The Buddha once said, if we were really aware of suffering, if we weren't so ignorant, if we even understood the pain and suffering a fetus experiences in its mother's womb, then we would work hard in this lifetime to become enlightened and never
experience
such suffering again.
Kalu Rinpoche
In response, the Buddha left the forest and at a place known as the Deer Park, in Samath, near Varanasi, India, he gave his first formal teaching.
This teaching we now know as the teaching on the Four Noble Truths (pak pay denpa shi ['phag pa'i bden pa bzhi]).
14 The Dharma
Although the Buddha was completely aware of all the teachings that would ultimately be needed to discipline and lead beings to Enlightenment, and even though he was fully capable of presenting them, he also realized that the time had not yet come to introduce people to the profound concepts of the higher vehicles, the Mahayana and Vajrayana. He saw that serious misunderstandings would follow if he began by telling people that all phenomena were empty, that all experience was essentially empty, and that everything was really a projection of mind. Without proper prepara? tion people might simply adopt a nihilistic approach and conclude that nothing was meaningful or made any difference. They might think that whatever they did had no real consequence, and that they therefore were free to do whatever they wished. Furthermore, if everything was just a projection of mind, there was nothing they could do to improve their situation-things simply had to work themselves out. All such misunderstandings, the Buddha saw, were likely to occur if people heard the profound teachings of the Bud? dhadharma without proper preparation.
Even today, many people develop such erroneous views when they hear Mahayana teachings, and the very profound transfor? mative techniques of the Vajrayana tantras are equally open to misinterpretation. If these people hear, for example, that in the Vajrayana there is theoretically no need to suppress or alter emo? tional confusion, because simply seeing the nature of emotional con? flict is sufficient for Liberation, they can easily misunderstand, and take this to mean that nothing has to be done about the emotions. Some people even think the Vajrayana teaches that lust and anger should be indulged when they arise in the mind. So, even though the Buddha was capable of providing all Mahayana and Vajrayana teachings, he recognized that beings had not been suitably prepared to accept them, and chose, in his first formal teaching, the basic and simple Hinayana approach.
Half of this teaching is devoted to our situation in the world, and half to the transcendence of samsara- the achievement of Nir- vana (nya ngen lay day pa [mya ngan las 'das pa]). First, he exam? ined thoroughly what we experience as the world, and discerned ig- norance as its basic cause, and emotional confusion and suffering as the results. Then, after stating this first Truth of Suffering (du ngal
ji denpa [sdug bsngal gyi bden pa]) and the second Truth of the Origin of Suffering (kun jung gi denpa [kun 'byung gi bden pa]), he examined the next two: Enlightenment itself, which, because it brings about the cessation of all suffering, is known as the Truth of Cessation (gok pay denpa ['gog pa'i bden pa]) and the Path we travel toward Enlightenment, the Truth of the Path (lam ji denpa [lam gyi bden pa]).
The First Two Noble Truths: Suffering and the Ongin of Suffen"ng
The first two of the Four Noble Truths, then, deal with the nature and cause of samsara. The Buddha describes the basic, world-producing cause as fundamental ignorance in the minds of all beings. This ignorance and its consequences can be analyzed as Twelve links of Dependent Origination (ten drel chu nyi [rten 'brei bcu gnyis]) that form the basis for a description of our experience of the world. The sequence of these links, or nidanas, in the cycle of our experience is (1) fundamental ignorance, which leads to {2} kar- mic formations. These become expressed in {3} dualistic con- sciousness, which in tum is translated into {4} a sense of identifica- tion, and the initial differentiation of consciousness into (5) the various sense fields. Through these sense fields there is (6) contact with the phenomenal world; from contact arises (7) sensation. Based upon sensation arises {8) craving for experience, followed by (9} grasping. On the basis of this, the mind harbors a sense of {10) becoming, a will to be, and this causes an actual physical incarna- tion. Once incarnate in a physical body, the mind experiences the various stages of human existence: (11) birth, and (12} the aging process and the stages of life that eventually lead to and end in death. At death the mind is immersed in basic ignorance again, and the cycle is complete.
It should be noted here that the Buddha did not describe this cycle of rebirth as something that he had created: he made no claim to be the originator of the universe. Nor did he accept the idea that any god had made the universe. The universe is a projection of mind.
The Four Noble Truths 15
16 The Dharma
In the Mahayana and Vajrayana teachings we find mind described as being in essence empty (ngo wo tong pa [ngo bo stong pa]), but nevertheless exhibiting natural clarity (rang-shin selwa (rang bzhin gsal ba]) and unimpeded manifestation (nampa man ga pa [mam pa ma 'gag pa]). This teaching, however, is found only in the Mahayana and Vajrayana. In the Hinayana teachings, the Buddha did not speak of it immediately, but rather introduced a more easily understood approach in which he simply stated that the mind is empty, and has no limiting or defining characteristics such as color, shape, size, or location. Thus, at the Hinayana level, mind was described as fundamentally empty, and ignorance as the failure to experience that emptiness. From this ignorance develops the whole cycle of events known as the universe, as samsara, the cycle of rebirth.
The First Four Nidanas
The structure or pattern of the Twelve Nidanas or links of
Dependent Origination can be applied to any aspect of the universe, macrocosmic or microcosmic, or to the experiences of beings in the universe. This is a complex topic, but if we look at the situation of a single individual in the context of one lifetime we can perhaps understand the process more clearly. Let us take the example of a being who dies.
At the moment of death a separation occurs between the in- dividual's physical body and mind, and the mind is plunged into a state in which there is no conscious mental activity. In other words, the mind simply dissolves back into its own fundamental state of un- consciousness, the first nidana, which we term ignorance (ma rik pa [ma rig pa]). This is the first link in the chain of Dependent Origina- tion. After this there is a gradual stirring of mental activity. This is the second link, which is termed du che ['du byed], the formations now beginning to arise in the mind. These patterns of stirring con- sciousness find full expression in what we term nam she in Tibetan [mam shes], discursive consciousness, the ability of mind to recognize something other than itself as an object-to decide, this is this, this is that, and so on. This level of dualistic discursive con- sciousness is the third link in the chain of Dependent Origination. Thus, from a fundamental state of ignorance there arises in the
mind a gradual stirring of formations which finds full expression in discursive consciousness.
From this basic dualistic or discursive consciousness there arises the sense of self, of "1. " At the same time, whatever forms are seen, whatever sounds are heard-in short, whatever phenomena are ex- perienced-are perceived as some version of "other. " In this way there occurs a definite split into self and other. At this point, although there is no physical basis for consciousness, there is never- theless a sense of embodiment, of an identity coalescing. There is also the sense of naming things in the phenomenal world. So the fourth nidana is termed ming zuk [ming gzugs], which means "name and form. "
All of this is just a mental experience for a mind in the second phase of the after-death experience, the si pa bardo [srid pa bar do], since it completely lacks anything tangible. We cannot see a being in this bardo. Moreover, the mind of this being is also completely im- perceptible: no one else can see its ignorance, its stirring, its manifestation of discursive consciousness, or the experiences of sub- ject/object labeling. This unique state in the si pa bardo, a com- pletely internal experience imperceptible to others, is termed ming shi pung po [ming bzhi phung po] in Tibetan. This means "the skandhas (or aggregates) of the four names," and refers to the first four stages of the si pa bardo: its stage of ignorance, the stage of the stirring of conscious formations, the stage of fullblown discursive consciousness, and the stage of labeling the world in terms of subject and object.
All this is merely a projection of mind. There is not, for exam- ple, a thing called "ignorance" that we can take out and dissect and examine; we can say only that "ignorance" is a label we put on a particular phase of the si pa bardo experience, and that such a phase does occur. These four stages have no concrete or tangible qualities whatever.
Because the bardo consciousness has no physical basis, a being in the after-death state is not subject to the normal physical limita- tions. No mountains, walls, oceans, or forests present barriers to the consciousness in the bardo. Whatever arises in the mind is directly experienced, and wherever the mind decides to go, it goes. So, in a certain sense, the Four Names is a rather miraculous state-it cer-
The Four Noble Truths 17
18 The Dharma
tainly transcends the ordinary physical limitations and the proper? ties of the world we're used to. However, it is an entirely automatic or blind result of our previous actions or karma, and nothing that occurs here is a conscious decision on the part of the being; we are simply buffeted around by the force of karma.
During this period of the bardo, there is a certain kind of clair- voyance, very rudimentary and not really under conscious control, but nevertheless an ability to perceive the thoughts of others. There is also a certain new sense of the mind's power, although this power is also not consciously or intelligently controlled. Furthermore, a great variety of experiences- hallucinations- occur during the si pa bardo. For a person with virtuous karmic tendencies these ex- periences can be very pleasant and comfortable. But for beings with unvirtuous karmic tendencies the experiences can be terrifying.
This force we term karma is not a conscious process. An exam- ple of it is the growth of a child from infancy to adulthood. The child does not have to sit down and decide: "Tomorrow I'm going to grow this much. The next day I'm going to grow that much. " Without our doing anything about it and, indeed, without our be- ing able to do anything about it, growth simply happens. In a com- pletely unconscious way a force causes the organism to grow. In the same way, the aging process simply happens unconsciously, without, and even against, any intention on the part of the person concerned. These are two examples of what we mean by the force of karma at work in our experience.
During the first week or two of the si pa bardo-the first third of i t - the impressions that arise in the mind of the deceased person are very largely related to his or her previous existence. If a man dies, he will have the impression during this part of the si pa bardo of being a man, with his own former personality and state of existence; a woman will have the impression of still being a female existence, and so forth. In each case there will be impressions relating back to the previous life. This is why the consciousness of a bardo being is said to experience returning to its former home and being able to see in some way, but usually not to make contact with, the people it left behind. There will be the experience of arriving at the home and of announcing, "I'm here, I'm home again. " But then there will be a feeling of not being able to make contact with the
people still living there, and this can produce intense pain, frustra? tion, and rage. Or the understanding that one has died may arise, and that trauma can produce immediate unconsciousness: the shock is too great to endure and the mind simply blanks out.
After the first week or two of the after-death experience, the impressions one has of a body and an environment begin to relate more and more to the future existence towards which one is being impelled by one's karma.
The actual length of the si pa bardo experience varies a great deal from person to person. In general terms, the longest period is held to be roughly forty-nine days. The Buddha referred to this par? ticular period in many different scriptures as the length of time that the consciousness could be expected to remain in the si pa bardo before physical rebirth occurred. After existence in a physical form is established, the possibilities for change are more or less exhausted, for the time being, and this is why the Tibetan custom arose of employing any means possible to aid the dead person during this period of forty-nine days after death. The family might ask a Lama to perform rituals for the benefit of the dead person, because during that seven-week period there is always the possibility that the bless? ing of the Lama and the merit of the deceased will permit some beneficial change to take place. This is why we have a particular ceremony in which the teacher is presented with the name and an effigy of the deceased, and attempts through meditation to attract that person's consciousness (which still relates to its previous ex? istence), and to influence it through bestowing empowerment, in? struction, and prayer; in short, the teacher makes every effort to ef- fect a favorable rebirth for the person.
