by Harvey Kraft
Disciples accepting the training of the Bodhisattva Way were guided to achieve seven preparatory steps followed by six actions for perfecting Selflessness, as follows:
1. Recognize that your self-referential identity produces self-deceiving illusions
2. Stop this process of generating self-referential thoughts, emotions, and actions
3. Create a desire for the extinction of your self-referential self
4. Cease to produce your self-referential self
5. Master various skills of cognition
6. Master various skills of concentration
7. Aspire for supreme understanding for that which you do not yet understand
Once the seven prerequisites had been accomplished, seekers would be ready to attempt the Six Perfections of Super-Knowingness, literally, the six bridges to the other side, designed to get them across into Selflessness:
1. Perfecting the knowhow to achieve unshakeable calmness and insight, attain the ability to remember past lifetimes, use intuitive sight (Divine Eye) to discern false or intoxicating memories from real ones, discern the true meanings of the universal laws, understand the language of those meanings and laws, and gain the knowhow for expressing meanings, laws and language
2. Perfecting the self-confidence and awareness of the imperishable higher wisdom
3. Perfecting the Six Great Virtues (Skt. Paramitas) of generous giving, graceful compassion, patient forbearance, fearless dedication, focused refection, and profound wisdom
4. Perfecting the seven acts of listening, believing, following, realizing, dedicating, overcoming, and restoring
5. Perfecting the ability to debate about cosmic issues through an understanding of the powers of the Declarer of Truth and the Buddha-Dharma
6. Perfecting the great friendliness, great compassion, great empathetic joy, and great even-handed judgment, indicative of a Buddha
The Buddha declared to all his disciples that the great Bodhisattvas who graduated from the Course for Perfecting Wisdom exhibited a zeal for compassion as intense as “a blazing fire.” Therefore only those with a burning desire should consider taking this challenging course. Their pursuit of the perfection of wisdom, essential for becoming a Bodhi-sattva, required dedication to accomplishing three great super-knowing achievements:
Full cognition of unadulterated knowing (gained through extinction of illusions) . . . Full knowing of the various paths [that Buddhas use to lead people to Enlightenment] . . . Full cognition of the thoughts and doings of all beings, [in order to help others facilitate the] ripping away of their detrimental tendencies and all consequences related to them.188
Without specifying how long this course would take, Sakamuni lauded those who undertook this challenge for accomplishing these high goals of Selflessness:
Gain the ability to enter through all the gates of liberation by mastering the practices, including all the transforming concentrations, contemplations, and incantations (Skt. Dhahrani), chants of various cosmic frequencies and resonances
Surpass the collective insight of all the disciples of Learning and Realization
Become aware of the restless thoughts and doings of mortal beings Attain the six kinds of super-knowledge
Achieve the “irreversible stage” of Bodhisattva Enlightenment, a state of being that surpassed the “Just Short of Perfect Enlightenment” tier, characteristic of Prince Siddhartha Gautama prior to his attainment of Perfect Enlightenment
Accomplish the “fxed condition” of a Bodhisattva, which results in repeated births always as a Selfless being with a Reward-body
Because Perfect Wisdom flowed out of the Perfection of Generous Giving, the first of the Six Great Virtues (Skt. Paramitas),189 all these achievements were manifestations of compassion. Sakamuni, in his aspect as the dispenser of blessings said that sharing the Buddha-Dharma with others was like having a great Treasury at your disposal.
THREEFOLD BODY
The Vedic Rishi had conceived of three types of life forms: a material-body, spirit-body, and a divine-body, indicative of physical beings, spirits, and gods. In the Buddhist version the three bodies were unified. A living being, such as a human, was made of a Mortal-body, Information-body, and Cosmic-body. This Threefold-body paradigm identified the key structural aspects of a being as substantive, informational, and universal. T he definition of “body,” i n t h is context, included the “mind.” Therefore, the Threefold-body also consisted of a Mortal-Mind, Information-Mind, and Cosmic-Mind.
