A sanctuary gifted to the Buddha.

Anathapindika (A-natta-pin-dika) was the foremost of the Buddha's lay male disciples. He was praised for his generosity and humility, but also for the sharpness of his intellect. His faith and devotion to the Buddha and his teachings were unshakeable.

It was Anathapindika who offered the Buddha the sanctuary outside Shravasti known as Jetavana. Jetavana, or Jeta Park, was a beautiful forest grove located in the hills outside the city of Shravasti. It was quiet and secluded, yet easy to get to from the city for people to attend to the Buddha's teachings and for the monks to go for alms each morning. The park itself was beautiful, with groves of trees,  a large lotus pond, and a vihara. The vihara was a simple structure with a central hall, dwelling places and walkways.

Anathapindika gave birth to the vision for offering the Buddha this sanctuary upon their very first meeting. Anathapindika was a successful businessman who had been visiting his brother-in-law during a business trip to Rajgir, about 350 miles east of Shravasti. Rajgir was the capital of the Magadha kingdom ruled by King Bimbasara. Anathapindika had been there many times on business and always stayed with his brother-in-law who was also a successful businessman. On this occasion Anathapindika arrived to find his brother-in-law quite preoccupied with the arrival of the Buddha the next day. Anathapindika found himself inspired by his brother's description of the Buddha and decided to stay for his arrival.

The next morning he awoke early and set out to Veluvana, the Bamboo Grove, where the Buddha was going to be that day. The sunlight was just starting to illuminate the eastern sky, a light fog still hung in the trees. Birds were singing, proclaiming the arrival of the day. In the distance, Anathapindika saw a lone figure silently walking, his gaze steady, his every step intentional, consummate. Anathapindika hesitated, not wanting to disturb the monk.

"Come, Sudatta."

Anathapindika was startled by this address, for no one knew his birth name and surely he had never met this monk before. Anathapindika knew he must be in the presence of the Buddha, so he prostrated himself before the Buddha and approached. "Thank you, blessed one, Bhagavan. How are you?"

"Thank you, kind sir. I am well. Well, indeed, for I have gone beyond all that gives rise to suffering and discontentment." Anathapindika, of sharp intellect, quickly picked up what the Buddha was saying, that there are things in this world that lead us to pain and dissatisfaction, and that we can go beyond those very things. The Buddha, seeing his interest and natural wisdom, continued to teach him. He spoke to him of generosity and virtue, of the illusoriness of sensual pleasures and the benefits of letting go of reactivity. When the Buddha saw that Anathapindaka was attentive and serene, he taught him the Four Noble Truths. Anathapindika understood all of these teachings, and without any hesitation or doubt became a stream-enterer. His Dharma eye opened, he invited the Buddha for a meal at his brother-in-laws the very next day.

The next day, after offering the meal to the Buddha, he requested that the Buddha visit Shravasti and that he would like to offer him a sanctuary there. The Buddha answered, "The Buddha enjoys peaceful places." Anathapindika was elated at the Buddha's consent.

It is in this way that Anathapindika became a devout student of the Buddha, searching out and finding the beautiful gardens of Jeta Park, and going on to support and sponsor many teachings in that place. For the rest of his life Anathapindika continued to support and provide a safe sanctuary for the Buddha's disciples to engage in their practice free from distraction.

Dukkha is more than suffering.

Life is suffering. The truth of suffering.

You've heard these statements of the Buddha about the nature of this life. Over the past one hundred years, much of the Buddha's teachings have made their way into Western thought and culture. Knowing that all of the Buddha's teachings revolve around the four noble truths, we should be sure to come to a correct understanding about what he meant when he laid out his foundational teachings.

In his first sermon, the Buddha taught:

Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of dukkha: birth is dukkha, aging is dukkha, illness is dukkha, death is dukkha; union with what is displeasing is dukkha; separation from what is pleasing is dukkha; not to get what one wants is dukkha; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are dukkha.

 It is easy to see how the early translators of the dharma may have chosen suffering or pain as a substitute for the Sanskrit term dukkha. It makes sense, birth is painful, aging is suffering, not getting what you want is painful. Those translations offer insight into what the Buddha was trying to convey.

But words are limited in their meaning.

The Buddha first states that birth, aging, illness and death are all dukkha. Every stage of human life is dukkha. The human condition is subject to pain and suffering, discomfort and unease.

The Buddha then says that uniting with what is displeasing is dukkha. It is unsatisfying, frustrating, miserable.

Next we find that separation from what is pleasing is dukkha. It is grief, sadness, distress.

The Buddha goes on to say that not getting what one wants is dukkha. It is despair, disappointing, upsetting.

Finally, the Buddha states that the five aggregates, or all conditioned phenomena, are dukkha. There is a basic unsatisfactoriness that pervades all forms of the human condition, which is subject to change, impermanent and without any lasting substance. That which changes, is impermanent and without lasting substance is incapable of satisfying us.

Later in his first discourse, the Buddha taught that dukkha was to be fully understood. What are we to understand? Is it enough to understand that life is suffering?

We need to understand the human condition in its entirety. The central tenet of the Buddha's teachings is that we need to understand our own pain and suffering, but also the myriad ways in which we fall into states of loss and sadness, dissatisfaction and despair. We need to fully understand how all things change, how the very nature of this life and this world is that it is impermanent and without any lasting substance.

Dukkha includes understanding suffering, but it is much more than suffering. It is understanding the human condition, and all that it entails.

Finally, we should take a look at what is meant by 'understand'. Is it to be known, acknowledged or perceived?

It is not enough to know the words or even the meaning. To fully understand dukkha we have to be aware of dukkha, acknowledge it, feel it and sit with it. We need to see it and listen to it. We need to fight the urge to wallow in it, push it away or pretend it isn't there. Then we might understand the truth of dukkha.

One last demon to overcome.

 I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere in any literature, but it is something worth noting.

There are twelve deeds of a Buddha.  The first nine consist of a Buddha taking birth and then embarking on the path to awakening, culminating in a fierce battle with their own demons.  

The tenth deed is to gain complete awakening.

The eleventh is turning the Wheel of Dharma, or teaching.

The twelfth is passing away into parinirvana.

The scriptures recount that upon the Buddha gaining complete and utter enlightenment he rested in equipoise for seven days.  Afterwards, he hesitated to teach, thinking that their would be no way to communicate his realization and no one to understand the truth he had realized. 

For a moment, the Buddha was faced with uncertainty about the work he was about to do, the work that he needed to do as a Buddha. 

For a moment, the Buddha entertained the thought of holding back, of not sharing the boundless joy that he had realized first hand.

That was the last trick that Mara had left to play.  It was a subtle trick, playing into the Buddha's human nature, but it was the only move he had left.  The Buddha was already free, his mind liberated, but there was an opportunity to prevent him from being generous.

But the Buddha did not bite that hook. 

It is said that the Buddha sat for seven weeks in samadhi after his enlightenment to formulate his teachings.  The rest of his life was spent sharing generously.

