Beginning Here and Now: Introductory

Lectures
Introduction to Awareness
For the lecture today I want to read from a scripture and make a few small comme
nts about the
text. Normally when we give a lecture in Gnosis, we pick a particular topic and
explain that topic
or discuss it at some length, but given the context of this retreat there is a p
articular text that is
very powerful and I thought this would be a good opportunity to introduce it to
you. It is a
scripture that you will be able to study throughout your life because it is so p
rofound. However,
being an ordinary person my own insight into it will be very limited.
The text comes from Tibetan Buddhism-or at least the version that I am going to
read to you-but
its actual age is unknown. It is very ancient. The text is most known as one of
the scriptures in
what Westerners call "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" but that is not the actual n
ame of the
scripture; it is much older than that particular title (which was given to it by
the first to translate it
into English). I will explain the actual title shortly.
The text is most known in association to Padmasambhava, whose story we heard a b
rief portion
of last night (we read aloud from chapter one of The Lotus Born). This particula
r scripture comes
from India and was brought into Tibet by Padmasambhava many, many years ago and
translated
from Sanskrit into Tibetan; then it was hidden from the Tibetans for a long time
because of the
potent nature of the text. Padmasambhava knew people were not ready to comprehen
d it.
After many centuries passed, one man saw in a vision where this text had been bu
ried in the
mountains, so following the symbols of his vision he went out into the mountains
and found this
text buried under some rocks. That is how it was revealed and since that time it
has become a
staple scripture of all the Tibetan schools.
Generally, this text is read aloud to the gathered monks who will sit and listen
in a state of
mediation; when the reading is complete they will meditate in silence for a peri
od of time. Then
the text is read again and they meditate again, and this cycle repeats and goes
on. The reason
is that the text points directly at the nature of mind and it is only in a state
of meditation, free of
the ego, where we can really comprehend the nature of this teaching. So it is a
good idea for all
of us to begin to focus our minds, to relax, and bring about that meditative con
centration so we
can do our best to receive this knowledge in as pure a way as we can.

I also warn you that the concepts that are discussed here are very challenging.
You may find
that your mind reacts, it responds, sometimes with wonder, sometimes with doubt,
sometimes
with indifference, and it is these reactions of your own mind that are very impo
rtant for you to
notice. It is those places where your mind has obstacles, has resistance where y
ou need to
learn something, and this is part of the value of the text and part of the reaso
n why it is read to
monks and nuns.
As a short preamble it is useful for us to put this text in context with Gnosis.
In this particular
retreat we have had some discussion of Tibetan Buddhism and there is a certain p
resence of
that teaching also in the retreat store and in the flavor of some of the lecture
s. This is because
Tibetan Buddhism has particular forms of wisdom, and particular keys that can be
very useful for
all of us, but it is not to say that Gnosis is Tibetan Buddhism: it is not. Gnos
is is much older.
Tibetan Buddhism is a very beautiful form of Gnosis in the same way that Zen, or
the Aztec
mysticism, or Christianity, are all beautiful forms of Gnosis, different forms.
So when we are
studying texts such as this one or we study masters such as Padmasambhava, or th
e Buddha,
we are studying them in the same way that we study Quetzalcoatl, or we study Moh
ammed, or
we study Jesus; it is important to make that distinction.
There are many things in Gnosis that are not in Tibetan Buddhism, and there are
many things in
Tibetan Buddhism that are not in Gnosis. What we try to do as students is to str
ip away
everything that is superfluous, everything that is extra, to get to the heart, t
o get to the real
meaning, the real content.
Those who have been in Gnosis for some time can attest to the difference between
the way
Gnosis is taught in the books of Samael Aun Weor and the way it is taught in the
schools. This is
because each instructor and each school has their own level of understanding and
their own
means of teaching, and they are all different. The same is true of other religio
ns and other
movements. This is why we have to always seek to go to the source, to clarify ou
r own
understanding, to make sure that when we are studying the teaching and studying
the knowledge
that we are aware of what is original and what is added.
So by reading this text I am not suggesting that we should add it to Gnosis or t
hat somehow
Gnosis should be like Tibetan Buddhism. Reading this text is to find what is use
ful in any religion,
in any teaching.

In English, this text is called the Introduction to Awareness: Natural Liberatio

n Through Naked
Perception and is excerpted from a longer series, which is called Peaceful and W
rathful
Deities, a Profound Sacred Teaching Entitled Natural Liberation Through Recognit
ion of
Enlightened Intention. I will read from the new translation, the first complete
one in English,
published by Viking.
I am not going to read you the entire text they way it would normally be read on
retreat, because
I think that to do that we would have to actually be in meditation and in a stat
e where we can
receive it in context. So what I will do is read portions and then we will discu
ss those portions.
The Importance of the Introduction to Awareness
Open your mind; let go of your preconceptions, and listen closely:
Though the single [nature of] mind which completely pervades both cyclic existen
ce
and nirvana,
has been naturally present from the beginning, you have not recognized it.
Even though its radiance and awareness have never been interrupted,
you have not yet encountered its true face.
Even though it arises unimpededly in every facet [of existence],
you have not as yet recognized [this single nature of mind].
In order that this [single] nature might be recognized by you,
the Conquerors of the three times have taught an inconceivably [vast number of
practices],
including the eighty-four thousand aspects of the [sacred] teachings.
Yet, [despite this diversity], not even one of these [teachings] has been given
by the
Conquerers,
outside the context of an understanding of this nature!
[And even] though there are inestimable volumes of sacred writings, equally vast
as
the limits of space,
actually, [these teachings] can be succinctly expressed in a few words, which ar
e the
Introduction to Awareness.
Often in Gnosis, the instructors and the books repeatedly emphasize the importan
ce of
developing moment-to-moment concentration and awareness. This passage is stating
the same
thing. The sacred teachings have innumerable forms, which is clearly visible to
all of us who
study Gnosis. There is a myriad diversity of the teachings of wisdom that have b
een received by
humanity, but all of them can be expressed in one thing, which is to awaken now,
in this
moment, to be awake, to pay attention, to not be distracted. And in that is the
door to all of those
myriad of teachings, and without that understanding of awareness, all of those t
eachings will
forever remain obscure. That is how important developing moment-to-moment attent
iveness truly
is.

