Clean Copy — Part 1/4 (SegID 1–4)

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Hūṃ.
From “The Profound Dharma of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, Self-Liberation of Wisdom-Mind”: “Direct Introduction to Knowledge: Liberation upon Seeing Nakedly.”
Homage to the three bodies and to the deities who embody the self-luminous radiance of knowledge (rigpa [vidyā]).

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Here I will teach “Liberation upon Seeing Nakedly through Direct Introduction to Knowledge.” Understand this well, O fortunate child of noble family. Samaya. Seal, seal, seal! Emaho!
The single mind that pervades saṃsāra and nirvāṇa has always been oneself, yet one has not recognized it. Though the stream of lucid knowing never ceases, one has not met its face. Though it arises unobstructedly anywhere, it has not been identified. Because this very thing is to be known in one’s own nature, all that the Victorious Ones of the three times spoke—doors of Dharma in eighty-four thousand sections, beyond the reach of thought—was said only in order to realize precisely this; apart from this, the Victorious Ones have said nothing. Though the scriptural word is boundless as the sky, its meaning is exhausted in three phrases that introduce knowledge directly and reveal the intent of the Victorious Ones without concealment: this is the pointed instruction like a finger.

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Listen here, O fortunate children! There is a great, renowned sound called “mind.” Failing to realize this itself, mistaking it and taking sides, not realizing things exactly as they are, one becomes lost in countless philosophical extremes. Ordinary beings, each not realizing their own nature, wander through the three realms and six classes, living out suffering. This fault, too, is the failure to realize precisely this very mind of one’s own. Outsiders, speculating wrongly about what is external, fall into the extremes of eternalism and nihilism and go astray: this, too, is the fault of not realizing one’s very own mind. Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, aiming only at their own peace, wish to realize, yet do not realize reality exactly as it is: they are obscured. Others are bound by attachment to their own scriptures and tenets; obscured, they do not behold the clear light. Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are obscured by clinging to apprehended and apprehender; Centrists are obscured by attachment to the two truths as extremes; practitioners of kriyā and upāya are obscured by clinging to the limits of their trainings; those of the great expanse of Mahāyoga are obscured by fixation on the expanse of awareness; dividing what is non-dual into two, they err; failing to unify the non-dual as one, they do not reach awakening. Since all things—saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—are undivided from one’s own mind, those who take up and reject, adopt and abandon, and follow vehicles, wander in cyclic existence. Where personally-intuited gnosis (rang rig), the three bodies, requires no effort and is naturally perfect, to chase after a distant path is to waste the purpose in the confusions of stages and paths. The intention of the Buddhas lies beyond the intellect; meditating with an aim and object, and reciting, one goes astray. Therefore, turning back all busyness of things to be done, in this way knowledge is seen nakedly, and by being taught self-liberation one realizes that all dharmas are greatly self-liberated. Therefore, in the Great Perfection (Dzogchen), everything is perfected. Samaya. Seal, seal, seal! Emaho!

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This mind—lucid, knowing, flashing forth—exists, yet it does not exist as even a single thing. When it arises, there arise the varied joys and sorrows of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. What one desires accords with the twelve vehicles. Names are countless, each imputed differently. Some call it “mind itself, mind just so.” Outsiders call it “self.” The śrāvakas say “no self of person.” The Mind-Only school imputes the name “mind.” Others designate it “Madhyamaka.” Others call it “Perfection of Wisdom” (prajñāpāramitā). Others name it “heart-essence of the Sugatas.” Others term it “Great Seal” (mahāmudrā). Others say “single bindu” (thig le nyag gcig). Others call it “expanse of dharmas” (dharmadhātu). Others say “all-basis” (kun gzhi, ālaya) [still a consciousness; not the goal—one must open it and see its nature]. Others name it “ordinary consciousness” (tha mal gyi shes pa).

If this very thing is introduced by the pointing finger evident to direct perception, thoughts of the past vanish without trace like a line drawn on water. Thoughts of the future are unborn like a breeze that has not arisen. The present moment—without fabrication—abides in its own way. This ordinary present knowing—what is it? When you look straight at your own self, the seer—there is a limpid clarity without anything to be seen; knowledge is nakedly present, vivid. As nothing at all is established, it is empty and bare. Since the clear and the empty are not two, it is primordially pure. It is not permanent—since nowhere does anything at all become established. It is not annihilated—since it is limpid, vivid clarity. It is not one—since it is many and yet nonconceptually clear. Though many, they are not established as different; without separation, they are a single flavor. Apart from that, nothing exists elsewhere: just this personally-intuited gnosis. This inherent self-awareness does not derive from anything outside itself.

