Kalu Rinpoche Podcast – Episode 1 – 19th Nov 2020 (8 min) – The Nature of the Mind
Greetings everyone, welcome back to Kalu Rinpoche podcast.
The nature of the mind is very beautiful, yet at the same time, it is not the illusion of the beauty that we have in our mind. So in order to recognize the nature of the mind, you have to understand and make the distinction without any force between the past projection of thoughts that is not holding back by your imagination and attachment and your desire, and not having any glimpse of fear of what is about to come. So there is a gap in between and there is a calm in between. Between the past and between the future projection of thoughts, before the projection of thoughts arise, so there is a gap.
So the gap is the one that we need to recognize. And the gap itself is called by different traditions, such as Buddha Nature, Mahamudra, Dzogpa Chenpo, Chakcha Chenpo. They all have all the different names, but ultimately it is all about recognizing your own true self. It is not the identity. It is just simply the state of the consciousness, and being simply present. Not wanting to be present, but just living with the present. And that is the goal that we have to achieve, because once you are in that state, you are absent from the state of the ignorance.
The state of the ignorance is not a black cloudy mountain, rigid size or shape. State of the ignorance, it is simply state of unknown. If there is a state of unknown, that is a state of ignorance. Ignorance doesn’t mean a stupid. It doesn’t mean a person is not intelligent, therefore that person is ignorant. That is one definition of calling somebody ignorant. It is simply impermanent even you believe that person is ignorant. Because any person can learn and study and experience and practice and go through hardship and can overcome their own state of the ignorance.
But the ignorance that I’m talking about is simply the state of unknown. Once you recognize the state of unknown, and once you find the distinction from that, and including finding the distinction between the past projection of thoughts and letting that go without any expectation, without any fear of what is about to come, and once you recognize the gap, and recognizing the calm, wide space without any sensation of grasping, that is the nature of the mind, and that is the true peace.
The true peace that is not depending on anything, and that is beyond the duality, beyond religion, beyond a perception or ideology. Therefore, we call it the nature of the mind. Otherwise we call it by different names. But the nature of the mind does not have a religion, does not have a tradition, does not have a color or shape, so understanding that basic principle is very important. But it doesn’t mean that you have to be wild like a monkey and making all of the noise and sound and destruction everywhere, being completely wild. That is not the reference I am trying to make.
So the most important is, in order to reach to the state of the consciousness, in order to reach that destination, we must first understand the illusion of the mind. You can call it the illusion of the mind. You can also call it the illusion of your ignorance. We think the illusion of the mind is separate from the state of the ignorance. Ignorance and the state of the illusion is inseparable. Therefore the existence of the samsara is there.
Many people when they become spiritual practitioner, Buddhist practitioner, religious practitioner, they tend to believe that illusion is one thing, ignorance is one thing, ego is another thing, and that is a wrong perception. That is a wrong way to start your practice or your belief. Because the very existence and the very nature of the illusion, it means that you are constantly falling down from the sky without reaching the bottom. And that is an illusion. Sensation and the feeling of falling forever, without reaching any rock bottom. But once you do reach the rock bottom, you are already too late.
So therefore understanding the illusion is inseparable with the state of the ignorance. And the very sensation of the inner voice telling you the illusion is separate, ignorance is separate, that inner voice itself is your ego. It’s not your true self talking to you, it is not a Buddha talking to you, it is your own self with the ego being manipulative. If the ego is not manipulative, then the very existence of the ego has not been fulfilled its own purpose. The purpose of the ego is to make excuses. That’s the very purpose of the existence of the ego itself. And you have to understand that.
Illusion is not separable from the ignorance. Ignorance and illusion always work together. The one that brings excuse and balance in between that state and that is your ego. The ego gives time and excuses, and therefore we create the samsara. Therefore we create the suffering. Therefore we create illusion and all sorts of projections of mind, unable to live present.
Thanks for listening to my podcast. See you next time.
Comments are closed.