Enlightenment: five stages of the path to your true self. Buddha: the path to enlightenment What you have to endure on the path of enlightenment
Beings who achieve full enlightenment (in the Buddhist sense) after Shakyamuni Buddha are also not required to be his followers. For example, one of the first Dzogchen teachers, Garab Dorje, was not a Buddhist in the above sense, which did not prevent him from being a Buddha and becoming the founder of a tradition that was able to fully unite with the Buddhism of sutras and tantras, brought to Tibet by Shantarakshita and Guru Padmasambhava, respectively.
If we formulate the question whether it is possible to achieve enlightenment or final liberation (again in the Buddhist sense) by followers of specific non-Buddhist traditions known to us (Hinduism, Taoism, Christianity, etc.), then we should examine whether this or that teaching meets the criteria "the path leading to final liberation."
The most common of these criteria is the correspondence of the views of the so-called. “four seals”, four principles of right view, which in slightly different formulations can be found in almost all areas of Buddhism.
The first principle is to realize that “everything that is composed is not eternal,” in other words, that everything that has arisen as a result of a combination of causes and conditions will sooner or later cease to exist. Misunderstanding or denial of this principle is an obstacle to knowledge leading to final liberation. Thus, if one follows a doctrine that asserts the existence of an immortal soul arising from the activity of some supreme being, he cannot achieve the highest liberation (in the Buddhist sense) if he is limited by such a view.
If such a person overcomes this limitation, then he can no longer be considered a follower of his original tradition.
The second principle is to realize that everything associated with passions is inherent in suffering. In this case, if a follower of a teaching that presupposes the existence of some absolute principle, merging with which brings liberation from suffering, experiences a passionate desire in relation to the absolute as an object, such desire itself will be the cause of suffering, and therefore cannot lead to liberation from suffering.
In Buddhism itself, the desire for liberation or enlightenment, acceptable at the initial stages of the path, is by and large considered a mistake and must be overcome sooner or later.
Another formulation of the second principle says that suffering is inherent in everything that arose as a result of a combination of causes and conditions. In particular, this means that final liberation cannot be considered the result of personal effort in practice. Nor can one expect that liberation can come as a result of the mercy of some higher being.
The third principle is that there is nothing that has its own independent existence. This is the famous principle of anatman or emptiness. The assumption of the independent existence of some individual principle, absolute, supreme unchanging world or state of consciousness is thus an obstacle to the achievement of final liberation.
Finally, the fourth principle speaks of the possibility of achieving complete liberation from suffering. Thus, a follower of a teaching that denies this possibility will not realize liberation as long as he denies it.
Of course, in certain Buddhist systems one can find statements that contradict these four principles, but they are not absolutized and, ultimately, overcome. For example, a follower of Kriya Tantra initially believes that he can gain the wisdom of enlightenment through the grace of a deity, but sooner or later he must understand that in the true sense the deity is not different from himself and that enlightenment does not come from outside.
That is, a position that contradicts these principles can benefit the practitioner at some stage of the path, corresponding to the level of his abilities, however, being absolutized, it becomes an obstacle.
Moreover, if these four principles themselves are conceptualized and become the object of attachment, then appropriate skillful means must be used to overcome this attachment. By and large, if a teaching does not contain the means to overcome limitations of any, no matter how subtle or deep, it cannot be considered the path leading to final liberation.
This also corresponds to the second criterion: the teaching must contain the means of overcoming attachment to any however subtle and sublime state. This means that if a certain state of body, speech or mind is considered final and must always remain in it, then it is attachment that prevents final liberation.
This applies in particular to states achieved through the practice of concentration, whether with or without an object.
The third criterion relates to behavior: it should not fall into the extreme of self-indulgence on the one hand and into the extreme of self-mortification on the other. Thus, the practices of self-flagellation, wearing a hair shirt, standing on one leg for many hours, sitting between fires and other ways of causing oneself suffering are an obstacle to liberation. Any idea about the “purifying” properties of suffering is a grave delusion.
In this regard, deliberate infliction of pain or “sacrifice” of various parts of the body (for example, burning a finger), practiced in some areas of Buddhism, is a deviation from the path and an erroneous interpretation of the principle of self-sacrifice. Such practice usually, instead of accumulating merit, only leads to an increase in pride from the awareness of one’s ability to endure pain and endure hardships.
Indulgence, on the other hand, can be expressed not only in the desire for sensual pleasure, but also in the desire to convert others, which is a characteristic feature of some systems.
Another criterion is the completeness of the teaching: it must contain methods of practice at the levels of body, speech, and mind, which in Buddhism are formulated as moral conduct, concentration and discriminating wisdom. If a particular teaching lacks one of these components, it cannot be considered the path leading to final liberation.
Various examples of errors in view, meditation and behavior, the adherence to which is an obstacle to liberation or a deviation on the path, can also be found in texts such as the “Net of Brahma” (brahmajala-sutta) from the Tipitaka, the root tantras of Dzogchen “The All-Creating King” (kun byed rgyal po) and “Self-arising awareness” (rig pa rang shar) or Guru Padmasambhava’s upadesha “Necklace of Views” (man ngag lta ba' i phreng ba).
In the last text, in particular, as examples of erroneous views, the idea of the eternal existence of the material universe independent of living beings, the idea of acquiring the fruit of supreme liberation as a result of propitiating the supreme deity, as well as the idea of the existence of an absolute individual principle that can exist independently of and without a manifested level, which is assumed to be a simple play of a given individual principle, which does not in any way affect its original existence.
It is the teachings that adhere to this principle that are most often attributed similarity or even identity with Buddhist systems, but this contradicts the fundamental principles of Buddhist sutra and tantra, as well as Dzogchen. Regarding the teachings of the sutras, the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra states that “there is no form without emptiness, there is no emptiness without form”; the fundamental principle of Vajrayana is the inseparable unity of wisdom-prajna (emptiness) and method (manifestation); and in the Dzogchen teaching, the main quality of the creative energy of the empty basis is its continuity.
This shows that in all Buddhist teachings the idea of an unmanifested “pure” being that can exist outside of manifestation is rejected, but that the manifested and the unmanifested are inseparable.
Based on all of the above, one can quite definitely judge whether or not this or that teaching is the path leading to final liberation in the Buddhist sense. A negative answer, however, does not negate the usefulness of following limited views, meditation and behavior at a certain stage of development. As for the enlightenment (in the Buddhist sense) of specific teachers from non-Buddhist traditions, we can judge their realization only on the basis of the instructions that they give to their students.
In my limited knowledge there is no information about non-Buddhist teachings and teachers whose teachings and teachings would meet the above criteria (the exception is the “reformed” Bon, whose essence is Dzogchen, transmitted by teachers Shenrab Miwo and Tapichritsa). Representatives of other traditions may put their own meaning into the words “enlightenment” or “liberation” and even realize this meaning, but this does not necessarily correspond to the Buddhist meaning of these words.
In any case, the essence of the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni, Guru Padmasambhava, Jamgon Kongtrul and other teachers on the criteria of the right path is not to judge others, but to observe oneself to discover errors in one’s view, meditation and behavior and try overcome them.
In fact, our path begins not with the acquisition of psychic skills, but with a subconscious desire to free ourselves from the heaviness and wretchedness of our consciousness. Outwardly, it looks like dissatisfaction with oneself and the world. Understanding that you are unhappy is the starting point in a shift in consciousness. When a person is satisfied with his life, he will not even think about changing himself. Why do something when it’s already good? Letting go of old energies in us begins with disappointment. This is a hard-earned quality that has real power. Disappointment and dissatisfaction with oneself is the final stage of the old cycle. A cycle is when old energy is replaced by new energy. After stagnation, an impulse to move arises in us. Usually during this period the third center (will) is more activated. We have the energy to shift our stagnant lives. This state can be called our intention. At this time we can really shift our consciousness. After all, we act according to intuition and will, and not under the influence of the mind and emotions.
Of course, we must determine who in us wants change: the mind-ego or the power of intention. If the first, then nothing will work. The mind quickly lights up with a new idea, then just as quickly cools down to it, since in the imagination everything is done quickly and easily, but in reality it still requires volitional and physical effort.
If we act with intention, we will eventually shift our consciousness into a new perception. Of course, we still need to calm our mind in order to listen to our sensations without interference, since in this state it is easier to determine which energies are bothering us. So, step by step, spinning the flywheel of intention and “turning on” the consciousness of the body, we will cover kilometers of the path.
The beginning and end of a life stage are not difficult to determine. At the beginning of a new cycle, we feel a surge of energy. The world around us seems big and beautiful: with new opportunities for us. By the end of the energy cycle, we arrive internally tired and loaded with other people's programs. We feel a lack of energy in everything: we quickly get tired of everything, especially of those energies that have already been worked off. It could be anything: from a specific person, from outdated views, to the place in which we live.
Every year the spent energies of human life become more and more burdensome on our path. At this time, we become sensitive to falsehood and insincerity. Due to the discrepancy between the inner world and the outer world, we can be irritable and emotionally unstable. Intolerance is growing more and more among us. This suggests that we intuitively began to understand that our personal power is being brazenly used against ourselves, forcing us to live by the opinion of the majority, the purpose of which is only to consume.
In this wave of intolerance, we need to decide on the alien connections that interfere with our lives. First, see the problems lying on the surface of consciousness, which they have long known about, but did not admit to themselves. It could be an unloved job, an imposed duty to someone, or fear for the future. Then we track down all kinds of complexes and attachments in the depths of our consciousness and begin to work with them.
To really be happy, you need to be free from the opinions of society and from your own waste (past experience). Our happiness directly depends on the amount of vitality. If all the energy is spent on supporting other people's views and preferences, then we feel unhappy. We owe this, we owe that.... Feelings of imposed duty are the hole where our energy flows. It’s another matter when we consciously and voluntarily undertake certain obligations to specific people or society. Here we do not lose energy, but rather strengthen it, since this is our choice. Again... is it our choice? After all, everything we come into contact with in this reality has its downside. Therefore, we need to be attentive and sincere to ourselves in order to see that this is our desire, and not something imposed from the outside.
There are things that we cannot just take and throw away. This concerns strong attachments and desires. Sometimes you have to work on them all your life. Most likely, this world was created precisely for us to get bogged down in all this “shit”, and then to persistently overcome it. Therefore, the main thing is to accept our situation and then there will be no rush and attachment to the correct path.
