Source Text
The natural state entails direct experience of a timeless, limitless, non-dual field of awareness, wherein whatever arises in this expanse is immediately and automatically known as empty upon arising. Automatic emptiness of whatever arises immediately upon arising is important because automatic emptiness serves as a clearing agent for all residual instances of doing anything during meditation, and all residual attempts to conceptualize about state or outcome. As a result of automatic emptiness the mind returns to its natural state of simplicity (absent of all doing) and freshness (absent of all conceptualization. Once all residual conceptual thought settles down, the lucidity and brightness of the field of timeless, boundless awareness becomes apparent. This natural state is also referred to as “non-meditation meditation” (sgom med).
The view—sometimes referred to as “lion’s gaze”—entails taking the limitless, timeless field of awareness itself as the object of meditation, holding the view of the non-dual unbounded wholeness uninterruptedly, moment-by-moment, without looking at anything in particular. In this way, any tendency of the mind to pick out anything particular is viewed as the activity of the unbounded wholeness itself, in such a way that the view no longer interferes with the direct recognition of the unbounded wholeness that is always right here. However, the practitioner must use his or her metacognitive awareness to recognize this unbounded wholeness of awakened awareness through one or another of two pathways of recognition.
First, is the pathway of recognizing non-localization. At some point the
meditator realizes that he or she is no longer operating out of localized, individual consciousness, but instead is operating out of being the unbounded wholeness—a place that is no place and has no reference point.
Each time the meditator shifts the basis of operation to awakened mind, he or she dismantles more and more of the residuals of the ordinary mind. Over time, the practitioner remains in the awakened mind most of the time in formal meditation sessions. Then, the practitioner learns to “mix” (‘dres ba) awakened awareness into a variety of daily activities, outside of formal meditation, until attaining the confidence that he or she can maintain awakened awareness at all times and in all situations.
In other words, the view becomes seeing whatever arises moment-by-moment—every thought, emotion, sight, sound, special meditation state, etc.—as none other than the liveliness of awakened awareness, such that the view becomes a continuous, uninterrupted flow of liveliness. Once stabilizing the experience of liveliness, the practitioner then takes the view of the inseparable pair, simultaneously the limitless vast expanse of awareness-space and the uninterrupted liveliness of awakened awareness of whatever arises in that expanse. As part of that view, but not as a strategy of doing something, the practitioner no longer mentally engages
whatever arises moment-by-moment. Because mental engagement— also called “accepting and rejecting” for processing (blangdor)—is necessary to form new karmic memory traces, non-mental engagement results in no longer forming new karmic memory traces, and therefore initiates an automatic process of releasing the ripening of all previously stored karmic memory traces. Through practicing non-mental engagement all the time, all immediately arising karmic memory traces run their course and immediately disappear, leaving no trace, like writing on water, and all previously stored karmic memory traces are automatically released. This automatic process is called “self-arising/self-liberated” (rang snang rang ‘grol), and is also called the “path of liberation” (‘grol ba’i lam), and the end point over time is referred to as “dharmadhātu exhaustion” (chos nyid zad pa) because the entire storehouse of karmic memory traces is exhausted. The endpoint is “complete purification and the flourishing of all positive states” (sang rgyas).
Like space, it has no substance and is groundless. Unlike space, this limitless awareness/space has the capacity to know, so it is sometimes referred to as “knowing-awareness” (shes rig).
mainly emphasizes purification of ordinary perception and conceptual thought into the three pure visions, with ultimate sound reflecting the purified sound of the liveliness of awakened awareness, pure light reflecting purified visual forms, and light-rays (because of directionality) reflecting purified conceptual thought.
direct realization of the dharmakāya, i.e., the limitless expanse of non-dual awakened awareness space. This limitless expanse is the groundless-ground of existence within which everything arises as the liveliness of awakened awareness.
AI Summary
The Six Lamps by Tapihritsa and Gyerpung Nangzher Lodpo presents key insights from the contemplative tradition. The 10 passages above capture the essential teachings.
Core Themes:
- [To be expanded]
Key Passages: Highlights 1, 3, and 10 are particularly representative.
This entry was generated from Readwise highlights. Expand with additional context as appropriate.