But, nevertheless, if there is even the slightest recognition, liberation is easy. Should you ask why this is so—it is because once the awesome, terrifying and fearful appearances arise, the awareness does not have the luxury of distraction. The awareness is one-pointedly concentrated. ― Karma-glin-pa, The Tibetan Book of the Dead When the self-structure dissolves, it is common to experience a temporary, beautiful honeymoon phase. The world appears radiating innately awake pr

This is the fanciful writing of a beggar lady, the unspiritual prattling of a parrot. If seen by others, it will cause embarrassment... I have no wealth to offer, no grand lineage to boast of. I have only this naked mind resting in empty lucidity. — from I don't Believe in Samsara, by Sera Khandro (translated by Christina Monson as part of the Ḍākinī Treasury Series) When a powerful, deep realization occurs alongside a history of severe trauma, the refinement of that awakenin

When the mind is bound, the elements are bound. When the mind is released, the elements are released without doubt. By the melting of the knots in the central channel, the dense physical frame becomes a radiant body of pure gnostic light. — Mahasiddha Saraha (from The Dohākoṣa) The spiritual marketplace sells enlightenment as a sudden, ground-breaking shift of perspective. But true liberation is a paradox: it means realizing the seeker on the path is not an autonomous entity,

I prostrate to the Perfect Buddha / who taught that whatever is dependently arisen is / unceasing, unborn / unannihilated, not permanent / not coming, not going / without distinction, without identity / and free from conceptual construction. — from the opening of Mulamadhyamakakarika by Nagarjuna There is a particular quality of aloneness that the path produces — not loneliness, not isolation, although it may feel like that at times. It’s something more fundamental. The sense

As long as there is an ego, there are demons. When there is no more ego, there are no more demons either! If there is no ego, there is no more object to cut through, nor is there anymore fear or terror. — Machig Labdrön When the 10th fetter (ignorance/not-knowing) finally drops, terms like awakening or enlightenment feel like clunky, dualistic toys. While some might lucidly emphasize the "no big deal" aspect of this condition in their communications—to prevent the ego from

The great garuda‘s wings develop within the egg, but enveloped by the shell they are not apparent until the bird hatches, and instantly soars into the sky. Likewise, delusive dualistic perception already resolved, the clear spontaneity of pure presence is self-sprung. Only when the shell of congealed residue cracks open, luminous sublime form then fills the spacious sky. — from Spaciousness: The Radical Dzogchen of the Vajra-Heart From the viewpoint of Basic Sanity, our shad

I am from the unborn sphere of all phenomena. I consume concepts of duality as my diet. I act in the way of the Buddhas of the three times. — Padmasambhava This article examines spontaneity as a fundamental component of the awakening process. It further explores the interplay between intuition, ego, and discernment in teacher-student dynamics, and introduces the concept of crazy wisdom. We often encounter the terms spontaneity, naturalness and effortlessness early on the p

If you have experiential glimpses of unbound consciousness, if you see there are no actual boundaries to be found in the sense data, if...

One of the paradoxes of kundalini awakening is that it is simultaneously an expansion process that brings greater perspective and the...