Integrating with Space and the Other Four Lights

It’s almost impossible to experience the pure light of experience if we do not have a deep connection to pure space.

In the Tibetan tradition we usually say it this way: One must recognize and abide in the nature of mind in order to recognize and exercise the energy of the nature of mind.

The experience of light can help us develop the experience of space just as the experience of space can lead to the recognition of the pure clarity of light.

Try paying attention to experience, right now, as if everything were only light. Go beyond form, beyond the limitations of the eye, beyond the duality of sense and sense object.

Experience is a flow of light and awareness. That’s all, and it includes everything. This is a practice that can be done anytime. Nothing changes but everything is different.

Instead of just seeing the form, see the light. Instead of just hearing the words, see the light. Instead of just tasting dinner, see the light. It’s all light and it can be “seen” in every sense.

Go beyond dividing experience into different sense fields, into inner and outer, into me and not-me. Experience is unified.

Working with the sensual world is important and helpful, as is working with emotional experiences and mental events.

When emotions arise—even powerful, overwhelming ones—they, too, are simply light. When hatred or jealousy or joy arises, they are all light.

Abide in space, experience light; abide as light, experience space.

It can be helpful to remember that the heart center is the place to connect to space and light. It’s the place of devotion, the place where the real master resides. It is where Samantabhadra and Tapihritsa are. The real master is that light in the heart, the non-dual awareness, rigpa.

Connect your mind to your heart and then, keeping the connection to pure presence, open the senses and relax.

Experience the flow of light in space. Stay open.

Dzogchen is about openness. The more things are constricted and substantialized, the harder it is to connect to space and light. When you are too distracted to remain present in this way, pray. Prayer is more powerful than we usually think it is. Pray for the connection to the inner light. Prayer binds thought and directs it, pulls us out of the drama of emotion, and provides relief and direction.

Human beings are always busy, and it’s better to be busy with prayer than to be lost in fantasies of the past or future.

Just as staying connected to light is helpful, so is remaining connected to space.

Rather than keeping attention only on the objects in space, try to spend a whole day aware of the space that objects are in, the space in which thoughts arise, the space in which the furniture in your room sits, the space in which the sky is blue. We live in space all day, sleep in space, and manifest dreams in space. Without a conscious connection to space, we are lost. With connection to space, we can never be lost.

In the Cutting Through practice, sky gazing is important. If we sit and gaze into the sky—not focusing on clouds or birds—we’re not looking at substance. We’re looking into space.

Space doesn’t do anything, it doesn’t say anything, but it has a profound effect.

If we have stability in the practice, connection to external space connects us with internal space.

In practice we can connect with internal space and then external space, or use the experience of external space to connect to internal space. It doesn’t matter which, as the point is to recognize that external space, internal space, and the space of the mind are all the same empty, luminous space.

Abiding in the space of the nature of mind, we not only are free, we are freedom.