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I have no idea why you think I was being facetious. I wasn't. I literally had no idea this picture had anything to do with transphobia, I thought it was about smart clothing versus not smart clothing. I thought this partly because it was posted to Facebook by my gay friend who would not dream of attacking or laughing at anyone for their sexual orientation/gender or anything like that having experienced discrimination throughout his life on this basis. If this meme offends you then take it down. I said this before. But spare me the censorious lectures.

I read A Course in Miracles a long time ago. I nearly didn't because it's a channeled work allegedly and I had a really powerful bias about all things in that category. Jane Roberts singlehandedly redeemed that entire topic for me. Not, unfortunately, most of its authors. :-) But "intuitive writing" on its own (around since the dawn of time) is ok -- a blend of the source the communicator though. So obviously its value depends a lot on the person writing, too. ACiM is not a bad thing at all. It's just one specific way of presenting a rather fundamental paradigm-set which anybody especially in the Western world tends to have trouble wrapping their head around. No worries. You'll just be a mystic with ACiM, not a Moonie. :-) OK now to your point. You have a tomato. You give it to Jack. Now Jack has a tomato and you don't have a tomato. I'll not argue the potential quantum-physics trivia about how technically nobody has a tomato so all you really traded was an idea attached to some emergent-property-as-energy-particles because hey, in the experiential "focus-reality" world, Jack has your tomato and no amount of philosophy is going to change that. :-) But things which work in the "logical" world of mind are often non-sequiturs internally and vice-versa. There are plenty of things which I am capable of comprehending when I am in a sufficiently altered focus but in full beta my brain really just can't wrap around it. This goes not just for ideas, but even for sense experiences. Sometimes you have to learn to work with information in the state of mind for which it was intended. You are not going to be able to use logic to understand mysticism. You are trying to intellectually suss it out and it just doesn't work that way. With mysticism you have to go through, not around. And the problem is, to get it to you, someone has to put it into words verbal or written. Words have definitions. There is no way to "correctly" convey much of anything in words short of VCR instructions. There is always a degree of reading between the lines and intuitively allowing things to mean what they need to mean, not just their dictionary definition. Logically, having and giving cannot be the same thing because the definition of these words is different. But mystically, they probably can. This is one reason why traditionally the path of 'teaching' is not to convey the answer, but to provide a question or an experience or a practice which, when the person goes through that, will then result in them coming -- on their own natively -- to an understanding. Because most understandings can't be conveyed in words, even if you can put them in words. (For example you can tell someone about 'intimacy.' It's just a word. Not until someone experiences it, will they understand it. And they will experience and understand it regardless of, and apart from, the word. Once they have that in place, then you can use the word, and it works for them and they may gain understanding of some other things by employing their existing experience and understanding. But at that point the word is merely a pointer, a label, a map -- it's not the territory of what is real, it's only the letters on the nametag. The "logical" part that was "information" was never "experience" and getting 'through' it requires experience. Eastern philosophies have as much armchair-intellectualism as Western sorts do and it's easy to get trapped in that, especially on the internet, because discussion is verbal, so its hitting the logical mind. Intellectualism is not invalid, it's simply only energy at a certain level. The center is the sun, though, so in the end if you want something that genuinely evolves you, you're going to have to include energetic interaction at your heart level, one way or another. You can 'think about' things forever... interesting... but it doesn't get you there. So when you approach a 'fundamental belief system set' like ACiM, see if you can do it with slightly less 'logic' and slightly more 'prayer for assistance with understanding' and see what comes of it. Much of this can come through as "intuitive insights" if you let it. ACiM can get you thinking about the world we live in. It's all a dream, it's all symbology, it's all energy, and we have the ability to interact with and hence influence and design the energy within and around us. Walk around and look at everything from that perspective. Consider how long it took culture to get the tech just to make a modern stop sign, or the implied meaning in a 'sliding glass door.' Think about how sidewalks surround and enclose us: a safe path 'between' the individual and the masses, but also a pre-made path for conformity. Everything is a dream symbol. It is energy, but it is poured into a certain form, function, with which we can experientially interact. But the energy of your arm is just energy, like the energy of your armchair and the tree outside. Fundamentally the energy does not differ; the density, intensity, and creative expression of the energy differs by 'instance' but it's all energy. Physics says we 'trade atoms' with everything around us, which is why the sages have said we should love everything around us. Because if we don't it's not a good result for obvious reasons. Energy doesn't have hard boundaries, we just think it does. It's moving all over all the time. Things are moving through us all the time. (Which is a useful visualization: to imagine negative stuff just 'blowing through you' so you are not setting up resistance, and are letting it go.) Once I was talking to an aspect of self and my cat jumped up on me and for a moment I perceived her like he/she/it/they did. It was rather like a bundle of energy and what I found so fascinating was that their perception of her was that the "cat" part was a "property." By that I mean, the fact that she was female, or she was striped, are just 'properties' -- they don't define her as a being. Well neither did being a cat, it turns out. She was just "a being." The fact that being also happened to be "a cat" was as arbitrary a property as the fact that she was striped. That amazed me for some reason, but later, when I integrated it better, I realized the underlying element is that we are all just 'awareness' at root. An emergent property (a few levels up) is the 'energy' our science can measure. With sufficient density-of-energy there is the emergent property from awareness of 'identity' (self-aware) and this grows by degrees, through duality, and gradually into actual "autonomy." Which we have some of. Not as much as we think. :-) But to get back to topic, the awareness underlying the energy that "composes" your elbows, is just like the energy that composes everything else including your sofa and your tomato. I guess you might say that in a way it means everything is "fundamentally equal." We learn to let go of attachment to things, people and events not because they cannot have meaning to us, but because everything has meaning. We might prefer to hang out with that meaning more than we prefer to hang out with other meanings. That's ok. But it is no more valuable inherently than other meanings. The baseline for existence is equal. Alan Watts (who wrote on Zen) spent effort trying to get readers to understand that what is outside us is just as much 'us' as what is inside us. I never got it. I read his stuff circa age 20 and I really tried. Seth (Jane Roberts) did more for me in one book (The Nature of Personal Reality) than many years of reading on Buddhism ever got me for some reason. But maybe it loosened the lid, so to speak. ;-) Or maybe being of Western culture I just relate a bit more to that communication style. So you go through learning that everything is really just vibrating energy. And then learning that you are really just vibrating energy also. Because EVERY-thing is. Which is to say there is no such thing as things. Only the translated symbolic appearance of an energy which for biological (time and space-based) convenience we consider an object. And learning that your intent, emotion, etc. can actually influence energy. Whether and how it manifests or doesn't for example. And learning that our labels like "car" and "skyscraper" and "tomato" are in fact just labels. The map, not the territory. The things they point to are vibrating energy which being energetic creatures ourselves, we have a relationship with. We perceive not that-thing-there but rather, the "energetic, dynamic interface between" that-thing-there and "us" (I'll leave out the 2-million volume version of what-is-us for now, ha). That means everything we perceive is actually the metabolism or chemistry between, or to be more basic, half-that and half-us, you could say... sort of. As an analogy, we're green, it's blue, we perceive teal. We can never perceive blue because our perception abilities have to go through green. And we can never perceive green because it is not projected outside of us to be an 'other'. So whatever it is we perceive, "we" are part of what we perceive. And we can change ourselves! Which is changing everything else we perceive, too. Because if our magnet suddenly shifts direction for example, it would push some things away, pull some things closer. If our green suddenly got lighter, darker, it would change the teal result in what we experienced. That is to say that reality is essentially 'us' -- -- the dynamic interaction point that is the marriage of what we perceive as self, and what we perceive as other, meeting in the middle. You contain the fundamental, the energy, of everything. But it is your interaction with reality as a 'canvas' -- with energy that is projected as "the-other" (not self) -- that lets you create whatever you like. (The crown chakra is a great deal of this. Well all chakras are of course. But especially Crown, as it showed me.) So the 'source' of the very existence of your tomato is you. Sure, give Jack the individualized-instance of that energy-perceived-as-form for the sake of experience. But the tomato was created from you, of you, and in YOUR experience (not Jack's) is utterly dependent on the existence of you. You cannot know Jack's unique instance of perception of that tomato -- because for Jack, its existence in his reality, let alone its squishy detail, is half HIM. And that works because really, you and Jack are one. But at a fundamental level (way below conscious or even subconscious mind) he's only paying attention to being Jack, and you're only paying attention to being you, and the tomato is only paying attention to being a tomato, so you're all in the place you should be. :-) So you are never without a tomato because you were really never with one. There is no tomato. There is only energy. A quality, which filtered and translated we call a tomato. And you can hold or release, pull or push, change or maintain, energy however you like. You can be physically with or without something, but with the proper (there's the rub...) application of intent to the energy of self, you can simply arrange to have all the tomatoes you want. Or not. As long as you're thinking of yourself as 'without' a certain thing you're essentially telling yourself, a sort of constant self hypnosis, that this energy is missing from your basket, which only attaches to that being-so, and your experience says, ok, if you say so, whatever you say goes, see the basket's still empty, no tomatoes here! If you think of yourself as inherently having everything, because you do, and hey maybe you'd like a tomato soon ok, then relax and let it flow through you, and soon enough you'll have a tomato (or many) move into your reality. It requires some suspension of disbelief, some acting as if, all the time but especially initially, which is tough for logical folks who don't want to be suckers or moon-eyed woo sorts, I know what that's like. It's very difficult to get out of thinking about something instead of just being it. I worked with these ideas 'walking in' to metaphysics when I was a very logical sort, and I had a lot of success with it eventually, in spots. I say it with those caveats because I am not a billionaire sunning with my cabana boys at the moment so probably I did something wrong at some point or maybe I would be. ;-) Teasing. Well, mostly. I don't know if any of that helped at all. Because it's all just words. Aurghck! RC

