Spacious passion

Reality and the realised state reflect each other.  To actualise this knowledge at the level of experience is the goal of developing spacious passion.  Spaciousness without passion has no possibility of compassion as an interactive quality.  Passion without spaciousness becomes blind or blinkered obsession – a completely claustrophobic view that gives rise to highly limited and limiting activities.  

p102-103, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4 

Awareness-imagery

Every aspect of the awareness-imagery of Tantra has arisen through the spacious passion of vision.  ‘Spacious passion’ means the non-dual experience of wisdom and compassion (emptiness and form).  It is the active communicative quality that is indivisible from the experience of emptiness.  The word ‘spacious’ relates to the empty or unbounded aspect of the non-dual state.  ‘Passion’ relates to the energy, that spontaneously arises from the state of emptiness, in terms of infinite variety.

p101-102, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4 

The non-dual energy of emotion

To renounce one’s anger in order to cultivate a less harmful response, is the practice of Sutra.  To transform the energy of the emotion through the implementation of symbolic method, is the practice of Tantra.  Only the spontaneous experience of the nondual energy of the emotion is the practice of Dzogchen.

p58, Spacious Passion Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books, 2006 ISBN: 978-0-9653948-4-0

Spontaneous realisation

To control one’s anger and refrain from hurtful words and actions in an honest attempt to be aware and kind, is appropriate practice for a Dharma practitioner.  However we must be clear this is not the practice of Dzogchen.  It is not the spontaneous realisation of the nonduality of the emptiness and form of the emotion.

p57, Spacious Passion Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books, 2006 ISBN: 978-0-9653948-4-0 

Bardo

Between the consciousness of the dying physical being and the consciousness of the reborn physical being –  a dream-like state of consciousness is experienced, and this is called Bardo.  This is a disorientating or frightening experience if the consciousness has had no experience of the empty nature of Mind.  We become embodied once again and begin the process of identifying with physicality in which we ignore the nature of existence as a stream of moments of emptiness, energy, and form.  If we have any feel for the experiential nature of this continuity, we can begin to grasp the importance of engaging in spiritual practice.  Any practice that hones awareness and the ability to allow mind to be free in complete identification with the present moment will be of immense benefit.

p112-113, Spacious Passion Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books, 2006 ISBN: 978-0-9653948-4-0

Sky mind, cloud mind

In our attachment to this specific physical form, we have forgotten that mind does not depend on physicality.  Through attaching all experience to the sphere of our physicality, we limit our awareness of the nature of Mind.  Practice enables us to experience Sky mind, rather than remaining trapped in cloud mind with its referential need to grasp at physical form.

p112-113, Spacious Passion Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books, 2006 ISBN: 978-0-9653948-4-0

Devotion

 

Devotion is letting go of the importance we place on the stresses of life, and embracing total responsibility.  It is release from the bondage of neurosis into identification with honour.  Devotion has the deliciously ambiguous, inexpressible quality of Vajrayana itself.  It is emptiness and form.  It is allowing oneself to dissolve into emptiness in relation to the Lama and arising in the form of the Lama’s pure view.  It is freedom from the bondage of referentiality.

p224, Spacious Passion Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books, 2006 ISBN: 978-0-9653948-4-0

We do not flinch

When feeling intense sorrow at images of people suffering, know that your practice will help.  As warriors, we do not flinch from the horrors of life circumstances.  We face them, experience the horror and transform the feeling of being overwhelmed into ubiquitous intelligence.  The warrior does not retract into indifference, or kid themselves that putting 50p in a charity box has fulfilled their responsibility.  The warrior practices wholeheartedly and energetically to be of benefit to others.

p227, Spacious Passion Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books, 2006 ISBN: 978-0-9653948-4-0 

