Nature of mind
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Nature of mind (Skt. cittatā; T. sems nyid སེམས་ཉིད་) refers to the deepest nature of the mind within the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.[1]
Namkhai Norbu states:
- In both the sutras and the tantras, one of the fundamental concepts discussed is that of the "nature of mind," the true condition of the mind, which is beyond the limits of the intellect and of time. The basic principle here is that of emptiness or śūnyatā, the central doctrine of the Mahayana. The meaning of the term emptiness, as it is used in the Prajñāpāramitā, is the absence of substantiality – or self nature – of all phenomena, which is the real, inherent condition of all existence. When referring to the individual, this condition is referred to as the "nature of the mind."[2]
The Rangjung Yeshe dictionary states:
- The nature of one's mind which is taught to be identical with the essence of all enlightened beings, the sugatagarbha. It should be distinguished from 'mind' (citta; sems) which refers to ordinary discursive thinking based on ignorance of the nature of thought.[1]
In the tantras, the nature of mind is defined as the inseparable unity of awareness and emptiness, or clarity and emptiness, which is the basis for all the ordinary perceptions, thoughts and emotions of the ordinary mind (citta).[3]
In the Dzogchen tradition, the nature of mind is said to have three aspects: essence, nature, and energy.[2][4] These aspects are described as follows:[2][4]
- it's essence is empty (sunyata)
- it's nature is cognizance and clarity (also referred to as luminous clarity (prabhāsvara))
- it's energy is unobstructed (aniruddha; ma 'gags pa), universal (kun khyab) and spontaneous (lhun grub)
These three aspects can be described using the example of a mirror:[5]
- the emptiness which allows the mirror to `fill itself' with any content illustrates the essence;
- the mirror's capacity to reflect represents the nature, and
- the particular appearances that are reflected in the mirror symbolize the energy.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
སེམས་ཉིད་, Christian-Steinert Dictionary
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chogyal Namkhai Norbu 1996, Chapter 8.
- ↑
Nature of mind, Rigpa Shedra Wiki
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pettit 1999, pp. 78-79.
- ↑ Chogyal Namkhai Norbu 2000, p. 94.
Sources
Chogyal Namkhai Norbu (1996), Clemente, Adriano, ed., Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State, Snow Lion Publications- Chogyal Namkhai Norbu (2000), The Crystal and the Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen, Snow Lion
- Pettit, John Whitney (1999), Mipham's Beacon of Certainty: Illuminating the View of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection, Wisdom Publications