It’s not about putting a stop to thoughts. When thoughts are not used and abused, then they tend to soften up and we just perceive what’s in front of us: color, taste, smells, touch, feeling, and even thoughts.

https://youtu.be/ZUnM3gOrYOM

A true student of the dharma is on receive all the time. This is why it’s so important to return to the vow. It takes time to do this.

https://youtu.be/5yQcLvhYcgg

Start with yourself. Be gentle, but very attentive to everything that’s happening in the mind stream. Don’t accept anything, don’t reject anything and don’t shut down, ignore or distract yourself from anything. Take a look at the difficult time you give yourself.

https://youtu.be/UA3Ep4pu1Iw

I often say the three C’s are communicate, cooperate and collaborate. The first C is communicate. The way I describe that is 90/10: Listen 90% of the time and talk 10%. If you do the first three C’s, then you have community.

https://youtu.be/Ds_Qn_w-pOM

https://youtu.be/6k3mE3OPe9Y

https://youtu.be/DW0xR2KTWws

This is a direct instruction from the Vidyadhara, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche: keep sitting. If you’re looking at your mind and watching without objecting, agreeing, or shutting down you begin to see the fundamental nature of confusion in your own mind. It’s not ‘out there’ - that’s a projection.

https://youtu.be/jnGcElKcaXw

Don’t maintain anything. You can return to the vow using a few simple words. Of the sixteen precepts, the main one to look at and return to is the last pure precept: Be With All Things.

https://youtu.be/wWuef6JyzAQ

The Ninth prohibitory precept of No Being Angry is about giving up our expectations on each moment and bowing to the richness of how things really are.

https://youtu.be/RPDiIHCaeZA

We are always projecting out onto something what we think it is based on our prejudice. Thinking we are not prejudiced is the very nature of prejudice. Pay attention to what’s coming through the door or down the street. Picking and choosing works well in the relative world. Wanting this and not wanting that is not particularly important or helpful on the spiritual path. Just receive. The absence of choice becomes choiceless. It will be replaced by dependent origination.

If you get a little bit of clarity around your insanity, you’ll know what to do.

https://youtu.be/6NfaOMQMjHs