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Hi Tara,
The Middle Way school or Madhyamaka makes extensive use of reasoning to discover the truth of emptiness. Thereby one is introduced to phenomena neither being existent, non-existent, both or neither. If you would like get to know this profound Mahayana philosophy, perhaps begin by listening to the Madhyamaka lectures by Thomas Doctor. You can download them on www. dharmasun.shedrub1.site
Many greetings
Heidi
Hi Maarten,
Thank you for pointing this out. To avoid confusion it would have been better to say “Our coarse body, our subtle body, and the state of our mind are all interdependent.”
The mind’s basic nature is, as you say, in itself not conditioned and does not depend on anything.
The experience of the mind’s true nature can however be facilitated or impeded by what goes on in the coarse and subtle body. And it is because of those interdependencies that the experience of the mind’s fundamental nature can arise at the end of the death processes. It is also in recognition of such relationships that the tantras teach the practices of the subtle body to bring forth realization in the mind.Thank you,
Heidi
Dear Sharon,
To me your meditation does not sound like dullness. I think it is very inspiring that you are mindful and paying attention to your thoughts during your daily activities. During his seminar here at the Gomde in Austria Rinpoche passed on some instructions of Lord Atisa. Atisa said the supreme oral instruction is to always look at one’s mind. It sounds simple but I know from experience that it is extremely difficult to remain aware of what is going on in my mind. I think it is fantastic that you are able to train your mind in this way.
At this point I would not worry too much about whether for you ‘remaining free from reference points’, is the real thing or not. This point will be taught in depth by the end of the second excellence. The specialty of this lineage is to bring us face to face with our innate nature, an encounter that is naturally free from reference point. At this stage we are simply trying to develop a feeling for what it may be like to be free from reference point.Many hugs
Heidi
HiJudy,
The sixth among the general subdivisions of the aggregate of consciousness is the mental consciousness, which is enumerated after the consciousnesses associated with five senses. The mental consciousness may engage with objects that are purely mental, but it can also concern the objects of the senses, as when I think of the flower that was initially known through the consciousness associated with the eye faculty.
Lots of greetings
Heidi
Dear Gabriel,
Lama Tenzin came back from Russia and sends many greetings. He said that Tara is the embodiment of the three jewels and it is important to keep that in mind when taking refuge. Even though she embodies the three jewels, we still should imagine that she is surrounded by an ocean-like assembly of victorious ones. At this stage of practice it is not specified where exactly they are situated and also we don’t need to visualize a refuge tree. Most important it is to visualize Tara and feel certain that she is surrounded by an ocean-like assembly of victorious ones.
Best wishes,
Heidi
Dear Sally,
I asked Lama Tenzin about your question.He said that you should give rise to certainty that all your obscurations of body, speech and mind are purified along with their habitual patterns. When the light streams enter your body, speech and mind think keep in mind that they are the four empowerments.Thereby your body, speech and mind become inseparable from the master’s enlightened body, speech and mind.
Hope this helped.
Lots of wishes to you,
Heidi
Hi Peter,
I don’t think we have this image in higher resolution, but will ask Mike about it tonight.
Ha det bra,
Heidi
Hi Judy,
Self-aware means that mind is naturally aware without depending on conditions. It is spontaneously present and therefore does not come into being or disappear again. The Tib. term is ‘rang rig’. ‘Rang’ means ‘self’ and ‘rig’ is aware. Wisdom is aware of itself and by itself — it does not depend on anything else for this realization.
Hope this helped.
Greetings,
Heidi
Dear Mark and Swarl,
Generally the dharma is to be understood as the path and in this specific context Maitreya refers to the dharma of realization (as distinguished from scripture). The path, then, is the wisdom of realization and in that sense Maitreya’s message is that this wisdom is self-aware.
Many thanks,
Heidi
Dear Gabriel,
The commentary to the terma does not specify where exactly to visualize the yidams and three jewels. The most important visualization here is to imagine tara who is in essence inseparable from your teacher. She embodies the three jewels. Her body is the sangha, her speech is the dharma, while her mind is the buddha.
