6. The Wonderment of the Self-Actualizing Mind
Then the [Supreme Source], mind of perfect purity, gave this sermon [in which She declared] that the perfection of all things rests in Her (Samantabhadrī) own being:
“Oh great bodhisattva, listen to these words! I am the [Supreme Source], and I have arranged all things from the primordial. I made the things apparent. I will show you My actuating essence. After I show you My own being I shall point out its meaning in words, and sounds, and you will be able to envisage [My] actuating essence [as] taught [to you]. [My] own being, when explained, you will understand it as [the letter] A. By means of speaking these words you will perceive the meaning.”
In the previous blog, Samantabhadrī was speaking exclusively through her intelligent ground-mode as the self-originated pristine awareness which is free and devoid of all characteristics, including words. Here, she is speaking from the “teaching” position, wherein she “describes” the nature of her Primordial Mechanism, or the self-extraction of that mechanism in formal-mode. In other words, her “Support Mode” for sentient beings. As she states, now by “her words” one can be helped to perceive the inner-meaning.
[My] own being, when explained, you will understand it as [the letter] A:
From E. K. Neumaier-Dargyay’s footnote:
In the Indo-Tibetan tradition, the letter A, the first in the Indian alphabet stands for the consummation of wisdom and knowledge. For instance the meaning of the entire Perfection of Wisdom Sutras (Prajmparamita) is symbolicly condensed to the letter A. In a figurative way, the alphabet is the entrance to the realm of learning and knowing. Therefore, the alphabet’s first letter epitomizes this function more than any other letter.
This letter also signifies Dzogchen, or the Great Perfection. It also happens to be the Letter for the Dhyani Buddha Amoghasiddhi, as his seed syllable (ȦḤ); this seed-syllable represents the Principle of the All-Accomplishing Wisdom.
Such She said, and did not say anything more. She abided in the actuating essence of all things. Because of that [Vajrasattva] arose from amidst the attendants and sat with a sombre face in front of the [Supreme Source], mind of perfect purity.
The [Supreme Source]:
“Oh great bodhisattva, you are sitting here before Me in a sombre [mood]. Ask what you wish to know!”
Then [Vajrasattva] asked:
“Oh teacher of the teachers, Oh [Supreme Source]! If all things are Your own being, what then did You establish as teachers, teaching, and retinues? What are the perfect entities?”
This question he asked.
Vajrasattva is still puzzled by the realization that all-things, like teachers, teachings, ect, are part and parcel of Her Own Beingness. He still envisions them all to be separate and remote from Her presence.
Then the [Supreme Source], mind of perfect purity, spoke these words:
“Oh great bodhisattva, listen! Things are made in a perfect manner. This is so because I am the nature of perfection. I shall show you My own being. Because My own being is non-conceptual and uncreated, I have made [things] as to exist in the realm of Reality (chos dbyings). They do not rest on anything else but the mind of perfect purity. As My own being is immaculate and all-pervasive [the things] do not rest upon anything else but on the self-originated awareness itself in the mansion of awareness, i.e the lucid sky. As I am the central vigor of all things which come into existence, i.e. the five great [elements], the threefold world, the six categories [of sentient beings]: they are nothing else but My form, utterance and spirit. I have established [the things] as My own being. I am revealing to you the Buddhas of the three times and the sentient beings of the threefold world as My own being. Because My actuating essence is unborn, and non-conceptual, it does not exist (mi gnas), but transcends all areas of perception. It even transcends the objects of meditation and does not become apparent in mental absorption. Although My own being is imperceptible, I reveal My actuation to you as the threefold world, [consisting of] the five great [elements], and the six categories [of sentient beings]. From the five [elements] which are the apparent [form of My] own being, i.e. the perfect and pure mind, come the five self-originated and vigorous awarenesses. The five awarenesses bring forth the five sensual objects; after the five desires have come forth the five passions come forth. The five passions bring their individual results which individually appear as the six categories of the sentient beings. I am teaching you the appearance [of the universe] to be like that.
Once again, She reinforces to Vajrasattva that She is the very Self-Actualizing Principle from which all things emanate. In Herself, She is Unborn and non-conceptual and thus inconceivable. But, through that teaching-ground mode which we discussed earlier, She is a representative-agent of all things in the Cosmos.
Even if I taught you the three forms of manifestation, and the six vehicles, you would not understand them. Each of them (i.e. the teacher’s three forms of manifestation and the six vehicles) is endowed with My true being in an individual fashion, and each of them is My actuation in individual fashion as form, utterance, and spirit.
