The Five Principles of Realization and Liberation

JACKSON PETERSON
http://www.wayoflight.net/teachings.html

The first principle is becoming aware of our thoughts and the nature of thought. By taking
the position of just being an observer of the thoughts and images that come and go we discover
all thoughts are the same: they are temporary appearances that come and go like clouds in the
sky. Give no importance to one thought over another. If we pay no attention to any thought but
remain in the "observer" role, it seems the space of awareness becomes more open and thoughts
less demanding of attention. We discover all thoughts are without substance and importance. We
could say our thoughts are "empty", like clouds: appearances without any core or entity.

The second principle is recognizing our stories and emotional dramas are structured only
from thought, our "empty" thoughts. In continuing to observe our thoughts we should notice
how they tend to link together in chains of meaning and particular significance. It is this linking
together of thoughts that creates our stories, beliefs and emotional drama in a convincing and
powerful way. As a result we may spend most of our time going from one mini-daydream to
another. It is this trance-like state of mind that we need to break up again and again as often as
possible. We do that by shifting our attention from thought to the presence of the five senses in
immediate now-ness. Just notice your physical environment and the direct sensory experience
free of analysis. Practice this shifting away from mental engagement in thought to noticing your
physical environs as often as possible. Hopefully the trance-like habit of living in your thoughts
constantly will be broken. In this way we can free ourselves from anxiety and emotional suffering
as both are caused by the mind's stories that are rarely challenged. It is possible to discover that
our stories and emotional dramas are as empty as last night's dreams. In fact our daydreams and
stories are no more real than our dreams at night. We discover our stories are also just as empty
as the clouds that group together in the sky in various formations that disperse and disappear in
the next moment leaving no trace.

The third principle is recognizing that one's sense of self is also only an empty story
made of thought; a mental construction without an actual identity as an entity that exists
independently and with self-determinism. Studies have determined that our coherent sense of
personal identity doesn't appear until about the ages between 18 and 24 months. That means
previous to that time there was no personal "me" story or self-image. That also means the newly
appearing sense of "me" is totally the result of thought-stories that the mind constructs about
identity. There is no personal self present other than this make-believe "me" story. Even science
makes clear there is just one unified field of energy as the universe without separate parts. The
entire field is inter-dependent without any breaks or splits in the unity. The sense of being an
independent entity like a "personal self ", is just an illusion and has never existed in fact. By
observing the "me" thoughts that arise from moment to moment we can notice the "personal me"
is nothing more than a chain of linked thoughts about identity that are supported by memories
and imagination. Seeing this directly and clearly, not just intellectually, the emptiness of personal
identity becomes obvious to the mind at which point the illusion ceases. But that cessation
will only occur according to the degree of the depth of this self inquiry. If it doesn't occur the
understanding is too shallow and not convincing enough to the deeper levels of mind grounded
in conditioning and habitual "selfing". In such a case one should revisit the first and second
principles again and establish a deeper state of observation regarding the experience of the "me"
thought arising and dissolving until it becomes clear that no personal self exists outside of the
mind's belief otherwise. When recognition arises it becomes clear that the notion of there being
a personal self is as empty as a single huge cloud that dominates the sky yet disappears in the
next moment without a trace.

The fourth principle is recognizing what exactly is the nature of that which is observing
and experiencing the empty nature of thoughts, stories and personal selfhood. What is doing the
"recognizing"? What is this impersonal aware consciousness that perceives and knows? In these
recognitions there seems to be an ever increasing evolution or revelation of wisdom. As a result
one's cognitive space seems expansive, open and vividly transparent without a center. What
exactly is this state of impersonal consciousness? It clearly has a sense of being aware; empty and
knowing. Can we be aware of being aware? Is this aware consciousness present in all experience,
inseparably so?

Let's look directly at this impersonal aware knowingness: In a well lighted room close your eyes.
Notice at your eyelids that the light of the room shining on your eye lids creates an inner glow
upon your closed translucent eyelids. You will see an orangy-red color at your eyes lids. What is
it that is observing this color? It will seem as though your aware consciousness occupies a place a
few inches behind the eyes and its attention is directed at the eyelids in front. Notice your aware
presence as being the place from where you are looking forward from at the orangy color. Are
you "aware" of the color? Now be aware of your awareness just as it is. Does this awareness have
any color, shape, substance or dimension of its own? Or is it simply an empty presence of aware
knowing? Review these last two questions again and again until it becomes clear that "you" are
actually this empty, clear and aware knowing. When this is seen clearly instead of recognizing
the emptiness of thoughts and self as the empty nature of the clouds that appear in the sky, the
empty nature of the sky itself is recognized; the empty cognitive space in which all appearances
appear and disappear.

