Lamrim 2nd time around

The first time around with the lamrim my least favorite meditations were those where we contemplated lower rebirths and the hell realms.  I wanted anything but to think of being reborn in hell! Of course, developing renunciation inspires one to never do or think anything harmful to avoid future suffering, but, still it was unpleasant to think of hell realms and suffeing so much. 

Confession

I have a confession to make.  I haven't been keeping up with my lamrim meditations.  After my 10 day retreat, I got busy with other activities and work, and although I did other meditations, I did not keep up with these specific lamrim meditations.

Retreat Reflections

Well, the ten day silent, solitary retreat is over. It was amazing.

Ten days alone with my mind...oooohhhhh....I have to say I learned so much.

Retreat

What is covered in this blog is a lot to learn!  How do you absorb it all?  If you are overwhelmed, no worries.  It is almost impossible to realize these teachings without going into a retreat.  For over 1,000 years, the way these teachings were realized has been by going into deep silent, solitary retreat.   This is exactly what my teacher advised me to do after going through the Lamrim once as we did through these blogs.

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."