The individual actuation lets you see the whole. In such way My own being is also taught. I, as [the mind of] perfect purity, the actuating essence of all that is pure, let emerge from Me the play (rol pa) of the threefold world, and the six categories of sentient beings, because I am actuating the dimension of the non-conceptual, and I am the existential ground (gnas chen) of all Buddhas. Particularly I teach that, if you are not mistaken about the pure, all acts of happiness and misery are My compassion, I, the [Supreme Source], will not teach such lore to those who adhere to the vehicle of cause and result. If I taught them My lore as definitive, they would cast praise and slander on Me, the All-Pure, as they assert that cause and result do exist because of good and bad acts. For this reason they will not meet Me, the All-Pure One, for a long time. I am the teacher, the All-Creating One, the mind of perfect purity. The mind of perfect purity is the [Supreme Souce]. The mind of perfect purity creates the Buddhas of the three times; the mind of perfect purity creates the sentient beings [living] in this threefold world; the mind of perfect purity creates what appears and exists as the animated and inanimated world.
To bring [the concepts of] cause, result, simile, objective, and definition into agreement [with this teaching, you ought to know:] at the time of cause, the five great elements are created; at the time of result the sentient beings in this threefold world are created; at the time of simile the sky as a simile of everything is created; at the time of the meaning the unborn is made by Me as the meaning of everything; at the time of sign the All-Creating Mind of Perfect Purity [is revealed]; at the time of definition the self-originated awareness is taught. This is how cause, result, simile, meaning and definition are brought into agreement with [this teaching].
The individual actuation lets you see the whole: the undivided power of bodhicitta perfects the undivided whole.
I, the [Supreme Source], will not teach such lore to those who adhere to the vehicle of cause and result: this is where the Tantra “breaks company” with some of the former and earlier sutra-teachings that teach about the causality of Karma. In the Great Liberation, Mind Itself is devoid of all Karma in Its Immaculate Thatness. For a complete breakdown of this, please read from the Karmic Liberation: The Great Synthesis. There you will find a profound Dogzchen-stance, particularly concerning Dogzchen rigpa and Samantabhadra’s matrix.
By means of the mind of perfect purity all is made; not one thing is not made by it. [Supreme Source’s] own being, the mind of perfect purity has made all, and not one is that is not made by it; there is no reason for itself to be created. My own being, the All-Creating One’s, is beyond cognition (ma brtags par), but I am perceived with certainty in the things I have created. By means of a longing desire the appearance [of these things] is achieved, but they will perish because of their impermanent and illusory nature, a nature which is impartial and like a man born blind. Although the [Supreme Source] is impartial in Her creating, the senses get obstructed when they experience suffering when the six sensory objects are perceived by the six sense faculties. For this reason, the [Supreme Source] is impartial in Her creation. Thus, no result does exist which could annihilate cessation and origination. Certainly, the two truths arise from this One (i.e. the mind of perfect purity). The ultimate and the conventional arise as two, existent and non-existent, despite [the fact that] Reality is created by Me, the All-Creating One. Therefore the two truths do not lead to the overcoming of cause and result. Within [the concept of two truths] no result [is achieved which] leads to the overcoming of cause and result. By engaging in a contemplation which [attempts to] purify and search what does not exist and in a meditation of wonderful steps, which will never arise, you will not achieve a result which is free of pursuing and rejecting. Who contemplates the three aspects of a single-purpose meditation, and who performs a step-by-step meditation in accord with the four practices of religious services and evoking the gods, will not achieve a result which overcomes striving and achieving, i.e. that which is totally free of activity and which acts because it is spontaneously self-perfected. Because I teach the unborn, signless, self-less you should understand the inexplicable as being free of praise and dispraise.
Here Samantabhadrī discusses her impartiality when it comes to compassion for all who experience those slings and arrows of outrageous fortune in samsara. Nothing is neglected under her most compassionate hue.
Also, what She teaches above of is that being “unborn and signless.” Even if one should exclusively engage in deep contemplation and evoke the power of certain gods or other spiritual agencies, one will still come face to face with those slings and arrows (weapons of vicious attack) that lead to endless suffering and deep dissatisfaction. Just enter “spontaneously” into all acts, what Ch’an Buddhism calls wu-hsin. In this fashion, one will not get into Mind’s way of effortlessly bringing one to complete satisfaction in the Unborn.
A simile for all things being the mind of perfect purity is that all [things] created are in their own being like the sky; this is the main point of the mind of perfect purity. Sky, wind, water, earth, and fire, these five elements come miraculously forth from the mind of perfect purity as Buddhas, the three-fold world, the five paths, and the six [categories of] sentient beings. The apparent yet immutable (Akshobhya) Buddha whose deeds are well-ripened is from the primordial the perfect purity of the threefold world [as expressed] in form, utterance, and spirit. Therefore whatever appears as animated and inanimated has consequently no place to exist [except in the mind of perfect purity] like the centre of the sky [which exists only in itself].
