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You are here : Home > Books > Tibetan > Tibetan Buddhism: Dzogchen
Openness Clarity Sensitivity



Extract :
Confidence in the Nature of Mind
Buddhism is concerned with becoming aware of and realising with increasing depth the Nature of Mind, which is in all beings and which transcends anything that we could grasp and own. It is the very nature of experience itself and in the end, experience is all we have. Our particular personality and way of being is a rather confused expression of that basic Nature of Mind that is common to us all.

The Nature of Mind is experienced in terms of three inseparable qualities: openness (which could also be called spaciousness), clarity (which could also be called awareness) and sensitivity (which could also be called responsiveness or well-being).

We in the West seem to lack a genuine and fundamental confidence in ourselves. If we have confidence at all it tends to be somewhat crude and egocentric. We do not seem to have confidence in what we basically are as human beings. In other cultures, particularly in the East, this seems to be much less of a problem. It is very common for us to think of ourselves as hopeless bundles of complexes and bad habits, essentially worthless and just a problem to ourselves and others. Emotionally we feel empty and hollow, but not in the deep sense in which Buddhism talks about emptiness, which is a feeling of openness and spaciousness. Rather we feel closed and cut off, diminished and lonely.

Spaciousness is something in which we could feel complete confidence as the basis of our being, experience or awareness. It is the boundless quality of the Nature of Mind. It carries with it a positive sense of well-being and health which is the opposite of feeling claustrophobia and strain. For any sentient being, there is always some sense of space even if only in the sense that it seems blocked. Even a feeling of claustrophobia reflects an awareness of space.
Awareness itself is intimately connected to our idea of time. The whole notion of time implies the presence of awareness. Sometimes time seems to go faster or slower, but for all sentient creatures there is always some sense of time passing.

There is a quality to awareness which is very attractive in itself. It is not that we get anything out of it particularly. It just feels good and positive in itself. It conveys a sense of realness and aliveness that is enough somehow.

The sense of well-being that is always associated with awareness tells us that it is right to be more aware. Increased awareness brings an increased sense of openness and sensitivity and somehow we are attracted to these qualities for their own sake. They feel good. As we build up an awareness of spaciousness, we increasingly notice our clarity and awareness and this triggers our natural responsiveness.

Yet, strangely, we tend to shut off awareness very early. Why, if we value awareness so much, do we shut it off so firmly and so quickly? Is it that we are frightened that we are going to see something about ourselves, others and the world that is unpalatable in some way? It is as if we were afraid that if we looked too closely, everything would somehow fall apart or become unmanageable. Actually there is no need to feel that, since the nature of our being is fundamentally good and carries within itself a sense of well-being. It is not something shocking or terrible. We can afford to be open and we can develop confidence because this well-being is fundamental to our nature, transcending the usual idea we have of ourselves. We tend to think of ourselves as separate people with unique notions, feelings, perceptions and so on, but the Nature of Mind is exactly the same in all beings.

All sentient beings possess the sensitivity of being able to feel sense impressions and to respond, no matter what the impressions are or how they respond to them. So we all share in this fundamental nature.

This sensitivity is what communicates a sense of well-being. We need to connect to this in order to feel good in ourselves. Without this it is impossible to feel good towards others. That is why it is standard Buddhist practice to develop friendliness towards ourselves before even trying to develop it towards others.

Even if we feel that there is not much in our lives to feel good about, there is always our basic sensitivity. As long as we are experiencing or are aware of anything, sensitivity is always there and that is somehow good in itself. So we have to connect to the sense that it is good to be alive, to be sitting meditating, to be aware, to be experiencing anything at all. We have to become aware of that quality of goodness within ourselves in order to appreciate it in the world around us.

To be sensitive there has to be some degree of openness and awareness, so these three qualities are the basis of what it is to be a sentient being, whether animal or human or anything else. There is therefore a basic kinship between all beings that goes very deep: right to the very essence of what it is to be alive and sentient.

Yet we vary in the extent to which we experience the spaciousness, clarity and sensitivity of our nature. When fully experienced, without distortion, blockage or veil, it is the Buddha's boundless enlightened awareness and responsiveness. In other words, it is boundless wisdom and compassion. So the very essence of what it is to be sentient and alive is also the very essence of the Buddha's enlightenment, It is there in the heart of our being already and it never changes. It is our Indestructible Heart Essence.
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