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ames Low
1

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JAMES LOW


WI LD HEART GATHERI NG, EAST SUSSEX, UK
SEPTEMBER 2010

TRANSCRI BED AND EDI TED BY SARAH ALLEN

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hLLp://soundcloud.com/slmplybelng


www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
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www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
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>&(%'/,*(.'&
We now have a llLLle Llme LogeLher Lo flnd a parLlcular way of looklng aL ourselves Lo reveal a
sense of Lhe naLure of our own exlsLence. l wlll be Lalklng abouL Lhls from Lhe polnL of vlew of
dzogchen whlch ls an aspecL of 1lbeLan buddhlsm. uzogchen ls noL concerned wlLh elaboraLlng
parLlcular sLrucLures of bellef or formal pracLlce buL raLher helps us deconsLrucL or leL go of some
of Lhe knoLs and llmlLaLlons LhaL we can flnd ourselves bound lnLo.
Lverybody has a klnd of agenda. We llve ln a very commerclal world and ln a sense we are all
selllng someLhlng - baslcally we are selllng: 5) #6 # 342( 7(-$'38 %'9 $,'9:/ :4;( 6(<= We Lry Lo
work ouL ways of dolng LhaL, flndlng our nlche markeL of Lhose whom we can convlnce LhaL we
are ok. Powever, Lhls usually lnvolves runnlng a number, esLabllshlng a role. 1haL ls Lo say, we
become very ldenLlfled wlLh a parLlcular aspecL of our personallLy or way of belng. And Lhrough
LhaL ldenLlflcaLlon Lhere can be an lncrease ln compeLence and, also, perhaps, of self-esLeem or
ease of belng. ?eL, aL Lhe same Llme we become dlmlnlshed because we are ldenLlfled wlLh a
parLlcular formaLlon or connecLlon. 1haL ls Lo say, as soon as we Lake on a shape, Lhe very naLure
of LhaL shape wlll deLermlne Lhe posslblllLles of connecLlon wlLh oLher shapes. 1hus, Lhe more
LlghLly formed we are - whlch ls ofLen a quallLy LhaL goes wlLh confldence - Lhe narrower Lhe area
of lnLeracLlon we have ln Lhe world. 8aLher Lhan dolng Lhls, Lhe dzogchen way of looklng aL llfe
suggesLs LhaL we relax a llLLle and open Lo Lhe experlence of ourselves as parLlclpaLlng ln Lhe
wldesL range of posslble encounLers wlLh oLher people. l wlll unpack Lhls a llLLle and laLer we wlll
do some medlLaLlon.
M,%.+.*$(.'& $&/ /"<"5'3-"&( $%" $5%"$/0 3%"2"&(
l would llke Lo sLarL wlLh Lhe ldea of 8uddha. 8uddha ln Lhe 1lbeLan language ls expressed as /$&0
0=". 1hls ls made up of Lwo Lerms: /$&0 meanlng Lo purlfy and 0=" meanlng Lo lncrease. We can
Lake LhaL on a very baslc level, Lhlnklng LhaL we've all goL problems, dlfflculLles, Lhlngs we don'L
llke abouL ourselves whlch we need Lo purlfy. We can also recognlse LhaL Lhere are good quallLles
LhaL we don'L have LhaL we mlghL llke Lo geL, so Lhen Lhere ls Lhe lssue of how Lo develop
ourselves perhaps Lhrough courses, workshops and so on. 1haL ls our general culLural poslLlon.
Powever, of course, Lhere ls a dlfflculLy ln LhaL because Lhere ls no end Lo developmenL. 1here
are many lnLeresLlng people ln Lhe world and we see Lhem and Lhlnk, 5>,8 ) ?'9:/ :4;( *' @( # @4*
6'-( :4;( *,#*8= or 5>,8 ,'? 43*(-($*4318 ) ,#/ 3(A(- *,'91,* ) 641,* @( #@:( *' :(#-3 *,#*8= and
so Lhere ls a klnd of exLenslon of ourselves ouL of ourselves Lowards some posslblllLy of someLhlng
LhaL mlghL be useful and fulfllllng.
Powever, from Lhe polnL of vlew of dzogchen Lhese Lwo aspecLs of purlflcaLlon and developmenL
are already presenL ln us. lL ls [usL LhaL ln our preoccupaLlons, ln our ldenLlflcaLlon wlLh LhoughLs
and ldeas, we ofLen don'L recognlse our acLual slLuaLlon. We can explore Lhls ln Lerms of Lwo
llnked aspecLs, sLlllness and movemenL. When we are [usL slLLlng quleLly by ourselves we are noL
necessarlly sLlll, Lhere ls usually qulLe a loL golng on. 1here are sensaLlons ln Lhe body, LhoughLs
and feellngs. Who ls havlng Lhls experlence? We are. 1haL ls Lo say, we sLand %& 5"6$)%+& Lo our
experlence whlch allows us Lo say Lhlngs llke, 5) #6 # @4* *4-(/8= or 5) #6 ,931-%8= or, 5) #6 -(#::%
43*(-($*(/ 43 *,4$<= We flnd ourselves maklng commenLarles on our experlence ln whlch Lhe one
who ls havlng Lhe experlence ls Laken for granLed: 5) #6 6(8= 5) #6 6%$(:.<= And lf you have been
around for a few years, LhaL noLlon of 'belng yourself' geLs qulLe developed: you have a loL of
memorles, you have seen good Llmes, bad Llmes, you have seen doors openlng and Lhen you have
seen Lhem closlng. 1hus, Lhere ls a sense, very ofLen, of havlng Lo proLecL ourselves, LhaL some
Lhlngs are good for us ln Lhe world and some are raLher dangerous. Cur own sense of self ls

www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
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fraglle because ln order Lo sLay allve we 1$7" Lo be ln conLacL wlLh oLher people. 1o be Louched
and moved ls Lhe very essence of exlsLence buL ln order Lo proLecL ourselves we wanL Lo conLrol
whaL Louches us and we wanL Lo conLrol how we are moved. Powever, Lhe more we deflne
ourselves, Lhe more llmlLed we are ln our reperLolre of responses.
A cenLral polnL here ls Lo examlne Lhe way ln whlch we deflne ourselves Lo ourselves and, Lhrough
LhaL, Lo sLarL Lo see how oLher people deflne us Lo ourselves. 1haL ls Lo say, we llve ln unceaslng
feedback loops ln whlch people llke us or don'L llke us, are amused by us or noL, and Lhese
responses from oLhers don'L arlse from a sLable sLaLe ln Lhem, and nor do Lhey generaLe a sLable
sLaLe ln us. Cur sense of self and oLher flucLuaLes momenL-by-momenL as our mood changes and
Lhelr mood changes. lL ls very easy Lo geL caughL up ln a second-order reacLlvlLy Lo Lhese shlfLs,
and Lo Lhlnk, 5>, 3'8 ) /4/ *,#* ?-'31< ) 69$* *-% ,#-/(-B *,(-( 69$* @( # @(**(- ?#% '. /'431 4*8
# @(**(- ?#% '. @(431 6(<= Popefully you can see here LhaL Lhls creaLes a sense of 5)C6 # ?'-; 43
7-'1-($$< ) 2#33'* -($*B *,(-( 4$ #:?#%$ 6'-( *' /'8= so LhaL aL Lhe cenLre of our belng ls a klnd of
unformed-ness whlch feels a blL anxleLy provoklng: 5) $,'9:/ @( 6'-( $'-*(/<= We look around
and see oLher people and Lhey all seem Lo be sorLed. We lmaglne LhaL mosL people have goL Lhelr
llves LogeLher and we look aL ourselves and Lhlnk, 5>, 3'8 )C6 #:: 'A(- *,( 7:#2(<= 1he rlsk Lhen ls
LhaL we preLend Lo be more sorLed Lhan we are, developlng a persona, an lmage of ourselves LhaL
we hope oLhers, and we ourselves, wlll belleve ln. Powever, Lhls creaLes a famlllar problem: an
lmage, lf lL ls held ln place, ls golng Lo be a resLrlcLlon as well as a defence.
1hls leads us Lo Lhe cenLral polnL of how Lo sLarL belng presenL wlLh ourselves as ourselves so LhaL
we can be revealed Lo ourselves by ourselves dlrecLly ln Lhe llved momenL of our experlence, noL
needlng any elaboraLe sysLem from ouLslde, and especlally noL needlng anyone Lo Lell us who we
are. lrom Lhe Llme we were young we have had qulLe a loL of people Lelllng us who we are, glvlng
us lnformaLlon abouL Lhe formaLlon of ourselves. And LhaL Lends Lo lead Lo a sense of belng a
form, belng a parLlcular klnd of person - buL who ls Lhe one who ls havlng Lhls experlence?
!" 5.<" .& $ 1"4 '+ 2('%."2
Pere we are slLLlng LogeLher and we are all breaLhlng ln and ouL - we are allve. resumably you
have LhoughLs, feellngs and sensaLlons aL Lhls very momenL. Who ls Lhe one who ls experlenclng
Lhese LhoughLs, feellngs and sensaLlons? normally we say, l am. l know l am allve because
Lhlngs are happenlng )+ #"." 1hus, Lhe facL LhaL - feel Lhe lmpacL of Lhlngs comlng lnLo .,, onLo
me, and as lL were, ouL of me Lowards Lhe world, afflrms Lhe baslc lnLegrlLy of my exlsLence.
Powever, whaL we mlghL see ls LhaL Lhls ls [usL a narraLlve, a sLory. l am uslng language Lo Lell
myself abouL 'who l am' as lf l exlsL as a lubrlsLlc, hubrlsLlc phenomenon - Lhe flrsL person
slngular: 5) #6 6(<= 5) #6 6%$(:.<= AlLhough Lhese sLaLemenLs seem Lo be polnLlng Lowards
someLhlng whlch Lruly exlsLs, ln facL Lhey are creaLlng Lhe llluslon of some-Lhlng.
lor example, lf l say, 5+,4$ 4$ 6% ?#*2,8= LhaL ls a very ordlnary klnd of sLaLemenL. l am holdlng ln
my hand someLhlng whlch we can all recognlse, for Lhls ls a waLch and we have seen waLches
before as Lhey are parL of our world. We Lake Lhe waLchness of Lhe waLch for granLed. Powever,
how does language connecL wlLh reallLy? 1he Lhlng ln my hand seems Lo be caughL by Lhe word
'waLch'. 1haL ls Lo say, when l say 'waLch', Lhe word seems Lo have a dlrecL relaLlonshlp wlLh whaL
ls ln my hand. Powever, Lhe waLch-ness of Lhe waLch ls a culLural concepL LhaL belongs Lo us lf we
have been lnlLlaLed lnLo Lhe culL of knowlng abouL waLches. When chlldren are Lwo or Lhree years
of age Lhey know LhaL Lhls ls a shlny ob[ecL and wanL Lo puL lL Lhelr mouLh or maybe sLlck lL on
Lhelr head or puL lL on a llLLle car and drlve lL around. LaLer on, by Lhe Llme Lhey are slx, seven or
elghL Lhey are sLarLlng Lo have an ldea of Llme and )1"& Lhey sLarL Lo learn Lo Lell Lhe Llme. 1hus,

