The Great Chariot

by Longchenpa | 268,580 words

A Commentary on Great Perfection: The Nature of Mind, Easer of Weariness In Sanskrit the title is ‘Mahāsandhi-cittā-visranta-vṛtti-mahāratha-nāma’. In Tibetan ‘rDzogs pa chen po sems nyid ngal gso’i shing rta chen po shes bya ba ’...

Part 2b.2 - The two individual explanations of shamatha and vipashyana

2.a) Shamatha

2.a.i) The cause of its being established

Here first:

When body, speech, and mind, and cognition are at ease,
Then it can be said that shamatha is established.
There is equanimity with the natures of all dharmas,
The chief of its limbs is that all conceptions are pacified.
In samsaric style, the mind is grasping a single object.

The complete non-thought of samadhi is established by putting the three gates completely at ease. By putting the body at ease, the nadis are put at ease. By putting the nadis at ease, prana is put at ease. By putting prana at ease the red and white essential elements are at ease. They naturally collect in the petals of the four chakras and so forth.

Then the mental resting of shamatha is naturally established. This is because the supports of mind, the elemental essences, motionlessly collect in one place.

Thus at the time of gently resting, the nature of mind, without gathering and emanation ,is the main thing in the essence of shamatha. As the object to be supported by that, the mind by grasping a single object of meditation abides in the manner of a retinue with a slight degree of nonthought.

Moreover, the nature of mind continually exists in its natural state, its natural manner of inexpressible evenness that does not come, go, or remain anywhere at all.* The half of this that is the aspect of vividness and clarity is vipashyana. The aspect of abiding and resting is shamatha. Their non-duality is called their union. Because it always exists in all beings, luminous clarity is easily encountered when there is the comfort and ease of natural motionlessness and so forth. Whether the yogin is emanating or resting, by knowing shamatha/vipashyana where everything is left as it is without fabrication or defilement, there is liberation.

*= For example, no mature of mind is found by examination.

2.a.ii) The way of grasping the object

As for the way in which the mind grasps a single object:

One kind has an apparent object and one does not.
Either kind can be external or internal.
In all that makes four ways the object can be grasped.

When there are apparent objects of shamatha,
They will be forms and such, the objects of the five senses.
That without form is one-pointed resting in non-thought.
External objects are things like rocks and trees and statues.
The internal ones are like the inverted heart-center lotus

First, as for the way the mind grasps, in shamatha with an apparent object, the mind rests one-pointedly with undistracted focus on form, sound, smell, taste, and touchables, whatever object or objects there may be. When shamatha is unsupported by such appearance, what is grasped by the mind is a state of complete non-thought.

Within the body, by meditating on the bodies of gods, syllables, wheels and other scepters, or the downward-opening heart lotus, and so forth, or by meditating on light and so forth, after complexities are pacified, shamatha with a preponderance of bliss arises.

Externally, if we grasp as a support rocks, trees, bodily forms, and so forth and are without distraction, also the clear and luminous half of shamatha will arise.

Here by complexities coming to predominate, if objects are grasped as external, and their proliferations are grasped as internal. With the diminishing of thoughts, if objects are grasped as internal, by drowsiness predominating, they will also be grasped as external. Moreover, by the mind having first grasped something with characteristics, afterwards the state without characteristics will arise.

Those who do not know this, if their minds grasp bodily forms and so forth, go into complexity.[1] Therefore, even when they say they are resting in a state without complexity of nothing whatsoever, they miss the point. This is the speech of those with little experience.

Here though one’s mind seems to be steadily focused on something, at the time of first being directed toward that, a thought precedes it. Then, not entering into that object or that appearance, the mind without emanating and gathering, substanceless, pure, and vivid, like an autumn sky free from clouds, does not remain there and cannot possibly do so.

In a state without appearance, even if the mind grasps, further damage will not occur. Even if there are such faults, we cannot be harmed by drowsiness or discursiveness. In brief, not entering into the appearance of objects, a mind resting free from emanation and gathering is called dhyana. Whatever the mind grasps, whether with or without appearance, it is maintained that it should arise adorned by realization of the experiences of bliss, luminosity, and non-thought, as the great non-fixation free from extremes. If that does not arise, there are faults. If it does arise, the samadhi of genuine dhyana in which upaya and prajña are non-dual has said to have arisen.

2.a.iii) The limb of means:

In brief:

To rest the mind one-pointedly on a single object
Is the limb of means that establishes shamatha

The object on which one wants to rest is one-pointedly grasped by the mind. Then by the following nine means of resting the mind, it should be stabilized.

