When remaining in awareness itself, every thought movement, no matter what kind, is like a drawing in air.
Interpretation
Awareness allows us to see our thoughts as ephemeral and insignificant.
In this quote, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche emphasizes the notion that when we stay grounded in awareness, our thoughts—regardless of their nature—lose their weight and significance. Just as drawings in air are fleeting and insubstantial, so too are our mental patterns when observed with a clear, detached perspective. This suggests that cultivating awareness can lead to a profound understanding of the transient nature of thoughts and an increased sense of inner peace.
In practice
During a mindfulness retreat, this quote could inspire participants to observe their thoughts without attachment.
Don’t let any emotional thought concerning success or failure, fame or gain, overtake you, and don’t dwell upon them. Give up your personal shortcomings, such as foolish talk, distracting activities, and absentmindedness. Train in being totally gentle in all physical, verbal, or mental activities. Don’t ponder the flaws of others; think instead of their good sides.
The context of the general teachings is one of talking to a sentient being who is experiencing uninterrupted bewilderment one thought or emotion after another like the surface of the ocean in turmoil, without any recognition of mind essence. This confusion is continuous, without almost any break, life after life.
Being aggressive, you can accomplish some things, but with gentleness, you can accomplish all things.
The basic nature of all conscious beings is 'self-existing wakefulness'. _x000D_ _x000D_ Self-existing meaning spontaneous or without effort and wakefulness meaning natural awareness. _x000D_ _x000D_ To ignore our basic nature, is to wander in fear and confusion, _x000D_ _x000D_ to directly realise our essential nature is to be Enlightened.
Cut off from his religious, metaphysical and transcendental roots, man is lost; all his actions become senseless, absurd, useless.
For there are two possible reactions to social ostracism - either a man emerges determined to be better, purer, and kindlier or he goes bad, challenges the world and does even worse things. The last is by far the commonest reaction to stigma.
No one, I hope, can doubt my wish to see... all mankind exercising self-government, and capable of exercising it. But the question is not what we wish, but what is practicable.
Of course God does not consider you hopeless. If He did He would not be moving you to seek Him (and He obviously is). What is going on in you at present is simply the beginning of the treatment. Continue seeking with cheerful seriousness. Unless He wanted you, you would not be wanting Him.
The sun never sets. It is only an appearance due to the observer's limited perspective. And yet, what a sublime illusion it is.
People who read me seem to be divided into four groups: twenty-five percent like me for the right reasons; twenty-five percent like me for the wrong reasons; twenty-five percent hate me for the wrong reasons; twenty-five percent hate me for the right reasons. It's that last twenty-five percent that worries me.
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