Self Liberation in Phenomenology and Dzogchen, Essays LIBERATION AS THE EXPERIENCE OF PERVASIVE RADIANCE, THE PERVASIVENESS OF RADIANCE By Rudolph Bauer, Phd Wed, Oct 23, 2013 Rudolph Bauer Ph.D., Author In becoming aware of we go beyond our mind into the spaciousness of awareness, the great expanse. Going beyond our mind into the spaciousness of awareness the radiance of awareness becomes manifest. Within the radiance of awareness we are opened to experience the radiance of phenomena. Experiencing the radiance of our own awareness allows us to experience awareness the radiance of phenomena. Self liberation is experiencing the radiance of phenomena within the spaciousness of phenomena. Radiance and spaciousness are in oneness and are completely indivisible. In being in the field of awareness and gazing into awareness both within andwithout, you and I are able to experience the oneness of spaciousness and appearance, the indivisibility of emptiness and appearance, the indivisibility of radiance and appearance. You can experience the radiance of phenomena. The radiance of your own awareness and the radiance of all phenomena are in non-duality and are indivisible. You can even experience the self arising of radiance as the elements, the light particles, the luminous rays of radiance becoming phenomena. Light appearing as appearance. You can integrate your mind into awareness, into the radiance of awareness. You can bring each function of your mind into the field of awareness or more dramatically and profoundly, you can bring your mind deeply into the inner heart essence, the innermost awareness within the heart space. This is described in the Guhyagarbha tantra as bringing the fierce deities of the mind into the beneficent realm of the heart space, the space of beneficence. In gazing into the radiance of clear light we can experience the appearance of the spontaneous presence of the light as appearances. Light is arising from within the channels connecting the luminous space of the heart with the eyes. The light radiates through the eyes and the entire body as light. The light of the gaze opens us to the light of phenomena becoming transparent and translucent. Gazing through the eyes and through the embodiment of seeing, gazing as knowningness is both resonance and magnetization. The innermost phenomena of the field is brought forth and brings itself forth experientially through the gaze of awareness. By gazing through phenomena and within phenomena, awareness experiences awareness within phenomena. A person experiences the nature of awareness within ones own self and the self of otherness. Density can be passed into and through within awareness and by awareness. Awareness entering into awareness, field entering into field awakens the experience of the field into fullness. Liberation is the innate fullness of the field of awareness within everyone and everything. To experience this fullness of Being is to experience liberation. The elements of the light are the embodiment of sentient beings and sentient earth. The light of awareness expanding within and expanding without so that the light opens the light within one's self and within the phenomena beyond ones self. As the body of light is formulated within the self the light expands beyond and opens the phenomenal doorways and brings forth experientially the trans-lucidity of the beingness of Being within all the beings, Clear light, the luminous liquidity of nature is the liquidity of being. Being itself is not a being. Being is no thingness from which everything and anything arises. Being manifest radiance, the radiance of no-thingness. No-thingness manifest the thingness of all the beings and all the worlds. Ultimately all beings and things are luminous radiance of light. Ultimately all things are ultimately the no-thingness of light. Luminous no-thingness manifesting things and beings. Being is the dharmakaya, dharmakaya is no -thingness, luminous nothingness . This manifestation of wisdom awareness involves the self arising of pure elements (light particles) becoming everything and anything, becoming the world and all the worlds within the world. Sublime light become the sublime pure elements which are becoming the sublime gross elements. These elements become the phenomena of experience. All phenomena and all appearances are configurations of the elements of light. If you love the phenomena you love the light. Gazing engages the genuine aspects of appearance. Gazing engages the genuine aspects of appearance as the elements. Gazing engages the experience of the elements as manifestations of primordial awareness. Dense appearance and dense phenomena are a reflection of the density of the elements. In order for appearance to manifest or appearances to self arise, there is the arising or manifestation of the elements. In gazing the elements that are manifesting as appearance are genuine primordial awareness becoming the luminous elements. The pure elements arise and self manifest as the wisdom luminous energies. And so appearance and phenomena manifest as the light of awareness appearing as the subtle elements, refined luminous forms becoming luminous flesh and the luminous world. The capacity to dissolve mental phenomena is great but not enough. It is true that awareness is the great metabolizer of experience and memory. Clear mind alone is not enough. The elements of your mind and your body, the elements manifesting as phenomena within you and around you are light. So the very circumstances, the very events and the energies and light of events surrounding you are the light of primordial awareness. Primordial awareness manifest as the phenomena of your life. In this way the light of no-thingness shines into the light of no-thingness which is mutually shining back, gazing back. The mutual luminous gaze is divinity as events. Beatific vision is the transparency of the light of events shining forth, glistening forth. So the very phenomena of our life is the path of liberation. Phenomena can not be denied or bypassed or foreclosed. Many eastern and western non-dual traditions bypass, deny and foreclose phenomena, foreclose appearance. Phenomena is not incidental to the unfolding of self liberation