Shenpen ÖselThe Clear Light of the Buddha’s Teachings Which Benefits All Beings

April 1999

His Holiness Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche

Volume 3, Number 1

The teachings of buddhadharma, which can enable the practitioner to discover the state oftotal enlightenment, still exist. They are still accessible. So we have a choice. We can chooseto follow the path and to attain the state of enlightenment, or we can choose to wander about

in confusion, which will lead one into various states of rebirth [replete with suffering].Certainly we have this choice.

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Shenpen ÖselThe Clear Light of the Buddha’s Teachings Which Benefits All Beings

Contents(click on a heading)

3 Introduction

5 Mind, Karma, Ego-formation, and Liberation in Tibetan BuddhismBy His Holiness Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche

18 Mahamudra: the Essence of All the Buddha’s TeachingsBy His Holiness Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche

32 Chöd: Cutting Through the Four MarasBy The Venerable Tenga Rinpoche

40 Techniques for Shamatha, the Practice of TranquillityBy The Venerable Tenga Rinpoche

48 Experiencing the Nature of Mind Through VipashyanaBy The Venerable Tenga Rinpoche

55 A Commentary on the Twenty EmptinessesBy The Venerable Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

Volume 3 Number 1

Editorial policyShenpen Ösel is a tri-annual publication ofKagyu Shenpen Ösel Chöling (KSOC), a centerfor the study and practice of Tibetan vajrayanaBuddhism located in Seattle, Washington. Themagazine seeks to present the teachings ofrecognized and fully qualified lamas andteachers, with an emphasis on the KarmaKagyu and the Shangpa Kagyu lineages. Thecontents are derived in large part fromtranscripts of teachings hosted by our center.Shenpen Ösel is produced and mailedexclusively through volunteer labor and doesnot make a profit. (Your subscriptions anddonations are greatly appreciated.) We publishwith the aspiration to present the clear light ofthe Buddha’s teachings. May it bring benefitand may all be auspicious. May all beings beinspired and assisted in uncovering their owntrue nature.

Photo credits this issue: Gunnar Reitel, pp. 32, 40,48; Ryszard K. Frackiewicz, pp. 55, 64.

Staff

EditorLama Tashi Namgyal

Managing editorLinda Lewis

Copy editors, Transcribers,RecordersGlen Avantaggio, Peter Borodin, AlanCastle, Anita Castle, Susan DeMattos,Ken DeSure, Denise Glover, WolfgangHirsch, Judy Knapp, Donald Lashley,Edmund Liong, Yahm Paradox, ChrisPayne, Rose Peeps, Mark Voss

PhotosRyszard K. Frackiewicz, Gunnar Reitel

Database managerDarren Beil

Mailing coordinatorMark Suver

Mailing crewMembers of the Seattle sangha

SHENPEN ÖSEL 3

Introduction

In one of the very earliest Western books about Tibetan Buddhism, entitled TheMessage of the Tibetans, Arnaud Desjardin reported a conversation that he had hadwith Kalu Rinpoche. He had asked Rinpoche the age-old question, “What is Truth?”Rinpoche replied, “You live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality,

and you are that reality, but you don’t know it. If you should ever wake up to that realityyou would realize that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That is all.”In these very few words, Rinpoche evoked in the minds of Desjardin’s readers a variety ofconcepts about Eastern thought—like the “veil of Maya,” the oversoul, cosmic conscious-ness, etc.—of which they had only the fuzziest understanding. Even the terms that came tomind in those days, the late sixties and early seventies, were inadequate when employedto interpret what Rinpoche was talking about, because they were expressed in the kind oflanguage Hinduism tended to use, not in the language of Buddhism. In those days the twotended to be all mixed together in the minds of Westerners.

It was not until 1982, during Rinpoche’s fourth visit to the West, that he began toexplain in greater detail to Western audiences, from the point of view of the mahamudratradition, the meaning of this very simple statement. The first two teachings in this editionof Shenpen Ösel were given by Rinpoche during that visit in Little Bridges Hall of Music atPomona College. In them he describes the empty, clear, and unimpeded nature of mind—tong, sal, magakpa—as the true nature of all sentient beings, as well as four “layers” ofconfusion, four “veils,” that have obscured the minds of all unenlightened sentient beingsin varying degrees since beginningless time: the veil of knowledge (shes bya’i sgrib pa), theveil of habitual tendency (bag chags kyi sgrib pa), the veil of emotional affliction (nyönmongs pa’i sgrib pa), the veil of karma (las kyi sgrib pa). It is these veils, he taught, thatobscure one’s understanding of the true nature of mind and the true nature of reality andare the source of all of one’s suffering, frustration, anxiety, and mental and emotionalaffliction.

Rinpoche also explained—step by step, veil by veil—which practices in the Buddhisttradition are designed to purify these veils. Through the practice of ngöndro one eliminatesthe negative karma and push-button reactivity of the veil of karma. Through the practiceof shamatha one pacifies the veil of emotional affliction. Through the practice ofvipashyana one purifies the habitual tendency to cognize one’s experience dualistically,which tendency is the precondition, the sine qua non, of all emotional affliction. Andthrough the practice of mahamudra one removes or dissolves the subtlest of all these veils,the veil of knowledge—which we sometimes call fundamental ignorance, the basicmisperception of reality.

During these two teachings, Rinpoche also gave direct pointing-out instructions and ledshort guided meditations. Later, I asked Rinpoche what kind of mahamudra instructionshe had given, and he replied that he had given ground and path mahamudra instructions.I also asked him what the difference is between teaching about mahamudra and actuallygiving pointing-out instructions. He replied that teaching about mahamudra entails simplydescribing the true nature of mind, whereas, when a lama actually gives mahamudrapointing-out instructions, he or she tells the student or students to look directly at theirmind in such and such a way. I then asked Rinpoche whether we might transcribe and

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distribute these teachings, and he said yes. And then I asked whether Rinpoche wanted usto include the pointing-out instructions, and he said it would be better not to.

Therefore, faithful to the injunction of the lama, we have omitted the actual pointing-out instructions in the publication of these teachings. The reason that these instructionsare not generally published in the marketplace is that in giving these instructions thelama introduces the student very directly and experientially to the true nature of mind.This involves using the fruitional state of enlightened mind as the path, rather thansimply seeing fruition as some kind of extremely distant goal. For this process to work, thestudent must be very open and devoted, and the lama must have authentic experience orrealization. These instructions also must be received in the actual presence of the lama; itwon’t do to get them out of books or off tape recordings. If all of these elements arepresent, the pointing-out will be very effective, and will become the basis for the student’ssubsequent meditation practice. If any one of these elements is absent, then the instruc-tions will not work for the student, as a result of which the student may very well losefaith in the teachings, not practice them, and thereby lose the tremendous opportunity toattain liberation and enlightenment that they afford. It is for this reason that studentstraditionally have been expected to finish ngöndro before receiving these instructions.However, from time to time some very highly realized lamas may give these instructionswithout requiring completion of ngöndro, and this happened to be one of those times.

♦ ♦ ♦

We are also including in this issue a teaching on the twenty emptinesses by TheVenerable Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, which is a continuation of themadhyamaka teachings that Rinpoche gave here in Seattle, the first section of whichappeared in Shenpen Ösel Volume 2, Number 2. If one gets lost in this issue’s teachings,one would do well to review those teachings.

In order to understand the function and relationship of the different types of teachingsthat have been presented in Shenpen Ösel, it is helpful to bear in mind the followingwords of Thrangu Rinpoche:

“To become free of delusion we have to realize the ultimate truth. We can accomplishthis through meditation on the nature of mind. The direct realization of the emptiness andclarity of one’s own mind is the swift path of the vajrayana. However, before we embarkupon that path, we need to understand the difference between consciousness and wisdom.Therefore [one needs to understand] both the mahayana view on the empty nature ofappearances and the vajrayana teaching on the nature of the mind, thus providing theview that can serve as the foundation for the graduated path of meditation.”

The teachings of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche that we have included inShenpen Ösel thus far have all been concerned with the mahayana view on the emptynature of appearances, while the teachings of Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche presented in thisissue are concerned with the ultimate truth, with wisdom, and with the vajrayana teach-ings on the nature of mind.

Finally, we wish to thank the directors and members of Karme Thekchen Chöling inVancouver for their cooperation in the publishing of the teachings of Tenga Rinpoche thatare included in this issue.

—Lama Tashi Namgyal

SHENPEN ÖSEL 5

On September 11, 1982, at the Blaisdale Institute for Advanced Study in WorldCultures and Religions in Claremont, California, His Holiness Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche gavea teaching on mahamudra. The following is an edited transcript of that teaching, whichRinpoche gave in Tibetan and which was translated orally by Lama Chökyi Nyima.

