Two perspectives on mind.

I've been playing with two perspectives on mind that are interesting to think about and examine. One is an inside-out perspective (which you will probably recognize to some extent) and the other is outside-in.

Both of these are modeled after the Buddha's understanding of the development of mind. Some of these concepts might be new, but they are all easily recognized once you get used to the layout.

First, let's consider the inside-out perspective.

We start with the (1) nature of mind, non-dual awareness and emptiness, luminous emptiness, the very ground of all. Not recognizing the empty aspect of the nature of mind, we mistake the apparent aspect as the ground of being (alaya), thus establishing the (2) alaya consciousness, or the foundational consciousness in which we conceive of a subjective self. This foundational consciousness becomes the stream of our mental continuum, in which the seeds of all our actions are planted. The alaya consciousness is accompanied by the five universal mental factors that operate in every mind (contact, sensation, perception, intention, attention).

From this alaya consciousness, we start to complete the development of the (3) eight consciousnesses. From the alaya consciousness develops the narrative or afflicted consciousness, which orients everything around 'me' and 'mine', consciousness becoming the narrator of its own experience. From this narrative consciousness comes the development of the mental thinking consciousness and the five sense consciousnesses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch). This marks the complete development of the mind, with its division into the eight consciousnesses (alaya, narrative, mental, and five sense).

From the development of consciousness, we have the development of the (4) five skandhas or aggregates of the self. The aggregate of consciousness gives rise to the aggregate of feeling, interpreting the contact between consciousness and its object as either pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. From the feeling skandha we have the aggregate of perception, discerning the qualities of the object. From perception we have the aggregate of mental formations, involving our particular concepts, beliefs, or philosophical views about the object. Finally, we have the aggregate of form, what we see, hear and experience appearing to us through the filter of our own consciousness and all of the layers that we have added on through our processing of that experience.

It is important to understand that the five skandhas or aggregates of the self are the way that we experience the world. Our everyday experience of interacting with the world is through consciousness, feeling, perception, mental formations and forms. This is the reality that we take to exist day in and day out.

This inside-out model of the mind leaves us feeling rather stuck. Our ordinary perceptions and experiences seem very concrete and real. The subtle layers of the mind seem very remote and distant compared to the ever present challenges we face day to day. We are in a sense 'caught' at the outer layers of the mind and our experience of the world.

Let's compare this to the outside-in perspective.

The process of development is the same in this perspective, but we are orienting ourselves differently. Here everything is contained within the (1) non-dual nature of mind, luminous emptiness that is the ground of all that appears and exists. Not recognizing the empty aspect of the nature of mind, we mistake the apparent aspect of the nature of mind as the ground of being (alaya), thus establishing the (2) alaya consciousness. From the alaya consciousness develops the narrative or afflicted consciousness, along with the rest of the (3) eight consciousnesses. All of this are included within the nature of mind and are inseparable from it.

From the development of consciousness, we have the development of the (4) five skandhas or aggregates of the self. These five aggregates are all contained within the aggregate of consciousness, such that there is nothing that we experience that is outside of mind. The outer world that we are experiencing is not separate from us, but we are entangled in a web of dependent origination in which interconnected phenomena are mistakenly taken to exist separately and individually. This is not to say that there is no outer reality at all, but that reality does not exist as we think or believe it to exist.

This perspective actually makes a lot of sense. We know that some people in our life have very different perspectives on what they think is real. Which of those perspective is more correct? Is it yours? Are you sure? I think we could all agree that a child's perspective about what is real in the world is probably a little bit mistaken. But are we so much more wise than a child?

The outside-in perspective opens up doorways to fundamentally challenge and change your perspective about who you are and the world in which you live. You are what you think, as is the world. Your view, or vision, shapes your experience of reality. When you start to appreciate that all of this is the expression of the true nature of mind and the very nature of reality, you can also appreciate the potential and capacity this perspective presents.

Contemplate. Meditate. See what you discover.

