machielove

[machielove]

🔥🌈🙏

You are not in the world, the world is within you.  You (as pure potential) were never born, therefore cannot truly experience ‘death’. Your physical body/avatar is either logged on or off this ‘neuroactive simulation’ called the Matrix.

At death, you do not leave this world of name and form; the world simply disappears in your consciousness (the quantum field of infinite possibilities).  

-Anon I mus

“The material world that we live in is nothing more than a convincing, sensory illusion (a dream projection of the mind). At the deepest level, there is no ‘death’, life is simply universal consciousness taking on the short-lived appearances of form (birth and death); only the unchanging, living essence remains. The ‘Timeless Now’ is all there is and will ever be; it is only the discriminating, conditioned mind that creates the phenomenon of space, time, causality and subjective distinctions - an illusory subject-object split of a before and after (birth/death, past/future, you/other, good/bad, pain/pleasure, predator/prey, light/dark, etc.). 

When there is no ‘duality’ in the mind, everything can be seen for what it truly is …one, unborn, indivisible whole.  Upon the recognition that we are not just limited to our body-mind character (separate, fictitious identity), we will remain indifferent to the ‘death’ of the physical body and the appearance of an external world.  You don’t have a personal life, you are the ‘One Life’ itself.”  

[machielove]

There is no self in the body - you are not in control of the bodily functions [digestion,hair nails growing]. There is no self in the senses [you do not control when there is seeing, hearing, touching, tasting smelling nor what is seen heard, touched tasted or smelled and in what way]. There is no self in emotions [you are not in control of what emotion arises and when, nor can you control when it leaves]. There is no self in thoughts or any permutations of the mind [like with emotions you are not in control of which thought arises and when, this is the same with any permutations of the mind which you did not choose dream or when awake]. There is no self in being conscious [you do not choose when you are conscious or not]…

There is only the non-arising, pure, space like nature of the mind which is beyond this description, beyond coming or going… Non-dual and indivisible, containing everything 🌈🙏

[machielove]

🌈🙏

What Is Nature Of Mind?

What is the nature of the mind?

Garchen Rinpoche

Milarepa was asked by Nyama Paldarbum, “What is the nature of the mind?”

Milarepa replied and explained its basis abides like space and it is boundless as the sky without center or edge The purpose of practice is to realise the two types of bodhicitta. Our mind is like muddy water. The mind of Buddhas is like clear water. Clear water shares the same nature as muddy water. We need to practice to let the mud clear. When the mind is liberated from concepts, it is empty and pristine and it abides like space. This is what we need to understand from our practice. The basis of mind is the same in Buddhas and sentient beings. It is clear and uncontrived. But we add contrivances to it, like adding mud to water.

The basis abides like space. Buddhas abide in the dharmakaya. Sentient beings are like muddy water and experience suffering. But there is a path to purify our obscurations. This practice is staying in the moment where past thoughts have ceased and future thoughts have not yet arisen. This state is a complete, vast openness. There is no grasping to thoughts as they arise. Even as they do arise, they cannot do any harm, as they then just cease. So we should remain in that state.

What does contrived or fabricated mean? Look at the mind. The one who knows thoughts is our own awareness. As thoughts arise they immediately dissipate. That is great openness. But if we follow thoughts along, then our mind is obscured and becomes contrived or fabricated. As soon as we hold onto a thought like anger, the mind becomes obscured. So we should remain in a state of mindful awareness. As a result one will immediately recognise thoughts as they arise and not grasp at them. Since the cause is uncontrived, so will be the result, and our mind will be purified. This is the uncontrived state of mahamudra.

What does mahamudra mean? The first word is “chag.” It represents the unsurpassed qualities of the Buddha. Where is the Buddha? You cannot find the Buddha outside, only inside. It is the mind’s unity of clarity and emptiness. We give this mind the name of Buddha. “Chag” means devotion to my mind, which has the nature of Buddha. “Gya chenpo” mean vast and having no center or edge. It must be seen for oneself. It is inexpressible, like a mute person eating molasses. The nature of mind cannot be expressed. “Gya chenpo” means it encompasses all phenomena of samsara and nirvana. There are infinite Buddhas and sentient beings. Even only considering this world system, the particles of dust in it are beyond count. All this is only mind.

