http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=348037296880#!/group.php?gid=348037296880&v=wall
Ehi Passiko
SN 55.21. The Buddha :” Don’t be afraid Mahanama. Your death won’t be a bad one. When a person’s mind has been fortified over a long time by FAITH, VIRTUE, LEARNING, GENEROSITY & WISDOM, after the breaking up of the body, his mind goes upwards, goes to distinction.”
#
*
Ehi Passiko
In Samyutta Nikaya 55.21, the Buddha was visiting his Aryan Disciple Mahanama, who was very sick and about to pass away. Though Mahanama was a Buddhist Saint : a Once-Returner (Sakadagami), he was still afraid of his death. The Buddha told ...him and also taught us that if we have already had unwavering FAITH in the Buddha, Dhamma & Sangha, keeping our PRECEPTS, LEARNING & PRACTISING THE DHAMMA, doing DANA & practising MEDITATION/WISDOM for a long time in our life. We should not be afraid of the DEATH, because the Buddha gave an ASSURANCE that our DEATH will be a good & peaceful one. Our body might endures pain due to the sickness, but not our mind. The trained mind will always be calm & peaceful. Our next rebirth destination will be a higher one & evolving onwards to Nibbana (mind goes upwards to distinction). In other words : it is highly possible we will attain the Sainthood/Aryanhood.
Hence, the theory that said our last thought before passing away is the most important factor to determine our next destination is not really correct or without condition. If a person was a precept breaker (commit killing, stealing, adultery,etc.) for almost his entire life and only realize his/her mistakes in the last few years of his/her life & start to repent & practise the Dhamma, it will be quite difficult to have good last thought & good death in most cases. Because the training of our mind or practising the Dhamma is a GRADUAL PROCESS. There is no short cut. But most people with wrong views believe that only when they are old & retired, they will start doing good, doing charity, turning to be religious/spiritual, start going to temples, joining retreat, start doing chanting etc. During their youth or prime time, they are only interested in worldly affairs, works, family, etc. No time for spiritual affair. When we are old, our sense & mental faculty are already weaken or we even fall sick. The chance & energy to practise the Dhamma is very low. If we have hardly ever done dana or good deeds, if we are a selfish or jealous man who always complain & discontent in most of our life time, what kind of good memory can we expect to recall in our last moment of life ? Even Mahanama, a Sakadagami/ an Aryan disciple was afraid of death. How about us, the lay disciple ? Therefore we should practice the Dhamma as early as possible in our life time before it is too late...._/\_See More
January 19 at 1:59am ·
Hi AEN,
If you are ascending, I am happy to inform you that the above 3 "facts" will eventually be outdated and become false in this lifetime.
As for separating from loves one, this is something all of
us(including myself) have to prepare and to accept. Majority of the
Earth's population have not raise their consiousness/awareness high
enough to "see the light" and ascend together with Earth to 4D in this
lifetime. Many souls will be leaving Earth to incarnate in other 3D
worlds more suitable for their learning, we have to respect their free
will and let them go as peacefully as possible. This information is
important just in case you wondering why so many people will be dying
within the next two decades.
Yep... I concur with AEN.
Yep.. the ascension refers to the rainbow light body attainment. It is not so easy... not even ordinarily enlightened people can attain it. It requires the full complete dissolving of all karma from body and mind... which is not possible for people who are not even aware of how consciousness really function..... I will just humbly admit that i do not know much about its experiences. But from description in Tibetan books, there are stages that most of us will not experience or even understand.
The new age got too much misinformation and people think that just by doing some kind of practice that is at the mind-level or just be good is enough. Far far from the truth.
'Seeing the light' if it is due to letting go ... is only experiencing the luminousity aspect of awareness. This can happen at the I AM stage. .. which mean one will assume the light to be God/Creator that is separated from the experiencer. There are other aspects of awareness that are veiled from us and will remain a mystery... until further insights are gained. Hey... words like light, luminosity, non-duality, no-self, emptiness are describing various aspects of reality as it is. For example, luminosity is not the same insight as no-self ... etc... Each insight make us 'realise' the truth of reality better...
BTW... SoulDivine, you indeed did 'plan' to be a guide for this lifetime. But, my friend... keep the possibilites open :)
Another sutta one a similar theme is the Bahiya sutta
Then Bahiya, hurriedly leaving Jeta's Grove and entering Savatthi, saw the Blessed One going for alms in Savatthi — calm, calming, his senses at peace, his mind at peace, tranquil and poised in the ultimate sense, accomplished, trained, guarded, his senses restrained, a Great One (naga). Seeing him, he approached the Blessed One and, on reaching him, threw himself down, with his head at the Blessed One's feet, and said, "Teach me the Dhamma, O Blessed One! Teach me the Dhamma, O One-Well-Gone, that will be for my long-term welfare and bliss."
