DharmaMind Buddhist Group

2/6 Breaking Through the Darkness

We can all aspire to a vision of awakening and enlightenment, release from suffering and eternal freedom. Many teachers offer this vision but often forget to remind the student that release is only possible by first opening and working through the mind's created samsara and its suffering. Our form of training also offers the great vision, but continually reminds the student to primarily focus on the created suffering of self and ego. Because it is only when the darkness of the created world begins to fade will the great vision of liberation we all aspire to begins to shine through.

1/6 Making Life Positive

As practitioners we are aware of the suffering that characterises much of life, and can therefore become conditioned to see life from a negative point of view. But taking on dharma training this perspective can be turned around by seeing that that very suffering itself can instead become really something very positive. Now you can train yourself to see it as the very substance of the path of transformation itself, and the gateway to freedom and liberation.

The Secret of Awakening

Our way of being is to create a dualistic world of opposites. We grasp at things or reject them. We like or dislike. We have views and opinions that invariably display one-sidedness. We want to do this training, then we don't want to do it. What we seldom experience with any sort of consistency is living in the middle of these extremes. But the definition of authentic practice is to be able to live in that middle space between these opposites. That place that you sometimes touch but seldom abide in with any consistency. Lift yourself up when you feel uninspired and fearful, contain yourself when you are tempted to grasp and get carried away. This is the secret of awakening, and the secret that the Buddha discovered - it's called the Middle Way.

Empowering Yourself

The negative image so many of us have of ourselves is the reason why we don't recognise and enjoy the peace of our innate blue sky. Through this form of training you learn to bring the blue sky into your life by owning everything that makes you up. This revolutionary state of being then empowers you to turn away from a life time of habitual negative self-views. With this change taking place your blue sky will come evermore into your life.

The Dangers of Wilful Practice

How is it possibly to engage whole-heartedly with life's activities and challenges without always having the end game of "I'm doing this in order to get that" ambition? This is the usual function of our everyday mind that would even resort to strong wilfulness in order to fulfil its desires. Our training is to discover the mind that doesn't engage with wilfulness or pushy ambition, and yet still engages wholeheartedly with life and its never ending challenges.

The Blue Sky, and the Inconceivable Journey

It is easy for us to take moments of peace as being no more than that, but can you see that experience as a gateway that invites you to pass through it? An invitation that will take you on a journey into who you really are, and a journey to that part that is free from conditioned fear that is called your true nature. Precious jewels of transcendental knowledge that points to the astonishment and wonder of life itself awaits, if only you have the courage to make that journey.

Mind, Body and Practice

We have the opportunity when in sitting meditation to use the experience to cultivate a mind that becomes ever more still. But we also have the opportunity to wake up to the whole process of how we create attachment and suffering, by being alive to our ongoing relationship to the very posture itself. By just being alive to this relationship on its own can reveal so much of the path to freedom and liberation.

Dharma Practice will change your Life

It is natural to expect some sort of reward from your practice. If you are patient and engage correctly with the training, it will transform your life. In time, you will come to see that this training is worth keeping your trust in, and discover that it is truly an authentic inner revolution.

Talk 6/6 End of Retreat Question and Answer Session

A selection of training questions from the students that closed the 2012 Summer Retreat.

Can you expand on the Blue Sky concept? Can you give an example of insight contemplation? What is the nature of fear?

Talk 5/6 The Spritual Journey

To train ourselves to be always reflecting inwardly is to correctly prepare ourselves for the inner spiritual journey of transformation. From the ability to be still and inwardly reflect, the spiritual journey of discovering our own inner transcendental divine nature and liberation from suffering will surely follow.