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each of Lhese sLages ls an lnlLlaLlon lnLo a way of readlng a phenomena. 1haL ls Lo say, wlLhouL
Lhe concepL of 'waLch' whaL would Lhls be?
We llve ln a web of language, a web of sLorles, sLorles whlch can be very beauLlful, very Lerrlfylng,
frlghLenlng, depresslng, anxleLy provoklng and so on. And our very sense of self, ln lLs ordlnary
movemenL, ls largely a llngulsLlc creaLlon. 1haL ls Lo say, 5) #6 *,( '3( ?,' 4$ -(A(#:(/ @% *,(
$*'-4($ ) *(:: #@'9* 6%$(:.8 #3/ @% *,( $*'-4($ '*,(- 7('7:( *(:: #@'9* 6(<= We come lnLo
exlsLence as 'as ourselves' accordlng Lo Lhe parLlcular shaplngs of an envlronmenL, and aL Lhe
same Llme Lhls consLlLuLlve movemenL of words, LhoughLs and feellngs ls belng experlenced. 1hls
presence ls noL Lhe presence of someLhlng else, lL ls exacLly who we are and yeL ls 'lmpersonal' ln
LhaL lL ls noL deflned by any of Lhe momenLary appearances we Lake ourselves Lo be. 1here ls an
awareness whlch, llke a mlrror, reveals whaL ls arlslng. lor example, when we geL up ln Lhe
mornlng we clean our LeeLh and look ln Lhe mlrror. WhaL we see ls ourselves, whaL we don'L see
ls Lhe mlrror. 1haL ls Lo say, we see Lhe 5"(6"4)%+& and we Lake Lhe reflecLlon Lo be a Lrue accounL
of who we are. Powever, Lhe mlrror-ness of Lhe mlrror, lLs capaclLy Lo show who we are, ls noL
deLermlned by Lhe lmage LhaL ls ln lL. lf LhaL was so, when Lhe flrsL up ln your household wenL Lo
look ln Lhe mlrror Lhelr face would geL flxed lnLo lL so LhaL Lhe nexL person who wenL lnLo Lhe
baLhroom would see someone elses face and would noL be able Lo see Lhemselves. 1he very
naLure of a mlrror ls LhaL lL fllls lLself and empLles lLself, and lL does LhaL because lL doesn'L have
any flxed conLenL of lLs own. 1haL ls Lo say, lL ls Lhe empLlness or Lhe openness of Lhe mlrror LhaL
allows lL Lo show many, many dlfferenL lmages.
N'1 *$& 1" 4" '3"& (' "<"%0().&? ()$( '**,%2 1.()',( 4".&? '<"%1)"5-"/O
Slnce we were born each of us has been many, many dlfferenL people: happy, sad, expanslve,
conLracLlng, full of [oy, full of fears and anxleLles and so on. 1hese sLaLes whlch were 'us', LhaL we
were fully ldenLlfled wlLh and whlch were exLremely real ln Lhe momenL, were conLlngenL. 1haL ls
Lo say, Lhey arose ln relaLlon Lo oLher Lhlngs LhaL were golng on. As far as l can Lell we don'L have
any core essence, a Lhlng lnslde us whlch doesn'L change wlLh clrcumsLances. l have been looklng
for LhaL for a very long Llme and l have never found lL. ?ou can also look for yourself Lo see lf you
can flnd Lhe Lhlng-ness of yourself as an endurlng enLlLy. Moreover, LhaL absence of a flxed
deflnlng essence ls acLually Lhe poLenLlal Lo reveal ourselves, Lo be revealed as ourselves, by
clrcumsLances. lor example, lf you come Lo a meeLlng place llke Lhls and you don'L know anyone
you mlghL feel a blL lonely, sad or lnLlmldaLed, and Lhen some frlendly person says, 5D(::'8 1''/
6'-34318= and you suddenly feel a blL beLLer. ?ou feel Lhe warmLh of Lhelr gesLure of connecLlon
and your mood shlfLs. ls LhaL your experlence? Pow you were before, whlch felL exacLly how you
were, where you were perhaps Lhlnklng, 5>, 1'/ ?,% /4/ ) 2'6( ,(-(E= suddenly changed and
you felL, 5>,8 *,4$ 4$ ';<= ln Lhls, we can see how momenLary ldenLlflcaLlon wlLh sLaLes ls Lhe
ongolng experlence of how we are ln Lhe world wlLh oLhers. Powever, lf we Lake ourselves as a
flxed polnL, llke a flxed self, Lhen we end up feellng llke a cork on Lhe waves whlch ls llfLed up and
dropped down by evenLs. And LhaL ls very exhausLlng because so much ls happenlng Lo us ln Lhe
course of a day. 1herefore, how can we be open Lo everyLhlng LhaL occurs wlLhouL belng
overwhelmed, sLressed ouL and worn down? 1hls ls an lmporLanL lssue ln modern llfe when Lhere
are so many demands, so many forms of communlcaLlon comlng aL us all Lhe Llme.
lrom Lhe polnL of vlew of dzogchen Lhe maln lssue ls Lo relax and Lo open. 1hls means Lo leL go of
our Lendency Lo over-ldenLlfy, Lo concreLlse, Lo relfy, and Lo Lake as permanenL and rellable,
experlence whlch ls acLually ephemeral. ?ou cannoL caLch Lhe momenL. Pere we are LogeLher
and l have sLarLed Lalklng. l wlll Lalk a llLLle blL more and Lhen Lhls wlll be over and someLhlng else
wlll begln. Lver changlng experlence cannoL be blocked or frozen. Larller you were sleeplng. ?ou

www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
3
Lhen woke up, Lhen you had pee, Lhen you had some breakfasL, now you are here, and soon you
wlll be dolng someLhlng else. 1hls ls our llfe. lL ls a conLlnuous flow of experlence whlch ls
ungraspable and lnflnlLely varlegaLed.
Cne common response Lo Lhls ls Lo Lry Lo lmpose a sense of order. 5) ,#A( *' @( 43 2'3*-': '. F6%C
:4.(< ) 3((/ *' ?'-; '9* ?,#* 4$ 1'431 '3 #3/ 4. 7'$$4@:( ) ?#3* *' 6#;( 4* ,#77(3 '3 6% *(-6$<=
Powever, Lhls generaLes a loL of sLress because, of course, we are noL ln charge of our exlsLence.
Moreover, we co-creaLe our llves wlLh oLher people, our very exlsLence ls parLlclpaLlve and
Lhrough belng parL of whaL ls golng on we flnd ourselves revealed Lo ourselves. We don'L exlsL as
anyLhlng before we manlfesL. We mlghL Lhlnk, 5G($8 @9* ) ,#A( :'*$ '. 6(6'-4($8 ) ;3'? ?,#* 6%
:4.( ,#$ @((3 #3/ ) ;3'? ?,#* ) #6 :4;(<= Powever, LhaL ls [usL an ldea. We could geL lnLo palrs
and l could ask you Lo lnLroduce yourselves Lo your parLner and you would sLarL Lo Lell Lhem
someLhlng. ?ou may Lell Lhem where you were born, whaL you do or whaL klnd of food you eaL.
1haL ls Lo say, you would consLrucL some klnd of sLory. ?ou could do LhaL for flve mlnuLes, flve
hours or flve years buL would you geL Lo Lhe end of Lhe number of sLorles you could Lell abouL
yourself? Lven whlle you were Lelllng Lhem your sLory, Lhe Lelllng of lL ls lLself ls a new experlence
so you would Lhen have Lo commenL on Lhe experlence you are havlng, and Lhen would have Lo
commenL on Lhe commenL - and so on. 1here ls no end Lo sLoryLelllng. 1here ls no end Lo
LhoughL or feellng or sensaLlon. 1hese are ceaseless waves of sLuff LhaL go on and on and on. So,
ls Lhere a way Lo avold geLLlng losL ln Lhls?
!"#$%& %&(%&%)" $&* +,"& - &+) ".%/)%&0 $/ $ )1%&0
We have Lwo posslblllLles as human belngs. Cne ls Lo be small and Lhe oLher ls Lo be blg. We all
know whaL lL ls llke Lo be small, we geL a hlL by llfe, we feel a blL crushed and we sLarL Lo shrlnk.
We feel a blL anxlous, we don'L wanL Lo answer Lhe phone and maybe we don'L wanL Lo open our
leLLers, we mlghL noL even wanL Lo geL ouL of bed - lL all feels Loo much. ln LhaL experlence, Lhe
world seems very, very blg and we are small, we are a )1%&0 and Lhere are loLs of )1%&0/
surroundlng me, more of )1"# Lhan #", and Lhey keep whacklng lnLo me. LveryLhlng ls comlng aL
us and we [usL wanL Lo say, 5H' #?#%< I(#A( 6( #:'3(<= 1hls ls a Lerrlble sLaLe Lo be ln. lrom Lhe
buddhlsL polnL of vlew Lhls way of experlenclng evenLs exempllfles Lhe prlmary deluslon: LhaL we
are a Lhlng, a Lhlng among Lhlngs. lL seems obvlous LhaL l am a vulnerable Lhlng and Lherefore l
have Lo proLecL myself and lncrease my beneflL. uue Lo Lhls bellef we are always Lrylng Lo push
away bad Lhlngs, Lo flnd ouL whaL ls good for us and geL more of lL. We spend an awful loL of our
llves dolng Lhls, checklng ouL: 5)$ *,4$ 1''/ .'- 6(E )$ *,4$ 3'* 1''/ .'- 6(E &' ) :4;( *,4$E &' )
3'* :4;( *,4$E= lL goes on and on and on.
8uL whaL ls Lhls small self? We feel a blL afrald. WhaL ls LhaL fear? lL ls someLhlng whlch ls
arlslng. lL wasn'L Lhere before buL due Lo speclflc causes and clrcumsLances we are suddenly
afrald. ln Lhls momenL Lhe fear /""#/ Lo be who we are - buL we weren'L llke LhaL before. 1haL ls
Lo say, we lose ourselves lnLo Lhe momenL so LhaL each momenL seems Lo deflne who we are.
1hus, lf we have a good day or a good spell ln our llfe where everyLhlng goes easy we Lend Lo
Lhlnk, 5D(%8 3'* $' @#/<= And Lhen Lhe causes and condlLlons change and llfe becomes dlfflculL
and we Lhlnk, 5D'? 2'9:/ *,4$ @( 7'$$4@:(E ) ?#$ ,#77% @(.'-(< ) ,#A( /'3( $' 6#3% ?'-;$,'7$<
) ,#A( /'3( 6% %'1# #3/ 6(/4*#*4'3 #3/ %(* 3'? ) .((: :4;( $,4* #1#43< D'? 2#3 *,4$ @(
7'$$4@:(E= Well...lL ls posslble because Lhere ls no wall beLween ourselves and Lhe world, we are
parL of Lhe world. And someLlmes Lhe world ls smlllng and someLlmes lL ls noL. ureadful Lhlngs
happen ln Lhe world and lf we are aL all human we are golng Lo be affecLed by LhaL. 1he quesLlon
ls: can we sLay open Lo belng moved and changed, whlch ls Lhe aspecL of parLlclpaLlon, wlLhouL
belng blown hlLher and LhlLher aL Lhe mercy of experlences? 1he answer Lo LhaL ls Lo remaln blg.
So whaL does LhaL lnvolve?