from Victor Mair's "Wandering on the Way: Taoist Tales and Parables" "I have heard from Confucius," said Master Timid Magpie, inquiring of Master Tall Tree, "that the sage does not involve himself in worldly affairs. He does not go after gain, nor does he avoid harm. He does not take pleasure in seeking, nor does he get bogged down in formalistic ways. He speaks without saying anything; he says something without speaking. Instead, he wan- ders beyond the dust of the mundane world. Confucius thinks this is a vague description of the sage, but I think that it is the working of the wondrous Way. What do you think of it, my master?" "Even the Yellow Emperor would be perplexed by hearing these things" said Master Tall Tree. "How is Hillock capable of understanding them? It seems that you, too, are overly hasty in forming an estimate. You're counting your chickens before they're hatched, drooling over roast owl at the sight of a crossbow pellet. "Let me say a few careless words to you and you listen carelessly, all right? The sage can lean against the sun and moon and tuck the universe under his arm because he melds things into a whole, Sets aside obfuscation, And is indifferent to baseness and honor. The mass of men are all hustle-bustle The sage is slow and simple. He combines myriad years Into a single purity. Thus does he treat the myriad things, And thereby gathers them together. "How do I know that love of life is not a delusion? How do I know that fear of death is not like being a homeless waif who does not know the way home? When the state of Chin first got Pretty Li, the daughter of the border warden of Ai, she wept till her robe was soaked with tears . But after she arrived at the king's residence, shared his fine bed, and could eat the tender meats of his table, she regretted that she had ever wept . How do I know that the dead may not regret their former lust for life? "Someone who dreams of drinking wine at a cheerful ban- quet may wake up crying the next morning. Someone who dreams of crying may go off the next morning to enjoy the sport of the hunt. When we are in the midst of a dream, we do not know it's a dream. Sometimes we may even try to interpret our dreams while we are dreaming, but then we awake and realize it was a dream. Only after one is greatly awakened does one realize that it was all a great dream, while the fool thinks that he is awake and presumptuously aware. "My excellent lord!" "Oh, thou humble shepherd!" How perverse they are! Both Confucius and you are dreaming, and I too am dreaming when I say that you are dreaming . This sort of lan- guage may be called enigmatic, but after myriad generations there may appear a great sage who will know how to explain it and he will appear as though overnight . "Suppose that you and I have a dispute . If you beat me and I lose to you, does that mean you're really right and I'm really wrong? If I beat you and you lose to me, does that mean I'm really right and you're really wrong? Is one of us right and the other wrong? Or are both of us right and both of us wrong? Neither you nor I can know, and others are even more in the dark. Whom shall we have decide the matter? Shall we have someone who agrees with you decide it? Since he agrees with you, how can he decide fairly? Shall we have someone who agrees with me decide it? Since he agrees with me, how can he decide fairly? Shall we have someone who differs with both of us decide it? Since he differs with both of us, how can he make a decision? Shall we have someone who agrees with both of us decide it? Since he agrees with both of us, how can he make a decision? Given that neither you nor I, nor another person, can know how to decide, shall we wait for still another? "Whether the alternating voices of disputation are relative to each other or not, they may be harmonized within the framework of nature and allowed to follow their own effusive elaboration so they may live out their years. What does 'harmo- nized within the framework of nature' mean? I would say, `Right may be not right, so may be not so. If right were really right, then right would be distinct from not right, and there would be no dispute. If so were really so, then so would be distinct from not so and there would be no dispute. Forget how many years there are in a lifespan, forget righteousness . If you ramble in the realm of infinity, you will reside in the realm of infinity ." Penumbra inquired of Shadow, saying, " One moment you move and the next moment you stand still; one moment you're seated and the next moment you get up. Why are you so lacking in constancy? " Shadow said, "Must I depend on something else to be what I am? If so, must what I depend upon in turn depend upon something else to be what it is? Must I depend upon the scales of a snake's belly or the forewings of a cicada? How can I tell why I am what I am? How can I tell why I 'm not what I'm not?" Once upon a time Chuang Chou dreamed that he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting about happily enjoying himself. He didn't know that he was Chou. Suddenly he awoke and was palpably Chou. He did not know whether he was Chou who had dreamed of being a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming that he was Chou. Now, there must be a difference between Chou and the butterfly. This is called the transformation of things.

So how do i know i dont turn to much jing into qi ? and how do i know i turned enough jing into qi so i dont get a wet dream ? also does simple meditation ("sitting stupid") not some active one also turn jing to qi ? (thanks for all replies btw)

Cool dream. Just a couple of days ago I was reading an article about a scientific discovery that showed once again (to those with eyes to see) how right the classical taoist take is on the human subtle physiology. What researchers at Columbia U discovered is that it is not the adrenals but the bones that initiate the hormonal signaling underlying our response to danger, by releasing the hormone osteocalcin which initiates a whole cascade of functions. This "in the bone" response precedes, optimizes, backs up and can even replace the adrenal response. Quoting from the article: "...these findings suggest we need a radical re-think of the role of bones, which have previously been viewed as mostly inert structures (...). They may have evolved to protect us from acute danger by activating the flight-or-fight response, optimizing muscle function, providing the structural framework needed for our bodies to move and escape, and forming a protective cage around our organs."

Yup - you’re right. I think it’s really ‘up to twice a week’... the reality is that many young men are actually masturbating daily so 2 a week is already a stretch for them. Once the Jing starts to stabilise one tends to lose this desire to masturbate - and that’s a natural progression. However holding your sexual impulse in while it wants out is not good. Yeah - you’re right. I think the OP’s situation is different. I also remember my situation being different when younger. I’ve never had a wet dream. And I remember going through some time trying to retain - which worked, but caused issues. Yeah - paired cultivation. Definitely a householder approach. Interestingly it starts with physical ‘sex’ where the male does not orgasm (not just doesn’t ejaculate. Orgasm itself damages ‘yang’ in the body, the organs and depletes Jing)... the female needs to have lots of orgasms (having no orgasm damages the yin) but should not be penetrated... and yes eventually it leads to non physical intercourse. Unfortunately it’s out of reach for most of us in the first couple of decades of cultivation. That’s one thing that I really like about Daoism - that it’s possible to use it in a non-renunciate capacity. However, many of the deeper alchemical approaches (especially from the Quanzhen line) require periods of time dedicated to renunciation style cultivation. By renunciation I don’t mean monastic, but just away from society. I personally think that monastic life is very much against the spirit of Daoism.

