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Fire Flame Meditation

When we meditate, we look at our mind. When looking at the mind, what

are we looking at? We are looking at our thoughts. When you look at your

thoughts, there is an awareness that recognizes these thoughts. What is the

benefit of looking at our thoughts? We have to find the awareness that

sees thoughts. According to the Dzogchen teachings, this awareness that

sees thoughts is called “the lamp of self-arisen, knowing awareness.” The

metaphor of a lamp is used. The Samantabhadra Prayer speaks of the

“lamp of awareness.” To me, when I meditate, a lamp flame has a natural

connection to the mind. This is because a beginning meditator, at times,

might not have any coarse thoughts, and only subtle thoughts—the base

consciousness—that remain unrecognized, but arise uninterruptedly.

They are like the sound naturally emitted by a flame of fire. This is also

how the sound of mantra emerges; it is the self-resounding sound of nāda.

A sound emerges from the flickering of the flame. In Secret Mantra this

is called the “indestructible self-sound of nāda.” In any case, when we

meditate, where is this flame? The flame is a quality of the winds when

they abide at the navel. In the little Samantabhadra book, I added a flame

to the image of Samantabhadra yab-yum. What is meant by the “navel”?

In the center of the body, in front of the spine, directly at the navel level,

there is the place where the winds dwell. It is the navel chakra, which

stems from the central channel. Why do the winds abide there? The body

was first created through warmth—the subtle essence of the mother, or

the red drop. This warmth remains until the life force is exhausted; it is

the life-sustaining wind. The warmth sustains life-force. The life of a

person depends on warmth. What we call “life” is consciousness that is

not separated from warmth. The essence of the winds is warmth. Through

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the Secret Mantra practices of the channels, winds, and drops, the winds

are brought to always abide at the navel. Even Western scientists

recognize the benefits that holding the winds at the navel has for athletes.

Whether one is Buddhist or not, it is said that the navel is the dwelling

place of the winds. Meditating on the flame is a method for the mind to

become clear. In order for the mind to abide at the navel, visualize a HŪṀ

syllable inside the flame. This HŪṀ resounds with its own sound, HŪṀ,

HŪṀ, HŪṀ, HŪṀ, HŪṀ, HŪṀ. The sound of mantra emerges from

this self-sound of nāda. When you only meditate on the HŪṀ, it guards

against thoughts. When thoughts are absent, it is all right not to recollect

the HŪṀ. There is a natural sensation like the black shadow inside a

flickering flame. Even when you do not recollect the HŪṀ—like the

black shadow being invisible for just a moment—the flame around it is

extremely clear. The shape of the flame remains uninterrupted. This is

awareness. As your mind abides within the essence of intrinsic awareness,

awareness sees all thoughts; this is the awareness that recognizes

thoughts. And when there are no thoughts at all, that awareness is aware

of itself. Thus, it is referred to as “self-aware, innate awareness.” The

mind that is completely clear, without a single thought, is the clear nature.

This clear nature is empty, and the nature of emptiness is clarity. We can

clearly see it, based on this outer analogy of a candle flame. My

explanation of the crucial point of practice for my disciples who are

practitioners is based on this outer analogy from my own personal

experience. When beginning practitioners meditate, at first, even if there

are no thoughts in the mind, their mind is still not very clear. When they

continue to meditate for a longer time, sometimes the mind becomes

completely clear, naturally, like a flame. Sometimes, suddenly, instantly,

the mind is completely clear. This experience will eventually arise. It

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arises from the power of compassion for sentient beings, or from the

power of faith in the Three Jewels. At that time, the mind is naturally very

clear, like the bright shadow of a flame. When you have habituated to this

for a long time, you will not have any more questions to ask anyone else.

