Friday, March 31, 2017

Mind Itself -- An Eccentric Homage to Maitripa

Because mind itself is already free of any binding state,
beings in spirit realms may cast their compassionate regard
towards this dimension in waves of loving anticipation.

Because mind itself is already released from futile grasping
at imaginary contrivances such as “I” and “mine,” the activity
and function called "ego" may present a useful opportunity
to navigate and explore the slower vibrational frequencies
in the virtual form of a self, a person, an action figure.

Because the essence of mind itself is empty, whatever appears
is humorously transparent, although not always in a funny way --
sometimes the joke, as they say, is on you, so always refrain
from taking any of it seriously, especially yourself!

Because the nature of mind itself is luminous, wherever
we travel in the past, present, or future is already illumined
by the abundant candle power of our natural attention.

Because the character of mind itself is unceasing awareness
without object, all of the great sages and saints had nothing
to offer which could surpass the song of a bumble bee.

Because mind itself appears in numerous ways, pointing
one's finger and confidently claiming that it is this or that
merely demonstrates how little we understand simple things.

Because this luminosity of mind itself transcends phenomena
designated as seeing, seen, and seer, whatever may appear
and disappear does so in a theater attended by nobody.

Because mind itself is already liberated from the self-absorbed
fabrications known as meditation and meditator, happy dreamers
like to soar on the layered thermal currents above the fruited plain.

Because mind itself is at ease and unstructured, that very freedom
from mental engagement translates into doing nothing in particular,
or perhaps doing something if it happens to be that kind of day.

Because in mind itself there is no grasping, the wry hallucinations
this fictional world seems to offer constitute an elaborate prank
consciousness plays on itself, just to observe its own reaction.

Because mind itself is already free of the structured contamination
promoted by the ancient holy scoundrels as meditative equipoise,
one would be better off serving living beings without harboring
secret fantasies of accumulating merit at this ghost festival.

Because the nature of mind itself is spacious pristine emptiness,
various texts dedicated to illuminating exactly what that implies
have never been circulated, since they have never been written.

Because mind itself is clear light by nature, just getting up
off of one's cushion and strolling about in the cool fresh air
on a fine Spring day can be quite invigorating, especially
when unimpeded by habitual streams of conceptualization!

When the mind itself is settled in its own unstructured nature,
it is simply ordinary consciousness, vividly present, beyond
any chronic clinging to daydreams of subject and object.

Because mind itself and appearances are indivisible,
what more is there to say?

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