Fw: [MillionPaths] FW: "sky-like" nature of mind

[Guest guest]

- Joyce Short

MillionPaths

Wednesday, May 01, 2002 9:12 AM

[MillionPaths] FW: "sky-like" nature of mind

"The purpose of meditation is to awaken in us the skylike nature of

mind, and to introduce us to that which we really are, our unchanging

pure awareness that underlies the whole of life and death".and more

from Sogyal Rinpoche:"If your mind is agitated by waves of confused

thought, then these course thoughts,which are your mind running after

various objects, obscure the true face of your mind. Under such

circumstances, because of this obscuration of thought, you will not

be able to identify (recognize) mind's true nature (Awareness), even

if a teacher points it out to you. At a minimum, course conceptuality

must be allowed to be naturally pacified. (leave thought alone and it

naturally dissolves - clouds arising in the sky naturally disappear

on their own). Thus mind is allowed to settle in relaxation.Neither

allow yourself to be distracted nor attempt to fabricate anything,

and in particular, do not try to figure it out. While it is the case

that one's mind, allowed to rest naturally, is itself the luminous

wisdom that one attempts to identify, one will not be able to

recognize the nature of mind as long as there is any fabrication

present.The basic instruction is simple (like any insight practice

instructions) namely to allow the mind to settle completely and

thereby recognize the innate wisdom (or awareness) that is always

present. For beginners, it is impossible for there not to be the

adulteration of some clinging to the various experiences that arise.

As one allows one's mind to come to rest, the various qualities of

stillness will naturally arise, such as sense of ease or bliss, an

experience of clarity, and an absence of conceptuality.There is

nothing wrong with experiences in themselves, but as long as one is a

beginner, it is impossible not to be caught by them, because one is

experiencing a bliss and clarity and non-thought that one has never

known before. (These are nice-they will grasped at as "me" and

"mine" and thought about - its a mental habit). Something must be

introduced into one's practice that would enable mind to break

through all experiences that will naturally arise. There has to be

something that frees mind from fixation, because all fixation

obscures awareness, the innate wisdom of awareness, the nature of

mind". But: one has to be investigating directly-where do thoughts

come from? Where do they go? What is it here and now when there are

no thoughts (perceptions conceptions etc) appearing? Could it then be

said that mind is spacious and like the sky? What is

"naked-awareness?" Awareness not dressed up in passing conceptuality.

So- if a yogi took "awareness" as object of contemplation-what is it

like? Pentrating? Unobscured? Unobstructed? "transarent"? Totally

Open? Is it fabricated? Is it not always present whether one has bum

on cushion or not? Obscured? "Veiled?" By what?Love,Joyce