The Fifth through Ninth Nidanas
The next nidana, or link, the fifth of the twelve, is termed chem che [skye mched], which can be translated as "sense-field. " Altogether, there are held to be twelve sense-fields, one for each of the six senses and one for each of the objects of the six senses. (The mind is considered a sixth sense because in and of itself it produces thoughts, though not necessarily related to the sensory environment. ) Thus, there is sight and the form which is seen; there
The Four Noble Truths 19
20 The Dharma
is the ear, and the sound which is heard, and so forth, making a total of twelve sense fields. The Tibetan word chem che means to "originate" and to "spread," meaning that the origin of each of these senses is in the sense organ, and the spread is the field of perception in which that particular organ operates-form for sight, sound for hearing and so forth. Although a being in the si pa bardo has no physical organs for vision, hearing, and so on, there is, never- theless, the mental impression that all the sense fields are complete. Consequently, the mind of such a being can see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and think just as we can now, even though these perceptions are all projections of mind with no physical basis.
The sixth nidana is termed rek pa [reg pa], which literally means "touch," or "contact," in just the same sense that the hand makes contact with an object it touches. In this case the word means that there is contact between the six sense subjects and the six ob- jects-for example, between the faculty ofseeing and form; in a cer- tain sense, mind touches form with this faculty of sight, it touches sound with the faculty of hearing, and so forth. Even though this is a mental state without any physical basis, it is also accompanied by tactile sensation, a feeling of actually being able to touch and make contact with some kind of embodiment.
Formed upon this initial contact is the seventh nidana, which we term tsor wa [tshor ba], meaning sensation or feeling. T o see is to make contact with the form through the eye; then follows a sense of the attractive or disagreeable nature of what we see, and some value judgment about the experience. Thus the initial experience doesn't remain a simple contact. Physical contact, for example, is accom- panied by the sensation of roughness or smoothness, heat or cold, and so forth. In addition, some thought or value judgment arises: "That's beautiful, I like it," or "That's horrible, I don't like it. " All such feelings, arising from the initial contact, belong to the se~enth nidana, tsor wa.
The eighth nidana is termed se pa [sred pa], which means "craving. " If one is very hungry and sees delicous food, a craving develops for that food; likewise, in the consciousness of a being in the si pa bardo, once there is contact between the sense fields and their objects, there come to be feelings and sensations that lead to a further clinging to and craving for that kind of experience. This
leads to the further state which we term len pa (len pa], the ninth nidana.
Len pa literally means "to take," and the image traditionally used is of someone picking fruit, actually taking fruit in the hand. Among the twelve nidanas, the stage of len pa, or grasping, is the one in which the will to take physical rebirth impels the mind toward incarnation. For a being about to be reborn as a human, this results in a perception of the future mother and father engaged in sexual intercourse. A tremendous attachment, a blind will to incar- nate, draws the mind of the si pa bardo being towards the couple in union.
Becoming, The Tenth Nidana
The process of attraction to physical rebirth finds its comple- tion, for a human being, when conception takes place in the mother's womb. This is the tenth nidana, si pa (srid pa] which means "becoming" or "existence. " At this point there is a physical basis-union of the sperm from the father and the egg from the mother-and, as a third component, the entrance of consciousness. Thereafter, according to the teachings of the Buddha, we are speak- ing of a human individual. A monk or nun, for instance, vows not "to take the life of a human or a conceived entity that will develop into a human being. " T o take the life of even a fetus in the womb is to take the life of a human being. Conception represents the final outcome of the urge possessing the disembodied consciousness of the being in the si pa bardo to inhabit a particular realm. Once concep- tion has taken place, the being has entered the human realm and will, in due course, be born, raised, and fully accepted as a human being among humans.
So when we have a blending of the two physical elements, the sperm and egg, and the one immaterial element, the consciousness of the being in the after-death state, a human individual is con- ceived. The consciousness has taken rebirth and is in a physical realm again. One might ask, "How does this come about, this blend- ing of the material and the immaterial? " The point is that mind is fundamentally empty: mind itself is immaterial and has no solidity or corporeality. But because of fundamental ignorance, there is an
The Four Noble Truths 21
22 The Dharma
inability to experience that immateriality, and a tendency to con? ceive of it in material terms such as "some thing" or "1," "me," and "mine. " This mental tendency to solidify finds its fullest expression in physical rebirth-the conjunction of consciousness and the physical element brought about by fundamental ignorance.
Within the teachings of Buddha, the subsequent stages of fetal development are described in detail. During the first week or two an amorphous mass of cells (described in the traditional texts as being something like a small white blob of yogurt) grows slowly larger in the uterus. During the next stage the various parts of the body begin to differentiate, and the fetus, which now consists of two cellular masses connected by a narrow filament, is said to resemble an ant. Appendages begin to grow, organ systems develop and eventually, at the full term of the pregnancy, we have a fully developed human baby in whom all the complex processes of differentiation are com? plete.
There are definite experiences during the period of fetal development, a period of relentless growth during which the five bodily appendages (two arms, two legs and the head) emerge from the torso, and the five sensory organs and various organ systems are formed. In general, these are experiences of great suffering, and suffering, indeed, characterizes the entire period of gestation. Because growth within the mother's womb continues from concep? tion to birth, and because during this period the embryo generally becomes a complete human individual able to survive outside the womb, the whole period of gestation belongs to the nidana of becoming. The Sutra of Enten'ng the Womb (ngal juk pay do [mngal 'jug pa'i mdo]), which is basically a study in embryology, describes the whole process in considerable detail.
The Eleventh and Twelfth Nidanas
Towards the end of pregnancy the baby begins to become dim- ly aware of the confined, cramped conditions within its mother's womb, and directly before birth experiences a sense of oppression and claustrophobia. The karmic process of human birth entails a force in the mother's body which turns the child's head downwards in preparation for birth, and then labor contractions that force the child into the world. This brings us to the next nidana, the eleventh,
that of actual physical birth, which is termed che wa in Tibetan [skye ba].
The final link in the chain of Dependent Origination is aging and death, ga shi [rga shi]. Aging begins at the moment of birth and continues up to the moment of death, regardless of the age at which one dies. Attendant on this relentless aging process are all the sickness, suffering, sorrow, and pain that a human being ex- periences.
The final ni'dana is this aging and death. The moment of death is followed by the separation of mind and body, and the arising of the fundamental state of unconsciousness- ignorance. So arriving again at the first nidana, this one lifetime has brought us full cycle. Following the state of unconsciousness, the cycle of twelve links con?
tinues with the stirring of the mind, the reawakening of discursive consciousness, and so on. This is one aspect of samsara, which literally means a cycle or wheel: it makes a complete cycle from lifetime to lifetime.
The Five Skandhas and The Three Aspects of Suffering
Having taken physical existence, we have a body composed of flesh and blood, and at a more fundamental level, of atoms. Through this vehicle we experience the world. Whereas in the si pa bardo state we referred to the skandhas of the Four Names as being purely a mental experience, here we have to add a fifth element of physical existence, which we term the skandha of form. In our pres- ent human condition there are five skandhas: the physical existence plus the four purely mental states of sensation, perception, mental formations, and full discursive consciousness which is able to decide-this is a sound, this is a form-and to arrive at value judgments-this is good, this is bad, and so on.
The word skandha literally means "a heap" or "pile," and one understanding of the term is that as long as we have physical ex- istence, we not only have these five aggregates, but also a heap of trouble. On the basis of our physical existence all kinds of suffer- ing-sickness, pain, aging, death, happiness followed by unhap- piness-are possible. This fundamental potential, intrinsic to all compound things, is chap pa du che chi du ngal [khyab pa 'du byed kyi sdug bsngal], meaning "the Pervasive Suffering of Composite
The Four Noble Truths 23
24 The Dharma
Things. " It is the most subtle kind of suffering because it exists simp- ly in the fact of being alive. It may not be experienced directly as suffering, or be seen as something tangible or threatening, but it is nonetheless inseparable from the five skandhas in physical rebirth.
In traditional texts it is said that the difference between a noble (pak pa ['phags pa]) individual and an ordinary person is that the first perceives and the second does not perceive this subtle aspect of suffering. To illustrate this the following example is used. If you place a hair on the palm of your hand, you have no sensation of it. If, however, the hair is in your eye, it hurts and you are aware of it very promptly. An ordinary person, who has no sensation of the fun- damental aspect of suffering, is like the palm of the hand in response to the hair; the noble person is like the eye-very much aware.
In addition to the Suffering of Composite Things, there is the Suffering of Change (jur way du ngal ['gyur ba'i sdug bsngal]. When a person in perfectly good health suddenly takes a tum for the worse, that change-that loss of something good-is the aspect of suffering called the suffering of change.
When we actually experience pain, suffering, and frustration, or one pain laid upon another, such as death following severe illness, then we speak of a third kind of suffering: actual pain, or, the Suf- fering of Suffering (du ngal ji du ngal [sdug bsngal gyi sdug bsngal]).
This, then, is a general account of the Buddha's teaching of the first two Noble Truths, the truth of the causes of suffering and the truth of the suffering we actually experience.
The first Noble Truth is termed the Truth ofSuffering, and the second the Truth of the Origin [of Suffering]. The origin meant here is the ignorance that gives rise to the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination. The consequence of this cycle is suffering, and a tradi- tional illustration of the samsaric process is a tree whose root represents ignorance and whose fruit is suffering.
The Suffering of the Different Realms
In the Buddhist tradition another way of looking at the universe is in terms of the three realms (kam sum [khams gsum]):
The Realm of Desire (do pa'i kham ['dod pa'i khams]), the Realm of Form (zuk pay kam [gzugs pa'i khams]), and the Formless Realm (zu me chi kam [gzugs med kyi khams]). The Realm of Desire encom? passes everything from the lowest hell up through the desire gods' realms. The six kinds of beings in the Realm of Desire are hell? beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras and gods. Beyond it lie the seventeen levels of gods in the Realm of Form, and beyond that are the four levels of gods in the Formless Realm. But whatever the realm, and however subtle or gross the level of experience, it is included in the cycle of samsara, where no individual being is in any way separate from the three kinds of suffering, where no being finds a complete solution to any one of them.
The fact is that suffering is the fundamental, central ex- perience of all life, in whichever realm of samsara it occurs. In the hell realms, for instance, beings experience intense heat and cold. In the hungry ghost realm, suffering is due to hunger, thirst, and af? fliction by the elements. In the animal realm stupidity and ig? norance lead to blind, instinctive behavior and to the preying of one species upon another.
The situation and sufferings of beings in these three lower realms are mostly invisible to us. There are descriptions of them in the teachings of the Buddha, but we have no personal, direct evidence of them, except for what we can observe in a small part of the animal realm. If we examine animals in the ocean, or domesticated or wild animals, we can see the kinds of body these creatures inhabit and the kind of mentality they have. In this way we can gain a little understanding of what this lower realm of existence is like, and what kinds of suffering the beings in it may experience.
