The ground of refinement — mind itself, empty and clear at the same time;
The refining — the great vajra composure of mahamudra;
The purged— the incidental stains of confusion;
The refined result — immaculate empty presence: may I actually know it.
Commentary
In Tibetan Buddhism, every meditation practice is viewed as a form of purification. This perspective is, in itself, an instance of the middle way. On the one hand, there is a deep problem—we suffer, we struggle in and with life. On the other hand, there is a solution, a way of living in which the problem is no longer a problem. In mahamudra, we don’t attach to one and avoid the other. We open and dwell in the whole. When we are able to do so, we are free—whatever life throws at us, we navigate it without struggling with it.
Purification is how we move from being the problem to being the resolution.
Four components: the ground, the process of purification or refinement, what changes in the process, and the result of the refining. As an example, take a piece of gold ore. The ground is gold as an ore. Gold is gold, whether it is embedded in ore or not. It has the same chemical structure and the same properties. But its nature may or may not be evident. To purify gold, to bring out its natural luster, the gold ore is placed in a crucible and heated until the ore melts. That is the refining process. The impurities, that is, the rocks in the ore, melt and float to the surface where they are skimmed or poured off. That is what is purged. The gold, which is now pure, is allowed to cool. When it becomes solid, its nature is just there, the deep warm color along with all the natural qualities for which it is known.
In mahamudra, the ground is mind itself, or mind nature, a kind of knowing that is naturally clear and empty. Like the heat and light of a candle, the emptiness and clarity are present together. They are inseparable: one is not
united with the other. Right now, that natural clear empty knowing is not evident. We do not know it because we are lost in confusion and reactivity. To bring out its nature, we rest in the crucible of mahamudra. The energy of practice, the energy that is generated through the transformation of sensations, feelings, and thoughts, acts like the heating of the crucible. That energy changes how we experience life. When the contents, that is, everything we experience, becomes fluid experience, the impurities, that is, reactivity and confusion, lose their capacity to distort and cloud the clear empty knowing. The result is empty presence, the ability to be in the clear empty knowing no matter what arises in experience.
Freedom is knowing and action arising together. It is to know that things are okay even when they are not okay and do what is appropriate. It is to know clear empty knowing in even the most disturbing, painful, thrilling, joyful, meaningful, or vivid experiences of life and be able to respond to whatever the situation calls for. It is to be that knowing so completely that we can meet whatever life throws at us and do what needs to be done, without struggle, without conditioning, without confusion.