Conception of identity.

When my nature is not understood and the phenomena

that manifest from me become the object of judgement, 

desire and attachment give rise to the creation of concrete vision

that is impermanent and destined to vanish like a magical apparition.

Then one becomes like a blind man who does not know what is happening.

From the Supreme Source, Kunjed Gyalpo 

The primordial state, our own pure awareness, has three characteristics. Being unborn, it is originally pure emptiness. Being unceasing, it is clearly apparent as the variety of phenomena. Being responsive, it is great compassion beyond effort or action. 

Not understanding the true nature of the mind and all phenomena as being empty of inherent existence we conceive of the differences between mind and what is appearing to mind. The unceasing clarity of the mind not being recognized as our own display, we give birth to identity. Reifying subjective awareness gives birth to dualistic consciousness and forms the very basis for ego and self-grasping. Reifying appearances gives birth to a concrete reality that continually evolves as the play of dependent origination. 

Stuck in dualistic perception, we have no choice but to cycle through repetitive loop of conditioned existence. The only way to break the cycle is to fully understand the very nature of our own mind, which is inseparable from the nature of reality itself. 

Fully understand dukkha, the human predicament by contemplating the nature of the five skandhas and the three marks of existence. Let go of whatever is arising and learn to rest in the natural state. Resting in the authentic condition of the nature of mind, actualize pure awareness, the primordial state of being free from birth and death.

Bardo.

བར་དོ་
Tibetan: bardo
English: intermediate state, in-between, gap

The bardo is a commonly used term to refer to the gap between lives, that in-between state where one life has ended and the other has yet to begin. 

The bardo is often a terrifying state. 

We don't feel comfortable there.  We are propelled by all of our past actions and intentions, but we have lost our previous form.  We have yet to take a new form, so we feel as though we have lost our ground. 

Our mind grasps after illusory appearances, hoping to find something that sticks, something that we can become.  We yearn for form. 

We yearn for what is next.

Fundamentally, this is the mind grasping at experience.  Fixating on identity, we suffer in the bardo. 

This experience is similar to one's practice in meditation.  In meditation we experience all of our past thoughts, actions and feelings.  We experience fixation on our body, its sensations and pain.  The practice is to learn to let go.  To let them be as they are. 

As thoughts and emotions arise, we recognize them as the play of the mind and learn to relax.  As appearances entice us, we learn to let them fall away.  As hope and doubt stir, we rest in ease and contentment. 

This helps us maintain freedom in the bardo.  We can abide there, timelessly, content and at peace. 

And at some point we will see a form unfold in which we can make an impact, be generous, benefit others and fulfill our intention. 

At that moment we enter the bardo of becoming and we take on a new life. 

At that moment we arise from our meditation. 

What are you?

You have a physical appearance, but you are not your appearance.
You have feelings, but you are not your feelings.
You have thoughts and ideas, but you are not your thoughts and ideas.
You have perceptions, but you are not your perceptions.
You have experiences, but you are not your experiences.
You have habits, but you are not your habits.
You have preferences, but you are not your preferences. 
You have consciousness, but you are not your consciousness.
You have an 'I', but you are not your 'I'.

So what are you?

We bind ourselves when we get caught up in appearances.  But we are not those appearances.

We are naturally liberated.  Natural Buddhas.  

Where do you stand?

If you maintain a position, by default you have created insiders and outsiders.  You have people for you and people against you.  You defend your allies and disparage your enemies. 

In order to maintain that position you need to exert a lot of effort.  You need to continually engage in a battle between hope and fear.  Maintaining your position becomes a part of your identity, who you are, you become your position and your position becomes you. 

And yet none of this is real. 

It is only real as long as we continue to invest in the stance and the ground we hold onto.  As we loosen our fixation to our own position, the duality between allies and enemies starts to dissolve.  You see your allies position and can understand it, but you also see you enemies position and can understand it.  You may see that neither stance is right, and for you it doesn't need to be.

Seeing all positions and not fixating on your own, there is a chance that you might do real work.  There is a chance that you might be of some benefit to others and find your own work meaningful.   

Middle Way between extremes

Can you rest between extremes?

Between
existence and non-existence,
eternalism and nihilism,
acceptance and rejection,
affirmation and denial,
real and unreal,
hope and fear,
right and wrong,
good and bad,
beginning and end,
something and nothing.

Where is the middle between
'I got it' and 'I don't have it',
'This is it' and 'this is not it',
'This is good' and 'this is bad',
'Yes' and 'No'.