O fortunate children, listen to these words!

The term 'mind' is commonplace and widely used,
yet there are those who do not understand [its meaning],
those who falsely understand it, those who partially understand it,
and those who have not quite understood its genuine reality.
Thus there has arisen an inconceivably vast number of assertions [as to the natu
re of mind],
posited by [the various] philosophical systems.
Further, since ordinary persons do not understand [the meaning of the term mind]
,
and do not intuitively recognize its nature,
they continue to roam through the six classes of sentient [rebirth] within the t
hree
world systems,
and consequently experience suffering.
This is the fault of not understanding this intrinsic nature of mind.
As students of a teaching like this we are presented with many different ways of
understanding
our own consciousness. You can see this in just the few days we have had at this
retreat. We
have been presented with a variety of practices, and a variety of terms, all of
which have certain
usefulness and abilities that we can take advantage of. Yet if we don't clearly
understand what
the consciousness is, then these practices can be very confusing. In fact, somet
imes they can
seem useless; we may not see the point of them, the usefulness of them.
So once again we have to return to that original point: what is the nature of mi
nd? Not another
person's mind but our own.
When we in this moment look into our own mind: what is the nature of that?
What is the nature of our experience from moment-to moment?
How do we interrelate with everything that we perceive?
What is functioning there?
What are the dynamics?
This is the understanding that we need. It is not sufficient to memorize complic
ated theories, nor
is it sufficient to become an expert in various philosophies. The great importan
ce is for us as
individuals to discover our own nature, and we are the only ones who can do it,
and the only way
we can is now.
In each activity, in each moment, regardless of what is happening outside or ins
ide, we need to
maintain consistent mindfulness, consistent awareness, persistent endeavor to al
ways maintain
that watchful point of view, whether things are peaceful or agitated. In doing s
o we are

confronted with many different phenomenon that can be somewhat bewildering.

Meditation is the critical practice within which we put ourselves in a state of
calm in order to have
an active consciousness, which can actively perceive the true nature of the mind
. In this state of
consciousness, there is passivity of the body, there is passivity of thought, pa
ssivity of emotion,
and passivity of sensation, within the midst of which must be the activity of aw
areness, and that
state can only arise through our own cultivation of it.
Part of what this text presents to us is that the state of ever-present watchful
ness is eternal yet we
do not recognize it; we forget, we become distracted. More than likely even in t
he context of this
brief discussion we may find that the mind takes us off to some other place to t
hink about some
other thing and then we come back and realize we have lost the thread, the conti
nuity of the talk;
this demonstrates the challenge that we have, the difficulty that we have to dea
l with our own
mind. It takes tremendous vigilance, but we must be unrelenting in order to comp
rehend the
nature of our own experience.
In the state of meditation-actual meditation, not mere concentration-the goal or
the purpose is to
present ourselves with the true nature of our experience. So long as our mind is
distracted and
bouncing between all the different surging elements that arise from moment-to-mo
ment we
cannot maintain a consistent, perceptive point of view that can penetrate into t
he true nature of
any given thing. So we do all the concentration practices and all the other acti
vities to cultivate
that state of rest so that within that place we can then turn back and look into
the mind itself, look
into the consciousness itself. Some of us may have tasted this or experienced it
to some degree.
The text that I am going to read next is related to that experience, to that exp
erience of having
enough stability to actually perceive how thoughts arise, how they are sustained
, and how they
are dispersed or how they dissolve. So reflect and look into yourself now and ob
serve how every
given element-whether from inside or outside-has this process of arising and pas
sing, and look
to that as I read this section.
The Three Considerations
The following is the introduction [to the means of experiencing] this [single] n
ature
[of mind]
through the application of three considerations.
[First, recognize that] past thoughts are traceless, clear, and empty.
[Second, recognize that] future thoughts are unproduced and fresh,
And [third, recognize that] the present moment abides naturally and unconstructe
d.

When this ordinary, momentary consciousness is examined nakedly [and directly] b

y
oneself,
upon examination, it is a radiant awareness,
which is free from the presence of an observer,
manifestly stark and clear,
completely empty and uncreated in all respects,
lucid without duality of radiance and emptiness,
not permanent, for it is lacking inherent existence in all respects,
not a mere nothingness, for it is radiant and clear,
not a single entity, for it is clearly perceptible as a multiplicity,
yet not existing inherently as a multiplicity, for it is indivisible and of a si
ngle savour.
This intrinsic awareness, which is not extraneously derived,
is itself the genuine introduction to the abiding nature of [all] things.
For in this intrinsic awareness the three Buddha bodies are inseparable and full
y
present as one.
When we become distracted-engaged in the random nature of thought, or carried al
ong by that
flowing torrent of emotion that changes in quality from moment-to-moment, from c
alm and cool to
passion to doubt, to fear-these torrents prevent us from perceiving the luminous
and clear,
unobstructed nature of our own Buddha essence, our own consciousness. This is wh
y we study
meditation.
The practice of meditation is where we sit calmly, we close our eyes to external
sight, we close
our attention to any given phenomenon outside of the object we are directing our
attention
towards, and in that way we focus our attention, we focus our awareness. The ult
imate point of
this is to be able see the nature of that awareness itself, to see the nature of
that mind in itself as
it exists without any artifice, without any bottle, without any filter.
The arrival of this experience can only occur when we are willing to give up, re
nounce, to walk
away from all the things that distract us all the rest of the time-and here is t
he problem: we don't
want to. By some strange magic, we love to be distracted. By some strange phenom
enon, we
enjoy it when we suffer; otherwise, if we truly do not enjoy it, why do we conti
nue to perpetuate
our suffering?
For example, if we are truly tired of suffering from our anger, why do we contin
ue to become
angry? Why can we not recognize that anger is suffering and refuse to accommodat
e it? Yet
when anger arises, we accommodate it-in fact, we welcome it, we feed it, we stim
ulate it, we
nourish it, we keep it alive.
Within each of our minds are elements of memory, events that have occurred to us
in the past
that we will not let go. It may be something someone said or something that some