The last demon to overcome on the path is the resistance that we are all faced with to hold back. 

What is the work that you came here to do?  What is holding you back?

Buddhapada.

The Buddha’s footprints are one if the earliest representations of the Buddha. During the early dissemination of the Buddha’s teachings, the Buddha’s feet signified the Buddha’s presence, representing his enlightened form; the Dharmachakra represented his enlightened speech and the stupa his enlightened mind. Depictions of the Buddha’s feet have long been objects of veneration and respect, people would make offerings to them just as though they were the Buddha himself. The Buddha’s feet can also present us with another symbol:

‘I, the Tathagata, the Teacher,
Reveal to you the path that stops the pains of existence;
You must follow it.’
From the Udana-varga

In this way, the path is through the footsteps of the Buddha, footsteps that signify authentic presence, taking your stand against ignorance  and negative emotions, and embodying the Dharma in scripture and realization. In this way, the Buddhapada represent not only the destination, but also the very path.

‘As I practice following in your footsteps,
I pray you approach to confer your blessings’
from the Seven Line Prayer of Guru Rinpoche

These are footsteps that transcend the confines of time and place, footsteps that are unerring and true. They are footsteps that are meant to be followed.

Buddha on the Life Changing Practice of Mindfulness

“Whoever, mendicants, should practice these four foundations of mindfulness for just one week may expect one of two results: either complete deliverance in this life or, if there is a residue of clinging, the state of a non-returner.”

On one occasion, the Buddha was staying in the Kuru kingdom near a marketplace called Khammasadhamma. The Kuru kingdom was the center of Vedic culture and the dominant political and cultural center of the area. The local culture was committed to brahmanic rituals and rites of purification and the society maintained a strict social hierarchy. The marketplace would have been filled with artisans working on their craft, traders doing business, and local religious and political leaders lobbying for power and control. It was a culture not much different than our own.

At that time and in that place, the Buddha spoke to his disciples about the practice of mindfulness, teaching what is known as the Mahāsatipatṭhāna Sutta, the Great Sutra on the Foundations of Mindfulness. This work of his revealed the core practice of mindfulness, which is central to the Buddha’s teachings and a core principle of living life according to the Dharma.

The practice of mindfulness is for those practitioners who are committed to living mindfully in order to realize inner freedom. It is a practice to overcome busyness and distraction, teaching us to let go of preoccupations and focus the mind in the present. This practice of being mindful and aware frees us from suffering, fear and anxiety, giving us the capacity to be present and engaged, to look deeply and discover the insight needed to transform our life and the world around us.  Accessible and relevant to the modern world, this teaching reveals four qualities of the mind necessary for embarking on a lifetime of practice. This practical yet profound practice teaches us how to maintain mindfulness of the body, how to experience sense perceptions and the influences of the inner and outer world, how to recognize thoughts and various mental states, and how to carry mindfulness through the varieties of our lived experience.

In the Digha Nikaya, the Long Discourses of the Buddha, the Buddha taught the practice of the foundations of mindfulness.

There is, mendicants, this one way to the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and distress, for the disappearance of pain and sadness, for the gaining of the right path, for the realization of Nirvana- that is to say the four foundations of mindfulness.

During the Buddha’s time, the local culture would have been obsessed with purifying the body, improving its condition and making it more pleasing for the sake of everyday concerns. They would have yearned for a way to purify their minds of negative thoughts and mental states, reaching out to their local Brahmin for a method of cleansing the mind and spirit. In this regard, ancient India is not much different than our own modern day world. People are always looking for an easy fix to their problems. People spend countless resources on ways to cleanse the body and make it healthier. They seek out methods that all promise to lead to happiness and a life of meaning and purpose. Celebrities of the moment all have the solution of the day available to you.

Knowing the local culture and the concerns of his audience, the Buddha taught the foundations of mindfulness as the single authentic way to purify our own body, speech and mind. He taught the practice of mindfulness as the only way to overcome sorrow and distress, pain and sadness. This single practice sets us out on the right path, on the path of inner freedom. 

Here, mendicants, a mendicant abides contemplating body as body, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world. She abides contemplating feelings as feelings; she abides contemplating mind as mind; she abides contemplating phenomena as phenomena, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.

Four Qualities for Engaging in the Practice

The Buddha taught that when we are contemplating these foundations of mindfulness, we should be ardent, clearly aware, mindful and put aside any hankering and fretting for the world. These four qualities are essential if our practice is to be fruitful.

Ardent (Pali. Ātāpī) means to burn. It is to be passionate and enthusiastic about the task at hand. One who is not ardent lacks energy. Thus, the Buddha taught that to engage in the practice of mindfulness we need to be passionate about our work. Who among us is passionate about the work they do? 

Amateurs are passionate, to be an amateur is ‘to love’. Amateurs are curious and have lots of questions, and the answers to those questions lead to more questions resulting in a constant state of wonder. Approaching the practice with a beginners mind, we are fueled by wonder and fascination. Amateurs are passionate enough to do the work it takes to orientate themselves to the worlds in which they inquire. Their passion allows them to build the framework necessary to explore deeper. Their passion carries them beyond the superficial layers, it fosters depth and the depth feeds the passion. Passion coupled with orientation, a framework for exploration and the ability to see deeper are the prerequisites for becoming an expert. Being ardent, we start as amateurs in the practice and end up as masters.

Clearly aware (Skt. samprajanya) is a vigilant awareness that is fully alert to the present moment. The Buddha describes this vigilant awareness in the Satipatthanasamyutta:

And how, mendicants, does a mendicant exercise clear comprehension? Here, mendicants, for a mendicant feelings are understood as they arise, understood as the remain present, understood as they pass away. Thoughts are understood as they arise; perceptions are understood as they arise…It is in this way, mendicants, that a mendicant exercises clear comprehension.

Being clearly aware means being present in a non-reactive and non-judgemental way. It is like a watchmen in the tower, looking out over his domain, knowing who is coming and going. It is sharp, attentive and focused.

The next quality of the mind that must be developed is mindfulness itself. Mindful in this sense means to be mindful of the object of our intention. Attention follows intention, so we need to be clear about what we are being mindful of. Once we have set a clear intention, mindfulness maintains our attention on that focus. When the mind wanders and becomes distracted, mindfulness brings us back. Mindfulness can be described as a rope that ties a monkey to a stake. As the monkey of the mind moves and jumps around, the rope always brings the monkey back.

The last quality of the mind required for this practice is to put aside hankering and fretting for this world. Set aside your attachment and aversion, your craving and fixation. Remain in a state free from judgment and speculation. Let go of reactions to whatever is coming up in your experience, simply maintain the continuity of mindfulness and vigilant awareness with curiosity and enthusiasm. 

Cultivating these four mental qualities of being ardent, clearly aware, mindful and setting aside our reactions to our experience, we can move through each of the four foundations of mindfulness, contemplating the body as body, feelings as feelings, mind as mind, and phenomena as phenomena; simply being aware of our experience in a non-reactive and non-judgemental way.

