PRIMORDIAL ENERGY / DYNAMISM
- Energy of the Buddha / Mind / Reality -
- Compassionate energy: Union of the Two Truths -
- Source of all other energies / powers and illusory appearances (external, between, internal),
(body / physical, speech / conceptual, mind / mental fabrications/manifestations of Being / Trikaya) -
Everything is the play of primordial energy -- the Union of the Two Truths – 029
Because of emptiness, anything can/do spontaneously arise from the mind’s wisdom. There is no absolute basis to judge it right / good or wrong / bad, no absolute determinism / causality; just conventionally / relatively. With the Middle Way, there is nothing to accept / affirm / seek / do in absolute terms, nothing to reject / negate / abandon / not-do in absolute terms, just conventionally / relatively.
The original naked mind has this power / energy to spontaneously manifest anything; “capable of spontaneously manifesting anything” / “the wisdom of enlightenment manifests spontaneously without limits, just like the infinite rays of the sun” / as “the display of your own intrinsic nature”. This capacity / power / energy is all-pervasive, primordial / unborn / self-arisen, unceasing, uncontrived, unchanging, unfabricated, unrestricted, unconditioned, unimpeded, unobstructed, unconfined, unlimited, pure (in the non-dual sense of those terms).
“The manifest power of that wisdom is capable of arising as anything whatsoever, and therefore this compassionate energy pervades all phenomena.” Everything in samsara and nirvana arise like that. “Therefore, in short, all the phenomena of samsara and nirvana are but a display arising through the creative power of the wisdom of rigpa within our own minds” / the play of energy.
This “capacity is the all-pervasive wisdom of Indivisibility” / Great Union: Union of essence and nature of the Ground; Union of clarity / luminosity / cognizance / functionality and emptiness; Union of the Two Truths about the three spheres: Union of conventionally dependently co-arisen (interdependent) relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances [T1] <==> and emptiness of inherent existence [T2] about the three spheres [U2T-3S]; self-knowing awareness / spontaneous presence / the single all-encompassing sphere of naturally arising wisdom / the transcendent perfection of wisdom; Union rupakaya and dharmakaya; Union of the three kayas [U3K]; Buddha-nature, Genuine Emptiness, Dharmata, Suchness, Oneness / Non-duality … “All that you perceive arises as the naked wisdom of Rigpa, which is the indivisibility of luminosity and emptiness [U2T]”. “The ocean of realms of phenomena of existence and enlightenment naturally manifest as the display of unobstructed emptiness, like the sun and its rays.” “The fruition is the already perfect [inseparable] three kāyas” present in everything.
In short, everything is characterised by the three inseparable qualities of the Ground / Trikaya:
[T1]1st truth / nature: APPEARANCES / Nirmanakaya; conventionally dependently co-arisen (interdependent) relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances -- Meaning: "everything is conventionally dependently co-arisen relatively functional impermanent appearances, merely labelled / imputed by the mind in dependence of its past / conditioning / karma <==> exactly because everything is empty of inherent existence -- body / physical, speech / conceptual, mind / mental fabrications --. And vice versa; one aspect / truth implies the other (<==>). In the case of the model where Reality is Consciousness / Awareness / Mind, then this nature is the clarity / luminosity / normal pure functionality of the Empty-Naked-Mind.
[T2] 2nd truth / essence: EMPTINESS / Dharmakaya -- emptiness of inherent existence -- Meaning: "everything is empty of inherent existence <==> exactly because everything is conventionally dependently co-arisen relatively functional impermanent appearances, merely labelled / imputed by the mind in dependence of its past / conditioning / karma, and vice versa. And vice versa; one aspect / truth implies the other (<==>). Something is co-dependent with its parts and/or wholes (when applicable), its cause & conditions and/or effects (when applicable), its conceptual opposite(s) (always), and as object co-dependent with the subject / mind merely labelling / imputing / conceptualising it, and with the relation / action / labelling / imputing / conceptualising".
[U2T] Compassionate energy / Dynamism: It is the inconceivable inseparability / interdependence / harmony / UNION OF THE TWO TRUTHS / Sambhogakaya -- meaning: "even though everything is empty of inherent existence <==> everything is still conventionally dependently co-arisen relatively functional impermanent appearances -- body / physical, speech / conceptual, mind / mental fabrications --.
Everything is spontaneous normal displays of the Ground; parts of the Cosmic Song, Comic Dance, Magical Show, manifestations of the Buddha, of the Trikaya;
with empty-dependently-co-arisen-relatively-functional-causes
empty-dependently-co-arisen-relatively-functional-causality
empty-dependently-co-arisen-relatively-functional-effects;
or empty-dependently-co-arisen-relatively-functional-subjects
empty-dependently-co-arisen-relatively-functional-actions/functions
empty-dependently-co-arisen-relatively-functional-objects."
This "inconceivable inseparability" is the power that makes things spontaneously co-emerge (in pairs) from emptiness, that make the mind & world function. It is the "source" of all energies.The Inseparability / co-dependence / harmony <==> and emptiness of those three qualities of the Ground, or inseparability / Union of the three kayas, is expressed by the fourth kaya: Svabhavikakaya / Vajrakaya. So we should not grasp at any of them as if existing inherently, independently separately, absolutely. The Primordial Energy / compassionate energy / Union of the two truths / Buddha-nature / Genuine Emptiness / Dharmata / Suchness, Primordial wisdom / consciousness / awareness / ground / Buddha ... are mere adapted skillful means / antidotes / and pointers to the inconceivable that has to be directly perceived / realised. They are antidotes to our usual tendency to focus-on / reify / grasp / identify-with the conditioned / dependent / impermanent / superficial -- physical, conceptual, mental --.
But, they are inseparable from their displays / appearances: not multiple, not one, not both together, not neither. They are also empty. There is no first cause / power / energy separate / independent of its effects / results / displays; and no inherent / absolute causality / power / production / determinism. No absolute to grasp with whatever name we may give it.
QUOTES:
Base reality is not nothing; it is infinite free energy.
Energy coming from the Clear light of the Void.
(i.e. Being / Union of the Two Truths about Mind: Union dependent co-origination & relative functionality / clarity / luminosity / radiance / dynamism / creative power / awareness / wisdom / capacity to know <==> and emptiness of inherent existence of Mind -- the innate condition of the mind, which is unborn primordial unconditioned untainted pure non-conceptual non-dualistic)
Everything is made of light / pure energy / Clear light energy.
Transparent (i.e. not existence, not non-existence, not both together, not neither).
Pure energy everywhere.
Reality is indescribable, but it is experienceable (directly).
Call it the Buddhaverse (instead of Universe).
Nothing is something.
Inseparable adapted skillful means like loving-kindness & compassion <==> and wisdom / emptiness.
Enlightenment is realising that we are infinite clear light energy / Buddhaverse;
identifying with that with certainty.
-- From Robert A.F. Thurman's Live Video 2020-11-14
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Compassionate energy -- Rigpawiki
The Ground of Dzogchen is described as being endowed with three qualities―essence, nature and compassionate energy. The third quality of the Ground is its compassionate energy (Tib. ཐུགས་རྗེ་, tukjé, Wyl. thugs rje).
Just as the sky and sunlight are indivisible, so the empty essence and cognizant nature are always a unity (in Union / U2T). This inseparability or unity (Union) is called ‘compassionate energy’,
the manifestation of the compassionate energy of the enlightened mind (Buddhaverse).
This unceasing compassionate energy is described as:
unconfined,
unobstructed, and
all-pervasive.
It too possesses three wonderful qualities:
the wisdom that knows,
the compassion that is loving and caring, and
the power that is able to liberate, protect, and benefit beings and fulfil the enlightened activity of the buddhas.
Tulku Tsullo, a student of Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa, describes it in the following way:
The manifest power of that wisdom is capable of arising as anything whatsoever, and therefore this compassionate energy pervades all phenomena. All the pure phenomena of nirvana and impure phenomena of samsara―whatever there might be―are merely appearances arising to one’s own mind. All the phenomena of samsara and nirvana are like this; there is not a single phenomenon in samsara or nirvana that is not like this, and which exists from its own side. The nature of conceptual ideas evaluating phenomena and also non-conceptual states of mind is (in Union with) the wisdom of rigpa’s pure awareness.
Therefore, in short, all the phenomena of samsara and nirvana are but a display arising through the creative power of the wisdom of rigpa within our own minds. (i.e. the Buddhaverse is like a Union of dependent origination / innate cognizance / functionality <==> and emptiness. Everything arises from this "Union", from the infinite energy of the Clear Light of the Void.)
https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Compassionate_energy
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[The GROUND is the permanent, unchanging, self-arisen, uncontrived, true ... basis of reality -- subject / mind, relation / action / process / function, object / phenomena / world --, of samsara & nirvana:]
The three qualities of the Ground / Being / Reality in Dzogchen:
[T2] Its essence is emptiness (2nd truth);
[T1] its nature is luminosity / cognizance / appearances (1st truth);
these two are inseparable ("shadowless luminosity") = Union of the Two Truths.[U2T] That is expressed as the third quality of the ground: its unimpeded energy, capable of spontaneously manifesting anything (the source of "the play of the universe", "neither real nor unreal", "Being accommodates everything") = the inseparability / harmony of the two truths.
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Essence, Nature, Capacity
essence, nature and capacity (ngo bo rang bzhin thugs rje).
The three aspects of the sugata-garbha according to the Dzogchen system.
[T2] Essence is the primordially pure wisdom of emptiness.
[T1] The nature is the spontaneously present wisdom of cognizance.
[U2T] The capacity is the all-pervasive wisdom of indivisibility [U2T].
This is, ultimately, the identity of the Three Roots, the Three Jewels and the three kayas [RY]
essence, nature, and capacity; as samaya being, [detailed expl., The Light of Wisdom, Vol. 2, page 162] [RY]
essence, nature, and capacity [/compassionate quality; essence, nature, compassionate temperament, compassionate energy; facticity, immediacy, and responsiveness / compassion] [RY]
nature, character, compassionate quality, essence, nature, compassionate temperament, compassionate energy, facticity, immediacy, responsiveness, and compassion [IW]
essence, nature, and capacity; The three aspects of the sugata-garbha according to the Dzogchen system [RY]
Alternate Translations
Essence, Nature, Compassion
Essence, Nature, Responsiveness
http://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Essence,_Nature,_Capacity
=======================
Essence of mind ~ Mipham Rinpoche
Namo Guru Mañjuśrīye!
The actual nature of things is inconceivable and inexpressible. Yet, for those fortunate individuals who seek to penetrate the profound meaning of dharmatā, I shall here offer a few words by way of illustration.
What we call “essence of mind” is the actual face of unconditioned pure awareness, which is recognised through receiving the guru’s blessings and instructions. If you wonder what this is like,
[T2] it is empty in essence, beyond conceptual reference (2nd truth);
[T1] it is cognisant by nature, spontaneously present (1st truth); and
[U2T] it is all-pervasive and unobstructed in its compassionate energy. (Union of the Two Truths)
This is the rigpa in which the three kayas are inseparable. (Union of the three kayas) [U3K]
It is therefore as the vidyādhara Garab Dorje said in his Final Testament:
This rigpa, which has no concrete existence as anything at all,
Is completely unobstructed in the arising of its self-appearances.
To summarize: the actual nature of mind—the way it has always been, in and of itself—is this innate pure awareness that is unfabricated and unrestricted.
When this is explained in negative terms:
[T2-only] It is not something to be apprehended (not existent);
[T1-only] Nor is it a non-existent void (not non-existent);
[2T] It is not some combination of these two (not both existent and non-existent together),
[1T] Nor is it a third (fourth) option that is neither (not neither existent nor non-existent).
This is the view of the absence of any identifiable existence, the fact that it cannot be conceptualised in any way by thinking, “It is like this.” (tetralemma: not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither)
When explained in more positive, experiential terms, it is said to be glaringly empty, lucidly clear, vividly pure, perfectly even, expansively open, and so on.
To illustrate this using examples: without limit or centre, it is like space; in its unlimited clarity, it is like sunlight flooding the sky; without clear inside and outside, it is like a crystal ball; in its freedom from clinging and attachment, it is like the traces of a bird in flight; and neither arising nor ceasing, it is like the sky.
To dispel any doubts or misunderstandings that might arise from this instruction, it is described as
[T1] the great clarity that is beyond partiality, (1st truth)
[T2] the great emptiness of freedom from conceptual reference, (2nd truth)
[U2T] the great union that cannot be separated, and so on. (Union of the Two Truths)
In terms of its meaning, as it cannot be pointed out by words, it is inexpressible; as it cannot be known with ordinary modes of consciousness, it is inconceivable; and as it is does not fall into any extreme, it is the great freedom from elaboration. In the end, it is beyond all expressions, such as: it is all and everything, it is not all, everything lies within it, or does not, and so on. It remains an individual experience of self-knowing awareness.
