Emptiness As The Ultimate Mode Of Existence
Emptiness is the ultimate mode of existence of all things, according to the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras.
- Buddhapalita and Chandrakirti lucidly remarked on Nagarjuna's explanations in perfect line with his thinking, and Nagarjuna described the ways to that emptiness.
- Not only to achieve omniscience, but also to achieve freedom from cyclic life, it is essential to depend on the perfection of knowledge as these masters describe it.
- This perfection of knowledge is required for anybody who wants to become a Hearer Superior, Solitary Realizer Superior, or Bodhisattva Superior.
Subhuti, one who wants to achieve the enlightenment of a Hearer must study precisely this perfection of knowledge, according to the Eight Thousand Stanza Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (Ashtasahasrikaprajnaparam it a).
- Subhuti, anybody desiring to attain the enlightenment of a Solitary Realizer must master this perfection of knowledge.
- This perfection of knowledge is also to be learned by the Bodhisattva, the Great Being who wants to achieve the supreme perfect full enlightenment.
- The awareness of the subtle emptiness of all things, according to Nagarjuna's writings, is a precondition for the path of liberation from cyclic existence.
Misconception Of An I
According to his Precious Garland (ab), "as long as the aggregates are misconceived, so long is there misconception of an I.
The simple recognition of the person's crude selflessness is insufficient to liberate oneself from cyclic existence.
- The ultimate delicate suchness of the individual, as well as the mental and bodily aggregates, must be realized.
- The inherent non-analytical mind that misunderstands the nature of people and other phenomena must be eradicated.
- It is insufficient to just stop the mind from forming a self of people and phenomena, or to simply stop the attention from wandering to things, since they are not adequate to realize emptiness.
- If they did, profound slumber and fainting would be accompanied with the ludicrous awareness of nothingness.
The Seeds Of Cyclical Life Are Eliminated
The seeds of cyclic life are eliminated, according to Aryadeva, when selflessness is recognized in things.
[Extreme] ideas emerge with [the notion of fundamentally existing] things, according to Chandrakirti in his Supplement to (Nagarjuna'sj 'Treatise on the Middle Way'VIA ).
- When [the idea of an essentially existing] thing does not exist, these [extreme concepts] do not emerge, just as there is no fire when there is no fuel.
- Wisdom examines in this manner, says Bhavaviveka, with the mind in meditative equilibrium.
- The entities that cause these events Apprehended in a traditional manner.
- Who wants and what is wanted, says Shantideva, when one has sought [for them] as realities.
- It is difficult to renounce [misconception] without doubting the target of this [misconception], according to Dharmakirti.
All Mahayana teachers declare that the way to nirvana is via object examination, not just withdrawing the mind from them.
- It is necessary to investigate whether or not the intrinsic existence of things, as perceived by the natural non-analytical mind, exists.
- One must establish that things do not exist as thought and penetratingly comprehend the falsity of intrinsic existence via argument and biblical reference.
It is critical to evaluate with discerning knowledge on a regular basis.
According to the King of Meditative Stabilizations Sutra (Samadhiraja), analyzing and cultivating the selflessness of phenomena has the consequence of achieving nirvana.
- Peace can be attained via no other means.
- 'Analyzing via unique insight and recognizing the absence of intrinsic existence comprise knowledge of the signless,' states the Cloud of Jewels Sutra (Ratnamegha).
- 'The clever are those who properly evaluate things separately,' states the Brahma Sutra (Brahmapariprchchha).
The great Mahayana teachers taught a variety of reasoning techniques aimed at determining suchness in order to reveal the road to liberation for the fortunate, rather than for the sake of debate.
'All of the analytical reasonings put out in Nagarjuna's Treatise on the Middle Way (Madhyamakashastra) are only for the purpose of sentient beings achieving freedom,' Dzong-ka-ba states.
- The desire to be free of cyclic existence is the driving force behind studying phenomena and realizing emptiness.
- Those of lower ability among Buddhist practitioners engage in religious practice in the hopes of achieving a joyful migration in a future existence.
- They have seen the agony of bad migrations and want to escape it by pursuing virtue.
Being A Buddhist Practitioner
To be called a Buddhist practitioner, one must put out effort in religious practice for the purpose of enhancing one's current lifetime; at the very least, a Buddhist's objective is to achieve a happy existence as a human or a deity in a future life.
- Others, with more ability, want to escape the cycle life entirely.
- They recognize that achieving a joyful migration in the next life is insufficient since they must still age, get sick, die, and be reincarnated in line with their previous actions.
- Their drive for practice stems from a desire to free themselves from circular life.
Others, with even more ability, see the depth of their own suffering, infer the pain of others, and practice in order to liberate themselves from cyclic existence and achieve Buddhahood in order to assist all sentient beings in doing so.
Thus, prior to meditation, it is critical to declare a motivation vocally and explicitly:
- I am meditating on emptiness and studying things in order to achieve freedom from cyclic existence and omniscience so that I may assist other sentient beings in doing the same.
- Another possibility is that I am contemplating emptiness and studying things in order to achieve freedom from cyclic existence.
- The former is much more powerful since it connects all sentient creatures via meditation.
- The power of meditation grows in proportion to the number of creatures with whom it is associated.
- Emptiness is a highly strong meditation object in and of itself.
According to Aryadeva, those with less merit would have no reservations about this concept [of emptiness].
- Even a hunch [that some things are empty] Wrecks cyclic existence's [seeds].
- Even the notion that emptiness—the absence of intrinsic existence—is the mode of being of things upsets the same reasons that generate the endless cycles of helpless pain.
- Because when one has such suspicions, the real mode of being of things behaves as if it were a mental object.
According to Dzong-ka-ba, aspirational prayers should be offered for the ability to listen to treatises on the profound [emptiness], memorize them, think about their meaning, meditate on them, and have faith in them over the course of a lifetime, all without jeopardizing the determination of cause and effect's dependent-arising.
- Though the transfer of Buddhist instruction to Tibet was foretold in sutra, Jam-yang-shay-ba cautions that few would follow the perfection of knowledge all the way to meditation.
- He claims that although many people remember the phrases and propound the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, only a few people really attain wisdom perfection.
- He goes on to say that untold numbers of people refuse to concentrate on emptiness because of the five ruinations, but instead claim to focus on the 'natural mind,' or something other than emptiness that lacks the elaborations of dualism.
It is a mistake to believe that there is another ultimate goal of meditation since 'natural mind,' 'freedom from the elaborations of dualism,' and so on are none other than emptiness itself, and it is meditation on emptiness that puts an end to the elaborations of misunderstanding.
The numerous teachings that Buddha does not even abide in the middle way, or that Buddha eventually does not even teach emptiness, must be interpreted to mean that he does not abide in, or teach, an inherently existing middle way, or essentially existent emptiness.
Those who profess to concentrate on emptiness but do not really do so are wrong in believing that they may comprehend the suchness of things simply by removing the attention from objects and stopping thinking.
Instead, analysis is the fundamental basis of emptiness meditation.
List Of Research Sources
- Tenets as presented by Jang-gya.
- Oral teachings of Kensur Lekden.
- The Great Exposition of Tenets by Jam-yang-shay-ba.