Realise your inherent, self-existing Awakeness/Buddha-Nature
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Originally posted by wonderamazement:
i define the term of being unable to understand what you are trying to say...although at times i find myself asking myself "who am i, why am i here, do i have a purpose here?" is there a form to oneself... and also how am i able to be aware and concious...
You are conscious, and aware, and that awareness can never be lost.
There is nothing the mind needs to understand, and the mind cannot understand it. The mind only understands concept, and concept is not awareness.
Awareness is what allows the mind/thoughts to be seen, the words on the screen to be seen, the sound to be heard.
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Before (and during) any thought arise, or a doubt, or a feeling that arise and passes, awareness is present.
Presence-Awareness is not something that arises and passes away, or has birth and death. It is unaffected and present regardless of your experiences, thoughts, etc. Everything is because awareness is.
Relatively speaking you are born into this world because of karma. But you are not just the body and the personality born into this world many years ago and will pass away many years later. Your true nature is unborn and undying. Before birth, who are you?
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Thich Nhat Hanh:
“Most people view themselves as waves and forget that they are also water. They are used to living birth-and-death, and they forget about no-birth-and-death. A wave also lives the life of water, and we also live the life of no-birth-no-death. We only need to know that we are living the life of no-birth-no-death. All is in the word ‘know.’ To know is to realize. Realization is mindfulness. All the work of meditation is aimed at awakening us in order to know one and only one thing: birth and death can never touch us in any way whatsoever.” -
"Thoughts come and go. Clearly, you remain present and knowing them all. The thoughts can be endless and following them or answering the questions is not really what this is about. It is more about knowing and being what you are. If you pause all the thoughts and questions, what is still present?"
~ John Wheeler
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Understanding concepts, however spiritual, and reading and gaining knowledge is not the point.
Words only point, you have to do the looking yourself, and nobody can do it for you. Reading does not help if one doesn't do the investigation himself.
Stop chasing after thoughts, let them be, and look at awareness itself, look at the looker, know the knower. It is a sharp, vivid, pristine, naked awareness that is naturally, effortlessly ever-present. It is not a thing or entity with forms and shapes. It shines in its glory when the clouds of discursive thinking is let go of. However, even though awareness is formless and space-like and unaffected by the presence and absence of phenomena, it nevertheless reflects (is aware of) the slightest details/forms/sounds/thoughts/etc vividly and effortlessly as itSelf, when they manifest.
"Pure, for no thing can taint it, or affect it in any way.
Pristine, for no thing can stain it.
Radiant, for it illuminates everything that appears in it.
Limitless for it contains and encompasses all things.
Attributeless, for all attributes are ephemeral objects coming and going in it."
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In the many recent months we have been discussing various ways and approaches to attain or come to an understanding of enlightened Awareness, to actually be in that Awareness as that Awareness. But in all these discussions there has been some sense of there being a departure point and an arrival point, with the path being the bridge between these points. But in real Ati Yoga of Dzogchen there is no notion of there being a starting point and an arrival point with some transitional process linking the two points. Rather the departure point is the arrival point in this moment...now, just as we are.
Let's examine this a bit. Your actual true nature and beingness is pure Awareness in all moments. It does not require additional efforts or understandings to be what it already is. What is this Awareness? It has no physical characteristics and has no location in space or time. It has no sense of self nor any sense of identity. There is nothing personal about this Awareness such as my Awareness and your Awareness. It is complete voidness or emptiness, yet it is fully cognizant. There is no separation between it and the field of perception as they exist as one unity without parts. In fact you can't even call it Awareness, because Awareness implies that there is a subject, such as Awareness, and objects such as external and internal forms and energies that Awareness is aware of...like a witness.
But in fact, our true nature is not even Awareness in that regard, as there is nothing for Awareness to be aware of. Awareness is the field of experience, not an observer of it. You may ask what Awareness looks like... whatever you see, feel, think, imagine, hear, taste, smell are all the manifestations or appearances of Awareness and are therefore perfect just as they are. There is no need to change your feelings, your thoughts, sensations, emotions or perceptions in any way. What ever you are experiencing in each moment is Awareness appearing as that moment. Even having the sense of being a limited and defined ego-self is also this Awareness appearing as that.
