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Straying into the ground of emptiness means fixating on the essence of emptiness, emptiness as such. Having achieved a slight understanding of emptiness, one develops a nihilistic point of view, thinking that phenomena are only empty and that nothing exists. Straying into the path of emptiness means fixating on the experience of emptiness. Having experienced that all phenomena are empty, one thinks one has understood emptiness and that one no longer needs to accumulate merit, purify obscurations, perform positive actions, and avoid negative ones, and so on. Through ones' meditation one has achieved a slight insight into emptiness and mistakes it for a great realization. Stray- ing into the antidote of emptiness means imagining, incor- rectly, that by meditating on emptiness one will not attain any ultimate results. Not realizing the unity of luminosity and emptiness, one thinks that the fruition is not in the mind, in emptiness itself, but somewhere else. Failing to un- derstand that means and wisdom are inseparable, one per- ceives emptiness and disturbing emotions as two separate things and attempts to use emptiness as an antidote against
disturbing emotions. Straying into the idea of emptiness means simply imagining that all external phenomena are empty, without really having understood the emptiness of phenomena at all. These four types of straying occur espe- cially in vipashyana meditation, since in this form of medi- tation one is preparing oneself to realize emptiness.
It is equally important to avoid falling into "the three mis- understandings. " These refer mostly to shamatha medita- tion, since they involve fixating on experiences that occur when mind remains in calmness-the experiences of bliss, luminosity, and nonthought. Clinging to the experience of bliss leads to rebirth in the realm of the senses; clinging to the experience of luminosity leads to rebirth in the form
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realm; and clinging to the experience of nonthought leads to rebirth in the formless realm. Thus, fixation on the vari- ous meditative experiences is a cause for samsara.
"The four joys one should transcend" are joy, great joy, extraordinary joy, and inherent joy. These are the four joys that are sometimes described in empowerments as the "wis- dom of example. " Through these joys one recognizes one's own wisdom, that is, the state in which the understanding of emptiness, bliss, and nonthought are united. It is hardly possible to describe the four joys, since they refer to a sid- dha's experience, that can only gradually be achieved through one's own practice.
"The three conditions that one should be free from" are the same experiences that arise in shamatha meditation: bliss, luminosity, and nonthought. One should consider them as mere experiences and go beyond them.
Realizing through the three stages ofbirth, Untouchedbythemindofthethreegreatones,0 ? ?
"Realizing through the three stages of birth" refers to the speed with which practitioners develop on their way to bud- dhahood, in accordance with their capabilities. A distinc- tion can be made between practitioners with low, middle, and high capabilities. Those with low capabilities follow the path step by step until they finally attain enlightenment. Those with middle capabilities skip over several stages of development; for instance, they can simultaneously realize the first two bhumis of the bodhisattva path, and then the third and fourth together, and thus attain enlightenment sooner. Those with the highest capabilities can attain en- lightenment in one moment, that is, they simultaneously achieve realization and liberation.
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"Untouched by the mind of the three great ones" means that ultimate nature-insight into one's original mind-oc- curs neither in the realm of understanding through hearing, nor in the real of experiencing through contemplation, nor in the realm of meditation. The original nature of mind is beyond these three.
This is the self-existing nature, undefiled by experience. Like the center ofa cloudless sky,
The self-luminous mind is impossible to express.
It is wisdom ofnonthought beyond analogy,
Naked ordinary mind.
Direct experience of the self-existing, primordial, unde- filed nature of mind is like a cloudless sky, in which lumi- nosity-the blueness of the sky-exists by itself. Mind is complete in its self-awareness and self-luminosity, nothing else is necessary. This experience is inexpressible in words, and transcends analogies and descriptions. The wisdom of nonthought is the natural and fresh experience of ordinary mind.
Not keeping to dogmatism or a"ogance, It is clearly seen as dharmakaya.
