Attraction, aversion, and indifference are so habitual that they are not noticed - Battlecry of Freedom

 

The three basic responses of attraction, aversion, and indifference are so habitual that they are not noticed. In fact they may be regarded as ordinary or normal human behaviour. This mistaken view of normality gives rise to views such as: ‘Anyone would be angry if that happened;’ or ‘I have a right to be angry;’ or ‘There must be something wrong with you because everyone likes that.’ 

The imputed normality of classifying objects of desire as real personal needs, gives rise to the justification of greed, selfishness, neediness, obsession, narcissism, territorialism, theft, adultery, sexual harassment, stalking, and rape. 

The imputed normality of classifying objects of aversion as real personal threats, gives rise to the justification of incivility, churlishness, aggression, abuse, vandalism, discrimination, racism, hate-crimes, murder, war, and genocide. 

The imputed normality of classifying objects as irrelevant, gives rise to the justification of nonchalance, insensitivity, carelessness, apathy, coldness, lack of sympathy, failure to take responsibility, and ignoring the needs of others. 

Battlecry of Freedom by Ngakma Nor’dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2019, ISBN 978-1-898185-46-8, Part II - the slogans, pp65-66 

 

 

Rebirth - Illusory Advice

 

Apprentice: One Buddhist ‘belief’ I’ve never been sure about is rebirth. I find it interesting, and maybe helpful to adopt as an attitude sometimes ... but I can’t say I ‘believe’ it.

Teachers: Sure – that is fine. Rebirth can be held as a possibility rather than as a belief. You cannot prove that you will wake up in the morning, but experience shows that this is the most likely possibility at this stage of your life, given your current level of health.

Develop an understanding of emptiness and form, perception and response, continuity of consciousness, the arising and dissolution of the elements – and it seems most likely that death is not final and total. A continuity of some description is more likely. Thus you can live with the open view of rebirth being the most likely possibility – but not as a rigid, fixed ‘belief.’

Rebirth, from one life to the next, cannot be proven through your current experience. You can however, look at rebirth as the moment-by-moment experience of your life: you die and are reborn in each moment. For each new moment to arise, the previous moment has to die. ‘You’ die in each moment, and ‘you’ are reborn into each moment. ‘You’ are never quite the same from one moment to another, and as such, a new person arises into each moment. It is excellent to question these things and ponder on them, and the only source of certainty and confidence is your practice. 

Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nor’dzin & Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin, Aro Books Worldwide, 2016, ISBN: 978-1-898185-37-6, p26

 

The realms are self-perpetuating - there is a strong tendency to re-create our former state. - Spacious Passion

 

The realms are self-perpetuating, because we tend to continue to create the causes for whatever perceptual state we find ourselves in. We maintain this state until the point of exhaustion and we have to let go. At this point of relaxation it is possible to move from the restraints of one perceptual realm into another one, or to relax into realisation. However, once we start to feel uncomfortable with the emptiness of the unfamiliar, there is a strong tendency to re-create our former state. We are always drawn to the safety of the familiar.

Spacious Passion, Ngakma Nor’dzin, Aro books worldwide, 2006, ISBN 978-0-9653948-4-0, chapter 4 Coming up for Air, p81