These four qualities of mind are the way in which we engage in the practice of mindfulness. Next time, we will look into the practice as it pertains to contemplating one’s own body, feelings, mind and experience.

Order Now: Heart Advice by Younge Khachab Rinpoche

For the past six years a team of generous students and myself have been working to put together a book from Rinpoche's teachings on the essence of the path of liberation. The result of much work is Rinpoche's first published book, Heart Advice: Essential Instructions on the Path of Liberation. In this book Younge Khachab Rinpoche explores the Buddha's teachings in a way that makes them practical and accessible to the modern Western practitioner. Rinpoche distills the very essence of the traditional textual tradition so that these teachings become meaningful to our own life and mind.

Heart Advice is for students who have explored the Buddha's teachings to some extent but want a firm foundation upon which they can build their own practice. It is for all practitioners of Buddhist tantra, Mahamudra and Dzogchen, to give an overview and context for understanding all of the Buddha's teachings.

Available to order now.











 Some of the topics in the book include:

• Understanding how the perception of the self gives rise to suffering in this life. 
• Examining the two truths and how they relate to our own mind.
• How to come to a correct understanding of the view of emptiness.
• How shamatha and vipasyana work together in meditation to actualize the view.
• Learn about the path of the bodhisattva and how to progress along the path.
• Understand the significance of the teachings on buddha nature.
• Explore how our innate buddha nature is obscured from the perspective of the different practice traditions.
• Learn how the Prajnaparamita, or perfection of wisdom sutras for the heart of all the Buddha's teachings.
• Explore the history of tantra and the significance of the ripening empowerment in the tantric path. 
• Understand the significance of the teacher in the Vajrayana.
• Explore the generation and completion stage yogas and how the wisdom of the tantric view gives rise to buddhahood in this very lifetime. 
• Explore the history of Mahamudra and some critical distinctions between Mahamudra and Dzogchen. 
• Learn about the Six Yogas of Naropa and their place in the realization of Mahamudra. 
• Understand how Mahamudra is realized through the four yogas. 
• Learn how to carry the essence of all practice instructions into one meditation session.

Rinpoche has a remarkable ability to see how all of the Buddha's teachings are connected in our own practice. In Heart Advice, he teaches us how to carry these various practice traditions onto our own path by understanding all of the Buddha's teachings as instructions for practice.

The teachings contained in this book have been of immense benefit in my own practice, and I find myself returning again and again to examine sections and to build connections to new material I am studying.

I hope that you will check it out.

Five elements of conscious leadership.

What does it mean to be a conscious leader who contributes meaningfully to the world? What posture would you have? What would you stand for? How would you organize your effort and activity to best meet the demands of your friends, family and community? In the Buddha's teachings we often find a reference to the five family Buddha's that depict the qualities and characteristics of conscious living. The five Buddha families provide a framework for understanding how to integrate our practice with our daily life so that we can remain genuinely grounded in our values, but also intimately participate with others around us. 

Buddha. Lead by example. 

The buddha element represents a grounded, present, truthful expression of the self. This element focuses on providing resources, making connections, revealing implications and seeing clearly. They are committed to the activities of learning, contemplating, writing and teachings others. They teach how to work with fear and hesitation in order to move beyond our habitual manifestation or the status quo. They use the power of metaphor and stories to teach others and to share their integrated vision. They are aware of their own constructs but not stuck on them. 

The primary emotional work of the buddha element is focused on confusion, uncertainty and fear. While these may never go away, training in the buddha element teaches us to dance with confusion, uncertainty and fear to create opportunities for wisdom or purpose. The form or shape of our life becomes one in which we guide, teach and lead others out of confusion and habitual patterns into wisdom and clarity. 

Vajra. Practical solutions. 

The vajra element emphasizes identifying and solving problems. They use logic, reasoning and critical thinking to figure out how to use and deal with conflict. Curiosity drives the vajra element to create, shape boundaries, contextualize or model innovative solutions. The vajra element is focused on bringing about fulfillment or actions that manifest the intended result. 

The primary emotional work of the vajra element is focused on aversion and anger. As our sense of self hardens we become more self-righteous, more opinionated and critical of others.  We become very authoritarian and assertive.  These mental states naturally encounter conflict and problems in our world and relationships which provoke anger and aggression. As we learn to work with the vajra element, we can transmute the energy and power of aversion and anger into clear thinking and penetrating insight. 

Ratna. I am a contribution. 

The ratna element recognizes that we all co-create the world and how we show up matters. We can share gifts with the world, gifts of compassion, kindness and generosity to impact others. The ratna element is committed to demonstrating the abundance of inner wealth in a world of scarcity and selfish concern. Being values-oriented they are more focused on the long tail of generosity than the short finite game of results. 

The primary emotional work of the ratna element is focused on egotism and your status. Our actions are often concerned with the eight worldly concerns and how we will be perceived by others. Acts of generosity are often complicated by status roles and personal favors. As we learn to work with the ratna element we overcome the narrow confines of the ego and recognize the significance of their contribution. 

Padma. Caring for others.

The padma element recognizes that all human endeavors are co-created and that we share responsibility in shaping that global reality. They work to inspire, motivate and connect others. They embody an intimate presence in all aspects- their body, mind, energy, and emotions; to develop deeply personal relationships and extend their care and attention to their community. Their passion, joy and care engender connection, belonging and trust. 

The primary emotional work of the padma element is focused on selfish desire and attachment. All of us have strong desires and passions and our fixation on these leads to a very narrow view and limited understanding.  We become fixated on our version of what's right, what we think is the best way, what we want. As we learn to work with the padma element we overcome the tendency to focus on our own qualities and characteristics and direct our attention to nurturing and caring for others. 

Karma. Help others.

The karma element is committed to service, effort, availability, initiative and accountability. They express a willingness to step forward to benefit others. They are intentional about becoming more and more available to others and work to be in service to the processes that are unfolding around them. They joyously remain open and present amidst hardship and problems. 

The primary emotional work of the karma element is focused on greed and your own needs. Much of the work we do in this life is focused on gaining status, power or control over others. We dominate the situation so nobody else can outshine us. Elevating ourselves and our abilities becomes the main focus, rather than being meaningfully present or helping others. As we learn to work with the karma element we overcome this insecurity and paranoia, discovering a sense of natural ease and fulfillment. No longer focusing on our own position or qualifications, we can be present and available to meet others where they are at, on their own terms. 

Where does one go?

The tathagata-garbha. The Buddha heart.

The Buddha taught that all beings are Buddhas, but that this is obscured by temporary defilements and obscurations. Just as a treasure buried under the earth, or a precious statue wrapped in a dirty cloth, once the obscuring factors are removed the treasure can be enjoyed in all its splendor.

But what is this Buddha heart and how can we come to experience it?

The Buddha taught many different vehicles by which we can actualize and realize this Buddha heart. The Mahayana sutras describe the tathagata-garbha as a seed or potential, which we can cultivate and nourish until it becomes manifest and bears fruit. The Vajrayana, or resultant vehicle, describes the tathagata-garbha as being fully manifest since beginningless time, but obscured and unrecognized. The Vajrayana employs various skillful means to try to purify and remove these obscurations. Within the Vajrayana vehicle, the highest understanding of the tathagata-garbha is understood within the Dzogchen tradition.

