"𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 — 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐡𝐚-𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞."

"If you believe there is a thing called mind, it is just a thought. If you believe there is no thing called mind, it’s just another thought. Your natural state, free of any kind of thought about it—that is buddha-nature. In ordinary sentient beings, this natural state is carried away by thinking, caught up in thought. Involvement in thinking is like a heavy chain that weighs you down. Now it is time to be free from that chain. The moment you shatter the chain of thinking, you are free from the three realms of samsara.

"In this entire world, there is nothing superior to or more precious than knowing how to break this chain. Even if you were to scan the entire world, or piece by piece put it through a sieve in an attempt to find something more precious, you’d come up with nothing. None of the Buddhas of the past, present, and future have discovered an instruction that is more profound or more direct in attaining enlightenment. To ask for teachings on the nature of mind means to understand how to recognize mind nature.

"At the moment of recognizing your mind essence leave it in naturalness, simply as it is. If you keep striking the bell, the sound is interrupted by the effort. Just leave that recognition be without altering it. That is the way to not lose the continuity. Soon enough, the recognition will vanish by itself. As beginners, naturally we will forget after a bit. We don’t need to try to prevent that or guard against it with great effort. Once distracted, again recognize. That is the training."

by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 — 𝐓𝐮𝐥𝐤𝐮 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐩 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐞

The need for dualistic practice

Tulku Thondup Rinpoche

"Why do we need dualistic practices, such as generating merit, to reach a state that transcends duality? Because we have to start from where we are. Our mind’s true nature is covered by karmic turbulence caused by our grasping at self and our negative mental habits. “Grasping at a self” refers to the way we grasp at mental objects as truly existing, perceiving them dualistically as subject and object. The aspect of our mind that perceives this way is conceptual mind. Conceptual mind and the true nature of mind are like the surface and depths of the ocean: The surface is choppy with wind-tossed waves; beneath it is still and peaceful.

"Most of us can’t glimpse into the depths, our true nature, because our conceptual mind is constantly churning out turbulence. Grasping at self tricks us, like a nightmare, into believing that we are separate from the world and each other. This triggers negative emotions, from craving and anxiety to jealousy and aggression, which spill out into unhealthy words and actions.

"Every dualistic perception, every negative thought, feeling, word, and deed, leaves a negative karmic imprint in our conceptual mind that walls us off from our true nature. On the other hand, positive mentalities leave positive karmic imprints that open our mind, loosen grasping at self, and thin out the barriers to our true nature.

"As long as we have dualistic concepts and emotions, the world is solid to us. Our suffering is all too real. Circumstances matter. If our surroundings are chaotic, it will be hard to find tranquillity. If we experience peace and joy, however, we will be inspired to generate even more peace and joy. Then whatever we say and do will be the words and deeds of joy and peace. We progressively loosen our grasping at self, and eventually we glimpse the luminous nature of our mind. If we perfect this realization, we uproot grasping at self and become fully awakened."

– Tulku Thondup Rinpoche