The Mirror of Clear Meaning

A Dzogchen Treasure Text of Nuden Dorje

“Using this secret instruction one can see one’s own face, one’s awareness which is the primordial enlightened Samantabhadra. The unitary path of primordial purity of awareness and emptiness spreads as the spontaneous wisdom free of all relative conditions.

Relying on the Guru who shows you the definite meaning, having correctly received the initiations, permissions and instructions, in an isolated place you should initially purify your mind during four or six daily sessions according to the requirements of your own condition.

In this world appearances ceaselessly flow, in this ocean of poison there is no time to seek liberation. We wander again and again in the six realms of samsara and no matter what we try we always experience suffering with no chance of happiness.

Your body is the remnant of the karma you have not yet exhausted. It is the site of the freedoms and blessings which are so difficult to obtain. Having gained this precious human existence, a good base free of faults, so hard to get, so easy to destroy, you must quickly become diligent in the practice of virtue.

The time of your death is uncertain, for our span is like a summer flower or a rainbow. The god of death comes as quickly as lightning.

At that time you will find nothing to protect you other than the sole protection of the Guru, and the Three Jewels. So you might take refuge six times a day or always in your Guru, and the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha.

All sentient beings have at one time been your parents, therefore develop bodhicitta of aspiration and practice according to relative and absolute truth. Now that you have gained the excellent support of this human existence you must practice the undeceiving instructions of your Guru.

You must be careful to discriminate without error between the virtuous actions that are to be adopted and non-virtuous actions which are to be abandoned. You yourself will experience the consequences of your bad actions.

Yama,the terrifying god of death knows all the good and bad things you have done. Wherever you are born you will experience only misery and suffering. Other than the Three Jewels you will find no refuge to protect you or to accompany you.

The embodiment of all the Buddhas of the past, present and future is your root Guru, the one who has all qualities and shows you the threefold kindness of giving you material support, dharma teachings and enlightenment. So you should keep him at all times on the crown of your head with ceaseless remembrance. To meet such a Guru is as hard as for flowers to appear in the sky. To receive his teachings is as rare as the appearance of stars in the daytime. Therefore you should pray that you merge inseparably with his mind.

All the Buddhas of the past, present and future travel the path of these teachings and now you are fortunate to have met this secret path. The heart essence of all Buddhas is just this and nothing else, the certain secret essence of Ati Dzogpa Chenpo.

If you gain an irreversible realization of this teaching then you gain the understanding of a Buddha. Hard to really understand it is like the wishful-filling jewel. You must practice the wisdoms of listening, reflecting and meditation diligently and without sloppiness.

Your own mind is the root of all phenomena. When you first start to practice the word “mind “ sounds very big. Where does mind come from, where does it rest and where does it go? What shape is it and what color does it have? By enquiring into the root of your mind you must again and again come to a definite understanding of its real nature.

What is called ‘mind’ cannot be identified as this or that. It is not an entity and it has no defining characteristics. If you search for it, it cannot be found for it has empty from the very beginning, without substantial essence. Empty it is beyond expression, untouched by birth, death, coming and going. It is not created by any cause nor destroyed by any condition. It remains untouched in emptiness, free of increase and decrease, development and decline, or any kind of change.

Free of the four limiting notions of existence, non-existence, both existence and non-existence, neither existence nor non-existence, and of all relative positions mind is emptiness, uncompounded. Free of artifice from the very beginning awareness remains unimpeded. When this is experienced youthful, fresh awareness is released from its covering pot and you see your own face, the natural made of infinite goodness (Samantabhadra).

If that is not realized awareness looses continuity and becomes stupid. This is called ‘co-emergent ignorance’ Appearances and emptiness are falsely split and are experienced as separate things. Bound by the fetter of grasping subject and graspable object the ignorance of reificatory identification develops.

Non-existent and existent things are both grasped as real. Being bound by the confusion of self identification you experience a self doing the grasping. With notions of “I” and “me” developing in your stream of consciousness as the cause developing attraction and aversion, there arises the samsaric activity of the afflictions of the five poisons of stupidity, aversion, attraction, pride and jealousy. From one cause many other causes arise.

