Tag Archives: Wu-Wei

The Weapon of Choice

Posted on September 3, 2023 by Vajragoni

The encounter with the Primordial brought about a deep understanding and intense enlightenment. Yet, in that moment of deep introspection, as Evan fully immersed himself in contemplation, devoting all his mental faculties to exploring the depths within, something alarming took place. It is difficult to put into words, but it seemed as if, from the corners of his concentrated awareness, he detected the motion of an otherworldly presence. It was an unsettling jolt, similar to the sensation of feeling an unexpected, slithering movement against one’s leg while resting serenely in bed. Initially, Evan had conceived that the presence of mind vermin could be traced back to antiquity. But here he was now experiencing the damn thing. Evan contemplated allowing it to pass, as he surmised that they were merely projections originating from the recesses of the dark psyche.  However, as soon as he had commenced this action, the dreadful sensation commenced to escalate once more. read more

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Obstacles

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Vajragoni

3. Obstacles

Akshobhya Bound

In the midst of present difficulties a supernal prize awaits as one is now Akshobhya-bound. It’s a time of neither going nor standing still, as the aspiring ascetic is empowered to transcend the restrictions of samsaric reality. In order to win Akshobhya’s crown one must remain resilient (immovable) in the face of all obstacles by disengaging from phenomena through wu-wei—actionless activity. read more

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Gnosis for the Journey Home

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Vajragoni

VIII. Gnosis for the Journey Home

1. The Spirit in the space of energy crystallizes in a four-fold fashion
Midsummer is whitened by snow
The disk of the Sun spirals-out into infinity
On the surface of the Water the Wind blows a face of gentleness
In the Midnight one is receptively-blessed with spiritual-solitude
Yet deeper still lies the Secret within the Secret:
Nowhere is the point of origin that returns to the True Primordial Home
2. The Essence of the journey-home is non-action within action: Wu-Wei.
3. Wu-Wei prevents one from becoming frozen in the movement of form and image; yet still inducing Right-Action one evades the dead-voidness of nihilism.
4. Recollect: the point of centeredness is between the two-lamps. In this recollection the Yang and Yin are properly-balanced.
5. The Spiritual Elixir is dependent upon the coalescing of spirit and breath. The aforementioned technique of turning-around-the light empowers adepts to control the movements of inner and outer, through which one procures spiritual independence.
6. This work is essential for adepts in the beginning stages. As the unfolding of the Way is gradually discovered in learning to master the technique, the very Heavens will open and reveal the gnosis of the unsurpassed-Dharma. Remember this and keep it hidden within your inmost Self.
7. Turning-around-the-light describes the over-all technique, whereas as one progresses the vibrancy of the Light is magnified; hence, the more the technique is utilized the greater the Golden Light of the Unborn unfolds ITs glorious hue. Hitherto, one listened attentively to the inner-voice of the Master in mastering the technique; now it is a complete dissemination of the methods employed in service of the Master. The whole relationship is reversed: before, one was a spiritual novice, now one becomes a genuine vehicle in service of the Master.
8. When entering into quietude, one’s spirit and mind needs to be fine-tuned and one-pointedly focused, letting-go of all outer and inner disturbances so that no-thing stands in the way of Recollective Union with the Unborn.
9. Center one’s attention at the Urna with the eyelids in half-closed position. This is done as if following a divine-edict; yea, what disciple of the Unborn dare disobey?
10. One then illumines the day with Fire (Yang) and the night with Water (Yin). When the Yang energy rules the Golden Light permeates outwards; when the Yin energy rules the Light recedes inwards and becomes fully receptive to the spirit.
11. It is important to note that the Yang cannot rule without being nurtured by the Yin, otherwise it would burn itself out. Both Yang and Yin contains energies of the other within, with the Yin being more dominant. This is referenced as the seed of the Sun emanating from and returning to the dark-point of the Void.
12. Thus when one turns-the-light-round to shine inward, all excesses of phenomena are burned-off leaving only the permanent reality of the Mind—the Dharmakaya.
13. Now, the adept leaves behind the ghostly-apparitions of the created to rest exclusively within the Uncreated One and Absolute.
14. One is aware now only of effulgence and infinity. The entire being feels lighter and would like to soar above the mundane into the Light-Heavens of the Unborn.
15. The moon gathers up the ten-thousand waters. In the heart of this Translucent Darkness, suddenly there is movement from deep within. This is the Return of the One Light, the moment when the Garbha-child comes to life.
16. When the mind is washed clean with Translucent Darkness and is anointed with the stirrings of this inner Child of Light, this is the initiation of the Living Midnight.
17. Ordinarily, when people perceive things they get stirred-up until the motion is stopped. This is likened unto a sovereign-ruler being enslaved by his subjects.
18. On the other hand, resting unbound within the Unborn Mind, the sovereign-ruler once again commands with the Rule of Stillness, completely unperturbed by any irritating thoughts or worldly associations. This is termed as resting serenely in the cave of the moon.
19. When the Garbha-child initiates True-Breathing, the mind lets-go as the breath moves rhythmically between inhalation and exhalation. Thus, one rises and falls with the Garbha-child; this is what is meant by rising to the roof of Heaven and setting within the cave of the moon.
20. Remember, when the heart is entangled with samsaric thoughts and emotions, it is ruled by human desire. When the heart is no longer entangled in these earthly woes, then it is ruled by the Ultimate Truth.
21. When first initiating the technique of turning-around-the-light one learns to turn to the root-source whenever distracting thoughts arise.
22. Once direct one-pointedness of Mind is procured, one is naturally buoyant and one’s strength is never exhausted; this is known as quieting the spirit in the boundless-space of the Primordials.
23. One is now so-far advanced that even every shadow and every echo has dissipated into the lair of hibernation wherein all energy is gathered and returned to the root-source.
24. This hibernation is the immeasurable ‘time of quieting’ when even vast kalpas are as one moment.
25. As long as the mind has not reached this stateless-state of perfect quiescence, it continues to act sporadically; whereas effortless-action (Wu-shin) is the mark of True-Mindfulness; IT does not move yet continues to spontaneously incur Right Action.
26. Referring back to the poem at the beginning of this chapter, the opening verse refers to the efficacy of the Spirit within the Golden Light of the Unborn; the Midsummer whitened by snow represents the Yin energy returning to the southern position of the Root-Source. The disk of the Sun represents the Yang energy returning to the northern position of the Dharmamegha-point. Water is the sign of hidden-gnosis being generated in the wind of the primordial-flame. Midnight represents the primordial-stillness.
27. The last two lines refer to the secret within the secret—THAT which cannot be dispensed; this is known as purifying thoughts with the Holy Bath.
28. In Buddhism, awakening the mind without dwelling on any created- thing is the core of the entire canon. The ancient sages knew this as beginning in the Source and ending in the Source.
29. The full-import of the Spiritual Elixir incurs Right Reliance (on the primordial breath-flow—coalescing of breath and spirit) under all circumstances; this is also referred to as Mind-Bathing in the sacred-pool of deathlessness. This single-realization can save one endless decades of seeking.
30. The Golden-point of Unborn Light is the omnipresent center at the heart of both known and unknown modes of being. IT is the center in the midst of all surrounding-skandhic-conditions of endless regeneration and thus is the portal of release from samsara. As to what one has to do with the center, nothing more need be said. read more

