In this episode of Awakening Now, Lama Surya Das explores Dzogchen practices such as co-meditation and naked awareness, and why too much emptiness is not a good thing.
Co-Meditation and Naked Awareness
What does the practice of non-conceptual, naked awareness look like? Lama Surya Das explores what he calls the main practice of Dzogchen as he talks about why the View, meditation, and action are the fruits of the Natural Great Perfection. He brings up the practice of co-meditation, which is about dissolving the separateness of the subject-object dichotomy.
“Awareness of thoughts is meditation. Mindfulness of thoughts, moment to moment, is meditation. Mindfulness of sounds is meditation – you don’t need to plug your ears up.” – Lama Surya Das
Lama Surya Das explores seeing with naked awareness on Awakening Now Ep. 82
Too Much Emptiness (11:36)
Lama Surya Das talks about the Four Flops, and resting in our true nature and authenticity. We’re all Buddhas by nature, we just have to recognize it. He touches on the topic of enlightenment, then explores Mahamudra refuge and why too much emptiness might not be such a good thing.
“We realize that what we seek is within. It’s within each and all of us. It’s within every moment. What we seek, we are.” – Lama Surya Das
Balancing Effort and Effortless (24:02)
Lama Surya Das takes questions from the audience around enlightenment, commercial success and spirituality, natural movement during meditation, and the uncomfortable mixing of joy and sorrow that can arise as we practice. He talks about finding the balance between effort and effortless, and what it really means to act naturally.
“Not the extreme, so the middle way. Balancing effort and effortless, yet holding always the intention.” – Lama Surya Das
Would you like to be part of the next generation of mindfulness meditation instructors? If so, we invite you to take a unique opportunity to study with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach and become a certified instructor to guide others in their practice – The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program: A Two-Year Training Program for Teaching Awareness and Compassion-Based Practices