Revealing lucid clarity.

རང་གསལ་
Tibetan: rang-sal
English: natural clarity, innate lucidity, self-luminous

The final state of resting in the natural state is rang-sal, or revealing the sharp lucidity of the nature of mind. Recalling our metaphor of a dirty glass of water, if we let it rest naturally and maintain that state of rest, naturally the obscurations of dirt settle out revealing the natural clarity of the water. Similarly, in our meditation, if we rest naturally, rang-bab and maintain that continuity, rang-nay, then the natural clarity of awareness becomes fully evident.

During the second state of maintaining the continuity of the natural state, rang-nay, we familiarized ourselves with recognizing the illusory play of mind and appearances. Initially, these appearances are gross phenomena, and eventually they become more subtle.

A key point for actualizing the natural clarity of awareness is to recognize when we are fixating on the natural clarity of the mind and straying into appearances. The nature of mind is luminous emptiness, so as we settle into the natural state we are going to encounter the luminosity of the mind. How we work with that luminosity becomes crucially important.

Any searching or striving binds us and causes a deviation into mind and mental states. Identifying with, reaching for, or holding onto the luminosity display of appearances in all their variety constitutes an obscuring factor and results in the diminished presence of confusion.

Conversely, in this state we also risk of settling into the foundational consciousnessness, or the alaya, in which there is a stable, peaceful meditation state but no clarity or lucidity. Recognize that subtle dullness and interrupt that meditation experience, again letting go and settling into the natural state.

The instruction for working with the natural clarity of the nature of mind in order to recognize awareness or rigpa is to recognize the illusory play of empty appearances as liberated upon arising, or shardrol. When there is no deviating or fixating on the illusory play of appearances, which represent the clarity aspect of the mind, then the sharp lucidity of awareness can be revealed, like space free from reference points. Free of all thought, completely transparent and pristine like an alpine lake, this is the unceasing luminosity of the ground of awareness.

From this state in our meditation, the teacher can point out rigpa directly. Having made fully evident the groundless, transparent awareness and eliminated the error of trying to hold onto anything, naked awareness is directly revealed as your own innate buddhanature, the state of the natural great perfection.

Having gained a direct introduction to your own true nature, next you need to be decisive about this unique state and eliminate doubt and uncertainty. That would be Garab Dorje's second key point.

Conception of identity.

When my nature is not understood and the phenomena

that manifest from me become the object of judgement, 

desire and attachment give rise to the creation of concrete vision

that is impermanent and destined to vanish like a magical apparition.

Then one becomes like a blind man who does not know what is happening.

From the Supreme Source, Kunjed Gyalpo 

The primordial state, our own pure awareness, has three characteristics. Being unborn, it is originally pure emptiness. Being unceasing, it is clearly apparent as the variety of phenomena. Being responsive, it is great compassion beyond effort or action. 

Not understanding the true nature of the mind and all phenomena as being empty of inherent existence we conceive of the differences between mind and what is appearing to mind. The unceasing clarity of the mind not being recognized as our own display, we give birth to identity. Reifying subjective awareness gives birth to dualistic consciousness and forms the very basis for ego and self-grasping. Reifying appearances gives birth to a concrete reality that continually evolves as the play of dependent origination. 

Stuck in dualistic perception, we have no choice but to cycle through repetitive loop of conditioned existence. The only way to break the cycle is to fully understand the very nature of our own mind, which is inseparable from the nature of reality itself. 

Fully understand dukkha, the human predicament by contemplating the nature of the five skandhas and the three marks of existence. Let go of whatever is arising and learn to rest in the natural state. Resting in the authentic condition of the nature of mind, actualize pure awareness, the primordial state of being free from birth and death.

Movement within stillness.

When we first sit down to meditate, the first thing we experience is movement. Through continued effort and relying on proper meditation instruction, we can arrive at a place of stillness and peace.

