Following the breath.

Hi everyone

This is a recent edited post to one of my informal Dzogchen / Mahamudra / Chan meditation teachers, Jackson Peterson, on the simple practice of following the breath. I thought I would post it here to get some ideas and advice from this community. There are several advanced direct path practitioners here, particularly those from the direct path traditions I have mentioned. And of course I would enjoy hearing from Kenneth also. The themes or implicit assumptions contained in my post surrounding the nature of enlightenment and a progressive vs instant path-practice are obvious areas of contention, that have been covered many times over on this site. I welcome any comments of any kind, practice related or otherwise.

I have been making use of the practice you gave me a while ago of following the breath with eyes open, just letting be, the natural and spontaneous realisation of the nature of mind '“ that which knows the breath, and all sensate phenomenon.

[cont.]

Currently I am having a lot of good results from simply working with the breath at the abdomen which seems to have the added energetic benefits of acting on the Dan Tien also; and thus the over-all energetic system of the body/mind. Not to mention the pranas entering the central channel following from the sitting practice. The key I have discovered, as you said Jackson, is practicing with eyes open. As we know in Tibetan esoterics the eyes are connected via the nadi to the heart, which is associated with the wisdom mind or Rigpa. In any case meditating with eyes open really promotes easy access to cognitive lucidity '“ Buddha nature or our natural state. This is the same practice as traditional Zen / Chan sitting practice, which is also a basic practice of Dzogchen as taught by Sogyal Rinpoche.

What happens is after some time sitting, often rather quickly, awareness seems to dis-embed from the objects of consciousness. There is an opening up of an open, empty field of consciousness that is characterized by clarity, bliss, spaciousness and no sense of self '“ just pure, empty knowing. At this time there is no suffering of any kind '“ just pure cognizance and the freedom of just what is. I am sure if I practiced for longer sessions and more regularly I could make great progress '“ and really should get my butt in gear with that!! ;-P As it stands I have not been able to achieve a permanent shift or disillusion of the sense of self or freedom from suffering. There is a cyclic opening and contraction; freedom and suffering.

Thanks,

Adam.

Just a side comment; the eyes open helps remove the sense of an inner and outer reality. I think my most lucid moments are outside of mediation because of this. It is all being.

Hey Gary!

I think you are so right there - the Dzogchen and Tibetan traditions generally, speak to that view also and in complete agreement with your comment.

Thanks!

Adam. edited for grammar

hi Adam! Nice to see you!
very nice description of practice, I really resonate with that. As usual I find your descriptions admirably lucid and concise

May I ask: Would you say that while resting in the natural state there is a complete dissolution of all the phenomena normally associated with samsaric self? Such as a dropping away of narrative self mapping as well as subtler body-mapping samsaric selfing, leaving only the wide open clarity and the physical senses presencing spontaneously beyond reference point? And that after the practice session you return to your "baseline" sense of being a mind in a body or a body mind in an environment, i.e., defined via referentiality? Would this characterize the oscillation you describe? Or is it otherwise?
It sounds like your practice has matured to the point where samsaric "nyams" (experiences) alternate with meditative nyams of bliss, clarity and openness. If so then discerning that the natural state is the common feature or nature of both kinds of nyams would be the logical next step and should bring the sense that whether ordinary personality is arising or dissolved, the nature of mind is equally fully expressing itself. This may really shake up the belief in the solidity, permanence, separateness and continuity of the sense of ego, which then may be seen as coming and going in that open clear space rather than the open clear space being seen to appear when ego disappears.
In other words, the proximate goal may be simply to see in real time that variations on ego arise and dissolve in that clear space without distracting from it; it is the over-investment in maintaining certain patterns of ego that causes suffering not the arising of ego which is a natural phenomenon and is different every time it arises as the circumstances which trigger it are different every time. I don't mean to presume, but perhaps this will help!

Hey Jake!!

Nice to hear from you buddy!!

"Would you say that while resting in the natural state there is a complete dissolution of all the phenomena normally associated with samsaric self?" -Jake.

Yes I would. But this presupposes a recognition of the natural state, not merely calm abiding in and as awareness as it is. There is no ontological distinction - but very definitely an epistemological one. As you know, recognition is the key word here - experiential, direct apprehension of the nature of mind here and now.

"leaving only the wide open clarity and the physical senses presencing spontaneously beyond reference point?" -Jake.

Yes, exactly. I couldn't have said it any clearer. Thanks for that mate!

Yep that's it - the osculation, as you described. I witness a spectrum or continuum between those extremes with diffusion of experience between the polarities. Sometimes the no-self, center-less awareness remains for quite some time, other times it comes and goes to varying degrees spontaneously. We are talking about the 'separation of nirvanic and samsaric consciousness (consciousness of. i.e. recognition of that which is always-already). Or (epistemological, not ontological) separation of dualistic consciousness and the nature and essence of mind or non-dual consciousness (Rigpa).

[cont.]

"If so then discerning that the natural state is the common feature or nature of both kinds of nyams would be the logical next step and should bring the sense that whether ordinary personality is arising or dissolved, the nature of mind is equally fully expressing itself." -Jake.

Yes, exactly. When recognition of this takes place, the shift is instant - immediate naked experience without the karmic baggage. And since self and suffering seems to be a phenomena that is dependently arising and thus, has no independence or substance in and of itself, and therefore no actual existence outside of this circular, self-referential system - there is no self or suffering in recognition of the natural state of things / being. So it seems, at least from this view.

"the proximate goal may be simply to see in real time that variations on ego arise and dissolve in that clear space without distracting from it" -Jake.

Yes. Thank you. I love it! Exactly what I need to hear!

You have helped!

Thanks mate!

Adam.

Thanks my friend! You are a true dharma friend, by which I mean someone who gives me great opportunities to say things which *I* need to hear as well. I suspect that you in turn have benefited as much from your own pointers to myself and others as I have from pointing-out to you here!
Reality points itself out to itself, buddhas transmit to buddhas
may we all relax completely in our natural state