Buddhist Meditation
|
a. Anger
b. Enmity
c. Affliction
d. Concealment
e. Deception
f. Flattery
g. Pride
h. Injury
i. Envy
j. Parsimony
|
k.
Shamelessness
l.
Non-shyness
m. Unbelief
n.
Low-spiritedness
o. Restlessness
p. Sloth
q.
Negligence
r. Distraction
s. Forgetfulness
t.
Non-discernment
|
3. The Four
Intermediate Dharmas:
a.
Repentance. If one repents one's evil deeds, this is good, but repenting
almsgiving is bad.
b.
Drowsiness. Sleeping for a short time at night is not bad, but sleeping long or
in daytime is not good.
c.
Reflection. It is good to reflect upon one's own deeds, but to reflect upon
evil deeds of the guru is bad.
d.
Investigation: One should investigate one's own thoughts and actions, but not
those of holy persons.
These four
intermediate dharmas should be considered carefully
and only their virtuous aspects should be done.
4. The
Precepts and the Ten Virtues
Furthermore,
the Buddha also commanded his disciples to follow the five precepts emphasized
by almost all religions (though explained in elaborate detail in the Vinaya): non-killing, non-stealing, non-adultery,
non-lying, and non-intoxication. He also taught the ten virtues, forbidding
their opposites, the ten evils. The ten virtues are:
a. Non-killing
b. Non-stealing
c. Non-adultery
d. Non-lying
e. Non-duplicity
f. Non-coarseness
in language
g. Non-use of
filthy language
h. Non-covetousness
i. Non-hatred
j. Non-ignorance.
The Buddha
said:
There is one
way for the bodhisattva to annihilate all sufferings of evil existence. It is
this: day and night, constantly remember the good dharmas,
think about them, and observe them, so that their impression becomes stronger
and stronger in the mind and not the least evil has a chance of mingling
therein. Such a practice will enable one to free oneself forever from evil
deeds, to complete the work of good dharmas, and
frequently to have opportunities to be in the presence of Buddhas.
B. Distinguishing Right from Wrong
1. The
Eightfold Right Path
John Morley
(1838-1923) said, "It is not enough to do good;
one must do it the right way." One should have a passionate love of the
right and a burning hatred for the wrong. Buddha has helped us distinguish the
two by setting up the Eightfold Right Path, which we should practice without
doubt or laziness; and not merely in word, but in deed. The eight are:
a. Right view
b. Right
thought
c. Right
speech
d. Right
conduct
e. Right
livelihood
f. Right zeal
g. Right
remembrance
h. Right
meditation
These eight
right paths are based upon the ten virtues and identification of all the vinayas, while their opposite eight are caused by the
twenty-six evils. For instance, one who does not kill animals should not work
for a restaurant where animals are killed daily. One should choose a good livelihood,
such as being a teacher, bookseller, doctor, and so on. In this way one follows
right livelihood.
Many
scriptures of the Hinayana and Mahayana teach us all
these dharmas; we should follow the good ones and
reject the bad. Thought and action should be identified.
The above
stages of virtue may be followed according to the scriptures and the Vinaya without any kind of concentration. However, if one
wants to control the mind and enable it to sweep away the inner distractions
and delusions to develop concentration so that one may meditate on the truth
and discover one's potential, then one has to train the mind through the
following steps of samatha.
C. Distinguishing the Concentrated Mind from the
Disturbed Mind and Training the Sixth Consciousness
Consciousness
is said to be of six kinds in the Hinayana, eight in
Mahayana, and nine in Vajrayana. These divisions are
like the psychic channel system, which consists of all different kinds of channels,
yet the system is only one. No matter how many divisions are made of the
consciousness, the most important function of it is the mind, which is usually
called "the sixth consciousness."
Western
scholars, as well as those in the East, regard the mind as very important.
Both Western
and Eastern scholars emphasize that the mind should be brought under control.
Horace said, "Rule your mind, which, if it is not your servant, is your
master. Curb it with a bit; bind it with a chain." Publilius Syrus (circa 43 B.C.) said, "A wise man will be
master of his mind, while a fool will be its slave." Marcus Aurelius said,
"The mind unmastered by passions is a very
citadel; for a man, no fortress more impregnable wherein to find refuge and be
untaken forever." William Hazlitt (1778-1830) said, "The mind of man
is like a clock that is always running down, and requires to be as constantly
wound up."