The Buddha once said, if we were really aware of suffering, if we weren't so ignorant, if we even understood the pain and suffering a fetus experiences in its mother's womb, then we would work hard in this lifetime to become enlightened and never experience such suffering again.
For example, if we remembered the pains of fetal development, we would remember that during the development of the different orifices and sensory organs, the pain is as though someone were sticking a finger into a open wound, probing it, and ripping it open. And we would remember that when the various appendages, the
The Four Noble Truths 25
26 The Dharma
arms, legs, head and so forth, are developing, the pain is as though a very strong person were pulling our arms out of their sockets while someone else was beating them with a club. The development of the different organ systems-nerves, bones, muscles, digestive tract and so o n - entailed similar pains, which would also be remembered.
Moreover, the mind of the fetus is very sensitive to the mother's physical condition. If the mother eats food which is very cold, the child feels as though it's being thrown naked onto ice. If the mother drinks or eats something extremely hot, the child feels as though it's being boiled or scalded. If the mother does not eat, the child feels as though it's suspended in space; if the mother eats too much, the im- pression is of being crushed by a mountain. If the mother engages in sexual intercourse, the child feels as though it's being beaten with thorns. If the mother runs or jumps or engages in any violent physical exercise, the child feels as though it's being thrown over a cliff, and bouncing down a mountainside. In addition to all this, there is the suffering of simply being in the womb: of being in a dark, cramped, oppressive space where there is also a sense of uncleanness, and a disagreeable smell arising from waste fluids.
The actual process of birth is extremely painful. In Tibet we have a certain device, a metal disc with a small hole in it, through which a large thread can be drawn to make it smaller and tighter. When a baby is compressed in the narrow space of the vagina and thrust into the world, it feels as though it were being drawn through just such a device. And once the baby has been born, it is extremely sensitive to the touch of anything in the outer world; it feels, as it comes into the world, like a small bird being attacked by wolves or hawks- an immediate, overwhelming experience of being handled, grabbed, and spun around in various ways. When the child is washed, it feels as though it were being flayed; and when it's laid down, however soft the cover that it's put on, it feels as though it were being stretched on a bed of thorns. Children invariably cry when they ar~ born, a sign of suffering and distress; if the birth pro- cess were not painful, one would expect babies to be born smiling and laughing.
We have all experienced the various sufferings of the rebirth process described by the Buddha, but we don't remember. Most of us, though, and more especially doctors and people involved in
medicine, are aware of the suffering of growing up and being alive in the world. We've experienced illness and various physical and mental problems, and we know that these are always followed by the pain and suffering of death. This is where we are sitting now: in the middle of all this suffering.
Within the context of human existence, however, there is a great range of individual experience. Some people experience great pain, suffering and hardship in life, while others live fairly comfort? ably, without much pain or distress. For example, the Third Kar- mapa, Rangjung Dorje, once said that his experience in his mother's womb had been very pleasant: he had felt like a god in one of the high desire realms, enjoying a most pleasant existence throughout the whole term of pregnancy. As for the Buddha himself, his power and realization were so strong that even in the womb of his mother, Q. ueen Mayadevi, he was able to benefit many creatures through a certain kind of transmission of the Dharma.
Although in general we can say that suffering and pain attend all experiences, our own karma must always be taken into account. For those with especially virtuous karma, there will be a preponderance of happiness in any experience, and a lessening of suffering. Such circumstances are the results of the individual aspects of karma, as distinct from the common karma of human ex- istence.
The realm of existence above ours in samsara, that of the asuras, approximates, in terms of splendour, wealth and enjoyment, the state of the gods. There is, however, such a strong element of envy in the minds of these asuras that they live in continual strife, always fighting and quarreling with each other and with the gods in an effort to rob them of their wealth. Strife and quarrel are the dominant characteristics of this realm of existence and attendant on them are constant suffering and pain.
The last of the six realms in the Realm of Desire is that of the gods. From a relative point of view this is the superior realm of ex- istence, since it is marked by the greatest degree of happiness and contentment, and by a level of prosperity and sensual enjoyment we cannot begin to imagine. The most intense feeling of contentment and happiness a human can experience probably amounts to less than one percent of the total physical and mental bliss a god enjoys.
The Four Noble Truths 27
28 The Dharma
Nonetheless, the relative state of ease and comfon in the god realm is impermanent, and when the causal factor-the merit that has led to rebirth there-is exhausted, the gods fall to a lower state of existence. This fall is forecast by cenain premonitions that begin seven days before the god will die and pass to a lower state. At first, the gods hear a voice speaking of impending death; then they begin to resemble a withering flower: the garlands of flowers they wear begin to decay and lose their fine scent; the body for the first time begins to sweat and smells disagreeable. Their companions, the gods and goddesses who shared the pleasures of the god realm with them, are utterly repelled by these signs of dying and flee, offering no more help or encouragement than the rain of flowers that they scatter behind them, and a sincere prayer that their future rebirth be used skillfully to regain the godly state and join them again. Beyond that, they simply abandon dying gods, leaving them to spend their last week alone, contemplating, with the limited prescience that gods have, their future state of rebirth. The dying gods feel great distress because that state will inevitably be a lower one. Moreover, this seven day period corresponds to seven hundred of our years, so the gods experience this suffering of change for a very long time.
For these reasons the Buddha, after examining the various realms, said that no place in the cycle of rebinh is free from sorrow: suffering is the central and fundamental experience of unenlight- ened existence.
The Importance of Studying the First Two Noble Truths
These, then, are the ideas the Buddha presented as the first two of the Four Noble Truths: the truth of the suffering we experience in the cycle of rebirth and its origin. The Buddha taught these subjects extensively and in great detail, and it is important for us to under- stand them in order to recognize the limitations of our present situa- tion. We have to understand our circumstances and know that, given the nature of cause and effect, or karmic relationship, we can look forward to nothing but suffering. We have to realize that we are enmeshed in the various factors of cause and effect, which lead first to one state of suffering and on that basis to another, and so on. When we have seen the inherent limitations of this situation, we can begin to consider getting out of it. We can begin to look for the
possibility of transcending samsaric existence and all its attendant sufferings, limitations, and frustrations.
If we have not examined these questions, our basic approach to existence will be naive. As long as we are happy and things are going well we think, "Oh, everything's fine. What's all this talk about suf- fering? Samsara's a nice place to be. " From this attitude comes a general tendency to let things slide. But as soon as something un- toward happens, the minute there is any kind of pain, or suffering, or trouble, we become completely unnerved. We think, "Oh, I'm dying. Oh, I'm sick. Oh, things are falling apart. Everything's going wrong. " We may then make some ineffective and rudimentary at- tempts to remedy the situation, but we have no real recourse to anything that will allow us to transcend our suffering.
? W e are caught in samsara. As long as things go well, we ignore the situation; when they go badly, we are helpless to deal with them. But once we have understood the situation, we will begin to look for a way of dealing with the suffering and frustration we inevitably meet. The techniques and methods of the Buddhadharma provide the means for this positive development.
Ultimately speaking, the causes of samsara are produced by the mind, and mind is what experiences the consequences. Nothing other than mind makes the universe, and nothing other than mind experiences it. Yet, still ultimately speaking, mind is fundamentally empty, no 'thing' in and of itself. T o understand that the mind pro- ducing and experiencing samsara is nothing real in itself can actual- ly be a source of great relief. If the mind is not fundamentally real, neither are the situations it experiences. By finding the empty nature of mind and letting it rest there, we can find much relief and relaxation amidst the turmoil, confusion, and suffering that con- stitute the world.
Moreover, when there is a complete understanding and ex- perience of the mind's Emptiness, we transcend causality: being beyond the cause and effect of karmic tendencies, we are a Buddha. But until this happens, simply thinking "It's all empty" is not going to do any good; we are still entirely subject to the unfailing process of karma.
Therefore, we need to understand not only the concept of the ultimate Emptiness of all experience, but also the conventional
The Four Noble Truths 29
30 The Dharma
validity of karmic cause and effect. With this kind of approach, we can achieve Enlightenment. But if we fall into either ex? treme-either naively assuming the ultimate reality of everything (the error of the etemalists) or else denying everything (the error of the nihilists)-then we cannot achieve Enlightenment.
The Third and Fourth Noble Truths:
The Truth of Cessation and The Truth of The Path
After the Buddha had described the Truths of Suffering and the Origin of Suffering, he went on to examine the other side: the factors of cause and result in the context of Nirvana. The cause here is the Fourth Noble Truth, known as the Truth of the Path. The result is the achievement of Enlightenment, and in the context of the Four Noble Truths this is called the Truth of Cessation, the Third Noble Truth. Enlightenment here is seen from the Hinayana viewpoint as the cessation of emotions that confuse and trouble the mind, and the cessation of the sufferings they cause.
The Beginning of the Path
Just as the first two Noble Truths describe samsara as arising from ignorance, from unknowing, so it follows that the enlight. " ened experience arises from awareness (rik pa [rig pa]) instead of ig? norance (ma rik pa [ma rig pa]). But such awareness is not easily ex? perienced; we have to work towards it, and this is what constitutes Dharma practice. We adopt a vinuous and skillful way of life, avoiding actions harmful to ourselves and others, and engaging in actions that are helpful and positive. Then, motivated by the in- clination to establish a connection with the Three Jewels- the Bud? dha, the Dharma (his teaching), and the Sangha (the community of his followers), we take Refuge, and continue to take Refuge, motivated by faith, devotion, and our ongoing experience of the Path. All these aspects of Dharma practice contribute to our ex? perience of that awareness from which Enlightenment develops. The Seed of Enlightenment, this potential for Buddhahood, which we term Tathagatagarbha, is latent in every one of us, though in our present circumstances we cannot perceive it directly.
A rough analogy of our situation can be found in the process of sleep. When we go to sleep there is an initial period of complete un- consciousness, a very deep sleep in which there is no dreaming, no conscious activity at all. This state corresponds to the causal factor offundamental ignorance. During the night, however, there is from time to time a certain reawakening of conscious activity, which pro- duces the many kinds of illusion we call dreams. These can sometimes be very frightening, nightmarish experiences, which cor- respond to the suffering in samsara produced by ignorance. In the dream state, as in the waking experience of samsara, there is mental activity, which arises out of unawareness. In the morning, before we actually wake up, the body begins to stir, and consciousness starts to approach the waking state. For the purpose of our analogy, we can say this period corresponds to the arising of such virtuous tendencies in the mind as faith, compassion, energy, and exertion in Dharma practice. Then follows the actual awakening, when we_stretch in bed, get up, begin to move around, and start our activities for the day. In our analogy, this corresponds to achieving Enlighten- ment-we have completely awakened. We are not just in the dream state, which is our present condition, and not just half awake in Dharma practice, which is instilling and developing these good qualities in us; instead, we are totally awake, able to get up and be effective.
