Teachings from Anam Thubten
When thought arises simply look for the origin of your thought and then you will not find anything to hold on to except the groundless ground of yourself; the groundlessness of the Dharmakaya. The thought dissolves and you’ll have nothing to hold on to. You’ll find your original pure heart, and immediately you’ll have liberation right there. ...
This method works if you are totally willing not to set yourself free – sounds strange doesn’t it? This is a very strange spiritual message. It almost sounds too simple. If you are actually ready to be free from all struggles, all forms of delusions, if you are ready to be free and ready to be who you are which is pure awareness – you are pure awareness. And this notion that you are pure awareness is not doctrine. … this is truth expressed by all spiritual traditions… you are already pure awareness.
From audio tape : “You’re Already Free!”
Talk on 6-30-11 at the Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley: IMCB http://dharmaseed.org/talks/
Drop the Ego
" . . . as a human being, we don’t want to have to be very responsible for ourselves because it’s a hell of a lot of work to be free and to set yourself free. As Buddha said: "No one can liberate you, only you can liberate yourself." But it’s a huge responsibility to set oneself free and therefore, automatically, we want to keep all our neuroses, we want to keep the old back, but [at the] same time we want to be enlightened. It’s like we want to have the both of the best worlds which is impossible. Either we drop the ego, or we don’t drop the ego. If we don’t drop the ego, if you don’t drop the delusions, enlightenment isn’t possible.
But our ego doesn't want to drop delusion: all these mistaken belief systems of reality, but still wants to get this very 'goody' called enlightenment, but it's a totally impossible endeavor. I think that's why many people - they don't really want to go inside actively - they really don't want to let go of anything and their secret strategy is to keep everything in one piece - delusion, hatred, whatever neuroses we're dealing [with] - and at the same time they want to manufacture this thing we call enlightenment because it sounds pretty good; because after that, everything's supposed to be hunky-dory. So they want to buy or learn those techniques or methods that use them mechanically, as if you buy the latest gadget - the camera or the what-you-may-call-it. All you need is just [to] read the manual and then you follow the manual and then this thing starts working. People think we can get enlightenment automatically - if you align all these techniques precisely, without making any mistakes as the guru or teacher said or the sadhana said, then [you think] 'I will be enlightened in' - whatever time, either in three years or three lifetimes or three eons - and then it's very comforting for ego, because then, [you think[ 'I don't have to let go of anything.' "
"To experience transcendent bliss means to go beyond all limitations.
The way is utterly simple as well as ecstatic too. The way to the Buddha mind is the Buddha mind."
Anam Thubten ~ The Magic of Awareness
"A central theme is that enlightenment is always available, even in this very ordinary moment. It is something extraordinary that ordinary people can witness here and now, whenever we are ready.
Spiritual awakening can happen to anyone at any time because it is not bound by culture or religion, and its possibility is our birthright.
Rinpoche speaks with startling insight, unflinching honesty, and a great sense of humor. He cuts to the essence, the heart of the matter, drawing from his personal experience of walking the spiritual path, and clarifies subtle, complex points directly, in easily understood language."
From the Preface of No Self No Problem
"When we know how to give rise to this gentle heart, then we are not in a hurry and we no longer have to be antagonistic to ourselves.
Rather, we know how to hold this deep trust, we know that the ground of who we are is intrinsically enlightened, already the Buddha, and we have ecstatic compassion."
Anam Thubten ~ The Magic of Awareness