sems nyid

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Glossarysems nyid

Tibetan Noun

sems nyid

nature of mind
चित्तत्व
སེམས་ཉིད་

Basic Meaning

Commonly found in Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā literature, this term denotes the true, natural state of mind as it is. Often used in these traditions as a synonym for buddha-nature.

Has the Sense of

The essence of mind.

On this topic
Video
Karmapa on the Nature of Mind
[START at 6 min 45 secs]. On the morning of January 3, 2013, the Gyalwang Karmapa gave an impromptu teaching on the nature of mind to a large group of international students gathered at the Root Institute for Wisdom Culture, Bodhgaya. Teaching in a mixture of Tibetan and English, he began the session by inviting questions from the students gathered. The first question was soon put forward: How do we experience Buddha-nature on a practical level? "I thought that if you asked me questions it would make it easier for me," he joked in English in response to the depth of the question, adding, "But this question makes it more complicated for me!"

As the laughter died down, the Gyalwang Karmapa delivered a profound and reasoned teaching on Buddha-nature and the nature of mind. "All sentient beings are endowed with the potential for complete Buddhahood," he began.

They are inherently Buddhas, and inherently that Buddha-nature is completely free of any stains -- it is stainless, and perfect. Yet, at the level of relative or immediate experience, our experience is not this way. Our experience is that this perfectly pure Buddha-nature is veiled by our confused outlook.

Shifting the teaching to a deeper level, the Gyalwang Karmapa then described the dharmakaya, or the Buddha's enlightened mind. "Lord Gampopa said that the nature of thoughts is dharmakaya," he explained.

Thoughts and dharmakaya are inseparable. We have this dualistic approach of seeing dharmakaya as pure and thoughts as impure, but we need to understand the inseparability of thoughts and dharmakaya.

The Gyalwang Karmapa spoke directly in English as he continued:

Every moment that we have thought, every moment that thought arises, we have the opportunity to recognize the nature of thought as emptiness or dharmakaya, whatever you want to call it. Thought and the emptiness of its nature are inseparable. We can't make them separate; there's no separation. Because thought itself is emptiness that means actually in everyday life we have lots of opportunity to recognize and realize the nature of thought, or nature of emptiness, or dharmakaya. But we just follow the appearances, the illusions -- we don't look deeper.

The Gyalwang Karmapa then responded to several more questions from the audience, teaching briefly on the progressive views of emptiness within Tibetan Buddhism which culminate in the final Madhyamaka view. The final questioner echoed the thoughts of many gathered when she asked the Gyalwang Karmapa how his students could help and support him. "I feel energized and inspired by all the love and the support that I receive from all of you. That really is sufficient. I don't need anything more than your love and support," he replied, to resounding applause.

Continuing an annual tradition, the teaching took place at the request of the Root Institute for Wisdom Culture. The Gyalwang Karmapa taught to an overflowing gompa, with hundreds of students spilling out into the surrounding balconies and gardens. In addition to mostly international students, the audience also included local Indian children from the Root Institute's school.
Karmapa, 17th. "The Nature of Mind: A Teaching at the Root Institute." Filmed January 3, 2013 in Bodhgaya, India. Produced by Tsurphu Labrang Media. Video, 1:04:37. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_uccsZNg5g.
Article
Pointing Out Ordinary Mind
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche presents the essential teachings of Mahamudra and its three main approaches to practice, each offering effective methods for directly pointing out mind’s true nature.
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, (The 7th). "Pointing Out Ordinary Mind." Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly, August 15, 2018.
Term Variations
Key Term sems nyid
Topic Variation nature of mind
Tibetan སེམས་ཉིད་  ( semnyi)
Wylie Tibetan Transliteration sems nyid  ( semnyi)
Devanagari Sanskrit चित्तत्व
Romanized Sanskrit cittatva
Buddha-nature Site Standard English nature of mind
Karl Brunnhölzl's English Term mind as such
Richard Barron's English Term mind itself, the true nature of mind itself
Dan Martin's English Term mind proper
Gyurme Dorje's English Term nature of mind
Ives Waldo's English Term mind itself
Alternate Spellings citta eva, cittatā
Term Information
Source Language Tibetan
Basic Meaning Commonly found in Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā literature, this term denotes the true, natural state of mind as it is. Often used in these traditions as a synonym for buddha-nature.
Has the Sense of The essence of mind.
Related Terms Dharmatā
Term Type Noun
Definitions
Rangjung Yeshe Dictionary The nature of one's mind which is taught to be identical with the essence of all enlightened beings, the sugata garbha. It should be distinguished from 'mind' (sems) which refers to ordinary discursive thinking based on ignorance of the nature of thought
Tshig mdzod Chen mo 1) sems kho na/ ... 2) sems kyi chos nyid/
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