His Holiness Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche

By His Holiness Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche

Mind, Karma,Ego-formation,and Liberation

in TibetanBuddhism

Let me say that I am delighted to be able to come to this gathering today andto be with the sponsors of this event and those of you who have come to hearmore about the teachings of the buddhadharma and to imbibe the nectar ofthe teachings and understand for yourselves more of what these teachings have to offer.

The kind of search that begins to take place when someone begins to understandor at least begins to think about the nature of their existence is an indication thatthere have been certain positive karmic actions and tendencies in previous lifetimeswhich have established and reinforced positive tendencies in this life which havecaused that search to begin.

In this particular instance, when one begins to examine one’s mind or one’sexperience, one begins to question: What is going on here? Who am I and why am I

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All of us have avague or naiveunderstanding ofthe mind

here? This is the kind of questioning that begins toarise in this kind of positive search.

What this means is that one’s latent potentialemerges at a certain point in one’s life due tocircumstances in one’s situation, or perhaps inrelation to the world situation. Then one begins toquestion, one begins to use one’s intelligence, andone begins to seek answers to suchfundamental issues. The fact thatthis kind of questioning—this kindof very noble endeavor—can arisein the mind at all indicates aconsiderable consolidation ofpositive merit in previous exist-ences. It is quite an incredibledevelopment, brought about through an accumula-tion of merit, of positive thought and action in thepast. It points to a receptive part of our conscious-ness that something in us has risen beyond a mereanimal state of existence or mentality. An animalmentality is only concerned with enough to eat,enough to drink, a place to sleep for the night, andso on—just a moment-to-moment existence.

Now comes a period of gestation, an attempt toformulate the questions: What is the relationshipbetween me and the universe about me? Is theregreater meaning behind what we are experiencing?What is it that I want this relationship betweenme and universe around me to be?

The very fact that this kind of search or ques-tioning can arise in the mind at all—what is thenature of mind or what are the spiritual teachings,such as Buddhism, that can lead one to a correctunderstanding of the nature of mind—is not onlyamazing but very hopeful. This kind of thoughtarising in the mind is an indication of a verymeritorious and positive tendency which is arisingor emerging in this situation.

It is in response to that kind of noble motiva-tion on the part of you all that I have been movedpersonally to return to the West, and to try toexplain what I understand and experience of theteachings of Buddhism in order to help people intheir search for deeper understanding. I am nowseventy-eight years old, so this journey has posedsome difficulty to me, but I refuse to let that dauntme, because I feel that there is real need for people

to have further information and further under-standing. This is what has brought me on thispresent tour through the centers of Southeast Asia,beginning in Calcutta, and traveling on to NorthAmerica. This is what brings me here for thefourth time to the United States. Particularly, Ifeel that to discuss these ideas in a country like

America—which is so wealthy andprosperous and which offers itspeople such a high degree ofpersonal freedom, and whichoffers as well, such a high level ofeducation—is very beneficial,because people here have thefreedom and intelligence to meet

and to understand these kinds of concepts and tounderstand them to a great degree. So I feel thatpresenting the dharma here in America creates agreat degree of benefit to the people who live here.

All of us have a vague or naive understandingof the mind. We all know that we have amind, and we think in terms of “my mind.” Wehave the idea that “I have a mind” and so we say“my mind.” But how much do we understand aboutthe nature of our minds and the nature of ourexperience? Actually there is a great deal of igno-rance and a great deal of misunderstanding andconfusion as to what exactly is going on. Whatexactly do we experience? What exactly do wemean when we use the word, “mind”? When welook at our mind, rather than finding control,precise understanding, and insight, we find thatthere is emotional confusion in the mind. There areall kinds of passions which arise in the mind, suchas attachment, aversion, stupidity, anger, jealousy,pride, and so on. All of these things are continuallyboiling up in the mind as a result of this emotionalconfusion and thus we experience a great deal offrustration, suffering, and pain.

Understanding the nature of the mind is some-thing that has a great calming and cooling effecton all of that boiling turmoil in the mind. It is as ifwe had a pot of boiling water and into it we threwa cup of cold water. The boiling ceases immediately.The activity immediately calms to a certain extent.Even mere intellectual understanding of the na-

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The mind simplydoes not directlyexperience its owntrue nature. Thisfundamentalignorance or thisfundamentalunknowing of themind is the root ofall problems

ture of the mind can be very beneficial in helpingone to sort out the emotional confusion and elimi-nate the suffering that it causes.

To begin with, let us take, for example, the eyeswe see with. The eyes are situated in the face andwith these eyes we can see anything in the outsideworld. That is the function of the eyes—to seeclearly. But the one thing that the eye cannot seeclearly is the face itself, even though it is so close tothe face. It simply does not work that way. There isa fundamental lack of recognition, a fundamentalinability of the eye to see the face in which it issituated. In the same way, what we, as sentientbeings or unenlightened beings, now experience isthis fundamental lack of recognition. The mindsimply does not directly experience its own truenature. So this fundamental ignorance or thisfundamental unknowing of the mind is the root ofall problems—the mere fact that there is this lackof direct experience.

Perhaps we should define terms. What do wemean by mind? When we speak of mind wemean that which is aware. That which gives rise tothoughts, emotions, feelings, such as “I’m happy orI’m sad.” That which experiences all the thoughts,states, and emotions that arise iswhat we mean when we speak of themind. Not the contents but thatwhich experiences the contents.

The nature of mind itself is whatwe term “emptiness” in Buddhism.Mind itself has no color, form, shape,or size. Mind has no limiting charac-teristics that one can ascribe to it.So, in speaking about the mind, oneis speaking about that which isintangible. Mind is completelyempty or devoid of these kinds oflimiting characteristics. We mightuse the example of open space, suchas the space in this room, whentalking about the nature of themind. Because mind is as intangible as the spacein this room, you cannot describe it. The space inthis room has no color, shape, nor size. There issimply space in the room.

If the space in this room represents mind, thenwe need to take into account that in this particularspace there is also a kind of illumination. This isnot a dark room. We can see perfectly clearly. If allthe sources of illumination were shut off or blockedat this point we would be in total darkness. Wecould not see a thing. There would be space, but noclarity. But the fact is that we have illuminationfrom electric light and natural sources whichmakes the room very bright and clear and we cansee everything perfectly clearly in the room.

Mind has its own kind of illumination, althoughnot in a visual sense. It is not as though there werea kind of lighting up of the mind or that the mindwould light up or that the kind of illumination weare speaking of is any kind of visual perception.But rather it is the inherent ability of the mind toexperience. The fact is that mind can experience.Mind, being no thing in and of itself, neverthelessexperiences everything. That potential to experi-ence is the illuminating potential of mind—theilluminating nature of mind. So in speaking aboutthe mind, we can make reference to the fundamen-tal intangibility of the mind and the illuminatingpotential which it demonstrates.

On a practical level, this illuminating potentialof mind, this ability to experi-ence, is something we encounterwhen we sit quietly by ourselvesand think of a place very faraway like New York or SanFrancisco. We can call that placeto mind immediately. There isthe possibility of thinking of,remembering, or recalling thatplace. This is an example of thisilluminating potential of mind.

The space in this room andthe illumination in this room arenot two things that we canseparate. They are two differentaspects of a unitary experience.In the same way, when we refer

to the intangible nature of mind, the essentialemptiness, and the clarity or illuminating natureof the mind, we are not speaking of two separatethings, but two aspects of one experience.

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This fundamentalnature of mindas intangibleemptiness,illuminating clarity,and dynamicunimpededawareness iswhat we termtathagatagharba,the seed orpotential forenlightenment

We have not yet completed our description ofmind itself. We have space in this room which weuse as an analogy for emptiness, and we haveillumination. But we do not have an effectiveconsciousness. We do not haveanything other than empty andilluminated space. With mind wehave something more. We have theactual awareness that can decide—“this is form,” “this is sound,” “thisis such and such a shape.” We canmake judgments and we are con-scious of the particular details of asituation. That is the unimpededmanifestation of mind, which isalso the dynamic intelligence orawareness of mind as well. So bydescribing mind in and of itselfrather than the contents of mind,we are speaking of somethingwhich is essentially intangible. Bythis we also mean the illuminatingpotential and the dynamic unim-peded manifestation of awareness.

Perhaps at this point we coulduse a kind of approach to allowoneself to experience this funda-mental nature of mind rather than the particularcontent of mind. We must consider that most of ushave the idea that the mind is located in the brainor in the heart region or some other fixation ofwhere the mind is. This is not particularly helpfulat this point: Mind has no particular location; it isnot in any particular part of the body. This state ofbare awareness or fundamental awareness is priorto a state of any attachment to any particularstate. It is not a particular place in the body nor aparticular locality or object in the environment. Itis simply intangible, clear, unimpeded nature ofmind itself.