When the mind is completely settled, a lot of the gross thoughts and emotions that might disturb our focus have settled down. We can direct our mind and rest simply in a state of calm clarity. Within this stillness, we discover another layer of movement. How we work with that movement determines our progress and the rest of the path ahead.

The nature of the mind is unceasing luminous emptiness. Being empty, it is groundless with nothing to find or hold onto. Being luminous it arises as the variety of thoughts, appearances, sounds and sensations without end.

If we cling to the appearances arising in our meditation, we get caught up in the cycle of distraction and agitation. If we learn to leave thoughts and appearances free in their own place, our focus does not wander and we sink deeper into a state of single-pointedness.

So much of the training is how we work with movement, how we resolve sights, sounds and appearances.

Go sit. Bring your mind to a place of rest. Notice the movement within stillness.

How do you work with it?

Buddha heart.

Noble child, all beings, though they find themselves with all sorts of afflictions,
Have a tathagata-garbha that is eternally unsullied, 

and that is replete with virtues no different from my own.

Tathagatagarbha Sutra

All beings are natural Buddhas, concealed in a shell of afflictions.  When that shell is broken, their buddhahood is revealed. 

What is the shell?  It is our negative emotions, our bias and distorted lens. It is our habitual tendencies and conditioned actions. It is our innate self-grasping and fixation on identity, self and other, better and worse, pure and impure.

It's a thick shell.

The shell is adventitious, without a single iota of permanence. Yet we continuously reinforce it, wrapping ourselves up layer after layer. We don't choose the shell, because the shell is based on confusion. Confusion perpetuates itself in an endless cycle of becoming.

The escape is to recognize the tathagata-garbha directly.  Tathagata means one who has gone to suchness, the direct realization of the nature of the mind.  Garbha means heart, womb, essence or nature.  We often see tathagata-garbha translated as buddhanature or essence of enlightenment, but we could also translate it as buddha heart, or the womb of those thus gone. This buddha heart is the nature of our own mind, eternally unsullied and replete with all the virtues of a Buddha.  

We can recognize our own buddha heart, and when we do the shell loosens and the qualities of buddhahood become naturally present.

Once beings’ minds have thoroughly matured,
However, whenever, and for whomever,
There can be action that ensures benefit,
It manifests at just that time and in just that way.

Ornament of Clear Realization

There are emanations through artistry, through conscious rebirth, 

and as expressions of sublime enlightenment.
The nirmanakaya of buddhahood

is the supreme skillful means of total freedom.  

Ornament of the Sutras

Metaphor for the nature of mind.

A glass of water.

What are the qualities of a glass of pure water?

Transparent, clear, refreshing, healthy, reflective surface.

The pure water represents the nature of our own mind, with its qualities of being pure, transparent, calm and clear.  A state of natural peace and health.  A pristine state of self-reflexive awareness. The Buddha referred to this as the tathagatagarbha, or buddha heart. The water represents our natural condition.  

What happens if we put a handful of dirt in the water? Now what qualities do we notice? The glass is mucky, cloudy, obscured, disgusting, impure.

The dirt represents all of our thoughts, emotions, beliefs, habitual patterns and conditioning. We really identify with the dirt. Do we even notice the originally pure water?

How many of us are busy and have to stay on top of many responsibilities? Me too. Start stirring the glass. 

Normally we spend most of our days stirring that glass up, cycling through various mental states and emotional responses.  Our habits and actions keep churning up that dirt in the glass, the dirt swirling and obscuring the qualities of the water.   

But what happens if we let the water rest.  Just set it down and let it rest. At first it continues to swirl for a little bit, right? As we let it sit for five or ten minutes, naturally the dirt starts to settle.  The natural qualities of the water reveal themselves without any effort.

The dirt doesn't go away. Actually the handful of dirt occupies very little of the glass once it settles out. In the beginning, the dirt occupies almost all of our identity, but once we learn to recognize our natural condition then we become less preoccupied with our own thoughts and feelings. They no longer overwhelm us, since we know how to work with them.