The names used to illustrate it are 'primordial purity' (ka dag) and 'spontaneous presence' (lhun grub), and, when summarizing: 'the single, all-encompassing sphere of naturally arising wisdom (Buddhaverse)' (rang byung ye shes thig le nyag gcig).
As it is the pinnacle of all in terms of the qualities it possesses, it is also the transcendent perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā) and so on.
Symbolically, it can be revealed by means of the sun, or a magnifying glass, a crystal ball, or a finger pointing into space, and so forth.
When you have a precious jewel in your own hand,
Even if others should discard them, why be angry?
Without losing your connection to these instructions,
The pinnacle of Dharma, and your own good fortune,
Even if others should criticize them, why be angry?
-- Mipham Rinpoche
from the book Beyond the Ordinary Mind: Dzogchen, Rimé, and the Path of Perfect Wisdom
https://quotes.justdharma.com/essence-of-mind-mipham-rinpoche/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MahasiddhasMahamudraDzogchen/permalink/2447307775299674
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The most important attitude and practice ~ Kalu Rinpoche
[T2] The essence of the Lama or Buddha is EMPTINESS (2nd truth);
[T1] their nature, CLARITY (1st truth);
[U2T] their appearance, the play of UNIMPEDED awareness. (Union of the Two Truths [U2T])
Apart from that they have no real material form, shape or colour, whatsoever – like the EMPTY LUMINOSITY of space.
When we know them to be like that we can develop faith, merge our minds with theirs, and let our minds rest peacefully. This attitude and practice are most important.
-- Kalu Rinpoche
https://quotes.justdharma.com/the-most-important-aspect-of-practice/
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Union emptiness and dependent origination ~ 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche
[T2] Mind is by its very nature EMPTY (essence) (2nd truth),
[T1] yet APPEARANCES ARISE (nature) (1st truth) from it without obstruction.
[U2T] Out of the unobstructed emptiness of mind the whole range of appearances can manifest without limit (compassionate energy / dynamism). (Union of the Two Truths [U2T])
[T1] On a RELATIVE level, phenomena manifest through dependent origination (1st truth);
[T2] this is inseparable from the emptiness of mind, which is the ULTIMATE level (2nd truth).
[U2T] Freedom from extremes is realizing that emptiness and dependent origination are ONE and do not contradict each other. (Inseparability / harmony / Union of the Two Truths [U2T])
Confusion lies neither in the appearance of things, nor in the fact that they are manifested by mind, but in one’s own misunderstanding (ignorance) of the [Union of] emptiness and luminosity of mind [U2T].
-- 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche
from the book “Cloudless Sky”
https://quotes.justdharma.com/emptiness-and-dependent-origination/
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Empty Essence ~ Tsoknyi Rinpoche
Empty essence [T2] means very, very open (2nd truth)
And very spacious, like a totally open sky.
Space has no center or edge.
Nothing is prevented, it is completely unimpeded.
Empty essence, like space, is not made out of anything whatsoever.
At the same time there is a sense of knowing,
An awake quality, a cognizant nature [T1], (1st truth)
Not separate from the openness of this space.
Like the sun shining in daytime,
The daylight and space are not separate. (Union of the Two Truths)
It’s all sunlit space.
Nothing is confined, nothing is blocked out.
All the doors and windows are wide open.
Like a total welcome – of all possibilities –
Which doesn’t get caught up in whatever happens.
It is wide open,
The unity (Union) of empty essence and cognizant nature [U2T].
This is the third quality, that of unconfined capacity (compassionate energy).
-- Tsoknyi Rinpoche
https://quotes.justdharma.com/empty-essence-tsoknyi-rinpoche/
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Free from the extreme of existence and that of non-existence ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
[T2] This EMPTY (essence) nature (2nd truth / T2), the lack of intrinsic existence in phenomena, does not imply a blank naught in which there is nothing at all, as we find in the view of the nihilists.
[T1] According to relative truth, all phenomena arise as a result of the INTERDEPENDENT (nature) (1st truth / T1) conjunction of causes and conditions. This enables us to explain not only how samsara is formed but also it is possible to progress toward nirvana.
[U2T] There is no contradiction (harmony) between the absolute nature (emptiness) and its INFINITE DISPLAY (1st truth) (Union of the Two Truths [U2T]) and, because of this, one is free from the extreme of existence and that of nonexistence. (freedom from all extremes & middle; freedom from all conceptual elaborations; tetralemma)
-- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
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The state beyond all obstacles ~ Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche
Enlightenment, or Nirvana, is nothing other than the state beyond all obstacles, in the same way that from the peak of a very high mountain one always sees the sun. Nirvana is not a paradise or some special place of happiness, but is in fact the condition beyond all dualistic concepts, including those of happiness and suffering. When all our obstacles have been overcome, and we find ourselves in a state of total presence, the wisdom of enlightenment manifests spontaneously without limits, just like the infinite rays of the sun. (all appearances & the capacity of knowing spontaneously emerge from the energy of the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] -- compassionate energy) The clouds have dissolved, and the sun is finally free to shine once again.
-- Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche
from the book Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State
https://quotes.justdharma.com/the-state-beyond-all-obstacles-namkhai-norbu-rinpoche/
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The display of your own intrinsic nature ~ Longchenpa
In the expanse in which self-knowing rigpa arises spontaneously, free of all grasping, rest and relax, without contrivance or fabrication. Whatever thoughts arise, recognizing their essence, allow them all to be liberated as the display of your own intrinsic nature.
-- Longchenpa
A Mirror Revealing the Crucial Points: Advice on the Ultimate Meaning
https://quotes.justdharma.com/the-display-of-your-own-intrinsic-nature-longchenpa/
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Unstained by any Grasping ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
Whatever perceptions arise, you should be like a little child going into a beautifully decorated temple; he looks, but grasping does not enter into his perception at all. You leave everything fresh, natural, vivid and unspoiled. When you leave each thing in its own state, then its shape doesn’t change, its color doesn’t fade and its glow does not disappear. Whatever appears is unstained by any grasping, so then all that you perceive arises as the naked wisdom of Rigpa, which is the indivisibility (Union) of luminosity and emptiness. (Union of the Two Truths [U2T])
(Reality / Dharmata / Awareness = Union of the Two Truths about the three spheres. Union of luminosity / clear light / functionality / cognizance / conventionally dependently co-arisen relatively functional impermanent appearances <==> and emptiness of inherent existence.)
--- Dudjom Rinpoche
quoted in the book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
https://quotes.justdharma.com/unstained-by-any-grasping-dudjom-rinpoche/
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In the moment of love ~ 3rd Karmapa
The play of overwhelming compassion being unobstructed,
In the moment of love the empty essence dawns nakedly.
May we constantly practice day and night,
The supreme path of unity (Union), devoid of errors.
-- 3rd Karmapa
quoted in the book Crystal Clear: Practical Advice for Mahamudra Meditators
https://quotes.justdharma.com/in-the-moment-of-love-3rd-karmapa/
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Primordially pure ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
From the very beginning, awareness has never been established as being material and having characteristics that can be conceptualized, because its essence is primordially pure, sublime, all-pervasive emptiness. The ocean of realms of phenomena of existence and enlightenment naturally manifest as the display of unobstructed emptiness, like the sun and its rays. Therefore, awareness is neither partial nor a completely empty void because its nature is the supreme spontaneous presence of wisdom and noble qualities.
-- Dudjom Rinpoche
from the book Wisdom Nectar: Dudjom Rinpoche's Heart Advice
https://quotes.justdharma.com/primordially-pure-dudjom-rinpoche/
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Everything is mutually interpenetrating ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
All aspects of phenomena are completely clear and lucid.
The whole universe is open and unobstructed – everything is mutually interpenetrating.
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
https://quotes.justdharma.com/everything-is-mutually-interpenetrating-dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/
=======================
“With the support of emptiness, the universe and its contents appear, but they cannot appear based just on emptiness. It is because of interdependent connection that we perceive the universe and its inhabitants, even though its nature is emptiness. For instance, in the summer the land is warm from the sun, there is cool rain, flowers grow, and everything seems pleasant, in the winter the land is frozen, there is cold wind, and everything seems unpleasant. All this is due to interdependent causes and conditions. Similarly, the formation and destruction of the universe and its contents is due to the interdependent connection of cause and condition. If there are no parents, there cannot be a child; in the same way, everything is dependent on cause and condition. If many causes and conditions come together, something is created.
When the five elements – earth, water, fire, wind, and space – come together, earth ripens, water dissolves, fire warms, wind moves, and the four seasons are formed in the universe. Similarly in our body, flesh and bones are the earth element, blood and lymph are the water element, the warm of our body is the fire element, the breath inside our body is the wind element, and the space in between is the space element. So the body is formed through the gathering of the five elements. In this body formed through the elements, there is mind. When many instants gather, that mind perceives past, present, and future thoughts.
When all causes and conditions are destroyed, there will be absolutely nothing. When there is appearance, for someone who has realized emptiness, whatever he perceives dissolves into emptiness, like a rainbow dissolving into space. If one looks at a rainbow in the sky, one sees a beautiful appearance of five colors, but if one were to try to grasp it or use it to wear or eat, that would be futile. It can be seen, but it is empty. Similarly, all the appearances of the universe and its contents are empty. There is nothing beyond emptiness.”
Kyabje Dilgo Kyentse Rinpoche – Pure Appearance - 'The Four Abhishekas and the Three Samadhis' – Collected Works Vol III pp 505-6, Shambhala
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Mind Essence ~ Padmasambhava
Where the past has ceased and the future has not yet arisen,
In the unimpeded state of present wakefulness,
Rest in the manner of mind looking into mind.
No matter what thoughts may arise at this time,
They are all the display of the single mind essence.
As the nature of space is unchanging,
You will realize the all-pervasive mind essence to be changeless.
This is the Great Perfection, the ultimate of all vehicles,
The unexcelled meaning of the self-existing Mind Section.
-- Padmasambhava
quoted in the book Jewels of Enlightenment: Wisdom Teachings from the Great Tibetan Masters
https://quotes.justdharma.com/mind-essence-padmasambhava/
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Gaining control over your experience ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
To the extent that you can acknowledge the true power of your mind, you can begin to exercise more control over your experience. Pain, sadness, fear, anxiety, and all other forms of suffering no longer disrupt your life as forcefully as they used to. Experiences that once seemed to be obstacles become opportunities for deepening your understanding of the mind’s unimpeded nature.
-- Mingyur Rinpoche
from the book The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness
https://quotes.justdharma.com/gaining-control-over-your-experience/
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The Two Truths Indivisible - The true nature of Mind / Reality
https://www.gilehtblog.com/2020/11/the-two-truths-indivisible-true-nature.html
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Buddha-Nature and the Clear Light Mind -- Study Buddhism
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Buddha mind ~ Chögyam Trungpa
The idea of buddha mind is not purely a concept or a theoretical, metaphysical idea. It is something extremely real that we can experience ourselves. In fact, it is the ego that feels that we have an ego. It is ego that tells us, “My ego is bothering me. I feel very self-conscious about having to be me. I feel that I have a tremendous burden in me, and I wonder what the best way to get rid of it is.” Yet all those expressions of restlessness that keep coming out of us are the expression of buddha nature: the expression of our unborn, unobstructed, and non-dwelling nature (Union of the Two Truths / U2T).
-- Chögyam Trungpa
from the book Ocean of Dharma: The Everyday Wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa
https://quotes.justdharma.com/buddha-mind/
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Non-duality ~ Lama Yeshe
All existing phenomena, whether deemed good or bad, are by nature beyond duality, beyond our false discriminations. Nothing that exists does so outside of non-duality. In other words, every existing energy is born within non-duality, functions within non-duality, and finally disappears into the nature of non-duality (Buddhaverse; Union of the Two Truths / dynamism / compassionate energy / U2T). We are born on this earth, live our lives and pass away all within the space of non-duality. This is the simple and natural truth, not some philosophy fabricated by Maitreya Buddha. We are talking about objective facts and the fundamental nature of reality, neither more nor less.
-- Lama Yeshe
https://quotes.justdharma.com/non-duality-lama-yeshe/
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Openness is like the wind ~ Pema Chödron
Basic wakefulness, natural openness, is always available. This openness is not something that needs to be manufactured. When we pause, when we touch the energy of the moment (Union of the Two Truths / dynamism / compassionate energy / U2T), when we slow down and allow a gap, self-existing openness comes to us. It does not require a particular effort. It is available anytime. As Chögyam Trungpa once remarked, “Openness is like the wind. If you open your doors and windows, it is bound to come in.”