I agree with this 100%, and I want to add this. What do you see when your 4th eye opens? How about 108th? What if you combine your two eyes into one and see like a cyclops? What can you see if you look with your fingers? Folks, there is no 3rd eye. The whole point of us being spiritual rather than physical beings, is that even 2 eyes are not quite true/real upon ultimate analysis. Even even 1 eye is not anywhere to be found, if even 1 iota of substance is not to be found anywhere upon examination, then what talk can there be of 3rd eye? 3rd eye, at best, can be a useful and playful metaphor. It can symbolize a new way of seeing things. And any attempt to try to discern in an absolute fashion what's deluded and what's real within the visionary realm is pure delusion from the start. We can, for ourselves, feel what is more and less authentic, but those are not absolute perspectives (nor is there any absolute perspective anywhere). Can you have visceral, and for all intents and purposes real paranormal experience? Yes! It's possible. You can enter into a magical realm where nothing you've ever known applies. It's possible. But there is no path to it, such as "step 1, raise energy to point X, then move it to point Y, step 2, open 3rd eye, etc." It's nothing like that. This is just worldly deluded thinking. We, in this realm, like to imagine that reality and action are arranged in layers and proceed in steps. Nothing is further from the truth. There are no steps and no substantial layers anywhere. There is no ultimate structure or substance behind phenomena. All phenomena are empty. But don't take my word for it. Try to find some substance, even a hair-tip's worth of substance anywhere. Be honest. What do you find? Do you find something other than experience? Is that experience distinguishable from a dream or a hallucination? If you think you can distinguish your waking experience from a hallucination, you've obviously never examine this issue, never tested it, never contemplated it. The goal of spiritual practice is to become disentangled from the specific of your apparent manifestations. In other words, what happens to us is that we get lost in the dream. We get so taken up with the details and specifics of the dream that we forget it's a dream. We begin to think only this realm exists. Only this version of events is real. Only this understanding is the truth. Only this experience is backed up by substance (and all else is either a dream or a hallucination), and so forth. We get caught up and dominated by the contents of our own minds. Instead of beings the masters of our minds we become slaves to our minds. Do you own your mind? Think about it. If you think your mind is yours, shouldn't you be able to even slightly control it? Yes? Then try to forget your name, or imagine you are a different species. Can you? For most people the honest answer is no, because they cannot control their mind! The mind out out of control. It's not that our mind is "monkey mind". That's stupid! Don't repeat this useless Zen fallacy. No. Your mind actually can be very quiet and very placid but still be out of control! For example, can you order your placid mind to become agitated? Can you become passionate at will? Thing is, if you are a "naturally" peaceful person, you probably cannot. Any kind of mind can be out of control. Having mind with little content in it is not a sign of master. Let me give you this metaphor. Imagine a man at the piano. He's randomly hitting the keys at a fast clip and produces a terrible melody. We would call this out of control playing. You tell this man, can you slow down? And he cannot. He just keeps jabbing the piano keys and can't help it but to jab randomly. This person is out of control. Many people wrongly believe that to achieve silence is the goal. So they practice non-playing. They eventually succeed in not hitting any keys at all, let's say. They get so happy... Then you ask them, wait... silence is OK for 10 minutes, now play me some Bach, how about it? The guy goes.... FUCK... shit... I can't play shit! I just know how to not play. So can this person be said to be self-possessed? No. Their mind is still not their own. The piano and the music is not theirs to play. They are a slave to a rigid form. Adhering doggedly to silence is rigid form -- it has no capacity for expressiveness. So what is good to see? What's good to see is a man who can play randomly and easily switch to playing Bach and easily switch to playing Mozart and easily switch to silence -- this is what I call "having range". You need to have range to have mastery. If you just produce one form forever, that's not range at all, that's called being stupid and stubborn. The goal is to become a creative divine spiritual player who can play any melody and silence plays only a minor role in that. We don't enjoy the ugly sounds we make so we foolishly think silence is the answer. The answer lies in the endless beautiful array of music and not in silence. Silence has its place too. So it is range that is prized. Experiential range. Being able to do "only this" or "only that" or "only in this way can this be done" -- all these are restrictions on range. These are not liberations if these are your absolute onlys. Any experience can be liberative the second it stops being only. All phenomena are wide open space, wide open possibilities. If you don't see endless possibilities you are wasting your time. So if you think like this, "only after I open 3rd eye will such and such happen" -- that's not seeing endless possibilities. That's putting a false limit on mind's power to manifest. Scientists are by and large materialists/essentialists/physicalists and thus they believe in limitations. But spiritual people should not try to mimic science in this manner. Essentialism is utterly antithetic to spiritual evolution as it leaves no room for life and for creativity -- it makes all phenomena seem hard, set in stone, predetermine, possible in only one way under only one condition, etc... It takes the endless array of possibilities and converts it into 1 real possibility and an endless number of useless hallucinations and it robs you of your creative power. So don't try to carry over the limits of the old thinking, the things that used to bind you, into your new life. The problem is not that we didn't figure out our spiritual structure, like which energy channels goes where and so on. The problem is that we believe in some absolute structure at all. Structures are visions and nothing more. Anyone who tells you, "I know how to open your 3rd eye" is robbing you blind, because they are implying that you need to open it and that there is only one way to do it, and many other limitations on manifestation are implied by that statement. Your inherent creative power is destroyed by this if you believe such people.

Its kinda silly for me to keep posting here but.. When you write elders of the school, don't you mean Spirit Elders (literally), who came to him in a dream and told him to stop or else. Which I can dig.. some lineages reputedly have such things happen. If you are referring to Jim McMillan, isn't that hard to measure? Didn't he write that after a year and half John Chang told him he was doing the breathing the wrong/opposite way? How long did he spend studying directly under JC? Was it years or more of catch as catch can during long vacation stretches? I'm sure he was good dedicated student with talent, but Eastern teachers have been known to flatter naive Westerners cause they got money and connections that might be needed later. Westerners can have a hard time separating myth, legend and leg pulling, which happens in the other direction too.