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very blg means unllmlLed, lnflnlLe. lL means noL exlsLlng as a Lhlng whlch has a beglnnlng, an end,
a Lop and a boLLom, whlch has a flxed shape. 1haL ls raLher dlfferenL Lo how we normally
experlence ourselves, yeL we don'L have Lo do anyLhlng speclal Lo avall ourselves Lo lL. Cur
lnflnlLe naLure ls Lhere by lLself, lL ls noL Lhe resulL of any efforL by ourselves or oLhers. We are
here, allve - so slmply aLLend Lo LhaL lmmedlaLe presence of awareness LhaL ls our open ground,
Lhe ever presenL basls of all our experlence. Slmply be aware, be presenL ln, wlLh and as Lhe flow
of experlence. Cbserve how movemenL, a gesLure ln space and Llme ls an expresslon or
revelaLlon of ungraspable presence. Cur open poLenLlal shows many forms, as self and oLher, yeL
no appearance deflnes who we are.
Powever, our small self ls vulnerable Lo belng deflned by oLhers, and lndeed craves deflnlLlon as a
way of esLabllshlng ldenLlLy. 1he ego develops lLself Lhrough fuslng wlLh key evenLs and
developlng a sense of funcLlonal llmlL. lor example, mosL chlldren, from Llme Lo Llme, experlence
dlfflculLles aL school. 1hey can flnd LhaL some sub[ecLs are a blL hard for Lhem and Lhls ls ofLen
dlsLllled lnLo a sense LhaL 'l can'L': 5) 2#3C* /' :#319#1($=8 5) 2#3C* /' 6#*,$= and so on. 1hls
bellef Lhen acLs as Lhe deflnlLlve sLoryllne whlch lnfluences all Lhe cholces LhaL are subsequenLly
made. lf we have grown up ln a famlly where Lhere wasn'L much Lenderness or love, Lhen
bleakness and abandonmenL becomes a LerrlLory LhaL we can vlslL agaln and agaln. Cr we may
have had a loL of lnLruslon from oLher people and had Lo adapL Lo Lhelr demands. We can
become so compllanL LhaL lL ls dlfflculL Lo work ouL who we are. 1here are many ways ln whlch
we can geL off balance ln our lnLeracLlons wlLh oLher people and wlLh ourselves because we look
for a flxed polnL of balance, a reassurlng cerLalnLy, good or bad. Powever Lhe polnL of balance ls
ever-changlng ln Lhe dynamlc fleld of emergenL experlence. We lose our fresh presence by
malnLalnlng sLoryllnes abouL ourselves whlch are llmlLlng and parLlal. Powever, because Lhey are
hablLual Lhey /""# Lo be expresslng some deep and deflnlng LruLh abouL ourselves, and so we
Lend Lo cllng Lo Lhem wlLhouL examlnlng lf Lhey are accuraLe or even useful.
1hus we mlghL Lake our presenL good healLh for granLed. ?eL lnslde us we have all klnds of
lncredlbly compllcaLed sysLems whlch can go wrong: we could have a sLroke, develop cancer and
so on. Cur presenL sLaLe can easlly change. WhaL we Lake Lo be deflnlLlve of 'who l am', Lhe flxed
bellefs whlch we lnhablL, ls noL rellable. All klnds of lnLernal wlnds and exLernal wlnds can blow us
around, for our ldenLlLy ls noL an essence buL a changlng form manlfesLlng wlLhln Lhe dynamlc
causal fleld of appearance.
So whaL ls Lhe sLaLus of Lhese sLaLemenLs l Lell myself abouL who l am? uo Lhey really deflne an
essence? Cr are Lhey parLs of Lhe ongolng process of meanlng-maklng, parLs wlLh whlch we have
become parLlcularly ldenLlfled. lor example, you mlghL Lhlnk, 5) /'3C* :4;( 6%$(:. A(-% 692,8 #3/
) /'3C* *,43; '*,(- 7('7:( ?4:: :4;( 6(<= 1haL bellef, LhaL ldenLlflcaLlon wlLh concepLs, ls llkely Lo
make you soclally anxlous. ?ou are golng Lo avold opporLunlLles because you belleve Lhe ouLcome
ls already deLermlned. 8ecause of Lhe pre-occupaLlon wlLh LhaL sLaLe, you probably won'L check
ouL whaL ls happenlng ln Lhe world. ?ou don'L really know wheLher people llke you or noL
because lL would be Loo scary Lo ask Lhem. lmaglnlng LhaL Lhey don'L llke you, you creaLe a
defenslve barrler of avoldance. 1he rooL of all Lhls palnful and unnecessary acLlvlLy ls Lhe bellef
LhaL l am a flxed and knowable enLlLy.
1he vlew of dzogchen suggesLs LhaL we slmply release ldenLlflcaLlon and, abldlng ln easy
relaxaLlon, see Lhe creaLlon of ourselves momenL-by-momenL. WlLhouL lnLerferlng slmply
observe all Lhe consLlLuenLs of our belng as Lhey arlse and pass. ln Lhelr flow Lhey make parLlcular
paLLerns, a blL llke a chlld Lurnlng a kaleldoscope. SomeLhlng ls Lhere and Lhen...Lurn...and Lhere ls
someLhlng dlfferenL. Moreover, due Lo our condlLlonlng, for mosL of us Lhere are noL many
consLlLuenL parLs, we have a reperLolre of moves LhaL, ln Lhelr repeLlLlon, esLabllsh our falrly
sLandard personallLy. 1he more we see Lhe dynamlc flow raLher Lhan flxaLlng on our famlllar

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bellefs, we see how, accordlng Lo clrcumsLances dlfferenL aspecLs of our personallLy come
forward as each new reformaLlon of our 'self' comes lnLo belng.
1hrough looklng clearly we sLarL Lo see LhaL our slLuaLlon ls dynamlc. All LhaL l Lake myself and my
world Lo be ls changlng ln lLs phenomenologlcal lmmedlacy. ConcepLs creaLe Lhe llluslon of
conLlnulLy. Lach momenL ls presenL yeL ungraspable. WhaLever l Lake any momenL Lo be ls
LranslenL and conLlngenL. 1hus my exlsLence ls noL some-Lhlng lnslde #" LhaL comes ouL of me
%&)+ Lhe world. AcLually, l don'L know who l am unLll l reveal myself ln acLlvlLy, and each Llme l
appear, l am somebody new. 1hls ls amazlng because lL reveals our poLenLlal as forever free.
lnsLead of looklng Lo flnd a deflnlLlve reclpe lnslde ourselves, we sLarL Lo see LhaL we are called
lnLo belng by Lhe slLuaLlons we parLlclpaLe ln, LhaL we are Lruly co-emergenL wlLh Lhe oLher, LhaL
our self ls someLhlng whlch ls parL of a co-becomlng wlLh oLher people. lor example, lf people are
warm Lowards us we become, we manlfesL, ln a correspondlng way, and lf Lhey are cold we
become ln a dlfferenL way. 1here ls no flxlLy Lo our manlfesLaLlon. 1he facL LhaL we are so easlly
lnfluenced polnLs Lo Lhe posslblllLy of lnfluenclng oLhers, of behavlng ln a way LhaL ellclLs Lhe mosL
open and connecLed aspecLs of Lhe oLher. lrom Lhe buddhlsL polnL of vlew Lhls ls Lhe aspecL of
compasslon, an aLLlLude whlch warms Lhe world Lhrough conLacL.
As we become more open Lo oLher people we all feel a blL more relaxed. Cradually we come Lo
have confldence LhaL llfe ls easler wlLhouL proLecLlve barrlers. lf l can only move Lowards you lf
you flL lnLo my map of Lhe world Lhen l am uslng you Lo reafflrm my bellefs. ?our hablLs conflrm
my hablLs and LogeLher we llve ln a lovely padded prlson. lL may be comforLable for a whlle, buL lL
ls fanLasy LhaL ls resLrlcLlve and whlch won'L lasL. Pere, aL Lhls evenL, people arrlve aL Lhe fleld,
LenLs go up, someLhlng ls creaLed for a few days, and Lhen lL ls gone. And Lhls ls Lhe paLLern of our
llves momenL-by-momenL. We puL up Lhe LenL of Lhe mornlng, Lake lL down aL noon and puL up
Lhe LenL of Lhe afLernoon. 1hen ln Lhe evenlng we puL up Lhe LenL of sleep. ln LhaL way we llve ln
each of Lhese llLLle envlronmenLs as lf Lhey were Lhe real Lhlng, and Lhen Lhey are gone.
P,2( 4" 3%"2"&( 1.() ()" 1'%5/ $2 .( .2 $&/ ',%2"5<"2 $2 1" $%"
So who ls Lhe one who ls havlng Lhls experlence? 1here are many, many buddhlsL Leachlngs on
Lhls polnL buL experlenLlally lL ls noL so dlfflculL, for Lhe key pracLlce ls [usL Lo observe ourselves ln
Lhe very momenL of becomlng ourselves. 1he one who ls observlng, ln order Lo observe, cannoL
have an agenda. lL cannoL be looklng (+5 someLhlng oLherwlse lL ls only golng Lo flnd whaL lL ls
looklng for. 1herefore, Lhe observer has Lo relax, leL go of all assumpLlons, recelve whaL ls Lhere
and see clearly.
1hls slmple Lask can be especlally dlfflculL ln our modern world because we Lend Lo be rewarded
for belng acLlve. lrom an early age we are encouraged Lo belleve LhaL we have Lo #$A" our llves
by *+%&0 Lhlngs. 8y flndlng ouL whaL ls golng on and conLrolllng lL we seem Lo valldaLe ourselves,
sLrengLhen our energy and creaLe meanlng. Cn Lhe oLher hand, LhaL very acLlvlLy, because lL ls
lnLenLlonal, operaLlng wlLhln a pre-exlsLlng frame of reference, lnsLalls a foreclosure. We Lhlnk we
are belng open, because we know whaL we wanL, buL Lhls carrles a closure. lor example, lf you
run ouL of flour whlle you are baklng and you nlp lnLo a shop [usL Lo geL flour, you are noL
lnLeresLed ln anyLhlng else ln LhaL shop. lL ls very lmporLanL LhaL you geL Lhe flour yeL Lhe shop
has many oLher posslblllLles. ln Lhe same way, Lhe more we become wedded Lo a parLlcular
paLLern, a parLlcular shape, Lhe selecLlve aLLenLlon whlch malnLalns lL ls Laken for granLed and ls
dlfflculL Lo recognlse. 1herefore, Lhe flrsL Lhlng ls Lo explore for yourself Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween
relaxaLlon and openness, and Lo pracLlce recelvlng or seelng whaL ls Lhere. As long as we keep

