The Tibetan Book Of The Dead Part 5

[So], there are no results to be attained extraneous [to those that originate from the mind].

There are no phenomena extraneous to those that originate from the mind.

[So], one should observe one's own mind, looking into its nature again and again.

If, upon looking outwards towards the external expanse of the sky, There are no projections emanated by the mind, And if, on looking inwards at one's own mind, There is no projectionist who projects [thoughts] by thinking them, Then, one's own mind, completely free from conceptual projections, will become luminously clear.

[This] intrinsic awareness, [union of] inner radiance and emptiness, is the Buddha-body of Reality, [Appearing] like [the illumining effect of] a sunrise on a clear and cloudless sky, It is clearly knowable, despite its lack of specific shape or form.

There is a great distinction between those who understand and those who misunderstand this point.

This naturally originating inner radiance, uncreated from the very beginning, Is the parentless child of awareness - how amazing!

It is the naturally originating pristine cognition, uncreated by anyone - how amazing!

[This radiant awareness] has never been born and will never die - how amazing!

Though manifestly radiant, it lacks an [extraneous] perceiver - how amazing!

Though it has roamed throughout cyclic existence, it does not degenerate - how amazing!

Though it has seen buddhahood itself, it does not improve - how amazing!

Though it is present in everyone, it remains unrecognised - how amazing!

Still, one hopes for some attainment other than this - how amazing!

Though it is present within oneself, one continues to seek it elsewhere - how amazing!

[INTRINSIC AWARENESS AS VIEW, MEDITATION, CONDUCT, AND RESULT].

EMA! This immediate awareness, insubstantial and radiant, Is itself the highest of all views.

This non-referential, all-encompa.s.sing [awareness] which is free in every respect Is itself the highest of all meditations.

This uncontrived [activity based on awareness], simply expressed in worldly terms, Is itself the highest of all types of conduct.

This unsought [attainment of awareness], spontaneously present from the beginning, Is itself the highest of all results.

[Now], the four great media, which are errorless, are presented:14 [First], the great medium of errorless view Is this radiant immediate awareness - Since it is radiant and without error, it is called a 'medium'.

[Second], the great medium of errorless meditation Is this radiant immediate awareness - Since it is radiant and without error, it is called a 'medium'.

[Third], the great medium of errorless conduct Is this radiant immediate awareness - Since it is radiant and without error, it is called a 'medium'.

[Fourth], the great medium of errorless result Is this radiant immediate awareness - Since it is radiant and without error, it is called a 'medium'.

[Now] the four great nails, which are unchanging, are presented:15 [First], the great nail of the unchanging view Is this radiant immediate awareness - Since it is firm throughout the three times, it is called a 'nail'. [Second], the great nail of unchanging meditation Is this radiant immediate awareness - Since it is firm throughout the three times, it is called a 'nail'.

[Third], the great nail of unchanging conduct Is this radiant immediate awareness - Since it is firm throughout the three times, it is called a 'nail'.

[Fourth], the great nail of the unchanging result Is this radiant immediate awareness - Since it is firm throughout the three times, it is called a 'nail'.

Now follows the esoteric instruction which reveals the three times to be one: Abandon your notions of the past, without attributing a temporal sequence!

Cut off your mental a.s.sociations regarding the future, without antic.i.p.ation!

Rest in a s.p.a.cious modality, without clinging to [the thoughts of] the present.

Do not meditate at all, since there is nothing upon which to meditate.

Instead, revelation will come through undistracted mindfulness - Since there is nothing by which you can be distracted.

Nakedly observe [all that arises] in this modality, which is without meditation and without distraction!

When this [experience] arises, Intrinsically aware, naturally cognisant, naturally radiant and clear, It is called 'the mind of enlightenment'.

Since [within this mind of enlightenment] there is nothing upon which to meditate, This [modality] transcends all objects of knowledge.

Since [within this mind of enlightenment] there are no distractions, It is the radiance of the essence itself.

This Buddha-body of Reality, [union of] radiance and emptiness, In which [the duality of] appearance and emptiness is naturally liberated, Becomes manifest [in this way], unattained by the [structured] path to buddhahood, And thus Vajrasattva is [actually] perceived at this moment.

Now follows the instruction which brings one to the point where the six extreme [perspectives] are exhausted:16 Though there is a vast plethora of discordant views, Within this intrinsic awareness or [single nature of] mind, Which is the naturally originating pristine cognition, There is no duality between the object viewed and the observer.

Without focusing on the view, search for the observer!

Though one searches for this observer, none will be found.

So, at that instant, one will be brought to the exhaustion point of the view.

At that very moment, one will encounter the innermost boundary of the view.

Since there is no object at all to be observed, And since one has not fallen into a primordial vacuous emptiness,17 The lucid awareness, which is now present, Is itself the view of the Great Perfection.

[Here], there is no duality between realisation and lack of realisation.

Though there is a vast plethora of discordant meditations, Within this intrinsic awareness, Which penetrates ordinary consciousness to the core, There is no duality between the object of meditation and the meditator.

Without meditating on the object of meditation, search for the meditator!

Though one searches for this meditator, none will be found.

So, at that instant, one will be brought to the exhaustion point of meditation.

At that very moment, one will encounter the innermost boundary of meditation.

