|
|
 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Konchok Ösel Dorje
USA
545 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 20 2009 : 5:10:21 PM
|
I bow to the Guru. I offer the following with the hopes that some advanced practitioners here my find these instructions a blessing. They do not conflict with Yogani's teachings, and may add some valuable insight into one's stream of being. These are the most profound instructions of the Mahamudra path and represent the highest Buddhist practice.
In the Vajrayana tradition, stillness is classified as shamatha, or calm abiding. One uses this stillness as the support for deep insight or vipashyana.
I post this with the hope that those who have cultivated stillness might find these instructions from the Karmapa helpful in deepening their practices. The shushumna visualizations and mantra purifications Yogani teaches are almost identical to what is practiced in Vajra Yoga for the cultivation of stillness.
One uses the faculty of discriminating wisdom to view directly the mind at the moment of stillness. During a stillness experience ask the following questions:
1. Does this stillness have a beginning, middle and end?
2. Does the stillness have any characteristics like location, size, shape?
3. Do you see that there is nothing whatsoever to identify?
4. Do you see there is not nothing whatsoever, because you can identify a knowing quality, a clarity or lucidity?
5. Do you fail to identify any classifiable quality?
6. Do you feel you can clearly detect a presence?
7. Do you feel a confusion of ideas and experience? Directly look into the murky darkness; do you detect any cognizance?
When you practice looking at the stillness do you actually see a thing? Can you say, "This is what I have seen?" Is there anything called a "mind" you can point to?
On the other hand, there is not an absolute absence of anything either. Maybe there is a comfy blissfulness, but this does not adequately describe your feeling?
One may begin to feel a sense arising of brilliant lucidity but empty of any identifiable objects on the basis of stillness.
Continuing to practice looking directly into stillness, without judging it or trying to change it is the profound path of Mahamudra. Simply leave the stillness as it is and view it. Sense it directly. |
Edited by - Konchok Ösel Dorje on Jul 20 2009 5:13:16 PM |
|
|
emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2009 : 5:39:47 PM
|
| Thank you, Ösel, that was a beautiful post! |
 |
|
|
grihastha
USA
184 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2009 : 6:37:11 PM
|
Thank you many times, Konchok Osel Dorje, from me as well. This is exactly what I needed to know, exactly now.
Namaste,
gri |
|
|
|
Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 01:57:25 AM
|
thks Konchok |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
|
|
|
|
From Stillness to Insight
