Read the book: «Absolute freedom and happiness – our true essence»

Name: Absolute freedom and happiness – our true essence
Author: Vadim Sychevskiy
ISBN: 978-0-3694-1126-6

Vadim Sychevskiy

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Translated from Russian by Nikolai Gnezdilov

Introduction

We are all spiritual beings. There is no doubt about that. The essence of a spiritual being is most often named consciousness. The limitation of the ordinary worldview manifests itself in the fact that we view our consciousness as some kind of limit or endpoint. In other words, we think that our consciousness is who we are. However, the True Dharma, or the Teaching that points us to the true reality, says that our true essence is the True «Self», which transcends consciousness and is the source of its arising. In Buddhism and Yoga, the True «Self» is described as the state of complete destruction of harmful passions, perfect cessation of suffering, and realization of true self-awareness, which is absolute freedom and happiness. In Sanskrit, The True «Self» is designated «Atman» and the state of the True «Self» is designated «Nirvana».

If we try to realize through spiritual practice this state that is hidden deep within us and is our true nature, our destiny will change greatly.

Knowledge of the True «Self», or self-awareness, is realized at the moment when our consciousness, which we usually think we are, returns to its original state of Calmness and Contemplation. The original state of our consciousness is also called Enlightenment.

There are a number of essential ways of spiritual practice that return our consciousness to its original enlightened state. However, the most important component of authentic spiritual practice is concentration. It is concentration that allows us to experience the cessation of the work of consciousness and for the first time to see our true nature, or Atman, a state of absolute, unconditioned freedom and happiness.

This state cannot be expressed with words, because the Atman is who we are in the true sense. The state of Atman is cognizable only empirically:

«The truth of self-realization [and reality itself] are not one and two. Through the power of this self-realization, [reality] can bestow others as much as itself; it is absolutely impartial, it lacks the ideas of 'this' and 'that,' it is like the ground from which everything grows. Reality itself has neither form nor non-form; like space, it is beyond [ordinary] knowledge and understanding; it is so elusively subtle that it cannot be expressed in words and letters. Why? Because it is beyond the realm of letters, words, speeches, chatter, discerning mind, questioning, and speculative reflection; at the same time it is beyond the comprehension of men in ignorance, beyond any evil deeds arising from evil intentions. For it is neither this nor that; it is beyond all rationality, it is formless and transcendent of all falsehood. It abides in the serenity of the uninhabited – that true abode of all saints.

O son of a noble family, the realm of self-realization, where all the wise dwell, is free from materiality; it is free from purity and free from darkness; free from apprehension and comprehension, free from the obscurity of confusion; it is resplendently pure, and its nature is indestructible» (Avatamsaka-sutra, «The Sutra of Forty Chapters», Chapter 31).

Therefore, as our spiritual concentration continues, a state of perfect peace of mind appears. Observing objects and phenomena in the outer world and our inner world, while in this state, we can make many discoveries. To our surprise and indescribable pure inner joy, we suddenly find that all things are completely different from what they appeared to us before. Discoveries of this kind can be called Enlightenment and many Enlightenments are many discoveries, it is the process of moving from the wrong view to the right view. The wrong view is based on attachment, anger, and delusion, whereas the right view is based on Calmness and Contemplation. Thus, it is after attachments, evil acts, and delusions are stopped that a calm and right view appears, by which we can see things as they really are. This pure vision is otherwise known as wisdom.

Then we continue our practice to fully master this state – to experience it not only in the actual but also in the deeper layers of our multilayered consciousness. When all levels of consciousness are completely stopped, we experience the state of Nirvana or Emancipation. Emancipation is the fixation of the state of Enlightenment.

If Emancipation is realized, then – in thought, speech, and action, whatever the movement of our thought, whatever the work of our speech, whatever the deed we perform – everything will be due to an increase in virtues and merit, an increase in understanding of the Laws of the Universe and an increase in Calmness and Contemplation. Finally, we will be able to attain great powers. This means that not only will we realize this state, which surpasses egoism, and the suffering it generates, and ultimately life and death, but we will also be able to help others to realize it.

Enlightenment is generally considered the absolute state that Prince Siddhartha Gautama realized in 589 B.C. when he became the Buddha (i.e., the «Awakened One» or «Enlightened One»). However, the Buddha state is the final stage of spiritual practice, the Final Enlightenment and Emancipation. This path begins with the first Enlightenment – with the cessation of the actual consciousness that we use in our daily lives, that we consider as ourselves above all else.

In the Original Buddhism (Theravada Buddhism) texts, the first Enlightenment corresponds to the first stage that the practitioner realizes – Entering the True Stream. The sutras say that such a person receives a fleeting vision of the goal – Nirvana.

The process of the first Enlightenment is described in the most detail in the texts of Zen Buddhism. In Zen, the first Enlightenment is referred to as «seeing one's true nature», or «Kensho» in Japanese. Zen Masters also emphasize that Kensho is the first real step toward Buddhahood:

«Anyone who calls himself a member of the Zen family must first of all attain Kensho, which is the realization of the Buddha's Way. It is a cruel fraud for anyone who calls himself a Zen follower but has not attained Kensho.

Wherever the Zen school has spread, a 'home abandoner' is anyone who has attained Kensho and left the home of birth and death, not one who has abandoned his home only to shave his head» (Hakuin Ekaku¹, «Wild Ivy»).

Many years ago, I experienced Kensho for the first time in this life. I will not undertake a logical explanation of the essence of this experience: logical or philosophical tricks and Kensho are opposite things. It is impossible to describe this primordial state of consciousness. In such cases, Masters of the past used to say, «It is as if a deaf-mute were to see a dream». In other words, one must have a personal experience of this state. «Personal experience» in this case means direct contact with the fact, without any intermediary.

At that moment, now in the distant year 1996, I was doing a walking practice not far from my house, and further…

I did not immediately realize what had happened, but I felt as if I had been waiting for this somehow very dear experience all my life, no – much longer. Where did this lightness in my body and mind come from? Whence this unconditioned happiness and calm joy!

The external sensations and the internal flow of thoughts had stopped, so it was as if the body and consciousness had disappeared. The face itself blurred into a natural, barely perceptible smile. External and internal objects remained, but the consciousness did not cling to them at all, so they once ceased to have any influence. The chaotic stream of thoughts no longer pressed on the mind as both dissolved into the majestic state of Calmness. All the darkness of things and their interactions with each other could fit on the tip of a fingernail – why do people look for value and meaning in this illusory jumble of cause and effect!? In this primordial state of consciousness, the division of the world into two poles completely disappears – dual thinking stops. If thoughts arise, they are seen as something external, crude, and completely meaningless.

Later I realized that only after the experience of Kensho does the real spiritual practice begin because Kensho gives an intuitive and very clear understanding of everything you come into contact with. Since one is no longer looking for oneself in objects and phenomena, one can see them rather than seeing the chaotic dual workings of one's consciousness. He who has seen (even if only in glimpses) reality is able to devote himself fully to the practice. He is unlikely to fail because for him there is nothing but spiritual practice. Hence, he is indeed capable of eventually attaining Emancipation².

I often remember the words spoken to me by a Zen Master to whom I described my experience:

– Your experience is true, I confirm it. Congratulations – you have glimpsed the Buddha! What are you going to do next?

– Continue, I replied.

– Continue what? – The experienced Master wouldn't let me off the hook.

– To continue my practice, because spiritual experience should be «made one's own»! – Somehow burst out of my mouth.

– Well, – he smiled at last, – the experience should be broadened. How long can you stay in this state of stopping the flow of the mind?

– In this state it is impossible to time it, because it also stops with the consciousness, but maybe 10–15 minutes…

– When you can stay in this state indefinitely, then it will be the Final Enlightenment, summarized the teacher.

«To expand my experience» – this is what I have been doing ever since, step by step expanding the realized then state of Calm and Contemplation.

If I were asked, «What was the most important, most memorable experience in your life?», I would say it was the Kensho experience. When asked what is the purpose of life? I would answer that, at the very least, in experiencing that experience.

Therefore, based on the True Dharma and my own experience of practice, I can say that the meaning and purpose of life is to return to one's true original state, which can be conventionally labeled as Atman (True «Self»), Nirvana, or Enlightenment and Emancipation.

In essence, they are synonyms. They are the same thing but from different angles. All these words point (they are pointing, not being: after all, they are just words) to something primordial, eternal, unchanging, absolute, and independent. The problem is that it is impossible to express THIS in any way. Because THIS is not some object, thing, or phenomenon external to us that has any properties, characteristics, or anything like that. It is somewhat ironic to say that no one can ever under any circumstances say: «This thing is my True „Self”. Look how beautiful and sparkling it is!». From this point of view, the «Self» does not exist. It is impossible to say anything about the Atman. It is an observer who is neither born nor dies, who is simply invisibly and naturally present. This is WE in the true sense. It is for this reason that I translate the term «Atman» as True „Self” with the pronoun «self» in quotation marks. In addition, when I use personal pronouns in an attempt to refer to the Atman, I make sure to italicize them, e.g., «The Five Aggregates are not self».

However, then, is there no point in studying the Dharma if its essence is inexpressible? Or to do spiritual practice just «for the sake of practice», since its purpose cannot be formulated or the formulation is so abstract? But the only true value is Nirvana, Enlightenment and Atman. They are the goal of true spiritual practice!

«The difference between mere scholarship or mere philosophizing, on the one hand, and self-realization, on the other, the difference between what is stated in words and what is transcendent to all verbal expressions, but must be personally experienced – this fundamental difference was strongly emphasized by the Buddha. His followers did not forget about this circumstance, trying not to lose sight of the desired state of self-realization» (D.T. Suzuki³, «Essays on Zen Buddhism», part 2).

Atman, Nirvana, Enlightenment and Emancipation cannot be expressed, but we can try to find out what they are not. By following this method of elimination, we can probably come to at least a relative understanding.

In creating this essay, I am aiming to do just that – based on the texts of past Gurus and my own experience of spiritual practice, to show the reader the structure of our false «self». The very false «self» that binds us to the impermanent world of worldly desires and brings suffering. And having understood, at least in theory, what is not ourselves, we will be able to see the path leading to Enlightenment and Emancipation.

Chapter 1
Our False «Self»

Five Aggregates
(Illustration № 1, «Five Aggregates»)

I think it is not wrong to say that each of us has asked ourselves the question «who am I?» at least once in our lives. But have we ever found the answer? Am I this physical body? Am I my sensations, thoughts or emotions? Or am I something else? The teachings of the Five Aggregates bring us closer to understanding such questions. After all, the Five Aggregates are all that we have, all that we mistakenly believe we are, our true selves.

These five components of our false «self» are as follows:

1. Physical body – Pāli and Sanskrit: rūpa (literally: «form»).

2. Sensations (Feelings) – Pali and Sanskrit: vēdanā.

3. Perceptions – Pāli: saññā, Sanskrit: saṃjñā

4. Formed experience – Pāli: sankhāra, Sanskrit: saṃskāra.

5. Distinguishing consciousness – Pāli: viññāṇa, Sanskrit: vijñāna.

Unfortunately, neither mere enumeration nor arguments about what and how it should be translated from Pali and Sanskrit will bring us any closer to understanding these five components.

1. Physical body

The word «rupa» itself literally means «form». That is, all forms or, in normal modern language, objects, things, animate and inanimate objects that we can see or perceive, such as houses and trees, other people and cars driving down the street. Of course, all such external objects influence our lives and us. However, the greatest influence on us comes from the closest of all «forms» – our physical body. It is the one that imposes so many limitations on us and brings us not only fleeting joys but also inevitable suffering such as illness, old age, and death. Therefore, when we talk about the first of the Five Aggregates, we are referring first of all to our physical body.

So, each of us has a physical body, it serves as a carrier of our consciousness.

Two problems arise in the ordinary consciousness's perception of the physical body.

First, we are captured, attached to our body: «I am beautiful, slender, tall and statuesque». Or, conversely, «Why am I so ugly (ugly), low in stature, why do I have a bad figure!» and so on. Exactly the same wrong consideration we make about other people: «How beautiful she is, how slender he is, what wonderful muscles he has!» or, on the contrary: «How ugly, unattractive, fat he (she) is» and so on.

Secondly – complete identification of oneself with the physical body.

In order to change this wrong view, which leads to suffering, one should consider one's physical body impartially. There are two types of consideration of the physical body: Buddhist and yogic.

The first is to consider our physical body anatomically, just as we were taught in anatomy classes at school. There is the skin, deeper – the fat layer, then – muscles, tendons, and finally – the bones, the skeleton. Everywhere passes numerous blood vessels and nerves. There are internal organs belonging to different systems. Observing our bodies this way, we see that the physical body can be very beautiful and attractive outside, but things are quite different inside. Indeed, both the insides of our body are unpleasant to look at and smell. However, we recognize this anatomical fact rather than engage in a meditation of disgust. For example, if we consider our own or someone else's body beautiful, what exactly do we like: muscles, tendons, bones, or perhaps internal organs? Here we really begin to realize that the definition of «the body is beautiful» and attachment to the physical body looks very strange, if not foolish.

The yogic view is to consider the physical body as a collection of the Five Elements. The Earth Element is the solid components (e.g., bones), the Water Element is the liquid components (e.g., blood), the Fire Element is our body temperature, the Wind Element is breathing and energy movement and the Space Element is the voids and cavities in our body.

The meaning of observing both types is to realize that this physical body is not our true essence, but is simply a matter formed by gross substance, which controls various physiological processes without reference to ourselves. Our physical body is born, becomes sick, grows old, and dies. It restricts our freedom and binds us tightly to the gross material world. Besides, we cannot fully control our bodies – we cannot, for example, stop the aging process, and we cannot make our bodies immortal. That means that the physical body is not the True «Self». The body is the illusion that we experience with our senses. Therefore, as stated in the «Shiva Samhita»⁴, «The only worthy use of this body is as a tool for attaining Nirvana».

2. Sensory organs and sensations

We have five external organs of sense located in our physical body: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and touch receptors. Through them, as if through open doors, sensations come to us, that is, we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel touch, respectively. The sensations are the link between the external material world and our deeper consciousness.

We usually think of our sensations as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. But in reality, the sensation itself cannot be pleasant or unpleasant – it can be strong, weak, or absent. «Pleasant» or «unpleasant» is the dual workings of our consciousness based on our past experiences. Thus, the causes of our sufferings and joys are not to be found in the physical body and external sensations, but in our deeper Aggregates.

What do we see if we become calm, conscious observers of our sensations?

First, as long as our dual consciousness is active, there will be unpleasant, painful sensations. I think no one enjoys physical pain, disgusting odors, unpleasant sounds, and the like.

Secondly, of course, there will be pleasant sensations. But they are extremely impermanent and last, in fact, only for a moment. Further: if we want to get some pleasant sensation, and it is impossible, we suffer a great deal of dissatisfaction. How many times in your life have you thought or said, «I would give anything to have this»? Here we see that we are highly dependent on our sensations, we are unfree because of our attachment to pleasant sensations, and we suffer greatly when the pleasant sensations ends, or bores us, or we cannot get what we want.

Third, the more we seek the pleasures of sensations, the more we begin to feel pain and other unpleasant sensations. For example, as delicious and pleasurable for us was eating fresh gourmet food, exactly the same amount of tastelessness and unpleasantness will be experienced the day before yesterday's mediocre food. In other words, if there is a plus (i.e. pleasure), there is necessarily a minus (suffering), and the stronger the plus, the stronger the minus – they are equivalent. This principle applies not only to the sense organs and sensations but also to all experiences obtained through them. Thus, people who exhibit strong positive emotions when they experience pleasure, experience equally strong negative emotions when they encounter suffering.

Fourth, the previous example should lead to the idea that pleasant and unpleasant sensations can only exist at the same time. For example, if a person is anesthetized or given pain relief, both pain and pleasant sensations disappear. Or, for example, in order to not hear a loud unpleasant noise, a person plugs his ears with earplugs. The unpleasant noise disappears, but the pleasant or necessary sounds are no longer heard. In other words, if the joy that the senses bring increases, so also does the suffering. The sense organs are aggravated in two directions at the same time.

Fifth, we experience the joy or suffering of sensations exclusively because of the action of past experiences that are activated by our consciousness. Thus, sensations, as previously stated, can be strong, weak, or absent. «Pleasant» or «unpleasant» is the work of our dual consciousness.

By conducting this kind of consideration, we begin to realize that the senses and sensations are an illusion. The illusory nature of the senses is realized through breathing techniques. First, when the length of inhalations, exhalations, and breath-holding increases, the ability to perceive changes. People who have long inhalation, exhalation, and delay do not feel pain. But people with short breaths are sensitive to pain. This is not only true for pain. The same applies to the senses of sight, hearing, smell, and taste. To realize the existence of a consciousness that just «jumps» on these illusions of sensations, breathing techniques are done. Eventually, we reach a state where the senses and sensations come to a complete stop. In yoga terminology, this is called Pratyahara. When Pratyahara is realized, we are immersed from this material world into the Astral World (World of Forms⁵) in meditation.

Hence, our sense organs and the sensations that come through them are not our true nature. For example, if we are deprived of any sensation due to illness, say smell and taste due to a runny nose, we still continue to exist. If this is the case, then the True «Self» cannot be our sensations – they are illusory and we exist even if we lose all our senses and sensations.

3. Perceptions, images

The third of the Five Aggregates is Perceptions: information accumulated and stored in the form of images. All the information and experience that we accumulate every second through our actions remains in us. Perceptions, or Aggregate No.3, is our first internal storage unit, or reservoir, for the data we receive from the outside world. In Perceptions, these accumulated data are stored in the form of images.

The function of Perceptions is to generate (create) any image from the information we already have. For example, if you have never been to the Himalayas and I tell you about this place, you will be able to draw some pictures (images) in your imagination based on the information you have learned about the Himalayas so far, i.e. to imagine. Thus, the Aggregate itself is information in the form of images, and its function is to create images or figurative Perceptions.

To the function of Perceptions, we can also include such a thing as perception. The fact is that when we perceive any information from the external world, we automatically have a corresponding image, as in the example with the Himalayas just given. On the other hand, in our daily lives, we think about many things, but although we do not always put them into practice, each thought is nevertheless reflected in our Perceptions, i.e. it appears to us in the form of corresponding images.

Although Perceptions, unlike the body and sensations, are closer to our true essence, they are also not the True «Self».

