Captain Kirk may have been right as far as exploration of the ‘outer realms’ was concerned, but for my ‘inner exploration’ I’ve no doubt whatsoever what the hardest aspect of practice is, and which has remained stubbornly resistant to transformation … Sleep, or rather … the lack of it! No other aspect of life has […]
Sleep … the Final Frontier! Read Post »
I was just reflecting on how devotion really opens one’s heart up to the blessings of the Buddhas and Gurus. I added some materials to my teachers website last night, and the words of Shangpa Rinpoche’s reflections and prayers really touched my heart deeply. Though I wasn’t present at the celebration when he spoke the
Devotion Ripens the Heart Read Post »
Mahamudra meditation instruction is often presented in terms of two-fold advice – the common, and the uncommon. These could be said to be the general and the detailed or specific instructions. The common or general instructions seem intended to be the base or background upon which all the uncommon or detailed instructions build. For me
Reflections on Tilopa – Mahamudra Pith Instructions Read Post »
The more you practice, the more it happens. Things in the ‘outside’ world start reflecting your inner world. Auspicious Co-Incidence. Dependent Origination. Sitting meditating yesterday, eyes half open, facing out the window. In my meditation, Dakinis swirling like a snow storm, a whirlwind of Enlightened energy. Right then, at that point, outside the window, a
Dakinis of Coincidence Read Post »
I was reflecting that the sense of inseparability in my deity practice has recently taken on a new dimension. The quality of not being sure whether I was generating the deity and identifying with her (Machig Labdron), or she was generating me and identifying with me has been so strong. It seems so much more
Butterfly’s Dreaming Read Post »
About a month ago I switched to always meditating with my eyes open, after pretty much always meditating with my eyes shut for the last 16 years. In the past I’d tried to switch, but found my ability to concentrate greatly impaired, so had reverted to keeping them shut. However, it has been 3 years
Was thinking this morning of a number of classic scenarios which keep on popping up in the spiritual life. They seem to be not just classic aspects of my path, but of other people’s too … so thought I’d share them. You get a few days where everything seems to be ‘coming together’. Meditation is
Spiritual Classics – The Kiss of Death Read Post »
In response to the notion that: the teachings of Madhyamaka (Great Middle Way, or UmaChenpo in tib.) are the foundation of the view in Kagyu tradition. I didn’t say that Madhyamaka was the foundation of the Kagyu view. I actually said that within the tradition it is often said to be “most useful for clarifying
Madhyamaka and Shentong – Luminosity and Emptiness Read Post »
In response to a mail where it was said that: 3rd Karmapa in his Mahamudra verses actually says that 3 different approaches – Maha Ati, Mahamudra and Madhyamaka – lead to the same goal and, when you realize one, you realize other two as well. So, from the level of accomplishment, they are the same
Madhyamaka, Shentong and Realising Mahamudra Read Post »
Could you explain what are Mahamudra methods? Is every melting with a Buddha aspect already a Mahamudra method? Maybe the 3-Light-Meditation of the sixteenth Karmapa is the only method which I would call Mahamudra method. I suspect that the answer to your questions are to a certain degree a matter of which angle you are
What are Mahamudra Methods? Read Post »
