Capacity

2024, June, Issue 102

Just this, just that

we believe all sorts of useless things,

grasping at anything, at nothing,

inventing this and that,

creating all that we see,

creating all these useless beliefs,

for no apparent reason,

other than fear,

other than not knowing, not knowing

what it is that our senses show us,

or delight of what is not real,

all that mind perceives

in this confused state,

we grasp without knowing,

we grasp, then defend that grasping,

thinking we must know anything,

thinking we have found the answer

in this or that useless belief,

without knowing that all beliefs are completely

without value, completely useless;

When we

examine what it is that we think,

we discover through that inquiry that

all thoughts fall apart, all

concepts dissolve upon looking;

Just as it is, that is all

all we need to know, it is as it is,

we only need to know that

that all that is

empty cognizance

originating from clarity

clarity of the nature of mind,

that very same timeless luminosity

that bright light of eternity,

that which we encounter

when we have died;

All that appears is

not from substantial

existence,

not from

solid form,

not

from isness,

not from beingness, not

from anything the universe has to offer,

not a product of belief, nothing

nothing that can be described

as

substantial.

A poem from, Timeless Luminosity, pp. 105-106, © 2020.

Capacity, as I have already said many times, refers to how open our heart and mind actually are.  Capacity does not refer to intelligence or the ability to retain and regurgitate knowledge.  It’s not about impressing people with what you know.  It has nothing to do with degrees or levels of Spiritual Practice that you think you have attained. 

People with great capacity consider everything, they are open to the possibilities, of which there are an infinite array readily available.  They don’t cling to belief or ego.  This is what is actually required, if you wish to be on the Spiritual Path.  It is beyond doctrine, religious or otherwise.

The habitual mind, on the other hand, takes every assertion that it hears, comparing it instantly to what ego accepts, rejects and ignorantly defends.  This is how a person thinks who has a very limited capacity.  They are in a very dark place, generating their own ignorance, causing infinite waves of pain and suffering for all eternity.  They truly don’t know what they cause.

If, for instance, I tell you that I am a Buddhist, you may reject what I have to say at once, simply because this label conflicts with your beliefs.  If I tell you that I’m not a Buddhist, you may hope that I believe what you believe, wanting to know more until you are satisfied.  This is how we discern by utilizing ego.  It’s a fabrication that causes all suffering; and, yet, this is exactly how people are in general, even people who think that they are great Spiritual Practitioners.

Since I realized the Nature of Mind, I really cannot say that I subscribe to any ‘ism’.  I’ve gone beyond such labels and affiliations.  It’s no longer possible for me to be limited by institutions, religions, philosophies, schools, spiritual lineages, or anything that requires a label to describe what that is.  It’s not possible.  A true Dzogchen Practitioner is beyond all limitations, or they are simply not a Dzogchen Practitioner. 

In order to be a Dzogchen Practitioner, one must have a completely open heart and mind.  Having realized the Nature of Mind, the Dzogchen Practitioner is very simply concerned with becoming accustomed to awakening itself, having discovered what that is.  This is a 24/7 practice.  It cannot be confined to Buddhism, even though many lay claim to that within certain Buddhist schools, saying that you must first do this or that Spiritual Practice, or receive permission first.  I have news for these institutions—the Nature of Mind is freely available to all! 

When I received an introduction to the Nature of Mind, I had not been given permission by my teacher and I had not finished the prescribed Ngöndro practices.  I knew that I was simply ready.  It was my choice; and, I knew it was time for opening my heart and mind completely.  This created quite a stir, and it was not celebrated by others in my spiritual community.  It made me an outcast.

When I died, I did not ask permission to become fully integrated with our natural condition.  I simply became that for all eternity.  When I returned, it created another stir.  People didn’t know what to make of that.  I offered to sit with various masters when they presented teachings of the death bardo; however, they would have none of it, telling me to just go away, or they ignored me.  I was very amused by this.  They didn’t really seem to want to know, which is quite surprising, when you really think about it.

I have joked about my death, saying that I attained full realization in the light, and nobody even noticed.  Listen, if you consider me to be your teacher, you don’t need my permission to awaken, just awaken when you are ready, any way you can.  I will be very proud, happy for us all.

Blessings in Light,               

Robert Aho