The Bliss of Emptiness

What more bliss is there than realizing your own emptiness?  It is liberating.  It's not that you feel free. You realize that you are free.  All those things that you think you are -- they are just projections. All those things that you think you should be doing -- also, projections, illusions.  What happens when you look behind the projections?  What do you find?  An absence.  Behind the images you project of yourself, there is an absence.  You are not any of those things.  The things you hold most dearly - you are not even that.  The things you think so strongly that you must do, you do not even have to do that.   With an ignorant mind, those projections, those feelings seem to be so real.  With a mind of wisdom, you see those images are illusions.  They are nothing more than projections.  Look behind the projections.  What do you see.

Superior Seeing

The Emptiness of Yourself

Med #16 Emptiness

We now train in the wisdom that realizes ultimate reality/emptiness.  

After we achieve tranquil abiding, we attain a suppleness of mind that allows us to fix our mind on Emptiness.  Since we grasp most strongly to ourself, we will meditate on the emptiness of the "I."

Med # 15 Preparing for Emptiness

Yesterday, we covered some basic instructions that can be used in any meditation practice.  Whatever object you choose to fix your mind on, you can use these instructions.  A few more tips before we get into today's meditation, are:

Med #14 Developing Quiescence

This topic consists of how to train oneself in one-pointed concentration and insight, the essence of wisdom.  To accomplish the goal of cutting samsara's roots and achieving ultimate liberation, we need to develop the insight that realizes Emptiness directly.  It is not just the direct realization of emptiness that depends upon mental quiescence, we also need it to attain clairvoyance, miracle powers, spontaneous realizations and decrease in mental afflictions.

Med # 13 Giving and Taking

Once we have practiced Equalizing and Exchanging Self and Other, we can meditate on Giving and Taking, a practice which strengthens the attitude explained in Exchanging Self and Others.

Important Note: Love Yourself Too!

I feel a need to remind you beautiful meditators out there that Lamrim is a preparation for Tantra, the path of desire.  It is okay to think of yourself too. It is okay to want to make yourself happy too.  The best way to give to people is by giving them something that you love.  If you love to build houses, build people houses to make them happy.  If you love to write songs, write people songs to make them happy.   What you give will be most powerful if it comes from a place deep within your heart.

The power of Lamrim is it's teachings not only on love, but, on emptiness and karma.