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WISDOM ACADEMY
Restricted Dzogchen Teachings, Part 2: Buddhahood Without Meditation
B. ALAN WALLACE
Lesson 7: Quantum Physics, and Vajradhara’s Cosmogony
Reference Materials: “The Nine Stages Leading to Shamatha,” “The Five Kayas,”
“The Five Facets of Primordial Consciousness,” and the Outlines for Sera Khandro’s, “The Fine Path to Liberation,”
and “Garland for the Delight of the Fortunate.”
SHAMATHA
Shamatha is attained by progressing through the nine stages, relying on the eight antidotes to abandon the five faults. This is accomplished through the six powers and the four mental engagements.
Fault Antidote
1. laziness 1. faith 2. aspiration 3. enthusiasm 4. pliancy
2. forgetfulness 5. mindfulness
3. laxity and excitation 6. introspection
4. non-application 7. application
5. over-application 8. equanimity
1. The first stage is attained through the power of hearing.2. Stage 1: Directed Attention3. Mindfulness4. Introspection5. From here until the seventh stage the flame progressively decreases in size until it becomes absent. This
difference denotes the measure of the strength of effort required regarding mindfulness andintrospection.
6. The elephant is the mind and the black colour symbolizes laxity.7. The monkey is the proliferation of thoughts and the black colour symbolizes excitation.8. The second stage is attained through the power of thinking.9. Stage 2: Continuous Attention10. Excitation has the five sense pleasures as its objects.11. From here, the black colour progressively becomes white. This symbolizes the factor of vividness and
the factor of stability progressively increasing.12. The third and fourth stages are attained through the power of mindfulness.13. Stage 3: Resurgent Attention14. The rabbit is subtle laxity. From here, one can individually identify coarse and subtle laxity.15. Looking back means that having recognized that the mind has wandered, it is again directed back to the
object.16. Stage 4: Close Attention17. The fifth and sixth stages are attained through the power of introspection.18. The potential for excitation to arise prior to meditation has weakened.19. Since virtuous thoughts are an interruption at the time of shamatha meditation, it is necessary to stop
them. At other times it is not necessary.20. Due to introspection the mind does not fall into scattering and through being uplifted, it is drawn into
concentration.21. Stage 5: Tamed Attention22. Stage 6: Pacified Attention23. The seventh and eighth stages are attained through the power of enthusiasm.24. Stage 7: Fully Pacified Attention
At this stage it is difficult for subtle laxity or excitation to arise, and even if they do arise a little, theyare immediately eliminated with the slightest effort.
25. The black colour of the elephant is gone and there is no monkey. This means that in dependence oninitially applying a little mindfulness and introspection, the mind can engage continuously inconcentration without any potential of being interrupted by laxity, excitation or scattering.
26. Stage 8: Single-pointed Attention27. The ninth stage is attained through the power of familiarity.28. Stage 9: Attentional Balance29. Physical pliancy30. Mental pliancy31. Attainment of shamatha32. The root of samsara is cut by the union of shamatha and vipashyana observing emptiness.33. Equipped with mindfulness and introspection, seek the correct view of emptiness.
TH
E NIN
E ST
AG
ES L
EA
DIN
G TO S
HA
MA
TH
A
Sou
rce: Atten
tion R
evolution (A
pp
end
ix: Syn
opsis of th
e Nin
e Stages)
ST
AG
EW
HA
T IS AC
HIE
VE
DP
OW
ER B
Y WH
ICH
TH
AT IS A
CH
IEV
ED
WH
AT P
RO
BL
EM
S PE
RSIST
AT
TE
NT
ION
AL
IMB
AL
AN
CE
S
TY
PE O
F ME
NT
AL
EN
GA
GE
ME
NT
QU
AL
ITY O
F E
XP
ER
IEN
CE
IN
VO
LU
NT
AR
Y TH
OU
GH
TS
1.Directed
attention
One is able to direct the
attention to the chosen object
Learning the
instructionsT
here is no attentional continuity on the object
Coarse excitation
Focused
Movem
entT
he flow of involuntary
thoughts is like a cascading w
aterfall
2.Con
tinu
ous
attention
Attentional continuity
on the chosen object up to a m
inute
Thinking about
the practice
Most of the tim
