Luminosity
The term “luminosity” (Pali: *pabhassara citta*) refers to the intrinsic clarity and purity of mind when it is free from defilements. In early Buddhist texts, the Buddha states: “Luminous, monks, is this mind. And it is defiled by adventitious defilements.” (Aṅguttara Nikāya 1.49-52).
Luminosity does not describe an external light, but the inherent capacity of awareness itself — bright, clear, and open — prior to distortion by craving, aversion, or delusion. When the mind becomes entangled in reactive patterns, this natural luminosity is obscured, like the sun hidden behind clouds. But even in the darkest moments, the underlying clarity remains untouched, simply awaiting recognition.
In certain Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna traditions, this luminosity is emphasised as the very nature of mind — the basis for both saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. The obscurations that veil it are not intrinsic but temporary. With the complete removal of these obscurations, the mind reveals its original purity, inseparable from wisdom and compassion.
Recognising luminosity shifts the practice from one of striving to one of uncovering. The practitioner no longer struggles to create purity but relaxes into the ever-present clarity that has never been absent. This recognition dissolves the sense of separation and effort, revealing an effortless spaciousness in which all experience arises and passes like reflections on a mirror.
Luminosity is not something to attain, but to awaken to — the natural radiance of awareness itself, shining quietly behind the veils of conditioned existence.
“Luminous, monks, is this mind. And it is freed from defilements by the removal of defilements.”
— Aṅguttara Nikāya 1.49