When this was said, the Blessed One said to him: "This is not the time, Bahiya. We have entered the town for alms."
A second time, Bahiya said to the Blessed One: "But it is hard to know for sure what dangers there may be for the Blessed One's life, or what dangers there may be for mine. Teach me the Dhamma, O Blessed One! Teach me the Dhamma, O One-Well-Gone, that will be for my long-term welfare and bliss."
A second time, the Blessed One said to him: "This is not the time, Bahiya. We have entered the town for alms."
A third time, Bahiya said to the Blessed One: "But it is hard to know for sure what dangers there may be for the Blessed One's life, or what dangers there may be for mine. Teach me the Dhamma, O Blessed One! Teach me the Dhamma, O One-Well-Gone, that will be for my long-term welfare and bliss."
"Then, Bahiya, you should train yourself thus: In reference to the seen, there will be only the seen. In reference to the heard, only the heard. In reference to the sensed, only the sensed. In reference to the cognized, only the cognized. That is how you should train yourself. When for you there will be only the seen in reference to the seen, only the heard in reference to the heard, only the sensed in reference to the sensed, only the cognized in reference to the cognized, then, Bahiya, there is no you in terms of that. When there is no you in terms of that, there is no you there. When there is no you there, you are neither here nor yonder nor between the two. This, just this, is the end of stress."
Through hearing this brief explanation of the Dhamma from the Blessed One, the mind of Bahiya of the Bark-cloth right then and there was released from the effluents through lack of clinging/sustenance. Having exhorted Bahiya of the Bark-cloth with this brief explanation of the Dhamma, the Blessed One left.
Now, not long after the Blessed One's departure, Bahiya — attacked by a cow with a calf — lost his life. Then the Blessed One, having gone for alms in Savatthi, after the meal, returning from his alms round with a large number of monks, saw that Bahiya had died. On seeing him, he said to the monks, "Take Bahiya's body and, placing it on a litter and carrying it away, cremate it and build him a memorial. Your companion in the holy life has died."
"As you say, lord," the monks replied. After placing Bahiya's body on a litter, carrying it off, cremating it, and building him a memorial, they went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As they were sitting there, they said to him, "Bahiya's body has been cremated, lord, and his memorial has been built. What is his destination? What is his future state?"
"Monks, Bahiya of the Bark-cloth was wise. He practiced the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma and did not pester me with issues related to the Dhamma. Bahiya of the Bark-cloth, monks, is totally unbound."
Hi AEN & simpo_,
There are 2 parts for the upcoming human ascension which is already happening from now all the way through 2030.
First from 3D->4D, then 4D->5D. I will describe more about
3D->4D since these are what we will be experiencing first before
4D->5D.
If you are one ascending from 3D to 4D, you may experience the following:
"You realized that the path of materialism is not serving you on your
soul path, you decide to use material things (books, smartphones,
computers, Internet e.t.c.) to assist you in your service-to-others; to
facilitate reaching out to more people and to help them awaken. You have
completely move out of the pop culture. You do not worry about whether
you own the lastest iPhone gagets or what brand of watch/clothes you
wear on your body. You could care less about what happens on the latest
television drama shows or those "Idol" contest. These things become
irrelevant and insignificant in your life.
You communicate freely with other people that are on your level or at similar state of consciousness/awareness.
You will be aware that you are the creator of your individual life
experience. You are the observer(and also the one being observed) of the
drama in your life and you are more aware of the possible outcomes of
your actions. You will realise that your consious perception shapes up
your own reality. You will learn that you are the master of your Earthly
experience. You know that you have free-will and are learning how to
use it. You are learning about karma, what it is, how it works and how
to balance it. You will understand your various soul contracts, the
purpose of your incarnations and the purpose in life.
At this stage, you have become fourth density human."
Originally posted by SoulDivine:Hi AEN & simpo_,
There are 2 parts for the upcoming human ascension which is already happening from now all the way through 2030.
First from 3D->4D, then 4D->5D. I will describe more about 3D->4D since these are what we will be experiencing first before 4D->5D.
