To understand natural luminosity, the first place to start is with the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras. Most people are familiar with the famous statement:
- There is no mind in the mind, but the mind is naturally luminous.
- Due to matter being naturally luminous, it is pure and non-afflicted…due to omniscience of all aspects being naturally luminous, it is pure and non-afflicted.
- It is thought, “This mind is naturally luminous.” As this was thought, it is thought, “The mind arises based on a perception.” Since that perception is totally understood, the mind does not arise and does not cease. Such a mind is luminous, non-afflicted, beautiful, totally pure. Since that mind dwells in nonarising, no phenomena at all arise or cease.
- Since prajñāpāramitā is totally pure, all phenomena are naturally luminous.
- Since the original nature [prakriti] of the mind is luminous and endowed with purity, it is extremely pure…
The original nature [prakriti] of the mind is correctly known as peaceful, luminous and equivalent with space…
The natural luminosity of the dharmadhātu is abides as totality pure in the same way…
- Whatever is totally pure, that is an immaculate entryway, the mind is naturally luminous and never possesses afflictions.
The Ārya-bodhisattvapiṭaka-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra states:
All these phenomena are naturally pure,
naturally luminous, fundamentally pure from the start,
unfabricated and imperceptible.
- If it is asked what is luminosity, that which is natural is without affliction, like space, the nature of space. Follow space. That which is equivalent with the extent of space itself is extremely luminous by nature. Therefore, the immature are temporarily afflicted because they do not comprehend natural luminosity. Since sentient beings do not know natural luminosity, they must comprehend natural luminosity…Due to understanding the natural luminosity of the mind just as it is, the unsurpassed perfected awakening through the discerning wisdom possessed by an instant of the mind is called “full buddhahood.”
- I have obtained the ambrosia of Dharma,
profound, peaceful, immaculate, luminous and unconditioned.
Even though I explain it, no one will understand,
I think I will remain in the forest without speaking.
Free from words, untrained by speech,
suchness, the nature of Dharma, is like space
free from the movements of mind and intellect,
supreme, amazing, the sublime knowledge…
Always like space,
nonconceptual, luminous,
the teaching without periphery or center
is expressed in this Dharmawheel.
Free from existence and nonexistence,
beyond self and nonself,
the teaching of natural nonarising
is expressed in this Dharmawheel…
- Mañjuśrī, because the mind is naturally luminous, the secondary afflictions are exhausted by temporary secondary afflictions, but the primary afflictions do not exist by nature. Whatever is naturally luminous is without primary afflictions…
Mañjuśrī, awakening naturally luminous through the natural luminosity of the mind. If it is asked what is luminosity, whatever is natural is without the primary afflictions, is equal with space, has the nature of space and is included in space, and is like space because of being extremely luminous by nature.
- The child asked, how shall I discern this? The mind is naturally luminous, within that afflictions are not produced and it does not become afflicted.”
The Bhagavān replied, “It is just as you have said. The mind is always luminous, the common people become afflicted by temporary afflictions."
- Purified of the afflictions
abandoned by meditation and seeing,
the mind is naturally luminous,
the pure tathāgatagarbha;
but the addictions of sentient beings
are boundless and endless.
Just as when the surface of gold is polished, one sees
the gold color, the brilliant shine and the pure surface,
in just that way
is the sentient being in the aggregates.
The supreme ones have always shown
the inexhaustible wisdom of the Buddha to be peace,
without a person, without the aggregates.
The natural luminosity of the mind
endowed with the affliction of mind and so on
along with [the affliction of] self
possesses temporary afflictions
from the start,
naturally luminosity can be purified of the affliction of self,
just like a [stained] cloth.
Just as the flaws of either cloth or gold
can be cleansed because they are [intrinsically] stainless,
which neither remain nor are destroyed,
and likewise have the nature of being flawless.
- Since all phenomena are naturally luminous,
one should fully cultivate the perception of nonperception.
- All phenomena are naturally luminous,
those are not real entities.
When something is a nonentity,
that is the purity of phenomena.
- Also the mind is pure, naturally luminous,
unperturbed, all pervasive and unadulterated.
- Since all these phenomena are naturally luminous, they are equivalent with nirvana.
- Due to not being asserted in other vehicles, the mind is pure. Due to the removal of the turbulence of the afflictions, the mind is not afflicted. Due to naturally luminosity, the mind is luminous.
