Call to presence.

What is reminds you to be open, available and receptive?

When you get caught up in thoughts, emotions and busyness, how do you break free from the cycle of reactivity?

Try an experiment with me.

Any time you see a red dot, recognize it as a call to presence. In Tibetan you might call this a red thigle, but for our purposes any old red spherical object will do.

🔴

Whenever you see a red dot, take a moment to see it suspended within the expanse of your awareness. Like a red orb suspended in space, ornamenting your awareness. Rest in that open, expansive presence free of elaboration. Rest a moment and carry that openness with you as you go about your day.

You will get caught up in mind again. Don't worry. More red dots await you. Maybe buy some small red stickers and put them in places that you frequent. It will be like planting seeds of awareness in a battlefield of confusion. 

Waking up can be fun, an infinite game in which everyone wins. Go adorn your world with authentic presence.  

Hallmark of the Buddha's teachings.

There are many benefits to meditation- increased attention and self-awareness, decreased reactivity to negative thoughts and emotions, the ability to manage and self-regulate strong emotions, and the ability to work with difficult situations in our life. Each of these benefits is significant and important for developing a healthy mind and for being self-reliant in a challenging world.

The Buddha's teachings rely heavily on meditation, but it is insight into the true nature of your mind that is really the hallmark of the wisdom of the Buddha. The Buddha saw that the key to changing our minds and living a life of great purpose was tied to realizing emptiness or selflessness, or the interconnectedness of all things. This insight into selflessness fundamentally changes our perspective of who we are and the nature of the world around us.

The experience of emptiness or selflessness is not one of loss. It is not a blank void. It is not an experience of aloneness or meaninglessness. The realization of emptiness is also the realization of interconnectedness, which is the experience of fullness. There are many signs that we may experience upon realizing this wisdom of emptiness, such as awe, connection, love, openness, oneness, ineffability. There wisdom itself is utterly beyond description because it is beyond the confines of 'this' or 'that', and 'it is' or 'it is not'.

Even a glimpse of selflessness gives rise to more openness and empathy. Openness encompasses appreciation and receptivity, creativity and imagination, as well as tolerance of others opinions and values. That openness gives rise to more empathy and compassion for others. It engenders kindness, generosity and love for others as we move about our day.

The benefit of realizing the wisdom of selflessness is that it awakens our heart and mind and gives our life a sense of direction and purpose. We can navigate the world with a broader perspective and find space for reconciliation and resolution. All of the problems in the world, all of the conflict, opposition, contradictions; they all arise from taking rigid and confined positions based on our own perspective. Selflessness opens the door to a more inclusive and integrated understanding of the world around us and our place in it. 

There are many benefits to meditation, but the benefits of insight and wisdom into our true nature are even more significant and impactful. They bring benefit not only to our own life, but to the communities and neighborhoods in which we live.

Naturally abiding.

རང་གནས་
Tibetan: rang-nay
English: naturally abiding, indwelling, naturally present, self-sustaining

Having come to a place of rest in our meditation, the next instruction involves how to sustain or maintain that continuity.

Initially when we have come to a place of rest, or rang-bab, we encounter tension and stray into mind and mental states. The instruction here is to simply recognize that, and again let go. Rang-bab.

The second instruction in order to maintain the continuity of that state is to recognize mind as illusory.

Mind encompasses not only mental states but all sensory experience. All is mind.  The play of mind and mental states are the illusory play of phenomena, the unceasing unfolding of reality at this very moment. By applying the instruction to recognize mind as illusory, we can learn to rest with ease in the illusory play of emptiness in which luminous clarity naturally unfolds free from acceptance or rejection.

As we learn to naturally abide, rang-nay, the unceasing play of emptiness unfolds and gives rise to various experiences of bliss, clarity and non-conceptuality. Do not cling to those experiences or chase after them. Simply recognize them as the illusory play of mind, no matter how shiny or enjoyable they are. Recognize them as ornaments of your practice and simply let them be as they are. When we gain familiarity working with appearances in this way, we recognize them as free in their own place, rangdrol. With no effort or contrivance on our part, everything is naturally liberated just as it is and we continue in a state of naturally abiding equipoise.

Applying the instruction of recognizing mind as illusory in our meditation allows us to maintain the continuity of this indwelling, naturally present awareness and to draw out or reveal the natural clarity of the mind, which is the third stage of rang-sal, in which we reveal and recognize the lucid clarity of awareness itself.

.   .   .   .   .   .

