Seeing, Recognising & Maintaining One's Enlightening Potential

[C T]

~ Tulku Urgyen ~ 

 

"No matter how many different types of content the mind can manifest, they are all simply expressions of the nature of mind. The eighty-four thousand different types of disturbing emotions are like eighty-four thousand different reflections of the sun in different ponds of water. If you take the sun and put it in your pocket, you automatically control all eighty-four thousand reflections. Similarly, the very moment that you recognize your natural state, the buddha mind–your enlightened essence–all eighty-four thousand types of disturbing emotions are simultaneously vanquished."

 

Full article: https://www.lionsroar.com/existence-nonexistence-teachings-on-dzogchen/

[C T]

 

 

 

 

[silent thunder]

Donald and his team have got their fingers on the pulse with this line of enquiry.  Been following his lectures for some years now and deeply resonate with some of his metaphors for the hallucinatory nature of our perceptual modeling process.

[C T]

 

[C T]

~ Lama Yeshe ~ 

 

Therefore, we first transform our consciousness into the rainbow body and then transform our consciousness into sound. Then that too disappears into non-duality. By contemplating on that kind of deep experience – our wisdom contemplating on only the tiny, subtle object of sound and that subtle object of sound also disappearing – our wisdom is left embracing empty space. That helps us eliminate our dualistic mind and brings us closer and closer to the dharmakaya. 

[C T]

Forty years ago, Éliane Radigue synthesized The Tibetan Book of the Dead into a sonic masterpiece.... Trilogie de la Mort. 

 

Trilogie de la Mort has three hour-long tracks: Kyema, Kailasha, and Koumé. Kyema is perhaps the most explicit in its Buddhist inspiration, as it is meant to be a rendition of the intermediate states of consciousness described in the Bardo Thödol. Kailasha recreates an imagined journey up Mount Kailasha, the sacred Himalayan mountain, as the transition between states of being chaotically fold over different perspectives. Finally Koumé (a portmanteau Tibetan word that Radigue created using the words for “fire” and “holy body”) invokes the process of rebirth and the truth of death as perpetual re-beginning.

 

 

 

 

[C T]

This is a short introduction to the development of the doctrine of two truths in Buddhism. We'll look briefly at the doctrine's origins that are treated in an earlier video, then we'll turn to the role of the abhidhamma/abhidharma in establishing a Buddhist understanding of ultimate truth or ultimate reality. Finally we'll turn to the Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna's presentation of the doctrine of two truths and some of its later implications.

 

 

[C T]

Back to basics.

 

 

Derivation of Anatta in Buddhist thought ~ Nina Van Gorkom 

 

When we listen to the Dhamma and investigate nama and rupa which appear we can think in the right way of realities and this way of thinking is accompanied by sati. Then we begin to have right understanding of realities. Sati which is directly aware of the characteristic of a reality which appears is still another level of sati and this is different from thinking of realities. When there is awareness of a reality, understanding of that reality can gradually develop at that moment. Understanding, panna, is a sobhana cetasika, a beautiful cetasika. Panna does not accompany each kusala citta: some kusala cittas are accompanied by panna, some are not.

 

When we develop satipatthana we come to understand the difference between realities, paramattha dhammas, and concepts. A chair, for example, is a concept. When we touch a chair , the chair is not experienced through touch, but the reality of hardness can be experienced through the bodysense. Through the bodysense the following rupas can be experienced: the Element of Earth or solidity, appearing as hardness or softness, the Element of Fire, appearing as heat or cold, and the Element of Wind, appearing as motion or pressure .

 

When we see a chair, the chair does not impinge on the eyesense, it is colour or visible object which impinges on the eyesense and can be experienced through the eyes. Someone asked what seeing-consciousness sees, whether particular colours like red or blue are experienced by seeing-consciousness. Seeing-consciousness sees whatever is visible, all that appears through the eyesense, but it does not pay attention to a particular colour like red or blue. When we notice that something is red or blue, it is not seeing, but there are cittas arising in a mind-door process which think of visible object or define it. When there is no sati we confuse paramattha dhammas and concepts. When I was watching someone who was talking on T.V., Acharn Sujin reminded me, asking, "Can visible object talk?" When we see the outlines of things, when we notice the shape and form of things it is not seeing but there are cittas arising in a mind-door process which define what was seen. Because of remembrance of former experiences we know the meaning of things. Remembrance, sanna, is a cetasika which accompanies each citta and which
remembers or marks the object so that it can be recognized later on.

