Nonduality: Appearance and emptiness

First a thing, and in the end a nonthing-
neither is established;
likewise, there is nothing
other than these two.

There is no place to abide in the
beginning, middle or end.

For those whose minds are
obscured by continual concepts,
emptiness and compassion
are expressed in words.

Emptiness: Progressive stages

Progressive stages of meditation on emptiness.

Cittamatra: Only mind and emptiness

Egyptian apprentice:

If you have worked on the first stage of the progressive stages of meditation on Emptiness, as presented in the book of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, now you have some insight on the emptiness of Self, similar to the Shravakas.

The next stage, the Cittamatra, belongs to the Mahayana, which means that Bodhicitta must be your driving force.

Now you have to focus on the emptiness of the skandas and you will find out that there is no difference in nature between mind and matter. But do not think that everything is yourself or your own personal experience. There is a world that you share with others.

The appearance of an inner perceiving and an outer perceived aspect in each moment of consciousness gives rise to the illusion that they are of different substance, mind and matter.

If you can rest your mind in its own nature and see its emptiness, then all confusion would disappear and the mind would be bright, clear and self-aware: self-illuminating mind.

If you meditate properly, you will find that experience has three natures:

1- the imaginary nature

2- the dependent nature

3- the truly existent nature

The imaginary nature is conceptual, and empty: your own interpretation of dependent nature.

The dependent nature includes all the eight consciousnesses, and it is dependently existent.

The truly existent nature is absolute existence: ultimate, pure and perfect reality.

Unless you meditate and find out for yourself the validity of all the above hints, this is nothing but conceptual understanding, and you will never get a direct experience of emptiness.

So Egyptian Apprentice, work hard and join your fellow practitioners if you want to reach the next camp on our way up to the summit: madhyamaka camp.

HUNG

Freemasonry: Mark Master

Egyptian Apprentice:

If you want your wages paid,
work diligently in order to
understand EMPTINESS.

Only then will you leave
the MARK of COMPASSION
and WISDOM in all your works.

If your mark is another than this,
you will never become an Egyptian
Fellowcraft.

Do not stray from the NOBLE PATH.

Freemasonry: Emulation Rite, third degree

Egyptian Apprentice:

Hyram Abiff is your BUILDER EGO,
the architect of all your works in the
material level.

He is an ASTRAL entity, belonging
to the world of formation or YETZIRA,
and you must REMEMBER his EMPTINESS.

He obeys SOLOMON, the faithful worshipper
of the DEMIURGE, and he uses the materials and
workmen provided by Hyram, King of Tyre to
build the temple of ILLUSION.

Solomon represents the fanatical belief in an eternal
and omniscient CREATOR and his PLAN.
Hyram Abyiff is your EGO, and the King of Tyre
is deluded mind, the provider of thoughts, emotions
and instincts used by your Ego to build a world of fantasy,
the temple of illusion.

BE CAREFUL; do not slip and fall down.

Freemasonry: Emulation Rite, first degree

Egyptian Apprentice:

EVERYTHING can be used by people of sharp capacity,
even the degenerated masonic system.

But REMEMBER that you NEVER must BELIEVE that
the great architect of the universe has a true and inherent
existence: It is EMPTY.

If you have had a DIRECT VISION of emptiness, Mara
will not catch you in his net of illusion.

If you did not have such a VISION, then stick to your master,
and don not let him go, or you might fall into the abyss
of ETERNALISM.

JUMPING INTO EMPTINESS

Don´t be scared to jump.

If you are accompanied by a qualified jumpmaster,
and you have trained properly,
the jump will unfetter your mind
from prejudices and conceptual thinking,
landing on the Nature of Mind.

Cut with your fear!

Doha: Pointing out

There is only one thing that can be pointed out:
the Nature of Mind.

There is only one thing that can point out:
Mind.

Unless you listen to the Master,
there will never be a pointing out.

Mind and Master are one and the same;
Master and Mind are not two.

You and Master are one and the same;
Master and you are not two.

Look at your Master and you will SEE Mind;
Look at Mind and you will SEE the Master.

Don´t fool yourself thinking that you and your Master are two;
there has never been a You separated from Your Master.

When you realize the emptiness of Self,
the arhat comes out.

When you realize the emptiness of Other,
the Siddha shows up.

Don´t think you know;
just KNOW.

Let mind express itself,
and just LOOK.

PHET

Milarepa´s Middle Way

An authentic portrait of the Middle Way.

From the standpoint of the truth that´s genuine,
there are no ghosts, there are not even buddhas,
no meditator and no meditated,
no paths and levels traveled and no signs,
and no fruition bodies and no wisdoms,
and therefore there is no nirvana there,
just designations using names and statements.

All animate, inanimate -the three realms,
unborn and nonexistent from the outset,
no base to rest on, do not coemerge,
there is no karmic act, no maturation,
so even the name "samsara" does not exist.

That´s the way these are in the final picture,
but oh, if sentient beings did not exist,
what would the buddhas of the three times all come from?
Since fruition with no cause- impossible!
So the standpoint of the truth that´s superficial
is samsara´s wheel, nirvana past all grief.
It all exists, that´s the Sage´s teaching.

Then what exists appearing to be things,
and their nonexistence, reality that´s empty,
are essentially inseparable, one taste,
and therefore there is neither self-awareness
nor awareness of what´s other anywhere.

All of this a union vast and spacious,
and all those skilled in realizing this
do not see consciousness, they see pure wisdom,
do not see sentient beings, they see buddhas,
don´t see phenomena, they see their essence,
and out of this compassion just emerges.
Retention, powers,fearlessness and all,
the qualities embodied by a buddha,
just come as if you had a wishing jewel-
This is what I, the yogui, have realized.

Dharmakaya

Mahamudra means nondual awareness.
Its three aspects are
Essence, nature and characteristics.

Essence means the emptiness
of arising, ceasing or conceiving.

Nature means unobstructed lucidity.

Characteristics mean the diverse appearances
on the levels of samsara and nirvana.

Je Phagmo Drubpa