This fundamental nature of mind as intangibleemptiness, illuminating clarity, and dynamicunimpeded awareness is what we term, in theBuddhist tradition, tathagatagharba, buddhanature, the seed or potential for enlightenment. Itis that inherent nature of mind which emerges asthe fully enlightened experience. It is that which

allows the fully enlightened experience to takeplace in the first place. This is something that isshared by each and every living being, human orotherwise. Anything that is sentient—anything

that has consciousness—inher-ently has this fundamental purityor nature of mind in its make-up.

We find in the Buddhist teach-ings that Buddha Shakyamunisaid, “This tathagatagharba—thisseed for potential enlighten-ment—pervades all forms of life.There is not a single being thatdoes not have this as part of itsmake-up.” To give this experiencea name for reference, or simply tolabel it for practical purposes, inthe Buddhist tradition we refer tothis fundamental nature of mindas tathagatagharba—the seed oressence of enlightenment. It is thepotential for enlightenment.

Referring to the causal factorfor enlightenment, we find refer-ence in one of the tantric scrip-tures of Buddhism to the effectthat all beings are born enlight-

ened, but incidental obscurations are blocking theexperience of enlightenment. Once thoseobscurations have been removed that experiencesimply emerges and becomes actualized and wecan experience the original clarity of our minds. Wemight think of this tathagatagharba potential as aseed just like a living seed that can grow into aflower. If one takes a seed and nurtures it, cares forit, and goes about things the right way, one canproduce a flower from that seed. In the same way,if we recognize the inherent nature of mind and itspotential and learn how to cultivate it—learn howto cause it to emerge through spiritual practice—then we ourselves can actualize that experience.We can become a buddha. We can become com-pletely enlightened.

Another label which we give to this state or thisexperience in Buddhism is jnana or transcendingawareness, primordial awareness, to which wesometimes add the word alaya, which means

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It has always beenthe case that mindcan experienceanything but itsown nature. Thisfundamentalignorance isbuilt in

fundamental or original awareness. We couldperhaps think of this in terms of a practical ex-ample. If we think of clear, transparent, purewater before any pollutants or sediments havebeen added, we note that the water is pristine inits clarity and transparency. Or perhaps you mightthink of a sky totally free of any clouds and the sunshining brilliantly in the sky. There is again noobscuration and nothing in the way—nothingobscuring or limiting the experience at all. Nowgiven that there is this naturally pure, positivenature of mind, then where has all this negativeconditioning come from? Where have the negativeaspects of confusion and suffering arisen from?How has the clear, pure, transparent water beenpolluted by sediment?

First and foremost there is the lack of directexperience that we mentioned previously—thefundamental ignorance or unknowing, which wecall the obscuration of knowledge, the fact that themind does not see itself, is not directly aware of itsown nature. In Buddhism this is notsomething to which we ascribe anorigin. We do not say that at acertain point it happened that mindcould not see itself, that mind lostthis direct experience; but rather,when we speak of the beginninglesscycle of existence, we say that mindhas always been obscured by thisignorance. It is co-emergent with orco-existent with consciousness itself.

Another example which is oftenused in the text is gold. Since thereis gold there is tarnish forming onthe surface of the gold. In the same way as long asthere is unenlightened mind there is and alwayshas been this fundamental ignorance. This funda-mental lack of the direct experience and under-standing of the nature of mind is the basis of allthe other problems and levels of confusion andobscuration which we now experience. The techni-cal term which we use for this basic level of igno-rance or basic unknowing in Buddhism is co-emergent ignorance, which indicates that it is co-emergent or simultaneous with consciousnessitself. As mind arises, so does this ignorance.

Practically speaking, it is impossible to speak ofthe mind separate from this ignorance in ourpresent state, and so it is co-emergent with minditself.

This co-emergent ignorance has always beenthere in the same way that the eyes have alwaysbeen unable to see the face. From the moment thatwe are born and begin using our eyes up to thepresent time, we have never yet seen our facedirectly. It simply does not work that way. It hasalways been the case that mind can experienceanything but its own nature. This fundamentalignorance is built in, so to speak.

Given that this is the case, a further distortiontakes place. The essential intangibility oremptiness of the nature of mind in and of itself, isdistorted into what we experience as the self orsubject—something solid, real, or existent in and ofitself, something tangible which we experience asthe self or the subjective pole in our experience.

Then the illuminating potentialof the mind, which can and doesgive rise to all of these appear-ances and experiences that mindundergoes, is distorted into theobjective pole of our experience,into the phenomenal world andthe sensory objects that weexperience as separate from theself. At this point a dualistic splithas already taken place. Weexperience the distortion of theessential intangibility and illumi-nating potential of mind itself in

a subject/object frame of reference that we think ofas the basis of our on-going experience. Again weare going to label this and give it the name, obscu-ration of habitual tendencies. From beginninglesstime, just as there has been ignorance of mind,there has also been this habit of experiencing interms of subject and object.

This is a state or condition that will continue ifwe do not attain enlightenment. If one does nottranscend the ignorance and obscuration whichlead to this distortion, then this state is perma-nent. One cannot expect such a fundamental

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We have thedistortion ofthis essential,intangible natureof the mind intosomething solidand tangible—theego or subject.The illuminatingpotential of mind isdistorted intosomething other

habitual tendency to simply wear itself out anddisappear. Instead, it continues to reinforce itselfand will do so as long as the individual does notattain enlightenment.

Even in the dream state, when we go to sleepand have a dream, we can see this fundamentaldualism as part of our experience, as an on-goingexperience of something which carries over fromwaking consciousness. Even though one goes tosleep and dreams and experiences an entirelydifferent realm than the physical waking state ofexistence—with all sorts of projections of mindplaying themselves out in the dream—there is stillthe fundamental perception of “I” and “other.” It isstill that basic dualistic split that permits all theother more complex aspects of the dream state—such as pleasure, happiness, pain, and so on, totake place, because there is thatunderlying on-going dualisticelement in our experience.

In the future when each andevery one of us comes to die, that is,when the physical body dies and isdisposed of, the mind goes on toexperience a totally formless non-physical state of experience, atotally disembodied state, in thatthere is no physical basis for theconsciousness at that point. Thereis, however, a continued impressionin the mind of some kind of embodi-ment, some kind of mental body.There is still a fundamental split,in that the appearances that arisein the mind are projected into theenvironment and experienced assomething other than mind itself.So even in the bardo state, the after-death statebetween physical death and physical rebirth, thereis the on-going habitual tendency of mind to expe-riences self and other.

We have the distortion of this essential, intan-gible nature of mind into something solid andtangible—the ego or subject. The illuminatingpotential of mind is distorted into something other,which is projected as separate from the self. Nowbased upon that, and given that there is this

dualistic framework, emotional reactions developbetween subject and object. So an emotional com-plexity of mind, which we call the obscuration ofafflictive emotions, or the obscuration of kleshas,develops based upon this dualism.

Initially, there are the patterns of either attrac-tion, or aversion and repulsion. In other words,there is a love-hate relationship between subjectand object that mind perceives in the world aroundit. That is the beginning of the most basic level ofemotional confusion in the mind. And so given thatthere is this fundamental split in the first place—the subject/object split of self and other—then thesituation arises where the subject or the object ispleasing to the self, and also there arises thesituation where the object is threatening or repul-sive. As well, there is an element of stupidity,

mental dullness or apathy in thesituation, in that one is simplynot aware of what is really takingplace. Instead, one is caught up inthe superficial appearance of theemotional situation.

In seeking the basis of emo-tional confusion in the mind, wefirst distinguish three patterns:attraction or attachment, aver-sion, and stupidity or dullness.These are the three basic emo-tional patterns in the mind. Thequestion then is: What experi-ences this dualism? What isexperiencing self and other andall the emotional reactions be-tween self and other? Mind itself,due to its inherently intangible,illuminating, dynamic, and unim-

peded nature, is experiencing dualistic mind.It is good to pause for a moment to reflect on

this and to attempt to experience for ourselveswhether this is the case or not, whether what hasbeen described is what is taking place.

The unenlightened being we have examined sofar has a fundamental lack of direct experience.Mind does not experience its own essential intangi-bility, its illuminating potential, or its dynamic andunimpeded awareness. Because of this fundamen-

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We are caught upin emotionalreactions due tothe syndrome ofsubjects beingattracted to orrepelled byobjects, which isbased on the basicmisunderstandingof what exactly istaking place

tal lack of direct experience, our experience hasbeen distorted into a subject/object frame of refer-ence. And a certain level of emotional confusion hasset in based upon this dualistic frame of reference.We are caught up in emotionalreactions due to the syndrome ofsubjects being attracted to orrepelled by objects which is basedon the basic misunderstanding ofwhat exactly is taking place.

Further development of emo-tional complexity takes place inthe following way: From theattachment syndrome, an emotionof greed (avarice or grasping)develops. Based upon aversion,anger and jealousy develop. Basedupon stupidity, pride develops.