If you are one ascending from 3D to 4D, you may experience the following:
"You realized that the path of materialism is not serving you on your soul path, you decide to use material things (books, smartphones, computers, Internet e.t.c.) to assist you in your service-to-others; to facilitate reaching out to more people and to help them awaken. You have completely move out of the pop culture. You do not worry about whether you own the lastest iPhone gagets or what brand of watch/clothes you wear on your body. You could care less about what happens on the latest television drama shows or those "Idol" contest. These things become irrelevant and insignificant in your life.You communicate freely with other people that are on your level or at similar state of consciousness/awareness.
You will be aware that you are the creator of your individual life experience. You are the observer(and also the one being observed) of the drama in your life and you are more aware of the possible outcomes of your actions. You will realise that your consious perception shapes up your own reality. You will learn that you are the master of your Earthly experience. You know that you have free-will and are learning how to use it. You are learning about karma, what it is, how it works and how to balance it. You will understand your various soul contracts, the purpose of your incarnations and the purpose in life.
At this stage, you have become fourth density human."
I see.
But after experiencing all those (which is not yet enlightenment), you still experience birth, ageing, death, etc.
So ascension in your understanding is 5D?
Ascension is the process of moving from a third (3D), through fourth (4D) to a fifth density (5D) consciousness.
Physically,
4D will still experience karma, birth and death. Still within the
wheel of reincarnation. But you are unlikely to fall sick and probably
slow/stop aging already.
For 5D, you will be "upgrading" your
physical body into etheric light body, so you do not need to discard
your physical body. At 5D, there is no disease, no death, no aging. Your
body will shimmer and shine. You are able to recreate your light body
as you like it. You are effectively out of the wheel of reincarnation.
(Off
topic abit... In my opinion, my information about 4D & 5D are quite
accurate. However, I know very little about 6D and above... so what I
wrote below are just assumptions.)
At 7D, there is where I call "home". There is where I can see my "heavenly father". It looks like a place of infinite space and light. There is no land for me to step on so I don't think its anything like Buddha pureland.
At 10D, there are the Christ planes and Buddhic planes. This is where you are aiming for if you want to become a Buddha.
At 12D, there is the creator/god/source. All universe are created by it.
Originally posted by SoulDivine:Ascension is the process of moving from a third (3D), through fourth (4D) to a fifth density (5D) consciousness.
Physically,4D will still experience karma, birth and death. Still within the wheel of reincarnation. But you are unlikely to fall sick and probably slow/stop aging already.
For 5D, you will be "upgrading" your physical body into etheric light body, so you do not need to discard your physical body. At 5D, there is no disease, no death, no aging. Your body will shimmer and shine. You are able to recreate your light body as you like it. You are effectively out of the wheel of reincarnation.
(Off topic abit... In my opinion, my information about 4D & 5D are quite accurate. However, I know very little about 6D and above... so what I wrote below are just assumptions.)
At 7D, there is where I call "home". There is where I can see my "heavenly father". It looks like a place of infinite space and light. There is no land for me to step on so I don't think its anything like Buddha pureland.
At 10D, there are the Christ planes and Buddhic planes. This is where you are aiming for if you want to become a Buddha.
At 12D, there is the creator/god/source. All universe are created by it.
Hi SoulDivine,
This level of understanding that you are writing about is I AM level. As mentioned in the above post, if the non-dual and emptiness level of understanding are not experienced and understood, the Source is seem to be separated from you. In this case, you assumed that the Source is at the 12 D.
The source is manifested in the appearance(manifestations). The Source is too close for the eye 'I' to see. The source is your true nature as well as the nature of everyone and everything. It is not separated from you for the 'you' as a individual person call SoulDivine is an experience... just as all experiences in truth have no self-identity...
In the Mahayana Teaching, there is a saying that 'Form is Emptiness' and 'Emptiness is Form'. This roughly translate that the Source is 'embedded' in the Creations. One is seeing the world and yet is still ignorant of what is being seen.
As for the ascension, my opinion is that karma ( which includes ignorance) is what make one sees things as being solid (3D). If don't really know what the reality is like, how to transform it?
Right from the beginning, there is no substantial 3D, 4D or 5D. All are appearance that implied and imposed various forms of living conditions.
I don't mean to be offensive. But as mentioned, new age teachings are incomplete and lacking in vital insights. It is not wrong per se but is certainly is beating around the bush.
Just a sharing
Originally posted by SoulDivine:Hi AEN & simpo_,
There are 2 parts for the upcoming human ascension which is already happening from now all the way through 2030.
