But I found /find myself enamored with the Gelug approach that, to me, refuses to reduce all phenomena to some type of substrate. But it seems that this specific commitment is something of an anomaly among Western students of Tibetan Buddhism, and there seems to be a preference for overall approaches that are either more ecumenical/non-sectarian and/or a strong preference for Yogacara, but I don't know. I'm still very new to the Tibetan Buddhist world.

I'd love to hear from folks who are more conversant with the schools of tenants and Tibetan Buddhism generally. Are my assumptions above inaccurate? Do many feel persuaded by the turning-of-the-wheel taxonomy? Is the Gelug approach considered too limited or constrained--or, horrors: incomplete? If they do, how are the emptiness teachings formulated to sit alongside some type of global substrate, like awareness? (Just for background, my main sources for understanding these teachings have been Greg Goode, Jeffrey Hopkins, Guy Newland, and to a lesser degree Jan Westerhoff, CW Huntington, and of course, the classical literature associated with this tradition, Tsongkhapa, et. al.).

Thanks"

 

 

I replied:

 

For the past 2 months, I focused mainly on somatic techniques due to having an energy imbalance. Very limited contemplation or formal meditation.

When I walk, there is just the sensation of my feet touching the hard floor. When hearing a song on Youtube, it’s just hearing the sound itself without any kind of internal interference. Sometimes I even re-develop an energy imbalance while listening to music. There’s no need for a “hearer” to hear for me, but it’s actually happening in real-time rather than merely theoretically.

Any concept of anything absolute or unchanging no longer exists. I used to believe in God, but it disappeared as well. There’s no need for a separate awareness, and through practicing the exercises in Seeing that Frees and Clarifying the Natural State I know firsthand that the self never existed in the first place. It was all a self-deception.

I’ve had no-mind experiences in the past, but since it’s been stable for over 1 month, I think the insight has fully developed. However I still have thoughts, emotions, and get absent-minded. The world around me still feels very much physical. After practicing some of the emptiness exercises, I have weird visions and hallucinations, like objects have no boundary surrounding it. But still working on it, so ignore this section.

Sometimes the world seems “flat” like everything is 2D or a painting, but again, I’m not confident in anything beyond anatta. Or that the colors of each object start mixing together like a wet painting.

I feel like I can make everyday experience even more direct, that the directness of how everything is perceived can be increased. However when I do so, I experience pressure around my third eye. If I try to delve into sensations even more it spreads to the crown chakra. Even with anatta I feel there are phases in terms of how directly everything is perceived by the 5 senses. But again, it’s difficult to go further at present.

....

I started meditating 2 years ago.
I realized I AM accidentally by reading non-duality/advaita books, and doing mindfulness in plain english 30 mins everyday.
Power of Now, Nisargadatta, Ramana, Ramakrishna, was focused on nirvikalpa samadhi...
I was able to escape [Soh: the trap of reifying I AM] using Seeing that Frees, but not sure if he [Mr. A. J.] will read it

[12:39 PM, 10/7/2020] Soh Wei Yu: I asked him to read clarifying the natural state two months ago (Further comments by Soh: not the first time I heard of someone attaining insights just by reading through this book, so this is recommended reading, along with The Royal Seal of Mahamudra: Volume One: A Guidebook for the Realization of Coemergence: 1. And as I told Nafis, if you are interested in Mahamudra or Dzogchen, find a good teacher in these lineages.)
[12:39 PM, 10/7/2020] Soh Wei Yu: Back then he hasn't realised anatta. Only no mind

[12:40 PM, 10/7/2020] John Tan: Like I said yesterday, even anatta there r several phases.
[12:41 PM, 10/7/2020] John Tan: Anatta as in the experiential insight of seeing through self and seeing through the cause for the sense of self is different.
[12:48 PM, 10/7/2020] John Tan: The later path one towards emptiness realizing "inherency" is the result of a reification.  One then progress through deconstructing the reification thoroughly and gain the prajna (wisdom) that not only sees through directly the mental constructs and conventionalities but also the direct knowledge of one's empty clarity.
[1:01 PM, 10/7/2020] John Tan: Don't rush post anatta or even no-mind but refine one's view. Nevertheless it is hard not to get energy imbalances initially which is due attachment of going after certain experiences.

The sense of self/Self or any sense of it-ness is a hindrance for natural spontaneity and therefore thorough exhaustion is necessary.  However maturing this emptiness of "it-ness or self-ness" post anatta is an ongoing process.  Deeply held blindspots are slippery and extremely difficult to see and can take decades to reveal.  

So practice calmly and evenly...don't rush into anything...

Just relax and be fully open to whatever arises without dual, don't go after anything and keep refining view instead of chasing after experiences.  Eventually the clarity of seeing through will automatically result in the everyday experiences.
[1:13 PM, 10/7/2020] John Tan: Without dual and without self

Nafis Rahman wrote:

[1:18 PM, 10/7/2020] John Tan: Just continue with current practice.  Allow the whole body mind to become a sensing organ,  vibrantly alive and intimately connected with the ten thousand things!




Nafis Rahman wrote to someone else: