Savoring the Dakini
Masters of the Dzogchen tradition speak of our natural ability to experience life without preconceived notions as “fresh and unconditioned by anything.” This is our dakini nature—the spacious wisdom of our unconditioned state of awareness that urges us to freely engage the world of perception. The Tibetan word for dakini is khandro, which means “sky dancer.” We have the capacity to metaphorically dance with the clouds, move with the wind, and lightly land wherever we go, free from tightly held ideas.
Many of us are so inured to our conditioned habits of mind that we fail to recognize the sky dancer in our awareness. Others, on the other hand, find it natural to feel her presence. One of my extended family members with whom I share a special connection is always teaching me about the dakini. I watch her walk in the natural world and insightfully engage the environment through her senses. She touches everything, like embracing a long-lost love. She tastes nature’s gifts, like a child reaching to pluck a ripe berry and savor it for the first time. I am profoundly touched to see someone so effortlessly and unselfconsciously move through space in this way.
In the practices of Vajrayana Buddhism, we are encouraged to engage the world of our senses and reawaken the childlike delight in experiencing something for the first time. We do this over and over again. For instance, we dive into the sound and sensation of mantra and go beyond mechanical repetition into the realm of ever-fresh vibrancy. Each repetition dissolves into the next—transforming into an effortless self-resounding symphony. Within the vibrations, we may discover our innate ability to savor the dakini; to taste the pristine essence of the wisdom mind.
It usually takes a lot of practice to liberate the limiting patterns that define our self-identity. These nagging distractions hinder our ability to recognize spacious awareness. However, in every moment, we have the opportunity to drink the dakini’s nectar within us and around us. When unhelpful boundaries dissolve and the sense of a separate self drops away, the dakini is there. She is always there. She is always here, now.