Discursive Thought or Passive Awareness: From “Buddhahood Without Meditation”

The following is respectfully quoted from “Buddhahood Without Meditation” by Dudjom Lingpa:

With unwavering faith I pay homage to the sovereign lord, the primordial lord protector, the most sublime citadel of the magical display of pristine awareness.

These days, when the five kinds of degeneration are on the rise, sentient beings are without exception rough and wild, under the sway of very powerful negative karma. Clinging to the mere passing dream of this human life, they make long-range plans as though for an eternal stay and turn their backs on the pursuit of something meaningful for future lifetimes. For this reason, it seems to me that those who earnestly seek liberation and omniscience are no more numerous than stars in the daytime. Even though people may be aware of their mortality and enthusiastically practice the Buddhadharma, they devote their human existence simply to physical and verbal acts of virtue and thus pursue higher rebirths as gods or humans.

Some, without the slightest understanding of the view of emptiness, come to a decision that their own minds are empty. They are directly introduced to what is nothing more than a state of discursive thought or passive awareness and remain in this state with nothing whatever to do. This propels them toward rebirth among the gods of the desire and form realms, but does not bring them even a hair’s breadth closer to the path to omniscience.

 

 

Free of Limitations: an Excerpt from “Buddhahood Without Meditation” by Dudjom Lingpa

The following is respectfully quoted from “Buddhahood Without Meditation” by Dudjom Lingpa:

On yet another occasion, when I met the great holder of intrinsic awareness, Hungchenkara, in a vision, I asked him, “What is this array of apparent phenomena like?”

He bestowed the following reply: “Ah, great spiritual being, the consciousness of the five avenues of the senses are like space in which anything is capable of emerging. Discursive thought is like the substances and mantras employed by a magician. The array of apparent phenomena that manifests from the synchronicity of these two comes about like a magical illusion. Consciousness that perpetuates this is like a spectator.

“This being the case, all substances offered or given are like substances used in magic. The approach of the illusion-like yoga involves using purificatory mantras to refine these substances into emptiness and mantras for increase to cause the unfolding of immeasurable appearances of sensory pleasures, which become objects of the six senses to delight all who are recipients of these offerings and gifts. Further, for the sake of sentient beings, who are like phantom emanations, through the illusion-like yoga one arranges the objective environment like a city of the gandharvas. One performs the acts of liberating and guiding beings as though changing the contents of a dream, thus gaining mastery over the supreme yoga of illusion.

“Consider the fact that no matter how many planets and stars are reflected in a lake, these reflections are encompassed within the water itself; no matter how many worlds there are as containers and their contents, they are encompassed within a single space; no matter how vast and how numerous the apparent phenomena of samsara and nirvana may be, they are encompassed within the single true nature of mind itself (sem-nyid).

“The nature of mind itself, referred to as ‘buddha nature,’ is a uniform pervasiveness unsullied by flaws. For example, even though there might be buddhas filling space, there is a uniform pervasiveness in that no object exists that benefits from their pristine awareness and positive qualities. Even though there might be sentient beings equal to the limits of space, each with an autonomous mindstream, there is a uniform pervasiveness in that no object exists that can be harmed by this.

“The ground aspect of dharmakaya as buddha nature is free of all locations, objects or agents of origination, and so is free of the limitation of origination. It is beyond there being any time at which it ceases or any agent that ceases to be, and so it is free of the limitation of cessation. Because it does not fall into the extreme of existence as some substantial entity, since even the eyes of a victorious one cannot see it, it is free of the limitation of permanence. Since it is nonexistent without being absolutely nothing and constitutes the common ground of samsara and nirvana, it is free of the limitation of nihilistic negation. Since it is beyond all locations, objects or agents of going, it is free of the limitation of going. Because no location, object or agent of coming can be established to exist, it is free of the limitation of coming. Because all phenomena of samsara and nirvana arise distinctly and individually within the vast expanse of the ground of being, or buddha nature, like the planets and stars reflected in a lake, it is free of the limitation of identity. Because the modes of samsara and nirvana, however they arise, are of one taste with the same ground of being, or buddha nature, just as the planets and stars reflected in the ocean are none other than the ocean, it is free of the limitation of separateness. Because it does not fall into any of these  eight limitations of conceptual elaboration, there is a uniform pervasiveness unsullied by flaws.”

A Prayer From the Sang Ti Kagyama: Secret Esoteric Instruction by Dudjom Lingpa

The following is from “The Lamp of Liberation: A Collection of Prayers, Advice and Aspirations

Kye! To all the Buddhas of the three times
Inseparable from the great absolute space,
Great intrinsic nature of phenomena,
Space of awareness uncontrived and ever-free,
We bow in order to realize our self-nature,
And vow from now not to separate from it.
Realizing the essential sameness, may we be liberated in the absolute space!
Ho! In the vast space of the great expanse, the Wisdom-Mind
Of the Buddhas, the essence of the Sugatas,
wisdom, the rising power of gnosis
Displays a powerful pure aspiration.
The primordial space of the Ground, Dharmakaya,
Is the Adi Buddha among all Buddhas,
Unimproved by positive qualities,
Unimpaired by defects and stains–
The great space beyond conceptualized views.
May we realize the nature as it is.

All-pervasiveness beyond all partiality and limitations,
Expanse free from attributes and labels,
Great confidence that there is nothing to give up and nothing
to gain:
May we realize the nature as it is.