www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
8
looklng for a successlon of parLlcular Lhlngs, we block ouL Lhe happensLance lncldenLs whlch can
sLop us ln our Lracks and ease us from our burdens.
1o observe ourselves ls Lo adopL Lhe sLance of noL knowlng anyLhlng. 1he more you know, Lhe
more LhaL knowledge wlll deLermlne how and where you look. 1herefore, Lhe pracLlce ls slmply
Lo relax and be presenL wlLh whaL ls golng on. 1hen we sLarL Lo observe how qulckly we close our
poLenLlal down, how qulckly we geL caughL up ln Lhe knoLs and pre[udlces and assumpLlons whlch
glve us Lhe sense of 'Lhls ls how l am'. lor we are hablLuaLed Lo belleve ln someLhlng, we wanL
and need Lo be someLhlng. 1hus, looklng for our Lrue self, looklng for our buddha-naLure, looklng
Lo flnd ouL who we really are, seLs us off on a wlld goose chase. 1haL ls Lo say, lL ls already Lhe
wrong klnd of quesLlon because lL ls assumlng LhaL whaL we wlll flnd ls slmply a beLLer verslon of
who we are now: 5)* ?4:: @( 6( ?4*,'9* #3J4(*%8 ?4*,'9* /(7-($$4'38 ?4*,'9* ?'--4($< ) ?4:: K9$*
@( # 6'-( 2'':8 -(:#J(/ 2,4::(/ A(-$4'3 '. 6(<=
WlLh LhaL polnL of vlew we Lry Lo edlL and lmprove our exlsLlng sense of self. 1here are many
people offerlng workshops on how Lo edlL our sLory, Lo lnLroduce new symbols lnLo lL or enrlch lL
wlLh Lechnlques and skllls. Powever, we have Lo be very careful and see how easlly we are
seduced, enchanLed, mesmerlsed by sLoryllnes. 8y observlng ourselves wlLh an openness free of
hopes and fears we sLarL Lo see Lhe maln person who cheaLs us ls ourselves. lor when we Lhlnk
we are open Lo seelng whaL ls Lhere, we are acLually looklng for someLhlng ln parLlcular. We are
looklng for approval, looklng Lo be good, looklng Lo have a nlce sLory Lo Lell oLher people, looklng
Lo move up Lhe sLages of Lhe paLh so LhaL we can be rewarded by oLher people and be seen as
belng a proper klnd of person. 1here are so many cul-de-sacs leadlng off Lhe paLh of openness.
1hey all have Lhe same naLure, Lhey seek Lo flnd someLhlng LhaL can be found.
1o open and see whaL ls here ls Lhe purlsL form of phenomenology. lL ls allowlng Lhe world Lo be
as lL ls and allowlng ourselves Lo be as we are. ?ou could say LhaL Lhls ls Lhe basls of a profound
non-vlolence. AlLhough Lhe deslre Lo develop ourselves and lncrease our good quallLles seems Lo
be a beauLlful lnLenLlon, lL ls acLually a llmlLlng obscuraLlon. lor every Llme we have an ldea of
who we /1+<6* be and we Lry Lo B"4+#" LhaL ldea, whaL we are acLually dolng ls engaglng ln
vlolence agalnsL how we are now. We are saylng: 5) #6 3'* 1''/ (3'91,< ) $,'9:/ @( /4..(-(3*
.-'6 *,4$< ) ?'9:/ @( @(**(- '.. 4. ) ?#$ $'6(@'/% (:$(<= 1hus, our hope of beLLermenL sLarLs wlLh
an acL of self-aLLack, Lrylng Lo Lransform ourselves wlLhouL even seelng Lhe naLure of Lhe one we
wanL Lo Lransform. 1he hosLlllLy of Lhls aLLlLude relnforces our duallsLlc sLrucLure: 5) #6 *#;431 97
# 7'$4*4'3 #1#43$* 6%$(:. 43 '-/(- *' -(2-(#*( 6%$(:. 43 # ?#% *,#* ?4:: 1(* 6'-( #77-'A#: .-'6
'*,(- 7('7:( #3/ 6%$(:.<= ?ou can see how knoLLed LhaL qulckly becomes as assumpLlon and
efforL energlse each oLher. We are [usL llke a llLLle mouse ln a cage golng round and round on an
exerclse wheel. 1here ls no end Lo developmenL for Lhere are always new ldeas abouL who we
/1+<6* be. 1herefore, Lhe key Lhlng ls Lo relax and open and be presenL wlLh oneself as one ls.
We wanL Lo move ouL of [udgemenL, ouL of asplraLlon, ouL of lnLenLlon, and be [usL llke a mlrror,
open and clear, reveallng whaLever ls Lhere wlLhouL lnLerferlng.
lnLerferlng, or Lhe wlll-Lo-power, Lhe deLermlnaLlon Lo make Lhlngs happen Lhe way we wanL
Lhem Lo, ls noL a bad quallLy buL lL needs Lo be applled ln Lhe rlghL place. Sharp knlves are very
useful ln a klLchen, buL you don'L really wanL Lo meeL a drunken Leenager carrylng one ln Lhe
sLreeL aL nlghL, because LhaL ls Lhe wrong place for a sharp knlfe. ln Lhe same way, havlng a
deLermlnaLlon Lo achleve someLhlng ls Lhe manlfesLaLlon of our energy ln Lhe world, and lf lL ls
aLLuned Lhrough parLlclpaLlon wlLh oLhers lL can be very helpful. Powever, lf you apply lL Lo
yourself Lo Lry Lo deLermlne who you are, all you do ls Lurn yourself lnLo a klnd of clay whlch you
Lhen flnd Lo be Lhe wrong shape. 1hen you are condemned Lo endlessly kneadlng and squeezlng
lL Lo brlng lL lnLo Lhe proper shape - buL Lhe proper shape for whaL? 1he observer, awareness,
our own lmmedlaLe presence ls noL a Lhlng. lL ls Lhe ground of manlfesLaLlon ln LhaL lL lllumlnaLes

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9
all LhaL appears, yeL lL ls lLself never an appearance. 1o see ourselves ls Lo be ourselves as pure
belng, whlch ls lLself lnseparable from yeL never condlLloned by our ceaseless revelaLlon of belng
Lhls, Lhen Lhls, Lhen Lhls.
We llve ln a world wlLh oLher people and whaL we can do ls deLermlned by our own and oLhers'
ldeas. WhaL ls ok Lo do aL LwenLy ls noL whaL you can do when you are forLy, and when you are
slxLy you cannoL do whaL you dld when you were forLy. AL each sLage of llfe we funcLlon wlLhln
sysLems of expecLaLlon. Lven when we reslsL oLhers expecLaLlons of us we sLlll acL wlLhln llmlLlng,
deflnlng assumpLlons. We llve ln a socleLy where we are golng Lo have a loL of old people, and yeL
we have a culLure whlch ls raLher dlsmlsslve of old people, ln whlch Lhere ls very llLLle sense of
1+@ Lo be old. 8elng old means knowlng flrsL of all LhaL you are noL young: l am noL LwenLy-one
anymore so l cannoL do whaL people of LwenLy-one do. Cver Lhe hlll...pasL my peak...sunseL here
l come." 1hls could be Laken as an lnsulLlng dlsmlssal, a denlal of all we have been, yeL lL ls also an
lnvlLaLlon Lo recognlse LhaL real changes have occurred. 1he seemlng conLlnulLy of ourself as a
core essence ls an llluslon LhaL leads Lo grlef when we experlence LhaL, l can no longer do Lhe
Lhlngs l used Lo." lL ls as lf by saylng 'l' a conLlnulLy of subsLance ls creaLed so LhaL Lhe one who
could do Lhem Lhen and Lhe one who cannoL do Lhem now were Lhe self-same person. ?eL Lhe
pasL ls gone, who we were no longer exlsLs. WhaL we are now ls boLh Lhe uncondlLloned
openness of our awareness and Lhe preclse form of our currenL manlfesLaLlon. lL ls Lhe naLural
lnLegraLlon of Lhese Lwo aspecLs whlch ls our baslc freedom raLher Lhan Lhe llluslon of freedom
embedded ln sLrlvlng Lo malnLaln a form whose Llme has gone.
Lach form ls [usL whaL lL ls, an lllusory, ungraspable manlfesLaLlon LhaL can be manlpulaLed by Lhe
conLrolllng ego or accepLed ln open presence by awareness. Lach season of llfe offers Lhese Lwo
opLlons. AccepLance and parLlclpaLlon wlLh whaL ls acLual ls Lhe basls for pracLlce. ln Lhe agelng
process, accepLance of our season ls freedom. 1here ls someLhlng Lo learn ln each season. CuL of
Lhe noLhlng, Lhe empLlness of wlnLer, comes Lhe fullness of summer whlch, lnevlLably, becomes
Lhe empLlness of wlnLer. 1he pulsaLlon beLween Lhe Lurn Lowards form and Lhe Lurn Lowards
empLlness ls conLlnuous, wlLh each Lurn lllusLraLlng Lhe lllusory naLure of each aspecL, for Lhey are
lnseparable ln non-duallLy. 1he ouLer level of Lhe seasons, Lhe lnner changes of our own agelng,
and Lhe secreL flucLuaLlons of our LhoughLs, feellngs and sensaLlons are noL separaLe domalns. All
manlfesLaLlon has Lhe same ground and Lhe same naLure: empLy appearance llke ralnbows ln Lhe
sky, llke summer mlrages, llke Lhe reflecLlons of Lhe moon on waLer.
AuLumn ls abouL recepLlon, lL ls abouL leLLlng go so LhaL Lhe earLh recelves Lhe leaves and frulL, lL
ls abouL slnklng back Lo Lhe source. 8eleaslng Lhe flxaLlon on form ls also parL of Lhe pracLlce of
medlLaLlon, as we leave Lhe ego's fanLasy domaln of Lhe never-endlng growLh of sprlng and
summer. 1he ego can never geL enough: Lhe more lL seLs ln moLlon Lhe more lL has Lo do, a blL
llke Lhe sLory of Lhe sorcerer's apprenLlce. ln medlLaLlon we move lnLo a dlfferenL season, away
from Lhe ego's deslre for endless summer and lnLo Lhe spaclousness of wlnLer. 1hls ls Lhe Lerraln
revealed by releaslng and relaxlng, empLylng ouL our assumpLlons and leLLlng go of all LhaL we
know.
!)$( 1" *$55 ',%2"5<"2 .2 $ -'<"-"&( '+ /.$5'?,"
5L9* ?,' ?4:: ) @( 4. ) ,#A( 3'*,431E= Well LhaL ls whaL we have Lo flnd ouL. 5L9* ) /'3C* ?#3* *'
43A($*41#*( 6%$(:.8 ) K9$* ?#3* *' @( *,( 6( ) ;3'? ) #6M= Why? 5L(2#9$( ) ;3'? ,'? *' /' 4*
#3/ @(2#9$( ) ;3'? *,#* 4* 6#;($ $(3$(<= 1haL ls Lhe polnL where we declde Lo sLay ln our
famlllar hablLual narraLlve, our sLoryllne, whlch, agaln, ls cosy. lL ls noL bad, lL can be useful, lL ls
[usL LhaL lL ls llmlLed. We wlll never experlence our unllmlLed naLure lf we keep ldenLlfylng wlLh