e the attention is not on the object
3.Resu
rgent
attention
Sw
ift recovery of distracted attention, m
ostly on the objectM
indfulness
One still forgets the object
entirely for brief periods
Interrupted
4.Close atten
tionO
ne no longer com
pletely forgets the chosen object
Som
e degree of com
placency concerning sam
adhi
Coarse laxity and
medium
excitation
Achievem
ent
Involuntary thoughts are likea river quickly flow
ing through a gorge
5.Tam
ed atten
tionO
ne takes satisfaction in sam
adhiIntrospection
Som
e resistance to samadhi
Medium
laxity and m
edium excitation
6.Pacified
attention
No resistance to
training the attentionD
esire, depression, lethargyand drow
sinessM
edium laxity and
subtle excitationInvoluntary thoughts are likea river slow
ly flowing
through a valley7.F
ully p
acifiedatten
tion
Pacification of
attachment, m
elancholyand lethargy
Enthusiasm
Subtle im
balances of the attention, sw
iftly rectifiedS
ubtle laxity and subtle excitation
Fam
iliarity
8.Sin
gle-poin
tedatten
tion
Sam
adhi is long and sustained w
ithout any excitation or laxity
It still takes effort to ward
off excitation and laxity
Latent im
pulses forsubtle laxity and subtle excitation
Uninterrupted
Stillness
The conceptually discursive
mind is calm
like an ocean unm
oved by waves
9. Atten
tional
balan
ce
Flaw
less samadhi is
long and sustained effortlessly
Fam
iliarityA
ttentional imbalances
may recur in the future
The causes for
those imbalances
are still latentE
ffortlessP
erfectionT
he conceptually discursive m
ind is still like Mount
Meru, K
ing of Mountains
Coarse excitation
: The attention com
pletely disengages from the m
editative objectM
ediu
m excitation
: Involuntary thoughts occupy the centre of attention, while the m
editative object is displaced to the peripheryS
ub
tle excitation: T
he meditative object rem
ains at the centre of attention, but involuntary thoughts emerge at the periphery of attention
Coarse laxity: T
he attention mostly disengages from
the object due to insufficient vividnessM
ediu
m laxity: T
he object appears, but with not m
uch vividnessS
ub
tle laxity: The object appears vividly, but the attention is slightly slack
TH
E F
IVE
KA
YA
S
“Here is h
ow
all th
e jinas a
re subsu
med
with
in th
e five kaya
s:” [Vol. II B
uddhah
ood W
ithout M
editatio
n –
Garlan
d fo
r the D
elight o
f the F
ortu
nate p
.194]
KA
YA
ET
YM
OL
OG
Y
1.D
harm
ak
aya
(Tib
. chos k
yi sk
u)
The “en
lighten
ed em
bodim
ent o
f truth
,” which
is the
min
d o
f the b
udd
has.
The g
reat ultim
ate reality o
f the u
nco
ntriv
ed, n
aturally
presen
t existen
ce of all p
hen
om
ena
inclu
ded
in th
e world
of ap
pearan
ces of sam
sara and n
irvan
a as the g
round ab
solu
te space, th
e great em
ptin
ess, is called d
harm
a. D
ue to
the u
nim
agin
able ran
ge o
f disp
ositio
ns an
d sp
ecific facu
lties, there is an
unim
agin
able ran
ge o
f entran
ces to th
e path
, experien
ces, and g
oals to
be
achiev
ed. T
heir n
atural p
resence is called
kaya
.
2.S
am
bh
ogak
aya (T
ib. lo
ngs sp
yod rd
zogs p
a’i sku)
The “fu
ll enjo
ym
ent em
bodim
ent” o
f an en
lighten
edbein
g, w
hich
is accessible o
nly
to ary
a-bodhisattv
asan
d b
uddhas.
In th
e abso
lute sp
ace of th
e gro
und su
gatag
arbha, all th
e disp
lays o
f the sp
ontan
eous actu
alization
of th
e kay
as, facets of p
rimord
ial conscio
usn
ess, and su
blim
e qualities are n
aturally
perfect as
prim
ord
ial enjo
ym
ents in
the g
reat ultim
ate reality o
f the g
round, an
d th
ey are called
sam
bh
oga
[co
mplete en
joym
ent]. A
ll qualities o
f wisd
om
and p
rimord
ial conscio
usn
ess are spontan
eously
actu
alized as an
aggreg
ate, as it were, so
this is called
kaya
.
3.N
irman
ak
aya
(Tib
. spru
l pa’i sk
u)
An “em
anatio
n em
bodim
ent” o
f the su
gatag
arbha th
atm
ay ap
pear an
yw
here in
the u
niv
erse in o
rder to
ben
efit sentien
t bein
gs, w
ith fo
ur ty
pes: liv
ing-b
eing,
teacher, created
, and m
aterial nirm
anak
ayas.
The d
isplay
s of em
anatio
ns th
at are none o
ther th
an th
e gro
und, w
ithout an
y m
ental activ
ity o
f th
inkin
g to
send fo
rth em
anatio
ns, are teach
er nirm
an
akaya
s, created n
irman
akaya
s, livin
g-b
eing
nirm
an
akaya
s, and m
aterial nirm
an
akaya
s.
