Dzogchen Retreat 2015 - Realising our true nature (part 19)

· · · silence, 1 minute

0:36 So I'd like to make some comments before we go into the meditation. I do kind of feel I'm finishing up my stay in Australia for this year. Been here for about a hundred days apart from a little jaunt off to Singapore and so leaving on Wednesday. And as I mentioned before, primary motivation for moving the whole eight week retreat and the CEB teacher training to Australia this year was to kind of basically blow on some glowing embers. Report an error in the passage at 0:36 Highlight the passage at 0:36

1:10 And that is for a number of years now. There have been quite a number of people, like up to 60 people or so here in Australia, who have expressed a real keen interest in creating either a contemplative observatory, which is simply a facility that is designed to really provide support for people to go into long-term retreat and actually achieve shamatha and achieve vipassanā and really set out on the path. Report an error in the passage at 1:10 Highlight the passage at 1:10

1:33 In other words, a place for sustained professional training in core contemplative practice. So not just a general retreat center, but really designed to practice and achieve shamatha and then use that as a vehicle to find freedom, to enter the path. And so there's been a lot of interest, but it's kind of been wobbling along for some years. And so I thought, well, maybe I can come here and offer what I can. And maybe that will be, with all my hot air, maybe I can get those embers to burst into flame. Report an error in the passage at 1:33 Highlight the passage at 1:33

2:04 So there has been more interest. But I'd like to make just a few comments about that because it's kind of a fine line. I feel very relaxed. It's not a blurry line, but it's a fine line that I wish to follow here. I am following. And that is, I really don't have an agenda. I don't have a plan that I try to get my students to follow. Report an error in the passage at 2:04 Highlight the passage at 2:04

2:27 It's actually not the case. It's different personalities. My personality is of this sort. That I have a very clear vision of what could be of great benefit. And I'm devoting myself to that practice that I believe in a lot. And often people get inspired about these practices that I'm passing along. I've not invented any of them. So just to briefly recap, a contemplative observatory is a term I've coined, but it's been around. Report an error in the passage at 2:27 Highlight the passage at 2:27

2:56 They've been around for a very long time. But this would entail individual cabins for people who are setting out in six months, a year, six years. Maybe they want to devote their lives. to being professional contemplatives, and to try to make it as economically feasible for them as possible. Everything is simple, neat, clean, safe, so they can really be undistracted and focus single-pointedly on the practice. Report an error in the passage at 2:56 Highlight the passage at 2:56

3:21 So that's a contemplative observatory, and I am working with people all over the world, in about, I don't know, I haven't even counted, maybe six, seven countries, where there's interest and it's grassroots. But the nature of this, we're calling it the Association for Research and Contemptative Science. Report an error in the passage at 3:21 Highlight the passage at 3:21

3:36 And it's just an association. It's not really a network. It's not an organization. There are a number of lamas, very fine lamas, like Lama Zopa Rinpoche, FPMT. That's a network of Dharma centers that under his direction, he's the Lama. And that's just fine. I see nothing wrong with that at all. Soge Rinpoche, Zonsai Kinzi Rinpoche and various other teachers from all traditions. They're doing this and I think it's fine. What's to criticize? That's not what I'm interested in. Report an error in the passage at 3:36 Highlight the passage at 3:36

4:04 I'm not interested in creating an Alan Wallace network or a Lama Allen network of centers. I don't think there would be anything wrong with that. Nothing wrong. It's just not what I'm interested in doing. What I'm interested in doing is really encouraging people to create grassroots organizations of this sort that they wish. Report an error in the passage at 4:04 Highlight the passage at 4:04

4:23 And so the question was raised, well, there's the vision of a contemplative observatory, but there's also a vision of a network of mind centers or an association of mind centers. And these are places that have much more public outreach. They would be best probably in a metropolitan area and where there's outreach for taking some of these basic practices of shamatha, of the four immeasurables and so forth and secularizing them. Report an error in the passage at 4:23 Highlight the passage at 4:23

4:51 I see there's nothing wrong with that at all. There's no false advertising, please. Secularizing them and adapting them to education, to health care. To business, to athletics, and just serving people in interests they already have. And it's not kind of a hook to try to get them to become Buddhist. It's simply, straightforwardly, to be of service in an area where I think a lot of help is needed. Report an error in the passage at 4:51 Highlight the passage at 4:51

5:13 Because children are not getting that in school. People being trained for business are not being trained in ethics or mindfulness or emotional intelligence. And likewise in mental health care, there's a lot of room for improvement in terms of really letting patients and clients and so forth. Take more responsibility, take a more active role in their own mental health and not simply be relying upon the therapist and drugs and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 5:13 Highlight the passage at 5:13

5:37 So these mind centers would have real public outreach and be of active, dynamic service in a totally non-sectarian way. At the same time, they could be offering retreats up to eight weeks long, including one week retreats, weekend retreats, one day seminars. There could be psychologists coming in to give lectures, philosophers coming in, contemplatives from different traditions coming in. And that's the vision that I have developed in close collaboration with the Dalai Lama that is not simply Buddhist. Report an error in the passage at 5:37 Highlight the passage at 5:37

6:07 Because Christians, for example, they have some very profound methods for training the attention, introspection and exploring the nature of the mind or soul. And so do the Hindus, of course. They have a very long heritage. So do the Taoists. And the list goes on and on. And so there's kind of a coming together of contemplative traditions, but not just kind of let's all be friendly and meditate together, but being very selective. Report an error in the passage at 6:07 Highlight the passage at 6:07

6:30 So this is not a place that we'd be doing a lot of vajrasattva practice or saved a generation practice. I hope you know that's part of my practice. I'm not against it at all. But no, this is something going just to the core and staying at the core. The shamatha, the vipassanā and going right into the nature of awareness. And multiple traditions do that. Report an error in the passage at 6:30 Highlight the passage at 6:30

6:48 Many philosophers are interested in that, but they don't have the skillful means. Physicists, a number of them, are getting very interested. What's the role of the observer in quantum cosmology, quantum mechanics? But they don't have the skill set. Physicists are not trained to understand the nature of the observer or consciousness or mind. It's not part of the training. Report an error in the passage at 6:48 Highlight the passage at 6:48

7:07 I've been trained in physics. It's nowhere there. And so something that would unify, something that would be non-sectarian. Something you'd really probe deeply into the very nature of consciousness, at the same time be extending outwards in the most practical ways, giving five-year-old children basic training and attention so they don't get ADHD. Report an error in the passage at 7:07 Highlight the passage at 7:07

7:26 So from the heights of quantum cosmology and Dzogchen, down to helping our children be more composed, more grounded and happier. So big spread. So the mindset would be much more active, it'd have a lot of public outreach, retreats led by multiple teachers. And then the whole vision of this association for research in contemplative science is just that it's an association with no hierarchy and nobody in charge. Report an error in the passage at 7:26 Highlight the passage at 7:26