The mind comes from emptiness and dissolves back to emptiness, like water freezing as ice and melting again. Having realised the meaning of mahamudra, one gains liberation from samsara. All phenomena are empty of self nature. Realising this, one does not grasp at them. One does not grasp at melting ice, realising it is nothing but water. All phenomena are empty of self nature abiding just like space. When one has realised the nature of mind, one will be liberated from samsara.

So she then asked Milarepa., “What appears in your mind?”

Milarepa used the analogy of the sun shining in a cloudless sky.

She then asked Milarepa, “When you meditate, what is the ultimate result?”

He replied that one sees that all phenomena of samsara are without intrinsic reality and one does not grasp to either samsara or nirvana. In that state of non-distraction, there is no reference point. The view is without hope and fear. The only wish is that all beings may attain Buddhahood. There is no fear of suffering, as all phenomena are seen as empty.

So he asks her, “Do you want this practice?”

She gave rise to devotion to Milarepa, and asked him to be her teacher.

Worldly beings are unaware of the faults of unvirtuous actions and ignorant of the benefits of virtuous actions. They see what leads to suffering as desirable and what leads to happiness as undesirable. This is a corrupt view. It is like a cloudy day when you cannot see the sun shine. Or a snowy winter when you cannot see the flowers in the meadow. Similarly, the mind is obscured and we cannot see it.

Nyama Paldarbum confessed her wrong doing and said, “As the result of wrong doing in previous lives, I was born as a girl who is no better than a servant. I have never given a thought to impermanence and death. So now I will prepare for death and become your disciple.”

Milarepa replied, “I will teach you the dharma. But that is difficult. If praised, you become proud, and if criticised, you become angry.. But since you ask, I will teach you.” So the message is do not spend so much time putting on make up and cleaning yourself. Instead, you should clean your mind. Milarepa said, do not turn your mind to samsaric friends, turn your mind to your teacher. Do not fixate on this life, caring for your body. Be generous with your possessions instead of being stingy. When you are young, it is hard to practice the dharma. The young are like beautiful peacocks. They are proud of their appearance and do not wish to practice. With this pride, love and compassion cannot arise. We need to apply an antidote to pride and this antidote is devotion. She replied, “Please do not scold me. I really want to practice the dharma, but never had the chance.”

Milarepa replied, “You may not have time to practice, but will you have time to die? This life is very short compared to all your future lives. You must prepare for all your future lives. Do you know what you will eat then?” The preparation for all your future lives is generosity in this present life. Stinginess is your true enemy and you should eliminate it. Normally we think of only ourselves. As a result we will be reborn as a hungry ghost. So we need to practice generosity for our future lives.

In this life there is the light of the sun and the moon. But in the bardo there is none. Mediate on luminosity as a preparation for the bardo. Some people may think that they have nothing to give, but that is not right. If one has much, one should give that. But if one has nothing, one can give the protection of life and give the dharma by reciting “om mani padme hum.” The prayer wheel I turn continuously is turning in prayers for all sentient beings. So one can always give.

When we go to the next life, we will take no company and no friends. Who will we take when we go to the bardo alone? When we do deity practice, the deity will accompany us in the bardo. Our obstructors will be those who are now dear to us. They create problems when we are alive and cannot help us when we are die. Of course, we should be kind to them. But only the yidam deity we have meditated on will accompany us in the bardo.

The meditation on the yidam deity benefits us in this life as well. I get many calls about people’s problems. I always tell people to meditate on Tara. When the mind is suffering it is obscured by self grasping. At this time we need to visualise the yidam as clear as an image in the mirror. If we do this, our mind will become clear and pure. If you recite the mantra without love and compassion, there will be some benefit. But we should transform ourselves completely into the deity, including their love and compassion. If we do this there will be great benefit for this life as well as for future lives.

The future life seems very far away. How should we prepare for it? We should prepare ourselves for it with diligence. When we have a spare moment we should practice or visualise the deity. It is like a butter lamp. When the butter is exhausted it will not burn any more. If we practice, when our karma is exhausted we will not suffer, but go to the pure land. So we should ride the steed of diligence.