On that object the mind should

  1. rest and
  2. continually rest.

If it emanates outward, the mind should be

  1. brought back to resting.

As we become more and more assiduous, there is

  1. thoroughly resting.

When that has produced joy, there is

  1. taming,
  2. pacification of the faults of distraction.

When sleepiness, dullness and so forth have been cleared away, there is

  1. complete pacification.

Non-emanation of other produces

  1. one-pointedness.

By not struggling with that, there is

  1. resting in equanimity.

The Middle Length Prajñaparamita says:

Resting the mind, continually resting, bringing back to resting, taming, pacifying, complete pacifying, one-pointedness, and resting in equanimity.

2.a.iv) The means of practice:

How?

When one-pointed shamatha has arisen by means of this,
By reason of its stabilization and further increase,
The wisdom of vipashyana will proliferate.
It is important, to gain the benefit of this,
That it should be mixed with everything we do.
Relying on this, in freshness of both body and mind,
We should meditate as is described before.
It will quickly be established by doing this.

There can be no accomplishment by the condition of the mind's having achieved mere one-pointedness, since that is not suitable for mixing with vipashyana. At this time of one-pointedness it is mixed with vipashyana, clear seeing of illusion and so forth. Also shamatha is mixed with going, staying and so forth.

If this mixing is not produced, after the mind has been distracted by emanated objects meditate as before. Then we shall attain self-control over the object on which we want to rest, the period for which we want to rest, and the way in which we want to rest. The power of resting and disengaging will arise. The Ornament of the Mahayana Sutras (Mahayanasutralankara) says:

By that, having made that increase,
By that increase having gone far,…

The main practice of resting will thus truly be attained.

2.b) Vipashyana

2.b.i) The principal feature and the subsidiary aspects that are like its retinue. Having trained in shamatha:

For whoever wants the clear seeing of vipashyana
Within the limpid clarity of the luminous mind,
Discriminating awareness is the principal aspect.
Meditative equipoise in a state of non-thought
Exists in the form of a retinue surrounding that.

At the time of shamatha, the clear state of looking at the nature of dharmas within luminous mind is the principal feature, like the ruler. The luminous aspect of the mind of non-thought, not emanating, exists as the retinue or the ordinary people.

2.b.ii) Training in the skill of discriminating vipashyana

As for discriminating vipashyana:

Here there are the two aspects of dharmin and dharmata.
The dharmin is viewed as like the eight similes of illusion.
As for dharmata, the way that we should train
Is that phenomena are the emptiness of space.
By resting within suchness, wisdom will arise.

From stabilized meditation, examine in detail the essence of these external appearances, the dependent arising of the dharmin, appearing as dream, illusion, and so forth. Meditate within that as long as is desired. The Ten Circles of Kshitigarbha Sutra (sa’i snying po ‘khor lo bcu pa’i mdo) says:

All these dharmas are like an illusion or a mirage,
A dream or trick of the eyes, an echo or emanation.
Like the colored scarves of a dancer these should be realized.
I bow down to this as an excellent field of merit.

Look at it like that.

Rest without mental struggle in dharmata, the naturally existing unborn that is like space. The Precious Treasury of the Unborn (skye med rin po che’i mdzod) says:

No concept of anything, also not thinking anything,
Create nothing artificial; let the nature be.
That non-artificiality is the precious treasury known as the unborn,
Where all the victorious ones of all the three times have gone.

Meditating in that way, within the realization that all objects are like illusion, do not enter into fixation. Then within realization of the nature like space, arises the wisdom of unobstructed objects of appearance, the natural wisdom of simplicity, emptiness/luminosity. The All-Creating King says:

Kye! As for me, enlightenment, the doer of all, the king,
I am a perfect mirror that looks at all the dharmas.
All that arises is natureless luminosity.
I teach that by not looking there is that luminous nature.
Within the realm of suchness, which is the unborn,
Realize the great seeing, without any objects to look at.

2.b.iii) The benefit of training in drowsiness and discursiveness as the power of play In the pond of this vipashyana meditation:

In doing this, train in the various dharmas as power of play,[2]
Viewing them purely as non-dual illusion and emptiness.
When there is proliferation, we should compose the mind
Within the equality that is found in shamatha.
At this time in luminosity like the sky
We see in simplicity the empty/ luminous essence.
This frees us from the two -fold clouds of the obscurations.

Sometimes there rises a luminosity like an ocean.
Within its clarity, what arises is liberated.
This nonconceptual state is one that is self-existing.
It is important to gain the benefit of this,
And that it should be mixed with everything we do.
Thus vipashyana will quickly be established.

