In all of us, in every being, there is immortality. The essence, that which is, beyond all thought, circumstance and manifestation, what we might call the spirit of every being, is immortal. However, in the physical manifestation of the material world, we are subject to the law of cause and effect. Thus, all the attachments, aversions and indifferences that stir within us have the consequence of bringing us back again and again into a body subject to suffering, old age and death.
The way out, liberation, is that of presence. It is the state of consciousness of the here and now that liberates at every instant each thought, each emotion and all identification with appearances as tangible and actual reality. In fact, everything is emptiness. The proof: nothing lasts forever. Even mountains one day find themselves at sea level, after millennia of erosion by wind and water. We will wander, endlessly, from life to life, until we have understood the reality of what we truly are.
If we love and feel attachment to pleasures, experiences and agreeable relationships, and we experience them, it is because we have accumulated causes that brought about these agreeable moments. But one day, the causes that created these effects will be exhausted, the karma will have been emptied and these pleasures, experiences and agreeable relationships will cease. Thus, we will suffer from this loss. So even positive karma leads to suffering.
This does not mean we must stop helping others, accumulating merit and wisdom. What this teaches us is that we must dissolve all attachment to these experiences. We must rest in the clear light of that which perceives experience without being in any way attached to it. In the instant an agreeable moment arises, we must not attribute reality to the circumstance, but rather allow it to dissolve into the consciousness of the emptiness it reflects. For it is as fleeting as the morning mist. Everything is ephemeral and empty. What truly exists is the luminous clarity of the consciousness that experiences it. This luminosity of the mind is immortal.
This is what we truly are. We are clear light of the mind. To the extent that we remain at every instant, day and night, awake in this consciousness of the clear light of the mind, we liberate at every instant all the obstacles that keep us bound to the endless cycle of rebirths into bodies subject to suffering, old age and death.
This is the true meaning of the resurrection of Christ. Here is a man who accepted, without any attachment, to live everything life offered, being at every instant fully and entirely conscious. On Mount Golgotha, he knew what awaited him and accepted it without any aversion or attachment. Thus, his being was transformed and became pure light. He could still appear as before to his disciples, but his body knew no obstacle. He could pass through walls and doors. His body was no longer material — it was light. Thus, he was immortal and lives still, as attested by the countless people who have since experienced his grace.
In Tibet there is a long tradition of awakened masters who have attained the rainbow body, this body of light that is immortal. Some experience it during their lifetime, and others in the seven days following their death. These, then, are the ones who are resurrected. Thousands of aspirants and disciples have witnessed these transformations. It is within the reach of us all, and even within a single lifetime.
One remark that all these masters make at the moment of illumination, of ultimate liberation, and even during the years of practice in which they progressed in awakening, is that this state of being was always there. It is within us! We are never separated from it! Our true being is pure light. It is our attachments to the various manifestations of this ephemeral world that blind us. Let us look beyond experience, whatever its nature, pleasant or unpleasant, to the true nature of that which perceives these appearances. They are nothing but reflections of our consciousness. The only reality of all that appears to us in this world is that these are reflections of our own consciousness. We must rest in consciousness, allow ourselves to be, effortlessly, in the clear perception of our inherent luminosity and wisdom.
In truth, all the genuine highest teachings I have studied, those that lead to ultimate liberation, all say that this reality is beyond words and concepts. It is truly impossible to describe the nature of the mind. But here, I wanted to share with you on this holy day the thoughts that move within me. This is my offering.
To all, I wish a happy Easter in the consciousness of our immortality.