-- Pema Chödron
from the book Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears
https://quotes.justdharma.com/openness-is-like-the-wind-pema-chodron/
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A little twist ~ Pema Chödron
All of life is interconnected. If something lives, it has life force, the quality of which is energy, a sense of spiritedness. Without that, we can’t lift our arms or open our mouths or open and shut our eyes. If you have ever been with someone who is dying, you know that at one moment, even though it might be quite weak, there’s life force there, and then the next moment there is none. It’s said that when we die, the four elements—earth, air, fire, water—dissolve one by one, each into the other, and finally just dissolve into space. But while we’re living, we share the energy that makes everything (Union of the Two Truths / dynamism / compassionate energy / U2T), from a blade of grass to an elephant, grow and live and then inevitably wear out and die. This energy, this life force, creates the whole world. It’s very curious that because we as human beings have consciousness, we are also subject to a little twist where we resist life’s energies.
-- Pema Chödron
from the book The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness
https://quotes.justdharma.com/a-little-twist-pema-chodron/
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Capable of dealing with reality ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Spirituality is simply a means of arousing one’s spirit, of developing a kind of spiritedness. Through that you begin to have greater contact with reality. You are not afraid of discovering what reality is all about, and you are willing to explore your individual energy (Union of the Two Truths / dynamism / compassionate energy / U2T). You actually choose to work with the essence of your existence, which could be called genuineness. An interest in spirituality doesn’t mean that you lack something, or that you have developed a black hole in your existence which you are trying to compensate for or cover over with some sort of religious patchwork. It simply means that you are capable of dealing with reality.
-- Chögyam Trungpa
from the book Ocean of Dharma: The Everyday Wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa
https://quotes.justdharma.com/capable-of-dealing-with-reality-chogyam-trungpa/
=======================
Accommodating both wrong and right ~ Chögyam Trungpa
You are good; fundamentally, you are healthy. Moreover, that particular health is capable of accommodating your badness as well as your goodness. When you’re good, you’re not particularly bashful about your goodness, and when you’re bad, you’re not particularly shocked by that either. These are simply your attributes. When you begin to accept both aspects of your being as energy, as part of the perspective of your view of yourself, then you are connecting with the fundamental goodness, which can accommodate all of these energies as part of one basic being (Union of the Two Truths / dynamism / compassionate energy / U2T). This is very solid and earthy. It is invincible in fact. That is the basic idea of good: that good can accommodate both wrong and right at the same time. Because of that, it is good. It is solid soil, solid ground.
-- Chögyam Trungpa
from the book Work, Sex, Money: Real Life on the Path of Mindfulness
https://quotes.justdharma.com/accommodating-both-wrong-and-right-chogyam-trungpa/
=======================
A gigantic state of BLAH ~ Chögyam Trungpa
There is a kind of nondual state of confusion that goes on throughout all life. Experience comes out of that and dissipates back into it. Energies arise and emotions appear. It all takes place within this one all-pervasive state of confused being. It is very important for us to realize this background as the basic ground of everything and to understand how it arises or does not arise. It seems to be a big, gigantic state of BLAH. People have misunderstood this as a mystical experience. Unless you have some glimpse of this level of basic ignorance, you cannot have a glimpse of the rest. From this point of view, maybe finding the worst aspect of oneself is the first glimpse of the possibility of being better.
-- Chögyam Trungpa
from the book Orderly Chaos: The Mandala Principle
https://quotes.justdharma.com/a-gigantic-state-of-blah-chogyam-trungpa/
=======================
Stages of the Path ~ Chögyam Trungpa
The pattern of the practitioner’s progress on the path is as follows: First, one develops extreme exertion in uncovering one’s own neurosis. This one-pointed mindfulness brings the sense of one’s actual human quality. The second stage is marked by gentleness, allowing one’s energies to expand and be shared with the rest of sentient beings. Finally, one develops fearlessness and a sense of joy and penetrating insight, filled with immense devotion to the lineage and one’s root teacher.
-- Chögyam Trungpa
from the book The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa, Volume 5
https://quotes.justdharma.com/stages-of-the-path-chogyam-trungpa/
=======================
It’s how we relate to emotions ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Empty minds, empty bodies, empty emotions, but not nothingness. The waves that surface in the form of emotions, desires, and aversions are also empty, and their force is also empty. Yet the empty force of the empty wave has the empty power to knock over a mind that is also essentially empty but does not know it, and is stuffed with ideas. But if we do not create a story around the wave, then we have empty water dissolving into the empty ocean, like water being poured into water. No problem. Emotions themselves are not the problem. It’s how we relate to them.
-- Mingyur Rinpoche
from the book In Love with the World: A Monk's Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying
https://quotes.justdharma.com/its-how-we-relate-to-emotions-mingyur-rinpoche/
=======================
The path of Mahayana ~ Kalu Rinpoche
The basis of the mahayana practice differs from the hinayana in that one does not practice abandonment, rejection, etc. Instead, in mahayana, one deals with one’s behavior in a manner of transformation. For example, if the desire to harm another sentient being arises on the crest of a wave of great anger, then one immediately applies the antidote of compassion; the energy of the anger is thereby transformed into compassion. One does not deal with an emotion simply by cutting it off; rather, one uses compassion to transform it on the basis of its inherent insubstantiality.
In their ignorance, sentient beings think all that they experience is real, and their misconception entails their experiencing a great deal of suffering. Ones sees that all sentient beings are experiencing the illusory manifestations of the three bodies (the fully ripened, the habitual tendency, and the mental bodies), and that they are completely locked in these illusions. Recognizing the habitual clinging of these three categories of sentient phenomena as being only illusory appearance, then one recognizes emptiness.
By recognizing that one’s delusion and habitual clinging cause suffering, an intense compassion can arise. The recognition of emptiness itself is referred to as wisdom, and the arising compassion is referred to by the term means. The path of recognizing the emptiness of these three categories of phenomena, and of developing compassion for all those experiencing such delusion, is the path of mahayana, and this path has its pinnacle in the union of means and wisdom.
-- Kalu Rinpoche
from the book Gently Whispered: Oral Teachings by the Very Venerable Kalu Rinpoche
https://quotes.justdharma.com/the-path-of-mahayana-kalu-rinpoche/
=======================
Accumulation of merit becoming perfectly pure ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
The master Ashvagosha says:
All these sources of good that I have accomplished
I dedicate as the cause of the state beyond the world,
Without thoughts related to cyclic existence, or hopes
Of any resulting fame, praise, or happiness, celestial or human.
Unless all our meritorious actions are backed by the skillful means of compassion and the wisdom of emptiness, they will merely become causes of cyclic existence resulting in cyclic existence. So it is extremely important that our actions be exclusively backed by the wisdom that realizes the profound meaning.
As we find in The Way of the Bodhisattva,
When something and its nonexistence
Both are absent from before the mind,
No other option does the latter have:
It comes to perfect rest, from concepts free.
When we do not have in mind any characterizing thoughts, nor even think of emptiness, which is absence of characteristics, but remain, without remaining, in the state of emptiness — the ultimate nature that transcends both things with characteristics and the mental image of absence of characteristics — the accumulation of merit becomes perfectly pure, as indicated in Introduction to the Middle Way:
Giving, void of giver, gift, receiver,
Is called a perfection that transcends the world.
The object to which you are offering the Buddhafield, the things you are
offering, and you yourself, the offerer, are from the beginning devoid of real
existence or characteristics, so rest in evenness in the natural state completely free of elaboration, without any concept of subject, object, and action.
Offering in this way, as an unceasing manifestation of the merely illusory appearance aspect of interdependent arising (Union of the Two Truths / dynamism / compassionate energy / U2T), will become an unsurpassable source of good, in which generosity and the other transcendent perfections are performed with the eye of wisdom and the two accumulations are united.
-- Dudjom Rinpoche
from the book A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom: Complete Instructions on the Preliminary Practices
https://quotes.justdharma.com/accumulation-of-merit-becoming-perfectly-pure-dudjom-rinpoche/
=======================
Emptiness and clarity ~ Tai Situ Rinpoche
Mind is empty, it doesn’t have any solid tangible reality; that is dharmakaya. But it is clear, it is always clear and that is sambhogakaya. But that clarity is the clarity of that emptiness and that emptiness is the emptiness of that clarity. They are not two things glued together by force, no! Emptiness is the emptiness of the clarity and clarity is the clarity of the emptiness – they are together. (Union of the Two Truths)
-- Tai Situ Rinpoche
from the book Shangpa Kagyu Teachings
https://quotes.justdharma.com/emptiness-and-clarity-tai-situ-rinpoche/
=======================
Three Primordial Wisdoms of Emptiness, Clarity, and Arising Compassionate Energy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IB_I5wPKL8
=======================
How liberation is to be gained ~ Mipham Rinpoche
If one trains for a long time in the union of the two truths [U2T], the stage of acceptance (on the path of joining), which is attuned to primordial wisdom, will arise. By thus acquiring a certain conviction in that which surpasses intellectual knowledge, and by training in it, one will eventually actualize it. This is precisely how the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas have said that liberation is to be gained.
-- Mipham Rinpoche
from the book The Adornment of the Middle Way: Shantarakshita's Madhyamakalankara with Commentary by Jamgon Mipham
https://quotes.justdharma.com/how-liberation-is-to-be-gained-mipham-rinpoche/
=======================
The Confusion of Dualism ~ Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche
But if, through fundamental misperception of reality, the individual enters into the confusion of dualism, primordial consciousness, which is in fact the source of all manifestation (even of dualistic consciousness and, in fact, of all phenomena), itself becomes obscured. The individual’s deluded mind then mistakes the manifestations of its own pure, innate primordial awareness for an external reality existing separately from itself, which it endlessly, and ultimately unsuccessfully, attempts to manipulate, trying in vain to bring an end to the continual underlying sense of dissatisfaction and unease which is the inevitable experience of the obscuration of pure awareness. The experience of underlying dissatisfaction (or ‘dukha’ in Sanskrit) that unavoidably arises with a deluded mind, continues, no matter how ‘successful’ the individual becomes in dealing with his or her world in materialistic terms, until the individual regains the experience of the primordial state (Union of the Two truths about the three spheres [U2T-3S]).
-- Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche
from the book The Crystal And The Way Of Light: Sutra, Tantra And Dzogchen
https://quotes.justdharma.com/the-confusion-of-dualism/
=======================
Primordial awareness ~ Dogen Zenji
Primordial awareness is in essence perfect and pervades everywhere. How could it be dependent upon what anyone does to practice or realize it? The movement of reality does not need us to give it a push. Do I need to say that it is free from delusion? The vast expanse of reality can never be darkened by the dust of presumptions. Who then could believe that it needs to cleaned of such dust to be what it is? It is never separate from where you are, so why scramble around in search of it?
-- Dogen Zenji
https://quotes.justdharma.com/primordial-awareness-dogen-zenji/
=======================
Primordial purity ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Although we use words such as achieving, wishing, and praying for enlightenment, ultimately we don’t acquire enlightenment from an external source. A more correct way to put it is discovering the enlightenment that has always been there. Enlightenment is part of our true nature. Our true nature is like a golden statue; however, it is still in its mold, which is like our defilements and ignorance. Because ignorance and emotion are not an inherent part of our nature, just as the mold is not part of the statue, there is such a thing as primordial purity. When the mold is broken, the statue emerges. When our defilements are removed, our true buddha-nature is revealed.
-- Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book What Makes You Not a Buddhist
https://quotes.justdharma.com/primordial-purity-dzongsar-khyentse-rinpoche/
=======================
The primordial absence of defilements ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
When we think of ourselves as inherently angry and ignorant, and we doubt our ability to achieve enlightenment, we are thinking that our true nature is permanently impure and defiled. But like the fingerprints on the wineglass, these emotions are not part of our true nature; we have only gathered pollutants from all sorts of unfavorable situations, such as associating with non-virtuous people or not understanding the consequences of our actions. The primordial absence of defilements, the pure nature of the self, is often called buddha-nature. Yet the defilements and the resulting emotions have been there for so long and have become so strong that they are our second nature, always shadowing us. It is not surprising that we think there is no hope.
-- Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book What Makes You Not a Buddhist
https://quotes.justdharma.com/the-primordial-absence-of-defilements-dzongsar-khyentse-rinpoche/
=======================
Primordially pure ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
From the very beginning, awareness has never been established as being material and having characteristics that can be conceptualized, because its essence is primordially pure, sublime, all-pervasive emptiness.
The ocean of realms of phenomena of existence and enlightenment naturally manifest as the display of unobstructed emptiness, like the sun and its rays.
Therefore, awareness is neither partial nor a completely empty void because its nature is the supreme spontaneous presence of wisdom and noble qualities.
-- Dudjom Rinpoche
from the book Wisdom Nectar: Dudjom Rinpoche's Heart Advice
https://quotes.justdharma.com/primordially-pure-dudjom-rinpoche/
=======================
We don’t have to force it ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Awareness will become clearer and clearer of its own accord; we don’t have to force it to become so. In the practice of the Great Perfection, we first recognize the primordial nature of mind, and then become more and more experienced in recognizing it, eventually achieving complete stability in its realization.
-- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book The Collected Works of Dilgo Khyentse, Volume Three
https://quotes.justdharma.com/we-dont-have-to-force-it-dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/
=======================
Re-awakened ~ 14th Dalai Lama
Rigpa awareness, or Samantabhadra, is a primordially enlightened state, a quality of buddhahood that we all possess from beginningless time. However, this primordial quality of buddhahood is obscured by adventitious mental factors, our afflictions and other thought processes. Through practice, this primordial quality of buddhahood manifests. That is why, when all of the adventitious stains are cleansed, one is said to become re-awakened or re-enlightened.
-- 14th Dalai Lama
https://quotes.justdharma.com/re-awakened-14th-dalai-lama/
=======================
Empty, luminous, beyond clinging ~ Shabkar
The root of all that exists,
Samsara and nirvana, is one’s own mind.
Primordially, mind is emptiness.
Merge into the sky-like absolute expanse,
Empty, luminous, beyond clinging.
Outside, inside; eyes open or closed,
Day, night; asleep or awake:
No difference.
During practice, after practice,
Mind, appearances:
Blend them.
Continuously, without wavering,
Merge completely with this vibrant, sky-like state.
-- Shabkar
from the book The Life of Shabkar: The Autobiography of a Tibetan Yogin
https://quotes.justdharma.com/empty-luminous-beyond-clinging-shabkar/
=======================
My very own nature ~ Trulshik Rinpoche
The primordial ground, the great, ever-pure primordial emptiness,
Which is free from all elaboration and change,
Is the very nature of uncompounded and self-arising awareness:
Bless me so that I may recognize the view, my very own nature.
-- Trulshik Rinpoche
https://quotes.justdharma.com/my-very-own-nature-trulshik-rinpoche/
=======================
Possessing the view of realization ~ Padmasambhava
“Mind” is discovered to be without something outside or inside. It does not have someone that looks; it is not the act of looking. It is experienced as a great original wakefulness without center or edge, an immense all-pervasiveness that is primordially empty and free. This original wakefulness is intrinsic and self-existing. It is not made right now, but is present within yourself from the very beginning. Decide firmly that the view is to recognize just that! To “possess confidence” in this means to realize that like space, mind is spontaneously present from the beginning. Like the sun, it is free from any basis for the darkness of ignorance. Like a lotus flower, it is untainted by faults. Like gold, it doesn’t alter its own nature. Like the ocean, it is unmoving. Like a river, it is unceasing. Like Mount Sumeru, it is utterly unchanging.Once you realize that this is how it is [and stabilize it], that is called “possessing the view of realization.”
-- Padmasambhava
from the book Advice from the Lotus-Born
https://quotes.justdharma.com/possessing-the-view-of-realization-padmasambhava/
=======================
A great cosmic song ~ 2nd Dalai Lama
The experience of the tantric yogi is like this:
The outer world is seen as a sacred mandala circle,
And all living beings seen as divine beings.
All experiences become transformed
Into blissful primordial awareness;
And all of one’s actions become spiritual,
Regardless of how they conventionally appear.
Every sound that one makes
Becomes part of a great cosmic song.
-- 2nd Dalai Lama
https://quotes.justdharma.com/a-great-cosmic-song-2nd-dalai-lama/
=======================
Neither this nor that ~ Saraha
The root of the whole of samsara and nirvana is the nature of mind. To realise it, rest in unstructured ease without meditating on anything. When all that needs to be done is to rest in yourself, it is amazing that you are deluded by seeking elsewhere! Everything is of the primordial nature, without its being this and not that.
-- Saraha
quoted in the book A Spacious Path To Freedom: Practical Instructions On The Union Of Mahamudra And Atiyoga
https://quotes.justdharma.com/neither-this-nor-that/
=======================
Awareness is like the light of the new moon ~ Jigme Lingpa
Awareness does not engage with objects of the ordinary mind. It is “self-cognizing primordial wisdom.” This can be illustrated by the “light” of the new moon: a profoundly indwelling luminosity, which does not radiate outward. Therefore, despite the fact that the five primordial wisdoms are spontaneously present in awareness, the latter is without thoughts related to sense objects. By contrast, even when it is still, the ordinary mind nevertheless “moves” and follows after different objects. It is like the light of the moon on the fifteenth of the month, which radiates outward and engulfs everything.
-- Jigme Lingpa
from the book Treasury of Precious Qualities: Book Two: Vajrayana and the Great Perfection
https://quotes.justdharma.com/awareness-is-like-the-light-of-the-new-moon-jigme-lingpa/
=======================
Limitless freedom ~ Tai Situ Rinpoche
Our ultimate essence and our ultimate primordial nature is limitless freedom.
-- Tai Situ Rinpoche
https://quotes.justdharma.com/limitless-freedom/
=======================
An Adamantine Song on the Ever-Present ~ Longchenpa
To experience the ocean of essence,
resembling the sphere of unchanging space:
free of center and perimeter,
pervading the expanse.
Enlightened mind transcends cognitions!
Rootless and baseless are appearance
and void, in the self-arisen rikpa
of every perception.
Vivid is the sense of non-cessation:
luminous, the absence of object perception.
Within the voidness free of class distinction
all appearances dissolve, for their ground is lost;
The rikpa of liberation is spread evenly.
Subject and object are both void,
for their roots are lost.
The essence of self-arisen wisdom
and all duality are cleansed like the sky;
subjects and objects arise as free from bounds,
as naked dharmakaya!
This is the Great Perfection, free of cognition!
The self-arisen ground primordially pure,
the ultraversed path supremely swift,
the unsought fruit spontaneously savored,
such is the Great Perfection,
in the radiant dharmakaya.
This primordial sphere of pervasive essence
is the Great Perfection of samsara
and nirvana; this song of transcending –
beyond cause and effect, beyond all endeavor,
-- Longchenpa
from the book Songs of Spiritual Experience: Tibetan Buddhist Poems of Insight and Awakening
https://quotes.justdharma.com/an-adamantine-song-on-the-ever-present-longchenpa/
=======================
Mindful awareness and mental afflictions ~ Garchen Rinpoche
Milarepa has taught that, in actuality, mindful awareness and mental afflictions – one’s own awareness and mental afflictions – are not separate, because mental afflictions and concepts are in the nature of emptiness. If one realizes this through meditation, then one realizes that actually wisdom and mental afflictions are non-distinct.
We talk about the five types of primordial awareness, such as the individually discriminating awareness and so forth, but they all have one essential meaning, which is mindful awareness. This mindful awareness is similar to fire, and the five mental afflictions are like fuel for the fire, the wood. When wood is burned up by the fire, then the wood itself becomes fire, and the fire gets ever stronger. Therefore the mental afflictions are not separate from one’s primordial awareness. They are primordial awareness; this is the view of mahamudra.
-- Garchen Rinpoche
https://quotes.justdharma.com/mindful-awareness-and-mental-afflictions/
=======================
Secret yogis ~ Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche
Even in this world, and even now, there are said to be many hidden yogis or discreet yogis, called bepay naljor in Tibetan. It means those realized ones who are not generally recognized as great spiritual sages or saints, but have deeply tasted the fruit of enlightenment, and are living it. Perhaps they are anonymously doing their good works here among us right now!
The infinite vast expanse is one’s own inconceivable nature. Who can say who has realized it and who hasn’t? When we travel around the world or experience other dimensions, there are so many beings who have tasted it. We can see it in their behavior, in their countenance, and in stories that are told—not just in the Dzogchen tradition or the Buddhist tradition, but in any tradition, and in our Western world too.
This true nature is so vast and inconceivable that even some birds and animals and beings in other unseen dimensions can be said to have realized it, as in some of the ancient Indian Jataka stories and other teaching tales. It is always said that everything is the self-radiant display of the primordial Buddha Samantabhadra. There are infinite numbers of Buddhas and infinite numbers of beings. Who can say who is excluded from it?
-- Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche
from the book Natural Great Perfection: Dzogchen Teachings And Vajra Songs
https://quotes.justdharma.com/secret-yogis/
=======================
The Song of Natural Awareness ~ 17th Karmapa
Om Swasti Jayentu.
Primordially pure, the expanse of all phenomena is great bliss.
All signs of elaboration stilled, it is spontaneously present.
In that glad realm, where the joyous ambrosia of the three vehicles is found.
May the sun of naturally arising awareness be victorious.
-- 17th Karmapa
from the book Music In The Sky: The Life, Art, And Teachings Of The 17Th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
https://quotes.justdharma.com/the-song-of-natural-awareness/
=======================
Discovering magic ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Whether you care to communicate with it or not, the magical strength and wisdom of reality are always there…. By relaxing the mind, you can reconnect with that primordial, original ground, which is completely pure and simple. Out of that, through the medium of your perceptions, you can discover magic, (which in the Shambhala tradition is called ) drala. You actually can connect your own intrinsic wisdom with a sense of greater wisdom or vision beyond you.
You might think that something extraordinary will happen to you when you discover magic. Something extra-ordinary does happen. You simply find yourself in the realm of utter reality, complete and thorough reality.
-- Chögyam Trungpa
from the book Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior
https://quotes.justdharma.com/discovering-magic/
=======================
Not fabricated, never stained ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 (essence, nature, dynamism), which is also called bodhichitta, is not something that has been fabricated, a new product created by the conjunction of causes and conditions. It never has changed, never changes, and never will change. The absolute nature remains what it is, perfectly pure, at all times. Even if it appears obscured for impure beings at the start of the path, it has never actually been obscured. If it seems to be a mixture of pure and impure during the course of the path, it in fact always remains pure. And at the time of the result, perfect enlightenment, it is simply the same ground nature made evident and not something new that was not there before. So even though all the hallucinations that make up existence fall like rain from the sky, it cannot affect one's confidence: the kinglike bodhichitta that is the doer-of-everything will never be stained or dampened.
– Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book "Zurchungpa's Testament"
https://quotes.justdharma.com/not-fabricated-never-stained-dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/
(i.e. 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 means that the inconceivable basis of everything is that everything is empty but still appearing / relatively functional, appearing / relatively functional but empty of inherent existence; one aspect implies the other.
Self-arisen wisdom / primordial awareness is this primordial dynamism / energy / functionality at the basis of the whole universe, at the core of all inter-actions -- it is there even if everything is empty, because everything is empty.
The Middle Way free from all extremes & middle; everything is not existent, not non-existent, not both together, not neither; not different / separate / multiple / dual, not identical / united / one / non-dual, not both together, not neither; not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither ...
That is the only part that is "not fabricated, not stained" in anything & everything -- body, speech and mind --. It is indescribable / inconceivable, beyond all conceptualisations, discrimination / dualities, causality / production, forms / matter-energy, space & time. It has to be directly perceived.
You may also call this the inconceivable Union of the Two Truths beyond all extremes & middle, Reality, Buddha-nature, Genuine-Emptiness, Suchness, Dharmata ...)
See the article : What is permanent, unchanging, self-arisen, uncontrived, true ... in our mind and in all phenomena - pure or impure?
https://www.gilehtblog.com/2020/11/what-is-permanent-unchanging-self.html
=======================
The body, speech and mind of buddha ~ Longchenpa
Whatever exists is only its own nature;
and whatever ends is only its own nature:
there is no movement at all in pure mind
and that stillness is the BODY of buddha.
Every word that is uttered is only its own purity;
and every vibration is only its own purity:
nothing is spoken or uttered in pure mind,
which is the SPEECH of buddha.
Every thought and intention is entertained only as its own spaciousness,
and every intuition is realised only as its own spaciousness;
nothing at all is thought or intuited in pure mind,
the MIND of buddha past, present and future.
– Longchenpa
from the book "Natural Perfection: Longchenpa's Radical Dzogchen"
https://quotes.justdharma.com/the-body-speech-and-mind-of-buddha/
---
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: With rigpa whatever arises, abides, and subsides -- body / physical, speech / conceptual, mind / mental fabrications /appearances -- is immediately directly realized to be spontaneous manifestation of Pure Being / Buddha-nature / Reality (i.e. already pure & perfect here & now; beyond all description / conceptualisation, discrimination / duality, causality / production, form / matter-energy, space & time) -- the inseparable pure body, speech and mind of a Buddha -- the inseparable three kayas. Appearing but empty, empty but co-dependently appearing and relatively functional. ( = Union of the Two Truths [U2T]; or the Ground: Union of essence, nature and compassionate energy / dynamism)
---
Context from the book mentioned in reference :
𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟮𝟱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼-𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
[𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄 : LIVING CONSTANTLY IN THE SPACIOUSNESS OF PURE BEING
[𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗧 𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗘:]
Essential absence has already released dualistic perception,
so delusion falls naturally into the matrix of sameness
we live without interruption in pure being.
