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basic primordial ground
Jeffrey
Veteran
in Philosophy
Sometimes we have a discussion about ultimate truth. Here it goes.
A Teaching from the Tibetan Great Perfection or Dzogchen from Anum Thubten
Selected quotes from Tibetan Dzogchen teacher Anam Thubten:
"The highest truth where we are nobody and we have nothing is actually a state of our consciousness that is unconditioned. It is our basic ground; it is the primordial mind. It is the state of reality in which we become nobody and we remain as we are, which is deathless awareness. This is who we are. This is actually our primordial face. The time before we become somebody is called “primordial time” in the Buddhist tantras. Primordial time means the eternal time of primordial purity, which is not actually time in terms of past, present, or future. It is eternal time; it is everlasting time. In that everlasting time we were, as well as we are, and we will be intrinsically luminous awareness. We were, we are, and we will be an inexhaustible treasure of joy and grace, which is who we really are."
"The highest level of meditation is transcendent wisdom, or prajnaparamita. It is a state of pure awareness, a state of luminous consciousness, a state of wisdom in which all notions of reality have been dissolved—birth, death, everything has been transcended. That is the highest level of meditation; that is pure awareness."
"To sit actually means to just let everything be as it is, and let the world of ideas, concepts, and sorrow dissolve on its own, which always happens. That is the highest technique."
"When we stop and pause for a moment while looking at the present mind, we feel a shift take place. In that moment we feel an amazing dissolution. Every previous notion of reality just dissolves into nothingness and there is the unobstructed, unhindered Buddha mind. We keep residing in that unobstructed, pure, luminous mind, and realize and discover that this pure awareness, this unobstructed present mind, turns out to be a great source of love, turns out to actually be the inexhaustible treasure of enlightenment. It is utterly simple."
"When we rest in the present moment, a space reveals itself. It is an inner space that is unoccupied by the cloud of thoughts. Without witnessing that space, it is hard for the mind to see beyond its own interpretation of reality."
"Then absolute truth is transparent, immediate, and luminous."
"Pure consciousness is not the effect of any cause. If it were the effect of a cause, it would simply be another ordinary thing with a beginning and an end. It is present in each of us, and it is not bound by time or space. It is free from everything and it is present in everyone at this very moment. It is the ground of our being, and who we are in the ultimate sense."
"Pure consciousness is not a meditative state. If it were a meditative state, it would be something contrived, that is merely the effect of a cause."
But none of these techniques can produce pure consciousness itself since it’s already there. It’s always eternally there without any cause. There is not even one single moment when pure consciousness is absent. Even in moments when we are totally lost in the world of concepts and ideas, it is completely present inside of us."
Thubten, Anam (2013-05-21). The Magic of Awareness. Shambhala Publications. Kindle Edition.
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Comments
I find some striking similarities between it and forms of eastern Christianity.
In eastern Christianity the uncaused mind (God) is eternal and not temporal, complete in and of itself, free and having no necessity, the essence of which is in perfect repose.
It is not subordinate or subject to any uncreated or developing laws nor explained by them, otherwise it would be temporal, causally dependent, in a state of becoming, and this would imply that there was a time it was not or might not have been, but that which is eternal cannot also be temporal.
Eternity is understood as the simultaneous presence of all time; past, present, and future which can be experienced in prayer of silent stillness, as is in forms of Buddhist meditation, and we are instructed to pray with out ceasing.
However, in Dzogchen there appears to be no distinction made between the eternal and temporal planes, so what explains the becoming of conscious beings and their thirst for knowledge of the absolute, or itself if you will?
Most importantly love is mentioned, but love requires personal volition and will, and what is described appears not to be personal. Love certainly can’t be explained by impersonal eternal or uncreated laws. How is this love referred to explained then?
It is always the basis, yet we finally see the world.
We see the depths of its freedom and at the same time we hold the vision that beings in their confusion and fear start to grasp and construct illusory suffering for themselves.
In both cases of nirvana and samsara, both are seen to be illusory, unborn/non-arisen appearance emptiness (basis/3kayas).
Yet within this interpenetrating single sphere of total exertion there is a deep tenderness and confidence. A warmth that is so personal and impersonal at the same time.
And this is where we meet the consort. Our lover. The forms, the smells, the tastes, thoughts, sensations, and sounds. Naked, open, and yes.