A reminder to register for our upcoming daylong meditation retreat- resting in the nature of mind. We will be practicing these methods of resting in the natural state and receiving more detailed instruction on these methods. 

Distinguishing mind and awareness.

When resting in the natural state it is crucial that you distinguish between resting in mind and resting in awareness. If there is any struggle, any tension, any effort or striving, you can be sure that you are still resting in mind. If you are utterly relaxed in an open, expansive presence free from reference point, then you have relaxed into the natural state and can reveal the lucid clarity of awareness.

Recognize how you deviate into mind's play of appearances. Recognize how you get hooked by thoughts or feelings. The essence of deviating from awareness is a diminished presence. Whenever we are resting in the natural state and we start to fixate, reify or grasp to our experience, that is deviation and the result is a diminished presence in which we enter into mind and mental states.

Recognize the straying. Recognize the tension or struggle setting in. Then let go. There is no other method. There are a lot of other methods involving mind, but by relying on mental fabrication we cannot escape the cage of conceptuality.

Once we can rest in the natural state by simply letting go, we need instruction on how to maintain that state. Have settled naturally, we need to maintain the continuity of that natural state, which is the next instruction on rang-nay, or naturally abiding.

Honesty.

Many of us try to be honest with others, to be a credible and reliable friend, partner and professional. Equally important though is to be honest with ourselves.

Being honest with ourselves requires openness and vulnerability. It sits us down with tenderness and awkwardness, makes us look at the everyday ordinariness of our condition. And embrace it.

We often chase after the highest, best, most profound, most amazing things, but what might be most useful is to come to terms with who we are and our natural state of being free from all the hopes and projections.

Simply being open to the present moment of our natural condition opens the doorway to the path of liberation. Being honest with ourselves is a prerequisite for being awake.

The importance of regular retreats.

A retreat forms an integral part of the cycle of a practitioner's life. To retreat means to step out of the deep ruts of our normal daily life and encounter the world anew. Imagine skiing in the mountains after a fresh snowfall, where we are no longer conditioned by the well worn tracks of the inner landscape of our mind. We see the opportunity available to us in new ways and in a new light.

A retreat is not something new but forms part of an old tradition of reconnecting with what is most sacred in life. What we now think of as 'holidays' were holy days, during which we devoted time and energy to the sacred. The modern day idea of vacation means to leave behind or vacate, again the idea of stepping outside of our normal routine and daily habits.

There is something deep in our psyche which longs for renewal and rejuvenation. Many people all over the world embark on pilgrimages to seek out and reconnect with this sacred way of being. That renewal happens when the unseen becomes seen, when that which has gone unrecognized becomes apparent.

The point of that journey isn't to have some great experience, but to rediscover the very ground of our being and to arrive at the center of which that very journey unfolds. Often we find ourselves reminiscing about the good ole days, but what we truly long for is a genuine path that leads to pure presence, in which we can tap into the wellspring of our own renewal and reconnect with the openness, generosity, and kindness that give our life purpose and meaning.

Practice first.

To-do:

1. Practice.
2.

The top of your to-do list should always be practice. This doesn't mean that it needs to be the first thing that you do each day, but that it is your main priority.

Practice isn't just your seated practice. The practice that we are talking about involves meditation and post-meditation, or your formal sitting practice and then the rest of your daily life.

Meditation is the obvious part. Pick a time of the day to sit and meditate. Rest in the natural state. Recognize the nature of your own mind and rest in a pure, open presence.

The difficult part is carrying that openness and presence into your daily life in the post-meditation session. How do you work with problems and difficulties that are coming up in your day? How do you engage with other people? What do you do when you find yourself caught up in projection or tuning out? How do you work with hesitation, doubt and fear? How do you act when you see an opportunity to be generous and kind?

Every part of your day is calling you to be more deeply present in the world that you occupy. You can always find ways to be patient, kind and understanding in your daily life- which is why practice is always your first priority.

Litmus test.

As our practice evolves we move through various periods of growth, learning and change. In the beginning, we don't notice much change. Our progress seems slow and inconsequential. We might feel that during our meditation we can maintain our focus and presence, but off the cushion we still feel swept away by circumstances.

In the middle of our practice, we see some change has occurred. We are more focused and less reactive. We are able to maintain a sense of openness and balance amidst difficult situations. We start to have more insights into our own situation and the world at large. We see and experience this change, but it also comes and goes. Some days we can maintain our equipoise and composure, some days we fall off the horse.