Because of the vast scope of the mind of perfect purity as the actual object (yul chen), all that appears and exists as animated and inanimated, i.e. Buddhas and sentient beings, is free of praise and dispraise, is non-dual in so far as all is the entirely pure Reality. Who does not see the mind as the vigor of non-being will not achieve the goal for many eons. The root of all things is alone the mind of perfect purity. The vigor of perfect purity from which all and everything comes forth, i.e. Buddhas, sentient beings, all that appears and exists as animated and inanimated, cannot be expressed through counting what is not even one. Also the Buddha’s form and utterance, and the sentient beings’ body and speech are the mind of perfect purity, and therefore they are free of [such concepts as] subject and object (gzung ‘dzin). Who accomplishes freedom from [such concepts as] subject and object will master the root of all things, and [will be known] as all-accomplished. With joy one will recognize an understanding of [what constitutes] thinking—the uniqueness of the mind of perfect purity. I teach what is beyond reckoning and duality.
Samantabhadrī makes reference here to the grand Dhyani-Buddha, Akshobhya. He is the Immovable One and perpetually mirrors the Unborn and Primordial and Perfect Purity of Absolute Suchness. Because of this vast scope of Perfected Bodhi, anyone who partakes in its essential-sweetness will become root and master of all thingness. Because one will never be far from The Root of the Source-Supreme.
How is it that the own nature of Reality is this sole mind, and that the three aspects of this own nature make the mind manifest? The three [aspects] of this own nature are the three best arrangements (bkod pa), and this is the Reality of perfection. This one nature, although non-dual, is connected with everything. If it is put in relationship with balance (rnal ma) it [unfolds] into four aspects: “the four yogas” as the objects of [My] teaching. I teach the one mind [permeating] the five great [elements]. Because the mind’s own being is endowed with five faculties (yon tan) they are called the five great [elements].
If judgments regarding the existence or non-existence of the one, that is definitive, would arise, then these many errors, obscurations, doubts and judgmental thoughts are removed by the All-[Supreme] One who transcends striving, achieving, and judgmental thought. To purge these judgments regarding existence and nonexistence and [the resulting] doubts I establish this unerring and definitive lore because [those other people] cannot understand the perfect purity through suchness. In order to show you that this [lore] clearly deserves your faith I teach the ultimate which is free of striving, achieving, and deeds by means of the ten instructions which deserve your faith and which let you avoid deviations (la dor). So trust them!
The proclamation of the nine words of truth which are nonexistent: as to the one vigor, nine visible objects emerge. If they are individually recognized one speaks of the nine words of truth.
To overcome the confusion resulting from the ten-million things, this [teaching] is taught to those who are far from the Shore of Suchness. Just keep the faith in the unobstructed Unborn Mind-Source and learn to let go of all impediments like striving and achieving after nothingness. In this fashion, Absolute truth supplants all conventional truths.
Because in Me, the [Supreme Source], all is consummate you should foster [your understanding of] the meaning of the perfect and pure mind. The root of all things is the [Source Supreme], the mind of perfect purity. Whatever appears is My actuation. Whatever comes into existence is My wonder. Whatever sounds and words arise, all arise as sounds and words of My intrinsic meaning. The Buddhas’ form, wisdom and qualities, and the sentient beings’ body, karmic inheritance (bag chags) etc., what appears and exists as animated and inanimated, this all together is from the primordial the actuation of the mind of perfect purity. With the exception of the mind, from Me all things have come forth. The previous Buddhas did not teach these sacred instructions now given by Me, the [Supreme Source], and the presently residing and the future Buddhas will not teach these sacred instructions of the perfect purity, the [Source Supreme].”
Such She spoke.
[Thus Ends the Sixth Chapter]
Whatever appears is My actuation. Whatever comes into existence is My wonder: the source behind today’s blog title, “The Wonderment of the Self-Actualizing Mind.” Behold! Once again we find the reinforcement of that Supreme Self-Actualization from which all things partake in and are animated by. By reference of today’s accompanying image at the top, you will find a symbol there that nicely encapsulates today’s supernal teaching. That symbol is known as the reikian, Cho ku rei:
As is portrayed above, this is known as a Japanese “Power Symbol”. Thus, when giving a Reiki treatment, one can use this symbol to “place the power” wherever it is needed, whether for emotional, physical, mental, or spiritual healing. Thus, for our purposes now, and by way of “illustration” only, The Self-Supreme places the power of Self-Actualization over all dharmata; hence, this is the Power that animates and compassionately heals at the same time. This is the wonderment of Self-Actualizing Power. It frees the mind from all debilitating obstructions and fully empowers one to feel the “Force” of the Unborn.