{"id":1231,"date":"2023-10-26T09:58:48","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T13:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/?p=1231"},"modified":"2023-10-26T09:58:48","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T13:58:48","slug":"perfect-enlightenment-25-buddha-teaches-25-expedient-practices-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/2023\/10\/26\/perfect-enlightenment-25-buddha-teaches-25-expedient-practices-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Perfect Enlightenment 25: Buddha Teaches 25 Expedient Practices, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Show scripture (Chinese).<\/span>

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Chinese:<\/h2>\n

\u300c\u82e5\u8af8\u83e9\u85a9\u552f\u53d6\u6975\u975c\uff0c\u7531\u975c\u529b\u6545\u6c38\u65b7\u7169\u60f1\u7a76\u7adf\u6210\u5c31\uff0c\u4e0d\u8d77\u4e8e\u5ea7\u4fbf\u5165\u6d85\u69c3\uff1b\u6b64\u83e9\u85a9\u8005\uff0c\u540d\u55ae\u4fee\u5962\u6469\u4ed6\u3002<\/p>\n

\u300c\u82e5\u8af8\u83e9\u85a9\u552f\u89c0\u5982\u5e7b\uff0c\u4ee5\u4f5b\u529b\u6545\u8b8a\u5316\u4e16\u754c\u7a2e\u7a2e\u4f5c\u7528\uff0c\u5099\u884c\u83e9\u85a9\u6e05\u6de8\u5999\u884c\uff0c\u65bc\u9640\u7f85\u5c3c\u4e0d\u5931\u5bc2\u5ff5\u53ca\u8af8\u975c\u6167\uff0c\u6b64\u83e9\u85a9\u8005\uff0c\u540d\u55ae\u4fee\u4e09\u6469\u9262\u63d0\u3002<\/p>\n

\u300c\u82e5\u8af8\u83e9\u85a9\u552f\u6ec5\u8af8\u5e7b\uff0c\u4e0d\u53d6\u4f5c\u7528\u7368\u65b7\u7169\u60f1\uff0c\u7169\u60f1\u65b7\u76e1\u4fbf\u8b49\u5be6\u76f8\uff1b\u6b64\u83e9\u85a9\u8005\uff0c\u540d\u55ae\u4fee\u79aa\u90a3\u3002<\/p>\n

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Show scripture (English).<\/span>

<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

English:<\/h2>\n

\u201cSome bodhisattvas exclusively grasp ultimate quiescence, and through the power of quiescence permanently sever affliction absolutely and perfectly, and directly enter nirv\u0101\u1e47a without rising from their seats. These bodhisattvas are called practitioners of \u015bamatha only.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome bodhisattvas exclusively contemplate all-as-illusion, and by means of Buddha-power transform the world and carry out various activities, thoroughly putting into operation all the marvelous pure bodhisattva practices. In all continuous concentrations they do not fail in cessation of thought and quiescent wisdom. These bodhisattvas are called practitioners of samapatti only.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome bodhisattvas exclusively extinguish all illusions, and without activity in the world resolutely sever affliction. Affliction completely severed, they directly actualize the marks of reality. These bodhisattvas are call practitioners of dhy\u0101na only.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Commentary:<\/h2>\n

Buddha answered Voice of Discernment by teaching the twenty-five expedient practices. He called them pure sam\u0101dhi chakras, \u201cpure\u201d because the practice leads to purity, \u201csam\u0101dhi\u201d is the name for all meditation practices, its application is then called \u201csam\u0101dhi ma\u1e47\u1e0dala\u201d for these meditations can be seen as meditations in accordance with the ma\u1e47\u1e0dala.<\/p>\n

These sam\u0101dhi ma\u1e47\u1e0dala according to Huayan tradition can be divided into three kinds. 1. \u015aamatha only, sam\u0101patti only, and dhy\u0101na only (three kinds); 2. Alternating practices (21 kinds); 3. Simultaneous practice (one kind). We begin with the first kind.<\/p>\n