In the pond of vipashyana, the unborn, proliferate many dharmas of denying, affirming and so forth. Train in them as the power of play of vividly insubstantial illusion, passing the pass into non-dual illusion. If thoughts emanate, meditate as before in shamatha. Relying on that state, meditate on the eleven apprehensions below.[3]

Moreover, examine with the conceptions of independent arising and so forth. However, if because of these there is emanation, meditate in shamatha and do not analyze. That is, if because of this there are conceptualizing thoughts, put the mind in a state of non-thought that does not flicker with conceptual analysis. To prolong this, contemplate the reason for completely grasping the mind. Contemplate the reason for shamatha, not moving the mind from resting. Contemplate the reason for vipashyana, the half of luminous clarity. Contemplate the reason for non-dually mixing luminosity and emptiness in union. Contemplate the reason for equanimity, the natureless equality of all dharmas. The Middle Length Prajñaparamita says:

  1. Apprehend with conceptual thoughts and analytic discrimination;[4]
  2. Without conceptual thoughts, apprehend with just analytic discrimination
  3. Apprehend with neither thought nor analytic discrimination.
  4. Apprehend shamatha.
  5. Apprehend vipashyana.
  6. Apprehend their unity.
  7. Apprehend the reason for completely grasping the mind.
  8. Apprehend the reason for shamatha.
  9. Apprehend the reason for vipashyana.
  10. Apprehend the reason for their union.
  11. Apprehend the reason for equanimity.

That is the meaning. If the mind emanates, tame it. If it becomes drowsy, refresh it. By training in the skill of uniting shamatha and vipashyana, the ocean of mind and its waves arise like luminosity that has become space.

Rest the objects that are the mind's reference points without fixation in luminosity/emptiness. Such resting is unharmed by the waves of flickering thoughts. They are self-liberated at the very time they arise as our own nature.

Like clouds and the sky, as the imputations of vipashyana become space, the luminous nature of mind is seen, changeless, free from stains of artificiality, as naked luminosity/emptiness.

Even if mind exists, it exists as dharmata. Confidence is attained that it is primordially pure of existence and non-existence. By manifestation arising as the play of dharmata, whatever appears is known as the play of wisdom.

This is the time when conditioned appearances are liberated as naturally arisen wisdom. By seeing the essence of our own minds as trikaya, we are liberated from the dharmas of characteristics of effort and establishing. The All-Creating King says:

Kye ho, listen to me now O mahasattva!
As for dharmakaya, it is bodhicitta.
As for Bodhicitta, it is dharmakaya.
Not even an atom was ever created by anyone.
Therefore, there is neither buddhahood nor mind.

As for Sambhogakaya, it is bodhicitta.
Bodhicitta likewise is Sambhogakaya.
All the different forms arising from the mind
Are nothing else but that, Sambhogakaya itself.

As for Nirmanakaya, it is bodhicitta.
Bodhicitta likewise is Nirmanakaya.
There is no other producer of benefit for beings.
All of the buddhas throughout the three divisions of time
Are nothing else but that. They are bodhicitta itself.

Previously, the buddhas abiding in the past
Saw self-realization of unfabricated mind.
At this time the buddhas dwelling in the present
Are the realization of unfabricated mind.

Now they do benefits for others, sentient beings.
In time to come for buddhas arising in the future,
This naturally existing nature of the mind
Is destined not to have its former fabrications,

Now the mind of samadhi has no fabrications,
Arrive, remaining on the path of non-fabrication.

2.b.iv) Having trained in both shamatha and vipashyana, as for inseparably uniting them

Thus having trained individually in shamatha and vipashyana, inseparably unite these two:

In the union of shamatha and vipashyana
It is equal whether awareness rests or proliferates.
Both are primarily the wisdom of non-thought.
Both within the principal wisdom of non-thought
Are the retinue that is without complexities,
Either of existence or of nonexistence.

As for "union," when the essence of shamatha and vipashyana arises as nondual luminosity/emptiness, emanation and resting are not contradictory. The main point is wisdom that does not grasp apparent objects, the freedom from confusion that is non-thought. The nature of awareness that does not move from this state exists as a retinue. Though the main thing is always the non-dual nature of mind, at the time of meditating in shamatha/vipashyana this is easy to realize. Therefore, it possesses those means of non-distraction as a retinue or aspect. Nagarjuna says:

When grasping and fixation
Go into non-duality,
Not different from the nature,
They are said to be in union.