You will have resolved it yourself, “I have understood the view.” You will

be free of dualistic grasping. This is “the lamp of self-arisen, knowing

awareness.” This knowing awareness is also referred to as “primordial

wisdom.” In the Dzogchen instruction texts, the view is explained as the

“lamp of primordial wisdom,” or the “torch of certainty.” The outer

example of this lamp is a flame, something that we can actually see. Those

who are skilled in explaining practice should consider using this example

in their teachings. Those who meditate should look at their mind. The

mind will not always be constantly clear. But sometimes when you

meditate, the mind becomes like the clear light of a flame. Sometimes the

mind naturally becomes clear for a short while. When this happens, it is

important to recognize it. Once you have recognized it, by habituating it

again and again, you will become free of dualistic grasping, free of all

grasping. This is called “awareness recognizing itself,” or actually, “self- knowing, innate clarity.” No one illuminates this flame here, it is self- illuminating; its clarity and emptiness are inseparable. This is how it will

become. You have to use this analogy and apply it to your inner mind.

When you meditate, first, all the coarse thoughts disappear and the mind

is able to abide in stillness. At this point, clarity has not yet arisen. You

continue to meditate, again and again. When there are thoughts, focus on

the HŪṀ, vibrating with your natural pulse: HŪṀ HŪṀ HŪṀ HŪṀ

HŪṀ, just like the flickering of a flame. The dark inside shadow of the

flame is ignorance. It is co-emergent ignorance. In actuality, there is no

ignorance; but in the Samantabhadra Prayer, “co-emergent ignorance”

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refers to the inability to see the nature of mind as it is, without any doubt.

It is unawareness. When you meditate and the mind is clear, it flickers a

bit, just like a flame. Sometimes you recognize clear awareness for a

moment. What is the merit of recognizing clear awareness? As I

mentioned before, you become free of doubt with regard to the nature of

mind. I have myself gained an understanding of the nature of mind based

on the example of the fire flame. Thus, I have used the image of the flame

on many occasions as an example of self-arisen awareness. For this

reason, we should meditate on a flame at the navel. The wick of a butter

lamp is the syllable HŪṀ. Some cannot visualize the syllable HŪṀ,

because to them it is a conceptual elaboration. But what is important is

the sound HŪṀ—it doesn’t matter in which script, it can be in Chinese,

Tibetan, or English. Later, you do not even have to meditate on the

syllable anymore; you can just meditate on the sound HŪṀ, appearing

naturally as the vibration of your pulse. At that time, when you vibrate

with HŪṀ HŪṀ HŪṀ, even the subtlest of thoughts are quelled and the

natural brightness and clarity of your mind will be revealed naturally. This

has helped me to be more diligent in my own practice. I have added it to

the image in the Samantabhadra Prayer because people often wonder

where to visualize the HŪṀ. Whether you are visualizing the yab or the

yum, the HŪṀ is visualized at the navel level, at the center of your body,

in front of the spine. On the outer level there are two, the yab and yum

(male and female); but within the mind, the yab is the natural clarity and

the yum is the empty nature. In the mind that is free of all thoughts, there

is no separation between yab and yum. It is taught that yab and yum are

indivisible, appearance and emptiness are indivisible. First, appearance is

the yab and emptiness is the yum. Secondly, bliss is the yab and emptiness

is the yum. And when you actually recognize the natural state of mind,

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clarity is the yab and emptiness is the yum. So, first there is appearance- emptiness, then bliss-emptiness, and finally, clarity-emptiness. And to

recognize the emptiness of clarity is to recognize the emptiness of

awareness. It is empty awareness—the vajra mind. The very essence of

awareness is like the bright outer shadow of a flame. Abiding in it

uninterruptedly is called “non-meditation.” It is when meditation has

become stable. The example of the flame is truly very profound, it comes

from personal experience. It is an excellent way to illustrate an inner

experience through an outer analogy. Therefore, I offer it to my Dharma

friends like a mandala offering. Tashi Delek to all my Dharma friends. I

pray that the ultimate precioussupreme bodhicitta may arise in your mind- streams.

Translated by Ina Trinley Wangmo and edited by Kay Candler in 2018.