The ground of samsara and nirvana, the beginning and end of both confusion and realization, the nature of universal shunyata and of all apparent phenomena, … is the alaya, sometimes called the pure or original mind.
[Shunyata is the absence of inherent existence in all phenomena, which was explained by the Buddha in the sutras of the second turning of the Wheel of Dharma, and further elaborated upon by masters such as Nagarjuna and Chandrakirti. (https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Emptiness)]
Three fundamental aspects of the pure or original mind may be described:
(1) Complete openness
(2) Natural perfection
(3) Absolute spontaneity
These three aspects are presented in the following pages.
Using Rigdzin Shikpo’s three overarching qualities of the nature of mind — openness, clarity, and sensitivity — these three qualities may be broadly paralleled with the three aspects of the original mind as follows:
| Openness | Complete openness |
| Clarity | Natural perfection |
| Sensitivity | Absolute spontaneity |
Source: Chögyam Trungpa and Rigdzin Shikpo. “The Way of Maha Ati” in Chögyam Trungpa, The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa. Volume One. Edited by Carolyn Rose Gimian. Boston & London: Shambhala, 2003
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (https://learning.tergar.org/) teaches about our wonderful inner nature — our basic, inherent goodness — using three overall descriptors as follows:
(1) Awareness
(2) Wisdom
(3) Love and compassion
Here, then, is a table of comparison between the work of Chögyam Trungpa and Rigdzin Shikpo, and that of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche:
| Openness | Complete openness | Awareness |
| Clarity | Natural perfection | Wisdom |
| Sensitivity | Absolute spontaneity | Love and compassion |
As far as meditation practice, Chögyam Trungpa and Rigdzin Shikpo teach formless meditation; Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche teaches open awareness, among other meditation practices. Again, one can see a parallel.
The nature of mind is defined in the tantras as the inseparable unity of awareness and emptiness, or clarity and emptiness, which is the basis for all the ordinary perceptions, thoughts and emotions of the ordinary mind.
Sogyal Rinpoche says: “In the modern world, we do not have a real understanding of the mind. Most people think of the mind as being merely thoughts and emotions, but these are simply the appearance of the mind, not the true nature of the mind itself.”
(https://www.rigpawiki.org/)
Note: “Unfortunately, the word ‘emptiness’, which is used to translate the Sanskrit term shunyata, carries a connotation of a nothing-ness, or a void. Happily, there is a wonderful definition in Tibetan that captures its true meaning … it translates as: ‘free from permanence and non-existence’.
Generally, all philosophies tend to fall into one of two extremes: ‘eternalism‘: believing in the existence or permanence of something, or ‘nihilism‘: believing in non-existence. Shunyata goes beyond both of these extremes, because it is neither permanent nor non-existing, and that is, ultimately, how things are.” (Sogyal Rinpoche)
Shunyata is often compared to space, which is defined in Buddhism as the complete openness, or ‘unobstructedness’, which allows anything to occur. Likewise, because reality is ’empty’ and not fixed in any way, it is said that anything is possible. As Nagarjuna said:
To whomever emptiness is possible,
All things are possible.
Source: https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Emptiness