The end result of our practice is that we experience enduring and lasting changes to who we are and how we move through the world. We are able to navigate our daily lives with balance and openness. We enjoy lasting states of kindness, patience and ease. Our practice has fundamentally changed our life.

The litmus test of our practice is our daily life. The drama and tumult that we experience on a day to day basis is the very measure of our achievement.

Can we maintain our awareness and composure? Do we get swept away in our negative self-talk and emotions? Can we be present in the face of uncertainty? When presented with the opportunity to be generous and kind, do we share our gifts?

You are the practice. Every step is the way.

Pointing out.

Sitting here,
resting in the myriad display of appearances,
the unceasing luminosity of the ground
appears as the infinite play of dependent origination.
This energetic expression
points to the ground,
yet there is no ground.
Simply resting in complete openness,
utterly beyond all thought or description,
the unceasing dance of spontaneous presence
naturally unfolds,
revealing the single sphere of awareness
in which everything is inseparable-
kayas and wisdoms,
samsara and nirvana.
With nothing more to do,
and nothing to attain,
there is only the timeless freedom
of unborn bodhicitta.

Can you rest in open presence when all the conditions are right?

You aspire to be more generous, more patient and kind. You value kindness and compassion. You put effort into cultivating right view and understanding.

What holds you back from practicing those all the time?

Negative emotions. Stressful situations. Difficult relationships and interactions. Our own self judgement, hope and fear. Our thoughts and ideas about how things should be or could be.

There are lots of reasons why we start to close down. It is easy to slip into narrow and confined states of mind.

Our daily practice of meditation gives us an opportunity to rest in open presence, to familiarize ourselves with our values and inner qualities. If we can learn to rest in open presence, even for a moment, then we will have more opportunity to recognize those qualities in our daily life.

It's a simple question, with profound impact.

Rest, newly found.

We all need a break. We all appreciate downtime and a chance to unplug and relax. The constancy of our lives can be exhausting. We are all weary travelers in search of a place to rest and refresh.

Normally, we conceive of rest as going on a vacation, enjoying a free weekend, maybe a nice mountain cottage or beach getaway. Rest is often sought outside of us.

When we talk about bringing the mind to rest, we are learning to rest in a new way. In meditation we are learning to rest in our own nature, the nature of our mind and the nature of reality. This type of rest definitely involves turning inwards, but it also involves opening up. Resting in this way, we first appreciate the natural peace, joy and fullness of our own nature. Gradually, layer after layer of our own projection and protection start unfold and release, revealing more openness, contentment and well-being. 

This type of rest is entirely remote to us, yet is always accessible. We don't need to travel to far off or exotic regions, we don't need to plan for an extensive leave or gather all kinds of right circumstances. We simply need to sit.

Unpaid debt.

In the past, others have benefited us greatly and we have only brought them harm. In our search for control, status and well being, we have indiscriminately left others behind, turned our backs on them or exploited them for our gain.

We owe them a great deal, yet the debt has not been paid.

We owe karmic debts to the living and deceased.  To those whom we have accidently harmed, broken their trust, stolen from, beaten or killed.  That debt weighs us on, we can feel its burden and often feel trapped by its presence.  That debt continues to define our present experience, influencing the choices we make, the habit patterns we play out and the neurotic behavior that we pretend isn't there.

We will continue to feel our karmic debts pulling on us in unhealthy ways as long as they are not settled. The process of resolving our debts starts with forgiveness, generosity and learning to rest in openness.

Forgiveness is an act of acknowledgement and a claiming of responsibility.
Generosity is a willingness to be present and to benefit others, to repay their kindness.
Openness is the practice of acknowledging and letting go of whatever it is that we are holding onto, in all of the nooks and crannies of our mind.

Our debts will never be completely resolved, but we can do our best to repay them. That opportunity is always available to us. 

Bigger than that.

Be bigger than what you are going through.

You can accommodate this situation you find yourself in.  You can remain open to it.  You are able to listen, to bear its weight.  You can stand the gravity of these conditions.

If your mind cannot be bigger than the situation you will be crushed and overwhelmed.  It will be too much.  You won't be able to tolerate what you are going through.  You won't accept it and won't be willing to participate.  I can't get involved, I can't do this. 

This is easy to judge for yourself.  Just look at your mind, your reaction.  Look at how you respond.

The way to a bigger mind is compassion.  It starts with your concern being bigger than yourself.  Broaden your horizon.

The end is an open, expansive mind that is able to accommodate anything, like space.  Overwhelm situations through complete and utter openness, and everything is carried as the path. 

