Expression and dissolution

If there was no natural passionately responsive appreciation – it could not arise in response to the Lama, as devotion. If appearances were not intrinsic to emptiness – they could not express themselves, as phenomena. If emptiness was not innate – there could be no display of the dissolution of phenomena.

p251, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books Worldwide, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

The outer world is simply there; we are simply here

The space of being and the space of existence are both separate and non-separate – therefore they reflect each other. They reflect each other either as duality or as non-duality; depending on whether we attach to form or whether we allow form and emptiness to dance.

p135, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4

Through empowerment

We need to develop some workable sense of living the view before we can appreciate the nature of empowerment. In some sense living the view is a an advanced stance. It comes from deep experience of practice. But if you are open enough, empowerment can unlock this door. 

p212, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4

Every aspect of our existence

If we view all situations as opportunities to relate with the capacity of the Lama to show us our enlightenment and the patterns of our unenlightenment‚ then everything we do becomes inspiring. Every aspect of our existence is enlivened with the presence of the Lama. 

p215, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4

Our true condition

The Lama’s function is to mirror our intrinsic enlightenment. The Lama shows us the nature of what we actually are. If we have opened sufficiently‚ through following the methods as instructed by the Lama‚ we could catch a dazzling glimpse of our true condition. We could find ourselves‚ for a moment‚ outside the constraints of dualism. 

p145, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4

Integrity as practitioners

We don't have to drift according to the dictates of our conditioning.  We can move according to the dictates of wisdom and compassion.  We can allow our choices and promises to be adaptable according to our integrity as practitioners. 

p197, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4

Dance

We need to arrive at a sense in which we can simply flow with the multiplicity of definitions that reality manifests.  There can be some sense of dance there, in which we swim with these currents and relax in these pools of stillness.  Tantra introduces us to the one taste of emptiness and form.

p34, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4 

 

Merely distortions

Tantra is based on the experience of emptiness, and through this experience we can come to the actual knowledge, that all negative or painful states of mind are merely distortions of our enlightened nature.    

p110, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4

Honour

You need to keep agreements with yourself, and with others.  I think this is really fundamental.  You need to be able to stick to some course of action; to see it through in spite of difficult circumstances.  You need to be reliable.  You need to be form for others; rather than being emptiness for them.  That’s one meaning of compassion.

p192, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4  

Infinite variety

‘Infinite variety’ speaks of the limitless, transient nature of form – the way it continually arises out of emptiness and dissolves back into emptiness,  Infinite variety means that there is nothing about the way in which form arises that is predictable according to dualistic perception.  

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

On the brink

Non-duality and duality are not disconnected from each other.  If you understand that, then suddenly you’re always perched on the brink of realisation!  Every moment becomes potentiated, because it is seen as a distortion of our intrinsic liberated energy.

p208, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4  

The Lama can conjure

Our personalities are the interface between the patterns of our limitations, and the unconditioned energies of our enlightened condition.  It’s this unique balance which the Lama sees.  It’s this unique balance with which the Lama can conjure.

p148, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4 

The Lama can be relied upon

We should not expect our teacher to be able to know what we are thinking.  The Lama can be relied upon for something different: to know the meaning of liberation, and the meaning of confusion.  The Lama can be relied upon to see the student’s particular patterns of liberation and confusion, and to work with them.  

p148, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4  

Out of the state of emptiness

After you’ve received empowerment into the practice of a particular awareness-being or yidam, the form of this awareness-being will spontaneously arise out of the state of emptiness when you engage in practice.  Your experience of emptiness is the oven where the bread of vision bakes itself. 

p116, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4 

The practice of yidam

The word 'yidam' can be translated as 'awareness-being' or 'meditational deity'.   To arise as the awareness-being, is to wear the body of visions.  The form of the yidam gives us the opportunity to enter the world of form as the yidam.  This is what is called living the view.  Living the view means that we retain the feeling that we are the yidam in whatever we do.  We experience the world around us as the realised dimension of the yidam.   

p96-97, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4 

A superbly complete portrait

The form of the yidam is essentially instructive.  Through assuming this form, we learn to experience ourselves as possessing limitless capacities.  The limitless nature of our capacities is described by the many different forms in which yidam can be practised.  Each form is a particular avenue of approach to the experience of enlightenment.  Every image is a complete portrait of the enlightened state.

p97-98, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4 

A grand illusion

Without the Lama there is no way out of the experience of infinite cross-referencing.  No matter how differently we experience our various explorations into the internalised world of ‘sense-making’, they always add up to the same thing: justification for our need to maintain a grand illusion.  This illusion is duality.

p143, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4 

Constant companion

This story ... is interesting from the point of view of ambivalence being our constant companion until we no longer perceive in a dualistic manner.  Confidence and doubt continually tickle each other as long as duality exists – even for the greatest practitioners.  This is why it is so important to treat ambivalence as workable ground.

p222, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4 

Some kind of honour

It’s only possible to live your life well if you have some ability to direct yourself.  You need to be able to see things through; to be able to go through difficulties and not turn back.  You need some kind of honour.

p192, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4 

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