View From Space

Space is a most frequent and apt metaphor for pointing out the nondual view. Space points to the all pervading, everpresent, actuality of awareness, of knowing, and consciousness in all experiencing.

Interesting it is to begin with the proposal that the free in itself state is somehow already right here right now in full measure. Though like a blind spot we cannot see it, through our ignorance we are ignoring it.

So, pointing to mental and physical space as a metaphor for awake awareness and buddhanature is designed to directly free attention from the mental habits of identification and grasping, and directly bring supramundane wisdom and compassion to the forefront.

But where is this free self-liberating nature hiding? It's as if everpresent, shining in plain view, yet easily overlooked like space. And that the obscuration of it is a part of it, its peculiar invisibility, as if space playing a game hiding from itself.

Such is the nature of ignorance and it's inherent blind spot. In whatever way one is ignorant and does not know, well that is ignorance. To know that I do not know is the dawning of wisdom. What is it ignorant of? It's true nature, the true nature of being. What is it? Let's loosely say an unconditionally loving and compassionate nonself emptiness awareness knowing itself by being itself.

Awareness and consciousness play this game of hide and seek, as if unaware like a fish in water. But does the water actually love the fish, or are they really one natural coarising? Such is the self and it's world. Does the world actually love the self, or are they inherently a natural coarising? As the adepts assure, as ignorance and grasping dissolve, more and more the wisely compassionate and free coarising nondual nature is revealed and redeemed.

But the revelation of it essentially changes everything, yet essentially doesn't change anything. Reality is simply itself always. Even while ignorant of itself it is itself. Although that's a bit steep for most of us. Recall the famous saying, 'The unreal never comes into being, and the real never ceases to be'. Recall the infamous Zen koan. The pupil asks the master, 'What is the cause of suffering?' The master says, 'Seeking enlightenment'. The pupil asks, 'What is the cause of ignorance?' The master says, 'Trying to get rid of it'. Steep. Direct. Ruthlessly nondual.

Consider in what sense space is always already here whether recognized or not? Consider whether everything physical and mental is happening in and of space? Like all physical and mental objects appear in space and of space, likewise sense consciousness with all its sensations are appearing in the space of awareness.

Of course please see the source tradition teachers and texts for beautiful precise and profound presentations of these topics.

What and how does the realization of awake awareness and buddhanature propose to change? The master practitioners, the adepts, are in agreement. It turns out the overwhelming majority of our frustrated attempts as sentient beings to realize full awakening, AKA having genuine happiness and the causes of happiness and being free from genuine suffering and the causes of suffering, come from this ignorance of our true nature and the true nature. Misidentifying self and self-grasping along with misidentifying world and world grasping are at the root of all existential unfulfillment. In adept circles this is an uncontroversial statement indeed.

So, shining in plain view, as they say, is this nondual view pointing to recognizing the all benevolent awake awareness state. It is a step one, not two, in nonduality circles to make this clear distinction between pure presence-awareness bodhicitta, pure being knowing loving, unidentified with identity and mind, free from grasping, free like light and space, yet doing its cocreation magic of appearing as technicolor phenomenal world with beings and self.

Abracadabra into a subject and an object. Alakazam into a self and a world. Fe fi fo fum my happiness and suffering. Mirror mirror on the wall now it's time for my enlightenment.

So, along with the transformational pointing power of the view to awake awareness and bodhicitta, to buddhanature, through apt similies like space and consciousness, of course sharp wisdom and intelligence, juicy devotion and loving compassion, magical playfulness and humor, wonderment and adventure, help to open the heart and mind to discovering the inherent immanence of self liberation herein.