Lojong Cards and Booklet

Lojong Cards and Booklet
This self-published deck and booklet are the intellectual property of Beverly King. Please do not copy or reproduce any photos or blog posts without permission.

Monday, April 18, 2016

The ultimate protection is emptiness; know what arises as confusion to be the four kayas.

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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