Purity and essential sameness of samsara and nirvana,
Dharmakaya;
Spontaneous display, perfect Sambhogakaya;
Complete self-liberation, Nirmanakaya:
May we realize the nature as it is.

There is no Buddha, there are no beings;
There is no cause, no conditions, no result.
There is no path, no wisdom to gain:
May we realize the nature as it is.

From the beginning it is pure from defects and stains;
Luminosity in depth: knowledge, realization and gnosis fully blossomed–
Space beyond the three times, beginning and end.
May we realize the nature as it is.

Thus the face of the Dharmakaya is perfect
Without having to be sought; the habitual tendencies which veil it
Are intrinsically pure in the great state which is without object.
May we enter the perfect path.

The supreme Wisdom, unborn and ungenerated,
Free from obscurations and veils of ignorance
Is the great natural state of suchness;
May we realize the nature as it is.

The powerful blessings of great Wisdom
having liberated the obstacle-makers of deviations, errors
and mistakes,
There is the primordial state beyond effort:
May we enter the perfect path.

Without alterations, changes, training or progress
Is the supreme path among paths, the perfect path.
With the gnosis which sees whatever there is
May we recognize the nature as it is
And reach the primordial space.

By observing one does not see the perfect View;
Leaving as is, without observing, ones sees the self-nature.
Not to observe is the vital point of the profound View:
May we enter the perfect path.

By acting one does not accomplish the activity beyond action;
Without acting the great meaning of naturalness is realized.
Not to act is the vital point of great action.
May we enter the perfect path.

The Wisdom-Eye of great gnosis
Freed from the murk and dust of habitual tendencies,
May we actually recognize Dharmata
And attain the level of the Fully Matured Vidyadhara.

All phenomena are like the ten similes of illusion.
With pure perception free from grasping
May the visionary experiences develop,
And may we attain the level of the Vidyadhara of the
Power Over Life.

Without depending on causes and conditions
Obtaining in reality independence and self-liberation,
May we reach the culmination of ground-awareness
And attain the level of Mahamudra Vidyadhara.

The dualistic phenomena of subject and object perceived
through deluded mind
Dissolve in the great Dharmata beyond intellect.
May we hold the invincible position of attainment of confidence
And attain the level of Spontaneously Accomplished Vidyadhara.

All mental perceptions of the three worlds of samsara,
As if waking from a dream into the absolute expanse,
Dissolve in the great primordial inner space:
May we fully awaken in the Youthful Vase Body!

Apparent Phenomena

The following is an excerpt from “Buddhahood Without Meditation” by Dudjom Lingpa:

Apparent phenomena manifests in dreams and the Bardo. “Some people hold apparent phenomena to be mind. They might wonder whether all external apparent phenomena are actually discursive thoughts and therefore their own minds, but such is not the case. This is demonstrated by the fact that while apparent phenomena change from the very moment they manifest, ceasing and passing away in a succession of later moments following former ones ordinary mind does not take on the nature of these passing phenomena and thereby become itself nonexistent as mind. “Buddhahood Without Meditation” – Dudjom Lingpa

Introduction to “Buddhahood Without Meditation” by Dudjom Lingpa

The following is an excerpt from “Buddhahood Without Meditation: A Visionary Account Known as Refining One’s Perception” by Dudjom Lingpa:

With unswerving faith I pay homage to the sovereign lord, the primordial lord protector, the most sublime citadel of the magical display of pristine awareness.

These days, when the five kinds of degeneration are on the rise, sentient beings are without exception rough and wild, under the sway of very powerful negative karma. Clinging to the mere passing dream of this human life, they make long-range plans as though for an eternal stay and turn their backs on the pursuit of something meaningful for future lifetimes. For this reason, it seems to me that those who earnestly seek liberation and omniscience are no more numerous than stars in the daytime. Even though people may be aware of their mortality and enthusiastically practice the Buddhadharma, they devote their human existence simply to physical and verbal acts of virtue and thus pursue higher rebirths as gods or humans.

Some, without the slightest understanding of the view of emptiness, come to a decision that their own minds are empty. They are directly introduced to what is nothing more than a state of discursive thought or passive awareness and remain in this state with nothing whatever to do. This propels them towards rebirth among the gods of the desire and form realms, but does not bring them even a hair’s breadth closer to the path to omniscience.

Therefore, if a few spiritual individuals have throughout immeasurable aeons gathered the accumulations on a vast scale, tied these to noble aspirations and established some karmic connection to spiritual teachings concerning ultimate reality, I will teach them according to their good fortune and capacity to comprehend. Those who lack karmic connection to me or the good fortune to make use of the Great Perfection teachings, and instead exaggerate or deprecate these teachings, have banished their own minds to some lonely wilderness. You spiritual individuals who are not like this and whose good fortune is equal to my own, consider my advice. Through examination and analysis, through familiarization and acquaintance, recognize samsara and nirvana as supreme emptiness, and so realize the fundamental nature.

Three categories are found in the approach of the Great Perfection that is the inherent nature: the category of mind (sem-dhe), the category of the vast expanse of being (long-dhe) and the category of direct transmission instructions (man-ngag-dhe). This text pertains to what is termed the secret category of direct transmission instructions. There are three sections herein, concerning view (ta-wa), meditation (gom-pa) and conduct (kyod-pa).

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