7:53 And not me, I don't want to be in charge. I'm trying to be in charge of my body and mind. I've got my hands full. But having multiple teachers and we have these friendly relationships. We can have Christian teachers coming in, psychologists and so forth. And the association is, I was actually inspired by the Human Genome Project. Report an error in the passage at 7:53 Highlight the passage at 7:53

8:09 And that is simply you had these laboratories all over the world and there was no hierarchy. There's no way MIT is going to put itself under Cambridge University or Cambridge under the Sorbonne. But they networked. They shared information. They shared insights. And they got the job done a lot more quickly than if they'd been all competing with each other, which would have been a really bad idea. Report an error in the passage at 8:09 Highlight the passage at 8:09

8:32 Well, the nature of the mind, the nature of genuine happiness, how do you cultivate it? What's the nature of consciousness, the origins of consciousness? How does the mind interface with the brain and what's the role of the mind in the nature? These are such enormously important topics. It should never be approached competitively. It'd be ridiculous, just like with the Human Genome Project. It should be approached collaboratively and recognizing also for, I'm speaking as a passionate Buddhist, but Buddhism doesn't have all the answers. Report an error in the passage at 8:32 Highlight the passage at 8:32

8:58 We have no brain science at all. The brain might be important here. We have no developmental psychology. We have no... Child psychology and so forth and so on. But then the psychologists haven't really developed any rigorous ways of introspectively investigating the mind. Academic psychology. That could help. And then the physicists and so forth. And so the association then is simply, let's be aware of each other, let's network with each other, let's learn from each other. Report an error in the passage at 8:58 Highlight the passage at 8:58

9:25 And that's about it. I don't think there's going to be any point, I mean I don't see right now any need to incorporate. The Association for Research and Contemptative Science, or ARCS, to incorporate it. Why do we actually need that? It's an association. It's a bunch of people around the world that have a shared vision and think this could be of great benefit to society and, there is a little subtext here, maybe catalyze a revolution in the mind sciences. Report an error in the passage at 9:25 Highlight the passage at 9:25

9:55 That could be, it's kind of long overdue by now. But with no agenda, not trying to twist people into a Buddhist worldview or make everybody believe this. As Andrew said so well, where's Andrew? Is he here? There's Andrew. As Andrew said, as I understood you, just let's find out what's true. Yeah, just find out what's true. Report an error in the passage at 9:55 Highlight the passage at 9:55

10:12 And if it turns out Buddhism has a whole lot of truths, good, let's make them public. And likewise for other traditions as well. And truth is where open-minded people can come in from different perspectives and they can discover the same thing. Report an error in the passage at 10:12 Highlight the passage at 10:12

10:25 That's kind of reasonable, I think. But now I'd like to be a bit more specific because I'm speaking also to the video camera and anybody who's listening or watching. Here in Australia, these are two different projects, creating a contemplative observatory and a mind center. A mind center is going to be much more demanding. Report an error in the passage at 10:25 Highlight the passage at 10:25

10:43 It'll be a lot more work. You'll need teachers, you'll need people to administer it, you'll need people, of course, to raise funds for it. But even if somebody dumped a whole bunch of money on you, like, okay, here's five million, knock yourself out. What are you going to do with that? Unless you have people who really are very committed to this, are willing to take on the administration of it, to brainstorm, to invite teachers, to know about how public outreach, to collaborate with various universities and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 10:43 Highlight the passage at 10:43

11:10 If you don't have that core committed group of people that said, yes, we're going to absolutely put our shoulders to the plow, this is something we believe in. And Alan thinks it's a good idea too. Rather than let's do this, because we really like Alan a whole lot. Report an error in the passage at 11:10 Highlight the passage at 11:10

11:26 It's very nice that people like me, thank you very much, but please don't do this for me. I don't need it. It's either needed here in Australia or it's not. And if it's not, I don't want it. I have no use for it whatsoever. If the Australians don't feel they need it, why would I need it for them? As I've said, I'm set. I've got a meditation cabin. Report an error in the passage at 11:26 Highlight the passage at 11:26

11:44 That's all I want. It's all I need. I don't need two. And so if there's... A seen and observed or recognized need, if there are people really committed to it, then of course I think a mind center could be very beneficial. Great. But even if the need is seen, if the people needed to organize that, administer it, run it, make it financially sustainable, if those people aren't there, I say relax. Report an error in the passage at 11:44 Highlight the passage at 11:44

12:12 Relax. It's too much. Then you go to a contemplative observatory and that's finding some land someplace, putting out some meditation cabins. And then, and that's not nearly as big a deal, and that's a place where primarily you'd really be setting it up, as I said, to create the environment so people come in and really focus full-time, single-pointedly on Shama De Vipassanā and see what comes out of that in a spirit of friendship, mutually supportive, but pretty much these are a bunch of solitary yogis really going for it. Report an error in the passage at 12:12 Highlight the passage at 12:12

12:46 So that's not a whole lot of expense, but one does need to give very serious thought. How is that going to be financially sustainable? Because I know for myself, as I mentioned earlier, from what was it, the age of, well, pretty much, when I was growing up, I never really had a full-time job. I was a student and a university student, paid for among my parents. And so I never really had a steady job until I was 47. And that was as a lecturer in a university for four years. Report an error in the passage at 12:46 Highlight the passage at 12:46

13:12 And after that, I haven't had a steady job. I just go around and I teach Dharma. People want to give me some money, then I accept it. It's not a steady job. It's kind of like, whatever. Report an error in the passage at 13:12 Highlight the passage at 13:12

13:24 But when I'm saying that, because it wasn't a tremendous hardship, I never missed a meal. But what I'm saying there is, I think, I know this is the case, that a lot of young people, even middle-aged people for that matter, who have a great, great commitment to the contemplative life, would really like to explore this for themselves. Report an error in the passage at 13:24 Highlight the passage at 13:24

13:44 A lot of them don't have much in the way of cash. I didn't for all those years. I'm okay now. But for a lot of them, I had no spare cash. Report an error in the passage at 13:44 Highlight the passage at 13:44

13:52 But these may be some of the most suitable people around that don't have the attachments, they don't have children, they don't have other obligations, they have no worldly ambition, they would really love to do this. Those people are very rarely rich. If they were rich, they inherited it, but there aren't many like that. So how is this financially feasible? Not everybody who wants to go in for a year or longer, let's say into retreat, not everybody's broke. Report an error in the passage at 13:52 Highlight the passage at 13:52

14:16 Some people are more of my generation, so they've had a career, at least reasonably successful. And they can afford to go off and spend, you know, a thousand a month or even a bit more. Maybe they can subsidize other aspiring yogis who don't have so much resources. That'd be very nice. But then for that contemplative observatory here in Australia, it's one, it's a lovely vision. Report an error in the passage at 14:16 Highlight the passage at 14:16

