We still have 3 Gears: Easy does it.

Reincarnation is something that happens all the time, not just at the next birth. For example, if you enter into the moment and there is no self, but one then resists, one incarnates as a separate self once again.

I believe this is the type of reincarnation Alex was referring to.

Hola Jorge!, mumuwu is right, the reincarnation I speak of is always in this lifetime.

To me reincarnation is:
- Eckhart Tolle's pain body (and viceversa, a redundant joy body)
- Resistance caused by delusion
- Anger/Passion/desire as described by the Buddha
- Absent-mindedness
- Neurosis
- Acting out
- Selfishness
- Any "I am" deluded assertions in meditation. Example: believing things like "I am the unfindable naked awareness"
- Etc.

Now, going back to 1st and 2nd gear:

If one can master in some way 1st gear, one will be able to live in renunciation. This means one's mind and experience are now pliant.

This sort of pliancy facilitates 2nd gear: renunciation of the witness. Pliancy is distilled even more. And this is when one ceases to reincarnate.

Little by little it becomes evident that absolute pliancy is possible (being unborn, out of samsara). Glimpses of 3rd gear rise. After this, if one continues unlearning the clinging process, "pliancy", "distilling", "surrendering" suddenly apply no more. If this experience isn't defiled (not creating another sankhara out of it) rigpa/primordial awareness, etc. are discerned. Then everything is distilled even more, even distillation itself. This is 3rd gear.

Now, the lightning rod of 3rd gear and grounding phenomena (as described by kenneth), if I'm not incorrect, can only work in a "infinitesimal" level. When attention is placed in anxiety, without changing it, anxiety's infinitesimal beingness discerns itself as the same beingness of everything else. When this happens, infinitesimal equanimity arises. Thus it gets grounded.

The lightning rod's functionality is always unwilled. The only decision we can make is to bring out the lightning rod (gentle attention to negativity). After that, that's it.

The infinite distillation of everything reveals the Direct Path. This is so simple. So "duh", that we constantly miss it.

Sorry, but what is "infinitesmal beingness?" Can you please, please try not to use jargon? Sorry for this, but when I see a lot of jargon it makes me wonder why.

Why?

Its the best way I can describe it.

Because jargon doesn't communicate as effectively. At least define the terms, which is what I'm asking for. What is "infinitesmal beingness?"

Just a suggestion, but I think it might be a good time to take a page out of Shinzen's book and get serious about defining our terms correctly and consistently. We are pulling in technical jargon from multiple traditions; the chances for confusion is immense. I'd much prefer arguing about or sharing experiences than what words mean what. Semantic debates wind up being a lot of noise and precious little signal.

Anybody think a wiki would be good for this? I've got a server on which I could throw up an instance of MediaWiki (what wikipedia uses) if anybody is interested.

cmarti:

By infinitesimal I mean infinitely small. By beingness I mean: continuous arising and ceasing (described as a quality).

In third gear, one discerns that everything "is", everything is "being". And this "being" is infinitely small because nothing is permanent. We can't find phenomena's present moment, ever. Yet everything "appears".

So going back to anxiety, for example, when one places attention to it (direct perception without altering anxiety), one connects with anxiety's true being. And this being is infinitely small, arising and ceasing without actually stablishing a present moment.

It is so empty of birth, so free, so sincere that we simply let it be unborn, and then it grounds itself.

Why "beingness" instead of just being? Its just one way to describe it as a quality and not as a verb. But we can use "being" if you like.

"Semantic debates wind up being a lot of noise and precious little signal. "

I agree to a certain extent but I also think semantic discussions provide value. My mistake is not being clear on the meaning of the terms I use (sorry cmarti).

And in this case, I use "infinitesimal" because this is what it feels like in my experience. I didn't borrow the term from other tradtitions. I've actually never heard anyone else using this term in other traditions.

That's cool. Thanks! I know what you are describing from practicing this over the past few days. The emotion is perceived very quickly when it has not been through the entire perceptive process (dependent origination). Before it has been injected with steroids and taken ion a life of its own. Before volition, the ability to defuse it, has passed by.

And Owen, yes, I could not agree more -- we need to be very careful to define terms or this discussion will devolve into uselessness quickly.

"The emotion is perceived very quickly when it has not been through the entire perceptive process (dependent origination). Before it has been injected with steroids and taken ion a life of its own. Before volition, the ability to defuse it, has passed by."

