in later times and Western lands, not liking to think of disgusting and negative things, we more often go to the other extreme and think of the beautiful, noble and rewarding things of life, of wisdom and compassion and purity and solitude and joy and peace. But the right way is to avoid both extremes, keeping the mind fixed on its pure essence, unperturbed by any differentiations whatever.
In the course of this discipline, various psychic effects appear — colors, sounds, visions, raptures, etc., and beginners are apt to become elated or discouraged by them, and to measure their success or failure by their appearing or not appearing. But this is all wrong. All these transitory psychic experiences should be ignored and forgotten; they are only mile-stones on the path and will be left behind as we move upward toward emancipation and enlightenment and perfect equanimity. The goal is not some entrancing rapture, or indescribable vision; it is highest perfect Wisdom and a great heart of Compassion and blissful Peace. Then ceasing all thought, realize its unceasing calm and silence.
The Four Jnanas, or Holy States 1. COMPASSION. As the mind progresses towards Enlightenment, it becomes aware of clearing insight and sensitiveness as to the.essential unity of all animate life, and there awakens within him a great heart of compassion and sympathy drawing all animate life together, harmonizing differences, unifying all dualisms.
2. JOY.* With the disappearing of all sense of difference between self and others and all dualisms, the heart becomes filled with a great rapture of gladness and joy.
3. PEACE. Gradually as the difference between suffering and happiness fades away, this feeling of gladness and joy is transmuted into perfect tranquillity and peacefulness.
4. EQUANIMITY. Gradually even the conception of difference and likeness vanishes and all notions of even joy and peace drop out of sight, and the mind abides in the blissful peace of perfect Equanimity.
The Ten Bodhisattva Stages For a long time the above Four Holy States engrossed the attention of the Pali Scriptures and Southern Buddhists, but gradually there appeared among Northern Buddhists and in the Sanskrit Scriptures a new vision of the goal of the Buddha’s Noble Path. The enjoyment of the Four Raptures for one’s self to their culmination in Nirvana, seemed less worthy and satisfying, and meditation on the deeper implications of the Buddha’s Dharma, led the great Mahayana Masters to the vision of the Ten Stages of Bodhisattvahood.
1. Pramudita. Based upon the perfect practice of the Dana Paramita, the Bodhisattva enters the stage of gladness and Joy.
2. Vimala. Based upon the Sila Paramita, the Bodhisattva enters upon the perfect practice of purity wherein there is neither joy nor the absence of joy but the mind abides in perfect Peace.
3. Prabhakari. Based upon the perfect practice of the Kshanti Paramita, the Bodhisattva enters upon the stage of self-luminous humility in which there is absent even the conception of joy or peace, — the stage of perfect Equanimity, of effortless, self-shining patience.
4. Archismati. Based upon the perfect practice of the Virya Paramita, the Bodhisattva enters upon the stage wherein there is conviction arid purpose and zeal and determination and perseverance. It is the stage of unceasing, in-drawing, effortless "Energy.”
5. Sudurjaya. Based upon the perfect practice of the Dhyana Paramita, the Bodhisattva enters upon the overcoming stage of self-mastery and the attainment of tranquillity that is based upon unshakable confidence.
6. Abhimukhi. Based upon the perfect practice of the Prajna Paramita, *the Bodhisattva enters upon the realization stage of Samadhi. While still being in touch with the passions and discriminations of the Saha world, he turns his mind inward by his faculty of intuitive insight to the realization of the intrinsic emptiness and silence of the mind’s pure essence.
7. Durangama. The Bodhisattva, having attained highest Samadhi, leaves behind all remembrance of discriminations and wholly abiding in the Mind’s Pure Essence, he attains within his mind a “turning about” from which he never again recedes. It is the stage of “far-going.”
