On the Luminous Nature of Mind
Maitreya, from the Uttaratantra:
The luminous nature of mindDignaga (480-540):
Is changeless, just like space.
It is not defiled by adventitious stains,
Such as desire, born from false imagination.
The consciousness of ordinary beingsSantaraksita's Madhyamakaloka states:
Is pure by nature
And expressed by the term "Buddha"
Just as a bodhisattva is called a victor.
Its own innate nature is enshrouded -
Being under the sway of ignorance,
It appears otherwise, just like an illusion,
While the fruition is like quitting a dream.
This statement, "All sentient beings possess the Tathagata Heart" teaches that all are suitable to attain the state of unsurpassable completely perfect buddhahood, since it is held that the term Tathagata expresses the dharmadhatu, characterized by personal and phenomenal identityless-ness, as being natural luminosity.From commentary of Candrakirti, on Jayananda's Madhyamakavataratika:
As for "having the characteristic of adventitious defilements," since suchness is naturally luminous, they are to be known as being adventitious, just as clouds in space...
As for "having the characteristic natural luminosity," it is not tainted by these defilements, just as space is not tainted by clouds.
On the Nature of Phenomena
Maitreya, from Distinguishing Phenomena and Pure Being
On the Basis of Phenomena:
Here the traits of phenomena are defined
As duality plus assumption and formulation,
Whose appearance is the mistaken conceptual process,
Since what appears is not, and is thus not real.
No referents have ever existed either
And being but concept, consist of conceptualization.
The realm of manifestation consists of appearances involving a duality of perceived and perceiver plus the assumption that anything appearing in such a way actually exists in that way; this is accompanied by formulation, which applies to terminology.
The dualistic appearance of perceived and perceiver is merely one's own mistaken conceptual process, since what appears to the mind, namely the object, is not existent - even while it appears.
Anything whose appearance involves duality, even though existing in an apparent sense, could not be real in actual fact.
Being but an imputation on the part of one's own concepts, the complex manifold referred to as phenomena consists solely of this conceptual process.
In summary, all phenomena, which are composed of dualistic appearance to which dualistic assumption is added, are nothing other than complete imputations having no existence with an actual constituent of their own, while nevertheless appearing.On Phenomena Appearing as Things in Common:
Those who cling compulsively to the existence of outer objects claim, "Outer objects exist, because no one can deny that anything composed of atoms, such as mountains and any other objects observed in common, exists." But that is not how it is
Given 'what appear to be outer' and 'perceivable in common', such as mountains and so on, as the postulated subject, these are not outer referents discrete from the inner consciousness and existing with a material essence, because they are the inner 'perceiving awareness' itself appearing as the image of this and that outer referent for those whose operative habitual tendencies correspond, just like forms in a dream.
Me
A Swift and Thorough Cut...
All differentiation is imagination.
All imagination is mind only.
Differentiation appears as self-existence, where no self-existence exists.
Differentiation appears as self-arisen, where no self-arising arises.
Anan Thubten, The Magic of Awareness
Everything turns out to be perfect in its imperfection when we allow things to be as they are.Tilopa
Inquire into the mind using the mind itself. All concepts will cease and you will see what the nature of mind is.
Kambala - From Nine Stanzas on Prajnaparamita - late 5th / early 6th century;
Those who see true reality,
Practice conventionalities just as they are,
But do not perceive them as real things.
The wise regard this entire universe
Like a picture beautified
By the colors of perception
But do not regard it as having a nature of its own.
Therefore, the nature of phenomena that have mind as their nature
Is the very lack of nature.
Whoever understands phenomena otherwise
Does not reach the ultimate.
There is no difference between these two --
Just as with conception, it is the nature of emptiness to be unreal.
But it is only through the very essence of the other-dependent nature
That emptiness is correctly seen.
Saying, "In the end, everything vanishes"
Is a rhetorical device for childish beings.
Something else shines forth
That cannot be expressed or analyzed.
There, dwelling in a place with nothing to hold on to,
That brightly shining space
Illuminates the emptiness
Of itself and of emptiness.
Just as there is variety in clothes,
Entities may be different.
But once they are consumed by the fire of emptiness,
Their ashes are not different at all.
Having realized the perfect nature,
Everything has the character of a single taste,
Partless, without beginning or end,
Formless, and ungraspable.
When seeing the very essence of mere cognition
As the abiding in the middle between the two extremes,
The consummation of the true reality
Of the entire world is displayed.
Once the light of wisdom arises
True reality is seen
Just as if lying in your hand.
