Cloud Banks of Non-Conceptual Space
Cloud Banks of Non-Conceptual Space
by Longchen Rabjam
Primordially unborn, free of all elaboration,
And as vast as space—to this I offer homage.
I shall now clarify the cloud-banks of space,
The mind-as-such in natural great perfection.
A yogi who seeks to put the non-conceptual wisdom of the nature of mind into practice should master four crucial points: (1) view, (2) meditation, (3) conduct, and (4) fruition.
1. View
The essence of the view is self-arisen primordial wisdom. It is empty, luminous, and unceasing; not established in any concrete way; not restricted in extent; not subject to partiality; neither tangible nor definable. It is like space, which is and always has been utterly pure. While it is not itself in any way concrete, it serves as the basis for whatever arises, howsoever it might, and is thus the dharmadhātu, free from conceptual elaboration. Once the clear, empty nature of the mind in the present moment—pure awareness that is uncontrived and uncontaminated—has been introduced, there is an aspect that is the unmoving clear, empty dharmatā, from which the self-radiance of space and awareness arises unobstructedly. This primordial wisdom, which is indivisible in essence and naturally without distinction, is the wisdom of dharmakāya reality. From the perspective of its empty quality, it is the dharmakāya; from the perspective of its luminous quality, it is the sambhogakāya; and since it is the awareness that provides a basis for manifestation, it is the nirmāṇakāya. But understand that these are not separate or distinct aspects.
Although these three kāyas are present within our own awareness, failure to recognize them entails delusion. Yet, even when various forms of outer and inner delusion arise, from the very moment of their arising, the essence does not experience delusion; delusion is not present within the nature; and delusion could not possibly abide within its mode of being.
Well then, you might wonder, why does the dualistic, deluded mind arise to delusory perception? It is as in a dream: even when things manifest as they do, they are not real. Images appear, even though they are unreal, through the power of various habitual tendencies. As we experience the phenomena of a dream, they have no essence. Therefore, they have never existed and have no basis in reality. When we wake, these impressions do not go anywhere. It is the same with delusion: it is not present in the actual nature; it appears now while being unreal; and when it is finally purified, it is not abandoned as such. Or it is similar to intoxication from datura: duality appears to deluded perception but is unreal. The key point, therefore, is that delusory appearances are without basis or origin.
This being so, we must decide that all that appears—the environment and its inhabitants, appearance and existence—is a figment of our own mind’s deluded perception. We must decide that this mind with its deluded perception is without basis, like space. And we must decide that this space is self-arising primordial wisdom, the wisdom of emptiness and clarity.
Moreover, when we examine these delusive appearances, we find that since they lack even the slightest particle of reality, there can be no truly existent objects of a larger scale. And when we examine the thoughts of delusive perception, we find that since there is no individual moment of reality, there can be truly existent continuum of perception. We must decide therefore that since the object, delusion, is unreal, the subject, deluded perception, is also the great absence of basis or origin.
The delusive appearances of saṃsāra are thus the great absence of basis or origin, primordially empty like space, and such unreal appearances have the nature of magical illusion. To decide on this point with certainty is to resolve that saṃsāra is nameless and to recognize how conceptualization involving attachment to dualistic perception, which is an obstacle to the view, is introduced as a great freedom from limiting extremes.
The actual view is one’s own awareness, unmodified and uncorrupted, which is the wisdom mind of the victorious ones. It has never had any flaw. The enlightened qualities are spontaneously present within it. It has never undergone transition or change. It is the essence of the sugatas and the source of all maṇḍalas. There is no fluctuation in its clarity.
From the emptiness perspective, there is no arising, no ceasing, no coming, no going, no restraint, no freedom, no support, no abiding, no saṃsāra and no nirvāṇa, no adoption, no rejection, no emptiness, no non-emptiness, no reality, no attributes, no names, no words, no sounds, no conventions, no limits, no centre, no intrinsic nature from the very beginning, and a transcendence of words, thoughts and description.
From the appearance perspective, there is awareness; there is clarity; there are kāyas; there are wisdoms; there are enlightened qualities; there is enlightened activity; there are pure realms; there are divine palaces; there are principal deities and retinues; and there are all the qualities of perfection in their entirety.
Since there is awakening that does not waver from realization of the primordial inseparability of kāyas and wisdoms, there is no effort or accomplishment. To abide in this great, naturally unconditioned, spontaneous sovereign state is like a wish-fulfilling jewel. By its very nature, it is the everlasting, stable transcendence of suffering, beyond transition and change. It is buddhahood that requires no quest but is present within. This is the introduction to the king of views, self-arising primordial wisdom.
Within the view of self-arising primordial wisdom, there is thus no distinction made on the basis of clinging to extremes such as good or bad, acceptance or rejection, hope or fear, or any form of partiality. That is to say, there is a definitive conclusion that there are no divisions to be made in the vastness of space.