First from 3D->4D, then 4D->5D. I will describe more about 3D->4D since these are what we will be experiencing first before 4D->5D.
If you are one ascending from 3D to 4D, you may experience the following:
"You realized that the path of materialism is not serving you on your soul path, you decide to use material things (books, smartphones, computers, Internet e.t.c.) to assist you in your service-to-others; to facilitate reaching out to more people and to help them awaken. You have completely move out of the pop culture. You do not worry about whether you own the lastest iPhone gagets or what brand of watch/clothes you wear on your body. You could care less about what happens on the latest television drama shows or those "Idol" contest. These things become irrelevant and insignificant in your life.You communicate freely with other people that are on your level or at similar state of consciousness/awareness.
You will be aware that you are the creator of your individual life experience. You are the observer(and also the one being observed) of the drama in your life and you are more aware of the possible outcomes of your actions. You will realise that your consious perception shapes up your own reality. You will learn that you are the master of your Earthly experience. You know that you have free-will and are learning how to use it. You are learning about karma, what it is, how it works and how to balance it. You will understand your various soul contracts, the purpose of your incarnations and the purpose in life.
At this stage, you have become fourth density human."
is this being taught by the Buddha?
Dalai Lama's answer:-
http://hhdl.dharmakara.net/hhdlquotes22.html
A: I understand the Primordial Buddha, also known as Buddha Samantabhadra, to be the ultimate reality, the realm of the Dharmakaya-- the space of emptiness--where all phenomena, pure and impure, are dissolved. This is the explanation taught by the Sutras and Tantras. However, in the context of your question, the tantric tradition is the only one which explains the Dharmakaya in terms of Inherent clear light, the essential nature of the mind; this would seem imply that all phenomena, samsara and nirvana, arise from this clear and luminous source. Even the New School of Translation came to the conclusion that the "state of rest" of a practitioner of the Great Yoga--Great Yoga implies here the state of the practitioner who has reached a stage in meditation where the most subtle experience of clear light has been realized--that for as long as the practitioner remains in this ultimate sphere he or she remains totally free of any sort of veil obscuring the mind, and is immersed in a state of great bliss.
We can say, therefore, that this ultimate source, clear light, is close to the notion of a Creator, since all phenomena, whether they belong to samsara or nirvana, originate therein. But we must be careful in speaking of this source, we must not be led into error. I do not mean chat there exists somewhere, there, a sort of collective clear light, analogous to the non-Buddhist concept of Brahma as a substratum. We must not be inclined to deify this luminous space. We must understand that when we speak of ultimate or inherent clear light, we are speaking on an individual level.
Likewise, when we speak of karma as the cause of the universe we eliminate the notion of a unique entity called karma existing totally independently. Rather, collective karmic impressions, accumulated individually, are at the origin of the creation of a world. When, in the tantric context, we say that all worlds appear out of clear light, we do not visualize this source as a unique entity, but as the ultimate clear light of each being. We can also, on the basis of its pure essence, understand this clear light to be the Primordial Buddha. All the stages which make up the life of each living being--death, the intermediate state, and rebirth--represent nothing more than the various manifestations of the potential of clear light. It is both the most subtle consciousness and energy. The more clear light loses its subtlety, the more your experiences take shape.
In this way, death and the intermediate state are moments where the gross manifestations emanating from clear light are reabsorbed. At death we return to that original source, and from there a slightly more gross state emerges to form the intermediate state preceding rebirth. At the stage of rebirth, clear light is apparent in a physical incarnation. At death we return to this source. And so on. The ability to recognize subtle clear light, also called the Primordial Buddha, is equivalent to realizing nirvana, whereas ignorance of the nature of clear light leaves us to wander in the different realms of samsaric existence.
This is how I understand the concept of the Primordial Buddha. It would be a grave error to conceive of it as an independent and autonomous existence from beginningless time. If we had to accept the idea of an independent creator, the explanations given in the Pramanavartika, the "Compendium of Valid Knowledge" written by Dharmakirti, and in the ninth chapter of the text by Shantideva, which completely refutes the existence per se of all phenomena, would be negated. This, in turn, would refute the notion of the Primordial Buddha. The Buddhist point of view does not accept the validity of affirmations which do not stand up to logical examination. If a sutra describes the Primordial Buddha as an autonomous entity, we must be able to interpret this assertion without taking it literally. We call this type of sutra an "interpretable" sutra.
