Garchen Rinpoche taught in Albuquerque last weekend, so I drove down to meet him. He gave a Milarepa empowerment, and discussed one of Milerepa’s songs of enlightenment. The gist of the teaching was on how to realize the nature of mind, the clear and unencumbered state of primordial awareness.
At one point, Rinpoche looked at us and asked,
“Who here has recognized the nature of mind? Raise your hand.” He raised his own.
I kept my hands in my lap, unsure if this was a trick question.
A handful of people lifted their hands.
“Who has not yet recognized the nature of mind? Hands up.”
A significantly larger group raised their hands. Thinking this was the trick part of the question, my own stayed put.
Then he smiled and said, “Good! Now, for those of you who said you did not recognize the nature of mind, whatever it is that recognizes THAT, is the nature of mind. And for those of you who said you do recognize the nature of mind, whatever it is that recognizes THAT is also the nature of mind. There is no higher teaching than this.”
The only trick is in learning to stabilize it.
Diary of a Pilgrim 