What this metaphor reveals to us is that we simply need to learn how to bring the mind to rest. As we learn to rest naturally, thoughts, sights and sounds settle into their own place.

Rest naturally and emotions and fears disappear revealing insight and clarity.
Rest naturally and our habits and karmic conditioning lose their impetus.
Rest naturally and the qualities of the nature of mind reveal themselves.
Rest naturally and our intrinsic buddhanature becomes evident.
Rest naturally, and there is nothing more to do.    

Practice of the path.

First, we are introduced to the nature of mind, our intrinsic buddhanature, which is unceasing luminous emptiness. 

Because we have not recognized its empty nature, we conceive of a self. 
Not recognizing the luminous clarity aspect, we reify appearances. 
Not recognizing the unceasing quality of the nature of mind, we get caught up in all that appears and exists. 

All of these obscurations- thoughts, emotions, karma, habitual tendencies- are merely adventitious stains without any inherent existence. Knowing these to be adventitious and impermanent without an underlying basis, we can confidently engage in the path to eliminate and purify them. With confidence in the ground continuum, we can engage in the path.

Understanding the abiding nature of the mind, our practice gives us something to work with in order to attain the result. 

The nature of mind.

The nature of mind is unceasing luminous emptiness.

Not recognizing its empty aspect, we reify the perceiving self.
Not recognizing the luminous aspect, we reify appearances.
Not recognizing its unceasing quality, we get caught up in all that appears and exists.

We have strayed and spend our days caught up in the unceasing web of duality. 

Errors of worldly meditation.

Grasping to the experience of infinite space,
grasping to the clarity of infinite consciousness,
grasping to the state in which experiences dissolve into nothingness,
grasping to the state of non-conceptuality.

These are the four errors of meditation as they occur in worldly meditative absorptions.

They are worldly because they still rely on mind and subtle craving that occurs within the domain of mind. They are errors because you are still bound by grasping and fixation and thus the root of selfishness is not cut.  

Difference between mind and rigpa.

Mind experiences appearances and has a quality of inner fixation.
Rigpa is free from external objects and internal fixation.

Mind as a perceiver gives rise to secondary mental factors which give birth to a chain of karmic actions.
Rigpa has no causes or conditions to give rise to karma because there are no secondary mental factors.

Mind is obscured by cognitive, emotional and habitual patterns and imprints.
Rigpa is primordially free of obscurations and imprints.  Its nature is originally pure kadag.

In meditation, we can recognize the characteristics of mind.
Rigpa has no characteristics.

How do we recognize rigpa?

Leave the mind in its uncontrived, natural state.  Without chasing after thoughts or appearances you arrive at a calm, clear and pristine state.  Dissolve all thoughts and appearances into the ground of the nature of mind like waves dissolving into water or clouds dissolving into space.

Sustain that through unique Dzogchen mindfulness and vigilance.

The clarity aspect of the nature of mind will intensify.
The ultimate aspect of that luminosity is rigpa.

This meditation instruction was received from Younge Khachab Rinpoche, September 2011. 

A sign of progress.

Not grasping to appearances,
not chasing after thoughts or feelings,
free from attachment and aversion.
Those are the signs of progress for a Dzogchen practitioner. 

You need to dissolve grasping.

The nature of mind and the nature of awareness are the same.
The nature of mind is subtle-
it is clear and calm, free from thoughts and feelings.
It is completely unobstructed, transparent emptiness.
Appearances arise from this transparent state as the expression of awareness.

The difference is that appearances of the nature of mind obscure the true nature of reality,
the appearances of awareness do not.
You need to dissolve grasping to ordinary appearances in order to see rigpa.

First, settle into the nature of the mind.

First, introduce the nature of the mind,
then you will be able to be introduced to rigpa.

Initially, you introduce the nature and fixation of ordinary mind.  If you recognize the nature of ordinary appearances and grasping, you can recognize the basis which is the nature of the mind.  Once you have a glimpse, you need to get rid of agitation and dullness in order to stabilize the experience of the nature of mind. 