The most essential nature of Awareness is a totally empty Presence that just is. That Presence is our own immediate awareness in the midst of whatever experience is arising. That which hears a sound is this non-personal Presence as Awareness. This is the same for sensory experiences and internal mental events as well. So when we hear a sound, the awareness that is hearing the sound is inseparable from the sound. Try it, close your eyes and just listen. Notice how you cannot find a dividing line between the sound and your perceiving awareness. Actually you will discover that there is no separation at all, just like waves being inseparable from the water. This happens to be true for all your perceptions and thoughts, feelings and emotions as well. Everything is Awareness appearing as those experiences. To experience this directly is what is called the non-dual state or samadhi. In Dzogchen we could call this non-dual state of Awareness and its energy field the experience of Ati. But you cannot really call Ati an experience as there is no subject as a witness of the experience. Here is where words and concepts fail to convey the reality of Ati. Ati is never an experience...but is that which has experiences.
Ati is Reality as it is, however it appears in each moment. There are no levels of Ati. That is because Ati is everything just as you experience it. Even the sense of being a confused being looking for freedom from suffering is Ati appearing as that. However, there is still an Awareness of that experience of there being a confused being, that Awareness is like a mirror, but is itself never the forms or reflections that appear as a confused being. We are never other than this non-personal Awareness as the unchanging mirror itself.
That means there is no need for meditation nor practice because whatever is your experience is already Ati. All states of consciousness are Ati. There is no one to become enlightened as all there is, is only the unified field of Being. The sense of being a separate being is just an experience arising as Ati There has never been any separation at any time nor separate selves. Ati is just being as you are in this and every other moment. When you are sad, that is Ati sadness. When you are crazy, that is Ati craziness. This is true for all conditions and states.
How is the Ati experience of Ati brought about? The essence of Ati is your cognitive knowingness present within all moments. There is a sense of being conscious within all experiences. It is that pure cognitive consciousness that is the living heart of Ati. The essence of Ati is not thoughts, but is the awareness of thoughts. The essence of Ati is not your emotions, but is the awareness of emotions. And so it is for all sensations and perceptions: Ati is the awareness of all sensory and perceptual experiences yet is inseparable from them, again like water and waves.
Even though Ati is really not possible to practice, whatever you think, say, feel or do is already perfect Ati practice. Whatever conduct you engage in, Ati is beyond any notion of virtue or vice. So all conduct and actions are equal. All thoughts, delusions, distractions are also left as they are as they too are perfect Ati practice. Since whatever state of mind you are in is fully the perfection of Ati as it is, what other practice is needed? Even when you feel lost and confused, that too is the perfect Ati state being practiced.
The key is simply being Ati awareness, the Awareness present in each moment already. It is empty, clear and undefined presence of Awareness. Notice that Awareness has no characteristics other than being a naked knowingness as a continuum of consciousness in each moment of experience. Whatever arises internally or externally, its just the empty naked cognitive aspect attending each moment as a non-personal Awareness of whatever is. We enter Ati through the method of Direct Introduction. There is no path of learning nor of practice in Ati. Ati Awareness is always your default condition and it cannot be made more clear nor ever impaired.
For those that wish to enter the dimension of Ati... ask questions as needed. But it might be easier to just simply notice that your current condition is Ati perfectly expressing itself exactly as you are... as the pure noticing within all experiences.
Jax -
Just thought I share my personal experience on effort vs. relaxing into awareness in the act of so-called meditation.
When i started learning meditation (basic shamata) few years back, there is indeed effort required to get into the state of meditative one-pointedness and not letting my mind "run away". As a beginner who has been in the coma of samsara for the longest time, thoughts and concepts are the ONLY thing i know of, so therefore real effort is definitely needed to condition and lead the mind to get used to and recognize the fact that hey.. there is another way that the mind can abide in. And slowly through persistent practice with effort (lots of it) the mind has learnt that thoughts and concepts are not everything there is. There can be another way the mind can be in - a calmer, less wild, more sparkling yet more relaxing way of existence - without having to indulge in thoughts and activities full-time to validate its own existence. No thoughts, no concepts but yet the mind is still there and doesn't just "dies off" like what it previously thought. There is still "something there" - continuous "awareness" (or whatever names people label it with) that's not thinking anything in particular and actually kinda boring from a relative sense (of not doing anything). Probably this is what commonly known as the moments between two thoughts.
If someone tells me about this "awareness" before i learnt meditation, i would never be able to "understand" it because the mind knows nothing but thoughts and concepts and this awareness is exactly the opposite of that constant thinking. But with consistent practice, it becomes easier to "enter" into this awareness with less and less effort required. And at some point I've learnt that the awareness is actually "clearer" when I relax and just let go of the grasping of "trying to do this thing called meditation". Subsequently, during normal hours when i can be doing mundane things, this "awareness" will at certain times become more apparent within my experiential field though there may be still thought process going on or my body going about its normal tasks.
What I find interesting though is that although this "awareness" is more accessible now with less effort, it doesn't mean there is any profound realization or anything spectacular. Even abiding in calm "awareness" the mind still cannot stop thinking about "what is this awareness?", "does it mean something?", "this is so boring".. etc. But the difference now is there is awareness of these thoughts rather than indulging or being "absorbed" into them like in the past.
My karmic habits and propensities are still as strong as ever - I still can't resist going for that mouth-watering dessert after my dinner. I guess the little difference it makes now is i'm more aware and have learnt alot about how or what i am as a "person living this life". It is a true gem to finally catch some glimpse into this "me, myself and I" story and see through some of the lies that its been spinning around itself.
Forgive my raving.
"It is neither good nor bad. Just keep on practicing" - Jetsun Milarepa
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Yes I agree with you Jamber.
Very nice post!
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Would like to add -- the apparent 'awareness becoming brighter' and 'awareness becoming dull' at different moments of our lives are simply appearances and not reality.
Awareness is always shining brightly, at all moments! The only difference is that sometimes we are too focused on the content of awareness, so that fundamental ground of awareness stays in the background which we didn't notice while the content of our focus (those thoughts, feelings, etc) is in the foreground. We become absorbed in and identified with the mental stories and positions.
But when we just turn around and look, what is it that is aware of whatever we are experiencing, including apparently unclear thoughts and feelings, then we notice that Ah, Awareness is still fully present and never lost at all. Then the background of awareness becomes fully present in the foreground.
Whenever we feel our awareness is dull, just look into what is it that is aware of that dullness or confusion? THAT is what never increases, decreases, arises, nor ceases. It has never been obscured at any moments at all.
Thoughts processes, bodily actions, all happen by themselves spontaneously and pass away by themselves -- you are not the controller or doer of them! They are all arising in this bright open field of awareness. They cannot happen without awareness. The only difference then is are you identified with the notion of being the separate self, doer, controller, experiencer, or are you resting as the wide open field of awareness in which everything simply manifests on its own accord. You'll see that you are not a person living this life, that life simply unfolds effortlessly by itself.
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è§‰æ— è§‰è€…
è§‚æ— è§‚è€…(There is no awar-er in awareness, no observer in observation)
~ Master Shen Kai
Now, when you are introduced (to your own intrinsic awareness), the method for entering into it involves three considerations:
Thoughts in the past are clear and empty and leave no traces behind.
Thoughts in the future are fresh and unconditioned by anything.
And in the present moment, when (your mind) remains in its own condition without constructing anything,
awareness, at that moment, in itself is quite ordinary.
And when you look into yourself in this way nakedly (without any discursive thoughts),
Since there is only this pure observing, there will be found a lucid clarity without anyone being there who is the observer;
only a naked manifest awareness is present.
(This awareness) is empty and immaculately pure, not being created by anything whatsoever.
It is authentic and unadulterated, without any duality of clarity and emptiness.
It is not permanent and yet it is not created by anything.
However, it is not a mere nothingness or something annihilated because it is lucid and present.
It does not exist as a single entity because it is present and clear in terms of being many.
(On the other hand) it is not created as a multiplicity of things because it is inseparable and of a single flavor.
This inherent self-awareness does not derive from anything outside itself.
This is the real introduction to the actual condition of things.~ Guru Padmasambhava in Self-Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness
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just a question, when one is asleep, is that a form of conciousness?
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Originally posted by wonderamazement:
just a question, when one is asleep, is that a form of conciousness?
When one is asleep, all sense consciousness becomes dormant.
The 7th and 8th consciousness is still present, which is why we dream. The dreams are the manifestation of the seeds latent in the storehouse 8th consciousness, and they manifest when the 7th consciousness is present.
