Abiding in the Wisdom of the Four Samayas

There are four modes of abiding by the samayas to remain within the essence of the wisdom deities.

1. The Samaya of Non-Existence

The self-occurring natural samaya that is the primordially pure essence of awareness beyond all elaboration is the samaya of non-existence because there is nothing within it to be maintained.

This samaya in which there is nothing to maintain involves simply remaining within the natural great wisdom of spontaneously present deity. There is nothing more to be done; simply remain without ever departing from the suchness in which there are no boundaries between observance and breakage. 

-> To abide within the primordial wisdom of emptiness which is essentially beyond all conceptual elaborations of true existence and subject or object is the Samaya of Non-Existence.

2. The Samaya of Evenness

The Samaya of evenness is to transcend conditioned phenomena and settle into their actual nature, without entertaining any fixation that might alter it. Simply let the five sense consciousnesses rest within the realisation of suchness devoid of any fixation on either outer or inner objects.

- Primordial awareness abides as a natural evenness, its nature is without fluctuation, change, or fragmentation into concepts such as good, bad, happy, sad, hope, doubt, and so on. It is an all-pervasive evenness.

-> To remain within such vast and spacious openness is the Samaya of Evenness.

3. The Samaya of Spontaneous Presence

The Samaya of spontaneous presence is to remain within the quality of knowing, the open radiance of suchness, which is essentially non-existent and primordially pure, and in which the profusion of qualities is naturally and spontaneously present.

To say that the open radiance of suchness with the profusion of the qualities are spontaneously  present signifies that their presence is not dependent on the practice of the four visions.(*)

(*) སྣང་བ་བཞི་ - “Nang-wa zhi” - ’The Four Visions are important concepts in Dzogchen and Vajrayāna practices, often regarded as four stages of recognising and realising the nature of reality.

1. The Vision of the Direct Awareness of Reality (or The Vision of the Near Attainment):

This is the initial stage where a practitioner begins to have a direct but still partial experience of the true nature of mind. It's a glimpse into the ultimate emptiness and clarity, but not a full realization.

2. The Vision of Increasing Experience (or The Vision that Increases Experience):

 In this stage, the practitioner's experience of reality deepens and becomes more stable. There are still dualistic notions of subject and object, but these are starting to dissolve. The practitioner begins to see lights and colours as manifestations of the mind's radiant quality, realising that phenomena are neither existent nor non-existent.

3. The Vision of Awareness that is the Means of Attainment (or The Vision of Attaining the Real):

This is an advanced stage where the practitioner's recognition of the true nature of reality becomes more consistent and unbroken. The dualistic gap between subject and object dissolves entirely, and there's a complete integration of emptiness and appearance. It's a direct, continuous experience of the true nature of mind.

4. The Vision of Consummation of the Attainment (or The Vision of Extending the Real):

This is the final stage, representing full enlightenment. Here, the practitioner's realisation of the true nature of reality is unchanging and effortless. There is no difference between meditation and post-meditation. Everything is recognised as the spontaneous display of the true nature of reality, fully non-dual and complete.

In the context of Samaya of spontaneous presence, these Four Visions are not something that needs to be cultivated or created through specific practices.

Rather, they are the natural unfolding of awareness as it recognises its own nature. They are inherent and spontaneously present within the nature of mind.

The Four Visions are profound teachings that offer guidance for the practitioner on the path to full realisation. They help to describe the process of coming to directly perceive the true nature of reality, which is ultimately beyond all conceptualisations and descriptions.

The practice related to these visions helps to let go of all artificial constructs and limitations, allowing the practitioner to dwell in the natural, pure, and spontaneous state of being.

- All the phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa arise individually from awareness, regardless of whether it is realised or not. Awareness itself is the natural ground from which everything positive and negative arises.

-> To remain within this recognition is the Samaya of Spontaneous Presence.

4. The Samaya of Oneness

The Samaya of oneness is to remain within the singular wisdom, which abides as natural luminosity and cannot be expressed in words. Here, all concepts of establishment and negation, which include ideas and judgements as to what constitute the vows and commitments, whether things are real or not, and arise or cease, and clinging to realisation or lack thereof, are all one within singular suchness. Everything is one within the nature that is not seen through looking.

- All phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are the expression and play of primordial wisdom – they arise individually from the same source.

-> Nothing deviates from the expanse of this awareness and, to recognise that everything is perfect within this single basis is the samaya of oneness.