We find reference in the Bud-dhist tradition to six basic emo-tions: three primary emotions andtheir three secondary develop-ments. In fact, the complexity doesnot stop there, because from anyone of these primary emotions, thousands of sec-ondary ramifications, variations and permutationscan develop. There would seem to be an almostinfinite number of different emotional situations, ifone wished to analyze them and assign a particu-lar primary emotion as the dominant factor. Wefind described in the tradition that there are21,000 emotional states based upon attachment,21,000 based upon aversion, 21,000 based uponstupidity, and 21,000 in which these forces appearin combination. In an attempt to describe thisemotional complexity the tradition describes it asthe 84,000 different emotional states, 84,000 typesof emotional afflictions.

Because of this emotional complexity basedupon fundamental confusion, we behave incertain ways: physically, verbally, and mentally.We react to emotional confusion through thesethree gates. These actions, be they physical, ver-bal, or mental, by repetition become tendenciesand these tendencies become reactive habits. Thesereactive habit-tendencies, once they are estab-

lished, lead to specific results in our experiencelater on. There is a causality between one’s reac-tions and one’s experiences. This is the level ofobscuration that we call the obscuration of karma.

The karmic level of these tenden-cies reinforced by physical, verbal,and mental actions or thoughtpatterns is based upon this confu-sion. Therefore, this confusionitself is directly or indirectly harm-ful both to oneself and to others,because it perpetuates the confu-sion.

These four levels of confusionor obscuration are dependent oneupon the other. Not that one isarising after the other, but simplythat one is based upon the other.The confusion in the mind is firstand foremost the lack of directexperience of mind’s essentialpurity, the inherent transcendingawareness which is the nature ofmind itself. Due to this fundamen-

tal ignorance in the mind, the dualistic frame ofreference—the fixation of self and other as sepa-rate and independent entities—develops. This isthe second level of confusion which is based uponthis primary lack of direct experience of the truenature of mind.

Based upon this dualistic clinging to self andother, a mass of complex emotional confusion, the84,000 afflictive emotional states, has developed,which is the third level of obscuration.

Finally, the fourth or the gross level of obscura-tion is the karmic level of all of these unskillful andnegative tendencies, reinforced through physical,verbal, and mental actions and thought processesbased upon emotional confusion.

In our present confusion then, as unenlight-ened beings, we experience the totality of thesefour levels of obscuration all at the same time. Theinherent purity of mind has not been lost in us andcannot be lost, but it is obscured to the point thatwhat one experiences is one big state of obscura-tion. The impurity, which is the confusion, coversthe pure nature of the mind as clouds obscure the

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To use thesephysical, verbal,and mentalfaculties in skillfulspiritual practice isto eliminate thekarmic level ofobscuration

sun.The single most important element in our

experience, which binds all of that confusion to-gether, is egocentricity, the clinging to the reality ofself or ego, the thought, “I am.” We might say thatit is the glue or the binding that holds theobscurations together.

Until there is illumination of all of those levelsof confusion and obscuration in the mind,then there can not be a true state of enlightenmentor realization. Given that the water has alreadybeen polluted by sediment, then the idea is torecover its original purity and transparency. Giventhat the sky has become obscured by clouds andfog to the point where the suncannot be seen, then the idea is toclear away the clouds and fogbanks so that one can see and bewarmed by the sun without hin-drance. Once we understand andexperience this essential intangibil-ity and this illuminating quality,then the dynamic and unimpededawareness of the manifestation ofmind can begin to loosen the bondof ego-clinging. At that point, thisalmost incredible binding stricture,which the clinging to self and to theappearances of reality produces, can dissolve.

Once this initial loosening takes place, then onecan begin to use one’s physical, verbal and mentalcapacities in a skillful and productive manner. Thisis why there are physical spiritual practices suchas prostrations. This is why there are verbalspiritual practices such as recitation of mantra andprayers. This is why there are mental spiritualpractices such as meditation and various states ofmind generated through meditation. To use thesephysical, verbal, and mental faculties in skillfulspiritual practice is to eliminate the karmic level ofobscuration, is to counterbalance negative karmictendencies and eventually to remove them asfactors of, or leading to, confusion.

More specifically, through the practice of medi-tation, one develops the experience of shamatha,which is the experience of stability or calmness of

mind, the ability of mind to rest in a given statewithout emotional confusion and distractions. Atthat point, one begins to eliminate the third levelof obscuration, the level of emotional confusion.

The next phase of meditation experience is onewe term the vipashyana experience, which isinsight into the nature of mind. This is oftentechnically termed egolessness or the experience ofegolessness, the egolessness of the individual selfor ego and the egolessness of all phenomena asindependent entities in and of themselves. In theexperience of vipashyana one begins to realize thatboth the ego and the objects and situations weperceive in the external world lack any ultimatereality. With the vipashyana experience—insight

into the nature of the mind—thesecond level of obscuration, dual-istic clinging, is eliminated.[While the third and fourth levelsof obscuration are regarded asgross, emotional obscurations, thesecond and first levels are re-garded as subtle, cognitiveobscurations.]

Then finally, developingbeyond this experience of insight,there is a fundamental transfor-mation of unknowing to a state ofknowing, changing a state of

unawareness to a state of awareness, from igno-rance to a state of direct perception and directexperience of mind. Then mind can see or experi-ence its own nature. This is what we term themahamudra experience. Mahamudra means “greatsymbol,” which is a code word for the direct experi-ence of the fundamental nature of mind. At thispoint the most subtle level of obscuration or level ofconfusion in the mind has been removed. Ignorancehas been transformed into intelligent awareness.

This is how we define buddhahood, the attain-ment of complete enlightenment. The word“buddha” is a Sanskrit term which was translatedinto Tibetan as sangye. Sang means to eliminate,in the sense that all of these levels of obscurationand confusion in the mind have been eliminated.Gye means simply to manifest or unfold, whichrefers to the unlimited expression of the inherent

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It is only in thehuman state ofrebirth that wehave theintelligencenecessary toperceive thesituation we are inand to effect thetransformationnecessaryto becomeenlightened

awareness and nature of mind that ensues uponenlightenment. That is the definition ofbuddhahood, the illumination which allows thismanifestation.

The nectar, the elixir which allows one to effectthat transformation, the illumination whichmakes such unfolding take place, is containedwithin the teachings of dharma. It is the functionof the spiritual teacher to give these teachings andthat in fact is what this process requires. Havingreceived these teachings then one absorbs them.One actually takes them in andexperiences them through one’sown practice. Then one can becomeenlightened. One can effect thattransformation, become a buddha,and become completely enlight-ened. So when we speak of a sen-tient being, an unenlightenedbeing, and when we speak about abuddha, an enlightened being, weare not speaking about somethinghere and something else over there.The transformation seems to bethis simple: There is a state ofunenlightenment or there is a stateof enlightenment, and all that isnecessary for one to become theother is for that transformation tobe effected.

There are many lower states ofexistence that we cannot directlyperceive—the hell states, the ghost realms, and theanimal realms that we cannot directly perceive inour present limited circumstances. We can, how-ever, see a great deal of other kinds of animal lifearound us. We can directly perceive the life in theocean, on the land, and in the air, including insects.All of these forms of life, all life that is sentient,have inherent in their make-up, this potential forenlightenment. And we can see quite plainly thatin the vast majority of these animal states ofexistence there can be no appreciation of mentalstates and that there can be no steps made to-wards actualization of mental awareness. Themind is so obscured by ignorance—there is such a

fundamental lack of intelligence in animal life—that the kinds of concepts we are discussing todayare completely closed to their kind of mentality. Itis only in the human state of rebirth that we havethe intelligence necessary to perceive the situationwe are in and to effect the transformation neces-sary to become enlightened. So, while these otherforms of life have this potential, it is temporarilyblocked and unavailable to them because of thelimitations of that state of rebirth.

This is not to say that any one of these beingscould not at some future point attain enlighten-

ment in some other state ofrebirth, because the situation is avery complex one due to thebacklog of karma which is quiteliterally infinite. There have beeninfinite cycles of rebirth up to thepresent time. In every sentientbeing there has been an infinitereinforcing of positive and nega-tive tendencies. In the case ofconfusion, only negative karmahas been reinforced. However, itis possible that positive or virtu-ous tendencies can be established.And because these tendenciesplay themselves out, one after theother according to their relativestrengths, it is possible from thepoint of view of spiritual aware-ness that at a certain point in thefuture any one of those non-

human forms of life could pass from that form oflife and attain a much higher form of life in its nextrebirth. At that point, connections with spiritualteachings and teachers could then be establishedand such beings could attain enlightenment. Theycould discover their own buddha potential andeffect the transformation to enlightenment. So wecannot rule out the possibility that in particularstates of rebirth this path will be open to them.

In presenting his teachings, the BuddhaShakyamuni spoke of karmic causality as the mostcrucial concept for understanding the spiritualpath and the transformation that the teachings ofthe buddhadharma can effect. The Buddha talked

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There is a basis formoral choice inboth the doctrineof karma inBuddhism and thedoctrine of divinepunishment andreward inChristianity

very extensively about causality, the infallibleinterdependence of cause and effect on a karmiclevel, the states of happiness produced by positiveand virtuous physical, verbal, and mental actions,and the negative and harmful results and states ofsuffering and pain caused by negative and un-wholesome actions.