"Not keeping to dogmatism" means that it is impossible to express this state in words. "Not keeping to arrogance" means that notions about the nature of mind are irrelevant. Free from the tendency to conceptualize experience in ei- ther words or thoughts, one rests in ordinary mind and ex- periences its nature as luminous dharmakaya.
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The appearance ofthe six sense objects, lzke the moon in water,
Shines in the state ofwisdom.
Whatever arises is the unfabricated innate state. Whatever appears is the nature ofmahamudra. The phenomenal world is dharmakaya great bliss.
By its very nature, ordinary mind, that is, awareness of the present moment, is the dharmakaya. Through this ex- perience one realizes that everything that the six senses come into contact with-appearance, sound, smell, and so forth- is like the reflection of the moon in water; although the moon can be seen quite distinctly it is not really present. Having acknowledged this, one is no longer subject to the confusion of thinking that things really do exist and one experiences all that arises in the light of this wisdom.
One should not consider anything that arises in the mind, such as thoughts, as being either positive or negative, and one should avoid attaching hope or fear to it. Free from rejecting or hoping, one should rest spontaneously in one's primordial nature. Thus the entire world of appearances is recognized as luminosity, the expression of dharmakaya, and mind itself is seen as dharmakaya. Everything, whether internal or external, is seen to be of the nature of mahamu- dra. However, in order to recognize this, shamatha and vi- pashyana are necessary.
Both shamatha meditation ofnatural resting And vispashyana, which sees the unseeable, Should not be separated but unified
In stillness, occurrence, and awareness.
On the basis of proper view, or ground mahamudra, one practices path mahamudra. The core ofthe practice consists
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in letting mind dwell in its natural freshness. This leads one to the realization that, by its very nature, the entire world of appearances is mahamudra. In order to let mind rest in its own nature, one practices shamatha meditation or mental calmness, and vipashyana or seeing the unseeable. In prac- ticing shamatha, one should avoid the three types of errors (the three misunderstandings) mentioned earlier, and in vi- pashyana one should avoid the four strayings.
Shamatha
What should one know about shamatha, a form of medita- tion that involves letting the mind rest in itself? Mahamudra means being free from mental activities: mind rests in itself and one experiences ordinary mind. In order to do this, one first needs mental calmness. Why does one need mental calmness, if the idea is to experience ordinary mind? Since one is constantly distracted by external objects and sense perceptions, mind is unable to rest in its own nature even for an instant; this is why one must first overcome distrac- tion. To avoid constant distraction, one practices mental calmness meditation and concentrates one-pointedly. Only when the mind is able to remain undistracted and calm can one rest in its nature.
There are many increasingly subtle techniques of shama- tha meditation, that is, ofletting mind rest in its own nature: meditation with a support, meditation without a support, and meditation on nature as such. The first form of shama- tha meditation involves the use of a support. As long as one's awareness fixates on one object after another, mind is continually distracted. In order to take advantage of mind's tendency to fixate, one first practices shamatha meditation with a sense-object as support by placing an object in front of oneself either as a "general support" or as a "pure sup-
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port. " A general support might be a small stone or a piece of wood, whereas a pure support might be a likeness of the Buddha, such as a picture or a statue. Once one is familiar with this type of meditation, one can proceed with shamatha without a support.
Shamatha meditation without a support involves focus- ing on a mental representation, without resorting to an ex- ternal or material object. This representation could be an image of the Buddha. First one should visualize certain de- tails of appearance, such as the face, and then the entire figure. Once one is quite familiar with this method, then one can move on to shamatha meditation on nature as such.
The type of shamatha meditation that Jamgon Kongtriil Lodro Thaye is referring to in this song is meditation on nature as such, the highest form of resting the mind. It in- volves letting mind rest in its own nature, without any object of concentration; if thoughts arise, one looks directly into their nature without suppressing or following them. In this way, thoughts disappear by themselves and one rests once
again in the nature of mind.