After settling into the nature of mind, you enter into unwavering meditation to realize rigpa.  By dissolving all appearances into basic space, attachment and aversion dissolve and you enjoy the one taste that is the natural radiance of rigpa. 

Upadesha from Younge Khachab Rinpoche June 2007

I must have missed it.

Have you ever been too busy to catch a detail?

To agitated to see the connection?

To caught up in the routine to notice something that has always been there?

Have you ever been stuck on something and then realized the answer was in plain sight?

To understand and realize our buddhanature and the nature of our own mind we don't need something new.  Our buddhanature is fully evident. 

We just don't see it.

We get caught up in thoughts, emotions and habits.  We get stuck on identity, appearances and our situation.  It is not that we are far away from the result we are seeking.  It is more that we cannot recognize that which is right before us.

It is kind of like not being able to see you own eyelashes.  They are right there.

We have a tendency to complicate the path.  Really it is quite simple-

Tame your mind. 

Compassion.

She is open, responsive, all-embracing.
She is without border or limit.
She is receptive, always available, even vulnerable.
She has a natural grace, a timeless presence.
Naturally radiant yet confidently grounded,
she is compassion.
As compassion she abides.

Her activity is her expression,
yet she is fully manifest without action.

A natural radiance.

 རང་གདངས་
Tibetan: rang dang
English: natural radiance

In the Dzogchen tradition we emphasize the luminous quality of the nature of mind.  Meditation is not simply resting in some peaceful, non-conceptual absorption.  It is luminous, inherently clear and naturally radiant.

Something is always coming up.

The significance of this subtle point has profound implications.  The great meditation masters of the past have said that the nature of the mind is the basis of samsara and nirvana, bondage or liberation, a life of dissatisfaction or awakening.

What determines our experience?  How we relate to what is coming up, what is arising.

In meditation this occurs on a very subtle level.  We deal with grasping and fixation, attachment and aversion, hope and fear on a very intimate level.  It is not very easy to see what is going on in someone's practice, but in our daily life it becomes very easy to see how we relate to this luminous quality of our nature.

Do we get caught up in our experience?  Are we entangled in a web of thoughts, emotions and neurotic behavior, or do we cut through the resistance?

If the resistance is winning on the outside, it must be winning on the inside.

And yet, our nature is always naturally radiant.  It always has been, since the very beginning.  We just don't recognize it.    

Self-liberation.

རང་གྲོལ་
Tibetan: rangdrol
English: self-liberation, naturally liberated

In the Dzogchen tradition we talk about self-liberation, or natural liberation; liberated just as it is, in it's own place.  There are three types of self-liberation- like a snake uncoiling itself, like meeting an old friend, and like a thief entering an empty house.

Rangdrol like an uncoiling snake.
When a snake is resting coiled up it doesn't tie itself into knots when it moves.  It simply and effortlessly uncoils.  It doesn't need to think about it or create a plan of attack for uncoiling itself, it naturally goes on its way.

We struggle at this.

When we are tied up in knots we plot our best to escape.  We fight back, try to break out or just give up in exhaustion.  We struggle.  We see all of the struggle in our life and we know we are tied up in knots.  We also know that we don't know how to get untied.

The way that we experience self-liberation is to experience the nature of mind and the nature of phenomena directly.  It is not a conceptual process, we don't talk ourselves through it into a state of cessation or acceptance.  It is a direct experience.  This is what Garab Dorje talked about in the first of his Three Statements.  When we experience the originally pure and uncontrived nature of mind directly, we encounter the naturally liberated state.  Recognizing that we come to experience the timeless freedom of the nature of mind and the way in which all experiences, whether good or bad, are naturally liberated.  In this way, the knots of whatever is manifesting in our experience are naturally uncoiled and liberated in their own place.

The distinctive feature of this first stage of self-liberation is that prior to this experience you have been trying to use the craftiness of your mind to bring about freedom, freedom that has never manifested or never lasted.  Here in this tradition, you are using the direct experience of the nature of mind.