Dzogchen, or the Great Perfection, describes the tathagata-garbha as being timelessly liberated. There is nothing to change, manipulate or improve. The true nature of reality is perfect just as it is, there is nothing to purify, nothing to cultivate, nothing to attain. Failing to recognize this true nature, we wander in and out of various mental states. Recognizing this, one is primordially free.

Where does one go when they have actualized the tathagata-garbha?

Tathagata is a name for the Buddha, which means 'One who has thus gone', 'Beyond coming and going' or "One who has gone to the true nature'. Garbha means heart, essence or womb. So one who has actualized the tathagata-garbha is the 'heart of one who has gone beyond', or the 'heart of one who has gone to the true nature'.

The tathagata-garbha is beyond mind. It is not the coming and goings of our mind. It is not an idea or a projection of what should be. It is not a belief or a philosophy. It is not 'in your head'. Awakening isn't in your head- its embodied, manifest.

The practitioner of Dzogchen is introduced directly to awareness beyond mind. The are introduced to the timelessly liberated natural state of being. Once introduced to this unique state, the practitioner clarifies doubt and uncertainty about this unique state, until they have truly gone beyond to the true nature. Then, they can continue with confidence in liberation. As Garab Dorje wrote in his Three Words that Strike the Essential Point: 

One is introduced directly to one's true nature,
Be decisive about this unique state,
Continue directly with confidence in liberation.

Or as Garab Dorje also states:

Mind's nature is and always has been Buddha,
it is neither born nor ceases, like space.
When you realize the authentic meaning of the equality of all things,
To remain in that state without effort is meditation.


 

Buddha eye.

The practice of shamatha leads to the development of a mind that is calm, clear and luminous. Our mind is naturally settled in a state of cognitive knowing that is free from the proliferation of thoughts. It is a mind that is like an unstirred candle, it is steady and calm, yet luminous and bright.

What do we do with this newly discovered awareness? We simply use it to look.

The practice of shamatha or calm abiding leads to the practice of vipasyana, or vivid seeing. In the practice of vipasyana, we use this mind that is focused and steady to look at phenomena, self and our own mind. This awareness is like a sharp weapon that we can use to dissect and cut through layer after layer of confused perception and bias. We can peel back layers of habitual grasping and fixation, layers of imputation and exaggeration.

The practice of insight is a continual process of digging deeper, moving from gross to subtle, moving from one to many and many to one. It is a practice of learning to ask better questions, not being content with the answers that you have before you.

The uniqueness of the Buddha's tradition lies in the practice of vipasyana. There are many forms of shamatha meditation, and many similarities among the various traditions as to how to calm the mind and rest in a peaceful state. The wisdom of the Buddha's teachings are what distinguishes it from the other forms of meditation. It is the Buddha's insight into the true nature of the self, how all things are interconnected, and how we can use this wisdom to benefit ourselves and others that makes it truly transformative.

The Buddha taught that your view is important. What you think about things influences your reality and your experience. Our perception binds us, it limits us and our abilities. Our ignorance causes us suffering, we just don't recognize that fact.

Vipasyana is the practice of seeing truly, and coming to the direct experience of that wisdom of the Buddha. It is the practice of developing the Buddha eye.

Shantideva on How to Live a Good Life

Dear reader: I am trying a new long format post once a month. If you would like to see more of this type of post please let me know. I will still be posting shorter posts but wanted to try something new as well. Thanks for reading!

“Today my life has given fruit. This human state has now been well assumed. Today I take my birth in Buddha’s line, and have become the Buddha’s child and heir. ”

 

Shantideva (c. 685- 763) was an eighth century Indian master who wrote the Way of the Bodhisattva (Skt. Bodhicaryavatara), the treasured guide to generating the awakened mind for the sake of all beings. Shantideva was generous to all and cared tenderly for the poor, sick and destitute. He was a monk who upheld the monastic vows and contemplated the vast range of the Buddha’s teachings, condensing them into various digests, such as the Digest of All Disciplines (Skt. Shikshasamucchaya).

Though he had boundless qualities and realization, other monks believed that he was frittering away his time in distraction and meaningless activity. They would call him Bhusuku (bhuj means ‘eating’, sup means ‘sleeping’, and kutim gata means ‘walking around’) as an estimation of what they thought he did all the time. Many of the other monks thought that he was wasting his precious human life caught up in worldly activities and trivial pursuits. In an effort to make Shantideva look foolish, they invited a large congregation to listen to him expound the scriptures, during which time Shantideva expounded the Bodhicaryavatara on how to engage in the practice of the bodhisattva. It is said that when Shantideva was teaching the ninth chapter on wisdom that he began rising higher and higher into the sky, so he is often portrayed in thangkas as floating above his meditation seat.

We too find ourselves caught up in trivial pursuits and busy activity. We wander through life in search of purpose and meaning, struggling to reconcile the meaningless activities of our normal day to day with the path of liberation. How do we make this life meaningful? What does it mean to live a good life? These are questions that Shantideva resolves with his complete and unmistaken presentation of the practice of the bodhisattva.

In the first chapter, the Excellence of Bodhicitta, Shantideva writes:

To those who go in bliss, the dharmakaya they possess, and all their heirs,
To all those worthy of respect, I reverently bow.
According to the scriptures, I shall now in brief describe
The practice of the bodhisattva discipline.

Shantideva pays reverence to those who go in bliss, the Sugatas. ‘Sugata’ means one who goes well or beautifully, or one who has gone perfectly without turning back. A Sugata is one who has lived life well, a life of meaning and purpose. What do these Sugatas possess? The dharmakaya. The dharmakaya is the ‘body of truth’, one of the three bodies or kayas of the Buddhas. Dharmakaya is the body of realization that is the true nature of the mind. As Longchenpa writes in his Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind:

The spotless dharmakaya, luminous and clear, is the buddha nature of all beings.

Shantideva describes in great detail in this present work how to actually practice this, how we can bring together all the teachings of the Buddha into an easy to understand and practical guide so that we too may possess this body of truth.

Next, Shantideva pays reverence to all the heirs and those worthy of respect, namely the community of sravakas and pratyekabuddhas, but mainly those bodhisattvas who are already practicing this path. Those worthy of respect includes everyone in the Sangha, the Dharma community of teachers, students and those supporting the activity of the Sangha.

Shantideva clearly states his purpose for sharing this work: to describe the practice of the bodhisattvas according to scripture. This isn’t something that he made up. This isn’t a path based on his own conjecture or pretense. This path of the bodhisattvas is in accord with the scriptures of the Buddha. Dharmakirti writes in his Pramanavarttika:

The teachings of Buddha we may trust.
For since he is exempt from fault,
There is in him no cause for lies.
Know therefore that the scriptures are exempt from error.