www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
10
whaL ls llmlLed. 1hus, Lhere ls a klnd of LrusL LhaL ls lnvolved ln leLLlng go of Lhe form ln order Lo
experlence ourselves as formless, as shapeless. CuL of Lhls formlessness many forms arlse. 1hls ls
Lhe paradox LhaL ouL of noLhlng comes everyLhlng, yeL when we cllng Lo someLhlng lL keeps
sllpplng away. lL has always been llke Lhls. 1hls ls Lhe facL of our llves, lL ls noL some klnd of
absLracL Lheory.
lor example, you were once flve and when you were flve you dld Lhlngs you dldn'L do laLer when
you were Len. And when you were flfLeen you weren'L dolng Lhe Lhlngs you were dolng aL Len.
Lach of us has been Lhrough LhaL, we have been many dlfferenL people. 1haL ls a facL. now, you
could add all Lhese experlences LogeLher layer-afLer-layer llke a huge lasagne: 5+,4$ 4$ 6% :4.(B *,4$
4$ ,'? 4* 4$8= or one can see 5N,(-( #6 ) #:4A(E <<<'3:% ,(-(<<<'3:% 3'? 43 *,4$ *-#3$4(3* 7'43* '.
43.434*( /4$$':A431< )* 4$ ,#77(3431 6'6(3*O@%O6'6(3*< P'6(*,431 3(? 4$ ,#77(3431 #3/ #::
*,#* ,#$ ,#77(3(/ ,#$ 1'3( #3/ #:: *,#* ,#$3C* ,#77(3(/ %(* ,#$3C* #--4A(/<= 1haL ls Lo say, lf
we sLay wlLh Lhe lmmedlacy of experlence raLher Lhan elaboraLlng a narraLlve, we see LhaL all we
have ls Lhls momenL. 1he very Lranslence of all Lhe Lhlngs LhaL have happened can help us see
LhaL Lhls momenL wlll also go, and LhaL Lherefore Lhls momenL cannoL be our Lrue essence. 1hls
momenL cannoL deflne who we Lruly are, lL can only show how, here and now, we are
conLexLually revealed.
Cur manlfesLaLlon ls Lhe dlsplay or Lhe movemenL of our energy ln Lhe world wlLh oLhers. 8uL
where does lL come from? ?ou could say from god, you could say from karma, or you could look
dlrecLly and see: where do you arlse from momenL-by-momenL? Where does Lhls world come
from? ?ou could sLudy Charles uarwln or you could [usL be presenL wlLh yourself. LveryLhlng ls
happenlng buL whaL ls Lhe ground of LhaL happenlng? We won'L geL Lo lL by a sLory because
sLorles cover Lhe ground ln Lhe very acL of Lrylng Lo reveal lL. 1he world ls full of sLorles abouL
where we came from. Lvery culLure has some klnd of prlmordlal foundaLlon myLh abouL gods
comlng down on a ladder or a plece of clay belng breaLhed lnLo and so on. More locally we also
have Lhe sLorles of our famllles, our parenLs and grandparenLs. 1hrough Lherapy we can come Lo
see how our personallLles have developed wlLh Lhe famlly maLrlx. 1hls can help generaLe a more
supporLlve sLory. 8uL lL ls sLlll a sLory.
1he quesLlon, Lhen, ls Lo look aL Lhls momenL and see where does lL come from? lor example, aL
Lhe momenL l am speaklng and words are comlng ouL of me. 1here ls no word facLory lnslde me, l
don'L have a llLLle scrlpL LhaL l am pulllng ouL of my Longue llke a klnd of ecLoplasm. l am speaklng
wlLh you. Pere l am, l look around, l see your faces and Lhe words come ouL of my mouLh and
afLer a whlle Lhey wlll sLop. 1haL ls whaL belng human ls. Where does Lhls come from? lL comes
from our belng LogeLher. 1he words only have meanlng lf you are here. erhaps l could become
llke one of Lhese drlven preachers, l could brlng along my soap box and puL lL ln Lhe fleld wlLh Lhe
cows and Lell Lhem Lhe good news and Lhe holy LruLh, buL Lhere's noL much polnL Lo LhaL. 1haL ls
Lo say, we emerge ln slLuaLlons. And we can only do LhaL lf we are open Lo Lhe slLuaLlon, noL
havlng someLhlng Lo sell, noL havlng an agenda. Cf course, we have many mlcro-agendas and
Lhey are parL of Lhe mlx buL Lhey can also llmlL our lnLenLlon and avallablllLy. 8y openlng Lo all Lhe
avallable lngredlenLs, all Lhe poLenLlal resources, we can relax and allow Lhe co-emergence of self
and oLher as Lemporary gesLures. lf we sLarL Lo experlence Lhe lmmedlacy and unpredlcLablllLy of
our co-emergence wlLh Lhe envlronmenL, Lhe acLuallLy of Lhe non-duallLy of self and oLher,
sub[ecL and ob[ecL, Lhen we don'L need Lo be so afrald, for we see LhaL lL ls noL all up Lo us.
AcLually, oLher people wlll glve us whaL we need. 1hey glve us a smlle or a nod or a frown and we
are Lhere ln LhaL momenL wlLh Lhem.
1here ls an enormous lonellness ln llvlng lnslde oneself. Cur educaLlon and human culLure
generally encourages a klnd of menLallsaLlon, a sense LhaL we llve %&/%*" ourselves, maybe,
lndeed, ln our heads as a bunch of ldeas: 5) ,#A( # 6(3*#: (J4$*(32( #3/ ) ,#A( *' ?'-; '9* ,'?

www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
11
*' 6'A( '9* .-'6 6%$(:. 43*' *,( ?'-:/ ?,(-( %'9 19%$ :4A( Q %'9 19%$ #-( #:-(#/% '9* *,(-( 43
*,( ?'-:/ @9* ) #6 43 6(<= 1haL ls whaL mosL of us experlence: we look ouL of our eyes, we llsLen
ouL of our ears, Lo all Lhls sLuff whlch ls already golng on, wlLh Lhe feellng of how do we geL lnLo
lL?
1hls ls, of course, an llluslon. ln buddhlsm Lhls ls Lhe foundaLlonal llluslon of bellevlng ln Lhe
essenLlal duallLy of self and oLher, sub[ecL and ob[ecL. 1haL ls Lo say, Lhe sense of 'we' has been
Lorn aparL by Lhe hablL of lgnorlng whaL ls Lhere and assumlng a fundamenLal separaLlon and
dlfference beLween me and you. 1hls leads us each Lo a pre-occupaLlon wlLh our own ldeas, our
own 'lnLernal' sLuff. AcLually, we are all ln Lhls LogeLher, we are born lnLo Lhe world as parL of Lhe
world, we are always parLlclpaLlng ln belng wlLh oLhers. And Lherefore, how we are, lncludlng
whaL we Lake Lo be lnslde ourselves - our LhoughLs, feellngs, sensaLlons and so on - are creaLed
ouL of Lhe presence of oLhers. lf you go off for a walk on your own ln Lhe woods Lhlngs wlll be
arlslng, as lL were, lnLernally, buL Lhey arlse ln relaLlon Lo someLhlng else. erhaps Lhere are
memorles of belng Lhere before wlLh a frlend who ls noL Lhere now. 1here ls some sLory of Lhls
and LhaL, and cerLaln feellngs arlse. 1haL ls Lo say, you are ln lnLeracLlon, we don'L have a slngular
self. WhaL we call ourselves ls a movemenL of dlalogue, a movemenL of energy golng 'ouL' and
energy comlng 'ln'.
7)%"" QC$= -"/.($(.'&
l wlll now show you a very slmply form of slLLlng whlch can open up some of whaL we have been
Lalklng abouL. 1he funcLlon of Lhe pracLlce ls Lo lnLegraLe sLlllness and movemenL, and because
we Lend Lo be caughL up ln movemenL a loL of Lhe Llme, ln Lhe pracLlce we Lend Lo prlvllege
sLlllness. 1hls doesn'L mean LhaL medlLaLlon ls prlmarlly abouL a reLreaL or wlLhdrawal, raLher lL ls
Lo explore Lhe slLe or Lhe polnL from whlch you have experlence.
AL flrsL we slL ln a quleL way buL afLer a whlle you can conLlnue Lhls as you are movlng around,
parLlclpaLlng ln whaLever ls happenlng: Lalklng, eaLlng and so on. 1he pracLlce ls noL abouL dolng
someLhlng dlfferenL buL raLher awakenlng Lo your own naLure. 1he whole funcLlon of Lhls
pracLlce ls noL Lo make anyLhlng arLlflclal, raLher lL ls Lo flnd a naLural polnL of relaxed openness
whlch allows whaLever ls occurrlng Lo occur wlLhouL lnLerference. WlLh whaLever appears,
lncludlng all LhaL you Lake Lo be yourself, leL lL be as lL ls.
?ou can Lry Lhls wlLh your eyes open or closed. Powever, generally, we do lL wlLh our gaze open
lnLo Lhe space ln fronL of us. lf you close your eyes lL can glve Lhe sense of belng, as lL were, ln
oneself, as lf 'Lhls ls who l am'. Whereas, whaL l have been aLLempLlng Lo share wlLh you ls LhaL
who we are ls all of Lhls LogeLher, all LhaL ls occurrlng momenL-by momenL ls happenlng all aL
once. lor Lhls reason, ln Lhls LradlLlon, we usually do Lhe pracLlce wlLh our gaze open. We are noL
sLarlng aL anyLhlng buL our gaze ls genLly focused abouL Lwo arms lengLh ln fronL of us. We ease
ourselves lnLo Lhe space so LhaL we are noL sLarlng ouL and we are noL golng hazy. We are [usL
relaxed and open. And Lhen, Lo release Lhe Lenslons and Lhe ways ln whlch we are caughL up ln
ldenLlflcaLlon wlLh LhoughLs and feellngs, we [usL make an easy sound, usually maklng Lhe sound,
'Aa'. ?ou can do lL on Lhe sllenL ouL-breaLh lf you are aL work and you need some space, buL here
we can make Lhe sound 'Aa' Lhree Llmes.
'Aa' ln Lhe LradlLlon represenLs openness, Lhe naLure of Lhe mlnd and Lhe ground of all Lhe
buddhas. lL releases everyLhlng wlLhouL esLabllshlng anyLhlng. 'Aa' as a sound ls held Lo be Lhe
basls of all oLher sounds. ln Lhe SanskrlL and 1lbeLan alphabeLs all Lhe consonanLs Lake 'Aa' as
Lhelr vowel and so Lhere ls a sense LhaL all words and consLrucLlons arlse from lL. 1hus, 'Aa' ls Lhe