 

Through ears hearing-consciousness hears sound. It seems that we hear words spoken by someone, but at such moments there are cittas arising in a mind-door process which think of concepts. Cittas arise and fall away very rapidly and only when satipatthana is developed the difference between such moments can be discerned. Through the nose odour appears, through the tongue flavour appears, there is only one reality at a time appearing through one of the six doors. Because of our accumulated ignorance we join different realities together into a "whole" of a person or a thing, instead of being aware of realities as they appear one at a time. The remembrance of a "whole" hides the characteristic of anatta. We do not see that what we take for a person consists of different elements which arise and fall away and are not self.

 

When a rupa such as colour appears there is also nama which experiences colour, otherwise colour could not appear. It is the same in the case of the other sense objects. If there were no cittas arising in the different processes nothing could appear. The characteristics of nama and rupa are different: rupa does not know anything and nama experiences an object. Visible object appears, but the nama which experiences it seems to be hidden. It is difficult to distinguish between the characteristics of nama and rupa, they seem to be together. When visible object appears there is also the nama which experiences it, but when sati arises it is aware of only one characteristic at a time. It depends on conditions of which object sati is aware, be it nama or rupa, nobody can direct sati. So long as nama and rupa are not clearly distinguished from each other there is still "personality belief", sakkaya ditthi [wrong view arising with the (identification to) body]. 

 

Glossary of terms

Nama - Mental phenomena. This term refers to the mental components of the five khandhas, and includes: vedana (feeling), sanna (perception), sankhara (mental fashionings), and vinnana (consciousness).

 

Rupa - Body; physical phenomenon; sense datum. The basic meaning of this word is "appearance" or "form." It is used, however, in a number of different contexts, taking on different shades of meaning in each. In lists of the objects of the senses, it is given as the object of the sense of sight. As one of the khandha, it refers to physical phenomena or sensations (visible appearance or form being the defining characteristics of what is physical). This is also the meaning it carries when opposed to nama, or mental phenomena.

 

Sati - Mindfulness, self collectedness, powers of reference and retention.

 

Sobhana Cetasika - Cetasikas are mental factors that co exist with citta or co arise with citta. They are mind conditioners and they influence mind and condition mind to have different names. They pass away at the very same time when citta falls away. They also have to depend on the same vatthu or base and they also have to take the same object that citta takes.

 

Kusala cittas - Wholesome Consciousness. Moral or skillful consciousness.

 

Sathipattana - Foundation of mindfulness; frame of reference - body, feelings, mind, and mental events, viewed in and of themselves as they occur. 

 

Paramattha Dhammas - Paramattha Dhamma or Abhidhamma is not a Dhamma which is beyond one"s ability to understand because paramattha Dhamma is reality. Right view, right understanding, is actually knowing the characteristics of paramattha Dhammas as they really are.

 

Cittas - Mind; heart; states of consciousness.

 

Anatta - Not self; ownerless.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2022 by C T

[C T]

Nina van Gorkom, born in 1928, is a Buddhist scholar and translator in the Pali tradition who has written extensively on the Abhidhamma. Born in the Netherlands, she moved to Thailand as an adult and studied extensively with Thai teachers.

[C T]

~ The Dhammapada ~ 

 

He whose cankers are destroyed and who is not attached to food, whose object is the Void, the Unconditioned Freedom — his path cannot be traced, like that of birds in the air.

 

Whoever is overcome by this wretched and sticky craving, his sorrows grow like grass after the rains.

But whoever overcomes this wretched craving, so difficult to overcome, from him sorrows fall away like water from a lotus leaf.

 

There is no meditative concentration for him who lacks insight, and no insight for him who lacks meditative concentration. He in whom are found both meditative concentration and insight, indeed, is close to nibbāna.

[C T]

Enough folks believe Buddhists are a jovial lot with their extreme beliefs around the truth of suffering. 

Actually, this is not true. Practitioners intent on stepping out of the samsaric wheel will make it their priority to cease creating new causes that can upset the equilibrium of this-moment-mindfulness. Instead, part of the focus (a vital part) of practice is the creation of this-moment causes that will lead to the bearing of the fruits of enlightenment. This is Buddhist cultivation, in a nutshell.