Usually, we dash into the battle for awareness and quickly cool down when we realize that everything is not as simple as they write and say. Years pass, and we are the same as we were. Yes... we have become more informative, acquired certain qualities: we have learned to meditate correctly, but in our very human essence, we have not changed at all. We are also emotionally entangled in the general network of society. Just positive calls in the form: love, don’t judge, be humble, and so on, will not change yourself. A person, still in the old energy, under the impression of exalted words, tries emotionally to do something new. For example: without getting rid of the consumption program, practice visualization for wealth and harmony, thereby thinking that you are improving spiritually. He simply saw new opportunities to satisfy his desires. Outwardly, a person seems to strive for spirituality, but subconsciously wants the same thing as millions of ordinary people - to consume. You can buy various brands, feeling cool, or you can collect esoteric souvenirs from different countries, go to India, to some fashionable ashram to be closer to the “enlightened ones,” thinking that this elevates you. A person who considers himself spiritual is actually subconsciously looking for the same thing as everyone else - bread and circuses. There is nothing wrong with this if a person is well aware of his true desires and actions, without hiding behind an esoteric facade, i.e. he realizes that this is just another hobby.
Undoubtedly, wise words give us inspiration. But inspiration is an unstable thing, unsteady, like a mirage. After we take off on the wings of emotional positivity, we will definitely encounter its other side - negativity. We will look for inspiration outside: in books, seminars, in the company of exalted people, but not within ourselves, since we subconsciously do not believe in our own strength. This may be due to the fact that we do not yet have individual experience of Vision and we still doubt the chosen path. Self-confidence comes after specific spiritual experience and overcoming inert energies in us. For example, when we overcome our laziness, which the mind cleverly justifies by the practice of not doing anything, or when we begin to work with our health.
Therefore, it is better to sincerely accept yourself as you are, and not to appear better by imitating positive images of the spiritual path. Now many have learned to speak beautifully, “sculpt” an inspired face, and also imitate the work of the heart center. But in reality they are no better than the people they believe are leading to the light.
If you remember the lives of the saints, then at the beginning of their lives they sinned, and when they “shone up”, they began to teach others how not to sin, as if a person can bypass the stage of “sin” only by listening to the wise speeches of the enlightened. We are already born “in sin” - in a program where mistakes are life itself. Therefore, when you realize that you are standing on a heap of “shit” and that it doesn’t smell like French perfume, then go... If you think that you are standing on a flower bed, surrounded by love, then continue to stand: why go where? then move when everything around is completely idyll.
The first conscious step is simply fixing with our attention the old spent energies. We already feel with our whole bodies the stuffiness and wretchedness of our consciousness and a passionate desire at the body level to get rid of energy toxins. Find freedom from everything that is false in us.
As soon as we realized this, something inside us, as if by itself, switches (it could even be a physical sensation in the body), and we feel how some force begins to push us forward into the unknown. This means that at this moment our hard-won desire for freedom and the intention of the Spirit merged into one stream. At this time, cleansing practices, both energetic and physical (the practice of letting go), are well suited.
This is an important step, without which we will stagnate for a long time. Our intention resonates with the intention of the higher self, and at this moment help comes to us in the form of revelations and additional energy. We simply begin to burst with the desire to gain purity of consciousness. As they say, “God help us.”
The Spirit shifts our consciousness only when we are ready for it. Our readiness is the complete elimination of old energies and the acceptance of new ones. It is not the mind that determines our readiness, but the cells of the body. This means that we have worked off most of the karma, freeing up space in our consciousness for a new portion of energy.
At the same time, when our attention is between the old and new energy (zero zone), the “third eye” (vision) opens, and we, according to our level of consciousness, receive enlightenment from the Spirit. This could be an astral exit, a meeting with the cosmic family of light, with your higher self, or simply an intuitive feeling of yourself as a being outside of form. The Spirit, having shown us a “beautiful picture” of the divine world, finally convinces us of its reality. Because of this, our faith becomes autonomous, independent of external factors such as religion or other teachings. Blind faith in authorities is replaced by a sober attitude towards the world.
We can gain faith in our own Power only when we receive an individual experience of enlightenment. In the meantime, we are intuitively looking for Strength on the side. We think that she is hiding somewhere on the planet, at a seminar of a popular guru, or in channeled information - as if after reading the next message, we will suddenly be “pinned” and enlightened.
Enlightenment is like epiphany. Suddenly, spontaneously (for earthly consciousness) we begin to see the real living world. It was as if our eyes had just opened, although before that we were also sure that they were open and that we were seeing the real world. But after our spiritual eyes are cleared, we immediately notice a big difference. The new world is huge and alive, shimmering with bright colors, fills the consciousness with love and understanding, and the old one squeezes out the last drops of luminosity from it with its mechanistic existence. After such a strong experience, more like waking up from a dream, a clear conviction is born in a person about the artificiality and primitiveness of the earthly world in comparison with the divine reality.
This conviction gives a person additional energy to overcome all difficulties along the way. Now he is not afraid of the forces that could turn him off his intended route, and there are no earthly riches for which he would leave his path. After such an experience, a person with every fiber of his soul will strive for a new perception that he was lucky enough to experience.
The spirit did its job - it shifted the focus of a person’s attention to show him a new boundless platform for development. Once a person even catches a glimpse of the divine world, he will go towards it until the end of his earthly life. He finally finds a real goal to strive for. And this goal is not somewhere over the horizon, in some illusory paradise or in a parallel civilization of the supermind, but in it itself: in its focus of consciousness.
This state can be called the birth of the warrior's strength. This is the fulcrum, or the core, around which the warrior’s further practice will revolve. This is another important step towards awareness. Only by relying on our will can we move on.
Enlightenment is just the bait of the Spirit. So to speak, the Spirit catches us, people, with bait, which, having swallowed, we will never let go. And while we hold tightly to the bait of enlightenment, the Spirit, meanwhile, will test our strength by presenting us with various everyday problems. For example, once you have declared that you are no longer afraid of anything, situations will certainly arise to test your fearlessness. Or, let’s say, after enlightenment you will be able to maintain your awareness when ordinary people live around you. A particularly strong influence comes from loved ones who will convince you every day that you are doing nonsense, while others are pursuing a career and money.
Enlightenment cannot last long. After the enlightenment of the truth, we will definitely slide back into our usual everyday world in order to properly work out our dark side. Only by illuminating our essence will we see that there is also a dark side of truth in us, which does not want a new world, it is even afraid of it, like a mole of daylight. She is more accustomed to living in a narrow hole of squalor, which seems cozy and sweet to her. After all, for our dark side this is a familiar habitat in which our understanding of happiness and love lives. It has its own smells and warm relationships between similar creatures. Everything here is native, everything is ours. This dark side of consciousness is our earthly personality, which consists of body, emotions and mind. This is what the enlightened consciousness has to work with, for which the world of the human personality seems wretched and primitive.
After a shift in consciousness, you first need to calm the earthly mind, accustom it to a larger volume of light, which carries a huge portion of new information. Therefore, new knowledge is gradually adapted to human perception. Just as a person, after a long stay in darkness, must slowly get used to daylight, so too, after enlightenment, must get used to the universal intense light; otherwise his human mind may go off the rails.
This is a new step towards a new perception - working smarter.
We can say that from this moment a person enters the path of a warrior. He understands what he has to fight. This battle is not with an insidious enemy in the form of aliens, but with one’s own illusions and mirages. He, like Don Quixote, will have to fight the windmills in his mind.
At this stage we already see that the world is programmed for duality. Just as our planet has two poles, so our consciousness consists of a light side and a dark side, or male and female energy. Therefore, whatever we encounter always has its opposites.
We can no longer categorically assert that this is good and that is evil. That those people who meditate are better than those who don’t even know what it is. That a pacifist brings more benefits to humanity than a war hawk; After all, in order to nip the fire of a big war in the bud in time, sometimes a small war is better. Our life is a constant balancing act between polarities. Once we squeeze the energy of good, it instantly turns into evil, and our earthly love can develop into hatred. And so in everything we encounter in our earthly life, inconsistency lives in our very being. We can’t just go and go into one of our halves, trying not to notice the other.
This is another step in our strategy - working with opposites. We learn to be tolerant and humble. Everything has its place and time. What was useful yesterday may be harmful today. Let's say, yesterday we talked about the secret with people close to us in spirit, and everyone felt good about it, since there was an energy flow. Today, the same topic in a conversation with unprepared people will not benefit anyone; on the contrary, it will exhaust us and may irritate others. Therefore, if you want to chat, it is better to “grind” the usual nonsense so as not to attract attention to yourself. So “nonsense” can sometimes be more useful than “wise” speech.
In the process of life, some centers (chakras) begin to dominate in us, then others. For example, when our consciousness is more shifted to the heart center, then at this moment there will be no real practice, because we already feel good. Even soap operas on TV seem cute to us. We may even shed tears from naive love scenes, since our critical mind is lulled by excessive sensuality. At this time, all our spiritual practice will consist mainly of calls for love. It will seem to us that our words about love are very clear and intelligible, because it is so natural. But as soon as the heart center calms down (so that we can work out other chakras), we suddenly find ourselves in a world without love. And then we begin to understand that love comes and goes according to its own schedule, and no matter how hard we try to love, we fail, since the heart center is no longer so active. Still remembering our love, but no longer having it, we begin to push with a mind that can only repeat: “love will save the world,” “we must love everyone and forgive everyone.” The mind cannot recreate love - it has a different vibration. In order to attract our sensuality again, we need to again shift our attention to the heart center, and then maybe love will return to us.
When the heart center is not balanced with the will center, then a person is inactive in the physical world. He lives more by feelings. Also, without a strong mind, without sufficient sobriety, a person will create problems for himself out of nowhere. Because of this, there may be a greater chance of heart disease. The strength of the heart center is increased sensuality, sometimes turning into unconditional love. This is the state that makes us human, not biorobots.
When our focus of attention shifts to the center of the will, we feel a force beginning to push us into action. Our life becomes more active and dynamic. Sometimes it seems that we can really move mountains of inertia and quickly achieve our intended goal. And we want to “kick” those who at this time are sitting in the heart center with an “idiotic” smile on their face with our will - yes, so as not to “slow down”! After all, at this time we do not feel his love, we are at a different point of focus of attention. For us, his sensuality is ordinary naive stupidity, which prevents us from achieving a happy tomorrow. At this time, we can even feel like we are opening all the doors with our “belly” and it seems to us just a little more - and our life will be in chocolate. Typically, all major leaders have a strong center of will. If they also have a strong mind, they can achieve a lot in the field of modern (speculative) business. If only the heart center, with which it is impossible to deceive people, does not interfere. Therefore, if you want to have big money, sell your “soul to the devil,” in the sense of blocking your heart center.
