The treasury of knowledge, books 9 and 10 journey and goa (119)

6o6 - THE TREASURY OF KNOWLEDGE transformed into forms of subtle essence.("vajralike bodies"), while their minds mature into the state of timdess awareness on the path ofseeing, so that they attain a state beyond birth and death sSI Buddhaguhya,ShortExposition ~?(the Path, NKG, v 23, P· I46,l I S82 That is, immediatdy after death 583 Buddhaguhya, Graduated Path, NKG, v 23, p I09,lines 3-4 In the source the third line reads "the form" rather than "the symbolic embodiment." 584 That is, pacifying, which causes illnesses, negative influences, and other obstacles to subside; enriching, which fosters the growth of such positive factors as longevity, merit, prosperity, and intdligence; powerful, which exerts a beneficial influence over situations and other beings; and wrathful, which (as a direct and powerful expression of compassion} diminates negativity and removes obstacles sSs See note 59· s 86 That is, in traditional Buddhist cosmology, a world system such as our own-consisting of a central mountain (the axis mundi} surrounded by an ocean and four continents in the catdinal directions-which constitutes the unit that makes up universes of increasing magnitude (one-thousandfold, two-thousandfold, threethousandfold, and "countless" universes) in a way that is reminiscent of modern astronomy'~ modd of planetary systems, star systems, galaxies, and metagalaxies 587 The text has "fearless" (Jigs met!), but judging from the commentary following, this would seem to be in error for "indestructible" (Jig met!) 588 These ate the eight qualities ofpowerful mastery, which are considered more common, or mundane, siddhis They are literaJly termed the qualities of "subtlety of form; "obvious form; "Jighmess; "pervasiveness; "true attainment; "extreme clarity; "reliability; and "serving as a source of all that is wished for." These qualities are discussed in more detail in Book I o, Part s89· Ibid., NKG v 3· P· I I I,lines 3-4 s 90 That is, in the formal practice of the Mahayoga approach, the "four kinds of spiritual miracles" refers to a particular format for meditation The "spiritual miracle of meditative absorption" is that of meditating on the mat].ljala of the buddhas of the five families and their retinues; the "spiritual miracle ofconsecration• is that ofconsecrating each of the deities according to the respective family type; the "spiritual miracle of empowerment" is that of imbuing the deity, through the respective process of empowerment, with the qualities pertaining to the specific family; and the "spiritual miracle of offering" is that ofpraising and making offerings to the deities 59 I Heart Essence ~?(Secrets, chap I2, v sa-c, (Toh 832.), Dg K., rNying rgyud, vol Kha,p.245,l.7 592 In the context of the pacli of meditation, a master of mahamudra awareness is one who moves from the experience of utter lucidity on the path of meditation to an embodiment of timdess awareness that is a state ofprimordial uniry in which training is still necessary 59 3· A master ofspontaneously present awareness is one who, as a result ofattaining the path of no more training (or consummation), gains the levd ofVajradhara-that is, the spontaneous presence of the five kayas s 94· That is, the second of the three kayas as they are usua1ly enumerated 595· Buddhaguhya, Graduated Path, NKG, v 23,p 117,! throughp 118,! I andp I I 8,1 In the source, the third line reads as follows: NOTES - 607 whatever it is becoming fully evident as a form through meditation, and the fifth line reads simply: the attributes of an embodiment of timeless awareness, s 96 Heart Essence ofSecrets, chap 6, v 7ab, (Toh 32), Dg K., rNying rgyud, vol Kha, p 245, lines 4-5 The sword is the symbol associated with the karma family In the source text, the second line reads as follows: vajra, wheel, jewel, lotus, sword, and bell blaze The bell could be a symbol for the sixth family, the unifying principle within which the live families are subsumed 597· The process of gaining mastery is implicitly connected to the image of a jewel and the wealth and power it confers s The lotus is a metaphor for a state free of attachment, for it is rooted in mud but its blossom is free of any stain 599· The Sanskrit term "karma" is the equivalent to both the Tibetan term las (ordinary action or activity) and its honorific form phrin las (enlightened activity) 6oo Buddhaguhya, Graduated Path, NKG, v 23, p 118, I and p 119, lines 1-2 6o While this is an epithet for Vajrap~i, the name here does not refer to one of the eight great bodhisattvas of the Mahayana approach but to the embodiment of tl1e livekayas 602 A "sublime" nirrna~akaya is one that manifests in the perceptions of ordinary beings as performing the twelve deeds; Sakyarnuni is one example, as indeed ar~ all the 1002 buddhas destined to appear during this present age (Sakyamuni ha~, ing been the fourth) These deeds are discussed in detail in Book 2, Part of tl1e Treasury ofKnowledge They are described in Maitreya, Highest Continuum, chap 2, vv 54-56, (Toh 4024), Dg T., Serns tsam, vol Phi, p 236, lines 6-7: [the nirrn~akaya] actually takes rebirth[ 1] descending from Tu~ita, the joyous gods' realm, [ 2] entering a womb, [ 3] taking rebirth, [4] becoming skilled in the arts and sciences, [ s] enjoying the company of a retinue of queens, (6] gaining certainty of release from the world, [7] practicing austerities, [8] going to the center of enlightenment, (9] defeating the armies of Mara, [ 10] awakening to perfect enlightenment, [ 11] turning the wheel of the Buddhadharrna, and [ 12] passing into nirva~a Those who have gone in