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Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
When one is asleep, all sense consciousness becomes dormant.
The 7th and 8th consciousness is still present, which is why we dream. The dreams are the manifestation of the seeds latent in the storehouse 8th consciousness, and they manifest when the 7th consciousness is present.
what are the seeds that are latent? -
Originally posted by wonderamazement:
what are the seeds that are latent?Memories, karmic seeds, symbols, etc. All part of the 8th consciousness.
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Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Memories, karmic seeds, symbols, etc. All part of the 8th consciousness.
so in a sense happy dreams tend to translate to? -
It's hard to say. If you are into dream interpretation, you can find our moderator Longchen who is an expert in that. He runs the website www.dreamdatum.com
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thanks for the heads up... how about the 7th conciousness? what is it?
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The sense of a me in the center of life, the sense of being the experiencer, the perceiver, the doer, the controller, i.e. a separate someone in here, looking at and controlling everything else.
In short 7th consciousness is the 'I' consciousness. This false 'I' is seen through in enlightenment.
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When you are dreaming of a fearsome dog or monster chasing you, you will feel scared.
Why?
There is a sense of 'me' even in the dream. That is 7th consciousness. It will fear, it will run for its life in the dream.
An experienced practitioner is able to dis-identify from the sense of self not only in waking state but even in dream state.
He is able to be aware even in dreams. Like a mirror, that just reflects everything as it is -- not through the lens of a separate 'me', but just, vast awareness reflecting everything as it is. The awareness reflects things as it is without the sense of self. Whatever is experienced is not seen in terms of 'good' or 'bad'. I am no where near this level at this moment though I had rare glimpses of awareness in sleep, I'll be more than happy if I can remain aware continuously in ordinary waking life.
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oh i see... when you say "practitioner", what does he practice?
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i mean a practitioner of Buddhism or a practitioner of meditation?
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Originally posted by wonderamazement:
oh i see... when you say "practitioner", what does he practice?
This is a good article: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe13.html
Chapter 13Mindfulness (Sati)
Mindfulness is the English translation of the Pali word Sati. Sati is an activity. What exactly is that? There can be no precise answer, at least not in words. Words are devised by the symbolic levels of the mind and they describe those realities with which symbolic thinking deals. Mindfulness is pre-symbolic. It is not shackled to logic. Nevertheless, Mindfulness can be experienced -- rather easily -- and it can be described, as long as you keep in mind that the words are only fingers pointing at the moon. They are not the thing itself. The actual experience lies beyond the words and above the symbols. Mindfulness could be describes in completely different terms than will be used here and each description could still be correct.
Mindfulness is a subtle process that you are using at this very moment. The fact that this process lies above and beyond words does not make it unreal--quite the reverse. Mindfulness is the reality which gives rise to words--the words that follow are simply pale shadows of reality. So, it is important to understand that everything that follows here is analogy. It is not going to make perfect sense. It will always remain beyond verbal logic. But you can experience it. The meditation technique called Vipassana (insight) that was introduced by the Buddha about twenty-five centuries ago is a set of mental activities specifically aimed at experiencing a state of uninterrupted Mindfulness.
When you first become aware of something, there is a fleeting instant of pure awareness just before you conceptualize the thing, before you identify it. That is a stage of Mindfulness. Ordinarily, this stage is very short. It is that flashing split second just as you focus your eyes on the thing, just as you focus your mind on the thing, just before you objectify it, clamp down on it mentally and segregate it from the rest of existence. It takes place just before you start thinking about it--before your mind says, "Oh, it's a dog." That flowing, soft-focused moment of pure awareness is Mindfulness. In that brief flashing mind-moment you experience a thing as an un-thing. You experience a softly flowing moment of pure experience that is interlocked with the rest of reality, not separate from it. Mindfulness is very much like what you see with your peripheral vision as opposed to the hard focus of normal or central vision. Yet this moment of soft, unfocused, awareness contains a very deep sort of knowing that is lost as soon as you focus your mind and objectify the object into a thing. In the process of ordinary perception, the Mindfulness step is so fleeting as to be unobservable. We have developed the habit of squandering our attention on all the remaining steps, focusing on the perception, recognizing the perception, labeling it, and most of all, getting involved in a long string of symbolic thought about it. That original moment of Mindfulness is rapidly passed over. It is the purpose of the above mentioned Vipassana (or insight) meditation to train us to prolong that moment of awareness.