/\
the tantric tradition is the only one which explains the Dharmakaya in terms of Inherent clear light, the essential nature of the mind; this would seem imply that all phenomena, samsara and nirvana, arise from this clear and luminous source.
.....
We can say, therefore, that this ultimate source, clear light, is close to the notion of a Creator, since all phenomena, whether they belong to samsara or nirvana, originate therein. But we must be careful in speaking of this source, we must not be led into error.
“何其自性，本自清净，何其自性，本ä¸�生ç�ï¼Œä½•å…¶è‡ªæ€§ï¼Œæœ¬è‡ªå…·è¶³ï¼Œä½•å…¶è‡ªæ€§ï¼Œæœ¬æ— åŠ¨æ‘‡ï¼Œä½•å…¶è‡ªæ€§ï¼Œèƒ½ç”Ÿä¸‡æ³•ã€‚”--慧能大师
人人本æ�¥å…·è¶³æ¸…净如明ç� çš„æœ¬æ€§çœŸæˆ‘ï¼Œè¿™æœ¬æ€§çœŸæˆ‘æœ‰æ— é™�的功用能æº�ï¼Œå› æ¤å…ç¥–æƒ èƒ½å¤§å¸ˆè¯´ï¼šã€Œä½•å…¶è‡ªæ€§æœ¬è‡ªæ¸…å‡€ï¼Œä½•å…¶è‡ªæ€§æœ¬è‡ªå…·è¶³ã€‚ã€�，而愚痴的我们å�´ä¸�知é�“å��求诸己，观照自性，把内心的能æº�开采出æ�¥ï¼Œå��而一味å�‘外追é€�，汲汲è�¥è�¥ï¼Œç»ˆå…¶ä¸€ç”Ÿï¼Œå¥½æ¯”穷人怀抱明ç� ，å�´æ±‚乞异乡。茶陵éƒ�禅师有一首开悟诗说：
　　我有明ç� 一颗，久被尘劳å°�é”�。
ã€€ã€€ä»Šæ—¥å°˜å°½å…‰ç”Ÿï¼Œç…§ç ´å±±æ²³ä¸‡æœµã€‚
　　我们人人本æ�¥å…·è¶³çš„一颗明ç� ，为什么å�«è—�ä¸�现?å› ä¸ºç”Ÿæ´»ä¸çš„爱执尘埃蒙蔽了它的清明，é€�过生命烈ç�«çš„淬炼，去除层层的覆è—�，æ‰�能尘埃尽净，é‡�现自性的智慧之光!
http://www.nanputuo.com/blog/user2/small/archives/2008/1508.html
/\
Tathagatagarbha - Definition |
/\
Hi simpo_,
No offense taken. I just want to clarify certain points with you. I am
not assoicated or related to any New Age community/teachings. In fact, I
am much more familiar with the Dharma than "New Age" since I studied
Dharma long ago.
Words/language are only useful to briefly describe the
spiritual/universal truths from a 3D/4D perspective. When 5D and above,
we only need to rely on telepathy and direct experience. There is a need
to differentiate people between densities because most of us are
primarily vibrating between 3D/4D state of consiousness, and not 5D and
above.
In the ultimate sense, I fully agree that there is really no seperation
from the source to begin with. We are all contain within the one source
of "All that is".
My primary focus now is Ascension because the whole world population are affected and even Earth itself is at risk. After 2012, there will be no need to talk about Ascension anymore, because the whole world will know what "Ascension" means to them through direct experience.
Most importantly.
Start practicing meditation~!!!
Originally posted by SoulDivine:Hi simpo_,
No offense taken. I just want to clarify certain points with you. I am not assoicated or related to any New Age community/teachings. In fact, I am much more familiar with the Dharma than "New Age" since I studied Dharma long ago.
Words/language are only useful to briefly describe the spiritual/universal truths from a 3D/4D perspective. When 5D and above, we only need to rely on telepathy and direct experience. There is a need to differentiate people between densities because most of us are primarily vibrating between 3D/4D state of consiousness, and not 5D and above.
In the ultimate sense, I fully agree that there is really no seperation from the source to begin with. We are all contain within the one source of "All that is".
My primary focus now is Ascension because the whole world population are affected and even Earth itself is at risk. After 2012, there will be no need to talk about Ascension anymore, because the whole world will know what "Ascension" means to them through direct experience.
The view that we are all One Source of All That Is, is precisely the view of the person at the I AM phase.
