To be mindful, you need to undergo a shift—moving from “this world”* to a dimension where awareness exists. When you happened to be mindful, according to Ven. Yamashita, it did not occur as the result of successful control of your mind, but because of the shift, which happened unnoticed and unintentionally. Without understanding this point, he emphasizes, you will suffer needlessly by demanding your mind to do what it cannot. Pursuing mindfulness that way would make meditation a torture.
He also imparts the teaching that one does not need to be a special person, like great masters or elite meditators, to access the dimension where awareness exists; it is inherent in every single one of us. We are double-structured—Dimension X and the perceived self.
By revisiting key topics covered in previous talks—total surrender, the function of each step of the One Dharma Method, the importance of faith, and our double-structured nature—Ven. Yamashita provides a map leading to a place where mindfulness is.
This marks the concluding talk from the last day of the Me as Blue Sky Retreat, including the final question-and-answer session. Ven. Yamashita plans to offer another international retreat in September 2024.
*In this talk, “this world” is also referred to as the “rectangular world” based on the drawing by Ven. Kosho Uchiyama.
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