This practice of the bodhisattvas that Shantideva sets out to describe is threefold in nature. It consists of doing no harm to others, cultivating a wealth of virtue, and working to benefit others. Shantideva sets out to describe this practice in a way that is easy to understand and practical to everyday life.
In the second verse of chapter one, Shantideva continues:

Here I shall say nothing that has not been said before,
And in the art of prosody I have no skill.
I therefore have no thought that this might be of benefit to others;
I wrote it only to habituate my mind.

Shantideva starts by taking a humble attitude, saying that he wrote this work only to meditate upon and habituate his own mind. He isn’t worried about the result of his generosity, his is simply engaging in the practice of doing the work and engaging in the path. We too should emulate this behavior of engaging in study, contemplation and meditation so that we can habituate our own mind to the practice of the bodhisattvas. Through this practice of reflecting and contemplating the practice of the bodhisattvas we give rise to enthusiasm and strengthen our yearning and confident faith in the bodhisattvas activity. Shantideva writes that with a joyful and enthusiastic mind he is more able to meditate upon and cultivate bodhicitta, the awakened mind:

My faith will thus strengthen for a little while,
That I might grow accustomed to this virtuous way.
But others who now chance upon my words
May profit also, equal to myself in fortune.

Khenpo Kunzang Pelden, one of Patrul Rinpoche’s foremost students and spiritual son wrote in his detailed commentary to Shantideva’s work, The Nectar of Manjushri’s Speech:

When these four features are present (the homage, promise to complete the work, humility, and enthusiasm), everything one embarks upon will be brought to a worthwhile fulfillment.

The humble practitioner pays reverence to great teachers, profound teachings, generous acts and all those who are striving to make a difference.  The act of paying reverence is a display of humility. Humility and reverence rely on values like integrity, determination, self-respect and service. Our minds infused with humility and reverence we naturally form a commitment to the work, recognizing our own innate potential and responsibility. With enthusiasm we seek to take full advantage of this life of freedom and opportunity that is so hard to find. As Shantideva writes:

So hard to find the ease and wealth
Whereby the aims of beings may be gained.
If now I fail to turn it to my profit,
How could such a chance be mind again?

When searching for consummate meaning in our lives, time and time again we go outside ourselves, always asking ourselves what we should do now. Should we travel, go out for dinner, meet new friends, find a better job, volunteer? We either seek out escape in a spa, vacation or lazy Sunday; or we seek out illusion in food, fun, goals and experiences. None of these have satisfied our thirst. If we fail to apply ourselves to the practice now, when should we find this opportunity again? For too long we have wandered after trivial pursuits and kept ourselves nice and busy. We have been living in a situation where we have been confused about what we should do and what we should avoid. When a moment such as this arises, where we recognize our potential and purpose, we should seize that opportunity. Shantideva continues:

Just as on a dark night black with clouds,
The sudden lightening glares and all is clearly shown,
Likewise, rarely, through the Buddha’s power,
Virtuous thoughts rise, brief and transient, in the world.
Virtue thus, is weak; and always
Evil is of great and overwhelming strength.
Except for perfect bodhicitta,
What other virtue is there that can lay it low?

If we find in our hearts and minds that we want to accomplish something good, at that time we should apply ourselves diligently to practice. But what practice? It is bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment that seeks to secure for countless beings immediate benefit and the ultimate supreme joy of perfect awakening. In our practice we strive to free ourselves from our own suffering and discontentment, but also to bring about the welfare and benefit of others. Bodhicitta is the single practice that encompasses all the Buddha’s teachings. We should reflect always on one thing- bodhicitta. Practice one thing- bodhicitta. As Shantideva writes:

Those who wish to crush the many sorrows of existence,
Who wish to quell the pain of living beings,
Who wish to have experience of myriad joys
Should never turn away from bodhicitta.

Those of us who give rise to this jewel-like bodhicitta find new meaning in our life. We assume a new identity, perhaps the truest representation of who we are and what we are here to do in this world. We take our place in the Buddha’s line and are named a “child of the Sugatas.” You become a bodhisattva, a heroic warrior set on the journey to enlightenment. Khenpo Kunpel writes in his commentary, “They are moreover said to be worthy of reverence even by the Buddhas themselves, for the latter have bodhicitta as their master.” As Shantideva writes:

Should bodhicitta come to birth
In those who suffer, chained in prisons of samsara,
In that instant they are called the children of the Blissful One,
Revered by all the world, by gods and humankind.

With bodhicitta as the anchor for our practice, we guard it constantly with mindfulness, vigilant awareness and carefulness without ever letting it go. Everything that we do revolves around this single intention to gain awakening for the benefit of others. Gradually, through effort bodhicitta becomes stable and gives rise to a powerful mind of initiative and resourcefulness to secure the two aims of oneself and others. Through the method aspect of compassion, we fulfill the welfare of others; and through the wisdom aspect we recognize the true nature of our own mind and the true nature of reality. As Maitreya says in his Sutralankara: “It is a mental state endowed with the two aims”.

There are many ways to understand bodhicitta, but in brief we should understand it as bodhicitta in intention and active bodhicitta. As Shantideva writes:

Bodhicitta, the awakened mind,
Is known in brief to have two aspects:
First, aspiring, bodhicitta in intention;Then active bodhicitta, practical engagement.

Bodhicitta in intention is the aspiration to attain enlightenment. It is a wish or intention that focuses on the result. Active bodhicitta is the practical engagement in the activities of a bodhisattva. It is the practice and effort that focuses on the path. Longchenpa says “The commitment to achieve the result of Buddhahood is bodhicitta in intention, while the commitment to the cause is active bodhicitta.” Shantideva writes:

As corresponding to the wish to go
And then to setting out,
The wise should understand respectively
The difference that divides these two.

Just as when we set out on a journey, we must first form an intention, so too in order to engage in the practice of the bodhisattva we must first form the aspiration. Once we set out on the journey, we do not abandon our intention to go there; so in active bodhicitta we also have bodhicitta in intention.
This powerful initiative mind that works for the benefit of beings is the jewel of the mind. Of all thoughts and intentions it is the most sublime and profound. This noble intention of bodhicitta is beyond the conception of even the gods, as Shantideva writes:

If with kindly generosity
One merely has the wish to soothe
The aching heads of other beings,
Such merit knows no bounds.
No need to speak, then, of the wish
To drive way the endless pain
Of each and every living being,
Bringing them unbounded excellence.
Could our father or our mother
Ever have so generous a wish?
Do the very gods, the rishis, even Brahma
Harbor such benevolence as this?
For in the past they never,
Even in their dreams,
Wished something like this even for themselves.
How could they do so for another’s sake?
This aim to work for the benefit of beings,
A benefit that others wish not even for themselves,
This noble, jewel-like state of mind
Arises truly wondrous, never seen before.
The pain-dispelling draft,
This cause of joy for those who wander through the world,
This precious attitude, this jewel of mind-
How shall we calculate its merit?
If the simple thought to be of help to others
Exceeds in worth the worship of the Buddhas,
What need is there to speak of actual deeds
That bring about the weal and benefit of beings?

