The result of the work.

If our work is to be more present and of service in the world, then we need to change the way we think about the results of our work. We need to change the way we think about accomplishment and achievement for the type of work we are doing- the work of showing up, being present and attentive, striving for human dignity and kindness. The usual measures of success, recognition, promotion, and profits aren't the goals for this type of work, and what our culture sets as the targets of work well done is only going to leave us disappointed and frustrated. 

During the course of a lifelong commitment to this practice, you will realize that there are no shortcuts and that this work that we are doing is hard work. It is difficult to be of service without being destroyed in the act of service. It is challenging to deal with difficult people and maintain our patience and willingness to care. Learning to show up consistently, despite failure, fatigue and conflicting emotions is hard work. 

As we learn the necessary skills and attitudes needed on the path, we start to achieve a sense of being in the world and out of the world, involved in the messiness of life and yet not caught up in the unnecessary struggle. 

We start to learn that we can survive our intense emotional ups and downs, that the day to day is much like the weather, some days are good and some are bad and yet each day we show up and dedicate ourselves to our practice. 

We start to recognize that some things are simply out of our control, that we can strive to be present, compassionate and kind, and that sometimes that is not going to land quite the way we thought it would. 

We start to understand that though we struggle with the meaning and significance of our life, we find there is purpose and benefit to holding something- holding space, holding intention, holding to a daily practice. 

As you endeavor in your practice, over time, you will likely find that the tangible benefits of your practice are hard to identify or remain elusive. However, you will also likely find that the intangible benefits of your practice have led to a profound transformation of your being and identity, bringing a felt sense of joy, ease, and connection. This accomplishment as a result of your practice and hard work transform the world from a battlefield in which you are always struggling into a world in which you always feel at home. 

At home in the world, dedicated to presence, openness and availability, kindness and compassion, committed to showing up for ourselves and for others with a felt sense of joy, ease, and connection, those are some of the ways in which the results of our hard work show up in our life. The accomplishment of the practice is largely a life well lived, the result is the practice itself with nothing more to achieve. 

A rare gift to share with the world.

 Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.

Simone Weil

Who do you care about most in this life? Who needs your help, your insight, your wisdom? How do you even begin to help those in need, the poor, the destitute, the hungry? 

Here is the secret: 

Start with attention. 

Start with being present for that person, acknowledging them, listening to them, giving them the gift of being seen. 

Attention and presence are the ground upon which change and a path to better are built. You might not know the solutions to their problems, you might now be able to see all the steps between where you are and where you would like to be, you probably don't know the next best action or the right thing to say. But you can establish that ground, you can be present and bring forth the gift of attention.  

Your presence and attention can be the ground upon which the long arc of building a better future can start to be built. 

Model of conscious leadership.

As a dharma practitioner on the path we can often times struggle to integrate our meditation with our daily life. Training in mind and awareness cultivates a state of preparedness and responsiveness on the cushion that we slowly learn how to bring out into our daily activities. As we learn to work with this sense of preparedness, we need to learn how to live authentically and contribute meaningfully to the world around us. 

The five elements of conscious leadership create a framework to integrate your practice with your daily life. By working with each of these elements you encounter resistance and limits in your own body, mind and emotions. Pay attention to that resistance and hesitation. As you become familiar with each of these elements, you will see where you are grasping to aspects of your experience or shutting down. Acknowledging these obstacles and perceived barriers gives you something tangible to work with in your meditation. In this way, our meditation supports our daily life and our daily activities fuel our meditation.

The result of a practice that integrates both meditation and your daily life is a willingness to have an grounded, fluid and truthful connection with the world around us. We awaken to the very presence that dwells in the heart of the human condition. All of these elements are included within the single sphere of unborn bodhicitta, our ever-present primordial state of authentic presence that is open, available and responsive. 

Conscious citizens of the world.

What does it mean to be a conscious citizen in an increasingly complex world?

What are the qualities and characteristics of a conscious citizen? How would they see the world, what does their posture look like?

As a conscious citizen, I am aware of my own body, mind, feelings and perceptions. I know my own beliefs, knowledge, philosophical views, and opinions are true, but partial. I am conscious of my own perspective, but recognize that perspective is inherently limited and thus not the entire story. 