14:43 I think it's quite clear this could be very meaningful. And then it's open to collaboration with scientists. It's basically a great big welcome mat on the door, on the doorstep. Saying, we're doing some very serious, transparent, clear, meaningful, sensible, contemplative training here that may have some very strong ramifications for the scientific understanding of the mind. Report an error in the passage at 14:43 Highlight the passage at 14:43

15:03 And we're very happy to collaborate with scientists, anybody interested, and kind of leave it at that. And then the scientists, either they're interested or not. If they're not, say, that's fine. We'll just do our meditation and we'll see you later. But there are a number of scientists, including here in Australia, psychologists, neuroscientists. Report an error in the passage at 15:03 Highlight the passage at 15:03

15:21 They're open-minded, they're keen to understand, and the opportunity to not just study meditators but actually collaborate with highly trained meditators. That's pretty choice. Very few scientists have that opportunity, right? And these would actually be meditators who can speak English, and that's nice too. Report an error in the passage at 15:21 Highlight the passage at 15:21

15:38 Because you can bring Tibetan meditators over from Bhutan or what have you, which has been done, as Richard Davidson did in his lab in Wisconsin. And he brings in these incredible Bhutanese yogis who've meditated for 40,000 hours, but they can't speak English. And most of what they did was secret, because it was Vajrayana, so they can't really talk about their practice. So he can find out, you know, their brains produce an enormous amount of gamma. Report an error in the passage at 15:38 Highlight the passage at 15:38

16:02 And I've asked Richie, we're old friends, I said, and what exactly does that mean? I mean, it's off the charts. You know, the brains are really producing a lot of gamma. And I asked Richie, what does that mean? Report an error in the passage at 16:02 Highlight the passage at 16:02

16:15 I don't know, but it's a lot of gamma. And so it's not terribly informative. It's cool science. I say that with respect. No sarcasm at all. But if you didn't know what they did for those 40,000 hours, it's kind of a black box. Where if you bring in people who are relative novices and they're doing something utterly transparent. They're developing relaxation, stability and clarity. They're honing their tension skills, metacognitive skills. Report an error in the passage at 16:15 Highlight the passage at 16:15

16:40 They're probing in the nature of the mind. There's nothing mysterious there and nothing secret. No samayas to be broken. Samayas are vows of secrecy. And so they can come in on the ground floor and say, okay, you're a bunch of beginners. We're just starting to study meditation. Let's work together and learn from each other. And then little things like diet and exercise. Report an error in the passage at 16:40 Highlight the passage at 16:40

16:59 And so forth. These, you know, what's optimal? What's optimal? And what methods work best for what type of people? Because it's not one size fits all, right? Mindfulness to breathing is really great for some people and other people bored to death. Settling the mind in a natural state, observing thoughts, works very well for some people and other ones just get frustrated. Report an error in the passage at 16:59 Highlight the passage at 16:59

17:19 And so on. And so that's the basic vision. So I'm here simply to be of service for a couple more days. And insofar as there really is interest here. Then I'm just happy to be a little bee going around and pollinating gardens all over the place. But not to take charge. I have no interest. If you ask me to, I won't. It has to be grassroots. Report an error in the passage at 17:19 Highlight the passage at 17:19

17:39 If it's not grassroots, then if there are Australian contemplatives or aspiring yogis and there's just not enough juice, not enough energy to create contemplative observatory here, well, maybe you can go to Italy or go to Mongolia or Norway. I know a place up in Norway could be good. You can go someplace else. But this is... Report an error in the passage at 17:39 Highlight the passage at 17:39

17:57 This is a rather large section of the globe here. So maybe it would be good to have at least one contemplative observatory so you can also eat your own food and have no visa problems. Report an error in the passage at 17:57 Highlight the passage at 17:57

18:09 So that's a little pitch on that. So that's all clear. So I'm happy to help, but I have no interest in taking charge. But I do feel the stakes are very high. I don't think this is something trivial like a hobby because the major trajectory of our human civilization right now It's not healthy and it's not sustainable. I think that's a true statement. And it's not enough to scold people. That's what governments do all the time, organizations. Report an error in the passage at 18:09 Highlight the passage at 18:09

18:38 You know, consume less, go vegetarian, buy economy cars and do this and this. And the problem with human beings is we want to be happier. You've noticed, yeah? Economies want to grow. People want to be more prosperous. They want to be happier, not just happy. And as long as the vision of being happier... Report an error in the passage at 18:38 Highlight the passage at 18:38

19:00 It's entirely linked to economics and the growth of industry and production and consumption, consumption, consumption. When governments start to freak out, when people aren't consuming as much, you know there's a real problem. As if just more consumption by 7 billion people and it's going to be 9 billion people by what, I think 2050, 9 billion people, that's when the United Nations said, that's when we're going to start to have food wars. Report an error in the passage at 19:00 Highlight the passage at 19:00

19:28 Because there's not going to be enough food. And that's just, what, 35 years from now? 35 years? We're going to have food wars? What about energy wars? What about water wars? What about mineral wars? What about space wars? We're going to have wars all over the place because we just weren't farsighted enough. This shouldn't come as a surprise. Report an error in the passage at 19:28 Highlight the passage at 19:28

19:49 This is exactly the trajectory we're following on. And so we must have a deeper vision, a more realistic vision of what it means to flourish and how we can be happier without destroying our planet. A simple question like that. And how can we be immensely happier, richer, richer in the most meaningful way without war and without depleting the natural resources of the planet? Report an error in the passage at 19:49 Highlight the passage at 19:49

20:13 So I think this little, I'm throwing a little stone on the side of a mountain, a little stone, and hoping that will hit another stone, another stone, another stone. But sometimes small groups of people can bring about big change. If the vision is good, if it's sound. Report an error in the passage at 20:13 Highlight the passage at 20:13

20:33 And very good things, very large things can happen from very small beginnings. And history has shown that to be true many times. Ola Sol. I think I've finished. It's all clear, yeah? So if any of you here are interested in either of these visions of a mind center or a contemplative observatory here in this region, then Claudio and Rhonda and Charles, they're very savvy. Report an error in the passage at 20:33 Highlight the passage at 20:33

20:55 They know what's going on. Ola Sol. So with that, let's go back to meditation. And I'll give a bit of guidance. Report an error in the passage at 20:55 Highlight the passage at 20:55

· · · silence, 1 minute

22:10 So now is the time to take refuge in that which you trust most deeply, where your commitment lies, where your hope lies. Report an error in the passage at 22:10 Highlight the passage at 22:10

22:43 And since we are on this path of Dzogchen for this retreat and the only motivation that is suitable is bodhicitta. So arouse this aspiration to achieve perfect awakening for the sake of all the world. Report an error in the passage at 22:43 Highlight the passage at 22:43

