Chapter Six: Cross over Emptiness, Realize the Nature of Mind
QYDJ
11/4/20241 min read
In 1969, when Rinpoche was 28 years old, reading the three marks of existence – external manifestations should be condensed into consciousness, consciousness condensed into emptiness, and emptiness is like the all-encompassing void – Rinpoche gained bodily experience that contrived consciousness to merge one’s own mind with that of Buddha is an effort in vain to reach the ultimate nature of mind.
From that point on, Rinpoche practiced the view of impermanence as the basis, to tame the monkey mind through meditation, and to worship emptiness as the sacred path devoutly, but Rinpoche found himself still derailed from the right path.
Previously, although Rinpoche had read Mahamudra: The Torch of True Meaning by Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, he never amassed the courage to read the part about the right practice of the nature of mind.
But the conditions had changed. Rinpoche received blessings from Kongtrul Yonten Gyatso for a total of three times in the meditation, where he dictated that he himself had a good rapport with Rinpoche throughout many lifetimes, and Rinpoche had already obtained the empowerments from the Patriarch Nhangon and Khenpo Loden, such as Manjushri's Great Illusion Net. Due to the maturity of causes and conditions, Rinpoche granted himself to read extensively the teachings and methods by Kongtrul Yonten Gyatso, the great Dzogchen master Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa, the Tertön Pema Thondup who attained Rainbow Body, as well as by Gongsa Chone Wangpo, and later put them all into real practice.
After years of exploration, Rinpoche realized through bodily accomplishment that the nature of all things are the results of the substantial cause, which arises from the heart of attachment, interacting with the cooperative conditions, and that the nature of the primoradial consciousness is tathagatagarbha, Buddha-nature. Rinpoche eventually broke free from the cage of thoughts and experienced a full range of perceptions both on his body and mind, all the way from sorrow to joy, which fended off many questions Rinpoche encountered in real practice.