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The Unborn

and emancipation from the born

There is monks, an unborn - unbecome - unmade - unfabricated. If there were not that unborn - unbecome - unmade - unfabricated, there would not be the case that emancipation from the born - become - made - fabricated would be discerned. But precisely because there is an unborn - unbecome - unmade - unfabricated, emancipation from the born - become - made - fabricated is discerned. (Nibbana Sutta, Ud 8.3, Thanissaro 1994)

This site is dedicated to the 'Unborn', spoken of by the Buddha as above, and which has also been spoken about by many others since, who have discovered for themselves our refuge a.k.a. Nirvana. These ancestors have tried, often by various skilful means (upaya), to point out the way home to where we have, in truth, never really left, to all that were listening.
Joining in the chorus, I add my voice to this cause.

For a fuller study of the 'unborn' in Buddhism please read The Unborn and Emancipation From The Born 20K words pdf, free to download

May your listening be perfect.
Be happy, be joyous and live in safety.
/\ gassho, Ron

Kensho and the Unborn Buddha Mind free to download
A discussion of Kensho or 'seeing the nature' and its occurences within past and contemporary Buddhist - orientated organisations, including, Shingaku Sekimon, the Western Chan Fellowship,The Enlightement Intensive and Big Mind TM"


The Dance

Mike's Question:
How did
The Dance begin?
I've danced
A long time now...
My feet
Are sore.
Put down the baton,
Let's all
Go
Home....

Mike Warren 08.07.04

Ron's Response:
You are
The dance,
The dancer
The music and
The baton.
Though you've danced since
The beginning of time,
Truly You've never moved,
Either from Here or
From Now.
If you are not Home now,
Where and when will You go?

Ron Henshall 10.07.04


Quote for Today

In Memory of John H Crook 27.11.1930 - 15.07. 2011

Night Silence

The Owl's Hoot pierces the Night Silence.
Unfathomable Presence!
Who?
To Whit to Who!

(RH 03.04.11)



Sumedho's Finger

Sid

    "Awareness is your refuge. Awareness of the changing of feelings, of attitudes, of moods, of material change. and emotional change. Stay with that, because it's a refuge that is indestructible. It's not something that changes. It's a refuge you can trust in. This refuge is not something that you create. It's not a creation. It's not an ideal. It's very practical and very simple, but easily overlooked or not noticed. When you're mindful, you're beginning to notice, it's like this ".

    (Sumedho, Ajahn, 2004, Intuitive Awareness, Amaravati Publications, England. free pdf from Buddhanet)

    Buddha Nature

    synonyms:
    Unborn
    Buddha Nature
    Essence of Mind
    Buddha-mind
    True Mind
    One Mind
    True Nature
    Dharmakaya
    Nirvana

    "The Buddha nature is always nondual and unchanging: the causal and fruition stages are not different in any essential aspect. One gains nothing new at the fruition stage; one simply stops alienating oneself from one's true nature. Buddha nature in purity (attainment) does not differ from Buddha nature in impurity (delusion)."

    (King 1991,Buddha Nature,Sri Satguru Publications,p.50).

    Buddhist Healing Medicine: (to be applied when necessary)


    "Since conceptual discrimination or investigation is but the exercise of a conditioned and deluded mind, the conceptual discrimination of the ultimate reality is refuted.

    Nagarjuna says:
    The ultimate reality is beyond
    The realm of the mind's discrimination,
    For the mind is recognised as being conditioned.

    It is incorrect to assume that grasping the true natue of reality does not represent a clinging to conceptual reality.

    The Prajnaparamita-samchayagatha elaborates:
    If a Bodhisattva considers
    The psychophysical aggregates as being 'void',
    He is grasping a conceptual reality,
    Thus showing little reverance toward that which is 'unborn'".
    (in Lobsang P.Lhalungpa(trans), 2006, Mahamudra -The Moonlight-, Quintessence of Mind and Meditation, by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, Wisdom Publications, p82-3)

    Ronologues

    Ron's Video Monologues

    Short, 5 minute(approx), light - hearted video presentations taking the theory to the level where it counts; where the tyre hits the road.

    #1:listening Ron shows how listening is a door to the truth of who we are

    #2:Stress is Relative Ron talks about how stress is often dependent on the story we apply to a situation.

    #3:Direct Experience & Response Ron points back to the truth of our experiences

    #4:Annoyances An alternative approach to dealing with annoying situations.

    #5: Buddha Nature and Polar Bears Start where you wish to end up; with your Buddha Mind

    #6: Guest & Host Guest & Host; Linchi's metaphor for remaining with/as the Unborn Buddha Mind, which he also called the 'True Man of no Rank'

    #7: The Ending of Suffering Applying the Buddha's Third Noble Truth in 5 Minutes!

    #8: Cha no yu, Tea no meDrinking tea; seeing the essence. The heart of the Zen Tea Ceremony (N.B. this video is about 17 mins long)


    If you would like me to let you know when I have a new clip, please email me and I'll add you to the list.

    To email Ron, please click the envelopeContact



    Ron's Blog

    Buddhism


    Buddhism and Nihilism' - October 15th 2011



    Without the Buddha's teaching about the Unborn, unbecome, unmade, unfabricated (Ajata), then Buddhism could easily be confused with some form of Nihilism.

    It could be argued that Buddhism has a system of morality which sets it apart from Nihilism. But as we have seen with the other major World Religions; moral codes and teachings of morality don't appear to be too effective in preventing some of the people that profess adherence to these religions and their moral codes, from perpetrating the most immoral and amoral acts of violence and aggression against others.

    So fortunately, the Buddha taught that the heart of his emancipation from suffering was the Unborn, or Buddha nature. Our True Nature is not required to be taken on faith, but should tested and investigated and is open to all who are open to it! Indeed, it cannot be known by the mind, only pointed to. All else being at best, a sensation, representation or a thought.

    This moment, right now, leaving aside any thinking, thoughts, feelings, sensations, objects or anything else that appears and disappears, you know 'that' you are. You are aware of being, you are present and aware. You are present as presence awareness. Your presence and awareness cannot be separated. That is the heart of the matter. Everything else is open to conjecture and assumption and arises and passes and is not who you are. Nothing exists outside of your presence awareness, but all things arise and pass in it, and of it.

    The other aspect of the Buddha's teaching was to investigate all the assumptions that we attach to, concerning our identity and by relation to this mistaken identity; the presenting world and the things and people in it. This aspect of his path has been labelled insight. It just means looking at it from the view of the unborn, unbecome, unmade, unfabricated to see if the beliefs that maintain the error have any basis of truth. But this investigation must be from the basis of our Buddha Nature and not from the thoughts and feelings etc that are assumed to arise from our body and mind. The misplaced beliefs will be shown up for what they are and will certainly evaporate without any effort to modify or replace them.

    No need to make a meal of it or a big thing about it. Very gently, start form your presence awareness and then question whatever is at the core of our discomfort and enquire 'is this true?', 'is this who I am?'.Leaving the object of attention as it is, be the background presence awareness in which the object is appearing.

    Next time you feel suffering, look to the awareness that the sensations and the thoughts must be present in, and present to. Avoid, or set aside, any mental speculation, leave the experience as it is, and just be the presence awareness that is necessarily the background to all experience. Let us see for ourself what Zen Master Bankei was pointing to when he said 'All things are perfectly resolved in the Unborn'

    As someone else once said " The Truth shall make you free". Well really, the Truth was never, and can never, be in bondage, but it will certainly free us from the thought and idea of bondage per se!

    Love
    Ron


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