Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's views on ignorance

[Luke]

I am currently reading "The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones" which is a series of verses by Patrul Rinpoche which covers the essentials of the entire Buddhist path to enlightenment. This book features H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's commentaries about each verse.

Khyentse Rinpoche's commentaries are extraordinarily deep and beautiful, and I was particularly struck by his commentary about Ignorance.

[Patrul Rinpoche's verse]
"Don't just take for granted ideas forged by ignorance; look at the nature of ignorance itself.
The hosts of thoughts, liberated by themselves as they arise, are awareness-void;
This awareness-void is none other than the wisdom of the absolute expanse.
In the self-liberation of ignorance, recite the six-syllable mantra."

[an excerpt from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's commentary]
"Ignorance here means ignorance of our own Buddha-nature. In this respect, we are ignorant as a beggar with a precious jewel in his hand who, not recognizing how valuable it is, simply throws it away. It is because of this ignorance that we are blind to the law of cause and effect and refuse to believe that every action has a result. It is because of ignorance that we cannot accept the existence of past and future lives. It is because of ignorance that we have no confidence in the beneficial results of praying to the Three Jewels. It is because of ignorance that we do not recognize the truth of Dharma. Ignorance is at the very root of the eighty-four thousand negative emotions, for as long as we fail to see that the true nature of everything is voidness, we insist on believing that things really exist; and this is the source of all deluded perceptions and all negative thoughts."

I guess one of the reasons that I like the commentary on this verse so much is that it is a rallying cry for traditional Buddhism (i.e. not Batchelor's anti-karma, anti-rebirth personal version of Buddhism). All of the great past Buddhist masters believed in karma and rebirth and in the importance of having faith in the Three Jewels. Views which disagree with these points are simply different flavors of ignorance.

[muni]

I am currently reading "The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones" which is a series of verses by Patrul Rinpoche which covers the essentials of the entire Buddhist path to enlightenment. This book features H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's commentaries about each verse.

Khyentse Rinpoche's commentaries are extraordinarily deep and beautiful, and I was particularly struck by his commentary about Ignorance.

[Patrul Rinpoche's verse]
"Don't just take for granted ideas forged by ignorance; look at the nature of ignorance itself.
The hosts of thoughts, liberated by themselves as they arise, are awareness-void;
This awareness-void is none other than the wisdom of the absolute expanse.
In the self-liberation of ignorance, recite the six-syllable mantra."

[an excerpt from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's commentary]
"Ignorance here means ignorance of our own Buddha-nature. In this respect, we are ignorant as a beggar with a precious jewel in his hand who, not recognizing how valuable it is, simply throws it away. It is because of this ignorance that we are blind to the law of cause and effect and refuse to believe that every action has a result. It is because of ignorance that we cannot accept the existence of past and future lives. It is because of ignorance that we have no confidence in the beneficial results of praying to the Three Jewels. It is because of ignorance that we do not recognize the truth of Dharma. Ignorance is at the very root of the eighty-four thousand negative emotions, for as long as we fail to see that the true nature of everything is voidness, we insist on believing that things really exist; and this is the source of all deluded perceptions and all negative thoughts."

I guess one of the reasons that I like the commentary on this verse so much is that it is a rallying cry for traditional Buddhism (i.e. not Batchelor's anti-karma, anti-rebirth personal version of Buddhism). All of the great past Buddhist masters believed in karma and rebirth and in the importance of having faith in the Three Jewels. Views which disagree with these points are simply different flavors of ignorance.

for as long as we fail to see that the true nature of everything is voidness, we insist on believing that things really exist; and this is the source of all deluded perceptions and all negative thoughts

[White Lotus]

all names and forms must be dropped before we are freely able to pick them up again. Voidness, Emptiness, Nothingness are all names and therefore have an arising and a ceasing in the mind. Everything including Nothingness must be dropped, put away... before it can be freely taken again.

the fundamental has no name whatsoever, and yet even this sentence is the fundamental. No name and yet any name will do. But before freedom to choose any name or any word one must see the fundamental as it is, not even nothingness. the seeing that is not a seeing. how could it be a seeing since there is not a thing seen. this seeing is within. once this has been seen then that which comprises the world can be seen as no different from the fundamental.

with love from White Lotus.

[Jnana]

I am currently reading "The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones" which is a series of verses by Patrul Rinpoche which covers the essentials of the entire Buddhist path to enlightenment. This book features H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's commentaries about each verse.

An excellent text and commentary.

oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ

[White Lotus]

Something i must clarify. once one has experienced the fundamental... it is no longer possible to look within, since no sooner does one seek to look within than one finds oneself focused on the obective world. it just becomes impossible to look within any longer. one finds that the objects one is looking at take on the warmth and personality of what was once experienced as the Self.

initially, seeing the external world is a direct experience of the tathata, however this looking is only purified once one has gone beyond all names, words and explanations... before returning to them.

quite simply I do not know what it is, i no longer see anything or perceived anything that can be called something. therefore what was once experienced as the 'nature within' now no longer has any describable nor non describable characteristics. it certainly can no longer be called a nature. however... i recognise that there is only the objective world, seen subjectively and that this objective world is the Fundamental, which does not exist.

best wishes, White lotus. x

i hope my wording is not sloppy. and that you will understand that simple and inaccurate expressions are needed in order to explain what i see. degrees of truth where ultimately it cannot even be called Void or nothingness.

[muni]

"Continuously practice pure vision till naturally we see all and all beings are completely perfect".
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Not the mind movements or outer phenomena are a problem but own clinging.

[White Lotus]

Dear Muni. i hope you have a happy Christmas and everyone here on Dharmawheel. i dont know about clinging. (is that my attachment to tobacco?) please say something about it.

with love from White Lotus. x