The enemy of diligence is laziness. Laziness harms us even in this life. If we do not practice today, what will we do tomorrow when we die?

After Milarepa spoke, she thought. She said, “I have not prepared at all for my next life. From now on I must commit myself to dharma practice.”

Milarepa said, “If you practice you do not need to give up your family, but you need to meditate at all times. You do not need to go to mountain retreat. if you do this, you can stay with your family”

So she asked, “How should I meditate?”

Milarepa said, “Just let your mind rest and look at it, without center our boundary.”

An analogy for the nature of mind is the sky. When one sees the mind as it is without boundary or center, one sees that it abides just like space. A second analogy is the the sun and moon. It can be obscured by afflictive emotions, like the sun and moon are hidden by clouds. But when we are mindful and aware, whatever afflictive emotion arises, it is eliminated in its own place. It is like seeing a beautiful flower. Without awareness, one wishes to buy it. With awareness one realises that it is just like an illusion. So the mind is like a sun., that is always illuminating, even though it my temporarily be hidden.

If the mind is the buddha, then why do we need to meditate? That is because we need to develop a state of clarity when we are always mindful and aware. If so, then when afflictive emotions arise they cannot harm us. There are four obscurations. The first is not seeing the mind as it is. As a result, afflictive emotions arise, then as a result of afflictive emotions, karmic actions arise. And these give rise to karmic imprints. These imprints give rise to our temporary body, which ceases when the karma is exhausted. So these are the four obscurations.

We always hear the root of sufferings is our afflictive emotions. But we do not know how to eliminate them. For that, we need to meditate. To realise the view, we need to habituate the mind to it. As beginning practitioners, the reason we cannot eliminate afflictive emotions is because our wisdom is small.. Primordial wisdom, or yeshe, is always there and this wisdom realises all things as they are. We do have this yeshe, but it is like a little flame. It does not have the strength to burn our afflictive emotions up. But as it grows stronger, it will have the strength to burn up our concepts and emotions. This is the meditation that Milarepa taught. Milarepa was known for dealing with all demons and obstacles. This is because as a result of his strong meditation he did not grasp at them as being real.

Milarepa explained how to place the mind in meditation with three analogies: the mind is like mountain, mind is like ocean, and mind is like space. The mountain cannot be shaken by wind. When the mind is like a mountain it will not be shaken by concepts. When the mind is like an ocean its depths are undisturbed even though there may be waves on the surface. The text gives another analogy: guard your mind like guarding a jewel from a thief. The last analogy is have no doubts questions that the mind is like this or that, just as space has no qualities.

Then Nyama Paldarbum was instructed on the seven fold posture of Vairochana. It is important that the spine be straight when you meditate, so that the channels and winds are straight. Then one will be able to move the winds into the central channel. There are also mind instructions that go with this instruction on physical posture. She meditated like this for a while but then she had questions. She used examples like brush on the mountain and stars around the moon. to represent the small concepts that arise in the meditation. So she asked Milarepa about this.

Milarepa said that when you meditate on mind as space, clouds will arise. But they will just vanish back into the sky. When you meditate on mind as mountain, do not grasp at the bushes. When you meditate the mind as ocean, the wave seem powerful, but they have the same nature as the ocean and disappear back into it. Similarly when a emotion arises, recognise its nature and it will disappear back into the mind. Sometimes emotions or feelings of bliss arise and they are very strong. When anger arises, do not speak in anger. Just recognise it and slowly it will get smaller. One day you will be able to liberate afflictive emotions as they arise.

Practicing in this way, the young woman, Nyama Paldarbum, did not go into mountain retreat or shave her head. She remained a householder and was able to attain the rainbow body. So we should study her story.

Another disciple of Milarepa was named Ngigum Repa. He got the name of repa because he was accomplished in tummo and only needed to wear a cotton cloth. He asked Milarepa how to train the mind. Mila replied, you have to look at the nature of the mind. Its essence is unelaborated like space, neither existing or not. Nothing need to be done with it, it simply abides. This is how I practice. Mind’s essence is unelaborated like space. When one leaves it like it is one realises the nature of all phenomena. Things still arise but one does not grasp after them and realises that they cannot harm one. To realise all phenomena as empty is difficult. We must rely first on study and investigation and by reading scriptures. First one depends on the understanding of listening and one still has a sense of self and other, But when one looks at the nature of the mind, one realises it has no true existence. Then you realise that your grasping has no basis.

