This verse, The Names Given to The Mind, is very important. What Padma is saying here is don’t get stuck on the words, look to where they point. Here is a Buddhist illustration that will make this clear:
I point to the thin sliver of a new moon in the sky but you don’t see it. So I point to a tall redwood and say, “Follow that tree to the top. Then follow that line into the sky and see that it points right to the moon.” However, if you just look at my finger or at the tree you will miss the moon.
In the same way, if you just look at these words and the beautiful poetry that Padma writes, you will miss where he points. So why get trapped by the words, when you can know the reality behind the whole universe and more. That’s what Padma really points to.
Now let’s see what different sects call The Buddha Mind, which in reality is your mind. Then we will explain some of these terms. So here is the next verse from The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation:
The various names given to it are innumerable.
Some call it ‘The Mental Self’.
Certain heretics call it ‘The Ego’.
By the Hinayanists it is called ‘The Essentiality of Doctrines’.
By the Yogachara it is called ‘Wisdom’.
Some call it ‘The Means of Attaining the Other Shore of Wisdom’.
Some call it the ‘Buddha Essence’.
Some call it ‘The Great Symbol’.
Some call it the ‘Sole Seed’.
Some call it ‘The Potentiality of Truth’.
Some call it ‘The All-Foundation’.
Other names in ordinary language are also given to it.
The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation
By Padma-Sambhava
Translated by Evans-Wentz
Oxford University Press
Many of these names are self evident but let’s talk about two in particular:
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Step by step, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive points you to the source of
timeless Wisdom, the place of enlightenment; this is Bliss that does
not depend on what you do or what you think; it is your natural freedom.
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First: Certain heretics call it ‘The Ego’
These heretics say that the mind is limited to the person, to the sense of 'I'. But in reality it is only an illusion that your mind is limited to the person. Here’s the proof: If you look closely, you will see that you are not only aware of the thoughts in your mind, you are aware of the person that has these thoughts.
For instance if you think, I am thinking about the nature of my mind, you are not only aware of the object, mind. You are Aware of the subject, 'I'. So 'I' is nothing more than a thought or object that you see. If you see this 'I', you stand outside it and undefined by it. Therefore you stand outside both the subject and the object, as the real subject, Awareness. Here, where you naturally stand, you are not affected by the limitations that you see.
This thing called the Buddha Mind is your mind without the usual limitations. This is what we often call Awareness. So what Padma is pointing to is the The Buddha Mind, which is not limited to a person or an ego. It is not even limited to a few thoughts in your head; this will become clearer in future blogs.
Second: Some call it ‘The All-Foundation’.
The Buddha Mind is the thing that makes your experience of the world seem so real. It is actually the support of the world. Ramana Maharshi likened this to a movie. In the movie there are wars and love scenes. People are rushing down the street on their way to work. But they are unaware of the thing that supports it all, the screen. However, when you reach out to touch the movie, the only thing there is the screen.
In the same way when you look into the nature of your mind you will be in for a surprise. What you thought was out there as a separate thing, turns out to be nothing more than your own mind. Then things flip around: instead of you depending on the world, the world depends on you. For more information on this, go to our previous blog, Is the world just in your mind?
As The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation unfolds, you will learn more about the nature of your Mind and you will be in for many more surprises. The only way to know the incredible depths of these teachings, is by standing here in your own original nature. Here you will see your mind as it really is, and you will not be able to do a thing, except stand in awe.
So don’t get caught in these words. Rather stand where The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation points to, and you will find the purpose of life itself.
Feel free to ask questions
Please
feel free to continue asking questions. I’m always glad to hear your
reactions and clarify my answers. Unlike the path of faith, on the path
of Self-Knowledge it is curiosity that destroys limitation and allows
you to abide in your natural freedom.
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Best Wishes,
Michael Gluckman
