Empty Bliss

Usually we like pleasure and dislike pain or suffering.

If we take a closer look at pleasure, we find out that it is always dependent on a cause, and it is impermanent. If we zoom in, we discover that this SENSATION called pleasure is EMPTY, it has no intrinsic nature of its own, it is not self-existing.

When our confused state of consciousness makes itself unbearable, we try to escape from it trough a CHANGE. We erroneusly think that changing the external situation, we can escape confusion and the anxiety that goes along with it. And if changing the external set up is not possible, we use our FANTASY to break free in our minds.

The truth is that only FACING reality, can we TRASCEND confusion and turn it into WISDOM.

Only LOOKING DIRECTLY at the NATURE of APPEARANCES of confusion and axiety, can wisdom awaken.

Looking closer to the sensation of pain and suffering, we find that has the same nature as pleasure: it is EMPTY.

Pleasure and pain are two heads of CERBERUS, being the third stupor.

Clinging, rejection and indifference, the THREE POISONS we find in the axis of the wheel of life.

Unless we defeat this three headed infernal dog, we won´t be able to come out of the hell of confused mind.

In the mahamudra system, we have three antidotes against these three poisons:

1- Looking at the nature of mind

2- Looking at the nature of thought

3- Looking at the nature of appearances

If we practice correctly, the master will point out to us the nature of mind, thought and appearances, and we will be able to SEE it.

The only thing a genuine master can do is to prepare the practitioner for the pointing out instructions, and give them to him at the proper time so he can see the nature of mind.

Without FAITH in the mahamudra system (or ZEN, Dzogchen...) and TRUST in the master, it is not possible to SEE DIRECTLY the NATURE OF MIND.

So, we should make sure that we put our heart into whatever we do, specially when practicing Dharma, or we will never be able to experience the GREAT BLISS of Realization, which tracends pleasure, pain and stupor.

Kye Ho