When this Mindfulness is prolonged by using proper techniques, you find that this experience is profound and it changes your entire view of the universe. This state of perception has to be learned, however, and it takes regular practice. Once you learn the technique, you will find that Mindfulness has many interesting aspects.
The Characteristics of Mindfulness
Mindfulness is mirror-thought. It reflects only what is presently happening and in exactly the way it is happening. There are no biases.
Mindfulness is non-judgmental observation. It is that ability of the mind to observe without criticism. With this ability, one sees things without condemnation or judgment. One is surprised by nothing. One simply takes a balanced interest in things exactly as they are in their natural states. One does not decide and does not judge. One just observes. Please note that when we say "One does not decide and does not judge," what we mean is that the meditator observes experiences very much like a scientist observing an object under the microscope without any preconceived notions, only to see the object exactly as it is. In the same way the meditator notices impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and selflessness.
It is psychologically impossible for us to objectively observe what is going on within us if we do not at the same time accept the occurrence of our various states of mind. This is especially true with unpleasant states of mind. In order to observe our own fear, we must accept the fact that we are afraid. We can't examine our own depression without accepting it fully. The same is true for irritation and agitation, frustration and all those other uncomfortable emotional states. You can't examine something fully if you are busy reflecting its existence. Whatever experience we may be having, Mindfulness just accepts it. It is simply another of life's occurrences, just another thing to be aware of. No pride, no shame, nothing personal at stake--what is there, is there.
Mindfulness is an impartial watchfulness. It does not take sides. It does not get hung up in what is perceived. It just perceives. Mindfulness does not get infatuated with the good mental states. It does not try to sidestep the bad mental states. There is no clinging to the pleasant, no fleeing from the unpleasant. Mindfulness sees all experiences as equal, all thoughts as equal, all feelings as equal. Nothing is suppressed. Nothing is repressed. Mindfulness does not play favorites.
Mindfulness is nonconceptual awareness. Another English term for Sati is 'bare attention'. It is not thinking. It does not get involved with thought or concepts. It does not get hung up on ideas or opinions or memories. It just looks. Mindfulness registers experiences, but it does not compare them. It does not label them or categorize them. It just observes everything as if it was occurring for the first time. It is not analysis which is based on reflection and memory. It is, rather, the direct and immediate experiencing of whatever is happening, without the medium of thought. It comes before thought in the perceptual process.
Mindfulness is present time awareness. It takes place in the here and now. It is the observance of what is happening right now, in the present moment. It stays forever in the present, surging perpetually on the crest of the ongoing wave of passing time. If you are remembering your second-grade teacher, that is memory. When you then become aware that you are remembering your second-grade teacher, that is mindfulness. If you then conceptualize the process and say to yourself, "Oh, I am remembering", that is thinking.
Mindfulness is non-egoistic alertness. It takes place without reference to self. With Mindfulness one sees all phenomena without references to concepts like 'me', 'my' or 'mine'. For example, suppose there is pain in your left leg. Ordinary consciousness would say, "I have a pain." Using Mindfulness, one would simply note the sensation as a sensation. One would not tack on that extra concept 'I'. Mindfulness stops one from adding anything to perception, or subtracting anything from it. One does not enhance anything. One does not emphasize anything. One just observes exactly what is there--without distortion.
Mindfulness is goal-less awareness. In Mindfulness, one does not strain for results. One does not try to accomplish anything. When one is mindful, one experiences reality in the present moment in whatever form it takes. There is nothing to be achieved. There is only observation.
Mindfulness is awareness of change. It is observing the passing flow of experience. It is watching things as they are changing. it is seeing the birth, growth, and maturity of all phenomena. It is watching phenomena decay and die. Mindfulness is watching things moment by moment, continuously. It is observing all phenomena--physical, mental or emotional--whatever is presently taking place in the mind. One just sits back and watches the show. Mindfulness is the observance of the basic nature of each passing phenomenon. It is watching the thing arising and passing away. It is seeing how that thing makes us feel and how we react to it. It is observing how it affects others. In Mindfulness, one is an unbiased observer whose sole job is to keep track of the constantly passing show of the universe within. Please note that last point. In Mindfulness, one watches the universe within. The meditator who is developing Mindfulness is not concerned with the external universe. It is there, but in meditation, one's field of study is one's own experience, one's thoughts, one's feelings, and one's perceptions. In meditation, one is one's own laboratory. The universe within has an enormous fund of information containing the reflection of the external world and much more. An examination of this material leads to total freedom.