Exactly. This is what the lightning rod and dead man's switch do. The cool thing about 3rd gear is that it can pretty much be applied to every part of the 12 links.

Alex,

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding earlier about the usage of the word "reincarnation". Thanks so much for the clarification. You have a very clear understanding of 3rd gear and the elements leading to it. I continue to look forward and read more about your fascinating expererience (or no-experience) with 3rd gear.

Gracias hermano!
JF

"
Now, the lightning rod of 3rd gear and grounding phenomena (as described by kenneth), if I'm not incorrect, can only work in a "infinitesimal" level. When attention is placed in anxiety, without changing it, anxiety's infinitesimal beingness discerns itself as the same beingness of everything else. When this happens, infinitesimal equanimity arises. Thus it gets grounded.

The lightning rod's functionality is always unwilled. The only decision we can make is to bring out the lightning rod (gentle attention to negativity). After that, that's it. "

hm, it makes sense!
so the moment attention is placed in anxiety, 3rd gear kicks in a now we are "the wave" and no longer "riding it" and thus it becomes the very same "beingness" of everything else, and balance or equanimity sets in. Thus there is no more anxiety since it can only be perceived when it is no noticed as part f the beingness of everything else (and hence it sort of "jumps" out!). Looks like is its way to tell us "hey! look here, I'm not any different than everything else, why are you singleing me out?" every time we feel it.

Right, and we also pay the toll. We pay with anxiety, neurosis behind anxiety, yearnings to consume anxiety, etc.

How can the rod do it's job if we want to keep or perpetuate our anxiety?

So I've been thinking about the PCE in relation to the three gears for a few days now along with doing the experiment. Think I see a few things with a new perspective.

It appears as though each gear has unique side effects.

First gear: Noting, neti, neti. Objectifying. Deconstructing the self contraction on its own terms. As you deconstruct it you go through cycles because you are taking its perspective.

Second gear: Who am I. Disassociating from the self contraction. Side effects are that because it is dissociative it is apears aloof and spooky.

Third gear: Non-dual surrender. Nothing appears to not be me while at the same time nothing is really me. Due to the lack of conceptualization, nothing can be called a problem, it is simply what is. The bubbles can't break off to form separate emotional nexuses because they are immediately seen to be non-separate. The more course emotional afflictions don't get a chance to become a big deal. You aren't fighting emotions or clinging to them because in this mode, it makes no sense.

It's almost as if 1st and 2nd gear are there to strip out those delusions that prevent us from remaining in 3rd gear. I've been thinking about the Tibetan foundation practices leading eventually to dzogchen. For most people, starting with dzogchen sucks, because they keep getting dragged back into the self contraction, since it appears permanent, a self and satisfying. If you do first/second gear long enough to produce classical enlightenment (finishing the physio-energetic circuit) then a stable experience of 3rd gear dzogchen/PCE/what have you is possible to maintain long term.

The mistake so far has been to continue 1st gear past the point where it can be useful. If you keep deconstructing the self contraction after it has been completely seen through, you are going to cycle with all the 1st arrow suffering that entails.

"Alex,

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding earlier about the usage of the word "reincarnation". Thanks so much for the clarification. You have a very clear understanding of 3rd gear and the elements leading to it. I continue to look forward and read more about your fascinating expererience (or no-experience) with 3rd gear."

No problem bro. I have some understanding of 3rd gear, but I still perceive a lot of clinging in my experience. So I may be incorrect in some of my assertions.

I keep switching gears, using different techniques. These last 2 months I've been switching back to 2nd and 1st gears a lot. I know we can defile 3rd gear easily because it happens to me all the time. =P

"For most people, starting with dzogchen sucks, because they keep getting dragged back into the self contraction, since it appears permanent, a self and satisfying. If you do first/second gear long enough to produce classical enlightenment (finishing the physio-energetic circuit) then a stable experience of 3rd gear dzogchen/PCE/what have you is possible to maintain long term."

Tell me about it! This is exactly what happened to me. Tibetan Preliminary Practices, in many ways but not all, work with 1st and 2nd gear a lot. Without that, one's experience with dzogchen is problematic.

I like that explanation Owen. Article?

"It's almost as if 1st and 2nd gear are there to strip out those delusions that prevent us from remaining in 3rd gear. "

I think that's the reason why advanced yogis (higher pathers) tend to be more successful with this practice from the get go, since the level of deconstruction and disassociation alreday attained allows for an easier development of 3rd gear.