| The perennial philosophy "nondual" spiritual | | | | |
| traditions (such as Nisargadatta's Vedanta, | | | | Although Vipassana does not introduce us to |
| and Tibetan Buddhism's Dzogchen) hold that | | | | the absolute, it is designed to help us see |
| existence involves a monistic, enduring, | | | | much that must be seen, and in my view (and |
| unchanging, absolute reality and a dualistic, | | | | that of most Buddhist teachers) it is the |
| ephemeral, constantly-changing relative | | | | place to start. We first need to learn to |
| reality. Through the practices that I | | | | quiet the mind and look with detachment at |
| describe in my book Toward Wisdom, I too have | | | | the relative reality into which we are |
| come to see that this is the way it is. | | | | heavily immersed and identified. The Tibetan |
| Describing the situation in words has always | | | | Buddhist practice of Dzogchen and the Advaita |
| been tricky, but I found that certain | | | | Vedanta of Nisargadatta, on the other hand, |
| "information age" concepts clarify the | | | | seek to introduce us to the absolute. Yes, |
| situation. | | | | underlying the relative world of mental |
| | | | information, and allowing it to exist, is |
| The way I put it in a Zygon paper and in Part | | | | that enabling something we usually call |
| 1 of my 2004 book Matters of Consequence, the | | | | awareness. It is contentless, yet supportive |
| absolute reality, the foundation of all that | | | | of all content; informationless, yet |
| is, is a oneness that has both a physical | | | | supportive of an infinite variety of |
| aspect we call energy, and a mental aspect we | | | | informational modulation. It is clear, |
| call awareness. Energy and awareness are | | | | transparent, not a thing. Other terms for it |
| carrier-like in nature. That is, they can be | | | | include: |
| shaped, or formed, or modulated by | | | | |
| information without their own nature being in | | | | • innate wakefulness |
| any way changed. Although informational | | | | |
| modulation does not cause the intrinsic | | | | • natural mindfulness |
| nature of energy-awareness to change, it does | | | | |
| cause a relative reality to arise. This | | | | • primordial awareness |
| relative reality is a transient, | | | | |
| insubstantial informational reality. Physical | | | | • empty, luminous cognizance |
| reality is a relative world of information | | | | |
| supported by the absolute-reality-carrier we | | | | • everpresent, inherent, utterly |
| call energy. Mental reality is a relative | | | | spacious openness |
| world of information, supported by the | | | | |
| absolute-reality-carrier we call awareness. | | | | • inexpressible beingness |
| | | | |
| The evolutionary process, with its pass/fail | | | | • isness |
| criteria of survival and reproduction, | | | | |
| designed the human brain and its associated | | | | • one's own true nature |
| mentality with survival and reproduction as | | | | |
| primary considerations. The cognitive system | | | | • rigpa (Tibetan for this reality) |
| that evolution designed helps us to | | | | |
| understand relative reality because it is in | | | | • nondual awareness |
| this arena that the drama of survival and | | | | |
| reproduction is played out. Human mentality | | | | • total presence |
| was not designed to allow us to understand | | | | |
| absolute reality with ease because there was | | | | • open presence |
| no survival or reproduction payoff in that. | | | | |
| Now, in kinder, gentler circumstances, we | | | | • spontaneously present awareness |
| want to understand the deeper truth - | | | | |
| absolute truth - and we find that very | | | | • the cognizing power of emptiness |
| difficult. And why shouldn't it be difficult? | | | | |
| We're trying to use the human cognizing | | | | • one's own innate wakefulness |
| system for a different purpose. It was | | | | |
| designed to give us a handle on relative, | | | | In Dzogchen and Nisargadatta's practice the |
| informational truth, the truth about the | | | | aim is to become cognizant of this absolute |
| cosmic message; not absolute truth, | | | | aspect of mind, and in some sense to become |
| carrier-related truth, the truth about the | | | | it - to relax into it or identify with it and |
| cosmic medium. | | | | to view the relative world of information |
| | | | from that vantage point. Awareness is |
| Spiritual practices are tools that give us | | | | noninformational, so it doesn't appear as the |
| some hope of seeing through the relative to | | | | normal kind of mind content. Even in |
| the absolute. Vipassana meditation is a | | | | meditation, the colors we see and the bliss |
| practice that gives us a better handle on the | | | | we feel are still part of the relative world |
| nature of relative reality. We watch, with as | | | | of brain-generated information. Allowing us |
| much detachment as we can muster, the | | | | to sense those colors and feel that bliss, |
| informational show that the brain generates. | | | | however, is this primordial awareness, this |
| Despite our best efforts, however, we | | | | cognizing power that belongs to the realm of |
| frequently get lost in that show - we lose | | | | absolute reality. Our deep true nature is |
| that sense of detachment from it. | | | | that primal awareness itself, and not those |
| Experiencing both detachment and | | | | things in the informational, relative world |
| lost-in-the-showness, we eventually come to | | | | that we take to be our selves. The problem is |
| realize that this lost-in-the-show state is | | | | that mental information, mind content, is so |
| where we spend most of our lives. The normal | | | | powerful and overwhelming, and our |
| human condition is to be identified with | | | | identification with it so tenacious, that |
| informational patterns, with the relative | | | | letting go of our identification as a |
| reality that the brain creates. In Vipassana | | | | thought-dominated person and surrendering |
| we are still paying attention to the | | | | into our true nature - into our own innate |
| relative, but because we are more detached | | | | wakefulness - does not happen easily. The |
| from it than before, gradually, bit by bit, | | | | detachment we develop in Vipassana readies us |
| insight by insight, we begin to see the | | | | for this. Then, (as I see it) at some point |
| nature of relative reality. We begin to see | | | | it makes sense to switch to one of the |
| the impersonal nature of the brain's churning | | | | absolute-reality practices. |
| out of information. There is no "I" that is | | | | |
| doing it. It just happens mechanically, | | | | In one sense, the difference between Dzogchen |
| automatically. We also discover that the | | | | and Vipassana is quite subtle. In both |
| informational stuff that arises has no | | | | practices the informational arisings in the |
| inherent power. With practice we learn that | | | | mind are watched with detachment. The |
| it's possible to watch even physical | | | | difference is that in Dzogchen and other |
| discomfort and heavy emotions such as fear | | | | nondual practices one is also cognizant of |
| and anger without suffering when we accept | | | | the underlying ground or carrier of that |
| that informational reality and refuse to give | | | | information - that "primordial awareness," |
| it power by trying to get rid of it. We see | | | | that "utterly spacious openness," that |
| that it is our reaction to the information | | | | "empty, luminous cognizance." It remains, |
| that binds us and disturbs us. Pleasant or | | | | enduring and pure, unaffected by the coming |
| unpleasant stuff has no power as long as we | | | | and going of the modulating forces applied to |
| remain detached and simply watch it arise and | | | | it. Primal awareness watches the show of |
| disappear on its own. It is when we cling to | | | | relative reality. And that pure contentless |
| the present, wanting it to continue or push | | | | awareness is the true me. I can choose to |
| away the unpleasant, wanting it to disappear, | | | | participate in the show at any time, but I am |
| that we suffer and lose our innate equanimity | | | | not of that show. I am of the realm of |
| and freedom. Vipassana gives us many insights | | | | absoluteness. That is my true home, and my |
| that we need if we are to understand how | | | | refuge from domination and control by mental |
| trapped we usually are in this relative | | | | information. |
| realm. | | | | |