The strong side of the dominance of the center of will is activity in society, achieving the intended goal, overcoming laziness. The opposite negative side of will is when we try to control our environment, to impose our will on it, since at this time the will chakra is not balanced with the heart chakra, and therefore we do not have the humility and sensuality to understand and accept others.
If only the “third eye” begins to dominate in us, then we can become too detached from the reality of the body into the astral labyrinth. At this time, we will be more interested in traveling to the astral plane or having vivid dreams, but not working on our sense of self-importance. Astral exits are given to us so that our earthly consciousness, having received otherworldly experience, is not so strongly tied to the materialistic worldview. Usually, after a series of exits to the astral plane, for most people the exits stop so that they can work more with the earthly personality.
To safely travel through the astral labyrinth, we must have a sober mind and fulfilled desires, otherwise our desires and unbridled emotions can drag us into the lower layers of human unconsciousness. Therefore, it is better to first take care of your earthly self. And lucid dreams and visions will definitely return when needed. And this will not be some lower astral with difficult encounters, but higher spheres where we can really benefit for our soul. And so we simply escape from life lessons into the virtual reality of the astral plane. And most importantly, we must not forget that after death we will definitely find ourselves in the subtle world - in our native state.
We can also be obsessed with what we see, and we can become easy prey for various entities: from egregors to small astral aliens. Do you think where different messiahs and “divine revelations” come from?? Man cannot speak directly to God due to physical laws. The human mind is too small to contain even one divine thought. His mind will simply burn out in a split second. If a person is convinced that God is talking to him, then most likely he has come under the influence of astral entities that use his consciousness as a gateway to access our reality. These are not necessarily negative channels... there may also be light entities who have their own view of our reality.
Therefore, in order for our vision to be productive, it must necessarily be balanced by the mind, will and heart center. The mind will give sobriety, the will will give stability to consciousness, and the heart center will keep our vision on the vibration of love, and we will not end up with our attention in the astral sump.
If we are “settled” in the head (in the higher centers, or in the mental body), then nothing real will happen except reasoning and dreams. We will simply be carried away into all sorts of “fixed ideas” or into the philosophizing of the mind. We will have a stronger mind and inner dialogue that will overwhelm every other part of us. The predominance of the mind over other parts of consciousness is fraught with the creation of artificial worlds, divorced from nature. This is exactly what we are noticing now.
The strength of the mind is logic: the ability to find the optimal solution without wasting energy. The weak side is when the mind creates a separate reality from the physical body, since the physical world is too slow for it. Also, the mind, if it is not harmonized with other chakras, strengthens the mind with its internal dialogue. A person whose attention is more fixed in the mental body becomes very smart by earthly standards. Usually these are dogmatic people who understand only their point of view. All orthodox science consists mostly of clever people.
When the moment of strengthening the throat center comes, we have the opportunity to express internal knowledge in words: in a form understandable to the human mind. Our inspiration increases and we have more opportunities for self-expression. We are also more keen on external contacts. And without balance with the center of will and heart, we can become overly talkative and indiscriminate in communication. We will simply blurt out all the energy through the throat chakra. For example, when I write my articles, my throat chakra strengthens and my voice becomes hoarse and my throat begins to feel sore. But since this is not mere chatter, but my intention, the other centers are involved in this process. They harmonize my entire inner message. At least, I want to believe so.
Well, if the sexual center begins to dominate, then it will seem to us that the whole world is obsessed with sex. This especially happens in the spring, when a program to strengthen sexual energy in nature is launched, so that there are more physical bodies in the dense world to populate them with different souls. If a person has weak higher centers at this time, then he will most likely waste his sexual energy on ordinary sex. Without harmonization of the sexual center with the higher centers, human sexuality ceases to be eroticism and the driving force of creativity, but turns into pornography, which deprives a person of vitality. Many have gone further, making the sacrament of sex an ordinary “fitness”. This happens when the mind and sexual center dominate, to the detriment of the heart center. After all, it is logical for the mind to relieve stress with sex.
The average person is primarily dominated by four centers. It is rooted, sexy, strong-willed and heartfelt. Therefore, sexual energy is most likely transformed into creativity. This could be anything: from building a country house to composing the next hit. After all, thanks to the same sexual energy, the Universe creates physical forms.
Now I would not like to describe the principle of operation of all chakras, there is a lot of information about this on the Internet, my goal is to focus on the moment of predominance of some centers over others. For the human mind, the dominance of some centers over others occurs spontaneously. A person does not think about why his condition is constantly changing, since he is busy with more important things - consumption. In order to realize what energies are greater in us now, we need to be extremely attentive to ourselves, and then we will be able to understand them better. We must track down which force (chakra) is currently strengthening. To do this, you just need to observe yourself in everyday life. It will be easier for us to practice if we know which center dominates us. Then we will ride the energy wave of chakra and glide as if surfing. After all, if some force dominates in us, it means there is a reason for it, which means we must work it out in full. For example, now the center of will dominates in us, and we, under the impression of certain teachings and people, are trying to practice vision in deep passive meditation. In this state, we spend more energy on the struggle of our mind with the will, and not on achieving the goal. We will sit and try with our minds to force our will to enter into passivity, meanwhile, our will at this moment has a huge potential for external actions. Therefore, at this time it is better to do physical exercises or do something that you have long wanted to do - say, change jobs. Working with vision does not require volitional and mental effort; on the contrary, our entire nature should, as it were, fall asleep. At this time, only intention should lead us to the goal. It's like a little death or a lucid dream.
This is the next step - working with attention.
If we put aside the sense of self-importance, we will see that man is a machine. And just as any machine has control levers, so a person has points of influence on his consciousness. In addition to the chakra points, we are also influenced by external cycles: day, night, seasonal fluctuations, and our age cycle. Seasons force us to live by their schedule. They put pressure on certain points in our consciousness to produce different experiences. For example, in spring (East), our higher mental centers fall asleep and the heart, volitional and sexual centers begin to become more active. At this time we want to feel more, create, be more active. In summer (South) we are attracted by nature, relaxation, and travel. We have a need to recharge ourselves with positive energy and strengthen our physical bodies. Autumn (West) has a sobering effect on us; the throat and volitional centers begin to work more actively. At this time, it is good to practice letting go (the dying of the spent experience in us) and work with will. In winter (North), the crown center and third eye begin to dominate. At this moment, you want to be less active on the outside and more contemplative on the inside. I would say that winter is the best period for deep meditation and shifts in consciousness. It is easier to obtain knowledge from above, since nature itself contributes to this.
When we gain integrity, then in addition to harmonizing the chakras, we will be less susceptible to seasonal influences. Although we will still be influenced by earthly nature (the basic cycles of the matrix), we will already have a different rhythm of life - a cosmic one. We will become people without age. All age cycles can manifest themselves in us at the same time: from a child looking at the world with surprised eyes to a wise old man, whitened by experience. Everything again depends on our intention and focus of attention. And while we lack integrity, we will be different in each age cycle: as if we are not one person, but there are many of us. This is why it is so difficult for a 20-year-old boy to understand an adult 50-year-old man. They have different life stages. They are influenced by different Forces. One is pushed by force to do, the other - to not do. One needs to gain experience, the other needs to recapitulate and let go of their past. Accordingly, what is good for one is bad for another.
When the time comes, our energy centers will be harmonized and there will be no more jumps from one chakra to another. All centers will have to work in full force and synchronously, in order to then merge into one brightest point, collapsing three-dimensional space into the experience of the cosmic being that we will become. Integrity is the synchronous work of all chakras. At this time, we are not thrown from one state to another. We feel in reality three-dimensional: from all sides - simultaneously - we see the same thing with its opposites as one whole. For example, we will see that behind beautiful, correct words there are negative desires, or a kind soul is hiding behind an external stupid face. We will also no longer have excessive demands on people and, of course, on ourselves. We judge ourselves because we think that others are better than us, without seeing their ugly sides behind the beautiful façade of our idols. We also criticize and condemn others only because we consider ourselves better.
The critic dies in us only when we begin to see in ourselves what we so zealously hated in others. There is no other option. A person cannot accept his neighbor just like that, just out of the desire to be better. Only after going through his dark side does a person begin to understand that there are only good and bad people on earth. The physics of our world consists precisely of duality - plus and minus. Therefore, it is useless to waste energy in order to retain one of the polarities. We are magnetic beings, with negative and positive poles. And those who strive only for the plus, the Force will push them back, since identical poles repel.
For example, you want to be spiritual and kind people and you have an image that you look up to. Accordingly, your demands increase not only on yourself, but also on your loved ones. Let’s say your husband (wife) doesn’t want to become a vegetarian, and the more you put pressure on him (her), lecture him (her) about the usefulness of such a diet, the more rejection grows in him (her). Misunderstanding and irritation flare up between you, i.e. what actually happened? You wanted the best: to be together brighter, purer, but it turned out the opposite - quarrel and disagreement. This suggests that sometimes our desires contradict external currents of forces. Instead of accepting (when you connect a plus with a minus), we try to impose our own, when we stubbornly want to connect a plus with a plus, which, in fact, should not be together.
This is another step on the path - understanding that there are external Forces that are beyond our control.
Acceptance is not inaction and self-indulgence. And conscious work to separate the wheat from the chaff. We intuitively always know when we are trying to deceive ourselves. When we give out wishful thinking. And therefore “a bitter truth is better than a sweet lie.”
Every step we take must be conscious, sincere and real, then it will be easier for us on our path to awareness. We don't have to go back (recapitulate) to remember our unconscious steps.
Alex Windgolts: “Step by step we cover kilometers of the road”
Every person is capable of becoming a Buddha, but only one opened the path for the rest of humanity. To be absolutely precise, one must say “rediscovered”: after all, according to tradition, there were other Buddhas before him - many other discoverers who walked the path of higher evolution. But when we say “Buddha,” we mean Siddhartha Gautama, who opened this path on the full moon of the lunar month corresponding to April-May 542 BC. e. He himself spoke about it this way: “Imagine that a man, wandering in the thicket of a forest, found an ancient path, an ancient path that people used in ancient times. He followed it and discovered a beautiful ancient city surrounded by a wall, the ancient capital of the kingdom, where ancient people lived, where there were parks, groves and lakes. That’s how I found the ancient path, the ancient path, which was followed by the fully enlightened people of antiquity.”