At that time, by the subsiding of incidental complexities, the nature of mind goes into the ground, like water poured into water. There is no division in their equal taste. The Dohakosha says:

The mind of the natural state, for the yogin in unity,
Ought to be known to be like water poured into water.

2.b.v) The non-duality of arising and liberation

At the time of abiding in that union, as for concepts:

Because we rest in the state of letting things be as they are,
As by their arising things are liberated.
Therefore we are resting within equality,
Unifying shamatha and vipashyana.
Bliss, luminosity, and non-thought will then arise.
Appearance /emptiness then exists as spontaneous presence
Of upaya and prajña, developing and completion.

Like waves being pacified as water, whatever discursive thoughts arise, going instantly into natural self- pacification, arise and are liberated at the same time. The time when they are liberated by arising is that of vipashyana, clear seeing. This accumulation of merit with appearance also possesses the spontaneous presence of the developing stage.

Self-pacified self-awareness, abiding with luminous clarity, is shamatha. It is the perfection of the accumulation of wisdom which is without appearance.

The unified nature of shamatha and vipashyana primordially abides as spontaneous presence of mind. The All-Creating King says:

Knowing this, abide undistracted in the real.
Make no effort. Do not train the mind in antidotes.
Do not postulate objects nor gather the mind of mindfulness.
Whatever arises then will be the meaning itself.
So enter into the meaning of me the doer of all.

2.b.vi) Meditation to train in the skills and to dispel.

By meditating in this union undefiled by fabrication:

Moreover, we should train in the individual skills
Both of shamatha and of vipashyana
As antidotes for discursiveness and drowsiness.
Also if drowsiness and discursiveness increase,
We should meditate in order to dispel them

In addition to shamatha, we should meditate in vipashyana. In addition to vipashyana, we should meditate in shamatha. By meditating in vipashyana when there is drowsiness and shamatha when there is discursiveness, there will be liberation from these faults.

2.b.vii) The explanation of what is gained:

As for the benefit of this:

When there is the benefit, like a clear and cloudless sky,
Looking into the space of the sky with the sun at our back,
Simple awareness of emptiness/luminosity rises.

At the time of a clear sky, with the sun to our backs, look with the gaze of the ushnisha. The luminosity/emptiness that indeed arises at that instant is the wisdom of union. The Prajñaparamita- sañcayagatha says:

Examine the pure space which is the meaning of this.

That is the meaning of it.

2.b.viii) How the outer, inner, and secret luminosities arise.

At that time:

Outer space is pure, but only an example,
Of the greater inner space of the nature, dharmata.
The secret space is the heart of luminosity.
Know realization as being composed of these three spaces.

When we look at the example of external space, the meaning, self-awareness actually arises. The arising of realization of secret wisdom is what all the instructions of the ultimate meaning are really teaching. The Dohakosha says:

However, the sayings of the guru should be viewed as one.

Also:

Entering into the essence of the sayings of the guru
Is like seeing a treasure placed in the palm of your hand.

That is the meaning. The All-Creating King says:

If one wants to realize what this truly means,
Look into the example, the purity of the sky.

The Middle Length Prajñaparamita says:

As for producing the yogic union of the perfection of prajña, yogic union with space is produced.

The Dohakosha says:

As for mind, it should be grasped as being like space.
The nature of space should be also grasped as being mind.

The example is the luminous, empty, unobstructed outer space of the sky. Awareness at this time is also luminous, empty, and unobstructed as wisdom. That is inner space. That empty, luminous, simple wisdom arises co-emergently with the experiences of bliss, luminosity and non-thought. By that all dharmas are self-liberated into the characteristic of space. This liberation of all fixations of things and characteristics is the secret space of the great luminosity. At that time, there are the ten signs of smoke and so forth,

  1. smoke
  2. mirage
  3. firefly
  4. lamp
  5. blazing
  6. moon
  7. sun
  8. Rahu
  9. aspect or supreme aspect
  10. bindu seeing.

There is also the appearance of the five lights.[5] By the entering of prana and mind into the central channel, space is completely illuminated. The Avatamsaka Sutra says:

From the nature that is not conceptualized
Come the varied phenomena of the mandalas of light.
These several luminosities that shine in the center of space,
Though expressing variety, have never risen at all.

These signs of the stability of true samadhi arise within us, even if we do not want them to.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Shamatha is supposed to cut through conceptual complexity. If the object is conceptualized these dualities will arises.

[2]:

The power of display or manifestation of the essence.

[3]:

yid la byed pa bcu gcig.

[4]:

rtog dpyod: These were previously discussed as factors of dhyana.

[5]:

Bindus of the five buddha family colors.

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