A reflection on 3rd gear practice

Recent experience has led me to a deeper understand of why some teachers may refuse to say that they are enlightened/awakened/realized/etc. It isn't always a mushroom culture thing.

In terms of 3rd gear realization, awakening is always and fresh, spontaneous occurrence. I think this is why the more non-dual traditions speak of 'stabilization' rather than 'attainment.' The idea of being locked-in to an awakened state just isn't true to reality from this perspective. Experientially, in terms of 3rd gear practice, there is no locked-in awakened state. Practice is always a necessary component.

And so, to assume that there is a locked-in awakened 3rd gear perspective is an obstacle. To attempt to lock-in something that can't be grasped is just clinging, and clinging prevents realization. This explains Suzuki Roshi's teaching on "beginner's mind," and Seung Sahn's insistence on remembering "don't know mind." For, it is the non-grasping mind which is the fertile ground in which awakening may sprout and later blossom.

Surrender is the practice. We may surrender until we achieve some state, and then stop surrendering. Then we lose it, and have to learn how to surrender all over again. Even when realization does occur, surrender that. If you meet the Buddha on the road, don't get off the path to follow him around. He will evade you, no doubt, and you will have to find your way back to the path. And you can only do that after letting go of your search for the Buddha.

Let go of the Buddha. Let go of the idea that you're going to find something that you have access to by sheer will. Learn to let go.

Ding ding ding!

Thanks, Jackson.

"Recent experience has led me to a deeper understand of why some teachers may refuse to say that they are enlightened/awakened/realized/etc. It isn't always a mushroom culture thing.

In terms of 3rd gear realization, awakening is always and fresh, spontaneous occurrence. I think this is why the more non-dual traditions speak of 'stabilization' rather than 'attainment.' The idea of being locked-in to an awakened state just isn't true to reality from this perspective. Experientially, in terms of 3rd gear practice, there is no locked-in awakened state. Practice is always a necessary component.

And so, to assume that there is a locked-in awakened 3rd gear perspective is an obstacle. To attempt to lock-in something that can't be grasped is just clinging, and clinging prevents realization. This explains Suzuki Roshi's teaching on "beginner's mind," and Seung Sahn's insistence on remembering "don't know mind." For, it is the non-grasping mind which is the fertile ground in which awakening may sprout and later blossom.

Surrender is the practice. We may surrender until we achieve some state, and then stop surrendering. Then we lose it, and have to learn how to surrender all over again. Even when realization does occur, surrender that. If you meet the Buddha on the road, don't get off the path to follow him around. He will evade you, no doubt, and you will have to find your way back to the path. And you can only do that after letting go of your search for the Buddha.

Let go of the Buddha. Let go of the idea that you're going to find something that you have access to by sheer will. Learn to let go."

just beautifull

Your decision to stay away from distractions (and stick to ur practice and experience) produces excellent and very easy to understand reflections Jackson.

Awesome!

- Alejandro

I like the way the forum breathes. This reflection by Jackson feels like an exhalation. It's a welcome relief.

Notice too how exhalations lead to inhalations lead to exhalations lead to inhalations. Whatever conclusions I draw in this moment will be replaced by contradictory conclusions in 10 minutes. Notice the compulsive urge to wrap things up in a neat conceptual package, to draw a conclusion one way or the other, to understand and to have an opinion. We even "know" what "don't know mind" is. It's okay. It's what we do! But it isn't "true," if you see what I mean.

How big a picture can I embrace? Maybe I can step back and allow the whole cycle of breathing in and breathing out.

Hey Jackson,

Have you tried setting off nirodha samapatti while awareness is aware of itself? The affects seem like a prolonged 3rd gear state. You don't get locked into it but it comes close to feeling like a semi-permanent perception shift for a while.

Kenneth - I notice those cycles, too. It's good to honor the whole damn thing.

Nick - nope. Never tried it. I haven't been doing the jhana stuff lately, for whatever reason. I'll give it a shot when I get back into it.