For one thing, images bring us suffering. Of course, we can escape into the world of reverie for a while – immerse ourselves in pleasant memories or dreams in our imagination. However, how many horrifying pictures of the past, how many painful memories, and how many uncontrollable fears are stored in our images? Sometimes it even happens that a person who is haunted by horrifying memories of the past simply goes insane. Thus, if Perceptions cause suffering, they are not our essence – the True «Self» cannot harm or cause suffering to itself.

An important question may arise here. How can one get rid of intrusive or painful images of the past that surface in the mind and make one suffer? The only way is to return the consciousness to the original state of calm, in which any information is stopped and has no influence. This, in fact, is the subject of the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. The Real Experiences and Realizations of a Spiritual Practitioner», and this short essay is also about it.

Secondly, images have been acquired and accumulated by us. For example, I visited Sri Lanka for the first time in 2004. Before that, I did not know much about this country. Consequently, I did not have images of Sri Lanka either. However, having visited the island many times, I have gained extensive experience and knowledge about Sri Lanka. Therefore, I can now visualize, for example, the first capital of the ancient Sinhalese state, Anuradhapura, and many other places on the island.

As we can see from this example, images are not something inherent to us from the beginning, they are just data received by us, which are not our essence.

4. Formed experience

The fourth component of the false «self» is the Formed Experience. In our lives, we acquire various experiences through actions with our bodies, speech, and thoughts. These experiences are stored as information and become the reason for acquiring new experiences. In other words, we perform actions, experience, and accumulate experiences, further it is these experiences form our likes and dislikes that cause us to act again.

Thus, the fourth Aggregate itself is the Formed Experience, and its function is to want or not to want, in other words, will, or intention. For example, if you have tasted a certain food, you liked it very much, and then you will want this food again. If after eating this food you had an upset stomach, then it is unlikely that you will want to eat it again. This is how the Formed Experience accumulates and then works, predetermining our subsequent actions.

Just like Perceptions, Formed Experience is not something that is inherent in us from the beginning, it is just data that we accumulate as a result of our actions. The problem is that we identify ourselves with our past experiences. As a consequence, experience becomes the driving force that completely controls us. In other words, the Formed Experience becomes the desires and aversions that drive us.

Of course, we can derive pleasure from the fulfilment of our desires, which are a manifestation, or function, of our fourth Aggregate. However, any objects of our desires are illusions: they either change and eventually disappear or simply bore us, because our consciousness, which creates all illusions of joy or suffering, is constantly changing, as a result of which satiety is bound to occur and the object ceases to satisfy us. If we are unable to satisfy our desires, to get what we want, the suffering of dissatisfaction arises. In this case, we begin to hate everything around us. Hatred and, consequently, pain also arise when we have experiences that are the opposite of our desires, that is, when we experience what we do not want to experience. I will talk more about the process of perception and discernment that forms all our suffering in the next chapter.

5. Information in pure form and Distinguishing consciousness

Aggregate No. 5 is all data, i.e. all experience and information that we have accumulated from the beginningless past until now. If the previous component of the false «self» is exclusively the experience of this life, which forms desires, then Aggregate No. 5 includes not only past experience, but also all the accumulated information, not only in this life but also in all previous lives. Moreover, this data is the only thing we have in us from the past. All other Aggregates are destroyed at the moment of our death, and all our accumulated experience is transformed into information in its pure form – the content of Aggregate No. 5.

Not only in the intermediate state after death, but also during our lifetime, all the experience we receive and all the information we receive is eventually transferred into our fifth Aggregate, which is information, or data, in its purest form.

The difference between experience and information is as follows. Experience is what we have experienced, lived through ourselves. As mentioned above, past experiences shape our present desires and unwanted desires. Information is simply data about anything we receive from the outside: from the Internet, from friends, from books, from television programs, etc. As a rule, based on the information we receive, we evaluate or distinguish objects and phenomena. Of course, more often than not, experience and information are mixed up in us. Accordingly, our judgments and desires are shaped by both past experience and received information. Nevertheless, it is believed that experience primarily influences our actions (we want or do not want something, and therefore act), and information influences our consciousness, and our worldview.

And based on these data (i.e. past experience and information) we distinguish, recognize, make judgments, interpret, or evaluate everything that appears before us. Hence the classic name of Aggregate No.5 – «Distinguishing Consciousness», or simply «Distinction». We can say that it is like the manager, or head, of the Five Aggregates. There are various Formed experiences, and that in the midst of them gives the order for the selection of particular data: «This is good and this is not,» is the Distinction. Thus, we should realize that our worldview and our decisions are conditioned, first of all, by the information we have received up to now; it is the information that is primary – it is the basis of our Distinction.

So, our Aggregate No.5 is data in its purest form, and its function is distinction of all external and internal objects we perceive.

How does Distinction function in everyday life? For example, do you know Gianluigi Buffon, the famous Italian soccer goalkeeper? Can you tell us anything about him? If you are a soccer fan, and you watch Italian soccer regularly, then you and I can remember and talk about his brilliant game in goal. However, if you are not a soccer fan, and do not watch Italian soccer, then probably you will hear the name Gianluigi Buffon for the first time. You simply lack information about him. There is no information based on which you could somehow characterize Buffon, or express your opinion about him. Your Distinction at this moment simply does not know what information or past experience to provide so that you can make a judgment and want or not want to talk about Buffon and watch matches with him.

Distinction is the direct cause of our suffering or joy. We have accumulated a gigantic amount of experience and information, and what identifies this data and orders our choices is Distinction. If we distinguish something as pleasant and joyful, the same Aggregate automatically generates the opposite distinction – there is bound to be something that we see as unpleasant and causing suffering.

Who is the subject of this distinction? To put it briefly – the Atman, that is, us. That which makes consciousness and past experience work is the Atman. However, it is no longer the True «Self» in its original independent state of Nirvana, but the True «Self» that has lost self-awareness⁶ and has fallen into false identification with experience, or accumulated data.

Accumulated data moves us, but is not our true self. By identifying with the accumulated data, we lose sight of ourselves and become immersed in an illusory world. Imagine a coil and the cable that is wound on it. Clearly, they are different things. However, ignorance is the state in which you think that both the coil and the cable wound on it are one and the same, a single entity. When we become aware that the cable wound on the coil, that is, the data concealing our true nature (Atman), is not us, is not the True «Self», we realize self-awareness.

The Five Aggregates are not the True «Self»

Let me briefly summarize the theses as to why the Five Aggregates are not the True «Self».

1. The impermanent things, the things that arise, change, and decay, cannot be Atman.

2. Things that bring suffering are also not our essence, since the True «Self» cannot bring suffering to itself. Furthermore, the True «Self», or Atman, is perfect, unconditioned freedom, joy, and happiness. Thus, if something is impermanent and therefore brings suffering, it cannot be Atman.

3. That which cannot be controlled cannot be us. For example, if the body were the True «Self», we would never get sick, age, or die. If the accumulated data were us, we would have complete control over it and never allow destructive thoughts or destructive emotions that bring suffering.

4. What is possible to divide or transfer to another is also not Atman. For example, we regularly cut our hair and nails, does it turn out that we are regularly cutting off a part of ourselves? Similarly, if experience were our essence, it would not be possible to pass it to another. However, we receive and share experiences, hence it is an object external to us that can be received or given away.

5. What we can observe is not the True «Self» because there is a distance between the observer (i.e., us) and the object, such as the body or the experience received, so the observed object is not the True «Self».

Karma⁷

Many different books have been written about karma. The word «karma» is used today by everyone without understanding its meaning. The most «ingenious» phrase I have heard about karma is «he was pursued by an evil fate because he violated karma all the time».

First of all, the word «karma» can be replaced with the phrase «formed experience». We perform three kinds of actions: by body – doing something, by speech – talking about something, and by thought – thinking about something. By performing these three types of actions, we first experience certain experiences and secondly receive information. Data about all our actions are accumulated (fixed, remain) in our Five Aggregates. More precisely – in Perceptions, Formed Experience and Distinction, of which the last one – Distinction – is the main accumulator. All the data that accumulates as a result of our actions, words, and thoughts is our karma.

Usually the word «karma» is understood to mean only unkind deeds and negative consequences. But in fact, it is not so – the data we accumulate has no substance: karma itself is neither bad nor good. It is just that the accumulated data will necessarily manifest itself in the form of phenomena in the external world and in the form of states of mind in our inner world. By distinguishing between external phenomena and our own inner state on the basis, again, of accumulated data (karma), we experience suffering and joy. Therefore, we can say that everything is karma, or rather, everything we experience – joys and sufferings – is an illusion of our accumulated karma.

Three Worlds of the Universe⁸
(Illustration № 2, «Three Worlds of the Universe»)

The entire universe, which arises because of work of our consciousness, consists of three worlds: the World of Passion, the World of Forms, and the Formless World. To transcend the worlds of these three categories is spiritual practice.

World of Passion (World of Phenomena)

The World of Passions is the material world in which we live now. It consists of gross substance. The World of Passion is dominated by the energy of heat. Of course, there is also sound energy and light energy, but the predominant energy is heat energy – this is easy to understand: all processes in the material world occur either by absorbing or releasing heat energy. Heat energy expresses our worldly desires: when we strongly want or do not want something, the corresponding type of heat energy is produced. Another name for the World of Passions is the World of Phenomena.

The World of Passions, or the World of Phenomena, consists of six worlds. From bottom to top, these are: World of Hell, World of Animals, World of Hungry Spirits, World of People, World of Asuras (demigods), and World of Devas (gods). In this life, we were born in the World of People – the fourth from the bottom.

World of Forms (Astral World)

The World of Forms is formed by subtle substance, i.e. images. In the World of Forms, there is no heat energy – there is only sound (vibration) and light. The energy of sound is predominant. The light of the World of Forms has a coloring, which expresses our Distinction and the desires or tendencies arising because of its work. Desires in the World of Forms are thoughts and images (thought-images or thought-forms), i.e. they do not have a rough form as in the World of Phenomena, where, in fact, any desire immediately turns into a concrete action for its satisfaction and is accompanied by the release of heat energy. Therefore, heat energy is absent in the World of Forms.

Another name for the World of Forms is the Astral World.

The World of Forms, or the Astral World, is divided into two large parts: the Lower Astral World and the Higher Astral World.

Lower World of Forms (Lower Astral World)

The Lower Astral World is the reverse side, or reflection, of the World of Passion. This is the world we see in dreams and the initial stages of meditation.

Unfortunately, nowadays it is often believed that «going into the Astral» is a spiritual practice. This is a very dangerous misconception. To put it briefly, the Lower Astral World are the images of our worldly desires. Therefore, simply «going into the Astral» outside the context of proper spiritual practice is nothing but terrifying visions of Hell, Animal World, and Hungry Spirit World in the Lower Astral World and, consequently, a blow to the psyche. Why does this happen? Two reasons can be distinguished here.

The main reason is to engage in any practice to satisfy one's worldly desires originating from egoism. For example, practicing magic, «fulfilment of all desires», «casting spells», «removing the evil eye», etc. Shakyamuni Buddha placed such things on a par with lowly passions, calling them «the establishment of worldly teachings and wrong way of life»⁹. In other words, engaging in such «practices» to satisfy worldly desires and authentic spiritual practice are opposite things. Why is this so? Because in the former case, man creates numerous low images of worldly desires in his Astral World. Since he aims to satisfy his egoism, he gets completely caught up in the images he has created, sinks into the Lower Astral World, and becomes firmly entangled in them. Whereas true spiritual practice is the destruction of worldly desires, liberation from the three worlds of the universe, and realization of the original state of Nirvana.

Practicing to satisfy egoism has another negative aspect besides being captured by images of worldly desires. It is the squandering of merit¹⁰. When we satisfy a desire and get what we want, the good karma, or merit, by which phenomena are formed and our positive discernment of those phenomena is realized, is spent, or emptied. If one does not accumulate merit, but constantly expends it to satisfy worldly desires, and even with the help of all sorts of «practices» that make past merit manifest in a forced manner, one is bound to come to a state in which there is nothing but suffering. The fact is that if we do not accumulate new merit, but constantly strive only for joy, then gradually all our past merit will be squandered and we will be left with only our past negative karma. This is very similar to the way we handle money. We earn money. This can be compared to accumulating good karma and merit. We spend the money we earn by buying ourselves what we want. This is spending merit – both literally and figuratively. When we borrow money, it can be compared to the accumulation of negative karma: debts will have to be repaid sooner or later anyway. What will happen if you constantly take loans (even at high-interest rates), do not pay them back, do not earn money, but spend it all the time? This will be the state of a person who does not understand the Law of Karma but is surprised and resentful of their «evil fate» because of constant failures and sufferings. However, people try to fulfil their plans through «secret practices» or live a happy life without considering the Law of Karma, without understanding the principles of accumulating and wasting merit, and without comprehending the principles of accumulating and laundering bad karma.

The second reason for uncontrolled immersion into the Lower Astral World is to engage only in technical practices to raise energy and obtain mystical experience. The fact is that in everyday life, in dreams, in meditation, and in the intermediate state after death (Bardo) we can only see the manifestation of the data (karma) that we have accumulated so far. That is, our daily life, our dreams, meditative experience, and the next life are determined not by external conditions, not by the totality of some random circumstances, but only by the data (karma) that we have accumulated exclusively by ourselves, performing actions with our body, speech, and thoughts – nothing else works or influences here.

If we were born in the World of Passion, it means that at the moment we start practicing we are dominated by low data that brings us suffering. In addition, if we simply increase our own energy, there will be a transition from the World of Phenomena to the Astral World. However, the worlds we will see in this case will correspond to the data of our worldly desires. For example, if hatred is strong in a person, i.e. the distinction between self and others based on egoism, then he will see the World of Hell: the visions will be like horror movies. If ignorance is strong, that is, blind desire for momentary pleasures, then the visions will be of the Animal World: perverted sex, panic fear, and talking coyotes, for example. The World of Hungry Spirits, formed by greed, is agony from the inability to satisfy one's desires, similar to the withdrawal syndrome in patients with alcoholism or drug addiction. If the data of the human world prevails, then in the clouded visions there will appear people for whom there is sympathy or antipathy, there will be emotions, attachment, and uncontrolled wandering through the World of People in the Lower Astral World.

However, all this is very far from true meditation. As in the first case, because of the immaturity of the soul, such a «practitioner» is bound to be seized by his Lower Astral experience. He will think that he has «come into contact with astral entities», «can speak with spirits», «has connected to the streams of cosmic energy», and «has achieved unity with the universe». This happens because the information coming from the Lower Astral World begins to mix with information relating to the past experience of this person. However, he has the illusion that all this information is received by him from the world in which he lives now – from the World of Phenomena. This means that the World of Phenomena and the Lower Astral have superimposed upon each other in the consciousness of this person, leaving him unable to discern which world is where. Besides, the arisen connection with the Lower Astral will be expressed in the fact that a person will begin to prefer the world of images to the real world. This is a dangerous condition bordering on schizophrenia.

Therefore, true spiritual practice based on the True Teachings (Dharma) always begins with a deep study of the Teachings given by the Great Teachers of the past, such as, for example, Shakyamuni Buddha, Guru Padmasambhava and Maharishi Patanjali¹¹. Through the study of Dharma, Right View and Right Thinking are formed, which is expressed in the sincere intention to attain Enlightenment and Emancipation. Then come the Practices of Goodness, Merit, Observance, Patience, and Perseverance. Through these practices, the data in our Five Aggregates, primarily Perceptions, Formed Experience and Discernment, is replaced. The data of the lower worlds – Hell, Animals, Hungry Spirits, People, and Asuras – is replaced by the data of the gods of the World of Passion and the Higher World of Forms, which I will discuss below. As a result, when we engage in technical and meditative practice, we do not get the experience of the lower worlds in the Lower Astral World. On the contrary, we experience the World of Devas and further enter the Higher World of Forms.

Higher World of Forms (Higher Astral World)

The Higher World of Forms is the world where the noble and exalted deities dwell, e.g. God Brahma, and God Vishnu. The Higher World of Forms is created by the Four Awakened States of Consciousness: Love (Maitri), Compassion (Karuna), Praise (Muditha), and Equanimity (Upeksha). Without mastery of these Four Awakened States of Consciousness, it is impossible to enter the Higher World of Forms in meditation.

In ordinary classification, the Higher World of Forms are divided into four levels, in detailed classification into seventeen levels. Genuine meditation is the passage of eight levels of concentration – dhyanas, or meditative concentrations. The first four dhyanas correspond to the Higher World of Forms, and the remaining four to the Higher Formless World.

Formless World (Causal World)

Formless World consists of light and consciousness – the energies of heat and sound are completely absent here. Light is information. Nowadays this fact is proved by physics and its section optics.

Another name for the Formless World is Causal World. This name gives us a clue as to the function of this world. Imagine a huge modern bank building. It is full of vaults, safe rooms, and cells. Some of these boxes belong to you – they hold your personal information. Some departments belong to large companies, and some belong to states or nations. All the past experience of all living beings enters this formless world and become information in its pure form, existing in the form of transparent light. Then this information is projected onto the Astral World and becomes images, and then these images become phenomena in the material world. This principle of data movement is true both for one particular soul and for whole countries and peoples. Why does data move? Because our consciousness, as well as the consciousness of other living beings, is active.

The Formless World or the Causal World consists of three large parts: the Lower Causal World, the Middle Causal World and the Higher Causal World.

Lower Formless World (Lower Causal World)

The Lower Causal World is absolute darkness or Nonexistence. As it is said above, the Causal World is the world of information existing in the form of light. However, the absence of light or darkness of the Lower Causal World is also information. It is very low-level information or data of worldly desires. That is why it is seen as pitch darkness. The data of the Lower Causal World forms the Lower Astral World and our material World of Passion.

If by wrong practice one enters the Lower Astral World, as I described above, then when the experience of the Lower Astral World is completed, one will move into the Lower Causal World. In the Causal World, there is no body and sense organs, there is only consciousness and past experience. Therefore, even the Lower Causal World can be mistakenly perceived as a quite peaceful world, devoid of suffering originating from the body, sensations, and images. Depending on one's spiritual level, a person can enter either the utter darkness of Nonexistence or slightly brighter worlds in the Lower Causal, which are located on the levels of the World of Men, the World of Asuras, and the World of Gods.

In the latter case, it will seem to a person that he has realized Emancipation and reached Nirvana, as in this state only consciousness and information exist. However, if it is the Lower Causal, then the information forming it is the information of worldly desires, which creates images in the Lower Astral, and they, in their turn, are projected onto the material World of Passions in the form of phenomena. Furthermore, this information is active. Thus, there can be no Nirvana, or Emancipation, in this state. Moreover, when this clouded, relatively calm state gets bored, and anything can get bored, the consciousness of this «practitioner» will again come to chaotic movement, and he will again wander through the Lower Astral and the World of Passions.