When you understand the falsity of your confusion, remain unartificially, effortlessly in the natural mode.

Remain relaxed in the unwavering display of this state. If you try to hold onto it with forced recollection then it will be difficult for the natural condition to be self-liberating in its own place. Keep recollection and awareness in the fresh state of natural occurrence, the state free of strong grasping.

If you awaken to the falsity of your confused existence, you are buddha free of ground and root.

There is no other way but to understand yourself. Recognizing your mind as Samantabhadra you will see your own face. If this is not directly experienced you will be confused by wrong thoughts and will identify yourself with whatever confused thoughts arise.

With reliance on notions of “I” and ‘me’, all phenomena whether outer or inner, fixed or moving, everything that appears, are perceived as real entities. Each thing is named and labeled and it’s qualities are enumerated.

Whatever appears is taken to be a variety of external objects. These are then evaluated and held to be truly existing. Subtle and insistent thoughts keep occurring and we follow after whatever arises, whatever we recollect.

Some people try to make use of confusion to cut the root of confusion. They believe in the existence of that which does not exist and think that an understanding of the signification of the objects is very important. This is not the way to do practice, this is not the way to see the faults in your meditation.

When thoughts about the immutable nature arise, remain relaxed without doing anything artificial. Mind itself abides in its own nature whatever arises. Neither wait expectantly for what might come nor seek to follow what has gone. Abide in the ever-fresh state of the primordial pure present awareness.

The flow of confusing thoughts can’t be stopped, just like the wind or a waterfall in the mountains. Therefore towards whatever arises, however it arises maintain the natural state of open awareness.

When one can abide in one’s own place free of confusion it’s like a river flowing back into the ocean. Thoughts subside in their own place so there is no need to seek smart solutions.

Without a ground (ignorance), devoid of any root (kleshas) the natural condition is of itself empty. Clarity and emptiness are merged as the non-artificial quality of awareness.

Keeping to the nature of whatever arises there is relaxation free of grasping. If your mind becomes steady you don’t have to maintain this with meditation. Remain free of encouraging or inhibiting, stability or movement.

At the time of arising thoughts support each other like a chain of friends. At the time of dissolving they dissolve evenly in the vastness of openness. The ultimate nature of all phenomena is simply this.

Don’t pursue the deceitful phenomena which appear through the six senses. During the day or night, whatever activity you engage in, the notion of a doer and a deed is just a confusing illusion, like a dream or magic.

Don’t try to block appearances, they are devoid of substantial reality. Towards whatever arises maintain an attitude free of limitation, without judgment or prejudice. At all times and in all situations maintain the state of alert awareness.

Don’t relax your alert attention for even an instant. It is vital to maintain non-distraction, non-grasping, non-avoidance.

Maintain emptiness and compassion without distraction or striving meditation. Always free of effort and struggle contemplate the flow if meditative evenness and its subsequent effect.

This practice is the longed for essential meaning to all classes of tantra, the vital essence of the dharma. It is the supreme practice of all the Buddhas. It is the sole secret exposition of the view, meditation and conduct.

The fortunate ones with good karma must do this practice then the good qualities of the stages and paths will develop and increase. This is the distillation of the essence of Dzogchen. It will be a friend to the fortunate ones who come later.

You protectors of the treasure doctrines must guard these doctrines well. You vow-keepers must protect these teachings as if they were your child. You will see the face of Samantabhadra, the primordial purity of your awareness.

It is never appropriate to show these teachings to scholars who are addicted to ratiocination and point scoring. They are sealed in emptiness. Because they are very secret they are known as the dakinis’ secret treasure.

It is hidden for the fortunate one known as Bendza Ming.

This text was revealed by Nuden Dorje Drophan Lingpa at the holy place of Kang Zang in North Tibet. It was written down at Machig Labdron’s pilgrimage place by Zagri Kharma.”