· · · silence, 1 minute

23:33 Then settle the body, speech and mind in the natural state and Report an error in the passage at 23:33 Highlight the passage at 23:33

· · · silence, 1 minute

24:55 settle your mind to such an extent that you have a very clear sense. At the stillness of your awareness, when you release grasping, you know exactly what is meant when we say, let your awareness rest in its own place, holding its own ground. Report an error in the passage at 24:55 Highlight the passage at 24:55

· · · silence, 1 minute

25:45 So let your awareness rest in its own place, at ease, still, clearly cognizant, wide awake, Report an error in the passage at 25:45 Highlight the passage at 25:45

26:01 self-knowing, with a perfectly clear awareness of being aware. You know you're not unconscious, even without appearances arising. Report an error in the passage at 26:01 Highlight the passage at 26:01

26:16 That flow of cognizance, the flow of awareness is quite evident. Report an error in the passage at 26:16 Highlight the passage at 26:16

· · · silence, 1 minute

26:52 So rest there in this utterly simple flow of mindful presence, Report an error in the passage at 26:52 Highlight the passage at 26:52

27:04 not letting your awareness be drawn out and distracted either by appearances in the sense fields or by thoughts, memories. Report an error in the passage at 27:04 Highlight the passage at 27:04

27:15 So let your awareness rest without distraction, but also without grasping onto any internal processes of the mind. Report an error in the passage at 27:15 Highlight the passage at 27:15

27:54 If you already have very deep samādhi, maybe your awareness entirely goes into the experience of being aware and all the sensory fields fade out. That is what happens when you go deep into samādhi. But if you're not there yet, if some of your awareness spills over, then let it spill over to Report an error in the passage at 27:54 Highlight the passage at 27:54

28:19 the sensations of the breath, the awareness of the rhythm of the breath. Don't Report an error in the passage at 28:19 Highlight the passage at 28:19

28:29 need much attention to monitor the flow, knowing when the breath is coming in, when it's going out. Report an error in the passage at 28:29 Highlight the passage at 28:29

28:56 So primarily let this all-creating sovereign of your mind, of awareness itself, sit upon its throne, at rest, at ease, not venturing outwards, but aware of these Report an error in the passage at 28:56 Highlight the passage at 28:56

29:12 fluctuations that impress themselves in upon awareness, these impressions corresponding to the in and out breath. And Report an error in the passage at 29:12 Highlight the passage at 29:12

· · · silence, 2 minutes

31:00 do make a point of introspectively monitoring the breath in the sense of, see that it's not in any way constrained. It's very easy to be interfering with the flow of the breath. In fact, it's not so easy not to. So Report an error in the passage at 31:00 Highlight the passage at 31:00

31:24 make a point of utterly letting go of any kind of control or influence on Report an error in the passage at 31:24 Highlight the passage at 31:24

31:34 the in and out flow of the breath. Let it go utterly, spontaneously, effortlessly. And Report an error in the passage at 31:34 Highlight the passage at 31:34

31:47 do make something of a point until it's totally natural of deeply relaxing and releasing with every out breath. You Report an error in the passage at 31:47 Highlight the passage at 31:47

32:01 need to see for yourself what it's like when the breath truly flows in its own natural rhythm. Without any interference at all by you. With Report an error in the passage at 32:01 Highlight the passage at 32:01

· · · silence, 17 minutes

49:25 your body, speech and mind settled in the natural state, state of dynamic equilibrium, let your eyes be at least partially open and evenly rest your awareness in the space in front of you without focusing on any object, just being present. Report an error in the passage at 49:25 Highlight the passage at 49:25

· · · silence, 1 minute

50:18 And as you suspend the tendency to objectify appearances, withdrawing your awareness from appearances and objects of the mind. Report an error in the passage at 50:18 Highlight the passage at 50:18

50:35 You're bound to become more and more vividly aware of the immediate, unmediated experience of being conscious. So rest there in that knowing of being conscious. Report an error in the passage at 50:35 Highlight the passage at 50:35

· · · silence, 1 minute

51:57 He repeatedly comments on the value of developing the mode of awareness by which you can simply observe thoughts, like a cowherder observing his flock, without becoming entangled in them. Report an error in the passage at 51:57 Highlight the passage at 51:57

52:14 But that's not a path. Report an error in the passage at 52:14 Highlight the passage at 52:14

52:21 And likewise he comments on the value. of resting in the sheer luminosity and cognizance of consciousness, Report an error in the passage at 52:21 Highlight the passage at 52:21

52:32 to ascertain the relative nature of consciousness itself. This too is of value, but it still falls short. And Report an error in the passage at 52:32 Highlight the passage at 52:32

52:55 what is needed is to penetrate through to the ground of pristine awareness, the ultimate ground of your awareness. We need a strategy, and here's one taught by Padmasambhala. Report an error in the passage at 52:55 Highlight the passage at 52:55

53:17 It entails an oscillation or an alternation. Which in the beginning stages of the practice you may be helpful, you may find it helpful, to conjoin this rhythm or this oscillation with the rhythm of the breath. As you become more adept with the practice, release any deliberate awareness of the breath and set your own rhythm. Now Report an error in the passage at 53:17 Highlight the passage at 53:17

53:43 as we begin, Report an error in the passage at 53:43 Highlight the passage at 53:43

53:47 as the breath flows out, Report an error in the passage at 53:47 Highlight the passage at 53:47

53:54 release all thoughts, images, appearances, all activities of the mind and release awareness itself with Report an error in the passage at 53:54 Highlight the passage at 53:54

54:08 no object. Just release it all. Report an error in the passage at 54:08 Highlight the passage at 54:08

54:31 And even once you've released it, there's still awareness. There's still that primal awareness of being aware. You don't black out. You don't become unconscious. You've Report an error in the passage at 54:31 Highlight the passage at 54:31

54:50 simply released your awareness without an object. Report an error in the passage at 54:50 Highlight the passage at 54:50

55:02 Then as the breath flows in, accentuate, focus, concentrate on that very experience of awareness. Report an error in the passage at 55:02 Highlight the passage at 55:02

55:18 Release again with each in and out breath. It's Report an error in the passage at 55:18 Highlight the passage at 55:18

55:34 not an expansion and contraction here. But a release and a heightening of awareness, an accentuation of awareness, but not a withdrawal of awareness. Report an error in the passage at 55:34 Highlight the passage at 55:34

55:49 You're not building up pressure in the head, but releasing all that energy, the awareness, the thoughts and everything else into space. And Report an error in the passage at 55:49 Highlight the passage at 55:49

· · · silence, 1 minute

56:41 now we take up Padmasambhava's challenge to probe more deeply right to the very ground of awareness itself. And for this we slightly alter the strategy. Report an error in the passage at 56:41 Highlight the passage at 56:41

