Our life on earth in this human life can be compartmentalized into three processes or gross states: First, our waking state in which we go to work, do domestic chores, experience enjoyment and do other worldly activities. Second, is our sleeping state which comprises sleep and dream states. And third, the state or process of dying which comprises the sub-processes of cessation of outer and inner respiration, intermediate state and after life.
‘Kaya’ means body. However, when we use this term in Buddhist tradition we do not really refer it to as any physical body or form. It is referred to as dimension, aspect or field. It can also be called bardo, meaning transition or simply a transitory or ‘inbetween’ moment. (‘Bar’: interim, ‘do’: present). Let us briefly explore their meanings.
• Dharma-kaya: The Buddha body of Reality: This is the true nature of our mind, ‘empty’ and unadulterated in anyway. The absolute state or the ground of our being or absolute truth.
• Sambhoga-kaya: The Buddha body of Perfect Resource: This state is the rich, abundant, radiant and resonant nature of our base mind.
• Nirmana-kaya: The Buddha body of Emanation: This refers to the unimpeded arising of our mind in whatever form it may manifest into.
It is amazing to see how these three ‘bodies’, states or bardos are with us all the time and during all the three states of waking, sleeping and dying. If we actually playback this is slow motion or in tiny sections we observe so:
Waking State: We usually associate this state with either everyday activity and/or during meditative practice where we maybe actually observing rising and falling of thoughts and emotions. After the passing of one thought or emotion and before another arises, there is a state which is pure and fresh. There is a possibility here to catch a glimpse of the true nature of our mind. This is the Dharmakaya state. However, this state does not last long. There is a stirring of energy in the mind and another possibility of thought or emotion arises. This is the Sambhogakaya state. And finally this latent possibility can arise into any form of thought or emotion as we begin to cling on to this arising energy. This is the Nirmanakaya state.
Sleeping state: When we fall asleep our various levels of gross conscious states dissolve slowly and the true nature of mind, our base mind opens before us as the Dharmakaya state. Then there is a brief period when we are actually asleep and just before dreams begin to manifest. This is a very subtle experience as many of us are unable to recognize when exactly we fall asleep and the moment at which dream state begins. This is the intermediate stage of Sambhogakaya. As dreams begin – something that many of us don’t know when exactly this happens after we fall asleep – there are many fantasies, experiences that we may go through. Some of these are driven by occurances of the waking state and we live them actively in our dream as though real. The Nirmanakaya state.
Dying process: Although one might argue as to how it is possible to ‘see’ or experience what state of our mind is when we are dying or dead, the fact is that the three dimensions are miraculously revealed at that time too! At the moment of death, when our inner respiration stops there is a moment when the nature of mind (emptiness) is revealed to us as Dharmakaya. Thereafter, as Sambhogakaya, the radiance of the intermediate state through light, colour and sound manifests. And finally, the formation and manifestation of the Nirmanakaya or creation in after life or that of becoming manifests.
It is clear therefore that each state, in both life and death, there exists exactly identical and unending opportunities to be able to release ourselves from conditioned existence towards Nirvana or continue in its state of confusion in Samsara. By this argument, it is further clear that life and death are therefore seamless experiences, one cascading into the other continuously, propelled by our karma.
The task before us is to recognize these intermediate states by getting some control over our minds and maintain continued awareness over it, work on these recognitions continuously, with the help of teachings and practices. In doing so, the doors of liberation will certainly open.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
MEDITATING ON VAJRASATTVA: A POWERFUL CLEANSING PRACTICE
(Speaking Tree paper, 20.02.2011)
Pic-1
Pic-2
There is nothing good about bad actions of body, speech and mind except that they can be overcome through confession, say the teachings of ancient masters. And it goes on to further add that mere confession without the support of the four powers will bring little benefit.
Our minds are obscured by numerous obstacles. Just as we cannot see the blue sky with clouds covering it or we cannot see clearly into a mirror which is greasy or dusty, so also we are unable to reflect on our true, pure Buddha nature unless we cleanse ourselves of the obscurations. There are four kinds of obscurations that we need to clean up or cut through to see our true minds. These are:
• Karmic Obscurations: These are accumulated over several lifetimes and many of them we play innocent host to without even realizing their harmful existence within us
• Habitual Tendencies: These are ones which are our shackled responses to given stimuli or patters that we have become ‘used to’ without realizing their harmful nature
• Perceptions: Our forever conceptualizing mind as perceived by the inputs through our senses
• Negative Emotions: The five poisons within us: Anger, Greed, Pride, Ignorance, and Envy.
The challenge is in the purification of these obscurations. Surely, when we say that these can be overcome through confession, no confession is complete without the four powers. More importantly, it is of little use if we confess with the support of these powers and then go on to repeat those very same negative acts and confess over and over again the same thing! It’s never going to work.
