Dharma practice...

Dharma practice whether Dzogchen, Mahamudra or Zen is not about becoming an improved version of who you believe yourself to be. It's also NOT about becoming more accepting, more forgiving, more kind, more compassionate and gradually free of suffering.

Instead, that "self" that would like to acquire those positive character traits; will vanish or disappear when the mind suddenly ceases projecting that subconscious karmic self.

What remains when the "illusion" of independent selfhood drops away, when the central reference point of "me" drops away suddenly; what remains is discovered to embody all those positive characteristics organically and intrinsically. These are all qualities of our True Self that require no development or cultivating.

Real Dharma creates an inner environment of clarity in which the subconscious mind sees its own foolishness and suddenly ceases projecting the karmic "me" hallucination. That is the fundamental fruit or result necessary for the termination of suffering and the actualization of our intrinsic Buddha qualities.

Otherwise the mind is just endlessly reshaping or refurbishing the same old ancient karmic self in hopes that things will gradually get better for "me".


-- Jackson Peterson