Thanks Jackson,

Surrendering that need to surrender can only come from one place, even if you think about that statement carefully. Structures fall and there is nothing to believe, nothing to do, no doubts to have or anything to achieve. If the ego takes these expressions as words to act apon they are a hindrance and hence not good as advice. This is as you have said so nicely the difference between stabilization and attainment.

"And so, to assume that there is a locked-in awakened 3rd gear perspective is an obstacle. To attempt to lock-in something that can't be grasped is just clinging, and clinging prevents realization."

Wonderful stuff.

Somebody said (can't recall): "Strictly speaking, there are no enlightened individuals. Only enlightened activity."

The dharma talk by Gil Fronsdal that I just posted a link to here talks about awakening entirely in terms of on-going path. He presents awakening as a profound realization of the four noble truths--so that all four are collapsed into one. Gil acknowledges goal based practice but says, "The destination is not a place" (it's a path).

kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/thread/42...for+the+1st+Gear+Set

( kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/thread/42...for+the+1st+Gear+Set )

Interesting post, Jackson. Thanks.

If we assume that 3rd Gear practice means maintaining the experience of non-dual awareness, one it right to conclude that 'there is a locked-in awakened 3rd gear perspective'.

But this is not the case. Why? Because genuine 3rd Gear practice (how I understand and practice it anyway) has nothing to do the experience of '˜non-dual awareness'. These non-dual experiences come and go like everything else. When the sense of a separate self drops, the non-dual nature of consciousness is revealed, but even if we (the separate self) are gone, a deeper reality knows the experience of non-dual awareness. What it is? What knows the coming and going of non-dual states? That's what we have to find out.

It cannot be seen. It cannot be experienced. Yet this no-thing-ness cognizes and contains all states of consciousness. The '˜natural state' is the state that contains and knows of all experiences. The experience of waking consciousness takes place within it. The experience of dreaming takes place within it. The blank experience of deep sleep takes place within it. The experience of the stages of insight takes place within it. The experience of Jhanas takes place within it. The experience of cessation takes place within it. The experience of being the witness takes place within it. The experience of the PCE takes place within it.

From the perspective of 3rd Gear practice the above are just like the pictures of a slideshow. There is deep sleep. There is dreaming. There is waking up in the morning. There is sitting meditation. There is the experience of all kind of wonderful states. All these come and go within the natural state. Can we be locked in it? How could we? How could we not? Because this is what we are. This is what we are when we are not locked in an experience taking place within it.

Wonderful, Jackson, wonderful! In particular, I liked your statements:

"Experientially, in terms of 3rd gear practice, there is no locked-in awakened state."

"To attempt to lock-in something that can't be grasped is just clinging, and clinging prevents realization."

"Surrender is the practice. ... Even when realization does occur, surrender that."

Yes. Realization, once objectified as some "thing" that can be grasped and locked-in, becomes a parody of itself. That is not the Way,

Alex, I really like the way you put this. Especially here:

"It cannot be seen. It cannot be experienced. Yet this no-thing-ness cognizes and contains all states of consciousness."

For me, understanding the nature of experience and the "who" of this "no-thing-ness" were integral. My version of the traditional post-Bodhi "enlightenment poem" came to me thus:

> I am not implicated in my own experience. <

As a piece of poetry, it's lousy. As a statement of what I had finally seen clearly, it is priceless.

"

(all states and stages of consciousness and unconsciousness) are just like the pictures of a slideshow. There is deep sleep. There is dreaming. There is waking up in the morning. There is sitting meditation. There is the experience of all kind of wonderful states. All these come and go within the natural state. Can we be locked in it? How could we? How could we not? Because this is what we are. This is what we are when we are not locked in an experience taking place within it.

"

Wow! How clear can a pointing out be?

"Can we be locked in it? How could we? How could we not? Because this is what we are. This is what we are when we are not locked in an experience taking place within it."