Suppose this «practitioner» has plunged into Nonexistence, i.e. into the lowest part of the Causal World. In that case, he will experience nothing but suffering. Imagine that you have been locked in a light and soundproof room. Now imagine that you have no body, senses, and images – there is only consciousness filled with worldly desires and 360 degrees of darkness. That's what Nonexistence is, or Super Long Hell.

But if you read the original Buddhist or yogic sutras, you will not find in their descriptions of «entering the astral», «contact with astral entities» and further immersion into pitch-black darkness. Because the true spiritual practice based on the True Dharma, which was given to the world by the Gurus of the past, is completely opposite to the nonsense and lies that are aired by urban crazies who think they are meditation masters, who have mystical experiences under the influence of drugs, or who only do technical practices, ignoring the Practices of Goodness, Merit, Law and Tranquility. However, «it is very difficult to explain the taste of melon to a person who has spent his whole life chewing cobbler's shoelaces…»¹².

Middle Formless World (Middle Causal World)

The Middle Causal World is located behind the Higher Astral World. It is no longer Nonexistence: it is a state between the darkness of Nonexistence and the bright transparent light of the higher parts of the Causal World. Indeed, if in meditation one enters the Middle Causal World, it is perceived as an infinite space, which has no gross or subtle forms, filled with light. However, this light is not so bright, intense, and transparent as the light of the Higher Causal World. The space of the Middle Causal World resembles a haze, something similar to the morning fog in the mountains. In this state, you either are or are not, that is why immature practitioners confuse this formless fog with Nirvana. The mist of the Middle Causal World is the information that forms the Higher Astral World.

Higher Formless World (Higher Causal World)

The Higher Causal World, though usually when speaking about this world it is said: «Formless World», is the very ocean of crystal-transparent light, about which I told you earlier. Information in its pure (original) form is the Higher Formless World. From this information, the whole Universe and our Five Aggregates are formed. The Higher Formless World does not overlap with any other worlds and is not a projection of any worlds. It is the world of the essence of the soul.

The Higher Causal World, or the Higher Formless World, consists of four worlds, or levels, which we successively pass through during the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth meditative concentration. This initial state of Emptiness of consciousness and information, its experience is the most important spiritual experience – breaking through the transparent light of the Higher Formless World, we realize our true initial state of the independent existence of the True «Self» – Nirvana.

The Three Worlds and the Five Aggregates

The Five Aggregates bind us to the three worlds. We cannot realize our original state of Nirvana because of the workings of the Five Aggregates and the past experiences they contain. We mistakenly think of ourselves as the totality of the physical body, senses, images, experiences, and information, and their functions: physical activity, sensations, perceptions, will, and discernment. As a result, we are endlessly reincarnated in the three worlds of the Universe, and above all in the World of Passion, experiencing either suffering or illusory joy.

In the World of Passions (in the World of Phenomena), we are held by the physical body, the external senses, and the sensations that come through them.

In the World of Forms (the Astral World), we are held together by images and perceptions, as well as by will and discernment. The latter are the functions of Aggregates No. 4 and No. 5.

In the Formless World we have the past accumulated experience and information in pure form, i.e. the data of Aggregates No. 4 and No. 5.

Three worlds and three consciousnesses

Consciousness is the means by which we perceive and aware of objects and phenomena. In other words, consciousness is the instrument of perception. The perceiver is consciousness, and what causes consciousness to move is the True «Self». Our consciousness has a multi-layered structure, but none of the layers of our consciousness is ourselves. Our consciousness may be in motion, or it may be in its original state of Calm and Contemplation, but in neither of these states does consciousness become the True «Self». Of course, when consciousness is moving, we do not see, we do not realize ourselves. In this case, because of the working of consciousness, we identify with the Five Aggregates, in other words, mistakenly consider both the working consciousness and what it perceives, i.e., the false «self», to be ourselves:

«Ignorance is the mistaking of the eternal, impure, tormented, and not constituting True „Self” for the eternal, pure, happy, Atman [the existent self]. False self-consciousness is the identification of the beholder with the instrument of seeing. Egoism is the identification of the faculty of knowing with the instrument of knowing» (Yoga Sutras of Patanjali).

Conversely, when we, through proper spiritual practice, stop our consciousness, we realize self-awareness and self-realization, attain our authentic selves, and realize the Atman:

«During concentration, the Seer (Atman) rests in its own natural state» (Patanjali's Yoga Sutras).

Of course (here I am addressing first of all the adherents of the philosophy of «no-self», or Anatman), I am not saying that there is something called «Self» that can be held and realized, I am saying that all of us(we in the true original sense) are not our Five Aggregates¹³ and three consciousnesses, but completely transcend them. And it is at the blessed moment of the complete cessation of our multi-layered consciousness that we first see this.

We have three consciousnesses: the actual consciousness operating in the World of Phenomena, the subconsciousness operating in the Astral World, and the superconsciousness operating in the Causal World.

Actual consciousness of the World of Phenomena and the subconsciousness of the Astral World

We conduct our daily activities in the Human World based on two factors: the actual consciousness, which we call «Self», and the subconscious mind, which actually drives us.

For example, we go out with friends, we talk, and we have fun. This is the work of the actual consciousness. And when we answer the question about «self» with: «This is me», we are talking about this consciousness. But among many acquaintances we like someone especially and dislike someone especially – this distinction is rooted not in the actual consciousness, but in the deeper consciousness, i.e. in the subconsciousness.

Or, for example, a person is experiencing intense suffering. People around him, trying to help him in some way, say: «Try to calm down, don't worry so much». To which the person, as a rule, replies: «I can't, it's stronger than I am». The «I» that the person is talking about is the actual consciousness. The «it» that is «stronger than me» is the subconscious mind, since it, as I mentioned above, controls the actual consciousness.

The subconscious mind is polar; in other words, it recognizes either «yes» or «no». For example, it either loves or it doesn't. There is no middle ground in the subconscious mind, there is no case where it loves a little bit, and there is no case where it experiences, for example, a little hunger. Therefore, any desire or no desire in the subconscious mind is very strong, and the subconscious mind itself cannot be analyzed: its work in meditation is stopped only by means of the highest concentration – Contemplation¹⁴.

The subconscious mind works a hundred or even a thousand times more intensely than the actual consciousness. Moreover, the layer of the subconscious mind is incomparably greater than the layer of actual consciousness. You may have heard the phrase «Ocean of Sansara» – it is our subconsciousness, which is extremely difficult to overcome. And even more so, you should never rush «into this maelstrom with your head», using «secret techniques» that allow you to «quickly enter the subconscious mind and fulfil all your desires» – it is very dangerous – I repeat: any desire or no desire in the subconscious mind is very strong. In the worst case, you may even go insane and hear voices from the Lower Astral convincing you that you have «achieved enlightenment». These days, unfortunately, there are more and more such examples, as I told you earlier.

In normal conditions, the role of a kind of filter is played by the actual consciousness. Let's say that in our subconscious mind, there is a desire to eat. If we didn't have an actual consciousness, we would immediately run to eat, no matter what. The subconscious mind is polar: it either wants to eat or it doesn't. The role of a filter or a kind of buffer, like «I'm not that hungry, so I can be a little bit patient» is performed by the actual consciousness. That is, the actual consciousness can cover itself with generally accepted fixed ideas, common sense, upbringing, etc., but the subconscious can't. Thus, we can say that the actual consciousness hides the subconscious.

In addition, one more important point. When it is said about consciousness, for example: «Extraneous thoughts have arisen and the consciousness has become restless», or «Through mindfulness and concentration in daily life we learn to control our consciousness», we are talking about surface consciousness. Of course, when we enter deep meditation, we get to experience deeper layers of consciousness, but it all starts with the surface consciousness that we use in our daily lives.

The subconscious mind works by receiving data about our past experiences from the superconscious mind.

Superconsciousness of the Causal World and the work of information

The superconsciousness is the deepest layer of our multi-layered consciousness. In everyday life, we cannot see the workings of our superconsciousness as we see and understand the workings of our actual consciousness. Unlike the subconscious mind, we cannot have an experience of the superconscious mind in a dream or ordinary meditation. We only reach superconsciousness in the deepest Samadhi, the Samadhi of the Formless World.

This is the consciousness that exists in the simplest form; it is responsible for selecting information. When we experience the Formless World, we find that the superconscious mind has no fixed ideas or desires – it simply reads the raw causal data that exists as transparent light.

The causal data is primarily the data of Discernment (Aggregate No.5). This deepest component of our false self is pure light that exists eternally. In Taoism, this light is called the Tao. In esoteric Buddhism, it is the light of Dharmakaya, or Alaya-vijnana – consciousness and formed experience in original form. In the teachings of yoga, it is Bráhman. This transparent light is the original empty data of the entire universe and our Five Aggregates.

If you concentrate on this light, you can see that it is made up of individual moving multi-coloured particles. Each grain of light is a unit of our past Formed experience, which is the data of Aggregate No.4. These particles of light are also called Samskaras.

If we can stop the work of the superconsciousness through concentration, then at the same moment these original data also stop their work – we achieve Emancipation and get the experience of Nirvana.

If our superconsciousness is active, it starts reading these initial data, i.e. it perceives and selects particles of our past experience (particles of light, data of Aggregate No.4) and information (transparent light, data of Aggregate No.5).

Then the superconsciousness sends this information to the subconsciousness, where based on this information «sent down from above» there is a distinction of all objects of the external and internal world perceived by us. Distinction is the function of Aggregate No.5; it is activated by our subconsciousness based on the data received from the superconsciousness. The distinction is dual thinking, the division of everything perceived into two poles: «good/bad», «like/dislike», and «pleasant/unpleasant».

If an object is pleasant, there is a desire to get this object. If the object is unpleasant, there is a reluctance to receive the experience of that object, or dislike towards it, discontent. Desires and reluctances, or, in other words, wills, intentions, and tendencies, are a function of Aggregate No.4 (Formed Experience).

Then from these desires and no desires, images arise, i.e. we imagine something: «This is how it will be, and this is not how I would like it to be». These are our Perceptions, Aggregate No.3.

Hence, figuratively speaking, our data (past experience and accumulated information) «live» in the Causal World, and «go to work» in the Astral World. Their work in the Astral World is discernment, will (intentions, or desires/no desires) and imagery, i.e. the functions of Aggregates No.5, 4, and 3, respectively. What moves the data, «drives them to work», is our moving multi-layered consciousness.

Soul

It should also be noted that Discernment, Will and Perceptions are our soul. In the Teachings of Yoga, the soul is designated by the term «Jiva» (Sanskrit: jīva – «individual soul»). Therefore, the Yogatattva Upanishad («The Essence of Yoga») says: «The Jiva, experiencing joy and suffering, is created by illusion, so its true essence is the Highest Atman».

In other words, there is the True «Self» (Atman) and there is the soul. Atman is at the source of the soul, that is, the soul is formed, created by the True «Self». Only the Atman has the prerogative of controlling, understanding and creating. Thus, the soul is an illusion artificially created by the Atman due to ignorance. To get rid of this illusion, we (Atman) must return to our original state of Nirvana. When in meditation the work of the soul completely ceases, we enter Samadhi and further, we realize Emancipation. I will speak about this in the third chapter.

Moving data into the World of Phenomena

Astral data, or subconscious data, or data of our soul, is called thought-forms, or thought-images. The work of consciousness at any level is a thought. This thought is discerned based on past data and there arises a desire or no desire to realize this arisen thought. Of course, an image corresponding to the desire and thought immediately arises – hence «thought-forms», or «thought-images».

Finally, the subconscious mind gives a command to the actual consciousness, and we begin to act to satisfy the desire that has arisen. We begin to think, using actual consciousness (the work of actual consciousness is also called «stream of mind»), to speak, our senses begin to work: we look, listen, smell, and so on.

The actions of the physical body and the work of the senses are carried out by energy, or Prana. Prana arises from the work of the soul, i.e. Discernment, Will, and Perception. In other words, astral thought-images, consisting of subtle substance, materialize in the gross world by means of energy. Energy, condensing, i.e. transforming from subtle to coarse, eventually forms material objects of the World of Phenomena, e.g. our physical body.

Movement of data from the World of Phenomena

The above-described process of data transfer works in the opposite direction as well. In the World of Phenomena our physical body acts, our sense organs work, and they come into contact with external objects – we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. The brain «collects a picture» of what we perceive, and with actual consciousness, we understand what exactly we perceive with the five senses. Further, this information passes into Perceptions – figurative associations arise. Then our past experience comes into play: «Oh, I've had this before» or «This is the first time I've seen it». Finally, Discernment forms a positive or negative attitude to the perceived object and gives the corresponding order. Then the process I described above takes place.

It should be noted here that these processes occur almost instantaneously, we are not aware of them at all, so it seems to us that «this is how it should be», that the ordinary perception of objects and phenomena appearing before us is «reality» – that objects and phenomena are real and have positive or negative properties, bringing us, respectively, joy or suffering. Moreover, it seems to us that we live by our own will, that we are free in our choices, that we do experience happiness and suffering.

Meanwhile, this process of perception and discernment exists solely because of the workings of our false «self», or the Five Aggregates. Therefore, in reality, what we believe to be our «self» and what we experience through this false «self» is an illusion. It is merely the interaction of the moving consciousness and past experience. From this perspective, the false «self» does not actually exist.

One is reminded here of a dialog between Master Kalu Rinpoche¹⁵ and psychologist Jack Kornfield, who asked the Master:

– Could you please tell me in a few sentences the very essence of Buddhist teachings?

– I could do that, but you wouldn't believe me, and it would take you many years to understand what I'm talking about, replied Kalu Rinpoche.

– Still, please explain.

Rinpoche's answer was very brief:

– You do not really exist.

Kalu Rinpoche also has another statement on this subject: «The whole world of phenomena is created by the mind. In what happens to us and around us there is no reality or permanence – everything is fleeting and changeable».

The description of the process of perception and discernment that I will give in the next chapter is a detailed answer to the question «Why do we suffer and what should be done about it?». Consequently, this process should be the focus of our meditation – when the process of perception and discernment is stopped, we will realize our true selves for the first time. First, however, we need to understand the process itself and its constituent parts.

Chapter 2
The Process of Perception and Discernment Leading to Suffering

Never was there a time
When I did not exist,
Nor you, nor all these kings;
Nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.

«Bhagavad-gita», 2.12.

Freedom, happiness, and lack of self-awareness

We often use the definitions of «freedom» and «happiness» in our daily lives. This is so because this is our true original state – the state of freedom and happiness in the true sense. However, everyday freedom and happiness are conditioned states: they are always determined by something, such as the amount of money one has, or one's social status, and so on.

When we attain Enlightenment, however, our state can be characterized in two points.

First, our ordinary consciousness ceases completely, with the result that all our past accumulated experiences and information (i.e., our karma) cease to influence or control us. If we want to use them, we can do so, but they do not affect us. In other words, the chain is broken: action – getting experience – formation of desires – new action – new experience. This is true, or perfect, freedom – freedom from all past experience and information. It is a state of perfect Tranquility: consciousness and, consequently, past experience are stopped.

Second, receiving new experiences and perceiving new information also does not affect us. Here, as in the first case, the consciousness also does not come into motion, as a result of which experience does not take root, is not fixed, does not form new desires or no desires, i.e. does not form the reasons for the next actions. This is the state of perfect Contemplation and absolute happiness because there are no more suffering and illusory joys that lead to suffering.

Thus, wherever we are, whatever world we are in, we always unconsciously strive for these two states, freedom and happiness, because they are our true original essence, they are us. In other words, paradoxical as it may sound, all living beings strive for Enlightenment and Emancipation, that is, freedom and happiness. However, because of ignorance¹⁶, they try to find these states externally, in external objects and phenomena, without seeing that these absolute states are inherent in them from the beginning, are their true nature, or True «Self». This is very similar to the situation when you are standing knee-deep in clean drinking water and are thirsty. Pay attention to your own experience and you will see that this is exactly the case.

For example, when we have gotten what we want, the object of our desire, which fully satisfies us, do we want something else at that very moment? No, because we are completely satisfied and our consciousness is stopped at that moment. This is freedom and happiness, the state of Nirvana. However, in an ordinary situation, it is achieved by possessing an object. Then this object ceases to exist or simply bores us, and we start searching for a new object. Consequently, consciousness guided by desires will endlessly move from desire A to desire B, from desire B to desire C, from desire C to desire D. And there will be no end to it. «Movement of consciousness» can be replaced by the phrase «worldly desires». Therefore, the state of Nirvana is the complete destruction of worldly desires. It is realized through the cessation of consciousness. Thus, freedom and happiness are the absence of any desires, or movements of consciousness. However, in everyday life, we attain this state solely through the possession of objects (external or internal), that is, our everyday state of freedom and happiness is conditioned – we are totally dependent on these objects.

The process of perception and discernment discussed below is what forms the life of all unenlightened living beings. This process of perception and discernment exists solely because of the workings of our false «self», or the Five Aggregates. We mistakenly think of this process as our own life, the only possible reality.

The process of perception and discernment

1. Movement towards objects

First of all, we all perform actions. If you sit down in a comfortable chair, close your eyes, and relax, you will be able to stop only the actions of your body and will not utter words, but you will not be able to stop the flow of thoughts in this way. We are in constant movement, at the expense of which we try to find and get what we think is right, necessary, and good, what we think, because of past experience and information, will make us free and happy. On the other hand, by our incessant actions, we try to distance, destroy, or in some way remove from our lives, what we think is bad, wrong, unnecessary, and negative. Our actions speak of our dissatisfaction: we don't have something, we are constantly lacking something, and we try to find it through endless actions of body, speech, and thought. But, what are we lacking, what are we looking for? We are looking for ourselves. All our actions are an attempt to find our True «Self», that is, the very freedom and happiness that is truly us.

However, because of the action of Avidya, or to put it simply, ignorance, we look for ourselves in objects external to us. What are «objects external to us»? It is generally believed that there is an external and an internal world of man.

External world

The external world includes all the objects and phenomena we encounter in our daily lives in the material world. We meet other people, listen to music, watch movies, eat and drink, observe and participate in a wide variety of events, and so on and so forth. In the external world, our physical body and external senses act in contact with objects and phenomena of the external world. The information received through the external senses is perceived by the surface consciousness.

Objects and phenomena of the external world are created by the work of both our consciousness and the work of consciousness of the people surrounding us.

