smcj wrote:My curiosity is piqued by this:
Relatively, when it is not recognized, it is called "the basis appears as the universe."
Because this is, in theory, describing the way we see the world now. We do not recognize the basis.
So then how is this different?
At the time it is recognized, it is called "The universe arises as the basis."
When embarking, practicing,learning ,studying tantras , removing doubts about one's Rigpa etc, the basis is the path.
Sentient Beings with innate-grasping at a subject-object duality , see the basis as the substantial display of the Mahābhūta , the elements, the sense organs and, the aggregates and so on.
When the basis is recognized, the universe is seen as luminous display of rigpa (the elements are seen as the 5 lights, hence the universe is just the display of the basis.
Vairocana said:
At the time of vidyā, wisdom arises as the dhātu;
at the time of avidyā, wisdom appears as samsara;
though there is a great difference between vidyā and avidyā,
all the buddhas of the three times
never move from the great dhātu itself.
At the time of avidyā, it is the all basis,
that never moves from the dharmatādhātu;
at the time of vidyā, it is the great blissful dharmakāya.
[Lifted from Malcolms treasury of Ati blog]
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smcj wrote:
Because this is supposedly how a Dzogchen master sees it. Does it mean that the universe is seen as Truth (clarity), Freedom (emptiness), and Power (love/compassion)? And as non-dual, in that since the universe consists of the basis and nothing else, all is perfect?
Truth and freedom are troublesome words to use for now. Since falsities and illusions can also appear, as the examples of the mirror's unbiassed reflections have demonstrated.The Great-perfection
subsumes all extremes, which includes notions of truth and falsity, freedom and it's apparent lack, wisdom (vidyā ) and ignorance (avidyā), Buddhas and beings.
It's all perfect in that sense, because it subsumes notions of perfection and imperfection, but because emptiness /dependent-origination arises as everything whatsoever , that very same emptiness of 'unborn-bliss free from suffering' also appears to manifest as the appearance of every possible shade of suffering, ala Samsara.
The capacity for moments of suffering to exhaust them self has always been inherent in their dependently arisen,compounded nature. This understanding taught by the Buddha, conjoined with the power of beings' past and present aspirations and roots of conditioned-merit, enable the conditions to manifest which lead to finding the teachings and an authentic teacher and being able to put them into practice.
The compassion of realized beings as rupakaya emanations is non-dual when appearing to sentient beings as there are no sentient beings or any realms of Samsara outside of the self-diplsay of the kayas. Even so, for beings who don't know or experience that, samsara is as real as it feels.
When Yeshe Tsogyal said “Meditate upon the guru as the glow of your awareness.”, this wasn't merely a platitude and encouragement for conditioned-devotion, but a description of how it really is.
Rather than 'sacred', maybe it's 'Ema-ho' you're looking for.