However,
Western scholars do not know how to train the mind, nor how to rid it of disturbance, sleepiness, and worldly delusions.
1. Samatha
A bit may
control an entire horse, and a chain may restrain a mad lion, but they could do
nothing for the mind, which is formless. A clock which has stopped may be wound
up, but the sleeping mind cannot be "wound up" without awakening. It
is a matter of religion and yoga, not only of ethics. All religions have some
degree of methods to train the mind, but Buddhist samatha is the best among them. The following nine steps should be practiced until
certain achievement is attained.
a. Inward
Abiding: to be able to draw back the mind from pursuing outward evil thoughts
and settle it well on inward sight.
b. Continuous
Abiding: to be able to make the mind continually abide on the inward sight.
c. Well
Abiding: if thought falls away from the inward sight, it is fixed firmly again
upon it.
d. Near the
Good Abiding: all outward thoughts are on the inward sight.
e.
Overwhelming: the outward thoughts have been overwhelmed by the inward sight.
f. Silence:
the mind has been pacified and resides in silence.
g. Deep
Silence: The sleepy mind and the distracted mind are overwhelmed by the deep
silence.
h.
One-Pointed Attention: the mind always pays attention to only one
point; that is, the inward sight, without even moving a little or ceasing
attention for a short time.
i. Equal Abiding:
the mind itself is always equally abiding everywhere and without forceful
compulsion.
Regarding
inward sight, there are many points along the median channel (between the
eyebrows, on the tip of the nose, between one's breasts, on the inside of the
navel, or on the inside of the bladder, etc.) which may be chosen as the focal
point of inward insight. One whose mind is often sleepy should choose one of
the upper points; one whose mind is easily distracted should choose a lower
point. Whichever is chosen, one should keep it steady during the time of
concentration, without moving the point up or down. Usually the point inside
the navel is a very good one, often used not only by Buddhists, but also by
Taoists and Hindus.
A disturbed,
sleepy, or low-spirited mind can never meditate on any kind of truth. In the
history of thought of all mankind, in philosophy, science, or literature, no
one, not even Socrates, Plato,
After one
succeeds in the training of samatha, all kinds of
truth may be meditated upon with this clear and pure mind which is the real samapatti. Although Hinduism and Taoism have something more
or less like samapatti, they are not free from
egoism, egotism, and the prejudices that go along with them, which are like a
snake in the grass. Each of them told a great lie: Jesus said, "I am the
king of
The following
truths, which the practitioner should gradually know, are the teachings only of
Buddha's experience.
D. How to Know the Consciousness Thoroughly and
Distinguish its True Nature from the False Ones
First of all,
one should know the consciousness in its whole system, which has been divided
into nine parts according to its different functions.
1. The ninth
consciousness, emphasized in the Tantra, contains all
the virtues and potentialities of Buddhahood. When
one is Fully Enlightened, this consciousness becomes the totality of wisdom,
without any sense of consciousness.
2. The eighth
consciousness, emphasized in the Mahayana, contains all seeds, good or bad,
from which the other seven kinds of consciousness are formed.
3. The
seventh consciousness, which holds the eighth consciousness as one's self, is
an object to be meditated away by sunyata samadhi.
4. The sixth
consciousness is equivalent to the scientific term "mind." In Hinayana this is the main consciousness and contains the
seventh and eighth; thus Hinayana does not admit any
other consciousness.
5. The first
five consciousnesses are the eye-consciousness and that of the ear, nose,
tongue, and body respectively.
Usually in
the Idealist school there are three transformations of consciousness, but the
word "transformation" is actually here a wrong term. It is just as
the auditory nerve or optic nerve is not "transformed" from the
plexus. They all belong to one nervous system. The consciousness is not a form,
and so it cannot have a transformation. However, it has different functions,
and those are thus divided in the three yanas into
six, eight, or nine, all for the sake of convenience.
