{"id":6110,"date":"2018-06-01T09:51:51","date_gmt":"2018-06-01T16:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/?p=6110"},"modified":"2018-06-01T09:51:51","modified_gmt":"2018-06-01T16:51:51","slug":"karma-trinley-a-song-on-the-view-of-voidness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/01\/karma-trinley-a-song-on-the-view-of-voidness\/","title":{"rendered":"Karma Trinley – A Song on the View of Voidness"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Song on the View of Voidness
\nby Karma Trinley<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

English version by Thupten Jinpa & Jas Elsner<\/font><\/p>\n

Homage to the Adamantine Mind!<\/p>\n

Dharma king, you who have realized
\nthe essence; you who expound
\nthe way of being, out of compassion:
\nking Buddha Samdrup,
\nI bow to you in my heart,
\npray listen to me.<\/p>\n

Through your kind and skillful means,
\nby a habit long formed, and as a fruit
\nof long practice in this life,
\nI have realized the nature of ever-presence.<\/p>\n

When the secret of appearance is revealed,
\neverything arises in a tone of voidness,
\nundefined by the marks of identity.
\nLike a sky that is nothing but an image.<\/p>\n

When the secret of thoughts is revealed,
\nthough active, they are but mind\u2019s sport,
\nnaked reflections of transcendent mind
\nunsullied by deliberation and correction.<\/p>\n

When the secret of recollection is revealed,
\nevery memory is but an illumination
\nof self-knowledge in the ever-present state,
\nuntainted by ego consciousness.<\/p>\n

When the secret of illusions is revealed,
\nthey seem nothing but the primordial state,
\nappearing in the visual field of rikpa,
\nuntouched by the dualism of mind and things.<\/p>\n

When the secret of abiding is revealed,
\nyou are in the state of self-cognition,
\nhowever long you remain, free of elaboration,
\nthe expanse unstained by laxity and torpor.<\/p>\n

When the secret of mobility is revealed,
\nhowever much you move, you remain
\nwithin clear light, unstained by distraction,
\nexcitement, and so on, a true self-recognizer.<\/p>\n

When the secret of samsara is revealed,
\nhowever often one may circle, the cycles
\nare illusion unaffected by joy and pain.
\nThis is the realization of Buddha\u2019s four bodies.<\/p>\n

When the secret of peace is revealed,
\nhowever tranquil one\u2019s attainments,
\nthey are but an image; this is the natural pure space,
\nfree of the signs of being and nonbeing.<\/p>\n

When the secret of birth is revealed,
\nhowever one\u2019s reborn, it\u2019s but an emanation;
\nmeditation\u2019s vision of pure self-generation
\nfree of clinging and apprehensions.<\/p>\n

When the secret of death is revealed,
\nhowever often one may die, it\u2019s but the vision
\nof the ultimate, the stages of completion
\nperfect, free of any karmic deeds.<\/p>\n

When the secret of bliss is revealed,
\nits intensity cannot be bettered;
\nthis is the state of spontaneous bliss,
\nfree of all traces of contamination.<\/p>\n

When the secret of luminosity is revealed,
\nhowever bright, it\u2019s but an empty form \u2014
\nmother image of the void in space,
\nfree of every multiplicity.<\/p>\n

When the secret of emptiness is revealed,
\nthough empty, it is the unsurpassed,
\ndevoid of every contingent stain,
\nand free from every deception.<\/p>\n

When the secret of the view is revealed,
\nhowever much one looks and sees,
\nthe world remains beyond thought and word \u2014
\nthe expanse beyond dichotomies.<\/p>\n

When the secret of meditation is revealed,
\nhowever much one meditates, it\u2019s but a state \u2014
\nundistracted, and in natural restfulness,
\nfree of exertion and constraint.<\/p>\n

When the secret of action is revealed,
\nwhatever one does are the six perfections \u2014
\nspontaneous, free, and to the point,
\nuncolored by strictures and moral codes.<\/p>\n

When the secret of fruition is revealed,
\nachievements are but the cognition
\nof mind as dharmakaya,
\nthe mind itself free of hope and fear.<\/p>\n