As a conscious citizen, I am aware of the body, mind, feelings and perceptions of others. I recognize that the beliefs, knowledge, philosophical views, and opinions of others are true, but partial. I am conscious of my own perspective and understand that others will not likely share my perspective or even be able to appreciate it. Having a deep understanding of my self and my own perspective, I can be more tolerant and accepting of others, even those with divergent or rigid views. Just as I would not hate a child for holding irrational views, I understand that we all act irrationally and from a limited perspective. 

As a conscious citizen, I am aware of my own culture and the culture of others. I appreciate diversity, celebrate differences, and recognize the basic human needs of safety, belonging and the yearning to gain control over our own lives. Not conforming to the worlds ways of division and manipulation, I value different perspectives and encourage connection and inclusion. 

As a conscious citizen, I am aware of the way in which systems, organizations and politics support and create the cultures in which we live. I appreciate the individual and collective are inseparable and recognize the consequences of participating in and contributing to the systems that shape our world. I work to inspire, empower and connect individuals to live authentically and contribute meaningfully to the world around them. I have the wisdom to see through the perspectives of the status quo and encourage connections across a variety of views so that others can gain an appreciation that their position is also true, but partial. 

As a conscious citizen, I am aware of my own constructs, though not stuck on them. I have a willingness to step forward in a healthy and meaningful way to benefit others. When I am authentically present, I can acknowledge my current reality and remain deeply grounded, both in good times and bad. I recognize my own limits and the scope of my life, acknowledging that giving ourselves boundaries empowers us to occupy the world in which we find ourselves. Cultivating authentic presence opens the doorway to deeply personal, intimate relationships and a willingness and receptivity to extend kindness to all. 

Recognizing that I am simultaneously a leader and a follower, I dedicate my life to remaining open, available and responsive. Again and again, I aspire to return to the ground of clarity and truth. I acknowledge the hard choices that we all have to make and hope to inspire a willingness to move forward towards a better future for all. 

I am a contribution.

I like to think that my local coffee shop stays open and in business because I go to it. I support their  product, the way they do their work, the atmosphere they create. The time and attention I spend (and the money I spend) keeps them in business. 

With COVID-19, we can all start to appreciate how much this is true. The places that capture our attention and energy keep us coming back for more and are more likely to stay open over the long run. We make an effort to order out from the restaurants we enjoy. You might buy a gift card from a local retailer, knowing you will buy from them again in the future. Your actions create and effect the world around you, and your actions have power. 

It is also true that many of our actions support the discrimination of black people in our society. How do the neighborhoods we choose to live in and do business with affect the black community? How does the way our cities are structured, our schools designed, our financial markets created impact black lives? What about all of the media we consume, the TV shows we watch, the dreams we are told to dream, how do those impact our view and understanding of black lives? 

Just as surely as we contribute to the success of our local retailer, we contribute to the discrimination of black men, women and children in our society. It might not be intentional, but it doesn't have to be intentional for it to have an impact. 

The answer to this problem is not easy or clearly formed. It is a small step to know that you are a contribution. Knowing you are a contribution, you can begin to reflect on your actions and the way those actions reinforce what you would like to see in the world. 

Knowing you are a contribution, your contribution to supporting black lives can take many forms: attention, physical presence, donating, listening, sharing, supporting black businesses or artists. There isn't a right way to contribute, but there is a wrong way: thinking it's not up to you and that you aren't doing anything wrong.   

Last chance to share thanks.

Working in a community pharmacy, you get used to the presence of death in the community you serve. You see obituaries of elderly persons you have been coming to your pharmacy for years. You serve cancer patients for months or years and then one day they just stop coming in. Weeks or months later you might hear from a family member or neighbor that they have passed away. We get voicemails in the middle of the night, letting us know that someone has passed away. Hospice calls. Doctors call to share the news. Young husbands and wives stop by to share the news that their spouse has died unexpectedly. You hear parents sharing stories of their kids dying due to accidents or health complications. Death is ever-present and there is no right time or right circumstance. Death is certain, but the time of death is uncertain.

This weekend, one of our long time elderly patients called to thank us for our years of service. He had been diagnosed with the coronavirus and the prognosis was not good. He was quarantined in isolation and he wanted to pass along his thanks while he still had the chance.

