Mindfullness and Alert Ease

What is Mindfullness? It refers to the meditational practice of alternating visualization with the cessation of thought. [Translator`s note: This topic is covered to a great extent by the Grand Master in A Complete and Detailed Exposition of the True Buddha Tantric Dharma.]

Next is Alert Ease, which requires some discussion. As a practitioner of the Buddhadharma, one`s mind will take on the qualities of water ?openness [fluidity] and clarity. The mind becomes cheerful and sees everything with a transparency. A Buddhist practitioner must not spend every day in grief and brooding, with a heart tied up in knots. One`s train of thought should flow smoothly and easily without any obstruction. The three channels and seven chakras in the subtle body should be open. This is the Alert Ease that Buddhist practitioners should find themselves in. If one is constantly brooding, one`s heart will be tied up in knots.

In the past, a person went to seek help from a Dharma master. The person said he was very weary, unhappy, and felt suffocated. That Dharma master only asked him in return, `Who is tying you up?` All of you today must keep this in mind, `Who is tying you up?` [A student replies, `I myself.`] Right! You are the one who is tying yourself up. There is, in reality, no one else tying you up. Your feet are in good condition, your body is sound, and you are free! Who is tying you up? Why are you unhappy today? Nobody has tied you up. You can actually be happy and free from suffocation. Why indulge in unhappiness and brooding? You are free!

We who practice the Buddhadharma today have to learn to be free. We are all free. No one has tied us up. This is Alert Ease, the condition in which one must constantly abide while practicing Buddhism.