Perfection is the fundamental quality, true nature, or essential character of all sentient beings. It is described as unconditioned, boundless, nurturing, and sustaining: true purity, true self, true happiness, and true permanence. It is indiscernible to worldly vision as a result of conceptual obscurations and afflicted emotions.
Because natural perfection is inherent in every sentient being, spiritual cultivation practices seek to remove obstructions, rectify function, and restore integrity, re-establishing harmony within the individual, as well as between the individual, the community, and the environment.
From Longchenpa’s Treasury of Natural Perfection (transl. Keith Dowman):
To the matrix of primordial, spontaneous perfection,
to the original lord, the glory of samsara and nirvana,
and to the masters and magi, mystics and lamas,
we bow down with a thousand shimmering petals of lotus-faith.
So stay here, you lucky people,
Let go and be happy in the natural state.
Let your complicated life and everyday confusion alone
And out of quietude, doing nothing, watch the nature of mind.
This piece of advice is from the bottom of my heart:
Fully engage in contemplation and understanding is born;
Cherish non-attachment and delusion dissolves;
And forming no agenda at all reality dawns.
Whatever occurs, whatever it may be, that itself is the key,
And without stopping it or nourishing it, in an even flow,
Freely resting, surrendering to ultimate contemplation,
In naked pristine purity we reach consummation.
EH MA HO! Thank you!
“As you are, right here at this moment, is it. There’s no getting anywhere or not getting anywhere.” ~ Zen master Bankei. With appreciation for the teachings on Natural Perfection.
Thank you!