8. Acala. This is the "immovable stage,” in which the Bodhisattva attains the Samapatti graces and transcendental powers. Having attained a clear understanding of all inner and outer conditions, his mind accepting things as they are, he neither desires to return to the world or to enter Nirvana. He has no desire or purpose except to live a pure life of anutpatika-dharma-kshanti-gocaya — a life of patient submissive acceptance.
9. Sadhumati. This is the state of perfect identity with anuttara-samyak-sambodhi - — highest perfect Wisdom. In this state the Bodhisattva has passed beyond all thought of individuation, or discrimination, or integration; he has passed beyond all dualisms, all incompleteness, and is abiding in perfect balance and equanimity realizing the blissful peace of unceasing Samadhi. But still he retains in mind a memory of the world’s ignorance and suffering, unreal as it is in fact, but untainted and undisturbed by it, his mind overflowing with compassion, he goes forth in wisdom and love for its emancipation and enlightenment.
10. Dharmamegha. In this highest state, the Bodhisattva becomes wholly identified with the Great Truth Cloud and, like a cloud saturated with Truth and Compassion, he becomes Tathagata, his life perfectly integrated with the lives of all, and goes forth to sprinkle the rain of the Good <Law by which the seed of enlightenment takes root in the minds of all sentient beings and in the long last brings them to Buddhahood.
Nirvana In the more primitive type of Buddhism as still held in Ceylon and Burma, the end of the Path is the attainment of Arhatship and, when life passes, to Nirvana. What then is Nirvana? The root meaning of the word is the extinguishment of a fire when the fuel is all consumed. That is, in Southern Buddhism, when the fires of earthly passion die down, and the disciple becomes an Arhat, free from all desire, and life passes, he is said to have attained Nirvana, or Parinirvana. In Northern Buddhism, Nirvana has a more philosophic meaning: it means the state where not only the fires of earthly passion have died down and earthly life has passed, but all karmaic desire for individual life is extinguished and the disciple has passed into the unitive life of Buddhahood.
The term, pratyekabuddha as used by both schools, means a disciple or an arhat who is selfishly desiring Nirvana for his own satisfaction. Such a disciple, according to the Mahayana school has ceased to follow the Path at the seventh stage of Bodhisattvahood and “passes to his nirvana.” But after a Bodhisattva attains the eighth stage there is, thereafter, “no more recension,” and he goes on to the attainment of highest perfect Wisdom which constrains him, instead of passing to Nirvana, to return to the Saha world of Ignorance and suffering for its liberation and enlightenment. Hence the saying in the Lankavatara Sutra: “For Buddhas there is no Nirvana.”
The question may be asked, how, in this world of ignorance, suffering and death, we are to recognize these “returning” Buddhas and Tathagatas? Please recall that Bodhisattvas as they attain the ninth and tenth stages of Bodhisattvahood lose all individuation as human personalities to become identified with Buddhahood in the Great Truth Cloud, and as “formless” Tathagatas attain boundless potentiality and command of skillful means and transcendental powers of self-mastery and efficiency, and as the integrating principle of Buddhahood, are able to take any form they think best, or to be present wherever there is need to support and to draw all sentient beings to enlightenment and Buddhahood. By our practice of Dhyana, as we attain moments of intuitive Samadhi, we integrate our lives with this ever present Buddha-nature, and when we attain highest perfect Samadhi, we become one with all the Buddhas, enjoying their blissful peace, and becoming able ourselves to return to this Saha-world of suffering for its emancipation and enlightenment.
American and European Buddhists, before they can commonly attain Enlightenment and Buddhahood, will need their own method for practicing the Eighth Stage of the Noble Path, but such a Right Method can not be formulated until the Buddha that is taking form within our own minds, comes. Some among us must first attain the Seventh and Eighth of the Bodhisattva Stages and himself have experienced the Durangama Samadhi of “Far-going” and the Acala Samadhi of “No-recension” before he will be worthy of being employed as a skillful device and convenient means for formulating such a Right Method for practicing the Eighth Stage of the Noble Path. “When He comes, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” “Even so come, Lord Maitreya!”