one did that we

keep alive in our mind. When it arises in our memories and our thoughts, we sust
ain it. We think
to ourselves, "Oh yes, what that guy said to me was wrong. He was not doing some
thing good.
He treated me badly." Thus we invest more energy into that memory, into that tho
ught, into that
feeling, and that collection of energy becomes a filter that prevents us from se
eing what actually
happened at that time and what is actually happening now.
Suffering is a self-perpetuated cycle. The beginning of it is in the moment that
the original event
occurred. The impressions of a given situation struck our senses and produced a
vibration which
resounded within our entire psyche: something someone said or did which offended
us, which
hurt our feelings, which made us feel that we were not being respected, or not b
eing valued, or
not being understood. In that instant we ourselves created a formation in our mi
nd whose
construction was designed by ourselves and whose purpose was to sustain the mist
aken
perception of reality. This is a very important facet. We do not perceive realit
y because we
choose not to see it. We do not comprehend the nature of mind because we do not
want to.
Anger is a desire; it is not only a desire to inflict revenge, to get back at so
meone, it is also a
desire to sustain that mistaken sense of self, to keep it alive, to perpetuate o
ur own sense of what
happened or what is happening. And this is the single cause of the state of this
world: that simple
transformation that happens in a moment and then is perpetuated in the psyche of
each person.
Of course this happens not only with anger, it happens with pride, it happens wi
th fear, it
happens with gluttony, with greed, with envy, with jealousy. It happens with suc
h a multiplicity of
psychological elements that the mind, the so-called "sense of self" becomes a ve
ry sophisticated
and complex structure and we become deeply confused.
This is why in Gnosis and in other traditions the emphasis is placed so strongly
on paying
attention. This is not merely a superficial exercise; it is not merely something
interesting. It is
completely essential.
As you remember in the text, the writer states that all of the beings who are ci
rculating throughout
all the worlds suffer simply because they do not understand the nature of mind-o
r in Gnostic
terms, the nature of consciousness. All suffering is caused by mistaken percepti
on. Every
creature who suffers, suffers for that cause. This is a very deep, deep thing to
comprehend in
yourself.

In each moment there are transformations happening regardless of the circumstanc

es. Whether
you are in a peaceful place such as this or in a chaotic place such as a big cit
y, your psyche is
receiving and transforming energy, but what makes the difference is how you main
tain
awareness of it.
If we continue living the way we have been, then we will continue creating probl
ems for ourselves
and other people.
The moment-to-moment effort to concentrate ourselves and maintain awareness of o
ur own
perception is the fundamental basis of any spiritual practice, no matter what yo
u call it. This is
partly why in the Gnostic tradition you will meet and encounter students that ha
ve come from
every possible walk of like, every possible profession, every possible religion,
because the
essential nature of this teaching is universal. This science is studied by all l
evels of beings-not
merely in this physical world, but in other worlds, because its knowledge and it
s potency is so
profound.
There is a story about Samael Aun Weor that is related to this. While giving a l
ecture he began
to go into some topic that no one in the audience could comprehend; then he stop
ped and
apologized and said that he was addressing the Gods who were attending the lectu
re.
This emphasizes for us the nature of the teaching: even if we have been in the t
eaching or
studying this material for a long time, we are not done. We are only done when s
uffering has
been eradicated, when our own ego is no longer there; then we are done. Until th
at time we are
all of us equals, brothers and sisters, friends in the house of Aquarius.
We are all ordinary people. Fortunately we can help each other by meeting in a c
ontext like this.
We can discuss these teachings and try to arrive at a mutual understanding, but
the best thing
that we can do is to apply the science from moment to moment, to meditate, to lo
ok inside of our
own experience in each moment.
Consequences of the Introduction to Awareness
When the introduction is powerfully applied in accordance with the [above] metho
d
for entering into this [reality]:
one's own immediate consciousness is this very [reality]!
[Abiding] in this [reality], which is uncontrived and naturally radiant,
how can one say that one does not understand the nature of mind?
[Abiding] in this [reality], wherein there is nothing on which to meditate,
how can one say that by having entered into meditation one was not successful?

[Abiding] in this [reality], which is one's own actual awareness itself,

how can one say that one could not find one's own mind?
[Abiding] in this [reality], the uninterrupted [union] of radiance and awareness
,
how can one say that the [true] face of mind has not been seen?
[Abiding] in this [reality], which is itself the cognizer,
how can one say that, though sought, this [cognizer] could not be found?
[Abiding] in this [reality], where there is nothing at all to be done,
how can one say that, whatever one did, one did not succeed?
Given that it is sufficient to leave [this awareness] as it is,
uncontrived,
how can one say that one could not continue to abide [in that state]?
Given that it is sufficient to leave it as it is, without doing anything whatsoe
ver,
how can one say that one could not do just that?
Given that, within this [reality], radiance, awareness, and emptiness are insepa
rable
and spontaneously present,
how can one say that, by having practiced, one attained nothing?
Given that [this reality] is naturally originating and spontaneously present, wi
thout
causes or conditions,
how can one say that, by having made the effort [to find it], one was incapable
of
success?
Given that the arising and liberation of conceptual thoughts occurs simultaneous
ly,
how can one say that, by having applied this antidote to conceptual thoughts, on
e
was not effective?
[Abiding] in this immediate consciousness itself,
how can one say that one does not know this [reality]?
When we say that we do not know how to meditate, that we are not having success
in meditation,
or that we do not understand meditation, the fault lies not in the system. The f
ault does not lie in
the school, or the instructor, or the book. The fault lies in our own mistaken p
erception. Every
existing sentient creature has within itself an uncontrived, naturally present a
wareness, and it is
the simple and pure activity of that conscious present awareness that is in itse
lf the state of
mediation.
It becomes contrived when it becomes trapped in a thought. It becomes contrived
when it
becomes trapped in emotion or sensation. But when the consciousness, when the aw
areness is
in itself natural, free, unfiltered, and unmodified, it is in itself the state o
f meditation.
So it is actually quite simple. Meditation itself is the simplest thing there is
because it is simply
the state of being, the state of existence in its natural state. This is the sta
te of Dhyana, which is
a state in which there is no I; there is only awareness.
This text stated that there is not even an observer: there is simply awareness.
The understanding