these ways so within the total range of impure realms for as long as there is conditioned existence 603 Buddhaguhya, Graduated Path, NKG, v 23, p 120, lines 1-2 In the source, the first line reads simply "pure awareness itsel£" 6o4 Buddhaguhya,ShortExposition ofthePath, NKG, v 23, p 152, I through p 153, I I 6os Anonymous, Three Stages, lines s-96 P 4742, bsTan 'gyur dpe bsdur rna, vol 43· p 1175· 6o8 - THE TREASURY OF KNOWLEDGE 6o6 From the verbal stem car, "to do, act, perform:' 607 That is, one who has not yet fully matured spiritually 6o8 That is, the ordination of individual liberation of the Hinayana approach, the bodhisattva vow of the Mal1ayana approach, and the tamric samaya of the Vajrayana approach The source referred to is probably the Pinnacle ofDefinitive Expression (see note 564) 609 That is, (I) copying sacred texts, (2.) making offerings, (3) being generous and practicing charity, (4) listening to spiritual teachings, ( 5) memorizing them, (6) reading them, ( 7) explaining them to others, ( 8) reciting prayers and liturgies, (9) contemplating the meaning of the teachings, and (I o) meditating on that meaning 10 Faith in Buddhism is a complex phenomenon, never meant to be naive, blind, or unquestioning It incorporates a sense of awe or wonder as one appreciates the qualities of the object of one's faith, a desire to emulate that object (that is, ~o become a buddha oneself), and a trust in the truth of the teachings one is following To these three aspects a fourth is sometimes added, that of irreversible faith, that is, the fact that one's faith is constant in the face of any and all circumstances (whether one is happy or unhappy prosperous or destitute, and so forth) 6II Buddhaguhya, Graduated Path, NKG, v 2.3,p 90,! S· I Ibid., I In the source, the second line is not found as cited I Source not identified I4 These are commentaries written by the early masters of these traditions, which summarize the content of the much more extensive tantras and render it more accessible to practitioners It is for this reason that the late Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche Jamyang Dorje used to define the Tibetan term for these commentaries (lung) as cognate to the word "handle"; by a felicitous coincidence with modern English slang, these commentaries are thought of as "giving one a handle" on the more abstruse and cryptic texts of the tantras I 5· In theAnuyoga model, the five yogic phases correspond to the five paths of the dialectical approach: the "yoga of the mind's directed intent" to the path of accumulation, the "yoga of affirming one's spiritual birthright" to the path of linkage, the "yoga of supreme inspiration" to the path of seeing, the "yoga of attaining supreme transmission" to the path of meditation, and the "yoga of perfecting supreme dynamic energy" to the path of no more training 6I6 The Anuyoga model involves ten levels that fall within the five paths (that is, the five yogic phases): (I) the "level of unpredictable change" and (2.) the "level of the basis of reliance" pertain to the first yogic phase, that of the mind's directed intent; (3) the "level of refining away major obscurations; (4) the "level of continuity of training; and ( s) the "level of the meritorious basis" pertain to the second yogic phase, that of affirming one's spiritual birthright; (6) the "level of the improvement of stability" pertains to the third yogic phase, that of supreme inspiration; ( 7) the "level of the framework that ushers in the fruition state." pertains to the fourth yogic phase, that of the attainment of the supreme transmission; and (8) the "level of abiding without change;· (9) the "level of the permeation of the actual nature of phenomena:• and (I 0) the "level of the universal range of perfection" pertain tO the fifi:h yogic phase, that of level of the universal range of perfection I Termed thus because while one is on the path of accumulation there is the possibility of one's practice being undermined or of one regressing and "losing ground." NOTES - 609 I Termed thus because the insight one gains on the path of accumulation is stabilized to serve as a basis for the path oflinkage I 9· In this, the first of the five yogic phases, which corresponds to the path of accumulation in ocher contexts, the focus in meditation practice is on directing one's mind, if only as a sense of dedicated intent, toward two factors-the utterly lucid quality of emptiness and the manifest quality of the deity's form 62.0 Termed thus because, in the context of the path of linkage, the habitual patterns that constitute major obscurations to the actual experience of utter lucidity have ail been refined away 62 r Termed thus because one trains continuously, day and night, in experiencing the unity of clie empty and manifest aspects of utter lucidity 62.2 Termed thus because one relies on the basis of the merit one accrues through "the conduct ofthe immediate cause" (that is, practice involving a consort) so as to immerse oneself in the incorruptible state of timeless awareness 62.3 In the second of the five yogic phases, corresponding to the path of linkage, whlle one's practice can still be undermined there can no longer be any regression, and thus one's spiritual birthright-one's buddha nature-is affirmed 62.4 In che third of the five yogic phases, the supreme inspiration one feels on the path of seeing is such that one is free of the five kinds offear (see note I 86) and has transcended all mundane experiences through one's direct perception of the actual nature of phenomena 62.5 Termed thus because, on the path of meditation, one focuses on the state of