Pointers to the ineffable

The following statements are pointers to Buddha Nature, Rigpa, Primordial Awereness, etc. They're all meant to give you a hint of the Mahamudra, Dzogchen, Shikantaza, 3rd gear, union of Shamatha and Vipassana views. Some are Kenneth's, some are mine, other's are just variants from old tibetan scriptures.

Since that way of abiding is ineffable, none of the statements are the actual way of abiding. They are just gestures, suggestions, metaphors, etc., not to be taken literally.

Beginners: I strongly recommend mastering Kenneth's 1st and 2nd gear, satipatthana, or similar preliminaries. Nothing wrong with entering these views right now, but one can easily be fooled by the mind if foundations aren't present. Moreover, pure intention is essential (right intention, right speech, right, action, bodhicitta, selfless attitudes, sharing and dedicating the merit, etc.) Embedding in self benefit eclipses and distorts Buddha Nature.

Here are the sentences:
- I don't know anything I know.
- Nothing wrong or right with anything, anyone.
- Your belongings (including your body) weren't, aren't and will not be yours. Ever.
- Kenneth's metaphors: lightning rod, paying the toll, listening for the ships in the harbor.
- In genuine being, nothing needs to be done.
- Its never just about "me", nor just "them".
- "This moment is as it is, with or without your participation."
- Do what what this moment requires right now (work, clean, eat, drive, rest, answer).

Please add your own pointers, feedback, views, etc.

I am a beginner, but this one seems to work somewhat for me:
- As mostly single process/gesture: Let go of the differences between things, let go of holding anything as special, let yourself fall in the direction of that which all things have in common.
- from Kenneth: What doesn't hurt?

"
I am a beginner"

- Always a beginner

***Suzuki's

"Don't do anything"

*notices trying not to do anything*

Stop trying

Repeat

For those heady, intellectual types (like me), this one seems to help...

"Nothing needs to be figured out."

Excellent Jackson. I've been using it since you posted it along with other pointers such as "relax", "do nothing" and "look."

Definitely a worthwhile practice.

"For those heady, intellectual types (like me), this one seems to help...

"Nothing needs to be figured out.""

Love it!

I saw this on twitter the other day:
RT @the_eco_thought Samsara means waiting for something to happen (Trungpa Rinpoche)

- No one's eyes, ears, bones, muscles, skin, nose, etc.
- No one's mind.

-Rest in the space between things being noticed

"
-Rest in the space between things being noticed"

- Rest in right action
- Rest in right intention
- Rest in right concentration
- Rest in right speech
- Etc.

Key word: rest.

"Key word: rest."


The connection to the Noble Eightfold Path has been useful too, however.

- (Rest,) There is only Buddha
- (Relax, ) Even that, right there, is Buddha

Notice that most of these have to do with letting go of something or removing something. *doing* something will often lead to an interesting non-dual state such as unity or clear timelessness, but it is the removal process that exposes the purity of the moment.

My 3rd gear practice was scaffolded by first finding a door or entry way into a non-dual *state*. I think I would have had an impossible time finding the "surrender room" without being pointed at the door.

I think it might be useful to also point at doors that will bring about a *state* from which non-dual qualities can be seen and that can further ripen into directly accessing a more restful place.

This is pure conjecture, so please say so if you disagree, but pointers to a *door* rather than the space itself might include:

- Focus intensely on Nowness
- Recognize the moment that attention shifts and notice Awareness in that gap. This is the moment when sitting when you go from being lost in thought to noticing that you were lost
- Listen for the ships in the Harbor

(Is "Who Am I?" another door?)

By going through these doors, I initially had significant distortion and compounding but it seems that the obscuring factors are seen more clearly with time and further surrender.

Any more doors that you guys know of?

"Notice that most of these have to do with letting go of something or removing something. *doing* something will often lead to an interesting non-dual state such as unity or clear timelessness, but it is the removal process that exposes the purity of the moment."

When you say "non-dual state", do you mean samadhi, jhana, calm abiding?

" *doing* something will often lead to an interesting non-dual state such as unity or clear timelessness"

"Doing" practices, in my opinion, are useful when dual tendencies run the show. For example, in the vajrayana tradition, one "takes refuge" or "gives rise to bodhicitta" many times, in oder to cultivate right view.

Taking refuge (surrendering to the buddha, dharma, sangha) leads to unity, non-dual etc. Bodhicitta refers to selfless compassionate action, so if its selfless, it has to be non-dual. These "doing" practices might be the "doors" you describe.

After surrendering many times, after acquiring the selfless view through bodhicitta cultivation, then the non-dual state becomes sort of permanent. This is the support to recognize pure space.

One then discovers that "surrendering" or "giving rise to selfless compassionate action" was all part of the illusion. But some of us need to go through illusory practices. Our distraction with phenomena is strong. One needs to see these illusory doors you mention, go through illusory doors and enter illusory non-dual states.

While doing all this one could feel illusory: "my doing is ilusory", "my going through doors is ilusory", etc. After that, letting go practices make more sense.

""Don't do anything"

*notices trying not to do anything*

Stop trying

Repeat"

- Let "doing" run out of gas

Another kind of weird one that I haven't totally figured out:

Feel everything in the body simultaneously, really tune into absolutely everything that can be felt in the body. Now extend and *feel* everything that is happening outside of the body simultaneously with feeling everything inside the body.

For me, this one is a weird one that has a lot of weird state associated with it, but I find from there I can also let go a bit and normal 3rd gear is there.

"Another kind of weird one that I haven't totally figured out:

Feel everything in the body simultaneously, really tune into absolutely everything that can be felt in the body. Now extend and *feel* everything that is happening outside of the body simultaneously with feeling everything inside the body.

For me, this one is a weird one that has a lot of weird state associated with it, but I find from there I can also let go a bit and normal 3rd gear is there."

After being aware of "inside" and "outside, simultaneously, after inside-outside duality disappears, mix awareness with willingness:

- Willingness to disappear
- Willingness to help anyone
- Willingness to do whatever needs to be done right now

relax, this is it

Just found that this helps taking the last non-existent step

- You don't have to be sure

"
Just found that this helps taking the last non-existent step

- You don't have to be sure"

Ah yes, I love this one. I keep forgetting to let go the urge to be sure, urge to witness, urge to be certain. It is the perfect way to trust the whole thing. Obtain full confidence.

Some variations of Kenneth's "Listen to the ships in the harbor", and Karmapa's prayer:

- Effortlessly listen to the sounds that cannot be heard.
- Sense the sensations that cannot be sensed.
- Taste the flavours that cannot be tasted.
- Smell the fragance that cannot be smelled
- Be aware of the mind that cannot be discerned.
- See the colours that cannot be seen.

Ooh, those are nice too. But the looseness/effortlessness is important, at least for me. It is an allowing-to-happen, not a doing-something.

Yes, "effortlessly" should go at the beginning of each of the previous sentences

As a variation:

Listen for the sounds between the sounds (or the gap between the sounds)
Taste the...
Feel the...