The way in which the enlightened mind ex-presses itself through manifesting and beingactive in the world to lead beings to enlightenmentis quite incredible. So it should come as no surpriseto us that we see parallels in the various religiousand spiritual philosophies that develop. For ex-ample, if we take a look at the Christian teachingson karma we can see that while it isnot labeled in that way—it is notperceived of as a karmic process—there is nevertheless an emphasison one’s actions and the effects ofone’s actions. There is definitelysome causality recognized betweenthe actions that one commits andthe experience that the mind andbody undergo in the future. In thisway Christianity and Buddhism aresimilar. They may not speak of theprocess in the same way, or useexactly the same labels, but manyparallels can be seen. For example,in the Christian tradition the atti-tude may be one of acting in accordance with or inopposition to the will of God. And so there is theidea that certain kinds of actions are acceptable inthe eyes of God and are in accordance with the willof God, which lead to positive results that willbenefit the person performing the actions, while,on the other hand, there are actions which arecontrary to the will of God, which produce sufferingand pain for the person committing the action.

In the Buddhist tradition we speak of one’s ownkarma, those tendencies of mind, speech, and bodywhich one has established, the results of which onewill have to personally experience. In this way thekarmic process is more self-contained, and it isexpressed as one’s own actions coming back uponone. But the end result is the same. In either case

there is a basis for a moral choice. This is basedupon the understanding that certain actions pro-duce positive results and certain actions producenegative results. In reference to the different waysof expressing the inevitable interdependence ofcause and effect, we have a saying in Tibet:“Whether you beat someone or strike someone theresult is the same—a negative action with a nega-tive effect.” In both cases you are hitting the per-son. On this level the two doctrines present thesame concept in a different way, but the end resultis the same. There is a basis for moral choice inboth the doctrine of karma in Buddhism and thedoctrine of divine punishment and reward inChristianity in accordance with whether or not

actions are in accord with thewill of God.

The way this karmic processis explained in thebuddhadharma is that the im-pure aspect or mind, the funda-mental ignorance of mind andthe many attendant states ofcognitive and emotional confu-sion and obscuration of mind actas a basis upon which the karmictendencies can form or develop.For example, the fundamentalstate of unawareness is like theearth upon which seeds can beplanted. These seeds represent

the karmic tendencies which are reinforced by ourphysical, verbal, and mental actions. Once a seedhas been planted, for it to come to fruition thereneeds to be the support from the earth and soil,nourishment of the soil, water, light, heat, and soforth. Without these circumstances the seed willsimply remain inert. When all the circumstancesthat the seed requires are present, then it germi-nates, grows, flowers, and multiplies. It comes tofruition. In the same way, any karmic tendencywhich is established and reinforced through aparticular action is stored in some sense in thatfundamental state of confused awareness. It is alatent tendency until such time as the circum-stances in the environment within the mind itselfprovide an avenue by which that tendency can

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The physical deathof the body doesnot constitute thedeath of the mind

emerge and become an active part of one’s experi-ence and mature as an aspect of one’s experience.

The pure nature of mind, the original tran-scending awareness which is the fundamentalnature of mind as we have described it—essen-tially intangible, empty of limiting characteristics,no thing in and of itself—this essentially intangibleexperience which also exhibits illuminating poten-tial and dynamic unimpeded awareness, is notsomething that is subject to birth or death. It is notsomething that arises at any given point and thendisappears at another point. Essentially intangibleas it is, mind is not subject to birth or death. It isan infinite process without beginning and withoutend. On the fundamental level of mind itself we arespeaking of something eternal.* Mind is not sub-ject to the process of birth or death because it is nothing in and of itself. This essential intangibility ofmind exempts it from being sub-ject to arising from any one pointand falling away at any otherpoint. On the other hand, theconfused state of awareness whichwe experience because of all of thefour levels of obscuration that wehave been describing, gives rise toappearances and experiences which are notmarked by this eternality. They are subject tochange. They arise and they fade. There is a con-tinual coming and going of projections, appear-ances, experiences, thoughts, emotions, and soforth in the mind. There is this continual instabil-ity which is the basis of frustration and pain inone’s individual consciousness. This has been thecase up to the present time and will continue to beso as long as the individual does not attain enlight-enment. As long as there is no transcending of theconfusion which produces these impermanent andunstable experiences there will continue to be thesuffering and pain as well as the merely temporaryattractive states of pleasure and happiness thatoccur on the mundane level. There will continue tobe an on-going flux in the mind of unstable statesof pleasure and pain, of happiness and unhappi-

ness, without any end in sight. For true and per-manent happiness and benefit to occur it is neces-sary to transcend the whole process which givesrise to those unstable appearances.

We experience a physical body now. The physi-cal body is a result of the maturation of variouskarmic tendencies, and whatever the mind experi-ences it experiences through this physical body.The maturation of these various karmic tendenciesbrings about a particular state of physical exist-ence. Even if that physical body is totally de-stroyed—perhaps it is bombed to smithereens tothe point where there is not a single trace of thatphysical body left—at that point the mind contin-ues and, due to the trauma produced by death,enters into a state of unconsciousness. This state ofunconsciousness lasts for only a few days at themost, whereupon there is a re-awakening of themind. At this point, the mind begins to experience

what we term the bardo state—the after-death state or the inter-mediate state between death andrebirth. During this time, theworld is as real to the individualconsciousness as the world we nowexperience is to us in our wakingstate. The mind ascribes to its own

impressions and experiences in the after-deathstate the same amount of reality as we ascribe nowto our own world. So the physical death of the bodydoes not constitute the death of the mind.

When the Buddha Shakyamuni described thiskarmic process he spoke in terms of previousexistences. Not only had there been previousexistences that the mind had undergone, but onecould actually look to one’s physical body and toone’s actual situation in this life to determine, tosome extent, what the karmic tendencies in previ-ous existences had been. So he said at one point, “Ifone wants to understand what the mind has expe-rienced, look at one’s present physical body.” Is thebody a strong, healthy, long-lived body? Does theperson enjoy health or fame or influence? Theseare results of meritorious and positive karmictendencies which have led to such states andexperiences. The Buddha also said that if a personis wealthy, this is a sign that they were generous in

*Editor’s note: Rinpoche is speaking here from the point ofview of Shentong Madhyamaka.

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The BuddhaShakyamuni said,‘If you want to seewhere the mindhas been, look atyour body; and ifyou want to seewhere the mind isgoing, look at yourpresent actions’

previous lives in which they shared their wealth,and that through the merit gained thereby, karmiccausation has led to the experience of wealth forthem in this life. If, on the other hand, a person issubject to poverty and want and deprivation, thenthis is a sign that there has been theft and takingfrom others and harming and depriving others in aprevious lifetime.

If the mind and the body of theperson are happy, the person ishealthy, and that person has livedfor a long time, then this is a signthat the person has nourished andcherished life in previous lifetimes.On the other hand, if a personexperiences a great deal of pain,suffering, illness, and disease anddies very young, then this is a signthat the karmic tendencies fromprevious lives were produced by thetaking of life, killing, and causingphysical or mental injuries to otherbeings. The Buddha spoke of thisdirect correlation between karmictendencies established in previousexistences and the actual physical body and stationand situation in life one experiences now.

But this process also takes into account futurestates of existence, without which, in fact, spiritualteaching would be of no use at all. If it were nottrue that the mind goes on to experience otherstates of existence, then there would be no need forspiritual teachings. If the mind died with the bodythen the only benefit available to us, even on avery temporary level, would be to work in theworld as much as possible to develop the greatestextent of happiness and fulfillment in this lifealone, and that would be it. But all spiritual teach-ings recognize that mind goes on to other states ofexperience. If that were not the case, then therewould be no need for any spiritual teachings, andthey would not have arisen in the first place. Butthere is this understanding of a causal relationshipbetween our mental continuum and future statesof existence that is fundamental and crucial to allspiritual traditions.

The Buddha also said that not only can one go

to one’s physical body and experiences in this life todetermine previous karmic tendencies, but one canalso look at one’s actions in this life to determineone’s future experience.