The statement that everything is a manifestation of consciousness work often raises questions or disputes. So let me give a simple example to illustrate how the work of our consciousness manifests itself in the external world.

I practice martial arts. For practicing blows with hands and feet I use a heavy punching (boxing) bag, which hangs in my house. Do you have a punching bag at home? If so, this means that you and I have similar consciousness work. In other words, we have data (information and past experiences) that creates in us a striving, a movement of consciousness, or a desire to practice martial arts, which is why we have punching bags hanging in our homes. On the other hand, if you have no interest in martial arts, and no desire to train, then there will be nothing to manifest in the world around you in the form of objects (punching bags) and phenomena (trainings). Accordingly, there will be no punching bags, «pears» or makiwaras in your house.

Of course, the punching bag did not appear in my house in some miraculous way – it was made by people at the factory producing sporting goods. Thus, the punching bag hanging in my house is not only a manifestation of my desire to practice martial arts, but also a manifestation of the consciousness of the factory employees; the sporting goods store clerks, and other people, such as the delivery service. However, and this is the most important point, if I didn't have the desire to practice martial arts, then no matter how many punching bags were produced in the factory and sold in the stores, none of them would ever show up in my home.

Therefore, the external world is a manifestation of the work of our consciousness. The work of consciousness is determined by the previously accumulated data – information and experience, i.e. karma. Therefore, if we look in more detail, the objects and phenomena of the external world are our karma.

Inner World

Our inner world is also a manifestation of karma, or the data contained in our Five Aggregates. Bad karma is usually understood as something terrible, such as a car accident or serious illness, and merit is usually understood as something like winning a million dollars in the lottery. Of course, both the accident and the winnings are also manifestations of past karma. However, karma does not only manifest itself in the form of such exceptional events. For example, unpleasant thoughts or, on the contrary, pleasant memories are also manifestations of karma.

The manifestation of karma in the inner world is the work of Discernment, Formed Experience, and Perceptions.

The work of Discernment is, for example, the information that pops up in our minds that makes us think in a certain way, ideas and thoughts based on the information that we have previously received.

The work of Formed Experience, for example, is our desires and no desires based on past experiences that cause us to take certain actions to satisfy them.

The work of Perceptions is, for example, memories of pleasant or unpleasant moments in our past that arise in the form of images.

In other words, how and what a person thinks about, what judgments he makes, what memories pop up in his mind, what desires make a person act in one way or another – all this is the result of karma accumulated by this person in the past and past lives. A person lives in accordance with his karma.

So, the images, experiences, and information contained in our Aggregates 3–5 relate to our inner world. However, these subtle or formless objects are also external to us. That is, they are not originally us: the images, experiences, and information were simply received by us from the outside and accumulated in our false «self». Therefore, they are still objects external to us. Any object perceived by us is not us. This is evident from the very fact of its perception. However, being in the unawakened state of consciousness, we cannot exist without perception of external objects. That is why we perform endless actions with body, speech, and thought aimed at searching for more and more external objects in relation to us.

The root cause of this endless search and perception is Avidya, ignorance, or lack of self-awareness. The manifestation of Avidya is the movement of our consciousness. The workings of consciousness and the data received form our false «self», or Five Aggregates: in the false «self» the data of our actions, or karma, accumulates. What sets this data of the Five Aggregates in motion is our consciousness. What causes the consciousness to move is us, or the Atman in the state of Avidya.

2. Identification of self with the object

We perform endless activities. First, this is the work of consciousness. As a result, we encounter all kinds of objects every second, both in the external world and in our internal world. Our six senses are responsible for contact with objects. The physical five senses come into contact with external objects. The information received through them is perceived by the actual consciousness. The same actual consciousness perceives images, desires/no desires, and thoughts that come from the subconscious mind.

Next, our consciousness necessarily «clings» to the object. This can be called identification as we try to find ourselves in any object. «Finding ourselves» means that we immediately want to understand whether the object is beneficial to us or not, whether it is pleasant or not, and so on. Let's remember again that the True «Self» is freedom and happiness, that's why we are looking for something pleasant, and advantageous, bringing happiness, and so on, in all objects. That is why there is «clinging» or identification with any object.

Enlightenment is the opposite of dualistic thinking

There is one important clarification to be made here.

Enlightenment is not a deliberate refusal of perception, not a state of complete «nullification» when you forget everything and do not understand where you are and what is happening. The state of such «nullification» is Nonexistence, which I described in the previous chapter. That is why it is very unfortunate when this pitch darkness is equated to the state of Nirvana. All the more so because Enlightenment and Emancipation, i.e. the state of Nirvana, is not a renunciation of the true joy, freedom, and happiness inherent in us from the beginning. It is in the blessed moment of Enlightenment that these absolute states are awakened in us – this is the purpose of true spiritual practice.

We can say that the cessation of the work of consciousness at the moment of Enlightenment is the beginning of true perception. Having realized Enlightenment, we really stop; stop the appearance of illusory joy or suffering, which is caused solely by our ordinary perception and discernment of objects.

However, this cessation is not due to our will or anything like that, but to the seeing that the «clinging» and discernment of objects is meaningless because they are empty and not we. «Emptiness cannot harm emptiness; the qualityless cannot harm the qualityless», says the «Bardo Thödol». In other words, Enlightenment is not discernment based on some specific information known only to the enlightened, nor is it some special way of thinking or perceiving that is unknown to the ordinary person. The enlightened state is the absence of movement of consciousness and the absence of discernment.

In the unenlightened state, we endlessly discern empty objects based on empty information, because of which we experience the endless suffering of impermanence. However, in the moment of stopping consciousness, we do see this. Our state at that moment is precisely seeing, an awakened state, not logical reasoning or a conscious act of our will. This state is cognizable only experientially. When we experience this state, we return to the state of happiness, freedom, and joy in their true, original sense, because only in this state do we realize our true selves. In other words, this state is higher than all illusory joy or suffering because their appearance is stopped, but this state of self-awareness itself is the highest joy, freedom, and happiness because they are inherent in us from the beginning.

«There is only one reality. And you are it, although you are not aware of it. But when you awaken to that reality, you are no longer something, but you are everything and always. And that is everything» (Kalu Rinpoche).

So, when we come into contact with any object, we have two ways: seeing and not seeing.

In the first case, we are one with the object because our consciousness is stopped, so we are free from the influence of the object, that's why Kalu Rinpoche says «You are no longer something, you are everything and always».

In the second, we identify with the object, we seek ourselves in the object, and we «cling» to the object. In this case, following the usual process of dual thinking, we move to the distinction of the object.

3. Distinguishing objects

Therefore, we have come into contact with some external or internal object. Then our consciousness «grasped» this object. At the next stage, our past experience and previously accumulated information begin to work. They are activated by consciousness. We distinguish the object. Consequently, we have desires and no desires directed to this object. That is our past experience and information color all initially empty objects perceived by us in colors of joy or suffering.

This principle is wonderfully shown in the fairy tale «The Wizard of Emerald City». The main characters arrive in Emerald City to meet the wizard Goodwin. At the entrance to the Emerald City, the guardian tells them to wear special glasses: «Without glasses, you will be blinded by the splendor of the Emerald City. Even all the people of the city wear glasses day and night. These are the orders of the Wise Goodwin. The glasses are locked with a padlock so that no one can take them off». In the end, the Emerald City turned out to be an ordinary city built of simple stones, but the glasses created the illusion that the city was built of emeralds.

Without going into the details of the plot of the fairy tale, it is necessary to note the essential thing. The ordinary stones from which the Emerald City was built are ordinary stones; they are not «good» or «evil», «happiness» or «suffering». The glasses that the heroes put on are just glasses with green panes; they are also not «good» or «evil», «happiness» or «suffering». In other words, both stones and glasses are empty and have no positive or negative properties. However, by observing an ordinary stone city through ordinary green glasses, the characters got the «Emerald City». Similarly, we too, by discerning empty objects and phenomena in the external and internal world through the prism of accumulated data (karma), we get our illusory reality which we call life; we get our «Emerald City». Therefore, everything we experience is an illusion of our karma.

In our daily lives, we cannot see and understand the workings of our superconscious and subconscious mind. However, we are impacted every second, we encounter the result of their work, because the superconscious and subconscious are our «green glasses». To be quite precise, the frames for the glasses are our Five Aggregates, the glasses' panes are our multi-layered consciousness, and the paint on the initially transparent panes is our karma or accumulated data. The problem is that while leading an ordinary life we cannot remove these glasses, i.e. we cannot stop the work of the Five Aggregates and double consciousness. This happens because in our daily lives, we identify ourselves with both the Five Aggregates and dual thinking, and as a result, we are completely dependent on them.

Thus, in discriminating between objects, we come to two poles: «good» or «bad». Sometimes it seems that we are indifferent to an object, but this does not mean that in this case our Distinction is stopped. An indifferent attitude is a negative attitude. For example, if we do not like some person, then we will be indifferent to his fate.

Therefore, if as a result of discernment, we like an object, then there is a desire aimed at obtaining this object. If an object causes us negative emotions, then there is a desire to get rid of this object.

4. Desires directed toward an object

Ignorance, delusion, blind fascination

If an object is discerned by us as positive, delusion, or ignorance, arises. It should be clarified here that there are two kinds of ignorance – ignorance, which is the root cause of the whole process of perception and discernment, and ignorance, which arises from the discernment of objects and phenomena.

The first is Avidya, or Fundamental Ignorance, already mentioned earlier.

Before giving a precise definition of the term Avidya, it should be clarified that the Russian language shares a common grammatical basis with Sanskrit.

So, the Sanskrit word «Avidya» literally translates as «lack of knowledge», «ignorance», and «not knowing». «Not knowing» is «not to know», that is, not to know something. The root of the word «not knowing» is VED (In the Russian language), as in «to know». However, the word «Avidya» has a different root, VID, as in the word «see». It turns out that the exact meaning of the word «Avidya» is not «not knowing» but «non-seeing». Thus, the essence of ignorance in all its manifestations is a state in which we do not see something, and therefore, we can «not know» something – not to know or not to understand. But what is hidden from our sight? Avidya is the absence of self-awareness: we do not see, do not realize ourselves, and as a result of which we try to find ourselves in external to us empty objects and phenomena that are not our true essence. In other words, we mistakenly believe that our Five Aggregates are we and that all the external and internal objects we perceive and realize can bring us true happiness, freedom, and joy.

Because of dual thinking, or discernment, we have delusions about the object we perceive and discern. Thus arises the second kind of ignorance, which is denoted in Sanskrit and Pali by the term «Moha» – «delusion, ignorance, dullness, stupidity, foolishness and blind fascination». If the perceived object pleases us, we have delusion: we think we have found our real pleasure, happiness, or joy. The desire arises to simply continue to enjoy the object without seeing or wanting to see that any object – gross or subtle, external or internal, primitive or complex – is impermanent, nothing lasts forever.

There are four ways, or situations, in which we will suffer the impermanence of all objects and phenomena. Regardless of the object of our pleasure, we are bound to encounter one or more of them. A good example illustrating each of these four options is love attachment, the work of consciousness that underlies the Human World.

The first option is to change the object that brings us pleasure. A young man J falls in love with a girl N, enchanted by her beauty. As time passes, N's beauty fades, and her appearance changes greatly. J no longer sees in her the charm he was attracted to. His feelings for N fade.

Further, the consciousness of any person is impermanent. For example, N's character changes and their relationship with J first deteriorates and then ceases. Love attachment when the consciousness of either partner changes easily turns into hatred, because attachment, which is usually called love, and hatred are two sides of the same coin. In other words, if there is something that is liked or causes positive emotions, at the same time there is also something that is the opposite – something that is disliked and causes dislike. For example, the more we love the merits of our loved ones, the more we will hate their shortcomings (I will talk more about this principle below).

The second option is the disappearance of the object of pleasure. N can say to J, «I have fallen in love with someone else. Goodbye!» and walk away. Besides, any relationship, even the most beautiful one, is bound to end at the moment of death.

The third option is a change in the subject of pleasure. J becomes satiated with his beloved, and their relationship ends. The saturation may come after a year or two of living together. Of course, there can be people who love each other longer. However, some have to make incredible efforts to pretend that they still love each other. In other words, at first, J perceived the object of affection, that is, N, with admiration, and it seemed that she was becoming more and more beautiful, and everything around her seemed beautiful as well. Then the blazing fire of love gradually cooled down, and J began to notice one flaw after another in his beloved – such is the nature of the soul. Time after time, he discovered this flaw and that one, and at some point, there was no trace of love left. That is the very positive perception of the object for which J had originally felt sympathy and affection disappeared.

Why is everything impermanent? Because consciousness works. If consciousness is active, then the data that causes us to see objects and phenomena as suffering and joy are also active. At some point, we think we are happy – this is due solely to the action of certain data, or karma. However, consciousness continues to work. The data that creates illusions also moves and changes. So the next moment we no longer see joy but suffering, we see the object differently, based on other data. When the data about the object that makes us see it as joy or suffering is completely exhausted (emptied), we, accordingly, cease to receive joy or suffering from possessing or being in contact with this object at all.

The fourth option is the disappearance of the subject of pleasure. Similar to the second case, J leaves N or their relationship ends with the death of J.

In all these cases, we suffer from impermanence because of ignorance, that is, ignorance, lack of understanding, and lack of seeing the impermanence of everything: consciousness, relationships, any objects, and phenomena.

Hate, dissatisfaction, dislike

Further, if there is something that brings us, even if temporary, pleasures, there is necessarily at the same time something opposite to our pleasures – something that brings us suffering. In addition, the greater the pleasures, the greater the suffering. This is a very precise and rigid formula, operating impartially and without regard to our will, wherever there is a process of our perception and discernment. If there is a plus, there will necessarily be a minus; how much stronger is the plus, so much stronger is the minus-they are equivalent.

«When everyone in the Celestial Empire learns that the beautiful is beautiful, the ugly also appears. When everyone learns that the good is good, evil also arises. Therefore, being and non-being generate each other, difficult and easy create each other, long and short are mutually related, high and low are mutually determined, sounds merge into harmony, and the previous and the next follow each other. Therefore, the Perfectly Wise One, when doing deeds, prefers Non-action; when teaching, he does not resort to words; when causing things to change, [he] does not realize them himself; when creating, he does not possess [what is created]; when setting things in motion, he makes no effort to do so; when successfully completing [something], he is not proud. Since he is not proud, his merits cannot be discarded» (Lao Tzu, «Tao De Jing»).

If we dislike a perceived object and we experience unpleasant feelings when we come in contact with it, hatred arises in us. Hatred has many derivatives: it can be dislike, anger, rage, fury, and the like. Having a negative attitude toward an object, we try to get rid of it in some way. For example, if we dislike some person, we try to avoid contact with him. Of course, when we hate or dislike an object, we suffer physical or mental pain. Mental pain is stronger than physical pain: physical pain can be controlled at least for a while with painkillers, but mental pain can torment us even in our sleep. So, the negative distinction – hatred, dislike, discontent – is physical or mental pain.

Greed, attachment, cravings

If we have experienced something pleasurable, we want to experience it again. This is how greed (attachment, addiction) comes into being. If we get what we want, it either ends or we get bored and we start a new search. This is the action of our Formed experience. That is, past experience (karma) leads us to experience and, accordingly, to an accumulation of new experience (karma). Often we cannot get what we desire or we get the opposite of what we desire. In either case, we suffer from dissatisfaction.

In addition, there is bound to arise in us an unconscious fear of losing what is dear and pleasurable, a fear of not getting what we want, and a fear that something bad will happen – something opposite to our desires and expectations, something we do not want.

No pleasure lasts forever: any object that brings us pleasure changes and/or disappears, or our consciousness changes, we become satiated with the object, and it no longer satisfies us. As a result, we necessarily want more, i.e. we have to «increase the dose». Precisely because of the impermanence of any external and internal objects that we perceive and distinguish, as well as because of the impermanence of our consciousness, the satisfaction of worldly desires always turns into drug addiction – allegorically and sometimes, unfortunately, literally. We cease to be satisfied with the amount of money, the size of our dwelling, and the comfort and speed of our car, we become satiated with our sexual partner, wife, or husband, we endlessly demand something more from people around us; we want to eat even more delicious food, and so on. Worldly desires based on greed and attachment and suffering from dissatisfaction are exactly the same thing. Worldly desires cannot be satisfied: trying to satisfy one's desires is the same as alcoholism or drug addiction. Worldly desires are endless if one tries to satisfy them: the result is nothing but suffering. However, the amount of experience that gives rise to worldly desires is fixed, and if practiced spiritually, it can be stopped. In this sense, worldly desires have a limit.

The world around us is a manifestation of our dissatisfaction. When we fail to get what we want or lose what we used to enjoy, we have hatred along with the frustration of not being able to satisfy the desire. In addition, if we also «found someone to blame» for not being able to get what we want, then our anger and hatred will be just limitless. Moreover, the stronger was our desire, the stronger will be our hatred. That is, when we suffer from dissatisfaction or impermanence, we simultaneously suffer from pain caused by our negative attitude (hatred, or anger) towards the situation.

Therefore, movement – identification – discernment – hatred, ignorance, and greed – pain, impermanence, and dissatisfaction, respectively. All phenomena in our world necessarily fall under one of these categories of pain, impermanence, or dissatisfaction. As I said earlier, there is not a single phenomenon that does not initially correspond to or eventually turn into one of these three afflictions.

Here again, it should be noted that all of the above processes occur in our consciousness so quickly, and we are so much accustomed to them, that separately we simply do not notice them, do not see them, and think that «this is the way it should be», endlessly labeling «good» and «bad» initially empty objects and phenomena, endlessly blaming other people for our own suffering caused solely by our dual thinking.

Denoting the causes of suffering and the original state

In this chapter, we have briefly considered the causes that cause us to regard illusion as reality. This unenlightened, ordinary state of our consciousness can be explained in different ways, indicating seemingly different causes of our suffering. For example, hatred, ignorance, and greed are the suffering of pain, impermanence, and dissatisfaction. Or the cause of suffering is our worldly desires. Or the cause of our suffering is double-mindedness, the discernment that causes our desires and no desires to arise. Or the cause of our suffering is the workings of past experiences that make perceived objects seem pleasant or unpleasant to us. Or the cause of our suffering is the movement of consciousness and identification with objects. Or the cause of our suffering is a lack of self-awareness and an attempt to find ourselves in external objects and phenomena. However, all these causes are linked in the same process. In other words, these causes look and seem different, but in reality, they are the same process of perception and discernment, which simply involves different elements and has different stages.