of that is something that you will have to experience. It cannot be explained; i

t has to be
understood.
When we are receiving lectures and talks, and studying books about how to mainta
in continual
observance of ourselves, or how to concentrate and comprehend any given psycholo
gical
element, really it all comes down to the same simple thing: Be. Don't think; don
't become
distracted; be pure awareness, because that it your true nature. That is the tru
e nature of every
existing thing.
Unfortunately, we have forgotten that and we have built a very elaborate castle
within which we
hide and have become trapped due to habituation. That castle has our given name,
it has all the
attributes through Karma. But our awareness itself does not have that name. Our
root awareness
does not suffer from doubt, it does not suffer from shame, it does not suffer fr
om resentment, or
envy.
Our root awareness, our profound, pristine nature of mind it just that: simple,
uncontrived love.
Pure.
You can access that nature state of being in any moment. You do not have to come
to a place
like this to access your true nature of mind. Neither do you have to have a big
library or live in a
particular place, or have a particular body shape or hair color or be male or be
female.
Every existing thing can access and utilize this root awareness, because it is t
he natural state of
our inner self.
Most existing creatures-such as these birds, the trees, the grass, even the wate
r-exist in and of
themselves, as they are. They are not contrived; they do not presume anything: t
hey are not
pretentious. They simply are what they are. The goal and purpose of our studies
is to become
that, to stop lying to ourselves: to be what we truly are. But, to be what we tr
uly are, we first have
to not be what we have become.
It is vital to let go all of the false notions that we have, but to do it now. T
he work on the ego does
not begin in the future. It does not begin when we meditate. It does not begin w
hen we read a
certain book. It begins the instant we remember we are not that. The work on the
ego begins the
moment we are not the ego.
In the instant when a situation of anger occurs and someone criticizes us or we
become
ashamed or embarrassed, in that instant we should separate the awareness-our tru

e nature-from
that discursive emotion, and recognize that emotion for what it is: a contrivanc
e, a falsehood, a
lie, an illusion. That separation begins our comprehension.
Comprehension begins the instant we are in that natural state, the instant we ar
e ourselves, we
are authentic, we are genuine, real, no contrivance, nothing false. This is wher
e comprehension
begins.
When we study the ego, often times our attention is focussed on things like ange
r, lust, envy,
and some students become almost obsessed with identifying and discovering these
sort of
negative psychological manifestations. But it is necessary for us to mature beyo
nd that.
Our true nature, our true identity, is neither good nor evil. Our true nature si
mply is. It simply is.
Any form of duality is below the true nature of mind, and this becomes very tric
ky for our intellect
to understand.
It is easy to become distracted by all the different concepts of mind, the philo
sophies, the
theories-duality versus non-duality, absolute versus non-absolute, conceptual ve
rsus nonconceptual-but the experience tells all. The actual experience of the nature of
mind will clarify all
of those apparent contradictions.
This is why when you study someone like Samael Aun Weor or Padmasambhava you fin
d that
their teaching goes well beyond mere duality, it goes well beyond mere labeling
of psychological
elements. They may use labels from time to time to communicate to us, but the ac
tual experience
of the mind is far beyond any label.
In a state of meditation, when that naked perception is active and free and perc
eives in its vision
any given psychological error-whether it is an error that looks good or looks ba
d-the true nature
of that error becomes apparent, it becomes clear, it is revealed as what it is:
an illusion, a dew
drop, a mirage, a bubble, a cloud.
This is what we can see in the great serenity of the Buddha's face, in the great
vast mind that
expresses this kinds of wisdom where we cannot find an I, whether good nor bad.
There is just
wisdom, something inexpressible, something indescribable. That is what is in the
heart of our
own experience, and that is something we can taste and experience if we make the
effort.
The next section is called Observations Related to Examining the Nature of Mind.
So once again,
relax yourself. Don't think. Just become awareness; just listen. Try to digest t

his without
comparing.
Observations Related to Examining the Nature of Mind
Be certain that the nature of mind is empty and without foundation.
One's own mind is insubstantial like an empty sky.
Look at your own mind to see whether it is like that or not.
What happens between thoughts? What is there? Look into yourself and look for th
at place.
What is there between thoughts?
What is there between emotions?
What is there between sensations?
Nothing, and yet something. That is the nature of your mind.
Simple, pure, uncontrived awareness.
Divorced from views which constructively determine [the nature of] emptiness,
be certain that pristine cognition, naturally originating, is primordially radia
nt just like the nucleus of the Sun, which is itself naturally originating.
Look at your own mind to see whether it is like that or not!
Be certain that this awareness, which is pristine cognition, is uninterrupted,
like the coursing central torrent of a river which flows unceasingly.
Look at your own mind to see whether it is like that or not!
Be certain that conceptual thoughts and fleeting memories are not strictly
identifiable,
but insubstantial in their motion, like the breezes of the atmosphere.
Look at your own mind to see whether it is like that or not!
Be certain that all that appears is naturally manifest [in the mind],
like the images in the mirror which [also] appear naturally.
Look at your own mind to see whether it is like that or not!
Be certain that all characteristics are liberated right where they are,
like the clouds of the atmosphere, naturally originating and naturally dissolvin
g.
Look at your own mind to see whether it is like that or not!
The Master Samael Aun Weor stated in the book The Revolution of the Dialectic th
at if we stop
thinking on a problem, the problem goes away. This is cause for some debate, but
it is a fact.
Our problems persist because we do not let go of them. Our conflicts persist bec
ause we grasp
them as if they were real-and believe it or not, the same is true of pain. The s
ame is true of most
forms of suffering.
If we have the capacity to not identify, to be serene, to just be the consciousn
ess, then we can
perceive that our thoughts arise, persist for a moment, and then naturally disso
lve; but to see
that, you cannot be identified. You have to be aware.
If you are identified with a thought then there appears to be a continual stream
of thinking
because you continue to be identified from one thought to another thought, and t