www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
12
polnL of elaboraLlon lnLo all language, all words, all namlng, buL also Lhe polnL where Lhey can all
be collapsed down lnLo sllence. And LhaL ls whaL we do as we say 'Aa', we leL all our consLrucLlons
dlssolve lnLo empLlness. All Lhe enLlLles of Lhe world, lncludlng ourselves, are held ln place by our
own menLal acLlvlLy. AcLually Lhey are empLy of lnherenL self-naLure, Lhey have no lnLernal
deflnlng essence. When Lhe mlnd ls sLlll Lhere ls only space and clarlLy. 1hls open empLlness ls
Lhe lnflnlLy wlLhln whlch all movemenL, all experlence, ls always already lnLegraLed.
AfLer we have made Lhe sound of 'Aa' we [usL slL ln an open way, relaxed wlLh whaLever comes. lf
lL seems llke buslness as usual, your usual LhoughLs, [usL open Lo Lhem, don'L collapse lnLo Lhem
and follow Lhem because LhaL ls already an acLlvlLy. As much as posslble, allow whaL ls arlslng Lo
come and go. 1hls lncludes all LhaL arlses for our senses, and all LhoughLs, sensaLlons, feellngs.
1he key polnL ls Lo observe movemenL as movemenL. lf a LhoughL caLches you, for example, lf you
are suddenly aware of Lhe wall and you enLer lnLo Lhe LhoughLs LhaL arlse abouL lL, Lhey wlll Lake
you on a llLLle [ourney wlLhouL acLually golng anywhere. As soon as you recognlse LhaL Lhls has
happened, [usL sLay presenL wlLh LhaL facL and some space wlll open up. We enLer lnLo worlds
creaLed by Lhe [uxLaposlLlon of LhoughLs, feellngs, sensaLlons and percepLlons, and each of Lhese
LranslenL, capLlvaLlng worlds ls ln flow. 1hus, lL ls noL LhaL we are Lrylng Lo empLy Lhe mlnd, as Lhe
empLy mlnd ls consLanLly empLylng and consLanLly fllllng. WlLhouL reslsLlng Lhe paLLernlng,
wlLhouL Lrylng Lo malnLaln any parLlcular dlrecLlon, we [usL slL aL ease allowlng our experlence Lo
be however lL ls. LeL us do Lhls for a shorL perlod of Llme, maybe Len mlnuLes or so.
!"2+0&%/%&0 )1" %&)"03$)%+& +( /)%44&"// $&* #+5"#"&)
ln pracLlclng ln Lhls way, we are noL aLLempLlng Lo shape Lhe mlnd ln a parLlcular dlrecLlon. lor
example, lf you do shamaLa or vlpassana medlLaLlons, LhaL ls Lo say, calmlng Lhe mlnd or
developlng lnslghL lnLo Lhe arlslng and passlng of experlence, Lhere ls a parLlcular lnLenLlon
whereln you are ouL Lo Lry Lo do someLhlng, Lo become more calm or more clear. Powever, Lhe
dlfflculLy wlLh lnLenLlon, as l was lndlcaLlng earller, ls LhaL lL means Lhere ls a klnd of formallsm
whlch Lakes over, one ls shaplng oneself Lowards someLhlng. 1he 'good' ldea becomes a LemplaLe
LhaL we Lhen sLrlve Lo allgn ourselves wlLh. Powever, mosL of us llve ln Lhe complexlLy of
unregulaLed dally demands. We are noL llvlng ln a monasLery where you can slL for many hours a
day ln a parLlcular rlLuallsed way. We have Lo be ln lnLeracLlon wlLh oLher people ln all Lhelr
unpredlcLablllLy. 1herefore, lf we prlvllege a klnd of sLlllness whlch ls only achleved by separaLlng
from whaL ls golng on, by renounclng Lhe slLuaLlon, we Lhen flnd Lhe world Lo be qulLe
problemaLlc. And of course many people who go on medlLaLlon reLreaLs experlence LhaL. Whlle
Lhey are on reLreaL everyLhlng ls calm and clear buL Lhen Lhey come back lnLo Lhe world and Lhey
flnd Lhemselves feellng dlsLurbed, ln facL perhaps deflled, because everyLhlng seems almosL
conLamlnaLed compared Lo Lhe purlLy of a sacred space.
Powever, Lhe mlnd lLself cannoL be conLamlnaLed. Awareness ls noL polluLed by anyLhlng LhaL
occurs. !usL as wlLh a mlrror, lL ls noL made happy by havlng someLhlng beauLlful puL ln fronL of lL
nor made sad or dlsLurbed by havlng someLhlng ugly puL ln fronL of lL. WhaLever arlses ln
awareness [usL passes Lhrough. lL doesn'L leave any Lrace. Powever, whaLever arlses for us as a
'person' does have an lmpacL and does have a Lrace. 1hus, Lhe vlLal Lhlng ls Lo see Lhe dlfference
beLween your parLlclpaLlve consclousness, LhaL ls Lo say, Lhe way ln whlch you process your
experlence, and Lhe baslc awareness whlch reveals Lhls experlence. 1o be human ls Lo be happy
and sad and so on, lL would be Lraglc noL Lo have LhaL experlence. lf you go Lo holy place you can
see holy people belng holy and whaL Lhey have ls a 'holy llfe'. 1haL ls Lhelr cholce, one LhaL carrles
advanLages and dlsadvanLages. 8uL you can also have an ordlnary llfe, you can waLch Lelevlslon,
eaL a plzza, or you can run around and cause mayhem. 1he key Lhlng ls Lo see Lhe acLual naLure of
whaL ls occurrlng. lf you are good, lf you are bad, whaL ls Lhe acLual quallLy of LhaL? lL ls acLlvlLy.

www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
13
lL ls movemenL. Cur acLlvlLy dlsplays our energy, our movemenL - lL does noL deflne who we
'really' are. 1hls ls because our ground, our source, our belng, our 'essence', ls an unborn,
ungraspable openness. Cur movemenL ls lmporLanL only ln Lerms of lLs lmpacL on oLhers. lL
doesn'L esLabllsh anyLhlng beyond Lhe momenL of lLs appearance. 1o Lry Lo make Lhe mlnd noL
move, where mlnd ls undersLood as belng composlLe, Lhe sum of 'all LhaL l am', ls lmposslble,
rldlculous. Powever, a loL of medlLaLlon Lechnlques alm aL Lhls goal. lor alLhough Lhe mlnd as
awareness ls always calm, Lhe mlnd as manlfesLaLlon, as LhoughL, feellng, sensaLlon, experlence, ls
always movlng.
MovemenL ls Lhe quallLy of compasslon, we go ouL Lowards Lhe world and Lhe world comes
Lowards us. We experlence boLh world and self slmulLaneously. 8uL who ls Lhe experlencer of
Lhe flow of LhaL compasslon? 1hls ls Lhe mlnd lLself, llke Lhe mlrror. 1he mlrror never changes buL
Lhe formaLlon of ourselves ln Lhe world wlLh oLhers ls changlng all Lhe Llme. 1herefore, Lo Lry Lo
sLop your LhoughLs, Lo Lry Lo geL Lhem Lo be llke orderly sheep golng one afLer Lhe oLher ls a
pracLlce whlch requlres a huge amounL of efforL and cannoL really go anywhere. 1hls ls because lL
can only be malnLalned for a whlle under cerLaln condlLlons, and when Lhe condlLlons change lL
sLops happenlng. lL ls very llberaLlng Lo see Lhls.
1here ls a concepL ln buddhlsm, dependenL co-orlglnaLlon, whlch means, slmply, 'on Lhe basls of
Lhls, LhaL arlses', 'Lhls evenL' and 'LhaL evenL' are always llnked LogeLher. 'Self' and 'oLher' are noL
Lwo separaLe worlds. lor example, people lnsulL us and we feel angry or upseL or people are
sweeL Lo us and we feel warm and connecLed, LhaL ls [usL how lL goes. 1hese are Lhe pulsaLlons of
llfe. lL ls llke a ponLoon brldge. As soon as you puL your fooL on one blL anoLher blL moves. lL ls
consLanLly llke LhaL. 1he ldea LhaL you could sLablllse lL would be lmposslble, ponLoon brldges
move, LhaL ls whaL Lhey do. 1he whole of exlsLence ls an lnLeracLlve fleld - noLhlng sLands aparL
or alone.
1herefore, recognlslng movemenL as movemenL allows us Lo see Lhe dlfference beLween sLlllness
and movemenL, and also Lo see LhaL Lhe Lwo are lnLegraLed, LhaL Lhey are lnseparable. 1hey are
dlfferenL buL lnseparable. lf you Lry Lo geL Lhe 'blL' LhaL ls sLlll Lo move, lL ls noL golng Lo happen,
and lf you Lry Lo geL Lhe 'blL' LhaL moves Lo be sLlll, lL ls also noL golng Lo happen. So, belng clear
abouL Lhe dlfference beLween sLlllness and movemenL ls very lmporLanL.
1hus, when we slL, movemenL ls occurrlng, and LhaL's flne. We don'L have Lo block lL. WhaL we
sLarL Lo see ls how Lhere are dlfferenL levels of movemenL. lor example, a LhoughL arlses and
Lhen we have a reacLlon Lo lL. lf we llke Lhe LhoughL we wanL Lo hang onLo lL or we fall lnLo lL and
go lnLo a llLLle sLory for a whlle. And lf we don'L llke lL, or Lhlnk LhaL we shouldn'L have lL ln our
mlnd, we Lry Lo push lL away and dls-ldenLlfy wlLh lL. 1hese reacLlons are also movemenL. 1he
movemenL of Lhls edlLorlal, self-deflnlng aspecL of our exlsLence ls noL wrong, [usL perhaps a llLLle
unnecessary, for lL ls grounded ln Lhe ldea LhaL 'l am Lhe one who wlll deLermlne whaL happens Lo
me'. 'l am Lhe one ln charge' - Lhls feels normal, as lf lL ls Lrue. ?eL lL ls [usL anoLher movemenL
wlLhouL essence or flxed place Lo sLand. 1here ls noL a deflnlLe 'me' who ls ln charge of my llfe, a
'me' who can consLraln whaL ls golng on. 1hls ls even clearer lf you have klds, for your llfe ls never
golng Lo be yours agaln, you are golng Lo geL moved here and Lhere. 1o parLlclpaLe ls Lo be parL of
someLhlng and LhaL means noL belng ln charge of lL from Lhe Lop, buL also noL belng sub[ugaLed by
lL, buL Lo be ln lL. ?ou are ln Lhe morass, you are movlng wlLh lL, as parL of lL. 1haL ls Lhe naLure of
movemenL.



