too until thoughts dissolve, luminous mind is trapped in the dualistically grasping
intellect. When all discursive thought and concepts and all constructs of the
dualistic mind dissolve into their spaciousness, the real luminous mind in all its
clarity shines in its own space, and there is no need to look for it anywhere else. If
we churn milk, butter forms; if we refine the ore, we amass the gold; if we dig a
well, we find the water; if the cloud disperses, the light of the sun shines through.
Similarly, if we keep our mind in genuine ease in its natural state at any moment
of happiness or sadness, or while thinking, whether in joy, or fear, and so on, then
from within the intellectual mind shines a bright intensity, and right there is
mind’s peaceful reality, the dharmakaya, a dimension that is free of the attributes
of face, limbs, and so on. In this way, nondual intrinsic awareness is revealed as
the true unitary nature of the perceived objective field and the perceiving subject,
free of all reference points.
All sentient beings have buddha-nature, intrinsic awareness, in their
mindstream. As it is said in The King of Samadhi Sutra, “Buddha-nature pervades
all.” Just as its oil permeates a sesame seed, so the identity or essence of all sentient
beings is no other than buddha. If we do not recognize this, we consider one as
many and many as one; we regard suffering as happiness and vice versa; we cling
to a self though there is no self to cling to, and so forth, and by the power of
mistaken identity, we are stuck perennially in samsara.
1.16 THE DUALISTIC NATURE OF THE INTELLECT ILLUSTRATED IN THE QUESTION-ANSWER
METHOD OF THE SUTRAS
This story is taken from the sutra The Teaching of the Noble Youth “Incredible
Light.” Once in Sravasti when the Bhagawan Buddha was collecting alms, he
passed an empty house by a cemetery where a number of people had gathered. An
extraordinarily beautiful child had been abandoned there, and the people had
gathered to stare. Bhagawan sent his close disciple Ananda to see what was
happening, and, upon hearing Ananda’s report, he said that he thought the child
was a highly fortunate being who had the potential to understand his teaching and
who had previously accumulated immense merit. He went into the house in order
to lead the people on to the path of virtue and to show love for the child. When he
arrived, he asked the child if he was not afraid of snakes, yaksha spirits, wolves,
and other animals living in the cemetery.
“Who needs to fear when all things are selfless and empty?” the child replied.“Due to your past sins you are here to suffer in this empty house,” said
Bhagawan.“Do you, Bhagawan Buddha, still have a solid concept of an empty house?”
asked the child. “Haven’t we abandoned all such ideas?”“I have no such idea,” replied Bhagawan. “I came here because I love you.”