The Four Powers:
The Power of Support: This support comes from taking refuge in the Bodhisattva of Purification, Vajrasattva, and by arousing the bodhichitta, the Buddha mind within us. Confession without bodhichitta may reduce your defects and faults but will not purify them totally still leaving you in the peril of lower realm rebirth, said the Buddha.
The Power of Regret: This power comes from the feeling of remorse for all the negative actions we may have done in the past without holding back or justifying. To think of those acts as something shameful. To view them with utter trepidation.
The Power of Resolution: This power stems from the fact that we bring to mind the wrongs we may have done and resolve with determination never to do it again, now that we know the good from the bad.
The Power of Action as Antidote: Every kind of negative action has an antidote. So we may undertake all those things that act as anti-dote to the harmful actions we have done.
The Actual Practice of Meditation on Vajrasattava:
We sit in the normal lotus posture and visualize a thousand petal open white lotus about two feet high above our head with the full disc of the moon. From the centre of this emanates the illuminating syllable ‘hum’ in white colour. The syllable instantaneously changes into our root teacher, the embodiment of compassion, who appears as Vajrasattva, white and bedazzling. With one face and two arms, he adorns all the five silken garments and the eight jewels. In his left hand resting on the thigh is the bell (method) and in the right is the five pronged vajra (mind) He is in divine union with his spiritual consort Vajratopa, also white and as dazzling light. This is the power of support.
Now as power of regret we bring to mind all the negative things we may have done and pray with all our heart to cleanse all such past and present actions and feel utmost remorse having done them. Our body breaks into goose bumps as we feel this remorse. And by the compassion of the teacher, we seek to be cleansed of all of them that very instant!
Now we visualize the letter hum in the heart of Vajrasattva and the hundred syllable mantra around them in a circular fashion. From each of the syllable drops of nectar representing wisdom and compassion flow down and emerges from the point of union of the deity and consort and enter into us from the crown of our head and other sentient beings. Like mud being washed away by water, our physical illness as rotten blood and pus, negative forces as snakes, spiders and scorpions and harmful actions as black liquid and smoke flow out of our bodies. The earth beneath us opens up and Death appears personified by all those who you have wronged. The impurities flow into their open mouths and when satiated the earth closes again. The white nectar continues to flow down the crown of your head and fills the entire body. You feel immense joy as you are fully purified. The four kayas are established into you too. Then Vajrasattava dissolves into you as melting as light and you transform into Vajrasattva yourself.
OM VAJRA SATTVA HUM (or "OM BENZA SATTO HUNG" in Tibetan) visualization
See Pic-2
The ‘hum’ now glows in your heart as a blue syllable with om in white in front, vajra in yellow to the left, sa as red behind and tva in green on the right. As we recite ‘Om Vajra Sattva Hum’ five rays of light shoot towards the sky towards the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas with goddesses at the tips of the light beams with offerings to them. The Buddhas are pleased and shower rays of light back on you. These light rays then shoot below you to purify all the other beings across the other realms purifying them. They are all transformed into Vajrasattvas in the five colours and all of them are chanting ‘Om Vajra Sattva Hum’. Our Buddhfield now is the entire universe.
Finally, the universe dissolves into the beings, who then dissolves into you, you dissolve from outward to inward into yourself, which then dissolves into the om, the om dissolves into vajra, the vajra dissolves into sa, the sa dissolves into tva. The tva then dissolves into the various parts of the syllable hum beginning from the bottom and ending at the top (nada). see pic below
The nada then vanishes into space freeing you from conceptualizations and perceptions.
Stay in that state for a while. When thoughts arise, see the universe as the Buddhafield and dedicate the merit saying “By the merit of this practice may i swiftly attain the level of Vajrasatava’. (meaning to say : may i quickly get purified)
This is a powerful purification practice for which concentration is required all throughout without distraction. As mentioned earlier, once we confess and purify ourselves thru this practice, it would be unwise to repeat the same mistakes of body, speech and mind again.
TIBETAN SYLLABLE 'HUNG' AND ITS PARTS
See Pic-1
(HUNG represents the wisdom mind of the Buddhas. It acts like a propellant to the mantra proclaiming as though to say ‘So be it!’ or ‘Tathasthu' in Sanskrit)
Pic-1
Pic-2
There is nothing good about bad actions of body, speech and mind except that they can be overcome through confession, say the teachings of ancient masters. And it goes on to further add that mere confession without the support of the four powers will bring little benefit.
Our minds are obscured by numerous obstacles. Just as we cannot see the blue sky with clouds covering it or we cannot see clearly into a mirror which is greasy or dusty, so also we are unable to reflect on our true, pure Buddha nature unless we cleanse ourselves of the obscurations. There are four kinds of obscurations that we need to clean up or cut through to see our true minds. These are:
• Karmic Obscurations: These are accumulated over several lifetimes and many of them we play innocent host to without even realizing their harmful existence within us
• Habitual Tendencies: These are ones which are our shackled responses to given stimuli or patters that we have become ‘used to’ without realizing their harmful nature
• Perceptions: Our forever conceptualizing mind as perceived by the inputs through our senses
• Negative Emotions: The five poisons within us: Anger, Greed, Pride, Ignorance, and Envy.