www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
14
6%/*+# $&* 2+#,$//%+&7 $ &$)83$4 $"/)1")%2 +( 2+&&"2)%5%)9
1o requlre movemenL Lo be sLlll and orderly ls a klnd of lnsanlLy. 8aLher, we can slmply allow
movemenL Lo arlse as lL does so LhaL we experlence lLs ephemeral beauLy. 1hus Lhe organlslng
prlnclple becomes noL conLrol buL our aesLheLlc appreclaLlon. llxed poslLlons and solld bellefs are
a klnd of anaesLheLlc, Lhey puL us Lo sleep and lull us wlLh dreams of Lhe ego's power and
knowledge. Awakenlng ls a reLurn Lo Lhe aesLheLlc, Lo Lhe lmmedlacy of Lhe senses, Lo Lhe
rlchness of experlence. SLaylng open Lo whaL ls, reveals a new sense of beauLy, noL as a quallLy
presenL or noL ln Lhe ob[ecL, buL as a mode of belng, Lhe rlchness of engagemenL wlLh Lhe
unedlLed fleld. ln Lhe LradlLlon Lhls ls referred Lo as Lhe sambogakaya, Lhe body or sphere of
en[oymenL of everyLhlng.
As our fear of Lhe world lessens, we open Lo a more aLLuned aLLenLlon Lo how oLher people are.
1hls aLLenLlon allows us Lo be more preclse, more exqulslLe, ln our relaLlon wlLh oLhers. We are
Lhen noL havlng Lo pull Lhem ln or push Lhem away accordlng Lo our map of how Lhlngs should be,
we accepL LhaL oLher people are as Lhey are and work wlLh LhaL. 1hen Lhe quesLlon, Pow wlll l be
wlLh Lhem?" becomes creaLlve, openlng us agaln and agaln Lo our lnflnlLe poLenLlal. lf, however,
we sLlck Lo a very narrow reperLolre of moves, Lhere wlll be a loL of people we won'L wanL Lo be
wlLh because we cannoL sLruL our sLuff wlLh Lhem: 5) 2#3C* @''14( @(2#9$( *,(% /'3C* 7:#% 6%
*93(<= 1haL ls Lhe general llmlLaLlon of belng over-ldenLlfled wlLh whaL we Lake Lo be Lhe flxlLy of
our personallLy.
1he Lask Lhen ls Lo llve ln Lhe vlbranL acLuallLy where wlsdom and compasslon are llnked LogeLher.
ln Lhe slLLlng pracLlce, Lhe more we allow Lhe wlld fronLlers of our mlnd Lo be revealed, Lhe more
we sLarL Lo see how really sLrange we are and see Lhe klnd of welrd shlL LhaL ls movlng around
lnslde us. When we are noL frlghLened by LhaL, LhaL accepLance loosens us up so we are more
able Lo make dlverse moves ln Lhe world wlLh oLher people. We Lhen sLarL Lo be able Lo meeL
people as Lhey are, and respond lnLo Lhe slLuaLlon as lL ls. lor example, lf you hang ouL wlLh klds
you do whaL klds need you Lo do. 1hen, lf you speak wlLh adulLs or you speak wlLh elderly people,
your mode of belng changes. ?ou speak ln dlfferenL ways wlLh angry people and wlLh sad people.
1haL ls Lo say, each of Lhese lnLeracLlons can allow us Lo come forward, Lo manlfesL lnLo Lhe
slLuaLlon wlLh a flne Lunlng whlch ls noL an acL of wlll buL ls [usL Lhe naLural aesLheLlc of
connecLlvlLy. lL ls noL someLhlng you have Lo do buL raLher an easy flow of emergence revealed
by puLLlng yourself ln Lhe way of lL. And we do LhaL by releaslng all Lhe lnLenLlons, plans and
oplnlons LhaL are our hablLual slLe of operaLlng, and LrusL LhaL our open presence ln Lhe momenL
wlll be enough.
1hus, Lhe more relaxed we are, Lhe more aL ease, Lhe more flnely aLLuned we become. And Lhe
harder we Lry hard, Lhe more we seL agendas for ourselves, agendas LhaL creaLe a klnd of
bllnkerlng or foreclosure. 1hls brlngs a narrowness LhaL agaln and agaln lnsLalls Lhe wlll-Lo-power,
Lhe deslre Lo conLrol, Lo have Lhlngs on our Lerms. Powever, Lhe more we see LhaL we are open,
we have less sense of 'our Lerms' - llfe ls as lL ls. lf you go ouL and have a plcnlc wlLh klds you do
whaL everyone wanLs Lo do. SomeLlmes you geL your way and someLlmes Lhey geL Lhelr way, LhaL
ls how lL moves. lL ls pulsaLlon lsn'L lL? lL's noL an aLLempL aL self-abnegaLlon. And parL of lL ls Lo
know when Lo have your way and when Lo leL oLher people have Lhelr way. Powever, Lhere ls no
rule book LhaL wlll show you how Lo do LhaL, lL comes Lhrough your belly, Lhrough belng
connecLed.
lor example, lf you are ln a group and you are speaklng, how do you flnd Lhe rhyLhm of knowlng
when Lo speak? very ofLen lf people are ln Lhelr own heads Lhey are so pre-occupled wlLh whaL
Lhey wanL Lo say LhaL Lhey lnLerrupL oLher people and Lhen geL a negaLlve reacLlon. 1hen Lhey

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13
mlghL say, 5N(::8 ?,#* 4$ *,( 7'43* '. 6( *-%431 *' *#:; #$ %'9 19%$ /'3C* ?#3* *' :4$*(3M= Well,
we wlll llsLen buL someone else was Lalklng." 5G(#,8 4* 4$ #:?#%$ :4;( *,#*MM= And lL ls always golng
Lo be llke LhaL lf we cannoL flnd Lhe door, flnd Lhe momenL. llndlng Lhe momenL, belng ln Lhe
pulse, belng ln Lhe rhyLhm ls revealed Lhrough noL defendlng ourselves agalnsL lL. And Lhere ls a
baslc LrusL ln LhaL, LhaL Lhere ls enough Lo go around, LhaL Lhere wlll be Llme for everyone lf we
blde our Llme.
When we lose Lhe pulse and swlrl ln our self-preoccupaLlon Lhere ls ofLen a drlvenness LhaL ls a
klnd of anxleLy: 5N,#* #@'9* 6(E N4:: ) 1(* ?,#* ) 3((/E= Powever, Lhe more we relax and open
we see LhaL Lhe one who needs someLhlng ls a Lemporary arlslng. lor example, when you wake
up ln Lhe mornlng you need Lo have a pee. ?ou Lhen have a pee and you don'L need Lo have one
agaln for a whlle, lL ls [usL llke LhaL. Powever, when you need Lo have a pee lL ls a good ldea Lo
have a pee. 1haL ls Lo say, Lhere ls an lmmedlacy ln Lhe world buL Lhere ls no LruLh ln lL. lL doesn'L
esLabllsh anyLhlng. MosL of whaL we do doesn'L esLabllsh anyLhlng. lf you have klds, Lhey are
changlng and growlng and you are changlng and growlng and LhaL ls whaL lL ls. lL goes on for
some years and Lhen Lhey go away - and LhaL ls whaL lL ls. WhaL was lL all abouL? lL wasn'L abouL
anyLhlng, Lhere ls no doggle bag, Lhere ls noLhlng Lo Lake home aL Lhe end of Lhe experlence. All
you have goL ls wheLher you were Lhere or noL, because lf you were Lhere you goL lL. lf you were
Lhere wlLh Lhem when Lhey were very small you geL LhaL, and all Lhrough Lhe sLages, lf you are
Lhere, LhaL ls whaL you geL - and lf you are noL Lhere you don'L geL lL.
:)$9%&0 ;%)1 )1" 3$; %&03"*%"&)/
Llfe ls noL a Lheory, lL ls noL concepLually based. lL ls abouL LasLe, lL ls abouL Lhe senses. So whaL ls
lL Lhen LhaL allows us Lo be mosL ln LhaL sLaLe? lL ls noL sLrlvlng, noL anxleLy, noL pushlng buL
flndlng ourselves where we are, whlch ls already 'ln lL', however lL ls. And Lhe value of each
momenL 'as lL ls', ls revealed Lhrough belng Lhere ln LhaL momenL, noL by maklng lL speclal.
Speclal ls a very unhelpful noLlon because speclal ls relaLed Lo noL speclal. 1herefore, lf you move
Lowards Lhe world wlLh a caLegorlsaLlon, wlLh an organlslng prlnclple whlch ls aLLrlbuLlng value,
whaL you wlll Lhen be dolng ls looklng for Lhe Lhlngs whlch have LhaL parLlcular value. 1hus, lL ls
abouL belng wlLh whaL Lhlngs are, belng wlLh how lL ls, wlLh your body as lL ls, your healLh as lL ls,
your emoLlons as Lhey are - [usL belng open Lo LhaL.
1herefore, lf you are depressed you can be depressed. 5L9* ) /'3C* ?#3* *' @( /(7-($$(/<= Well,
Lhe facL of noL wanLlng Lo be depressed doesn'L sLop Lhe depresslon. lL mlghL geL you some
anLldepressanLs buL Lhey probably won'L shlfL Lhe sLrucLure of your depresslon. lf you are
depressed you can be wlLh lL. WhaL ls depresslon? lL ls someLhlng whlch moves ln space and
Llme. lL ls a mood. And lf you sLay presenL wlLh lL you can experlence lL as movemenL. 8uL lf you
Lry Lo separaLe from lL, lL becomes someLhlng LhaL geLs you. lL becomes an lmpedlmenL, a
monkey on your back, and you feel oppressed by 'lL'. Powever, 'lL' ls 'you', when you are
depressed. So Lhls ls how l am. WhaL ls Lhls? lf we aLLend slmply and openly Lo Lhe polnL of
resLrlcLlon we wlll see LhaL Lhe form moves and changes whlle Lhe one who aLLends, lf relaxed,
open and free of personal blas, remalns as ungraspable awareness. 1he same applles when you
are happy. 1o enqulre whaL ls happlness?" doesn'L mean wrlLlng an essay abouL lL for lL ls
revealed by offerlng non-ldenLlflcaLory hosplLallLy Lo lL.
1hls goes back Lo Lhe lmage of Lhe mlrror, ln LhaL Lhe mlrror ls compleLely open Lo whaLever ls
Lhere. lL ls noL llmlLed or blased, lL never says, 5) ,#A( ,#/ (3'91, '. *,4$<= Moreover, everyLhlng
wlll go by lLself. 1he 8uddha's baslc Leachlngs, Lhe mosL baslc and perhaps Lhe mosL profound
Leachlngs, are abouL lmpermanence. 1haL ls Lo say, whaLever ls arlslng ls also passlng. WheLher
we Lhlnk an experlence ls exLernal or lnLernal, lL ls changlng. And because every experlence ls

