| | I thought I would post this thread to perhaps give people a better feel for Tibetan Buddhism, and how it relates to the Theravadan approach most commonly seen in this community. I hope that by doing this I can show people who perhaps have interest in the Tibetan Buddhist school, but are unsure about what it entails, what the bones of it are essentially. Most importantly, my purpose is to say where I see that MCTB 4th path fits into the Tibetan system, and provide knowledge of a clearly delineated path which can be followed after 4th path. After I reached 4th path I was extremely confused as to what to do. Really, the answer is quite simple, just keep meditating, but having a clear path to follow was very helpful. If people have differing opinions on what I say below, I would be happy to talk to about it.
So first we have the Hinayana: The first 3 paths of MCTB are within the Hinayana path, but the 4th path is the entrance into the Mahayana. 4th path is the first true glimpse, or stable attainment of emptiness. In the Tibetan model, 4th path corresponds to the first of four attainments mentioned in the Heart Sutra.
A note: I think that one consciously needs to apply the most effort in the Hinayana path as opposed to the latter two. I have heard the effort required to attain enlightenment referred to as super-human effort, and this incredible effort must be present throughout the entire journey. As well, devotion is often mentioned as a factor which must be present all along the journey, and is composed of three parts: Aspiration to achieve the goal, Inspiration taken from the examples of masters, and Certainty in the truth of the dharma, based on personal experience. I think the Hinayana requires the greatest conscious effort because the first real glimpse of certainty, or emptiness has yet to arise. What I'm trying to say is that in the Hinayana you must press on relentlessly if you want to experience results.
Mahayana: The Mahayana path is broken into four attainments, the last being the entrance into Vajrayana. These four attainments are outlined in the Heart Sutra: 1) Form does not differ from Emptiness 2) Emptiness does not differ from Form. 3) Form is Emptiness 4) Emptiness is Form
Some details on these paths: 1) Form is seen to be negated by emptiness. While the 3 MCTB paths prior to 4th path provide increased clarity, and a clearing out of mental clutter, 4th path is a glimpse of the infinite beyond conceptual thought. This attainment almost has a crude feel, you have form, a thought, and then that form is negated by emptiness. Thoughts are perceived as solid phenomena in relation to emptiness. Personally I found this extremely irritating, and mentally jarring, because while my mind still strove to find stability, nothing could remain. The habit of grasping was extremely strong, but every grasped thing was forcefully negated before my eyes.
2) Emptiness itself is now perceived to have a subtle solidity or form to it. It is still totally empty in the sense that it negates all form, but there is now more of a fluid feel to it, which removes somewhat jarring contrast experienced between form and emptiness in attainment 1.
3) All form is now perceived to be emptiness. The world takes on somewhat of a bland, uniform appearance, clearly empty, upon seeing, of any ascribable form. However this stage still has the subtle frustration which is present in 1 and 2, which comes from fighting the recognition of emptiness, and truly hoping to find stable solidity in form.
4) The fourth stage is the entrance into the Vajrayana, and the entrance into Nirvana, or a state which is at peace. When the 4th attainment dawns, the world regains its form, yet is still totally empty. However neither of these things are a big deal, most noticeably there is now an underlying sense of peace ever present.
Note: Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa contains very detailed, helpful descriptions of the stages of the Mahayana path, which I was very grateful to have (the whole book is awesome). The Mahayana path is the Bodhisattva path, and developing compassion toward others is necessary to move though the Mahayana. The Lojong teachings, which are comprised of the mind training slogans, are extremely helpful for developing compassion. Also, I would like to say that I found the Mahayana to be very much composed of beginning to make the journey from the mind to the heart, from rigid fixed conceptual thinking into a more open awareness.
Vajrayana: For the purposes of this model, in order to keep things straightforward, and due to my lack of knowledge, I am not including the Varjrayana practices of guru yoga, which I understand to include visualizing one self as a deity in various ways. For this model, what the Vajrayana entails is the practices of Mahamudra, or Dzogchen, depending on which school of Tibetan Buddhism you are affiliated with, or which practice you are more attracted to. Personally I practiced Mahamudra, partially because I took refuge in the Kagyu lineage, but also because of the two, I was much more drawn to it.
The journey of Mahamudra is broken into four yogas, or paths, each of which has several stages. For a very detailed description of these stages I would recommend Mind at Ease by Traleg Kyabgon. The book I primarily studied on the practice of Mahamudra was Confusion Arises as Wisdom by Ringu Tulku, which has very straightforward, clear, non-technical instructions. I am very grateful to have found this book!
The fruition of Mahamudra is the recognition of the nature of mind, seeing at once the unsolid, fundamentally changing nature of reality, and the great unchanging essence, or emptiness, which underlies everything. Mahamudra means "great symbol"; Chogyam Trungpa said, "Mahamudra is the great symbol which stands for itself". In seeing the true nature of one thought, you understand the true nature of all thoughts. In one glimpse of Mahamudra, you know the true nature of all phenomena. That true nature is utterly indescribable and all pervading. It is your innate capacity to recognize it.
I hope that this has helped, or at least been interesting. One thing I would say in connection with maps of the spiritual path is that I have found them to be extremely helpful in my own journey. To be able to recognize where you are, and read about the next stage seems to make the next stage easier to attain, perhaps because such information gives you a better, if subtle sense of what to let go of, or investigate, so to speak. The flip side of the maps is that not following the path in a logical order, or attempting to practice above your capacity will likely do you no good, or potentially harm. So be sure to be honest with yourself about where you are at, and to practice at that level! In the end, you are essentially just meditating the entire time, so being honest with yourself about where you are really means not getting too delusionally full of your self. Personally I have wrongly believed I was enlightened probably about 8 times, so these things happen, haha.
Cheers, Tim |