The Way of Compassion is free in delusion 

Delusion as the Main Obstacle to Clear Vision

I see the barriers, the barricades, the storminess of delusions as the blindness across clear vision. The delusion of the self as something special, as something separate as something permanent.
Delusion is my problem. Delusion is the demon. Delsuion is the ignorance. Delusion is the sickness of the mind. The mind itself is clear and goes beyond the sickness of yes and no, of like and dislike, of enenmy and friend.
The senses grab and cling to particular things deluded by the shine or glimmer or dullness. The Mind remains undefiled by the tricky sense doors of grasping and pushing and pulling. Anytime I think a thought and grab it as real I am caught by the thought of how it should be or how I want it to be.

The Pebbles

She sat there fingering the stones.
One...two, three, four and more.
Like little live beings rolling them in her cupped hand.
She sat there and told me,
"The stones have a great story to tell."
"What is that?" I asked.
"They once were mountains. To come down from the mountain is rough.
It breaks even the strongest. But here they are...precious, little ones."
I saw the mountain sitting in the palm of her hand.

How to begin training the mind.

If you'd like to use this site to help you in your practice, here are some suggestions. This site is based on the teachings of Atisha.

1. Please purchase the book, Training the Mind, by Trungpa Rimpoche.
2. Start with the preliminaries.
3. Memorize them.
4. Keep a journal of your heart work.
5. I suggest you write your own version of the slogans from your own experience and heart. I will from time to time add other suggestions.
6. You are welcome to add your comments to this blog, if you like.
7. I will help you in any way that I am able.
8. Keep going.
9. Go to the post on June 20th in June Archives for some further suggestions on the preliminaries.

Coming and going. 

Life is precious

In the front of my day these words lead me. Wherever the foot falls is the path. There is nothing but possibilities. There is no need to worry. The Path is right here.

The Path  

Life is precious

This one takes time. I read today in Kongtrul's book to see others with "non-referential compassion." That is very helpful. I notice I need to see how I refer to something in the past when I approach someone. I remember some incident, or some feeling arises, or thoughts and it colors this moment. The freshness is tainted by the past. Or if I want something from the person then it is also tainted. This wanting comes from the future; something hasn't happened yet but I want something particular to happen and then the moment is no longer fresh. The work is to notice this fog from the past and the future and see through it; drop it, clear it up. Am I up to this work? The small self really isn't up to it; but if I am able to see what the small self stirs up and let that settle then I am able to open up, clear away the view. Am I able to see LIFE IS PRECIOUS? How do I know, life is precious? My self interest is very high, and strong and continues to keep me tangled. I keep my self tangled by believing the small self.

This morning I noticed the ceramic dog bowl; the deep color of blue and the shine of the light on the surface. I noticed this as I picked it up from the floor to wash it. Takling care of this bowl is life, picking the bowl up to wash it is practice.

Today, this afternoon my neighbor is having a memorial service for her mother. I continue to contemplate this death as a change of form. In some ways it is like making tea. The cold water becomes hot, the dry tea becomes wet, the cup becomes full, I drink the hot tea and the cup is empty....the hot water is no longer seen, the tea vanishes...inside of this form which is also changing. Continuously. Is the tea anymore precious than the plain water? Or the hot water more precious than the empty cup? In this fast, modern time it is very hard to see. Very hard to have clear vision.

I continue to clear my vision. Bowing to clear my vision, chanting to clear my vision, walking to clear my vision.

Clearing My Vision

Clearing My Vision is a compilation of instructions on Atisha's 12 century training on awakening the heart to be generous and the mind to be clear of hindrances. The training includes the slogan's of Atisha, commentary, pictures and practices. This is both a personal practice journal as well as a set of encouragements and practices for those who want to clear their vision and awaken their heart.

Step One: The first step is to memorize the preliminaries.

Preliminaries:

Life is precious. This teaching refers to the awareness of seeing life as precious. Perhaps you know this, perhaps you do not know this...the question to ask is "how do you know life is precious?" Is it a belief or a clear vision of reality?

I do not always see that life is precious. Sometimes I am so concerned about some petty thing that I am unable to see this clearly. Sometimes I am focused on my own self to such a degree that I am unable to notice much of anything else. I ask myself, when do I see life as precious? How do I know that life is precious? There is a sense of transitoriness that comes along with this view. I see the passing and fleeting of life. I see some type of luck; something beyond ordinary thought. Life is value; worthwhile. When I say this I hear more questions. What makes life worthwhile? When I ask this question I see that I want to add something to life; a price tag. I want to say life is precious because....and add something to it. Rather than just see life is precious. Do I see life is precious? I am looking.

The Atisha teaching is fully, life is precious as a human being because humans have the opportunity to study the dharma. They add a reason why life is precious which presupposes that there is value in being humand and studying the dharma. I don't want to add anything. It seems it narrows the reality to add a particularity to the slogan. Life is precious. Life is worthwhile. Nothing extra, nothing missing.