Abiding, Dissolving and Continuing
An Edited Excerpt from A-Tri Dzogchen by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
The following teaching is from Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's recent book A-Tri Dzogchen: Recognizing the Nature of Mind in the Bon Tradition.
The first part of the A-tri teachings comprises the preliminary practices. These practices ripen the mind of the practitioner, allowing for the reception of the deeper teachings on the nature of mind. Then the foundational teachings on the nature of mind describe the practice of concentration, zhine, both with and without attribute, and the practice of abiding in the nature of mind. The preliminary practices, the zhine practices, and the introduction to the nature of mind practices are very important.
The text now describes how to abide in the nature of mind by clearing the obscurations of the conceptual mind. Here there are three basic principles: abiding, dissolving, and continuing.
Setting Up the View: Abiding
In the practice of abiding in the nature of mind, the first thing is just allowing yourself to rest, to abide without effort. The instruction is to not change anything, leaving it as it is, allowing, resting, settling, grounding, being. These are the words to remember. Let the senses rest. Allow the mind to expand, to be pervasive. In fact, the nature of mind is like that. Here it is about recognizing that, directly knowing this nature. It's not about doing anything. If we try to do anything, if we exert effort, then we're messing it up. The path of mind is to not change anything, to rest in the nature as it is. Then the unchanging or resting mind is blissful.
Abiding means just being there. It is difficult to abide until we have the experience of being in a deep place, in a good situation, which means that whatever we are doing we're not being drained, not losing our energy. Instead, we are feeling strong, happy, inspired, and energized, feeling continuously nourished. Whatever arises, let it arise and let it go. Again, we are not trying to do anything. As far as the visions, the experiences, whatever arises, we allow them, let them come and let them go. Witness, but do not interrupt, do not direct. The moment we perceive them, the moment we observe them, the moment we become aware of them, that is the very moment we let them rest.
Be aware of that state of abiding. Let it settle by itself, without grasping. Object and subject, there's no separation between these two. Rest in the nondual state, in the unchanging, unelaborated state, while being fully aware. When we do this, we go deeper, we find a deeper connection with ourselves. An important text of Drenpa Namkha says, "Searching is the way to lose it." We are not searching because we haven't lost it; we are in that state, resting in the nature of the mind. The text says, "By looking, it might be obscured." That is dualism. Here, it is not like someone is looking at something; it is awareness of the pervasiveness of this presence. It's self-pervasiveness or self-awareness, aware of boundlessness, awareness aware of itself. There is no need for someone to try to be aware, only awareness aware of being aware.
Trying to meditate with effort pollutes this, so don't do anything. By doing something, the connection to that resting or abiding is lost. Simply be aware of that resting or abiding state. This is how one rests, this is how one abides, this is how one is conscious, self-aware. This level of resting, abiding, is very important because at this moment a lot of shift, change, transformation, and healing takes place in oneself. It's the way in which one finds the deepest connection to oneself.
But being attached to that resting or that abiding is like an inner demon. That means don't get lost in attachment to your connection to abiding. Don't lose awareness of movement; then awareness of movement is awareness of stillness. We are simply aware but we're not saying,"I'm aware" because when we say in our inner dialogue, "I'm aware" that is the moment we lose the connection. We are again in duality, the one being aware and the object of awareness.
During this abiding comes the dissolving. Many times when we abide, a feeling, emotion, or thought suddenly appears. We're not able to rest continuously. Experiences arise, and then we notice we are no longer resting. This is where the second facet, dissolving, comes in.
Dissolving means that whenever a thought, feeling, or emotion arises, we don't follow what is arising. Instead, we observe it directly, nakedly. The moment something arises, we remain fully present. When we are fully present, when we nakedly observe whatever appears, it dissolves naturally. If the experiences are taking us away we are disconnecting, we lose awareness, but by observing nakedly, whatever appears dissolves. When it dissolves, rest. Abide again.
Dissolve any effort, dissolve the thought that disturbs abiding, the feeling that disturbs abiding, the emotion that disturbs abiding. Notice it, look directly, be aware of it; it dissolves. That looking is called nonconceptual observation. We don't debate with what is disturbing us, we don't get caught up in interacting with it; we simply directly observe it and it dissolves.