6. Delusions
of the Consciousness
In the
Idealist school, it is said that one's false delusions are made by the
consciousness according to the following processes:
a. The eight
consciousnesses are called the kings of consciousness, from which one thinks of
subordinate dharmas. The consciousness is subjective
and the dharmas are objective. Human beings usually
cling to the objective dharmas, whether loving them
or hating them, but forget subjectivity. Hence many sorrows occur.
b. All the
outside objects are held by subjective views, becoming very confined. The dharmas of form, called "material objects,"
appear to the human being as outward things. Actually, without mentality, there
is nothing at all. It is as Confucius said: "When the mind is not present,
we look and do not see; we hear and do not understand; we eat and do not know
the taste of what we eat."
c. When forms
are pursued and the beloved object cannot be acquired, or the disliked object
cannot be abandoned, humans not only feel sorrow, but also take action. This
sows seeds of good or evil into the field of consciousness. When those seeds
mature and sprout, they become either good or evil conduct, bringing
appropriate karmic results—thus the seeds of transmigration have no end.
7. The
Fivefold Samapatti
It must be
emphasized that the only cure for the bad seeds and the only way to stop the
cycle of transmigration is the practice of the fivefold samapatti of the real nature of consciousness, which destroys the delusion.
a. The first
stage of this fivefold meditation is getting rid of the delusions from outside
objects and keeping the real consciousness inside. When delusion occurs from
any outside objects such as a lovely woman, beautiful flowers, enchanting
music, or delicious foods, one should think only that without one's mentalization through one's real consciousness, they are
nothing. One should not pursue them. Let them pass.
b. The second
stage of this meditation is to rid oneself of the mentalizations within one's mind, keeping the view that the consciousness is the master who
creates the mentalizations. If one's view always
keeps to this right truth, such mentalizations will
vanish. For example, when one remembers the taste of good food, this event is
only the mentalization, which may cause the person to
again pursue the good food. When one retains one's view of the truth, one will
not again pursue the good food.
c. The third
stage of this meditation is to rid oneself of both parts: mentalization-objects
within the consciousness, and also the view of the subjective master. One keeps
only the entity of consciousness in its natural totality, without the functions
of the two parts. When the mental objects inside the consciousness are
meditated away and the view of the master is absorbed into the entity of
consciousness, one attains self-witness to the true consciousness. One then has
no obstacles caused by false function of the mind.
d. The fourth
stage of this meditation is to get rid of the self-witness and keep only the
"king of consciousness" in its pure nature, without any self-witness
or thought arising from the pure consciousness. In the third stage, one still
has some doubt concerning existence—one is troubled by the self-witness. One
has to get rid of it by keeping only the pure "king of
consciousness."
e. The fifth
and last stage is to rid oneself of both imaginary nature and independent
nature and keep only the ultimate nature of pure consciousness in its perfect
attainment. The self-witness and the proof of self-witness both lose their
functions. Only the pure and perfect nature of consciousness remains. Hence the
Idealist school's meditation is fully achieved. The only work that remains is
to know that this pure consciousness itself is sunyata,
so one comes to the sunyata school meditation.
Without meditating on sunyata the wisdom of Buddhahood is not available.
E. Distinguishing the Truth of Non-egoism in sunyata from the Ego of Possession
All religions
emphasize that there is a soul, higher self, or spirit which is the master of a
being who may descend into hell or ascend into heaven. It does not die and on
it depends transmigration when it descends (in some religions), though it may
unite with the god when it ascends. Buddhism admits this only as the eighth
consciousness. Above this eighth consciousness, when it is sublimated through
meditation upon non-ego (sunyata) there is no soul at
all. Thus when Buddhists say, "there is no soul,"
it means that in Buddhahood there is no soul, but for
common persons there are "changeable souls" which carry their lives
wandering in transmigration. This "soul" is the eighth consciousness,
which should be meditated away by sunyata samadhi to eventually become the wisdom of Buddhahood. Hence when one skillfully destroys delusions and discovers the true nature of consciousness, one should
make practical progress in sunyata meditation. This
is the fifth important stage of transmutation.
Regarding the
characteristics of sunyata, there are two aspects:
one is its nature, like a mirror. The second is its manifestations, which are
like reflections in the mirror. To accomplished bodhisattvas and to Buddhas, they are two in oneness, like two sides of one
paper. However, to novices who do not have any realization of sunyata oneness, they should be considered and practiced
separately.