56:53 As the breath flows in, Report an error in the passage at 56:53 Highlight the passage at 56:53

56:58 Invert your awareness right in upon that which is aware. Do you not have a sense of being the observer, of being someone in here who is meditating, who is observing, who is witnessing? Do you not have a sense of there being an agent in here, an observer? As the breath flows in, invert the awareness in upon your experience of being the observer, that which is aware. Report an error in the passage at 56:58 Highlight the passage at 56:58

57:33 Do so and simply see what you see. Report an error in the passage at 57:33 Highlight the passage at 57:33

57:38 And then as the breath flows out, utterly relax and release your awareness into objectless space. Report an error in the passage at 57:38 Highlight the passage at 57:38

· · · silence, 2 minutes

59:16 You invert your awareness in upon that which is aware. Do you perceive nothing? Does nothing come to mind? A sheer vacuity? Report an error in the passage at 59:16 Highlight the passage at 59:16

59:29 Or when you do so, does something appear? An appearance of some kind? If so, examine that appearance carefully. Report an error in the passage at 59:29 Highlight the passage at 59:29

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:01:04 As you probe inwards, in upon that which is aware, He is aware, that which observes. You Report an error in the passage at 1:01:04 Highlight the passage at 1:01:04

1:01:22 identify an awareness here that defies any description, Report an error in the passage at 1:01:22 Highlight the passage at 1:01:22

1:01:33 transcends any of your conceptual categories, neither existent nor non-existent, Report an error in the passage at 1:01:33 Highlight the passage at 1:01:33

1:01:45 neither one nor many, Report an error in the passage at 1:01:45 Highlight the passage at 1:01:45

1:02:04 that neither rises nor ceases, that Report an error in the passage at 1:02:04 Highlight the passage at 1:02:04

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:02:41 neither moves nor becomes still, but is beyond the very notions of coming and going, Report an error in the passage at 1:02:41 Highlight the passage at 1:02:41

1:03:12 that has no location, no center or periphery. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:12 Highlight the passage at 1:03:12

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:04:34 Probe so deeply inwards that you transcend the very notion of subject and Report an error in the passage at 1:04:34 Highlight the passage at 1:04:34

1:04:44 release so fully outwards into space that there is no object. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:44 Highlight the passage at 1:04:44

· · · silence, 7 minutes

1:11:38 Release the oscillation and simply let your awareness come to rest doing nothing, simply being present. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:38 Highlight the passage at 1:11:38

· · · silence, 2 minutes

1:13:54 So there are two terms here that look rather similar and yet they are very distinct, referring to very distinct realities. And the first of these is one you're familiar with, the Substrate Consciousness. So, Substrate Consciousness, Alaivich Nana, simply means consciousness. It's a very good, straightforward translation. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:54 Highlight the passage at 1:13:54

1:14:15 And Alaia, or in Tibetan, Kunji, just means basis of all. All basis. Very simple. Etymologically, that's it. Now, basis of all of what? And then the answer is very clear and non-controversial. This Substrate Consciousness is the basis for all your experiences in saṃsāra. So Buddhist worldview, of course, from lifetime to lifetime, whether you go into the deepest, miserable states of existence, you go up to the formless realm, anywhere within this whole, this whole, how do you say, domain of saṃsāra, whatever you're experiencing in any lifetime, including the bardo, all of those appearances are emerging from the substrate. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:15 Highlight the passage at 1:14:15

1:14:57 They're actually taking place within the substrate. The substrate is your holodeck. That's the domain in which all appearances arise. And all of them without exception are illuminated or made manifest by the substrate consciousness. So therefore the substrate consciousness is the basis of all your experiences, from the most sublime to the most horrific within saṃsāra, all emerging from the substrate consciousness, all illuminated by the substrate consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:57 Highlight the passage at 1:14:57

1:15:23 And then of course your own substrate consciousness is profoundly entangled with the substrate consciousnesses of all other sentient beings around you. Some very strong connections where there's a strong karmic connection like mother and child, friends, spouses, guru, disciple and so forth. And so it's not a solipsistic view that you're all on your own in your own little tiny bubble. You do have your own continuum and these appearances are arising in your own substrate and that is individual. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:23 Highlight the passage at 1:15:23

1:15:49 But that substrate is profoundly entangled with it. As we see right now, we look around this room right here, this chapel, and we'll all be seeing something very, very similar. Each of us has a unique perspective, so nobody else has your perspective, and so that's arising within your substrate. But if we share notes, of course, we're going to come up with a lot of commonality, and for various reasons. So without belaboring that, that's the substrate consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:49 Highlight the passage at 1:15:49

1:16:16 But now, when this nakini in his dream said, your mind is the basis of all of saṃsāra nirvāṇa. Well now, clearly your samsaric mind, your dualistic mind, your sentient beings mind is not the basis of Nirvāṇa. It can't be. Nirvāṇa transcends your dualistic, samsaric, delusional mind with all its mental afflictions. Otherwise, what would be the point of Nirvāṇa? It has to be then what's called, well, the Sanskrit term for mind is citta, and then citta-ta. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:16 Highlight the passage at 1:16:16

1:16:49 Citta-ta is the ultimate reality of your mind. Ultimate reality of your mind. And the ultimate reality of your mind is none other than pristine awareness. That's another synonym for primordial consciousness, Buddha nature, Dharmakaya and so on. And so it's the jittata, the ultimate reality of the mind, that now is the ground, the source of all of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:49 Highlight the passage at 1:16:49

1:17:13 It's equally present in both of these types of reality, ultimate and relative. And that's the one that is timeless, that is non-local. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:13 Highlight the passage at 1:17:13

1:17:29 And that pervades, that citta-tha, that ultimate reality of the mind, that pervades every experience you ever have. Every experience, including getting grumpy and blissful and happy and compassionate and so forth, equally pervades, it's one taste that pervades every experience you ever have. But this citta-tha, even though we say, and it's very often said, your own pristine awareness, your own pristine awareness, they say that, rang-rik, rang-rikpa. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:29 Highlight the passage at 1:17:29

1:17:57 Your own pristine awareness. It's saying that just to reinforce, or to block, rather, to block the notion that you're tapping into somebody else's, God's, or Buddha's, some other Buddha, some Buddha out there, that is not yours, but finally you got rid of your mind and you got something better, on loan or transmitted by some holy being or some transcendent being. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:57 Highlight the passage at 1:17:57

1:18:20 That's just not the case. It's exactly where your mind is, that's exactly where pristine awareness is. And that's the very core of your own identity, not somebody else's identity who comes and possesses you or takes over, what have you. No, that's the core of your identity. At the same time, by the time you tap into that transcendent ground, that's undifferentiated. And it does literally defy every conceptual category. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:20 Highlight the passage at 1:18:20

