Mirror Of The Heart

Polishing the Mirror

Sometimes illumination occurs spontaneously or, as Ram Dass experienced, in a heart-wrenching moment of opening. More commonly, it happens when we polish the mirror of the heart with daily practice—and see beyond the illusion of our transient thoughts and emotions to the vast and luminous landscape of our true nature. For five decades, Ram Dass has explored the depths of consciousness and love and brought them to life as service to others. With Polishing the Mirror, he gathers together his essential teachings for living in the eternal present, here and now. Readers will find within these pages a rich combination of perennial wisdom, humor, teaching stories, and detailed guidance on Ram Dass' own spiritual practices, including: Bhakti Yoga—opening our hearts to unconditional lovePractices for living, aging, dying, and embracing the natural flow of lifeKarma Yoga—how selfless service can profoundly transform usWorking with fear and suffering as a path to grace and freedomStep-by-step guidance in devotional chant, meditation and mantra practice, and much more For those new to Ram Dass' teachings, and for those to whom they are old friends, here is this vanguard spiritual explorer's complete guide to discovering who we are and why we are here, and how to become beacons of unconditional love.

Mirror of the Heart

The Mirror of the Heart of Vajrasattva

The Great Perfection, also known as the Atiyoga or Dzogchen (rDzogs chen), is a tradition of esoteric Buddhism that propounds instantaneous enlightenment and was first brought to Tibet in the Eighth Century of the Common Era. The Indian manuscripts of this tradition have been lost in time. Only the Tibetan translations remain. The original teachings of this tradition are contained in Tantras, which are generally divided into three categories: The Mind Section, the Space Section, and the Upadesha Instruction Section. The Upadesha Instruction section is devoted to the pointing out instructions or practical advice in the understanding and application of the Great Perfection. It is generally described as having seventeen root scriptures. The two Tantras that are here translated are among these seventeen works. The Mirror of the Heart of Vajrasattva records a conversation between the wrathful ones, the dakinis, and a Buddha named Mighty Young Hero which was held in a charnel ground called Blazing Fire Mountain. The Self-Liberation of Awareness records a conversation between the Bodhisattva Manjusri and this same Mighty Young Hero, also at the Blazing Fire Mountain's charnel ground. This Tantra comments on the largest of the Seventeen Tantras, The Dawn of the Awareness (Rig pa rang shar), while standing as a Tantra in its own right. I have included images of the Tibetan manuscript for your convenience and to help preserve this ancient literature.