Mindfulness is participatory observation. The meditator is both participant and observer at one and the same time. If one watches one's emotions or physical sensations, one is feeling them at that very same moment. Mindfulness is not an intellectual awareness. It is just awareness. The mirror-thought metaphor breaks down here. Mindfulness is objective, but it is not cold or unfeeling. It is the wakeful experience of life, an alert participation in the ongoing process of living.
Mindfulness is an extremely difficult concept to define in words -- not because it is complex, but because it is too simple and open. The same problem crops up in every area of human experience. The most basic concept is always the most difficult to pin down. Look at a dictionary and you will see a clear example. Long words generally have concise definitions, but for short basic words like 'the' and 'is', definitions can be a page long. And in physics, the most difficult functions to describe are the most basic--those that deal with the most fundamental realities of quantum mechanics. Mindfulness is a pre-symbolic function. You can play with word symbols all day long and you will never pin it down completely. We can never fully express what it is. However, we can say what it does.
Three Fundamental Activities
There are three fundamental activities of Mindfulness. We can use these activities as functional definitions of the term: (a) Mindfulness reminds us of what we are supposed to be doing; (b) it sees things as they really are; and (c) it sees the deep nature of all phenomena. Let's examine these definitions in greater detail.
(a) Mindfulness reminds you of what you are supposed to be doing . In meditation, you put your attention on one item. When your mind wanders from this focus, it is Mindfulness that reminds you that your mind is wandering and what you are supposed to be doing. It is Mindfulness that brings your mind back to the object of meditation. All of this occurs instantaneously and without internal dialogue. Mindfulness is not thinking. Repeated practice in meditation establishes this function as a mental habit which then carries over into the rest of your life. A serious meditator pays bare attention to occurrences all the time, day in, day out, whether formally sitting in meditation or not. This is a very lofty ideal towards which those who meditate may be working for a period of years or even decades. Our habit of getting stuck in thought is years old, and that habit will hang on in the most tenacious manner. The only way out is to be equally persistent in the cultivation of constant Mindfulness. When Mindfulness is present, you will notice when you become stuck in your thought patterns. It is that very noticing which allows you to back out of the thought process and free yourself from it. Mindfulness then returns your attention to its proper focus. If you are meditating at that moment, then your focus will be the formal object of meditation. If your are not in formal meditation, it will be just a pure application of bare attention itself, just a pure noticing of whatever comes up without getting involved--"Ah, this comes up...and now this, and now this... and now this".
Mindfulness is at one and the same time both bare attention itself and the function of reminding us to pay bare attention if we have ceased to do so. Bare attention is noticing. It re- establishes itself simply by noticing that it has not been present. As soon as you are noticing that you have not been noticing, then by definition you are noticing and then you are back again to paying bare attention.
Mindfulness creates its own distinct feeling in consciousness. It has a flavor--a light, clear, energetic flavor. Conscious thought is heavy by comparison, ponderous and picky. But here again, these are just words. Your own practice will show you the difference. Then you will probably come up with your own words and the words used here will become superfluous. Remember, practice is the thing.
(b) Mindfulness sees things as they really are. Mindfulness adds nothing to perception and it subtracts nothing. It distorts nothing. It is bare attention and just looks at whatever comes up. Conscious thought pastes things over our experience, loads us down with concepts and ideas, immerses us in a churning vortex of plans and worries, fears and fantasies. When mindful, you don't play that game. You just notice exactly what arises in the mind, then you notice the next thing. "Ah, this...and this...and now this." It is really very simple.