Missing the fullness.

If you have been around meditation circles long enough you will start to hear people say, "Meditation is boring, and that's just part of the experience."

Well, that's kind of true.

Once the monkey mind settles down and you achieve some kind of calm abiding or shamatha meditation, meditation itself can seem kind of boring.  You have passed one milestone and settled into some kind of space, but you are missing one key ingredient.

Compassion.

Compassion you say?  Of course I have compassion and generate the wish to benefit others through my practice.

Well, that's also kind of true.

You have the aspiration, but are you actually embodying compassion?  Free from a physical act, what does compassion look like?

Openness embodied.  Without center or limit, free of all reference points and elaboration.

Openness embodied is alive.  It is vibrant, luminous.  A spacious expanse.  It is blissful, full.

The state of completely open awareness is the embodiment of grace.  Grace, embodied.

Recognize boredom for what it is, a reference point for you and your experience.  Get a bigger bucket.  

Compassion.

She is open, responsive, all-embracing.
She is without border or limit.
She is receptive, always available, even vulnerable.
She has a natural grace, a timeless presence.
Naturally radiant yet confidently grounded,
she is compassion.
As compassion she abides.

Her activity is her expression,
yet she is fully manifest without action.

Wisdom and compassion

As we train in openness, we learn to dance with fear.

We learn to work with fixation, with where we are stuck.
We learn to shed light on our doubt and uncertainty.
We see where we are holding onto a ground, protecting ourselves.
We become more tolerant, more willing to hang with discomfort.
We are raw, exposed, vulnerable.

As we break through fixation, grasping and vulnerability,
we open up to the wisdom of selflessness.

Abiding in the wisdom of selflessness,
one knows peace of mind, an inner calm and wealth.

There is a bit of a danger that one could become attached to that state of peaceful quiescence,
which is why it is important to practice compassion.

Compassion gives the wisdom of selflessness form.
It gives you direction, a strong posture.

Compassion is not pity, it is not "Oh, that poor thing."
Compassion is responsive.  It is dynamic.
It can be peaceful or fierce, but it is always for the sake of benefiting others.

As we act, we are prone to fear.
We are stepping out of the peace and calm, moving forward into uncertainty and fear.

It is definitely easier not to act, to stay with what you know and let others do the work.
Which is why we continue to practice openness, the union of wisdom and compassion.

"I don't know what to do".

Which is why you practice.

To sit with uncertainty, fear and frustration.
To not get overwhelmed by waves of anger and fatigue.
To maintain openness, even a possibility of openness.
To practice patience when it no longer seems possible.
To push on when you feel like giving up.

You might not know what to do, and that is okay. 

You don't need to know the right answer for what you are up against.  Persevering in your practice might be the only answer available. 

This is it.

I'm done.
I've reached my limit.
I can't go on.
That's all I've got.
I need a break.
That's all I can do.
I've given it my best.

When we reach that point, where are we?  Where is that line?  Where is that limit?  What are we meeting up with?

Is it real?

Doubt.

Doubt is a mischievous little thing.  It sneaks up on you unknowingly.  It lurks in the shadows of your mind, waiting for an opportunity to spring up and occupy your mind.

In a way, doubt protects us.  It prevents us from being taken advantage of, from being fooled, again.  It is an intellectual and emotional survival mechanism.  I won't let myself be hurt.  I won't over commit. 

I still hold the reins.

But doubt also holds us back.  What are we holding onto?  We are holding onto our hearts and minds.  We cannot tolerate being that vulnerable, open.  If we really put ourselves out there, we are so susceptible to being hurt, being let down.

So we hold on.

We hold on and we don't let go.  We look for the slightest misstep.  We pounce on every incorrect utterance.  "Aha!  I was right all along."

You should not blindly trust people and be susceptible to their every whim and preoccupation.  But with your own experience as your guide, with reason and logic as your weight, and with confidence as the full measure, it may be time to be willing to be open and vulnerable.  It may be time to trust.  It may also be time to doubt whatever you used to be holding onto. 

Doubt the need to always protect yourself.  Open your heart and mind to others, and you might be surprised what comes back to you in return.

Loneliness, or Love?

Look deeply at loneliness.
Cut away all the selfishness,
the self concern and speculation.
When you get down deep,
deep into loneliness,

You find love.
An unbridled, boundless love.

Your heart aches because it wants to be shared.
It aches because you are holding it back.

Opportunity is everywhere.