Our original state is manifested when the action of the above causes ceases. Here, too, definitions arise that seem different at first glance. For example, Enlightenment and Emancipation are the cessation of hatred, ignorance and greed, or worldly desires. Or it is the cessation of double thinking. Or the stopping of past experiences. Or the return of consciousness to a state of Calmness and Contemplation. Or self-awareness. Here, as in the first case, the definitions seem to be different, but in reality, they all point to the same original state, which, as stated earlier, can be conventionally called Atman, or Nirvana: «When all obscurations are eliminated, the true nature of the mind, unrestricted by anything, is unhindered» (Kalu Rinpoche).

Chapter 3
Enlightenment and Emancipation

If we try to explain Enlightenment logically, we will always get entangled in a web of contradictions. No amount of verbal explanations will help us to see our own nature. The more you explain it, the further it eludes you.
You can talk about food all day long and still end up hungry. You can interpret philosophy of Shunyata¹⁷ for ten thousand years, but as long as you do not see your own nature, it is useless.
D.T. Suzuki.

In the previous chapters, we have discussed in general terms what we usually call our self, and talked about the structure of the universe and our multi-layered consciousness. The question may arise here: «Well, I generally understand this worldview, but what should I do to overcome my suffering and return to the original state of my consciousness?», and also: «What happens to a person when he starts spiritual practice? What path does he have to travel? What will he experience along the way?».

The keywords in answering these questions would be «Enlightenment» and «Emancipation». Unfortunately, nowadays Enlightenment and Emancipation are often either confused, synonymous, or very vaguely defined, making the purpose of the practice unclear.

The difference between Enlightenment and Emancipation

First, Enlightenment and Emancipation are not the same thing; these states should not be confused.

Second, Enlightenment and Emancipation are processes. Enlightenment is the process of returning our consciousness to the original state of Calmness and Contemplation. Emancipation is the process of transforming the heat energy of worldly desires and freeing ourselves from the false «self» through energy elevation.

The ultimate goal of any authentic spiritual practice is the realization of one's original state. This is the only unconditioned state in which all previous experience and information stored in our Five Aggregates has been terminated. We need to free ourselves from the Five Aggregates – body, senses, images, formed experience and information, and their functions: physical activity, sensations, perceptions, desires/no desires, and distinction. We need to do this in two ways: by using consciousness and by using energy. The way in which consciousness is used leads to Enlightenment. The way in which energy is used leads to Emancipation. Let me give you an example. We have a physical body. It is clear that it not only gives illusory pleasures but also brings suffering: illness, old age, and death. Suppose a person becomes seriously ill. If he has attained Enlightenment, even the worst pain in the body will not affect him – no suffering will arise in his consciousness. This is so because his consciousness and, consequently, his past experiences are stopped, so sensations are not divided into good and bad – they can only be strong, weak, or absent. Thus, suffering does not arise because consciousness is stilled by Enlightenment and past experience does not cause illusions of suffering or joy. If that person has attained Emancipation, he simply leaves his physical body due to the ascending energy, thus emancipating himself from suffering. In the same way, one has to get out of the control of all the Five Aggregates – by stopping the consciousness and raising the energy.

Let me give you another example. Greed leads to the suffering of dissatisfaction and causes us to be born in the six worlds of the Passion World, time after time.

Following the process of Enlightenment, the practitioner completely stops the workings of his consciousness. Then, in this state of perfect calm, he observes the objects of his grasping, as well as his past experiences that cause him to seek joy in those objects. At some point, the practitioner sees that all objects and all past experiences are empty and are not his true essence. Thus, greed falls apart and ceases to exist. Only past experience remains, but it no longer forms worldly desires because it is completely stopped. This process applies to any worldly desire or movement of the soul.

How does a spiritual practitioner get rid of greed in the process of Emancipation? First, greed arises from the blockage of energy in the Manipura chakra, the energy center located in the navel region. What blocks the energy is the past experience of satisfying desires originating from greed. Secondly, greed itself, like any worldly desire, is heat energy. In the process of Emancipation, we transform this heat energy into ascending spiritual energy. The ascending energy destroys the blockage in the Manipura-chakra and the consciousness, which moves with the energy, rises higher. At the same time, the energy of greed itself is completely sublimated. Thus, a state is reached in which greed cannot arise, even if the object of desire appears.

Thus, the processes of Enlightenment and Emancipation are directed in the same direction and have the same goal, but the means of achieving this goal are different.

The main points concerning Enlightenment and Emancipation:

1. Enlightenment and Emancipation are not one and the same thing; there is no need to confuse these concepts. The highest stage of spiritual practice realized, for example, by Shakyamuni Buddha, includes both Final Enlightenment and Final Emancipation. However, if we are talking about the initial levels of Enlightenment, it does not mean the realization of Emancipation at all.

2. Enlightenment is a process of consciousness. It is necessary to elaborate here. It is usually considered that spiritual practice and its ultimate goal – Enlightenment – is a process of perfection, development, or evolution of our consciousness (soul). At the initial stage, this is exactly so: we do change the data of our Five Aggregates, because of which they move to a higher state. However, Enlightenment is not a development, but a perfect transformation. For example, if we plant a sapling, after some years it will grow, or develop, into a tree. That is development. However, if we heat ice, it is transformed, transformed into water. That is, the basis of the substance (H₂O) will remain the same, while the aggregate state will become completely different. This is the transformation. Thus, Enlightenment is the process of transformation of our consciousness from the ordinary clouded state (which can be compared to ice) to the true original state of Calmness and Contemplation (like pure clear and completely calm water that reflects everything as it is without changing).

3. If only one thing is attained, Enlightenment or Emancipation, then such an attainment cannot be considered perfect.

4. Enlightenment is achieved first, then Emancipation. If the opposite happens, it is dangerous (more details in the next chapter).

5. The process of Emancipation includes the process of Enlightenment, so true Emancipation always includes Enlightenment.

6. Enlightenment and Emancipation have many levels, the realization of which occurs sequentially in the course of spiritual practice. The highest level of Enlightenment and Emancipation is the level reached by Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha.

Misconceptions about Enlightenment and Emancipation (beginning)¹⁸

The first of the misconceptions, unfortunately, present these days, is that intermediate stages of spiritual practice are mistaken for Enlightenment and Emancipation.

For example, someone sees a white light in meditation. This light seems to «envelope» the practitioner and a very pleasant, joyful feeling arises. If this person has studied the Teachings carefully, he will realize that this is the experience of the Heavenly World of Passion. It is indeed a very pleasant experience, it indicates that this person has merit and his meditative practice is moving in the right direction.

However, firstly, it is not Enlightenment and Emancipation (because it is only the Heaven of the material world), and secondly, this experience should never be taken up and satisfied. The fact is that any meditative experience, whether it is Heaven or any other world, is just a manifestation of the data accumulated in our Five Aggregates. As I have already explained, the data is activated by our multi-layered consciousness. Of course, it is wonderful if the practitioner sees Heaven and not, say, the World of Hungry Spirits. Nevertheless, to rejoice in astral pollution is a path of degradation; such experiences are milestones on the path, not the ultimate goal. If one rejoices and is caught up in everything that pops up in the mind during meditation, there is a danger of getting «stuck» on the level of the world that corresponds to this manifested, accumulated past information. Then a person begins to think that he has already become an Achiever, that he has already completed his practice. There are many such examples in our time.

In order not to find oneself in such a situation, one should study the teachings deeply, perform the preliminary practices accurately, and not get caught up in the experience gained in meditation, analyzing it from the point of view of the Dharma (and not based on one's own vague ideas or beliefs).

The second misconception about Enlightenment and Emancipation is that, due to ignorance or misunderstanding of the Teachings, they are ascribed to them as being mystical, mysterious, and, as a result, unattainable by the ordinary person. The first levels of Enlightenment can be reached by anyone who is seriously engaged in correct spiritual practice. However, it happens that a person, who has realized, for example, the first Enlightenment, tells other people about his experience. Nevertheless, in response, they say: «Why do you think you are a Buddha? The Enlightened One is only a Buddha». In other words, they deny the fact that Enlightenment and Emancipation have many levels. In this way, a person gets a false idea that Enlightenment is something «distant and cosmic», something that «only a Buddha can realize», and, as a consequence, completely unattainable by ordinary mortals. As a result, people, if they do some spiritual practice, it is more for self-comfort, saying: «For me, Enlightenment is unattainable, and Emancipation is a „dark forest”. The last Arhats lived 700 years ago». As in the first case, this too is a bleak picture. Meanwhile, Enlightenment and Emancipation are our original, natural state. To illustrate this, let me quote Bodhidharma, the 28th patriarch of Buddhism:

«From time immemorial, every movement, every action at every moment and place is your original consciousness, is your original Buddha nature. Consciousness itself is Buddha. That's it. Apart from this consciousness, there is no other Buddha anywhere. Separate from this consciousness there is nowhere to look for Buddha, Nirvana, and Bodhi¹⁹. Our own nature is absolutely true. It has neither cause nor effect. Our consciousness is the Buddha. Our consciousness is the full, clear, calm shining. Therefore, to say that outside of consciousness there is Buddha and Bodhi to attain is a mistake».

In my opinion, such misconceptions are disrespectful to the great Gurus of the past, starting with Shakyamuni Buddha, who, having realized Enlightenment and Emancipation, has transmitted this Teaching to us in every detail, and we don't even have an accurate understanding of it (or just don't want to?).

The process of Enlightenment and ways of practice
(Illustration № 3, «All kinds of spiritual practice»)

Faith and Devotion²⁰

Faith means belief in the past Gurus and their Teachings, the True Dharma. Devotion is the deep study, contemplation and practice of the Teachings. To put it briefly, faith is the orientation of the mind. In other words, faith and devotion direct our consciousness towards the object of faith and devotion.

Master Kalu Rinpoche says this about devotion (taking Refuge):

«Taking Refuge does not carry any dangers or restrictions, either external or internal. It does not constrain us in our daily activities. It is essentially about developing trust in the source of compassion and blessing. Moreover, it is also not true that one who has taken refuge is not allowed access to other spiritual traditions. There are many spiritual teachings in this world. The Buddha said that all traditions should be seen as the activity of the enlightened state of mind, which expresses itself differently according to the different needs of beings» (From the book «On the Nature of Mind»).

However, what is this object of faith and devotion in reality? The great Gurus of the past, such as Shakyamuni Buddha, for example, fully comprehended their True «Self» and realized the state of perfect Nirvana. Therefore, by practicing faith and devotion to the Gurus of the past and their Teachings, we are guided to our true original state of absolute freedom and happiness. Thus, it is not a belief in some separate personality called «God» or «Buddha», but a direction of consciousness to the essence of these souls – the True «Self». In other words, it is faith in one's inner Teacher (Guru), and in reality the true self, that is the Atman.

Engaging in the practice of devotion alone and attaining perfection in it, makes it possible to attain the ultimate goal of Enlightenment and Emancipation. However, can an ordinary soul realize the profound meaning of «devotion»? It is practically impossible. And since it is, devotion is realised in a more detailed form – through spiritual practice based on the True Dharma.

Study of the Teachings

The Absolute Truth is our true essence or Atman. Everything else is data that is not us or Atman. However, among this data, there is information that points to the Atman, and there is information that completely blocks any vision and understanding.

The first kind of information can be labeled as «Dharma, Law, Doctrine, or Truth». For example, it is the information that everything is impermanent and death is inevitable. That our lives are entirely determined solely by our karma contained in the Five Aggregates. Finally, it is information that the Five Aggregates themselves are not us, and if you stop the work of consciousness, it becomes possible to see this.

The second type of information is the information that forms our worldly desires, first of all – hatred, ignorance, and greed. Worldly desires keep us in the gross material World of Passion and bring suffering.

The question that completely determines the vector of our life is what kind of information prevails in us. If we choose the wrong approach and absorb information that reinforces passions and egoism, our lives will deteriorate because we will get on the path of degeneration and degradation of our consciousness. The fact is that the objects and phenomena we see around us are the same for everyone. For example, our physical body, events taking place, or the planet Earth – all these things are seen in the same way, in other words, we all see the same things. Only the methods of analyzing and distinguishing what is perceived differ, and if they are different, our actions and, accordingly, their results will be different. And the analysis and distinction of objects and phenomena are carried out solely based on information and experience that we have accumulated so far.

Information from the outside world

In addition, what kind of information do we receive every day from the media, the internet, or when talking to friends? What states of consciousness does it form?

Firstly, hatred for everyone and everything that we don't like and, as we think, brings suffering. We will endlessly blame anyone but ourselves for our problems and troubles: because of the vast amount of information about worldly desires, we are unable to see that the cause of all our suffering is the effect of past experience or karma. That is, in reality, «it is not things that torment us, but our perception of them»²¹. Hatred makes us rejoice when those we dislike suffer, or when we succeed in destroying what we dislike. This kind of consciousness work arises from the distinction between self and others: «The most important thing is myself, I don't care about the others!». Distinction of self and others arises because of complete identification with the Five Aggregates and, first of all, with the physical body. Such work of consciousness forms a state of Hell around us, and in the next life, because of fixation on our own hatred, we are really reborn in Hell.

Secondly, if there is identification and love for one's false «self», this love requires satisfaction: we endlessly search for what we try to call «happiness» or «joy». However, it all turns out to be just an ignorant search for illusory momentary and usually primitive pleasures, which likens us to animals and leads us to the animal world in the next life.

Thirdly, we are endlessly caught up in material things and delight in our own greed, becoming selfish hungry spirits who do not know how to satisfy our desires. It is a constant feeling of desperate need and lack. In this state, we are not interested in anything but personal gain.

Fourthly, everyday worldly information forms in us a blind attachment called «love», which consists in perceiving the beloved person as one's own property, even when doing relative good in the series, «I am taking care of you!». There is anxiety and fear in the mind, thinking that there is always the possibility of losing the object of one's affection. Therefore, there is a desire to constantly control him, as well as endlessly jealous and demand for reciprocity. Attachment dominates in the Human World.

Fifth, striving to surpass others in anything, without much choice of means, and envy of those who have achieved more. Of the positive aspects of the work of the Asuras' consciousness, which corresponds to this fifth point, we can single out the aspiration for self-improvement. However, it too is mixed with the desire for superiority, envy, and ill-will. A typical example is science, which in the present World of Men is clearly of the asuristic type. For example, immediately after scientific data on the possibility of uranium fission chain reaction accompanied by the release of huge amounts of energy were obtained in 1939, the development of nuclear weapons began. However, the first nuclear power plant, where nuclear energy is used for peaceful purposes and for the benefit of people, appeared only in 1954 after nuclear weapons were used and many people died because of their use.

Sixth. The highest state of consciousness that everyday worldly information can form in us is the state of devas. It is usually expressed in complacency and willful ignorance. So why do I say it is a high state? Because it has no base passions, but rather a desire to take pleasure in sublime and refined things, such as art, music, and poetry. Spiritual practice can also be included in this list, although it is better to say «pseudo-spiritual» or «near-spiritual». A person who possesses deva consciousness will practice only to feel physical and mental satisfaction. Of course, he will not perform «rituals to attract good fortune» or «cast spoils» on his enemies – this is the domain of lower spirits, the devas are above this. However, spiritual practice at the level of ordinary devas completely lacks the essence of true spiritual practice – Enlightenment and Emancipation. Of course, it is good to stay in the satisfied and relatively calm state of Devas in this life, and in the next to reincarnate in Heaven, but it must be understood that this state does not exceed impermanence and suffering because the World of Devas is in Sansara. In addition, the information of even the low level of Heaven in our modern world is negligible compared to the information of the lower worlds.

The prevailing information is that of hatred, animal ignorance, total preoccupation with material things, blind attachment, envy, and complacency. Society does not even lay down such data but literally pushes them into the consciousness of a human being from early childhood until his death. For example, does any media report that hatred, ignorance, and greed are actually the three sufferings? Do any bloggers write that the body, feelings, images, experiences, and information are not really we? Maybe popular songs or feature films talk about the need for spiritual practice?

Dharma has the opposite vector

It is Dharma (Teaching) that can oppose worldly information. True Dharma is always opposite to worldly desires. True Dharma is information that forms a way of thinking that helps us realize our true nature by stopping and destroying worldly desires. In other words, it is high-level information that explains to us how to stop the workings of dual consciousness in order to see true reality.

Let's say you are sick. Would you be able to diagnose yourself accurately and prescribe the right treatment if you have absolutely no knowledge of medicine? Of course not. Therefore, you will need an experienced doctor or at least information about medicine, preferably reliable. Of course, there is always the risk of being seen by a quack with a bought medical degree.

Similarly, in the case of spiritual practice, you can meet with True Dharma, or you can meet with another city lunatic preaching about «entering the astral, connecting to the flows of universal energy and contact with astral entities». This is determined by common sense, critical thinking, and the ability to see the facts. These qualities, in turn, are determined by clarity of consciousness. The state of consciousness depends on the ratio between bad karma and merit. This is why the sutras say that one's encounter with the right teaching is determined by one's merit.

True Dharma is the highest-grade information from the causal data. Our reincarnation and our lives are not determined by what we choose from the causal data, but by what part of the causal information we live. In other words, our lives and our tendencies are determined by what part of information from causal data we use. In addition, in turn, we can only use the data that dominates our Causal World, or Aggregate No.5. Thus, the most important factor is what we direct our consciousness to, and what information we fix our memory on – it is this information that will dominate and determine our actions. This is where the correct study of the Dharma, or Teachings, which is the foundation of all spiritual practice, comes into play.

The relationship of Dharma study to meditation

Through the study of the Teachings, we change the raw data of worldly desires into data about spiritual practice.

For example, you spend the whole day «hanging out» on the Internet: watching, listening, and reading everything. Your consciousness becomes clouded, although you may not accumulate any outright bad karma. However, the question is: what data is there coming into your Aggregates 3–5? Moreover, in what state will your consciousness be under the influence of this data? As a result, you will not be able to meditate properly. You will lack concentration. It's like trying to fall asleep, turning on loud music, and drinking something energizing.

Conversely, Correctly Fixing the Memory on the True Dharma creates the foundation for meditation, because we begin to correctly see both the outside world and our own impurities in actions, words spoken, and the workings of our minds. In addition, we constantly remember the right actions of body, speech, and thoughts, repeat and analyze the learned teachings, thus fixing and holding our wandering consciousness and training it to be present in the present moment. This leads us to awareness and concentration, which I will discuss below.