We can laugh at our compulsion, fearfulness, and wilfulness

 Through the development of spaciousness, our patterning can become totally open and transparent.  We can view perception.  We can recognise intention.  We can motivate responses.
When our patterning becomes transparent, we can laugh at the compulsion of our desire, at the fearfulness of our aversion, and at the wilfulness of our stupidity.  Every moment becomes an opportunity for freedom and realisation.
Ultimately, finding presence of awareness in the dimension of the moment is the experience of non-dual emptiness and form.

p150, Spacious Passion Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books, 2006 ISBN: 978-0-9653948-4-0

Disembodied consciousness

"When we no longer have the context of our physicality, we can be overwhelmed, and experience fear and confusion in relation to the intangible manifestation of disembodied consciousness"

p110, Spacious Passion, Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2009, 978-1-898185-07-9

Dwell in the experience of emptiness

"Once we are able to dwell in the experience of emptiness between moments of movement in the mind, and even expand the scope of that emptiness, our patterning becomes transparent. It is revealed and laid bare. We can experience the naked empty nature of our perception, and joyfully play with the movement of intention and response."

p133, Spacious Passion, Ngakma Nor’dzin, Aro Books, 2007, 978-0-9653948-4-0

Glimpses of rigpa

"Glimpses of rigpa can arise spontaneously through the initial cessation of struggling to maintain the processes of samsara and relaxing into a more open view. We relax and discover with a jolt that the nature of mind is non-dual. We relax and discover in a flash that the nature of view is realised. We relax and discover with surprise that there is a flicker of harmonious natural congruence in activity and being."

p207, Spacious Passion, Ngakma Nor’dzin, Aro Books, 2007, 978-0-9653948-4

Opportunity to discover presence

"Impermanence is a cause for celebration. Impermanence is our opportunity to discover presence. Present moments are infinite. They will never end. We will never cease to have opportunities to start again. We will never cease to have opportunities to experience presence."

p107, Spacious Passion, Ngakma Nor’dzin, Aro Books, 2007, 978-0-9653948-4-0

Manifestation of who we are

"The manifestations of who we are in terms of our behaviour in the world and our relationship with our environment, create themselves out of the view of nonduality, out of the experience of the indivisibility of emptiness and form. Hence our practice affects the nature of tangible manifestation, and the nature of our physicality also becomes a manifestation of view."

p55, Spacious Passion , Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1-898185-07-9

Nature of meditation

"When we develop confidence in view and learn to relax into direct recognition of nonduality, our speech, thought, sensation, emotion and ideation become of the nature of meditation. The energy of our being is spiritual practice."

p55, Spacious Passion , Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1-898185-07-9

Leap without reservation

"Through the practice of philosophy one might expect to arrive at one's own conclusions about the nature of being - such investigations having been mostly self-referential. Through the practice of the religion of Dharma one discovers that the nature of being has already been understood by one's teachers, and that it can be discovered for ourselves through the methods of practice they reveal. Hence, to fully engage with Dharma, we eventually have to let go of the limitations of our own view - and leap ... without reservation, into Dharma-view"

p3, Spacious Passion, Ngakma Nor’dzin, Aro Books, 2007, 978-0-9653948-4-0

Everyone is a fascinating manifestation

"Everyone is beginninglessly enlightened. Everyone may be worth listening to, seeing and knowing. Everyone is a fascinating manifestation of form and emptiness.."

p199, Spacious Passion , Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1-898185-07-9

Practice excites change

"Practice inevitably excites change. The whole thrust of Dharma is that it is a path that will transform our experience and behaviour."

p91, Spacious Passion , Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1-898185-07-9

Energy of practice

"When view is open and clear, and the energy of our being is the energy of practice, activity naturally arises that is congruent with the realisation of nonduality."

p55, Spacious Passion , Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1-898185-07-9

Finding presence of awarness

"Ultimately, finding presence of awareness in the dimension of the moment is the experience of nondual emptiness and form. Within this experience, all manifestations become the ornaments of spontaneous presence and are experienced as purely appropriate, natural, uncontrived, and free."

p147, Spacious Passion, Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2009, 978-1-898185-07-9