What exactly do we do? The teaching says, "Observe directly." The senses have a direct relationship with an object, but concepts don't have a direct relationship with an object. For example, when I say "a beautiful flower" that is a concept, and it has no direct relationship with the flower. It is our senses that have direct contact, our eyes that see color and form, our senses of smell and touch that directly contact. But mental concepts such as "flower" or "beauty" do not have a direct relationship. With the conceptual mind there's always distance that makes the relationship not direct.
Instead, when we are resting in the nature of mind, we should remain fully aware of the movement and activity, of whatever arises, but not be affected by it. Whenever something arises, we are simply aware, present. We look directly at what arises and witness it dissolving into the space of the mind. The movement is still there, but we don't control it.
In case it doesn't dissolve, what could be the problem? The problem is that the one observing is not observing nakedly. It's a conceptual observation. If we say, "This practice doesn't work for me," who is that me? It's the ego. The ego is interacting, pretending to be nakedly aware. Nakedly means no thoughts. Nakedness means pure awareness.
The metaphor here is a flower in the sun. In winter the flower is frozen by the ice, and the sun needs to shine directly on the ice so its heat will dissolve the ice. In the same way awareness, like a sun, looks directly at the thought, feeling, emotion. It looks closer and closer, like a powerful zoom, until it sees only pixels, and at a certain point it no longer sees even pixels, there is only space. What our awareness was observing dissolves and all that remains is space and light. The lens of our awareness can show us that. Only awareness can see that what seems to be substantial, a thought or feeling, is like pixels and ultimately insubstantial light and space. In other words, it is here that we say, "Now it is dissolved."
Sometimes when people hear this, they trust and apply it. Every time an appearance arises in practice, they observe directly to dissolve it. But sometimes people say, "I looked, I observed, but it's not dissolving." It is not dissolving because of grasping. The naked observation, the directness and nonconceptuality are not there, only the effort to dissolve.
A crucial point is that when there is a thought and the thought is not interfering with our abiding, then we don't have to dissolve it. Conversely, when we continue manipulating our thought, the thought doesn't dissolve. When the thought dissolves, we do nothing; right where it dissolves, we rest. Resting where it dissolves is the third facet, continuing.
This second part of the summary says it is important to have appearances and experiences. Allow them. When they are interfering, observe them and dissolve them. This is the dissolving part of the practice.
Continuing and abiding are very similar. Abiding is the base, the foundation. Dissolving is the process. When something has dissolved, there is something that reconnects. Being reconnected is continuing in abiding. In the text it's not exactly called continuing; it says "caring for it." With a little more caring attention to the dissolution, we continue in that state, tasting it a little longer.
That's what it means, we continue, then when we are interrupted by another thought we dissolve it again. This cycle continues. Meditation is the cycle of these three facets. Every second we prolong, it is beautiful. When an appearance dissolves, we rest with caring attention. If we don't succeed at first, we go on. With nonconceptual observation we notice and look at what arises, and when we look at what arises it dissolves. We don't engage with it; we don't negotiate or explore it or hold on to it.
One simple thing to understand is that we almost don't do anything. Normally, when we don't do anything we fall asleep because the ego thinks nothing is there. Now, instead of feeling that nothing is there, we have everything there. Now we're connected to the source. The right kind of wind will flow, the right kind of creativity will flow, enlightened qualities will arise. Where are we when something dissolves? We are back in that state, connected to the source, and that's called continuing.
When we arrive at the point where there is only continuing, that is a very high level of meditation. The dissolving process is no longer there. Just imagine that in every moment it is continuing, continuing as experience arises but not interfering with our rest in the nature of mind. There is no need for dissolving. What is there is only continuing. Then we don't meditate; formal meditation does not have a place because we are always meditating. There is no moment when we are not meditating.
Dissolving is a process used when interference occurs. Gradually there is less interference, more abiding. At some point there is only abiding and no need for dissolving at all. When someone really achieves that state, the sense of limited meditation no longer exists, there is only continuation. It is always there. Now this person can't not meditate.
So this is called abiding, dissolving, and continuing. This is the way to become familiar with the nature of mind. One of the main goals of this practice is to overcome the pollution of mind. Abiding, dissolving, continuing. Continuing in life. Continuing through our body, continuing through our speech, continuing through our mind. Each step, each brick, builds a foundation. If it is strong, the next step will come, and they all will help.
(A-tri Dzogchen: Recognizing the Nature of Mind in the Bon Tradition by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will be available in the Ligmincha Store when it is back online in August.)