Whatever happens in our life, whatever our circumstances or past, we must have this intention of bodhicitta. When it has arisen clearly in our minds, we must practice so that it will intensify and gain strength in our lives. It is not enough to simply understand this conceptually, we must take it to heart and practice diligently.

Then no matter what comes up in our life, whether we experience sickness or disease, harmful situations, problems or obstacles; everything becomes fuel for our practice and we learn to carry obstacles as the path. Shantideva writes:

Even in great trouble, Bodhisattvas
Never bring forth wrong; their virtues naturally increase.

The present times are a call to practice. For bodhisattvas, difficulties and challenges are no hindrance to their Dharma practice. Adversity becomes a means to purify confusion, negative emotions and karma. Asanga has said: “Even when the world is full of evil they turn hardship into the enlightened path.”

Your boots will get muddy. Your socks wet. There will be dirt underneath your fingernails and you might suffer some scratches. Working in the fields means getting dirty.  Your work will be the same.
The bodhisattva knows that their time on this earth is very short.  They know that the road ahead will be long.  Knowing the truth of suffering they plunge into the fields.  Knowing liberation upon arising, they do not fear getting covered in mud.  At the end of the day, they dedicate their work for the benefit of others.  Tomorrow, they rise again.

That is how you practice on the path. This is how you living a meaningful life. A lifelong commitment to practice is how you live a good life.

Exploring Mind and its Nature

The mind is central to the path of liberation and the journey of self-discovery. The mind is simultaneously readily apparent to us and yet a mystery. It is the basis for all of our experience, and yet not understood. Understanding the mind is the key to understanding who we are, the nature of the world around us and our place in it.

In the Four Dharmas of Gampopa, we are instructed to turn our mind towards the Dharma. The meaning of Dharma can be interpreted in different ways. Dharma can mean the Buddha's teachings, but Dharma can also refer to that which is authentic or true. Dharma can also mean phenomena, or the reality of our life and experience. In this way, turning our mind towards the Dharma means looking into the reality of our own life and experience in order to find what is true or authentic. We should explore our own mind, using the wisdom and insight of the Buddha and the many great teachers that have come before us, to discern what is meaningful and true in our own life.

This practice of looking at the mind is the basis for the practice of vipashyana or insight. The hallmark of the Buddha's teachings was insight into the nature of mind and the nature of reality. Exploring mind and its nature sets us out on a journey through the landscape of our own mind in search of that which is authentic and true.

WHAT IS MIND?

Before we can understand the nature of mind, we need to understand the mind itself. What is mind or consciousness?

The Buddha's perspective on mind is particularly helpful in opening up an doorway to the nature of mind. The Buddha taught consciousness as one of the skandhas or aggregates. The aggregate of consciousness is composed of either six or eight consciousnesses, depending on whether you are following the Hinayana or Mahayana perspective. Each of these eight (or six) consciousnesses are included within our experience of mind, and yet none of them by themselves are 'mind'. The Buddha would say that there is no mind, mind itself is an aggregate of experience and we should understand it as such.

The eight types of consciousness taught in the Mahayana sutras are the alaya or foundational consciousness, the afflicted or defiled consciousness, the mental consciousness, and the five sense consciousnesses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch). Together, these eight form the basis of our experience of who we are and the world around us.

The alaya consciousness is the foundational consciousness that forms the stream of our mental continuum. Mipham Rinpoche describes it in the Adornment of the Middle Way:

The state of consciousness that is mere clarity and knowing, which does not veer off into active sense cognition, and which is the support of habitual tendencies, is called the alaya-vijnana, the consciousness that is the universal ground. The Cittamatrins consider that this is essentially neutral, neither positive or negative. It is an awareness of the mere presence of objects and it arises in a continuity of instants. It is attended by the 'five universal mental factors', such as contact. It does not have a specific object of focus but observes the world and beings in a general, overall manner.

The alaya or foundational consciousness is this bare state of mere clarity and knowing. It is not focused or caught up in the particulars of our experience, but it is also the ground upon which our experience is created. As Mipham describes, this alaya consciousness possesses five universal mental factors which are present in any mental consciousness. These five factors are contact or sense impression, feeling, perception, intention and attention. The alaya consciousness as bare perception is aware of some thing in a general way. That thing makes a sense impression on the alaya and gives rise to a feeling or pleasure, pain or indifference. The qualities of that perception are perceived and intention directs our attention. Intention here isn't the gross intention of thoughts and or ideas, but consciousness moving towards that object and knowing it in some capacity (as attention). This bare state of mere clarity and knowing is normally outside of the experience of ordinary mind and only accessible to seasoned meditation practitioners, and yet, if we examine closely we can see this process playing out even on the level of our day to day consciousness.

The afflicted or defiled consciousness is the consciousness that interprets everything around 'me' and 'mine'. It is the narrative consciousness that is telling the story of who we are based on attachment and aversion to this confused sense of identity. Mipham describes the defiled consciousness:

The alaya, as the basis for the different habitual tendencies, is defined as mere clarity and knowing, whereas the defiled emotional mind is a clinging to the continuum of consciousness as being the self.

The experience of the alaya consciousness is interpreted through the defiled consciousness through the lens of identity. There are three main ways that we interpret or grasp to this sense of self: 1) self as independently existing, 2) self as the experiencer, 3) self as the agent of free will. We will explore those three types of self-grasping later, but any experience that we are having is interpreted through these confused notions of the self. The alaya consciousness is having some type of experience, and the defiled consciousness is 'selfing' the experience and narrating it in terms of its perceived identity. I see a lot of parallels between the defiled consciousness and what is called the default mode network by modern neuroscience.

The mental consciousness is what we normally think of as mind. It is the mind and its attendant mental states and mental objects. It is the thinking mind, the mind forming ideas and engaging in dialogue. It is the clear appearance of any of the sense consciousnesses in our subjective awareness. The five sense consciousnesses and the mental consciousness together create the entangled conception of what we normally consider 'mind'. My mind is aware of what I am seeing, hearing, feeling, thinking, touching, etc. What we are not usually aware of is how the mental and sense consciousnesses are influenced and shaped by the defiled consciousness, and the bare clarity and knowing of experience is largely foreign to us.

An important understanding is to be made regarding the sense consciousnesses and the perceived, supposedly external sense objects. The sense consciousnesses are interconnected with the sense organs and the sense object, such that they are not distinct separate entities. They arise conditionally based on mutual dependence. The key point here is that when we experience form, that form does not exist outside of consciousness as some kind of truly existing thing. It is experienced within consciousness, through this process of contact, feeling, perception, and mental formations eventually giving rise to our experience of form, but that form is not how it actually exists. This is confusing, I know, here is what Mipham has to say about our experience of the external world:

The Cittamatra approach emphasizes the fact that no matter how real and solid external objects seem, all experience of them- including our knowledge about them and their apparently objective constitution- occurs wholly within the sphere of consciousness. This carries the important implication that even if one accepts the objective existence of phenomena separate from mind, their extramental mode of existence, if such there is, is by definition unknowable. To reach beyond the mind and to experience phenomena exclusively from their side, in a complete self-contained objectivity, is as impossible as it is for us to climb out of our own skin. Indeed, the very supposition that there is a 'mind' and that there is a 'world', and that there is a separation between the two, are themselves mental events.