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      \n
    1. \u015aamatha only. The practitioner abides in the realm of cessation, where all distracting thoughts clarify and dissipate, one gradually transcends sophistry to enters non-conceptuality. At the ultimate, all afflictions are forever cut off. This way, without \u201crising from the seat,\u201d one enters nirv\u0101\u1e47a. The expedience stems from an effortless abiding in the realm of tranquility, which is to say, one does not fall into any words, concepts, dualistic grapsing, meaningless discourse. From entering non-conceptuality the accomplishment is attained. The key to the practice lies in the effortlessness.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      This practice appears very simple. but if one is not of the utmost sharp faculty, the ultimate is not easily within reach. It is the expedient means for the sharp faculty. Many great tantric practitioners achieved the ultimate accomplishment by practicing only the development dharma. Some lineage masters became accomplished with only the preliminary practices. These are cases of practicing \u015bamatha only. Nyingma master Longchenpa in his Finding Rest in Meditation <\/em>where he taught \u201cbliss, luminosity, and free from thoughts,\u201d which belongs to this type of practice.<\/p>\n

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      1. \n
          \n
        1. Sam\u0101patti only. This is a practice of illusion. From observing the illusion, one also arrives at the insight that through all mundane phenomena as a natural dependent arising, they are all spontaneously accomplished. For example, humans depend on eyes and ears to make sense of the world, this is the spontaneity for humans; earthworms have neither eyes nor ears, they depend on their body\u2019s sense of touch to make sense of the world, this is the spontaneity for earthworms. Therefore all phenomena\u2019s spontaneous accomplishment are like illusory transformations, which the Nyingma tradition calls \u201cdependent arising through mutual obstruction.\u201d Because of mutual obstruction, the ability to accommodate the limitations imposed by mutual obstruction is the spontaneous accomplishment. Mutual obstruction is the dependent origination of all phenomena. Realizing the realm of spontaneity can be said to be \u201cthe power to transform the world,\u201d carrying out various pure marvelous activities (activities that are not trapped within sophistry and conceptuality), which naturally gives rise to pure wisdom, all thoughts are quiescent (maintaining tranquility), one enters nirv\u0101\u1e47a. This is also a practice for the sharp faculty. Master Longchenpa in his Finding in Illusion<\/em> taught the eight analogies to observe all phenomena as illusion-like, which belongs to this type of practice.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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          1. \n
              \n
            1. Dhy\u0101na only. The realm of dhy\u0101na does not opt for the appearance of cessation, nor the illusion-like appearance. In the sam\u0101dhi one abides in non-obstruction, where the perfect enlightenment is aroused. How does one dwell in non-obstruction? Through a direct realization of dependent arising through mutual obstruction, through spontaneity one enters non-obstruction. At this point, there is no longer the need to observe all phenomena as illusory, all illusion naturally ceases. One no longer perceives all illusion-like phenomena as reality, nor does one become attached to them as illusory, nor is one biased towards tranquility-cessation (that the appearance of tranquility-cessation is not the appearance of the outcome of sam\u0101dhi). This is said to be \u201cresolutely sever[ing] afflictions,\u201d meaning that the realization is exhaustive of all afflictions. Here, affliction refer to words, concepts, sophistry, biases, etc. The primordial awareness is awakened from the realization of reality. This is analogous to the Great Perfection practice in the Nyingma tradition. One does not bias towards the pure appearances in the development dharma, nor the illusory appearances in the perfection dharma; without intention nor effort, the way of Great Perfection is accomplished.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Commentary: Buddha answered Voice of Discernment by teaching the twenty-five expedient practices. He called them pure sam\u0101dhi chakras, \u201cpure\u201d because the practice leads to purity, \u201csam\u0101dhi\u201d is the name for all meditation practices, its...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1231"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1231"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1233,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1231\/revisions\/1233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbatoronto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}