When you meet a master swordsman
Show him your sword.
When you meet a man who is not a poet,
Do not show him your poem.

Lin-Chi

Tuesday 5 January 2010

From The Book of Shambala

I offer this for your consideration. One of the fruits of the Shambala path is Authentic Presence which is attained through training. It can however occur spontaniously as part of a spiritual emergence, should such a person find them selves standing before a psychiatrist they are in danger of being administered powerful and inappropriate medication.



"For the dignified Shambhala person,


an unwaning authentic presence dawns"

Authentic Presence:
(Tibetan "wangthang"); a "field of power." "The basic idea of authentic presence is that, because you achieve some merit or virtue, therefore that virtue begins to be reflected in your being, your presence. Authentic presence is based on cause and effect. The cause of authentic presence is the merit you accumulate, and the effect is the authentic presence itself." Starting with the right attitude to life? experiencing delight and leading your life elegantly. Pain and depression, as well as pleasure, may be source materials for study. A sense of wholesomeness makes life worth living; a sense of genuineness brings confidence.

Outer Authentic Presence:
"Because you achieve some merit or virtue, therefore that virtue begins to be reflected in your being, your presence." "If a person is modest and decent and exertive, then he will begin to manifest some sense of good and wholesome being to those around him."

Inner Authentic Presence:
"...the inner meaning of authentic presence... is connected...to the path of Shambhala warriorship. Inner authentic presence...is connected to the realization of primordial space, or egolessness."

Cause:
Letting Go” The cause or the virtue that brings inner authentic presence is emptying out and letting go. Inner authentic presence comes from exchanging yourself with others, from being able to regard other people as yourself, generously and without fixation. An experience of non-fixed mind; mind without fixation. So the inner merit that brings inner authentic presence is the experience of non-fixed mind, mind without fixation. ..."

Effect:
Genuiness. "…a person who has inner authentic presence...has an overwhelming genuineness, which might be ...frightening because it is so true and honest and real. You experience a sense of command radiating from the person of inner authentic presence." "On one hand authentic presence is the result of a gradual, developmental process of letting go of ego fixation. On the other hand, it is also the result of an instantaneous, magical, process of letting go of fixed mind. The two are always working together. ... The abrupt and spontaneous process that brings authentic presence is raising windhorse."
"In order to sustain {the} glimpse and manifest that presence fully, there is a need for discipline. ... This process is called the warrior's path of the four dignities.

Windhorse:
 Tibetan: "LUNGTA" Lung: "wind" Ta: "horse". ... raising a wind of delight and power and riding on, or conquering, that energy. ... The personal experience of this wind comes as a feeling of being completely and powerfully in the present. The horse aspect is that, in spite of the power of this great wind, you also feel stability. you are never swayed by the confusion of life...excitement or depression. You can ride on the energy of your life. So windhorse includes...practicality and discrimination, a natural sense of skill. This quality is like the four legs of a horse, which make it stable and balanced... you are not riding an ordinary horse, you are riding windhorse."

For more information would recommend reading the Book Of Shambala