1:18:46 It cannot be articulated with thought or with word, but it is not individual. That is, it is not that. It is not individual. That you have your own Dharmakaya, your own jittata versus somebody else's. You've tapped into a ground that is non-local and atemporal. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:46 Highlight the passage at 1:18:46

1:19:08 And so right there, now talking about that, we're talking about a framework, a theory. Something we can conceptualize that when put to good use, points our finger in the right direction and then we do what we just did. Because I wasn't telling you, this is what you're going to see, this is what you're going to see. I was saying, look here and see what you see. And do you see anything that does transcend? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:08 Highlight the passage at 1:19:08

1:19:27 Your ordinary constructs. Well, this framework of coarse mind, subtle mind, and now this very subtle mind, one more term for it. Another one is innate mind of clear light. This one's non-local and atemporal, while at the same time pervading all of space. And Buddhists have a pretty large sense of space as much as astrophysicists. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:27 Highlight the passage at 1:19:27

1:19:46 It's a very large space. And all of time. And the Buddhist notion of time is no smaller than the notion of time of modern cosmology. It's utterly vast. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:46 Highlight the passage at 1:19:46

1:19:56 While your substrate consciousness is local, that's where you are. And it's individuated, and it's within time, and it is conditioned by causes and effects, and it does carry, in a manner of speaking, your karmic imprints, memories and so forth. When you break through that to pristine awareness, this ground pristine awareness, then you've tapped into something that is truly transcendent. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:56 Highlight the passage at 1:19:56

1:20:20 And so now we have coarse, subtle and very subtle. And when we have this now... Three-dimensional framework for consciousness. Now the occurrence of such things as precognition, not just having a hunch, but actually seeing something that's occurring in the future, that will occur in the future, or seeing something that is occurring distant in space. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:20 Highlight the passage at 1:20:20

1:20:43 And these kind of accounts are everywhere, except for immaterialism. They're the only group that denies it. Oh, and they're the only group that doesn't know how to observe the mind and has no way of training the mind. So, okay, you're primitive. You're kind of like back there in the Stone Age. But meanwhile, all the contemplative traditions have gone light years ahead of you. All of them. It's kind of strange. They are not pre-scientific, they're trans-scientific in the sense of 21st century science. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:43 Highlight the passage at 1:20:43

1:21:08 And so they all accept this, that there are such things as prophecies, there are such things as remote viewing and so forth. And this colleague of mine, Russell Targ, he's brought in some good, solid, rigorous scientific research into this field. Russell Targ, written a number of books. I think I mentioned him earlier, didn't I? Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:08 Highlight the passage at 1:21:08

1:21:26 So if it's true, it's true. If it's true, then here's the principle. It's a Buddhist principle, one I absolutely embrace. If you make a proposition like that, that precognition does occur, or remote viewing does occur, that's a statement. It's either true or false. It's simple. It can't be kind of true. It's either true or false. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:26 Highlight the passage at 1:21:26

1:21:44 This means if you investigate it as deeply, as thoroughly, as rigorously and intelligently as you possibly can, the more you do so, if it's true, it's going to be more and more evident that it's true. And if it's false, it's going to, the more deeply you probe into it, you see, this is flaky. This is just superstition. This is something a lot of people say. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:44 Highlight the passage at 1:21:44

1:22:03 It's got nothing to it at all. Then good, you've learned something either way, right? But this is now a framework. In which very many things that appear otherwise mysterious become quite intelligible. So I was at a Minor Life meeting years ago, of course with His Holiness, and commented at one point, I just love to make mistakes in the presence of His Holiness, because then I really remember, you know, and then get corrected. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:03 Highlight the passage at 1:22:03

1:22:32 But the issue came up, I can't remember what I said, but I remember what he said. The issue came up, is it possible to have this type of... Paranormal ability, exocentric perception, without having achieved shamatha. Oh, I know, I was probably remembering Atisha. There it is, the lamp for the path of enlightenment, Bodhipada Praditam, where he says, if you do not have shamatha, you will not have exocentric perception. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:32 Highlight the passage at 1:22:32

1:23:01 Therefore cultivate shamatha. He says that. I have tremendous reverence for Atisha. And so I think I probably did say something to that effect. And then his Holiness said, no, that's not quite true. That's not uniformly true. No, one can be a Dzogchen practitioner. I know he said this. One can be a Dzogchen practitioner and without having fully achieved shamatha, you may indeed, number one, you may indeed have some genuine insight into pristine awareness. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:01 Highlight the passage at 1:23:01

1:23:30 I never doubted that. Just like you can have genuine insight into emptiness without having fully achieved shamatha. You just won't be able to sustain it. So I wasn't surprised there, but he said also, you may be a Dzogchen practitioner, have some genuine insight or real taste of pristine awareness, and that can give rise to remote viewing, precognition and so forth, even if you've not achieved shamatha. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:30 Highlight the passage at 1:23:30

1:23:52 He said it? Oh, I really remember. Because I have this strong suspicion he knows what he's talking about. And so... It makes it intelligible. Then it's not like, oh, how mysterious, what a miracle. That's not a miracle at all. Tap into that. This is non-local atemporal. Non-local means it's not locked into one particular moment of time, but it permeates time. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:52 Highlight the passage at 1:23:52

1:24:13 And non-local means it's not locked into one particular place, but it permeates space. If that's the case, if there is a dimension of our awareness for which that is true, and we can have, I'm going to use a little cute metaphor, like... Kind of a wormhole into that dimension, some kind of, not that you were omniscient, I mean that would be cool, just totally omniscient at all times, not that. No, you're resting, but you get these tendrils tapping into that dimension and being able to pull out things. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:13 Highlight the passage at 1:24:13

1:24:44 It's clearly an image, it's only poetry, it's only metaphor, but something like that. Then it becomes intelligible, that you could have access to truths that lie in the future and access to truths. That lie distant in space and that is not mysterious. But yeah, that would make sense. That would make sense. I'll add one more point there. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:44 Highlight the passage at 1:24:44

1:25:06 We need to get back to the text. But the issue of precognition, and it's universally accepted throughout all Buddhist schools and many other contemporary traditions, it does not imply predetermination, predestination. It does not imply that the future is set in concrete already. Now just watch what happens. The Buddha is very explicit about that. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:06 Highlight the passage at 1:25:06

1:25:27 That's not the case. At the same time, it is the case that some things in the future, I'll just put it this way, some things in the future are such that the causes and conditions have already come about that they will definitely happen. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:27 Highlight the passage at 1:25:27