This is the introduction to the true mode of being of things. Within this, the three bodies are undivided and complete as one: because nothing at all is established anywhere, it is the Dharma-body of emptiness; the resplendence of that emptiness—lucid and clear—is the Enjoyment-body; its unobstructed arising anywhere is the Emanation-body. The completeness of the three as one is the very essence. When you are introduced in this way through this exceedingly powerful method, you discover that your own immediate self-awareness is just this, with an inherent self-clarity entirely unfabricated—how, then, could one speak of not understanding mind? Since you are meditating without finding anything there to meditate upon, how could you say your meditation does not go well? Since your own manifest intrinsic awareness is just this, how could you say you cannot find your own mind? The mind is just that which is thinking; and yet, although you have searched for the thinker, how could you say you do not find him? With respect to this, nowhere is there a doer who is the cause of (mental) activity, and yet, since activity exists, how could you say such activity does not arise? Since merely allowing thoughts to settle in their own condition, without trying to modify them in any way, is sufficient, how could you say you are not able to remain in calm? Since allowing thoughts to be just as they are, without trying to do anything about them, is sufficient, how could you say you are not able to do anything with regard to them? Since clarity, awareness, and emptiness are inseparable and spontaneously self-perfected, how could you say nothing is accomplished by your practice? Since intrinsic awareness is self-originated and spontaneously perfect without antecedent causes or conditions, how could you say you are not able to accomplish anything by your efforts? Since the arising of discursive thoughts and their release occur simultaneously, how could you say you are unable to apply an antidote? Since your own immediate awareness is just this, how could you say you do not know anything with regard to it?

Be certain that mind itself is empty and groundless—empty like the sky. Whether alike or not alike, look to your own mind. Be certain that emptiness here is not a nihilistic cutting off of the radiant openness; the spontaneously arisen pristine consciousness is primordially clear. The spontaneously arisen self-luminosity is like the sun’s heart. Whether alike or not alike, look to your own mind. Be certain that knowledge and pristine consciousness are an unbroken stream—the stream of knowledge like the flow of a river. Whether alike or not alike, look to your own mind. Be certain that discursivity, movement, recollection, and apprehension are unreal—appearing like motes of dust in a shaft of light. Whether alike or not alike, look to your own mind. Be certain that whatever appears is self-appearance—forms are one’s own appearance, like reflections in a mirror. Whether alike or not alike, look to your own mind. Be certain that all signs and marks liberate in their own place—self-arising, self-liberating, like clouds dissolving. Whether alike or not alike, look to your own mind.

Apart from mind there are no dharmas at all. If you look by means of “view,” apart from mind there are no dharmas. Apart from mind there are no dharmas for “meditation.” Apart from mind there are no dharmas for “conduct.” Apart from mind there are no dharmas for “keeping samaya.” Apart from mind there are no dharmas for “accomplishing result.” Look again and again—again and again—into your own mind. Gazing far away into the outer expanse of sky, if your mind flutters outward, do not let it fly. Turning back within, looking directly to your own mind, if the thinker who wanders in thought does not stay, there is a limpid clarity without coming and going. Personally-intuited clear light—empty Dharma-body—appears like the sun dawning in a cloudless, pure sky. Nowhere dominated by discursive thought, it knows with limpid clarity anywhere. The difference is vast between understanding this and not understanding it.

This spontaneously arisen clear light—unborn from the very beginning—is the wondrous child of knowledge, without father or mother. Wondrous: the spontaneously arisen pristine consciousness, made by none. Wondrous: never born, without anything that can die. Wondrous: evident, clear to direct perception, yet without a seer who sees. Wondrous: though wandering in cyclic existence, it does not go to bad destinies. Wondrous: though attaining buddhahood, it does not go anywhere else. Wondrous: present in all, yet unknown. Wondrous: abandoning this and hoping for some other result. Wondrous: though it abides in oneself, seeking it elsewhere. Emaho! This present, real knowledge—this lucid clarity—is the apex of all views. This absence of reference point, all-pervasive and free of thought, is the apex of all meditations. This unmodified, holder-less looseness in resting is the apex of all conduct. This unsearched, primordially and spontaneously perfected is the apex of all results.

Because there is no error, the Four Great Marks (thig chen) are taught: the Great Mark of view is this present, clear knowing; the Great Mark of meditation is this present, clear knowing; the Great Mark of conduct is this present, clear knowing; and the Great Mark of result is this present, clear knowing. Each is called a "mark" because this knowing is clear and unerring.

Likewise, the Four Great Unchanging Nails (gzer chen) are taught: the Great Nail of view is this present, clear awareness; the Great Nail of meditation is this present, clear awareness; the Great Nail of conduct is this present, clear awareness; and the Great Nail of result is this present, clear awareness. Each is called a "nail" because it is steadfast throughout the three times.

