Although the purest desire is the longing for the wholeness and completion of full realization of rigpa, because we do not directly know the nature of mind, the desire becomes attached to other things.

If we directly observe desire rather than becoming fixated on the object of desire, the desire dissolves. And if we can abide in pure presence, the desire, the desiring subject, and the object of desire will all dissolve into their empty essence, revealing the clear light.

We can use the satisfaction of desire as a means of practice. There is joy in the union of emptiness and clarity. At the moment when desire is satisfied, the desire ceases and the apparent duality between desiring subject and object of desire collapses. When that duality collapses, the base, the kunzhi, is there, exposed, though the force of our karmic habits usually carries us into the next movement of duality, leaving a gap in our experience, almost an unconsciousness, rather than the experience of rigpa.

For example, there is the practice of sexual union between man and woman. Normally our experience of orgasm is one of pleasant dreaminess, almost unconsciousness, an exhaustion of desire and restlessness that comes about through fulfillment of desire. But we can integrate that bliss with awareness; rather than becoming lost, if we maintain full awareness without separating the experience into an observing subject and the experience being observed, we can use the situation to find the sacred.

The moving mind drops away for a moment and reveals the empty base; integrating that moment with awareness, we have the integration of emptiness and bliss that is spoken of particularly in tantric teachings.

We can train ourselves so that pleasure itself is a reminder to come to full awareness, to bring awareness to the present moment, the body, the senses, and to let go of distraction. This is one way to integrate desire with clear light. When pleasure is used as a door to practice, the pleasure is not lost; we need not be anti-pleasure. When the subject and object dissolve in clear light, then the union of emptiness and clarity is experienced and there is joy.

Tibetans have a saying: “The more wisdom is present, the less thoughts there will be.”

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