simmonds@demon.siemens.com (Tom Simmonds) (10/31/90)
There are many methods of meditation, many reasons for meditating, and
many people who advocate this or that method, for whatever their reasons
may be. Over the years, I have sought out whatever texts I could find
which are either translations from Sanskrit, Chinese or Japanese, and which
seem to be close to the original teachings of the Hindus and the Buddhists,
in order to get as close to the source as I can. I have found numerous
methods of meditation described in those sources, but the one that stands
out in my mind as the clearest and most direct, at least for me, is one I
came across 15 years ago. It aims for nothing less than Nirvana, by a
direct and systematic process.
In the Surangama Sutra there is a chapter on Avalokitesvara's Complete Enlight-
enment, in which Avalokitesvara Boddhisattva (aka. Kwannon) is asked by
Buddha to describe the method whereby he attained enlightenment. He says that
he used the vehicle of sound in his meditation, and he goes on to describe the
stages that he passed through.
Some of you may find it useful and/or interesting, so here it is, along with
my comments which represent my limited understanding of the sutra. If any
of you have some other understanding, or can contribute additional insight,
please do so. The text from the sutra* is indented.
(I) At the start, by directing the hearing
Into the stream, this organ became detached from its object.
This can be accomplished as follows:
Focus attention on a sound. Think of it first as coming from some source
outside of you, then think of it as something within your own mind (like a
dream). In each case, notice what the sound "sounds" like (its pitch and
tone, for instance).
At first, this gave me trouble because the sound seems to have a spatial
location, and I couldn't let go of the idea that it was "over there".
What got me over that hurdle was to think of the location as being in a
kind of "dream-space".
Notice that the sound "sounds" the same, regardless of whether you think of
it as something outside or something inside, an external object or a dream.
Recognizing the categories "outside" and "inside" to be extraneous, abandon
BOTH concepts and focus on the sound itself. It is neither outside nor inside.
Keep attention focused on the experience of the sound. Don't fight with
distracting thoughts. Don't try to force them to stop. Whatever thoughts
come into your mind, just notice them and let them go, without getting
attached to them. The sound, along with any thoughts that pass, becomes a
self-contained stream-of-consciousness, which flows without effort. Gradually,
your mind becomes quiet and the distracting thoughts subside.
(II) By wiping out the concept of both sound and stream-entry,
Both disturbance and stillnes
Clearly became non-existent.
In the stream-entered state, you'll find that you think of the sound as an
object within the stream of consciousness. You'll also find that you make
an object of the stream of consciousness, as something that you observe,
in much the same way that you observe a movie or listen to a recording.
Thus, you tend to separate yourself from the experience. You think of it
as something that goes on as a disturbance in the still water of your
consciousness.
In this step, you abandon the concepts of the sound and the stream as
objects with an existence of their own. In other words, you dissolve the
subject-object dichotomy. The disturbance is not something separate from
the medium of consciousness, just as waves are not something separate from
the water.
(III) Thus advancing step by step,
Both the hearing and its object came to an end;
But I did not stop where they ended.
The sound is no longer thought of as an object of awareness. The awareness
and the sound are the same thing.
The state achieved at this point is known as "relative voidness".
Avalokitesvara went beyond this.
(IV) When the awareness of this state and the state itself
were realized as
non-existent,
The awareness of voidness became all-embracing,
After the elimination of subject and object relating to voidness.
Then the disappearance of creation and annihilation
Resulted in the state of Nirvana becoming manifest.
In the relative voidness, there is still an idea of being in a state which
is something that is an object of attention and which is distinguishable
from other possible states. Although you may imagine that there are
other possible states, there are no other states present, and the distinction
is imaginary. In addition, there is still an idea that there is a mind,
a subjective element of some kind, which serves as the medium for the state.
When you try to observe this subjective mind, you discover that it is nowhere
to be found. In fact, it is the presence of the state, and your idea that it
is an object, which you use to define the subjective element, as "that which
observes the object". When this is realized, the subject-object dichotomy
is recognized to be an extraneous conceptual distinction which is super-
imposed on the experience. When the subject-object concept relating to
the state is abandoned, the "absolute voidness" is manifested.
Whatever idea of a "state" is recognized, know that it is a dualistic idea
and abandon it. At this stage, the mind does not rest in any conditional,
dualistic or relative idea of anything either existing or not existing (hence
the disappearance of the ideas of creation and annihilation referred to in the
sutra). There should be no clinging to any particular state and no striving
toward any particular state. D.T. Suzuki called this the "Mind of No Abode".
Watch out! If you think "This state of mind is the Mind of No Abode" or
"This experience is pure", or some such thing, that's not it.
* Credit: The translation of the sutra is from "Ch'an and Zen Teaching, First
Series", by Lu K'uan Yu (Charles Luk), Shambala Publications Inc., Berkeley,
California, 1970, an excellent book, which also contains the Heart Sutra and
the Vajracchedika, with wonderful commentaries, along with Master Hsu Yun's
Discourses (including the one on Avalokitesvara's Complete Enlightenment)
and stories of six Ch'an masters.
--
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))tom simmonds))))))))))))))))))))
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
))))))) "True beauty consists in purity of heart." - Mahatma Gandhi ))))))))