DawaGyaltsanandthefourusualMisconceptions

Somepeopleitseemshavebeengiventheraregifttoboil
downrathercomplexmatterstoafewwords.
DawaGyaltsanlivedsomewhereinTibetsometimesaroundthe
8.Century.HewasayogicpracticioneroftheBntraditionand
heleftbehindtheessenceofhisrealizationinabouteleven
words:
snagba sems
sems stongpa(nyid)
stongpa(nyid) odgsal
`odgsal zung`jug
zung`jugbdebachenpo
Assumingthattheancienttibetanlanguageistranslatable(and
inconsiderablemorewords),thiscouldmeanforexample:
Thatwhi chappearsisnotdifferentfromthemindthati s
perceivingit.
Thismi ndofours(whichaswejustlearnedalsocontains
allappearingphenomena)isnotsomethi nginparticular.
Ratheritisaki ndofemptiness.
Thenatureofthi sallencompassi ngempti nessislight.
Thislightisallthereis.Nothi ngelseexistsoutsideofit.
Torealizethisallencompassi ngsomething(whichisof
coursenothingatall)i sthegreat(unsurpassable)bliss.
Whilethisisratherpresumptuous,Istillfeltanurgetowritea
littlecommentary.Justbecauseithappenedlikethat
NANGWASEMthefirstmisconceptionisrootedinthe
assumptionthatwenormallytakethatwhichweperceiveand
recognizeassomethingseparate,differentfromus.Objects
outthere,ofadifferentkind.
SEMTONGPA ifitdawnsuponusthatthismaynotbethe
wholetruthofthestory,wemayencounterthesecond
misconception:Wethentendtobelievethatourmindandthe
objectsappearingtohimaresubstantial.Thattheyexist
independentofandseparablefrom.
Allowingthepossibilityofthembeingstongpa,empty,devoid
ofaseparatenature,wewilllikelyarriveatthethird
misconception:
TONGPASELWeassumethatemptinessisjustempty,a
sortofboundlessspacewithoutobjects,withoutsomethingat
all,evenwithoutanydiscernablequalityofitsown.
Maybeatthispointweencounter(inmedievallatin)thehorror
vacui,theboundlessfearofaninfinitevacuum,ahugecosmic
nothingness
Supposingwerealizenowthatthisemptinessisidenticalwith
odgsal,theclearwhitelight,allembracingenergy,mother
ofallthebuddhasofalltimes(and,bysuch,ofallliving
beings).
Thenwewillmostlikelyfacethisexperienceinutmostaweand
mightpersevereinadoration.Touseatheisticphrase:Weare
havinganexperienceofGod.
Thismighteasilyleadtothefourthandfinalmisunderstanding:
SELSUNGDSCHUG
Meaning:Thereisnothingtoadore.
Thisisallthereis.
Andtherewithnobodyandnothingexistsinseparationfrom
THIS.
Tophraseittheisticallyagain:Godisnothinginparticular.God
isIsNess.
SUNGDSCHUGDEWACHENPO toseethis,torealizethis,
tobeTHIS:Thisistastingbdebachenpo.Allembracing,
unconditionalgreatbliss.
Well,itcouldbelikethis
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