The Buddha Shakyamuni said, “If you want tosee where the mind has been look at your body;and if you want to see where the mind is going lookat your present actions.” If one’s actions are moti-

vated to a great extent by angerand malevolence, if one takespleasure in stealing from andhurting other beings—and thisincludes killing and hurtinganimals for pleasure as well—and if the tendencies in one’smind are continually strength-ened and reinforced by thoughtsof such things, then these are thepatterns that can lead the mindto a rebirth in hell. And even if amind with such tendencies is notreborn in a hell realm and issomehow able to attain humanrebirth, one will undergo sick-ness, suffering, and a short life

that is miserable because of the karmic result ofthat kind of malevolent activity. On the otherhand, if one’s actions are those of cherishing lifeand are motivated by benevolence and altruisticconcerns for others, then karmic tendencies areestablished which can lead to rebirth in a godrealm. This is still in the cycle of rebirth, but in anextremely evolved, comfortable, pleasant, andhappy state of existence. If the mind does notattain to such a high state of rebirth but to ahuman rebirth, then it would enjoy a productivelong life, healthy, happy, and prosperous as a resultof the positive karmic effects of the positive tenden-cies established by such benevolent actions in thepast.

We tend to think that the prosperity, wealth,and security that we enjoy in this life are directlydependent upon our immediate efforts of studyingand working hard to build up security and stabilityand so forth. No doubt that is a factor and there iscertainly causality on that level as well. But thereare situations where we simply cannot justify that

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kind of understanding as the only way of explain-ing things, because when a rich person or a richfamily has a child and that child has done no workbut is born into wealth and is immediatelywealthy, then there is noreference to the child’sdirect efforts in his or herpresent life to acquire ahigh station of wealth. Inthe same way, we maysee a person who is borninto a family that is verypoor and the child maystarve and experienceextreme mental andphysical suffering fromthe start, without havingdone anything in this lifeto deserve that suffering.What helps to explainthis seeming contradic-tion is the idea that thekarmic process is theresult of negative karmictendencies that weregenerated in and alreadyexistent in previous livesand that were reinforcedby negative actions inprevious lives and thatconsequently produce anexperience of poverty,want, and suffering inthis life, though theremay be seemingly noth-ing in the immediatesituation to justify such an experience. So it isthese kinds of situations that impress upon us thevalidity of the karmic process of causality as it isdescribed and demonstrated, which is the relation-ship between actions and their results in ourexperience.

In experiencing human rebirth we have a veryfortunate opportunity, because only the humanexperience affords one the opportunity to exercise acertain degree of free will, and thereby affords onethe opportunity to establish the kind of karmic

habits that will direct one toward enlightenment orat least to higher states of rebirth. However, onecan also quite easily establish negative karma thatwill ensure the mind a lower state of rebirth. One

is, in a certain sense, ata pivotal point betweenan upward or a down-ward direction. One hasthe choice to go to ahigher state of rebirth orto a lower state of re-birth. In an animalrebirth the mind is farmore limited because ofthe limitations of thislower realm. The mindthere has very littlechoice. An animal isdriven by its own in-stincts and impulses tocommit actions which inmany ways reinforcenegative karmic tenden-cies leading to lowerstates of rebirth. Thequalities of faith, com-passion, benevolence,and altruism, which areconducive to spiritualdevelopment—and on amundane level to posi-tive karmic tendenciesbeing established andreinforced—these av-enues are closed toanimal life.

During this morning’s session we have beenconcerned for the most part with the state of thingsas they are now, the different levels of obscurationsthat we all experience as unenlightened beings inthe cycle of rebirth and the various states of experi-ence in the cycle of rebirth and so forth. We havebeen speaking about things from the point of viewof samsara. Later on today we hope to go more intothe concept of nirvana.

Yangsi Rinpoche, the reincarnate Kalu Rinpoche

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His Holiness Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche

Mahamudra: the Essence ofAll the Buddha’s Teachings

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This nature of mind that we have beendiscussing—the essential emptiness ofmind or intangibility of mind, its being “nothing” in and of itself, but nevertheless, exhibitingan illuminating potential, and a dynamic unim-peded awareness—are terms that one has probablynever heard before.* But through the grace andblessing of the Buddha Shakyamuni, we haveteachings which can expose us to this truth. Theynot only confirm for us that we have this truenature of mind inherently in our make-up, but alsothat, through the skillful application of the tech-niques and methods of buddhadharma, we canexperience and actualize that pure nature inattaining enlightenment.

It is mind, on the one hand, that experiences allof the confusion and all the illusions andobscurations which give rise to the experience ofsamsara [the cycle of conditioned rebirth and all ofthe states of experience within that cycle of re-birth]. It is mind which gives rise to and experi-ences all of these situations. On the other hand, itis the same mind which is inherently unimpededand gives rise to and experiences all of the quali-ties and potentials of the enlightened state ofmind. So, whether we are speaking of the unen-lightened state of being or the enlightened state ofbeing, everything happens within the mind itself;nothing falls outside of it. It is mind which experi-ences both of these states.

In our particular case, being human and enjoy-ing this human state of rebirth indicates to us thatthere has been a considerable development andestablishment of merit and virtuous, positivekarmic tendencies in our previous lifetimes. Fur-

thermore, it would seem we have had a connectionwith the three jewels and the tradition ofdharma—all of which is coming into maturity inthis life. We have this physical body as quite afortunate state of rebirth and we are able to makecontact or re-establish contact with these teachingsand understand and apply them.

The embodiment that we now experience is aphysical one, which is nevertheless mental inorigin; it arises from the mind. Its origin, ulti-mately speaking, is the mind. When we go to sleepand dream we experience the dream state, which isa different kind of embodiment. The mind does notexperience through the physical body at that point,but it experiences a purely mental body, which isanother kind of embodiment based upon habitualtendencies in the mind. These tendencies can besubtle ones of dualistic clinging and obvious onesbased on our experiences during this life, whichform patterns that arise in the dream state. Fur-thermore, in the future, when each and every oneof us dies, the physical body disintegrates and themind goes on to experience another state of being.This is a disembodied state, in that there is nophysical basis for the consciousness. Nevertheless,there is a sense of embodiment in the mind whichwe term the mental body. In that situation there isstill an impression of “I.” I exist. And so the threestates—the physical body which is the maturationof karmic tendencies, the dream body of habitualtendencies, and the mental body of the after-deathstate—constitute different elements of rebirth,which follow one after the other in a continualprocession.

The essence or quintessence of all of theBuddha’s teachings are those teachings whichdescribe and point out the mahamudra experience.This term mahamudra in Sanskrit means “su-preme symbol” or “supreme seal,” like a seal on adocument, and is translated into Tibetan quiteliterally as chak gya chenpo, [phyag-rgya-chenpo].Chak gya in Tibetan means “seal” and chenpomeans “great” or “supreme.” The term mudra inSanskrit or chakgya in Tibetan can be brokendown further into two syllables. The first, chak, isan honorific word in Tibetan for “mind,” whichliterally is a code word for sunyata or the empti-

The following edited transcript is a continuationof Rinpoche’s September 11, 1982, teaching onmahamudra. Rinpoche gave the teaching inTibetan; it was orally translated by Lama ChökyiNyima.

By His Holiness Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche

*Editor’s note: The Tibetan terms being translated here aretong, sal, magakpa, which literally mean empty, clear, andunimpeded or emptiness, clarity (lucidity, luminosity), andunimpededness.

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ness of mind and all phenomena. This is the essen-tial intangibility and the ultimate non-reality ofmind and all phenomena. The second syllable, gya,refers to the all-embracing nature of this experi-ence, outside of which no aspect of one’s experiencefalls. It refers to the all-embracing awareness ofthe essential emptiness of mind and its experi-ences, and the all-embracingemptiness of all phenomena.Chenpo in Tibetan, or maha inSanskrit, means great or supreme.It indicates that this is the ulti-mate experience and there isnothing greater. So the termmahamudra refers to the all-embracing awareness of the empti-ness of mind and of each and everyaspect of one’s experiences.

On the one hand we find thisterm mudra or “seal” or “symbol”which can be explained as a cipheror code word for this condition,emptiness, outside of which noaspect of one’s experience exists or happens. Wealso find reference in Buddhism to the maha atiteachings, in Tibetan dzogchen, which means the“supreme perfection” or the “supreme completion.”This term refers to a state of being which is all-inclusive, which is complete and embraces all ofone’s experiences in their entirety. So again, thereis nothing that falls outside of this experience orthis state of mind. There is nothing that is notincluded in this experience; it is complete in and ofitself. It is supreme perfection and supremecompletion. This is the term dzogchen.

In the dzogchen tradition we find that theteachings which expose one to this concept are soprofound that, according to the tradition, if onemeditates upon them by night, one will attainenlightenment that same night, and if one medi-tates upon them by day, one will attain enlighten-ment that day. In some cases, if a person is fortu-nate enough and has the proper karmic back-ground, it will not be necessary to meditate at all.If that person simply hears these teachings thenthey will bring about that state of realization. It isalso possible that if one encounters or hears the

mahamudra teachings, in a single instant one canbecome enlightened. In this case, one is dealingwith a very direct path to enlightenment.

