Buddhahood Without Meditation Dudjom Rinpoche

Contemplation 1:

"The two contrasting states--that of a buddha and that of a sentient being--come

about depending upon whether there is recognition or nonrecognition of

intrinsic awareness.

The ground of being itself, the primordial lord protector Samantabhadra,

embodies the four kayas and the five aspects of pristine awareness. It's essential

nature as emptiness is dharmakaya; its inherent nature as lucidity is

sambhogakaya; its innate compassionate responsiveness as natural freedom is

nirmanakaya; its pervasiveness and extension throughout all of samsara and

nirvana are swabhavikakaya.

Because of the openness of all phenomena, there is pristine awareness of

dharmadhatu, the basic space of phenomena. Because of their subtle clarity,

free of sullying factors, there is mirror-like pristine awareness. Because

samsara and nirvana are the display of equal purity, there is pristine awareness

of equalness. Because of the unceasing avenues of pristine awareness that

knows the nature of things and perceives them in their variety, there is

discriminating pristine awareness. And because all that is to be done is

accomplished through the freedom and purity of all phenomena, there is all-

accomplishing pristine awareness.

In this way, the path to freedom in self-occurring buddhahood makes evident

intrinsic awareness as the epitome of the four kayas and five aspects of pristine

awareness. The essential nature of intrinsic awareness pervades and extends to

the horizons of space, yet does not exist objectively; it is supremely free and

all-embracing openness, a display that is groundless and free of fixed

foundation."

Contemplation 2:

"Emptiness does not constitute an inert void, but is subtly lucid, free of sullying

factors, like a polished mirror in which anything at all can arise--this is mirror-

like pristine awareness. Pristine awareness of equalness is understanding the

fact that samsara and nirvana are of equal purity in supreme emptiness.

Discriminating pristine awareness refers to the unceasing avenues for the

lucidity of the discriminating function of pristine awareness to express itself as

the dynamic energy of intrinsic awareness. Since activities are naturally

accomplished in purity and freedom through the mastery of intrinsic awareness,

there is all-accomplishing pristine awareness.

Many do not understand this mode of being just as it is, and instead make their

path a passive state of awareness that does not differentiate between ordinary

mind and intrinsic awareness."

Contemplation 3:

"The term 'transcendent knowledge that knows the real nature of things just as

it is' refers to understanding, just as it is, the fact that all phenomena subsumed

within samsara and nirvana are of one taste within the context of suchness, that

is, the true nature of reality. The term 'transcendent knowledge that knows

things in their variety' refers to the fact that although one abides within the

sphere of the essential nature of intrinsic awareness, unimpeded avenues of all-

knowing, all-cognizing awareness occur in and of themselves."

Contemplation 4:

"The obscuring of the ground of being by non-recognition of intrinsic

awareness is indisputably the ground of all ordinary experience (kun-zhi), an

inert void like empty space in which no thought at all takes place and no

apparent phenomena manifest. It is like a state of deep sleep or

unconsciousness. To be thoroughly immersed in this state is the nature of

ignorance (ti-mug)--the great, shifting display of the nonrecognition of intrinsic

awareness."

Contemplation 5:

"Some people hold apparent phenomena to be mind. They might wonder

whether all external apparent phenomena are actually discursive thoughts and

therefore their own minds, but such is not the case. This is demonstrated by the

fact that while apparent phenomena change from the very moment they

manifest, ceasing and passing away in a succession of later moments following

former ones, ordinary mind does not take on the nature of these passing

phenomena and thereby become itself nonexistent as mind."

Contemplation 6:

"No matter how vast and how numerous the apparent phenomena of samsara

and nirvana may be, they are encompassed within the single true nature of mind

itself (sem-nyid)."

Contemplation 7:

"What, then, constitutes the path? It is simply holding to one's own place in the

immediacy of one's own situation. What constitutes realization? It is simply

understanding correctly one's own true nature as the fundamental nature of

reality. What constitutes freedom? It is awakening to inherently enlightened

being in one's own true nature."

Contemplation 8:

"Since the ground of being is endowed with supreme joy that has not been

brought into being by any object, condition or agent, there is the realm of

Manifest Joy (Ngonpar Gawa). Since it is endowed with the abundant glory of

pristine awareness and positive qualities, there is the realm of Endowed with

Glory (Paldang Danpa). Since it is endowed with the pristine awareness of

inexhaustible bliss and emptiness, there is the realm of Bliss (Dewachan). And

because there is the utterly perfect completeness of all activities of purification

and freedom, there is the realm of Utterly Perfect and Complete Activity

(Layrab Dzogpa). Since the positive qualities of the ground of being cannot be

measured, the term 'immeasurable' (zhal-yas) is used. Since they completely fill

the whole of samsara and nirvana, the term 'mansion' (khang) is used."

Contemplation 9:

"When the inherent glow of the pervasive, extensive ground of being as basic

space has been made evident by supreme, pervasive transcendent knowledge,

there is Vairocana, 'Distinct Manifestation' (Nampar Nangdzad), of all pristine

awareness and positive qualities of the ground of being, that is, of buddha

nature as the fundamental constituent of being. Since it is endowed with the

seven indestructible vajra attributes and is free of wavering and vacillation in

the three times, there is Akshobhya, "Unshakable Vajra' (Mikyod Dorje). Since

it is the source of all elements of the path and its fruition, and is endowed with

an excellent abundance of positive qualities, there is Ratnasambhava, "Source

of Preciousness' (Rinchhen Jungdan). Amitabha, "Limitless Illumination'

(Nangwa T'haayay), refers to the unlimited aspect of the ground of being

manifesting as apparent phenomena. Because all topics of reality exist such that

they are self-occurring, there is Amoghasiddhi, 'Accomplishment of Meaning'

(Donyod Drubpa)."

Contemplation 10:

"Although primordially there has been complete perfection, this has been

obscured by nonrecognition of intrinsic awareness. It is as though water,

naturally free-flowing, has been confined, frozen into ice, or as though gold and

gems have not been recognized for what they are and so have not alleviated

poverty."

Contemplation 11:

"Without the slightest inkling of the view of emptiness, one may decide

intellectually that mind is empty merely in that it cannot be established to be

some real entity, and so settle one-pointedly in that context of emptiness. This

view propels one toward the pinnacle of conditioned existence, that is, rebirth

as a god in a state devoid of perception."

Contemplation 12:

"The defining characteristic of ordinary mind (sem) is the nonrecognition of

intrinsic awareness of the ground of being. The defining characteristic of

intrinsic awareness (rig-pa) is the ground of being becoming evident."

Contemplation 13:

"Do not seek any god other than self-cognizing intrinsic awareness."