The reason that we can’t find mind when we look for it is that mind doesn’t have an essential nature of its own. This nonexistence is what the Buddha called emptiness or shunyata. This emptiness does not need to be verified through complicated philosophical reasoning; it is simply the nature, or essence, of the mind. Both peacefulness and disturbing emotions arise from mind’s nature, which is not solid or dense; rather, it is empty of inherent existence. Because it is empty, its nature cannot be harmed and does not become defective or degrade with age or illness.
Thrangu Rinpoche
from the book Essentials of Mahamudra: Looking Directly at the Mind
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Further quotes from the book Essentials of Mahamudra:
- Resting and moving mind
- Authentic Vipashyana
- Coemergent wisdom
- The union of appearance and emptiness
- Understanding the mind as it is
- The foundation of meditation
- Mind’s ability to think and know
- Mindfulness and alertness
- The union of space and wisdom
- Subtly unclear state of mind