We are facing what could be one of the largest pandemics in modern history. Many will die, and they will die in isolation, separated from their family and friends at the moment of death.

We all must set out on the journey of death and dying alone. Where we are setting off to none can follow. Being prepared for that journey is important. Coming to terms with death is never easy, but the more open we can be to the presence of death in our lives, the easier it is to be grateful and share thanks while we still have the chance.

Take some time to reach out to your elderly friends and relatives. Call your neighbor, see how they are doing. We are all facing some challenging weeks and months ahead, but the elderly are especially worried and at significant risk.

You never know when it is your last chance to give thanks.

A metaphor for timeless freedom.

ཡེ་གྲོལ་
Tibetan: ye-drol
English: timeless freedom, liberated since the beginning, eternally free, already free

In Tibetan, there is a common metaphor for understanding the spacious awareness of rigpa, which is that of a thief entering an empty house. The meaning of the metaphor is that the thief has nothing to gain by entering an empty house, and the house has nothing to lose. When we have a decisive experience of resting in rigpa, or open presence, we experience the timeless freedom of that state and understand the significance of the metaphor.

Another way we can understand the metaphor for yedrol or timeless freedom is to imagine a room. The room accommodates everything that is taking place in the room, you might change the furniture around, make a mess, clean up, have fun with your family, or get in a vicious fight. The room accommodates it all. The spaciousness of the room is unchanging and ever-present. Recognize that for a moment, it's also your nature.

From the perspective of open presence, many things happen in our day. We are busy, dealing with problems and challenges. We are interacting with our families, friends, neighbors and community. We sit alone, we sit among others. We are silent, we are talking. We are awake, we are tired, we rest, we move. All of our day plays out in the spacious awareness of rigpa.

This awareness is timelessly free. It has never known bondage and yet within that space we have been tied up in knots and untied ourselves countless times. Distinguishing between mind and rigpa, we can see how this is possible. Mind goes through endless manifestation and fluctuation. Rigpa is beyond mind, it is the open presence in which mind plays itself out endlessly.

Getting caught up in mind, we struggle with ourselves and with the world around us. Recognizing rigpa, we recognize we are already free.

The journey to the center of it all.

That journey that you are on, how far does it go? How do you know when you have reached the end? Is there an end?

A pilgrimage is an interesting journey to set out on. You set out with intention, and then you traverse the journey to its destination. You might set out on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, circuit Mount Kailash in Tibet, or travel St. Kevin's Way in Ireland. Each charts its own course through a living story full of meaning.

Each and every step of the pilgrimage is a call to presence. Our days are considered holy when we traverse the path with presence, bearing witness to those who have gone before us and in whose footsteps we now travel. We are waking up to the fact that the journey we are on is not about my awakening, but our awakening. We encounter a cohort of travelers on a path that looks much like our own. 

But a pilgrimage is not a destination. That would be site seeing. A pilgrimage requires a journey, a circuitous route through barren landscapes and difficult passes. The twists and turns of the journey unravel our old habits and perceptions and weave together a new story about who we are and our place in the world.

When we reach the end of the pilgrimage, we are faced with the difficult choice of how to move back into the world. We acknowledge the fundamental change that we have experienced, and are faced with the difficult choice of how to take that next step forward.

This very lifetime.

The practice traditions of Mahamudra and Dzogchen make a radical claim that we can achieve liberation in this very life. This life, as it is right now, is the ground of your awakening.

Not the life you are waiting to live. Not the life you will have after you go back to school or get a better job. Not the life you'll have once you have your finances figured out, fix your problems, find the right partner or make that move to a new city. Not the life where you have more time, the kids are out of the house, or you can take that extended leave.

This life. The life you have right now, as it is. This is the ground of your awakening.

Can you accept that?

Whatever reason you have for putting off your liberation and freedom for another life or another time, I ask you, I beg you, to call bullshit.

What are you holding onto? What story are you telling yourself? Whatever it is, it's all made up. It seems to be true, but there is a lot more space and opportunity there than you recognize.

Recognize the fear, uncertainty, hope, longing, and storytelling for what it is - bullshit. Recognize when you fall into those cycles and treat them as a call to presence. Right here, right now.