Part of the fundamental process of turning our minds away from samsara and towards Enlightenment is understanding samsara for what it is. Understanding suffering, and recognizing the limita- tions of our present situation, we begin to seek a way out. This initial turning of the mind is the foundation of the Path in its aspect as a causal factor leading to Enlightenment. Our ability to follow the Path by actually undertaking Dharma practice has a twofold basis. First, because we have fostered virtuous tendencies and rejected un- wholesome ones, we have achieved the basic state of a human being. Second, because of the efficacy and compassion of the Three Jewels, we have established a connection with the Dharma which is bearing fruit in this life: we are not only human beings, but humans who are in contact with the teachings of Dharma, and have developed some certainty or conviction in them that leads to practice. Our actual practice-taking Refuge in the Three jewels, continuing to take
The Four Noble Truths 31
32 The Dharma
Refuge, developing Bodhicitta (our concern for the Liberation of each and every living being), developing different meditation techniques-constitutes the real pith or essence of the cause leading us towards the goal of Enlightenment.
Aspects of the Path
There are various aspects of the Path. For instance, we can look at the different levels of ordination starting with the vows of Refuge, then the vows of a layperson, a novice monk or nun, a fully ordained monk or nun, the Bodhisattva vows, and so on. Another aspect of the Path is ngondro practice: the 100,000 recitations of the Refuge prayer accompanied by physical acts of prostration, the 100,000 recitations of the purification mantra of Vajrasattva, the 100,000 mandala offerings and the recitation of 100,000 prayers in the Guru-Yoga meditation. Both aspects-the levels of ordination and the graduations of Ngondro practice-belong to what we term the Path of Accumulation (tsok lam [tshogs lam]), because this first stage of the Complete Path to Enlightenment is the gathering of what we need for the journey.
Yet practice aimed only at purifying our obscurations and developing merit is unstable because its benefits can be lost. Medita? tion practice provides the stabilizing factor by producing a benefit that will not be lost, but continues as a stable element of our ex- perience. In particular, the practice of shi nay is important because whatever merit we accumulate, whatever virtuous tendencies we reinforce, all gain a degree of stability when the mind has been calmed. Moreover, whatever sort of meditation we attempt to develop is given a firm foundation by this initial phase of shi nay meditation. Therefore, when this stabilizing element has entered the picture, we speak of a superior degree of the Path of Accumula- tion.
There are various ways of examining the Complete Path. For example, we can speak of the Five Paths constituting its different levels: the Path of Accumulation, the Path of Application, the Path of Seeing, the Path of Meditation, and the Path of No More Learn- ing, or Buddhahood. At a more extensive and detailed level are the Thirty-seven Elements which contribute to complete Enlighten-
ment. All of these are different ways of examining the same phenomenon-all detail different aspects of Enlightenment.
Among the Thirty-seven Elements conducive to Enlightenment are four essential recollections, four proper attitudes towards what one should renounce and what one should accept, four bases for the development of supernormal power, five faculties, and five strengths which are developed in one's Dharma practice. All these elements pertain to the first two Paths, those of Accumulation and Applica? tion; they do not include the first level of Bodhisattva Realization, which corresponds to the Path of Seeing, the third of the Five Paths.
At present, when we talk about mind being empty, clear and unimpeded, we are simply expressing an intellectual concept. But as your Dharma practice progresses and develops, there comes a point where you actually have a direct experience of the mind as empty, clear and unimpeded. When this direct experience is stable, we refer to it as the first level of Bodhisattva realization. In Tibetan this is termed rap tu ga wa [rab tu dga' ba), meaning "complete joy. " At this point you enter the Path of Seeing, because now, instead of see- ing things in the ordinary sense, you actually see the nature of mind, and experience it directly. This moment of insight, therefore, lends its name to the Path at this particular stage.
The first level of Bodhisattva realization is termed a state of ut? ter joy because the nature of mind, which is now experienced direct? ly, is supremely blissful, supremely illuminating and, in the sense of not being anything ultimately real in and of itself, supremely empty. Although empty, the experience is one of complete bliss. The term used for this state is de wa chen po [bde ba chen po), "supreme bliss"-"supreme" because there is nothing in our ordinary ex- perience we can compare it to. So, accordingly, direct experience of the nature of mind in its intrinsic purity is known as the state of complete joy.
At this stage of realization since you are no longer concerned with conceptual thought but with direct experience, you have greater freedom of mind. At the first level of Bodhisattva realization there is a freedom from the limitations of clinging to a self (dan dzin [bdag 'dzin]). This is why we can speak of the one hundred emana? tions a first level Bodhisattva can manifest in a single instant, or of the ability to recall a hundred previous existences, or to foresee a
The Four Noble Truths 33
34 The Dharma
hundred future ones. These abilities belong to a partial, not a com- plete, freedom of the mind from the limits of ignorance, and we traditionally refer to the twelve aspects of this freedom as the Twelve Hundreds.
Moreover, a first level Bodhisattva has transcended the karmic process, and is no longer completely subject to its obscuring limita- tions. Awareness has replaced ignorance. Since fundamental discur- sive consciousness, kun shi nam she [kun gzhi rnam shes], is based on that ignorance, it too no longer obtains. Kun shi nam she functions as a kind of store-house for the karmic process, which is reinforced (1) by the obscuration of the emotional afflictions (nyon mong pay dri pa [nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa]) that develop from dualistic cling- ing, and (2) by the physical, verbal and mental activities (lay chi dri pa [las kyi sgrib pa]) based on that obscuration. Without fun- damental ignorance, the karmic process has no basis. Thus a first? level Bodhisattva transcends the obscuring limitation of karma.
In Tibet we use a lunar calendar. On the third day of any month the moon is just a thin sliver, which gradually increases until on the fifteenth day it attains complete fullness. This gradual wax- ing of the moon provides an image for the different levels of Bodhisattva realization. The first glimmering of awareness is like the thin sliver of the moon. It's there, but not fully developed. Where development takes place is in the continued deepening and extend- ing of awareness, and in the increasing freedom of mind experi- enced at the ten different levels of Bodhisattva realization.
In the context of the increasing freedom of mind, the qualities known on the first level as the Twelve Hundreds are increased ten- fold on the second level. So there we speak of the Twelve Thousands, of the ability to manifest a thousand emanations in a single instant, to recall a thousand previous existences, to foretell a thousand future existences, and so forth. This increase in depth and scope of awareness continues as we progress through the different stages of Bodhisattva Realization.
The waxing moon of the eleventh day, when the moon is not quite full but is rapidly approaching fullness, corresponds to the seventh level of Bodhisattva Realization. Here the increase in positive tendencies and the deepening of awareness accompany a diminishing of the negative aspects of one's being. In particular,
emotional afflictions have been mostly eliminated at the seventh Bodhisattva stage.
At the eighth and ninth levels of Bodhisattva realization habitual dualistic clinging (bak chak chi dri pa [bag chags kyi sgrib pa]), which is the next most subtle level of obscuration, is gradually eliminated.
At the tenth Bodhisattva level, fundamental ignorance, the final level of obscuration (she jay dri pa [shes bya'i sgrib pa]), is almost completely removed, and the mind is almost completely without limitation. An enormous capability to express the positive qualities of mind arises. At this point we speak not of a hundred or a thousand emanations, but of one hundred thousand million emana- tions, previous lifetimes, future lifetimes, and so forth.
These ten levels of Bodhisattva Realization constitute the third and fourth Paths, the Path of Seeing and the Path of Meditation. Within this framework further levels are distinguished-the in- ferior, medium and superior levels of the Path of Seeing, and the in- ferior, medium and superior levels of the Path of Meditation- but in sum they coincide with the ten levels of Realization. Among the Thirty-seven Elements conducive to Enlightenment, the seven Branches of Enlightenment- mindfulness, investigation of dharmas (phenomena), diligence, joy, purification, samadhi, and equanimity-and the Noble Eightfold Path are experienced at these levels.
On the tenth level of Bodhisattva Realization, the final step to complete Enlightenment is accomplished by the particular state of meditation known as the Vajra-like samadhi (dor je ta bii ting nge dzin [rdo rje Ita bu'i ting nge 'dzin]), where "vajra" has the sense of something invincible, something that can cut through anything else. And what is being cut through here are the final and most subtle traces of ignorance about the ultimate nature of reality. When this finest veil has been rent asunder by Vajra-like samadhi, we are com- pletely enlightened. We have reached full and complete Bud- dhahood, sometimes called the eleventh Bodhisattva stage.
Our present circumstances are like those of someone who has been bound in chains and locked in a dark prison cell. The cell is samsara, and we are bound up and confined in it by our own ig- norance. On the Paths of Accumulation and Application, up to but
The Four Noble Truths 35
36 The Dharma
not including the first level of Bodhisattva Realization, there is a growing sense of freedom, just as if a person in prison were to have these bonds and manacles removed and, though still imprisoned, were free to move about the cell. The experience of first level Bodhisattva Realization, the Path of Seeing, resembles the opening of the prison door, after which we can walk out and go anywhere.
In this analogy, the prison represents the confining nature of samsara. The manacles and chains represent the limitations im- posed by our own ego-clinging; regardless of which realm of sam? saric existence we experience-regardless of where in the prison we may be-we are still chained by the impression of being a self, by the conviction that this ego ultimately exists. With the experience of the first and subsequent Bodhisattva levels we are freed from the shackles and then freed from the prison.
The Three Kayas
Buddhahood, complete Enlightenment, is described in tenns of the Three Kayas {three bodies) (ku sum [sku gsum]). These three aspects of complete Enlightenment are known as the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya. The three are related to the fun? damental nature of mind in the following way. The mind's quality of being in essence empty corresponds to the Dharmakaya. Its clear nature corresponds to the Sambhogakaya, and its quality of unimpeded manifestation corresponds to the Nirmanakaya. These qualities, which express the bask nature of mind, are what we term Buddhahood, which is also canid, "the embodiment of the Three Kayas. "
The Dharmakaya, or ultimate aspect, is described in a number of ways. For example, there are traditional references to the Twenty-one Flawless Aspects of the Dharmakaya that represent a state of mind not subject to change or degenerat~on. There is an om? nipresent aspect, in that the Dharmakaya pe~des both samsara
and Nirvana. There is also the permanent quality, because the Dhar? makaya is beyond form, beyond all limiting characteristics, and has no origination or cessation; being beyond dualistic or conceptual frameworks, it is without highness, lowness, happiness, sadness, or any kind of change. In such ways the texts attempt to describe the
Dharmakaya's unchangeable nature, subject neither to degenera- tion, exhaustion, nor impairment.
The Sambhogakaya is also described from various viewpoints, and most commonly in terms of the Five Certainties. The first of these concerns the form encountered at the Sambhogakaya level. Here, the form of the Teacher has a permanent quality; it has no origin and no end, and therefore differs from all phenomena that are subject to change-differs even from the form in this world of the Buddha Shakyamuni, who took birth, grew old and died. Secondly, although we have a localized perception and speak of par- ticular Buddhas and Buddha-realms, there is, nevertheless, an eter- nal quality to the environment of the Sambhogakaya that is not sub- ject to change, degeneration or impairment.