This is difficult to understand for beginners. When you say a person is empty of self nature, they will say you are stupid. But when you understand the nature of one person, you will understand the nature of all beings. When you ask if someone is a person, they will say yes. But when you ask if a corpse is a person, they will say no, the mind is the person. But when you investigate the mind, what is it? The Buddha says it is just like a dream. When we go to sleep we wake up and say the dream was not real. This present life exists just like a dream. After we die, when we wake up we will be in the bardo state. Then if one has understood that outer phenomena will all be destroyed because they are all compounded phenomena and are impermanent and that inner phenomena are also impermanent, the mind will become calm and be at ease. Scientists know that the outer phenomena will be destroyed. But the mind will never go out of existence. If one realises all phenomena are impermanent, one will have no grasping or fear. So Milarepa has taught that there is no difference between happiness and suffering. When one does not grasp at phenomena, the mind will remain clear and unstained. When one realises this, the wish to meditate also disappears. One’s mind just remains as it is, abiding like space. One recognises the mind to be the mind of the buddha and one is beyond thoughts of practicing or not practicing. An example for all sentient beings being buddha is water. When it is used to wash clothing, it becomes dirty. But though it is dirty, it is still water. It can be filtered to make it pure again. Through practicing our mind can be purified and become the mind of Buddha again.

When someone says I am a not a Buddhist and do not need this teaching, explain to them that the Buddhist view is just that the Buddha is inherent in the mind of all sentient beings. If someone says I cannot attain enlightenment, that cannot be, because the cause is in the mind in all beings. Even all outer phenomena are Buddha because they are empty.

[machielove]

Letting go of your ego is like clenching your hand into a fist, having done this so much you think your holding something but when you forget to clench and the hand opens it is seen nothing was held in the first place… In other words letting go is not something you do the clenching is… ❤️

Clenching, rigidly holding on to thoughts, emotions and concepts, desperately trying to get things right, I, I, I, can make myself happy without end, become Enlightened or whatever you call it, NO, allow letting go, allow the hand to open up…

#Love #LettingGo #Clenching #Fist #Awakening #Liberation #Enlightenment

[machielove]

In Self-enquiry or the sincere question Who Am I? Why do we bother with the thoughts? it is not there in deep sleep yet what you are still exists then. Why do we bother about the waking body, if we are it or not, does one ever wonder in deep sleep? it is not there in deep sleep yet what you are still exists then. Why do we bother about others? Do we ever worry about others or what they have said in deep sleep? it is not there in deep sleep yet what you are still exists then.. Why do we bother about what the world is like or if it's real or not, have you ever seen the world in deep sleep? it is not there in deep sleep yet what you are still exists then. In the same way with the dream self and world. How about what we call I in waking, the ego, where has it gone then? Why bother about "I" if it disappears at some times and reappears later? It Is not really existent in absolute reality which is the "goal" of the enquiry. This does not mean deep sleep is the absolute reality for waking, dreaming and deep sleep alternate and the absolute reality does not alternate, the absolute is beyond all that so it has been called "the fourth state" and then to indicate it's not a state they go further call it "beyond the fourth". All of no help for the ego, the reader itself, the writer does not realize, go beyond it if you enquire don't bother about these things it is not about doing. Further life goes on :)

#self-realization #self knowledge #self-inquiry #self-enquiry #enlightenment #no-self #self-investigation #unchanging #infinite #self-shining

[machielove]

This means that at earlier times objects would have been closer together.In fact, it seemed that there was a time about ten or twenty thousand million years ago when they were all at exactly the same place.~Edwin Hubble. Meaning everyone you've ever known everyone that ever existed is one thing then and now; your not different from the universe are you? Like a rolled up piece of paper, whether it is rolled up or rolled out it is still one thing.