This is the profound innermost secret;
\nguru\u2019s blessings have entered my heart;
\nnaked nonduality dawns within;
\nthe secret of samsara and nirvana is revealed!<\/p>\n

I have beheld the face of the ordinary mind;
\nI have arrived at the view that is free of extremes;
\neven if the Buddha came in person now,
\nI have no queries that require his advice!<\/p>\n

This song on the view of voidness
\nexpounding the nature of the being of all,
\nspoken in words inspired by conviction,
\nwas sung in a voice echoing itself,
\nunobstructed, in between meditation sessions.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a> \u2014 from Songs of Spiritual Experience: Tibetan Buddhist Poems of Insight & Awakening<\/a>, Translated by Thupten Jinpa \/ Translated by Jas Elsner<\/font><\/p>\n


\/ Image by ahermin<\/a> \/<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n

Like many of the great poems emerging out of the Tibetan traditions, this poem combines ah ecstatic visionary element with a discourse on the nature of reality. <\/p>\n

This is like mystic\u2019s graduation thesis, a declaration of realization:<\/p>\n

I have realized the nature of ever-presence.<\/i><\/p>\n

He enumerates for us a list of secrets that, when understood, reveal the true nature of reality.<\/p>\n

I will drop in a few of my comments on some of these, but I invite you to spend some time with each statement yourself and see what insights you gain\u2026<\/p>\n

When the secret of appearance is revealed,
\neverything arises in a tone of voidness,
\nundefined by the marks of identity.
\nLike a sky that is nothing but an image.<\/i><\/p>\n

The language of the last line of this verse is a bit confusing, but I think what he is saying is that reality is like the wide open and empty nature of the sky. We may see images form in the clouds that float through the sky, but they are temporary and intangible. Things take form and appear to be real, but when we gain a wider perspective, the only lasting reality is that open space of blue, the canvas on which images appear and fade again.<\/p>\n

When the secret of thoughts is revealed,
\nthough active, they are but mind\u2019s sport,
\nnaked reflections of transcendent mind
\nunsullied by deliberation and correction.<\/i><\/p>\n

The poetry of this verse stands out to me. We become so entranced by the content and movement of our own thoughts, but they are ultimately revealed to be \u201cthe mind\u2019s sport.\u201d Thoughts dance and dazzle, but they are like the glimmering light upon the surface of the transcendent mind, which remains pure and unaffected by that surface movement and all our attempts to control it.<\/p>\n

When the secret of abiding is revealed,
\nyou are in the state of self-cognition,
\nhowever long you remain, free of elaboration,
\nthe expanse unstained by laxity and torpor.<\/i><\/p>\n

This is an interesting one. The \u201csecret of abiding\u201d reveals itself as \u201cself-cognition.\u201d In other words, we come to rest, we discover stability and stillness, when we truly know ourselves. Words don\u2019t express this truth easily. These ideas may seem to be disconnected, but there is an intimate connection we discover. The only place of rest is the true Self. It is only when we know the self that we can settle and abide.<\/p>\n

Followed by a statement of movement\u2026<\/p>\n

When the secret of mobility is revealed,
\nhowever much you move, you remain
\nwithin clear light, unstained by distraction,
\nexcitement, and so on, a true self-recognizer.<\/i><\/p>\n

When we are a \u201ctrue self-recognizer,\u201d even in movement there is a clarity and inner stillness. We normally accompany action with psychic agitation. This is because we typically identify with the body and surface mind so, when there is movement, there is also disturbance. But identifying with the deep Self, movement is just the outer expression of that still spaciousness.<\/p>\n

When the secret of samsara is revealed,
\nhowever often one may circle, the cycles
\nare illusion unaffected by joy and pain.
\nThis is the realization of Buddha\u2019s four bodies.<\/i><\/p>\n