Inception and release are simultaneous,
entwining in the single blissful matrix:
Whatever arises appears spontaneously as its pure nature,
as it abides it exists spontaneously as its pure nature,
when it vanishes it dissolves spontaneously as its pure nature.
Whatever arises in the reality-matrix, release is reflexive,
always a play of pure being, never shifting into anything other,
a timeless vision, another form of emptiness
we live in nondiscriminatory essential reality.
[𝗔 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲:]
External phenomena originate, abide, and cease in the matrix of rigpa, nothing stirring from that empty scope just as images reflected in a mirror can never slide off the face of the mirror or, more precisely, they do not even exist since they are the surface itself Internally, thought, in the same way, cannot stir from the scope of rigpa at its inception, during its existence, or at its release, just as ocean waves always remain within the ocean throughout their rising, billowing, and falling. Thus nothing can ever escape the natural disposition of pure being, the medium of brilliant emptiness that can never become reified, the matrix of the three dimensions of spontaneity.
[𝗜𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗺𝗮 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀:]
Whatever exists is only its own nature;
and whatever ends is only its own nature:
there is no movement at all in pure mind
and that stillness is the BODY of buddha.
Every word that is uttered is only its own purity;
and every vibration is only its own purity:
nothing is spoken or uttered in pure mind,
which is the SPEECH of buddha.
Every thought and intention is entertained only as its own
spaciousness,
and every intuition is realized only as its own spaciousness:
nothing at all is thought or intuited in pure mind,
the MIND of buddha past, present, and future.
Absence as emanation is the dimension of magic (nirmanakaya),
its innate pleasure the dimension of perfect enjoyment (sambhogakaya),
and its utter insubstantiality the dimension of pure being (dharmakaya);
the totality is the matrix of these three dimensions (inseparability of the three kayas). 51
[𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆:]
Reality is the sameness of whatever arises, abides, and subsides. Or to say it another way, neither sense impressions nor thoughts - nothing whatsoever - stirs from the spaciousness of pure being as they entwine in the matrix of the three dimensions of spontaneous creativity (see cantos 7 and 10, and also 69 and 70). The matrix is always still and silent. The media of body, speech, and mind partake of that stasis. There is no movement in pure mind, no process, no development, no flow, no continuum, no transformation, no change of any kind. Each moment is complete and perfect in itself and always released at its inception. Reflexive release of thought and sense impression is maintained without any trace of duality by instantaneous potentiation of emotionally charged experience:
--
Note 51. The junction of the Three Dimensions of Intrinsic Awareness by Garab Dorje. NLD pp. 55-56. Compare the quote from the Sacred Vase of Intrinsic Awareness (Rig pa spyi blugs) in canto 10, which is the source of the three lines in the root verse on the arising, abiding, and release of phenomena. Quoted in part in canto 50.
(Note: "Appendix I: The Tibetan Text and Quotations" categorizes the source tantras according to these three series.)
51. Zad-pa phyal-ba'i don bstan pa (154-58a) All-Consuming Openness
NB: indices refer to page numbers in the NLD
NLD: Gnas lugs mdzod. Ed. Dodrub Chen: Gangtok, Sikkim, c. 1966 (Adzom Chogar edition).
=======================
Within the expanse of empty mind ~ Padmasambhava
Within the sky-like empty mind, habitual tendencies and disturbing emotions are just like clouds and mist.
When they appear, they appear within the expanse of empty mind.
When they remain, they remain within the expanse of empty mind.
And when they dissolve, they dissolve in that same expanse of empty mind.
– Padmasambhava
from the book "Treasures from Juniper Ridge: The Profound Instructions of Padmasambhava to the Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal"
https://quotes.justdharma.com/within-the-expanse-of-empty-mind-padmasambhava/
=======================
Essence of all our experiences ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Whatever we experience (body / physical, speech / conceptual, mind / mental fabrications / appearances) is in essence an expression of the fundamentally unlimited potential of our buddha-nature (of the indescribable / inconceivable Reality as it is here & now).
-- Mingyur Rinpoche
from the book Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom
https://quotes.justdharma.com/essence-of-all-our-experiences/
=======================
There are four ways how to divide the bodies of a Buddha:
1. Two bodies: Dharmakaya, Rupakaya
2. Three bodies: Nirmanakaya, Sambhogakaya, Dharmakaya
3. Four bodies: Svabhavakaya, Jnanadharmakaya, Nirmanakaya, Sambhogakaya
4. Five bodies: Svabhavakaya, Jnanadharmakaya, Nirmanakaya, Sambhogakaya and according to different traditions the fifth body is Vajrakaya, Mahasukhakaya or Abhisambhodikaya.
https://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php/4_ways_to_divide_the_bodies_of_Buddha
=======================
Madhyamaka Résumés:
[01. The Madhyamaka Machine about all dharmas: Union of the Two Truths about all dharmas [U2T].]
(i.e. Version 2022-01-02: Union of the Two Truths about all dharmas [U2T]:
The true nature & dynamic of any & all dharmas -- ex. all appearances / fabrications / composites (the five aggregates; body, speech, mind; physical, conceptual, mental fabrications; individual, collective, cosmic; of samsara / impure and nirvana / pure), the three spheres (subject, relation / action, object for any type of relation or action), the opposites of any duality / triad / quad /etc, even the two truths themselves --
is indescribable / inconceivable for our flawed conditioned dualistic conceptual mind(s) based on two erroneous basic assumptions -- inherent existence and opposition / duality --;
it has to be spontaneously personally non-conceptually non-dualistically directly perceived / realised / experienced / abided in.
--
[Uall: ALL DHARMAS ARE EQUAL PURE PERFECT INSEPARABLE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE GROUND:]
All dharmas are spontaneous natural non-dual manifestations of the Ground, inseparable from the Ground: this inconceivable unique all-pervasive timeless unborn unchanging unconditioned unceasing pristine Ground / Basis / Source / Suchness / Dharmata / Dharmadhatu / Buddha-nature / Genuine-emptiness / Ati / Dzogchen / Mahamudra / Intrinsic-awareness / Primordial-empty-awareness / Awakened-mind / Naturally-coemergent-timeless-awareness / Union of the Two Truths [U2T] … the inconceivable unique true nature & dynamic of all dharmas beyond all extremes & middle, beyond all dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all limits, beyond all conditioning / karma; beyond all views, methods and goals; beyond all desciption / conceptualisation, discrimination / dualities, causality / production, matter-energy, space & time; beyond both samsara & nirvana.
--
[U2T-All: UNION OF THE TWO TRUTHS ABOUT ANY & ALL DHARMAS:]
[Uopp] Apparent opposites are not really in opposition, but more like inseparable (one cannot exists without the other(s)), interdependent (one implies the other(s)), co-defined (the definition of one defines the other(s)), co-relative, co-dependent, co-emergent (they arise together), co-evolving (they change together), co-ceasing / co-transcended (they cease together), in harmony (not in real opposition) (in the non-dual sense of those terms: ex. not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither).
The true nature & dynamic of any & all dharmas -- ex. the three spheres (subject / mind, relation / action, object / phenomena) [U3S], the opposites of any duality / triad / quad /etc. [Uopp], even the two truths themselves [U2T-2T] --
is like an ineffable / inconceivable Union of being conventionally dependently co-arisen (interdependent) relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances [T1 - first truth], co-dependent with their parts (when applicable), with their causes & conditions (when applicable), their conceptual opposite(s) (always), and especially co-dependent with the mind merely labelling / imputing / conceptualising / classifying them [U3S] in dependence of its past / conditioning / karma, not completely non-dependently-arising / non-existent / non-changing / non-functional / non-ceasing / useless / meaningless
<==> and being empty of inherent existence [T2 - second truth], never fixed / independent / separate / universal / absolute, but more like open / free, not really dependently-co-arisen / co-existent / co-changing / co-functional / co-ceasing.
One aspect / truth implies the other (<==>) [U2T], one aspect / truth proves the other (<==>).
’They are there but not there’, like dreams / magical illusions / tricks of the sight / mirages / reflections / echos / Cities of Gandharvas / emanated apparitions. They are 'like them in some aspect(s)' but not exactly the same; all metaphors have their limits.
All dharmas are dependently co-appearing & relatively functional <==> but still empty of inherent existence; empty of inherent existence <==> but still conventionally dependently co-appearing & relatively functional. And that is not grasping at the conventional / relative, or at the ultimate / emptiness, or both together, or neither.
[TETRALEMMA:] All dharmas are not inherently existent (still empty of inherent existence) <==> but still not completely non-existent (still conventionally dependently co-arisen relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances), not both existent & non-existent together, not neither existent nor non-existent, and there is no fifth. This is another way to express the inconceivable Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
[BEYOND:] Meaning their true nature is indescribable / inconceivable, beyond all extremes & middle, beyond all dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all limits, beyond all conditioning / karma (physical, conceptual, mental) x (individual, collective, cosmic).
-
[U2T-2T:] Theses two aspects / truths -- dependent co-origination & functionality [T1] and emptiness of inherent existence [T2] --, like any group of apparent opposites, are inseparable (one cannot exists without the other), interdependent (one implies the other), co-defined (the definition of one defines the other), co-relative, co-dependent, co-emergent (they arise together), co-evolving (they change together), co-ceasing / co-transcended (they cease together), in harmony (not in real opposition) (in the non-dual sense of those terms: not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither) [T1-2T] <==> thus themselves empty of inherent existence [T2-2T].
The two truths are not different / separate / multiple / dual, not identical / united / one / non-dual, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth. So all dharmas are not really arising [T1] or not, not really empty of inherent existence [T2] or not, not really both together [2T], not really neither [1T], and there is no fifth.
The two truths themselves and their Union are mere pointers to the inconceivable, mere tools, mere imperfect temporary adapted skillful means. So there is nothing left here to grasp as independent / universal / absolute / inherently existing. Everything is like luminous space, a limitless & centerless ocean of interdependence and emptiness.
-
[The three inseparable qualities of the Ground:] The emptiness of inherent existence [T2] is called the essence of the Ground; the conventionally dependently co-arisen relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances [T1] is called the nature of the Ground; the inseparability / interdependence / harmony / Union between those two aspects [U2T] is called the dynamic-energy / compassionate-energy of the Ground.
This primordial unborn unchanging unceasing ‘dynamic-energy’, or inseparability of the two aspects / truths, is the creative potential that accounts for everything in both samsara & nirvana.
-
[With/without wisdom:] When directly seen as they really are [U2T], appearances (all dharmas) are said to be pure like the three inseparable pure kayas; this is nirvana. But when seen with ignorance of their true nature & dynamic [U2T], appearances are said to be impure, dependent on karma, and causing more karma; this is the limitless karmic cycle. But, ultimately, Reality is beyond all dualities like: pure & impure, wisdom & ignorance, samsara & nirvana.
--
[Best Approximation / Pointers to their inconceivable true nature & dynamic:]
The true nature & dynamic of any & all dharmas -- ex. the three spheres (subject / mind, relation / action, object / phenomena), the opposites of any duality / triad / quad /etc, even the two truths themselves --
is pointed by concepts like:
– the inconceivable Union of the Two Truths about all dharmas [U2T],
– the inconceivable Union of the three spheres about all dharmas [U3S / U2T-3S],
– the inconceivable Union of opposites about all dharmas [Non-duality / Oneness / Uopp / U2T-opp],
– the inconceivable Middle Way about all dharmas,
– the tetralemma about all dharmas,
– freedom from all extremes & middle, freedom from all dualistic conceptual proliferations, freedom from all limits, freedom from all conditioning / karma,
– the Ground / Basis / Source / Suchness / Dharmata / Dharmadhatu / Buddha-nature / Genuine-emptiness / Ati / Dzogchen / Mahamudra /
– Enlightened-mind / Intrinsic-awareness / Primordial-empty-awareness.
--
[TETRALEMMA:] All dharmas -- ex. the three spheres (subject / mind, relation / action, object / phenomena), the opposites of any duality / triad / quad /etc., even the two truths themselves -- are
-- not inherently existent, not completely non-existent, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not different / separate / multiple / dual, not identical / united / one / non-dual, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not permanent / continuous / eternal, not impermanent / discontinuous / annihilated, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not purely objective / physical / body, not purely subjective / mental / mind, not purely relational / process / conceptual / speech, not two or three of them together, not none of them, and there is no other possibility;
-- not dependent / caused / produced / functional, not independent / uncaused/spontaneous / unproduced / non-functional, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not composite / contextual / conditioned, not non-composite / non-contextual / unconditioned, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not merely labelled / imputed / conceptualised by the mind, not not-merely labelled / imputed / conceptualised by the mind, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not self-caused, not other-caused, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not changing / evolving, not completely non-changing / non-evolving, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not empty, not non-empty, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not conventional / relative / false, not absolute / universal / true, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not dependently co-arisen / interdependent / mere-interdependence [T1], not empty of inherent existence / mere-emptiness [T2], not both together [2T], not neither [1T], and there is no fifth;
-- not unequal / impure / imperfect / ordinary / incomplete / bad, not equal / pure / perfect / divine / complete / good, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not unreal / identical to illusions / dreams / mirage / magic tricks, not real / different from illusions / dreams / mirage / magic tricks, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not describable / conceivable / meaningful, not indescribable / inconceivable / meaningless, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth -- for whatever ‘this’ could be -- (this could be generalised for groups of more than two apparent opposites; ex. the three spheres, the three kayas, the three gems, the three times, the four cardinal directions, the five …, the six ...).