Rangdrol like meeting an old friend.  
It doesn't matter how busy you are, how crowded the place or even how long it has been, when you see an old friend you immediately recognize them.  "Oh, hello.  There you are, I recognize you dear friend".  It is a moments recognition, nothing more to do.

You are already intimate and familiar with the natural state of being and the experience of timeless freedom, yet there are moments when you get caught up, moments when you get tied up in knots.  So at this stage you are becoming more proficient at recognizing the naturally liberated state and dealing with problems and obstacles as they arise.  For you, problems and obstacles start to arise as friends.  As negative thoughts and emotions arise you instantly recognize them as a dynamic dance, free in their own place with nothing more to do.  You see them, but they don't necessarily bother you.

The key feature here is the familiarity you have gained familiarity of the naturally liberated state.  Familiarity allows us to recognize the natural liberation of thoughts, emotions and habitual tendencies as they arise, even though we may have a moment of distraction.  This is really a process of working with doubt and uncertainty in your practice, really sitting so that you start to gain that experience of liberation upon arising.      

Rangdrol like a thief entering an empty house.
This one is a bit more obscure conceptually.  The metaphor here is that the thief has nothing to gain and the house has nothing to lose.  This experience of self-liberation is connected to the essence of liberation in the Dzogchen tradition, which is liberation upon arising.  Normally what is manifesting in our experience can be viewed as an enemy or a problem, a thief.  Our house is secure, a safe zone where we experience freedom and peace of mind.  So our normal experience is that something manifests in our life and we lose something, our peace of mind or freedom get stolen from us and ultimately we get tied up in knots.  In this situation, the thief that arises- whether it be negative situation, thoughts, bad habits, karma or ignorance- doesn't threaten the house because the house has nothing to lose.  The nature of mind, your house, cannot be ruined by negative thoughts or emotions, it cannot be bound up in any way at all.   

Sometimes we are also the thief looking for valuable experiences and qualities.  We might start to have some 'real signs' that we are accomplishing something or be looking for confirmation or validation, but truly there is also nothing to add or improve upon in the nature of mind.   

The key feature here is that whatever arises in your experience is free just as it is, liberation is simultaneous with arising, with nothing to gain and nothing to lose.

You can always tell when you have fallen from this realization when you start to see thieves all over the place and long for the experience of a peaceful house.  Your work is a thief, those people, this problem, this thought, this emotion, all of it starts to tie you up pretty good again, doesn't it?

In the beginning, you discover the naturally liberated state,
In the middle, you recognize it again and again amidst confusion,
In the end, you realize that there is nothing to gain and nothing to lose.

Four demons.

The great female saint and realized pracitioner Machig Labdron taught about four demons in her practice of cutting-through.  A demon is not a black, scary monster.  It is anything that torments you and obstructs your freedom.  

Outer Demons
Outer demons are anything that we relate to with attachment or aversion.  Any material objects, forms, sounds, tastes or physical sensations that we experience getting ourselves caught up in.  We get hooked by our fixation which creates the conditions for bondage and suffering, which is why they are called 'demons'.  They are called 'outer' because they are objects of the five sense faculties.  

We should strive to cut-through these demons, strive to eliminate their influence and our habit of falling under their power.  We cannot stop them from appearing, but we can cut through our fixation on them as being real and permanent.  We can look through their outer appearance and see their true nature.   

Eliminate grasping and they are powerless.  You are liberated.  

Inner Demons
Inner demons are concepts that bring your fear and terror.  They haunt you at night and torment you ceaselessly.  Grasping at these good and bad thoughts causes the mind to become afflicted with negative emotions, bringing you great harm and causing you to act out like a fool, thus they are 'demons'.  They are 'inner' because they are the experience of your mind and mental states, a world of experience that you get wrapped up in and struggle to escape.  

