The point; the mind liberated of harm, why? Otherwise, one experiences that.
Why give up attachment in the mind to worldly concerns? Because worldly concerns feed the label of self. (The world of humans is a desire realm). The attachment to desires or concepts fuels samsara; where mind is bound to its concepts. This is at the cost of recognising and operating in awareness; (generating awareness in the mindstream (or indoor room) first); and seeing to one’s daily life and activities in awareness.
Instead understanding of phenomenal reality- through understanding and practice of the dharma- feeds awareness. This results in good/ beneficial present and future conditions. It is necessary to generate causes of happiness in the mindstream.
Wisdom can arise when one applies suitable antidote to one’s delusion(s) through developing greater understanding and awareness of phenomenal reality (relative and ultimate-View); this is the purpose of dharma.
Without correct understanding and application of the understanding, one would not be able to liberate the mind from the mistakenness of believing in the true existence of a self, (although it appears relatively), and reaffirming its existence-(or for example, perhaps one might develop existential angst).
This existential angst is replaced by an unmistaken proven view of phenomenal reality. This is expounded very clearly in Tsongkhapa’s exposition of the two truths for example, of how reality functions relatively, whilst non-dual empty awareness ultimately.
The point is, whilst mankind continues to develop ways to operate more intelligently conventionally, (and this is necessary), deeper exploration into the nature of reality itself, is still largely left to one aside.
However, it is the deeper awareness that one accesses through stabilising the mind in relative level practice method, that enables mankind to liberate from the root cause of suffering, which is attachment to mere concept in the mind. All phenomena of self and other are ultimately selfless.
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The deeper point is, that whilst relatively conventionally functioning; the (i) actioner, (ii) action and (iii) that which is actioned upon are ultimately in the same nature- all is experienced by one’s mind. Once the View is introduced/ ascertained through one’s experience, then relative functioning can be seen in that light, which allows the practitioner to develop greater insight and wisdom into the nature of reality. How relative phenomena are transient/ impermanent and interdependent, or because of such and such a condition; that arises, and when that is no longer present then that no longer arises. For example this understanding is used to understand what is anger, and how to work with it/ dissolve it.
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One cultivates the altruistic mind of bodhicitta; generating awareness in the mindstream to liberate mind from continuing to attach to the cause of its suffering- adherence to the concepts in the mind- instead, learning to rest in recognition, and then a direct yogic perception/ realisation of uncontrived, non-dual, empty nature of awareness itself. This is proactively removing the causes (seeds) of the afflictions (afflictive mind states), the root cause of suffering in the mind, or the building blocks of samsara.
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Understanding science and art of internal energy
Why does one exercise the mind and body together, or use a holistic approach to mind (cognitive and feeling).
Utilising the cognitive function helps one understand the existing/ current programming of mind in daily life, and reflect intelligently upon that in the light of greater awareness understanding of the nature of phenomenal reality, (both relative and ultimate).
Mind is not merely cognitive, it is emotional. Why? In the arising of dependent orientation based on the five aggregates in the mind, (see notes section below for more information on the five aggregates); the projection and subsequent adherence and reification of a merely imputed label of self causes experience of separation in the mind between a ‘self’ and ‘other’. Or, obscuration of the View, or clear inner seeing.
Shamatha meditation is when the mind learns to rest in pro-active awareness, (of the natural law of phenomena in the indoor room). Insight meditation (vipasanna) is then applied – whereby awareness generated in the mindstream is used to become aware of awareness itself. Ultimately, through a direct yogic experience, realising the empty nature of awareness.
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Paying off karmic debt, why mindfulness is the key factor
***The essence is: karmic debt is nothing mystical or external. It is the momentum of one’s unexamined mind, and mindful awareness is the only force subtle enough to interrupt, purify, and finally dissolve it.***
The following explores the understanding of the two self‑adherences and the purification of “self” and “mine” in the Tibetan Buddha Dharma.
1. What karmic debt actually is
Karmic debt = the lingering imprint left on the mindstream when an action is done with ignorance, grasping, or aversion.
In Tibetan Dharma this is described as:
- Seeds (bija) planted in the mental continuum
- Imprints (bag chags) that shape perception
- Latencies that ripen as future experience; these give rise to the afflictions (or afflictive mind states).
Karmic debt is created whenever:
- We act from the belief in a solid “I”
- We cling to “mine” (inner self‑adherence)
- We grasp at phenomena as inherently real (outer self‑adherence)
- We act with the *three poisons: grasping, aversion, ignorance (see notes section below for further details).
It is not punishment. It is cause and effect operating within a mistaken view of self.