4.S
vab
havik
ak
aya (T
ib. n
go b
o n
yid
kyi sk
u)
The “n
atural em
bodim
ent” o
f the b
uddhas, w
hich
isth
e one n
ature o
f the d
harm
akay
a, sambhog
akay
a,an
d n
irman
akay
a.
The g
round itself is th
e essential n
ature o
f all of sam
sara and n
irvan
a, and in
this essen
tial natu
re
every
thin
g is o
f one taste, so
it is called sva
bh
ava
; and b
ecause all su
blim
e qualities an
d facets o
f
prim
ord
ial conscio
usn
ess are assembled
in an
aggreg
ate, as it were, it is called
kaya
.
5.V
ajra
kaya (T
ib. rd
o rje sku
)A
term w
ith w
hich
great tran
sference rain
bow
body
isoften
com
bin
ed. It em
phasizes th
e indestru
ctibility
and in
corru
ptib
ility o
f such
an em
bodim
ent –
the fact
it will n
ever ag
ain u
nderg
o a tran
sference o
fco
nscio
usn
ess – w
hereas rain
bow
body
emphasizes
its illuso
ry ap
pearan
ce as light o
f five co
lors.
Sin
ce [the g
round o
f bein
g] is u
nch
angin
g th
roughout th
e three tim
es and d
oes n
ot tran
sform
into
an
y o
ther essen
tial natu
re, it is called im
mu
table. S
ince it is in
destru
ctible an
d is im
bued
with
the
seven
vajra q
ualities, it is called
vajra
. Th
e natu
re of ex
istence o
f the u
ltimate, in
destru
ctible v
ajra
is imbued
with
four p
ledges: (1
) It is impossib
le for sen
tient b
eings to
realize it, apart fro
m th
ose
bein
gs w
ho p
ossess th
e necessary
karm
a and g
ood fo
rtune. (2
) Once it h
as been
realized an
d p
ut
into
practice, it is im
possib
le for y
ou n
ot to
acquire in
dw
elling co
nfid
ence in
it. (3) W
hen
co
nfid
ence is acq
uired
, it is impossib
le for y
ou n
ot to
be lib
erated. (4
) As fo
r the ex
tent o
f your
liberatio
n, it is im
possib
le for y
ou n
ot to
beco
me en
lighten
ed. T
hus, sin
ce it is imbued
with
these
four v
ajra pled
ges, it is called
the im
mu
table va
jrakaya
.
TH
E FIV
E FA
CE
TS O
F PR
IMO
RD
IAL C
ON
SC
IOU
SN
ES
S
“T
he dharmakaya, Sam
antabhadra ... [manifests as] apparitions of prim
ordial consciousness, because he emanates as the five kayas and the five buddha fam
ilies from
the causal five facets of primordial consciousness. T
he buddha field of the buddha family em
anates from the causal prim
ordial consciousness of the absolute space of phenom
ena. This likew
ise applies to the [buddha fields of the] vajra, jewel, lotus, and karm
a families arising from
mirror-like prim
ordial consciousness, theprim
ordial consciousness of equality, discerning primordial consciousness, the prim
ordial consciousness of accomplishm
ent, and so on.” [Vol. II B
uddhahood W
ithout Meditation – G
arland for the Delight of the F
ortunate p.62]
FA
CE
TB
UD
DH
A F
AM
ILY
PO
ISO
NC
OL
OU
R, E
LE
ME
NT &
A
GG
RE
GA
TE
1.Th
e absolu
te space of p
hen
omen
a (Tib. chos kyi dbyings kyi ye shes,
Skt. dharm
adhatujnana)T
he self-emergent essential nature of the pure ground, w
hich is primordial
great emptiness, and w
hich subsumes all phenom
ena of samsara and nirvana
Buddha fam
ilyV
airochana (Ghanavyuha)
Delusion
Indigo, Space, F
orm
2.Mirror-lik
e (Tib. m
e long lta bu’i ye shes, Skt. adarsajnana)
Self-illum
inating primordial consciousness, w
hich is of a lucid, clear nature,free of contam
ination, and allows for the unceasing appearances of all
manner of objects
Vajra fam
ilyA
kshobya (Abhirati)
Hatred
White, W
ater, Consciousness
3.Eq
uality (T
ib. mnyam
pa nyid kyi ye shes, Skt. sam
atajnana)P
rimordial consciousness of the equal purity of sam
sara and nirvana in greatem
ptiness
Jewel fam
ilyR
atnasambhava (S
rimat)
Pride
Yellow
, Earth, F
eeling
4.Discern
ing (T
ib. so sor rtog pa’i ye shes, Skt. pratyaveksanajnana)
Prim
ordial consciousness that unimpededly discerns the displays of pristine
awareness, w
hich knows reality as it is and perceives the full range of all
phenomena
Lotus fam
ilyA
mitabha (S
ukhavati)A
ttachment
Red, F
ire, Recognition
5.Accom
plish
men
t (Tib. bya ba sgrub pa’i ye shes,
Skt. krtyanusthanajnana)
Prim
ordial consciousness by which all pure, free, sim
ultaneously perfecteddeeds and activities are accom