Me, Longchen, Thusness, have gone through these phases before, so we know what it is by direct experience. It is the direct experiential realization of ourselves as an impersonal, all-pervasive Presence prior to thoughts.
This experience is intimate, non-dual, and quickly becomes reified into an ultimate identity or true self. I reached this phase in February 2010 - Longchen and Thusness had it more than 20 years ago (and progressed into the Anatta and Emptiness phases in more recent years).
After a few months entering into the I AM phase (Thusness Stage 1), the impersonal aspect (Thusness Stage 2) of it became clearer, and this led to a sense of everything and everyone as coming forth from, and being the effortless expression of One Source. The absence of the sense of personality led to the reification of Consciousness as being fundamental, universal, over-arching like a cosmic consciousness/source from which all things animate and inanimate issues forth. We feel that it is not 'I', as an individual doer, who lives life, but that we are all lived by a greater power - as described in Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me
An analogy I used then was like the electricity powering every single instrument (be it TV, radio, iron, etc). There is no personal doer involved.
However, at this level, Consciousness is reified as an ultimate Self, Source, that lies 'behind' all manifestations as its source, substratum, base. There is no individuality present - all things manifest and dissolve back into an unchanging base of pure presence.
This 'Presence' is still seen as separated from manifestations - like what Longchen said about the division between Source and Manifestation. Source/Presence/Consciousness becomes seen as a backdrop of all existence, so there is still a duality between the 'Background' (Source) and the 'Foreground' (phenomenal existence).
When it is realized that Manifestation is the Source, there is no longer the division between the Witness and the Witnessed, the Observer and the Observed, the Source and the Manifestation. Everything becomes equally an expression of/AS the Source/Awareness/Presence.
But this is still the substantialist non-dual phase, or Thusness Stage 4. There can still be a sense of a universal Consciousness, though everything is realized to be equally an expression of that universal consciousness without the slightest division between Subject and Object - now you truly see yourself as everything, as the sound, the bird singing, the scenery, etc.
A subtler realization must occur that Awareness, Seeing, Hearing, is JUST the manifestation - the sounds, sights, experiences that arise self-luminous on its own accord. There is no agent, center, perceiver involved at all - Awareness is simply a word or label collating the various experiences that arise, like the word 'Weather' is simply a label collating the various ever-changing patterns of weather occuring. This is the realization of Anatta, or Thusness Stage 5.
At this point you no longer reify a universal substratum or source out of which things arise. Why? Because 'Source', 'Awareness', is realized to be simply a label collating the various experiences arising. There is no inherently, independently existing universal Source out of which things occur - there is just processes, experiences, manifestations. There is no universal mind, only individual streams of mind (experiences) that occur without an agent, separation, perceiver, controller.
Then you can proceed from there to realize the dependently originated and empty nature of experiences, that all things occur not due to a controller, God, or agent, but is due to karma and other conditions, so Awareness is not so much of a 'cause' but more like an 'effect' - but even that is not quite right, because both cause and effect (precisely because they are dependently originated) are empty of independent existence and cannot be established to be independently existing. This leaves everything unconditioned as they are, though thoroughly interdependently originated. It sounds paradoxical but isn't, when realized experientially.
That said, 'start practicing meditation' is very important - because when you start practicing meditation, and particularly self inquiry which I recommend, you will then ascend the stages of enlightenment and come to realize these experiential facts for yourself. However, to meditate, without the right view instilled - will lead to getting stuck on certain stages, like the I AM stage.
Originally posted by sinweiy:Dalai Lama's answer:-
http://hhdl.dharmakara.net/hhdlquotes22.html
Q: You have said that according to Buddhist philosophy there is no Creator, no God of creation, and this may initially put off many people who believe in a divine principle. Can you explain the difference between the Vajrayana Primordial Buddha and a Creator God?
A: I understand the Primordial Buddha, also known as Buddha Samantabhadra, to be the ultimate reality, the realm of the Dharmakaya-- the space of emptiness--where all phenomena, pure and impure, are dissolved. This is the explanation taught by the Sutras and Tantras. However, in the context of your question, the tantric tradition is the only one which explains the Dharmakaya in terms of Inherent clear light, the essential nature of the mind; this would seem imply that all phenomena, samsara and nirvana, arise from this clear and luminous source. Even the New School of Translation came to the conclusion that the "state of rest" of a practitioner of the Great Yoga--Great Yoga implies here the state of the practitioner who has reached a stage in meditation where the most subtle experience of clear light has been realized--that for as long as the practitioner remains in this ultimate sphere he or she remains totally free of any sort of veil obscuring the mind, and is immersed in a state of great bliss.
