This talk was inspired by a student’s question from SokukoJi’s Monday evening book study of “Meditation on Emptiness” by Jeffrey Hopkins. These are translated teachings from the Gelukba order of Tibetan Buddhism. It says of the first stage of meditation on emptiness “First one concentrates and clears one’s mind”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGhIRVjDdb4

Flash on the contrast. When the apparent polarity between two different things collapses, then the polarity becomes the observer and the observed. When the observer collapses into the observed…that’s the final collapse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxy_KN760RM

The motivation for Sokuzan’s dharma talk is to address the effects of a strong daily practice of sitting, study, relating to a teacher and working with sangha by responding to questions from the monastery residents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZQJECRl0AQ&t=1s

Sit down and watch the way the mind makes decisions. Thoughts masquerade as awareness when narcissism wants a reference point. What you really have to do will be choiceless. Your unencumbered consciousness knows exactly what it needs to do next.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8t0dsq343Y

The most complete speech or right speech is thorough, really seeing everything and not being seduced by your thought patterns. The teachings of the Buddha in the Anguttara Nikaya include five marks of right speech: “Is it true? Is it timely? Is it gentle? Is it purposeful? Is it with the mind of loving kindness?”. Extra talk is chatter, entertainment. The upside is social bonding and a feeling of belonging. The downside is that it may cause harm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6jEDHNrvdw

When we don’t know what this is, when openness without reference point is just too frightening, we make up stuff instead of giving attention to everything that is happening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77jzN1ygGrs

“Tomal gyi shepa” is Tibetan for ordinary mind. Everyday mind. It is a teaching that emphasizes the ordinary or present nature of awakening, of clear understanding. You don’t have to go to a mountain top or somewhere else far away. You don’t have to get rid of your everyday difficulties so you can live in some kind of special enlightened state. What you’re looking for is right in front of you. It is ordinary mind. It is not an experience. It is authentic presence. Past and future are besides the point because there is just this, always.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mhtdaAsPOU

Trying not to be distracted is spiritual materialism. Awareness of distraction isn’t exactly distraction. Whatever is happening, include; don’t sell the wine of delusion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=godsB99GbHo

When someone has done something “wrong”, go slow with the idea of forgiveness. If you’re forgiving someone, there’s already some kind of blame going on. When you forgive or blame you are reinforcing the basic mistaken identity that Buddhism addresses: that we think we are solid beings who can be make mistakes or be forgiven.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_Y-TknNba0

Surface attention is glancing and immediately abandoning what we just gave our attention to and going into thoughts about it. Glancing is very casual, very disrespectful to your environment, your world, your mind. Deep attention would be looking and not abandoning. Don’t abandon the blackness of black. See redness of red without going into about red. It won’t get deep unless you stay with the surface.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECgi2dBNntw