Vanity. Illustration by the author.
Like ripples on water, Ordinary discursive thoughts (Wanting this, not wanting that) Pop up, all of a sudden. But once you’ve learned how to liberate Thoughts just as they arise, They cannot take hold, and so they vanish. This is a vital point that must be understood. When “bad” thoughts arise, they will not accrue bad karma, Since discursive thoughts Set free just as they arise Have not yet taken hold. Who is helped or harmed by a mere flash of thought? Until you master this crucial point— How to set thoughts free just as they arise— Your habitual mental chatter, The constant undercurrent of thoughts, Grows into a flood of negative emotions. If you merely notice thoughts with mindfulness, Positive thoughts keep creating hopes Negative thoughts keep creating fears. By doing this, you keep accruing and compounding karma; This process is the true source of samsara. This is why an instant of awareness That sets thought free in its own condition Is superior to a thousand calm-state meditation experiences. Since primordial liberation, spontaneous liberation, Liberation upon arising, direct liberation, and the rest, Are each and all the crux of view, meditation, and action, Develop meditation by practicing this crucial point: Freeing thoughts into their own condition. Apply this crucial point and there is no need For any other view nor any other meditation. —Excerpt from Patrul's poem "The Crucial Point of Practice," as published in Matthieu Ricard's "Enlightened Vagabond" (recommended reading.)
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