1:25:42 My favorite example of here, and then I'm going to drop it, is anybody ever seen, and I know you have, of the movie Thelma and Louise, remember that? And so these two ladies, I'm about to ruin the movie for you if you've not seen it, so put your, it's a spoiler alert. But so these two gals, you know, they're desperate and they figured, okay, we're finished with this life. Looking backwards, no good. So they're driving towards a cliff, driving towards a cliff, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:25:42 Highlight the passage at 1:25:42

1:26:07 And they hit the accelerator. They're going to go whee, go out the bank. And so imagine you're Thelma and Louise and you're heading towards this cliff. It's good, like a mile down. You're going to crash and burn. And you're heading off and it's 50 feet away. You're 50 feet away from the ledge and you're driving 60 miles an hour. At this point, it doesn't matter what you do. You can hit the accelerator, the brakes, you can turn left, you can turn right. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:07 Highlight the passage at 1:26:07

1:26:34 It doesn't matter. It's already a done deal. You're going over the cliff. Don't expect the hand of God to come down. Not going to happen. Even though you're not there yet, it's in the future. The causes and conditions are such that this can no longer be averted. You're going to go over the cliff. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:34 Highlight the passage at 1:26:34

1:26:52 if you're I mean, I guess you're 200 yards away from the edge of the cliff and you're driving 60 miles an hour. And suddenly Thelma turns to Louise and says, Louise, I don't want to die. And she says, I don't either. And they hit the brake. There's still some playroom there. You might be able to stop. So that's not determined. But if you're 60 feet away, 60 miles an hour, there's no reason to have a conversation. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:52 Highlight the passage at 1:26:52

1:27:19 You can have precognition. We're going over. So issues of global warming, I'm not going to elaborate, but issues of global warming, the scientists, and I'm not one, but climate scientists, say there's such a thing as a tipping point. Hit the tipping point, and then it's all very well to say, okay, we're going to have more fuel-efficient cars, we're going to have more solar, that's all very well. But it's basically a done deal. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:19 Highlight the passage at 1:27:19

1:27:47 And what I've heard is all that arctic tundra, an awful lot of it, it's frozen. When it gets warm enough that that thaws, A whole enormous amount of carbon dioxide is going to be released from the soil. That's a tipping point. At that point, whatever policy changes you have, it's window dressing. So there are many cases like that. Oh, last one, let's get back to the text. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:47 Highlight the passage at 1:27:47

1:28:17 So you will see right here in the middle of page 15, this strong injunction. Having commented already, yes, it's good to observe thoughts. Yes, it's good to sustain your own consciousness of luminosity and cognizance. Allowing thoughts to release, that's good, but you don't get directly to the point. You're not on a path, you're not breaking through, you're still in saṃsāra, you're still in relative mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:17 Highlight the passage at 1:28:17

1:28:39 So what do you need to do? Identify the ground pristine awareness. That is that cittata that is always present, eternally, timelessly, ultimate ground, ultimately transcendent. That's what liberates. Tapping into the substrate consciousness makes you feel real good. But it's a condition of feeling good. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:39 Highlight the passage at 1:28:39

1:28:59 Bliss, luminosity and non-conceptuality. And sooner or later it will pass. So with those words she dissolved together with the mirror into my heart and my body, speech and mind were filled with joy and bliss. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:59 Highlight the passage at 1:28:59

1:29:15 So he took her words to heart. He took her words to heart. And you can see by the indentation here, she said that in a really nice verse. And it doesn't come out in verse in English, but that's the breaks. But he really listened to her and he said, so? Those words were my rationale. So he went right back to the meditation cushion with further pith instructions because that's just what she gave him. So those words were my rationale. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:15 Highlight the passage at 1:29:15

1:29:39 So once again, I ardently meditated on luminosity and cognizance. So he's focusing right in there upon the distinctive characteristics of consciousness that differentiate consciousness from everything else, including computer programs and brains and synapses and everything else. Consequently, so what came out of this practice? This is a wonderful phenomenological account, first person of his own experience. I think he's being totally candid. Why would he do anything else? Report an error in the passage at 1:29:39 Highlight the passage at 1:29:39

1:30:06 So as a result of his ardent meditation going right into the nuclear qualities of consciousness itself before the configurations and so forth of human mind, gender, ethnicity and so forth, consequently at times it seemed as if that which appeared and that which was aware Non-dually dispersed outward and then converged inward again. So that was one of his experiences. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:06 Highlight the passage at 1:30:06

1:30:37 On other occasions, that which appeared and that which was aware were non-dually and spontaneously objectified, both just being released into space and then naturally disappeared. Appearances disappeared, the awareness of those appearances also disappeared. At other times, appearances and awareness were non-dually self-emergent and self-dissolving. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:37 Highlight the passage at 1:30:37

1:31:06 Now is he refuting Nagarjuna, refuting causality and so forth? No, he's not actually. This notion of self-immersion that is from his perspective, when he's resting there, appearances and awareness from his perspective, they just spontaneously arose. And from his perspective he didn't see, there was no evidence of any cooperative conditions or any of that. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:06 Highlight the passage at 1:31:06

1:31:31 Things that led up to them and constructed them, gave rise to them, generated them. From his perspective, it was just like that. Just self-emergent. Just manifesting. And then just dissolving. Self-dissolving. What this self-emergent means is nothing else was coming from outside and creating them. Like a potter coming over to some clay and creating a pot. And likewise, there's self-dissolving in the sense that it's not like a pot coming and somebody coming and hitting it with a hammer. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:31 Highlight the passage at 1:31:31

1:32:02 It just, it's gone. And you don't see anything outside that make it go. It just, it's gone. That's how it appeared. At other times, appearances and awareness were non-dually, self-immersion and self-dissolving, such that I understood that they were not projected out from within the body. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:02 Highlight the passage at 1:32:02

1:32:23 If they were projected out from within the body, and why don't we just go ahead and say brain, then the brain would be that which was doing it from outside. If they are out... Report an error in the passage at 1:32:23 Highlight the passage at 1:32:23

1:32:33 But he knew that was not the case. I knew that these experiences were attributable to grasping at the ground of being as an object. So he's still within a conceptual framework. He's still having that sense. He hasn't transcended it yet. And grasping at the ground as an object, the ground is this ground pristine awareness. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:33 Highlight the passage at 1:32:33

1:32:56 So we hear about it. He heard about it. He's got some description here from this dakini. Do not regard the mind and pristine awareness as two grounds, and so forth and so on. The mind refers to something projected by pristine awareness. You hear something like that, you read something like that, and you get an idea. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:56 Highlight the passage at 1:32:56

1:33:13 Of course, that's the idea, that you get an idea. But as soon as you get an idea, okay, pristine awareness is not the same as mind, but it's that which projects mind. As soon as you're doing that, you're grasping to it. It becomes an object of thought. And so once again, it's like, look at the moon, and you're staring at the tip of the finger. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:13 Highlight the passage at 1:33:13