We should strive to cut-through these demons.  We don't need to block thoughts or memories, but also don't hold onto them and dwell on them.  Recognize their true nature to be like waves on the water, rising and falling but leaving without a trace.  Relax into your own true nature and the disturbances naturally subside, liberated in their own place.   

Demon of Elation
The demon of elation is the result of mental attachment to delight and joy.  This could be the result of some worldly gain, fame, accomplishment, some great experience you had or some sign of success.  They are called 'demons' because they cause great arrogance and pride in oneself which becomes an obstacles to freedom.  

We should strive to cut-through this demon.  Whenever good things happen, don't fixate on the qualities of that experience.  Recognize them as being like a dream or illusion.  It is possible to enjoy experience free from fixation and grasping, as you integrate your experience with the path and achieve success in cutting-through the demon of elation, you will truly be able to extend yourself and benefit others.    

Demon of Self-Importance
The demon of self-importance is the root of all demons.  This demon arises from the self-grasping that is the root of all suffering and dissatisfaction.  It is the chronic disease that blocks the attainment of freedom and awakening.  

We should strive to cut-through this fixation on 'I' and 'mine'.  Cut-through to our true nature, our buddhanature, our originally pure and spontaneously present nature of mind.  

Where there is ego, there is also a demon.  Where there is no ego, no demon can be found. 

Ephemeral- without mental designations.

Mind free and easy- fixation on 'I' annihilated.

Pristine- incapable of disturbance by emotional conditions.

Clear- consciousness free of outer and inner duality.

Transparent- awareness free of attachment to anything whatsoever.  

~Machig Labdron

Significance.

Metaphysics seems like a silly game that philosophers play.  A lot of words and argument without much substance.  It is tainted by the stain of intellectuality in an era where we are all entitled to our own opinions and ideas about what is right.

Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that examines the fundamental nature of phenomena, self and other, you and your reality.  It is an intellectual game and there are parameters that might aid in how you play it.

First, choose the object of analysis.  It could be a physical object, an action, your self, your perception, your mind.

Second, set the extremes.  Existence or non-existence.  Right or wrong.  Virtuous or non-virtuous.

Third, determine the middle way free from extremes.  Could something exist, but not truly exist?  Could you do something right, but it turn out to be wrong?  Is your virtue truly virtuous?

Meditate on the significance of this middle way beyond extremes.

Does this significance effect your perceptual bias?  Your cognitive bias?  Your emotional bias?  Does this significance effect your view of yourself, your reality?  What is your reality?  

The ultimate significance of metaphysical analysis is that we no longer need to maintain fixed reference points.  Fixed reference points make us suffer.  They are the root of dissatisfaction and discomfort.  Maintaining a fixed position gives rise to all kinds of problems and obstacles.  But what are we trying to maintain?

This silly game has the potential to uproot our own crazy mind.  We might realize that we are our own troublemakers.  We might realize our stubbornness is the root of our problems.  We might see the significance that our ignorance and bias is the root of our own suffering.

And then we might be able to leave it all behind.

But it is not enough to believe this.  You need to see it in your own life, in your own experience.  You need to examine your own perception and view.  You need to examine your own mind.  You need to actually play the game. 

Most of us aren't brave enough to do that, it's easier just to be right.  

Transparent awareness.

A unique feature of Dzogchen is learning to recognize and abide in transparent awareness.  Awareness itself is not some thing.  It is not a state of mind that we cultivate.  It is completely open beyond description, beyond thoughts or concepts, beyond perception and value judgements.  It is utterly lucid, crystal clear, free of obscuration.  It is spontaneously present, free from the extremes of existence or non-existence, acceptance or rejection, is or is not.  It is non-dual, without distinction between self and other, inner and outer, this or that.

Why is it transparent?  Because there is no ground.  Why is there no ground?  Because everything that manifests is naturally freed in its own place, without having to do anything.  The unique feature of transparent awareness is liberation upon arising.  Liberation upon arising puts buddhahood within reach, maybe even right in the palm of your hand.