The instruction that places the three times as one is this: do not bind before or after—abandon recognition of past and future. Do not welcome what is outside ahead—cut the mind’s leash. Right now, without grasping, abide in the space of the sky. There is no meditation; wherever you are, do not meditate. There is no distraction; rely on non-distraction’s mindfulness. Without meditation and without distraction, remain in that state with ease. Personally-intuited knowing, self-luminosity vivid—when it dawns, that is called bodhicitta. There is no meditation: it transcends the sphere of objects of knowledge. There is no distraction: it is clear by its own essence. Appearance and emptiness, self-liberation—clear-empty, Dharma-body—this is not attained by traveling the Buddhas’ path; it is manifest now. Therefore, it is seen at this very time by Vajra-heroes.

The final, conclusive instruction is this: though views not in accord are many and vast, in personally-intuited gnosis—mind itself, spontaneously arisen pristine consciousness—there are not two, viewer and viewed. Do not look; do not seek a looker. If, seeking the one who looks, you do not find, at that time view is released to exhaustion. Even the cave of view is found within yourself. Since there is nothing at all to be viewed by a viewer, do not fall into primordial nonexistence, an empty blank. This present self-knowing clarity is the very view of the Great Perfection. In it there are not two—realizing and not realizing. Though meditations not in accord are many and vast, in your own self-knowing, ordinary consciousness, there are not two—what is to be meditated and one who meditates. Do not cultivate; do not seek a meditator. If, seeking the meditator, you do not find, at that time meditation is released to exhaustion. Even the cave of meditation is found within yourself. Since there is nothing at all to be meditated by meditating, do not fall under the sway of dullness, agitation, stupor, or wildness. This present, unmodified knowing—limpid clarity—non-fabrication, even placement—this is absorption. There are not two—staying and not staying.

Though conducts not in accord are many and vast, in the single bindu of personally-intuited pristine consciousness, there are not two—what is to be enacted and an agent. Do not act; do not seek an actor. If, seeking that actor itself, you do not find, at that time conduct is released to exhaustion. Even the cave of conduct is found within yourself. Since there is nothing at all to be enacted by acting, do not fall under the sway of habitual traces and deluded appearances. This present knowing—unmodified, self-luminous—without adopting or rejecting anything—that itself is the conduct of complete purity. There are not two—pure and impure.

Though results not in accord are many and vast, in mind itself—personally-intuited—where the three bodies are spontaneously perfect, there are not two—what is to be attained and an attainer. Do not attain; do not seek an attainer. If, seeking that attainer itself, you do not find, at that time result is released to exhaustion. Even the cave of result is found within yourself. Since there is nothing at all to be attained as a result, do not fall under the sway of hope and fear. This present knowing—self-luminosity, spontaneously perfect—realizing the manifest three bodies, is precisely the result of perfect buddhahood from the very beginning.

This knowledge is free of the eight extremes of eternalism and nihilism; because it does not fall to any extreme, it is called “Madhyamaka.” It is called “knowledge whose mindfulness and cognition do not cease.” Because it is the heart of empty knowledge, it is named “heart-essence of the Sugatas.” Knowing this meaning, one is the foremost among all knowables; therefore it is called “perfection of wisdom.” Because it is beyond the mind and all extremes from the beginning, it is named “Great Seal.” Because, differing not at all between realizing and not realizing, it becomes the ground of all joys and sorrows of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, it is called “all-basis (ālaya).” In the unfabricated ordinariness of abiding just as one is, this limpid, vivid knowing of the present is termed “ordinary consciousness.” However many fine, pleasing names are imputed, in meaning there is nothing better elsewhere than this present knowing. One who wants something beyond this is like one who, having found an elephant, searches for its footprints: even if enslaved to emptiness, clarity, and their inseparability, one will never find more. Apart from mind, buddhahood cannot be found. Not knowing this meaning, seeking mind outside, how could one find oneself by searching elsewhere? It is like a fool who, in a crowd of many people, becomes distracted by amusements and loses himself; failing to know his own face, he looks for himself elsewhere—just such is the deluded search for what is one’s own.

Not seeing the real mode of being of entities, and not knowing appearance as mind, one goes astray into cyclic existence. Not realizing one’s own mind as buddhahood, one is obscured by saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. Knowing and not knowing split a single instant into parts. Mistaking one’s own mind for something other is delusion. Delusion and non-delusion are of one essence. For beings in whom the continuum of mind does not become two, mind itself, unmodified, left in its own place, is free. If one does not recognize delusion as mind itself, one never realizes the reality of dharmatā. Spontaneously arisen, self-dawning, self-luminous—look to yourself: from where did these appearances arise? Where do they abide in between? Where do they go in the end? When you look, it is like a duck rising from a lake: though it flies up, there is no place apart from the lake. Just so, because appearances arise to mind, they arise within one’s own mind and are freed as mind.