This is expressed in the line of the Supplication to the
Takpo Kagyiis that says: "The nature of thoughts is dhar- makaya. " Although thoughts arise from mind, their real na- ture is emptiness. Thoughts are the natural manifestation of mind; by looking at their nature, which is the nature of dhar- makaya, or emptiness, one can see that they arise from mind and dissolve back into mind.
However, in our confusion, we regard our thoughts as real; we cling to our thoughts and follow them. But ifinstead of following our thoughts we look at their nature and see their emptiness, we are beholding the dharmakaya and thoughts melt back into the alaya-vijfiana. The alaya-vijfiana is like an ocean and the thoughts that arise in the mind are
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like waves. Ocean and waves are not separate from each other; waves are part of the ocean, they come out of it and return to it.
The purpose of this analogy is to explain how shamatha meditation is practiced in the mahamudra. One lets the mind rest in itself; if thoughts arise out of the ocean of the alaya-vijfiana, one looks at their nature without either fol- lowing or interrupting them. In this way thoughts dissolve back into mind like waves dissolving back into the ocean. If one practices in this manner, distractions or inner upheavals cannot arise. Resting in the nature of mind, that is, the na- ture of thoughts, is called shamatha meditation on nature as such, and is the highest form of meditation of mental calmness.
There are many ways to describe the states that one ex- periences in shamatha meditation. One way is to divide them into the so-called nine techniques of resting the mind, which one can read about in treatises on shamatha. Or they can also be described in accordance with the pith instruc- tions, which present the experiences graphically. For in- stance, the first stage is compared with a roaring waterfall plunging down a cliff face; this stage corresponds to expe- riencing the upheavals of mind. At a later stage, mind is compared to a broad river, quieter and less turbulent. How- ever, whether one follows the first or second explanation, the point is to achieve the actual fruition of shamatha med- itation, which is physical and mental flexibility.
Because of negative karma and afflictive emotions, one often finds it difficult to do positive actions. One must there- fore endeavor to cultivate positive thoughts and actions and avoid disturbing feelings. Flexibility in this context means overcoming not only the inability to act positively but also
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the struggle involved in doing so, until one achieves proper physical and mental conduct quite naturally and effortlessly. When one is free from afflictive emotions, proper behavior occurs spontaneously. Flexibility of mind and body is the ultimate fruition of mental calmness, at which point the ex- periences of joy, clarity, and nonconceptualization appear.
The experience of complete joy refers both to bodily sen- sations and to mental attitude. Any sense of heaviness dis- appears and one's body feels light and pleasant. This is sim- ilar to holding wool in one's hands-it feels nice and light. Mentally, one is full of joy and free from any form of dullness or distraction. Similarly, the experience of clarity also has a mental and physical component. It consists of a totally clear apprehension of sense perceptions, including the ability to distinguish the minutest details quite clearly.
The third experience, nonconceptualization is like expe- riencing space. Normally one thinks that things are the way one apprehends them. One hears sounds, sees forms, smells scents, and so on, and clings to these sense perceptions. One is caught up in the concept of the three times, the difference between male and female, and other dualities, and fixates on the characteristics that one attributes to phenomena. It is this particular form of fixation that nonconceptualization dissolves, giving one's experience the quality of space. One no longer fixates on the forms one sees, the sounds one hears, the concept of the three times, but instead one expe- riences space.
These three experiences of joy, clarity, and nonconcep- tualization occur mainly during meditation. During post- meditation one experiences everything as usual and fixates on the characteristics of phenomena. Only seldom do these three experiences occur outside of meditation.
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Vipashyana
What does vipashyana, or seeing the unseeable, refer to? According to the teachings, vipashyana is "the wisdom which discriminates all phenomena," the insight that arises as the fruition of shamatha meditation. This does not mean, however, that vipashyana insight arises by itself out of the shamatha meditation of remaining in calmness.
In shamatha, one focuses the mind one-pointedly on something, whereas in vipashyana one experiences the ac- tual nature of things. So vipashyana involves meditating on and investigating the nature of phenomena, or the fact that they have no real existence. Thus it can be said that shama- tha is meditation by focusing, whereas vipashyana is medi- tation by analyzing. There are various ways of applying sha- matha and vipashyana.