hen to another
associated thought, and then to some other thought, continually. This continual
identification
creates the illusion of continuity. It creates the illusion of having wakeful co
nsciousness. It is the
illusion that we call "life" but which is actually a dream.
This stream of thoughts, feelings and sensations is what we in Gnosis call chatt
er; this is what we
call our psychological song.
This stream of thoughts, feelings and sensations is what we mistakenly call "our
selves," but it is
not. It is simply a regurgitation of elements that are foreign to our true natur
e; of elements that we
ourselves built and hold on to. These elements produce suffering, and we ourselv
es originate it.
The ego is not a creation of God; our suffering is not a creation of God: it is
a creation of our
own hands, and we perpetuate it with our own hands, with our own action.
Learning to separate your awareness, to not become identified with any sensation
, any emotion,
with any thought, is your own direct introduction to the true nature of mind, wh
ich is simply a
state of being. That state of being has many levels; it is not the same for ever
yone.
Our state of being is relative to our developed degree of consciousness, which r
ight now is about
3%, which is very small. The rest of our true nature is trapped, but even that t
rapped nature is as
of yet undeveloped. Even as we begin to free it, it still needs development. Tha
t root nature in us
is simply the Buddha nature: it is the potentiality to become a Buddha, but it i
s not a Buddha.
When we develop that nature of mind, when that nature of mind acquires cognizanc
e of itself,
then a Buddha is born.
When the text says the nature of mind is empty, anyone of us can verify that at
our own level
when we look to see what is there between thoughts. What is there in those insta
nts-however
brief-when a thought does not arise? That is precisely the experience that we ne
ed to become
very familiar with. That is self-observation; that is self-remembering. Simple,
pure, directed
attention, uncontrived, beautiful.
By understanding through direct experience that state of consciousness, we can g
rasp what
Samael Aun Weor meant when he said if we stop thinking on a problem it goes away
.
When you face some difficulty and become identified, you make the problem worse,
whatever
the problem is, whether it is simple or complex.

Identification has many forms (equivalent to the many forms of the ego) but as a
simple example
we can say that if you see that your mind is obsessively thinking about somethin
g, you are
identified.
If you can see that your emotions are consistently churned up, then you are iden
tified.
If you are tense, you are identified. If you have some physical discomfort which
has no apparent
cause then it is likely that you are simply identified: uncognizant, unaware.
The natural state of the mind is a state of perfect relaxation. From that state
of mind-no matter
what event arises, whether internal or external-that nature of mind does not bec
ome identified,
and thus that experience arises, sustains itself, and passes away. The mind itse
lf remains
serene.
In that way you can see that the mind itself is empty. You can see that it has n
o inherent nature,
and yet it has inherent existence, so it appears contradictory. Nonetheless it i
s a state of
equanimity, a state of natural serenity that can never be contrived, that can ne
ver be faked. It
can only arise of its own nature when there is no contrivance, no falsity, no pr
etension.
Now we are going to go a little bit deeper briefly and here is where you may sta
rt to see a little
more contradiction, so you have to be very attentive.
There are no phenomenon extraneous to those that originate from the mind.
[So], how could there be anything on which to meditate apart from the mind?
There are no phenomenon extraneous to those that originate from the mind.
[So], there are no modes of conduct to be undertaken extraneous [to those that
originate from the mind].
There are no phenomenon extraneous to those that originate from the mind.
[So], there are no commitments to be kept extraneous [to those that originate fr
om
the mind].
There are no phenomenon extraneous to those that originate from the mind.
[So], there are no results to be attained extraneous [to those that originate fr
om the
mind].
There are no phenomenon extraneous to those that originate from the mind.
[So], one should observe one's mind, looking into its nature again and again.
If, upon looking outwards towards the external expanse of the sky,
there are no projections emanated by the mind,
and if, on looking inwards at one's own mind,
there is no projectionist who projects [thoughts] by thinking them,
then, one's own mind, completely free from conceptual projections, will be
luminously clear.
That is meditation. No projectionist. No illusion.
Maya, which is a term we've all heard, is a word that's often used to express th

e idea that
phenomenon or nature is illusion, but there is something very deep that must be
understood
about Maya: it is self-produced. No one outside of ourselves imposed ignorance u
pon us.
What the text is saying is that everything that arises, without exception, arise
s because of our
own state of mind. Every thought, every emotion, every sensation is self-produce
d. So how can
we look for blame outside? How can we look for a solution outside? We cannot.
The source, the cause is our own mistaken perception. The solution is our own na
ked
perception, liberated from contrivance, liberated from pride, liberated from ang
er, and from lust,
and all the other elements about which we know.
Thus the text indicates: since all things emerge from the mind and dissolve into
the mind, look
always into the nature of mind, that is: into the nature of your own psyche.
Part of the mistake that we make is that we are always looking outside. If we ar
e single, we have
the mistaken perception that we will only be happy when we are in a couple, and
those who are
in couples know how much they are suffering and want to be single again. [laught
er]
So there is this circle, there is a cycle of self-perpetuated mistaken views.
If you recall, one of the hallmarks of the teaching the Buddha gave is called Ri
ght View. It is
actually the first of the eight steps of the path. That point of view, Right Vie
w, is the
understanding of the empty nature of the mind. It is not simply what we would ca
ll selfobservation if we were studying it in a very basic level. Rather, it is true sel
f-observation, which is
the active presence of the true nature of self, which is uncontrived, naked, wit
hout an I, without
any preconceived filter, without any preconceived notion, looking at everything
as if it were new,
looking at every phenomenon as if it has never been seen before.
Some of you have seen me just for a few days. Some of you have seen me for ten y
ears or
more. Does your mind think that since you have seen me once you have already see
n me? Thus
you assume that know what I am, you know what I look like, you know what I am li
ke, you know
how I am. This is a lie that your own mind produces. Nothing is static. Nothing
is immutable:
everything is changing, and nothing is as we assume it to be, yet we assume. Now
here is this
illusion more powerful than in the assumption we make about our own selves. We b
elieve we
know ourselves already, and we are so wrong.
The effort then becomes to let go of assumptions, to forget contrivances, to for

