NOTAS: Poison Is Medicine. Clarifying the Vajrayana

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The ‘truth’ is ridiculously simple: as long as there is duality, there can never be total satisfaction. (P. 30)

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I would like to stress and repeat once again that Buddha taught in paradoxes because everything is paradoxical. Like a rainbow, it is there and, at the same time, it is not there. When a beautiful rainbow (P. 95) appears in a clear blue sky, if you try to get close enough to take the perfect selfie the rainbow will disappear. No rainbow, no selfie.

Every morning for the past fifty-nine years, I have looked at my face in the bathroom mirror. Not once has that face become the face of a baboon holding a banana. Two things happen when I look in a mirror: I see the reflection of my face and simultaneously, I am aware that my face isn’t actually in the mirror. This is the paradox that lies at the root of how everything appears: democracy, eastern values, western values, gender, critical thinking, blind faith, colour, shape, art, music. Everything is paradoxical. But if you haven’t yet realised the essence of a paradox, you might try to apply lipstick to the lips of your reflection, which can only result in frustration and ‘unsatisfactoriness’ (duḥkha). (P. 96)

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Try not to let scandals and criticisms discourage you. And don’t allow yourself to be persuaded that the Vajrayana is not for this time. The tantric texts tell us that the Vajrayana is tailor-made for this modern world. So rest assured that those who have a thirst for the truth, good analytical skills, a longing for objectivity, a need for empirical proof and a healthy mistrust of even the best reasons for trusting, are the perfect vessels for the Vajrayana teachings. If, that is, they are willing to give tantra a go. (P. 111)

Intenta que no te desanimen los escándalos y las críticas. Y no te dejes persuadir de que el Vajrayana no es para este momento. Los textos tántricos nos dicen que el Vajrayana está hecho a medida para este mundo moderno. Así que tengan la seguridad de que aquellos que tienen sed de la verdad, buenas habilidades analíticas, un anhelo de objetividad, una necesidad de pruebas empíricas y una sana desconfianza incluso de las mejores razones para confiar, son los recipientes perfectos para las enseñanzas del Vajrayana. Si, es decir, están dispuestos a probar el tantra.

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This ability to break out is called ‘merit’, and merit takes many forms. Art appreciation can be taught and understood, but the truly innovative artists – Picasso for example – go out of their way to break as many rules as possible. The ability to break the rules is merit and merit sets you free. Once you realise this, piling rice on some stupid plate will take on a completely different meaning until, eventually, you will truly see a handful of rice as a galaxy. This is ‘mandala offering’. (P. 122)

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If you cannot appreciate flexibility and blurred lines, and if you dare not embark on the adventure of living without judgements or distinctions, the Vajrayana is not for you. (P. 127)

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Remind yourself that the better you are as a practitioner, the bigger, stronger and more effective the obstacles will be. (P. 230)

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NOTAS: The Guru Drinks Bourbon?

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“The Vajrayana’s way of dealing with ego and the emotions is hazardous.”

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“I am assuming if you are reading this book, you are not a wimp and you have chosen to take this risk.”

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“One day, beautifully packaged, nicely marketed, inauthentic Buddhism will be offered up as the real thing. So scrutiny is important: scrutiny of the teachings, scrutiny of the teacher, and scrutiny of the student. That is the reason I wrote this book.”

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“Here, in this book, I will try to show that the guru is actually like the horizon. A horizon is apparent—a line where earth and sky appear to meet. But in reality, they never meet. There is only an illusion of an ending point, a point of reference where we can stand and measure and assess. In this way, the guru is like a horizon between wisdom and method, myth and truth, science and faith.”

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“Because there are infinite types of beings with infinite ways of misunderstanding the truth, the buddhas have taught in infinite ways.”

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“If a Zen master asks, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” at the right time to the right person, such a seemingly ridiculous question can be a profound and valuable pith instruction.”

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“The Vajrayana’s mantra recitation is as absurd as the sound of one hand clapping, as pointless as concentrating on the philtrum just below the nostrils. Yet mantra can be a powerful nutcracker that cracks the shell of conventional thinking.”

NOTAS: What Makes You Not a Buddhist

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“the very foundation of this 2,500-year-old tradition.

One is a Buddhist if he or she accepts the following four truths:

All compounded things are impermanent.

All emotions are pain.

All things have no inherent existence.

Nirvana is beyond concepts.

These four statements, spoken by the Buddha himself, are known as “the four seals.” Traditionally, seal means something like a hallmark that confirms authenticity.”

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“because everything is interdependent, everything is subject to change. Not one component in all creation exists in an autonomous, permanent, pure state.”

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“All emotions are basically a form of prejudice; within each emotion there is always an element of judgment.”

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“In a similar manner, many of us are deluded about the appearance of our own bodies. When we look at the body, we don’t think in terms of its separate pieces: molecules, genes, veins, and blood. We think of the body as a whole; and moreover, we prejudge that this is a truly existing organism called “the body.”

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“Just like children who are absorbed, thrilled, or even frightened by the ring of fire, we experience emotions toward our bodies’ appearance and well-being.”

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“El cuerpo” es una ilusión como un “plato de fuego” que se hace al girar una bola de fuego atada a una cuerda. [mierda] 

“When it comes to a fire ring, adults generally know that it is merely an illusion, so we don’t get worked up. Using basic reason, we can see that the ring is created from its assembled parts—the movement of a hand holding a flaming torch.”

NOTAS: Living Is Dying: How to Prepare for Death, Dying and Beyond

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“The best thing any of us can do for a dying person is not to lie about what is happening to them.”

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“Most people meditate because they want to become better managers, or find partners, or be happy, or because they long for a calm, stress-free mind and life. For them, meditation is a way of preparing for life, not death, which makes it no less mundane than their other worldly pursuits, like shopping, eating out, exercising and socializing.”

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“Learn how to be aware without feeling that you always have to do something. Just notice.”

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“Karma is so powerful that it influences every moment of life and death. If you have good karma, no matter how often you move house, you will always end up somewhere lovely; however often you advertise for new domestic help, you will always find someone kind and honest; and whatever you eat will always taste delicious.”

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“don’t despise “me” just because it is an illusion. All our illusions are very powerful and the “me” illusion is the most powerful of all.”

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“If I strike a match to light a white candle, then use that candle to light a blue candle, is the same flame burning on both the white and the blue candles? Yes and no. And “yes and no” can be applied to all relative truths. If you were to ask, is today’s you the same as tomorrow’s you, the answer would be yes and no, because there is a continuation but only on the relative level.”