Entertaining uncertainty

The experience of spaciousness can arise through entertaining uncertainty – and by failing to feel threatened. 

p263, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books Worldwide, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4  

Maniacally welcoming

Those for whom mayhem is magical display,find Vajrayana maniacally welcoming.  Although it is a high energy arena – it becomes spacious for those who have the courage to relax into those breakers.

p41, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9653948-5-7

The splendid dance

We wish you nonreferential joy and gleeful abandon. We wish you passion and spaciousness in the splendid dance of your sense-fields and sense perceptions.

p338, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

Practitioners’ best friends

Khandro and pawo are the female sky-dancing and male warrior aspects of the nondual state.  We discover the khandro principle when we begin to discover our spaciousness.  We discover the pawo principle when we begin to discover our innate compassion.  The khandros and pawos are the circumstances of the path – practitioners’ best friends.

p99, Rays of the Sun, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1-898185-06-2    

Our own responsibility

The development of clarity arises from our growing awareness of the natural spaciousness of being.  With growing clarity, the life problems that occur cease to manifest so painfully.  We no longer add to their intensity as an automatic reflex.  Ultimately, our lives are our own responsibility.  Our problems are for us to work through.  There is no use in blaming the state of our lives on anybody else.  

p90, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, ISBN 0-9653948-0-8

Something completely delightful happens

When the quality of our experience becomes more spacious, something completely delightful happens.  This sense of space enables us to develop the ability to see the pattern of our continual attempts to manipulate the world – according to what we imagine would be our advantage.  Once we start to see these frantic manipulative strategies as something artificial, they begin to lose their hold on us.  Seeing the patterns of distracted-being, and recognising them as such, is the beginning of clarity.

p96, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, ISBN 0-9653948-0-8

Moments of magic

In spite of our compulsion to distance ourselves from the texture of our experience, we do also value the qualities of immediacy and spontaneity. Most people can remember moments of magic in their lives; moments when their consciousness was naturally expansive. Moments when there was a feeling of spaciousness – when everything unfolded with a sense of wonder and ease. This is possible when we have unguarded moments – moments when we forget to mix in our pre-structured concepts with what we perceive.

p32, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, ISBN 0-9653948-0-8

The Tantric joke

   We feel ourselves to be solid, yet we are nervous about our existence.  We feel our world to be coherent at one moment; and at another, the whole fabric of our life-event can seem a trifle questionable.  If we never experience our intrinsic spaciousness – we can only ever experience this alternation as: pain, discomfort, alienation; boredom, panic or dissatisfaction.  But as soon as we begin to practise silent sitting meditation; to stare into the nature of what we are; we become a little suspicious of our life-event. We become intrigued by the transparent ambivalences of our situation. It could be quite possible that things are both not what they seem; and, simultaneously, exactly what they seem. This could be called the Tantric joke, the vajra sense of humour that continually prompts us to ask the questions: What is going on? Why is this solidity so solid and also so insubstantial? Why am I consumed by so much certainty and uncertainty?

p47, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4

You can either be irritated or you can be irritated

Many people—but only honest people—find spaciousness irritating, and would prefer the claustrophobia and snugness of deranged density.  The simplicity of acknowledging spaciousness requires precision.  Precision does not allow the seeming safety of woolly-edged spin-doctoring.
We enjoy a soupçon of confusion, in which to establish the experiential ground rules from which non-duality can be seen as the unobtainable godhead.  Non-duality is irritatingly possible – because it is our authentic nature and somehow, being reminded of that, is irritating.  So … you can either be irritated or you can be irritated.  It is entirely up to you.

p69-70, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9653948-5-7

Great expectations

In life situations there is always malleability as long as we have a spacious view.  There are unending possibilities for creativity in our circumstances – but we need an open view to see them.  There are continual challenges which allow us to improvise – but we need an open view to meet them.  This open view, however, is not based on fantasy or fear – it is simply based on being here, without great expectations.

p22, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9653948-5-7

      

The effort required to make the bed beautifully

Being a warrior means that we can accept the reality of what we are – including our fear and apprehension.  We see our fear and we step beyond it.  
We can discard the yearning for security and move into a greater sense of spaciousness in which heroism applies to the effort required to make the bed beautifully.  To do anything well requires confidence in the potential beauty of each moment.    

p143, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9653948-5-7

Dizzying heights of boredom

With respect to shi-nè – until you get seriously bored, you will not give up the illusion that there is something to be gained apart from what you are. 
Boredom plays an extremely important role as the altimeter of emptiness.  The spacious view of Dzogchen is only available once the dizzying heights of boredom have been recognised as freedom.   Boredom then transmogrifies into an ethereal translucent boredom.  It will still necessarily have an aspect of unease with it – but that is the key to an open dimension. 

p77, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9653948-5-7

Dissolving paranoia

Trust in the spaciousness of what we are is imperative in the process of allowing paranoia to dissolve into the emptiness from which self accomplishing activity can arise.  As soon as paranoia dissolves into intrinsic space, energy is released, and is able to flow freely.  Being able to act directly without inhibition is a quality that arises out of our recognition of intrinsic space.  This enables movement that is completely committed – and it can travel in any direction.

p172, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, ISBN 0-9653948-0-8

We can laugh at our compulsion, fearfulness, and wilfulness

 Through the development of spaciousness, our patterning can become totally open and transparent.  We can view perception.  We can recognise intention.  We can motivate responses.
When our patterning becomes transparent, we can laugh at the compulsion of our desire, at the fearfulness of our aversion, and at the wilfulness of our stupidity.  Every moment becomes an opportunity for freedom and realisation.
Ultimately, finding presence of awareness in the dimension of the moment is the experience of non-dual emptiness and form.

p150, Spacious Passion Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books, 2006 ISBN: 978-0-9653948-4-0

Spaciousness

"The practise of Letting Go develops awareness. It also develops a sense of spaciousness in the mind and the capacity to observe thought rather than being overwhelmed by involvement with its content."

p129, Relaxing into Meditation, Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1898185178

Spaciousness without passion

"Spaciousness without passion has no possibility of compassion as an interactive quality. Passion without spaciousness becomes blind or blinkered obsession - a completely claustrophobic view that gives rise to highly limited and limiting activities."

p103, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, 1-898185-03-4