1. Meditating
on Sunyata
One should
use the following methods. One should not worry about one's consciousness or
mind or the objects outside the mind. Everything inside the mind or outside the
consciousness is sunyata itself. It needs neither mentalization nor physical analysis. By this method, the
consciousness is sublimated into Buddha-wisdom in one's nature. After this
sublimation is meditated upon, only some functions of wisdom follow. One has to
lay the most stress on knowing the truth of sunyata theoretically and to practice these methods diligently until the abstract sunyata becomes concrete realization.
a. Meditation
on the Four Negatives. In the Mahaparinirvana Sutra,
the Buddha taught the four negative phrases. One should only use mind
well-trained in samatha in its right attitude, and
carefully meditate clearly upon the following negatives:
"Not
born from a self,
Not born from
another,
Not born from
both,
Not born
without conditions."
Take any
thing or being and examine its ego or origin—a flower, for example. Does this
flower have a self or ego or an origin? If so, in which part
of it? In the seed? When the flower is opened
we cannot see its seeds until it begins to fade. Is it
the bud or the calyx before the bud—what is its ego? The flower has no self at
all. Does the flower have its origin in the earth? Why do other parts of the
earth have no flowers? Thus the flower is not born from things other than
itself. Is the flower born from both—itself and the other? If each of the two
cannot produce a flower, how can their totality produce one? Zero plus zero
equals zero.
However, a
flower is produced—this is a matter of fact. There may be some conditions which
make its life possible. Thus everything is generated by the gathering of some
conditions. When it is destroyed, this is also according to conditions. Thus
the flower is born from the seed, earth, water, sunshine, and is helped by the
gardener. If one of these conditions is lacking, the flower could not exist.
The conclusion, therefore, is that nothing has a self. Non-ego is the truth of sunyata, and its meaning. When one knows the nature of
everything as sunyata, one does not love or hate
anything, because both oneself and the objects formerly loved or hated are sunyata.
In an
uninterrupted time of meditation, one should carefully think over this truth in samatha concentration. Whenever it seems some
realization of truth is appearing and the flow of meditation seems to stop, one
should just clearly perceive it; do not think it over until a delusion alien to
the samapatti arises. If that happens, bring the mind
back to the truth again. If one's samatha has been
well developed, such an event will not happen frequently. If it does, one has
to leave off meditating and perform some other good practice, such as worship
or confession, and try at a later time.
b. Meditation
on the Eight Negatives. To make the four negatives surer and more elaborate,
there are eight negatives taught by the great saint Nagarjuna:
"No
production, no extinction;
No
annihilation, no permanence;
No unity, no
diversity;
No coming, no
going."
After one
meditates on the first pair, one knows that the original nature of every dharma
is sunyata. One then meditates on the appearance of a
dharma—it seems to exist stably, but actually changes every moment. There is no
permanent dharma, and since each dharma is impermanent, it is also not
annihilated (second pair).
After one
meditates on a single dharma, as above, then one should try to meditate on two.
Are they united or diverse? As the nature of them both is sunyata,
their totality, taken together, is also sunyata.
Unity and diversity, then, are both impossible (third pair).
For instance,
the birth and death of a woman is neither the production of her parents nor an extinction caused by yama, for
if her consciousness did not enter the womb of her mother, she could not have
been conceived, even if the father's semen had met the mother's ovum. Yama is always waiting there, but the woman's life might be
maintained by some other conditions; before the conditions vanish, Yama cannot take her life away.
A woman's
beauty changes daily, and she will grow old and lose
it. Many examples of such change may be seen in one's surroundings. When a
woman marries, she seems to be united with her husband; but when they are
divorced, they seem to be diverse. Even on a couple's honeymoon, at times they
seem to love each other completely, but sometimes fight with each other. There
are no couples who totally love each other at every moment and place.
When a woman
is beloved and her lover waits for her outside, even the shadow of a tree moved
by the wind seem to cause her lover to think that she is coming. After they
marry, however, they forget their love, even when they are in the same room.
Does the reflection in the mirror enter the mirror? When it disappears does it
go out from the mirror? Both are delusions. Hence no action of any dharma either
comes or goes.