Mind itself is all-knowing, all-cognizing, clear and empty. From the very beginning, clarity and emptiness are inseparable like the sky. Spontaneously arisen pristine consciousness is evident to direct perception; if settled decisively, that itself is dharmatā. The sign that it is so is that all seeming appearances are known as mind within one’s own mind, and this mind is understood as clear and empty like the sky. Though one sets the sky as an example to indicate dharmatā, it is but a sign that points to one side; mind itself—knowing and empty—is clear anywhere. The sky is not knowing; it is an empty vacuity. Therefore, do not take the sky as the measure of mind’s meaning. Without distraction, abide in that state itself.

All conditioned appearances—various, diverse—are not established as even a single true thing. Therefore all seeming appearances—saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—are the single vision of one’s own mind. Whenever one’s own mental continuum shifts, sights arise outwardly; therefore all is the vision of mind. Beings of the six classes each see according to their kind. Outsiders see as eternalism or nihilism. Those in nine vehicles each see according to their view. Many sights appear, yet they are not many; grasping them as different, each clings and is deluded. Since every appearance is knowledge of mind, when vision dawns and there is no grasping, that is buddhahood. If appearances are not deluded, grasping makes delusion. Knowing grasping as mind, it is freed in its own place. Wherever anything appears, it appears by mind.

17.

The container-world, seen as a great vessel, is mind. The contents—beings of six classes—seen, are mind. The joys of the higher realms of gods and humans—seen, are mind. The sufferings of the three bad destinies—seen, are mind. Ignorance, afflictions, and the five poisons—seen, are mind. Spontaneously arisen pristine consciousness—seen, is mind. Negative conceptuality and karmic imprints of cyclic existence—seen, are mind. Positive conceptuality and the realm of peace—seen, are mind. Māras and demons and obstructors—seen, are mind. Gods and siddhis clearly seen—are mind. The many kinds of conceptual elaboration—seen, are mind. Abiding in nonconceptual single-pointedness in meditation—seen, is mind. The colors of objects and their characteristics—seen, are mind. The absence of signs and of elaborations—seen, is mind. The one and the many and the absence of two—seen, are mind. Existence and nonexistence and the unestablished—seen, are mind. Apart from mind there is no appearance at all. Whatever appears without ceasing in mind itself—though it appears like the lake’s water and its waves—it is not two; within mind’s own state, it is freed.

18.

What is designated and named without ceasing is not other than the one mind’s meaning. That singularity itself is groundless, rootless. In whatever direction you seek, not even one thing is found. Not seeing anything as an entity, nowhere does anything become established. Not seeing it as empty, there is a luster of knowing-clarity. Not seeing it as many, there is the nondual state of clear-empty inseparability. Now, your own knowledge is vividly clear. Though made so, you do not know the one who makes it so. Though without inherent nature, it is directly experienced. If this itself is directly experienced, all is freed. The senses realize without harshness or dullness. Though sesame and butter are the cause of butter, unless pressed and churned, butter does not emerge. Though all beings are truly the heart-essence of buddhahood, unless personally experienced, sentient beings will not awaken. If personally experienced, even a cowherd will be freed. Even without eloquence, it is decisively evident. Like sugar tasted on one’s own tongue, another need not speak of its taste. If this itself is not realized, even a paṇḍita is deluded. Though skilled in expounding the nine vehicles and all knowables, if it is not seen, it is only a tale told from afar. One is not a moment closer to buddhahood.

19.

If this itself is realized, virtue and non-virtue release in their own place. If this itself is not realized, whatever virtue and non-virtue you perform, you do not pass beyond the higher realms, bad destinies, and cyclic existence. If only the emptiness-clarity of one’s own mind—pristine consciousness—is realized, no benefit or harm is ever established at all. Like an illusion that is empty yet does not collapse into nothing, in emptiness itself, virtue and non-virtue are not ultimately established. Therefore, meet knowledge face to face in direct perception: this “seeing nakedly, self-liberation” is supremely profound. Therefore, mingle yourself with this knowledge. Samaya. Seal, seal, seal! Emaho!

20.

This “Direct Introduction to Knowledge—Seeing Nakedly, Self-Liberation” is for the benefit of those destined in the later degenerate generations to come. For all who have had experience of personally-intuited gnosis through tantras, sūtras, and pith instructions, this brief and clear compendium of the intent is appended. Do not circulate it now; conceal it as a precious treasure. May it meet, in the future, those with the proper connection. Samaya. Seal, seal, seal.

21.

The profound Dharma entitled “Direct Introduction of Knowledge in Direct Perception: Seeing Nakedly, Self-Liberation” was arranged to completion by the Master of Uḍḍiyāna, Padma Jungnē (Padmasambhava). Samaya. Seal, seal, seal.

22.

It was summoned to the throne by the accomplished treasure-revealer Karma Lingpa, brought forth from the gathering like the dance of the retinue of the mountain deity of Gampodar.