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Doing Nothing

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Vajragoni

Master Yaoshan Weiyan (751-834)

One day Yaoshan was sitting on a rock. Master Shitou asked, “What are you doing here?”
Yaoshan replied, “Doing nothing (wu-wei)”
“Then you’re sitting idly.”
“To sit idly would be doing something.”
“You said doing nothing, what is it that you’re not doing?”
“What a thousand sages cannot recognize.”
Master Shitou praised him with a poem,
Always lived together with that which is nameless,
Getting by effortlessly, acting in suchness.
Not even the ancient sages recognize it,
How can a mere mortal understand it? read more

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Wu-Wei

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Vajragoni

30. “If you now set about using your minds to seek Mind, listening to the teaching of others, and hoping to reach the goal through mere learning, when will you ever succeed? Some of the ancients had sharp minds; they no sooner heard the Doctrine proclaimed than they hastened to discard all learning. So they were called ‘Sages who, abandoning learning, have come to rest in spontaneity’.1 In these days people only seek to stuff themselves with knowledge and deductions, seeking everywhere for book-knowledge and calling this ‘Dharma-practice’.2 They do not know that so much knowledge and deduction have just the contrary effect of piling up obstacles. Merely acquiring a lot of knowledge makes you like a child who gives himself indigestion by gobbling too much curds. Those who study the Way according to the Three Vehicles are all like this. All you can call them is people who suffer from indigestion. When so-called knowledge and deductions are not digested, they become poisons, for they belong only to the plane of samsara. In the Absolute, there is nothing at all of this kind. So it is said: ‘In the armoury of my sovereign, there is no Sword of Thusness’. All the concepts you have formed in the past must be discarded and replaced by void. Where dualism ceases, there is the Void of the Womb of Tathagatas. The term ‘Womb of Tathagatas’ implies that not the smallest hairsbreadth of anything can exist there. That is why the Dharma Raja (the Buddha}, who broke down the notion of objective existence, manifested himself in this world, and that is why he said: ‘When I was with Dipamkara Buddha there was not a particle of anything for me to attain.’ This saying is intended just to void your sense-based knowledge and deductions. Only he who restrains every vestige of empiricism and ceases to rely upon anything can become a perfectly tranquil man. The canonical teachings of the Three Vehicles are just remedies for temporary needs. They were taught to meet such needs and so are of temporary value and differ one from another. If only this could be understood, there would be no more doubts about it. Above all it is essential not to select some particular teaching suited to a certain occasion, and, being impressed by its forming part of the written canon, regard it as an immutable concept. Why so? Because in truth there is no unalterable Dharma which the Tathagata could have preached. People of our sect would never argue that there could be such a thing. We just know how to put all mental activity to rest and thus achieve tranquillity. We certainly do not begin by thinking things out and end up in perplexity.” read more

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The Mind Gem

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Vajragoni

9. “This pure Mind, the source of everything, shines forever and on all with the brilliance of its own perfection. But the people of the world do not awake to it, regarding only that which sees, hears, feels and knows as mind. Blinded by their own sight, hearing, feeling and knowing, they do not perceive the spiritual brilliance of the source-substance. If they would only eliminate all conceptual thought in a flash, that source-substance would manifest itself like the sun ascending through the void and illuminating the whole universe without hindrance or bounds. Therefore, if you students of the Way seek to progress through seeing, hearing, feeling and knowing, when you are deprived of your perceptions, your way to Mind will be cut off and you will find nowhere to enter. Only realize that, though real Mind is expressed in these perceptions, it neither forms part of them nor is separate from them. You should not start REASONING from these perceptions, nor allow them to give rise to conceptual thought; yet nor should you seek the One Mind apart from them or abandon them in your pursuit of the Dharma. Do not keep them nor abandon them nor dwell in them nor cleave to them. Above, below and around you, all is spontaneously existing, for there is nowhere which is outside the Buddha-Mind.” read more

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