We can say, therefore, that this ultimate source, clear light, is close to the notion of a Creator, since all phenomena, whether they belong to samsara or nirvana, originate therein. But we must be careful in speaking of this source, we must not be led into error. I do not mean chat there exists somewhere, there, a sort of collective clear light, analogous to the non-Buddhist concept of Brahma as a substratum. We must not be inclined to deify this luminous space. We must understand that when we speak of ultimate or inherent clear light, we are speaking on an individual level.
Likewise, when we speak of karma as the cause of the universe we eliminate the notion of a unique entity called karma existing totally independently. Rather, collective karmic impressions, accumulated individually, are at the origin of the creation of a world. When, in the tantric context, we say that all worlds appear out of clear light, we do not visualize this source as a unique entity, but as the ultimate clear light of each being. We can also, on the basis of its pure essence, understand this clear light to be the Primordial Buddha. All the stages which make up the life of each living being--death, the intermediate state, and rebirth--represent nothing more than the various manifestations of the potential of clear light. It is both the most subtle consciousness and energy. The more clear light loses its subtlety, the more your experiences take shape.
In this way, death and the intermediate state are moments where the gross manifestations emanating from clear light are reabsorbed. At death we return to that original source, and from there a slightly more gross state emerges to form the intermediate state preceding rebirth. At the stage of rebirth, clear light is apparent in a physical incarnation. At death we return to this source. And so on. The ability to recognize subtle clear light, also called the Primordial Buddha, is equivalent to realizing nirvana, whereas ignorance of the nature of clear light leaves us to wander in the different realms of samsaric existence.
This is how I understand the concept of the Primordial Buddha. It would be a grave error to conceive of it as an independent and autonomous existence from beginningless time. If we had to accept the idea of an independent creator, the explanations given in the Pramanavartika, the "Compendium of Valid Knowledge" written by Dharmakirti, and in the ninth chapter of the text by Shantideva, which completely refutes the existence per se of all phenomena, would be negated. This, in turn, would refute the notion of the Primordial Buddha. The Buddhist point of view does not accept the validity of affirmations which do not stand up to logical examination. If a sutra describes the Primordial Buddha as an autonomous entity, we must be able to interpret this assertion without taking it literally. We call this type of sutra an "interpretable" sutra.
/\
This is a good explanation. The Dalai Lama is clear about the difference between Buddhism and non-Buddhist traditions like Advaita Vedanta, even though both of them experiences the Clear Light.
Buddhism, with the correct cognition of Anatta and Emptiness, does not reify Clear Light into a fundamental, over-arching, cosmic source of all things and beings.
Instead, it sees clear light for what it is - the individual stream of consciousness. So while it is true that everything experienced comes forth from mind, and IS mind, this mind is not an ultimate universal consciousness, a God or Brahman of some sort. Consciousness is an individual source that interdependently originates.
What is clear light? The Dalai Lama explains:
These two features - luminosity, or clarity, and knowing, or cognizance - have come to characterise 'the mental' in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist thought. Clarity here refers to the ability of mental states to reveal or reflect. Knowing, by contrast, refers to mental states' faculty to perceive or apprehend what appears.
All phenomena possessed of these qualities count as mental. These features are difficult to conceptualise, but then we are dealing with phenomena that are subjective and internal rather than material objects that may be measured in spatio-temporal terms.
Perhaps it is because of these difficulties - the limits of language in dealing with the subjective - that many of the early Buddhist texts explain the nature of consciousness in terms of metaphors such as light or a flowing river. As the primary feature of light is to illuminate, so consciousness is said to illuminate its objects. Just as in light there is no categorical distinction between the illumination and that which illuminates, so in consciousness there is no real difference between the process of knowing or cognition and that which knows or cognizes. In consciousness, as in light, there is a quality of illumination.
~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "The Universe in a Single Atom"
Here, the Dalai Lama clearly expresses the insight of Anatta.
Luminosity is not a Knower, Cognizer, but is simply the self-luminous essence of the process of experiencing, knowing. It is the individual stream of mind that we are talking about - its self-knowing quality.
The Dalai Lama also understands the tendency of Consciousness, Clear Light to be reified (like in non-Buddhist religions) into an ultimate God, Brahman, etc.