Lama Tenzin will come back from Russia after a week a, and I can ask him your question then. Sorry for the delay. He may have explained this point in the practice seminar…Many greetings from Austria
Heidi
Hi Jenn,
You will definitely have the opportunity to take refuge with Rinpoche in Gomde CA. Let the organizers of the seminar know of your wish when you arrive at Gomde.
Thank you for being part of this program,
Heidi
Hi Judy,
Lama Tenzin said that in the moment when we have a positive thought or intention it cannot ‘mix’ with a negative thought or harmful intention. Likewise a negative karmic result does not mix or mingle with a positive one. Nevertheless positive deeds can undo and weaken negative karma. This is not to say that they mix or mingle with the negative karma but they function as positive conditions that can either fully eradicate or weaken the negative karmic ripening.The crucial factor is to do something about the negative deed before it fully ripens. When the seed has not grown into a plant yet, you can still do away with it quite easily. Most importantly about negative karma is to understand that it can become purified. The sooner you acknowledge and feel regret about your harmful deeds, the better.
Best wishes,
Heidi
Dear Dorje Yeshe,
In the Supreme Continuity Maitreya presents an account of the two wisdoms that focuses on Buddha nature. But that account is also related to a more general Mahayana treatment.
The Mahayana teachings explain that out of the direct experience of the real nature of things (the first of the two wisdoms) arises a wisdom that without parting from the recognition of things as they are moreover knows all phenomena as they appear (the second wisdom). That wisdom is a mode of cognition that operates in a way that is completely different from what we sentient beings are used to, because it cognizes phenomena clearly and distinctly, yet without relying on thought. From our perspective, it may seem to be impossible to know things without thinking, but this mode of wisdom is in fact much more capable than our consciousness. It is explained that the Buddha’s mind is perfectly aware of absolutely everything that takes place throughout space and time. In a single instant all of the past, present, and future is known clearly and directly. This wisdom of omniscience is studied in great detail in the monastic colleges, leading to very complex discussions and accounts. But in short, it is an inconceivable mode of wisdom knowledge. The two wisdoms are actually not distinct but just enumerated as two in terms of their function.
In the Supreme Continuity Maitreya then specifically explains that the wisdom that knows the real nature things is the aspect of wisdom that realizes our unconditioned and spontaneously present Buddha-nature. The wisdom that knows things as they appear, on the other hand, is the wisdom mind’s acknowledgement of this perfect nature being the fundamental nature of all other sentient beings as well, no matter who they are and where they are.
Rinpoche and the masters of his lineage often explain that the more stable a yogi becomes in the recognition of the nature of mind (which is in fact nothing else than the wisdom aware of the real nature of things) the more powerful the nonconceptual awareness of the way things appear will become.Heidi
Hi friends,
Sorry for taking so long. I am trying to get over a flue….
One high Lama once said that the reason our planet’s population is increasing so rapidly these days is because more and more beings from the lower realms are achieving a higher rebirth as human beings. But this is not necessarily due to an increase in the merit of those beings; instead, it reflects the overall decrease in the merit of those already inhabiting this planet.
In other words, due to the great many and ever-increasing armed conflicts around the world and the flourishing of uninhibited negative emotions among the human population, our planet is no longer what you could call a particularly “nice neighborhood.” You only need to read an encyclopedia of World History to learn about all the bloody warfare and empires that have come and gone through the milleniums based on greed and the other negative emotions. There are indeed other world systems which are more meritorious “neighborhoods” and therefore more peaceful settings for spiritual practice.
So, that said, it no longer requires much merit to be reborn on this planet. He also said that some human beings have attained such a rebirth based on short-lived merit and can fall back into the lower realms if they are unable to take advantage of this unique rebirth.
