Clear light. Extract from The Happy Twins, Eifel 2019

James Low

Extract taken from ‘The Happy Twins: Dzogchen and Mahamudra Autumn Retreat in the Eifel, 2019 James Low

The retreat focussed on two texts: The Mirror of Luminous Revelation, a terma text from Nuden Dorje Drophan Lingpa and The Mahamudra Middle Way of the Ganges spoken by Tilopa to Naropa. It also focused on how to respond, as Buddhists, to climate change and other world crises.

Transcribed by Jo Feat

Edited by Barbara Terris

James comments on a verse of the Tilopa mahamudra text.

When we say the mind is clear light, it simply means look at clear light; it is a metaphor. From where you are sitting you can look towards me, and if there is some tall person in front of you what you see is the back of their head, so your space of clear light is limited. If their head moves to one side you can see more, because the clear light continues unobstructed until it hits the painting on the wall behind me or my face. In this [mahamudra] tradition, this is what clear light means – unobstructed immediacy – just this. … What is that like? It’s not like anything. Clear light is there and invisible. It clarifies, but you can’t see it.

Read the 5 page transcript here.

Listen to the whole retreat here. https://simplybeing.co.uk/audio-records/year/audio2019/autumn-2019-the-happy-twins