On Why You Beat the Bushes

On Sep 29, 2006, at 10:11 AM, Anonymous wrote:
"please elucidate on meaning of the word pure in the tantic (sic) sense...."

It's a great question, so here is a tiny bit to maybe whet your interest in the subject. Maybe you will be inspired, take it more seriously and things can go further. That is my wish.

Now to the mind, whatever that is, it's for sure that it's naturally wide open. This kind of openness is uncreated and free of misunderstanding exactly what creativity is. We use words to communicate and the words "primordial purity" are the particular Mahamudra linguistics meaning the "ultimate position," of tantrayana, of zen, and it's also Buddha's, the Christ's and Tao Way's final position: This you should know or you may be hindered somewhat.

In the moment of recognizing your nature, (which would entail that you would see that mind is originally PURE and that there was a deep fall into erroneous views), THAT... IS.... recognizing primordial purity.

But we aren't there, we haven't recognized that ultimate purity, but this isn't the end of the story either.

It's probably best to accept that there is some trouble here in River City. Lazy, modern pseudo-Buddhists like ourselves seem to be happy with an IDEA that we are primordially pure. But ideas in themselves are never ever ultimately pure, so, get back to work, you dirtballs! Not kidding!

If you were to meet a real chan teacher, they would be able to show you the distortion of your mind (as well as the nature of it). You would see and feel all the sickness and pain your mistakes caused and you would want help and want to help. Depending on various factors you would be able to trasform/transfigure these thoughtforms, very slowly, somewhat slowly, slowly, moderately, somewhat fast, quickly, very quickly or instantly or timelessly. When you see thoughts timelessly poof, then let me know...we can have a nice talk about how you have transcended the need for the purity idea.....

In general we tend to be egotistical and would rather not deal with the lostness and the suffering. But go ahead and admit it and you may be on the way to, uh, er, purity! You might be able to enter the path of esoteric tantra...but that is rare...it's not my choice but the level of the student.
Not only will the first be last, but the last will be first.

So can you tell me, how can lying and feigning enlightenment be tantric purity? Modern Kali-rushing and selfishness means we get to skip and just be done with it, why? Because we want to. Waaah!! Good time for a hissy fit!

The point is, we don't do the right things AND we don't try hard enough:

"Dog Zen is easy
But you still have to do it.
Your way is hard
But you still have to stop it.

After you begin the beating of the bushes
Rip out roots to make sure.
Still, you'll have to use the chemicals,
Even still, you won't be close to pure."

We should kick ass on our path and follow the teachings and the lineage and commit to plumb the depths of the great issue of life, all instead of holding on to a fools enlightenment, which is no enlightenment at all. Don't argue with Lao Tsu, he's in a bad mood, and those students of the sangha, bless their hearts, are a little flakey and all need to get down into the mud of truth and get really stinky ripe so that they can be pure.

This idea that there is no purity and that there is no morality is generally accepted by neo-pagans, anarchists, and some new agers. It's much easier to blame, to maintain opposite thinking to that horrifying possibility that you might have to work hard on yourself and even give up things. And that your parent's religion might have more than a grain of truth to it, too. Boo.

The fact is that there are in skillful means and karmic purification functioning as an important part of our point on the spiritual path. See the teachings of Buddha, of Christ and of the ancient Taoists for yourself. Asking for a book list might get you interested in something besides the Samsaric Daily News. Ideas of trendy libertine tantra are just the corruption of these profound teachings and are not the basis of esoteric tantra at all but I'm in minority here, and you may need to activate more brain cells to find out.

Now that you've decided to make your actions pure as powder, if you are going to practice atiyoga at some point you should know what the cardinal sin of Dzogchen is:

It's to corrupt the understanding of the Dzogchen view with concepts of a Dzogchen view. (Memorize this please for the future.)

Ok, so there's no such thing as sin, aye? No such thing as evil, no need for purity.....oh my Lordy, help us all please! Everybody back to the coal mines!

In order to correct this problem, one who is even recognizing the basic aspect of empowerment will need to start over constantly, even throughout the day. One who hasn't must strive for truth (which is the modern replacement for the preliminary practices). (Memorize this too). One continues to one's ideas of what is until the time of actual (not exoteric) empowerment. Some people think that Mr. Rogers or perhaps "science" is the perfection, you know, so ideas are iffy things...

May all beings prepare, enter and follow the path as so to finally recognize the four extremes (reality, unreality, both, neither) arising as the creativity of the actual great perfection!

Super Great Good Fortune Y'all!!