2. Meditating
on Sunyata Conditions
a. The Ten
Mystic Gates. There are ten gates with wonderful manifestations taught by the
i. The mystic
gate of perfect yoga of the co-relation and coexistence of all things in space
and time. Since the nature of all dharmas is sunyata, every condition of every dharma is freely related,
moves freely. This is like a great plain which does not belong to anyone—every
person may amuse himself or herself there. Hence the "mystic circus"
brings its lions, elephants, horses, monkeys, bears, dogs, and male and female
performers; all may play there freely. Thus is it in the great Dharmadhatu, which, in great sunyata,
allows all dharmas to play there together. The space
of four or ten directions and the three periods of time may be united or
separated, interlocked or interwoven at the meditator's will, due to his mind's being sublimated in sunyata.
ii. The
mystic gate of sovereign power in connection with all the dharmas.
As oneself is sunyata, so
are others; as one lacks self, others also lack it. Whenever the self is avoided,
the power of the mystic gate is opened: one is in all; all may be in one, also;
one is behind all; all may be behind one, also; the small is in the great; the
great may be in the small, also; the low is in the high; the high may be in the
low, also. Thus all elements, beings, and things are identified together. A
universal identification forms an unlimited and ultimate freedom.
(Some of the
hippies who ask for "freedom" are lazy—unshaven, unwashed, unmarried
(though enjoying sex), taking drugs, etc. Such "freedom" is a kind of
suicide only. One who really wants true freedom should lay great stress upon
this meditation.)
iii. The
mystic gate of the performance of manifestation, either appearance or
disappearance. When something appears, it appears in sunyata,
and when it disappears, it disappears in the same sunyata.
For example, ancient scientists treated the atom as a superstition, but
Buddhists knew it quite well almost 2,500 years ago. It is not a thing newly
coming to Buddhists that the atom can be made into an atomic bomb. The atom is
a potentiality in its disappearance when the bomb is in appearance. Both form
the complementarity of the whole entity of truth.
iv. The
mystic gate of sovereign power in different and opposite forms. Wide or narrow (second
gate); one or many (third gate); subtle or gross (sixth gate) may
interpenetrate one another and are freely commutable. The finger is more narrow than a mountain, it may hide the mountain in the
distance. The atomic bomb is a destructive, gross matter, but the atom itself
is invisible and almost as subtle as spirit when not broken. The lungs may
occupy 600 square feet when extended, but they fit inside the body as a part of
it. There are about 200,000,000,000 nerve cells in one brain. These are common
examples.
By the power
of sunyata, the mysterious and super-natural maya, though inconceivable, may actually be realized
through this meditation.
v. The mystic
gate of the various performances of separated dharmas in the ten periods. The past, present, and future each contain three periods.
Added to them all considered as a whole they make up the ten periods. By the gnostic light, Buddha sees the future and remembers the
past. Time may go in reverse, known today through Einstein's theories, but the
Buddha knew it nearly 2,500 years ago. Such vertical connections interconnect
and interlock the separate beings along the nine periods into one period. The
five gates are mutually penetrated in the horizontal plane. When adding the
vertical connection of time, we get four dimensions, known only very recently
by Einstein. However, there is a fifth dimension added by mystic penetration,
symbolized by the crossed vajra and unlimited by time
and space. Length, width, height, duration, and sunyata emergence form the five dimensions. (This "sunyata emergence" is a term I have devised.)
vi. The
mystic gate of completion of virtues of the master and the family working
together harmoniously and brightly. If any one of the dharmas or persons are taken as chief, all the others would work agreeably as his
retinue. For instance, when the meditator is
practicing ahimsa, all the neighbors follow his good
example, and, out of great compassion, free birds or fish from their prisons.
The far neighbors follow the close neighbor; the village follows the far neighbor;
the town follows the village; the city, the whole nation, and the whole globe
will follow one by one, and then there will be no Third World War. No matter
how the facts appear, one should meditate like this, as if it is emerging as
the truth. By adding the time dimension, the three periods unite as one, so
that in the here and now, all persons of the whole world eventually become
kind, merciful, and peaceful at one time.