This is definitely controversial to the western scientific mind. We have entire fields of physics that define very clearly the laws of nature. But remember, we are not talking about if the external world exists, but rather how it exists. We take our sense perceptions to be real, to be valid and unerring and true. Is that the case? How could we possibly know? Is our perception of a tree more real than a bug's perception of a tree? But surely there is a tree there, right? What if we changed all of our sense organs, so that we perceived the entire range of energetic potential, what would we perceive then? Would that be the real world? The simple conclusion is that we can only know anything through mind, and thus we can be confident that our experience of the world is conditioned and partial. Knowing that we can open our perspective to appreciate a broader and more complex reality.

The key point of our discussion on mind is that mind itself is an aggregate of experience. It is not a thing, or a substance. Some examples of how these eight consciousnesses come together to create our experience of 'mind' can be helpful. Let's take for example someone who was born with all five sense consciousnesses operating, but at some point lost their vision. Their experience of themselves and their world would be dramatically altered upon losing their vision, and yet, they would maintain a consist narrative of who they were, their 'self' would remain intact. What happens if this person were to lose their hearing as well?  How would their experience change? How would their understanding of the world change? Would they maintain a coherent sense of self as their own mind? Undoubtedly they would.

What about when we are dreaming? Dreams are interesting because none of our five sense consciousnesses are operating and yet we can still experience the five senses in a dream. What we are seeing in our dream is not actually what are eye faculties are seeing, and yet we have clear appearances in our dreams. The experience of dreams is really the aggregate of experience of the alaya-consciousness, the defiled consciousness and the mental consciousness. The imprints or seeds of memories and conditioning factors (karma) planted in the alaya consciousness ripen in the dream state and are projected into the mental consciousness (the sixth consciousness). The defiled consciousness is still narrating the dream in terms of self, even though the self of the dream can be different that your waking state self. The experience of the sense consciousnesses in dreams arises due to our conditioned way of experiencing the world. The dreamscape is not real by any means, but a habitual perception based on past conditioning (rarely do people dream of past centuries- imagine having a dream like you were in the dawn of the agricultural era and experiencing the world through that lens, you couldn't even conceive of it).

So we have some idea of what our experience of the mind might be like without the five sense consciousnesses dominating our experience, but what about the experience of mind free from the defiled consciousness? Can we experience the mind free from the narrative of self and other, me and mine? There are many ways that this type of experience can be cultivated (certain psychedelics, ecstatic experiences, life changing events, breathing techniques, dream and sleep yogas, etc), but one of the most practical methods is through contemplation and meditation. Through contemplation and meditation we can break down the habitual mode of apprehending the self and mind.

Once we understand what the mind is, we can turn our attention to really examining the mind itself and gaining a better perspective on the nature of the mind. This becomes the focus of the practice of vipashyana, or insight.

Shariputra encounters the dharma.

Assaji was one of the Buddha's first students. He was among the five present when the Buddha gave his first teaching on the four noble truths, when Kondanna's Dharma eye was opened. Assaji was rather unsure of his practice. He was committed to the practice of the Dharma under Gotama Buddha's direction, yet he lacked the confidence in his experience in order to actualize the resultant state.

At one time, Assaji was in the city of Rajgir going out for alms after his morning meditation session. He walked the city streets graciously, his gaze was steady, his every step intentional, consummate.

Nearby, the ascetic Shariputra, a disciple of the skeptic Sanjaya, witnessed Assaji going for alms. He witnessed him moving graciously through the streets, his steady gaze, his every step intentional, consummate. Inspired by Assaji's presence, he felt compelled to question him, to find out how his teacher was, to learn the dharma that he was practicing. Not wanting to disturb Assaji during his alms round, he followed him from a distance.

When Assaji finished going for alms, Shariputra approached him, asking him, "Bright are your eyes, my friend, and radiant your complexion. Who is your teacher? What is the dharma that you practice?"

"My friend, there is a great contemplative who has gone forth from the Sakyan family named Gotama Buddha. He is my teacher. It is his dharma that I practice and rejoice in."

"What is his teaching? What does he proclaim to be the true dharma?" asked Shariputra.

"My friend, I am new and just beginning to practice this Dharma. I cannot explain it in detail."

Shariputra continued to press Assaji for the teachings of Gotama, asking "Tell me a little or a lot, I just need to know the essence. What use is there in a lot of explanation?"

Assaji, composed, present, spoke to Shariputra:

om ye dharmā hetu-prabhavā
hetun teṣāṃ tathāgato hyavadat,
teṣāṃ cha yo nirodha
evaṃ vādī mahāśramaṇa soha

Whatever phenomena arise from a cause, 

those causes have been taught by the Tathagata,

and their cessation too,

has been proclaimed by the great practitioner of virtue.

Shariputra, the wanderer, the ascetic, heard this Dharma from Assaji. His dharma eye opened, "Whatever is subject to arising is subject to cessation. Even with just this Dharma, you have penetrated to the deathless state, unseen and overlooked by us for countless ages."

This is how Shariputra became a student of the Buddha. Shariputra became one of the Buddha's foremost students, known for the breadth of his wisdom and understanding. 

Adapted from the Upatissa-pasine.

A single thread over a lifetime.

There’s a thread you follow.
It goes among things that change.
But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die;
and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.
~William Stafford, The Way It Is

There is a thread in life that moves through you and in you. We notice it most when we are fully present and embodied, in moments of fullness and joy. This thread is to be the person we are called to be in the world, the person we see in ourselves inwardly, but don't manifest outwardly. 

There is an ancient notion that each of us has an innate genius that is waiting to be recognized and expressed. The Buddha called this innate genius, which is the nature of our own mind, the tathagatagarbha, or buddha heart. 

When we are introduced to this idea of innate genius or our buddha heart, it comes with exalted images and big ideas. We'll be buddhas after all, then we can really do something meaningful and important. Our buddha heart encased in the shroud of self is forever held back and limited. We sense this notion of opening up to something greater, but get caught up in our own self-limiting talk and fear. Hold on to what we know, or open up. That is the tension that we always carry. 

Sensing this innate genius present in us, we have feelings of uniqueness and yearn for authentic ways to express ourselves and to be in the world. This thread of insight into our true nature runs through our whole life, but it takes a lifetime to work through. This thread is always unfolding, and yet we always feel tied up.

In the moments where we recognize our innate buddha heart, we experience freedom and complete openness to the world around us. In that space, we recognize the tremendous responsibility we have and know that the hardest work to accomplish is not outside ourselves, but working through the practice of trying to carry that presence and responsiveness into every area of our life.