-
Meaning their true nature (Ground / Suchness / U2T) is indescribable / inconceivable (in absolute terms) for our flawed conditioned dualistic conceptual mind(s), beyond all extremes & middle, beyond all dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all limits, beyond all conditioning / karma; beyond all description / conceptualisation, discrimination / differentiation, causality / production, matter-energy, space & time.
So there is no independent / universal / absolute / inherently existing basis for any discrimination / differentiation in absolute terms, just conventionally / relatively / inter-subjectively.
And there is nothing to accept / affirm / seek / add / do in absolute terms, nothing to reject / negate / abandon / eliminate / subtract / not-do in absolute terms, just conventionally / relatively / inter-subjectively if it helps someone get closer to the inconceivable liberating Truth: the Union of the Two Truths about all dharmas [U2T], the Union of the three spheres [U3S / U2T-3S], the Union of apparent opposites [Uopp / U2T-opp], the Middle Way in everything, the tetralemma, the primordial spontaneity / equality / purity / perfection / divinity / completeness of all dharmas.
In that sense everything is primordially spontaneous, timeless, equal, pure, perfect, divine, complete, free. Everything is like the pristine display of the Ground / Suchness / Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
It may look complicated but all of this can be resumed into one thing: The Union of the Two Truths about all dharmas. Everything else, all these words, is just to help us to stay away from all possible extremes & middle, and create enough room for a possible inconceivable spontaneous individual non-dualistic non-conceptual direct perception / realisation / experience of the true nature of Reality as it is here & now: U2T.
-
[MIDDLE WAY:]
So the best attitude toward all dharmas is the Middle Way free from all extremes & middle:
nothing to accept / affirm / seek / add / do / cause / produce / change / improve / cultivate / perceive / know / experience / acquire / possess / purify / liberate / achieve ... in absolute terms,
nothing to reject / negate / abandon / eliminate / subtract / not-do / not-cause / not-produce / not-change / not-improve or deteriorate / not-cultivate / not-perceive / not-know / not-experience / not-acquire / not-possess / not-purify or stain / not-liberate or enslave / not-achieve ... in absolute terms,
just conventionally / relatively / inter-subjectively if it helps someone to get closer to the inconceivable liberating Truth: the Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
-
Extremes like:
i) existence / realism / causality / dependent origination / karma / relative-truth-only [T1],
ii) non-existence / nihilism / mere-nothingness / mere-emptiness / ultimate-truth-only [T2],
iii) both existence & non-existence together / a form of dualism / the two truths together, in opposition / duality of the two truths [2T],
iv) neither existence nor non-existence / a form of monism / neither of the two truths / oneness of the two truths [1T];
or extremes like
v) subject-only / mind-only / idealism / subjectivism,
vi) object-only / naïve realism / objectivism,
vii) relation-only / process-only / action-only / relationism / processism,
viii) two or three of them together / pluralism,
ix) none to them / monism.
-
For the latest version of this box see:
Madhyamaka Machine - Blog Post #158
https://www.gilehtblog.com/2021/11/madhyamaka-machine.html)
.
[02. If we put apparent opposites like ‘opposite-1, opposite-2 ...’ into the Madhyamaka Machine we get: the Union of opposites [Uopp] // the Union of the Two Truths about opposites in general [U2T-opp].]
(i.e. Version 2022-01-02 - Union of apparent opposite like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...' [Uopp]:
The true nature & dynamic of apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...' is indescribable / inconceivable for our flawed conditioned dualistic conceptual mind(s) based on two erroneous basic assumptions -- inherent existence and opposition / duality --;
it has to be spontaneously personally non-conceptually non-dualistically directly perceived / realised / experienced / abided in.
--
[Uopp: APPARENT OPPOSITES LIKE 'OPPOSITE-1, OPPOSITE-2 ...' ARE EQUAL PURE PERFECT INSEPARABLE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE GROUND:]
Apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...' are spontaneous natural non-dual manifestations of the Ground, inseparable from the Ground: this inconceivable unique all-pervasive timeless unborn unchanging unconditioned unceasing pristine Ground / Basis / Source / Suchness / Dharmata / Dharmadhatu / Buddha-nature / Genuine-emptiness / Ati / Dzogchen / Mahamudra / Intrinsic-awareness / Primordial-empty-awareness / Awakened-mind / Naturally-coemergent-timeless-awareness / Union of the Two Truths [U2T] … the inconceivable unique true nature & dynamic of all dharmas beyond all extremes & middle, beyond all dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all limits, beyond all conditioning / karma; beyond all views, methods and goals; beyond all desciption / conceptualisation, discrimination / dualities, causality / production, matter-energy, space & time; beyond both samsara & nirvana.
--
[U2T-opp: UNION OF THE TWO TRUTHS ABOUT APPARENT OPPOSITES LIKE 'OPPOSITE-1, OPPOSITE-2 ...':]
[Uopp] Apparent opposites are not really in opposition, but more like inseparable (one cannot exists without the other(s)), interdependent (one implies the other(s)), co-defined (the definition of one defines the other(s)), co-relative, co-dependent, co-emergent (they arise together), co-evolving (they change together), co-ceasing / co-transcended (they cease together), in harmony (not in real opposition) (in the non-dual sense of those terms: ex. not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither).
The true nature & dynamic of apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...'
is like an ineffable / inconceivable Union of being conventionally dependently co-arisen (interdependent) relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances [T1 - first truth], co-dependent with their parts (when applicable), with their causes & conditions (when applicable), their conceptual opposite(s) (always), and especially co-dependent with the mind merely labelling / imputing / conceptualising / classifying them [U3S] in dependence of its past / conditioning / karma, not completely non-dependently-arising / non-existent / non-changing / non-functional / non-ceasing / useless / meaningless
<==> and being empty of inherent existence [T2 - second truth], never fixed / independent / separate / universal / absolute, but more like open / free, not really dependently-co-arisen / co-existent / co-changing / co-functional / co-ceasing.
One aspect / truth implies the other (<==>) [U2T], one aspect / truth proves the other (<==>).
’They are there but not there’, like dreams / magical illusions / tricks of the sight / mirages / reflections / echos / Cities of Gandharvas / emanated apparitions. They are 'like them in some aspect(s)' but not exactly the same; all metaphors have their limits.
Apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...' are dependently co-appearing & relatively functional <==> but still empty of inherent existence; empty of inherent existence <==> but still conventionally dependently co-appearing & relatively functional. And that is not grasping at the conventional / relative, or at the ultimate / emptiness, or both together, or neither.
[TETRALEMMA:] Apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...' are not inherently existent (still empty of inherent existence) <==> but still not completely non-existent (still conventionally dependently co-arisen relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances), not both existent & non-existent together, not neither existent nor non-existent, and there is no fifth. This is another way to express the inconceivable Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
[BEYOND:] Meaning their true nature is indescribable / inconceivable, beyond all extremes & middle, beyond all dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all limits, beyond all conditioning / karma (physical, conceptual, mental) x (individual, collective, cosmic).
-
[U2T-2T:] Theses two aspects / truths -- dependent co-origination & functionality [T1] and emptiness of inherent existence [T2] --, like any group of apparent opposites, are inseparable (one cannot exists without the other), interdependent (one implies the other), co-defined (the definition of one defines the other), co-relative, co-dependent, co-emergent (they arise together), co-evolving (they change together), co-ceasing / co-transcended (they cease together), in harmony (not in real opposition) (in the non-dual sense of those terms: not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither) [T1-2T] <==> thus themselves empty of inherent existence [T2-2T].
The two truths are not different / separate / multiple / dual, not identical / united / one / non-dual, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth. So apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...' are not really arising [T1] or not, not really empty of inherent existence [T2] or not, not really both together [2T], not really neither [1T], and there is no fifth.
The two truths themselves and their Union are mere pointers to the inconceivable, mere tools, mere imperfect temporary adapted skillful means. So there is nothing left here to grasp as independent / universal / absolute / inherently existing. Everything is like luminous space, a limitless & centerless ocean of interdependence and emptiness.
-
[The three inseparable qualities of the Ground:] The emptiness of inherent existence [T2] is called the essence of the Ground; the conventionally dependently co-arisen relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances [T1] is called the nature of the Ground; the inseparability / interdependence / harmony / Union between those two aspects [U2T] is called the dynamic-energy / compassionate-energy of the Ground.
This primordial unborn unchanging unceasing ‘dynamic-energy’, or inseparability of the two aspects / truths, is the creative potential that accounts for everything in both samsara & nirvana.
-
[With/without wisdom:] When directly seen as they really are [U2T], appearances (apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...') are said to be pure like the three inseparable pure kayas; this is nirvana. But when seen with ignorance of their true nature & dynamic [U2T], appearances are said to be impure, dependent on karma, and causing more karma; this is the limitless karmic cycle. But, ultimately, Reality is beyond all dualities like: pure & impure, wisdom & ignorance, samsara & nirvana.
--
[Best Approximation / Pointers to their inconceivable true nature & dynamic:]
The true nature & dynamic of apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...' is pointed by concepts like:
– the inconceivable Union of the Two Truths about apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...' [U2T-opp],
– the inconceivable Union of the three spheres about apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...' [U3S / U2T-3S-opp],
– the inconceivable Union of opposites about apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...' [Non-duality / Oneness / Uopp / U2T-opp],
– the inconceivable Middle Way about apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...',
– the tetralemma about apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...',
– freedom from all extremes & middle, freedom from all dualistic conceptual proliferations, freedom from all limits, freedom from all conditioning / karma,
– the Ground / Basis / Source / Suchness / Dharmata / Dharmadhatu / Buddha-nature / Genuine-emptiness / Ati / Dzogchen / Mahamudra /
– Enlightened-mind / Intrinsic-awareness / Primordial-empty-awareness.
--
[TETRALEMMA:] Apparent opposites like 'opposite-1, opposite-2 ...' are
-- not inherently existent, not completely non-existent, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not different / separate / multiple / dual, not identical / united / one / non-dual, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not permanent / continuous / eternal, not impermanent / discontinuous / annihilated, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not purely objective / physical / body, not purely subjective / mental / mind, not purely relational / process / conceptual / speech, not two or three of them together, not none of them, and there is no other possibility;
-- not dependent / caused / produced / functional, not independent / uncaused/spontaneous / unproduced / non-functional, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not composite / contextual / conditioned, not non-composite / non-contextual / unconditioned, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not merely labelled / imputed / conceptualised by the mind, not not-merely labelled / imputed / conceptualised by the mind, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not self-caused, not other-caused, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not changing / evolving, not completely non-changing / non-evolving, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not empty, not non-empty, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not conventional / relative / false, not absolute / universal / true, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not dependently co-arisen / interdependent / mere-interdependence [T1], not empty of inherent existence / mere-emptiness [T2], not both together [2T], not neither [1T], and there is no fifth;
-- not unequal / impure / imperfect / ordinary / incomplete / bad, not equal / pure / perfect / divine / complete / good, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not unreal / identical to illusions / dreams / mirage / magic tricks, not real / different from illusions / dreams / mirage / magic tricks, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not describable / conceivable / meaningful, not indescribable / inconceivable / meaningless, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth -- for whatever ‘this’ could be -- (this could be generalised for groups of more than two apparent opposites; ex. the three spheres, the three kayas, the three gems, the three times, the four cardinal directions, the five …, the six ...).
-
Meaning their true nature (Ground / Suchness / U2T) is indescribable / inconceivable (in absolute terms) for our flawed conditioned dualistic conceptual mind(s), beyond all extremes & middle, beyond all dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all limits, beyond all conditioning / karma; beyond all description / conceptualisation, discrimination / differentiation, causality / production, matter-energy, space & time.
So there is no independent / universal / absolute / inherently existing basis for any discrimination / differentiation in absolute terms, just conventionally / relatively / inter-subjectively.