The fifth principle is recognizing the inseparable relationship between one's empty, aware
"seeing" and the five senses. One can't find awareness separate from one's sensory perceptions.
There isn't first a sensory perception and then an awareness of it. The five senses are this
"knowing awareness" seeming to be split up into five separate sensory components. These
sensory capacities are not limited to the physical five senses. "Knowing awareness" can perceive
independently of the five physical senses with no limitations regarding time and space. Merging
our attention fully with the five senses instead of with the mental phenomena of thoughts, stories
and beliefs in personal identity, reveals a state of total "nowness" beyond thought and mind. A
limitless vista of knowing transparency and Clear Light reveals itself to be be our true nature
beyond any descriptions or assumptions of mind. In merging our attention totally with the
five senses, the luminous nature of appearances reveals itself to be the bright vividness of our
Awareness.

No Separate Places
Nirvana and samsara wont be found in separate places or in separate times: the empty nature of
samsara is itself nirvana. Not seeing the empty nature of nirvana is itself samsara.

Pure Awareness and afflicted mind wont be found in separate places or in separate times. The
empty nature of the afflicted mind is itself Pure Awareness. Not seeing the empty nature of Pure
Awareness is the afflicted mind.

The ego-self and no-self wont be found in separate places or in separate times. The empty nature
of the ego-self is indeed the no-self. Clinging to the empty nature of the no-self is indeed itself,
the presence of the ego-self. The imagined non-existence of the one, is the imagined existence of
the other.

Wisdom and ignorance wont be found in separate places or in separate times. Seeing the empty
nature of ignorance is itself wisdom. Not seeing the empty nature of wisdom is indeed ignorance
not seen.

Obstacles and release wont be found in separate places or in separate times. The empty nature of
obstacles is their own release. Not seeing the empty nature of freedom and release, we are bound
and obstacled by our own freedom and shackled without release.

We wont find peace and turbulence in separate places nor in separate times. The empty nature
of turbulence is itself our long sought peace. Not seeing the empty nature of our peace, we turn
peace into turbulence, like crashing waves that never seem to cease.

Not seeing the emptiness of our current condition we search for realization near and far.
Realization is the ever present emptiness of our current condition however it may appear.
Awareness can only be found as the luminous and knowing emptiness that is exactly what and
where we always are.
Here is a teaching that I often share in my retreats:
In a well lit room or out of doors in the day-time; close your eyes and notice the effect of the
light on your eyelids. It seems like you are seeing an orangy colored light from inside and behind
your eyes.

What is it that is "seeing" that light on the inside of the eye lids? It may seem like that awareness
that is "seeing" is just a bit behind the eyes looking forward at the light at the eye lids. Your
awareness is a borderless transparent sphere of pure awareness oriented behind the eyes at the
center of the skull with it's center approximately at the pineal gland.
It is your consciousness that leaves the body at death through the space of the eyes.
Examine that awareness that is "seeing" that light. Does that "seeing awareness" have a shape,
substance or form? Is it someone else that is seeing or is there a strong and perfect certainty that
the "seeing awareness" or "knowing" is "you"?

Even though this "knowingness" or "seeing awareness", seems like it is what you are, can it be
found to exist as some "thing" or entity with shape and form? Or is it just a naked, impersonal
aware "knowing"?

Recognize this ungraspable pure "aware knowing" to be your true nature. Its always present and
knowing in all experience, as all experience. Recognize this "aware knowing" again and again
until you are able to rest in just this pure and vivid transparent clarity, stably. The mind with all
its empty stories about this and that will dissolve into this knowing clarity and a very special
wisdom of self-recognition will arise that cannot be described through words and concepts.

The next phase of practice is about noticing the inseparable nature of the "aware knowing" and
its field of experience. It will be seen that there are not two aspects present: the "aware knowing"
and "experience", but rather each experience is actually the "aware knowing" appearing as
experience. This is fully discussed in my book with a means to see this directly for oneself.

Form of Awareness
Awareness has no form of its own. It is absolute emptiness, like space, yet is clearly aware. It is
our immediate awareness that is the experiencing knowingness in oneness with all experience.
There is no distance between our experience and our awareness of it. There is no better or
worse for awareness. All experiences are equal in value. Its form is our exact experience just
as it is being experienced. All sensory input and our thoughts about sensory experience are
the forms awareness is taking in every moment. Whatever the experience, it is the form of our
awareness, and is therefore perfect. We can give up trying to create animproved life, emotional
or psychological conditions as well as give up trying to resist negative life, emotional or
psychological conditions. Each moment of experience is the perfection of our self-expression,
the manifestation of our awareness. Recognizing this is the form awareness is taking in that
moment. Not recognizing this is also the form awareness is taking in that moment. But at
no time is changeless awareness becoming this or that. Like a mirror, the reflections have
no benefit or harm to the mirror. Likewise, our experiences have no benefit or harm to our
awareness, as they are the forms of our awareness.

Two Pegs and the Middle

I read a very interesting text by the Sri Lankan monk Niyananda. He described that our
subjective self sense is one peg and the "other" or an object, is the other peg. Between the
two arises a consciousness, as the middle. Here is another way to approach non-duality and
liberation.

Before a relative, dualistic consciousness can arise the two pegs of subject/object dichotomy
are required. On a personal level the basic subject is "me" and other people and things are the
objective side. When those both arise, the "story" about the relationship between those two
arises. That story is the "middle". It's like two poles of a battery. When you have two terminals
in place, an electrical charge can arc between the opposite poles. That charge energizes the
emotional story.

