general idea by ordinary beings who possess conviction. In the sutras it is
called “the patience that is in total accord with buddha-dharma in experience.”
In the tantras it is called “illustrative primal awareness.” In reality, in short, it
is the mind that is in accord with the ultimate absolute.With certainty in unelaborated reality, meditating on the gradual path, ordinary
beginners first produce a subtle realization consonant with reality and finally
unite with the real primal awareness, or the natural state of unelaborated reality.
As the great Rongzompa says, that type of meditation is conventional meditation. If
we appear to be meditating well but cannot get any direct experience, the fine
view that gives no result is like a child who at birth has neither friends to care for
him nor enemies to hate him. Until he becomes older, he needs to be nurtured
with food, clothing, education, and so forth. If he is not cared for, he will die
immediately. Depending upon his nurture, the boy will mature. Likewise,
according to the quality of the meditation based on a fine view, the result will be
good, medium, or bad.
Some claim that they practice Dzogchen, but when happiness and suffering arise
in them, the requisite equanimity does not arise. That is the fault of lack of
familiarity with the view. If we can practice the view continuously for months and
years, like a perennially flowing river, eventually no matter what situation arises,
like joy, misery, or fear, it just vanishes, released immediately upon its arising. We
will experience every situation vanishing as it arises, and an ineffable sense of
pleasure, clarity, and brightness will manifest, along with a powerful inner
certainty that transcends negative and positive. Even when we are dying, we will
feel no regret. Such are the accomplishments of a little meditation. Even if we
have only confidence in the view, we will be free of fear in life and death.
Until we are able to abide from the first moment in the view and maintain
equanimity in the flow, in the second moment dualistic thoughts will arise, and
suffering and fear will follow us continuously. Whatever happiness or suffering
arises, we should have the confidence of liberation right in the moment, and the
key point here is to hang loose in that moment of release. If this is lacking, then
the meditation is ineffective. It is very important that we sustain our
nonmeditation until we get strong and unchangeable pure presence. If we practice
at the juncture of unification of view and meditation, we will not find suffering,
fear, or any untoward situation even if we were to look for it.
Longchenpa says in The Treasury of Natural Perfection,
We may recognize the nature of mind,
But if we do not familiarize ourselves with it,
It is like having an infant son kidnapped.In the first moment, we may recognize the nature of mind as indicated in the
view, but if we lack sound experiential familiarity with it, in the second moment
the enemy “dualistic thought” will steal away the mind. We will then suffer just as
we would suffer if our infant son, left unattended on a battlefield, were to be
kidnapped by the enemy and mercilessly tortured. If we have been introduced to