Photo by Rolf Hicker
The mind
has two facets: its natural essence that
flows freely, and its confused state that arises when the essence is obstructed
by mental formations (thoughts, emotions, sensations). The kayas describe the fluid nature of the
essence of mind, how our perceptions appear and then dissolve. Comparing them
to the water cycle may help with understanding them. The dharmakaya can be thought of as the atmosphere,
the nirmanakaya as water, the sambhogakaya as a cloud (the combination of
atmosphere and water), and the svabhavivakaya as the whole cycle itself. The
nirmanakaya is the physical aspect of the mind; it is our perception of what
our senses show us. The dharmakaya is the transcendental aspect from which
everything arises. This kaya is boundless, spacious, and formless – “empty”
– lacking any independent existence or lasting substance. The union of these two kayas
is the cognitive aspect of the mind, the sambhogakaya. The energy and vibrancy
in our sense perceptions, when combined with infinite openness, produce clarity and equanimity. Our thoughts, emotions and sensations are experienced,
yet they are recognized as being unstable and impermanent. Obstructions to this
natural flow occur not because feelings and concepts arise, but because we
become attached to them. Yet we can wake up to our ego’s grasping habit –
wanting this but not that. Unhooked from its seduction, we ease our suffering by
realizing these mind states are not as solid or unchanging as first thought. Deprived
of a concrete self, these things are able to wash right through us.
How joyful this freedom from confusion arising as luminosity! ~ Ngotrup Gyaltsen
For more information on the fourteenth slogan, go here.
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