Finding the Face concerns the recognition of the nature of mind, metaphorically called the ‘Face.’ Drawing chiefly on Dzogchen, it presents this original mind as empty of inherent existence, luminous, wakeful, spontaneously present, and compassionate.
Its seventeen chapters use metaphors, reflections, and meditative instructions to show how this nature may be recognized directly rather than produced through conceptual construction.
The chapter titles form a sequence of metaphors.
Each image below condenses the central movement of its chapter.
The Original Face : A face uncovered when the mask falls away, symbolizing the empty, luminous, and wakeful nature of mind before conceptual identification.
Pointing-Out : A finger pointing directly at the Moon, symbolizing immediate introduction to a nature of mind already present rather than a distant goal reached by stages.
The Flute Player : A melody heard amid the noise of the marketplace, announcing the quiet presence and happiness of the Face beneath habitual distraction.
The Frog and the Shadow : An unpredictable croak breaking the stillness, startling the mind out of habit and returning attention to present awareness.
Mind the Gap : A moment of silence between two thoughts, opening onto the interval in which the Face can be recognized beneath apparent continuity.
The Sun Above the Clouds : The sun already shining above an overcast sky, symbolizing a clarity never damaged by the obscurations concealing it.
The Mirror : A mirror reflecting every appearance without retaining or being altered by any of them, symbolizing the equanimity and uninterrupted openness of the Face.
The Naked Theatre : A bare stage revealed when its scenery, props, and roles disappear, symbolizing the open awareness within which the dramas of conscious life arise and release.
The Wave and the Sea : Changing waves moving across a sea whose depth remains calm, symbolizing the fluctuations of mind and the Face present beneath them.
The Silent Witness : A clear window through which sensations and thoughts pass without commentary, possession, or fixation, symbolizing awareness freed from conceptual noise.
Light in a Dark Cave : A single lamp instantly illuminating a cave long immersed in darkness, symbolizing realization dispelling accumulated ignorance and obscuration.
The Stainless Crystal : A colorless crystal refracting light into many colors while remaining clear, symbolizing the pure Face and the diversity of minds appearing through it.
Open Space : An unobstructed sky allowing every movement without resistance, symbolizing the spaciousness, interdependence, and freedom of awakened awareness.
The Eternal Moment : A single instant that cannot be held yet continually renews itself, symbolizing the freshness of presence when time is no longer fixed by memory and expectation.
The Oil of the Sesame Seed : Oil permeating every part of a sesame seed : the original mind is present in every moment and state of consciousness, in cyclic existence or as true peace.
Churning Milk : Butter already present in milk but disclosed only through churning, symbolizing a Buddha-nature that is given but must be existentially realized.
Buddha from the Start : A Buddha concealed by veils but not created by practice, symbolizing Buddha-nature as present from the beginning and recognized when its obscurations release.
Finding the Face