 

There's very little in the way of impediments to making a decision to sow the seeds of enlightenment in one's present life this very moment. And its not difficult. Its as simple as resting the mind in directionless awareness, or open awareness. Softly gazing at the sky is one of the methods. But habituated analytical mind will not allow acceptance that such a prescription can actually be an effective antidote to negative karma. Analytical mind will object, , "You are so fragmented, so broken, and so full of faults. There's much work to be done... this, this, this... whatcha doing about them? Don't be lazy, and don't buy into such idiotic crappy notions about doing nothing except gazing at the sky." 

 

 Often, in retreat settings, the masters will cajole lazy students, exhorting them with reminders that chanting just one Mani mantra will remove lifetimes of accumulated mental fermentations - this is mainly to spur fervent practice so that they will have less idleness and therefore less opportunity to regress back to old habits and worn-out thoughts. But practice is just half of the equation - generating mindfulness post-practice is equally stressed, if not more. In Dzogchen, post-practice necessitates simple, effortless resting awareness in the empty yet palpable brilliance of non-thought gaps that follow most every formal session, and finding repose in this space. Repose occurs as the mind, previously full of activity, is now allowed to return to its pure nature. There is spontaneous recognition of the nature of mind - lucid, brilliant, crystalline, limpid, peaceful, light, and equanimous. Yet, these terms merely touch the surface in expressing the true state beyond concepts. In this moment, doership is fully dismantled. Here, in this very space, the Dharmakaya unfolds in its natural splendour, shining unimpededly.

 

The mark of progress for a Dzogchen practitioner is therefore to gain familiarity by habituating, with sufficient frequency, this exercise. The idea being, with time, the periods of remaining in recognition gradually lengthen, becoming more pervasive and natural, leading eventually to stability and spontaneous presence. This is the threshold of enlightenment. 

Edited June 21, 2022 by C T

[C T]

~ Chogyal Namkhai Norbu ~ 

 

“All the philosophical theories that exist have been created by the mistaken dualistic minds of human beings. In the realm of philosophy, that which today is considered true, may tomorrow be proved to be false. No one can guarantee a philosophy's validity. Because of this, any intellectual way of seeing whatever is always partial and relative. The fact is that there is no truth to seek or to confirm logically; rather what one needs to do is to discover just how much the mind continually limits itself in a condition of dualism. Dualism is the real root of our suffering and of all our conflicts. All our concepts and beliefs, no matter how profound they may seem, are like nets which trap us in dualism."

[ralis]

16 minutes ago, C T said:

~ Chogyal Namkhai Norbu ~ 

 

“All the philosophical theories that exist have been created by the mistaken dualistic minds of human beings. In the realm of philosophy, that which today is considered true, may tomorrow be proved to be false. No one can guarantee a philosophy's validity. Because of this, any intellectual way of seeing whatever is always partial and relative. The fact is that there is no truth to seek or to confirm logically; rather what one needs to do is to discover just how much the mind continually limits itself in a condition of dualism. Dualism is the real root of our suffering and of all our conflicts. All our concepts and beliefs, no matter how profound they may seem, are like nets which trap us in dualism."

 

It is proper to give credit to the author of any quote by correctly including the book title and page number where the quote comes from.

[C T]

9 minutes ago, ralis said:

 

It is proper to give credit to the author of any quote by correctly including the book title and page number where the quote comes from.

 

Nah. This is proper nuf. 

[ralis]

8 minutes ago, C T said:

 

Nah. This is proper nuf. 

 

How does one know if you are taking license and revising the quote? Obviously you are not an English speaker? Or know the rules.

 

Which book is this from? I have every one of his books.

 

To avoid plagiarism here are the rules.

 

https://www.webroot.com/us/en/resources/tips-articles/how-do-you-appropriately-cite-sources-and-avoid-plagiarism

Edited June 22, 2022 by ralis

[C T]

3 minutes ago, ralis said:

 

How does one know if you are taking license and revising the quote? Obviously you are not an English speaker? Or know the rules.

 

Which book is this from? I have every one of his books.

 

Whose rules? Yours? Who made you TDB sheriff? Why are you here anyway? Whats your real intention? Who are you? Are you drunk? 

[ralis]

20 minutes ago, C T said:

 

Whose rules? Yours? Who made you TDB sheriff? Why are you here anyway? Whats your real intention? Who are you? Are you drunk? 

