Illusory Advice: Purpose

"There is no purpose to life—in the sense of an ultimate purpose—there is only purpose in the moment. To give a simple example: there is a purpose in brushing your teeth because it will make your mouth feel nicer and help prevent gum disease so that your teeth don’t fall out. Your life will be more comfortable with a mouth full of teeth in healthy gums. However eventually your gums will rot and your teeth fall out—if not while you are alive, then certainly after you are dead—so there is no ultimate purpose in brushing your teeth. Being aware of the transient, in-the-moment purpose of brushing teeth, you do so conscientiously, beautifully, with presence of mind – brushing teeth becomes an art form. It has its own purpose. "

p172-173, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nor'dzin & Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2016, 978-1-898185-37-6

---

Please see the Aro Books worldwide website for more information about Illusory Advice.

Illusory Advice: Secondary causes

"External factors spark patterns of perception you do not know you have. Life is a little like walking through a minefield – you never know when you may step on something—a circumstance of your life—that will explode a programmed pattern of perception. If the cause is not encountered the reaction will not occur. One of the principles of the monastic path is to regulate the secondary causes—in terms of life circumstances—as much as possible to avoid triggering unhelpful reactions that deepen patterning. The tantric path however says: ‘Bring it all on!’ so that you have the opportunity to transform distorted perception and response into enlightened perception and response. "

p168-169, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nor'dzin & Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2016, 978-1-898185-37-6

---

Please see the Aro Books worldwide website for more information about Illusory Advice.

Illusory Advice: Does samsara really exist?

"Samsara exists because of duality. It can easily cease to exist in the moment through changing your view. Dwelling in the natural state would not mean that you lack the ability to act – your actions would be totally appropriate and compassionate. It is possible to be wrathful without being angry. It is possible to be destructive where the situation requires it without this being out-of-control energy. It is possible to make a stand without justification and self-protective posturing. To dwell in the natural state would be to be a Dharma warrior. "

p164-165, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nor'dzin & Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2016, 978-1-898185-37-6

---

Please see the Aro Books worldwide website for more information about Illusory Advice.

Illusory Advice: Intensity

"When you start to practise more intensely all sorts of aspects of yourself suddenly seem to come into focus and insist you notice them. These have always been there, but safely tucked away where you could previously ignore them. This is what Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin calls ‘the hell of being a practitioner.’ Practice—especially Vajrayana—is like grabbing the bare electricity cables and inviting the shock. If the intensity is becoming too much, then ease off a little for a while. Engage in simple practice such as shi-nè, and inspirational practice such as Lama’i Naljor and yogic song. Physical practice may help as well. Perhaps have a few short practice sessions rather than one long one. When you feel a little more settled again you can increase the intensity once more. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint and you have to learn to pace yourself – knowing when to ease off and when to push through. It sounds as though this may be a time to ease off for a while. "

p146, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nor'dzin & Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2016, 978-1-898185-37-6

---

Please see the Aro Books worldwide website for more information about Illusory Advice.

Illusory Advice: The Annoying Friend

"Sangha members are the annoying friends who help each other to be real in the world and live their lives as practitioners. They do not offer the comforting platitudes, but they also have to be careful with their directness. Sangha members do not want to add to the person’s negative view of themselves by confronting them with the cause of discomfort. Dwelling on shortcomings gets in the way of developing pure view. It makes it more difficult for others to view them as a realised being, and it makes it difficult for them to view themselves as beginninglessly enlightened. Remember that their miserable expression of their view of themselves is directly linked with their enlightened nature: their avarice with generosity, their anger with clarity, and even their depression with intelligence. If you can see this then a helpful response might suggest itself. "

p136-137, Illusory Advice, Ngakma Nor'dzin & Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2016, 978-1-898185-37-6

---

Please see the Aro Books worldwide website for more information about Illusory Advice.