[machielove]

That all is but your state of mind

Knowing then that all is empty, That all is but your state of mind; And that your mind is empty too, Remain within the dharmatatu In the state of even meditation, Then make the dedication Knowing everything to be illusory. ~Longchenpa

#longchenpa #dharmatatu #buddha #mind #enlightenment #buddha-nature

[machielove]

Mahavakyas (great sayings that proclaim our real identity): Jesus: I am, That I am. The Kingdom of God is within you. Moses was told by God to say: I am has sent me to you. Vedas; Aitareya Upanishad: Prajnanam Brahman [Pure Awareness is Brahman]; Mandukya Upanishad; Ayam Atma Brahman [This Self is Brahman]; Chandokya Upanishad; Tat Tvam Asi [That You Are]; Brhadaranyaka Upanishad; Aham Brahmasmi [.I am Brahman] Where the last four are only an aid to the Knowledge I am I which can only be realized through the Inquiry Who Am I? 

What is the nature, source or first principle of "I" or "ego? Where have I come from or am I born from? Where is this I or ego in deep sleep? Look for it not to actually find some[thing] but to realize You are beyond the one who could find or not find already and when the concept of i or the idea "I am the body turns out to be a formless fanthom like the snake seen in a rope turns out to never have been really there except as an illusion.

#Self-inquiry #Brahman #who am i? #Self-realization #Liberation #enlightenment #ramana maharshi #jesus #vedas #upanishads #I am I #the kingdom of god is within you

[machielove]

If I can fall away in sleep (dose of with no experience of world or time or space or thoughts and without me) then who am I?! That One that is still there when I'm gone. I cannot be both.

#deep sleep #self-inquiry #awakening #non-duality #advaita #liberation #enlightenment

[machielove]

RAMESH BALSEKAR

The nature of the mind-intellect is to project itself outwardtowards the acquisition of knowledgeabout the universe and its functioning.But knowledge can only be of what is itself illusory and unreal.The pursuit of such knowledge merely prolongs ignorancethrough continuation of the false identity of the knower.Unless this process is reversed and the inquiry has turned inward, the discovery of man’s true nature andthe true nature of the universe cannot even begin.*****************All phenomena are the objective expression of the subjective ‘I’.Before, during, and after the illusion of existence,there is only one REALITY.

https://www.godbrahmanistheoceanofloveandconsciousnessdivinityis.com/2021/12/ramesh-balsekar.html

[machielove]

As long as there is someone there who knows he is liberated, enlightened or Self-realized it is still a personal thing to achieve or something you need to keep up.

#noself #nonself #annata #liberation #awakening #Self-realization #enlightenment

[machielove]

Everything is emanating from your own Self yet is your own Self…

#Everything #Self #Brahman

[machielove]

you are the Unborn

I am the Unborn and Uncreated, Unmanifest bodyless Permanent Eternal Self of all. Never the born and created, manifest impermanent body which will perish, neither am I the conceptual ego. Know this by looking into the question Who am I? And looking at your Self alone, excluding everything that has appeared, so that everything that is not Self falls away and like that have experiental Knowledge that I am Unborn.

#Self-realization #Awakening #Liberation #Self-inquiry #Nonduality #Advaita #Unborn

[machielove]

Identity

Adi Shankaracharya - Vivekachudamani 447. Through the realisation of one’s identity with Brahman, all the accumulated actions of a hundred crore of cycles come to nought, like the actions of dream-state on awakening.

#adi shankaracharya #brahman #Self #Nonduality #Advaita #liberation awakening #Enlightenment

[machielove]

#Arunachala

[machielove]

Nothing ever manifest

There is nothing ever really manifest, like the snake seen in a rope or a garden hose and the mirage in a desert are not really ever manifest. Everything appears and disappears upon the screen of the Unmanifested like the images on a cinema screen, wars happen, fires happen floods happen, explosions, romances whatever but was the screen ever affected? Does it ever burn or get wet?  In the same way you as your body and the world you live in and all the experiences “good” or “bad” come and go as it were on that Screen. But like the images on a cinema screen it is never separate from this Screen.

#enlightenment #liberation #awakening #self-realization #self-inquiry #self knowledge #nonduality #advaita

[machielove]

To do or not to do

Every teaching, any method and all description ignores the fact there is no one to do or not do, that there are not two; one to realize the other.

#Self-inquiry #Self-realization #One without a second #Liberation #Awakening #Enligtenment #Nonduality #Advaita