In the beginning, we struggle because we can't seem to grab this thread that is our own innate genius or buddha heart. Once we do grab it, we struggle with how to carry that into our life.

Essay: Actualizing the Profound View of the Middle Way

            In the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, the Buddha gave teachings on the Four Noble Truths, laying a foundation and framework by which all of his teachings could be understood.  In the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha identified ignorance as the root of all suffering.  Ignorance is a state of confusion about how the self exists.  We perceive of an independent, autonomous self, one that is the basis for all experience and continues from moment to moment.  Through the teachings on the skandhas, ayatanas and dhatus, the Buddha broke down the self, revealing the wisdom of selflessness as well as the path to the cessation of suffering. 

            The teachings of the Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma don’t depart from the teachings of the First Turning.  The understanding of the truth of origin and the abiding reality of the truth of cessation become more subtle and profound in the Second Turning. 

            The basis for the Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma are the Prajnaparamita Sutras.  The 8000 verse Prajnaparamita Sutra is the earliest known sutra from around 100 BCE.  This was later expanded into the 10,000, 18,000, 25,000 and 100,000 verse sutras, which bear close resemblance to the 8,000 verse sutra but expand on abbreviated sections and enumerate lists.  The shorter Prajnaparamita Sutras include the Heart Sutra, also called the 25 verse sutra, as well as the Diamond Sutra, also called the 300 verse sutra. 

            We can see in the Heart Sutra how the understanding of the truth of origin becomes more subtle and profound in the Second Turning.  Remember, in the First Turning we use the skandhas, ayatanas and dhatus to deconstruct self-grasping and realize the wisdom of selflessness.  In the Second Turning we find Avalokiteshvara exploring this even futher in the Heart Sutra:

At that time, the Blessed One entered the meditative absorption on the varieties of phenomena called the appearance of the profound.  At that time as well, the noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva, the great being, clearly beheld the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom itself and saw that even the five aggregates are empty of intrinsic existence.

            The Heart Sutra starts by stating that the Buddha entered into meditative absorption called the appearance of the profound.  Profound here is emptiness, the appearance of emptiness.  It is profound because it is not easily realized, that it is beyond concepts and ideas about how things exist.  In the First Turning, we used the five skandhas to uproot self-grasping, but here Avalokiteshvara is saying that even the five skandhas or aggregates are empty of intrinsic existence.  The teachings of the Second Turning examine not only the selflessness of the person, but also of all phenomena. In order for bodhisattvas who aspire to realize this perfection of wisdom Shariputra and Avalokiteshvara engage in discussion on how to practice the perfection of wisdom.  Avalokiteshvara expands on the practice saying bodhisattvas should see clearly in this way:

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form;

Emptiness is not other than form, form too is not other than emptiness.

            This famous verse describes the Middle Way free from extremes.  We should analyze that form is empty of inherent existence, eliminating the extreme of eternalism or existence.  We should also analyze that emptiness is form, eliminating the extreme of nihilism or non-existence.  The last two verses reiterate this union of appearance and emptiness. 

            In order to clarify the view of emptiness as presented in the Prajnaparamita Sutras, Nagarjuna wrote his famous Mula-Madhyamakakarika, or the Fundamental Verses of the Middle Way.  In it, he presents the teachings on the two truths, conventional and ultimate truth, so that we can eliminate doubt and uncertainty about the view of emptiness.  In Nagarjuna’s Mula-madhyamakakarika:

The Buddha’s teaching of the Dharma

Is based on two truths:

A truth of worldly convention,

And an ultimate truth.  XXIV.8

Those who do not understand

The distinction between these two truths

Do not understand

The Buddha’s profound teaching.  XXIV.9

Without depending on the conventional truth,

The meaning of the ultimate cannot be taught.

Without understanding the meaning of the ultimate,

Nirvana is not achieved.  XXIV.10

            Nagarjuna’s presentation of the two truths reveal our confusion about the way that things appear versus the way that they actually exist.  Things appear very solid, concrete and independent.  We appear as independent autonomous selves.  But if you examine the nature of the self or of phenomena, you find that self is actually dynamic, connected and interdependent. 

            Traditionally there are Four Great Arguments of the Madhayamaka or Middle Way that logically establish all phenomena as being empty of inherent existence.

1.     Vajra Splinters, investigating the cause.

2.     Investigation of the result.

3.     Chariot argument, being neither one nor many.

4.     Great Interdependence.

            Nagarjuna’s famous tetralemma forms the basis for the Vajra Splinter argument and refutes production or arising from any of the four alternatives:

Neither from itself, nor from another,

Nor from both,

Nor without a cause,

Does anything anywhere, ever arise. I.1

            For our purposes, the easiest and perhaps best method of establishing emptiness is the Argument of Great Interdependence.  This king of reasonings includes all of the other logical arguments because it examines the seemingly real appearances of dependent origination.  According to the Middle Way as presented by Nagarjuna, all the illusory appearances of dependent origination and emptiness arise as the union of the conventional and ultimate truths.  In the Mula-Madhyamakakarika:

That which is dependent origination

Is explained to be emptiness.

That, being a dependent designation,

Is itself the middle way.  XXIV.18

There does not exist anything

That is not dependently arisen.

Therefore there does not exist anything

That is not empty.  XXIV.19

            Nagarjuna makes it clear that whatever is dependently originated is empty of inherent existence, form is emptiness.  To be dependently originated and to have some kind of independent existence are logical contradictions that cannot be maintained once they are revealed.  The wisdom of the two truths illuminates our confusion about how phenomena exist versus how they appear to us.  This simple insight that all phenomena arise dependently based on causes and conditions reveals the nature of suffering, how that suffering arises and whether we are able to eliminate it, as well as the actual path to be free from suffering.  As Nagarjuna states in his Mula-Madhyamakakarika:

Whoever sees dependent arising

Also sees suffering,

And its origin,

And its cessation, as well as the path.  XXIV.40

For whom emptiness makes sense,

Everything makes sense.

For whom emptiness does not make sense,

Nothing makes sense.  XXIV.14

            The correct view of emptiness is not that complicated.  Logically we can see that it is relatively easy to establish that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence.  But to fully appreciate this profound wisdom we have to move beyond a simple intellectual understanding, beyond mere logic and conceptual analysis.  We need to apply this view of emptiness to our own mind and our own experience.  Like the Buddha in the Heart Sutra, we need to meditate on the appearance of the profound.

            In the Heart Advice, Younge Khachab Rinpoche encourages us to apply the two truths to our own mind and experience, for this is truly the doorway to the Middle Way.  It is not necessary to undergo extensive philosophical and logical analysis, we simply need to carry a direct understanding of the union of dependent origination and emptiness, or appearance and emptiness, into our own meditation. 

            Focusing on our own mind, Rinpoche teaches the view of emptiness with five features- profound, peaceful, free of elaboration, luminous clarity, and uncompounded.  By recognizing this view of emptiness with five features in our own meditation and relying on the union of shamatha and vipassana, we can enter into absorption on the appearance of the profound and realize the perfection of wisdom, the essence of the Middle Way.