On a more global level the subject can be our "awareness" and our "experience" is the objective
side. We may see our awareness as a witness and our experiences as what we are aware of. In this
case all kinds of stories arise about "our experiences" that happen 'to' us.

When this basic duality arises our karmic traces can arise as story content. Our karmic traces
reside in a "superposition" quantum state, and stay there until triggered. When the subject/
object pair is established, the sense of a "me" is found to be a common denominator in all karmic
traces. The resistance by the "me" to a prior experience is what causes the traces in the first
place. The entire karmic bank of traces becomes subject to being triggered by the "me" resisting
a current experience. We can call this bank of karmic traces the "reactive mind". Once triggered
there is an immediate karmic-related reaction experienced in consciousness. The traces triggered
become active and reinforce further the reification of the subject peg and the object peg, which
establishes the "middle" as the new samsaric story-line.

When the bi-polar subject/object dichotomy is absent, the traces in "superposition" can't be
triggered. Until they are triggered they don't "exist". If they aren't triggered samsara can't get
started again.

How can we make use of this information? Our consciousness needs to become non-dual.
Consider your awareness as a subjective self that perceives experience as separate and apart.
The sense is often "my awareness cannot be conditioned by any experience". This of course
is dualistic: awareness on one side and experiences on the other. The two pegs in place cause
a dualistic consciousness to arise: the middle. That dualistic consciousness is dependent on
all conditioning, history, stories and karmic traces as well as the two pegs being firmly in
place. Remove the pegs and the middle disappears i.e. dualistic karmic consciousness. That is
liberation.

So let's do that. Here's how: observe your current "knowing awareness". Now close your eyes and
just listen to any sounds. As you are listening notice how the sounds are in your awareness or
consciousness. Do you notice any border separating the immediate sound and your awareness
of it? Is there any distance between the sound and your consciousness of it? Play around with for
a bit until it is realized that awareness and sounds are the same thing. There is no "awareness"
having an experience of sound, but rather sound is recognized to be awareness and awareness is
recognized to be sound. That is non-duality.

Next, close your eyes again and this time do the same with some thoughts. How much distance
is there between your awareness and a thought at the moment the thought appears? Is there a
border separating your awareness from the thought?

Play around with this a bit until you discover that that thoughts, all mental events, and awareness
are one thing. Again, this is non-duality.

Now let's broaden this to include all experience. Close your eyes and notice your total sensory
and cognitive condition. Notice if there is any actual separation or border between your
awareness and your total experience. Does any perceived aspect of your immediate experience
occur apart from your conscious awareness in the exact moment of experience? Is there any
distance between your awareness and any experience? Play around with this for awhile until it
becomes clear that ALL experience of every kind is not separate from awareness. They are one
thing. Awareness IS experience, not a perceiver of it. That is the realization of non-duality.

When this insight dawns in the deepest levels of consciousness, the mind will cease dividing
Reality into subjects and objects. When subjects and objects cease to arise in consciousness then
karma and karmic traces remain non-existent. That is real liberation, even though no one was
liberated. Remove the two pegs and the middle vanishes.
Final Resolution and Total Relaxation in Dzogchen
In the Dzogchen phase of pracitceknown as Trekchod or "cutting through tension", there
eventuallycomes a sense of completion: no more practice, no searching and no effort to
"stabilize a state". When it is recognized that Awareness or Beingnessis naked of any particular
flavor or form or "feel", that Awareness is then known to be the Knowing withi1n all experience.
All experience is equal in this case or sometimes known as "same taste" in Dzogchen or
BuddhistMahamudra.

We have to be alert that we don't have a subtle definition of Awareness that colors its
empty,nakedness. That means we , by mistake,make Awareness into a particualrstate of
experience. That would be like: "Awareness is a clear openness that is spacious and serene"
or "a sense of awakened-ness" or "transparency" or "bliss" or "love" etc. We then have defined
Awarenessand by doing so we have made it possible to lose the "state of Awareness". When we
aren't feeling that "clear openness that is spacious and serene" we feel we have lost Awareness.
But Awareness has no definition, all experience is the experience of Awareness. Awareness has
no form or state of its own. That then allows Awareness to be every state, every feeling,every
emotion,every thought, every identity sensation,every perception. That being so, what is there
left to achieve? Every experience, happy, sad or neutral is the appearance of Awareness. We give
up completely the notion that Awareness has to have some particular flavor or color. Oh my
god, we can finally really relax! Its over! Every experience is equal in Awareness! What could
you possibly practice? You are already aware, so you don't need to become aware. Everything
is already happening however its happening, so there is nothing special to do. No special "state"
to attain! If you experience a special state, that's fine, but it will never become stable. The only
stability is your unchanging knowing of whatever is experienced. That unchanging knowingness
is Awareness, the heart of the Dharmakaya (Pure PrimordialBeing).

Jackson Peterson websites:

http://www.wayoflight.net/teachings.html
http://www.dzogchen.be