For instance, one can first practice shamatha and then, once one has achieved mental calmness, proceed with vipashyana. Or else one can practice shamatha and vipashyaria in alteration: first one practices shamatha meditation for a while, then one concentrates on developing vipashyana insight, after which one goes back to shamatha and then again back to vipashyana, and so on. Combining shamatha and vipashyana, calm-abiding and investigation, is an extremely effective method of practice.
If, for instance, one is concentrating on the coming and going of the breath during shamatha meditation, mental calmness means focusing totally on the breathing without letting the mind wander. Practicing vipashyana would mean that after a while one not only focuses on the breath alone but also examines and achieves insight into the nature of the breath. After one has turned one's mind for a while to the nature ofthe breath, then one concentrates again one-point- edly on the breathing. This is one way of alternating be- tween shamatha and vipashyana practice. Although we
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speak about shamatha and vipashyana as two distinct types of meditation that can be practiced either sequentially or in alternation, the actual point is to join the two. If one prac- tices only shamatha or vipashyana, then the unity of shamatha-vipashyana meditation will never arise.
What does it mean to practice shamatha and vipashyana together? Shamatha involves letting the mind rest on an ob- ject in a state of concentration. Both mind and object lack ultimate reality. This true nature is present at all times, not only when one achieves insight into it through vipashyana meditation. Maintaining this awareness or insight in sha- matha meditation-that is, not separating one-pointedness from awareness-is the unity of shamatha and vipashyana.
When a feeling or thought arises, what does it mean to unite "calmness, movement, and awareness" through sha- matha and vipashyana? Let us take the arising of anger as an example. First one notices that anger has arisen and ac- knowledges it. This corresponds to shamatha or mental calmness, that is, mindfulness which allows one to notice that a feeling has arisen. Based on this, one examines the feeling or thought by means ofvipashyana. Calmness, move- ment, and awareness are the three phases that one exam- ines. Calmness corresponds to the question: "where does the feeling or thought dwell? ," movement to the question: "where does the feeling or thought go to? ," and awareness to the question: "what is present between the arising and the subsiding of the thought or feeling? " This form of in- vestigation brings one to the realization that the feeling has no real existence.
There is a widespread belief that shamatha and vipa- shyana are only practiced at the beginning of the path, as a sort of preliminary training prior to actual meditation. This is totally false, since both shamatha and vipashyana are prac-
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ticed throughout the entire Buddhist path with all its differ- ent aspects. Thus shamatha can be found in the develop- ment of bodhichitta, the mind of enlightenment, as well as in the visualizations of the utpattikrama or development phase of vajrayana. These are nothing but a form of shama- tha, even though different methods and concepts are being used. The same can be said for the six yogas of Naropa which involve, among other things, holding one's prana and meditating on the nadis and hindus. All these different forms of meditation are ways of practicing shamatha; they are based solely on mental calmness and cannot be prac- ticed without it.
It is the same with vipashyana. On the shravaka path, vipashyana involves meditating on egolessness. On the bo- dhisattva path, it relates to meditating on emptiness and de- pendent origination as well as keeping in mind the fact that phenomena have no true existence. In the vajrayana, vipa- shyana is practiced in the sampannakrama or completion phase of meditation. There is no such thing as a Buddhist path that does not apply shamatha and vipashyana. This is why they are so important.
Beyond abandoning discursive confusion,
Beyond applying antidotes,
There wz'll be a tz'me when you spontaneously reach this.
Ifone practices shamatha and vipashyana properly, then there is no confusion and no discursive thoughts to be given up. When one looks at the nature of concepts, they disap- pear and dissolve into themselves, being by their very nature devoid of actual existence. Thus the application of specific antidotes against confusion becomes irrelevant. By simply
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letting the mind rest in its own nature, confusion dissolves
spontaneously into itself with no need to apply antidotes.
