Vairocana

OM AH HUNG BHAGAVAN VAIROCANA OM

Vairocana is one of the Five Family Buddhas.

His pure land is Akanishta, meaning Unsurpassed, representing the true nature of reality in which emptiness and dependent origination are inseparable.  His color is white, representing the activity of pacifying conflict, disease, problems and obstacles.  His hands are in the mudra of teaching the Dharma holding a Dharma Wheel, or Dharmacakra- representing the continual motion and change that forever turns and brings about transformation and development.

Vairocana is the Buddha that represents completely purified ignorance.  Ignorance is like a blank dullness, that state of unknowing where we don't know what to do to make our life meaningful.  Vairocana represents the transformation of that ignorance into the wisdom of the true nature of reality, thoroughly understanding the nature of our own mind and the world around us and how we are to unite compassion and wisdom in order to fulfill our own aims and the aims of others.     

He rides a lion possessed with all the major and minor marks.  The lion is the sovereign of all animals.  His sovereignty is not appointed by divine right or out of self-righteousness or self-promotion, it is the rightful authority to act.  To not act would be to fall from wisdom into the ignorance of selfishness and fear.  In this way, the lion is an unerring source of refuge and protection, carrying the bewildered and confused into the peaceful grove of clarity and insight. 

In regard to our own mind and self, Vairocana represents the aggregate of form.  We are all very attached to our physical bodies; how we feel, how we look.  Our fixation on our own condition and state lead us down the rabbit hole of self-grasping and ignorance, further intensifying our fear and discontentment.  As we purify this self-grasping and transmute it into wisdom and insight, we are able to break free from the confines of our own limited view and understanding.  We can embrace a larger scope.

When we deeply contemplate and integrate the wisdom and symbolism of Vairocana, we can learn how to transmute ignorance and selfishness into an opportunity for wisdom and purpose.  We are able to step outside of fear, doubt and uncertainty.  We attain the awakened form of the Buddhas that transcends the confines of place and time.  The form or shape of our life is one in which we guide, teach and lead others out of confusion and habitual patterns into wisdom and clarity.  Our body becomes like a rainbow- apparent yet empty of existing in any fixed manner- dancing like an illusion that carries out the benefit of others, teaching them how to overcome conflict and problems, setting out the path and providing the support and resources to embody their own awakened form.

To attain such a state would be unsurpassed- for not only would you have fulfilled your own aims, but you would have fulfilled the aims of others. 

Go ride that lion. 

What do teachers teach?

Does a good teacher teach you the method, the skills?
Is it all about the information? 
Once you have gathered all the knowledge and can do the practice by rote, are you learned?

The best teachers teach you the path, the journey.  They push you to your limits and then give you the resources and support needed to figure out how to break through them.  They inspire you to look deeper.

They encourage the evidence based doubt of the scientist and the reason based doubt of the debater.  They understand the value of a good question and teach you to be brave enough to ask it.

The truly great ones teach you how to carry the ball yourself.  They show you how to bring your practice and knowledge into a new environment and still be able to connect the dots.  They teach you how to stand up, shoulder the weight, and to do it with patience, kindness and generosity.

You should read Stop Stealing Dreams by Seth Godin, it redefines what school is for and lays out a new approach to teaching and learning. 

This might not work.

I thought it was going to, I really did. 
I thought this was finally the answer I have been looking for.
I thought it was going to be the next big thing.
I wanted it to work out.
I wanted it to be important, to make a difference.
This was going to change everything.
All the facts lined up, the data was there.  It was rationale, coherent.
It just made sense.

Was it the idea that was flawed? Our expectations? Our effort?
When we failed, was the game really over or was it just getting started?

Fear usually has a pretty good story to tell.  So does doubt.

Stick to the practice.

The Pottery.

A potter-in-training enters a pottery seeking to develop skill and dexterity when working with the clay.  He wants to learn the techniques used to shape it, how to alter the texture and strives to produce a similar replica to the original.  He perseveres in his craft until mastery is gained and he can consistently make great works of art.

He is attached to the form.

The master potter, the one you want to learn from, enters the pottery and pays homage to the space itself.

She sees the myriad display of forms, colors, attributes and functions that arise from the endless play of thoughts, emotions, perceptions and creativity.
She witnesses the natural radiance of that space- the illusory dance of projects and hurdles, learning and testing, succeeding and failing, coming and going.
She appreciates its abundant fullness yet quiet, spacious emptiness simultaneously.
Standing amidst masterpieces, balls of clay and broken shards- she recognizes them all as ornaments of that space.
That space- not needing to arise as anything at all, can manifest as anything whatsoever; which is why she pays it homage.  

To recognize and abide in that space, is the meditation. 

Discipline

Let's be honest, none of us like being told what to do.  We have a mind of our own and we can differentiate right from wrong.  I'm pretty sure that we can figure this out on our own. 

We have this perception that discipline restrains us, that it imposes boundaries on our life and our choices.  It can be those things, especially if it is coming from a higher authority, but it doesn't need to be.

Discipline can simplify our life.  It can enrich our life and our activity.

Three simple disciplines:
1. Refrain from harm.  Harming your neighbor, the stranger on the street or the spider on the wall.
2. Cultivate a wealth of good qualities.   Cultivate empathy and compassion.  Be generous, patient and kind.  Go for it, be an Artist.
3. Train your mind.  Develop focus, clarity and insight.  Recognize the natural stability of your mind and use it in your pursuit of happiness.