Plane-to-Plane Memorandum | |
| To: | My Beloved Students |
|---|---|
| From: | Master Djwhal Khul |
Subject: | September 2008 Lesson |
| Date: | August 29, 2008 |
Beloved Students:
I greet you this month in the rather frenetic business of politics, as the U.S. marches toward national elections. While much of the rest of the world watches with interest, I hope all of you are watching your own minds and are paying attention to how you project the events in your life. As regards the political season in the U.S., I find it interesting to note that many younger people are feeling their independence as their hopes rise, while many of my more mature students are finding the whole matter providing the impetus for their renunciation of the conventional reality. Fraught with confusion and chaos, the conventional reality displays the undeniable mark of samsara. Truly, the world does arise according to the way you behold it.
One thing nearly all can agree upon is the fact that elections do provide ample opportunity for self-observation and reflection upon one’s projections, do they not? Wouldn’t it be an amazing experience if every voter (as well as all those side line referees) could see the power their own projections exert on themselves? All too quickly, the point of interest goes to the perceived “opponent,” generally accompanied by a litany of the horrors and/or ignorance of his or her beliefs, policies and positions. While getting caught up in the energy can seem revitalizing for many, the unfortunate part is that when you lose yourself in the political process, you have likely moved into some kind of trance. For most, such matters little, since they are lost in the energetic wave and that appears to be enough for the moment. The next moment, however, may present depression, since the wave of enthusiastic energy is sure to abate and be released back into the sea of experiencing – like every other wave before it.
Thus, the waves of samsara continue. Indeed, as Hebrew King Solomon of old said, “I have searched the world over and have found nothing new under the sun.” Those who pay attention realize that the same old waves of samsara arise again and again, and in their repetition is the reminder that “there is nothing new under the sun.” Of course, this level of realization generally comes after years, perhaps lifetimes, of experiencing the repetitious cycles. While every now and then a substantive candidate may arise, still, the process remains much the same. The political machines still sit in the driver’s seat, hoping to either remain in control or gain control from the previous driver. The candidates all manage to be sucked into the political carburetor, most ultimately spewed out the tail pipe, exhausted and more wary of the process and the machines. The process itself, however, is basically unchanged, except that more and more money seems to be required to fuel the machine.
You may have noticed by now that not much in the way of practical or applied altruism survives the process. Think of all the young (and old) minds that have been subjected to bickering, negativity, disillusionment – even some old corrupt political tactics. How shall you (and others) protect your (their) precious minds from influence of such thoughts, words and behaviors? Some might feel that the negatives on the losing side of the fence are balanced by the positives on the winning side, but I doubt it is solely that simple, since sometimes winning has a bitter aftertaste. What projections will you generate toward people who do not see matters in the same light as you? Have you identified your own karmic proclivities and projections accurately, or have you spent most of your time pointing out those of your “opponents?”
As most of you know, the most important element of the Buddha’s teachings remains the work of taming, or transforming, the mind. Such fertile territory as comes to play in political campaigns can be a great place to begin the genuine work with one’s mind. In mastering this one element (the mind), Buddha assured his students that it would prove to provide the essence of all His teachings: peace, compassion and wisdom. Remember, the mind is the root of everything, for it turns out that both body and speech are completely subservient to the mind.
Since the mind is the universal ordering principle of the body/mind experience, it could be said that it (the mind) is the creator both of happiness and the creator of suffering. Further, it is the projector of both happiness and suffering, and within that fact rests an amazing creative faculty. While most believe their suffering arises from some source outside them-selves, it actually turns out that the suffering they experience is merely projected outward from the perceptions and beliefs their mind already holds. While most actually do desire to stop suffering, the fact remains that they often spend considerable amounts of energy running toward the suffering they don’t want to experience!
This is easiest seen in the mentations of the obsessive or compulsive mind, and in the paranoid mind, of course. In the end, transforming the mind is little more than transforming the appearances you often mistake for “reality.” Indeed, you must be clear on where appearances arise in the first place. They arise in the mind, and this has been true since the Buddha first taught it.
For example, let’s say you hold a specific aversion for one of the candidates now running for President. If you are like most people, your aversion amplifies when you place all your mind’s projections and prejudices on the object of your aversion. While this latter step may happen quite unconsciously, still, your suffering is amplified to the same degree as your aversion. You first suffer from holding the aversion in your precious mind because the presence of the aversion blocks your mind’s natural luminosity. Then, when the projections, prejudices and preoccupations take over, your suffering can only increase. With added suffering comes added projections and preoccupations, and you discover that the whole process is actually a type of craziness. If the process becomes intense enough, you can altogether lose your precious mind. While it may be a positive thing to lose your obsessional mind, it is not so good to lose your precious mind!
To reclaim your precious mind, you must draw it inward in search of its own true nature. Both samsara and nirvana exist within the mind. They can exist in no other place, since they are both perceptions and projections of the mind. We could say that samsara is experienced when the mind turns outward and gets lost in its own projection. It forgets it is projecting, and reads the reflected projection returning to it as reality. If the projection is accepted by the mind, a trance is created in which the individual may wander around for years – even lifetimes!
The antidote is to draw the mind inward. Instead of getting lost in the trance, let it dissolve into the bliss of its own true nature. In so doing, one may enter nirvana, which is nothing but the mind seeing its own luminous nature.
In the recorded lecture for this month, you will note that we enter once again into the mystery of the mind. We will consider whether what most regard as mind is actually mind, or if it is but a shadow of something that can be experienced as the real thing. We will look at the specific faculties of mind, such as conceptual mind, perceptive mind and emotional mind, as I attempt to add more clarity to the sometimes-confusing topic. Further, I put forth some practices for working with the mind that I hope will be helpful for each of you – particularly those of you who will be joining me in The Matter of Mind workshop next month.
The most important work you will ever do in this precious life of yours is bringing about the trans-formation your own perceptions. Most people, you see, do not know how to use their mind to realize their “salvation” from samsara. Thus, the sleeping mind becomes antagonistic to the greater will of the individual – that which sees beyond the short focus of the ego mind. When the greater will (or the spark of divine will that resides within you) is obscured by the transient ego mind, the luminosity of original mind (or Buddha mind) simply cannot be perceived. However, when you come to know how to use the mind, it becomes your greatest asset – that which finds the way to the realization of your enlightenment.
Please join me this month in studying and contemplating the material in Resting in the Gap, my most recent recorded teaching for you. I hope you find the material inspiring, as well as helpful in negotiating your path to enlightenment. You will learn, I believe, that your thoughts and emotions are but the appearance of mind, and not the real thing. Hopefully, you will also learn that in the process of loving yourself, you cannot help but love all others, since they are not separate from yourself. Perhaps you will even gain some new respect for meditation – or at least learn something you did not previously know about meditation.
May this lesson help you find true happiness, and may you share what is true for you with others, knowing they are also looking for happiness. May you feel held and nurtured in the Great Heart, and may your luminous joy overflow to all of creation!
Your loving teacher,
Djwhal Khul
Copyright 2008, Vajra Flame Foundation, Ltd.
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