This is my favourite!
"I, Kuntuzangpo (Samantabhadra - or whatever you want to call me), am the original Buddha of all, And through this prayer of mine May all you beings who wander in the three realms of samsara Realize this self-arising Awareness, And may your great wisdom spontaneously increase! "
Let this distract you:
Hanging onto every word with the expectation that the words bring insight is like the everest climber taking enough oxygen cylinders to get him to the top. He (or she) will do it but you've got to carry all those other O2 tanks along the way, and that is like the physical equivalent of inertia. Spend a few minutes looking at the view and then as you descend you see the mess you've made on the ascent. Who is going to clear that up!
I don't know - how do you connect threads - because there is something going on here, but I Don't Know... I Don't Know...
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sagga/loka.html
Thoughts, feelings and sensations. That's it. All of what we think of as life, our relationships, our work, our practice, our hopes and fears, our body, our sense of self, our children, our car, our iPod, etc - it's thoughts - stories that pass through experience - it's feelings - it's what going on emotionally, and it's sensations - it's sensory sensations of hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling and touching ... that is our life. Life is experience. Life is mind. There isn't any world out there we can touch directly.
Yet we constantly project the display of mind into solid stuff that is actually out there. When we look, when we know .... we see that life has no more substance than a dream. As each appearance is examined ... we see that it is empty of substance .. where is it, we cannot say. What is it, we cannot say. Where did it come from, we cannot say. It's mysterious. It's undefinable. It's like a mirage, like a dream, without substance.
It's all mind. It's all experience.
This is the nature of the Mahamudra of perception.
This mind, as well, is a mere movement of attention
That has no self-nature, being merely a gust of wind.
Empty of identity, like space.
All things, like space, are equal. When we turn attention to what is aware of all this experience ... what knows experience? What do we find? Nothing.
Though we have this sense that 'something' is aware of all these appearances which seem to arise and fall .... when we ask "what is aware?" .. and rest in the gap that follows this .... we do not see anything .. our knowing reveals .. nothing. Nothing - no-thing.
This is the nature of the Mahamudra of awareness.
When speaking of 'Mahamudra'
It is not an entity that can be shown.
There the mind's suchness
Is itself the state of Mahamudra.
When we rest in knowing, it's clear that there seems to be arisings, yet nothing can be found. These are both equally there, and yet not there. Nothing, and seemingly something. At one and the same time, we can know the inseparability of appearance and emptiness ... luminous emptiness.
There's nothing we can really say ... it's just like this ... empty, and yet at once apparent... suchness.
We don't need to conjure up this emptiness, this Dharmakaya. We don't need to be still, to have no thoughts or emotions, or only perfect ones. We just allow what is present to be .. to rest in awareness, rest in knowing ... and know.
This is the nature of the Mahamudra of realization.
Just as with space and a magical display,
While neither cultivating nor not cultivating
How can you be separate and not separate!
This is a yogi's understanding.
Am I separate from this display, these appearances, this awareness, this experience, this mind?
All good deeds and harmful actions
Dissolve by simply knowing this nature.
The emotions are the great wisdom.
Like a jungle fire, they are the yogi's helpers.
We don't need to change who we are, strive to be good, to be a better person, to be enlightened. Our nature is what it is, empty, unborn, regardless of whether clouds appear to obscure the sun or not. Action is what it is ... seeming appearances arising. Past action ... past deeds, karma ... dissolves like snow on hot stones in the knowing of knowing. In emptiness, in knowing emptiness, nothing disturbs us, however 'violent' the emotions, however 'difficult' the stuff that arises. It simply is what it is, it seems to arise, and in knowing, in resting in knowing, it seems to pass though and pass away.[anicca] Yet what arose, what went? And where? Like a dream, these actions.
Songs of Naropa: Commentaries
Thrangu Rinpoche
Even though I believe yab-yum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yab-Yum
is an excellent way for people to enjoy their meditation or at least associate it with enjoyment (hey whatever it takes), it is important to understand context.
Most of us are in the fire realm of the Kali Yuga or dharma ending age. We need powerful allies to keep us in chocolate Buddhas and rose petals.
In other words: No merit, no harm done or to do
Your sin and wisdom is empty
Your Goodness ever restored
Burning your lesser selves, born again and again
. . . and now back to the grounding . . .