Let's repeat yesterday's experience. I'm innocently reading at a picnic table on a hill in a park. I see a young couple walking towards me from the bottom of the hill. They have a blanket but I think maybe they want to use the picnic table (the only one in the park) so I grab my stuff, walk with my back to them, and sit down at about 20 meters away. When I look up from my book, now reading on the ground, the female has chosen to sit on the ground directly in line with my eyesight. The electromagnetic energy from my pineal gland begins shooting into her but since I'm not in full-lotus it's not that intense. I keep reading but the mutual attraction keeps building and now she has her legs up with her backside directly centered in line with my eyes. So after a while of reading I go into full-lotus and the energy level I shoot into her intensifies, as I keep reading. There's the O at a D -- the psychic mutual climax. Along with that there's the transduction of serotonin and anaerobic bacteria (shit) into my brain from my lower body. As the energy is building to the second O at a D I'm thinking that not only is she being ballsy positioning herself so blatantly at me right in front of her boyfriend, but now they can smell my shit. I keep reading but when I look up next she has repositioned herself so she's spread eagle on her stomach with, again, her nether-region directly in line with my third eye energy. I haven't moved but since the energy has intensified after the O at a D the next psychic mutual climax is stronger. So I think well if that's what she wants and I focus the energy into her for maybe 30 seconds and then the second climax happens. Soon after this she moves so that she is no longer in view with me and her boyfriend definitely seems to have noticed the energy. Meanwhile I smell like shit but I've released a lot of stress, my brain is more magnetized and the book I'm reading is excellent -- on I.G. Farben -- the 4th largest corporation in the world, as a crucial part of the Nazis. It's a smooth, fast read, unlike the Henry Morgan biography I just finished. Very excellent read but the writing style was SLOW. The book took almost a week to finish. So now I move farther back so that they don't have to deal with my shit smell. It depends on the wind of course but the smell carries pretty far and I don't have any garlic on me. The O at a D electromagnetic energy though is NOT constricted by the wind -- I tested this very directly earlier this summer. Once again the female is in view but this time I'm twice as far away and I'm reading with the book in front of my face so I'm not staring. The O at a D energy goes through books, walls, ceilings but it's best focused directly. So that if a female is on the floor above or in the room next door the O at a D happens more easily if the female is directly in line or close to it -- the energy is omnidirectional. So if a female sits behind me when I'm in a booth and she's in a booth and we're back to back then the O at a D happens from the pineal gland out the back of my head. Anyway I'm reading away as the third O at a D is building up quickly. The third O at a D is the "real" one -- the first two are build-ups. I'm talking from the female internal climax vagus nerve perspective. The third O at a D is like the male's first climax. I'm not thinking about this though -- I'm enjoying my book but the energy is intensifying as I'm in full-lotus. My skull is cracking as the blockages clear out. BTW my coworker asked me how I can read so much -- and that's how -- the O at a D's clear out any stress from the information clogging my brain. Being "possessed" by information means that there's an emotional imbalance -- that you are processing and transforming the information you've taken in. My coworker asked: "All this reading, doesn't it change you?" Yes, of course. I glance over my book and I notice that the male has now lined up so that his nether region is right behind the females and now I'm shooting energy into him just as much as the female. I have a quick thought -- oh now he's going to get charged up and he'll want to have sex. How do I know this? Because that's the typical modern male reaction after I charge them up -- ejaculation. And since the female has been forward with me, all the more with him. But I quickly dismiss the thought -- we're in a park in public. It would be absurd. I continue reading and get lost in my book. I couple minutes later I glance up and to my shock the male is now on top of the female thrusting up and down! I quickly and immediately look back into my book. They're having sex right in front of me, knowing full well that I'm in direct line of view with them. There's another guy sitting on a bench to my right about 15 feet from me but he's facing the other direction and doesn't see what's happening. So the three of us all have a mutual climax. Strange but true. Then next when I look up after a couple minutes they're now playing frisbee! haha. Frolicking in post-coital bliss. The female has her backside to me so once again the energy is shooting into her. I'm thinking that guy only lasted one time but I'm ready to keep going. Right as the 4th O at a D happens they decide to leave and the female stands now facing me, now looking at me and me at her while she waits for her boyfriend. The 4th O at a D is what I've called the "come down" O at a D because it's again not a full climax, like a typical male climax, but it also doesn't have to be a build up to the 2nd full climax spike. Which would be 6 mutual climaxes for you math geeks out there -- but who's counting? My last ex-girlfriend told me she once had 50 climaxes in a row. Then I learned this is also a fad on Howard Stern. It's not the same as shooting electromagnetic energy into a person but it's related since it's based on the female internal climax. Anyway I'm pondering what I just saw -- public sex. I didn't want to see the guy but the female had her skirt up. It was provocative to say the least. Obviously the couple didn't have a problem with me being in their space. In fact quite the opposite -- the female knew exactly what I was contributing to the scenario and she worked it. She looked at me and I at her and we knew. That's just how it is. Meanwhile I had some wetness -- after the third O at a D there is some loss of the clear fluid. I kept reading but then soon after cleaned out my mouth with soap and went to buy garlic and then some shoes. When I got to work, as usual, even though I wasn't in full-lotus my brain now magnetized from the O at a Ds, the electromagnetic energy was sucked out of my pineal gland into my coworkers. I kept eating garlic as the pineal gland also pulled up the electrochemical energy in my lower body -- the serotonin bliss and the shit smell -- via the vagus nerve on the right side of the neck. Finally I went down stairs where I'm directly below my coworkers. I went into full-lotus and then had another couple O at a Ds with the females above me. Then I took another crap. I ate more garlic. My body was clearing out. I had cleared out my body that morning -- with first some coffee and then half a bunch of kale and a bunch of beet greens. Pulverized in a Vitamix blender. The cellulose fiber clears you out quickly. But then after biking a few miles towards work I had dumpster-dived food and ended up with donuts and egg sandwiches with some ham. Energy but dirty energy to be sure. I had only half a bulb of garlic for that food and so brought three bulbs of garlic to work. The magnetic bliss in my brain was overwhelmingly strong last night. I kept going to the bathroom, clearing out the waste, eating more garlic, drinking water, and the electromagnetic energy kept being pulled into my coworkers. But the electromagnetic intensity was way stronger than usual. Something was different so I finally realized that it must be the full moon. A coworker said bye to me. He was clocking out. I asked him if he knew when the full moon was. He thought I was crazy but he didn't say so - just responded no. I asked him how was Honduras. He said to read: http://counterpunch.com where he has a new article on Honduras. Joe. He's a "real" activist -- one of the only ones at work. Meaning he is educated enough to apply his critical thinking for problem solving in politics. That's real activism. So he was helping out http://democracynow.org with spanish translations and he's been volunteering in Honduras. We talked about paranoia. He said he's being getting weird emails that he thinks are from the CIA. He said his activist friend in Honduras was interrogated by the FBI in the airport! I asked him if he gets paid for his writing. He said no. I said I have lots of articles online but I've never been paid. I said I was paid when I worked for the U of MN Daily but I outed a Nazi and then was threatened and censored. He said he remembers me telling him that (I'm pretty sure Joe is Jewish but I only remembered that after I mentioned the Nazi deal). I said it's good to be paranoid. I said that the Argentinians trained the Hondurans and the Nazis trained the Argentinians. He said the Hondurans were trained at the School of the Americas (the military massacre school in the U.S. for Latino juntas). I said yeah CIA, Nazis -- they're the same. He agreed. I said the FBI messed with me as well and that they use sex blackmail. I'm eating garlic while we're talking but still the shit smell escapes a bit and anyway Joe is leaving; so he does. My other coworker had asked me if I knew about "African Fractals" and how it's a circle within a circle within a circle or a square within a square within a square. He's African-American. So I point out that fractals are Western science. I ask him do they use the irrational number? He says yeah - it's a white guy teaching this. Then when I resubmit my "Against Archytas" paper -- Walter said he'd get back to me. haha. Anyway it ends with me stating how I revealed the secret of why 2/3 was sacred in Egypt. So that was a strange synchronicity and I point that out to my coworker. His reaction: Shit! I pop some garlic in my mouth. haha. He's playing African-American qigong master Jim Nance's music -- his "world blues" c.d. that I bought from him. I used to play "world blues" with this street musician flutist who got disability money (free food and rent) because he had lead poisoning growing up in New Bedford Massachusetts. He's African -- we'll Cape Verdean -- Portugese actually. And then he moved back to Boston a long time ago but our music got reviewed in Germany! Free jazz improv. Then I tell my African-American coworker that it was just discovered that white people are only 5,300 years old! That being white is a genetic mutation from farming and before that Northern Europeans were dark-skinned. I say there was a recent Nat. Geo. show with a black dude and he was told his DNA said he's from Europe. The black dude was shocked -- so was my coworker! I said "remember when you said white people came from the Ice Ages?" I said actually being white is only 5,300 years old and before that we ate fish -- it's because farming causes a Vitamin D deficiency. A real shocker for an Afrocentric activist. His response: So you're my brother more than ever! haha. Anyway I finally check the calendar -- amazingly I'm right. 3 nights before the full moon. The energy in my brain keeps getting more and more magnetized that I can barely have any left-brain focus. I talk about how language and writing actually go against shamanism. My friend says but isn't writing magic? I say well it is but in the opposite sense -- to be used for mass ritual sacrifice along with technology. I tell him that indeed it is 3 nights before the full moon and Chunyi Lin said the energy is 10 times stronger before the full moon. I say see -- "ask Joe" -- I asked him if it was the full moon because the energy was so strong in my brain. My coworker asks is that the "Goddess Cult"? -- I laugh yeah it's a cult -- and then say actually there's no turning back. Then I mention how when Jim Nance was driving across the U.S. he had this goddess vision and then when he went to Egypt the same goddess almost killed him in a temple. My coworker, the African-American, he's a manager. He's at the computer and he states: "Joe didn't check out!" I say -- "See I was talking to Joe right when he was clocking out at the computer. I distracted him." And so there it was proof, or at least circumstantial evidence, that I had asked Joe about the full moon before I knew -- because the electromagnetic pressure was so overwhelming. On the way home I end up dumpster-diving again -- at this point I've cleared out all the waste from my body and I've ate 3 BULBS of garlic. I'm hungry from biking 5 miles in the cool weather. Soon we'll get freezing weather overnight. I've biked all winter in subzero snow for the past 7 years or so. Anyway I hit the "jackpot" meaning that there's a certain type of disposal at a certain chain of stores where they throw out perfectly good sandwiches -- double-deck three meat sandwiches, etc. It's the mother-load. I just quickly put some crammed in my jeans as time is of the essence. The cops have chased me from this dumpster and there's a lot of crack dealers across the street. I've gone professional in the past month or so and it's time to ween myself. Security cameras have appeared in front of dumpsters that previously had been my daily cache. Besides smelling like shit all the time is not too conducive for civilization. Speaking of which as I biked home a month ago I heard "pop pop pop!" I thought it was fire crackers. Then I saw, half a block away, a young black male with a gun held up, aimed, and three other young black males running away. I was on my bike and got turned around, slowly and awkardly, meanwhile the man with the gun could easily see me as I could him. I wasn't able to check if he had seen me but I could have been shot as I biked away. As I'm half a block away suddenly I realized that I had a dream EXACTLY THE SAME as what had just happened. There's a marshy area right next to the sidewalk I had turned on and so the marsh separated me from the man with the gun. It was a memorable dream and after I had it -- a traumatic dream being shot at -- I asked myself why did I have that dream. The dream was a few years ago! I've had many precognitive dreams and one I wrote down in detail. It came true three years later. The question is that in deep meditation if we can tap into our own future so that when it happens the emotional intensity is not so traumatic -- if we can be prophets -- then who are we exactly? What is free will? Why is the Moon Energy so strong? Yet when strong enough it bends spacetime! It's automatic now. I turned it off a bit with meat sandwiches. Food shuts down the third eye but makes me smell like shit. The food then turns into electromagnetic energy and returns to the Moon. So the solar energy is electromagnetic while the lunar is electrochemical yet when the moon is full the electromagnetic solar energy feeds the moon "spirit" and spacetime is bent. The moon is the reflection of the female formless awareness. The Goddess Cult -- the Mendacity of the Moon. Nature is in control.