14 The Dharma
Although the Buddha was completely aware of all the teachings that would ultimately be needed to discipline and lead beings to Enlightenment, and even though he was fully capable of presenting them, he also realized that the time had not yet come to introduce people to the profound concepts of the higher vehicles, the Mahayana and Vajrayana. He saw that serious misunderstandings would follow if he began by telling people that all phenomena were empty, that all experience was essentially empty, and that everything was really a projection of mind. Without proper prepara? tion people might simply adopt a nihilistic approach and conclude that nothing was meaningful or made any difference. They might think that whatever they did had no real consequence, and that they therefore were free to do whatever they wished. Furthermore, if everything was just a projection of mind, there was nothing they could do to improve their situation-things simply had to work themselves out. All such misunderstandings, the Buddha saw, were likely to occur if people heard the profound teachings of the Bud? dhadharma without proper preparation.
Even today, many people develop such erroneous views when they hear Mahayana teachings, and the very profound transfor? mative techniques of the Vajrayana tantras are equally open to misinterpretation. If these people hear, for example, that in the Vajrayana there is theoretically no need to suppress or alter emo? tional confusion, because simply seeing the nature of emotional con? flict is sufficient for Liberation, they can easily misunderstand, and take this to mean that nothing has to be done about the emotions. Some people even think the Vajrayana teaches that lust and anger should be indulged when they arise in the mind. So, even though the Buddha was capable of providing all Mahayana and Vajrayana teachings, he recognized that beings had not been suitably prepared to accept them, and chose, in his first formal teaching, the basic and simple Hinayana approach.
Half of this teaching is devoted to our situation in the world, and half to the transcendence of samsara- the achievement of Nir- vana (nya ngen lay day pa [mya ngan las 'das pa]). First, he exam? ined thoroughly what we experience as the world, and discerned ig- norance as its basic cause, and emotional confusion and suffering as the results. Then, after stating this first Truth of Suffering (du ngal
ji denpa [sdug bsngal gyi bden pa]) and the second Truth of the Origin of Suffering (kun jung gi denpa [kun 'byung gi bden pa]), he examined the next two: Enlightenment itself, which, because it brings about the cessation of all suffering, is known as the Truth of Cessation (gok pay denpa ['gog pa'i bden pa]) and the Path we travel toward Enlightenment, the Truth of the Path (lam ji denpa [lam gyi bden pa]).
The First Two Noble Truths: Suffering and the Ongin of Suffen"ng
The first two of the Four Noble Truths, then, deal with the nature and cause of samsara. The Buddha describes the basic, world-producing cause as fundamental ignorance in the minds of all beings. This ignorance and its consequences can be analyzed as Twelve links of Dependent Origination (ten drel chu nyi [rten 'brei bcu gnyis]) that form the basis for a description of our experience of the world. The sequence of these links, or nidanas, in the cycle of our experience is (1) fundamental ignorance, which leads to {2} kar- mic formations. These become expressed in {3} dualistic con- sciousness, which in tum is translated into {4} a sense of identifica- tion, and the initial differentiation of consciousness into (5) the various sense fields. Through these sense fields there is (6) contact with the phenomenal world; from contact arises (7) sensation. Based upon sensation arises {8) craving for experience, followed by (9} grasping. On the basis of this, the mind harbors a sense of {10) becoming, a will to be, and this causes an actual physical incarna- tion. Once incarnate in a physical body, the mind experiences the various stages of human existence: (11) birth, and (12} the aging process and the stages of life that eventually lead to and end in death. At death the mind is immersed in basic ignorance again, and the cycle is complete.
It should be noted here that the Buddha did not describe this cycle of rebirth as something that he had created: he made no claim to be the originator of the universe. Nor did he accept the idea that any god had made the universe. The universe is a projection of mind.
The Four Noble Truths 15
16 The Dharma
In the Mahayana and Vajrayana teachings we find mind described as being in essence empty (ngo wo tong pa [ngo bo stong pa]), but nevertheless exhibiting natural clarity (rang-shin selwa (rang bzhin gsal ba]) and unimpeded manifestation (nampa man ga pa [mam pa ma 'gag pa]). This teaching, however, is found only in the Mahayana and Vajrayana. In the Hinayana teachings, the Buddha did not speak of it immediately, but rather introduced a more easily understood approach in which he simply stated that the mind is empty, and has no limiting or defining characteristics such as color, shape, size, or location. Thus, at the Hinayana level, mind was described as fundamentally empty, and ignorance as the failure to experience that emptiness. From this ignorance develops the whole cycle of events known as the universe, as samsara, the cycle of rebirth.
The First Four Nidanas
The structure or pattern of the Twelve Nidanas or links of
Dependent Origination can be applied to any aspect of the universe, macrocosmic or microcosmic, or to the experiences of beings in the universe. This is a complex topic, but if we look at the situation of a single individual in the context of one lifetime we can perhaps understand the process more clearly. Let us take the example of a being who dies.
At the moment of death a separation occurs between the in- dividual's physical body and mind, and the mind is plunged into a state in which there is no conscious mental activity. In other words, the mind simply dissolves back into its own fundamental state of un- consciousness, the first nidana, which we term ignorance (ma rik pa [ma rig pa]). This is the first link in the chain of Dependent Origina- tion. After this there is a gradual stirring of mental activity. This is the second link, which is termed du che ['du byed], the formations now beginning to arise in the mind. These patterns of stirring con- sciousness find full expression in what we term nam she in Tibetan [mam shes], discursive consciousness, the ability of mind to recognize something other than itself as an object-to decide, this is this, this is that, and so on. This level of dualistic discursive con- sciousness is the third link in the chain of Dependent Origination. Thus, from a fundamental state of ignorance there arises in the
mind a gradual stirring of formations which finds full expression in discursive consciousness.
From this basic dualistic or discursive consciousness there arises the sense of self, of "1. " At the same time, whatever forms are seen, whatever sounds are heard-in short, whatever phenomena are ex- perienced-are perceived as some version of "other. " In this way there occurs a definite split into self and other. At this point, although there is no physical basis for consciousness, there is never- theless a sense of embodiment, of an identity coalescing. There is also the sense of naming things in the phenomenal world. So the fourth nidana is termed ming zuk [ming gzugs], which means "name and form. "
All of this is just a mental experience for a mind in the second phase of the after-death experience, the si pa bardo [srid pa bar do], since it completely lacks anything tangible. We cannot see a being in this bardo. Moreover, the mind of this being is also completely im- perceptible: no one else can see its ignorance, its stirring, its manifestation of discursive consciousness, or the experiences of sub- ject/object labeling. This unique state in the si pa bardo, a com- pletely internal experience imperceptible to others, is termed ming shi pung po [ming bzhi phung po] in Tibetan. This means "the skandhas (or aggregates) of the four names," and refers to the first four stages of the si pa bardo: its stage of ignorance, the stage of the stirring of conscious formations, the stage of fullblown discursive consciousness, and the stage of labeling the world in terms of subject and object.
All this is merely a projection of mind. There is not, for exam- ple, a thing called "ignorance" that we can take out and dissect and examine; we can say only that "ignorance" is a label we put on a particular phase of the si pa bardo experience, and that such a phase does occur. These four stages have no concrete or tangible qualities whatever.
Because the bardo consciousness has no physical basis, a being in the after-death state is not subject to the normal physical limita- tions. No mountains, walls, oceans, or forests present barriers to the consciousness in the bardo. Whatever arises in the mind is directly experienced, and wherever the mind decides to go, it goes. So, in a certain sense, the Four Names is a rather miraculous state-it cer-
The Four Noble Truths 17
18 The Dharma
tainly transcends the ordinary physical limitations and the proper? ties of the world we're used to. However, it is an entirely automatic or blind result of our previous actions or karma, and nothing that occurs here is a conscious decision on the part of the being; we are simply buffeted around by the force of karma.
During this period of the bardo, there is a certain kind of clair- voyance, very rudimentary and not really under conscious control, but nevertheless an ability to perceive the thoughts of others. There is also a certain new sense of the mind's power, although this power is also not consciously or intelligently controlled. Furthermore, a great variety of experiences- hallucinations- occur during the si pa bardo. For a person with virtuous karmic tendencies these ex- periences can be very pleasant and comfortable. But for beings with unvirtuous karmic tendencies the experiences can be terrifying.
This force we term karma is not a conscious process. An exam- ple of it is the growth of a child from infancy to adulthood. The child does not have to sit down and decide: "Tomorrow I'm going to grow this much. The next day I'm going to grow that much. " Without our doing anything about it and, indeed, without our be- ing able to do anything about it, growth simply happens. In a com- pletely unconscious way a force causes the organism to grow. In the same way, the aging process simply happens unconsciously, without, and even against, any intention on the part of the person concerned. These are two examples of what we mean by the force of karma at work in our experience.
During the first week or two of the si pa bardo-the first third of i t - the impressions that arise in the mind of the deceased person are very largely related to his or her previous existence. If a man dies, he will have the impression during this part of the si pa bardo of being a man, with his own former personality and state of existence; a woman will have the impression of still being a female existence, and so forth. In each case there will be impressions relating back to the previous life. This is why the consciousness of a bardo being is said to experience returning to its former home and being able to see in some way, but usually not to make contact with, the people it left behind. There will be the experience of arriving at the home and of announcing, "I'm here, I'm home again. " But then there will be a feeling of not being able to make contact with the
people still living there, and this can produce intense pain, frustra? tion, and rage. Or the understanding that one has died may arise, and that trauma can produce immediate unconsciousness: the shock is too great to endure and the mind simply blanks out.
After the first week or two of the after-death experience, the impressions one has of a body and an environment begin to relate more and more to the future existence towards which one is being impelled by one's karma.
The actual length of the si pa bardo experience varies a great deal from person to person. In general terms, the longest period is held to be roughly forty-nine days. The Buddha referred to this par? ticular period in many different scriptures as the length of time that the consciousness could be expected to remain in the si pa bardo before physical rebirth occurred. After existence in a physical form is established, the possibilities for change are more or less exhausted, for the time being, and this is why the Tibetan custom arose of employing any means possible to aid the dead person during this period of forty-nine days after death. The family might ask a Lama to perform rituals for the benefit of the dead person, because during that seven-week period there is always the possibility that the bless? ing of the Lama and the merit of the deceased will permit some beneficial change to take place. This is why we have a particular ceremony in which the teacher is presented with the name and an effigy of the deceased, and attempts through meditation to attract that person's consciousness (which still relates to its previous ex? istence), and to influence it through bestowing empowerment, in? struction, and prayer; in short, the teacher makes every effort to ef- fect a favorable rebirth for the person.