That is why Vaishakha Purnima, the full moon day of the Indian month of Vaishakha, occupies a very special place in the Buddhist calendar. In the Pali language, Vaisakha corresponds to Vesakha, and in the Sinhalese language - Vesak, hence the name of the most important of Buddhist holidays. During Vesak, Buddhists celebrate what they consider to be the greatest event the world has ever known—the day on which, for the first time in history, an unenlightened being, man, became enlightened. They mark the day on which Siddhartha Gautama finally freed himself from all human bondages, from all human limitations, in order to merge with the highest reality, or one could even say, to become the living embodiment of the highest truth, a buddha.
It may therefore seem surprising that there is some disagreement about what exactly is celebrated during Vesak. However, whenever in India I have been invited to take part in a Vesak celebration, as a speaker or otherwise, I have usually been asked to honor (or honor) with my presence, as is the polite way of saying it in India on such occasions, “ this thrice sacred day (or holiday).” But why “thrice sacred”? Is simply saying “sacred” not enough? After all, something is either sacred or it is not - such thoughts may arise in your mind. However, there is of course a reason for this name. According to some sources, Vaishakha Purnima is the anniversary of not one, but three events: the birth of the Buddha, the attainment of enlightenment, and his final passing away, or parinirvana. It is believed that they all happened on the same day - of course, in different years, but, by an amazing coincidence, on the same day of the full moon. However, it must be noted that this tradition of the thrice sacred day of Vaisakha Purnima is based on a much later tradition that originated in Sri Lanka and from there spread to other Theravada countries. The rest of the Buddhist world, the Mahayana countries, celebrate the birth of the Buddha and his parinirvana on other days of the year, and this custom certainly seems earlier and also more reasonable.
Not only are there differing opinions about whether Vesak commemorates anything other than the Buddha's enlightenment, but Buddhists celebrate it according to different national traditions in different parts of the world. In Sri Lanka and Burma, people light candles and offer them in memory of Buddha. In Tibet, these will be oil lamps, with a certain number - 108 or 1008. In many Buddhist countries you will hear believers chanting verses praising the Buddha - sometimes for several hours in a row, and sometimes for a whole day. Other places have lectures and discussions, and some Buddhists will, of course, just meditate. On a more secular level, you will see that the monks are given refreshments - in some Buddhist countries this is a very popular pastime on the occasion of any holiday. They gather as many monks as possible, seat them in rows on the floor and offer them food. Traditionally, monks are believed to have very good appetites, and in some places it is believed that the amount of merit received from feeding a monk is directly related to the amount of food he eats. In such cases, generosity knows no bounds and there are no refusals. In the West, Buddhists, of course, also observe these old customs, but many also develop their own cultural traditions for celebrating Vesak.
No matter at what level and how exactly Buddhists celebrate Vesak, they are all united by one main theme and goal - the celebration of the appearance of Buddha in our world. In this they follow a tradition that goes back centuries, and to be convinced of this, just look at the early examples of Indian stone carvings depicting Buddhist subjects. One particularly impressive image shows the Buddha in symbolic form seated on a throne. He is surrounded by monks, nuns and lay people. With their hands folded above their heads, they all make offerings: garlands, fruits, scarves - a wide variety of gifts. What is especially remarkable about this scene is the unmistakable joy in the faces and postures of all the people worshiping and making offerings to the Buddha. One gets the impression that only an event of boundless, truly cosmic importance could be celebrated so enthusiastically and solemnly. It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that the ancient artist depicted the believers as if they were mad with joy - if one can imagine that Buddhists are capable of going mad with anything. But it seems that this is exactly what happened to them - they simply lost their heads with joy.
This is the only emotional reaction - at least in the understanding of this artist - that can do justice to the conquest of the Buddha, who has reached the pinnacle of human development. Yet the deepest source of joy expressed by his followers during Vesak is not only the fact that he himself has achieved enlightenment, but also that he has opened the way, illuminated the path along which others can follow him. So the question of how the Buddha became enlightened is not purely theoretical. Of course, if you wish, you can approach it, like any question, theoretically, but essentially this is a question of the greatest practical importance. Buddha did not inherit enlightenment, he was not born enlightened. He achieved enlightenment only after many years of struggle - and even mistakes. Through his own efforts, through his own life, he showed that we, too, can achieve enlightenment through our own efforts.
In fact, this opens up a completely different approach to the Dharma, the path to enlightenment. We have already said that it can be viewed in terms of evolution, successive stages that must be passed through - as something like a road with many milestones marking the distance traveled. This path has three major stages: morality, meditation and wisdom, although there are many other ways to subdivide and classify the path to enlightenment. But one can take a less traditional approach - consider the path from the point of view of the events that mark the life of the Buddha.
In 2014, I suddenly realized clearly: “The truth is within!” With this thought I woke up and fell asleep. It appeared in my head constantly, as if someone was specially broadcasting it so that I would wake up. And one day, during a session with a client, we went inside. This was the first, incredible in strength and power, moment of revelation of light from within. I worked a lot with people, and there were different states, but nothing I had previously experienced could be even closely compared to this state.
From that moment began the path that led us and leads many other people to the state called spiritual enlightenment or human enlightenment. Over the course of 1.5 years, we awakened many images within ourselves, conducted many sessions, live and online TOT trainings.
Enlightenment: Five Stages on the Path to Your Real Self
Stage I. The ego collapses
You have struggled for a long time and searched a lot, completed many courses and trainings, listened to hundreds of meditations, attended two dozen festivals, visited many temples, and may have been to India and Tibet. You have completely run out of money, your man (woman) has left, your children don’t understand, your friends keep saving you. You searched honestly and a lot: you found answers in books, from masters, you were happy, you rejoiced. Here! This is what we need. And now life will definitely change.
You have eradicated thousands of limiting beliefs, but the more you found, the more there were. Your joy was short-lived, the state of Love that you so strive for (after all, now you are familiar with this state, you have felt it more than once) turned out to be short-lived - only a few days or weeks, and then again an endless search for causes and consequences and it seems there is no end to it.
Each time a new layer was lifted, a new pain was discovered. You have already despaired and decided that nothing works and sometimes thought that death was the only liberation. And now you are ready to give up. You have failed in your search for answers outside.
Humility− the first step to spiritual enlightenment
Giving up means losing?! Your mind associates resignation with crisis. “If you resign yourself, it means losing,” you think, “if you retreat and leave control, everything will collapse...” But the opposite happens! As soon as you humble yourself, truly, totally, a miracle happens! You begin to act, drawn by the spirit from within. Your life begins to change.
At this stage, other information begins to come to you. Something is pushing you towards awakening-enlightenment. You come across other articles, other people. Perhaps when you hear about a person's enlightenment, it seems incredible to you. You think that this is only available to spiritual teachers.
You have many misconceptions about spirituality, the material world, there are many more rules inside, but it is humility, as the first step towards realizing your truth, that will help you look at your life differently.
This stage is the most difficult. This is where we encounter the most misconceptions and zero clarity. How did you go through this stage? Or maybe you are now going through five stages of the path to your real self?
Literary series? A series of articles with tips for better understanding yourself.
Stage II. You realize: everything is simpler than it seems, the truth is on the surface
You, somewhere deep inside yourself, realize: everything is simpler than it seems, the truth must be somewhere on the surface.
Everything should be simpler and easier. At this stage, you still have many illusions about the rightness and wrongness of everything that is. You still believe that there is something spiritual and something non-spiritual. Within you there is still a division between good and bad.
There are many evaluations of everything and you still compare yourself to others and yourself to yourself at different times in life. You know that you, like air, need to accept yourself. You are tired of fighting with yourself and are looking for complete total acceptance. Your body, wounded by self-judgment, needs acceptance. Now you begin to really think about how to accept yourself for the first time.
At this stage, you begin to accept your feelings and emotions.
You are thrown from joy and tranquility to insane irritation and outbursts of anger - this is the manifestation of a part that has been suppressed over many years in its natural desire to build boundaries and declare itself. You start to really think about yourself. You have known for a long time that you create reality, learn to manage it. You begin to realize that you are the Creator of your world.
You've been working on yourself for so many years - it's time to just remember who you are and who everyone else is! You are ready! And you hear clues around you, but you can’t always decipher them yet. You keep seeing a phrase or hearing it in your head: “Things are not what they seem.”
I began to hear such prompts five years ago, and it was then that the phrase: “And you will know your truth and your truth will set you free” led to the birth. Now it has become possible to shorten the path to what you were born for in this amazing time.
Stage III. You start to remember
You dive inside yourself and begin to look for answers within - the first victories of the spirit and a feeling of uplift. The first feeling appears that you can do anything. You remember what it means to love yourself. You learn to make choices out of self-love. These choices may not correspond to the generally accepted definition of love, but you are increasingly moving beyond the patterns and rules accepted in society.
You are guided by a feeling from within and listen to your breathing - it helps you make the right choices. And you begin to understand that all the assessments and judgments on the basis of which your experience was formed are no longer needed. You choose not to evaluate or compare anymore. This is what helps you move faster in understanding yourself and your world.
Your world opens up for you in completely different colors. Now you already know for sure that everything manifested is wise. You begin to realize that by evaluating or judging anything, you are evaluating and judging the God in yourself. For you, God is no longer a biblical character. Now you know for sure that God is you, and all others are also gods in their world.
Write in the comments how you go through your five stages of the path to yourself? Which one are you on now?
Stop dividing the world into good and bad
Inside you, for the first time in your entire life, an unearthly peace reigns inside. It is still unstable and, at times, you begin to react as before again. But now you have a lot more compassion for yourself and you allow things to be. You become more and more free from the boundaries and limitations that your mind has set up.
You begin to tap into your strength and your power. At this stage, there are still recessions and periods when fear captures you in its sticky grip, but they, as a rule, do not last long and after the next awareness, you come to even greater expansion and awareness.
Your Ego, becoming more and more healed and no longer feeling in danger, begins to give up its position, allowing more and more SPIRIT to manifest through you. You begin to feel the flow. You realize what it means to live in the flow - to humble yourself and trust the spirit. You have realized the power of humility and use it again and again. And this makes it possible to expand, more and more each time.
