Closed minds have no hope
of ever Awakening;
Those willing,
through Spiritual Practice,
those who intend to Awaken,
embrace reality,
embrace amazing Spiritual Rewards,
they never give up
as their Spiritual Capacity
increases exponentially,
by leaps and bounds,
or slow and steady progress;
Open minds
are already there;
The mind of the Buddha
is fully open to reality;
Increase your capacity!
Do this at once,
or in a million years,
it doesn’t matter,
time is an illusion;
Open, open, open!
Remain at ease,
Open your mind,
Increase your Spiritual Capacity!
Watch all the demons scatter!
HO HO HO!
A poem by Robert Aho © 2026
I recall being very surprised many years ago when I was leading groups in meditation that some people were very offended when they encountered teachings about capacity. They took it personally that a teacher was criticizing their intelligence, or that this meant that they could not receive secret profound teachings because they might have been told that they were not ready. Then they would try to find out what those secret teachings were, then act even more offended by that. This is completely the wrong attitude, if you are truly interested in the teachings.
A genuine Spiritual Practitioner accepts that they have a certain capacity that they will need to look at realistically. First of all, one needs to know what a teacher is talking about when they talk about your capacity. It’s not referring to intelligence, although that certainly is a factor, capacity, in the spiritual sense has to do with how open your heart and mind actually are. In order to receive higher more secret teachings, you will need a greater level of capacity, or you might create some misfortune for yourself that will take many eons to recover. We need to be realistic about our capacity, our Spiritual Capacity.
If we are unable to process or access the meanings of more advanced teachings, we need to increase our capacity. This can be done a number of ways through meditation. Often, the main method to do this is through purification practices, which come in many varieties and forms. A simple way we can purify is through repeated Guru Yoga practices. This is literally opening your heart and mind in such a way that you and the Guru become one. Who your Guru is depends entirely upon you. I’ve heard Buddhist teachers, for instance, encourage Christians to visualize Jesus as their Guru. This is perfectly acceptable.
With more advanced Guru Yoga practices, we simply become that bright light of Dharmakaya, beyond concept, beyond belief, without any sort of forced visualization. This takes greater Spiritual Capacity, or there is no point. What we need to know, in order to achieve this level of Spiritual Practice, is that we simply allow our heart and mind to open completely while remaining perfectly at ease. It’s very simple, and it relies upon knowledge of only one point, that of realizing the Nature of Mind.
If we don’t have the capacity of such realizations, that is not a problem. We simply need to see ourselves in an honest realistic way. We need to realize that we have many obstacles that are preventing us from opening our heart and mind. We need to genuinely, compassionately, apply our efforts towards removing those obstacles. As the obstacles clear, our capacity increases. This may seem daunting at first; however, it is very much worth all the effort you are willing to apply. Your intelligence, as a bonus, may actually increase as part of this Spiritual Practice, though that is not the main point. The main point is to Awaken.
If you have the attitude that you are merely trying to get a teacher to reveal secrets, then strangely take that as some sort of prize that you obtained through your own clever means, then there will be no benefit. It could even cause you harm, especially if it prevents you from Aspiring to Awaken. This happens, and I’ve seen it for myself many times. People approach the teachings with an intellectual motivation, only to find themselves with a mind that is even more closed, more hopeless than before.
The best way to approach the teachings of the Buddha Dharma, or really anything else that appears to your mind, is to remain at ease within your Aspiration to Awaken. Everything becomes a teaching, if you have this attitude. By not being too constricted, your mind becomes more pliable, able to receive true knowledge, your capacity naturally increases. This does not mean that you should not scrutinize or investigate phenomena, appearances or teachings. The Buddha said that we should think for ourselves. This means getting into true knowledge, rather than having blind faith. Blind faith will only lead to disaster, if you are sincere about Awakening. You need to investigate and carefully consider all that appears to mind, in order to increase your capacity. This needs to be genuine, an honest approach to increasing your knowledge, your Spiritual Capacity.
With the correct attitude about increasing your Spiritual Capacity, your Path can be very efficient, your Awakening can be swift. Allow yourself the blessings of remaining at ease, of opening your heart and mind. Be genuine about it and you will Awaken.
Blessings of Source,
Rigdzin Robert Aho
Robert Aho is the author of Timeless Luminosity and The Frog: A Spiritual Autobiography, Spanning Many Lifetimes. Both books, written after his death experience, give advanced spiritual advice regarding the complete Spiritual Path, inspiration for living each day and words of encouragement, with the intention of helping people to stay committed to their Spiritual Path, as well as preparing for death. This ultimately leads to discovering your own unlimited power within, which leads to Awakening. Both books are available on Amazon, Zenith Bookstore, as well as various other sources.