And there is nothing to accept / affirm / seek / add / do in absolute terms, nothing to reject / negate / abandon / eliminate / subtract / not-do in absolute terms, just conventionally / relatively / inter-subjectively if it helps someone get closer to the inconceivable liberating Truth: the Union of the Two Truths about all dharmas [U2T], the Union of the three spheres [U3S / U2T-3S], the Union of apparent opposites [Uopp / U2T-opp], the Middle Way in everything, the tetralemma, the primordial spontaneity / equality / purity / perfection / divinity / completeness of all dharmas.
In that sense everything is primordially spontaneous, timeless, equal, pure, perfect, divine, complete, free. Everything is like the pristine display of the Ground / Suchness / Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
It may look complicated but all of this can be resumed into one thing: The Union of the Two Truths about all dharmas. Everything else, all these words, is just to help us to stay away from all possible extremes & middle, and create enough room for a possible inconceivable spontaneous individual non-dualistic non-conceptual direct perception / realisation / experience of the true nature of Reality as it is here & now: U2T.
-
[MIDDLE WAY:]
So the best attitude toward all dharmas is the Middle Way free from all extremes & middle:
nothing to accept / affirm / seek / add / do / cause / produce / change / improve / cultivate / perceive / know / experience / acquire / possess / purify / liberate / achieve ... in absolute terms,
nothing to reject / negate / abandon / eliminate / subtract / not-do / not-cause / not-produce / not-change / not-improve or deteriorate / not-cultivate / not-perceive / not-know / not-experience / not-acquire / not-possess / not-purify or stain / not-liberate or enslave / not-achieve ... in absolute terms,
just conventionally / relatively / inter-subjectively if it helps someone to get closer to the inconceivable liberating Truth: the Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
-
Extremes like:
i) existence / realism / causality / dependent origination / karma / relative-truth-only [T1],
ii) non-existence / nihilism / mere-nothingness / mere-emptiness / ultimate-truth-only [T2],
iii) both existence & non-existence together / a form of dualism / the two truths together, in opposition / duality of the two truths [2T],
iv) neither existence nor non-existence / a form of monism / neither of the two truths / oneness of the two truths [1T];
or extremes like
v) subject-only / mind-only / idealism / subjectivism,
vi) object-only / naïve realism / objectivism,
vii) relation-only / process-only / action-only / relationism / processism,
viii) two or three of them together / pluralism,
ix) none to them / monism.
-
For the latest version of this box see:
Madhyamaka Machine - Blog Post #158
https://www.gilehtblog.com/2021/11/madhyamaka-machine.html)
.
[03. If we put apparent opposites like ‘the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --’ into the Madhyamaka Machine we get: the Union of the three spheres [U3S] // the Union of the Two Truths about the three spheres [U2T-3S].]
(i.e. Version 2022-01-02 - Union of apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --' [U3S]:
The true nature & dynamic of apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --' is indescribable / inconceivable for our flawed conditioned dualistic conceptual mind(s) based on two erroneous basic assumptions -- inherent existence and opposition / duality --;
it has to be spontaneously personally non-conceptually non-dualistically directly perceived / realised / experienced / abided in.
--
[U3S: APPARENT OPPOSITES LIKE 'THE THREE SPHERES -- EX. SUBJECT / MIND, RELATION / ACTION / AWARENESS, OBJECT / PHENOMENA --' ARE EQUAL PURE PERFECT INSEPARABLE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE GROUND:]
Apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --' are spontaneous natural non-dual manifestations of the Ground, inseparable from the Ground: this inconceivable unique all-pervasive timeless unborn unchanging unconditioned unceasing pristine Ground / Basis / Source / Suchness / Dharmata / Dharmadhatu / Buddha-nature / Genuine-emptiness / Ati / Dzogchen / Mahamudra / Intrinsic-awareness / Primordial-empty-awareness / Awakened-mind / Naturally-coemergent-timeless-awareness / Union of the Two Truths [U2T] … the inconceivable unique true nature & dynamic of all dharmas beyond all extremes & middle, beyond all dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all limits, beyond all conditioning / karma; beyond all views, methods and goals; beyond all desciption / conceptualisation, discrimination / dualities, causality / production, matter-energy, space & time; beyond both samsara & nirvana.
--
[U2T-3S: UNION OF THE TWO TRUTHS ABOUT APPARENT OPPOSITES LIKE 'THE THREE SPHERES -- EX. SUBJECT / MIND, RELATION / ACTION / AWARENESS, OBJECT / PHENOMENA --':]
[Uopp] Apparent opposites are not really in opposition, but more like inseparable (one cannot exists without the other(s)), interdependent (one implies the other(s)), co-defined (the definition of one defines the other(s)), co-relative, co-dependent, co-emergent (they arise together), co-evolving (they change together), co-ceasing / co-transcended (they cease together), in harmony (not in real opposition) (in the non-dual sense of those terms: ex. not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither).
The true nature & dynamic of apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --'
is like an ineffable / inconceivable Union of being conventionally dependently co-arisen (interdependent) relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances [T1 - first truth], co-dependent with their parts (when applicable), with their causes & conditions (when applicable), their conceptual opposite(s) (always), and especially co-dependent with the mind merely labelling / imputing / conceptualising / classifying them [U3S] in dependence of its past / conditioning / karma, not completely non-dependently-arising / non-existent / non-changing / non-functional / non-ceasing / useless / meaningless
<==> and being empty of inherent existence [T2 - second truth], never fixed / independent / separate / universal / absolute, but more like open / free, not really dependently-co-arisen / co-existent / co-changing / co-functional / co-ceasing.
One aspect / truth implies the other (<==>) [U2T], one aspect / truth proves the other (<==>).
’They are there but not there’, like dreams / magical illusions / tricks of the sight / mirages / reflections / echos / Cities of Gandharvas / emanated apparitions. They are 'like them in some aspect(s)' but not exactly the same; all metaphors have their limits.
Apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --' are dependently co-appearing & relatively functional <==> but still empty of inherent existence; empty of inherent existence <==> but still conventionally dependently co-appearing & relatively functional. And that is not grasping at the conventional / relative, or at the ultimate / emptiness, or both together, or neither.
[TETRALEMMA:] Apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --' are not inherently existent (still empty of inherent existence) <==> but still not completely non-existent (still conventionally dependently co-arisen relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances), not both existent & non-existent together, not neither existent nor non-existent, and there is no fifth. This is another way to express the inconceivable Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
[BEYOND:] Meaning their true nature is indescribable / inconceivable, beyond all extremes & middle, beyond all dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all limits, beyond all conditioning / karma (physical, conceptual, mental) x (individual, collective, cosmic).
-
[U2T-2T:] Theses two aspects / truths -- dependent co-origination & functionality [T1] and emptiness of inherent existence [T2] --, like any group of apparent opposites, are inseparable (one cannot exists without the other), interdependent (one implies the other), co-defined (the definition of one defines the other), co-relative, co-dependent, co-emergent (they arise together), co-evolving (they change together), co-ceasing / co-transcended (they cease together), in harmony (not in real opposition) (in the non-dual sense of those terms: not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither) [T1-2T] <==> thus themselves empty of inherent existence [T2-2T].
The two truths are not different / separate / multiple / dual, not identical / united / one / non-dual, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth. So apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --' are not really arising [T1] or not, not really empty of inherent existence [T2] or not, not really both together [2T], not really neither [1T], and there is no fifth.
The two truths themselves and their Union are mere pointers to the inconceivable, mere tools, mere imperfect temporary adapted skillful means. So there is nothing left here to grasp as independent / universal / absolute / inherently existing. Everything is like luminous space, a limitless & centerless ocean of interdependence and emptiness.
-
[The three inseparable qualities of the Ground:] The emptiness of inherent existence [T2] is called the essence of the Ground; the conventionally dependently co-arisen relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances [T1] is called the nature of the Ground; the inseparability / interdependence / harmony / Union between those two aspects [U2T] is called the dynamic-energy / compassionate-energy of the Ground.
This primordial unborn unchanging unceasing ‘dynamic-energy’, or inseparability of the two aspects / truths, is the creative potential that accounts for everything in both samsara & nirvana.
-
[With/without wisdom:] When directly seen as they really are [U2T], appearances (apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --') are said to be pure like the three inseparable pure kayas; this is nirvana. But when seen with ignorance of their true nature & dynamic [U2T], appearances are said to be impure, dependent on karma, and causing more karma; this is the limitless karmic cycle. But, ultimately, Reality is beyond all dualities like: pure & impure, wisdom & ignorance, samsara & nirvana.
--
[Best Approximation / Pointers to their inconceivable true nature & dynamic:]
The true nature & dynamic of apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --' is pointed by concepts like:
– the inconceivable Union of the Two Truths about apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --' [U2T-3S],
– the inconceivable Union of the three spheres about apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --' [U3S / U2T-3S-3S],
– the inconceivable Union of opposites about apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --' [Non-duality / Oneness / Uopp / U2T-opp-3S],
– the inconceivable Middle Way about apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --',
– the tetralemma about apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --',
– freedom from all extremes & middle, freedom from all dualistic conceptual proliferations, freedom from all limits, freedom from all conditioning / karma,
– the Ground / Basis / Source / Suchness / Dharmata / Dharmadhatu / Buddha-nature / Genuine-emptiness / Ati / Dzogchen / Mahamudra /
– Enlightened-mind / Intrinsic-awareness / Primordial-empty-awareness.
--
[TETRALEMMA:] Apparent opposites like 'the three spheres -- ex. subject / mind, relation / action / awareness, object / phenomena --' are
-- not inherently existent, not completely non-existent, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not different / separate / multiple / dual, not identical / united / one / non-dual, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not permanent / continuous / eternal, not impermanent / discontinuous / annihilated, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not purely objective / physical / body, not purely subjective / mental / mind, not purely relational / process / conceptual / speech, not two or three of them together, not none of them, and there is no other possibility;
-- not dependent / caused / produced / functional, not independent / uncaused/spontaneous / unproduced / non-functional, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not composite / contextual / conditioned, not non-composite / non-contextual / unconditioned, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not merely labelled / imputed / conceptualised by the mind, not not-merely labelled / imputed / conceptualised by the mind, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not self-caused, not other-caused, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not changing / evolving, not completely non-changing / non-evolving, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not empty, not non-empty, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not conventional / relative / false, not absolute / universal / true, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not dependently co-arisen / interdependent / mere-interdependence [T1], not empty of inherent existence / mere-emptiness [T2], not both together [2T], not neither [1T], and there is no fifth;
-- not unequal / impure / imperfect / ordinary / incomplete / bad, not equal / pure / perfect / divine / complete / good, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not unreal / identical to illusions / dreams / mirage / magic tricks, not real / different from illusions / dreams / mirage / magic tricks, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not describable / conceivable / meaningful, not indescribable / inconceivable / meaningless, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth -- for whatever ‘this’ could be -- (this could be generalised for groups of more than two apparent opposites; ex. the three spheres, the three kayas, the three gems, the three times, the four cardinal directions, the five …, the six ...).
-
Meaning their true nature (Ground / Suchness / U2T) is indescribable / inconceivable (in absolute terms) for our flawed conditioned dualistic conceptual mind(s), beyond all extremes & middle, beyond all dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all limits, beyond all conditioning / karma; beyond all description / conceptualisation, discrimination / differentiation, causality / production, matter-energy, space & time.
So there is no independent / universal / absolute / inherently existing basis for any discrimination / differentiation in absolute terms, just conventionally / relatively / inter-subjectively.
And there is nothing to accept / affirm / seek / add / do in absolute terms, nothing to reject / negate / abandon / eliminate / subtract / not-do in absolute terms, just conventionally / relatively / inter-subjectively if it helps someone get closer to the inconceivable liberating Truth: the Union of the Two Truths about all dharmas [U2T], the Union of the three spheres [U3S / U2T-3S], the Union of apparent opposites [Uopp / U2T-opp], the Middle Way in everything, the tetralemma, the primordial spontaneity / equality / purity / perfection / divinity / completeness of all dharmas.
In that sense everything is primordially spontaneous, timeless, equal, pure, perfect, divine, complete, free. Everything is like the pristine display of the Ground / Suchness / Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
It may look complicated but all of this can be resumed into one thing: The Union of the Two Truths about all dharmas. Everything else, all these words, is just to help us to stay away from all possible extremes & middle, and create enough room for a possible inconceivable spontaneous individual non-dualistic non-conceptual direct perception / realisation / experience of the true nature of Reality as it is here & now: U2T.