get our self

interest and instead, to just be, to perceive, to be receptive. This natural sta
te of mind-which is
luminous and clear-is pure, unaltered, raw perception.
If in this moment we fully feel that state and become that, then we cannot be th
inking about a
problem, we cannot be worried about the future, we can only be there perceiving,
receiving.
You know that the Hebrew word Kabbalah comes from Kabbel, which means "to receiv
e." That
reception is not just in the intellect, in studying books in studying lectures.
It is not just in the
heart believing or not believing. It is not just in the motor brain by behaving
or acting like a
Kabbalist. It is in being a perceiver. Real Kabbalah arrives through actively, c
onsciously
perceiving each individual instant in its unaltered form, and it is from that pl
ace that the doors of
clairvoyance and intuition will open, and it is from that place that true Kabbel
can occur.
You see, when we are contrived, when we are carrying around our mask (the false
personality)
and we are encapsulated in that shell of our "sense of self," then the true natu
re of reality cannot
be seen because we refuse to see it. Think on that.
We are all attracted to this teaching because we sense that there is something b
eyond the
physical senses. Unanimously we agree that there is something more than just wha
t people say
and what people believe. We have all had some experience that tells us that ther
e is a reality
beyond this simple physical matter. But then comes the moment when we realize we
cannot see
it. We cannot access it. We are trying to meditate and we cannot. We are trying
to get our of
the body and we cannot. We are trying to understand what God wants from us and w
e do not
understand. And so we go here and there and everywhere asking for advice, readin
g different
books, finding new websites, studying new theories, new philosophies, adopting n
ew practices,
but all the while, the problem is inside. The problem is that we do not look wit
h unfiltered vision.
This is addressed by a beautiful aspect of the Zen teaching. Zen philosophy, Zen
art and even
Taoism clearly express the need to just be, to be oneself, to be what one is, to
observe, to
experience things as they are. To the true nature of mind, we need to not be see
king in books,
schools, lectures, and philosophies, but to be seeking in our experience of the
moment.
Look at the place you are in. Can you perceive the nature of this moment free of
any artifice?

I tell you that you can, but only if you will it. Only if you are willing to let
go of all those residual
emotions which are grasping at you and which you in turn grasp at: different des
ires, different
emotions, different longings, cravings, memories, worries about the future, hope
s for the future.
All of those things prevent you from seeing what is.
The longing to experience Gnosis is beneficial, it is what drives us, inspires u
s, but it can
become a problem when we become identified it. When that craving to experience S
amadhi or to
get out of the body becomes too strong we stop seeing reality.
The fact is that anyone of us can enter the state of Dhyana right now.
There is nothing preventing you from experiencing Samadhi except your own percep
tion.
There is nothing preventing you from getting out of the body except for your own
perception.
Each one of us becomes identified from moment-to-moment with this or that. And t
hus the text
repeats and repeats and repeats:
Look to the nature of your own mind.
Look to the nature of your own mind.
Free yourself from artifice.
Notice and observe how things arise and pass.
Do not become identified.
Do not become distracted.
See what you truly are.
That state of being is a state of such equanimity that there is perfect acceptan
ce of whatever is
there, without any resistance, without any desire. There is no craving for somet
hing else. There
is no aversion to something that is.
If you are meditating and have aversion to the pain that you feel then you are b
locked by
yourself. If you are meditating and you have craving for Samadhi you are blocked
by yourself. If
you are trying to get out of your body and you have fear, you are blocked by you
rself. Each of
these elements is self-originated, self-produced, contrived by yourself.
This is the reason why we need self-observation and self-remembering, which are
the basis of
every single practice that we study in Gnosis. Awareness is the basis of the ent
ire doctrine. It is
truly the basis of every religion.

To learn to be what we are, and then to not be what we are. Do you understand th
at? To be but
to not be. If we remain as we are our suffering will remain as it is, but if we
become what we
really are our suffering will stop.
When we cease to be identified with a problem it goes away. If you are having mo
ney troubles
and you are worried and you are afraid and you feel you have to do something and
it agitates
you, stop thinking about it. Do what you can do today. And if you can't do somet
hing today, stop
thinking about it. There is a beautiful secret there, which the Master Jesus tau
ght in the Sermon
on the Mount. And we can see that here if we observe nature. There is no worry h
ere. Which of
these creatures around us is concerned, worried, anxious, afraid? None: neither
the flies, nor
the birds nor the trees, nor the wind. All of them have consciousness, all of th
em form a part of
this beautiful creation. None of them are worried; none of them have any fear or
concern for
tomorrow. They are simply being what they are.
It is in this way that we can resolve our most vexing problems. What happens is
this: if you are a
serious student of these types of studies, really what you are trying to do is t
o be a serious
disciple of your own inner master, that part of your consciousness that gave you
life and has
work for you to do. Your Being needs you; it might sound sacrilegious but it is
true. Our own
Inner Father and our own Divine Mother need us and thus will give us what they n
eed us to have;
we forget that because we forget them.
When we are in that state of natural being, that state of natural perception, se
lf-remembering
arises naturally as well. When we are in a state of self-remembering, we are tru
ly a child of God.
Filial love arises spontaneously because that is the nature of the consciousness
if we are truly
aware, if we are truly in our unaltered natural state. So because of that, why s
hould we worry?
If the one who is inside of us, our own Inner Master needs us and he is God, wha
t do we have to
worry about? What do we need outside of ourselves? Outside of Him? Outside of He
r? Outside
of that which truly is?
Why are we always running here and there, grasping on to different experiences,
different
sensations?
It is not to say that we should just sit and not do anything. It is to say we sh
ould do what we have
to do, naturally. We have to work, we have to fulfill our duties in life, but we
don't have to do it
with anxiety, with fear, with worries, with pride.

