Just found some 'ancient' jems in our forum 
These discussions were in year 2004.
lame question on meditation
Longchen said:
Hi,
Besides the Jhanas, have you experience pure empty Presence in a
state of no thought? That is the true state of a Being. It is
beyond the mind, beyond concepts.
This pure Presence is all pervading, yet void at the same time. In
my experience, the Jhanas are different. Jhana's are like 'looking
outward' in a meditation, pure Presence is 'looking inwards'. I
can't describe it very well.
Pure presence can best be felt when a person is at the moment free
from desires. Pure presence is like the ray that emits its
properties into the mind. The properties of the pure presence form
your personality.
Hi Sangha,
I am in no position to say whether Pure presence is nibbana. I can
only write from my own experience and understanding.
This pure presence is called Rigpa in Tibetan Buddhism. I am not a
Buddhist in this life, but I was a Tibetan Monk of Nyingma school
several lifetimes ago. That is why I still have a lot of interest
in Buddhism.
About Rigpa, when we experience it. It is formless and empty and at
the same time infinite and all pervading. It is NOT BLISS. Bliss is
a samadhi state but it is not the true nature yet, it is still a
state in the mind. I have bliss experiences also, in fact i have
then now quite often outside of meditation also.
Rigpa is a presence of 'yourself' that is connect to everything in
the universe. That is probably why the Buddha say that there is 'no
self'. All is connect to all in the Dharmakaya. Rigpa is a part of
the Dharmakaya. When in the state, there is no separation into you
or me... We are all one thing which cannot be described.
However, I must say that even now, while reading this, we are
already the rigpa. We do not realise this is because we THINK we
are just the mind/personality. The mind/personality is a REFLECTION
from rigpa. It is not the true self. If you understand what I am
write, you may get a sudden awakening/realisation. And if the
realisation is deep enough, your viewpoint or way of seeing the
world will change.
Just my 2 cents...
Thusness replied:
Hi LongChen,
Even the "inner" and "outer" are production of the analytical mind.
Only the mind requires such division, concepts and thoughts. The
Presence has no room for all these. It works through naturalness
and directness. Too short to have time and too simple to have
thought.
However even when one experiences this pure sense of existence, due
to latent karmic tendencies, the mind will still attempt to create
a formless-transparent-like entity ('I') experiencing "things". In
reality there is no 'I'.
The 'Blueness' of the blue sky isn't 'I'.
Remain Silence and in Presence, all things are in their
entirety.
No 'I' is required.
This itself is sufficient.
Happy Journey.
Longchen asked:
Hi Thusness,
Thank you for your profound explanation.
May I ask ... how do one remain in Presence all the time. Does it
require the clearing of all karmic tendencies
(samcaras/samskara).
I understand that the Presence is there all the time. Is it
possible to be in presence even when engaged in say a conversation
with another person?
Currently, switching to witness state is only possible when I am
not engaged in any conversation.
Thanks
Thusness replied:
Reply with Quote
Hi Long Chen,
Yes it is possible. But as much as I would not like to say,
there is no what, where, when, why and how. Sounds senseless but it
is true. These are what
Naturalness is not.
Nevertheless, the mind will be stubbornly attached to this current
mode of knowing because to the mind, it is all there is. It seems
to be a destined journey that a sincere seeker has to continue
penetrate its own depth, till it completely exhaust itself
and meet its own DEATH. The death of the 'I'.
The giving up and full understanding of the poverty of the entire
thinking and analytical mechanism will allow the mind to rest
itself upon nothing. Here karmic tendency arises and ceases as it
is, no effort to struggle is made.
This is the time effortless knowing arise. A complete clarity of
ISness manisfesting as pure Presence.
Seek deep into the depth of our own self, there is always this
Will, Effort..etc. This Unwillingless to let go, to be.
Simply put, it is this that separates.
Lastly try not to find a sit in the body. The true nature fills all
space. Creating a boundary for What that is neither within nor
without will eventually prove futile. Presence finds itself in
Otherness. The body has created the illusion of 'inward' and
divides. We have engaged ourselves in too much analysis
and lost our intuitiveness and directness. Since u have experienced
the pure Presence, sense the 'I' that holds and let go
immeidately.
Presense always IS.
Nice Chat