You don’t yet know that you have many discoveries and victories ahead of you. And the mind wants to hold on to the state that has opened up to you, to freeze in it. But your soul has a different plan for life and it will actively promote you further, as well as your whole world. And if you have the courage, you will come in this incarnation to where you have wanted to go for so many lives. And your greatest fear is not the fear of life, it is the fear of not reaching again, not discovering the SOURCE OF LIFE within yourself.
Stage IV. You feel a state in which there are no desires
Suddenly you feel a state in which you have no desires, you just feel good about BEING! It seems that this is spiritual enlightenment, because you read that this is exactly how you feel when your consciousness is enlightened. You have thoughts about the meaninglessness of everything that is happening. To be enlightened (the essence of enlightenment) is to want nothing?
You continue to move through life, albeit slowly. You force yourself to do something, just live. You think: “Has all my efforts led me to the point that I don’t want anything? What's next? But what about the relationship, and the house, and the money, because of which, in fact, it all began many years ago?
At this stage, you are honest enough with yourself to see what your world reflects back to you. Your world still talks about the weakness of your loved ones and the presence of powerlessness, it talks about illnesses, it “mirrors” to you the weakness of people and the unwillingness to act. Your world shows you lack and suffering. You observe everything as if from the outside, often considering yourself enlightened, who no longer cares about worldly concerns.
You don’t have a man (woman) or everything is bad with him (her), although perhaps this doesn’t really bother you anymore. Something inside is pushing you to continue the search. You get the idea that it shouldn’t be like this.
This is the decision stage
I would say that it is at this stage that you are at a fork in the road. Before this, you prepared yourself, tested your strength, hardened yourself. Like a submariner who is preparing to dive into the Mariana Trench and its deepest point - the Challenger Deep. You were preparing yourself to plunge into your own Abyss.
And now you have a CHOICE, as always on this planet:
- You can call everything that was previously a useless path and turn again into the outside world.
- Or stop and dive deeper into yourself, into your own ABYSS. To emerge renewed and finally start LIVING.
This is where the stage begins when you are ready to turn towards yourself completely. Choose yourself and the life within you.
Before this, you were only preparing for this moment. Have you reached this stage or were you still at the previous ones? How do you go through your five stages of the path to yourself?
We live on external ones and don’t use internal ones, but this can be learned.
V stage. You are gradually approaching an understanding of the structure of the world
You resist external events less and smoothly approach understanding the structure of the world. The mind is still looking for answers to questions. You begin to increasingly accept everything that is inside you if you have passed the previous stages. And, finally, we began to accept ourselves with all our cockroaches, fears, and we feel a surge of strength from within. You come to balance. You do not strive for the light and do not run from the darkness.
Your abilities have opened up. And for you this is a natural state. You no longer consider the ability to know clearly, to see clearly, to hear clearly as something special. Don’t elevate this into a cult, because you understand that abilities, first of all, are needed by you personally. This does not mean at all that you need to become a fortune teller or a clairvoyant with a crystal ball who broadcasts and enlightens others.
In your loved ones, these abilities also open on their own. They didn’t even have to do anything for this; your understanding of the essence of things and self-acceptance was enough. You begin to see the truth (the one that is revealed at this stage) as it really is. And at the same time you like it, you are interested in life. Perhaps even more interesting than before.
You are rediscovering the world
Enlightenment (awakening) has brought understanding, peace and wisdom into your life. You have rediscovered this world for yourself. And you got to know him again and continue to know him. You accept pain and suffering because you understand the beauty of this choice. You accept cruelty and violence. And you realize this as a choice to experience love in this way or to help another soul finally come to true love. And you understand that this is a necessary stage. Although there was a worm of doubt inside me about suffering.
Simple things make you happy, you love what you previously condemned and rejected. You enjoy the little things more and more. You used to spend hours meditating and running away from the world. Because you decided that you were carrying out an important mission to save lost humanity. Now you know, it is important to help wrap yourself up and go through the five stages of the path to yourself.
Before leaving the next illusion, you resist, since it is very difficult to let go of what the entire structure of your earthly personality was based on. But as soon as you decide to dive into the unknown, you rejoice at your courage and realize the importance of your choice. Each time another, deeper Truth is revealed to you, and with each step you take, greater simplicity and at the same time wisdom of the structure of everything is revealed.
At this stage, I clearly understood that things and people are not at all what they seem. It opened my mind and expanded my horizons. At this stage, any information opens up as soon as you direct your attention to it. Here you need to be very careful and express your intention clearly.
We provide examples with a small bonus at the end of the article, and you can read and suggest your own options.
Be careful, you can get stuck for a long time
At this stage, you can get stuck for a very long time, because there is so much interesting for the mind. So much is revealed to you that for others even five lives are not enough to know everything that comes to you at the speed of sound. I would say that this is the stage where it is important to separate your thoughts from the thoughts of others. You do simple actions every day that make you happy and fulfilling, slow down and no longer rush. You begin to learn to LIVE, enjoying the very process of life!
All levels are conditional and all stages are intertwined with one another. I described how I came to a state of enlightenment myself. And what I observed in personal sessions and at the TOT School. With this article I hoped to show my five stages on the path to myself and in what direction I recommend moving further. Or explain what might be happening to you.
There are many people who have been in stage 4 for many years. They have no desires at all. And they think that this is how it should be, that this is the essence of enlightenment. Maybe this is exactly what happens to you. Or you experience enlightenment of consciousness in a completely different way. How do you go through your five stages of the journey to yourself? I would be very glad if you share your experience in the comments.
Path to Enlightenment
Lecture by the 14th Dalai Lama
Buddhist Community, Toronto.
I am very pleased to have the opportunity to give a lecture here in Toronto, Canada, at this assembly of Buddhists and persons interested in Buddhism. I would like to thank the Zen masters of this temple and the many Tibetans who helped with the preparations. Today I will talk about the stages of the path of enlightenment, using Tsonghawa’s work “The Three Principal Aspects of the Path to Enlightenment” as the main one.
In order to free yourself from cyclical existence, you must constantly hold on to the intention to leave it. This intention is the first of the three fundamental aspects of the path to enlightenment. You also need to have the right view of emptiness. Let us add: if one wishes to achieve the highest liberation, the state of omniscience in the Great Vehicle, then one must evoke the philanthropic urge to become enlightened, called enlightenment consciousness (bodhichitta). So, the three aspects are the determination to free yourself from the cycle of rebirth, the correct view of emptiness and the altruistic mind of enlightenment - these are the main aspects of the path.
Before starting a lecture, obstacles are usually cleared. In Japan and Tibet, this is most often done by repeating the Heart Sutra (Hridaya Sutra), which contains teachings on the emptiness of inherent existence.
Then, in order to subdue evil beings and remove obstacles, it is useful to repeat the mantra about the fierce manifestation of the perfection of wisdom in female form. Usually, when we recite a mantra, we count the number of times the mantra is recited, moving the beads as a symbol of entering into the bliss that comes from repeating the mantra. However, when the purpose of recitation is to remove obstacles, the beads move in the opposite direction, symbolizing the removal of obstacles.
Next, we make a mandala offering. The meaning of this comes from the actions of the Buddha, who in past lives, while making his way, overcame many difficult trials, without caring about his body, or his family, or the opportunities available to him in order to listen and practice the teachings. As a symbol of such dedication, as well as selflessness, before hearing about the teachings of the Buddha, we will mentally sacrifice our bodies, means and sources of virtue. Offering a mandala is equivalent to offering the entire universe, formed by our collective karma and seen in magnificent radiance, filled with wonder and magic.
Whether we are giving a lecture on doctrine or listening to it, our state should be united with the awareness of refuge and the awareness of philanthropy, which consists in striving to help others. This is achieved by repeating the verse three times about refuge and the emergence of the corresponding consciousness with simultaneous reflection and meditation:
Until my very enlightenment, I go under the protection of the Buddha, the Teaching (Dharma) and the Supreme Community (Sangha).
Through the merit gained from hearing the doctrine, May I attain Buddhahood to help reborn beings.
Good or bad consequences arise from this, depending on good or evil motives. The constant action of humane thoughts is extremely important. While repeating a verse one should cultivate its meaning in meditation.
Finally, before a doctrinal lecture begins, a verse praising the Buddha and acknowledging his goodness is usually repeated. This verse is taken from Nagarjuna's treatise Fundamental Verses on the Path of the Middle (Mulamadhyamaka-karika). The custom of reading it was started by one of my teachers, Kunu Lama Den-tzin-gyel-tsen.
"I will praise Gautama Buddha,
Which is out of compassion (anukampa) (lit.: imbued with compassion)
Preached the true teaching (saddaharma),
To destroy all false views (sarvadrishti)."
Generally speaking, we have come here together because you share an interest in Buddhist doctrine, and we hope to work together to bring great peace to our lives and eliminate suffering as much as possible. Due to the fact that we have bodies, we need food, clothing, shelter, etc., but this alone is not enough. Satisfying these needs cannot fulfill the aspirations of human beings. It doesn't matter how good the physical circumstances of our life are. If there is no happiness in our minds, then anxiety, depression and the like make it impossible to feel good. We need to strive and achieve happiness mentally, and for this we need to know how to do this and how to overcome physical suffering. Therefore, the most important thing is to combine efforts to achieve external improvements with a focus on internal interests.
Western civilization has made and continues to make enormous progress in material development, but if it were possible through technology to also achieve inner happiness, then modern society would become more perfect. Without spiritual growth, we will be conquered by external things, and even though we are still called people, we will resemble parts of machines. So, in our conversation today we will discuss how to achieve happiness and perfection with the mind.
Throughout human history there have been many teachers who drew on their own experiences to advise and teach others more fruitful ways to live. I will talk about one of all these many systems of thought, namely the one that was proposed to humanity by the good teacher Shakyamuni Buddha. Within his teachings, levels of practice were described according to the abilities of his followers.
They split into two large directions, or two Vehicles: the Small (Hinayana) and the Great (Mahayana). Inside the Great Vehicle there are both sutras and mantras told by the Buddha. These two divisions differ in the elements of the Path to the attainment of Buddha bodies.
Let us add that the Buddha subsequently established four separate schools: the Great Interpretation, or Vaibhashika; Sutras or Sautrantika; Only-consciousness, or chittamatra; and the Middle Way, or Madhyamika. The teachings of these four schools represent both vehicles, as well as both the collection of sutras and the collection of tantras. These collections amount to approximately 100 volumes of texts translated into Tibetan mainly from Sanskrit. Approximately 200 volumes are interpretations of these sacred scriptures, created by Indian scholars and gradually also translated into Tibetan.