We can be what we are: a simple essence, a Buddha nature that wants to grow, tha
t wants to
grow and develop itself, to perfect itself. Our own inner Being will give us eve
rything we need to
accomplish that task because that is what He needs from us.
The reason we don't have what we need is that we get in the way. We don't know h
ow to be
natural, to be naked as a consciousness. Instead, we want to dress ourselves wit
h vestures of
pride, of envy, of gluttony, of vanity, and we want others to see us as that. We
want others to
respect us, to admire us, to envy us, because we do not have true inner confiden
ce in our inner
Being.
When we have true inner confidence in our inner Being, we do not need the approv
al of others.
We are not who we truly are (the Being) and because of that we suffer, and becau
se of that we
don't have the things that we truly need.
When we become very disciplined in being just consciousness, then what we need m
agically
appears, as if by magic, because the Being gives us that naturally. You have all
heard stories
like this of how such and such a Master was without food, without water, without
anything and yet
was able to sustain himself because the beasts of the field would bring him sust
enance. Or the
fairies or elementals would bring water, or bring clothes. There are many storie
s like that. They
are there to illustrate for us something simple: if we serve the One who is insi
de, He provides.
Then we can just be ourselves; we can live without any worry.
The natural state of the consciousness is a state of pure raw acceptance, and ye
t that state of
acceptance is driven by an energy to become better. This seems a little contradi
ctory, but we all
know something of it because we are studying this knowledge. We all know that we
can do
better, we can be better, so we want to change.
So long as we are what we are now, we cannot be what we need to be, what we shou
ld be. So let
us first not be what we are so we can become what we really are: the free, uncon
trived, natural,
happy Essence, with the potential to become a fully developed human being.
Maybe from studying this text you can see that meditation does not begin when th
e meditation
bell rings. Meditation does not begin in the evening or in the morning when you
sit on a cushion
or a chair to meditate. This is why in some traditions they state that meditatio
n never stops,
because truly, it should not. When you sincerely and seriously begin to comprehe
nd the nature

of the consciousness, then you truly and seriously begin to meditate non-stop, a
midst
everything.
Question: You mentioned that...???...released from the...???...would that be the
same thing
as...???
Answer: In the books of Samael Aun Weor, there is a chapter called The Observer
and the
Observed and this is one of the fundamental things that we learn when we study s
elf-observation.
The purpose of that exercise is to develop the capacity to divide the attention,
to develop the
capacity to activate the consciousness and to separate it, to become aware of it
. This text states
that there is no observer. The reason is because while there appears to us to be
an observer, in
reality that observer has no I, and thus does not exist as an observer but it si
mply is. We do
need to divide attention between observer and observed and yet there really is n
o observer. Until
you know how to make that division, you cannot comprehend that statement, yet we
all have the
capacity to reach that experience.
It is the natural capacity of the consciousness: to be attentive. And we think i
n our intellect that if
you are attentive there must be someone who is paying attention; and yet, when y
ou are in a
state of pure attention can you find a self? When you look into the nature of yo
ur own mind in
this moment can you truly find a self? When you see that space between thoughts
is there a self
there? Can you find something you can call a self, independent and existing on i
ts own? You
cannot, because each attribute is dependant on another attribute, each facet is
dependant on
another, which means without those facets there is nothing.
In other words, when you look into that observer you simply see the act of obser
vation, the pure
energy of consciousness, which has no self. It has no concept, it has no center,
it has no
beginning, it has no ending but this is something you have to taste. The intelle
ct will fail to grasp
it.
This can be experienced at any moment. We have all tasted it, we have all experi
enced it, but we
have forgotten. We begin just being naturally aware, naturally observant. Observ
ing not only what
we observe, but how we observe it. This is the division. Observing the phenomeno
n that arise
outside and inside, while also observing how we observe them. And little-by litt
le, out of that
experience of observing the outside and the inside and the way we observe, sudde
nly it
becomes clear: where is the observer? One could be observing and perceive: where
is the

observer?
This is particularly important when you are trying to separate and identify aspe
cts of the ego.
This kind of questioning is very useful when you are trying to separate from dis
cursive emotion
and thought, because a discursive emotion and a discursive thought is an "I." It
is an I that has
specific wants, specific cravings, specific aversions, and can be seen. So long
as we are
continuing to see an I, then we have not penetrated to that which is without an
I.
So there are some contradictions that get tricky to navigate in the philosophy.
How can you
perceive an I without an I? How can you observe or be something without being so
mething? And
this is the limit of philosophy-and the danger-and this is partly what this text
was addressing in
the very beginning: although many schools have posited many theories and philoso
phies of the
nature of mind, none have understood it. This is because it can only be understo
od by
experience and that is something that is up to us.
Any questions?
Question: ???
Answer: The question is about what happens, or what one can do with the experien
ce of the
state of emptiness. So once we have accessed that and experienced the empty natu
re of mind,
then what? Where does that lead? Where does that go?
The empty nature of mind is a fundamental basis that we need to understand, and
we need to
understand it by experience, but that is not the whole picture. When we study th
is teaching, we
see that this knowledge is the path of the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva path is
a path that leads
directly to the absolute (the Ain, the Void, or Shunyata) which is that emptines
s: very profound,
beyond any sense of self.
When you begin to have some type of understanding of the nature of the emptiness
of existence
(called Pratityasamutpada in Sanskrit, or Dependent Origination), that in itself
is not sufficient;
comprehension or experience of Emptiness-absolute reality-is only one aspect of
full realization
or enlightenment. The other aspect is absolute compassion. The nature of reality
can only be
fully perceived by a combination of two things:
1. naked perception of the empty or void nature of any phenomenon
2. cognizant love (compassion)
There are some schools that will teach one side or the other of the equation. So

