If you know what something is You cannot bathe in its unique nature Because its unique nature is obscured By knowledge, judgments, memories, associations, expectations, etc. If you do immerse yourself in a thing’s unique nature The thing ceases to be the thing. You are tossed about in formless void Like clothes in a tumble drier But … THERE IS A SWEET SPOT! Between dizzy cartwheeling and grim reality It is the very instant of a thing’s birth When we barely slightly know what ‘it’ is The luminous void mates with the creative force (of ignorance?) A baby realthing is born WAAAAAA! Nirvana sparkles; there are colored balloons (And this happy instant happens EVERY FEW SECONDS) Sadly, in half a heartbeat the celebration ends Newborn joy and innocence are drowned In in a flood of knowledge, judgments, memories, associations… (And yet there is hope) Perhaps we can remember the last birth Perhaps we can slow down a the current birth Or even stop the process in it’s tracks WITH CONCENTRATION!!!
Review
Every realthing (every thing or situation in the real world) is a story.
Our inner Goddess Samsara learned or created these stories, in order to help us meet Basic Human Needs.
We cling desperately to these stories. This clinging, is the essence of what it means to be ‘real’. If we say a thing is ‘real’, then we are desperately clinging to its story.
We emptify a realthing (in other words, we realize a thing or a situation’s Emptiness) when we accept that the realthing is only a story, and we stop clinging to that story.
(If these notes don’t make sense, check out the ‘Samsara the Goddess’ essays.)
Avoid the G.R.U.N.GE. Five ways to WRECK Emptiness:
G-rasping: believing there is a thing called Emptiness, reaching for it, and craving to possess it.
R-emembering: grasping for a remembered experience or practice, instead of practicing in the present moment.
U-nderstanding: understanding a practice without actually doing it. Understanding is useless at this point. You’ve got to LOOK! Again and again and again.
N-egativity: abusing yourself because you’re not feeling successful at a practice.
G-igantic E-go: big egos beware. These games ARE DESIGNED to shrink your ego down to the size of a grain of sand.
Introduction
YOU were a Buddha a few seconds ago! That’s because Buddhahood is a cog in the machine of sentient perception. All sentient beings are Buddhas for an instant, every few seconds.
This experience of Buddhahood is difficult to remember. The Goddess Samsara sweeps it under the rug, because she doesn’t give a flying f--k about Buddhahood.
Perhaps though, with practice, we can remember that recurring instant. And maybe even freeze it in it’s tracks. That’s the point of this post.
I am not an EXPERT in the science of perception. I am a sentient being who watches and meditates, and then goes through living hell trying to write it all down. I do believe the ideas I’m presenting are mirrored in traditional Mahayana understanding. (Probably in some very thick book not yet translated.)
I personally discovered these ideas while editing video. It turns out that the trick to cutting film from a multitude of shot angles, so that it feels smooth and continuous, is also a trick to recalling our Buddhahood. Ha!
In order for us to focus on that instant of Buddhahood, we must understand some of the mechanics of sentient perception. It’s complicated, so things are going to get heavy. Hopefully the reward will be worth it.
Let’s begin with a big question. Where does REALITY come from? :)
Creation
In other words, how are the stories on the shelves of our Inner Library, TRANSFORMED into living breathing realthings. For example, how does a toddler, who already knows about spoons, figure out that the silver blob floating around in front of their face, is a spoon.
First Step
The toddler’s Goddess Samsara takes a picture of the current state of the luminous void. She needs a picture to create a freeze-frame. She’s going to analyze it. If she tried to analyze the void itself, it would be jumping all over the place.
Second Step
She searches the Inner Library for stories associated with that freeze-frame. She starts simple, looking for a basic identity or situation. Then she adds (what I call samsaric sludge): karma, associations, afflictions, strategies for meeting needs, memories, and on and on.
When she first found the basic identity ‘spoon’, it was full of Buddha Nature and clear-light. But as she adds layer after layer of samsaric sludge, Buddha Nature is gradually obscured. After adding many layers, we’re left with a plain-old delusional real world spoon.
Third Step
‘Spoon’ is now REAL. It seems concrete and permanent. It seems to exists from it’s own side. Samsara’s first job is complete. She created the real world!
Now for her second job, to figure out a strategy for using the newly created (realized? manifested? materialized?) spoon in order to to meet Basic Human Needs.
Repeated Creation
We Mahayana Buddhists view reality as a universe of delusions, which masquerade as solid permanent realthings.
But here’s a more powerful view, one which can put us in direct contact with Nirvana. In this view, the Goddess still creates a universe of delusions, but she does it REPEATEDLY. She re-creates our seemingly solid permanent real world, over and over again.
That sounds weird, but dang-ed if it’s not the truth.
The real world doesn’t just sit around like some gigantic blob of delusions. Instead, the entire delusional blob, gets RE-CREATED every few seconds.
We don’t notice this RE-CREATION. It’s normally hidden or camouflaged.
With practice, we can notice the RE-CREATION. With practice, we can ride it like a bicycle.
NIRVANA is a stage in the RE-CREATION process.
(The vast information in our Inner Library is NOT re-created. It’s just cold lifeless information.)
The Creation Cycle
First Step
The Goddess Samsara takes a picture of the luminous void. She needs a freeze-frame which won’t change while she’s analyzing it.
Second Step
She looks for associations between the freeze-frame and her Inner Library. As she discovers associations she creates realthings which make up the real world. It’s a gradual process.
She searches the Inner Library for stories associated with the freeze-frame, including things, ideas, strategies, memories, shapes, sounds, etc.
As she finds associations, various realthings are born. The real world begins to take shape.
