In the Indo-Tibetan philosophical tradition, there is a teaching known as rigpa or knowledge of the ground. This teaching is in particular a feature of the Bon and Nyingma schools of Indo-Tibetan philosophy. Rigpa can be viewed also as a psychological experience, or an experience of mind where there non-duality becomes an experiential reality. Non-duality does not necessarily mean that I have an experience that I am one with everything but instead that I am not not one with reality.
Does that make sense? I am not not one with reality.
From a western perspective, this doesn’t deny the existence of the self, or the uniqueness of the soul, per se. Rather, our ordinary perspective is one in which we are primarily operating through a reflection or analysis of experience as a self that we largely created through narrative. This is impacted by our experience and our history. This sense of self is in particular influenced by our thoughts. Our experience is almost always mediated by our thoughts. But we often don’t discern well what is animating or behind our thoughts.
What spirits are pushing them? And what, within our own hearts, might be driving them? Our hearts aren’t always at peace but can be conflicted, duplicitous, wounded, and this influences our thoughts and vice versa. Further, there will be other influences from the World that (mis)shape our experience of self and obscure the radiance and gift of being.
St. Ignatius of Loyola called the influences that we must discern “the enemy”. He was referring to the World, the flesh, and the devil, or demons. Put another way he was referring to toxic and untrue/distorting influences from society, bodily instincts that are misdirected to undermine flourishing, and unseen spiritual influences that are acting upon us negatively. In Christian theology, the origin of these negative influences are seen to originate in a mysterious but real way from the fall of the human family from grace. Importantly, an attitude that is at the origin of the fall is pride. In Indian cosmology pride also plays a central role in the explanation of the presence of evil.
These thoughts were referred to as logosmoi by early Christian monastics who in many senses were masters of the human psyche and the discernment of influences that acted upon it. Logosmoi are thoughts that lead us astray, that lead us away from the perception of the true gift of being. They entice us to act in ways that indeed distract from this gift and make us relentlessly pursue a happiness that is other than the gift of being. In this way, we may never awaken or realize the gift of being in this life. Or at least rarely even experience a taste of it.
Growing in knowledge of the ground is a fundamental practice that allows the gift of being the space to radiate its own essential goodness prior to anything we may say or think about it. Natural contemplation arises not so much from attention to breathing or even to the ground as such but rather not watching it, letting go of our fixation on trying to have a particular experience or a particular perspective.
Meister Eckhart wrote about the ground from a Christian perspective. He was a Dominican priest, theologian, and friar. He adds something important to knowledge of the ground and it is this: knowledge of the ground connects us with the Source of being. In the ground we experience unity with the Source such that we experience ourselves as receiving being from that Source in the present moment. But, and this is what is distinctive about the western philosophical tradition, there is the experience of being one with that source without losing our sense of self but becoming more who we truly are. The goal isn’t emptiness as such but a type of self-emptying that allows us to abide in awareness of the ground of being that is at once united with the source and the place where the gift of creation pours forth. In the Judeo-Christian tradition the World, with all its evils, and human persons, are still fundamentally good. So the personal reality isn’t seen as an illusion but rather we seek to experience it as the gift it truly is in the present moment from the ground, end, and completion of all being.
I will write more about the ground in other articles.
Note: There is a foundation called Rigpa International Foundation that unfortunately fell into some disrepute because of allegations against their main teacher. He was a Tibetan who wrote some good books, including the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, but apparently, also is alleged to have taken advantage of some of his students. Please be aware that if you Google Rigpa you may come across some media about this. It brings up some important points and some intrinsic problems with the guru-student relationship in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism (the Dalai Lama has spoken about this). lncluded in this relationship is the practice of idealizing the teacher to receive a more pure spiritual transmission. This, like any relationship where a disciple idealizes a teacher, can be a receipe for abuse.