The Scriptures are divided into four main groups:
Works on the discipline, which mainly concern practical ethics common to the Lesser Vehicle, works on the cultivation of wisdom, a collection of various sutras and a body of tantric works. According to the explanations of the Vajra-panjara Tantra, the tantric system consists of four divisions, to which all tantric texts respectively belong.
They are called action tantra (kriya), vow fulfillment tantra (charya), yoga tantra and highest yoga tantra (annutara).
The Vajra Panjara Tantra says:
“The action tantras serve the lower (level of practice).
Inactive yoga (or charya) - for those who are above this.
High yoga is revealed for high beings.
The highest yoga is for those who are above them."
The texts and practices of the sutras, tantras, and the Lesser and Greater Vehicles were distributed throughout Tibet. Over time, different methods of transmission of written and spiritual heritage by individual teachers, as well as the discriminating use of certain philosophical ideas and concepts, have led to subtle differences in interpretation and application. Numerous schools have appeared in Tibet, which can generally be grouped into four main directions, leading their lines of succession from the teachings of the Buddha - these are Nyingmapa, Sakyapa, Karchzhupa and Gelukpa. Despite their superficial differences, all these schools are based on the same fundamental principles.
Tsonghawa’s essay “The Three Principal Aspects of the Path to Enlightenment,” which we will review today, is an interpretation of many stages of the spiritual path, divided into three main ones. Although this text is dedicated to the entire sacred collection, its main source is the Sutras on the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita).
In what sense are these teachings derived from the Cultivation of Wisdom Sutras? These sutras contain detailed teachings on emptiness and secret teachings on the stages of the path. Of the three major aspects of the path, the aspect that concerns the correct view of reality originates from the distinct doctrine of emptiness. In the Great Vehicle, the correct view is represented by the schools of Consciousness-Only and the Middle Way. Tsonghawa's work relies exclusively on the Middle Way system, and of its two branches, he is clearly interested in the position of the Middle Way school of reduction to the absurd (Prasangika) rather than in the views of the Self-Middle Way school (Svatantrika).
The treatise precisely sets out the view of emptiness in the school of the Middle Way of reduction to the absurd. The remaining aspects of the path - the determination to become free from cyclical existence and the altruistic consciousness of enlightenment - came from the secret teachings of the Cultivation of Wisdom Sutras, namely the path and stages of achieving a state of purity.
There are two types of interpretations on the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras.
One system of interpretation was transmitted from the bodhisattva Manjushri through Nagarjuna and consisted of detailed teachings on emptiness, and the other from the bodhisattva Maitreya through Asanga and contained secret teachings on the stages of the path. Maitreya's work "The Ornament of Clear Insight" (Abhisamaya-alamkara) is the original text explaining the secret teachings about the stages of the Path. It consists of eight chapters. The first three expound the three sublime knowledges, the next four describe the four spiritual practices, and the eighth chapter is devoted to the true Dharma Body (dharma-kaya).
A comparison of Maitreya's work with the Cultivation of Wisdom sutras shows that the latter indeed became the source of the secret teachings on the stages of the Path in the Ornament of Clear Insight.
The motivation to listen to this doctrine of the three main aspects of the Path should not be due to the desire for personal benefit, but rather to the desire to bring health and happiness to all living beings who inhabit the cosmic space, since each of them desires happiness and does not want suffering.
Now we begin to understand the text itself. In its inception, the author usually praises the highest, and this can be any of a number of objects of veneration. Here Tsonghawa expresses respect to the “outstanding holy lamas,” since the three main aspects of the Path can be realized precisely depending on the qualifications of the lama.
The high title of “Lama” in itself is not the measure of a certain Lama, for it is necessary to have good qualities associated with the title. Three words - "outstanding", "saint" and "lama" - indicate the three qualities of a lama. "Eminent" is attributed to a person who has reduced reliance on this life and is occupied primarily with the future life and deeper subjects of study. Unlike those who do not look far and are preoccupied primarily with this-worldly affairs, and who, like everyone else, are passionate about this life, an outstanding personality, or leader, looks into the distance.
"Saint" refers to one who, as a result of renunciation of all forms of cyclical existence, is not attached to any of its wondrous manifestations and seeks liberation. A holy person turns his consciousness away from external attachment to the best things of cyclic existence and focuses on the internal. In the word "lama" "la" means high and "ma" negates it, indicating lack of exaltation. Such a person is turned away from self-admiration in order to admire others, turned away from personal concerns about gain, in order to achieve the highest goal of delivering good to others;
If we apply these three words to the teachings in Tsonghawa's work "The Great Description of the Stages of the Path" ("Lamrim-chenmo"), then the word "outstanding" corresponds to the paths of a being of small abilities to manifest abilities, the word "holy" - to the paths of a being of average abilities, and the words "Lama" - with the paths of a being of enormous talent, He who masters all three levels is an "eminent holy lama." The younger Tibetan lama here connects these three words with the three levels of the Path that characterize the lama, but it is not at all necessary to strictly use these three words in this manner in all cases. It is very important to determine the context of terms in Buddhist scriptures. If we proceed from the single meaning of the term in different contexts, then this will lead to confusion and misunderstanding of the meaning of the work.
Tsonghawa pays respects to outstanding holy lamas who have the proper qualifications, thereby expressing his admiration for them. A respectful attitude is established towards them in order to produce in consciousness the three named realizations. The meaning of the Tibetan equivalent of the word "reverence", broken down into its constituent syllables, is the desire for an unchanging or unshakable state. By paying respect, Tsonghawa expresses the desire to have a strong, lasting understanding of these three subjects.
Tsonghawa trained many monks and studied with many lamas of the Nyingmapa, Sakyapa and Karchzhupa schools, and also met personally with Manjushri (celestial bodhisattva) and, thanks to his kindness, achieved the unmistakable realization of deep emptiness. Let us add that this was the most valuable instruction of Manjushri - to concisely present all the teachings about the Path from the point of view of the three most important aspects. These are the holy lamas whom Tsongkhava respectfully names at the beginning of the text.
"Respect to the eminent holy lamas."
The promise to create a text is contained in the first stanza:
“I will explain as best I can, The essential meanings of all the scriptures of the Victorious Buddha, The Path praised by the excellent children of the Victorious, The Shelter for the desired successful liberation.”
It is convenient to interpret the last three lines as referring to one thing.
In this case they would read: "...the essential meanings of all the writings of the Victor, which are the Path praised by the excellent children of the Victor, and are the shelter for the desired successful liberation". However, these lines can also be taken as each referring to three main aspects of the path. First, , represents the determination to break free from cyclical existence.
Second, , refers to the humane intention of becoming enlightened. Third, "Shelter for the desired successful release", indicates the correct view of emptiness.
How do they treat "the essential meanings of all the writings of the Conqueror" to the determination to free ourselves from cyclical existence? Tsonghawa talks about this in his essay “In Praise of Dependent Origination”:
"All your various teachings
Based solely on interdependent origination
And they serve (our) deliverance from misfortune.
You have nothing that is not directed toward peace."
All the teachings of the Buddha are for those who practically strive to achieve freedom from the cycle of rebirth. Buddha did not teach anything that was not for the benefit of the world. Since the determination to free oneself from cyclical existence forms the root of the Path, which is the infallible means of gaining freedom, it is the essential meaning of all the sacred writings of the Conqueror.
Next line, "The Path Praised by the Excellent Children of the Conqueror", contains the concept of “children of the Victorious” (jina-putra), which means bodhisattvas, or beings born from the speeches of the Victorious Buddha.
The path they praise shows an altruistic intention to become enlightened. By generating a philanthropic enlightened consciousness, one becomes a bodhisattva and is therefore able to help others.
“Shelter for the desired successful liberation” refers to the correct view of emptiness. It is by virtue of this view that we can free ourselves from cyclical existence. Aryadeva in his "Essay in 400 stanzas" ("Chatukhshataka") writes: "...the door to a world that is not secondary".
Liberation is achieved only after disturbing emotions etc. have been eliminated, and this must be accomplished by arising in our consciousness their effective antidote, by rightly viewing the realization of the emptiness of inherent existence and mastering it again and again. If we do not have the correct view of emptiness, then we will never be freed from the cycle of rebirth, regardless of whether we have other good qualities.
In the first stanza, Tsonghawa says that he will explain these three subjects as best he can. The meaning of these words is that either he intends to be extremely modest before composing the text, or he will do his best to explain these three subjects briefly. In fact, when Tsonghawa created “The Three Main Aspects of the Path”, he had long ago had the determination to get rid of the cycle of rebirth, and also had the philanthropic intention to become enlightened, in addition, he had developed a view of emptiness in accordance with the unusual interpretation of the school of Sequential Reduction to the absurd. He was already at the final stage of the highest yoga tantra, having reached either the first level, i.e. verbal isolation, or the second level, i.e. mental isolation. In total, according to the Guhyasamaja Tantra, there are five levels of the final stage of the highest yoga tantra.
In the next verse, Tsonghawa preaches to those who are suitable vessels for the doctrine, who are able to listen to this teaching:
Whoever withdraws from the pleasures of worldly life,
Whoever strives to make leisure and fortune worthwhile,
Whoever adheres to the Path, pleasing to the victorious Buddha.
All of them who are so fortunate should listen with a clear mind.
The three categories of persons mentioned in this verse can also be certified according to the three main aspects of the Path. Non-attachment to the pleasures of worldly existence, or withdrawal from them, refers to those who are determined to free themselves from the cycle of rebirth. Turning leisure and luck into worthwhile pursuits indicates that if one has a philanthropic intention to become enlightened, then the leisure and luck inherent in such people are used in a meaningful and worthwhile way. Those who have fallen, or set foot on the path pleasing to the victorious Buddha, are interested and believing individuals who have acquired the correct view of emptiness in the process of meditation. By taking advantage of the infallible Path leading to liberation, everyone thereby fulfills the task of the Buddha - to teach this Path. A person who is a suitable listener to this text should be filled with great interest in the depths, in the core of the three fundamental aspects of the Path of Enlightenment, so Tsonghawa said:
"Those who are so lucky should listen...
Without a final decision, definitely leave the wheel of rebirth...
There is no other way to stop the search for pleasure in the ocean of existence."
