The Great Natural Perfection By Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche

The ground of samsara and nirvana is the alaya, the beginning and end of confusion and realization, the nature of universal shunyata and of all apparent phenomena. It is even more fundamental than the trikaya and free from bias towards enlightenment. It is sometimes called the ‘pure’ or ‘primordial’ mind.

Although prajna (wisdom) sees no basis in it for concepts as different aspects, the fundamental aspects of complete openness, natural perfection and absolute spontaneity are distinguished by upaya (skilled means) as useful tools.

All aspects of each phenomenon are completely clear and lucid. The entire universe is open and unobstructed, everything interpenetrates. If you see all things naked, clear and free from obscurations, there is nothing to be achieved or realized. The nature of things appears and is naturally present in the time-transcending consciousness; this is full disclosure.

Everything is perfect as it is, completely pure and uncontaminated. All phenomena appear naturally in their uniquely correct modes and situations, forming ever-changing patterns full of meaning and meaning, like participants in a great dance. Everything is a symbol, but there is no difference between the symbol and the symbolized truth. Without any effort of practice, liberation, enlightenment and Buddhahood are already fully developed and perfected. This is natural perfection.

Everyday practice is simply ordinary life itself. Since the underdeveloped state does not exist, there is no need to behave in any special way or to achieve or put into practice anything. There should be no sense of striving to achieve some lofty goal or higher state; this simply produces something conditional or artificial that will hinder the free flow of the mind. You should never see yourself as ‘sinful’ or worthless, but as naturally pure and perfect, lacking nothing.

When practicing meditation, one should regard it as simply a natural function of daily life, such as eating or breathing, and not as a special, formal event to be undertaken with great seriousness and solemnity. You must realize that meditation involves going beyond effort, beyond practice, beyond goals and ends, and beyond the dualism of bondage and liberation.

Meditation is always perfect, so you don’t have to correct anything. Because everything that comes up is simply the mind’s play, there are no ‘bad’ meditation sessions and there is no need to judge thoughts as good or bad. Therefore, one should not sit down and meditate with different expectations or fears about the outcome; you just do it, without the self-conscious feeling of ‘I am meditating’, and without trying to control or force the mind, and without trying to become peaceful.

If you find yourself straying in any of these ways, you should stop meditating and simply rest and relax for a while before continuing again.

If you have experiences during or after meditation that you interpret as results, nothing should be made of them. Recognize that they are just phenomena and simply observe them. Above all, do not try to recreate them, as this is contrary to the natural spontaneity of the mind. All phenomena are completely new and fresh and absolutely unique, completely free from all concepts of past, present and future – as if experienced in another dimension of time; this is absolute spontaneity.

The constant flow of new discoveries, new revelations and inspiration that arises at every moment is the manifestation of the eternal youth of the living Dharma and its wonders; splendor and spontaneity is the play or dance aspect of the universe as a guru.

You must learn to see daily life as a mandala centered on yourself, and be free from the biases and prejudices of past conditioning, current desires, and hopes and expectations about the future.

The figures of the mandala are the everyday objects of one’s life experiences, moving in the great dance of the play of the universe, the symbolism through which the guru reveals profound and ultimate meaning and significance. Therefore, be natural and spontaneous; accept and learn from everything.

See the comical, funny side of initiating situations. During meditation, see through the illusion of past, present and future. The past is but a present memory or state, the future but a present projection, and the present itself disappears before it can be grasped.

One must put an end to beliefs about meditation and free oneself from memories of the past. Each moment of meditation is completely unique and full of possibilities for new discoveries, so you are unable to judge meditation based on past experience or theory.

Simply plunge into meditation with your whole mind in this moment and be free from hesitation, boredom or excitement.

When meditating, it is traditional and best to sit cross-legged, if possible, with the back upright but not stiff. However, it is of utmost importance that you feel comfortable. So it is better to sit on a chair if sitting cross-legged is painful.

One’s mental attitude must be inspired by the three fundamental aspects, whether the meditation is with or without form, and it may often prove desirable, if not essential, to precede a period of formless meditation by a period of meditation with form.

To provide this opportunity, many classes of preparatory meditation practices have been developed over the centuries of Buddhist practice, the most important of which are meditations on breathing, mantra chanting, and visualization techniques.

Participation in the second and third of these classes requires personal instruction from the guru, but a few words about the first would not be out of place here, as the method used varies little from person to person.

First let the mind follow the movement of the breath, in and out, until it becomes calm and tranquil. Then let the mind rest more and more on the breath until your entire being seems identified with it.
Finally, become aware of the breath leaving the body and entering space, gradually shifting attention from the breath to the feeling of spaciousness and expansion. By merging this last sensation in complete openness, one enters the realm of formless meditation.

In all likelihood, the above description of the three fundamental aspects will seem vague and inadequate. This is inevitable because they try to describe what is not only beyond words, but also beyond thought. They invite the practice of what is essentially a state of being.

The words are simply a form of upaya, skillful means, a hint which, if acted upon, will enable one’s innate natural wisdom and natural perfect action to arise spontaneously.

Sometimes during meditation you can experience a gap in your normal consciousness, a sudden and complete openness. This experience only arises when one stops thinking in terms of meditation and the object of meditation. It is a glimpse of reality, a sudden flash that happens infrequently at first, and then, as you practice, more and more often. It may not be a particularly crushing or explosive experience at all, but simply a moment of great simplicity.

Do not make the mistake of deliberately trying to force these experiences to occur again, for to do so is to betray the naturalness and spontaneity of reality.