1:33:33 So you need to launch, you need to go beyond that so that you're no longer grasping at the ground as an object, which means you're no longer clinging to your concept, the words, the description, as the ground awareness. In other words, you finally got your eyes off the finger and you're looking at that which the finger is pointing to. You finally understood how to use such instruction, not to wrap your mind around it and think you've now captured pristine awareness. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:33 Highlight the passage at 1:33:33

1:34:03 But he used these instructions as a launching pad to transcend the instructions in a particular direction. Then all my earlier ways of grasping naturally faded away. This natural fading away, this self-release, self-dissolution. You don't need to bring an outside hammer to make them fade away. They just dissolve with themselves. So he kept ardently practicing all his earlier ways of grasping. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:03 Highlight the passage at 1:34:03

1:34:36 And that entails dualistic grasping, subject over here, object over there, naturally faded away. And I came to rest in the great spontaneous vastness of the originally pure ground of being. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:36 Highlight the passage at 1:34:36

1:34:52 Originally pure ground of being is, you know, talk about it again. It is this primordial or timeless, eternal non-duality of Dhammadhatu, great emptiness, the emptiness of all phenomena, which is... Nirvāṇa, which is the absolute space of phenomena, the primordial non-duality of that ultimate space, absolute space with primordial consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:52 Highlight the passage at 1:34:52

1:35:20 That the two are of the same nature, co-extensive, both unborn, unceasing, both utterly transcending, all conceptual frameworks. This is the originally pure ground of being. Originally pure means obscurations, mental afflictions, so forth, never penetrate to that depth. So it doesn't need to be purified and you can't make it better. All things that arose, all things that arose, all appearances, all phenomena of which he was aware, all things that arose as its creative expressions naturally release themselves in their own expanse. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:20 Highlight the passage at 1:35:20

1:36:05 This essential nature, so now what he's doing here is he's showing the relationship between this utterly transcendent ground, the indivisibility of Dharmadhatu and Dharmakaya. Or Primordial Consciousness. It's not inert. Not inert. It's not simply timeless. It's not inert. It is filled with infinite creative energy. It's called the energy of Primordial Consciousness. And it displays. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:05 Highlight the passage at 1:36:05

1:36:35 It manifests. And these are called the Rigpetzel, the creative expressions, the creative power, the creative displays of pristine awareness. And all phenomena, and that's phenomena of saṃsāra nirvāṇa, all phenomena, That arose as its creative expressions, spontaneously emerging from that ground, naturally release themselves in their own expanse. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:35 Highlight the passage at 1:36:35

1:36:58 They manifest and they self-release. This essential nature, that again the essential nature is this ground of being, this essential nature together with its creative expressions, and that's all appearances, which are free of modification, antidote, meditation practice, memory, grasping and identification. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:58 Highlight the passage at 1:36:58

1:37:18 This essential nature, this pristine awareness, is again unmodified. There's nothing to remedy it. It doesn't come forth by way of meditative practice of doing something. It transcends memory, grasping identification. This essential nature, that ultimate ground together with its creative expressions, this is called the path pristine awareness. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:18 Highlight the passage at 1:37:18

1:37:42 So the ground pristine awareness is already there, the ultimate transcendent ground of awareness. But the path pristine awareness This calls forth or emphasizes its dynamic quality. That is not just like nirvāṇa as timeless, inert, unchanging, immutable. It is that ground, but it also constantly and spontaneously gives rise to appearances. And that's the path pristine awareness. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:42 Highlight the passage at 1:37:42

1:38:09 So you can immerse yourself, you can... Dissolve into the ground pristine awareness and from that perspective you can see its effulgences. You can see the creative displays of the ground pristine awareness and thereby see it as the path pristine awareness. You can see appearances as effulgences of pristine awareness by first... Report an error in the passage at 1:38:09 Highlight the passage at 1:38:09

1:38:32 Ascertaining this ground pristine awareness. Or there's another avenue and that is to gain such profound insight into the creative expressions of pristine awareness that you trace them to their source and then you see that as the ground pristine awareness. So you can come from the ground to the effulgences or recognize the actual nature of the effulgences as nothing other than the ground. Now that's done with the power of imagination and state regeneration when viewing all appearances as Namanakaya. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:32 Highlight the passage at 1:38:32

1:39:00 All sounds is sambhogakaya. All mental events is dharmakaya. These are all effulgences. But you try by the power of imagination to see them with pure vision and thereby trace them to their source. And their ultimate source is none other than dharmakaya. But this doesn't entail visualization. This is complementary to state regeneration and completion, very, very often practiced together with But this actually is a complete path in and of itself. Without having to imagine, you just make an absolute beeline to realizing the ground pristine awareness and from that then you spontaneously see all appearances as effulgences of Dharmakaya. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:00 Highlight the passage at 1:39:00

1:39:46 At this time with the absence of mental activity, so as coarse mind, samsaric mind shut down, with the absence of mental activity there was ultimate reality. That's Dharmakaya. Dharmata, ultimate reality, synonymous with shunyata, Report an error in the passage at 1:39:46 Highlight the passage at 1:39:46

1:40:03 dharmadhatu and so on. As hopes, fears, negation and affirmation dissolved into absolute space, that is absolute space of phenomena, dharmadhatu, all hopes, fears, negation and affirmation, all the conceptual activities of the mind, all of these dissolved into absolute space, there was self-emergent primordial consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:03 Highlight the passage at 1:40:03

1:40:25 That's all that remained. Without seeking, There was the spontaneously actualized essential nature of reality and the mode of being of the great Dharmakaya. There was a spontaneously actualized essential nature of reality, that's Dharmadhatu, and the mode of being of the great Dharmakaya, these two being again indivisible, primordially, and these free of all extremes, free of all extremes means free of the conceptual categories of existence, non-existence, birth, cessation. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:25 Highlight the passage at 1:40:25

1:41:00 Coming and going, unity and multiplicity, free of all extremes, free of partiality, free of going and coming. So he broke through. He's just described to you, for us, what it was like when he's following this path, observing thoughts arising, arising, then resting in the sheer awareness of awareness, shamatha without a sign, and then taking up the challenge to identify, to cut through, to break through the substrate consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:00 Highlight the passage at 1:41:00

1:41:32 To break through the relative nature of mind, the essential nature of mind, which is simply the substrate consciousness, to break through that and identify the ground pristine awareness. He was encouraged to do so. He succeeded. And that's his account of what it was like. I thank him for such candor. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:32 Highlight the passage at 1:41:32

1:41:54 This is a great scientific report, isn't it? There's no interpretation. There's no philosophy. There's no interpretation. He said, it was what I saw. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:54 Highlight the passage at 1:41:54

1:42:05 This is... This is deep science to my mind. Let's take a break and come back at five minutes past the hour. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:05 Highlight the passage at 1:42:05