Everything seems to fall apart

Our lives do seem to go through phases when there is more emptiness.  Everything trundles along nicely for a while and then suddenly everything seems to fall apart.  Emptiness happens.  Do not read significance into this – it is just what is happening now.  Recognising this emptiness and attempting to relax with it is heroic.  This is practice.

p188, Illusory Advice Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin, Aro Books, 2015, ISBN: 978-1898185-37-6 

Simple, clean and straightforward

Everyone relapses into neurotic patterning all the time.  Regret is useful, but shame simply adds another layer of neurosis to plough through.  Regret the relapse and move on.  Shame is actually holding on to it and not allowing yourself to move on.  Regret the action and let it go – this is simple, clean and straightforward.

p175, Illusory Advice Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin, Aro Books, 2015, ISBN: 978-1898185-37-6 

Like walking through a minefield

   Life is a little like walking through a minefield – you never know when you might step on something—a circumstance of your life—that will explode a programmed pattern of perception.  If the cause is not encountered the reaction will not occur.  One of the principles of the monastic path is to regulate the secondary causes—in terms of life circumstances—as much as possible to avoid triggering unhelpful reactions that deepen patterning.  The tantric path however says: ‘Bring it all on!’ so that you have the opportunity to transform distorted perception and response into enlightened perception and response.

p169, Illusory Advice Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin, Aro Books, 2015, ISBN: 978-1898185-37-6 

Relationship with the teacher in Vajrayana

  The relationship between teacher and student is fundamental to Vajrayana.  Within the theatre of this relationship you can become transparent to yourself, and through becoming transparent, your constricted sense of being is liberated.
Devotion to the Lama enables the student to be empty in relation to the Lama.  This allows the Lama to conjure with the form of the student’s neuroses to mirror them, so that they become transparent for the student.
If one is open to receiving transmission, then a great deal can be achieved in such moments.  Huge shifts can be made in an instant.  This is only possible within a relationship based on confidence in the teacher and openness in the student.

p59 and 62, Illusory Advice Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin, Aro Books, 2015, ISBN: 978-1898185-37-6 

Worthwhile cause

"Spiritual practice is a worthwhile cause that can succeed. The path is valuable and the goal is achievable."

p.126, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nor'dzin and Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin

Focus on appreciation

"When you focus on the aspects of your partner that irritate you, that seem inconsiderate, that fail to meet your desires, or that you do not understand or like, you starve yourself and allow the relationship to wither a little. However when you focus on appreciating what you find desirable, pleasurable, interesting, exciting and enjoyable about your partner, then you are nourished by your appreciation and the relationship can bloom."

p.88, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nor'dzin and Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin

Filtering through

"Meditation experience will filter through into your daily life if you have the confidence to relax and allow it to."

p.194, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nord'dzin and Ngakpa ö-Dzin

Your own effort

"Awakening cannot be handed to you – the cause has to be created through your own effort. Through discovering the qualities of Padmasambhava by practising Dorje Tsig-dün, you can aspire to liberate the siddhis of Padmasambhava in yourself."

p.11, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nord'dzin and Ngakpa ö-Dzin

Real opportunities for openness

"If you can let go of self protection; if you can admit to yourself your sense of vulnerability; if you can let go of the assumption that you know what the person in front of you is feeling or thinking — then you have real opportunities for openness and kindness."

p.184, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nor'dzin and Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin

Practitioners practice

"Practitioners practice. It is what they do. Sometimes it may feel that there is no point in sitting today, and then again tomorrow, and the next day...and the next...It is meaningful even when it feels meaningless because it sustains you as a practitioner."

p.154, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nor'dzin and Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin

Truth & Method

"Buddhism is not a religion of truth-it is a religion of method. Its teachings are not overly concerned with expressing truth-but with methods of practice. In a sense, one could actually say that there is only one 'truth' in Buddhism, that form and emptiness are nondual."

p.3, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nor'dzin and Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin

Energy of emotion

"Your experience of sadness exploding into spaciousness could indeed be an experience of allowing the energy of the emotion to change of itself. The ‘connection’ between distracted and liberated emotion is simply the energy of as it is. In a dualistic, distorted relationship with energy, form is forced as an experience, ignoring emptiness. Energy does not change when you let go of manipulation, but your relationship with it changes - you are able to experience energy from the perspective of nonduality, you are able to experience the energy directly."

p.80, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nor'dzin and Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin

Dwell in the natural state

"Samsara exists because of duality. It can easily cease to exist in the moment through changing your view. Dwelling in the natural state would not mean that you lack the ability to act - your actions would be totally appropriate and compassionate. It is possible to be destructive where the situation requires it without this being out-of-control energy. It is possible to make a stand without justification and self protective posturing. To dwell in the natural state would be to be a Dharma warrior."

p.165, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nord'dzin and Ngakpa ö-Dzin

The buddhist path can be bumpy

"Buddhist practice develops kindness and awareness in ourselves, but the path of practice can be a bumpy one-to say the least. As we discover qualities of openness and appreciation, we are also confronted with what we have always been, but have chosen to ignore. We begin to see our territoriality, our aggressiveness, our neediness, our jealousy and our obduracy. We become aware of the sides of ourselves that we find distinctly less "spiritual"."

p.143, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nord'dzin and Ngakpa ö-Dzin

Changing view

"Tantra begins with experience of emptiness-the pregnant space from which form arises. Form is simply that which arises-and does not need to be viewed in terms of pure or impure. Human bodies are as they are and are available for appreciation. Samsara is not a separate existence to nirvana. They are the same experience-it is view that changes."

p.21, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nord'dzin and Ngakpa ö-Dzin

Living the view

"Living the view is perhaps some of the most fundamental practices in the Aro gTér Tradition. We practice living the view to encourage the entire context of our lives to become our practice. Living the view is the interface between our formal practice and our everyday lives."

p.77Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nord'dzin and Ngakpa ö-Dzin

The mind

"The mind cannot be controlled and forced to behave. The mind will do what it does based on your individual patterning. The more you try to force a pattern out of the mind, the more prominence it will have to your life. Similarly you will not succeed in forcing a pattern into the mind even if it would seem preferable to your existing mind-state."

p.145Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nord'dzin and Ngakpa ö-Dzin

Inviting others in

"We cannot expect people to know we are in need just because we feel completely raw and think this must be obvious. Everybody is dealing with their own issues all the time. 'Not asking for help' may easily be interpreted as 'not needing help'. Everyone feels they are the centre of their own little universe. If you want people to become involved in your universe, you have to invite them in-and also be willing to accept invitations."

p.79, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nord'dzin and Ngakpa ö-Dzin

Courage to dance with the tension

"Vajrayana requires the courage to dance with the tension of the moment-of not knowing the who, what, why or how of that moment. You have to let go of always trying to control yourself and your situation, and leap into the present moment."

p.204, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nord'dzin and Ngakpa ö-Dzin