Just because animals are vanishing for various reasons, often due to unwholesome human intervention, does not necessarily mean they are achieving a higher rebirth. The Buddha taught that there are countless planets like ours throughout the universe, places to accommodate the countless sentient beings. Beings can certainly move up and down the ladder in their rebirths, just as a dog born in a Calcutta slum can next be reborn as a pooch in a Parisian luxury apt, and be reborn in countless different places in time and space.. Possibilities abound.
So, it’s not that we are literally emptying the lower realms, but we are making the heartfelt aspiration to empty them – in other words, to liberate sentient beings once and for all from painful cyclic existence. This has great merit and truly will help those countless beings find a better rebirth somewhere in the universe and eventual liberation.
Lots of wishes from sunny Denmark,
Heidi
Hi Michael,
The speciality of this lineage is to bring people to a recognition beyond reference points. This topic will be taught extensively in the future. For now it is most important that we make our mind soft and pliable and prepare it properly for these instructions.
Greetings from sunny Denmark
Heidi
Hi Michael,
We need to especially take care of our enemies. Since our objective is to develop an impartial loving kindness, we train our mind to overcome our emotional response of dislike toward beings we have difficulties with. This is the reason that they are in front of us. We need to pay particular attention so that we can develop genuine love for them also.
Hope this helped
Greetings from sunny Denmark,
Heidi
Dear Nadine,
What wonderful questions you have! I don’t think that you ponder things too much at all. An insect and a human being equally possess buddha nature. So from this perspective we are not different. Yet human beings have a keen intelligence and can therefore make their human existence meaningful.
The buddha nature of insects, for example, is more heavily obscured by ignorance. Our buddha nature is also covered by ignorance, negative emotions, and, as you rightly put it, by discursive thoughts. However, we can also use those thoughts to investigate into how things truly are. We are then not only stuck on the seeming, superficial level of things.
Nagarjuna has put is so eloquently:Without relying on the conventional truth, we will not realize the ultimate truth.
Without using words, thoughts and expression we will not be able to realize the ultimate truth. Often the masters distinguish between understanding, experience, and realization. Understanding means to have intellectually understood something. Experience is when this understanding has become embodied. It is not anymore an abstract understanding, but you actually feel it. While experience still comes and goes, realization is said to be unchanging. Realization is wisdom. During these contemplations we are trying to use our inquiries to fuel, first of all, experience.
As we advance further along this gradual path, hopefully our experience will blossom into realization, into wisdom. At that time we will be able to act without any deliberate effort to accomplish the welfare of beings. I know this sounds strange, but perhaps for buddhas it is very strange that we need thoughts in order to be able to act, or feel compassion. In the context of the second excellence we will be contemplating further on the inseparability of emptiness and compassion.Many hugs
H
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Dear Nadine,
Good to hear from u again.
Space is used as an example of something unconditioned and beyond center and edges. If there were no space to begin with there would be ‘no space,’ as we say, for things like chairs and sofas.There simply would be no room for them. Without space nothing could take place. So, nobody can create space. It is the condition of everything, and yet space itself is not conditioned by anything.
When we say we see space, what do we really mean? In a famous passage in a sutra the Buddha encourages us to examine this point.
Seeing space does not mean seeing anything that has form, shape and so on. So, do we see space or not?
Of course, we do since it is everywhere; without it nothing could be what it is. But what is it????Again remember here in the context of our contemplation space is only an example. But a very good one…
:huh:
Hugs
H
Dear Tamara,
Go easy on yourself. We will soon contemplate the nature of self and others.
There are so many fascinating things to think about. In monastic colleges you can spend years and decades working with deep and vast issues. Here we are trying to combine studying, reflection and meditation. We let ourselves grow with each step. There is no expectation as such of figuring things out conceptually. But we do work with concepts, because they fuel experience.Greetings,
Heidi
Hi again,
Rinpoche said that for now he would suggest that you merely relax and perhaps train in Shamatha.
Being free from reference point means being very clear and awake but not grasping at anything whatsoever. Rinpoche mentioned that he will elaborate on this topic a lot during the second excellence. So please don’t worry about it too much now. …
Let me know of this helps
Heidi