So we might wonder—is this really true? Wellyes, it is true. This transformation can be effected.If the fundamental ignorance or the lack of thedirect experience of the nature of mind is trans-

formed into awareness, then in aninstant that transformation can beeffected. It is only necessary forthat fundamental transformationto take place. But practicallyspeaking, of course, these fourlevels of obscuration seem verysolid at this point. We experiencethem as being very solid impedi-ments or barriers to direct experi-ence. Until those levels of obscura-tion have been thinned out, thatkind of transformation is going tobe very difficult.

What needs to happen in orderto develop this experience of

mahamudra—this direct experience of the natureof mind? There are two fundamental elements inone’s spiritual transformation: one’s own efforts inthe purification of one’s negativity and mental andemotional obscurations and one’s own efforts todevelop positive qualities such as merit and aware-ness, and one’s devotion to one’s guru, one’s spiri-tual teacher, which also plays an essential part inbringing about this transformation. These twofundamental elements will bring one to the attain-ment of the mahamudra experience.

In the Buddhist tradition we sometimes, tech-nically, call this pure, fundamental nature of mind,before any distorting element of confusion orobscuration sets in, “co-emergent transcendingawareness,”* which is co-emergent with conscious-ness itself in that it is the inherent nature of mindwithout all of these obscuring factors. Referring tothis attainment of enlightenment termed themahamudra experience—the state of co-emergent

The termmahamudrarefers to the all-embracingawareness of theemptiness of mindand of each andevery aspect ofone’s experiences

*Editor’s note: The term yeshe is more frequently translatedas “wisdom” or “primordial awareness” these days, whichwould then give one “co-emergent wisdom” or “co-emergentprimordial awareness” in this case.

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awareness—we find a reference in one text whichstates that in order to bring about the emergenceof transcending co-emergent awareness, the onlyeffective means are one’s own efforts in the purifi-cation of obscurations and the development ofmerit and awareness and one’s devotion to andreliance upon a qualified guru. One should under-stand that any other approach would be stupid.One would be wasting one’s time with any otherapproach than these two methods.

This is not to say that it is in every case neces-sary to work extraordinarily hard to attain enlight-enment and experience mahamudra. It depends onthe circumstances. If the person is a very spiritu-ally sensitive and mature individual as a result oflifetimes of spiritual development and purificationand the development of merit and awareness, andso forth, then a more or less in-stantaneous transformation couldtake place. If that kind of personwith those qualifications meets askillful, enlightened teacher in theproper circumstances, then theycould attain the experience ofmahamudra immediately. It ispossible, but it depends upon thecircumstance.

What kind of qualities wouldthat kind of person have? Thatkind of spiritually sensitive personwould have faith and conviction inthe teachings they were receiving.When they heard discussions onthe nature of the mind and thesunyata experience, the emptinessof mind, there would be the kind of conviction thatsaid: “Yes, this is true, this is the way it is.” Theywould have unswerving confidence in the informa-tion they were receiving. They would also have anunswerving faith in their guru as a fully qualifiedand realized being. There would be no doubts onthat level, in terms either of the teachings or of theteacher. They would also have an intense compas-sion for all other beings and the understandingthat, while each and every being has this potentialto become enlightened, all the confusion andobscurations which block that direct experience

create endless suffering and frustration for allbeings. That would be the source of their compas-sion. Such a person would have intense dedicationand diligence in their spiritual practice so that anyparticular task that was required, any particularpractice that needed to be worked through, wouldbe met and carried through with complete diligenceand commitment. If all of these qualities cometogether, then one has an extremely spirituallysensitive person with acute capabilities whichallow this very rare transformation to take placeinstantaneously.*

Given that one is not perhaps such a personwith extremely acute capabilities, who is spiritu-ally mature, but is, in fact, on a lesser level ofattainment, at a level of preparation, how does onego about attaining this state of ultimate aware-

ness? The situation that unen-lightened beings find themselvesin is similar to what we describedearlier with the sun shining in thesky. The sun may be there in thesky but it is obscured from ourview because clouds cover it. If oneis going to see the sun one is goingto have to clear the clouds out ofthe way first. If one has suffi-ciently thick levels of obscurationand confusion in one’s mind thenone cannot have that direct experi-ence immediately. It simply cannotbe an aspect of one’s experiencenow. When that is the case, thenone must work at clearing awaythose obscurations to the point

where direct experience can take place. That is thefunction of one’s practice. One must eliminate thevarious levels of obscuration and confusion in themind in order to permit the inherently pure nature

The only effectivemeans are one’sown effort in thepurification ofobscurations andthe developmentof merit andawareness andone’s devotion toand reliance upona qualified guru

*Editor’s note: In this regard, the editor once asked LamaWangchen Rinpoche, who was the previous Kalu Rinpoche’snephew and who spent a great deal of time as a boy andyoung adult traveling with and serving Kalu Rinpoche, if hehad ever asked Rinpoche when and under what conditions hehad attained enlightenment. Lama Wangchen said, yes, hehad asked that question, and that Rinpoche’s answer wasthat his mind had always been the same all of his life, evenin earliest childhood.

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of mind to manifest itself directly.Again, one does not need to give up in despair

and think, well, since I am obviously not a verysensitive person with extremely acute capabilities,then it is hopeless for me. I have so manyobscurations, so thick and so solid, that it is goingto take me many lifetimes before I can work it alloff. We are not meant to feel that way. The purposeof all the truly incredible teachings of both thesutras and the tantric teachings of the Buddha isto bring that transformation into effect very rap-idly. One does not have to let these levels of cogni-tive and emotional confusion andobscuration play themselves out,so to speak, as one gradually chipsaway at them, attempting to cometo the point where a significantexperience can take place. One canactually take control over one’ssituation and effect this transfor-mation through the skillful prac-tice of these precious teachings.Skillful methods give one themeans for a greatly disproportion-ate result in a very short term ofpractice. If one practices regularly,even for a few minutes or a fewhours daily, one can eliminate the confusion andobscuration that took eons to accumulate. That isthe particular blessing and efficacy of spiritualpractice. It provides one with skillful and effectivemeans of clearing away these obscurations so thatin a relatively small amount of time, one canexperience a great effect in one’s total make-up.

We say there are many people who are inter-ested in Buddhist teachings and many people whoare practicing the Buddhist teachings, but how is itthat they are not already enlightened? What ismissing is the kind of commitment that is neces-sary, the kind of total involvement which can beseen in the life of Milarepa. This total involvementpermits total absorption in spiritual practice; andit is only because we lack this kind of intensity ofcommitment that we do not effect the transforma-tion to enlightenment more quickly. This can bedemonstrated if we look at all of the activities thatwe engage in day and night, which simply involve

us in the world and leave us very little time andenergy for spiritual practice. If we totaled up ouractivity day and night, perhaps only one or twopercent is really being directed to the dharma.Because there is a lack of intensity in one’s com-mitment to one’s practice, there is a commensuratelack of intensity in the results of one’s practice. Ifwe increased the time committed to spiritualpractice to equal more nearly the time that we nowdevote to mundane activities, and involved our-selves at the same level of intensity, then we couldeffect this transformation. The transformation

might not come about in thislifetime, as one might lack theintensity necessary, but certainlythe transformation could happenin the bardo or after-death state,or within a significantly smallnumber of lifetimes. In two orthree lifetimes, one could effect thetotal transformation from a stateof unenlightened awareness to astate of totally enlightened aware-ness.

Today we are discussing thequestion of mahamudra, theultimate experience of the nature of mind that wehave described as being empty and essentiallyintangible, mind as being “no thing” in and ofitself, but nevertheless, exhibiting qualities whichare an illuminating potential [cognitive clarity orcognitive lucidity] and the ability to experience theunimpeded and dynamic manifestation of aware-ness.

A way to confirm this empty, clear, and unim-peded nature of mind is simply to let the mind restin its own natural state without any distraction orany dullness. This is a way of confirming the wayor path one takes to attain the state ofmahamudra. The point is that the mind does notlook at anything—does not try to experience any-thing, but simply is. One lets the mind be in itsown natural state without any distraction, but alsowith this bare spark of awareness, the dynamicquality of awareness not being blocked or impeded.The mind is neither dull nor is it agitated or dis-

If one practicesregularly, even fora few minutes or afew hours daily,one can eliminatethe confusion andobscurations thattook eons toaccumulate

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Without therebeing desire in themind, there wouldbe no desire in thebody. Withoutthere being angerin the mind, therewould be no angerin the body

tracted, but is simply resting in the state of bare,uncontrived awareness.

At this point, while the mind is resting in thisempty state of non-discursive awareness, we couldintroduce an element of conscious thought andsimply watch what happens. This could be athought or an emotion, an experience of faith orcompassion, or whatever. One could simply allow itto arise. One could stimulate themind to give rise to a certainthought, emotion, or feeling tone.Or, if thoughts and emotionsalready exist, one could simply beaware of what happens. Is thethought that arises of the mind, isit separate from the mind, or is itidentical with the mind? Whatexactly is happening when athought arises in the mind? Whatexactly is going on? This is some-thing one can confirm for oneselfthrough this kind of approach.One can deliberately bring up thethought or emotion or feeling—either positive ornegative. The point is simply to confirm for oneselfwhat is happening.

