Mar 23

Kalu Rinpoche | Transforming Our Ordinary Emotion to Clarity (Part 6)

But that also, you have to be careful, because some positive sensations will come here and there and don’t make the mistake between “what is the realization” and “what is the glimpse of experience”. Because we, since we grow up, we are told that “we can be happy or we can be unhappy, we can be depressive or we can be excited”. We put a lot of limitation into our mind “what we can and what we can’t; how the life should be and how the life should not be”. We have that very comfy mindset, that we have to adapt to that for a very long time since we are born in the society. And of course the very existence of the attachment goes back the lifetime before that.

So don’t expect to be changed very quickly. And even it does, don’t make a mistake between “a glimpse of experience” and “the realization”. The difference is this: when you have “a glimpse of experience”, it will come, beautiful experience, blissful experience, let go of that. You don’t have to reject that, you don’t have to function that. Be appreciative to that very moment of experience, whatever the blissful experience you may accomplish.

Sometimes you may just walking in the street and then you see the leaves falling down on the ground, and then you say “ah that is also impermanence”, you feel some sort of a vast emptiness of understanding of oneself, not a nature of the mind, don’t make the mistake of that. Like some sort of a vastness, space, simply like that.

And then sometimes you see people fighting and then you say “ah that is the reality of suffering” and then you can reflect to that bit by bit, bit by bit. And then even that, you know, sometimes we can have a profound experience and I still call that “a glimpse of experience”.

So therefore, do not make the mistake between “the realization” and “a glimpse of experience”. “Glimpse of experience”, there’s also distinction in that, sometimes “the glimpse of experience” can stay from moment to moment, and it can stay up to months and years and it will eventually go away and you’re still vulnerable to falling into the trap.

Why I say this to you? It’s because many great masters in the past, throughout the history, they have encountered many enlightened deities into their vision, in their mind, and they still make a lot of terrible mistakes, so you should understand that. Just because you see a vision of the deity, or enlightened being, does not mean that you are completely liberated yet.

So there are many great masters, throughout the history, if you read their biography. Even they have encountered some sort of enlightened deity, even they are able to perform some sort of miracle still they are vulnerable to make mistake, they are vulnerable to fall into the trap ; therefore “the glimpse of experience” can stay few seconds in the mind, depending on how you perceive the reality to maybe year or two or months or weeks or days.

Once you have the realization, then you have this continuation of awareness, without any force, without any desire or even a subtle desire “wanting to have awareness”, you simply have a genuine awareness at all times; and that is the meaning of the realization; OK?

 

Transforming Our Ordinary Emotion to Clarity by Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche
Hawaiï Association of International Buddhists – Saturday, Feb 19, 2022 (27′ 20”)

To be continued …