The Fifth through Ninth Nidanas
The next nidana, or link, the fifth of the twelve, is termed chem che [skye mched], which can be translated as "sense-field. " Altogether, there are held to be twelve sense-fields, one for each of the six senses and one for each of the objects of the six senses. (The mind is considered a sixth sense because in and of itself it produces thoughts, though not necessarily related to the sensory environment. ) Thus, there is sight and the form which is seen; there
The Four Noble Truths 19
20 The Dharma
is the ear, and the sound which is heard, and so forth, making a total of twelve sense fields. The Tibetan word chem che means to "originate" and to "spread," meaning that the origin of each of these senses is in the sense organ, and the spread is the field of perception in which that particular organ operates-form for sight, sound for hearing and so forth. Although a being in the si pa bardo has no physical organs for vision, hearing, and so on, there is, never- theless, the mental impression that all the sense fields are complete. Consequently, the mind of such a being can see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and think just as we can now, even though these perceptions are all projections of mind with no physical basis.
The sixth nidana is termed rek pa [reg pa], which literally means "touch," or "contact," in just the same sense that the hand makes contact with an object it touches. In this case the word means that there is contact between the six sense subjects and the six ob- jects-for example, between the faculty ofseeing and form; in a cer- tain sense, mind touches form with this faculty of sight, it touches sound with the faculty of hearing, and so forth. Even though this is a mental state without any physical basis, it is also accompanied by tactile sensation, a feeling of actually being able to touch and make contact with some kind of embodiment.
Formed upon this initial contact is the seventh nidana, which we term tsor wa [tshor ba], meaning sensation or feeling. T o see is to make contact with the form through the eye; then follows a sense of the attractive or disagreeable nature of what we see, and some value judgment about the experience. Thus the initial experience doesn't remain a simple contact. Physical contact, for example, is accom- panied by the sensation of roughness or smoothness, heat or cold, and so forth. In addition, some thought or value judgment arises: "That's beautiful, I like it," or "That's horrible, I don't like it. " All such feelings, arising from the initial contact, belong to the se~enth nidana, tsor wa.
The eighth nidana is termed se pa [sred pa], which means "craving. " If one is very hungry and sees delicous food, a craving develops for that food; likewise, in the consciousness of a being in the si pa bardo, once there is contact between the sense fields and their objects, there come to be feelings and sensations that lead to a further clinging to and craving for that kind of experience. This
leads to the further state which we term len pa (len pa], the ninth nidana.
Len pa literally means "to take," and the image traditionally used is of someone picking fruit, actually taking fruit in the hand. Among the twelve nidanas, the stage of len pa, or grasping, is the one in which the will to take physical rebirth impels the mind toward incarnation. For a being about to be reborn as a human, this results in a perception of the future mother and father engaged in sexual intercourse. A tremendous attachment, a blind will to incar- nate, draws the mind of the si pa bardo being towards the couple in union.
Becoming, The Tenth Nidana
The process of attraction to physical rebirth finds its comple- tion, for a human being, when conception takes place in the mother's womb. This is the tenth nidana, si pa (srid pa] which means "becoming" or "existence. " At this point there is a physical basis-union of the sperm from the father and the egg from the mother-and, as a third component, the entrance of consciousness. Thereafter, according to the teachings of the Buddha, we are speak- ing of a human individual. A monk or nun, for instance, vows not "to take the life of a human or a conceived entity that will develop into a human being. " T o take the life of even a fetus in the womb is to take the life of a human being. Conception represents the final outcome of the urge possessing the disembodied consciousness of the being in the si pa bardo to inhabit a particular realm. Once concep- tion has taken place, the being has entered the human realm and will, in due course, be born, raised, and fully accepted as a human being among humans.
So when we have a blending of the two physical elements, the sperm and egg, and the one immaterial element, the consciousness of the being in the after-death state, a human individual is con- ceived. The consciousness has taken rebirth and is in a physical realm again. One might ask, "How does this come about, this blend- ing of the material and the immaterial? " The point is that mind is fundamentally empty: mind itself is immaterial and has no solidity or corporeality. But because of fundamental ignorance, there is an
The Four Noble Truths 21
22 The Dharma
inability to experience that immateriality, and a tendency to con? ceive of it in material terms such as "some thing" or "1," "me," and "mine. " This mental tendency to solidify finds its fullest expression in physical rebirth-the conjunction of consciousness and the physical element brought about by fundamental ignorance.
Within the teachings of Buddha, the subsequent stages of fetal development are described in detail. During the first week or two an amorphous mass of cells (described in the traditional texts as being something like a small white blob of yogurt) grows slowly larger in the uterus. During the next stage the various parts of the body begin to differentiate, and the fetus, which now consists of two cellular masses connected by a narrow filament, is said to resemble an ant. Appendages begin to grow, organ systems develop and eventually, at the full term of the pregnancy, we have a fully developed human baby in whom all the complex processes of differentiation are com? plete.
There are definite experiences during the period of fetal development, a period of relentless growth during which the five bodily appendages (two arms, two legs and the head) emerge from the torso, and the five sensory organs and various organ systems are formed. In general, these are experiences of great suffering, and suffering, indeed, characterizes the entire period of gestation. Because growth within the mother's womb continues from concep? tion to birth, and because during this period the embryo generally becomes a complete human individual able to survive outside the womb, the whole period of gestation belongs to the nidana of becoming. The Sutra of Enten'ng the Womb (ngal juk pay do [mngal 'jug pa'i mdo]), which is basically a study in embryology, describes the whole process in considerable detail.
The Eleventh and Twelfth Nidanas
Towards the end of pregnancy the baby begins to become dim- ly aware of the confined, cramped conditions within its mother's womb, and directly before birth experiences a sense of oppression and claustrophobia. The karmic process of human birth entails a force in the mother's body which turns the child's head downwards in preparation for birth, and then labor contractions that force the child into the world. This brings us to the next nidana, the eleventh,
that of actual physical birth, which is termed che wa in Tibetan [skye ba].
The final link in the chain of Dependent Origination is aging and death, ga shi [rga shi]. Aging begins at the moment of birth and continues up to the moment of death, regardless of the age at which one dies. Attendant on this relentless aging process are all the sickness, suffering, sorrow, and pain that a human being ex- periences.
The final ni'dana is this aging and death. The moment of death is followed by the separation of mind and body, and the arising of the fundamental state of unconsciousness- ignorance. So arriving again at the first nidana, this one lifetime has brought us full cycle. Following the state of unconsciousness, the cycle of twelve links con?
tinues with the stirring of the mind, the reawakening of discursive consciousness, and so on. This is one aspect of samsara, which literally means a cycle or wheel: it makes a complete cycle from lifetime to lifetime.
The Five Skandhas and The Three Aspects of Suffering
Having taken physical existence, we have a body composed of flesh and blood, and at a more fundamental level, of atoms. Through this vehicle we experience the world. Whereas in the si pa bardo state we referred to the skandhas of the Four Names as being purely a mental experience, here we have to add a fifth element of physical existence, which we term the skandha of form. In our pres- ent human condition there are five skandhas: the physical existence plus the four purely mental states of sensation, perception, mental formations, and full discursive consciousness which is able to decide-this is a sound, this is a form-and to arrive at value judgments-this is good, this is bad, and so on.
The word skandha literally means "a heap" or "pile," and one understanding of the term is that as long as we have physical ex- istence, we not only have these five aggregates, but also a heap of trouble. On the basis of our physical existence all kinds of suffer- ing-sickness, pain, aging, death, happiness followed by unhap- piness-are possible. This fundamental potential, intrinsic to all compound things, is chap pa du che chi du ngal [khyab pa 'du byed kyi sdug bsngal], meaning "the Pervasive Suffering of Composite
The Four Noble Truths 23
24 The Dharma
Things. " It is the most subtle kind of suffering because it exists simp- ly in the fact of being alive. It may not be experienced directly as suffering, or be seen as something tangible or threatening, but it is nonetheless inseparable from the five skandhas in physical rebirth.
In traditional texts it is said that the difference between a noble (pak pa ['phags pa]) individual and an ordinary person is that the first perceives and the second does not perceive this subtle aspect of suffering. To illustrate this the following example is used. If you place a hair on the palm of your hand, you have no sensation of it. If, however, the hair is in your eye, it hurts and you are aware of it very promptly. An ordinary person, who has no sensation of the fun- damental aspect of suffering, is like the palm of the hand in response to the hair; the noble person is like the eye-very much aware.
In addition to the Suffering of Composite Things, there is the Suffering of Change (jur way du ngal ['gyur ba'i sdug bsngal]. When a person in perfectly good health suddenly takes a tum for the worse, that change-that loss of something good-is the aspect of suffering called the suffering of change.
When we actually experience pain, suffering, and frustration, or one pain laid upon another, such as death following severe illness, then we speak of a third kind of suffering: actual pain, or, the Suf- fering of Suffering (du ngal ji du ngal [sdug bsngal gyi sdug bsngal]).
This, then, is a general account of the Buddha's teaching of the first two Noble Truths, the truth of the causes of suffering and the truth of the suffering we actually experience.
The first Noble Truth is termed the Truth ofSuffering, and the second the Truth of the Origin [of Suffering]. The origin meant here is the ignorance that gives rise to the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination. The consequence of this cycle is suffering, and a tradi- tional illustration of the samsaric process is a tree whose root represents ignorance and whose fruit is suffering.
The Suffering of the Different Realms
In the Buddhist tradition another way of looking at the universe is in terms of the three realms (kam sum [khams gsum]):
The Realm of Desire (do pa'i kham ['dod pa'i khams]), the Realm of Form (zuk pay kam [gzugs pa'i khams]), and the Formless Realm (zu me chi kam [gzugs med kyi khams]). The Realm of Desire encom? passes everything from the lowest hell up through the desire gods' realms. The six kinds of beings in the Realm of Desire are hell? beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras and gods. Beyond it lie the seventeen levels of gods in the Realm of Form, and beyond that are the four levels of gods in the Formless Realm. But whatever the realm, and however subtle or gross the level of experience, it is included in the cycle of samsara, where no individual being is in any way separate from the three kinds of suffering, where no being finds a complete solution to any one of them.
The fact is that suffering is the fundamental, central ex- perience of all life, in whichever realm of samsara it occurs. In the hell realms, for instance, beings experience intense heat and cold. In the hungry ghost realm, suffering is due to hunger, thirst, and af? fliction by the elements. In the animal realm stupidity and ig? norance lead to blind, instinctive behavior and to the preying of one species upon another.
The situation and sufferings of beings in these three lower realms are mostly invisible to us. There are descriptions of them in the teachings of the Buddha, but we have no personal, direct evidence of them, except for what we can observe in a small part of the animal realm. If we examine animals in the ocean, or domesticated or wild animals, we can see the kinds of body these creatures inhabit and the kind of mentality they have. In this way we can gain a little understanding of what this lower realm of existence is like, and what kinds of suffering the beings in it may experience.