In meditation, only the data that we have accumulated will manifest. Therefore, it is very important what exactly we experience after we sit down to meditate. Then, when the data manifests, we stop it completely through concentration and Contemplation. But what happens if we don't change the original data and master Calmness and Contemplation from the beginning? For example, why has meditation become very fashionable and the world is getting worse? The point is that if one does not change the initial data with the above practices, they will remain at the level of the lower worlds, full of worldly desires and, consequently, suffering. And if the internal data is low level, and there is no ability to stop the effect of these outward data, then no matter how much you meditate, it will not get better. Nevertheless, ordinary people, trying to «be in the trend», sit and say: «I meditate». However, there is no point in sitting in your pants. There is only meaning when we persistently change the data of our Five Aggregates, controlling the actions of the body, speech and thoughts based on the True Dharma fixed in memory.

Right View

The most important aspect of Dharma's study is the difference between simple memory and memory fixation. For example, do you remember the content of a school program? Unless you are a school teacher, it is unlikely. This means that you cannot use the knowledge you have learned in school now, and therefore it is useless to you because it is not fixed in your memory and you do not apply this knowledge or confirm it through experience.

Further, suppose you read sutras or teachings for an average of thirty minutes a day and are satisfied with this. However, everything will be determined by what information you receive for the remaining twenty-three hours and thirty minutes. Assuming that during this time you absorb the information of hatred, animal ignorance, total entrapment in material things, blind attachment, envy, self-righteousness, and pseudo-spirituality (and there is simply no other information in modern daily life) and commit bad actions of body, speech, and mind, you will naturally take the path that leads to the lower worlds.

So, it is necessary to repeatedly fix in your memory the Teaching: «The Five Aggregates are this and that; the six worlds of the World of Passions are this and that; the Law of Karma is this and that; correct meditation is performed in this way; the preliminary practices leading to correct meditation consist in this and that», etc. Fixing the memory on the Teachings implies that we reread the text we need several times, then read it thoughtfully again, and then analyze and practice it consistently. By repeatedly doing this practice, the Teaching becomes inherent in us as the Right View of all objects and phenomena. A view based on the Teaching (the Dharma or Truth spoken by all the Great Gurus, including Shakyamuni Buddha) and not on our own delusions, worldly desires and fixed ideas. Thus, there is a substitution of data in our Five Aggregates, as I mentioned earlier. Next, the Right View will completely determine the principles of our behavior.

Of course, there is a downside: even perfect knowledge of the Dharma does not mean Enlightenment. Seeing and realizing all objects and phenomena based on Dharma is the Right View. Distinguishing objects and phenomena based on worldly information is hatred, ignorance, and greed, i.e., pain, impermanence, and dissatisfaction. Distinguishing objects and phenomena based on some «cosmic knowledge available only to the initiated» is pseudo-knowledge, leading to complacency and willful ignorance. In other words, Enlightenment is not the discernment of objects based on any information, but the complete stopping of dual consciousness and all information. However, there is no such thing as instant Enlightenment²²! It is preceded by serious spiritual practice, the basis of which is fixing the memory on the Teachings and practicing what is fixed.

Therefore, the study of Dharma forms the Right View. The right View is the foundation of all spiritual practice.

More specifically in the context of Enlightenment, the following example can be given. If, without possessing the Teaching and the Right View, one tries to immerse oneself in meditation, it will not be meditation, but prostration. That is, people who do not possess the Right View sit cross-legged and say: «I am meditating» or «I am observing my inner world». The question arises here: what will such a person reflect on, what and how will he observe, not possessing the Right View? The whole point is that this «contemplation» or this very «observation» is something to be practiced and realized only based on the Right View. Just sitting in the Lotus posture will not realize Enlightenment – no matter how much you stay in prostration, no one will benefit from it. We benefit when having understood the essence of the Teachings and having thus equipped ourselves with the Right View, we change our actions, speech, and work of consciousness in accordance with what we have learned. It is in this case that we begin to see and understand what suffering is, how and why it arises, and, most importantly, what efforts we need to make in order to surpass suffering: what practices we need to engage in. If we read texts containing authentic Teachings and memorize them in order to acquire the Right View, then no matter what suffering arises, we will be able to make sense of any phenomena.

It should further be noted that the Dharma fixed in our memory is not the object of our attachment, but our equipment, or the tool with which we progress toward self-realization. However, when we arrive, for example, by automobile at the end point of our journey, we get out of the car, not stay in it. As stated in the Zen textbook known as the «Hekiganshu», «Words are only the chariot carrying the Truth. Truth is beyond description, but it is words that manifest Truth. Let us forget about words when we reach the Truth itself. This will happen only when we see through experience what the words point to».

Here we come to an important point. The faith I mentioned above can be divided into two types: the first is the faith that is accompanied by the maturity of the soul; the second is, we can say, blind faith. Faith that is accompanied by the maturity of the soul is a type of faith that is generated by a soul that is capable of understanding phenomena. In addition, blind faith is the kind of faith held by a soul without maturity, which has been told, «Do this» – and has accepted that one should do so. Hence, if we talk about what is necessary for the foundation of faith, it is two things – the right study of the Dharma and the Right View. If we can acquire this very Right View, if we can master it, then we can say that we have acquired the right faith. And right faith will turn into the right realization, that is, into the right devotion.

Thus, unlike the ordinary person who is seized by vague talk, and vague, undefined thinking based on worldly desires, the spiritual practitioner clarifies, and brings things to clarity one by one. «This I have cognized. This I have not yet learned, but it has been learned by those who have entered the path of practice before me. This is what is stated in such and such scriptures, but it is at variance with the spiritual experience of those who have entered the path before me, and is therefore distorted through numerous translations and commentaries by those who lack true spiritual experience». And having strengthened his faith, this person makes an effort to practice, by which his thinking about things becomes deeper and he begins to see clearly that this World of Passion consists of the three sufferings.

Therefore, to enter the process of Enlightenment, one needs serious preliminary practice, the central part of which is the study of the Dharma and the Right View. Having made the Teachings his equipment, and having established a solid foundation, the spiritual practitioner goes further – now he sees and understands what efforts he must make to attain Enlightenment, and what practices he must engage in.

Right Thinking – the true intention in accordance with the Dharma

When we become established in the Right View, we will have the Right Thinking. Right Thinking, without going into details, means two things.

The first is thinking based on the Teachings.

The second is an intention in accordance with the Teachings, which is the desire, aspiration, or determination to realize Enlightenment and Emancipation.

Here the question arises: what is the difference between the desire for Emancipation and other desires?

The True «Self» is like a mirror reflecting everything as it is. The Atman, or True «Self», originally possesses consciousness, will, and perceptions. Emancipation is when all of the above are stopped and do not come into motion.

Thus, our consciousness can be divided into four layers: actual consciousness, subconsciousness, superconsciousness, and the consciousness of the True «Self». In yogic terms, this will sound like the consciousness of the physical plane, the consciousness of the astral plane, the consciousness of the causal plane, and the consciousness of the Atman. When all levels of consciousness are completely stopped, and hence the Aggregates and the data contained within them are stopped, we realize the self or return to our original state of Nirvana. In other words, experience is not some part of the True «Self». The True «Self» has no experience – it exists at a distance from experience. However, if, because of Avidya, consciousness comes into motion, the Formed Experience is also activated, and we, i.e. the Atman, begin to associate ourselves with the Formed Experience.

Hence, while in the state of Avidya, we are not conscious of ourselves; moreover, we consider our Five Aggregates and the data contained in them as our true self. But the essence of the Atman is perfect freedom and absolute happiness, so naturally, the will of the Atman is to return and always remain in this original experience-independent state.

The problem is that our true will, or the will of the Atman – to return and always remain in the original independent state – is refracted, and distorted when projected through the Causal and Astral Worlds into the World of Phenomena. It is exactly like how a beam of initially pure transparent light is projected onto a screen, but in the process is refracted, scattered, and colored as it passes through three differently colored, dirty, and crooked lenses. These three lenses are our Distinction, Formed Experience, and Perception, and the dirt and multi-coloured paint on these lenses are the data we have accumulated. As a result, we (Atman), initially desiring to return to our true state of freedom and happiness, begin to search for these states externally – in objects and phenomena external to us. This search, conditioned by Fundamental Ignorance, or Avidya, forms our false «self» and the illusions of suffering and joy, which we believe to be the only reality.

Therefore, the desire for Emancipation is the true will of the True «Self», or our inner Guru, and the other desires are hatred, ignorance and greed formed by our past experiences which have nothing to do with us, i.e. the True «Self», and which only plunge us into the world of illusion.

However, as stated above, being in the ordinary clouded state, we are unable to understand the true intention, or will, of the Atman, i.e., our inner Guru. Nevertheless, there are Gurus who, by seeing their true nature, have realized the original will of the Atman. If we study the Teachings left by these Achievers, we first form the Right View and then the intention, or right tendency in our minds, to realize Enlightenment and Emancipation. This intention, which has arisen in us through the study of the True Dharma, is completely identical with the true intention of the Atman. If there is no such intention, true spiritual practice is impossible.

The Six Perfections (Six Paramitas) – the path to Enlightenment and Emancipation

The Six Paramitas are six types of consistent and persistent practice: Offerings, Keeping the Precepts, Patience, Perseverance Effort, Meditation, and Wisdom. The Six Paramitas are the foundation of our spiritual practice in today's world.

The Six Paramitas are described in detail in my book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of a Spiritual Practitioner». In this essay, I will only discuss the highlights of this practice.

The Six Paramitas is a kind of «set of six exercises» that we should do on a daily basis.

First, we should try to accumulate merit through virtuous deeds, offerings, and selfless service. This is the Paramita of Offerings.

Second, we should try to observe the Ten Precepts so that we do not accumulate bad karma and not waste but accumulate even more merit. This is the Paramita of Keeping the Precepts.

Thirdly, when engaged in spiritual practice, we will inevitably encounter difficulties, in which case we need to practice Patience. This is the Paramita of Patience.

Fourth, we need to make persistent efforts to study, contemplate, and practice the True Dharma. This is the Paramita of Persistent Effort.

Fifth, we should practice meditation daily. This is the Paramita of Meditation.

Sixth, we need to analyze the world around us and the manifestations of our own consciousness not based on fixed ideas and worldly desires, but based on the True Dharma. This will increase the maturity of our soul and will be the practice of Wisdom for us in the first stage. This is the Paramita of Wisdom.

However, the sequence of practice is that we cannot correctly and one hundred percent perform a difficult exercise without mastering the previous, simpler exercise that forms the basis for performing the difficult one. This is where the deep meaning of the word «Paramita» comes into the picture. In Pali and Sanskrit, «Paramita» means «perfection». From this point of view, the previous practice, when we have attained perfection in it, becomes the foundation for the subsequent one. In other words, we need to achieve perfection in Offerings, Keeping the Precepts, Patience, Perseverance Effort, Meditation, and Wisdom. By attaining perfection in each of these six practices, we will realize personal Enlightenment and Emancipation, even while remaining laypeople in our time polluted by worldly desires.

The basics of the Six Paramitas are the previously described devotion, fixing the memory on the True Dharma, contemplating, memorizing the Teachings, and forming the Right View.

I. Perfection of Offerings
(Sanskrit and Pali: Dāna Paramita)

Everything that we experience, and live through in everyday life and in the process of spiritual practice is a manifestation of the data that we have accumulated, formed by our past actions. The question is what this data is; because of what actions it was formed.

Let's imagine that we started practicing four-hour meditation every day. Someone will feel discomfort, suffering, or dissatisfaction from his practice after three days. Some will feel suffering on the first day, after an hour of practice. And someone will enjoy the practice. Why does it happen like this? Because each person has his own karma and it is the karma accumulated in the past that determines the state of each person. Merit is the data of the higher worlds. Meditation is what should lead us to the high worlds. However, if we have no merit, we will not experience the state corresponding to the high worlds in meditation. Moreover, if we have accumulated a lot of information and experience of the lower worlds, i.e. negative karma, then our meditative state will be unpleasant, «cloudy»: we will just sit on the floor, and our thoughts will dart back and forth, as a result, we will most likely just give up practicing.

What is the progression in practice? For example, there is a state of Joy from the rise of awakened Kundalini energy. If we have entered this state of Joy, we can say that our practice has advanced. To what world does this state of Joy correspond? Joy is the state of the devas (gods). However, if we do not have the data of the World of Devas, i.e. great spiritual merits, then we cannot experience the state of the World of Devas, no matter how many yogic pranayamas and mudras we do. It is very similar to the situation when a person comes to an expensive store without money.

Therefore, it is necessary that merit should prevail in us, that there should be incomparably more data of high worlds in us than negative karma. This is especially important if we have to live and practice in this polluted world. Therefore, the Paramita of Offerings comes first.

To accumulate merit, there is selfless service and three kinds of offering: material offering, tranquility offering, and Dharma offering (explanation). These practices are described in detail in the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner» in Volume III, Chapter 1.

Through the practice of offering and selfless service, we accumulate good karma and spiritual merit, «mute» hatred, ignorance and greed, accumulate the karma of worlds superior to the World of Humans, and take the first steps toward Calmness and Contemplation.

II. Perfection of Keeping the Precepts
(Sanskrit: Sheela Paramita; Pali: Sila Paramita) (Illustration № 4, «Ten Precepts»)

There are three kinds of precepts: precepts for the body, precepts for speech, and precepts for consciousness (mind, or thoughts). There are three precepts for the body, four precepts for speech, and three precepts for the mind, for a total of ten precepts.

There are several key aspects to the practice of the precepts.

First, all the precepts are designed to prevent us from accumulating bad karma. As a consequence, we sever our connection to this or that world from the World of Passion. For example, if we not killing (even insects), we do not accumulate the karma of Hell, which means that we will not be reincarnated in the next life in Hell, i.e. we cut off the connection with this world.

Second, each precept promotes deliverance from one or another worldly desire, or low movement, state of mind. Of course, the word «deliverance» is not very appropriate here. For example, it is impossible to completely stop hatred in the mind just by keeping the precept «do not kill». If it were possible, then there would be no need for long meditative practice, entering Samadhi and Emancipation – we could reach our original state of consciousness just by observing the precepts. However, this, unfortunately, is not possible. However, the precepts do their, very important, preliminary part of the work of «cleaning up» in our consciousness, and more specifically in the Five Aggregates. Let's go back to the example of the precept «Don't kill». If we really observe it completely, our consciousness will turn to hatred and its derivatives less and less often. As a consequence, our hatred will be «muted»: we will become less aggressive and irritable, and our consciousness will become calmer. Further, by entering Samadhi, we will completely stop the information and past experiences that form our hatred. However, the first mandatory step towards stopping hatred will be the precept «Don't kill».

Third, each of the precepts has a passive (i.e., prohibiting us from doing something) and an active (i.e., recommending us to do something) part. For example, in the precept «Don't steal», the prohibitive part is not to take or covet someone else's goods, and the recommendatory, or active, part is to donate. Thanks to the forbidding part, we «mute» this or that worldly desire, and thus we are guided to Calmness. Through the recommendatory part, we accumulate merit, which increases our inner light and ability for Contemplation.

Fourthly, the precepts have a serious energetic meaning and are connected with the process of Emancipation. The fact is that when we break a precept, we experience short-term joy from the loss of energy from the corresponding chakra. In this case, the energetic path of Emancipation will be closed for us. On the other hand, if we observe the precepts, we conserve energy, stop its leakage, and raise it upward, following the process of Emancipation.

Fifth, the three types of precepts directly affect the three worlds: the World of Phenomena, the Astral World, and the Causal World. As we remember, each of the worlds in us corresponds to certain Aggregates and levels of consciousness.

Precepts for the body influence the World of Phenomena (World of Passion): if we observe these precepts, the conditions around us become better; our life in this material world also becomes better. Moreover, vice versa, if we do not observe these precepts, then the quality of our life deteriorates, all kinds of diseases can arise and so on.

Precepts for speech affect our Astral World (World of Forms): if we follow these precepts, our images and subconsciousness become lighter, for example, it becomes easier for us to imagine and fulfil what we have planned. Conversely, if we ignore the precepts for speech, our Astral World darkens and further, in the worst case, we will stop seeing dreams, as we will lose consciousness during the transition from actual consciousness to subconsciousness due to a large amount of unnecessary low-level information that we have accumulated by not following the precepts for speech.

In addition, there is an interesting aspect concerning the precepts for speech. Since the material world is a projection, or manifestation, of the Astral World, the observance of the precepts for speech affects our appearance. That is, if, for example, in past lives, we kept the precepts for speech, our speech was pure and beautiful, like that of the gods, then in this life, we acquire a beautiful body and attractive appearance. Moreover, vice versa, if we speak evil words a lot, our appearance gradually deteriorates, because the polluted information from the Astral World is projected onto our World of Phenomena, which, first of all, affects our appearance, and our physical body.

The precepts for consciousness, or thoughts, affect our Causal World (Formless World). If we observe these precepts, our thinking becomes clear, we will be able to see and understand the outer and inner world better. Otherwise, we will not be able to think clearly and perceive the incoming information correctly. In addition, our meditation practice will not progress because meditation and consciousness are inextricably linked. In other words, if we have many thoughts based on hatred, ignorance, and greed, if our consciousness wanders chaotically from one desire to another, then naturally we will fail in our meditation practice.

Sixth, through strict observance of the precepts, we can first control our actual consciousness, then later in meditation our subconscious and superconscious minds. Practitioners who carefully observe the precepts are also able to endure the rigors of meditation practice because they can control their actual consciousness. Those who are weak in observing the precepts are equally weak in practicing meditation. Those who cannot keep the precepts cannot meditate.

One hundred percent observance of the Ten Precepts allows one to detach the consciousness from the World of Passion and experience the World of Forms, i.e., entering Samadhi. Of course, it should be remembered that to enter Samadhi, in addition to strict observance of the precepts, one needs serious technical practice to raise energy.

The ten precepts are as follows.

The precepts for the body are:

1. Don't kill.

2. Don't steal.

3. Don't commit adultery.

Precepts for speech:

4. Don't lie.

5. Don't talk idle.

6. Don't speak evil (not profanity).

7. Don't slander.

Precepts for the mind (thoughts):

8. Don't have hatred.

9. Don't have ignorance.

10. Don't have greed or attachment.

There are some additional precepts. For example, precepts concerning food or sleeping time.

All the precepts, including the additional ones, as well as the interpretation and correlation of precept practices in Buddhism, Yoga, and Taoism, are described in detail in the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experience and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner» in Volume III, Chapter 1.