-
[MIDDLE WAY:]
So the best attitude toward all dharmas is the Middle Way free from all extremes & middle:
nothing to accept / affirm / seek / add / do / cause / produce / change / improve / cultivate / perceive / know / experience / acquire / possess / purify / liberate / achieve ... in absolute terms,
nothing to reject / negate / abandon / eliminate / subtract / not-do / not-cause / not-produce / not-change / not-improve or deteriorate / not-cultivate / not-perceive / not-know / not-experience / not-acquire / not-possess / not-purify or stain / not-liberate or enslave / not-achieve ... in absolute terms,
just conventionally / relatively / inter-subjectively if it helps someone to get closer to the inconceivable liberating Truth: the Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
-
Extremes like:
i) existence / realism / causality / dependent origination / karma / relative-truth-only [T1],
ii) non-existence / nihilism / mere-nothingness / mere-emptiness / ultimate-truth-only [T2],
iii) both existence & non-existence together / a form of dualism / the two truths together, in opposition / duality of the two truths [2T],
iv) neither existence nor non-existence / a form of monism / neither of the two truths / oneness of the two truths [1T];
or extremes like
v) subject-only / mind-only / idealism / subjectivism,
vi) object-only / naïve realism / objectivism,
vii) relation-only / process-only / action-only / relationism / processism,
viii) two or three of them together / pluralism,
ix) none to them / monism.
-
For the latest version of this box see:
Madhyamaka Machine - Blog Post #158
https://www.gilehtblog.com/2021/11/madhyamaka-machine.html)
.
[04. If we put apparent opposites like ‘the two truths -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence --’ into the Madhyamaka Machine we get: the Union of the Two Truths about the two truths themselves [U2T-2T].]
(i.e. Version 2022-01-02 - Union of apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination & relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence -- [U2T-2T]:
The true nature & dynamic of apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence -- is indescribable / inconceivable for our flawed conditioned dualistic conceptual mind(s) based on two erroneous basic assumptions -- inherent existence and opposition / duality --;
it has to be spontaneously personally non-conceptually non-dualistically directly perceived / realised / experienced / abided in.
--
[U2T-2T: APPARENT OPPOSITES LIKE ‘THE TWO TRUTHS’ -- DEPENDENT ORIGINATION / RELATIVE FUNCTIONALITY AND EMPTINESS OF INHERENT EXISTENCE -- ARE EQUAL PURE PERFECT INSEPARABLE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE GROUND:]
Apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence -- are spontaneous natural non-dual manifestations of the Ground, inseparable from the Ground: this inconceivable unique all-pervasive timeless unborn unchanging unconditioned unceasing pristine Ground / Basis / Source / Suchness / Dharmata / Dharmadhatu / Buddha-nature / Genuine-emptiness / Ati / Dzogchen / Mahamudra / Intrinsic-awareness / Primordial-empty-awareness / Awakened-mind / Naturally-coemergent-timeless-awareness / Union of the Two Truths [U2T] … the inconceivable unique true nature & dynamic of all dharmas beyond all extremes & middle, beyond all dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all limits, beyond all conditioning / karma; beyond all views, methods and goals; beyond all desciption / conceptualisation, discrimination / dualities, causality / production, matter-energy, space & time; beyond both samsara & nirvana.
--
[U2T-2T: UNION OF THE TWO TRUTHS ABOUT APPARENT OPPOSITES LIKE ‘THE TWO TRUTHS’ -- DEPENDENT ORIGINATION / RELATIVE FUNCTIONALITY AND EMPTINESS OF INHERENT EXISTENCE --:]
[Uopp] Apparent opposites are not really in opposition, but more like inseparable (one cannot exists without the other(s)), interdependent (one implies the other(s)), co-defined (the definition of one defines the other(s)), co-relative, co-dependent, co-emergent (they arise together), co-evolving (they change together), co-ceasing / co-transcended (they cease together), in harmony (not in real opposition) (in the non-dual sense of those terms: ex. not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither).
The true nature & dynamic of apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence --
is like an ineffable / inconceivable Union of being conventionally dependently co-arisen (interdependent) relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances [T1 - first truth], co-dependent with their parts (when applicable), with their causes & conditions (when applicable), their conceptual opposite(s) (always), and especially co-dependent with the mind merely labelling / imputing / conceptualising / classifying them [U3S] in dependence of its past / conditioning / karma, not completely non-dependently-arising / non-existent / non-changing / non-functional / non-ceasing / useless / meaningless
<==> and being empty of inherent existence [T2 - second truth], never fixed / independent / separate / universal / absolute, but more like open / free, not really dependently-co-arisen / co-existent / co-changing / co-functional / co-ceasing.
One aspect / truth implies the other (<==>) [U2T], one aspect / truth proves the other (<==>).
’They are there but not there’, like dreams / magical illusions / tricks of the sight / mirages / reflections / echos / Cities of Gandharvas / emanated apparitions. They are 'like them in some aspect(s)' but not exactly the same; all metaphors have their limits.
Apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence -- are dependently co-appearing & relatively functional <==> but still empty of inherent existence; empty of inherent existence <==> but still conventionally dependently co-appearing & relatively functional. And that is not grasping at the conventional / relative, or at the ultimate / emptiness, or both together, or neither.
[TETRALEMMA:] Apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence -- are not inherently existent (still empty of inherent existence) <==> but still not completely non-existent (still conventionally dependently co-arisen relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances), not both existent & non-existent together, not neither existent nor non-existent, and there is no fifth. This is another way to express the inconceivable Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
[BEYOND:] Meaning their true nature is indescribable / inconceivable, beyond all extremes & middle, beyond all dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all limits, beyond all conditioning / karma (physical, conceptual, mental) x (individual, collective, cosmic).
-
[U2T-2T:] Theses two aspects / truths -- dependent co-origination & functionality [T1] and emptiness of inherent existence [T2] --, like any group of apparent opposites, are inseparable (one cannot exists without the other), interdependent (one implies the other), co-defined (the definition of one defines the other), co-relative, co-dependent, co-emergent (they arise together), co-evolving (they change together), co-ceasing / co-transcended (they cease together), in harmony (not in real opposition) (in the non-dual sense of those terms: not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither) [T1-2T] <==> thus themselves empty of inherent existence [T2-2T].
The two truths are not different / separate / multiple / dual, not identical / united / one / non-dual, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth. So the two truths -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence -- are not really arising [T1] or not, not really empty of inherent existence [T2] or not, not really both together [2T], not really neither [1T], and there is no fifth.
Apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ themselves and their Union are mere pointers to the inconceivable, mere tools, mere imperfect temporary adapted skillful means. So there is nothing left here to grasp as independent / universal / absolute / inherently existing. Everything is like luminous space, a limitless & centerless ocean of interdependence and emptiness.
-
[The three inseparable qualities of the Ground:] The emptiness of inherent existence [T2] is called the essence of the Ground; the conventionally dependently co-arisen relatively functional ever-changing impermanent appearances [T1] is called the nature of the Ground; the inseparability / interdependence / harmony / Union between those two aspects [U2T] is called the dynamic-energy / compassionate-energy of the Ground.
This primordial unborn unchanging unceasing ‘dynamic-energy’, or inseparability of the two aspects / truths, is the creative potential that accounts for everything in both samsara & nirvana.
-
[With/without wisdom:] When directly seen as they really are [U2T], appearances (apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence --) are said to be pure like the three inseparable pure kayas; this is nirvana. But when seen with ignorance of their true nature & dynamic [U2T], appearances are said to be impure, dependent on karma, and causing more karma; this is the limitless karmic cycle. But, ultimately, Reality is beyond all dualities like: pure & impure, wisdom & ignorance, samsara & nirvana.
--
[Best Approximation / Pointers to their inconceivable true nature & dynamic:]
The true nature & dynamic of apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence -- is pointed by concepts like:
– the inconceivable Union of the Two Truths about apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence -- [U2T-2T],
– the inconceivable Union of the three spheres about apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence -- [U3S / U2T-3S-2T],
– the inconceivable Union of opposites about apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence -- [Non-duality / Oneness / Uopp / U2T-opp-2T],
– the inconceivable Middle Way about apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence --,
– the tetralemma about apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence --,
– freedom from all extremes & middle, freedom from all dualistic conceptual proliferations, freedom from all limits, freedom from all conditioning / karma,
– the Ground / Basis / Source / Suchness / Dharmata / Dharmadhatu / Buddha-nature / Genuine-emptiness / Ati / Dzogchen / Mahamudra /
– Enlightened-mind / Intrinsic-awareness / Primordial-empty-awareness.
--
[TETRALEMMA:] Apparent opposites like ‘the two truths’ -- dependent origination / relative functionality and emptiness of inherent existence -- are
-- not inherently existent, not completely non-existent, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not different / separate / multiple / dual, not identical / united / one / non-dual, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not permanent / continuous / eternal, not impermanent / discontinuous / annihilated, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not purely objective / physical / body, not purely subjective / mental / mind, not purely relational / process / conceptual / speech, not two or three of them together, not none of them, and there is no other possibility;
-- not dependent / caused / produced / functional, not independent / uncaused/spontaneous / unproduced / non-functional, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not composite / contextual / conditioned, not non-composite / non-contextual / unconditioned, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not merely labelled / imputed / conceptualised by the mind, not not-merely labelled / imputed / conceptualised by the mind, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not self-caused, not other-caused, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not changing / evolving, not completely non-changing / non-evolving, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not empty, not non-empty, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not conventional / relative / false, not absolute / universal / true, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not dependently co-arisen / interdependent / mere-interdependence [T1], not empty of inherent existence / mere-emptiness [T2], not both together [2T], not neither [1T], and there is no fifth;
-- not unequal / impure / imperfect / ordinary / incomplete / bad, not equal / pure / perfect / divine / complete / good, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not unreal / identical to illusions / dreams / mirage / magic tricks, not real / different from illusions / dreams / mirage / magic tricks, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not describable / conceivable / meaningful, not indescribable / inconceivable / meaningless, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth;
-- not this, not non-this, not both together, not neither, and there is no fifth -- for whatever ‘this’ could be -- (this could be generalised for groups of more than two apparent opposites; ex. the three spheres, the three kayas, the three gems, the three times, the four cardinal directions, the five …, the six ...).
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Meaning their true nature (Ground / Suchness / U2T) is indescribable / inconceivable (in absolute terms) for our flawed conditioned dualistic conceptual mind(s), beyond all extremes & middle, beyond all dualistic conceptual proliferations, beyond all limits, beyond all conditioning / karma; beyond all description / conceptualisation, discrimination / differentiation, causality / production, matter-energy, space & time.
So there is no independent / universal / absolute / inherently existing basis for any discrimination / differentiation in absolute terms, just conventionally / relatively / inter-subjectively.
And there is nothing to accept / affirm / seek / add / do in absolute terms, nothing to reject / negate / abandon / eliminate / subtract / not-do in absolute terms, just conventionally / relatively / inter-subjectively if it helps someone get closer to the inconceivable liberating Truth: the Union of the Two Truths about all dharmas [U2T], the Union of the three spheres [U3S / U2T-3S], the Union of apparent opposites [Uopp / U2T-opp], the Middle Way in everything, the tetralemma, the primordial spontaneity / equality / purity / perfection / divinity / completeness of all dharmas.
In that sense everything is primordially spontaneous, timeless, equal, pure, perfect, divine, complete, free. Everything is like the pristine display of the Ground / Suchness / Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
It may look complicated but all of this can be resumed into one thing: The Union of the Two Truths about all dharmas. Everything else, all these words, is just to help us to stay away from all possible extremes & middle, and create enough room for a possible inconceivable spontaneous individual non-dualistic non-conceptual direct perception / realisation / experience of the true nature of Reality as it is here & now: U2T.
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[MIDDLE WAY:]
So the best attitude toward all dharmas is the Middle Way free from all extremes & middle:
nothing to accept / affirm / seek / add / do / cause / produce / change / improve / cultivate / perceive / know / experience / acquire / possess / purify / liberate / achieve ... in absolute terms,
nothing to reject / negate / abandon / eliminate / subtract / not-do / not-cause / not-produce / not-change / not-improve or deteriorate / not-cultivate / not-perceive / not-know / not-experience / not-acquire / not-possess / not-purify or stain / not-liberate or enslave / not-achieve ... in absolute terms,
just conventionally / relatively / inter-subjectively if it helps someone to get closer to the inconceivable liberating Truth: the Union of the Two Truths [U2T].
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Extremes like:
i) existence / realism / causality / dependent origination / karma / relative-truth-only [T1],
ii) non-existence / nihilism / mere-nothingness / mere-emptiness / ultimate-truth-only [T2],
iii) both existence & non-existence together / a form of dualism / the two truths together, in opposition / duality of the two truths [2T],
iv) neither existence nor non-existence / a form of monism / neither of the two truths / oneness of the two truths [1T];
or extremes like
v) subject-only / mind-only / idealism / subjectivism,
vi) object-only / naïve realism / objectivism,
vii) relation-only / process-only / action-only / relationism / processism,
viii) two or three of them together / pluralism,
ix) none to them / monism.
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For the latest version of this box see:
Madhyamaka Machine - Blog Post #158
https://www.gilehtblog.com/2021/11/madhyamaka-machine.html)
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