 

I am being civil by requesting a book title and page number and yet you fly off the handle at me! Most here usually respect the author by giving proper credit.

Edited June 22, 2022 by ralis

[C T]

23 minutes ago, ralis said:

 

I am being civil by requesting a book title and page number and yet you fly off the handle at me! Most here usually respect the author by giving proper credit.

 

Civil is "Obviously you're not a native English speaker?" Wokay, got it.

[doc benway]

37 minutes ago, ralis said:

 

It is proper to give credit to the author of any quote by correctly including the book title and page number where the quote comes from.

One could also read this as:

‘You are doing it wrong, you are being improper.’

 

20 minutes ago, ralis said:

How does one know if you are taking license and revising the quote?

‘I suspect you are dishonest and don’t trust you.’

 

20 minutes ago, ralis said:

Obviously you are not an English speaker?

‘Hrrumph, you are a foreigner, are you even legal?!’

 

20 minutes ago, ralis said:

Or know the rules.

‘Are you stupid?’

 

20 minutes ago, ralis said:

 

Which book is this from? I have every one of his books.

‘I am the authority on all things Norbu. This can’t be from one of his books because I don’t recognize it.’

 

10 minutes ago, ralis said:

 

I am being civil by requesting a book title and page number and yet you fly off the handle at me!

I took your comments as being a bit aggressive, arrogant, and disrespectful. It is easy to offend with digital communication. It takes a little extra effort to insure you truly are being civil. 

 

An alternative might be - 

‘Thanks for sharing CT, can you tell me which book that’s from?’ I suspect things may have played out differently.

[ralis]

1 minute ago, C T said:

 

Civil is "Obviously you're not a native English speaker?" Wokay, got it.

 

I had the impression that your native language is not English. If you are then, my mistake.

[ralis]

16 minutes ago, steve said:

One could also read this as:

‘You are doing it wrong, you are being improper.’

 

‘I suspect you are dishonest and don’t trust you.’

 

‘Hrrumph, you are a foreigner, are you even legal?!’

 

‘Are you stupid?’

 

‘I am the authority on all things Norbu. This can’t be from one of his books because I don’t recognize it.’

 

I took your comments as being a bit aggressive, arrogant, and disrespectful. It is easy to offend with digital communication. It takes a little extra effort to insure you truly are being civil. 

 

An alternative might be - 

‘Thanks for sharing CT, can you tell me which book that’s from?’ I suspect things may have played out differently.

 

I had the impression CT is not an English speaker and may have the idea that one can quote out of context without giving credit. I only asked for the title of the book and page number. I am supposed to just trust that the quote in question is entirely accurate? I never said that I was the authority  on Norbu. You are making assumptions.

 

"Hrrumph, you are a foreigner, are you even legal?!’" What is that supposed to mean? 

 

Edited June 22, 2022 by ralis

[doc benway]

13 minutes ago, ralis said:

Hrrumph, you are a foreigner, are you even legal?!’" What is that supposed to mean? 

 

It means your post sounded to me like a xenophobic bigot. You’ve attacked both CT and Luke so far this morning. Is something going on with you?

[ralis]

9 minutes ago, steve said:

 

It means your post sounded to me like a xenophobic bigot. You’ve attacked both CT and Luke so far this morning. Is something going on with you?

 

Me a xenophobe? You are misunderstanding me. I had the impression that different rules seem to apply to non English speakers, that is all. My apologies if I offended anyone which was not my intention. The internet has no national boundaries so anyone can be here and discuss. All I ask is that quotes be given credit. After all, anyone can say anything online. There are rules for quoting and should apply here.

 

Remember when I was the sole person on the firing line speaking out against bigotry in all forms here. Very few here including the mods supported me at that time.

 

I guess I am too much of a spiritual realist here for most to deal with. 

Edited June 22, 2022 by ralis

[doc benway]

28 minutes ago, ralis said:

 

I had the impression that your native language is not English. If you are then, my mistake.

What the fuck difference does that make and what business is it of yours? Norbu’s native language was not English… nor the Buddha’s. You’ve known CT here for years, when has his communication ever been less than perfectly clear? You would do well to learn some manners. 

[doc benway]

3 minutes ago, ralis said:

I guess I am too much of a spiritual realist here for most to deal with. 

 

No, you are just being disrespectful and insensitive towards two people I like and admire.