Furthermore,
since sunyata is egoless, it enables one to be
connected with all others. When one meditator,
Mr. A, takes a person as the master, all other persons of the ten Dharmadhatus may be his family. At the same time,
any other meditator, Mr. B, C, etc., takes another in
the family of Mr. A as the master, and all persons other than him may be his
family. Thus, master yet family, family yet master—they all are in sunyata emergence. Again, one master has his inner family,
outer family, small family, big family, appeared family, disappeared family,
small family in the big family, big family in the
small family. Their transformations are at the will of the master without any
restriction.
It is said
that very few persons know that sunyata is not
negativism. A philosophic and positive potentiality is within it. Also, few meditators or scholars know the differentiation between the
ten goodnesses and the six paramitas,
which I shall deal with below.
F. Distinguishing the Six Paramitas from the Ten Virtues and Diligently Practicing the Former
1. Liberated
Charity
To give alms
to the poor frequently and in an amount even greater than the whole world is
goodness that will bring rebirth in heaven, but to be liberated from heaven and
earth, one must give alms with the sunyata in which
there is no giver, no giving, and no object of giving. By this liberated
charity, one may approach the liberation of Buddhahood.
Buddha taught
it in the Dragon-palace with the following stanza:
"Give
all things till the ego remains;
Give the ego
till others remain;
Give others
till dharmas remain;
Give dharmas till Buddha you attain."
2. Liberated
Holding of the Precepts
All silas, vinayas, or commandments
should be kept with wisdom, as Buddha once taught:
"Holding
the silas, do not depend upon
Body, speech,
or mind; or depend upon
Three
periods, two sides; or depend upon
Delusion or
awareness; depend on none."
3. Liberated
Patience
To be patient
on the occasion of misery, with harmful persons, or in difficult situations is
good, but not sufficient to be liberated by the paramita.
One who practices this should follow the main meaning of the stanza taught by
Buddha on the same occasion:
"Patience:
never know there is I or you;
Neither keep the idea of mine and yours.
All beings,
things, and views should be purified—
When
all dharmas become pure 'tis patience."
4. Liberated
Diligence
To exert
one's energies to do good and to make every possible effort to stop evil are
worldly merits by which one does not reach the other shore of nirvana, but if
one follows the teaching below, it will lead there:
"As men
are in their nature, so am I;
As dharmas are in nature, so is my Lord—
Knowing there
is nothing to gain
Is the real
diligence, so high."
5. Liberated
Concentration
Sitting straight,
thinking of nothing, neither sleepy nor disturbed in mind—this is a common
attitude of religious persons. It does not abide in the truth unless one can
follow correctly the stanza taught by the Buddha:
"Mind is
not inside
Nor outside,
nor abides—
Holds nothing
but a void
Dhyana cannot
hide."
6. Liberated
wisdom
Even if one
is wise as Solomon and can see as far through a brick wall as no body could,
but sees no sunyata, that person has no realization,
and is not liberated at all. Hence, the ultimate prajna paramita should be practiced according to the
guidance of the following stanza:
"All dharmas are so plain,
Have neither
goal nor vain.
There is view
without sight
But one
should not view it as light
No request or
volition:
Pity on fools
is real wit."
G. Distinguishing the Sunyata Identified with Bodhicitta from "Dry" Sunyata without It
The wise
person knows that sunyata does not stand alone. The
ancients called such a person, who mistakenly thought of sunyata as separate from everything else, "people of 'dry' wisdom." Hence one
should develop the five kinds of bodhicitta.
1. Bodhicitta of Will
When one is
still in Hinayana of the cause-position, one is in
transmigration and suffers many kinds of pains, though one has pity on those
who suffer with the same pains. A strong sympathy arises in such a person's
mind, such as the thought that if one were a Buddha one could save them.
Therefore, the good will to be a Buddha is kept for the sake of saving mankind
and every sentient being in transmigration. Every day one should frequently
think like this, even writing down one's special feelings of good will in a
list. Every day they should be repeated, and every good Dharma practiced for
their accomplishment until the aim is reached.
2. Bodhicitta of Deeds
When the will
is developed, one must act on it with the six paramitas.