III. Perfection of Patience
(Sanskrit: Kshanti Paramita; Pali: Kanti Paramita)

1. Emptying of past negative karma

Everything we experience moment by moment in our outer world and our inner world is a manifestation of the karma we have accumulated in our past and past lives. If we perceive the sensations that arise as positive, then it is a manifestation of our past virtues or merits. If, on the other hand, we discern the sensations as negative and suffer from them, it is a manifestation of the negative karma we have accumulated in the past.

In order to arrive at happiness in daily life and then realize Enlightenment and Emancipation, it is necessary to accumulate great merit and eradicate negative karma. However, no matter how much merit we accumulate, our past bad karma will not disappear – it must be washed away, or emptied.

Further, the results of spiritual practice will manifest themselves in the future, which is a projection of the present. Well, what is the projection of the present? It is a projection of our past words, actions, and thoughts, i.e. the work of consciousness. For example, if in the past we accumulated neither bad nor good deeds, then in the present we experience neither joy nor sorrow. In addition, if we have done only bad deeds in the past, we experience only suffering and pain in the present. Some people suffer while practicing spirituality because they do not take this temporary difference into account. In other words, it is impossible to become happy and move toward Enlightenment and Emancipation without largely emptying past negative karma that manifests in the present in the form of suffering or hardship.

The Paramita of Patience means to have a calm attitude toward suffering arising in the course of practice or daily life and to constantly overcome that suffering. That is, we should train our minds in such a way that it does not come into motion under any conditions. Suppose something happens that causes us suffering. When we experience suffering, the negative karma that generated it is laundered. In other words, our past experiences that cause us to see what is happening as suffering stop working, stop affecting us, and are nullified, or emptied. However, what happens if we, when confronted with suffering, hate everything around us, say evil things, or do other things that are driven by our own discontent, which comes from egoism? Naturally, by such actions, we will create new negative karma, which will manifest in the future as suffering. It turns out to be a vicious circle. What will happen if we, practicing Patience, calmly endure suffering, not allowing our consciousness to go into chaotic motion – to panic and hate everything around us? Our past bad karma will be destroyed, and we will not accumulate new karma, because we will not give in to negative selfish emotions and will not take appropriate actions

2. Mind Control and Willpower

We have to work with our past experiences, or karma, until we reach the final Enlightenment and Emancipation, but there is one essential quality that we begin to develop immediately through the repeated practice of Patience. It's about willpower, which is developed through the practice of Patience.

We have two types of will.

The first is our desires: «I want this and I don't want that», i.e. this is the work, or function, of the fourth of the Five Aggregates.

The second is willpower, that is, the work of the consciousness to continue concentration. In other words, willpower is the basis of concentration. Without this bundle, willpower – concentration, meditation, and further process of realization of Enlightenment and Emancipation are impossible. The willpower of a spiritual practitioner appears from the right intention – to realize Enlightenment and Emancipation.

It should be emphasized that ordinary will (i.e. worldly desires arising from past experience, or to put it simply, from egoism) and willpower have completely opposite vectors. If desires are strengthened, willpower and concentration are weakened, causing our consciousness to drift toward the lower worlds. And vice versa, if we develop willpower, it leads to the weakening of worldly desires, and our consciousness rushes to Enlightenment.

So, by practicing Patience, we train our consciousness to concentrate on what we need to do at the moment, i.e. we train willpower, which then becomes the basis of our concentration. In addition, we shed a large amount of past negative karma. Thanks to these two aspects of the practice of Patience, our consciousness becomes very stable.

IV. Perfection of Diligent Effort
(Sanskrit: Virya Paramita; Pali: Virya Paramita)

Having laid a solid foundation in the form of the Paramitas of Offerings, Precepts, and Patience, we enter into the practice of Diligent Effort. In brief, Diligent Effort is the complete transformation of our ordinary life into the life of a spiritual practitioner.

The Six Paramitas do not call us to renounce our worldly life and become a monk or hermit, but even so, our lifestyle should change significantly, as we continue our spiritual practice. The difference between a monk and a layman is the amount of time devoted to practice. A layman may well realize Enlightenment and Emancipation if he gradually increases the amount of practice time in his daily life to do so, and in the latter stages enters into intensive 24-hour practice.

1. Effort in practice

Spiritual practice can be divided into two kinds.

The first kind is the practice that we should engage in in our daily lives. For example, studying the Dharma and considering phenomena on its basis, performing virtuous deeds, accumulating merit, observing the precepts, and practicing Patience. In other words, it is a practice that has no particular form. It is a practice carried out in our minds. The highest formless practice is perfect mindfulness in daily life.

The second kind is, on the contrary, a practice that has a concrete form. For example, yogic asanas, pranayamas, and mudras. Taoist Qigong. Buddhist walking practice (although, it is used in almost all systems of practice), mantra chanting. In other words, it's a technical practice aimed primarily at developing the physical body and lifting energy.

The top, or the result, of both practices is meditation, the essence of which is a perfect concentration of consciousness. That is, having created a solid foundation in the form of preliminary formless practices, as well as having laid an equally solid foundation through external and internal technical practices, we can begin the full-fledged practice of meditation. Through these practices, we can get into a state of complete absence of thoughts, with our energy rising and falling, which is the entry into true deep meditation.

According to my experience, in order to simply maintain our energy and mental level in today's polluted world, we need a daily technical practice, for at least 2–3 hours. If we want real progress, however, our daily practice, which includes techniques and meditation, should approach six hours. In other words, if we want to realize Enlightenment and Emancipation, we must practice essentially 24 hours a day: six hours of technical practice and meditation, the rest of the time is formless practice: Dharma mindfulness, merit, precepts, and mindfulness.

Since we cannot, like monks or hermits, meditate twenty-four hours a day, our meditative practice must be maximized. For this, we need a rigorous technical practice that precedes meditation. Our practice should be as concentrated as possible, allowing us to achieve the same results in six hours as in twenty-four hours. In other words, we must make a double or even triple effort.

How is this possible? This is where the results of our practice of the previous Paramitas come into play: our consciousness is calm, we have many virtues and merits, we have «shed» a lot of bad karma, and we do not accumulate new karma because we strictly observe the precepts. However, the determining factor as to whether we can truly make the best effort to practice is Patience. When we attain the Perfection of Patience, we gain a powerful «weapon» called «willpower». Because of this, our practice continues with redoubled vigor – it is «great, fierce striving», as Master Hakuin used to say.

Therefore, the first aspect of the Paramita of Diligent Effort is the effort itself: to make a hundred percent effort to practice based on Dharma understanding and willpower.

2. The Four Right Efforts

The second part of practicing Diligent Effort is to increase merit and decrease bad karma-in other words, to develop right thoughts, speech, and actions and to suppress wrong ones:

1. Carry out the practice that is possible to carry out now. For example, a practitioner is able at this moment to make material donations and accumulate merit by Selfless Service. So he should diligently continue to perform that practice.

2. Strive in the future to perform the practice that cannot be performed now. For example, a practitioner cannot yet explain the Dharma to others because he has not yet mastered the Teaching sufficiently. So he should make efforts to study the Dharma so that he can freely expound the Teachings in the future.

3. Stop the accumulation of bad karma that can be stopped now. For example, a practitioner, instead of watching entertainment on TV or the Internet, can devote that time to meditation. So he should do that.

4. Strive to suppress in the future the accumulation of bad karma that cannot be suppressed now. For example, someone can't get rid of bad habits, say smoking or addiction to sweets. Therefore, that person should make every effort to get rid of these habits in the future. For example, in the case of smoking tobacco, he should do special pranayama and purification techniques.

In addition to this, the fourth point says that efforts should be made so that wrong thoughts, words, or actions do not arise in the future. For example, the practitioner has suppressed his own irritability and backbiting. Then he should make an effort to fix the tranquility he has gained and not allow irritation or ill-will to take hold of him again.

Thus, the practice of the Four Right Efforts increases the amount of data (karma) of the high worlds in our Five Aggregates and helps to reduce the amount of contrary data.

3. Awareness and concentration

Through all of the above practices, we begin to control our consciousness and come first to mindfulness in daily life and then to unidirectional concentration, or focus, in meditation. In other words, the third component of Diligent Effort practice is the effort to be in a state of mindfulness every moment and to always be in control of one's consciousness: «„Consciousness rules the world”, said the Buddha. A well-controlled consciousness is a most useful friend, but when uncontrolled and wandering, it is bound to become the worst enemy. A well-controlled, tamed mind brings peace and happiness» (Venerable Ananda Maitreya²³).

Awareness and concentration is calm attention directed toward an object. Attention to the object is held through willpower – we do not allow our consciousness to move away from the object of our concentration, nor do we allow it to come at the expense of willpower.

Awareness means to direct your attention to some process or action. For example, we are walking down the street, driving a car, cooking a meal, or cleaning the house. It can be some kind of work process, such as the process of assembling something. It can be a learning process where we need to memorize a sequence of certain movements, like learning to drive a car, or martial arts, or computer skills. It can be the observation and awareness of our sensations, such as when practicing yogic asanas or Taoist Qigong. In other words, mindfulness does not involve having one single object to which our attention is directed. Mindfulness is quiet attention directed to some process in which several objects interact with each other. For example, if I am cleaning, I am using a vacuum cleaner, dusting rags, moving chairs, taking out the trash, and so on. That is, I constantly need to shift my attention from one object to another and consciously perform a certain sequence of actions.

Concentration is, on the contrary, quiet attention directed exclusively to one single object. Usually, concentration, or single-minded focus, refers to our meditation and inner peace. For example, we recite a mantra or concentrate on our breath during pranayama, and at that moment, there is nothing but the mantra being recited or the breath. Our awareness merges with the object of concentration and stops.

Thus, mindfulness is primarily the outer world and daily life, and concentration is our inner world and meditation. Therefore, we can say that mindfulness in daily life creates the basis for unidirectional concentration in meditation.

As the practice continues, the outer and inner worlds become one to us, and we realize the ability to be naturally present in both daily life and meditation.

Two components of mindfulness and concentration

So, mindfulness and concentration are slightly different in form, but their essence is identical because both mindfulness and concentration have two components. Moreover, if one of them is not fulfilled, it will not be full and true mindfulness and/or concentration.

The first component is the foundation, without it; there is no mindfulness and concentration. It is well known to all, easy to explain and understand, but quite difficult to fulfil. The first component is to be fully present in the present moment. What does «presence» mean? Presence in the present moment means to concentrate, to focus, to be attentive, not to be distracted, and to be fully present in the here and now through willpower. Actually, this is the definition of willpower itself, i.e. the work of consciousness to continue concentration, the work of consciousness to continue doing what you are doing at the present moment. It is the fixation of consciousness on an object. Consciousness does not move away and does not deviate from the object of our awareness or concentration. So what keeps us from being present in the present moment and focusing our consciousness on the object? Extraneous meaningless thoughts that are usually related to either the past or the future. In other words, we get distracted by reminiscing about the past or dreaming about the future. This is why it is said to be present, mindful, or focusing specifically on the present moment. The presence or absence of thoughts about the present moment itself will be discussed below.

So, the first component is the practice of Calmness: we have to calm, or empty, our mind and attain a state where no extraneous thoughts arise. We control our consciousness through willpower and direct it completely to the object of our awareness or concentration.

The second component of mindfulness and concentration arises from the first. We can say that this second component is the essential aspect for which mindfulness and concentration are realized. Unlike the first, the second component cannot be understood intellectually or logically, because when this second component is fully realized, our consciousness will be in its natural original state. In other words, our consciousness, and with it the false «self», will disappear.

Therefore, we have been able to concentrate on the object, extraneous thoughts have gone away, and our consciousness has become clearer. The next question arises: what should we do with the object of concentration itself? For example, when we recite a mantra or perform pranayama – how should we relate to the mantra or our breath, what should we think, and should we think? On the other hand, there is certainly less thinking, but worldly desires have not gone away – what about attachment or anger, for example, which may or may not appear in meditation?

The usual dualistic way of thinking says that mantra or breath are «good» objects, so one should «concentrate» on them. Attachment or anger, on the other hand, are «bad» objects and should not be «concentrated» on, they should be negated. However, in reality, this kind of thinking has to do with the beginning level of the Right View, not with meditation. In Right Meditation, we concentrate equally on both the breath and the attachments. Of course, we must first master concentration on the «good» objects, and afterward concentrate on the «bad» objects to stop their effects. Consequently, in the end, the object of our concentration or the process we realize can be anything: «good and right», for example, it can be what we study, it can be our practice, training, doing some work, etc.; and «bad and wrong» as, for example, our weaknesses, shortcomings, worldly desires or unpleasant thoughts, painful memories, etc.

However, if one is not aware, at least theoretically, of what the original state of consciousness is, confusion and substitution of concepts are bound to arise at this point. However, this is the essential part of concentration, its true deep part, to which the practitioner must come, and if this does not happen, then the previous practices are useless from the point of view of Enlightenment.

There are only two opposite and mutually exclusive ways or processes of perceiving any object, any action, or any phenomenon. The first is grasping the object; the second is concentrating on the object. In ordinary life, however, they are seen as exactly the same thing. The problem is that we confuse grasping and concentration; in other words, we get caught up, and attached to the object, instead of being dispassionately aware of the object.

There is a process: movement of consciousness – perception of the object – identification with the object – discernment of the object based on past experience and information – arising of desire or no desire for the object – suffering²⁴.

However, there is another process, or rather the absence of it. Consciousness is stopped and remains in its original state of Calmness and Contemplation. An object appears which we perceive. However, it is perception without perception. Our consciousness does not come into motion, which means we do not follow the process of grasping. As a result, the object does not affect us.

If we have not yet experienced this state of complete cessation of thinking, we use concentration on a «good» object to experience this state. Through willpower, we do not allow our consciousness to move toward the object, to be grasped by the object, to enter the path of discernment and the arising of desires. «Object» is the object of our concentration or awareness. We try to replace the process of ordinary perception and discernment with calm observation without engagement. We can say that at this point we are imitating the original state of our awareness.

When the complete stopping of thinking at the level of actual consciousness is experienced, the very place where the process of discernment and grasping was, will be replaced by the state that has always been there – the state of natural presence, contemplative peace, or Calmness and Contemplation. When this is realized, we will be able to make our weaknesses and worldly desires (i.e., the «bad» objects) a full-fledged confrontation and terminate their action by concentration and contemplation in further meditation.

Therefore, the second component of mindfulness and concentration is non-involvement. First, we direct our consciousness to the object of our concentration and do not allow it to be distracted by thoughts of the past or future. Then we do not allow the consciousness to move: to start moving towards the object, to distinguish or interpret the object of concentration itself, to be carried away, to be absorbed by the object or process to which our calm attention is directed. This is why concentration is called calm attention directed toward an object. Control of consciousness is realized by us at the expense of willpower. Willpower is developed through Patience and Diligent Effort.

First Enlightenment

Awareness and concentration lead us to the first Enlightenment because they are the practice of Calmness and Contemplation. In turn, Calmness and Contemplation are the natural primordial state of our consciousness in which we realize our true nature, the Atman. In addition, in the moment of perfect awareness and/or concentration, our consciousness is in this primordial state.

Separately, it should be said that concentration is performed solely by us, i.e., the Atman, because in the entire universe, only the Atman has the prerogative of realizing, concentrating, acting, or creating anything.

«Here is the explanation of concentration.

Yoga is restraining the mind-stuff (Chitta) from taking various forms (Vrittis). At that time (the time of concentration), the Seer (Purusha²⁵) rests in his own (unmodified) state. At other times (other than that of concentration) the Seer is identified with the modifications» (Patanjali's Yoga Sutras).

If we can hold concentration for a long time, a breakthrough occurs – our consciousness stops completely, and disappears, returning to its original state of Calmness and Contemplation. The cessation of actual consciousness is the first Enlightenment.

In Zen, the first Enlightenment is called «Kensho» – «seeing one's true nature». In original Buddhism, the first Enlightenment corresponds to the stage of Entering the true stream. The sutras say that such a person receives a fleeting vision of the goal – Nirvana. In yoga, the first Enlightenment is called «Chitta Vritti Nirodha»²⁶. Of course, since our consciousness is multi-layered, we need to experience the cessation of each of the layers. Therefore, the cessation of actual consciousness is, in fact, the full beginning of spiritual practice, not its completion and sole purpose.

So why does it all begin with the first Enlightenment? Because actual consciousness keeps us in the World of Phenomena and does not allow us to enter deep meditation²⁷. That is why the process of Emancipation begins with the first Enlightenment – with the cessation of the actual consciousness of the World of Phenomena – the world we are in at the moment. With actual consciousness, we perceive external and internal objects. External objects are sensations coming through the sense organs: we see with our eyes, hear with our ears, smell with our nose, taste with our tongue, and touch with receptors on our skin. Internal objects are the images, desires/no desires, ideas, and thoughts that appear in our actual consciousness. We need to somehow «unhook» our actual consciousness from these objects, which will allow us to free ourselves from the World of Phenomena and move into the Astral World.

The question arises: how to do it?

Usually a person who wants to get rid of, for example, unpleasant memories or thoughts, tries to suppress them or think about something else, more pleasant, i.e. tries to «switch» to something else. The person may also try to analyze his or her condition. However, this is the same as rinsing the nose with water and trying to wash out kidney stones. Because, in any case, this kind of thinking is based solely on duality: one seeks to get rid of that which causes dislike and, therefore, suffering. However, as long as dualistic consciousness is at work, it is impossible to stop the influence of anything – it is like trying to run away from one's own shadow. In other words, it doesn't matter whether we love or hate something – the object of our attachment or hatred will still influence us, bringing us illusory joy in case of attachment, and direct suffering in case of dislike or hatred.

In order to stop the workings of the mind that cause external and internal objects to influence us and bring suffering, it is necessary to master mindfulness and concentration. All that a person who does not master awareness and concentration can do with an unpleasant thought is to block, mask, or «cover» its influence with another, more pleasant thought, just as people cover a crack in the wall of their house with a painting.

So, it is impossible to stop the effect of any information or past experience, which generates sensations, thoughts, desires, emotions, memories, or images, without stopping the consciousness. Whether we love or hate our sensations, thoughts, desires, emotions, or memories, they are still active and affect us, bringing suffering or pleasure, which then turns into suffering. To stop the mind is what mindfulness and concentration practice are all about:

«O monks, finding a good friend or a trustworthy giver cannot be compared to perfecting your mindfulness. If you abide in mindfulness, none of the thieves-obscurations will enter your mind. That is why you must keep your mind in a state of constant awareness. If you lose your awareness, you will lose all your merit. If the power of your mindfulness is great, then although you deal with the thieves – the five sense desires – they cannot harm you. Thus, a warrior who enters battle clad in safe armor can fear nothing. This is the explanation of mindfulness» (Sutra of the Buddha's Last Instructions).