primordial unity that still requires training and become more familiar with this state, so that one will be able to gain the fruition state of primordial unity that requires no more training 62.6 In the fourth of the five yogic phases, corresponding to the path of meditation, one receives the supreme confirmation of one's final enlightenment, with a certainty concerning the time· and place 62 7· Termed thus because, within the context of the path of consummation, one abides in the enlightened intent of the inseparabllity ofbasic space and timeless awareness, without transition or change 62.8 Termed thus because, again within the context of the path of consummation, the "seal" of the actual nature of phenomena-the unity of utter lucidity as that actual nature and of objects in the phenomenal world as the expressions of the deitypermeates all one's perceptions and conduct 62.9 Termed ·thus because, still within the context of the path of consummation, the entire array of the riipakayas-the manifestations of the dynamic energy of pure awareness-is utterly perfect, fully embraced within unborn basic space 63o In the fifth of the five yogic phases, corresponding to the path of consummation, ail the qualities of enlightenment that pertained co the state of primordial unity stlll requiring training become perfect in all their dynamic energy 63 r See note 3 r 32 In the tan eras of the Nyingma school of the Tibetan tradition, a common model for the fruition state ofbuddhahood speaks of twenty-five factors, five each relating to form, speech, mind, qualities, and activity These are discussed in Book I o; Part 4· 3 Source not identified 634 That is, habitual patterns that account for such seemingly inappropriate suffering 610 - THE TREASURY OF KNOWLEDGE as a realized being's having a headache, or the case ofNagarjuna only b~g able to be killed by having his head sawn off by a blade of grass (a karmic trace left from a former lifetime, in which he cut off the head of an insect with a blade of grass) 63 S· That is, the subliminal tendencies of affiictive states, which permeate the three realms of s:upsara 636 That is, the more "instinctive" tendencies to afflictive states, as distinct from those that involve conceptual thinking 63 7· That is, various degrees of cognitive obscurations that are eliminated on the three "pure" levels-that is, the eighth, ninth, and tenth levels, respectively 38 That is, the scriptural sources of the Anuyoga approach; the principal text, AllEmbracing Intent, although technically classified as a tantra, contains the word "siitra" in its title 639 Tib man ngag; Skt upadela These are concise ("pithy") summations of key points of spiritual practice to be implemented in a very direct way so as to arouse direct experience without a lot ofpreliminary study or training They are characterized as being "of few words, yet complete as to the meaning." 640 All-Creacing Monarch chap 6s sb, NGB, vol I, p :LIS, I through P· :u6,l I The line in the version available to me reads slightly differently: "The level of pure and sponqmeously'perfect awareness, unaltered and unrefined." TheAll-Creacing Monarch is a primary scriptural source of the Dzogchen teachings in general and those of the Category of Mind (Tib sems sde) in particular 64I The four levels of empowerment unique to the Dzogchen approach are termed the "elaborate" (spros bcas), the "unclaborate" (spros med), the "extremely elaborate" (shin tu spros med), and the "utterly unelaborate" (rab tu spros med) 642 The Sanskrit term "yoga" (from the stem yuj, 'to join, link') is rendered in Tibetan as mal 'byor, which could be translated (especially in the Dzogchen context) as "immersion in a genuine state of being." 643 The four visions of the Atiyoga, or Dzogchen, approach are termed: (I) the direct experience of the actual nature of phenomena; (:r.) the enrichment of meditative experience; (3) pure awareness reaching full expression; and (4) the resolution of phenomena in their true nature 644 This direct experience of the actual nature of phenomena as -a stare of original purity transcends the limitations of conceptual labels and intellectual speculation, "opening the doorway" to the pure realm of experience that cannot be fathomed by the ordinary imagination 645 A reference to a particular element of the visionary experience, in which chains of luminous points of light (compared to strings of pearls) are perceived on the background of a field oflight 646 In this vision, due to one's gazing at the vajra chain formation of pure awareness (the manifest expression of deeper insight), one perceives the points and spheres of light on the verge of maturing into forms of enlighcenment; perceptions based on confusion subside, and those based on timeless awareness become more fully evident 647 In this stage of visionary experience, the points and spheres of light mature into forms of enlig\1tenment, and the full expression of pure awareness directs one beyond the visionary expressions of the three kayas that arise on this spiritual path  ... that of the attainment of the supreme transmission; and (8) the "level of abiding without change;· (9) the "level of the permeation of the actual nature of phenomena:• and (I 0) the "level of the. .. within the context of the path of consummation, the "seal" of the actual nature of phenomena -the unity of utter lucidity as that actual nature and of objects in the phenomenal world as the expressions... intent" to the path of accumulation, the "yoga of affirming one's spiritual birthright" to the path of linkage, the "yoga of supreme inspiration" to the path of seeing, the "yoga of attaining