In this way one performs myriad deeds of virtue and actually benefits sentient
beings. Thus, the eight right paths in Hinayana, the
six paramitas of Mahayana, and all the virtues of Vajrayana will be fulfilled in this way.
3. Bodhicitta of Victorious Significance
To get rid of
the volition of bodhicitta, and flee from the "demon
of compassion," one has to develop the bodhicitta of victorious significance, which is fixed thoroughly by the sunyata of nature. One of the stanzas I have written on bodhicitta may be quoted here:
The best
significant bodhicitta
Has no kind
of work or date;
There is no
real mind from which it arises,
Nor is there
volition to hold it.
There is neither pleasure nor pain, sufferer nor enjoyer, disagreement nor
sympathy, I nor he. If one knows this well, one develops bodhicitta through pity for those who do not know it.
However, the bodhicitta and the person whom one
pities are both sunyata. One remains in sunyata.
4. Bodhicitta of Samadhi
When one has
completed study of the exoteric doctrines and begins to learn the Vajrayana, one's bodhicitta is no
longer confined to mentality, because the mind is always identified with
materiality. Thus bodhicitta is symbolized by the
moon: visualize bodhicitta as a bright moon, on a
lotus in the center of your heart. From the moon are
emitted many rays of great compassion for all the sentient beings in all of
transmigration.
5. Bodhicitta of Kundalini
When one
studies Tantra and progresses to the anuttarayoga, one may practice vajra-love,
for which one must develop kundalini bodhicitta. This refers to the psychic semen which contains
the sunyata of nature, the great compassion, and
great pleasure. Through the good karmas held in the lotus of the dakini, the ultimate salvation may be reached. This is the
highest, deepest, and the final bodhicitta.
The first
three kinds of bodhicitta are widely known to
scholars of the exoteric doctrines, but the last two are only known to those
who study Tantra, and they have never been
systematically emphasized as they are above.
In practicing
the first two kinds of bodhicitta, with thoughts of
impermanence and the sorrows of transmigration, one may practice great compassion
toward sentient beings and dharmas; through the third bodhicitta, sunyata meditation is added, and one practices the great compassion of the same entity
with all sentient beings and dharmas. This kind of bodhicitta is not conditional, and one has equal compassion
toward every being and thing.
Thus the
human mind, which previously acted in a self-centered psychic sphere, is sublimated by bodhicitta and great
compassion and becomes the mind of a bodhisattva, a prince of the Buddha. In
this state one accumulates many holy karmas.
H. Distinguishing Esoteric from Exoteric
Doctrines
In order to
make this distinction between causal methods (exoteric) and consequential ones (esoteric),
one must be motivated to practice Vajrayana meditations with the highest right view: that of non-dualism.
From the
above five bodhicittas, one should know that the last
two belong to the Tantra, guided by the highest right
view of the non-duality of mind and matter. For example, the physical heart is
matter, but it may be visualized as a lotus by the mind. The moon is matter,
but it may be visualized as a mental symbol of bodhicitta.
Anger is mind, but the reddening of the face which accompanies it is matter.
Through ignorant human nature, the two have been separated in studying them, a
fundamental error frequently made by scientists.
For the
accomplished meditator, everything is connected with
the total truth, which is harmonized by the nature of everything. Without the
elements of matter, consciousness could not function alone. Consciousness is
not purely mental, and everything apart from consciousness is not purely
material. Everything is mind and matter; there is no difference between the two
at all.
1. Tantra
Through
Tantric initiation, one's consciousness is no longer connected with the egoism
of ignorance, but only with the wisdom of Buddhahood.
When one
receives the initiation from Guru Vajradhara, one's
potential for Buddha-wisdom is awakened, and there is no longer any room for
human consciousness. The body of a Buddha is not flesh, but wisdom; similarly,
the mind of a Buddha is not ordinary spirit, but is wisdom.
If one has
passed through the Hinayana and Mahayana and has
begun practice of the evolutionary yoga and of the perfect yoga of the anuttara Tantra, one is bound to
become immersed in the deepest and highest right view, identifying body and
consciousness. All the methods in the position of consequence of the Buddha or heruka (See Appendix IV on the transformation of the body)
may be practiced along with this method of transmuting the consciousness. The
entire scheme of Vajrayana may be compared to a
crystal ball; from any side, one can see the opposite side clearly. When one
practices forming the vajra body on one
"side," one can accomplish the vajra-consciousness
of wisdom on the other "side."
