Awakening the Luminous Mind: Tibetan Meditation for Inner Peace and Joy (15 page)

Clear light is innate awareness, self-awareness. When working with a particular situation and observing it directly and nakedly, we discover that the famous person or situation is not outside, but is a creation of mind.
Vision is mind
. Then we observe mind and discover that this famous person is not inside either.
Mind is empty
. When we are unfamiliar with what is not there, we conclude that it is nothing. But emptiness is full. Being aware of the fullness of spaciousness is the experience of
Emptiness is clear light
. Being aware of that emptiness, tasting that emptiness, feeling connected to that emptiness,
being
that emptiness, is what is referred to as clear light. It is important to emphasize this because otherwise it is so easy for people to lose connection to awareness.

As we have explored, when our pain body, pain speech, and pain mind are active, we perceive all sorts of problems and struggles “out there,” because our mind—the inner famous person who is engaging the problems—is outwardly active, and this outward focus continues to feed the unexamined ego. Through these practices, the outer famous person or situation dissolves, and then the focus shifts and the inner storyteller dissolves, until there is nothing to engage. You remain with nothing, but it is not “nothing” in the depressing sense—it is full openness. It’s very important to become familiar with and aware of that openness after you dissolve the famous outer and inner person.

The image of sky, clouds, and sun illustrates the healing process we have been exploring. Inside us we have spaciousness, the sky. Our thoughts or emotions are like clouds, and whether they are gentle puffs or thunderheads, they obscure the sky. The sun stands for the light and warmth of awareness. So through this practice of awareness, we clear away the clouds of thoughts, emotions, sensations, and recollections—everything that makes up the inner and outer famous person. Again, we are clearing the clouds through the method of nakedly observing. We nakedly observe thoughts, feelings, sensations, and recollections, and we nakedly observe the one who is observing. What remains is the clear sky. In that unobstructed clarity of the inner sky, it is natural for sunlight to pervade space. So sunshine is that clear light of awareness. It is visible because the clouds are removed: both thoughts and the thinker dissolve.

Many people are either very engaged with their inner clouds or worried that the clouds will come again. They are caught up in how to handle the clouds when they appear; and yet, when the clouds go, they miss them! So they are never able to fully appreciate the clear sky. One time I was in a group teaching a beautiful Bön practice called sky gazing, in which we gaze at the actual sky as a support for connecting with the open expanse of our natural minds. One person raised his hand and said, “I’m looking at the sky, but what am I supposed to see? I don’t see anything.” We were looking at this incredibly open blue sky, and he was saying, “I’m not seeing anything.” He was only familiar with stuff, not with clarity itself. So he needed to become conscious that he
was
seeing it. Seeing the open expanse, the awareness of openness, is light. Similarly, when we look inward and don’t find anything, we may conclude that there is nothing. That is a very fundamental error. It is important to be conscious of that openness as a presence, not an absence. Awareness of that openness can be experienced like a taste. Sometimes, it is referred to as having “the taste of emptiness.”

Another example that I give of the pervasive power of the awareness of openness is the experience of winning the lottery. Here is a positive example that many of us have fantasized about at least once: You win the hundred million dollar lottery. Imagine that! Somebody is always winning it, so why not you? So when you win the lottery, you clearly experience some joy. And let’s say in the midst of this joy, your dear old Toyota breaks down. You are driving along the highway when suddenly it stalls. You hear a grinding sound, manage to pull over to the side of the road, and stop the car. You are sad that your old car is dying, but deep inside there is also a happy feeling as you realize that you are completely ready for a nice new car. This is the right time! The joy of winning the lottery is present through the sadness of losing your car. After winning the lottery, you work and eat and sleep with that joy of winning pervading all those experiences, so even the loss of your car is pervaded by joy. A similar thing happens when you experience the vast awareness of spaciousness. That taste of emptiness begins to pervade all of your experiences, both good and bad.

Clarity is not only being aware of that space but also the experiences arising from that space. For instance, joy can spontaneously arise. Even in that joy, awareness is still there. So having that awareness is very important. The teachings guide us to be aware of that space, conscious of that space. Aware, conscious, connected, we are hosting that space. That is what we are referring to with
Emptiness is clear light
.

G
UIDED
M
EDITATION
P
RACTICE OF
E
MPTINESS
I
S
C
LEAR
L
IGHT

After reading the above section, you may wish to use the CD to follow the guided meditation. Additionally, I include instructions for a meditation below to support the discovery of
Emptiness is clear light
.

Sit in a comfortable posture. Draw your attention inward. Feel stillness in your body, silence in your speech, and spaciousness in your mind. Just feel stillness, silence, and spaciousness while you feel connected and present in your body. Allow time for this.

Once again, bring to awareness whatever vision you have been working with, or your experience of this present moment.
Vision is mind
. Just look directly, nakedly, closer and closer, until the clouds of your vision dissipate revealing an open sky. Experience a sense of expansiveness and openness. Recognize and be aware of that openness. Allow time for this.

Now look at who is looking, who is observing. Look inward; look closer; look nakedly, clearly without any analysis, look closer, closer, closer until the observer dissolves, disappears. This inner cloud, this observer, dissolves in the inner space.
Mind is empty
. Allow time to experience this.