So, the thirst for the cycle of rebirth completely binds the incarnate. This means that you must first discover within yourself the determination to leave cyclical existence.
Without such absolute determination there is no other way to stop the desire to experience pleasure in the ocean of existence. This thirst draws into the cycle of existence and completely binds beings, as is demonstrated today by all those who have bodies. Therefore, in order to enter the path of enlightenment, it is important to develop the boundless determination to certainly escape the circle of rebirth. As Aryadeva says: “How could anyone not be inspired by such a goal as to become peaceful?”.
A person who is not discouraged when looking at the phenomena of cyclical existence is not able to develop or evoke in himself a striving for liberation and peace.
Being absorbed in such thoughts is the most necessary thing for understanding the steps towards liberation and the shortcomings of worldly existence.
Dharmakirti (7th century Mahayana teacher) describes the cycle of existence as the burden of mental and physical aggregates (skandha), which are under the influence of polluted actions and passions.
Hence, the rotation of being is not a certain place or sphere, for it is identified with ourselves. Therefore, our aggregates, that is, our bodies and types of our consciousness, are the result of past polluted deeds and exciting emotions, and we have no power over them. This means that despite our desire for happiness and desire to avoid suffering, our minds and bodies are controlled by our previous activities and passions. Therefore, many unwanted troubles block our way in life, and we so lack the happiness that we crave. Since we have acquired such polluted aggregates in the past, they serve as the basis for the suffering we are experiencing now, and will also cause suffering in the future.
We greatly value what we consider our own. We say “my body” or “my mental and physical complexes” and admire them enormously. However, what is sweet to us is actually of the nature of suffering. Although we do not desire birth, aging, illness or death, these unwanted troubles come due to the polluted mental and physical complexes that we value so highly.
In order to alleviate suffering, we must ask, is there a technique for eliminating polluted bodily and mental complexes? Did these aggregates arise causally or did they arise without cause? If they did not depend on causes, then they would be unchangeable, but we know that they change, and this indicates their dependence on causes. Each of the mental and physical aggregates has corresponding essential causes and attendant conditions. Our minds are influenced by exciting emotions and involve us in actions, which in turn create predispositions that set in motion the wheel of future rebirths. This is the process of pollution that forms our mental and physical complexes, which are the nature of suffering.
We now have the mental and physical aggregates, and we continue to have them when we achieve Buddhahood. But the causation of the mental and physical complexes of cyclic existence is rooted in the process of defilement arising from the uncontrolled mind and the actions caused by it. Therefore, it is possible to separate the mental and physical aggregates from the causes of the process of pollution and thereby from the nature of suffering, and then the human integrity will remain in pure form.
In order to remove the aggregates that are under the influence of polluted actions and passions and are therefore suffering in nature, it is necessary to stop the new accumulation of polluted actions (karma), and also to stop feeding the tainted karma that has already been accumulated previously. To do this, you need to eliminate disturbing emotions.
There are many different types of the latter. Vasubandhu in his book "Treasury of Knowledge" ("Abhidharmakosha") says: "The roots of the cycle of rebirth are the six subtle sources of pollution". The same text talks about five views and five non-views. These five views are then compressed into one, which, combined with the five unseen and sorrows, forms the six root disasters; desire, anger, pride, doubt, sadness and confusion. The source of all these troubles is ignorance.
Ignorance can be defined in various ways. From the point of view of the highest doctrine of the Middle Way school of reductio ad absurdum (Prasangika-Madhyamika), ignorance is described as a concept representing objects having an inherent existence, when in fact they do not have it. Thanks to the power of such not-knowing, other disturbing emotions arise. When we analyze whether this ignorance is a property of the nature of the mind in itself, we will discover precisely that “essentially this consciousness (chitta) is pure radiance, and the defilements in it are transitory”. This is what Dharmakirti said in his Treatise on Valid Knowledge. Thus, impurities are not inherent in the very nature of our consciousness, so they can be eliminated through an antidote.
Because of a false worldview, we are completely accustomed to believing that objects truly exist, but this view has no reliable basis. On the contrary, we must realize that phenomena have no intrinsic existence, and although we are not accustomed to this view, there are reasons to justify the non-intrinsic existence of phenomena. This position has reliable support, and by becoming familiar with the arguments that strengthen it, it is possible to achieve a state of wisdom, which is the opposite of ignorance.
Wherever ignorance and wisdom, having comprehended non-inherent existence, touch the same object of observation, that is, any phenomenon, their ways of perceiving this object will be exactly opposite. Wisdom has a certain basis and good logical evidence, while ignorance lacks certainty and is erroneous in what it perceives. This means that from our own experience we can conclude that by increasing the power of wisdom, we will weaken ignorance.
The qualities of the mind are constant as long as their activity is not distorted. There is no need to strain again to prolong their existence. Therefore, it is established that the wisdom that realizes selflessness can be created, and whoever tastes it more and more deeply will eventually grow limitlessly. When this is fully developed, wisdom will act on ignorance, that is, on that mind which perceives the opposite - inherent existence, ignorance will gradually decrease and finally disappear completely.
Thus, sorrows and defilements fade into the realm of true reality. When random defilements are extinguished, due to the power of their antidote, a purified realm of reality called liberation arises. The fact that the mind has the nature of bright light and knowledge indicates that liberation is achievable.
From another point of view, liberation comes from knowing the ultimate nature of the mind itself. It is not perceived from an external source, and is not given to us as a reward from someone else. When liberation is achieved, all sad emotions are eliminated and we become inspired by this, regardless of the content of external conditions. For this means that we will no longer be subject to any sad emotions and will not accumulate any new karma.
The process of liberation depends on the removal of “unhelpful” emotions, the main one of which is ignorance; removal, in turn, depends on the production of an antidote, namely wisdom. Wisdom arises from the determination to free oneself from the cycle of rebirth, and without such determination, liberation is impossible. Therefore, it is extremely important initially to develop the intention to leave cyclical existence. If you see defectiveness and harmfulness in it, then it will lose its attractiveness for you and contribute to the emergence of aspirations to free yourself from it. By cultivating such a strong-willed mood, you will achieve success in technical exercises to move away from the cycle of existence.
The next stanza describes how to exercise this attitude:
Leisure and luck must be hard to find
And life is not that long.
A good knowledge of this turns the interest in the beauties of this life in the opposite direction.
Good knowledge of the fact that "leisure and luck must be hard to find, and life is not that long", and then our usual interest in the appearances of this life turns the other way. In this text, the determination to escape the cycle of rebirth is created through a two-stage reflection: first on the elimination of interest in the manifestations of this life, and then on the elimination of interest in the possibilities of future births. Tsonghawa in his book “The Great Description of the Stages of the Path” (“Lamrim-chenmo”) talks about practices for beings with small and medium abilities, as well as the temporary fruits these practices bring them, but all this is discussed separately. However, here, in the essay "Three Principal Aspects", these practices are combined with a single plan to develop the intention to leave cyclical existence.
There is no point in being attached to this life. It doesn't matter how long we live. Even if we can live for about 100 years, we will still have to die in the end, losing this valuable human life. But exactly when this will happen is unclear; it could happen at any time. The main thing is that this life will fall apart, and it doesn’t matter how much property you had - it will not help you.
No amount of wealth can buy prolongation of life. It doesn't matter how much money you have saved or whether you keep it in the bank, but on the day of your death nothing will help you. In this respect, the death of a millionaire and the death of a wild animal are the same. Although life requires some sources, of course, they are not the ultimate goal of achievement. So, despite material wealth and prosperity, many types of suffering exist because we live an ordinary human life, which brings misfortune in various ways.
Is the very nature of human life miserable? And is it really that permanent? In the present circumstances, being under the control of conditioning, we have already experienced that the very nature of life is sad. However, with the help of the proposed reasoning, which proves the possibility of achieving liberation, we can see that the causes that produce disasters can be overcome by separating the mind from unfavorable emotions. Thus, it is clear that hardship is not necessarily inherent in human existence.
If we can put human intelligence to good use, we can gain something very valuable. When we are concerned exclusively with the affairs of this life, then the real opportunity to use the powerful human brain that we already possess will be squandered. Just like the desire to acquire something insignificant, using the human mind to achieve something insignificant is also very sad. Realizing the weakness of such action, we need to develop the view that it would be foolish to focus solely on the concerns of this life. And this emphasis will gradually weaken due to the improvement of the position on decisively leaving the cycle of existence.
By renouncing this life, we are not simply neglecting the needs of life, such as hunger, but we are trying to reduce our attachment to needs, limiting them to this life. Moreover, not only this life, but all the amazing prosperity and limitless possibilities of cyclical existence are also suffering in nature, and they will certainly degenerate. Although everyone can expect a better life in the future, after this one he will be born again and again, but there is no certainty that future lives will be better.
Thus, it is necessary not only to reduce our interest in the beauties of this life, but also to interrupt our attachment to future births. The thought must constantly arise in our minds that a life spent in the grip of dirty deeds and sorrows is devoid of essence, spineless.
Tsongkhava states:
If you think again and again
About actions and their inevitable consequences,
And the sufferings of the cycle of existence,
That interest in its possible manifestations
It will be reversed in future incarnations.
There are countless rebirths ahead of us, both good and bad. The consequences of karma (deeds) are inevitable, and in previous lives we have accumulated negative karma, which will inevitably affect this or future lives. Just like someone whose crime is proven by the police will eventually be caught and punished, we must inevitably face the consequences of the wrong actions we committed in the old days, even if we are not yet in prison. One day we accumulated the preconditions for suffering due to our non-virtuous deeds in the past.
There is no way to avoid punishment; what has been done cannot be undone, and we must finally experience the consequences.
We are not able to eliminate the negative karma that has accumulated through past unworthy actions and is now already present in embryonic form in our own consciousness, so do not expect to wait for absolutely wonderful rebirths in which you would avoid the inevitable suffering of the cycle of existence. Not only this, but even if we check the better side of cyclical existence, we will find that it also does not pass beyond the nature of suffering, beyond deterioration.
Life is darkened by three types of suffering: suffering from pain, suffering from change and the all-pervasive suffering from conditioning.
By analyzing the inevitable consequences of previous erroneous actions, as well as the nature of suffering even in the wonderful births of the cycle of existence, we can reduce attachment to this and future lives, developing a consciousness of the need to achieve liberation. From the combination of these two ideas: to overcome interest in this life and its beauties, as well as interest in the delights of rebirths in general, the determination to free yourself from cyclical existence will arise.