2. Meditation
The essence of meditation is to remain in the immediacy of what is, without modifying or spoiling it, like a master archer who is skilled in three key points:
- The key point of the body, which is the seven-point posture of Vairocana.
- The key point of speech, which is to remain silent and breathe very gently.
- The key point of mind, which is to allow ordinary awareness to relax in the natural state.
Meditation should also possess seven characteristics of lucidity:
- Knowing how things are
- Remaining in the natural condition
- Directly cutting through
- Availing the mind
- Embracing mindfulness
- Not straying into conceptuality
- Being directly present
Failure to possess these seven key points will lead to seven flaws:
- Not knowing how things are prevents the elimination of errors and obscurations.
- Not remaining in the natural condition leaves awareness prone to circumstances.
- Not directly cutting through invites the pursuit of thought.
- Not availing the mind means remaining ordinary.
- Not embracing mindfulness invites the three or five poisons.
- Straying into conceptuality invites ordinary affliction.
- Not being directly present leads to wandering in diffusion.
Test whether these seven are present and make adjustments accordingly:
- For knowing how things are, check whether you have confidence.
- For remaining in the natural condition, check whether there is benefit and harm.
- For directly cutting through, check whether there is a lapse into the three poisons.
- For availing the mind, check whether the basis and origin have been eliminated.
- For embracing mindfulness, check whether there is spontaneous liberation.
- For not straying into conceptuality, check whether the quality of clarity is prominent.
- For being directly present, check whether there is a sense of agency.
To put it more succinctly, the essence of meditation is found in the three means of rest:
- Allow awareness to rest without any kind of support, like a cloud floating in the sky.
- Allow awareness to rest directly in its nature by eliminating the activity of prāṇa-mind, like a waterwheel to which the water supply has been cut.
- Rest in the understanding that mind’s nature is and always has been free, entertaining no further hopes or anxieties, like a person who has completed a task.
Even if we realise the view of primordial freedom, if we cannot rest in this nature directly through meditation, we will not put a stop to the delusive perceptions of saṃsāra, so this process of becoming familiar with the nature of awareness is of crucial importance.
3. Conduct
The essence of conduct is to remain without acceptance or rejection. Conduct during meditative equipoise consists of leaving the six senses open and not restricting what is experienced by becoming fixated or attached. Conduct during post-meditation involves allowing whatever is encountered to arise by itself and be freed by itself, without partiality, like a snake uncoiling its own knots.
To put it simply, there are three aspects: 1) allowing visible appearances to be liberated as unreal, like the moon’s reflection in water; 2) allowing audible experiences to be liberated as empty, like an echo in an empty valley; and 3) allowing thoughts and conceptions to be freed without trace, like waves upon water.
In short, by related to all appearances as unreal, you will be freed from the force of suppressing and cultivating. Applying this instruction whereby dualistic fixation vanishes in and of itself, train in liberating without trace all that you encounter.
4. Fruition
The essence of the fruition is the dharmakāya of awareness and emptiness. With this, you are confident that since there is primordial freedom there is nothing further to liberate. You also decide not to apply any other antidote, because there is natural freedom. And you have assurance that since there is total freedom, you need not subtract from or add to the basis of freedom itself. You decide that simply letting be in the state of empty, traceless awareness is timeless great perfection; and by resting without fabrication and freed from hope and fear in the primordial ground, which is comfortable, at ease, and naturally free, recognise the awareness of the present moment as a great natural presence. Then, by relaxing into such ordinariness without effort or exertion, contrivance or corruption, you arrive definitively at the great, naturally present dharmakāya—the fruition of one’s great, spontaneously present genuine nature.
In short, having decided that your own mind is the buddha, relax deeply in your own natural awareness, free from hope and fear, contrivance and corruption, in the great primordial freedom of natural rest in which any notion of activity or striving has subsided. And train, without striving for attainment, in the river-like yoga of this fundamental nature of innate great perfection.
By thus revealing the sky-like nature of mind,
Which is primordially free and akin to space,
May all beings see the truth of non-dual purity
And attain the victors’ immaculate dharmakāya!
This text of effortless and natural freedom
Was set down by Longchen Rabjam Zangpo,
A yogin of the natural Great Perfection.
Rejoice, fortunate disciples of my heart!
This concludes Cloud Banks of Non-Conceptual Space, a manual for taking non-conceptuality as the path from the key instructions of the secret heart-essence, composed by Longchen Rabjam, a yogin of the supreme vehicle, on the slopes of Gangri Tökar. May it prove virtuous! Virtuous! Virtuous!
| Translated by Adam Pearcey with the generous support of the Tsadra Foundation, 2025.
Bibliography
Tibetan Edition
klong chen rab 'byams pa dri med 'od zer. "rtog med nam mkha' sprin phung" In snying thig ya bzhi. 13 vols. Delhi: Sherab Gyaltsen Lama, 1975. Vol. 2: 135–143 (4.5 folios)
Version: 1.0-20251120