The Buddha taught that any fixed position that we take is the result of ignorance and the cause of future suffering.  Whenever you establish a ground, you are forced to defend that ground.  The need to defend yourself, your views, identity, culture, lifestyle; your very existence- creates a lot of problems.  The short list is fear, uncertainty, doubt and guilt; on the flip side arrogance, anger, power, manipulation and exploitation.

The middle way between extremes is the practice of groundlessness.  You could compare it to learning how to surf or float on water.  At first it might seem impossible, but with practice you discover that groundlessness can effortlessly carry much more weight and without all of the friction and stress of having a ground. 







 

How does transformation occur?

What is the basis for transformation?  How does it happen?

Is it a miracle?  An act of god?  Is it luck or simply a chance occurrence?

When we talk about transformation we need to look closely at what is being transformed.  Our habitual mode of relating with reality is to ascribe identity and characteristics to things.

This is a car.  It is a blue Ford.  Leather seats, fancy gadgets.  That is what it is.

We don't really question this version of reality.  This is the world and that is just the way it is.
Or is it?

When we break a car apart, we end up with a bunch of parts and pieces.  Are they collectively still 'car'?  I don't think anyone looking at a pile of parts and pieces would call them a car.  So when does 'car' come into being, and when does it cease to exist?  At which point in the dis-assembly do we go from having a car to not having a car?  It is kind of a weird question to think about.

In our life, when we encounter a problem, where is the problem exactly?  If we take apart the problem into pieces, is it still there? When we come down with illness or disease, we get stuck on the permanence of that disease.  Is it really permanent?  Will it ever change?  Is there something we can do to change it or are we simply a choice-less victim?  

Who we are, the quality of our mind, our well being and identity; all these are in a constant state of flux.  It may not be readily apparent, but time and the impermanent nature of all things has already shown this to be true.  We already have this knowledge.  

Reality is not fixed.  It is not permanent.  Our minds are not fixed, they are not permanent.  If we understand that the basis of all things is impermanent, changeable and dynamic, transformation becomes possible.  Actually change and transformation are happening all the time, day and night.  If we are able to use discernment, insight and clarity we can actually impact that change.  Through intention we can transform negative situations into strengths, we can transmute the pain and suffering of our present circumstance into an opportunity to show others how to walk this path. 

Do you think this is impossible?  I'll show you that it's not. That is what we are doing here.  Our life is the example.  We are the example.  How do you transform the ordinary into the extra-ordinary?  How do you transform the mundane aspects of your life into something meaningful?

Don't confuse transformation with being magical.  The real magic lies in its simplicity.  The extraordinary starts out as ordinary.  Transformation isn't about turning iron into gold, it is about turning your life as it is right now, into a life of great purpose.  It is about transforming your mind and your intention.

And it is possible.   

UFOs

 

Show someone a UFO and they are captivated.  Their curiosity is ignited and they search for an answer to what it is.  What is that thing?

We are uncomfortable in mystery. 

But provide an explanation, resolve the mystery and identify the object as it is and that same very thing becomes uninteresting.  A rationale and logical identification removes all curiosity, why pay further attention to that which we already know?

UFOs are interesting because they are unidentified, yet day in and day out we seek to identify everything.  The question that might be worth pursuing is are our labels correct?  Do we correctly identify things, people and the world around us and then through that identity write them off as uninteresting.  

What if the people we encounter and the world around us broke out of the box we have put them in?  Would our relationships be more interesting if we were actually curious about the person sitting across from us?  Would our day be more fulfilling if we were free from our perception of what the day was going to be before it even started?

If we break out of identity, the world and the people we meet become a mystery.  We are once again borne of curiosity, begging to take a deeper look and keep exploring. 

Time to break out of the box. 


Photo courtesy www.ufosightingsdaily.com

Powerboat

Ours is a culture of achievement.  We wrap ourselves in a nice cocoon of materialism, image and identity.  These form the basis for how we interact with the world around us.

Our habit is to control.  We strive to get where we are going as quickly as possible.  In this sense we all want to travel the quick path, the powerboat that carries us to the far shore with the wind in our hair.  We trust that the boat has everything we need to get us where we want to go.  Oh, and we want to look good doing it.

Our habits form over long periods of time as a coping mechanism to deal with the world.  We have a lot of learned behaviors, some good, some bad; but we should examine our habits and determine if they actually bring our intended result.

Does control, materialism and achievement fulfill our aims?  Are you satisfied?

How does a sailboat travel to its destination?  What story does that tell?