Heart Treasure
Nyingmapa masters have not left much worldly inheritances to their successors when compared with those wealthy tycoons.
But the masters have far surpassed the worldly riches in leaving their followers the wisdom legacy, treasure troves filled with dazzling arrays of sublimated wisdom and compassion.
Anyone equipped with the key of faith will discover in the vault gems that bring boundless joy.
Today, I made a trip to Lhala Chodri Rinpoche’s treasure chamber and toured around.
Innumerable jewels and gems filled the place to the brim and made me, who always craves more Dharma, ecstatic to no end. But with my limited strength, I was unable to bring out all the treasures I saw.
I could not resist, however, translating one passage on recognizing the nature of the mind.
While I’d love to share it with Dharma friends, those who have not received the transmission on Great Perfection should refrain from reading it.
Otherwise, a reprimand from the Dharma Protectors is sure to come.
“Briefly, the heart treasure of direct pointing out is as follows:
All phenomena appear because of the mind.
When one investigates the mind that is having the thought, one finds nothing.
Looking for one’s mind, there are no shapes or colors of it to be found.
The thing we called mind since beginning-less time is only an imputation of conceptual thinking.
A thorough investigation of the ‘I’ and ‘my mind’ yields only emptiness.
Other than that, there is nothing substantial; this is the view of Madhyamaka.
Our mind, when no longer searching around, naturally abides in emptiness and the unceasing display of phenomena.
Such a state of self-knowing and clarity is the realm of Great Perfection.
Remaining thus undistracted by external objects and unsullied by subtle discursive thoughts, one maintains a luminous and knowing mind with the right view and mindfulness.
It’s important to practice continuously, like a great unremitting stream.
Besides, one also must maintain supportive practices such as taking refuge, generating bodhichitta, practicing guru yoga, as well as observing worldly virtues of doing good deeds and abandoning evils.
For me, the old yogi of Nyingmapa, Sonan Lanchen, there are no other daily practices besides these.
May beings with fortunate karma also come to know this heart treasure!”
At this moment, we’ve received such a precious heart treasure, shouldn’t we cherish it dearly?
Of course there are people who regard themselves as possessing sharp faculties for Great Perfection.
They regard taking refuge, doing guru yoga, arousing bodhichitta, adopting worldly virtues, and abandoning evils as practices for dull people only and choose to ignore them.
Do they really think their aptitudes surpass those of our lineage masters?
The heart treasures left by our past masters have now been fully revealed to us without any reservation.
We should reflect upon them deeply, word by word, to permeate our mind with them, recognize the nature of the mind, and continue the practice for a long period of time.
Only by so doing can we prove ourselves worthy of the kind blessings from our masters and the Three Jewels.
18th of March, Year of RenWu April 29, 2002
