While there may be various methods and paths in the tradition of buddhadharmāḥ (teaching of the Buddha), Acharya Lhakpa pointed out that their intention is the same: obtaining the state of buddhahood. What role does meditation play and what is the practice of wisdom from the perspective of the heroic path of a bodhisattva? This is shown by Ngulchu Tokmé in verses 29 and 30 of his 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva.
Calm-abiding Meditation: Letting Go of Resistance
At the beginning of our practice of śamatha (calm-abiding meditation), we connect with the aspiration to obtain genuine freedom and wellbeing for the sake of all beings, and carefully pay attention to our posture of body. During this session, the emphasis was on the way we relate to the things appearing to our senses, be it seemingly outer objects or what we experience on the inside.
Whatever appears, in the practice of śamatha we do not resist. In other words, we accept or embrace whatever appears to mind and bring our attention back to this present moment. In this way, we can tame and train the mind in order to perfect the actions (pāramitās) of a bodhisattva.
Three Vehicles: Different Methods, Same Intention
As a dharma practitioner, we may come across different teachings and methods. Sometimes it may even seem that they are contradictory. However, our resident teacher, Acharya Lhakpa, stressed, “no matter how many different methods are taught, their intention is the same.” This intention is expressed by the following words of Buddha Śākyamuni, as recorded in the Sūtras:
“Know suffering. Abandon the causes of suffering. Attain the result. Rely on the path.”
This is the basic shared principle of the three vehicles–Hīnayāna, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna. At the same time, the focus or outlook and method of these three is different:
- On the path of the Hīnayāna, the focus is to be personally liberated from the suffering of saṃsāra;
- On the path of the Mahāyāna, we not only seek individual liberation but seek complete enlightenment for the benefit of everyone;
- On the path of the Vajrayāna, enlightenment is taught to be present already, right here, and not something to be attained at a later time. The focus here is: How to recognize or reveal that?
So, while the destination of the path can be considered the same, the methods, and therefore the paths, are somewhat different.
Śamatha (calm-abiding) and Vipaśyanā (special insight)
With this understanding in mind, Acharya turned towards verse 29 of Ngulchu Tokmé’s 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, which reads:
“Knowing that through superior insight endowed with thorough calm abiding;
The mental afflictions are completely subdued,
To meditate with the concentration that perfectly goes beyond
The four formless states is the practice of a bodhisattva.”(Quoted from: A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg)
This verse shows the fifth pāramitā: meditative absorption or concentration. While the different vehicles contain many meditation techniques, these can be all grouped together under two types of meditation: śamatha (calm-abiding) and vipaśyanā (special insight). Referring to the etymological meaning of the Sanskrit terms, Acharya explained these as follows:
- Calm-abiding or meditative calm means that we do not get distracted by outer objects like forms, sounds, smells, and so forth, nor by the afflictive emotions that disturbs us within. While we usually think we are in control of our own mind, when we start to engage in the practice of śamatha, we discover that we don’t really have a good sense of the working and nature of the mind. Through regular practice, even if just five or ten minutes a day, we will increasingly be able to concentrate and abide in a state of calmness.
- The technique called Special Insight means we start to analyze reality. Are the objects of our senses, like a pen we can see with our eyes, inherently existent and truly established? If we look carefully, we will be able to discover that things are not as they appear. We will realize that all phenomena are dependent upon one another, and the names we attach to them are merely imputations. This is true for something we label as pen, be it long or short, as well as whom we consider enemies and friends, including yourself!
In all three vehicles, these two types of meditation need to be practiced together.
The Four Formless States
Combining Calm-Abiding and Special Insight, the ability of the mind to concentrate and remain on the same object over long periods of time, will increase and take us to the four formless states referenced by Ngulchu Tokmé. These are states of concentration of meditative absorption in which we perceive phenomena differently than usual:
- The sense field of infinite space;
- The sense field of infinite consciousness;
- The sense field of nothing-at-all, and;
- Neither perception nor non-perception.
While the practice of śamatha and vipaśyanā will enable us to move to these higher states of meditative absorption, Acharya emphasized that these are all still within the world of suffering. The practice of a bodhisattva, he explained, is to go even further and leave saṃsāra behind completely. This is why Ngulchu Tokmé writes that “to meditate with the concentration that perfectly goes beyond / the four formless states is the practice of a bodhisattva.”
Preliminary or Preparations for Prajñā (Wisdom)
In the next verse, verse 30, Ngulchu Tokmé points to the sixth and last perfection: prajñā (wisdom or superior knowledge):
“Without prajñā, the five pāramitās
Cannot accomplish perfect enlightenment.
Therefore, to meditate on the prajñā that is endowed with means
And does not conceive the three spheres is the practice of a bodhisattva.”
While prajñā is taught to be the most important pāramitā and what we are ultimately looking for, Acharya pointed out that this verse shows that there is no chance for wisdom to arise without meditation. Therefore, he said, we can think of meditation as the preliminary or preparatory practice which is indispensable.
Furthermore, as pointed out in earlier sessions, for meditation to go well, we need to perfect diligence first. Diligence will only come about through the practice of patience. Patience, in turn, depends on discipline. Before discipline, first of all, we need to engage in the perfection of generosity. Thus, wisdom depends on all the preceding five pāramitās. “Without them,” Acharya said, “we will not be able to attain wisdom.”
Transcending the Three Spheres
Understanding the practice of the bodhisattvas in this way, the last two lines of the verse on prajñā also show the main purpose of dharma practice: The realization of the wisdom of selflessness.
First of all, we need to understand what is meant by the three spheres. Illustrating this with links that are connected with each other and becoming a chain that binds us to saṃsāra, the three spheres basically refer to the deeply habituated mind that holds on to a truly existing self. As a consequence, we conceive of three “spheres”: an agent, action, and object. For example, when practicing generosity, we usually think of ourselves as the subject (agent) who engages in the act of giving (action) and someone considered to be the recipient (object).
It is precisely the conceptualization of these three spheres that we are seeking to abandon through the practice of wisdom. “This is what we are transcending, what we need to let go,” Acharya said. Therefore, he continued, “the practice of wisdom is that of letting go of the three spheres. If we try to hold on to those spheres, we will continue to be bound to saṃsāra. This is like getting lost in a maze or labyrinth.” The practice of wisdom, then, can be understood as finding the way out.
Acharya concluded our session by expressing his gratitude to all present, wishing everyone to have a wonderful day, and warmly inviting everyone to join us again next Sunday. Following that, we dedicated the merit.