YOU MUST MAKE THE FINAL PROOF
You have heard what the Buddha, the lineage masters, and your root teacher have taught about the nature of the mind, and you have read about it in books. All of this is generally good, of course, but now you have to determine for yourself whether or not what the teachers and the texts say is true. You are making the quality check once and for all. For that reason Patrul Rinpoche here uses the expression 'dal sha chu'. This is Tibetan for “you must make the final proof.” This means that the time to know is now. You can begin by seeking the location of your mind. Many people believe mind is located inside the body, in the brain or in the heart. In particular, most people in modern times think the mind is in the brain. Now, look within your brain and search for your mind. Can you find it? Is it in the heart? Search for it there. Perhaps your mind is in your brain and heart simultaneously. Seek your mind in both places simultaneously. When you search for your mind in your brain, heart, or in both places at once, do you find a solidly existing mind anywhere? ... You should continue your investigation of mind. Does your mind have a color? Is it yellow, orange, red, blue, or green? Is your mind composed of atoms and molecules? Is it composed of the four elements? Is your mind hot or icy cold? Investigate further - does time apply to your mind? In other words, does your mind belong to the past, present, and future? Look at this; be thorough. See for yourself that color, composition, temperature, and time do not apply to mind. This is how you should examine your mind. This is how you bring this inquiry to conclusion. By constant, vigilant inquiry you will come to recognize and confirm that mind is boundless, beyond any and all categories. When you know for sure that your own mind is boundless, there is no need to ask any more questions. Now it is time to meditate, which means simply to relax into this boundlessness. Boundless mind is always with you, wherever you are. The teachings say that once you have performed this detailed inquiry and have attained a good understanding of the nature of your mind, from that point on your practice should be more direct. It is no longer necessary to ask many questions. Just look at your own mind and ask, “Who is analyzing the nature of the mind?” The moment you do this both the analyzer and the analysis merge into boundlessness. You can also look within and inquire, “Where is my mind?” The moment you ask that question and seek an answer you behold the boundless state. Another question you can ask is, “Who am I?” Any and all of the questions you pose to your mind regarding its nature do not yield answers. There are no answers. The questions themselves dissolve. There is nothing to seek and find, nothing to grasp, there is nothing solid at all. Everything opens to the boundless state. This is the true nature; in Buddhism it is called “emptiness.” In describing the state of emptiness, the Buddha used the words inexpressible and inconceivable. The inexpressible, inconceivable state of emptiness that is the nature of the mind is the essence of the Buddha’s vast Prajnaparamita teachings. And it is the heart of his Dzogchen teaching as well. After you discover the true nature by inquiry, then simply abide, with confidence, in that state. According to the Aro teachings as well as the teachings of other great masters elsewhere, you should meditate on that state as long as you can without being disturbed by thoughts. Meditation here means to maintain and grow increasingly familiar with your boundless, inexpressible mind. Of course, even when you recognize the nature of your mind, habitual patterns of thought will return and this state of recognition will be lost. That is why the teachings mention that in the beginning the glimpse of realization comes but doesn’t stay long. It is like opening a door on a windy day. The door stays open for a moment, then the wind slams it shut. How long the door of recognizing the true nature remains open varies from person to person. Some people can remain in the true nature all the time, some for a while, and others only briefly. But everyone has the potential to achieve permanent recognition. ~ Excerpts from: "The Nature of Mind. The Dzogchen Instructions of Aro Yeshe Jungne" By Patrul Rinpoche Commentary by Khenchen Palden Sherab and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Image of gTértön Aro Yeshé (1911 - 1951)
1. Seeking the Location of the Mind:
Questioning whether the mind resides in the body, particularly in the brain or heart.
Through inquiry, realizing the mind's lack of solid existence in any specific location.
2. Investigation of Mind's Characteristics:
Exploring whether the mind possesses color, composition, temperature, or is subject to time.
Discovering that the mind transcends these attributes, leading to the recognition of its boundless nature.
3. Embracing Boundlessness:
Recognizing and confirming the boundless nature of the mind beyond categorization.
Transitioning from inquiry to meditation, relaxing into the boundless state.
4. Direct Meditation on the Nature of Mind:
Simplifying the practice by looking directly at the mind without extensive questioning.
Inquiring into the nature of the one analyzing the mind, leading to a merging with boundlessness.
5. Inquiries and Emptiness:
Asking questions like "Where is my mind?" and "Who am I?" to dissolve into the emptiness of the true nature.
Embracing the inexpressible and inconceivable state of emptiness, referred to as the essence of Prajnaparamita teachings.
6. Maintaining Recognition Through Meditation:
Acknowledging that habitual thought patterns may interrupt the recognition of the true nature.
Encouraging the practice of meditation to remain familiar with the boundless, inexpressible mind.
7. Impermanence of Recognition:
Acknowledging that the initial realization may be fleeting, akin to a door opening briefly on a windy day.
Highlighting the potential for individuals to achieve permanent recognition through continued practice.
This summary aims to provide a clear overview of the key concepts in the excerpt from "The Nature of Mind" by Patrul Rinpoche, with insights from Khenchen Palden Sherab and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal.
