Challenge

“It’s understood in The Tibetan tradition” added Khandro Déchen “that you can just end up not achieving anything, if there’s nothing that you come up against as a challenge.” 

p166, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680

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  

Uncontrollable lust

It is far more interesting to have absolutely uncontrollable lust for everyone everywhere to get everything they want. When lust is contracted into just being me and what I want – it’s a rather sad, sorry, sterile affair.

p253, 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 

Let anything happen

One has to have the courage and confidence to let anything happen.  Then one’s actions are always spontaneous and playful. This is because there is no connection with dualistic derangement.

p279, Goodbye Forever Vol III, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books Worldwide, 2023, ISBN 9781898185666

 

The style of one’s responses

We cannot be responsible for many things – but we are all responsible for how we feel about what happens. To embrace emotions as the path, one must take responsibility for the style of one’s responses.

p230, 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 

Reflex responses

As long as people have patellar reflex responses to anything it means they haven’t stabilised shi-nè, let alone lhatong, nyi’mèd or lhundrüp. For those who have good experience of shi-nè however – they will no longer be subject to automatic or autonomic emotional responses.

p414, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680

It’s more direct

The realised state can be experienced through the entire phenomenal world – but it’s easier  through the natural world. It’s more direct. 

p383, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680 

The pattern breaks down

At some point in any sequence of ‘forms’ – ‘emptiness’ will happen. If this was not the case – everything would be predictable – everything would be ‘form’. There’s going to be some point in any evolving scenario‚where the pattern breaks down. 

p363, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680  

Hitting toes with a hammer

The more one realised the patterns of duality the funnier the situation became in terms of one’s experience. There was also sadness when observing those who created their own suffering without any understanding of what they were doing.  He said that it could be like watching someone hitting their toes with a hammer whilst screaming “Will this pain never end?”     

p173, Goodbye Forever Vol III, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books Worldwide, 2023, ISBN 9781898185666

Pottering

Pottering can accomplish a great deal – but one has to surrender all sense of achievement and live in the moment.  

p182, 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 

Sporadically supervised aimlessness

Tidying is an aspect of pottering – but true pottering is more sporadic. It is a haphazard mode which often facilitates discoveries and unexpected creativity.

p182, 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 

How one is in the moment

Sutra, Tantra, and Dzogchen are a continuum in terms of involvement. One practises what is appropriate in terms of how one is in the moment. One has to observe one's condition.    

p177, 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

Not the answer

It’s the huge myth of renunciation being the answer.  We need to grow out of that – or Vajrayana is out of the question.

p416, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680 

Empty pleasure

It’s not—my—attention. It’s simply attention. One is unselfconscious in respect of attention.  And with empty pleasure it’s the same.  Non-referential awareness of pleasure.

p391, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680

Without discursive conceptuality

“Empty attention” replied Khandro Déchen “is simply attention without discursive conceptuality in relation to the attention.”   “Without thinking—my—attention is on this” added Ngak’chang Rinpoche. 

p391, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680

We do not recognise

The root of delusion is duality – and occurs simply because we do not recognise the essential nature of being. Due to this, the idea of self and other as entirely separate arises – along with all other ‘subject / object’ dichotomies. 

p278, Goodbye Forever Vol III, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books Worldwide, 2023, ISBN 9781898185666

Transmission

In those moments I understood the nature of transmission and the nature of everything which Künzang Dorje Rinpoche had ever communicated. It was not simply the words – but the words had been a vehicle through which volumes of teaching coalesced as a seamless expanse of understanding. Rinpoche smiled at me – and filled my glass with chang. 

p157, Goodbye Forever Vol III, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books Worldwide, 2023, ISBN 9781898185666

Anger

Anger should not be confused with energy. One obviously requires energy to address injustice – but anger does nothing but cloud one’s vision.

p310, 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 

Cavort with reality

To be an artist one simply maintains the endeavour. One’s senses have to cavort with reality – and that voluptuous liaison has to become a dynamic aspect of one’s experience of appreciation. 

p316, 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

Herd mentality

“Seeing the fixed patterns of herd mentality is absolutely primary, in terms of Vajrayana” Rinpoche concluded. “Undermining it, in oneself, is probably one of the major practices.”

p92, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680