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16 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

making us more aware of what is “in here.” So the first level of
on either side of the gaps between understanding is to experience
thoughts: confused emotions and thoughts, emotions and the
discursiveness. At first we try to phenomenal world as the display
push the thoughts aside. Later, of the luminous-empty mind. This
with vipashyana, or insight, we see mind is not the personal, discursive
the nature of our thought-based mind of the self. The sense of
projections, and how insubstantial a thinker and its thoughts and
they are in the presence of perceptions are just one part of a
The second line, “Grant your awareness. At this point confusion display in a much bigger picture.
blessing so that dharma may becomes clarified because we have Understanding and living at that
progress along the path” reflects seen how empty it is. level is wisdom.
the fact that one’s ego cannot
attend its own funeral. “Dharma” There is a second way to
progresses along the path, rather understand how confusion is
than our personal selves. The transformed into wisdom. The five
teachings direct us to examine the buddha families are an intermediate
sense of self to see if it exists or not. stage between the basic empty
Only after continuous searching but expressive nature of mind that
over a lengthy period of time is it we just discussed, and the well
possible to say with conviction that developed thoughts and emotions
the self does not exist. So the self that comprise our confusion. At
doesn’t progress along the path. Grant your blessings so that this intermediate level, confusion is
The word “dharma” has several confusion may dawn as wisdom. experienced as the wisdom energy
different meanings: It can refer to We can understand this on two of the mind, as opposed to buying
the “teachings,” or it can refer to levels. On the first level, confusion into the emotional story lines that
natural law, in the sense of how may dawn as wisdom through a often accompany that energy.
things work. One can have the profound understanding of the
dharma of cooking eggs: when heat mind from which confusion arises. If you are interested in finding our
is applied, eggs cook. It can also At the pre- thought level, mind more about Gampopa, check out
mean “elements:” for instance the is like empty space out of which this link:
dharmas of existence. If there is no anything can appear. One can http://www.kagyu.org/
self, then dharma, with all its shades glimpse a bit of this in meditation kagyulineage/lineage/kag06.php
of meaning, might be a good word if one tries to find where one’s
for what progresses along the path. thoughts come from and where they Russell Rodgers (September
go. The productive nature of the 2, 1942 - June 18, 2020} has
Grant your blessings so that the empty space of mind is sometimes been wondering about this kind
path may clarify confusion. Most called “luminosity.” of topic for the 39 years that he
of us practice because we want to has been practicing. He resides in
clarify our confusion. We practice If we are ignorant of the nature the Kootenay mountains of British
shamatha to tame our minds and of our minds, we don’t perceive Columbia, in the town of Nelson,
bring them into a sense of peaceful luminosity directly. We perceive it and has graciously agreed to allow
presence. However, we notice that fully formed as thoughts and also publication of his beautiful essays
this calm presence happens mainly as perceptions of a world outside on the Shambhala chants here in the
during the gaps between thoughts. of the mind. This world seems to Times. EH
This has the paradoxical effect of be “out there,” with a perceiver