Great Harmony

Yutang Lin


In Great Perfection no trace of stairways.
On Stages of the Path levels well defined.
Not confined by concepts or non-concept,
All Dharmas universal in Great Harmony.

Comment:

Great Perfection is a teaching at the stage of fruition. In Great Perfection there is no differentiation among View, Practice, Activity and Fruit because it is beyond conceptual distinctions. In teachings on Stages of the Path levels and steps are well defined; even though there are also teachings on how to generalize principles to subsume steps at various levels, nevertheless the definitions of steps and levels are such that the boundaries remain clear.

In my humble opinion, once the real significance of limitless oneness is thoroughly grasped, then it automatically matches Great Perfection, and harmonizes all steps and levels in Stages of the Path. Thus it is not confined by concepts or non-concept. Instead, any teaching can be imbued with the right view of limitless oneness and thereby sublimated to become a teaching of the Dharmadhatu that transcends levels and steps. Such all-round and harmonious comprehension of the essence of Dharma, I propose, is to be called "Great Harmony."

I had expounded several times on the Four Boundless Minds so that it was no longer limited by its regular position on Stages of the Path, but had become a practice that could lead to the cultivation of Great Bodhicitta. This is an example of the application of Great Harmony.

September 16, 2005 
El Cerrito, California


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