me schools teach
to just cultivate pure love while others seek to cultivate pure awareness of emp
tiness; both are
mistaken. They can take you to a certain point, but they cannot take you all the
way to the
complete development of the consciousness.
What can take us to the ultimate level of wisdom is the cultivation of Bodhichit
ta, which is a
Sanskrit word which means the enlightened mind or the awakened mind of wisdom. B
odhichitta
is comprised of two fundamental aspects, which cannot be separated. They are in
truth one
thing, but this intellect can never grasp it: the empty nature of existence is s
ynonymous with love.
It is hard to even philosophize about that because what does that mean? And yet
that is the
fundamental nature of the consciousness.
The Absolute emanates the ray of creation, which manifested all things; that ray
is Christ, that
ray is Love, but that ray is also emptiness. It is empty of self, there is no I
in the ray of creation.
So the experience of emptiness, the experience of the empty nature of mind, is v
ery good, but
we have to go past that. If you experience something like that, it is very diffi
cult to maintain your
equilibrium. As the Master Samael stated, when he first experienced the nature o
f emptiness he
was terrified, and that is the natural response of the animal mind (the I) which
does not belong to
that.
So the challenge becomes: how can you bridge the gap? How can you enter into tha
t profound
emptiness which has no I and into which the I cannot go? You have to know what i
t is to be no I,
to have no self and the only thing that can give you that is Christ, Avalokitesh
vara, Chenrezig.
Ultimate love and absolute emptiness are expressed as that light, the ray of cre
ation. We have
that as a spark, latent in the atoms of our own essence, but we have to develop
it. When our
essence grows, when the consciousness grows, when that consciousness receives th
at ray of
creation and enters into the Bodhisattva path and starts to become that light, t
hen the emptiness
becomes more profound, it becomes enterable and sustainable.
This is done from the position of Dhyana, which is the fifth Paramita, the fifth
perfection-which is
meditation: the state of perfect equanimity, perfect attentiveness, that has no
I, no self. From that
state one can enter Prajna (the sixth Paramita), the wisdom of the emptiness, th
e wisdom of the
Absolute. This is the only way to reach complete development.
So there are a lot of elements at play here: love, compassion, the death of the
self, the death of

the I, initiation. A lot of work! And yet, it has been done. It has been done, a
nd it will be done
again.
If we are serious, if we are serious to die in ourselves, to completely eradicat
e any sense of I, of
pride, of envy, of lust, that true nature, that true consciousness, the essence,
can develop and
grow and become one with that emptiness, which is also love. This is the only wa
y.
Any other questions?
Question: You mentioned the consciousness is neither good nor evil. Is it also s
uperior emotions
and also can you talk about the ability of the conscious remorse to suffer?
Answer: It is useful when you are analyzing any form of dualism, such as "vice v
ersus virtue" or
"superior versus inferior" to always remember the tree of life. Everything manif
ests in levels. So
in our own psyche we have levels in our psyche. The consciousness is just an ene
rgy. It is a
form of energy that derives from a very superior region and that enters into a v
ery inferior one in
order to gather knowledge, to learn. To do that, it has to process itself throug
h the vehicles that
we inhabit, most immediately the physical body. Within that body we have certain
transformers
(that we call the three brains) that transform the energies back and forth betwe
en this level of
reality and the consciousness. So in that way, you can see the consciousness is
beyond all of
this that we see here.
The same is true when you compare and look at superior versus inferior emotion.
Of course,
inferior emotion is any egoic state. Inferior intellect is likewise: it is a for
m of reasoning which
belongs to an inferior level. Superior emotion and superior intellect also corre
spond to their levels
but they are not the supreme. Remember, the Master said that the most elevated f
orm of thought
is non-thought. It becomes difficult for us to grasp that the consciousness itse
lf does not think
nor does it need to. The consciousness in itself does not feel emotion in the wa
y we know
emotion, whether inferior or superior. The consciousness in itself is, and yet i
n its most elevated
and developed form it has qualities that we would call emotion but which are wel
l beyond that. A
Master or an Angel or any highly developed Being expresses itself as love, desce
nds into this
planet, and assists all those who suffer. And if we observe the life of a Master
like that we would
look at them and say, "Well, they have emotions like us," but they don't, it is
different for them.
This is similar to the mistake that people make when they say that Jesus was ang
ry at the
merchants in the temple when he was whipping them, but that was not anger, it wa

s something
else, far beyond our concepts of anger, far beyond our concepts of emotion.
So as far as I understand it, the consciousness is the same: there are vibration
s of energy that
occur in many levels and there are emotional processes and intellectual processe
s that occur in
those levels, but when you transcend and start entering into superior levels of
objective
reasoning, you see that this is a form of reasoning that has nothing to do with
the intellect. And
that subjective reasoning that we know unfortunately filters our understanding.
Objective
reasoning has qualities of consciousness that are reflected or mirrored in a ver
y inferior way in
what we call "emotion" and "intellect." Does that make sense to you? It is very
subtle, right? Just
understand that the consciousness itself is far beyond thought and feeling, yet
it has qualities
that are similar, just more rarefied. It is something that is hard to put in wor
ds.
Question: Can the animal mind...???
Answer: Well, yes, of course, in us. In an animal no, not necessarily because th
at mind
develops though the kingdoms of nature and once that minds enters a humanoid org
anism there
is a certain work that has to be performed which is self-perfection. Unfortunate
ly, we develop
Karma and so that mind burdened by those elements begins to degenerate: that is
devolution.
Question: Is it possible to identify with the superior emotions...???
Answer: Yes. It is possible to become identified with anything. Even in the stat
e of emptiness,
which is well beyond any intellectual or emotional quality, you can become ident
ified. This is how
even very high masters fall. Sometimes it is because of love, superior emotion,
something very
beautiful, but it entrances the consciousness in a subtle way and they fall into
mistake. So that
danger is there even in the highest level.
Question: Say we are listening to a symphony of Beethoven or something and
emotion...???...allowing us to rise and fall...???...maintaining our equanimity.
..???
Answer: Yes, you can become identified with that, and the same is true of the st
ate of Samadhi.
You have to always watch for yourself to not indulge. Whether an experience is p
ainful or
pleasurable, it is vital to not indulge because that is a kind of identification
and immediately the
ego arises. Whether it is a superior emotion or thought, or an inferior one, we
have to maintain
conscious equanimity.

Transcribed and corrected from a lecture given at the 2007 International Gnostic
Retreat.
Excerpts are reproduced from The Tibetan Book of the Dead published by Viking in
2006
(ISBN 0-670-85886-2).
New to Gnosis