Pure?…Pure!…Pure?

The word pure can easily be misunderstood: it seems to have connotations of something unattainable and scary…“Nobody’s that pure!”

 Every thing has contaminants, especially our minds. When talking about ‘pure awareness’ – about this being our true nature – we also have to accept that it is surrounded by contamination. Our essence remains pure, like space. It doesn’t matter what we do in space…space never changes.

 We have to accept both, but not be hooked by either the contaminants or that which is uncontaminated.

 Purity is not something we have to achieve: uncontaminated essence is still present, but there are temporary contaminants. Pure spring water still has contaminants and minerals in it, but for us (our bodies) it’s good enough.

Pure awareness is
uncontaminated awareness,
only awareness,
just awareness.
Nothing else.
This is absolute truth.

 However,
this uncontaminated awareness lives in a contaminated world.
This is relative truth.

 To see clearly,
we must accept them as a unity.

 By virtue of one the other is known.
They cannot be separated, like the print on this screen!

 One day, all the contaminants will dissolve, and we will be left with an uncontaminated state. Until then, the theory will guide us. A perfect circle can never be manifest in the relative world – there will always be bumps and imperfections on micro-inspection – but we know what it means. The contaminants also contain and reflect Buddha nature. And, at a deeper level, they are deities.

Pure isn’t something scary.
It’s our Buddha nature:
our awakened nature.

 There are nearly 7 billion potential Buddhas on Earth.
They are just sleeping at the moment…