As the observer dissolves, be aware and remain connected with that boundless inner space. Feel that boundless space like a vast desert sky, so vast there are no boundaries.
Emptiness is clear light
.

As you experience continuously that vast, boundless, infinite space, there is a chance of gradually losing your awareness of that space, so be aware of that, and refresh that sense of awareness of openness. It is not just “empty”; it is clear light. There is luminous awareness in that vast space, and that awareness is lively and vivid and fresh. Be aware of that awareness as you experience vast, boundless space.

Being
aware of the awareness
of that boundless space is the focus of this third session of the meditation practice. Continuously rest in that boundless space. Continuously be aware of your awareness of that boundless space, rather than getting lost or falling into that vast space. That is the importance of this third session of the practice. Rest in the awareness of that unbounded space without any effort or elaboration.
Emptiness is clear light
.

T
HE
I
NFORMAL
P
RACTICE OF
E
MPTINESS
I
S
C
LEAR
L
IGHT

What is the informal practice of
Emptiness is clear light
? First, remember the accomplishments of the previous two lines:
Vision is mind
and
Mind is empty
. Every time you face an external challenge, bring to mind
Vision is mind
. Immediately you will realize you are facing an internal challenge, and as you are conscious and aware of that, feel the spaciousness that becomes available. Once you feel this openness, trust it, and continue to be present and aware of it. Remember and recognize the importance of being aware of that spaciousness. You may experience this common tendency, “Okay, I feel a little open with my boss, now I can go do my stuff.” Don’t stop at this point. Continue experiencing the spaciousness until that inner recognition leads to a sense of warmth and gratitude, because you have reconnected with the space of being and are connected with the nourishment that becomes available. Knowing that it is important to be
aware
of the openness is the key. Remain present and experience the warmth that emerges as the result.

The path to knowing oneself as described by Dawa Gyaltsen and other
dzogchen
masters is not to avoid experiences. In some spiritual traditions, certain experiences are avoided or renounced. We avoid what poisons us. Here we are not being encouraged to renounce experience, but rather to bring naked and direct awareness to the experience. In that way any experience becomes a door. Strong emotion is a door. You cannot stop or control emotion. You can suppress it, but this does not lead to a good result, for nothing that is suppressed goes away. Here we are guided to look directly. Basically greet, shake hands, and say hello to what arises in your experience. When you look at it nakedly, no matter how strong the emotion, awareness is more powerful. No matter how strong the negative affliction, when we engage directly, whatever arises in experience is weaker than awareness itself.

Awareness is not a belief, slogan, or affirmation. It is hard for us to believe that fear, or anger, or jealousy can be overcome by observing it.
Don’t I need a stronger weapon or a more sophisticated technique?
you may be thinking. It is hard to understand that naked awareness itself is even possible when emotion is so strong, let alone understand that the emotion could dissolve by observing it. It seems impossible until you do it. Do it with naked awareness, not with the doubting mind, which is saying, “This is impossible.” Very likely, if you are saying it is impossible you are observing your anger with a fearful or doubting mind. So the observer is very important. The observer has got to be naked. If you observe nakedly, it happens. When it happens, you trust it is possible again. When you trust, the more likely it is that you will apply this each time challenges arise in your life. This is the beginning of true integration in everyday life. You do it because you know it helps, and you know it helps because you have witnessed the dissolution of your pain body, pain speech, and pain mind as you experienced them directly and nakedly. So when a moment of challenge happens, when you remember to enter the inner refuge through one of the three doorways of stillness, silence, and spaciousness, it is important to give yourself credit.

Whether you are walking in a beautiful park or a crowded shopping mall, walk in the awareness of openness. If you are in a line at the post office, stand hosting that awareness of unbounded space. Riding on a bus, sit in open awareness. The moment before you go to sleep, bring open awareness to your heart and rest there. Remaining in open awareness will affect your next conversation, the flow of your day, your dreams, and your sleep. That awareness is powerful medicine. Remembering open awareness throughout the activities of day and night, your life will flourish.

I
N
C
ONCLUSION
:
E
MPTINESS
I
S
C
LEAR
L
IGHT

Each of these lines is connected to the other. When we realize the first line, it is naturally connected to the second one, and so on. It is important to recognize these connections happening in your own experience. So it can be beneficial to work on the same issue or challenge for a period of time, bringing to mind the same famous person or situation each time you sit down to meditate. Do this until you can see a shift, and notice the development through these stages. Suppose I am feeling fearful deep inside, and therefore I am manifesting anger and projecting it out on someone and seeing a famous person outside. Through the power of practicing with the first line of advice,
Vision is mind
, I no longer experience this power to disturb me as coming from outside. Then, with naked awareness I see that famous person—me, my own mind—is not solid, as I realize
Mind is empty
. All dissolves into
Emptiness is clear light
. In this openness, everything is here, the source of all knowledge and qualities are in this openness. Here I rest my attention, and at any opportunity, I am aware of that space as a space that nourishes my inner being. Like sunshine to a flower, that awareness nourishes me. That “me” is not the pain me, but the openness me, the bliss me. Because I am more familiar with pain identity, pain speech, and the pain mind, when I feel openness I must remind myself to recognize it. Awareness is powerful, but my recognition of it and my connection to it is weak, so it is important that I cultivate strength and familiarity with the awareness of openness at this point. That is what we are doing in the third session of practice,
Emptiness is clear light
.