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

Tantric Ngondro: The Essential Practice to gain stability in the View and Experience of Sunyata Dzogchen View of Tantric Ngöndro A Teaching by His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche Transcribed by Ngak'chang Rinpoche from oral teachings given by His Holiness Jigdral Yeshé Dorje Dudjom Rinpoche, first Supreme Head of the Nyingma School in exile from Tibet; augmented by replies to questions asked by Ngak'chang Rinpoche in private audiences, relating to the short Dudjom gTérsar ngöndro, Bodhanath, Kathmandu, Nepal, 1979. Whatever the practice in which we engage, relative truth and absolute truth are co-existent. Method and wisdom are co-existent. Experiences and emptiness are co-existent. Because this is the nature of the reality we experience, the practice of tantric ngöndro exists as a method for realizing the beginningless enlightened state. The final phase of Tantric ngöndro, Lama'i Naljor, is the quintessence of this method. In the practice of Lama'i Naljor you reach this level of wisdom when the Lama dissolves and becomes one with you. At this point you remain in the absolute nature of things, which is the actual state of meditation as it is [as it is transmitted in the Dzogchen teachings]. At the beginning of the tantric ngöndro we invoke the presence of the Lama. Since the Lama is the one who exemplifies both the qualities of path and goal, we acknowledge the Lama as the beginning and end of all practice. After having begun by acknowledging the Lama, we consider the difficulty of gaining human form [in terms of having the conducive circumstances to practice]. This form is the basis of the spiritual path of liberation and is therefore precious and worthy of great respect. If you do not value the situation in which you have found yourself, then you will not make use of your precious circumstances and a great opportunity will be squandered. Then we consider impermanence and death. Everything that exists is subject to change and dissolution. Even though you die you don't find freedom simply by losing your physical form. You just go on circling in samsaric vision, taking countless other forms according to your patterned perception. The nature of samsara is the experience of suffering which arises through the attempt to maintain the illusion of duality. We contemplate upon that. Then we reflect upon our conditioning and the pattern of our karmic vision. We recognize the manner in which our perception and responses are all governed by dualistic conditioning that is so difficult to undermine. These are called the Lo-tog nam-zhi -- the Four Thoughts which turn the mind to practice. Their purpose is to encourage the attention away from compulsive patterning and re-patterning. It is important to dwell on these Lo-tog nam-zhi at the beginning of the practice in order to generate the appropriate motivation for practice. Practicing in this way is like smoothing out a ploughed field to make it even and ready for sowing. Then we need to sow the seed itself. To sow the seed is to receive Refuge; to generate bodhicitta; to offer kyil-khor [for the accumulation of causes conducive to the fulfillment of method and wisdom] and purification through Dorje Sempa recitation. These practices are like seeds sown in the ground [made ready by the contemplation of the Lo-tog nam-zhi]. From the perspective of the relative condition [in which we find ourselves] it is not possible to realize the absolute nature of reality without relating with what is relative. Without using the relative situation as a basis you cannot realize the true nature of the Mind. In the same way, without this relative practice, you cannot directly apprehend the nature of emptiness. The relative and absolute co-exist -- they go hand in hand; it is really very important indeed to realize this. Let us now look at Refuge. At the external level there are what are called the Kön-chog Sum : sang-gyé, chö and gendün [buddha, dharma and sangha]. Sang-gyé is the source of chö. Those whose minds are turned towards chö are gendün. Because we exist in duality we experience delusory dissatisfaction. Because of this, we take Refuge in order to be freed from the experience of self-generated dissatisfaction. Due to misapprehending our true nature [because of the delusory appearances that arise when the various elements coalesce in accordance with patterns of dualistic confusion] this human body becomes the container of endless dualistic projections. It becomes a source of attachment, in terms of supplying delusory definitions of existence. This attachment remains very strong until you see the true nature of existence. Until you are completely freed from the delusion that your body validates your existence, dissatisfaction will continually color your experience. Because of this, Kön-chog Sum exist as a focus of Refuge. So, externally speaking, one should take Refuge in sang-gyé, chö and gendün with devotion. But internally, sang-gyé, chö and gendün are symbolic. They are a profound and skilful way to lead us out of this self-created illusory samsara. From the Dzogchen point of view, sang-gyé, chö and gendün are within us. On the absolute level, this mind of ours, which is empty of all referential co-ordinates, is in itself sang-gyé [rigpa -- radiant self-luminosity]. Externally, chö manifests as sound and meaning: you hear it and you practice it. But from an internal point of view, chö is empty. In essence, it is the unceasing, unobstructed, self-luminous display of rigpa -- primordial Mind. Externally, gendün comprises those whose minds turn towards the chö. But internally, gendün is the all-pervading, all-encompassing aspect of Mind. They are all fully accomplished within us. However, since we do not recognize this, we need to take Refuge in the external sang-gyé, chö and gendün. When you really practice tantric ngöndro properly you visualize Padmasambhava with fervent devotion; you perform prostrations in humility with your body; and you recite the Refuge formula with your speech. Then, when you sit silently at the end of your practice [and dissolve the visualization into yourself] you realize that all these three things -- subject, object and activity -- are none other than rigpa! The meditation is oneself; Padmasambhava is one's own creation. Just remain in the nature of rigpa. Other than rigpa, there is nothing to find! Shakyamuni Buddha said in the Do-de Kalpa Zangpo, 'I manifested in a dreamlike way to dreamlike beings and gave a dreamlike chö, but in reality I never taught and never actually came'. From the viewpoint of Shakyamuni Buddha never having come and the chö never having been given, all is mere perception, existing only in the apparent sphere of suchness. As regards the practice of Refuge, the relative aspect is the object of Refuge to which you offer devotion and prostrations and so on. The absolute aspect is without effort. When you dissolve the visualization and remain in the natural effortless state of mind, the concept of Refuge no longer exists. The generation of chang-chub-sem [bodhicitta] or enlightened thought means that if we just act for ourselves alone we are not following the path of chö and our enlightenment is blocked. It is of the utmost importance that we generate enlightened thought in order to free all beings from samsara. Beings are as limitless as the sky. They have all been our fathers and mothers. They have all suffered in this samsara that we all fabricate from the ground of being. So the thought of freeing them from this suffering really is very powerful. Without this, we have the deluded concept that we are separate from all sentient beings. The enlightened thought [in the words of the chang-chub-sem vow] is: 'From now until samsara is empty I shall work for the benefit of all beings who have been my fathers and mothers'. So from the relative point of view, there are sentient beings to be liberated, there is compassion to be generated, and there is the 'I', the generator of compassion. The way of generating and showing compassion is actually explained by Shakyamuni Buddha himself. Such is the relative chang-chub-sem. So in this relative practice of chang-chub-sem, you visualize all beings and generate the enlightened thought. You try to free them from all suffering until enlightenment is reached. You recite the generation of chang-chub-sem as many times as your practice requires. The instruction [according to the teachings on the development of chang-chub-sem] is that you must exchange your own happiness for the pain of others. As you breathe out you give all your happiness and joy [and even their causes] to all sentient beings. As you breathe in you take on all their pain and suffering so that they can be free of it. This practice is also very important. Without the development of chang-chub-sem and without freeing ourselves from our attachment [to the form display of emptiness] we cannot attain enlightenment. It is because of our inability to show compassion to others and because of being attached to the concept of ourselves that we are not free of dualism. All these things are the relative aspects of the practice of chang-chub-sem. As regards the absolute aspect of chang-chub-sem, Shakyamuni Buddha said to his disciple Rabjor, "All phenomena are like an illusion and a dream". The reason why the Buddha said this is that whatever manifests is subject to change and dissolution; nothing is inherently solid, permanent, separate, continuous, or defined. If you see the world as solid, you tie yourself up with a rope of entanglement and are constrained and pulled [like a dog] by compulsion as your lead. You get drawn into activities that can never be finished, which is why samsara is apparently endless. You might think that because samsara is like a dream, perhaps enlightenment is solid and permanent. But Shakyamuni Buddha said that nirvana itself is like a dream -- an illusion. There is nothing that can be named which is nirvana; nothing called nirvana which is tangible. Shakyamuni Buddha said this directly: "Form is emptiness". For instance, the moon is reflected in water, but there is no moon in the water; there never has been! There is no form there that can be grasped! It is empty! Then Shakyamuni Buddha went on to say: "Emptiness itself is form". Emptiness itself has appeared in the manner of form. You cannot find emptiness apart from form. You cannot separate the two. You cannot grasp them as separate entities. The moon is reflected in the water, but the water is not the moon. The moon is not the water, yet you cannot separate water and moon. Once you have understood this at the level of experience, there is no samsara. In the realm of realization there is no samsara or nirvana! When speaking of the teaching of Dzogchen, samsara and nirvana are just another dualistic concept. But when looking at this moon in the water, you may say: "But it is there, I can see it!" But when you reach for it and try to touch it -- it's not there! It is the same with the thoughts that arise in Mind. So if you ask: "How has this actually come about?" you need to consider that everything comes from interdependent origination. So what is this interdependent origination? It is simply that the moon and water do not exist separately. The clear water is the primary cause, and the moon is the secondary or contributory cause. When these two causes meet, then this interdependent origination manifests. It is the coincidental appearance of the primary cause and the contributory cause. To put it directly, the primary cause or basis of samsara is duality -- the artificial separation of emptiness and form. From this all manifestations become contributory causes within the framework of karmic vision. They meet together and bring about the manifestation of samsara [as long as we attach to the form display of emptiness as a definition of being]. Everything that we experience as samsara exists only within this interdependent pattern. You must be quite sure of this! When you go further [and examine the nature of interdependent origination] you find that it is none other than emptiness. Therefore, apart from emptiness, there is no chö. The ultimate view of Thegchen [Mahayana] is emptiness, but this viewpoint does not exist in the lower teachings. If you really look into your experience of existence with the eye of meditation, you begin to see everything as the play of emptiness. Phenomena [as referential co-ordinates] become exhausted and you finally arrive at their essential nature, which is emptiness. But, having said this, you might be led to say: 'In that case we should not need anything'. But whether you need anything or not is up to you. It simply depends on your mind! Just dryly talking of emptiness is not enough! You must actualize it and then see for yourself. If your mind is really empty of referential manipulation, then there is no hope, no fear, no negativity -- your mind is free of that! It is like waving your hand in the sky! Whatever arises is completely unobstructed. The purpose of meditation is to remain in this natural state. In that state all phenomena are directly realized in their essential emptiness. That is why we practice meditation. Meditation purifies everything into its empty nature. First we must realize that the absolute, natural state of things is empty. Then, whatever manifests is the play of the dharmakaya. Out of the empty nature of existence arise all the relative manifestations from which we fabricate samsara. You need to understand quite clearly how things are in reality and how they appear in terms of duality. It is very important to have this View, because without View your meditation becomes dull. Just simply sitting and saying: 'It's all empty' is like putting a little cup upside-down! That little empty space in the cup remains a very narrow, limited emptiness. You cannot even drink tea from it! It is essential to actually know the heart of the matter as it is. In the absolute sense there are no sentient beings who experience dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction is as empty as the clear sky, but because of attachment to the form display of emptiness, [interdependent origination] the relative sphere of things becomes an illusory trap in which there are sentient beings who experience dissatisfaction. This is the meaning of samsara. In expressing the essential quality of the Great Mother, emptiness, it is said: 'Though you think of expressing the nature of the Heart Sutra you cannot put it into words'. It is totally beyond utterance, beyond thought, beyond concept. It was never born. It has never died. If you ask what it is like, it is like the sky. You can never find the limit of the sky. You can never find the center of the sky. So this sky-like nature is symbolic of emptiness: it is spacious, limitless, and free, with infinite depth and infinite expanse. But having said this, you might say: 'So my own rigpa, the nature of my own mind, is like the sky, free from all limitations'. But this is not it either! It is not just empty. If you look into it there is something to see. 'See' is just a word we have to use in order to communicate. But you can see that. You can meditate on that. You can rest in that, and whatever arises in that spacious condition. If you see the true nature of emptiness and form as non-dual -- as it really is -- this is the mother of all the Buddhas. All this chatter has been an elaboration of the absolute chang-chub-sem. Next is the purification through Dorje Sempa. In the absolute sense there is nothing to purify, no one who could purify you, and no purification. But since beings are apparently unable to leave it at that, matters become a little bit more complicated. Obscurations and dualistic confusions arise as the consequence of clinging to the form display of emptiness. In the illusory perception of this grasping at the form display of emptiness, we subject ourselves to endless dissatisfaction. Because of this, purification becomes a relative skilful means. In order to purify our delusions, Dorje Sempa yab-yum arises from your own true state of rigpa and the flow of nectar from the secret kyil-khor of their union completely purifies your obscurations. You enter into the envisionment and recite the hundred-syllable mantra; and this is the means of purification. In the natural state of things [in the state of what is] everything is pure from the very beginning -- like the sky. This is the absolute purification of Dorje Sempa. Now we come to the offering of the khyil-khor [cosmogramme or mandala]. The khyil-khor is offered for the accumulation of auspicious causes. Why do we need to accumulate auspicious causes? It is because of grasping at the form display of emptiness that illusory samsara has come about; so we need to practice giving everything up. Because there is the illusion that there is a way of purifying illusion, we can utilize this as a relative skilful means. Because you can purify there is also a way of accumulating auspicious causes. When you offer 'my body, my possessions and my glories', this is the relative, symbolic offering of the khyil-khor. From the absolute point of view, these things are empty, like the clear empty sky. So if you remain in the state of primordial awareness, that is the absolute khyil-khor offering and the absolute accumulation of auspicious causes. Then there is the practice of Lama'i Naljor. Due to clinging to the form display of emptiness, the Lama appears as the one who inspires purity of mind. He or she is the object towards whom one feels purely. Because clinging obscures the mind [and because you feel purity of perception toward the Lama] both you and the Lama appear to exist in the sphere of dualism [as if the fundamental nature of your Minds, within the sphere of dharmakaya, were different]. Therefore, externally, you visualize the Lama with great devotion. Then you receive the empowerment of his or her non-dual condition. These are all the external, relative practices of Lama'i Naljor in which you have invoked the wisdom presence of the symbolic apparent Lama. Then you recite the vajra words: "The Lama dissolves into light and unites with my very being . . . See! The one taste of rigpa and emptiness [rig-tong] is the actual face of the Lama!" If you ask where the absolute Lama is, he or she is nowhere else but there -- in the absolute nature of the Mind! The absolute state of rigpa is where the Lama is fully accomplished as primordial wisdom and clear space. Simply continuing in the awareness of how it is, is the Dzogchen practice of Lama'i Naljor. This is how the outer tantric ngöndro relates to the inner ngöndro in terms of the teaching of ati-yoga.

