𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦: "𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬"

IT IS NOT THERE - AND NEVER WAS

"If you are not convinced that you behave emotionally as if you had a lasting, single and independent self, then it is important to address yourself to this issue before moving on to consider the doctrine of not-self.

Think carefully about pain and suffering and ask yourself who or what it is that is suffering. Who is afraid of what will happen ; who feels bad about what has happened ; why does death seem such a threat when the present disappears every moment, scarcely having had a chance to arise?

You will find that your thinking is full of contradictions, inconsistencies and irresolv­able paradoxes. This is normal. Everyone (except, perhaps, the insane) have a common sense notion of what or who they are which works (more or less) and enables them to function as normal human beings.

However, when the meditator addresses himself to what or who this self is, he cannot find it.

Then gradually, very gradually, it dawns on him that the reason he cannot find it is that it is not there and never was."

~ Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

From: "Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness"

"𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 — 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐡𝐚-𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞."

"If you believe there is a thing called mind, it is just a thought. If you believe there is no thing called mind, it’s just another thought. Your natural state, free of any kind of thought about it—that is buddha-nature. In ordinary sentient beings, this natural state is carried away by thinking, caught up in thought. Involvement in thinking is like a heavy chain that weighs you down. Now it is time to be free from that chain. The moment you shatter the chain of thinking, you are free from the three realms of samsara.

"In this entire world, there is nothing superior to or more precious than knowing how to break this chain. Even if you were to scan the entire world, or piece by piece put it through a sieve in an attempt to find something more precious, you’d come up with nothing. None of the Buddhas of the past, present, and future have discovered an instruction that is more profound or more direct in attaining enlightenment. To ask for teachings on the nature of mind means to understand how to recognize mind nature.

"At the moment of recognizing your mind essence leave it in naturalness, simply as it is. If you keep striking the bell, the sound is interrupted by the effort. Just leave that recognition be without altering it. That is the way to not lose the continuity. Soon enough, the recognition will vanish by itself. As beginners, naturally we will forget after a bit. We don’t need to try to prevent that or guard against it with great effort. Once distracted, again recognize. That is the training."

by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 — 𝐓𝐮𝐥𝐤𝐮 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐩 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐞

The need for dualistic practice

Tulku Thondup Rinpoche

"Why do we need dualistic practices, such as generating merit, to reach a state that transcends duality? Because we have to start from where we are. Our mind’s true nature is covered by karmic turbulence caused by our grasping at self and our negative mental habits. “Grasping at a self” refers to the way we grasp at mental objects as truly existing, perceiving them dualistically as subject and object. The aspect of our mind that perceives this way is conceptual mind. Conceptual mind and the true nature of mind are like the surface and depths of the ocean: The surface is choppy with wind-tossed waves; beneath it is still and peaceful.

"Most of us can’t glimpse into the depths, our true nature, because our conceptual mind is constantly churning out turbulence. Grasping at self tricks us, like a nightmare, into believing that we are separate from the world and each other. This triggers negative emotions, from craving and anxiety to jealousy and aggression, which spill out into unhealthy words and actions.

"Every dualistic perception, every negative thought, feeling, word, and deed, leaves a negative karmic imprint in our conceptual mind that walls us off from our true nature. On the other hand, positive mentalities leave positive karmic imprints that open our mind, loosen grasping at self, and thin out the barriers to our true nature.

"As long as we have dualistic concepts and emotions, the world is solid to us. Our suffering is all too real. Circumstances matter. If our surroundings are chaotic, it will be hard to find tranquillity. If we experience peace and joy, however, we will be inspired to generate even more peace and joy. Then whatever we say and do will be the words and deeds of joy and peace. We progressively loosen our grasping at self, and eventually we glimpse the luminous nature of our mind. If we perfect this realization, we uproot grasping at self and become fully awakened."

– Tulku Thondup Rinpoche

𝐂𝐡ö𝐠𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐢 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐮 ... 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐭 𝐁𝐞 𝐀𝐬 𝐈𝐭 𝐈𝐬

"Just as Water, if you don’t stir it, will become clear.

"Remember the well-known Tibetan proverb that says, 'If you do not stir the water, it will become transparent by itself.'

"Therefore, if you find yourself in a state of confusion or other troubling state, don't change it. It's just that simple.

"Peace and bliss arise if you do not change your mind but leave it as it is.

"All the different meditation instructions are only a number of ways to reach a moment of courage, sincerity and warm atmosphere in which you can let yourself go."

— Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ....

 

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐉𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 ...

 

As clear an overview and insight on the war in Ukraine as you'll find. Cut through the propaganda and get the facts on the historical context ...

Professor Jeffrey Sachs Addresses European Parliament February 19, 2025

𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧: 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩’𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

Victor Davis Hanson overview of transition from Obama/Biden to Trump.

𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐍’𝐓 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓? - 𝐊𝐨𝐝𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐢

WHY HASN’T HUMANITY 

PROGRESSED IN THE LEAST?

The modern world musters up all of its knowledge just to run down a dead end street.

People were idiots in the old days too. They wasted a fortune in gold and manpower building castles. And what was it all for? To bicker with each other. Today, people are even dumber. They build atomic and hydrogen bombs in order to erase humanity with one push of a button.

How is it that humanity itself, unlike its science, hasn’t progressed in the least?

- Kodo Sawaki, To You

"... 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠" — 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐍𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐣

 

"𝐃𝐳𝐨𝐠𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧" ... 𝐂𝐡ö𝐠𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐢 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐮

Dzogchen doesn’t ask you to change your religion, philosophy or ideology, nor to become something other than what you are. It only asks you to observe yourself and to discover the ‘cage’ you have built with all your conditioning and limits. In fact Dzogchen teaches us how to regain that freedom of being which we all have in potentiality. “Freedom” in this case means a state in which we are no longer conditioned by dualism, by judgements, by the passions and by everything we believe in. One might ask, “But what is then left of a person?” Pure presence, uncontaminated clarity, like that of a mirror that reflects everything, which is the true treasure of mankind

- Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

𝐙𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐩!

"The monks that teachers must deal with today are generally ignorant, stubborn, unmotivated types who aren't even up to sitting through a single stick of incense. They teach these people and nurse them along with tender care.

"But they might as well take load of dead cow-heads, line them up, and try to get them to eat grass. The teachers muck about, doing this and trying that, endeavoring to get these fellows free of themselves. Instead, they end up saddling them with an enormous load of shit. Then they sanction them, give them fine certificates of enlightenment, and loose them upon the world. The difference between such 'teachers' and priests like Ling-yu and Chih-kuan is a difference of mud and cloud."

- Hakuin, Essential Zen

- Hakuin Ekaku (1686 - 1769) possessed an unusual ability to convey the meaning of Zen to large numbers of people from all classes and religions. Though he chose to work at a small temple in the countryside, he was frequently invited to lecture, and his writings were published, eventually bringing him fame. His writings could be rough, humorous, or sometimes even shocking, intended to rouse his followers from their complacency into a deeper contemplation of religion and spiritual life. His copious writings continue to maintain pivotal importance within the Rinzai Zen sect. His work, both as spiritual leader and as painter, had a profound effect on all subsequent Zen study and Zen painting.