Do you believe in the "truth" within human beings?

• An Eternal Now

  22 Feb 08, 22:52

  Originally posted by Thusness:

  
  Yes I was introduced to this site by another forumer too.

  it is a very good site. 

   

  The confusion comes from how clear light and Rigpa are being defined but there is a genuine need for such a distinction.  At present, it is not advisable to go too deep into it even conceptually.  As Longchen commented, it will only cause more confusions. 

   

  But if you still want to find out more about it, you can revisit the site and search for the definition of Rigpa.  The forumer that introduced me this site has done a pretty good summary as follow:

   

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  Sem and Rigpa

  The Nyingma dzogchen system differentiates two types of mental activity for experiencing things:

  1. sem (sems, limited awareness),
  2. rigpa (rig-pa, pure awareness).

  Roughly speaking, rigpa corresponds to the second division of clear light mental activity: clear light that knows its own two-truth nature.
  
  Sem corresponds to all levels of mind that do not know this two-truth nature. Thus, sem includes:

  • clear light mental activity that does not know its own two-truth nature, such as the ordinary clear light awareness of death,
  • the nonconceptual milliseconds of seeing and hearing appearances of non-true existence, while not knowing the totality of everything in the state beyond concepts, and not cognizing voidness beyond concepts,
  • imagining or verbally thinking appearances of true existence, while not knowing that they are false, and also not cognizing voidness beyond concepts.
    

  Clear light mental activity, then, that does not know its own two-truth nature, even though it cognizes the two truths simultaneously, is not rigpa. It is sem.
  
  All sem are fleeting, whereas rigpa is unstained by fleeting limited mental activity. Moreover, rigpa is complete with all good qualities (yon-tan), which means that rigpa not only cognizes pure appearances and voidness beyond concepts simultaneously, it knows its own two-truth nature. That knowing is called:

  • reflexive deep awareness (rang-rig ye-shes),
  • self-arising deep awareness (rang-byung ye-shes),
  • awareness of its own face (rang-ngo shes-pa).

  Although rigpa cognizes and knows its own two-truth nature, the two truths may or may not be equally prominent. The two are not equally prominent while still on the path; they are only equally prominent as a Buddha.

  Three Aspects of Rigpa

  Rigpa has three naturally inseparable (rang-bzhin dbyer-med) aspects. The three simultaneously arise (lhan-skyes) and have the same essential nature (ngo-bo gcig) - they are referring to the same phenomenon from different mental points of view. Nevertheless, they may be differentiated from each other and specified as different conceptually isolated items (ldog-pa).

   [See: Relationships between Two Objects in Anuttarayoga Tantra.]

  1. Rigpa is a primally pure awareness (ka-dag), unstained, in the sense of both self-voidness (rang-stong) and other-voidness (gzhan-stong). This aspect derives from logically isolating one truth about rigpa, its voidness.
     
     
     • Rigpa is self-void in the sense that it is beyond or devoid of existing as anything that would correspond to concepts or words.
     • It is other-void in the sense of being an awareness that not only has that void nature, but that also cognizes that void nature, and which is thus devoid of all fleeting levels of “other” mental activity (sem).
       
  2. Rigpa is an awareness that spontaneously establishes pure appearances (lhun-grub). This aspect derives from logically isolating the second truth about rigpa: its appearance-making aspect.
     
  3. Rigpa is a responsive awareness (thugs-rje). It is compassionate, which implies compassionate communication or responsiveness. This aspect derives from logically isolating a subtler aspect of appearance-making: the responsiveness of appearance-making to other beings and to the environment.

  The Three Types of Rigpa

  There are three types of rigpa:

  1. Basis rigpa (gzhi'i rig-pa) is the working basis that we all have. Although it pervades all moments of sem, like sesame oil pervades a sesame seed, we normally do not recognize it. The next two are the two aspects of rigpa that we recognize on the path.
     
  2. First, we recognize effulgent rigpa (rtsal-gyi rig-pa). It is rigpa in its aspect of actively giving rise to and cognizing pure appearances in response to things. Although it has all three aspects of rigpa, the spontaneous establishing aspect is more prominent.
     
     
  3. Then, we recognize essence rigpa (ngo-bo'i rig-pa) as what underlies effulgent rigpa. It is rigpa in its aspect of being the cognitive space (klong, spacious awareness) - referring to other-voidness - that allows for the arising and cognizing of pure appearances in response to things. Although it too has all three aspects of rigpa, the primal purity aspect is more prominent.

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  Take note that the cognitive space (klong, spacious awareness) is not refering to the 'background'.  I think it is stated too (forgotten...I might be wrong.).  

   

  Thanks Thusness for the sharing

• longchen

  23 Feb 08, 00:49

  I think it is a very good website too.