We
practice the genuine dharma because it is a method for clearing away the temporary
stains that obscure our vision of the true nature of mind. The abiding nature
of our mind is clear light. It is the buddha nature, the undifferentiability of
clarity and emptiness. In its essence, it is primordially pure and primordially
free from any stain at all. It has been free and pure from the very beginning.
Yet, although this is the basic nature of mind, there are temporary, adventitious
stains, which are not of the nature of mind but which, nevertheless, prevent us
from realizing what it is.
The fact that the true nature of mind could be
this clear light, the buddha nature that is completely free of any imperfection
at all, and yet be obscured by temporary stains, is called the first of the "four
inconceivable points" in a text called the Gyü Lama. This text presents
the highest view in the continuum of the Mahayana teachings. Why is this point
inconceivable? It seems to be quite a contradiction to state that the basic nature
of mind is pure and, at the same time, there are stains that prevent us from seeing
it. If the true nature of our mind is pure, why then don't we realize this?
The
situation is like gold that is pure and yet is obscured by some coarser mineral;
it is like water that is pure in essence, and yet is muddied by dirt; it is like
the sun that is shining and yet is blocked from our view by clouds. The purpose
of practicing dharma is to clear away these temporary stains so that the essence
of mind shines forth. At that time, mind will be like pure gold that is refined
of all impure materials. It will be like pure water, uncontaminated by any trace
of dirt. It will be like the sun shining in a cloudless sky. We can understand
how this apparently contradictory point is not contradictory when we consider
such examples. On the surface, there might appear to be a contradiction while,
fundamentally, there is not.
The qualities of the basic nature of this clear
light, or buddha nature, are that it is naturally open, spacious and relaxed.
When a person realizes this directly, they are freed from the bondage of their
conceptuality; they are no longer bound by conceptual mind. Further, this realization
benefits not only those who have experienced it directly, but it also benefits
us while we are still in the process of listening to and reflecting upon these
teachings. As we develop our understanding, we progressively gain certainty that
the nature of this mind will help to release us from the bondage of our thoughts,
and from the bondage of our own anger and desire.