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2. How karmic debt is created
Karma is created through the three doors:
- Body – actions driven by craving or aversion
- Speech – words that harm, divide, deceive, or solidify ego
- Mind – intentions, attitudes, and habitual patterns
The key point: Karma is created at the moment of intention, not at the moment of action.
***Why? Because intention arises from the self‑grasping ignorance that believes:***
- “I truly exist”
- “This is mine”
- “I must protect, defend, acquire, reject”
This is the root of samsara.
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3. How karmic debt is paid off
Tibetan Dharma describes four main purification powers (the Four Opponent Powers), but beneath them all is mindful awareness.
The Four Opponent Powers
- Regret – not guilt, but clear seeing: “This action arose from ignorance.”
- Refuge / Reorientation – turning the mind toward Dharma, bodhicitta, and reality. Unmistaken awareness of the two truths of phenomenal reality.
- Remedial action – meditation, mantra, virtue, service, restraint.
- Resolve – the intention not to repeat the pattern.
These weaken the karmic seed, exhaust its potency, or prevent its ripening.
But the deepest purification is insight
When the mind recognises:
- emptiness (shunyata)
- non‑self (anatman)
- interdependence (tendrel)
then karmic seeds lose their power because the illusion of the one who created them collapses.
This is why the Buddha said:
“When there is no grasping, karma has no foothold.”
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4. Why mindful awareness is the key factor
Because karma is created in the moment of unconsciousness, and purified in the moment of consciousness.
Mindful awareness:
- Interrupts automatic reactions
- Reveals the intention behind actions
- Exposes the self‑grasping that fuels karma
- Allows choice instead of compulsion
- Prevents new karmic seeds from forming
- Weakens old seeds by not feeding them
Awareness is like sunlight: When it shines on the seeds of karma, they dry out.
This is why Tibetan masters say: “Awareness is the purifier.”
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5. The two self‑adherences and karmic purification
These are:
1. Outer self‑adherence
Believing phenomena exist from their own side. This creates karmic debt because we grasp at appearances as solid, permanent, and separate.
2. Inner self‑adherence
Believing there is a real “I” who owns, controls, fears, desires. This creates karmic debt because every action becomes self‑referential.
Purification means dissolving both:
- Outer: seeing phenomena as empty, interdependent, dreamlike
- Inner: seeing the self as empty, constructed, dependently arisen
When these two clingings weaken, karma loses its engine.
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6. The advantages of paying off karmic debt
The benefits are profound and practical:
- Less emotional reactivity
- Fewer repeating life patterns
- Greater clarity and stability
- A lighter, more open heart
- Natural compassion
- Spontaneous ethical behaviour
- A mind that rests more easily in its own nature
Ultimately:
Purifying karmic debt reveals the mind’s natural luminosity (rigpa).
This is the purpose of the path.
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7. The ultimate purification: recognising the nature of mind
When the mind recognises its own empty, luminous nature:
- Karma cannot bind
- Afflictions cannot take root
- The two self‑adherences dissolve
- The cycle of samsara loses its power
This is why Dzogchen and Mahamudra say:
“Recognition itself is liberation.”
Not because karma disappears, but because the one who clings to karma is seen to be empty.
Notes
*The five mental poisons
In Tibetan Buddha Dharma, the “five mental poisons” (or five kleshas/negative emotions) are the primary mental afflictions that cause suffering and keep sentient beings trapped in samsara. They are: Ignorance, Attachment, Anger (Aversion), Pride, and Jealousy. These afflictions are not viewed merely as bad emotions, but as misconceptions of reality that can be transformed into the five wisdoms of the Buddhas.
The Five Poisons (Kleshas)
- Ignorance (Delusion/Bewilderment): The root poison, it is the failure to understand the true nature of reality (emptiness and interdependence).
- Attachment (Desire/Craving): Clinging to objects, people, or experiences, desiring pleasure and possession.
- Anger (Aversion/Resentment): Aggression, hatred, or aversion toward what we dislike or anything that threatens our attachment.
- Pride (Arrogance): The ego-driven feeling of being better than, equal to, or lower than others.
- Jealousy (Envy): The inability to accept others’ success and harboring resentment of their accomplishments.
Transforming the Poisons
Tibetan Buddha Dharma emphasizes that these poisons are not evil, but misguided energy that can be transformed into wisdom through meditative practice and awareness.
- Ignorance transforms into the Wisdom of Equanimity.
- Attachment transforms into the Discriminating Wisdom.
- Anger transforms into the Mirror-like Wisdom.
- Pride transforms into the Wisdom of Equality.
- Jealousy transforms into the All-Accomplishing Wisdom.
Practitioners work to recognize these emotions in the moment they arise, letting them go or viewing them as empty of inherent existence rather than acting on them.
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