No doubt each and every one of us has someoneor something to which we are very attached. Itmay be a husband, wife, lover, or a particularpossession or accomplishment to which we are veryattached. If we have great pride in it, we are,therefore, very attached to it. We have a great dealof attachment and desire for that thing or thatperson. Using this particular approach in medita-tion—letting the mind rest in this state of intan-gible awareness—one can call the thought of thatperson or that thing or that accomplishment tomind. As that attachment to that person, situation,thing, or whatever arises then one can observe:Does it arise from mind itself, or is there some-thing that exists in and of itself? If it does arisefrom mind, what does this mind look like? What isthe mind like when giving rise to the desire orattachment? What does the desire or attachmentlook like? What kind of shape or color or form ortangibility does it have? It is useful to investigatethe mind in this way.

At present, we have a vague or naive under-standing of “I exist” or “I am, I have a mind.” Weare also very aware of the physical body. We think,my body, this body of mine, and we tend to regardthe two as one. I am my mind and body together asone lump. And so we tend to feel or experienceemotions arising on a physical and mental level atthe same time, as though they were somehow

inherent in the body and the mind.But actually, the origin of all thesefeelings, thoughts, and emotions ismental in nature. Ultimatelyspeaking, the way these emotionsarise in the mind has nothing to dowith the body. We have simplyconditioned the mind to experiencethem as if there was some physicalorigin for any given emotion, whichis actually not the case. The mindis like a stern king and the body islike a humble servant. And it is thebody’s function to follow the ordersof the mind. Mind directs the body

in various activities and the body simply followsthe mind without being an entity itself, having noidentity in and of itself. Which means that withoutthere being desire in the mind there would be nodesire in the body. Without there being anger inthe mind there would be no anger in the body. Thebody can only express itself in these ways becauseof what is in the mind to begin with.

So right now we have quite a problem becausewe experience our mind and body as a unit and wefeel that whatever comes up in the mind must beimmediately translated into physical or verbalaction. We feel that there is no choice in the mat-ter. Thus, when desire or anger arises in the mindwe will go to any lengths to express it on a physicalor verbal level. We will go through any hardship tomake sure the anger or desire gets expressed on aphysical or verbal level. This is our understanding,so we think it must happen that way: The emo-tions arise in the mind and body seemingly to-gether, and there can be no other way of experienc-ing them. If this were really the case, then whenwe die, and mind and body separate, it would seemthat the corpse would continue to feel desire and

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If in fact, thesethoughts andemotions . . . arenot solid things, ifthey are intangible,then we do nothave to go throughall the trouble ofplaying them outphysically, verbally,or mentally

anger and act accordingly. Even though conscious-ness would be absent, there would still be a capac-ity of the body to manifest these emotions and toplay them out.

It is necessary here to understand how emo-tions arise in the mind and how the physicalbody is based upon the projections of the mind. Wemust understand more about the nature of minditself, particularly the essential intangibility of themind that gives rise to all of these emotions. Hav-ing understood the intangibility of mind and hav-ing understood that thoughts and emotions arisefrom the mind, then one needs to extend thisunderstanding to see the intangibility of thoughtsand emotions, given that they arise from an intan-gible and essentially empty state of mind. Theythemselves are a state of that intangible nature.They are not solid things in and of themselves.

If in fact, these thoughts and emotions—suchas attachment, aversion, envy, anger, pride, and soforth—are not solid things, if they are intangible,then we do not have to go throughall the trouble of playing them outphysically, verbally, or mentally. Allof that becomes meaningless, ifthey are, in fact, nothing in and ofthemselves. Even if one under-stands this concept only intellectu-ally—this concept of the emptinessof mind and the emptiness ofthoughts and emotions which arisefrom the mind—and even if onedoes not develop this understandingfurther by experiencing it directlyin meditation, one should know thata great deal of the trouble can stillbe eliminated simply by under-standing that this is the case, thatthe projections of the mind are asintangible and empty as mind itself. It is for thisreason that the Indian mahasiddha Nagarjunasaid in one of his texts: “Wherever emptiness isappropriate, everything is appropriate. Whereveremptiness is not appropriate, nothing is.” The pointhe was making is that when approaching medita-tion, if one has this basic understanding of the

emptiness of mind and all that is projected andexperienced by mind, then whatever particularmethod or technique is used in meditation will bevery effective. But without this basic understand-ing of emptiness, no technique is going to be veryeffective. It all hinges on this fundamental under-standing.

Emptiness should be defined at this point.Emptiness is not what we mean when we saythat a house is empty or a container is empty—that there is an absence of something. That is notthe case at all. The term here is used to indicatethat the mind in and of itself is empty of, or devoidof, limiting characteristics. It cannot be pinneddown as being such and such a color or such andsuch a shape or size or in such and such a location.Those kinds of tangible limiting characteristics aretotally inapplicable to mind. And so we say thatmind is empty.

The emptiness of mind is something that canactually be demonstrated empirically. It might not

be demonstrated in a way thatwe are willing to accept rightaway, but we could indicate theemptiness of mind just as we canindicate any object and say, “Thatis what it is like.” If we considerall the years we spent at homeand going to school getting aneducation and continually accu-mulating knowledge, then wemight see that all of that knowl-edge does not go anywhere. Itdoes not go somewhere inAmerica or in this town or in thisbody. In fact, it is doubtful thatthe body could hold it all, there isso much of it. Where does it go? Itdoes not go anywhere because

mind does not behave according to such param-eters. Learning is not a thing that has to be putsomewhere. It is an expression of mind as essen-tially intangible or empty of limiting characteris-tics. Because mind is inherently empty, no thing inand of itself, it should not surprise us that a projec-tion or manifestation of the mind is equally empty.

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The same kind of process that we describedearlier for karmic tendencies which are establishedand reinforced in the mind, applies here as well,because the learning that one does is a kind ofpotential—a causal factor which is stored in acertain sense. It is a latent tendency. The funda-mental confused consciousness* is a storing groundfor these tendencies. This is not meant in thephysical sense of storing, as something that youput somewhere, but in the sense of that latenttendency being stored until such time as circum-stances cause it to emerge.

In the case of learning, we establish a tendencywhich is then put on hold until such time as werequire that knowledge. When one comes into asituation where all the circumstances require thatknowledge to come forth, it does, because one hasalready learned it and one knows what to do andso one goes ahead. The cause and effect relation-ship is perfectly valid. One can use this example asthe basis for understanding the karmic process—the validity of the cause and effect relationship ofan action and an experience, one leading to theother. In this way there is a connection to thelatent tendency, which is not lost but remainslatent until such time as the circumstances impel itto mature. This is what is known as emptinessarising as cause and condition. The fundamentalintangible experiences manifest or behave incertain ways according to causality.**

When one is engaged in the practice ofmahamudra, there is a particular advanced level ofrealization which is termed ro chik, which inTibetan means one flavor or one taste. At thispoint, the identical nature of subject and objectbecomes apparent. There is no longer a split be-tween subject and object. Causality becomesempirically obvious. One can see the connections,not in a visual way, but in a way so that one cansee a particular cause leading to a particular effect.It becomes extremely evident, though it may not beevident at our current level of understanding.

If we were to take all of the thoughts and ideasthat we have in a single day or night and tried to

contain them in this whole room, it is doubtful thatthe room could hold them all—if they had anytangibility or form. But these thoughts and ideasdo not. This again exhibits the essential intangibil-ity and essential emptiness of mind and its experi-ences.

Let us take another example that is perhapscloser to home. If all of the forms and objects which

*Editor’s note: Here the translator is referring to the alayavijnana, which is fundamental dualistic consciousness, whichis the root of samsara.

**Editor’s note: There are a number of important ideas thatare being expressed here. The first is the emptiness, theinsubstantiality of the cause, which we refer to as a latency,but which we could never find as any sort of substantialentity. If we were able, in an instant just before the ripeningof any particular cause, to search all the infinite universesomnisciently, we would not be able to find that cause as atangible, substantial entity. If we searched in the same wayfor the exact conditions which give rise to the ripening of thatcause, we wouldn’t be able to find them either. The cause—what we sometimes call the root cause or the karmic cause—we can never find as a substantial entity not only because itis an action, therefore intangible, and therefore not an entity,but also because it is always gone by the time the resultripens. For example, you might ask what is the cause of achild, and you might say a gestating woman in labor. But bythe time the child is born and we can rightly say there is achild, the gestating woman in labor no longer exists, andwhile she does exist, there is no child. In this way cause andeffect—gestating woman in labor and child—do not exist atthe same time, and if they do not exist at the same time, howcould one be the cause of the other? But at the same time wedo know that there is a logic to the way things occur, and thislogic is called interdependence. We know that in dependenceupon the activity of copulation at the time of ovulation and inthe