This threefold identity was the same for all human beings, whether an ordinary person or a Buddha, yet in its expression one was as different from the other as sleeping was from waking life. In an ordinary person’s Threefold-body, the Information-body was dominated by Karma, but in a Buddha the Information-body was composed of Perfect Wisdom. Therefore, a Threefold Buddha-body fully conveyed the scope of an awakened being whose wisdom permeated Existence. An ordinary Mortal-body was defined by the condition of a person’s physical appearance, but a Buddha’s Mortal-body refected the luminosity of Perfect Enlightenment in its full grandeur. The Cosmic-body was an unseen boundless form. Ordinary people were not conscious of it, but a Buddha saw it clearly.
The Threefold-body model, whether defining an ordinary or enlightened being, was composed of the following features:
1. Cosmic-body – aka Dharma-body, Universal-body, truth- body, Law-body, Reality-body (Skt. Dharma-kaya). This was the mysterious body of Universal Truth and all the Laws of the Cosmos. It was at once omnipresent and boundless. Human beings were generally unconscious of it, or external ized it through divine beliefs. Although they embodied it and interacted through it, most often they did so without knowing it. This body was universal in scope. It permeated everything. It had no boundaries. Every expression of it was part of its universal composite.
The Cosmic-body was neither divisible, nor indivisible, neither relative, nor non-relative, neither mortal, nor immortal, neither here, nor there, nor somewhere else, and yet, it was as it was, inclusive of all aspects of the Universe. As the unfathomable body of the Dharma, it encompassed innumerable Information-bodies each containing countless Mortal-bodies.
2. Information-body – aka Karma-body, transmigration- body, transition-body, transformation-body, treasury- body, Reward-body, Wisdom-body, energy-body, Illumi nation-body, or Bliss-body (Skt. Sambhoga-kaya). This body was the middle layer between the Cosmic-body and Mortal-body, and yet it permeated both. The Informa tion-body defined the database of Existence in relation to the Mortal-body, including all data for form, circumstances ,thoughts, and desires shaped by Cause and Effect. This body of information was continually expressed and updated through various frequencies and communications channels. The Information-body was not limited to a single lifetime, as it was never born nor did it ever die. Its scope permeated the present, past and future, although it transcended time.
Over the span of Transmigration, the Information-body mutated serving up innumerable Mortal-bodies. The Information-body of Transmigration held all the memories of that which had manifested and all the potentials for that which could manifest. Therefore, Karma would reconstitute constantly across Transmigration.
As a Karma-body (Skt. Karma-kaya), it produced an ever-changing body through relational engagements and activities. In one’s present form Karma blossomed forth, expanded, wilted, and disappeared only to reform again. According to the Buddha this entire process happened in each and every single incremental moment of Existence, a continuous process of renewal, each manifestation slightly modified from its antecedent.
Change defined it as a Transformation-body. Wisdom illuminated it from a reactive Karma-body to a pure, luminous Wisdom-body, Bliss-body or Reward-body. On a cosmic scale, it was a Transmigration-body. If this body became enlightened, it still transmigrated in order to share its Perfect Wisdom.
3. Mortal-body – aka Mutation-body, Manifestation-body, Response-body, Conditional-body, Phenomenon-body (Skt. Nirmana-kaya). This was
the temporal body that characterizes the self from birth to death. The Mortal-body is under constant strain and pressure to mutate; from moment to moment it alters its state in communication with the Information- and Cosmic-body. As a Mutation-body this impermanent composite is in a constant state of flux. It is also called a Response-body, because it responds to relative surroundings and interacts with other beings. It is shaped by response, condition, and impermanence, regardless of its type or apparent form.
A Mortal-body can be made of a composite of parts, like the cells that make up a being. But it also may be formed of innumerable numbers of mortal bodies, such as the beings that form the “body” of a society, or the atoms that compose the Universe. The Mortal-body could manifest in a myriad of forms, each of which also embodies an Information- and a Cosmic-body, such as a star, planet, divine being, sentient or insentient being, organic or inorganic life, and other living forms.