The Buddha once said, if we were really aware of suffering, if we weren't so ignorant, if we even understood the pain and suffering a fetus experiences in its mother's womb, then we would work hard in this lifetime to become enlightened and never experience such suffering again.
For example, if we remembered the pains of fetal development, we would remember that during the development of the different orifices and sensory organs, the pain is as though someone were sticking a finger into a open wound, probing it, and ripping it open. And we would remember that when the various appendages, the
The Four Noble Truths 25
26 The Dharma
arms, legs, head and so forth, are developing, the pain is as though a very strong person were pulling our arms out of their sockets while someone else was beating them with a club. The development of the different organ systems-nerves, bones, muscles, digestive tract and so o n - entailed similar pains, which would also be remembered.
Moreover, the mind of the fetus is very sensitive to the mother's physical condition. If the mother eats food which is very cold, the child feels as though it's being thrown naked onto ice. If the mother drinks or eats something extremely hot, the child feels as though it's being boiled or scalded. If the mother does not eat, the child feels as though it's suspended in space; if the mother eats too much, the im- pression is of being crushed by a mountain. If the mother engages in sexual intercourse, the child feels as though it's being beaten with thorns. If the mother runs or jumps or engages in any violent physical exercise, the child feels as though it's being thrown over a cliff, and bouncing down a mountainside. In addition to all this, there is the suffering of simply being in the womb: of being in a dark, cramped, oppressive space where there is also a sense of uncleanness, and a disagreeable smell arising from waste fluids.
The actual process of birth is extremely painful. In Tibet we have a certain device, a metal disc with a small hole in it, through which a large thread can be drawn to make it smaller and tighter. When a baby is compressed in the narrow space of the vagina and thrust into the world, it feels as though it were being drawn through just such a device. And once the baby has been born, it is extremely sensitive to the touch of anything in the outer world; it feels, as it comes into the world, like a small bird being attacked by wolves or hawks- an immediate, overwhelming experience of being handled, grabbed, and spun around in various ways. When the child is washed, it feels as though it were being flayed; and when it's laid down, however soft the cover that it's put on, it feels as though it were being stretched on a bed of thorns. Children invariably cry when they ar~ born, a sign of suffering and distress; if the birth pro- cess were not painful, one would expect babies to be born smiling and laughing.
We have all experienced the various sufferings of the rebirth process described by the Buddha, but we don't remember. Most of us, though, and more especially doctors and people involved in
medicine, are aware of the suffering of growing up and being alive in the world. We've experienced illness and various physical and mental problems, and we know that these are always followed by the pain and suffering of death. This is where we are sitting now: in the middle of all this suffering.
Within the context of human existence, however, there is a great range of individual experience. Some people experience great pain, suffering and hardship in life, while others live fairly comfort? ably, without much pain or distress. For example, the Third Kar- mapa, Rangjung Dorje, once said that his experience in his mother's womb had been very pleasant: he had felt like a god in one of the high desire realms, enjoying a most pleasant existence throughout the whole term of pregnancy. As for the Buddha himself, his power and realization were so strong that even in the womb of his mother, Q. ueen Mayadevi, he was able to benefit many creatures through a certain kind of transmission of the Dharma.
Although in general we can say that suffering and pain attend all experiences, our own karma must always be taken into account. For those with especially virtuous karma, there will be a preponderance of happiness in any experience, and a lessening of suffering. Such circumstances are the results of the individual aspects of karma, as distinct from the common karma of human ex- istence.
The realm of existence above ours in samsara, that of the asuras, approximates, in terms of splendour, wealth and enjoyment, the state of the gods. There is, however, such a strong element of envy in the minds of these asuras that they live in continual strife, always fighting and quarreling with each other and with the gods in an effort to rob them of their wealth. Strife and quarrel are the dominant characteristics of this realm of existence and attendant on them are constant suffering and pain.
The last of the six realms in the Realm of Desire is that of the gods. From a relative point of view this is the superior realm of ex- istence, since it is marked by the greatest degree of happiness and contentment, and by a level of prosperity and sensual enjoyment we cannot begin to imagine. The most intense feeling of contentment and happiness a human can experience probably amounts to less than one percent of the total physical and mental bliss a god enjoys.
The Four Noble Truths 27
28 The Dharma
Nonetheless, the relative state of ease and comfon in the god realm is impermanent, and when the causal factor-the merit that has led to rebirth there-is exhausted, the gods fall to a lower state of existence. This fall is forecast by cenain premonitions that begin seven days before the god will die and pass to a lower state. At first, the gods hear a voice speaking of impending death; then they begin to resemble a withering flower: the garlands of flowers they wear begin to decay and lose their fine scent; the body for the first time begins to sweat and smells disagreeable. Their companions, the gods and goddesses who shared the pleasures of the god realm with them, are utterly repelled by these signs of dying and flee, offering no more help or encouragement than the rain of flowers that they scatter behind them, and a sincere prayer that their future rebirth be used skillfully to regain the godly state and join them again. Beyond that, they simply abandon dying gods, leaving them to spend their last week alone, contemplating, with the limited prescience that gods have, their future state of rebirth. The dying gods feel great distress because that state will inevitably be a lower one. Moreover, this seven day period corresponds to seven hundred of our years, so the gods experience this suffering of change for a very long time.
For these reasons the Buddha, after examining the various realms, said that no place in the cycle of rebinh is free from sorrow: suffering is the central and fundamental experience of unenlight- ened existence.
The Importance of Studying the First Two Noble Truths
These, then, are the ideas the Buddha presented as the first two of the Four Noble Truths: the truth of the suffering we experience in the cycle of rebirth and its origin. The Buddha taught these subjects extensively and in great detail, and it is important for us to under- stand them in order to recognize the limitations of our present situa- tion. We have to understand our circumstances and know that, given the nature of cause and effect, or karmic relationship, we can look forward to nothing but suffering. We have to realize that we are enmeshed in the various factors of cause and effect, which lead first to one state of suffering and on that basis to another, and so on. When we have seen the inherent limitations of this situation, we can begin to consider getting out of it. We can begin to look for the
possibility of transcending samsaric existence and all its attendant sufferings, limitations, and frustrations.
If we have not examined these questions, our basic approach to existence will be naive. As long as we are happy and things are going well we think, "Oh, everything's fine. What's all this talk about suf- fering? Samsara's a nice place to be. " From this attitude comes a general tendency to let things slide. But as soon as something un- toward happens, the minute there is any kind of pain, or suffering, or trouble, we become completely unnerved. We think, "Oh, I'm dying. Oh, I'm sick. Oh, things are falling apart. Everything's going wrong. " We may then make some ineffective and rudimentary at- tempts to remedy the situation, but we have no real recourse to anything that will allow us to transcend our suffering.
? W e are caught in samsara. As long as things go well, we ignore the situation; when they go badly, we are helpless to deal with them. But once we have understood the situation, we will begin to look for a way of dealing with the suffering and frustration we inevitably meet. The techniques and methods of the Buddhadharma provide the means for this positive development.
Ultimately speaking, the causes of samsara are produced by the mind, and mind is what experiences the consequences. Nothing other than mind makes the universe, and nothing other than mind experiences it. Yet, still ultimately speaking, mind is fundamentally empty, no 'thing' in and of itself. T o understand that the mind pro- ducing and experiencing samsara is nothing real in itself can actual- ly be a source of great relief. If the mind is not fundamentally real, neither are the situations it experiences. By finding the empty nature of mind and letting it rest there, we can find much relief and relaxation amidst the turmoil, confusion, and suffering that con- stitute the world.
Moreover, when there is a complete understanding and ex- perience of the mind's Emptiness, we transcend causality: being beyond the cause and effect of karmic tendencies, we are a Buddha. But until this happens, simply thinking "It's all empty" is not going to do any good; we are still entirely subject to the unfailing process of karma.
Therefore, we need to understand not only the concept of the ultimate Emptiness of all experience, but also the conventional
The Four Noble Truths 29
30 The Dharma
validity of karmic cause and effect. With this kind of approach, we can achieve Enlightenment. But if we fall into either ex? treme-either naively assuming the ultimate reality of everything (the error of the etemalists) or else denying everything (the error of the nihilists)-then we cannot achieve Enlightenment.
The Third and Fourth Noble Truths:
The Truth of Cessation and The Truth of The Path
After the Buddha had described the Truths of Suffering and the Origin of Suffering, he went on to examine the other side: the factors of cause and result in the context of Nirvana. The cause here is the Fourth Noble Truth, known as the Truth of the Path. The result is the achievement of Enlightenment, and in the context of the Four Noble Truths this is called the Truth of Cessation, the Third Noble Truth. Enlightenment here is seen from the Hinayana viewpoint as the cessation of emotions that confuse and trouble the mind, and the cessation of the sufferings they cause.
The Beginning of the Path
Just as the first two Noble Truths describe samsara as arising from ignorance, from unknowing, so it follows that the enlight. " ened experience arises from awareness (rik pa [rig pa]) instead of ig? norance (ma rik pa [ma rig pa]). But such awareness is not easily ex? perienced; we have to work towards it, and this is what constitutes Dharma practice. We adopt a vinuous and skillful way of life, avoiding actions harmful to ourselves and others, and engaging in actions that are helpful and positive. Then, motivated by the in- clination to establish a connection with the Three Jewels- the Bud? dha, the Dharma (his teaching), and the Sangha (the community of his followers), we take Refuge, and continue to take Refuge, motivated by faith, devotion, and our ongoing experience of the Path. All these aspects of Dharma practice contribute to our ex? perience of that awareness from which Enlightenment develops. The Seed of Enlightenment, this potential for Buddhahood, which we term Tathagatagarbha, is latent in every one of us, though in our present circumstances we cannot perceive it directly.
A rough analogy of our situation can be found in the process of sleep. When we go to sleep there is an initial period of complete un- consciousness, a very deep sleep in which there is no dreaming, no conscious activity at all. This state corresponds to the causal factor offundamental ignorance. During the night, however, there is from time to time a certain reawakening of conscious activity, which pro- duces the many kinds of illusion we call dreams. These can sometimes be very frightening, nightmarish experiences, which cor- respond to the suffering in samsara produced by ignorance. In the dream state, as in the waking experience of samsara, there is mental activity, which arises out of unawareness. In the morning, before we actually wake up, the body begins to stir, and consciousness starts to approach the waking state. For the purpose of our analogy, we can say this period corresponds to the arising of such virtuous tendencies in the mind as faith, compassion, energy, and exertion in Dharma practice. Then follows the actual awakening, when we_stretch in bed, get up, begin to move around, and start our activities for the day. In our analogy, this corresponds to achieving Enlighten- ment-we have completely awakened. We are not just in the dream state, which is our present condition, and not just half awake in Dharma practice, which is instilling and developing these good qualities in us; instead, we are totally awake, able to get up and be effective.
