There is a quality in our conscious experience that just “is”. That is not striving anywhere, not coming from anywhere. In no hurry, but also not waiting for anything. Just as the empty space before our eyes is untouched by all possible air flows, this quality of “being” is untouched by all movements of our mind, all thoughts, feelings and sensory impressions. Recognizing this quality of stillness or being in our mind is the first step to realizing the original freedom of our Buddha nature.
Now one may wonder why this is only the first step? Do not so many spiritual teachers speak of the fact that in the realization of stillness or “pure being” there is the highest realization? Yes, indeed, most spiritual teachings stop at this realization. However, the fact that this realization is incomplete can be clearly shown by how these teachings deal with thoughts or the “mind.” Either these teachings propagate a state of complete silence of thoughts or a distance from all thoughts brought about by concentration on silence as the ultimate spiritual goal. So in these teachings there is a fundamental duality of thinking and being, which can only be “overcome” by an elimination of all thoughts or a complete dissociation from them.
This inevitably raises the question of how we come to this idea that thoughts or “the mind” are not part of our Buddha nature? The answer: because there is no awareness of the common essence of movement and stillness, or thoughts and mind. Indeed, if I think that the thought-free state of stillness is enlightenment, I quickly realize that “enlightenment” disappears whenever thoughts appear in my mind. Thus, the obvious conclusion is that the spiritual path can only consist of ensuring that no more thoughts arise, so that we can always be in “enlightenment”.
Hence, what is completely overlooked here is a fundamental mental fixation on one particular state of mind (stillness) as opposed to another (thought). That is to say: the belief in solid existence and duality remains completely untouched and persistent in the recognition of stillness or being.
That’s why seeing through this belief is the real core of all spiritual paths that lead to complete liberation. Only when we see through even the subtlest conceptual dualistic fixations on “being” of any kind, and look beyond all notions of existence or non-existence, do we realize our true, liberated nature. As long as we do not penetrate these subtle dualistic fixations with clear awareness (skt. Vipashyana), we remain in the belief in selfhood and our mind will continue to remain in a state of delusion.
This crucial second insight is what Buddhism calls emptiness, or the nature of mind and all phenomena. However, this insight into the nature of mind in no way makes the recognition of stillness or being redundant. Because without having recognised the presence of our conscious mind, it is impossible to know the nature of mind.
May all beings be free.
~ Acharya Ugi