'Pointing-Out Instructions' from *Clarifying the Natural State*-- Dakpo Tashi Namgyel

"First, when giving the pointing-out instructions, no one else should be present besides the master and disciple. If you prefer, assume the [meditation] posture as before. Then the master says:
'Let your mind be as it naturally is without trying to correct it. Now, isn't it true that all your thoughts, both subtle and gross, subside in themselves? Rest evenly and look to see if this mind doesn't remain calm in its own natural state.'

The master lets the disciple look.

'That's called shamatha.'

'During this state, do not become dull, absent-minded or apathetic. Is it not true that you cannot verbally formulate that the identity of this mind is such-and-such, nor can you mentally form a thought of it? Rather, isn't it a totally unidentifiable, aware, unconfined and lucid wakefulness that knows itself by itself?

Within the state of evenness, look to see whether it isn't an experience without any "thing" experienced.'

The master then lets the disciple look.

'That's called vipashyana.' "

The thing that strikes me about the old classical texts is how forthright, encouraging, and unassuming the masters are: no hype, no inflated claims about themselves, the methods, or what is to be gained...

Looking at this again, it strikes me that shamatha/vipashyana are being identified as inherent qualities of the mind: the teacher is describing them and asking the student to confirm-- now that he knows what to look for-- that this is the case. 'Without trying to correct the mind'-- !

Looking at this again, it strikes me that shamatha/vipashyana are being identified as inherent qualities of the mind: the teacher is describing them and asking the student to confirm-- now that he knows what to look for-- that this is the case. 'Without trying to correct the mind'-- !


-kategowen

-- you guessed it: hit some wrong key, trying to edit. Am not being allowed to delete one iteration. Serves me right for 'trying to correct' it I guess.

"Serves me right for 'trying to correct' it I guess." -Kate



It's all good.

Well, it bears repeating anyway. Such an interesting dynamic, "practicing" to discover what we've always been. What an open-ended Path it can be!

Hi Kate. Nice quote from what I consider to be the best Mahamudra manual.

" Explaining Flawless Meditation Practice

...meditation practice is known as undistracted ordinary mind. Ordinary mind simply means your mind's natural state. When you try to correct it by judging, accepting or rejecting, it will no longer be your ordinary mind.

... It is explained in this way: 'While there isn't even as much as an atom to cultivate by meditating, you shouldn't be distracted for even as long as an instant.' Phrased in another way, undistracted ordinary mind means to keep the way your mind naturally is without being distracted.

This being so, as long as your naturally aware mindful presence has not wandered off, it is still the meditation training, whether your state of mind is utterly empty, remains serenely blissful, whether thoughts flow in a rush or manifold perceptions appear vividly. Therefore, you do not need to entertain doubts about these expressions of the natural state. Rather than maintaining a sense of natural ease, there is no point in trying to arrest or block off the flow of thought or perception for the sake of remaining thought-free.

The reason is this: just like before, when you cleared up uncertainties and during the pointing-out instruction, various entities such as mind-essence, thought, perceptual experience and so forth do not exist. Rather they are the unconfined expressions of this single mind, just like the ocean itself is what is seen as waves. Therefore, this natural flow of mind does not differ in quality, no matter how it appears.

This being so, you should sustain presence of mind in stillness when calm, in thinking when thoughts occur and in perceiving when perceptions take place. Do not deliberately try to think when still or prevent a thought when it occurs. No matter what your state may be-- lucidly clear, totally empty, suffused with bliss or completely restless-- simply remain undistracted. You do not need to modify or correct anything.

In short, everything is meditation training when you have naturally aware presence of mind and nothing is meditation when you are distracted. Therefore, understand the great importance of maintaining this mindfulness.

At some point, when mindfulness and your mind are no longer different entities, everything turns into the nature of mindful presence and it is 'smooth sailing' from then on."

In my Wednesday night meditation class, we are revisiting *Clarifying the Natural State*-- the text for the first term that I joined the class, three or four years ago. It's amazing how much clearer it is to me, this time around, having become unburdened by scholastic interests like which school of Tibetan Buddhism produced it, technicalities of language; and having outgrown misinformation I'd picked up along the way, about the role and function of the guru, now and then.

Now, it seems to me that the long preliminary period of acquainting oneself with the teacher, and being willing to be seen as one IS, by him or her-- creates the opportunity to trust their insight and advice, and to relax and stop self-destructing. I think there is a miniscule portion of the population who might be able [without the benefit of skillful, individualized teaching] to come to trusting that 'undistracted ordinary mind' is the acme of accomplishment; and of that small number, probably some will set themselves up as 'accomplished masters' and wreak the kind of havoc that we've noted elsewhere.

I think I have that book, though I cannot recall whether I've done more than skim it. As is usual with my stack of "read this!" books... Enjoyed your summary of the material, though.

I hope to have more time to read in a few weeks, when some of my current workload lets up!