Garab Dorje’s “Three Statements That Strike the Fundamental Point (Garab (”joyful”) Dorje’s Last Testament)
NAMO GURUVE!
Homage to that confidence deriving from understanding one’s own state of immediate intrinsic Awareness!
This state of immediate intrisic Awareness (called rig-pa) is uncreated and self-existing. Its mode of being represents the essence that is the primordial Base. Everywhere the manner in which it arises in response to external appearances, which are themselves diverse, is uninterrupted and unobstructed. Moreover, all the phenomena that appear and that exist, arise (spontaneously self-perfected) within the field of the Dharmakaya. Whatever appearences may manifest therein are directly liberated after their arising due to the presence of one’s own state of immediate Awareness (rig-pa).
As for the real meaning of this: All of the enlightened states, which consist of non-dual knowledge that is, primordial awareness (ye-shes), present within the hears of all the Sugatas are, in fact, encompassed within this single unique state of immediate intrinsic Awareness found within every individual sentient being.
In order to inspire Manjushrimitra, who had fallen down senseless upon the gound (when his master had dissolved his physical body into space at the end of his life), this Upadesha, or secret oral instruction, consisting of “The Three Statements that Strike the Esential points,” was revealed by the master Garab Dorje. For the purpose of eliminating all concepts relating to both Samsara and Nirvana (in the mind of his disciple), that is to say, his believing that either of them are actual self-existent in their own terms, this exceeding excellent and well-demonstrated last testament was revealed at the time of the master’s death (and resurrection). It should be concealed and preserved within one’s own innermost heart! A!
Indeed, this state of immediate intrinsic Awareness is beyond all conception (by the intellect), being something uncreated and unconditioned. ATI!
This Upadesha, which unhesitatingly reveals the state of immediate intrinsic Awareness, which represents the capacity of the Primordial Base that is the Dharmakaya, is as follows:
“One is directly introduced to one’s own real nature,” that is to say, one is introduced directly and ultimately to one’s own real face or nature that is intrinsic Awareness, the state of immediate pure presence (rig-pa). And, furthermore, its nature is revealed, in actuality, to be completely pure from the very beginning (ka-dag). It is just this state of immediate Awareness that is introduced here, in the same way, as for example, that anger (when faced and recognized) can be liberated by itself.
“One directly decided upon this single unique state,” that is to say, one discovers directly for oneself, (in the midst of a multitude of diverse experiences), this single and unique state of intrinsic Awareness, wherein one is aware in every respect, without there being any sense of duality of of subject and object remaining.
“One then directly continues with confidence in liberation,” that is to say, one continues directly in the state of contemplation with full confidence in the automatic (and effortless) process of self-liberation (of whatever thoughts and appearences arise). And, because of that, one’s own Awareness finds itself inherently liberated on its own (without any intervention by the discursive intellect or by anything outside of itself).
There exists no single sentient being who, in terms of the self-manifesting of this intrinsic Awareness, does not find him- or herself inherently liberated. One’s own individual state of existence (or condition of interior awareness), on the one hand, and the states of other things in the outer world which are presented to one’s consciousness as external appearences, on the other hand, come to encounter each other and become integrated. (This represents a direct immediate intuition without there being any duality of subject and object, a primordial awareness or ye-shes) But, where this is not understood by the individual, then oneself and other things (the “I”, which is one’s own interior awareness, and the “others”, which are external appearences) are perceived as arising in a dualisitic (and Cartesian [adm]) fashion of interior subject and external object.
This single Upadesha, or secret oral instruction (given above), for self-liberation in an immediate and straightforward fashion is unique (among all the spiritual paths to enlightenement), and its contary does not exist anywhere (in terms of efficacy). It alone is sufficient for liberation. ATI!