Samsara is the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth as understood within Buddhism. When the poet states that seeing through the secret of samsara, the cycles are revealed as illusion not affected by joy and pain, we can read that as a rather flat and disengaged insight, but that is not what is meant. He is not saying that there is no joy or pain or that life and death are meaningless; rather, the appearance of life and death along with the fluctuations of joy and pain are not truly part of the fundamental nature of being. Like the clouds forming and fading against the sky, those are all passing phenomena that have their own beauty and meaning, but the blissful expanse is the only lasting reality.<\/p>\n

The mention of the Buddha\u2019s \u201cfour bodies\u201d is a reference to the four bodies (or kayas) a buddha recognizes upon enlightenment: the truth body, the form body, the enjoyment body, and the emanation body. Our true body or nature is of these eternal forms, and the rest is the dance of appearance.<\/p>\n

When the secret of bliss is revealed,
\nits intensity cannot be bettered;
\nthis is the state of spontaneous bliss,
\nfree of all traces of contamination.<\/i><\/p>\n

Sometimes we imagine the spiritual path to be one of self-denial and worldly disdain. We conjure up grim visions of enlightenment, and either embrace that or run from it. But the real experiences of mystics and visionaries and saints, as they constantly tell us, is one of bubbling delight and peace. When one\u2019s nature is revealed, we dwell in bliss. No surface pleasure or joy can compare. \u201cIt\u2019s intensity cannot be bettered.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the secret of emptiness is revealed,
\nthough empty, it is the unsurpassed,
\ndevoid of every contingent stain,
\nand free from every deception.<\/i><\/p>\n

This was something that tripped me up for a long time. The constant refrain in Buddhism about emptiness, nirvana, the void can sound bleak. As a younger seeker I had a love-hate relationship with the teachings of Buddhism. There was clearly something uplifting, insightful, and compassionate there, an expression of profound truth. But it could also sound rather depressing. <\/p>\n

It took my own sense of opening to finally see beyond my own mental block and recognize that that \u201cemptiness\u201d is actually filled with life and delight amidst vast spaciousness. It is not empty as in a suffocating vacuum, but rather it is free from the idea of separate and distinct things and beings. Within this blissful nondual space of being, there is only a living wholeness and, therefore, nothing (no objectified thing) exist there. It is empty, yet it is the unsurpassed.<\/p>\n

naked nonduality dawns within;
\nthe secret of samsara and nirvana is revealed!<\/i><\/p>\n

I like that signature verse at the end. It brings us back to earth. Signed this day between meditation sessions, yours truly\u2026<\/p>\n

This song on the view of voidness
\nexpounding the nature of the being of all,
\nspoken in words inspired by conviction,
\nwas sung in a voice echoing itself,
\nunobstructed, in between meditation sessions.<\/i><\/p>\n


\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>Recommended Books: Karma Trinley<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n

\n\n\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/center>
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<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Songs of Spiritual Experience: Tibetan Buddhist Poems of Insight & Awakening<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n
\n<\/td>\n\nKarma Trinley<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Tibet (1456 \u2013 1539) Timeline<\/a>
\nBuddhist<\/a> : Tibetan<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/a><\/em>\n<\/td>\n

<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

Karma Trinley became a Tibetan Buddhist monk at age 17 and began to study within the Kagyu lineage.<\/p>\n

At around age 30, he began to have powerful visions and spiritual experiences in his meditations. On a pilgrimage to a holy mountain, he is said to have encountered a protective spirit that profoundly influenced him.<\/p>\n

Karma Trinley later became a master of the Vajrayogini tradition, which emphasizes the feminine energies of realization.<\/p>\n

He founded a monastery and spent the last years of his life in retreat, meditating and writing.<\/p>\n

More poetry by Karma Trinley<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Song on the View of Voidness by Karma Trinley English version by Thupten Jinpa & Jas Elsner Homage to the Adamantine Mind! Dharma king, you who have realized the essence; you who expound the way of being, out of compassion: king Buddha Samdrup, I bow to you in my heart, pray listen to me. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[40,2171,291],"class_list":["post-6110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry","tag-buddhist-poetry","tag-karma-trinley","tag-tibetan-buddhist-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6110"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6111,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6110\/revisions\/6111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}