The challenge is in the purification of these obscurations. Surely, when we say that these can be overcome through confession, no confession is complete without the four powers. More importantly, it is of little use if we confess with the support of these powers and then go on to repeat those very same negative acts and confess over and over again the same thing! It’s never going to work.
The Four Powers:
The Power of Support: This support comes from taking refuge in the Bodhisattva of Purification, Vajrasattva, and by arousing the bodhichitta, the Buddha mind within us. Confession without bodhichitta may reduce your defects and faults but will not purify them totally still leaving you in the peril of lower realm rebirth, said the Buddha.
The Power of Regret: This power comes from the feeling of remorse for all the negative actions we may have done in the past without holding back or justifying. To think of those acts as something shameful. To view them with utter trepidation.
The Power of Resolution: This power stems from the fact that we bring to mind the wrongs we may have done and resolve with determination never to do it again, now that we know the good from the bad.
The Power of Action as Antidote: Every kind of negative action has an antidote. So we may undertake all those things that act as anti-dote to the harmful actions we have done.
The Actual Practice of Meditation on Vajrasattava:
We sit in the normal lotus posture and visualize a thousand petal open white lotus about two feet high above our head with the full disc of the moon. From the centre of this emanates the illuminating syllable ‘hum’ in white colour. The syllable instantaneously changes into our root teacher, the embodiment of compassion, who appears as Vajrasattva, white and bedazzling. With one face and two arms, he adorns all the five silken garments and the eight jewels. In his left hand resting on the thigh is the bell (method) and in the right is the five pronged vajra (mind) He is in divine union with his spiritual consort Vajratopa, also white and as dazzling light. This is the power of support.
Now as power of regret we bring to mind all the negative things we may have done and pray with all our heart to cleanse all such past and present actions and feel utmost remorse having done them. Our body breaks into goose bumps as we feel this remorse. And by the compassion of the teacher, we seek to be cleansed of all of them that very instant!
Now we visualize the letter hum in the heart of Vajrasattva and the hundred syllable mantra around them in a circular fashion. From each of the syllable drops of nectar representing wisdom and compassion flow down and emerges from the point of union of the deity and consort and enter into us from the crown of our head and other sentient beings. Like mud being washed away by water, our physical illness as rotten blood and pus, negative forces as snakes, spiders and scorpions and harmful actions as black liquid and smoke flow out of our bodies. The earth beneath us opens up and Death appears personified by all those who you have wronged. The impurities flow into their open mouths and when satiated the earth closes again. The white nectar continues to flow down the crown of your head and fills the entire body. You feel immense joy as you are fully purified. The four kayas are established into you too. Then Vajrasattava dissolves into you as melting as light and you transform into Vajrasattva yourself.
OM VAJRA SATTVA HUM (or "OM BENZA SATTO HUNG" in Tibetan) visualization
See Pic-2
The ‘hum’ now glows in your heart as a blue syllable with om in white in front, vajra in yellow to the left, sa as red behind and tva in green on the right. As we recite ‘Om Vajra Sattva Hum’ five rays of light shoot towards the sky towards the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas with goddesses at the tips of the light beams with offerings to them. The Buddhas are pleased and shower rays of light back on you. These light rays then shoot below you to purify all the other beings across the other realms purifying them. They are all transformed into Vajrasattvas in the five colours and all of them are chanting ‘Om Vajra Sattva Hum’. Our Buddhfield now is the entire universe.
Finally, the universe dissolves into the beings, who then dissolves into you, you dissolve from outward to inward into yourself, which then dissolves into the om, the om dissolves into vajra, the vajra dissolves into sa, the sa dissolves into tva. The tva then dissolves into the various parts of the syllable hum beginning from the bottom and ending at the top (nada). see pic below
The nada then vanishes into space freeing you from conceptualizations and perceptions.
Stay in that state for a while. When thoughts arise, see the universe as the Buddhafield and dedicate the merit saying “By the merit of this practice may i swiftly attain the level of Vajrasatava’. (meaning to say : may i quickly get purified)
This is a powerful purification practice for which concentration is required all throughout without distraction. As mentioned earlier, once we confess and purify ourselves thru this practice, it would be unwise to repeat the same mistakes of body, speech and mind again.
TIBETAN SYLLABLE 'HUNG' AND ITS PARTS
See Pic-1
(HUNG represents the wisdom mind of the Buddhas. It acts like a propellant to the mantra proclaiming as though to say ‘So be it!’ or ‘Tathasthu' in Sanskrit)
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