The Clear Sky of Your Own Mind

If you practice you will eventually be able to clear delusions. The reason delusions can be cleared away is that the delusions are only temporary and transitory; they never enter the actual nature of your mind. For example, clouds in the sky are only passing and temporary. No matter how thick they are they do not transform into blue sky. Similarly, no matter how bad are the delusions such as attachment in our minds, they only remain temporarily; they cannot turn into the clear cognitive nature of consciousness. If clear, empty transcendent wisdom awareness itself could be polluted by delusion, all of our Dharma practice would be made completely meaningless.

It is not like that. The more we practice Dharma, the more our mind will become accustomed to the side of pure timeless wisdom, while the power of the negative side of deception and delusion will become weaker and weaker. For example, on the third day of a month of Tibetan calendars you see a sliver of the new moon, and from that time up to the full moon, the white portion of the moon becomes larger and larger, while the dark part becomes smaller and smaller. Finally, at the full moon, the dark part disappears completely and everyone enjoys seeing only the round, white moon.

In brief, at all times, in all modes of conduct of body, speech, and mind, with mindfulness and alertness, we should recognize delusions such as attachment as soon as they arise in our mind, and become able to release them within the antidote of the view of emptiness, transcendent wisdom awareness.

~ Khenpo Karten Rinpoche