within you and through you and for you as you. The very gross elements of the world in their manifestation are the pure subtle elements coming forth as phenomena. The elementals are the luminosity of phenomena. The elements within you and the elements around you as events and circumstance are opening of the luminous light through which the light of awareness manifest in fullness. The body of light is the soma of the elements pure and luminous, open and unbound and completely pervasive..The arising of the spontaneously present appearances are the genuine four elements within spaciousness. The elements are the basis for the arising of the spontaneously present appearance of gazing. The pure elements are manifesting through wisdom awareness emerging as phenomena. The state of these pure appearances is luminous light. This is the spontaneously appearance of the light of awareness. When we directly are experiencing the luminous elements this experience is not easy to put to language as the experience is so free and unbound and un-contained. This is the unobscured experience of light and space, pervasive radiance. Since awareness as the ground of being is innate light, the self appearance of the ground arises as light. By taking this path of natural awareness the archetypical experience of the apparitional realm of the sambhogakaya dimension becomes unbound and opens. Within this opening the unfolding and self manifestation of the archetypical luminous energies as the divine deities and dakinis become apparent. Apparitional life become visible and self recognition apparent. The self as light becomes easily and naturally apparent. It is the light of awareness, or the radiance of awareness that is appearing, which is the nature of the ground. The radiance appears because the radiance is the indwelling nature of the ground, and this is the basis for arising of this awareness and the light of this awareness to appear as the path. Self appearance emerges as the three kayas, the three dimensions of our own awareness field. This is the direct experience of the dharmata. Self liberation is the experiencing of self appearance as the pervasive light energy. A personal metaphor is your astrological chart which is a map of the unfolding of the elements that you are a configuration of and that configure you mind and your body and the appearance of psyche. The unfolding of the archetypical energies are manifested as gross and dense energies and at the very same time can be experienced as the elemental-ness of luminosity, particles of luminosity becoming congealed light, luminous experience. So your affective states, your mind states, your bodily states are streams of elemental-ness becoming and dissolving, manifesting and vanishing, as the light of radiance. The expansion of the innermost heart essence is the alchemical liquid that is the medium of the operation of self liberation. The fire of awareness is the essence of luminosity unfolding through as events of life. The fire of awareness is the fire of life. The medium of life is the medium of self liberation. The medium of self liberation is the fire element. Gazing into the sky is method and gazing into whatever is being manifested is method. In the self recognition of the light, self illumination is happening intrinsically through the opening of the amulet of the heart essence wherein the light radiates forth in the intensification of self liberation. The self illumination of phenomena is experienced both within ones self and within the world. There is the indivisibility of your being and the Being of the world. You are a being in the Being-ness of the world. The light of the world is the light of awareness. The light is not placed over phenomena like a flash light shining on a table. The light of the innermost heart essence experiences the light of the heart essence of the phenomena of the world. The light experiences the light. The phenomena of light experiences phenomena as light. This self trans-lucidity and self transparency is self liberation. Phenomena is not incidental to liberation, phenomena is not the cage of liberation. Phenomena is not simply the external context of the self liberation drama, like a stage that is only a platform. The unfolding drama is itself self liberation. The manifestation of the gross elements as events is the pure elements of liberation liberating in self manifestation. Mantras such as phet (or phat) cut through phenomena into the emptiness or openness of phenomena, the pure potential of phenomena as emptiness. The manifestation of wisdom is emptiness but not like an empty house or empty box or empty mouth. Spaciousness glows and radiates. This radiance manifests as phenomena, as the most subtle elements of light particles congealing into gross phenomena. Nature and emptinness are inseparable, appearance and emptiness are inseparable and the phet like a sword cuts through into the openness of phenomena, into the light of phenomena. The openness of emptiness is luminous spaciousness. Everything is the manifestation of wisdom gnosis. Wisdom is the pervasive inner radiance. The external glowing is radiance becoming the world, the worldling of place as self liberation. As the Shiva Sutra declares "The Bliss of the World is the Bliss of Samadhi." The light of experience is the light of awareness. The more intense the light of awareness the more there is of the radiance of light opening into the experience of non duality. There is this indivisibility of radiance and appearance. Between two people there is one radiance, even if only one person experiences the radiance. As it is said in the Yeshe Lama the great text of Dzogchen written by Jigme Lingpa, ' the inner ying meets the outer ying'. The inner field meets the outer field. The radiance of non duality manifest the radiance of the appearance of self and otherness. Radiance self within the radiance of the world, self radiance within innumerable places of radiance. The radiance of non duality within the radiance of duality and the radiance of duality within the radiance of non duality. Self liberation is through the radiance of pervasiveness. Written by Rudolph Bauer, Ph.D. A.B.P.P The Washington Center For Consciousness Studies.