When you have achieved realization,
There is nothing other than the meditative state. A t the threshold o ffreedom from loss and gain, Even meditation does not exist.
When one realizes the ultimate nature of mind, there are no longer any moments that fall outside the sphere of med- itation. However, the only way to achieve this realization is through meditation. One is free from the struggle to give up afflictive emotions or to "attain" wisdom. At this point, meditation as such no longer exists, because there is no longer any separation between meditator, meditation, and an object of meditation.
But for those beginners who are unable to dissolve the hairline ofconceptualization,
Meditation is important.
When one practices meditation, there is experience. This expen'ence arises as the adornment ofinsight.
For beginners who have not yet overcome mental fixation meditation is necessary. As long as concepts are still present it is essential to practice meditation, otherwise the experi- ences of joy, clarity, and nonconcepualization will never arise. These experiences are called the "adornment of in- sight" because it is meditation that allows the insight into the nature of all phenomena to gradually arise.
This path is divided into the four yogas:
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Shamatha meditation involves letting the mind dwell in its own nature; vipashyana is nondual insight into ultimate reality. By practicing the unity of shamatha and vipashyana one progressively achieves the four yogas.
The first yoga, one-pointedness, is the first glimpse of the nature of mind, the first experience ofordinary mind. Ifone keeps practicing, one achieves insight into the fact that the nature of mind is devoid of inherent reality. This is the sec- ond yoga, simplicity. By stabilizing this insight through med- itation, one realizes that the entire phenomenal world is nothing else but the manifestation of one's own mind, or rather that mind is not different from external phenomena. This is the third yoga, one taste. By deepening this insight further through meditation, one realizes that there is no dis- tinction or separation between meditation, meditator, and object of meditation. This is the fourth yoga, nonmedita- tion. Each of the four yogas is divided into three stages.
One-pointedness means recognizing the nature ofmind; Divided into the lesser, medium, and greater stages: One sees the alternation ofbliss and luminosity,
One masters resting in samadhi,
And experience continuously appears as luminosity.
The yoga of one-pointedness consists in recognizing the nature of mind after the teacher has pointed it out to one. According to the degree of stability achieved, three stages are distinguished within this first yoga: lesser, medium, and greater. As further insight into the nature of mind develops, the different experiences of meditation arise in alternation: bliss, clarity or luminosity, and nonthought. These in turn reinforce one's ability to rest in one's own mind, thus lead- ing to greater mental depth. Because of one's ever-increas-
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ig a w a r e n e s s t h a t p h e n o m e n a a r e d e v o i d o f t r u e e x i s t e n c e ,
me's experience arises continuously as luminosity.
mplidty means realizing the mind is without root; Divided into the lesser, medium, and greater stages: One realizes that the arising, ceasing, and dwelling are
empty,
One is free from the ground and root o ffixating on
appearance or emptiness,
Andone resolves the complexity ofalldharmas.
On the level ofthe second yoga, simplicity, one recognizes oot only that mind and dharmas are free from complexities, oot also that they are devoid of actual inherent existence. Jhis is insight into the meaning of reality. This stage of re- ilization corresponds to the first bhumi on the bodhisattva ~th, the path of insight in mahayana. According to the sta- Oility of the realization, it is likewise divided into lesser, me- mum, and greater stages.
One realizes that mind is empty, free from arising, dwell- ing, and cessation. Through this insight, fixation on appear- mces and emptiness is dissolved. The habitual tendencies mat l e a d o n e t o s e p a r a t e t h e a p p e a r a n c e o f t h i n g s f r o m t h e i r anptiness disappear. By recognizing that there is no such iliing as inherent existence, false views and doubts with re- prd to the mode of existence of inner and outer phenom- ena are resolved.
One taste means dissolving appearance and mind into each other:
Divided into the lesser, medium, and greater stages:
All dharmas o f samsara and nirvana are dissolved into equal
taste.