(c) Mindfulness sees the true nature of all phenomena. Mindfulness and only Mindfulness can perceive the three prime characteristics that Buddhism teaches are the deepest truths of existence. In Pali these three are called Anicca (impermanence), Dukkha (unsatisfactoriness), and Anatta (selflessness--the absence of a permanent, unchanging, entity that we call Soul or Self). These truths are not present in Buddhist teaching as dogmas demanding blind faith. The Buddhists feel that these truths are universal and self-evident to anyone who cares to investigate in a proper way. Mindfulness is the method of investigation. Mindfulness alone has the power to reveal the deepest level of reality available to human observation. At this level of inspection, one sees the following: (a) all conditioned things are inherently transitory; (b) every worldly thing is, in the end, unsatisfying; and (c) there are really no entities that are unchanging or permanent, only processes.
Mindfulness works like and electron microscope. That is, it operates on so fine a level that one can actually see directly those realities which are at best theoretical constructs to the conscious thought process. Mindfulness actually sees the impermanent character of every perception. It sees the transitory and passing nature of everything that is perceived. It also sees the inherently unsatisfactory nature of all conditioned things. It sees that there is no sense grabbing onto any of these passing shows. Peace and happiness cannot be found that way. And finally, Mindfulness sees the inherent selflessness of all phenomena. It sees the way that we have arbitrarily selected a certain bundle of perceptions, chopped them off from the rest of the surging flow of experience and then conceptualized them as separate, enduring, entities. Mindfulness actually sees these things. It does not think about them, it sees them directly.
When it is fully developed, Mindfulness sees these three attributes of existence directly, instantaneously, and without the intervening medium of conscious thought. In fact, even the attributes which we just covered are inherently unified. They don't really exist as separate items. They are purely the result of our struggle to take this fundamentally simple process called Mindfulness and express it in the cumbersome and inadequate thought symbols of the conscious level. Mindfulness is a process, but it does not take place in steps. It is a holistic process that occurs as a unit: you notice your own lack of Mindfulness; and that noticing itself is a result of Mindfulness; and Mindfulness is bare attention; and bare attention is noticing things exactly as they are without distortion; and the way they are is impermanent (Anicca) , unsatisfactory (Dukkha), and selfless (Anatta). It all takes place in the space of a few mind-moments. This does not mean, however, that you will instantly attain liberation (freedom from all human weaknesses) as a result of your first moment of Mindfulness. Learning to integrate this material into your conscious life is another whole process. And learning to prolong this state of Mindfulness is still another. They are joyous processes, however, and they are well worth the effort.
Mindfulness (Sati) and Insight (Vipassana) Meditation
Mindfulness is the center of Vipassana Meditation and the key to the whole process. It is both the goal of this meditation and the means to that end. You reach Mindfulness by being ever more mindful. One other Pali word that is translated into English as Mindfulness is Appamada , which means non-negligence or an absence of madness. One who attends constantly to what is really going on in one's mind achieves the state of ultimate sanity.
The Pali term Sati also bears the connotation of remembering. It is not memory in the sense of ideas and pictures from the past, but rather clear, direct, wordless knowing of what is and what is not, of what is correct and what is incorrect, of what we are doing and how we should go about it. Mindfulness reminds the meditator to apply his attention to the proper object at the proper time and to exert precisely the amount of energy needed to do the job. When this energy is properly applied, the meditator stays constantly in a state of calm and alertness. As long as this condition is maintained, those mind-states call "hindrances" or "psychic irritants" cannot arise--there is no greed, no hatred, no lust or laziness. But we all are human and we do err. Most of us err repeatedly. Despite honest effort, the meditator lets his Mindfulness slip now and then and he finds himself stuck in some regrettable, but normal, human failure. It is Mindfulness that notices that change. And it is Mindfulness that reminds him to apply the energy required to pull himself out. These slips happen over and over, but their frequency decreases with practice. Once Mindfulness has pushed these mental defilements aside, more wholesome states of mind can take their place. Hatred makes way for loving kindness, lust is replaced by detachment. It is Mindfulness which notices this change, too, and which reminds the Vipassana meditator to maintain that extra little mental sharpness needed to keep these more desirable states of mind. Mindfulness makes possible the growth of wisdom and compassion. Without Mindfulness they cannot develop to full maturity.
Deeply buried in the mind, there lies a mental mechanism which accepts what the mind perceives as beautiful and pleasant experiences and rejects those experiences which are perceived as ugly and painful. This mechanism gives rise to those states of mind which we are training ourselves to avoid--things like greed, lust, hatred, aversion, and jealousy. We choose to avoid these hindrances, not because they are evil in the normal sense of the word, but because they are compulsive; because they take the mind over and capture the attention completely; because they keep going round and round in tight little circles of thought; and because they seal us off from living reality.