Part of the fundamental process of turning our minds away from samsara and towards Enlightenment is understanding samsara for what it is. Understanding suffering, and recognizing the limita- tions of our present situation, we begin to seek a way out. This initial turning of the mind is the foundation of the Path in its aspect as a causal factor leading to Enlightenment. Our ability to follow the Path by actually undertaking Dharma practice has a twofold basis. First, because we have fostered virtuous tendencies and rejected un- wholesome ones, we have achieved the basic state of a human being. Second, because of the efficacy and compassion of the Three Jewels, we have established a connection with the Dharma which is bearing fruit in this life: we are not only human beings, but humans who are in contact with the teachings of Dharma, and have developed some certainty or conviction in them that leads to practice. Our actual practice-taking Refuge in the Three jewels, continuing to take
The Four Noble Truths 31
32 The Dharma
Refuge, developing Bodhicitta (our concern for the Liberation of each and every living being), developing different meditation techniques-constitutes the real pith or essence of the cause leading us towards the goal of Enlightenment.
Aspects of the Path
There are various aspects of the Path. For instance, we can look at the different levels of ordination starting with the vows of Refuge, then the vows of a layperson, a novice monk or nun, a fully ordained monk or nun, the Bodhisattva vows, and so on. Another aspect of the Path is ngondro practice: the 100,000 recitations of the Refuge prayer accompanied by physical acts of prostration, the 100,000 recitations of the purification mantra of Vajrasattva, the 100,000 mandala offerings and the recitation of 100,000 prayers in the Guru-Yoga meditation. Both aspects-the levels of ordination and the graduations of Ngondro practice-belong to what we term the Path of Accumulation (tsok lam [tshogs lam]), because this first stage of the Complete Path to Enlightenment is the gathering of what we need for the journey.
Yet practice aimed only at purifying our obscurations and developing merit is unstable because its benefits can be lost. Medita? tion practice provides the stabilizing factor by producing a benefit that will not be lost, but continues as a stable element of our ex- perience. In particular, the practice of shi nay is important because whatever merit we accumulate, whatever virtuous tendencies we reinforce, all gain a degree of stability when the mind has been calmed. Moreover, whatever sort of meditation we attempt to develop is given a firm foundation by this initial phase of shi nay meditation. Therefore, when this stabilizing element has entered the picture, we speak of a superior degree of the Path of Accumula- tion.
There are various ways of examining the Complete Path. For example, we can speak of the Five Paths constituting its different levels: the Path of Accumulation, the Path of Application, the Path of Seeing, the Path of Meditation, and the Path of No More Learn- ing, or Buddhahood. At a more extensive and detailed level are the Thirty-seven Elements which contribute to complete Enlighten-
ment. All of these are different ways of examining the same phenomenon-all detail different aspects of Enlightenment.
Among the Thirty-seven Elements conducive to Enlightenment are four essential recollections, four proper attitudes towards what one should renounce and what one should accept, four bases for the development of supernormal power, five faculties, and five strengths which are developed in one's Dharma practice. All these elements pertain to the first two Paths, those of Accumulation and Applica? tion; they do not include the first level of Bodhisattva Realization, which corresponds to the Path of Seeing, the third of the Five Paths.
At present, when we talk about mind being empty, clear and unimpeded, we are simply expressing an intellectual concept. But as your Dharma practice progresses and develops, there comes a point where you actually have a direct experience of the mind as empty, clear and unimpeded. When this direct experience is stable, we refer to it as the first level of Bodhisattva realization. In Tibetan this is termed rap tu ga wa [rab tu dga' ba), meaning "complete joy. " At this point you enter the Path of Seeing, because now, instead of see- ing things in the ordinary sense, you actually see the nature of mind, and experience it directly. This moment of insight, therefore, lends its name to the Path at this particular stage.
The first level of Bodhisattva realization is termed a state of ut? ter joy because the nature of mind, which is now experienced direct? ly, is supremely blissful, supremely illuminating and, in the sense of not being anything ultimately real in and of itself, supremely empty. Although empty, the experience is one of complete bliss. The term used for this state is de wa chen po [bde ba chen po), "supreme bliss"-"supreme" because there is nothing in our ordinary ex- perience we can compare it to. So, accordingly, direct experience of the nature of mind in its intrinsic purity is known as the state of complete joy.
At this stage of realization since you are no longer concerned with conceptual thought but with direct experience, you have greater freedom of mind. At the first level of Bodhisattva realization there is a freedom from the limitations of clinging to a self (dan dzin [bdag 'dzin]). This is why we can speak of the one hundred emana? tions a first level Bodhisattva can manifest in a single instant, or of the ability to recall a hundred previous existences, or to foresee a
The Four Noble Truths 33
34 The Dharma
hundred future ones. These abilities belong to a partial, not a com- plete, freedom of the mind from the limits of ignorance, and we traditionally refer to the twelve aspects of this freedom as the Twelve Hundreds.
Moreover, a first level Bodhisattva has transcended the karmic process, and is no longer completely subject to its obscuring limita- tions. Awareness has replaced ignorance. Since fundamental discur- sive consciousness, kun shi nam she [kun gzhi rnam shes], is based on that ignorance, it too no longer obtains. Kun shi nam she functions as a kind of store-house for the karmic process, which is reinforced (1) by the obscuration of the emotional afflictions (nyon mong pay dri pa [nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa]) that develop from dualistic cling- ing, and (2) by the physical, verbal and mental activities (lay chi dri pa [las kyi sgrib pa]) based on that obscuration. Without fun- damental ignorance, the karmic process has no basis. Thus a first? level Bodhisattva transcends the obscuring limitation of karma.
In Tibet we use a lunar calendar. On the third day of any month the moon is just a thin sliver, which gradually increases until on the fifteenth day it attains complete fullness. This gradual wax- ing of the moon provides an image for the different levels of Bodhisattva realization. The first glimmering of awareness is like the thin sliver of the moon. It's there, but not fully developed. Where development takes place is in the continued deepening and extend- ing of awareness, and in the increasing freedom of mind experi- enced at the ten different levels of Bodhisattva realization.
In the context of the increasing freedom of mind, the qualities known on the first level as the Twelve Hundreds are increased ten- fold on the second level. So there we speak of the Twelve Thousands, of the ability to manifest a thousand emanations in a single instant, to recall a thousand previous existences, to foretell a thousand future existences, and so forth. This increase in depth and scope of awareness continues as we progress through the different stages of Bodhisattva Realization.
The waxing moon of the eleventh day, when the moon is not quite full but is rapidly approaching fullness, corresponds to the seventh level of Bodhisattva Realization. Here the increase in positive tendencies and the deepening of awareness accompany a diminishing of the negative aspects of one's being. In particular,
emotional afflictions have been mostly eliminated at the seventh Bodhisattva stage.
At the eighth and ninth levels of Bodhisattva realization habitual dualistic clinging (bak chak chi dri pa [bag chags kyi sgrib pa]), which is the next most subtle level of obscuration, is gradually eliminated.
At the tenth Bodhisattva level, fundamental ignorance, the final level of obscuration (she jay dri pa [shes bya'i sgrib pa]), is almost completely removed, and the mind is almost completely without limitation. An enormous capability to express the positive qualities of mind arises. At this point we speak not of a hundred or a thousand emanations, but of one hundred thousand million emana- tions, previous lifetimes, future lifetimes, and so forth.
These ten levels of Bodhisattva Realization constitute the third and fourth Paths, the Path of Seeing and the Path of Meditation. Within this framework further levels are distinguished-the in- ferior, medium and superior levels of the Path of Seeing, and the in- ferior, medium and superior levels of the Path of Meditation- but in sum they coincide with the ten levels of Realization. Among the Thirty-seven Elements conducive to Enlightenment, the seven Branches of Enlightenment- mindfulness, investigation of dharmas (phenomena), diligence, joy, purification, samadhi, and equanimity-and the Noble Eightfold Path are experienced at these levels.
On the tenth level of Bodhisattva Realization, the final step to complete Enlightenment is accomplished by the particular state of meditation known as the Vajra-like samadhi (dor je ta bii ting nge dzin [rdo rje Ita bu'i ting nge 'dzin]), where "vajra" has the sense of something invincible, something that can cut through anything else. And what is being cut through here are the final and most subtle traces of ignorance about the ultimate nature of reality. When this finest veil has been rent asunder by Vajra-like samadhi, we are com- pletely enlightened. We have reached full and complete Bud- dhahood, sometimes called the eleventh Bodhisattva stage.
Our present circumstances are like those of someone who has been bound in chains and locked in a dark prison cell. The cell is samsara, and we are bound up and confined in it by our own ig- norance. On the Paths of Accumulation and Application, up to but
The Four Noble Truths 35
36 The Dharma
not including the first level of Bodhisattva Realization, there is a growing sense of freedom, just as if a person in prison were to have these bonds and manacles removed and, though still imprisoned, were free to move about the cell. The experience of first level Bodhisattva Realization, the Path of Seeing, resembles the opening of the prison door, after which we can walk out and go anywhere.
In this analogy, the prison represents the confining nature of samsara. The manacles and chains represent the limitations im- posed by our own ego-clinging; regardless of which realm of sam? saric existence we experience-regardless of where in the prison we may be-we are still chained by the impression of being a self, by the conviction that this ego ultimately exists. With the experience of the first and subsequent Bodhisattva levels we are freed from the shackles and then freed from the prison.
The Three Kayas
Buddhahood, complete Enlightenment, is described in tenns of the Three Kayas {three bodies) (ku sum [sku gsum]). These three aspects of complete Enlightenment are known as the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya. The three are related to the fun? damental nature of mind in the following way. The mind's quality of being in essence empty corresponds to the Dharmakaya. Its clear nature corresponds to the Sambhogakaya, and its quality of unimpeded manifestation corresponds to the Nirmanakaya. These qualities, which express the bask nature of mind, are what we term Buddhahood, which is also canid, "the embodiment of the Three Kayas. "
The Dharmakaya, or ultimate aspect, is described in a number of ways. For example, there are traditional references to the Twenty-one Flawless Aspects of the Dharmakaya that represent a state of mind not subject to change or degenerat~on. There is an om? nipresent aspect, in that the Dharmakaya pe~des both samsara
and Nirvana. There is also the permanent quality, because the Dhar? makaya is beyond form, beyond all limiting characteristics, and has no origination or cessation; being beyond dualistic or conceptual frameworks, it is without highness, lowness, happiness, sadness, or any kind of change. In such ways the texts attempt to describe the
Dharmakaya's unchangeable nature, subject neither to degenera- tion, exhaustion, nor impairment.
The Sambhogakaya is also described from various viewpoints, and most commonly in terms of the Five Certainties. The first of these concerns the form encountered at the Sambhogakaya level. Here, the form of the Teacher has a permanent quality; it has no origin and no end, and therefore differs from all phenomena that are subject to change-differs even from the form in this world of the Buddha Shakyamuni, who took birth, grew old and died. Secondly, although we have a localized perception and speak of par- ticular Buddhas and Buddha-realms, there is, nevertheless, an eter- nal quality to the environment of the Sambhogakaya that is not sub- ject to change, degeneration or impairment.
