Although the nature of mind, the basis, is completely pure, one does not recognize this luminosity. Failing to recognize one’s own mind is what is known as ignorance. Out of ignorance arises the fixation to a self. The nature of mind, which is cognition, or awareness of the fact that one is aware, is fałsely […]
How things appear is my being; how things arise is my reality; there is no phenomenon that is not me in the whole universe. 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche
Confusion has no beginning, since as such it does not exist; this is beginningless samsara. The same is true also for the end of confusion. On the one hand, confusion has no end, since it does not exist; on the other hand, one can actually put an end to it in the sense of liberating […]
When one realizes the ultimate nature of mind, there are no longer any moments that fall outside the sphere of meditation. However, the only way to achieve this realization is through meditation. One is free from the struggle to give up afflictive emotions or to “attain” wisdom. At this point, meditation as such no longer […]
The bardo of death is a successive process. Our physical body is an aggregation of flesh, blood, etc. and deteriorates at death. Mind, on the other hand, does not die since it isn’t composed of particles. The physical components of our body are formed at birth and disintegrate at death. Our physical body only functions […]
The Tibetan word for Buddhism, nangpa, has the meaning of internalizing, indicating that we need to turn inward and work within ourselves. By doing so and gaining a clearer sense of who we really are, we develop a sense of our existence as it relates to all that surrounds us. If we look outside and […]
What does it mean to practice shamatha and vipashyana together? Shamatha involves letting the mind rest on an object in a state of concentration. Both mind and object lack ultimate reality. This true nature is present at all times, not only when one achieves insight into it through vipashyana meditation. Maintaining this awareness or insight […]
Mind is by its very nature empty, yet appearances arise from it without obstruction. Out of the unobstructed emptiness of mind the whole range of appearances can manifest without limit. On a relative level, phenomena manifest through dependent origination; this is inseparable from the emptiness of mind, which is the ultimate level. Freedom from extremes […]
Are the many yidams we see in pictures and visualize real? No, they are symbols of the ultimate yidam. The various forms and attributes of the deities point to manifold habits of clinging, grasping, and holding impure appearances in one’s mind. There are so many impure ideas and things one thinks are real. Each yidam […]
Our present state of mistaken apprehension does not accord with the mind’s true nature, which is ever and already perfect and pure. Mistaken experiences depend upon mind’s fundamental pattern that identifies the apprehending subject as “the self.” The self is not inherently existent, although we erroneously cling to the belief that it is. Since we […]
