Examine the nature of unborn awareness.

Photo from Planetden.com

          Salar de Uyrini, found in southwestern Bolivia, is the world's largest salt flat. As one of the most level places on earth, it becomes a liquid mirror during the rainy season. Before the photographer took the magnificent photo above, there was a brief moment when he was aware of the scene without any any analysis or speculation. It was pure awareness, untouched by definitions, labels or categories. This natural awareness is always there in everyone. I'm sure it was only a split second in the photographer's mind before a running commentary started about choosing the right lens to capture such a fantastic image of land and sky. Created awareness (as opposed to natural awareness) is filled with dualistic, discursive thought. I liken it to a mirror that should accurately reflect back reality but can't, because I've covered the surface with Post-it notes. Unconcerned with just noticing what's there, these notes separate things into groups such as pleasant/unpleasant, same/different and you/me. Yet natural awareness can be found in meditation; it is what notices I'm narrating a story instead of focusing on the breath. It's that gap of clarity, and this slogan tells me to pay attention to it.  

For more information on the third slogan, go here.

Slogan Three

Examine the nature of unborn awareness.

From the Lojong for the Layperson booklet:

                The third slogan looks within at the transparency of our identity. Though it appears connected to the brain, our awareness is not identical to it. Since we tend to view our mind as the place where identity resides, quietly observe (but don’t analyze) the thinking process. Pursue awareness to a deep level. Notice how perceptions of self are tied to things. The mind depends on the object perceived and the senses that perceive it – it coexists with everything. If these “things” are taken away, is there a perceiver separate from what is perceived? Is there a concrete “you” inside? We may discover our identities are only created by the thoughts we churn out. Yet beyond the ideas of “me” and “other,” we find a peaceful spaciousness.

Photo: Moon snail shell (“shark eye”) nestled among white clover.

       Our minds are constantly bombarded by stimuli - a knee scraped, soothing music, a stack of bills to be paid, the aroma of cinnamon rolls baking. The mind compares this information to our memory files of past information then creates emotion and thought that motivates us to act. This is "born" awareness, generated by things outside us. But there is another type of awareness that observes without judging or labeling; it does not separate everything into categories but sees all as a whole. How do you find it? Watch your mind and how it works. At first it may seem like an endless loop of thoughts and sensations, but be patient and keep watching. Eventually the unbiased observer will appear.