Excerpts from Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso's Stars of Wisdom: Analytical Meditation, Songs of Yogic Joy, And Prayers of Aspiration. http://books.google.com/books?id=vJVDCUcwirgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Outside the three realms are shining in freedom Inside the wisdom, self-arisen, shines And in between is the confidence of realizing basic being I’ve got no fear of the true meaning—that’s all I’ve got! In this verse Milarepa sings about his realization of the true nature of reality. To realize the true nature of reality, the necessary outer condition is for the “three realms” to be “shining in freedom.” The three realms refer to the universe and all of the sentient beings within it. Sentient beings inhabit the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm, so these three realms include all the experiences that one could possibly have, and they are shining in freedom—they are self-liberated.* “Self-liberation” in one sense means that appearances of the three realms do not require an outside liberator to come and set them free, because freedom and purity are their very nature. This is because appearances of the three realms are not real. They are like appearances in dreams. They are the mere coming together of interdependent causes and conditions; they have no essence of their own, no inherent nature. This means that the appearances of the three realms are appearance-emptiness inseparable, and therefore, the three realms are free right where they are. Freedom is their basic reality. However, whether our experience of life in the three realms is one of freedom or bondage depends upon whether we realize their self-liberated true nature or not. It is like dreaming of being imprisoned: If you do not know you are dreaming, you will believe that your captivity is truly existent, and you will long to be liberated from it. But if you know you are dreaming, you will recognize that your captivity is a mere appearance, and that there is really no captivity at all—the captivity is self-liberated. Realizing that feels very good. The term “self-liberation” is also used in the Mahamudra and Dzogchen teachings, which describe appearances as “self-arisen and self-liberated.” This means that phenomena have no truly existent causes. For example, with a car that appears in a dream, you cannot say in which factory that car was made. Or with the person who appears in the mirror when you stand in front of it, you cannot say where that person was born. Since the dream car and the person in the mirror have no real causes for arising, all we can say about them is that they are self-arisen, and therefore they are also self-liberated. When we apply this to an experience of suffering, we find that since our suffering has no real causes, it does not truly arise, like suffering in a dream. So it is self-arisen, and therefore it is self-liberated. Since the suffering is not really there in the first place, it is pure and free all by itself. And apart from knowing self-liberation is suffering’s essential nature and resting within that, we do not need to do anything to alleviate it. Thus, Milarepa sings that what one needs on the inside is to realize self-arisen original wisdom. This wisdom is the basic nature of mind, the basic nature of reality, and all outer appearances are this wisdom’s own energy and play. Original wisdom is self-arisen in the sense that it is not something created; it does not come from causes and conditions; it does not arise anew, because it has been present since beginningless time as the basic nature of what we are. We just have to realize it. The realization of original wisdom, however, transcends there being anything to realize and anyone who realizes something, because original wisdom transcends duality. How can we gain certainty about and cultivate our experience of this wisdom? Since wisdom is the true nature of mind, begin by looking at your mind. When you look at your mind, you do not see anything. You do not see any shape or color, or anything that you could identify as a “thing.” When you try to locate where your mind is, you cannot find it inside your body, outside your body, nor anywhere in between. So mind is unidentifiable and unfindable. If you then rest in this unfindability, you experience mind’s natural luminous clarity. That is the beginning of the experience of original wisdom. For Milarepa, original wisdom is shining. It is manifesting brightly through his realization of the nature of the three realms and of his own mind. In the third line, Milarepa sings of his confidence of realizing the true nature of reality, the true meaning. There are the expressions and words that we use to describe things, and the meaning that these words refer to—here Milarepa is singing about the latter. He is certain about the basic nature of reality, and as he sings in the fourth line, he has no fear of it, no doubts about what it is. He is also not afraid of the truth and reality of emptiness. When he sings: “that’s all I’ve got,” he is saying: “I am not somebody great. I do not have a high realization. All I have got is this much.” This is Milarepa’s way of being humble. One can easily be frightened by teachings on emptiness. It is easy to think: “Everything is empty, so I am all alone in an infinite vacuum of empty space.” If you have that thought, it is a sign that you need to meditate more on the selflessness of the individual. If you think of yourself as something while everything else is nothing, it is easy to get a feeling of being alone in empty space. However, if you remember that all phenomena, including you yourself, are equally of the nature of emptiness, beyond the concepts of “something” and “nothing,” then you will not be lonely; you will be open, spacious, and relaxed. In the context of this verse, it is helpful to consider a stanza from the Song of Mahamudra by Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye: From mind itself, so difficult to describe, Samsara and nirvana’s magical variety shines. Knowing it is self-liberated is view supreme. “Mind itself,” the true nature of mind, original wisdom, is difficult to describe—it is inexpressible. And from this inexpressible true nature of mind come all the appearances of samsara and nirvana. Appearances do not exist separately from the mind. What appears has no nature of its own. Appearances are merely mind’s own energy; mind’s own radiance; mind’s own light. And so appearances are a magical display. To describe the appearances of samsara and nirvana as a magical variety means that they are not real—they are magic, like a magician’s illusions. Appearances are the magical display of the energy of the inexpressible true nature of mind. When we know this, we know that appearances are self-arisen and self-liberated, and that is the supreme view we can have. * Most sentient beings, including animals and humans, inhabit the desire realm, so named because desire for physical and mental pleasure and happiness is the overriding mental experience of beings in this realm. The form realm and the formless realm are populated by gods in various meditative states who are very attached to meditative experiences of clarity and the total absence of thoughts, respectively.

Yes and no. We have to develop our intuition. I found that in my case, the right path presented itself when I was ready and listening. The right guidance came in form of dream teachers, as well as physical ones However that maybe due to karmic influence from previous lives good work. That makes sense and rings a bell too. In temple style, we are told that the training goes in 7 year cycles. 7 years of working with the physical body, jing and qi; 7 years with focus on shen; 7 years of working with focus on meditation emptiness, and then repeat and refine again and again (I'll have to double check). The training and practice should never stop.

On one hand there is the belief that we would live life better if we interpreted the happenings of our life as though they were in a dream. In this way, if you'd dreampt it, where there is no science, just the subconscious at play. What would it, that dream of a broken broken jar mean to you? What symbolisms might you attach to the elements involved? Hot water, emptiness, container, glass, your actions? On the third hand, while the above is valid and useful and I'll use 'life as dream' at times to understand my reactions. Generally I prescribe to a tic toc world where we don't create our reality only our interpretations. Reality is a name given cards we're dealt, and simple physics mean boiling water cracks glass.

Hi Karl. Ok, you seem to speak about reality as if it is something that you think is clearly identifiable. If so, what is it to you? My personal view is that 'reality' is maybe not so clear cut as we might think. 'Dream' or 'vision' are just labels to certain types of experience. In my view this in no way determines whether something is or isn't part of 'reality'. We can arbitrarily define that dreams and visions are not real, but that doesn't mean that our definition is necessarily wholly accurate. If a person has a dream that has strong influence on them, then it seems it may hold some degree of 'reality', even if it may be hard to pin down. Those are just some ideas on the matter. I don't hold to any strict view on the matter. Just throwing about some views for consideration.

@Apech I just put some in my borscht. Wouldn't dream of doing that if it wasn't from my teacher's garden, where everything has tons of qi. I figured, kale is is related to cabbage (a regular borscht ingredient) and is known in the old country as "leaf cabbage" -- though people don't eat it (or at least used to not eat it, it may have changed due to wider exposure to the sins of the world) -- it's grown as feed for ruminating animals. I removed all the stems so hopefully there's not too much left to ruminate on. Keeping my fingers crossed. Hope I don't wind up pouring the whole pot down the toilet.

I just had the exact same experience today. So funny. I'm dreaming, and in my dream, I'm lying on bed, suddenly feeling very good. Pleasure flowing through my entire body. It became more than my body, so I became this pleasure more than the body. I levitated slightly phased out of my body. As a new free good feeling energy body of extacy. Felt so good and so free! I just wanted to be and DO ANYTHING! I like everything, because I felt so good! I didn't care about what, just want to do and be and do. Like run real hard. Or fly or whatever. Felt really good. I really love those full body orgasmic experiences in dreams. In reality, it often happens when I meditate. On feeling good. And I really honestly go and run or ride bicycle hard. it's so enjoyable to be fully alive, and feel and smell everything. And feel your energy flow so fully and freely through you and be so lucid and awake and conscious. It feels so good. To feel free. I remember and know a guy who always said he liked snakes and their skin is beautiful and stuff. And he told me a story where he went into the rain and just stood there and felt so free and good that he started to scream ENDLESSLY! LIKE SCREEAAAM ahahaha. He got arrested, it was hilarious. He kept screaming in extacy, endlessly. For absolutely no reason whatsoever. Wooooh!

Perhaps you have heard of the Tibetan teachings on the Bardo. Essentially a similar (though not as bad) process happens as we fall asleep - essentially the gross energy dissolves into ever more subtle levels and then re-emerges in the dream state. What Silent Thunder is referring to, is a specific training which can maintain awareness of this process (and thus use it for meditative benefit). A dream is a perfect example of how the mind creates duality. The non-dual is divided into the subject and its objects. We can have all kinds of experiences but the entire process is only within our mind. If we realise this within the dream (lucid) it's a game-changer. So, there is a whole lot happening within this Holistic swamp. How useful it is to us depends on what we are able to get out of it.

I was at my grandparents the other night. Both are dieing, but gma was going first.I put my hand on her head and said goodbye. I immediately fell ill and suffered death pain all night till she died at 3 am. The pain filled my whole body and started in my spine, just as hers. My body was completely drained and my health deteriorated till yesterday after noon when i checked into the emergency and was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. They operated half hour later...what a trip. When i came too i was in a recovery room staring at a poster of palms trees on a wall in front of me. Years ago after first introduction to the Berkeley psychic institute I had a vision exactly same as my moment in the operating room including the nurses standing round . It was one of those visions where you go from driving in a car to a totally different place and back again in no time though 5 minutes feels to pass. I shared that vision with someone (back then) who would remember. I asked her to recall just a while ago and she confirmed what i had said over 20 years ago. I said that it meant something bad would befall me and would be a trauma that brings me back full circle to who i was back then very bright-aware (awake) and about to go to sleep. I knew it was coming and that memories had to be formed. A week ago was driving past that hospital and got into resistance to the place (never liked doctors) and fell into a day dream about having my appendix out. The memory was sparked by the thought of my brother having his appendix out at the same hospital that same day of the vision. I hadn't gone to see him back then. Sleep no longer seems possible. and suffering never was essential..I just picked up some family program, though those program are what allow connection to the larger accidental dream of humanity i no longer prefer the dream..... Alternately: years ago I was lifting and herniated my belly button. It was unsightly after that. I had never considered fixing it till two weeks back while writing at this same coffeee shop (hmm) and had another dreaming about getting it fixed. I have no health coverage so cosmetic surgery seemed out but still in the dream i put forth subtle intent and saw the manifestation just the same. The first thing the surgeon said when he came to advise me was " I am aware of your hernia and will fix it for you.. two birds navel gazing caught up by one stone. they said I had a stone stuck in my appendix Ha ha He he ..intent within unconsciousness. Ho ho How many minutes of these day will i intend and how many are a dream gifted with an uncertain ending?

I tend to agree on no need for non-private variants. That was simply a place to discuss gender stuff that wasn't so private and personal and so anyone could chime in. Having 2 of them now seems redundant..oops... dare I say we had 3. This was a compartmentalized overkill moment. If I understand, all four are private/request access. But anyone can get access to all 4 ? Two things really drove the original idea (if my memory is still there) 1. Semen retention threads are more often done than most would dream... and they get quickly lost in General (or Daoist) due to daily threads. So it was more a convenient storage area. 2. Women's issues seem to want more privacy than men wanted. In fact, I didn't feel men wanted a private area at all but did it just for parallel treatment. If the Steward+ group still exists, that has ACP access to only member area... so giving private access to someone is as simple as adding a secondary group. If the groups Fuxi and Nuwa are still there, that is how each private access area was setup; Each group has access to only that forum area.