www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
16
always changlng, each momenL ls ungraspable. 1herefore grasplng noL very useful. 1haL ls preLLy
obvlous. Powever, we spend so much of our llves Lrylng Lo shape evenLs as a means of
approprlaLlon, Lrylng Lo geL whaL we wanL. Cf course we need Lo shape Lhlngs. lf you are golng Lo
cook a plzza you need Lo shape lL. lf you are golng Lo bake a cake you need Lo shape lL. lf you are
golng Lo Lalk wlLh klds and help Lhem do Lhelr homework you have Lo shape LhaL Llme. lL ls noL
shaplng LhaL ls wrong ln lLself, for shaplng ls a dynamlc way of lnLeracLlng wlLh Lhe fleld one
lnhablLs. Powever, lf we use our ablllLy Lo lnfluence whaL ls occurrlng as a meLhod of generaLlng
'my sense of who l am' Lhen we become over-conLrolllng. 8y focuslng on our own agenda our
aLLlLude becomes self-referenLlal and so Loo much ls aL sLake ln every slLuaLlon. 1hls ls Lrylng Lo
squeeze buLLer ouL of Lhe cow, Lhe cow wlll glve you mllk Lhen you have Lo do someLhlng wlLh Lhe
mllk Lo make Lhe buLLer. 1haL ls Lo say, lf you wanL Lo elaboraLe some blg sLory for yourself you
can do lL buL Lhe unlverse doesn'L glve you LhaL dlrecLly. 1he unlverse glves you Lhe raw
lngredlenLs.
lf you sLay wlLh Lhe raw lngredlenLs of lmmedlaLe experlence, lnflnlLe posslblllLles open up.
Powever, lf you are always already applylng your own flxed reclpe Lo whaLever fresh lngredlenL
occurs, your dleL wlll become very llmlLed and noL many people wlll be able Lo eaL wlLh you.
When we are reLracL and become rlgld, dlsappolnLmenL glves us a real whack, buL when we relax
lnLo our spaclousness, dlsappolnLmenL ls [usL a LranslenL momenL wlLh no fundemenLal lmpacL.
Cood Llmes come and go and bad Llmes come and go. Papplness comes and sorrow comes.
Lvery posslble evenL lles wlLhln Lhe comlng and golng of Lhe flow of experlence. We are noL Lhe
conLenL of our mlnd and yeL we are lnseparable from Lhe conLenL of our mlnd. 1he conLenL of our
mlnd ls experlence, lL ls noL self-deflnlLlon, lL ls noL essence. 1hus, lf you have bad Llmes, Lhese
bad Llmes don'L deflne who you are. lf you geL a blL crazy for a whlle or you feel collapsed or
worLhless and llfe loses lLs meanlng, lf you can relax and be presenL wlLh whaL's happenlng lL wlll
pass wlLh less of a Lrace.
1herefore, lL ls very lmporLanL noL Lo feel Loo ln charge. 1he worsL punlshmenL you can geL ln llfe
ls Lo feel LhaL 5)* 4$ #:: 97 *' 6(<= 1haL ls a very sad and lonely place. AcLually, our llfe ls revealed
Lhrough belng wlLh oLhers. Cur llfe comes Lo us, lL ls glven Lo us when we make Lhe gesLure of
welcomlng lL. And someLlmes LhaL ls happy and someLlmes lL ls sad buL lL ls a revelaLlon, lL ls noL
a Lhlng you can hang onLo. 1hls ls really Lhe baslc hearL of Lhe dzogchen Leachlngs, LhaL Lhere are
no Lhlngs, Lhere are only momenLs of ungraspable experlence arlslng wlLhln Lhe open fleld of
awareness. And Lhe more we see LhaL we are lnLegraLed ln open spaclousness Lhe more Lhe
momenLs are flne [usL as Lhey are. 1haL ls Lhe baslcs.
R,"2(.'&2 $&/ %"23'&2"2
Are Lhere any LhoughLs or quesLlons you would llke Lo ralse?
/0,'#1*+: SomeLlmes Lhere [usL seems Lo be an aspecL of yourself LhaL ls you, llke you were saylng
earller. lL ls very easy Lo snap back Lo someLhlng you know LhaL you are very comforLable wlLh.
Pow do you deal wlLh Lhose klnd of perslsLenL, leL's say, aspecLs of yourself LhaL do come ouL ln
your behavlour someLlmes - and lL's llke: 5>,<<< 4* 4$ %'9 #1#43=?
2%.,': 1haL ls a very helpful quesLlon because Lhere are Lwo aspecLs Lhere: someLhlng ls arlslng
$&* Lhen Lhere ls an lnvesLmenL ln lL, an ldenLlflcaLlon wlLh lL. lor example, wlLh someLhlng whlch
seems a famlllar parL of oneself: 5) #6 K9$* @(431 6(8= Lhere ls a klnd of merglng %&)+ Lhe LhoughL
and a seallng off: 5+,4$ /(.43($ ?,' ) #6<= WlLhouL sLopplng belng llke LhaL, [usL by belng presenL
wlLh lL raLher Lhan collapsed lnLo lL, you sLarL Lo experlence lLs dynamlc naLure. 1haL ls Lo say, Lhe

www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
17
feellng, 5+,4$ 4$ 6(8= ls boLh Lrue and false. lL ls Lrue ln LhaL Lhls ls how l am now ln Lhese
clrcumsLances, buL lL ls noL Lrue ln LhaL Lhls lL deflnes 'who l really am'.
1hus, ln Lhe second aspecL Lhere ls an over lnvesLmenL, Lhe sense of fuslon: 5R'? ) ,#A( .'93/
6%$(:.= or 5+,4$ 4$ ?,#* ) #6 2'6.'-*#@:( @(431<= eople ofLen say: 5>,8 ) #6 3'* 2'6.'-*#@:(
/'431 *,#*<= Powever, a loL of llfe ls noL comforLable. And lf you make comforL or happlness Lhe
basls of your exlsLence Lhere ls a loL you have Lo geL rld of. lL ls more helpful Lo conslder, 5N,#*
#6 ) $4**431 '3E N,#* 4$ *,( 1-'93/ '- @#$4$ '. 6% (J4$*(32(E= lf lL ls a LhoughL, you slL ln lL for a
whlle buL Lhen lL vanlshes and you are sLuck ln Lhe alr llke one of Lhose carLoons where Lhe guy
runs off Lhe Lop of a cllff and hls legs keep runnlng Llll he suddenly falls. 1haL ls Lo say, whaLever
we fuse wlLh ls noL golng Lo lasL. Powever, lL ls noL LhaL we can push experlence away and have
noLhlng Lo do wlLh lL. nor does lL mean we have Lo be compleLely fused ln lL. lL ls abouL flndlng
Lhe mlddle way of belng presenL, relaxed and open and worklng wlLh how we are ln Lhe momenL
ln Lhls slLuaLlon.
lor example, say LhaL you flnd LhaL someLhlng ls easy Lo do, buL Lhen laLer lL seems more dlfflculL.
And when lL ls dlfflculL lL ls [usL dlfflculL. ?ou mlghL well feel LhaL, 5) /'3C* :4;( *,4$8 ) 7-(.(--(/
,'? 6% :4.( ?#$ F@(.'-(C<= AL LhaL momenL you have gone up ln a hellcopLer, you are up ln your
absLracL concepLuallsaLlon: 5) ,#A( 1'* #3 'A(-OA4(?S %($*(-/#% ?#$ 1''/ #3/ *'/#% 4$ @#/< )
/'3C* ?#3* *,4$8 ) 3((/ *' ,#A( $'6(*,431 (:$(<= 1hen you can acLlvaLe all Lhe meLhods you know
ln order Lo change Lhe slLuaLlon, and Lhen ...5T,8 *,4$ 4$ @(**(-M= Powever, whaL you have done ls
Lo say, 5) #6 '3:% $#.( 4. ) #6 #-*4.424#:< ) 2#33'* 43,#@4* 6% :4.( #$ 4* 4$B ) 2#3 '3:% 43,#@4* *,(
#$7(2*$ ) :4;(<= 1haL ls llke belng a fussy kld of flve who wlll noL eaL Lhelr dlnner. arenLs sLruggle
ln dlfferenL ways Lo deal wlLh LhaL slLuaLlon, buL lf Lhey geL lnLo saylng: 5>U %'9 2#3 ,#A( .4$,
.431(-$ (A(-%/#% '. *,( ?((; #3/ .'- @-(#;.#$* *''8= LhaL may noL be so helpful. lor lf Lhe chlld
goes Lo someone else's house where Lhe hosL does noL wanL Lo cook flsh flngers, whaL ls Lhe kld
golng Lo do? lL ls exacLly Lhe same sLrucLure lsn'L lL? 1herefore, lL ls qulLe a move Lo accepL and
lndeed welcome Lhlngs LhaL from our hablLual polnL of vlew, accordlng Lo one aspecL of ourselves,
we don'L wanL Lo welcome because we Lhlnk: 5+,4$ 4$3C* 6(< +,4$ /'($3C* .4*< ) /'3C* :4;( 4*<= lL ls
beLLer Lo relax and be flexlble because our omnlpoLence ls noL golng Lo lasL very long.
/0,'#1*+: Pow does your body change, how does lL feel from your experlence?
2%.,': 1he body?
3%$#1&14%+#: ?es as you experlence lL yourself as you pracLlce.
2%.,': 1here has been a move from a sense LhaL my body ls someLhlng LhaL l have, Lo my body ls
someLhlng LhaL l am, Lo noL really havlng a body, LhaL Lhe body ls parL of my belng ln Lhe world.
So whaL l call 'my body' wlll be lnfluenced by all sorLs of Lhlngs. lor example, l am slLLlng ln Lhls
parLlcular chalr whlch ls a blL wobbly and so my back ls noL very supporLed. 1herefore, l
experlence my posLure ln a parLlcular way, some muscles are Lenslng and lL ls noL so easy Lo keep
my chesL open. 1haL ls whaL happens, wherever we are, we are comforLable or uncomforLable,
supporLed or noL supporLed, and LhaL ls an aspecL of our belng a body ln a world of forms.
lf l have a noLlon of how l wanL my body Lo be Lhen l mlghL geL very angry abouL Lhe chalr, feellng
LhaL lL ls aLLacklng me. Cr, l can experlence: 5+,4$ 4$ ,'? 6% @'/% 4$ 43 *,4$ ;43/ '. 2,#4-<= l
wouldn'L necessarlly wanL Lo slL ln Lhls chalr forever buL lL also shows LhaL Lhe chalr and Lhe body
are ln Lhe same world and LhaL wherever we go our body ls golng Lo be moulded by
clrcumsLances. lor example, when you meeL people here, your body mlghL relax and open or lL
mlghL Lense up lf you are a blL wary. 1haL klnd of shlfL ls happenlng all Lhe Llme, a pulslng Lo and

www.slmplybelng.co.uk !ames Low
18
fro llke seaweed ln Lhe waves, openlng and closlng. ln Lhls way, my body ls noL someLhlng LhaL l
have buL lL ls parL of Lhe dynamlc fleld of experlence LhaL ls unfoldlng as my exlsLence.
WlLhln Lhe non-dual fleld of emergence we experlence Lhe rhyLhms of ourselves and of oLhers.
SomeLlmes our muslc ls playlng and Lhe oLher person ls danclng Lo lL, and someLlmes Lhelr muslc
ls playlng and we dance Lo LhaL. lL alLernaLes, flows, pulsaLes. So we need a quallLy of flnesse Lo
be presenL ln Lhe momenL as we lnLeracL or co-become wlLh Lhe oLher. lf you don'L have Loo
much lnner lonellness or hunger, you can hear Lhe rhyLhm of Lhe oLher and can LrusL LhaL Lhelr
muslc ls flne for a whlle, and Lhen your muslc can come forward. 1here ls enough space for Lhe
movemenL of leadlng and followlng Lo occur, and Lhls frees us from Lhe desperaLlon of WhaL
abouL me?"
We are [usL abouL aL Lhe end of our brlef Llme LogeLher here. Maybe we could [usL slL quleLly for a
llLLle, and we can do LhaL on Lhe basls of relaxlng lnLo Lhe deep ouL breaLh. We don'L need Lo
make any sound, and Lhus Lhls ls someLhlng you can do ln any slLuaLlon. !usL relax lnLo Lhe ouL
breaLh and be wlLh how Lhlngs are.

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