- Due to the natural luminosity of the mind, awakening is naturally luminous. If it is asked why it is called “naturally luminous,” whatever is natural is without the afflictions, equivalent with space, the nature of space, and equal in extent with space, and even with space. That nature is very luminous. Since immature common people do not comprehend natural luminosity, they are afflicted by the afflictions…
The element of afflictions are fully known as the characteristics of the temporary afflictions. The element of purification is fully known as the characteristic of natural luminosity…
The natural luminosity of the mind should be known in just that way. Due to that, the Dharma of the existence of result is shown in one moment of mind.
The Ārya-gaganagañjaparipṛcchā-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra states:
- Whoever skillfully realizes all phenomena as pure,
that is the natural luminosity of the mind…
Because the mind is naturally luminous,
therefore it is never afflicted.
Moving onto the tantras, we really do not find much variation on this theme, apart from the fact that the tantras tend to present a more precise explanation of the stages of the experience of luminosity in meditation (which will not be disclosed here). To begin with, the Ārya-ḍākinī-vajrapañjara-mahātantrarāja-kalpa-nāma states:
- The dharmadhātu is luminous,
someone who meditates on that
is a sentient being who becomes equal with a buddha…
The dharmadhātu is luminous,
the taste of excellent bliss,
called “the unobscured vajra.”
- Natural luminosity
is beyond the range of analysis,
it is not low, not high, peaceful
it cannot be invoked,
it is inexpressible, beyond enumeration,
the aspect of emptiness
abiding as the nature all entities,
free from all qualities such as sound and so on,
this is the sources of the bliss of buddhahood.
- Natural luminosity is free from all concepts,
free from being covered by the taints of desire and so on,
with subject and object, the supreme being
has said that is supreme nirvana…
all phenomena are naturally luminous,
because all phenomena do not arise from the start,
it is termed non-origination by the mind.
- All phenomena are naturally luminous,
pure from the start and without perturbation…
All phenomena are naturally luminous,
pure from the start, like space.
- Natural luminosity is stainless,
free from all aspects.
- This phenomena is naturally luminous,
since it is pure from the start, it is equivalent with space,
there is no awakening, no realization,
it is the explanation of bodhicitta.
- All phenomena are naturally luminous,
pure from the start, without perturbation,
without sentient beings, without life,
without buddhas and without awakening.
- Also everything is naturally luminous,
pure from the start, like space,
neither a phenomena nor a nonphenomena,
inconceivable and delightful…
All phenomena are naturally luminous,
intrinsically pure from the start.
- Since everything is naturally luminous,
its nature will be pure from the start,
afflictions will not be perceptible,
there will also be no liberation of nirvana…
All phenomena are nonarising,
totally luminous, peaceful from the start.
The Sarvarahasyo-nāma-tantrarājā states:
- To explain the meaning of “sentient beings:”
the mind is naturally luminous…
whatever is naturally luminous
is unsurpassed bodhicitta.
- Since prajñānapāramita is totally pure, all phenomena are naturally luminous.
- All conditioned things are impermanent, and never arose from the beginning in natural luminosity.
- The wisdom free from concepts
is the actual buddhahood of all the past victors,
that freedom from concepts
is demonstrated as the accomplishment of Secret Mantra.
The result of that is pure,
naturally luminosity.
Whoever dwells in conceptuality
will never produce siddhis.
- Whatever arises from luminosity,
that is called “mind,” “intellect" and “consciousness,”
that is the foundation of all phenomena,
the two stages are realized from
affliction and purification…
In order to explain the reality of all phenomena [gnas lugs], whatever arises from luminosity is dharmatā, the dhātu of naturally pure luminosity. Since a nonconceptual knowing awareness arises at the same time as the subtle vāyu, the mind [citta, sems] is the basis of all…
The reality of that inner consciousness,
nonconceptual innate dharmatā,
is the nature of luminosity, empty and not a self…
The reality of luminosity
is an unfabricated mind which arises from it
different from generic consciousness…
luminosity is the ultimate truth…
based on luminosity, the ultimate true state,
the path is traversed rapidly…
luminosity is dharmatā, suchness,
pure like space, great bliss,
unceasing, immaculate, peace,
ultimate, mahāmudra itself.
Mahāmudra of union
is attained from luminosity that is very free from proliferation…
Natural luminosity is totally pure,
immaculate, like the element of space…
Finally, we can also see here in these citations that the naturally luminosity of the mind what is being termed tathāgatagarbha, dharmadhātu, and so on, and we can see that it is also termed emptiness, suchness, dharmatā and so on.
Ty
