Lecture Notes: The General Principles of Suction

Introduction

• Suction: Path discussed in this lecture
• Goal: Understanding principles and practicing
• Meaning of Great Completion: Called 'the great inclusion'
  • Great: Empty or open, not a special entity, god, or divine being
  • Describes the process of manifesting moment by moment from an ungraspable openness

Key Concepts

View

• Mind's Nature: Pure from the beginning
  • Pure: Uncontaminated by external conditions
  • Mind is like the sea, building and dissolving constantly
• Self-Identity: Constructed by selective attention and editing
  • We highlight elements that confirm our sense of self
  • Example: Sandcastle at the beach
• Mirror Example: Reflects without retaining images, stays fresh
• False Identity: Thought self (ego) is a delusion
  • Rooted in karma, beliefs, and patterns
  • Mind is a constant construction

Meditation

• Sitting: Open and relaxed, eyes open, gaze resting in space
• Experiences: Thoughts, sensations arise and pass naturally
• Goal: Non-identification with thoughts and feelings
• Mind compared to a mirror: Reflects but isn’t altered by reflections
• Agent vs. Awareness: Transition from doing to simply being

Conduct

• Free ourselves from fixation and investment in our thought patterns and experiences
• Busyness: A form of habitual and karmic investment
  • Leads to stress, karma, and intensification of investments
• Key Practices:
  • Release energy vibrating as the impulse to 'do'
  • Avoid grasping at thoughts and self-definitions
• Example: Pathway of habit like smoking, can reappear under certain conditions
• Mind: Open and illuminated, no fixed agenda

Result

• Non-duality: Subject and object arising together
  • Togetherness without homogenization
• Clarity: Recognition of awareness and its manifestations
• Conduct: Merging of self and world, non-dual participation
• Emphasis: Effort without seriousness
• Purpose of Suction Practice:
  • To foster this non-dual awareness and open sensitivity
  • Allow life to unfold naturally without overexerting control
• Path to Liberation: Ceaseless arising and disappearing without attachment

Conclusion

• Basic Orientation: By participating openly, we lessen self-driven egoic effort
• Transition: Maintain open clarity when moving from meditation to daily life
• Result: Life is experienced within a luminous sea of light
• Final Note: Emphasis on enjoyment and ease in practice