A Buddha’s enlightened Mortal-body is a Manifestation-body, because it is illuminated with the four attributes defined as the Noble Demeanors of Perfect Enlightenment: Supreme Essence, Purity, Indestructible Happiness, and Steadfastness. However, even a Buddha’s Mortal-body will experience birth, constant change, death, and renewal.
The Threefold-body was an everything-body that encompassed life, death, and beyond. When death came to a mortal being, the physical component of this Mortal-body receded from the Field of Form, but its Information-body transitions simultaneously toward renewing the Mortal-body through another manifestation.
With this Threefold-body revelation, the Buddha solved the philosophical argument between existentialism and eternalism. The Information-body explained how it was possible for a mortal being to be renewed again and again. Mortality limited all phenomena within time and space, but the cycle of mortality continued without end. Therefore, death and birth were transitional phases within the context of cyclical renewal.
Sakamuni Buddha informed those who were candidates for Selflessness that once they gained the Dharma Eye they would be able to behold the Threefold Buddha-body. At such a time they will see that his Manifestation-body was inside his Information-body, which was inside the Cosmic-Body, and vice versa. Only upon seeing the Threefold Buddha-body will the gate to the Buddha-land open for them.
When the Buddha first emerged as the Declarer of Truth in the Land of Enduring Suffering, a world called Saha, defining the condition of human civilization on Earth, his Manifestation-body took the form of Siddhartha Gautama.
What motivated this Buddha to make his appearance in this world at that time?
Evolution.
He came to challenge human beings to “awaken” to the full consciousness of their Threefold-body. But accomplishing this goal would be a diffcult, long-term undertaking, as Sakamuni exemplified. The attainment of Perfect Enlightenment required a passionate and unrelenting effort for innumerable lifetimes. The amount of time for awakening would depend on the inherent capacity of his audience. Yet, how long it would take was not an issue for a Buddha. His effort was to free human beings from the chain of self-referential consciousness by inspiring them to awaken to the self-transforming power inherent in the Threefold Buddha-body (Skt. Trikaya ).
A mortal being could become a Buddha because a Buddha was also a mortal being. To illustrate the point Sakamuni wished to show that even a Buddha could not escape the Three Universal Realities of Mortal Existence: Impermanence (Skt. Anitya), Suffering (Skt. Duhkha), and Emptiness (Skt. Sunyata), as follows:
His Buddha-body was impermanent. Like all human beings, the Buddha manifested in mortal form as a temporary being. His relative, mutable, transient, and mortal body was born, aged, and would die. And yet, because his Perfect Enlightenment permeated his Manifestation-body, he showed by example that a mortal being could evolve to higher consciousness. By embracing impermanence, he relished the ever-changing renewal of Existence. Because the Threefold-body was continually renewable, he showed that a person did not have to die to be renewed in the present life. Most mortals perceived imper-manence as a fearful state, feeling out of control, but from the enlightened perspective of a Buddha change was necessary to create the opportunity to evolve.
His body was free of suffering. Like all humans, Sakamuni had experienced suffering in life. But in acquiring a Buddha’s body he became free of suffering. Liberated from illusions, his Buddha-body exuded tranquil light, boundless wisdom, and indestructible joy. He showed with his body that suffering could be conquered, without one having to suffer an end to life.
His Buddha-body was Void [of Relativity]. The Buddha’s body existed beyond the illusion of the default self, because he had overcome the self-referential identity characteristic of mortals. Since he had conquered the Cosmos of Relativity, relative terms such as space, time, matter, spirit, infinity, or eternity lost their validity. Instead of defining his Buddha-body in substantive terms, he saw it as Void [of Relativity]. This was the state of the True Self, which was empty of any relative distinctions or boundaries.
Viewing the Threefold-body through the Three Realities of Mortal Existence the Buddha exampled the power of self-transformation. However, through this analysis he also revealed that an unenlightened person could acquire a Buddha-body, as follows:
Because mortal Existence was always impermanent, life was ever changing and unpredictable. Therefore, mortals could evolve to higher consciousness with each renewal, and in due course, could achieve Enlightenment.
