Thanks for sharing this. I found it very calming to read, as he integrates spiritual practices effortlessly into daily life.
--- In [email protected], Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Advice for Carrying the View > > by His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche > > > The everyday practice is simply to develop a complete acceptance and > openness to all situations and emotions, and to all people, > experiencing everything totally without mental reservations and > blockages, so that one never withdraws or centralizes into oneself. > > This produces a tremendous energy that is usually locked up in the > process of mental evasion and a general running away from life > experiences. > > Clarity of awareness may, in its initial stages, be unpleasant or > fear inspiring. If so, then one should open oneself completely to the > pain or the fear and welcome it. In this way the barriers created by > one's own habitual emotional reactions and prejudices are broken down. > > When performing the meditation practice one should develop the > feeling of opening oneself completely to the whole universe with > absolute simplicity and nakedness of mind, ridding oneself of all > protecting barriers. Don't mentally split into two when meditating, > one part of the mind watching the other like a cat watching a mouse. > > One should realize that one does not meditate to go deeply into > oneself and withdraw from the world. In buddhist yoga, even when > meditating on chakras there is no introspection concentration. > Complete openness of mind is the essential point. > > The ground of samsara and nirvana is the alaya, the beginning and the > end of confusion and realization, the nature of universal shunyata > and of all apparent phenomena. It is even more fundamental than the > trikaya and is free from bias toward enlightenment. It is sometimes > called the "pure" or "original" mind. > > Although prajna (wisdom) sees in it no basis for such concepts as > different aspects, the fundamental aspects of complete openness, > natural perfection, and absolute spontaneity are distinguished by > upaya (skillful means) as useful devices. > > All aspects of every phenomenon are completely clear and lucid. The > whole universe is open and unobstructed, everything mutually > interpenetrating. Seeing all things nakedly, clear and free from > obscurations, there is nothing to attain or realize. The nature of > things naturally appears and is naturally present in time- > transcending awareness; this is complete openness. > > Everything is perfect just as it is, completely pure and undefiled. > All phenomena naturally appear in their uniquely correct modes and > situations, forming ever-changing patterns full of meaning and > significance, like participants in a great dance. Everything is a > symbol, yet there is no difference between the symbol and the truth > symbolized. With no effort of practice whatsoever, liberation, > enlightenment, and buddhahood are already fully developed and > perfected. This is natural perfection. > > The everyday practice is just ordinary life itself. Since the > underdeveloped state does not exist there is no need to behave in any > special way or try to attain or practice anything. There should be no > feeling of striving to reach some exalted goal or higher state; this > simply produces something conditional or artificial that will act as > an obstruction to the free flow of the mind. One should never think > of oneself as "sinful" or worthless, but as naturally pure and > perfect, lacking nothing. > > When performing meditation practice one should think of it as just a > natural function of everyday living, like eating or breathing, not as > a special, formal event to be undertaken with great seriousness and > solemnity. One must realize that to meditate is to pass beyond > effort, beyond practice, beyond aims and goals, and beyond the > dualism of bondage and liberation. > > Meditation is always perfect, so there is no need to correct > anything. Since everything that arises is simply the play of the > mind, there are no "bad" meditation sessions and no need to judge > thoughts as good or evil. Therefore, one should not sit down to > meditate with various hopes or fears about the outcome; one just does > it, with no selfconscious feeling of "I am meditating," and without > attempting to control or force the mind, and without trying to become > peaceful. > > If one finds that one is going astray in any of these ways, one > should stop meditating and simply rest and relax for a while before > resuming. > > If, either during or after meditation, one has experiences that one > interprets as results, they should not be made into anything special. > Recognize that they are just phenomena and simply observe them. Above > all, do not attempt to recreate them as this opposes the natural > spontaneity of the mind. All phenomena are completely new and fresh > and absolutely unique, entirely free from all concepts of past, > present, and futureĀas if experienced in another dimension of time; > this is absolute spontaneity. > > The continual stream of new discovery and fresh revelation and > inspiration that arises at every moment is the manifestation of the > eternal youth of the living dharma and its wonders; splendor and > spontaneity is the play or dance aspect of the universe as guru. > > One should learn to see everyday life as a mandala in which one is at > the center, and be free of the bias and prejudice of past > conditioning, present desires, and hopes and expectations about the > future. > > The figures of the mandala are the day-to-day objects of one's life > experiences moving in the great dance of the play of the universe, > the symbolism by which the guru reveals profound and ultimate meaning > and significance. Therefore, be natural and spontaneous; accept and > learn from everything. > > See the comical, amusing side of initiating situations. In > meditation, see through the illusion of past, present, and future. > The past is but a present memory or condition, the future but a > present projection, and the present itself vanishes before it can be > grasped. > > One should put an end to conceptions about meditation and free > oneself from memories of the past. Each moment of meditation is > completely unique and full of potentiality of new discovery, so one > is incapable of judging meditation by past experience or by theory. > > Simply plunge straight into meditation at this very moment with your > whole mind, and be free from hesitation, boredom, or excitement. > > When meditating it is traditional and best, if possible, to sit cross- > legged with the back erect but not rigid. However, it is most > important to feel comfortable, so it is better to sit in a chair if > sitting cross-legged is painful. > > One's mental attitude should be inspired by the three fundamental > aspects, whether the meditation is with or without form, and it may > often prove desirable, if not essential, to precede a period of > formless meditation by a period of meditation with form. > > To provide for this eventuality many classes of preliminary > meditation practices have been developed over centuries of buddhist > practice, the most important being meditations on breathing, mantra > recitation, and visualization techniques. > > To engage in the second and third of these classes, personal > instruction from one's guru is required, but a few words on the first > would not be out of place here as the method used varies little from > person to person. > > First, let the mind follow the movement of the breath, in and out, > until it becomes calm and tranquil. Then increasingly rest the mind > on the breath until one's whole being seems to be identified with it. > > Finally, become aware of the breath leaving the body and going out > into space, and gradually transfer the attention from the breath to > the sensation of spaciousness and expansion. By letting this final > sensation merge into complete openness, one moves into the sphere of > formless meditation. > > In all probability the above description of the three fundamental > aspects will seem vague and inadequate. This is inevitable since they > attempt to describe what is not only beyond words but beyond thought > as well. They invite practice of what is, essentially, a state of being. > > The words are simply a form of upaya, skillful means, a hint which, > if acted upon, will enable one's innate natural wisdom and naturally > perfect action to arise spontaneously. > > Sometimes in meditation one may experience a gap in one's normal > consciousness, a sudden and complete openness. This experience arises > only when one has ceased to think in terms of meditation and the > object of meditation. It is a glimpse of reality, a sudden flash that > occurs infrequently at first, and then, with continued practice, more > and more frequently. It may not be a particularly shattering or > explosive experience at all, just a moment of great simplicity. > > Do not make the mistake of deliberately trying to force these > experiences to recur, for to do so is to betray the naturalness and > spontaneity of reality. > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! 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