Since there is no object at all on which to meditate, And since one has not fallen under the sway of delusion, drowsiness, or agitation,18 The lucid uncontrived awareness, which is now present, Is itself the uncontrived meditative equipoise or concentration.

[Here], there is no duality between abiding and non-abiding.

Though there is a vast plethora of discordant modes of conduct, Within this intrinsic awareness, Which is the unique seminal point of pristine cognition, There is no duality between the action and the actor.

Without focusing on the action, search for the actor!

Though one searches for this actor, none will be found.

So, at that instant, one will be brought to the exhaustion point of conduct.

At that very moment, one will encounter the innermost boundary of conduct.

Since, from the beginning, there has been no conduct to undertake, And since one has not fallen under the sway of bewildering propensities, The lucid uncontrived awareness, which is now present, Is itself pure conduct, without having to be contrived, modified, accepted or rejected.

[Here], there is no duality between purity and impurity.

Though there is a vast plethora of discordant results, Within this intrinsic awareness, Which is the true nature of mind, the spontaneous presence of the three buddha-bodies, There is no duality between the object of attainment and the attainer.

Without focusing on the attainment of the result, search for the attainer!

Though one searches for this attainer, none will be found.

So, at that instant, one will be brought to the exhaustion point of the result.

At that very moment, one will encounter the innermost boundary of the result.

Since, whatever the [projected] result, there is nothing to be attained, And since one has not fallen under the sway of rejection and acceptance, or hope and doubt, The naturally radiant awareness, which is now spontaneously present, Is the fully manifest realisation of the three buddha-bodies, within oneself.

[Here], there is the result, atemporal buddhahood itself.

[SYNONYMS FOR AWARENESS].

This awareness, free from the eight extremes, such as eternalism and nihilism [and so forth], Is called the 'Middle Way', which does not fall into any extremes.

It is called 'awareness' because mindfulness is uninterrupted.

It is given the name 'Nucleus of the Tathgata'

Because emptiness is [naturally] endowed with this nucleus of awareness.

If one understands this truth, one reaches perfection in all respects, For which reason, this [awareness] is also called the 'Perfection of Discriminative Awareness'.

Furthermore, it is called the 'Great Seal' because it transcends the intellect and is atemporally free from extremes, And, further, it is called the 'Ground-of-all', Because [this awareness] is the ground of all joys and sorrows a.s.sociated with cyclic existence and nirvna - The distinction between these being contingent on whether or not this [awareness] is realised.

[Further], this radiant and lucid awareness is itself referred to as 'ordinary consciousness', On account of those periods when it abides in its natural state in an ordinary non-exceptional way.

Thus, however many well-conceived and pleasant-sounding names are applied to this [awareness], In reality, those who maintain that these names do not refer to this present conscious awareness, But to something else, above and beyond it, Resemble someone who has already found an elephant, but is out looking for its tracks [elsewhere].

Though one were to scan the [entire] external universe, [Searching for the nature of mind], one would not find it.

Buddhahood cannot be attained other than through the mind.

Not recognising this, one does indeed search for the mind externally, Yet, how can one find [one's own mind] when one looks for it elsewhere?

This is like a fool, for example, who, when finding himself amidst a crowd of people, Becomes mesmerised by the spectacle [of the crowd] and forgets himself, Then, no longer recognising who he is, starts searching elsewhere for himself, Continuously mistaking others for himself.

[Similarly], since one does not discern the abiding nature, Which is the fundamental reality of [all] things, One is cast into cyclic existence, not knowing that appearances are to be identified with the mind, And, not discerning one's own mind to be buddha, nirvna becomes obscured.

The [apparent] dichotomy between cyclic existence and nirvna is due to [the dichotomy between] ignorance and awareness, But there is [in reality] no temporal divide between these two, [even] by a single moment.

Seeing the mind as extraneous to oneself is indeed bewildering, Yet bewilderment and non-bewilderment are of a single essence.

Since there exists no [intrinsic] dichotomy in the mental continuum of sentient beings, The uncontrived nature of mind is liberated just by being left in its natural state.

Yet if you remain unaware that bewilderment [originates] in the mind, You will never understand the meaning of actual reality.

So you should observe that which naturally arises and naturally originates within your own [mind].

[First], observe [the source] from which these appearances initially originated, [Second, observe the place] in which they abide in the interim, And [third, observe the place] to which they will finally go.

Then, one will find that, just as, for example, a pond-dwelling crow does not stray from its pond, Even though it flies away from the pond, Similarly, although appearances arise from the mind, They arise from the mind and subside into the mind of their own accord.

This nature of mind, which is all-knowing, aware of everything, empty and radiant, Is established to be the manifestly radiant and self-originating pristine cognition, [Present] from the beginning, just like the sky, As an indivisible [union] of emptiness and radiance.

This itself is actual reality.

The indication that this is [the actual reality] is that all phenomenal existence is perceived in [the single nature of] one's own mind; And this nature of mind is aware and radiant.

Therefore, recognise [this nature] to be like the sky!

However, this example of the sky, though used to ill.u.s.trate actual reality, Is merely a symbol, a partial and provisional ill.u.s.tration.

For the nature of mind is aware, empty and radiant in all respects, While the sky is without awareness, empty, inanimate and void.