These hindrances cannot arise when Mindfulness is present. Mindfulness is attention to present time reality, and therefore, directly antithetical to the dazed state of mind which characterizes impediments. As meditators, it is only when we let our Mindfulness slip that the deep mechanisms of our mind take over -- grasping, clinging and rejecting. Then resistance emerges and obscures our awareness. We do not notice that the change is taking place -- we are too busy with a thought of revenge, or greed, whatever it may be. While an untrained person will continue in this state indefinitely, a trained meditator will soon realize what is happening. It is Mindfulness that notices the change. It is Mindfulness that remembers the training received and that focuses our attention so that the confusion fades away. And it is Mindfulness that then attempts to maintain itself indefinitely so that the resistance cannot arise again. Thus, Mindfulness is the specific antidote for hindrances. It is both the cure and the preventive measure.
Fully developed Mindfulness is a state of total non-attachment and utter absence of clinging to anything in the world. If we can maintain this state, no other means or device is needed to keep ourselves free of obstructions, to achieve liberation from our human weaknesses. Mindfulness is non-superficial awareness. It sees things deeply, down below the level of concepts and opinions. This sort of deep observation leads to total certainty, and complete absence of confusion. It manifests itself primarily as a constant and unwavering attention which never flags and never turns away.
This pure and unstained investigative awareness not only holds mental hindrances at bay, it lays bare their very mechanism and destroys them. Mindfulness neutralizes defilements in the mind. The result is a mind which remains unstained and invulnerable, completely unaffected by the ups and downs of life.
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Just some thoughts...
Awareness is actually the unchanging nature of mind, it is actually what we truly are.
But the belief in the notion of a separate self can be deep and subtle and blinds us from seeing.
It makes us think that 'awareness' is something that 'I' sometimes experience, yet also something that 'I' sometimes stop experiencing. We think that we are a separate self experiencing awareness. We think that we as a separate self can sometimes experience awareness and sometimes not experience awareness. This is all an unfounded notion. And no matter how clear awareness appears in our lives at times, if the basic ignorance of being a separate self apart from awareness is not seen through thoroughly, there will be something clouding the waters -- there will always be a sense of lack and the seeking to 'experience awareness' will go on.
In actuality, we do not experience awareness, We ARE awareness. It is what we truly are, our true nature, that which is timelessly ever-present. It is actually that unchanging, unmoving basis and ground of all experiencing, and no separate self can be found in actuality apart from thoughts and feelings arising and passing within awareness, including thoughts of 'gaining' or 'losing' awareness. There is no separate self/experiencer to experience awareness, awareness is not something which 'I' experience (among other things 'I' can experience) but something which I Am. And all experiences are just manifestations of that awareness and is none other than That. The notion of a separate self or experiencer is seen to be non-existent just like the horns of a rabbit.
So, what matters isn't so much about whether we can experience awareness, rather what's important is the clarity about what you truly are and seeing through that mis-identification with a separate self. It doesn't mean that 'nothing needs to be done' -- in my understanding the investigation needs to go on until every trace of doubts and false concepts and notions of separation is removed in utter conviction.
Awareness can never be grasped by the mind. 'Gaining' or 'losing' awareness are just unfounded notions based on the notion of a separate self, and all these thoughts are cognised by awareness.
In fact our nature is so direct and simple, anything that we say about awareness, is not it -- it is merely superimposing our ideas and notion over that basic, direct, reality, too direct for words and concepts. Our true nature is truly attributeless, without any characteristics whatsoever. Even though words and descriptions have been given to it, but if we are to truly see this we should let go of all notions and preconceptions. Whatever image we have of it, that's not it, since it is basically prior to all concepts, thoughts, images. Just stay with the wordless clarity and let go of everything else.
I welcome any comments, thoughts, corrections, etc...
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It seems like at the relative level, the egoistic "I" who's learning the Dharma is choosing its one-way suicidal trip to oblivion. Realization along the path will burn away every last traces of the egoistic I and all its notions about the world until at the end, neither realization nor the egoistic I remains. What's left is just the original reality as it is, but in the end, there isn't even any object of "original reality" that can be pinned down. Just a magical display of whatever there is, as it is.