one cannot abide in emptiness, it is not satisfactory... though emptiness is the immanent nature of all it is still unsatisfactory.
one can only abide when there is nothing whatsoever in which to abide... a sort of letting go. this is true non abiding it is more of the heart than of the mind.
if i say nothing at all i mean it in an apophatic manner, not even nothing, nor nothingness, nor everything, nor anything... when one renounces all things the true nature ceases within and the dharma eye closes. later on the eye of the heart heart opens and it is the heart and not the mind that tells one not to worry. to just let go.
its like a boat floating on the ocean of emptiness. emptiness looses its importance when one just rests in the boat... nothing at all.
what do i know? nothing at all. in this place there is nothing at all in which to abide. not even nothing. when your heart grasps the significance of nothing at all you are in the boat floating on the infinite ocean of mind, or suchness. you let go of all your previous knowledge and experience and just enjoy the fruit... nothing at all.
in this place one is truly at rest.
some emphasise the importance of awareness over dharma nature. they say that it is awareness that percieves dharma nature, and every thing else we see. but this does not account for unconsciousness or deep sleep. others say it is the natural state, the ordinary mind that we all have... when we reify anything at all we cannot abide in non abiding. you have to let go of everything.
letting go of immanent nature and transcendent understanding we come to a place that is not a place, nor has ever been a place. we see that which is nothing at all to be seen, neither transcendent nor immanent, far beyond the ocean of mind or nature. nothing ''at all'' has no opposite, since it is nothing at all to be an opposite, nor has it ever being. it has no mind, no self, no body, no existence, it is not even ''not'.
nature can be opposed with icchantika, nature:no nature. to advance towards nature or icchantika is still an attainment, still a realization. what i am talking about is not an attainment, nor a realization. it is nothing at all. being nothing at all, how could we ever realize it? being nothing at all to be had; who lacks it? no one.
enlightenment... that is seeing the true nature of Mind. something Astus and others on this site clearly see. im just saying let go of it all and just breathe, dont forget to breathe, just be, nothing to worry about, just living with nothing at all to worry about. you cant rest in the natural state until you know that it truly doesnt matter.
if you see the nature of mind... fine, if you dont see the nature of mind... fine. theres no difference. nothing at all to realize. there never has been.
until you can see the enlightenment of all beings, you dont yet have peace.
Buddha said : "this day, i and all beings attain enlightenment together''. its like that and only like that.
best wishes, Tom.
you can say exactly what you want. every word i have written is utterly pointless and without value, a complete waste of time. i bow before you my noble friends.
days gone by. the difficulties remain,
but no longer concern for the enlightenment thorn.
give me a mile and ill take you ten.
this is easy.