You will never discover freedom and liberation in the future. The ground of awakening is the ever-present unfolding reality, just as it is. 

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.  

Understanding what is beyond expression.

The true nature of reality is beyond expression. Our own nature, the nature of our mind, can be directly encountered, but it is itself inexpressible.

Our minds really struggle with this. Concepts, words and ideas are the currency of our ordinary mind.

There are two terms that are used to approach the understanding of ultimate reality: dharmakaya and dharmadhatu.

Dharmakaya refers to the originally pure, empty nature of our own awareness. It is uncaused, unstained, free from reference points and the extremes of 'it is' or 'it is not'. The metaphor for understanding the dharmakaya is that it is like space. Pure presence is experienced as open, spacious and transparent, with nothing to hold onto.

The dharmadhatu refers to the true nature of reality that is free from the extremes of 'it is' or 'it is not'. The dharmadhatu is the union of the two truths, relative and ultimate, that is itself the infinite play of dependent origination in which no thing is ever truly born. All phenomena being dependently originated, they are empty in nature. Unborn and unceasing, the illusory play of reality unfolds continuously and yet nothing ever comes into being. (If you don't understand this, please ask questions!)

When pure, open awareness of the interconnected universe is made fully evident, one experiences the dharmakaya blending with the dharmadhatu. This is the single sphere of awareness, the non-dual experiential reality of awakened mind. Abiding in the primordial state of the single sphere of awareness, all that appears and exists is but the infinite play of dependent origination as the dynamic energy of awareness.

As soon as concepts, reification or fixation on what is 'real' or 'me' or 'mine', you experience the split into subject and object duality. The result is diminished presence and getting caught up in the wheel of cyclic existence.

You can't think your way to a non-dual experience of reality.

The cult of productivity.

If you could choose, would you be more productive or more present?

Can you be more productive so that you can be more present?

Are the two always at odds against one another?

The cult of productivity has a large following. There is a profound loss of presence and understanding in our world.

Where do we need to direct our attention?

When the cult of productivity requests an offering of your effort and attention, how can you say no to the alms bowl that has made its way to you?

Is it possible to stay in the community and not worship at the altar of productivity? Must you be sent out into the desert with no future to look forward to?

What happens when presence sets foot in the temple of productivity and refuses to bend the knee to false gods?

Can presence fulfill the same work yet attend to different rules and metrics?

There is no easy answer to these questions. Most important is to know that you are in the cult and to decide if that is the place you want to be.

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.

Mindful presence.

Being present and aware we are open to directly experience the world.

The world is filled with suffering. Being present and aware allows us to fully understand that suffering, to be responsive and receptive to our own needs and the needs of others.

The world is filled with wonder and awe. Being present and aware allows us to fully enjoy that wonder as it unfolds around us.

When we are present and aware, we encounter the world as it is, while understanding that everything is connected and impermanent. That is the outlook of mindful presence.

Unborn and unceasing.

Inconceivable, inexpressible perfection of wisdom, 

Unborn and unceasing, with a real nature like the sky,

Experienced as the wisdom of our own awareness,

I pay homage to the mother of the Buddhas of the three times. 

Prajnaparamita Prayer

As a Dzogchen practitioner, it is important to understand the meaning and significance of this verse. As indicated in this verse of praise to Prajnaparamita, or the perfection of wisdom, when we understand the real nature of our own awareness, we come to realize the very womb that gives birth to awakening. The Tibetan for unborn is ma-skye, which means not-born, not-produced, unborn. The Tibetan for unceasing is ma-'gags, which means not-stopped, not-interrupted, not-blocked, unceasing. 

The Buddha first introduced the concept of anatta, not-self or selflessness, in the common Hinayana tradition of the first turning of the wheel of dharma. Here the self or phenomena were shown to be selfless because they were compounded or composite. Just as a wagon depends on many parts and pieces for its being, so too we are compounded individuals with no true identity or personhood separate from our aggregates. The ego or self as we know it is a fabrication of past experiences, self-narratives, and projections about who we think we are or who we would like to be. Egotism keeps us trapped in a repetitive loop, operating under a cycle of ingrained habits and beliefs about who we are and the world around us. 

We already know this self or ego is subject to change and impermanent, but we are so conditioned that often times we simply do not see opportunity available to us or our underlying potential. The Buddha saw how much this cycle makes us suffer and sought to teach a method to break out of that cycle of confusion by teaching dependent origination and no-self, or empty of self. 

The teachings of self being a compounded entity were further refined in the second turning of the wheel of dharma, where dependent origination and the two truths give rise to a more profound understanding of emptiness. This understanding takes the form of a simply logical analysis:

If things arise dependently, then they lack an independent existence. 

Conditioning, cause and effect, dependent origination all point to the true reality that nothing in this world inherently exists of its own accord. Everything is interconnected, dependent on other phenomena as support for its being. We can say that relatively, phenomena do arise and exist conventionally based on cause and effect, but ultimately phenomena do not inherently exist. The relative truth of their appearing does not mean that they truly exist in their own right.  

This may seem like semantics, but the implications of this understanding are dramatic and profound. 

When we feel stuck or trapped in a situation, we don't see the power of our own thoughts and actions. We hand over power to our negative thoughts and perceptions, and to the actions of others or the world around us. Our perception at that time is that things aren't going to change, things won't get better, and that there is nothing that we can do. This is the trap of confusion, confusion about who we are and the nature of the world around us. Seeing that this current reality is dependently arisen, means also seeing that it is malleable and subject to change. In fact, right now at this very moment it is unfolding and changing. 

This is an outer level of understanding dependent origination and emptiness. We should examine the world and our experience in this way. This is what the Buddha means when he encourages us to understand the human condition and the predicament that we find ourselves in. We should don the hat of a scientist and really examine who we are and the nature of the world around us. From a Buddhist perspective we should study the prajnaparamita sutras and Madhyamaka philosophy, particularly as set forth by Nagarjuna. We can also use modern scientific principles  to augment this understanding, using the theory of relativity and quantum physics to understand the physical world, as well as the science of the mind to understand our conception of the self. 

The inner level of understanding dependent origination and emptiness becomes more subtle and profound. Here we understand the union of the relative and ultimate truth, or the union of dependent origination and emptiness. Experiencing this union of dependent origination and emptiness we can start to understand what is meant by unborn and unceasing. 

Whereas before we separated the relative and ultimate into two buckets and used logical reasoning to establish emptiness, here we see that the relative and ultimate are indivisible. It is useful here to think of dependent origination as an infinite play of phenomena or appearances. 

Look at the world around you. Right now. Don't look at it as a static world, the world you are used to. See it as the infinite play of dependent origination. Because it is dependently arisen, it is empty. We've already established that dependent origination means that phenomena are empty of inherent existence. You know that what is dependently arisen is empty, form is emptiness, emptiness is form. So when you look out and see the infinite play of dependent origination, you are witnessing the illusory play of emptiness in which no thing ever comes into true existence. Phenomena, appearances, are never truly born, never truly exist, but they are also unceasing, uninterrupted. Reifying a subjective consciousness or objective phenomena is to establish a self where there is no-self. Unborn and unceasing does not mean that nothing exists, rather that the entire world of appearances and possibilities exists as the play of dependent origination. The great Dzogchen master Longchenpa says, "Not existing as anything at all, they can appear as anything whatsoever." We can learn to recognize this state and rest in it, which leads us to the secret level of understanding. 

The innermost or secret understanding is secret because it is right in front of us and yet we do not see it. The secret understanding of unborn and unceasing is that it is the nature of our own mind. This is our primordial state. This is what we mean when we say the natural great perfection, Dzogchen. This is the very ground of enlightenment, our primordial buddhahood, in which there is no enlightenment because we have never wavered from this authentic state of being. All thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and appearances are but the illusory play of emptiness in which nothing has ever come into being, and yet appears as the diverse world. 

When we recognize and learn to rest in this unborn and unceasing pure presence (Tib. rigpa), then we actualize our true nature which is like the sky. Without center or limit, completely open and unobstructed, inconceivable and beyond expression, it is the wisdom that gives "birth" to all Buddhas. Whatever appears to that awareness is like the clouds in the sky, unborn and unceasing, coming and going without a trace, ornamenting the sky but never separate or distinct. Such is our primordial state, ultimate bodhicitta, awakened mind.