He said:
Through the gates of the five sense organs a being sees, hears, smells, tastes and comes into contact with a host of external forms, objects and impressions. Let the form, sound, smell, taste, touch and mental events which are the relations of the six senses be shut off. When this is done the recollection of past events on which the mind tends to dwell will be completely discontinued and the flow of memory cut off. Similarly, plans for the future and contemplation of future action must not be allowed to arise. It is necessary to create a space in place of all such processes of thought if one is to empty the mind of all such processes of thought. Freed from all these processes there will remain a pure, clean, distinct and quiescent mind. Now let us examine what sort of characteristics constitute the mind when it has attained this stage. We surely do possess some thing called mind, but how are we to recognize its existence? The real and essential mind is what is to be found when the entire load of gross obstructions and aberrations (i.e. sense impressions, memories, etc.) has been cleared away. Discerning this aspect of real mind, we shall discover that, unlike external objects, its true nature is devoid of form or color; nor can we find any basis of truth for such false and deceptive notions as that mind originated from this or that, or that it will move from here to there, or that it is located in such-and-such a place. When it comes into contact with no object mind is like a vast, boundless void, or like a serene, illimitable ocean. When it encounters an object it at once has cognizance of it, like a mirror instantly reflecting a person who stands in front of it. The true nature of mind consists not only in taking clear cognizance of the object but also in communicating a concrete experience of that object to the one experiencing it.* Normally, our forms of sense cognition, such as eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, etc., perform their functions on external phenomena in a manner involving gross distortion. Knowledge resulting from sense cognition, being based on gross external phenomena, is also of a gross nature. When this type of gross stimulation is shut out, and when concrete experiences and clear cognizance arise from within, mind assumes the characteristics of infinite void similar to the infinitude of space. But this void is not to be taken as the true nature of mind. We have become so habituated to consciousness of the form and color of gross objects that, when we make concentrated introspection into the nature of mind, it is, as I have said, found to be a vast, limitless void free from any gross obscurity or other hindrances. Nevertheless, this does not mean that we have discerned the subtle, true nature of the mind. What has been explained above concerns the state of mind in relation to the concrete experience and clear cognizance by the mind which are its function, but it describes only the relative nature of mind.
There are in addition several other aspects and states of mind. In other words, taking mind as the supreme basis, there are many attributes related to it. Just as an onion consists of layer upon layer that can be peeled away, so does every sort of object have a number of layers; and this is no less true of the nature of mind as explained here; it, too, has layer within layer, slate within state.
All compounded things are subject to disintegration. Since experience and knowledge are impermanent and subject to disintegration, the mind, of which they are functions (nature), is not something that remains constant and eternal. From moment to moment it undergoes change and disintegration. This transience of mind is one aspect of its nature. However, as we have observed, its true nature has many aspects, including consciousness of concrete experience and cognizance of objects. Now let us make a further examination in order to grasp the meaning of the subtle essence of such a mind. Mind came into existence because of its own cause. To deny that the origination of mind is dependent on a cause, or to say that it is a designation given as a means of recognizing the nature of mind aggregates, is not correct. With our superficial observance, mind, which has concrete experience and clear cognizance as its nature, appears to be a powerful, independent, subjective, completely ruling entity. However, deeper analysis will reveal that this mind, possessing as it does the function of experience and cognizance, is not a self-created entity but Is dependent on other factors for its existence. Hence it depends on something other than itself. This non-independent quality of the mind substance is its true nature which in turn is the ultimate reality of the self.
Also, the Dalai Lama explains this luminosity of mind to be eternal, but not an unchanging eternal but a changing eternality:
The fundamental mind which serves as the basis of all phenomena of cyclic existence and nirvana is posited as the ultimate truth or nature of phenomena (dharmata, chos nyid); it is also called the ‘clear light’ (abhasvara, ‘od gsal) and uncompounded (asamskrta, ‘dus ma byas). In Nying-ma it is called the ‘mind-vajra’; this is not the mind that is contrasted with basic knowledge (rig pa) and mind (sems) but the factor of mere luminosity and knowing, basic knowledge itself. This is the final root of all minds, forever indestructible, immutable, and unbreakable continuum like a vajra. Just as the New Translation Schools posit a beginningless and endless fundamental mind, so Nying-ma posits a mind-vajra which has no beginning or end and proceeds without interruption through the effect stage of Buddhahood. It is considered ‘permanent’ in the sense of abiding forever and thus is presented as a permanent mind. It is permanent not in the sense of not disintegrating moment by moment but in the sense that its continuum is no interrupted…