Beautiful. this reminds me of the three pointers of dzogchen:
directly introduce the natural state
gain confidence in the natural state
continue in self-liberating self-perfection of the natural state

this practice isn't just "directly introducing" again and again and again. This practice seems to become transformative as confidence deepens. Confidence is the self confidence of the natural state and comes from relying on the natural state, not experiencing it again and again

it is a question of refuge, in a sense; as long as we are trying to take refuge in either samsaric concepts and experiences or dharmic concepts and experiences (methods and insights, states and stages, teachers and teachings however well practiced) we are not ever really taking refuge since the "object" of refuge is conditioned, impermanent, empty form, we can only be clinging to it not taking refuge there.

meanwhile the natural state can't be clung to, only a memory of what we were thinking/not-thinking, feeling, percieving, sensing or otherwise experiencing on the conditioned level in a moment of "direct introduction" can be clung to-- confidence is the confidence not to cling.

"
> I am not implicated in my own experience. <
As a piece of poetry, it's lousy. As a statement of what I had finally seen clearly, it is priceless.
"


Thank you Gozen.

- > I am not implicated in my own experience. < - this is IT, and our experience includes all possible experiences, including experiences that seem to be a non-experiences like deep sleep.

This also seems to be the key to the next level of practice (based on enlightenment). I suspect that at a point an other deeper stage may also click as a permanent state. That's anyway what I am exploring.

"@jhsaintonge: meanwhile the natural state can't be clung to, only a memory of what we were thinking/not-thinking, feeling, percieving, sensing or otherwise experiencing on the conditioned level in a moment of "direct introduction" can be clung to-- confidence is the confidence not to cling."

Another way I would say this, is that Being is all that is perceived. There is only this perception, this perception of thinking/not thinking, perception of feeling, perception of perceiving, perception of sensing, perception of confidence and perception of clinging. With perception, there is not one thing, but perception can in a strange way take the perceived and cast a view on the perceived. It is strange because once it clicks, it is easier and makes more sense to believe there is only perception than to have perception cast a view. When there is a click back to perception casting a view, the simpler mode is hidden. When casting a view, you know there is ignorance that is all, it is only ignorance.

""And so, to assume that there is a locked-in awakened 3rd gear perspective is an obstacle. To attempt to lock-in something that can't be grasped is just clinging, and clinging prevents realization."

Wonderful stuff.

Somebody said (can't recall): "Strictly speaking, there are no enlightened individuals. Only enlightened activity."

The dharma talk by Gil Fronsdal that I just posted a link to here talks about awakening entirely in terms of on-going path. He presents awakening as a profound realization of the four noble truths--so that all four are collapsed into one. Gil acknowledges goal based practice but says, "The destination is not a place" (it's a path).

kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/thread/42...for+the+1st+Gear+Set

( kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/thread/42...for+the+1st+Gear+Set )"


Right. The only still point consists in the constancy of the dynamic of becoming. There is no place to 'sit down and relax'. The only peace/stability is to locate oneself on the meta/transversal ( ie.moving across /through all states) plane of becoming. That is, to rest in the constant activity of opening to the new and unknown.

Which is to return to the discussion taking place elsewhere on 'not knowing'. I have always experienced 'not knowing' as a soft, open, provisional attitude towards all that one already knows. That is, holding a view as clearly as one can, yet at the same time, lightly, quite ready to find that view changed and moved on to further/other/transformed understandings. And, with this I find there can be - at it's 'best' - a sense of bottomless mystery and intrigue.

"Right. The only still point consists in the constancy of the dynamic of becoming. There is no place to 'sit down and relax'."

"peace is a fire" ~ shangaraksh(i*)ta

* forum has too fixed view

"I am not implicated in my own experience"

Is this the same as saying "my experience doesn't make a self, even in its 'selfing'"?

" That is, holding a view as clearly as one can, yet at the same time, lightly, quite ready to find that view changed and moved on to further/other/transformed understandings. And, with this I find there can be - at it's 'best' - a sense of bottomless mystery and intrigue."

That is one of the best descriptions of skepticism I've ever read.