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.

3 marks of existence.

Fully understand dukkha.

To learn to be fully present and whole in the world, we need to learn to look deeply into our own lives and the human condition. The Buddha taught this as the very basis of the journey of awakening.

The journey of self-discovery and awakening is not a journey outside ourselves, but a pilgrimage to the very center of our being. It is more about being than doing, more about going deeper than exploring wider.

How are we to look at the reality of the human predicament in order to gain insight and understanding? The Buddha use a very simple method of contemplation called the three marks of existence, otherwise known as the three seals.

It is impermanent. It is the nature of dukkha. It is not-self, or empty. 

These three marks of impermanence, dukkha and selflessness or emptiness inform our perspective and contemplation. These three marks are a lens through which we see our experience in meditation.

Observing the body, we can see clearly that it is impermanent, the nature of dukkha, and not-self.
Observing feelings, we can see clearly that it is impermanent, the nature of dukkha, and not-self.
Observing mind and thoughts, we can see clearly that it is impermanent, the nature of dukkha, and not-self.
Observing phenomena, whether sights, sounds, smells, tastes or touch, we can see clearly that it is impermanent, the nature of dukkha, and not-self.

Contemplating these three marks, there is no need to reject our experience or present condition. In order to truly contemplate these three marks, we must look at our present condition the way it is. By looking into our own life, we approach the very nature of reality itself.

As we learn to be truthful to our own life and the human predicament that we find ourselves in, we find that we are right on the very threshold of awakening. There is no where to go, and no one else can make this journey for us. You are the doorway and the one who must pass through. There is no where else to look but within.

As our self-awareness deepens, our connection and compassion for others naturally grows and warms. The separation that we see between ourselves and others becomes less distant as we learn to be less separated from ourselves and the world around us. As self-awareness deepens and compassion grows, we discover a means of living fully in the world. We rediscover the very ground of being, the primordial state from which we have never parted but rarely recognize.

When you fully understand the human predicament, or dukkha, by contemplating the three marks, you are at home in the world. Understanding deepens our presence and belonging, and these are among the greatest gifts we can bring into the world.

Two ways of seeing.

In the Dzogchen tradition, we usually meditate with our eyes open. The eyes are an ancient symbol of presence. The opening of the eyes is a proclamation of presence. When a child first enters this world, it is the opening of their eyes that signifies their entry into this world. When we are tending to someone who is sick, for days or weeks their eyes can remain closed and we may wonder about their condition, but when they open their eyes we know they are present and with us once again.

As we learn to rest in open presence, we must learn a new way of seeing the world. This new way of seeing creates the world anew, for the world has only ever existed for us in the way that we see it.

Our old way of seeing was one of distance and separation. We look out, and see at a distance some object or person. I am here and the tree is across the way.

The new way of seeing is of oneness and intimacy. Everything in our field of vision is one with our awareness. Our presence is connected with the world around us, the greater the presence the greater the connection. When seeing with oneness, we notice a sense of intimacy and closeness even with distant mountains. In this way sights come to ornament our awareness, further enhancing and clarifying our presence.

Seeing with oneness, we learn how to be fully in the world. Seeing at a distance, we are easily overwhelmed by the intensity of our experience. The other becomes too formidable, too strong, too direct, and we end up turning away, shirking our presence for a feeling of safety or control. Seeing with oneness, awareness and the other are inseparable, so what could be overwhelmed by who? Seeing with oneness we learn to resolve our experience, we learn to be patient and responsive to what is coming up. When we are unable to work with our experience, we experience the great splitting of oneness into separateness and duality.

Duality is in illusion based on identity and separateness. Everything is interconnected and without fixed identity. Change your perception, and you change your world.

Each and every thing.

This cup of tea.
A blooming flower.
The trees bending and waving in the wind.
Silent observance.
Each and every thing,
beckoning you,
calling you to presence,
asking you to bear witness
to it all,
while holding onto
nothing whatsoever. 
This perfection of generosity,
is not the giving
of every thing,
but being open
to every thing.
Every thing
is an offering,
as an expression
of pure presence.