Funny you should mention cyborgs. I've been using the cyborg metaphor for my experience a fair amount recently. Naturally, I've been using it differently from how you just used it. To me, the cyborg parts of myself were the ones that were true, and the human parts were in reaction to being in contact the cyborg parts. Imagine a metal breast with a ragged edge of flesh bordering it, inflamed and twitching occasionally. This metaphor seemed natural, since truth doesn't have any problem with untruth... only untruth has a problem. A macabre metaphor when it is separated from the felt sense of hyper-aliveness of truth--- moving so quickly that it might just seem still. Well anyway, thats was mostly just a place holder for deeper experience... a way of avoiding a deeper what is. As far as everything being a dream or not, you are absolutely right. Everything is not a dream. Everything is most definitely something. If it were not something, who would be having this conversation? We could get into the semantics of, "sure its something, but why can't we call that something a dream? Perhaps it is useful at a certain point to call that something a dream? After all, isn't a dream something?" That aside, lets just say that everything is not a dream. However, as you have often said, most people do not experience everything with nearly the immediacy and richness that they could. The reason for this may just be all the things that we assume to be true about ourselves and the world that are not actually true. Since they aren't actually true, and we insist on assuming them, the natural result is that we don't see and feel things quite as they are. This distorted perception feels like disconnection. The question, for someone who wants to feel more connected, becomes, "How do I realize that the untrue things that I assume to be true, are not actually true?" Thats a good one. We've a got a lot of answers to that one. Cultivate until your energy gets so strong that it burns all falsehood away, and you merge with the universe, yet remain distinct. Give up everything and let the world take you. Say God's name ten million times. Do good works. Love your neighbor. Recapitulate evolution, integrating all species that ever were into your personal being, becoming the pinnacle of life. I can't speak for anyone else, but none of those seem to work, as long as I haven't examined the basic assumptions that are creating my experience of separation in this very moment. They might work for a bit, to create an experience, but they always seem to fade as long as we aren't prepared to go all the way into our more basic assumptions about existence. This is where descriptions of the world as an illusion come in handy. If a person hears this at the right time, in the right state of mind, then they might just begin to examine everything that they once held sacred. I can't speak for Mr. Twain in this regard, but as far as I can tell, references to the illusory nature of existence are only useful when they are used to inspire such unrestricted questioning of the nature of existence. "What in the hell really exists!? I hear this, "everything is illusion," and it strikes chord with me. In fact, I've always known, somewhere, that nothing is quite right, even when everything seems to be going right. But here I am, asking the question. I can feel myself-- being. But what the hell is really happening? Where does this feeling come from?" Funny thing is, that though someone who takes that all the way might describe the result as realization of nothingness, here they still are, talking to us. Nothingness and illusion are just words, which only describe movements of being. Nothingness is just a movement away from illusion, described as nothing since it is actually the ceasing of false movement. However, it easily becomes another illusion. Illusion is tricky like that. Thats enough spouting off, but I'd like to add my appreciation to Taomeow for the prodding. We'll see if I grab onto these words, as I have onto others in the past. Its a good learning experience to watch myself start believing thoughts, even as I am trying to open a door for others to question their beliefs. The key word there might be "others." This dialog may also just be uncovering tendencies to belief in me that would have remained hidden if not for the stimulus. Though it may also just be a cul-de-sac. Either way, thank you.

Afternoon quite time Okay. There is a fairly recent concept in Australian Anthropology called ( and again 3 levels ) ; The Real , The Really Real and The Really Really Real ( serious ) ; Uncle Lewi is really a possum but really really. he is, of course . not 'a possum', he is a man , but beyond that, really really, he IS really a possum ( ie. possum man ) . Now, there are all sorts of totems for different reasons , it is very specific in Aboriginal culture and complex, relating to family extensions ( moiety ) , time place of birth and a whole lot of things. So really anyone removed from that cannot have 'that type' of totem. Yet, they will even , freely 'give' white people totems, or accept that they have them . EG . I was in a tricky situation, the boys went hunting, I was doing something else and returned and as an honour to me, they had saved me the best part of the hunt - a fat storage gland behind the back leg of a goanna . On the first bite, it had a texture like a prawn, a thick oil filled my mouth and ran down my throuat that REALLY disgusted me ( dont throw up dont throw up .... that would be soooo bad ! ) I tried, but nope, I had to admit, sorry fellahs, I cant eat this .... ummm, s doing something really strange to me .... I noticed the llok of surprise and disappointment and even insult in some .... think quick .... ermmm maybe its my totem . This guy goes 'Shit ! ' and snatches it away and they " Ohhh maybe it is ! " and apologised to me ! (But after other stuff I realise they ARE one of my totems , they live under my house, made a burrow under my front porch ( and the cement has split and is collapsing due to it . Mated on my front porch step . GF had dream about me ubder the house in an underground cave with goannas, and me covering some up with a blanket and uncovering others - I turned saw her and " GET OUT ! " ... it really freaked her . I have 'Stumpy' a 3 legged feral pet one that lives in a hide I made for him, and at hard times I give him food and water - as he cant climb trees with a front leg missing . The totem Uncle Lewi gives me is 'Webra Jali' The 'flame tree' I also have 'Yumbar' , the carpet snake or rainbow python ( Rainbow Serpent ). 'Astrologically' (earth) I have the crab ( a blue swimmer crab ) . I spent the first part of my life as a 'salt water man' , hanging around the shore and estuaries (but not at out sea ) . As a little un , having a father that was a Surf Life Saver, most weekends where spent at the beach , I was given a snorkel and face mask and chucked in a rock pool as my babysitter " Stay there till lunch " ... usually I would have to be coaxed out to take a short lunch break ( and in that I have blue ringed octopus - another story ) But ''cosmically, I am the Twins ... heaps in there , but another story . So I can agree and read with interest everything you wrote above One more story .... I am at the Camp and I KNOW Uncle Lewi has been there all day. A woman comes in from town a little distressed . "OH my GOD! I nearly ran over a family of possums crossing the road in broad daylight " ( and that is unusual) Lewi ; " I know ! You driving too fast ! Slow down ." Woman : " Well, not really I .... " Lewi : " And you were not paying attention . You nearly didnt see that first possum, run out to the side of the road stand up and wave his arms around ? He was trying to warn you , you slowed down just in time ." Woman ; " Yes, I saw that, what unusual behaviour, it made me slow down just in time ... but how do you know about that . Lewi : " Well, because, that possum was me . " Everyone listening ... - I 've done this before a few times , so ignore me if you already have .... but we prob have new readers by now - would you like to meet my teacher and long time friend , Uncle Lewi ? See below

Id like to apologize to Nungali. Message boards aren't the best place to communicate. Anyway, I see where he felt that I was claiming to be something that he has his understanding of. I thought it was apparent in my posts that I was no disciple but I did indeed come off sounding like I was. Im a disciple of my own design and as should also be apparent, my design is confounded by mental illness. I overheard in a dream that I have a schizophrenic process. This is because I was glamoured by the idea of Chaos as an actual purposeful force of nature, and I contemplated this force for many years which got me into a wandering mind set. This turned out well I suppose, in the end, but it was unnecessary. I explain all of this in my East to West post, which is what he is referring to. So anyway I am grateful for the argument about what this or that system claims to be the point of their study, because I never really finished my review of any of them, though I think I got pretty far along in Thelema. As far as the Satan thing goes, you have to remember that this is a Jewish word, and not a Thelemic word, and according to their concept of such a creature, Thelema would indeed fit in with Satanism. Whether it is meant to be what they fear or not is debatable, as Crowley doesn't put limitations on his disciples- they very well could fit that definition- something Nungali disputes, but Ive met enough to know it is possible. I myself have thought long on the definition of Satan and I have come to agree that Thelema, and paganism in general, fits with this definition to a large degree and what you have to ask yourself is: is that a bad thing? Satan is so spooky and is the root of Evil (supposedly) but I think He is the root of physics and knowledge, and is also the cause of a lot of confusion- because liberty and passion can be that way. I have no problems using the word Satan and neither should anyone. Now, from the meek humble and chaste Christian mind, it is bad- but how many of us fit that? Satan is a nature God, and a lustful one- that loves music and romance, adventure and yes, standing against what He doesn't believe in, and as the World now sees; Christianity and Judaism are not perfect. So anyway, apologies for these misunderstandings and thank you for sharing your knowledge with us Nungali.

Tsk, tsk, so many amateurs. There's a right way and a wrong way to combine power cultivation with strength training, so it depends which part of the elephant you, who can only see one side of things, are looking at. Strength training, done the right way, allows levels of chi power that a wimpy person could never even dream about.

I have several of these experiences. First, you are being attacked because you yourself have certain psychological, spiritual, and mental vulnerabilities. This could be certain issues you are refusing to deal with and etc. Your weakness manifested in your dreams or meditations. Another forms of attacks are from randomness entities. I just spent an hour meditating and I was in another room in my apartment. In my meditation, I saw this angry looking woman (on the heavy side) with an angry face and holding some sorts of weapon in her hand. It appeared out of nowhere in my vision. I wasn't alarm but I chuckled a bit realizing what I saw during my meditation. I was like "what is this?" I have my shares of dealing with vampires in my dreams. Those are interesting. My recent dream involved a couple. In this dream, I was lying down and this little woman was making some obnoxious demands. They were so out of place and not in the context of the dream setting. I got so annoyed that I stood up and transformed myself into a giant. Here, she became a little 4 year old woman, no taller than 3ft, bitching about something. Her male companion, next to her, began to apologize for her.