dakini

An excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo from the Dakini Workshop

Enlightened activity is considered consistent with the nature of the dakini in that it arises from pure spaciousness and does not remain fixed or absorbed in the mind of duality.  What arises, arises effortlessly and spontaneously and is spontaneously complete because the basis of that emanation is the Buddha nature, free of distinction, free of contrivance, free of duality, free of ego clinging.

What arises in an uncontrived way from the sphere of truth without clinging, without fixation is pure enlightened activity.  Pure enlightened activity always results in perfect result, perfect meaning or enlightened result.  From the point of view of practitioners, from the point of view of those who have not established themselves firmly in the view, activity appears in a myriad of ways and we attach meaning to that activity. What we see then, when we see that activity, is only our meaning.  We do not see the activity.  Therefore, when one holds to and one views the enlightened activity that is consistent with the dakini nature and when one sees that compassionate activity from the point of view of duality and distinction, one will always see ones own mind.  Therefore that activity will be seductive in the way that our minds seduce us, that activity will be meaningful in the way that our minds deduce meaning, that activity will be objectionable in the way that our minds object and that activity will be confusing in the way that our minds are confused.  That is what we see.

Yet, in striving to attain a deeper understanding of this enlightened activity we have no other recourse other than to achieve realization ourselves.  We have to.  That is the only way to reach any kind of understanding.  And we are beaten over the head with our own minds because our own minds are flashed back at us. We see our mind constantly.  We are relentlessly seduced with our own stupidity.  We are browbeaten with our own inconsistencies until at some point, eventually, because this is an effortless process, because it is natural, because it arises from the uncontrived state, because it is our nature, this intensified process of putrefaction will putrefy itself into pureness effortlessly.

Well, it will not seem effortless on your part, exactly.  But that is because the mind is still clinging to perceptual experience.  The mind is in that continuum.   The consciousness is there.  That is what the perception is.  But try to remember that all that is being viewed is our own confusion.  That is all that is being seen.  It is very much like the symbolic image of the peacock – the bird with big feathers –who eats poisoned things and ends up with this beautiful plumage.  To some degree, that is what our practice looks like.  We just eat ourselves and eat ourselves and keep on consuming this thing that we see that arises only from our mind until finally at some point we can achieve a glimpse of the pure basis of that.  At that point, the pure basis of that is understood to be effortless.  It is understood to arise from the sphere of truth and complete itself instantly.  It is understood in its nature, but while we revolve in confusion we cannot feel that way.

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