Because mortals were ignorant of the True Self, they tried to satisfy their illusory identity and control outcomes resulting in suffering. But by attaining the Enlightenment of the True Self, suffering could be overcome.
Because mortal beings coveted illusions, they could not fathom that everything was relative. But when human beings gained full consciousness of the Cosmos of Relativity, the grip of those illusions quickly faded away.
COMPASSION
Through the in-depth course in the Perfection of Wisdom, the Declarer of Truth awakened Selfless disciples to an immense power. Salvation was a transformative power accessible to those who entered the Middle Path hidden within the confines of Relativity. There they would find a Void, a cosmic emptiness where relativity did not apply.
But, mortal beings immersed in the Cosmos of Relativity were unconscious of this underlying reality. On one hand, in the Field of Form, all phenomena were relative. Yet, in essence the Cosmos of Relativity was Void (of Relativity). How could that be? Did that mean that something came out of nothing? Or, did it mean that everything was an illusion, and therefore everything was empty. Ironically, this meant that the cosmos was a paradox.
The Buddha explained that all forms that appeared within the con-fines of the Cosmos of Relativity existed simultaneously in a formless reality. The formless Void itself was empty or relative manifestations and activities. Although things and beings in the Cosmos of Relativity seemed to be substantive to the observer, in essence, all manifestations were Void (of Relativity).
However, the Void (of Relativity), free of relative context, still had non-relative functions, such as storage of cosmic information, universal laws, and Buddha-wisdom. Because it was absent of relativity, it had no space, no time, no scale, and no substances. And yet, it contained the information that produced the “illusion” of space, time, scale, and substance, which manifested in the Field of Form across the Cosmos of Relativity.
All that has Form is deceptive. When it is seen that all Form is fundamentally void of relativity, the Buddha is recognized [in all things] . . . [and] all things are recognized as Buddha-things.190
The Void (of Relativity) was empty of manifestations, and yet it provided the essential foundation for any manifestation, as well as the parameters for the relative interactions among forms. This paradox expressed the True Nature of Existence. By seeing Existence as it really was, the students training in the Perfection of Wisdom would understand a critical factor in the makeup of Existence, as well as a potential solution for the struggles of
humanity.
It was possible, according to the Buddha’s revelation, for people to transform their Threefold-body into a Threefold Buddha-body, because the body of Perfect Enlightenment was hidden in the Void below the surface of reality.
If observed from inside the Cosmos of Relativity, the Void (of Relativity) was the source of all suffering. But, if viewed through the Middle Path, where all forms were “Buddha-things,” it was the fountainhead of Perfect Enlightenment, as illustrated by the Buddha-stars who caused the manifestation of the Infinite Wisdom Universe.
Although all phenomena arose on the surface of reality, when viewed from a formless vantage the Universe was actually a holographic image of related elements resonating with one another. This profound revelation provided the first ever insight into the role of relativity in projecting life into the Universe. Participants fully awakened to this view of the Cosmos could enable manifestations and changes to be self-directed. This was a breakthrough in human understanding explaining how the power of evolution could be used to advance higher consciousness.
Using the example of the Celestial Bodhisattvas the Buddha conveyed to his devotees that they too, through training in Selflessness would learn how to penetrate the Void (of Relativity) in order to become free of the relative illusions of time-space-scale. This constituted a dramatic shift in understanding the power of Selflessness to break the perceptual restrictions of relativity.
One disciple, a merchant of sundry goods, Vimalakirti,191 the archetypal devotee of Selfless compassion, lived an exemplary life. Drawing from the wisdom of the Buddha’s Teachings he dedicated himself to the common good. In leading others to embrace Buddhism this man treated all human beings with equal high regard, whether they were prominent sages or denizens of brothels. He put into practice the nonjudgmental outreach of Buddhism accepting all people as potential Buddhas, regardless of their present condition, past sins or virtues—a courageous undertaking in the caste-based society of India.
