Monthly Archives: October 2012

A Halloween Treat: A Capricious Ghost

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Vajragoni

This Dragon Mind of Zen video nicely dovetails on Tozen’s recent post on the Pure Light of Mahayana; a nice “treat” for Halloween but certainly no “trick” in light of this sober Mind realization that empowers one to overcome the antics of the Trickster himself. read more

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Coming in November: The Diamond Sutra

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Vajragoni

Next month we will begin a new series on the Diamond Sutra. Perhaps more than any other sutra of the Mahayana, this one indeed cuts through all dualistic aberrations of the clouded-mind with the full efficacy of a diamond-cutter. What is left is the naked pureness of Mind (devoid of all adventitious defilements) that reveals the full “perfection of Noble Wisdom”. All preconceived notions on the nature of reality are wiped-clean as one begins to see with the Tathatic-Eye the Bright Splendor of the Dharmadhatu, or the very Reality of the Buddhas themselves. Seeing as a Buddha sees and not dependent on any false perceptional apparatus that acts as a debilitating cataract on the deathless eyes of the Sugata. Prepare to spend some time with Subhuti as we sit at the feet of the Tathagata…oblivious of the bleak and somber tone of November. read more

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Tozen: The great light of Mahayana – a short guide into the Mind of Tathagata Zen

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Tozen

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Nunc dimittis: Closing reflection on the Lankavatarian Book of the Dead

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Vajragoni

Am sitting here awaiting the impending arrival of the mother-of-all storms, being recently christened as the Frankenstorm. Like last year’s nasty punch from Irene, this soon to be “hybrid” (merging with another gigantic weather system approaching from the west) freak of nature promises to bear down on my neck of the woods again—inducing: read more

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Litania: Bardo 6, The Bardo of Re-becoming

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Vajragoni

Due to an inability to disengage and abrogate the accumulated habit-energies since time immemorial, a lesser-able mind continues the journey through the Bardo of Re-becoming. Still tossed about through the strong currents of karma, the lesser-able one (puthujjana) wanders along totally stupefied as to what is manifesting in this Bardo phase: read more

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Dharmakaya Arising: Bardo 5, The Bardo of Dharmatā

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Vajragoni

The Tibetan Book of the Dead (all quotes are from the Francesca Fremantle-Chogyam Trungpa Edition) invokes the following supplication when the Bardo (5) of Dharmatā dawns: read more

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The Tightrope Walker: Bardo 4, The Bardo of the Moment Before Death

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Vajragoni

Bardo Realm Four, or the Bardo of the moment before death, is the briefest of all the Bardo stages and yet, for most people, it’s also the most terrifying. All of one’s past-lives flashes before the mind’s eye—all of them beckoning (like Captain Ahab strapped and impaled to the humped white-back of Moby Dick) to enter another womb of becoming. For those who have recognized Pure Mind and have practiced long and hard (like the previous journey in our presentation of Bardo 3) will be empowered (through the Awareness Principle now in league with the family of all Buddhas) to recognize, with absolute Lucid-Certainty, the Luminosity of the impending-opening of the Dharmakayic Shore of Deathlessness. The Tibetans refer to this as “Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo”; for a Lankavatarian, of course, this “hearing” refers to what we encountered in Bardo 3 as Dhammasota, or becoming fully immersed in the Deathless Sound of the Tathagatakaya. That’s why it’s so critical to train the mind thoroughly in Deep Samadhis before this Bardo of the moment before death arrives. If Bardo Stage 3 has been neglected, then there is very little chance of becoming united with the Luminous Light of the Dharmakaya in the preliminary entrance in the Bardo of the Dharmatā. Hence, One’s spirit will be forced to endure the agonizing trials that are awaiting in the Bardo of Rebecoming. Even if one, in the final pages of life, were to suffer from debilitating neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, it would make no difference for the Transcendent-Mind that has been transfigured into the Diamond-Mind-Body in Bardo 3; meaning that the carnal “brain” and its diseased phenomenal outflows are just a natural outcome of the rotting skandhic-material corpse in samsara. This was all about Real-Mind-Praxis and the inevitable coming-end in this Bardo of the final moments before death will appear as just the stage of Final Release for Such a Mind. The following is a little cautionary tale that captures the “balancing act” that signifies this particular Bardo Realm; it’s a nice reflection revolving around Buddha Vairocana and a Tozen Teaching from long ago… read more

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Honey Boo Boo on Wikipedia???

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Vajragoni

I remember once a few years back trying to get Tozen’s work recognized on Wikipedia; my request was refused since there was no wide-base of corresponding articles or resources available that recognized his efforts; all this despite the fact that the Tozen Teachings constitute many years of laborious efforts (even his vast work, The Dharmakaya Sutra, which has been available in print) to teach the Buddhadharma. The same can be said of the Zennist’s efforts (apart from references of Stuart Lachs) as witnessed by his prolific blog over the past 5 years. What do we find offered instead on Wikipedia? The stupid mass-media (becoming increasingly obese) Reality-Show wonder-child, Honey Boo Boo—just ramblin’ on while being exploited by both her crazed fan-base and family alike; just shows the sad and disgusting state of mind of where the culture is at in these fu**ed-up times! One also questions the far less-than-respectable and intellectually barren WikiLords who warrant this kind of crap being listed in the first place. How shit being lumped together with other compendiums of worthwhile and mentally challenging material is beyond me. Perhaps it’s a sign of the eminent downfall of a civilization the likes of the Roman Empire and world of long ago. Yesterday is tomorrow today. read more

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Review of Bardo Realm Three

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Vajragoni

For a Lankavatarian, of all the Bardo (in-between stages of transition from one stage of awareness to another) Stages we’ve encountered in this series, Bardo Three—the realm of meditation and Deep Samadhis—holds the highest significance. The longest of our investigation, it needs to be turned to again and again and its components need to be studied and practiced with the utmost faith and diligence. Why? Because all these Bardo stages are really a Mind Voyage—Mind coming to the full self-realization of Recollecting and returning to its true, Unborn home. There is no other alternative. Trying to maneuver through these dense samsaric planes in any other way is really just a fool’s attempt of running through the mad maze of sentient being-ness that never, ever escapes the karmic wheel. Bardo Realm Three thus strengthens the awareness principle to be able to make the transcendent leap into Dharmakayic ecstasy (at the end of Bardo stage 4) that marks the final end of the long and weary samsaric journeying through lesser mind-fields. As we have seen, it is a full transition from the samsaric-human family to the transcendent Tathatic Family. It is not a game of chance or a lame attempt to “hope one’s way through” the long and dark tunnel that leads to the other side of Deathless Suchness. Such an opportunity may not come again for millions of existences. It is a hard won battle of conquering Mara and his evil henchman, the body consciousness; indeed, this evil Lord of all the six samsaric realms of transitory existence is VERY REAL and he will stop at nothing to keep the awareness principle perpetually entrapped and away from its True and rightful inheritance. read more

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The Great Samādhis: Bardo 3, Yogadhatu & Dharmamegha

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Vajragoni

Now resting in the Amala-megha (Primal Consciousness) the will is no longer one’s own but Self-Will—yoked with the Great Unborn Tathatic Spirit-Mind, and as such, with the Element of Truth-Realm: Yogadhatu. The Ariyan Mind is now within the Direct-Sphere of Consecration (abhișekāvasthā). It’s like being cloaked in an Omniscient Sphere of Translucent Unborn Light. What is forthcoming is very grand indeed…the entrance and consecration into the ultimate stage, or Dharmamegha (dharma cloud). The Lankavatara Sutra describes this most marvelous mystical transformation: read more

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