Tony
9th March 2012, 12:04
On reflection.
There are many levels of understanding of the same subject.
One asks questions, and an answer comes up.
That in turn produces another question, and so the process refines.
This is how we discover our true nature. Merely reading about it doesn't work.
If one thinks one has the answer and holds onto it, then there is no further progress.
It becomes a fixed concept, and we can get quite touchy about it...and that's a good indication...!
That begs the question, where on earth do these answers come from?
Good question! Great question!
Here's an example of the refining process: yesterday, I mentioned in writing that there are opposites in the universe.
This morning I reflected on this: hmm, are there opposites? Why and how does that work?
Hmm, there is light and there is dark. OH!
The dark exists by virtue of the light, and the light is known by virtue of the dark.
Does that work? Hmm...yes!
Everything is a unity!!!
This is how everything is so right, when everything seems so wrong!
This seems to the answer to the dissatisfaction being felt...until the next set of questions arises.
Remember...everything has to be tested and tested...
This always brings us back to understanding the unity of the two truths.
The real and the seemingly real. Essence and consciousness. Absolute truth and relative truth. Within the relative is the absolute, and within the absolute is the relative.
This is where we often talk at cross purposes, and talk in extremes.
Things are not wonderful, and things are not terrible: that takes place in our relative mistaken minds.
We need to understand the many sides of the coin.
If we take meditation and non meditation: meditation is merely the mind at rest, and this can be done sitting, walking, eating ,typing...everything.
But in actuality there is no doing.
As usual, let's take this apart (and this is not easy to convey to a virtual group).
To start off everyone is right, from their point of view. Then they ask questions, and something in the universe answers, and they proceed.
If we are talking about resting in our natural state, which is meditation, people will be at different stages. Some will be there immediately while others - like myself - are a bit slow.
So we need a system, before we can drop the system. A method is just a tool, a toy.
Generally, when we learn to meditate we are actually resting in consciousness = relative truth. It is where we start. We are doing something, resting in now.
Gradually or with help we look into this resting and find no meditation.. and no meditator.
One has gone, gone gone beyond.
But don't go beyond too soon! We have to learn to recognise the difference between relative resting and absolute resting. In this way, we learn to recognise distractions.
Negative emotions are merely the absolute essence being distracted and becoming consciousness...relative.
To be honest, as ordinary house holder we will oscillate like this until we die. The texts all say to achieve any real stability one should be in isolation.
However, much progress can be made in merely recognising the essence of the emotions. And simply looking into the one who experiences these emotions and thoughts. That is the path of non meditation.
There is even a path of sensual pleasure, but on that path, it's the non-clinging that is difficult!
Back to the unity: don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
Everything has its absolute reality, which is empty essence.
If things did not have this empty essence they would not disintegrate and the universe would get pretty clogged up!
All things come to pass, but not our absolute nature.
¤=[Post Update]=¤
Saying a thing is good or bad limits our understanding.
Saying a thing is neither good or bad limits our understanding.
These are too easy.
Making a judgement of any sort is merely to reside in mind-consciousness.
Making an effort not to judge is merely to reside in mind-consciousness.
These are too easy.
From an absolute level, there is mere noticing.
And that is our personal, unique just-being.
But we are in human bodies, and we have to relate to the world around us, and to other people.
Therefore, we pop down into consciousness – relative truth – to play our part.
The trick is not to forget our unique just-being, empty essence.
Therefore, the unity of consciousness and pure essence is of paramount importance.
With that union, loving compassion arises automatically and unconditionally.
In Sanskrit, these three – pure essence, lucidity compassionate energy - are called the three kayas. When these kayas get distracted, they turn into the three poisons - attraction, repulsion and ignorance - and that is where everything is created.
It is very easy to say that we create our own world.
Undoing our own world takes true realisation.
It is so important to take things step by step.
Feel the ground beneath you at each step.
With each step, confidence grows.
There are many levels of understanding of the same subject.
One asks questions, and an answer comes up.
That in turn produces another question, and so the process refines.
This is how we discover our true nature. Merely reading about it doesn't work.
If one thinks one has the answer and holds onto it, then there is no further progress.
It becomes a fixed concept, and we can get quite touchy about it...and that's a good indication...!
That begs the question, where on earth do these answers come from?
Good question! Great question!
Here's an example of the refining process: yesterday, I mentioned in writing that there are opposites in the universe.
This morning I reflected on this: hmm, are there opposites? Why and how does that work?
Hmm, there is light and there is dark. OH!
The dark exists by virtue of the light, and the light is known by virtue of the dark.
Does that work? Hmm...yes!
Everything is a unity!!!
This is how everything is so right, when everything seems so wrong!
This seems to the answer to the dissatisfaction being felt...until the next set of questions arises.
Remember...everything has to be tested and tested...
This always brings us back to understanding the unity of the two truths.
The real and the seemingly real. Essence and consciousness. Absolute truth and relative truth. Within the relative is the absolute, and within the absolute is the relative.
This is where we often talk at cross purposes, and talk in extremes.
Things are not wonderful, and things are not terrible: that takes place in our relative mistaken minds.
We need to understand the many sides of the coin.
If we take meditation and non meditation: meditation is merely the mind at rest, and this can be done sitting, walking, eating ,typing...everything.
But in actuality there is no doing.
As usual, let's take this apart (and this is not easy to convey to a virtual group).
To start off everyone is right, from their point of view. Then they ask questions, and something in the universe answers, and they proceed.
If we are talking about resting in our natural state, which is meditation, people will be at different stages. Some will be there immediately while others - like myself - are a bit slow.
So we need a system, before we can drop the system. A method is just a tool, a toy.
Generally, when we learn to meditate we are actually resting in consciousness = relative truth. It is where we start. We are doing something, resting in now.
Gradually or with help we look into this resting and find no meditation.. and no meditator.
One has gone, gone gone beyond.
But don't go beyond too soon! We have to learn to recognise the difference between relative resting and absolute resting. In this way, we learn to recognise distractions.
Negative emotions are merely the absolute essence being distracted and becoming consciousness...relative.
To be honest, as ordinary house holder we will oscillate like this until we die. The texts all say to achieve any real stability one should be in isolation.
However, much progress can be made in merely recognising the essence of the emotions. And simply looking into the one who experiences these emotions and thoughts. That is the path of non meditation.
There is even a path of sensual pleasure, but on that path, it's the non-clinging that is difficult!
Back to the unity: don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
Everything has its absolute reality, which is empty essence.
If things did not have this empty essence they would not disintegrate and the universe would get pretty clogged up!
All things come to pass, but not our absolute nature.
¤=[Post Update]=¤
Saying a thing is good or bad limits our understanding.
Saying a thing is neither good or bad limits our understanding.
These are too easy.
Making a judgement of any sort is merely to reside in mind-consciousness.
Making an effort not to judge is merely to reside in mind-consciousness.
These are too easy.
From an absolute level, there is mere noticing.
And that is our personal, unique just-being.
But we are in human bodies, and we have to relate to the world around us, and to other people.
Therefore, we pop down into consciousness – relative truth – to play our part.
The trick is not to forget our unique just-being, empty essence.
Therefore, the unity of consciousness and pure essence is of paramount importance.
With that union, loving compassion arises automatically and unconditionally.
In Sanskrit, these three – pure essence, lucidity compassionate energy - are called the three kayas. When these kayas get distracted, they turn into the three poisons - attraction, repulsion and ignorance - and that is where everything is created.
It is very easy to say that we create our own world.
Undoing our own world takes true realisation.
It is so important to take things step by step.
Feel the ground beneath you at each step.
With each step, confidence grows.