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Appearance and mind become like water poured into water,
Andfrom one taste, the various wisdoms arise.
The third yoga, one taste, is the union of external objects with the internal awareness that experiences them. Distinc- tions between subject and object no longer occur. This yoga is also divided into three stages, according to its level of stability.
All phenomena, that is, all external objects on which one fixates, as well as the awareness that apprehends them, are dissolved into equal taste-there is no longer any separation between them. In the same way, appearance and mind also become inseparable like water poured into water. One re- alizes that all appearances are the innate manifestation of mind and thus not separate from mind. The experience of one taste arising from insight into the oneness of samsara and nirvana leads to the various types of wisdom.
Nonmeditation means the utter exhaustion ofconceptual mind;
Divided into the lesser, medium, and greater stages:
One is free from meditation and meditator,
The habitual patterns ofprimitive beliefs about reality are
gradually cleared away,
And the mother and son luminosity dissolve together. The wisdom ofdharmadhatu extends throughout space.
On the level of the fourth yoga, nonmeditation, all con- cepts and ideas disappear and all notions about meditation and meditator are completely resolved. Once again, this yoga is divided into three stages in accordance with the de- gree of stability of the realization.
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meditation and meditator. Conceptual obscurations are pu- rified and one attains "threefold purity" free from concepts. Using generosity as an example, this means that one is free from the idea of a giver, a receiver, and a gift. One is free from the notion that these three are separate from each other.
What does the expression "mother and son luminosity" refer to? Because of one's confusion one is not ready to rec- ognize ultimate nature at the outset. However, by practicing path mahamudra on the basis of the proper view achieved through ground mahamudra, then the "son"-each indi- vidual experience on the path-comes ever closer to the "mother"-true reality, until the insight acquired and real- ity become one, which is the meeting of mother and son, and one achieves the all-pervasive wisdom of dharmadhatu.
In short, in meditation:
One-pointedness means that mind is still as long as one
wishes,
Seeing the very nature ofordinary mind.
Simplicity means the realization ofgroundlessness. One taste means liberating
Allpossible dualisticfixations through insight. Nonmeditation means transcending all sophistries o f
meditation and nonmeditation, The exhaustion ofhabitualpatterns.
Normally, mind is constantly distracted and churned up, even in meditation. Thoughts arise and disappear, new thoughts arise and disappear in turn, and mind cannot rest on one point. As long as one does not recognize the nature of mind, one experiences a separation between mind and thoughts. This is why one has the idea that, in shamatha
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meditation, there is "someone" who is holding the mind in focus. As long as one has not recognized the nature of thoughts, these disturb the mind. However, if one has un- derstood the nature of mind-and thus the nature of thoughts-then mind can always rest in itself, without ever being affected or distracted by that which arises within the mind. One experiences ordinary mind, that is, one sees the nature of mind and understands that mind is no different from the present moment of awareness. This is why this yoga is called one-pointedness.
Explanations of mind similar to this vajra doha can also be found in another text byJamgon Kongtriil Lodro Thaye. That text states that one should contemplate the basis of mind and realize that it is nothing other than the present moment of awareness, the thought of nowness. One should not look for mind elsewhere. When one contemplates mind or the nature of thoughts, then the object contemplated and the subject contemplating become one, since mind itseH is looking at mind. Because the nature of mind is empti- ness, there is nothing that is seen, no object. However, in- stead of experiencing mere nothingness, one experiences luminosity.
Hone looks into the nature of thoughts, then these dis- solve into themselves and luminosity arises, the inherent lu- minosity and awareness of mind itself. These two aspects of mind-emptiness and luminosity-are inseparable from each other and are actually one. This is the nature of mind. Looking into the nature of mind is nothing other than ex- periencing the present moment ofawareness and seeing that there is no mind outside this present moment of awareness. This experience is given different names according to the tradition describing it. In the mahamudra tradition, it is known as the experience ofordinary mind, whereas in maha
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