One should be
able to see, or at least try to see, every man as the yidam;
every woman as the dakini; every sound as a mantra;
all foods as nectars of samadhi; every smell as a
sacred and secret fragrance; every touch as the smooth, soft feeling of samatha; every phenomenon as a cloud in the sky; every
object of Great Love as the Dharmadhatu; Great Anger
as the only enemy of one's own self or egoism; Great Ignorance as vidya; Great Pride as the characteristic of Buddhahood; Great Doubt as the Hua Tou of Chan. In the field of one's consciousness,
there is no thought of profane, mortal, humanity.
At least, one
should try to see every form as the appearance of sunyata,
thus approaching the wisdom of profound insight; to feel every sensation as a
manifestation of the truth, thus approaching the wisdom of equality; to think
every conception in the awareness of Full Enlightenment, thus approaching the
wisdom of the great round and perfect mirror; and to perform only actions of
the holy karma of salvation, thus approaching the wisdom of fulfilment.
Finally, one's consciousness may be thoroughly transmuted into the wisdom of
the vast universe.
The yoga of
transmutation of the consciousness lays most stress on mentality. The deepest
and fastest path of mentality should be practiced as follows:
2. Mahamudra
Entering the
practice of Mahamudra, one discovers the Enlightened
Entity in realization when one receives the fourth initiation. Then the sunyata of one's meditation is no longer thought of, but
realized. Based upon the realization of the Enlightened Entity, one meditates
on it and thus practices the first stage of Mahamudra,
called "concentric yoga." When one discovers some volition in the
concentration upon the Enlightened Entity, one must leave it and practice the
second stage of Mahamudra, called the "yoga of
forsaking play-words." When this yoga is matured, "play-words"
are abandoned not only in meditation, but in every occasion of daily life. Then
one comes to the third stage, called "the yoga of one taste." Here
there is no dualism between opposites. One remains in concentration not only in
sitting, but also in every kind of action. Finally, after attaining much skill
in the third yoga, so that one practices it without effort, one attains the
yoga of non-practice, which is the fourth and ultimate yoga of Mahamudra.
3. The Great
Perfection
Through the
particular profound right view of the practice of the Great Perfection,
imparted by the
I. Distinguishing Sacred and Ultimate Fulfilment
from a Profane or Temporary One
1. Excellent
Fulfilment
When the
practitioner has attained the realization of the Great Perfection, one sees,
hears, smells, tastes, and touches everything as sunyata,
and all are good. The five consciousnesses of one's five organs become wisdom.
One knows the qualities of good and bad and their amounts in each thing, but
can never be moved by them. Good things cannot cause lust or stinginess. One's
five consciousnesses have been transmuted into the wisdom of perfecting holy
karma.
2. Sacred
Fulfilment
One lives
with the dakini in a cave or under an old, lone tree,
and one's mind is occupied with sunyata, so that no
lustful actions occur between the two. Whenever there is pleasure, there is
found sunyata. One's sixth consciousness is
transmuted into the wisdom of profound insight.
3.
Enlightened Forbidden Fulfilment
Always naked
and accompanied by the dakini, one travels over every
mountain and village, wearing without shame any kind of skull ornament such as
those used by the heruka. Everyone he sees or meets
seems to be not different from himself. To such a
yogi, there is no "other" or "self' in his mind. His selfish
ego, or the seventh consciousness, has been transmuted into the wisdom of
equality.
4. Mad-Like
Fulfilment
This yogi
appears to be a madman, passing through cities, markets, theaters,
and brothels, always singing, dancing, playing, laughing,
without any shame. One treats everyone like a reflection of oneself in the sunyata mirror of brightness. Thus one's eighth
consciousness is transmuted into the wisdom of the great, round mirror.
5. Victorious
Conqueror Fulfilment
One conquers
food and can take poison as nectar. Energy has also been conquered, and one may
fly anywhere. The directions of every opposite are conquered. To this yogi, samsara and nirvana are not differentiated. The ninth
consciousness has been transmuted into the wisdom of the universe, the Dharmadhatu.