Just this ~ Naropa

This mind that knows emptiness
Is itself the awakened mind, bodhichitta.
The buddha potential is just this.
The sugata essence is just this.

Because of tasting what is,
It is also the great bliss.
The understanding of Secret Mantra is just this.
Means and knowledge are just this.

The vast and profound is just this.
Samantabhadra and consort are just this.
This space and wisdom, perceiving while being empty,
Are what is called “knowing original enlightenment.”

This self-knowing, though one is still deluded,
Does not depend on other things,
So self-existing wakefulness is just this.

Being aware, it is cognizance,
A natural knowing that is free of thought.
This self-knowing cannot possibly form thoughts.

Without conceptualizing a “mind,”
Since it is not something to be conceived,
This original wakefulness, cognizant yet thought-free,
Is like the wisdom of the Buddha.

Therefore, it is taught, “Realize that luminous mind
Is the mind of original wakefulness,
And don’t seek an enlightenment separate from it.”

Nevertheless, this mind does become disturbed
By the defilement of momentary thoughts.
Like water, gold, or the sky,
It may be either pure or impure.


Naropa

from the book Jewels of Enlightenment: Wisdom Teachings from the Great Tibetan Masters

translated by Erik Pema Kunsang


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