At first the newly-born realthings lack complexity. But they still glow with Buddha Nature and clear-light. They have an identity, but haven’t yet acquired their karma, afflictions and other forms of samsaric sludge.
As Samsara continues her work, the realthings become mature delusions, caked in sludge.
Finally, Buddha Nature is kaput. All we see are STORIES from the Inner Library, faintly colored by the the luminous void. It all happens so fast. In less than a second Samsara has painted her masterpiece — REALITY, the real world. And she has veiled and eclipsed Buddha Nature.
Third Step
Samsara has given birth to REALITY. The Goddess now has a few spare seconds to work on meeting Basic Human Needs. She discovers and executes strategies to meet needs, monkey-mind-worries about unmet needs, creates new realthings in her Inner Library, etc.
Final Step — Back to the First Step
What causes Samsara to re-start the Creation Cycle? There are two triggers. Either some loud, abrupt, or otherwise surprising change occurs in her environment. Or three or four seconds elapse. Whichever comes first.
The Treasure
Nirvana is alive and well, for an instant in the midst of the Creation Cycle. The instant happens as realthings are created, but before they get buried in samsaric sludge. Buddha Nature shines in it’s glory, swaddled in Samsara Nature.
Normally we don’t notice it. It happens too fast. And reality is supposed to feel continuous, not chopped up into cycles and steps. But if we practice Concentration and become skilled observers, maybe we will feel the Cycle unfolding. Maybe we can actually exert some control. Maybe we can even stop the Cycle in it’s tracks.
When the Goddess is all motivated, or freaked out, seeing the Cycle is next to impossible. But if we’re quiet and resting, as in thoughtless meditation, the Creation Cycle moves slowly, and you can feel it as it happens
Film Editors Do It
Isn’t it amazing that films abruptly switch camera angles and locations. And yet the audience perceives the film as totally smooth and seamless. How the heck do film editors do it?
They do it by taking advantage of the Creation Cycle. Hahaha! Here’s the trick:
In the First Step of the Creation Cycle, Samsara freeze-frames the current state of the luminous void. Then, she throws out ALL expectations about what she’s going to find in the freeze-frame. She starts her investigation with a blank slate. The freeze-frame might reveal a pouncing lion or a flower blooming. She’s COMPLETELY OPEN to whatever she finds.
The trick to changing locations and camera angles, is to make the change precisely when viewers restart their Creation Cycle. At that precise moment, a cut to a different camera angle or location will feel as smooth a silk.
So editors must wait until something in the film triggers a restart. What might cause a film viewer to restart their Creation Cycle? Someone walking in or out of the frame. Some unexpected or surprising action. Something as simple as a flash of light, a loud noise, or even a character blinking their eyes.
If a film editor switches the camera angle at any other point in the Cycle, viewers will feel a little bump or a jolt. In filmmaking this is called a ‘jump-cut’. If you only watch professionally edited film and video, you may not have seen one. Edit your own video and they’ll drive you nuts.
Of course there are limitations. If we switch from a wide-angle to a close-up shot, and at the same time the character switches from having two eyes to having three, yes, there may still be a jolt.
Bodhisattvas Do It
What do I learn from all this craziness?
First, realizing Emptiness and the Middle Way, is mushy. The birth of a realthing is gradual. It starts with nihilism and ends in sludge. It’s like tuning a string on a guitar. And we have the power to tighten or loosen that string. It just takes practice.
Second, the most important moment in the Creation Cycle is during STEP TWO, after realthings are born, but before they get complicated. At that point we’ve identified a realthing. The Goddess Samsara desperately wants to establish it’s karma, afflictions, associations and possible strategies to meet needs. If we can stop her, then we’ve managed to deny or strip the realthing of it’s samsaric sludge, while it still glows with Buddha Nature and clear-light.
Maybe I’m blowing smoke out my ass. You tell me.
Emptiness Games
Remembering Nirvana
Is it possible for a person immersed in STEP THREE of the Creation Cycle (say they’re in the middle of monkey mind) to remember back to STEP TWO, and re-experience of Nirvana???
Look at a realthing (anything).
Start throwing away pieces of the realthing until nothing is left but it’s new-born identity: no afflictions, no history, no associations, no needs strategies. Wash off the sludge.
Try again.
You already know (unconsciously or consciously) the mind-state of Nirvana. You were just there! Remember the realthing when it was magical, before it turned … dull, ordinary, expected, forgettable.
Watching It Happen
Can you watch the Creation Cycle as it unfolds? I think yes. The repeated birth of the real world is kind of like waves breaking on the sand at the beach.
See if you can focus on silent thoughtless meditation.
In the midst of meditation, realthings will arise.
Watch the changes.
Or
While meditating, wait for a new insightful moment or experience.
Then watch as some Sara destroys the experience by turning it into a realthing.
(New experiences go through the cycle more slowly.)
Up And Down the Birth Canal
Sliding backwards and forwards into Emptiness.
Play the ‘Watching It Happen’ game.
Then as Samsara begins contaminating a newly-born realthing with sludge, SEE IF YOU CAN REVERSE THE PROCESS!!!
Conclusion
And now, dear Bodhisattva, you can now watch yourself plunging and drowning in ignorance, in REAL TIME. Just what you’ve always wanted!
Waking up in the morning is a great time to watch yourself entering Samsara’s hell. Maybe after watching 1000 times, you’ll think better of it.
*** A Bonus Game! ***
In the same way that you can remember back a few seconds ago, before sludge and the complete emergence of the real world — SURPRISE! Why not remember back when you were a child, before the complete emergence of being a damned adult.