own mind. There has never been any environment outside the mind which could be an object of mind.” (“Cultivation of Contemplation of the Inner Meaning of the Hua-yan,” Cleary 1983,165) Fa-zang further denies the warranty of sense perception and claims that “sense data have no existence.” (ibid.) In other words, it is the mind’s discerning abilities that create myriad things in the world. Reality itself does not have all these discriminations; all things we perceive are thus the mind’s fabrication.... To say that the phenomenal worlds are the result of various minds’ fabrication, is not to say that each mind really “creates” a genuine world. For Hua-yan Buddhists, minds are not real either. The unreal mundane world is not simply the experiential world external to us; we are part of it as well. In other words, our sensation, perception, consciousness, are all part of this unreal phenomenal world; Furthermore, our self-identity and even our very existence are not real. As the Flower Ornament Scripture says, "Living beings, too, are not other than illusion -- on comprehending illusion, there are no 'living beings'. ” (Chapter 29, 880) Even though it is the individual’s actions that create the world, “in truth action has no agent” (Chapter 26, 751) and “the doer has no existence.” (Chapter 10, 301) The [Flower Ornament] Scripture further denies the functions of individual minds: “Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind, intellect, the faculties of sense, all are void and essenceless, the deluded mind conceives them to exist.” (Chapter 10, 300) ...