Where does one go?

The tathagata-garbha. The Buddha heart.

The Buddha taught that all beings are Buddhas, but that this is obscured by temporary defilements and obscurations. Just as a treasure buried under the earth, or a precious statue wrapped in a dirty cloth, once the obscuring factors are removed the treasure can be enjoyed in all its splendor.

But what is this Buddha heart and how can we come to experience it?

The Buddha taught many different vehicles by which we can actualize and realize this Buddha heart. The Mahayana sutras describe the tathagata-garbha as a seed or potential, which we can cultivate and nourish until it becomes manifest and bears fruit. The Vajrayana, or resultant vehicle, describes the tathagata-garbha as being fully manifest since beginningless time, but obscured and unrecognized. The Vajrayana employs various skillful means to try to purify and remove these obscurations. Within the Vajrayana vehicle, the highest understanding of the tathagata-garbha is understood within the Dzogchen tradition.

Dzogchen, or the Great Perfection, describes the tathagata-garbha as being timelessly liberated. There is nothing to change, manipulate or improve. The true nature of reality is perfect just as it is, there is nothing to purify, nothing to cultivate, nothing to attain. Failing to recognize this true nature, we wander in and out of various mental states. Recognizing this, one is primordially free.

Where does one go when they have actualized the tathagata-garbha?

Tathagata is a name for the Buddha, which means 'One who has thus gone', 'Beyond coming and going' or "One who has gone to the true nature'. Garbha means heart, essence or womb. So one who has actualized the tathagata-garbha is the 'heart of one who has gone beyond', or the 'heart of one who has gone to the true nature'.

The tathagata-garbha is beyond mind. It is not the coming and goings of our mind. It is not an idea or a projection of what should be. It is not a belief or a philosophy. It is not 'in your head'. Awakening isn't in your head- its embodied, manifest.

The practitioner of Dzogchen is introduced directly to awareness beyond mind. The are introduced to the timelessly liberated natural state of being. Once introduced to this unique state, the practitioner clarifies doubt and uncertainty about this unique state, until they have truly gone beyond to the true nature. Then, they can continue with confidence in liberation. As Garab Dorje wrote in his Three Words that Strike the Essential Point: 

One is introduced directly to one's true nature,
Be decisive about this unique state,
Continue directly with confidence in liberation.

Or as Garab Dorje also states:

Mind's nature is and always has been Buddha,
it is neither born nor ceases, like space.
When you realize the authentic meaning of the equality of all things,
To remain in that state without effort is meditation.


 

This is the practice.

This morning as I was in the midst of doing a hundred prostrations as part of our 100 day practice intensive, the thought occurred to me, "I should stop and just meditate."

Which was followed by, "This is the practice."

There was so much freedom in that realization. I was no longer pushing myself to finish my prostrations, no longer worried about doing other 'more important' practices.

I simply did prostrations.

I laid my own body, speech and mind down again and again. Offered my own body, speech and mind as the basis for the practice to unfold, the basis for achieving liberation, and the basis for bringing benefit to others.

Namo Manjushri. Namo Sushri. Namo Uttamshri, Soha.

Namo Manjushri: I prostrate to the ever-youthful, awakened body.
Namo Sushri: I prostrate to glorious, virtuous speech.
Namo Uttamshri: I prostrate to authentic, awakened mind.
Soha: So it is. 

Our practice is embodied. It isn't just the meditation cushion, everything is included. Even the struggle.

Contributor.

Don't worry about what you can accomplish.

Don't worry about your status, or your role, or how this next thing is going to get you ahead of where you currently are. Don't worry about the results, the strategies or the tactics. 

Are you a contributor?

It's a simple question.

What can you do, right now, to contribute? It doesn't have to be amazing. It doesn't even have to be noticed. It won't be your last contribution, and it won't even be your best.

Notice the posture that this question begs. You either contribute, or you don't. You are either engaged, or not. There is no value assessment to the result of the contribution. What or how you contribute isn't even in the question.

When you make up your mind that you are a contributor, everything changes. Your intentions and actions naturally lend themselves to abundance and generosity. Your interactions and relationships change and enter into realms of possibility. You might even discover an inner sense of joy and contentment.

You don't need to contribute to everything, but figure out those couple of things that are really important in your life. Then ask yourself if you are being a contributor, and choose to take generosity as your compass.

Cut the bale.

You are all bound up.

You have projects and to dos and more than you can deal with. You know this isn't your natural condition, this isn't who you were meant to be or even the posture that you want to embody. You know all this to be true, but you don't know the alternative. You don't know how to solve the riddle. There isn't a readily available answer.

When you cut a bale of hay, the hay has no intention in how it is going to open up and land. It just does. You simply cut the bale, and it settles into its own place.

The bale finds its natural place of rest.

What would happen if you simply let go and found your natural state of rest? You don't know what it is going to look like. You don't have a clear picture of how you will land.

But you will. You'll land. You'll discover a new ground, and maybe a new way to sit or stand. Maybe even a new way to dance.