What attracts us to suffering? This is the rebellious mind, that is, what is not outside, but inside our mental integrity. The latter is given to us in the manifestations of unfavorable emotions affecting our minds, and thereby we are drawn into committing various erroneous acts. In the naturally pure realm of the true nature of consciousness, certain ideas arise, and due to their power, we are drawn into wrong actions that lead to suffering. With great attention and care we need to make these ideas disappear, plunging them back into the unmanifested realm of the nature of consciousness, which is like clouds crowding in the sky and then scattering again into heavenly purity.
In this case, the erroneous actions resulting from such ideas will cease. As Milarepa says: "...If it arises, it arises from space itself, if it disappears, then it disappears back into space". We need to know well the state of things themselves, comprehending what is delusion and what is not, and be able to bring these ideas back into the realm of undivided reality.
Happiness comes from peace of mind, without peace of mind there is no path to happiness. The basis of this is the conscious determination to free yourself from cyclical existence. The Buddhist scriptures explain that consciousness has no beginning, and hence the rebirths of each of us have no beginning. In terms of rational knowledge, this is expressed as follows: in no case can consciousness serve as a substantial cause of matter, and in no case can matter serve as a substantial cause of consciousness. The only thing that can serve as the essential cause of consciousness is past consciousness. Through this reasoning, views of past and future existences are established.
We will immediately agree on future incarnations. It is clear that it does not matter at all how great your fortune and so on in this life. Even if you are a billionaire, when you die, you will not take a single penny with you on your last journey. It also doesn't matter how many friends you have, because in the end you won't be able to invite any of them with you. What goes with you helps you, and this is the power of your own virtue, your good deeds.
Therefore, it is very dangerous to be one hundred percent involved in matters limited to the perspective of present life. Although it would be impractical to devote all your time to spiritual subjects, it would help in future incarnations. A good idea is to devote 50% of your energy to the concerns of this life, and another 50% to deeper topics.
We have to live, and we have a stomach that needs to be filled. But the maximum duration of this life is at best 100 years, which is a very short period in comparison with the series of future rebirths. So it is worth thinking about your future lives and it is worth preparing for them, little by little reducing the preoccupation of the mind with the affairs of this life.
And if this is not so, when do we test the delights of cyclical existence and find that they are indeed suffering in nature? They are not, because no matter how long we use them, they are always pleasant. For example, if you have many houses and you are alone, then by using one house you leave others empty. Then you move to another of the houses, and the first one remains unused. Likewise, if you have a lot of money and keep a huge amount of food at home, then you still have only one mouth and one stomach. You cannot eat more than one person can eat. If you eat enough food to feed two, you will die. Really, it's better to set limits from the beginning and be satisfied.
If you are not satisfied, but are greedy, desiring this and desiring that, then there is no way in which all desires can be fulfilled.
Even if you had power over the whole world, this would not be enough. The desire cannot be fulfilled. Moreover, when you crave again and again, you encounter many obstacles, disappointments, troubles and difficulties. A great desire not only has no end, but also creates trouble itself.
Pleasure and pain are consequences. Such pleasure and painful change indicate that they depend on causes. If they are causally determined, then the happiness you desire is achieved by creating the corresponding causes, and unwanted suffering is eliminated by destroying the corresponding causes. If there is a cause of suffering in your integrity, then even without wanting this suffering, you will be tested by it.
Since pleasure and pain are in the chain of cause and effect, we can know what awaits us in the future. For future incarnations depend on the activities and thoughts that occupy us now. Looking at it this way, we can see that every minute we are accumulating a lot of karma, or deeds, that will affect our rebirths in the future. From this we must conclude that if we do not apply the method of stopping the causes that set the cycle of existence in motion, then there is no end to suffering.
Studying this, we find that our mental and physical aggregates, which are under the control of polluted deeds and sorrows, are phenomena whose nature is suffering. The past causes of our aggregates are impure. In terms of their present existence, the mind and body serve as the basis for suffering, and in terms of the future, they stimulate the test of suffering in later incarnations.
At the very beginning we experience suffering at birth, then during childhood. At the end of life, in old age, physical flabbiness comes, the inability to move well, see, hear, all this is combined with many inconveniences and pains, and in the end the suffering of death awaits us. Between the sufferings of birth and death, we undergo various types of suffering such as illness, not getting what we want, getting what we don't want, etc. Therefore, these mind-body complexes are the basis of suffering.
Is this teaching pessimistic? not at all. Because you acknowledge the existence of suffering, you make efforts to overcome it. For example, you work hard for five days of the week so that you can earn more salary to create more comfort, etc. Therefore, your efforts at the beginning of your working life are enormous and are aimed at enabling you to live a happy life later. You make sacrifices for greater comfort.
As your recognition of suffering increases, you will come much closer to the state of liberation from suffering. This means that you do not need to find pleasure in anticipating the possibilities of future lives for a given type of body and mind that is under the influence of polluted actions and unfavorable emotions. Rather, you need to seek a state in which the aggregates underlying suffering disappear completely. The space of reality in which the defilements that cause suffering are eliminated is called liberation.
We should turn away not only from the attraction of the delights of this life, but also from the attraction of the Expected beauties of cyclical existence in future incarnations. As long as we are made up of these polluted aggregates, there is no hope of finding true peace. By reflecting in this way on the failures of the cycle of rebirth, one can develop the urge to step out of this cycle into a state of liberation.
In this kind of research it is necessary to advance by combining analytical meditation and meditation to create a stable balance. First of all, analytically study the reasons for the determination to leave cyclical existence, and then, when some conviction comes, without reasoning, stabilize what you have understood. When your understanding begins to weaken, return to analytical meditation, then again immerse yourself in stability meditation, etc.
What is the measure of the fact that after practicing meditation you have created a completely complete determination to leave the cycle of existence? If, while meditating in this way, you do not feel elation, even for a moment, about prosperity in cyclic existence, and if the state of seeking liberation does not leave you day or night, then you are definitely planning to leave the cycle of rebirth.
If, having overcome both the interest in the appearance of this life and the attraction to the delights of cyclical existence in general through the repetition and mastery of these thoughts, you both spontaneously and consistently seek freedom from the cycle of existence, and not for a moment becoming attached to thoughts about things and not whispering to yourself, “This is wonderful,” or, “I must have this,” or, “Oh, if only I could have this,” etc., then you have created a perfect and qualified determination to free yourself from cycle of rebirths.
This approach, to be truly effective, must be actually done, not just talked about. Shantideva wrote in his essay “Entering the Path to Enlightenment”:
“Is it possible to help a patient just by reading about a method of healing?” It is not enough to read about medications, they must be taken internally to get well. It is easy to give a lecture on doctrine or hear it spoken about, but difficult to practice it. Without effective practice of the teachings there is no other way to achieve good results. If the cause is only a verbal interpretation, then there can be no effect. When we are hungry, we need real food. Mere descriptions of French delicacies or Chinese food products cannot feed us. Buddha preached: “I show you the Path of liberation, but know that liberation itself depends on you.”.
At first, it may seem that these Buddhist ideas we have heard and discussed here are very unusual and unlikely to be achievable.
However, Shantideva in the same work "Bodhicharya Avatara" says:
"There is nothing to do
It would be difficult to get used to."
There's nothing that you can't eventually achieve as you get used to it. All these states can be gradually created with increasing awareness of them. The testing of these teachings must be done within you over time. As Buddha said in one of the tantras (in my retelling): “If you practice what I have spoken about and cannot achieve results, then what I have said is a lie.”. Therefore, the first thing is to practice and gain experience. In this way you will come to understand the truth of Buddhist teachings.
Here ends the section on creating determination for liberation from cyclical existence: its reasons, methods of generating this determination and the extent of its perfection. The second and three main aspects of the Path are the humane intention to become enlightened. According to Tsonghawa, the determination to leave the cycle of existence must be combined with an altruistic urge for enlightenment. Without combining these two aspects, their practice will not serve as the basis for becoming a Buddha. The next stanza makes an argument for improving the philanthropic attitude:
So, if the idea of decisively leaving the cycle of life is not combined with the emergence of an all-consuming desire for the highest enlightenment, then there will be no source of the amazing bliss of unsurpassed enlightenment. Therefore, the mind should generate the supreme altruistic intention of becoming enlightened.
The humane motive for enlightenment, or enlightened consciousness (bodhichitta), is a special attitude towards seeking your own complete enlightenment as a Buddha for the sake of sentient beings. The benefit of sentient beings is your main object of intention. In order to generate such an attitude, it is necessary to develop great compassion, which observes living beings and wishes them liberation from suffering and its causes. To generate such a state, one must reflect on why creatures suffer. This is done by extending to others the way of understanding suffering that you developed through your own example as you refined your determination to liberate yourself from cyclical existence.
The next two verses describe ways to develop the altruistic intention of becoming enlightened, and first sketch out the troubles and suffering that are characteristic of the cycle of rebirth:
(All ordinary beings) are held together by the integrity of the four powerful streams, And are bound by tight bonds of action, which are difficult to resist, And have entered the iron cage of the fetters of selfhood (inherent existence), And are completely besotted by the impenetrable darkness of ignorance, And are born in the cycle of existence that has no beginning, no end, and in those incarnations they are constantly tormented by three sufferings.
Thinking this way about the situation of mothers who have entered such a state, Generate the highest altruistic intention to become enlightened.
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"Vimalaikirti Sutra" - The Universal Path to Enlightenment The spirit and doctrine of the Mahayana are most clearly and attractively expressed in the "Vimalaikirti Sutra". There are many Chinese and Japanese commentaries on this work. The most famous interpreter was the Prince Regent and
The path to creating your own family, or the path to the grihastha ashram “The fact that we see so few successful marriages just testifies to the value and importance of marriage.” Michel de Montaigne In fact, the path to the grihastha ashram begins with a family in which a person was born and raised. And not
Lecture 4 The Flood and the “Set in Stone.” The path of the righteous and the path
PART TWO THREE PATHS TO ENLIGHTENMENT
CHAPTER FIVE. INSTRUCTION IN THE PRACTICES OF SPIRITUAL IMPROVEMENT FOR BEINGS STRIVING FOR ENLIGHTENMENT (BODHISATTV) 1Thus, one who has passed the rite of ordination as a monk* from the very beginning [Should acquire] the high fruits that the training practices bear**. Then
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