plished naturally, of their own accord
Karm
a family
Am
oghasiddhi (K
armaprasiddhi)
Envy
Green, A
ir, Com
positional factors
THE FINE PATH TO LIBERATION An Explanation of the Stages of the Preliminary Practices for Manuals Such as “Buddhahood Without Meditation”
by Sera Khandro
I. The Way to Listen to the Dharma [48]A. The General Explanation [48]B. The Specific Explanation [50]
1. The Cultivation of Admiration and Reverence for the Guru [50]2. The Cultivation of Love and Affection for Your Vajra Siblings and Friends [53]3. The Cultivation of Compassion for Sentient Beings [54]4. The Cultivation of the Spirit of Emergence Regarding Saṃsāra [54]5. Meditation on the Impermanence of Composite Phenomena [55]
GARLAND FOR THE DELIGHT OF THE FORTUNATE A Supremely Clear Elucidation of Words and Their Meaning: An Explication of the Oral Transmission of the
Glorious Guru, as Notes on the Nature of Reality, the Great Perfection, “Buddhahood Without Meditation” by Sera Khandro
II. The Actual Explanation of the Meaning of the Text [60]A. The Virtuous Introduction [60]
1. The Meaning of the Title [61]2. The Homage [62]3. The Explanation of the Introduction [63]
a. Individuals Who Lack the Proclivity for the Path [64]b. Individuals Who Do Not Seek the Path [65]c. Individuals Who Seek the Path but Do Not Find It [65]d. Individuals Who Have a Dispensation for the Path [66]
B. The Meaning of the Text [67]1. Determining the Ground by Way of the View [68]
a. Determining the Manner of Nonexistence [69]i. Determining the Apprehending Subject, Your Personal Identity, as Identityless [69]
Teachings of Avalokiteśvara [69]ii. Determining the Apprehended Objects, Phenomenal Identity, as Identityless [73]
A' Searching for the Bases of Designation of Names [74]Teachings of the Lake-Born Vajra of Orgyen [91]
B' Dissolving Grasping at the Permanence of Things [103]Teachings of Vidyādhara Düdul Dorjé [103] Teachings of Longchenpa, Drimé Özer [109]
C' Counteracting the Faults of Benefit and Harm [123] Teachings of Saraha [123]
D' Collapsing the False Cave of Hope and Fear [135] Teachings of Vajrapāni [135]
b. The One Nature of All Phenomena as the Ground, Absolute Space [143]Teachings of Dorjé Drolö [143]The Distinction Between Liberation and Delusion [147]Teachings of Vajradhara [147]i. The Manner in Which the Ground Pristine Awareness Is Perfected as the Four Kāyas and Five Facets
of Primordial Consciousness [148]ii. The Manner in Which the Path Pristine Awareness Manifests as the Four Kāyas and Five Facets of
Primordial Consciousness [149]
c. The Instructions on Not Allowing the Uniform Pervasiveness of Equality to Be Defiled by the Faults ofConceptual Elaboration [165]Teachings of Hūmchenkāra [165]
d. Explaining How All Virtues without Exception Are Thoroughly Established as Being of the Natureof Precious, Spontaneously Actualized Displays of the Inner Glow [193]Teachings of Mañjuśrī, the Lion of Speech [193]Teachings of the Lake-Born Vajra of Orgyen [235]The Perfection of the Greatness of the Names of this Yāna [239]
Teachings of Ekajati [239] 2. The Practice of Cultivating the Path [247]
a. The Concise Teachings of Pith Instructions on the Vital Points of Methods for Placing the Mind [247]Teachings of Śrī Simha [247]
b. The Four Methods of Liberation of the Radiance [251]c. The Four Kinds of Open Presence [251]
3. The Accompanying Conduct for Those Two [View and Meditation] [255]An Explanation of Three Pitfalls of Meditative Experiences [258] Further Teachings on Authentic Conduct [261]
Teachings of Zurchung Sherap Drakpa [261] 4. How to Finally Progress on the Grounds Leading to the Ultimate Fruition of Eternal Liberation [268]
a. The Distinction between the Mind and Pristine Awareness [271]b. The Distinction between Mentation and Wisdom [273]c. The Distinction between Conditioned Consciousness and Primordial Consciousness [273]d. The Distinction between the Substrate and Dharmakāya [274]
C. The Virtuous Conclusion [278]
Sarva maṅgalam!
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