Remember the purpose of Padma’s verses in The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation, is to help us to take a fresh look at our mind. We all know what our mind is supposed to be. It is a bunch of thoughts going around in our head, right?
Well if we can discover what Padma is pointing to, we will see that mind is a lot more than it’s cracked up to be. In fact it lacks the attributes and boundaries that we usually ascribe to it.
This is like attempting to discover the nature of our mind in last night’s dream. We would find that the thing we thought was limited to an individual really supported the whole dream. Moreover, the mind was not dependent on the dream at all. It was perfectly at home, no matter in what state it seemed to be in, waking or dreaming.
Now back in the waking state, if we look at our ordinary mind, we will find that it is very deep. Although it is easy to experience the nature of our mind, it is very difficult to frame our experience in words and thoughts. At the most we can point to something that’s at the core of life itself. Padma is a master of pointing to the nature of your mind so that you can see what it really is. So here is a continuation of the verse, Mind is Non-created:
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The thinking-principle being of the very essence of mind, how can one, without having seen mind face to face, assert that mind is created?
Mind being transcendent over creation, and thus partaking of the uncreated, how can one assert that mind is created?
Mind being in its primordial, unmodified naturalness non-created, as it should be taken to be, and without form, how can one assert that it is created?
Inasmuch as mind can be taken to be void of quality, how can on venture to assert that it is created?
The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation
By Padma-Sambhava
translated by Karma Sumdhon Paul, and Lobzang Mingyur Dorje
Edited by Evans-Wentz
Oxford University Press
If we want to take an honest and complete look at our mind we have to take a look at what we actually experience, and that’s thoughts. If you look for an object called a thought, what will you find? It seems like nothing is there, and yet, we all know that we think. So what is this mysterious thinking process? Take a look for yourself and see. If you find that nothing is there, that thoughts have no color or shape, you will see that mind is not created.
Mind does not depend on this creation
As we showed in the last blog, What do you experience anyway? see: Where do you experience the world anyway? this world is just contained within your mind. When the world appears it is just your mind in the waking state. In the dream, the world disappears and a new one appears.
In deep sleep objects disappear, including the character that you call ‘I’, and your mind remains in its primordial state. There, when your mind exists without any objects, you say, “My mind was at peace.” This is an indication that your mind exists even when no objects are present. Thus your mind exists without the creation and is not dependent on the existence of the world.
Please verify these statements
I hope that in your meditation and in your life, you will verify the statements that I made above. I think you will find that your attempt to verify these statements, will bring new life to your meditations. Also, you will start to make discoveries that you never thought possible. That’s because, while even now you experience your mind, you look right past its wonderful and profound nature.
Feel free to ask questions
Now I want you to experience your mind in its full glory. So 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