Therefore, mindfulness and concentration are the «vehicles» for realizing the first Enlightenment. Concentration is not a strain or some over-exertion or anything like that, but a very natural state of our mind. When you master this quiet attention directed to an object or process, it will seem «native» to you, a close and pleasant state that you will immediately recognize. It is a very clear, lucid state, and it is completely different from the usual «cloudy» and tense state of «wandering» consciousness, because in the moment of true concentration there is no dual work of consciousness in relation to the object or process, as mentioned above. Through mindfulness and concentration, consciousness naturally, automatically, by itself, is guided to its original, true, natural state of Calmness and Contemplation. When concentration reaches a certain level, actual consciousness stops completely.

The experience of stopping actual consciousness from working

This first experience of cessation of thinking is very important. It is one of the key points in spiritual practice.

First, it indicates that we are doing the right spiritual practice because a practice that results in no change and no realization of the experience of stopping mindfulness raises questions regarding its authenticity.

Second, we transfer this first experience of Calmness and Contemplation from everyday life (the world of actual consciousness) to the world of meditation (the world of the subconscious and superconscious). In other words, we repeat this experience in meditation, which I will discuss next.

First, I want the reader to have a clear understanding of this spiritual experience and the process leading to its experience. Here I would like to tell how it all happened to me directly or more precisely, to tell about the feeling left by this experience. I think that this will be a more accurate and complete description of the brightest and most important state of consciousness than a «patchwork quilt» of different texts describing similar experiences.

I want to emphasize – I am not and do not consider myself an Arhat or one who has attained Final Enlightenment and Emancipation. I am not sure if there are even such souls on Earth at the moment. I am a spiritual practitioner who tries to understand each stage of practice through experience and adapt the subject for rational perception and practical application. I always check what I have experienced against the sutras of Buddhism, against the texts of Yoga and Taoism, and against the texts left by the great Teachers of the past who have truly realized Enlightenment and Emancipation. Of course, I always consult teachers from different schools of Buddhism and Yoga, who most often confirm my experience.

From the very beginning of my practice, Dharma has somehow become my main (and sometimes only) object of awareness and concentration. Wherever I went, whatever I did, my mind automatically focused on the Teachings. It was an observation and an attempt to understand, to put the various laws in their proper place.

At that moment, I was doing the practice of walking. More precisely: there was me (the observer, or «Seer» as it is said in the Yoga Sutras), I had a physical body, senses, and consciousness. Then there was the Dharma, which became a huge, formidable, and impassable koan. The body performed the practice of walking. With my eyes, I could see, and with my consciousness to some extent understand where (what street) I was. However, my consciousness was completely absorbed in the dharma koan²⁸. This state of absorption is illustrated in Zen texts by the allegory «If you swallow red-hot iron, you can neither spit it out nor swallow it». I guess this state could be called awareness without engagement, mindfulness, unidirectional focus, concentration, remembrance, or memory fixation – to be honest, I don't know exactly how to label it.

At some point, there was nothing left but the Dharma koan. I stopped realizing where I was. The thoughts (or the flow of the mind) froze. In yoga, this state is called Unmani, «the state of thoughtlessness». In the next moment, consciousness disappeared. Along with it, the sensations of the body and the Dharma koan itself disappeared. What was left? Unspeakable and inexpressible happiness, freedom, and perfect peace.

I would like to note that this state did not come abruptly: suddenly, yes, but not abruptly. It is sometimes said that Enlightenment is like a lightning strike. Perhaps this is just a beautiful allegory, but in my mind, a lightning strike is something abrupt, rough, and disturbing. Kensho can best be compared to the way the sun comes out from behind a cloud – quick, yet natural, calm, and not abrupt.

Probably, the phrase «cessation of consciousness» or «cessation of thinking» is frightening or at least confusing for modern people. It happens that people associate it with mental disorders rather than with the original state of consciousness. I consider it my duty to dispel these misconceptions.

First, this state is completely different from the state of, for example, intoxication, or the state of losing consciousness due to a blow on the head, or other reasons. All states of consciousness caused by any external influences – drugs, alcohol, or anything else – are rough, «cloudy», but, most importantly, they are all uncontrollable, compared to this natural, unconditioned state of Calmness and Contemplation. It is a very clear, vibrant state, but it is really completely absent of any thoughts. It is not a trance, prostration, or, simply put, a «blackout» caused by external or internal influences where you don't realize what is happening. The cessation of consciousness is not the cessation of perception per se, but the cessation of the dual thinking that gives birth to all our illusions and delusions. In other words, the process: of the movement of consciousness – identification – distinction – desire, stops the moment our consciousness returns to that original state.

The original enlightened state is not the substitution of some «negative» work of the consciousness for some «positive» work, but a complete stopping of the consciousness, an unconditioned state of Calmness and Contemplation.

It is not striving for some «correct» objects, but seeing the emptiness of all objects and the absence of movement of consciousness towards them, therefore – unity with them and freedom from them.

This is not a distinction of objects based on some special «cosmic information available only to the enlightened», but a complete stop of dual thinking, or distinction.

That is why Kensho cannot be «induced» by willpower, it is impossible to artificially «force» the consciousness to stop, except for those cases when grief practitioners resort to the use of some «substances» – I have already said about it: the induced state has nothing in common with Kensho.

Kensho is not the suppression of emotions, desires, or thoughts by willpower, which is very similar to the following example. Suppose there is a pot of boiling water. When it boils, the water boils and «tries to escape». And here someone, apparently not knowing the laws of physics, tries to «keep» the boiling water in the pot. To do this, he covers the pot with a lid. It is clear that he will not achieve anything: the steam will simply push the lid out, and the boiling water will escape anyway. It is the same with consciousness: it cannot be «slowed down» or held artificially. Even if for a moment it seemed that at the expense of something managed to stop the flow of thought, it would not be Kensho. Take the pot off the fire, and the water will cool down and calm down, returning to its original state, in which the surface will become perfectly smooth, and the water will be able to reflect any object without distortion.

Thus, we should have no misconceptions that Kensho is «not to think about anything». «Thinking» and «not thinking», as well as «wanting» and «not wanting», are one and the same thing, namely, the dual workings of our consciousness. If we try to explain the experience of Kensho from the position of this duality (which, of course, is destined to fail in advance), then Kensho, or, more broadly, Enlightenment, at any level is neither thinking nor not thinking. Why is this so?

There is a two-point consistency in the duality of thinking/not thinking.

First, there is the stream of thoughts and images that arise moment by moment in our minds. For example, we remember something or anticipate something that is about to happen. Because of the action of past experience, it seems to us that these thoughts, images, memories, and dreams are real and pleasant or unpleasant to us.

Second, when the thoughts, memories, or anticipation of the future have finally overcome and exhausted us, we try to stop thinking about what is unpleasant or boring. In this case, however, we are trying to run away from our own shadow: the faster you run, the faster it chases. In other words, the harder we try not to think, the harder and more painful for us the work of our consciousness becomes.

However, when we experience a perfect stoppage of consciousness, the object we were thinking about, such as information about an event that happened in the past or an event that is to happen in the future, remains, but because consciousness is stopped, really thinking and non-thinking about the object are both absent. Consequently, the object is not seen as «good» or «bad» and has absolutely no effect on us. As a result, we (i.e. Atman) become one with any object, and thus free from the influence of any object. The state of oneness with the object arises because our consciousness, which is the layer, or active space, between us and the perceived object, is stopped and no longer moves toward the perceived object. In other words, we do not have any work of consciousness in relation to the perceived object, and as a consequence, we begin to see the object itself, rather than our preconceived attitude toward the object.

It is not uncommon to hear that Enlightenment is some kind of «special state» and, consequently, «perception of objects». No, it is not. Enlightenment is perception without perception. What does that mean? When we are in the original state of consciousness, any objects exist and do not exist for us at the same time. So why do objects exist without existing? Because our consciousness, or false «self»²⁹, is stopped at that moment. Because there is no subject-object duality and no good-bad duality, this state is beyond the reach of words.

Once again, I would like to emphasize to the reader that Kensho, Calmness and Contemplation are our true original state of consciousness, which we reveal, and awaken through correct spiritual practice. This state is completely natural. This state is not something external. This state cannot be «gained», «acquired» or «gotten» as in the case of any objects of our desires. It is not knowledge acquired, for example, from books or through study. As Bodhidharma said, «If all living beings are in confusion without awakening, then they do not know that our consciousness is the Buddha. If you know that your consciousness is the Buddha, you don't need to look for the Buddha outside of your consciousness. You can't measure the Buddha with the Buddha. If you seek the Buddha by relying on the intellect, you will not know the Buddha. However, those who think that the Buddha is outside do not know that our consciousness is the Buddha».

In this state, there are no thoughts such as «I have reached the cessation of consciousness» because there is no object that is the source of any sensations that would require words and thoughts to express. Probably the best word to express the state of cessation of consciousness is «emptiness» (Shunyata – Sanskrit). However, it is not a state where «nothing is there», it is a state where «everything is there», that is, everything is still where it is, but as if it has stopped and has therefore ceased to have an effect.

It is impossible to express this original state of consciousness in words. Firstly, because it is impossible: «a sword will not cut itself». Secondly, in this state, all words, thoughts, definitions, or ideas are seen as something external, crude, unnatural, i.e. not originally inherent to us, and, most importantly, as completely meaningless. Words can only describe the sensation left by the experience, although even in this case, the words may seem incomprehensible to those people who have not had similar experiences. Any words only «hang a label», including the word «state», which I am compelled to use. As the Zen Masters³⁰ used to say in the olden days, «A truth spoken aloud ceases to be such, for it has already lost its primary connection to the moment of truth».

«The Tao that can be expressed in words is not the permanent Tao. A name that can be named is not permanent. He who knows does not speak. He who speaks does not know» are the words of Lao Tzu from the treatise «Tao De Jing».

However, to somehow point to THIS, I use the expression «the true original state». You can also say «the true original state of consciousness in which we realize ourselves», «Enlightenment», «Emptiness» or «Great Emptiness», «the original Tao» or simply «Tao». But all these words, phrases, and expressions can express nothing. In this state, there is no separation between «self» and «non-self», between true and false, between original and acquired, between empty and full. Consciousness is stopped and in the clearest possible state, so past experience and the process of new perception and discernment are also stopped. When we try to define or simply think about stopping consciousness, our consciousness comes to an even greater standstill.

Manifestation of stopped consciousness

1. Calmness and Contemplation

The cessation of the work of consciousness at any level is manifested in the form of Calmness and Contemplation.

Calmness is a perfect rest of consciousness, its stopping, disappearance. In this state, the past experience and information accumulated up to the present moment cease to influence us, as the consciousness no longer «clings» to these data, and does not distinguish it. As a result, past experiences and information no longer form worldly desires that usually completely control us and cause us to perform endless actions. This is the state of true Calmness: the data remains, but the mind is still. This is the state of perfect freedom in which we originally resided: true freedom is freedom from data or karma. This freedom is realized not by erasing data (which cannot be erased), but by becoming one with it through the cessation of consciousness.

The contemplation that arises through Calmness means that receiving new experiences and taking in new information also does not affect us. Here, as in the first case, consciousness also does not come into motion, as a consequence of which experience does not take root, does not fix itself, does not form new desires or no desires, i.e. does not form the reasons for the following actions. In Taoism, this state is called Non-Action. It is the true state of Contemplation, of which the «Tao De Jing» says: «He who knows how to step leaves no trace». It is a state of absolute happiness, as there is no more suffering and illusory joys that lead ultimately to suffering.

Synonymous with Contemplation is Wisdom, which arises in response to perception. In other words, Enlightenment, or stopping consciousness, does not mean erasing data and stopping perception. On the contrary, we can use our past experiences to develop our spiritual practice, and we can clearly see the causes and effects of all phenomena, but our consciousness remains unaffected, and as a result, we do not have the illusions of double thinking that we usually have.

2. Two types of concentration

There are two types of concentration: on-site concentration and off-site concentration.

We have discussed the first type of concentration above. Unidirectional concentration, or quiet attention directed to a single object, is the initial type of concentration that is used in Tranquility Meditation (Sanskrit: «Shamatha»; Pali: «Samatha»). In this meditation, we do not allow our consciousness to move away from one point (the object of concentration) due to willpower. Because of this, our consciousness first calms down and then stops.

Usually in the texts of Buddhism and yoga, the stopping of consciousness is described as «the merging of subject and object», «non-divinity», or «oneness». «The subject» is what our quiet attention is directed to; it is the object of our concentration, such as the breath, a meditation topic, a mantra, or koan. «Subject» is we exercising this concentration on the object. There is a layer between us and the object – a moving medium in the form of consciousness. Because of the workings of consciousness, we distinguish between ourselves and the object. At the initial stage, we distinguish, and identify the object itself: for example, it may cause us positive or negative emotions, associations, desires, thoughts, and the like. Then, as we advance a little in practice and calm the mind, the extraneous thoughts and emotions recede, but the distinction itself still remains. We still distinguish between self and object: «I am concentrating on the object». However, concentration, as mentioned earlier, brings our consciousness back to its original state. And in one, truly blessed and great moment, our dual, discriminating consciousness stops, and disappears, we experience the merging of subject and object, a state of unity, or non-duality, which cannot be expressed because everything that is expressed belongs to the world of discernment and duality.

Thus, we can experience the cessation of actual consciousness both in everyday life (through mindfulness) and in meditation (through unidirectional concentration). However, those who have experienced Kensho in everyday life have a significant advantage here: they simply repeat the experience of the cessation of actual consciousness in meditation, and thus progress in the practice much faster.

In any case, having had the experience of cessation of actual consciousness, we realize the second kind of concentration – concentration of a much higher level than ordinary unidirectional concentration on one object. This is a state of perfect concentration, in which we do not need an object anymore, because our state at this moment is concentration, only it is based not on willpower, thanks to which we did not allow our consciousness to be distracted, but on perfect rest, or stopping of consciousness. This is the state of unity of consciousness, the non-divine and therefore absolute realization, or Contemplation, already mentioned above.

It is this second kind of concentration, realized at the moment of cessation of actual consciousness, that allows us to immerse ourselves in the full-fledged³¹ meditation of Contemplation (Sanskrit: «Vipashyana»; Pali: «Vipassana»), which leads us to dhyana, the true deep meditation corresponding to the World of Forms (Astral World) and the subconscious mind. Why is this so? Because the perception and distinction of external and internal information at the actual consciousness level of the World of Phenomena is completely stopped. As a result, in meditation, we can disconnect from the World of Phenomena and enter the Astral World after being in a state of Contemplation for some time.

V. Perfection of Meditation
(Sanskrit: Dhyana (pronounced: Dhyana) Paramita; Pali: Jhana(pronounced: Jhana) Paramita) Conditions for entering Dhyana

In addition to concentration based on perfect peace of mind (Contemplation), we need two other elements to enter dhyana.

The first is the rise of our inner energy or Wind. The inner Wind is the engine that carries us from the World of Phenomena to the Astral World. Without the raising of energy, our meditation will be shallow, and superficial. The transformation of our life energy first into the Kundalini of Heat, then into the Kundalini of Wind, is part of the process of Emancipation. It is described in detail in the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner».

The second component of our meditation is the replacement of data in the deep Aggregates: in Perception, Formed Experience, and Distinction. I discussed this fundamental factor earlier in this essay. In meditation, we see only the data we have accumulated so far. If they correspond to the lower worlds, these are the worlds we will see in our meditation, which can be the downfall of our spiritual practice. When the data of worldly desires of the World of Passion predominate, it is impossible to enter the dhyana corresponding to the Higher World of Forms. In the state of predominance of the data of worldly desires, we are immersed in the Lower World of Forms (Lower Astral World). While the Higher World of Forms is formed by the Four Awakened States of Consciousness: Love (Sanskrit: Maitri), Compassion (Sanskrit: Karuna), Praise (Sanskrit: Muditha) and Equanimity (Sanskrit: Upeksha). They correspond to the four levels of heaven of the Higher World of Forms and the four dhyanas³².

Dhyana and Samadhi

Therefore, the first four dhyanas correspond to the four levels of heaven of the Higher World of Forms (Higher Astral World). Thus, Dhyana is not a state of psychological relaxation, as it is often interpreted nowadays, but each dhyana is a certain level of Enlightenment and Emancipation. In other words, dhyana is a deep meditation in which we have completely withdrawn, left the World of Phenomena (actual consciousness), and moved into the Astral World (subconsciousness).

To elaborate, first our physical (external) senses stop working and our physical body goes numb and stiff – we stop feeling it. This very pleasant state caused by the rise of the inner Wind is called «Quietness» in Buddhism and «Pratyahara» in Yoga.

Then our actual consciousness ceases to exist, and a state is formed where there is only concentration based on the perfect calmness of consciousness, as I mentioned above. This state in yoga is called «Dharana» (concentration); in Buddhism, the term «Ekaggata» is usually used.

Breathing becomes shallow and infrequent. The brain generates waves corresponding first to the state of normal sleep (theta waves) and then waves characteristic of deep sleep (delta waves). That is, medically speaking, the state of dhyana is a state of deep sleep. However, there is a fundamental difference: in the state of dhyana, our consciousness is uninterrupted, and our concentration continues – we do not fall into sleep, but are in full control of our meditative state.

In the fourth dhyana stage, breathing, brain emissions, and heartbeat cease completely and we enter Samadhi. Thus, dhyanas one through three are a state of deep meditation, and beginning with the fourth dhyana is the state of Samadhi, in which we (the Atman) are liberated from our false «self», or the Five Aggregates.

First dhyana

In the state of the first dhyana, our actual consciousness is completely stopped, while the subconscious and superconscious are still active. The superconscious mind reads our causal data and transmits it to the subconscious mind in our Astral World. These data «sent down from above» appear before us in the Astral World in the form of images. If to speak in detail, the data we observe in the Astral World appear before us in the form of multi-coloured light, images, and sounds. At first, we have a thought in our subconsciousness, which is the data «descended from above» (from the Causal World). This thought is perceived and differentiated, as a result of which multi-coloured light, images, and sounds appear. However, the main part of the data of the Astral World is precisely the images. Therefore, the Astral World is also called the World of Forms, where «form» (or «rupa» in Sanskrit and Pali) is the image. Our astral bodies are also made up of images, or subtle substances. Since the primary source of images is thoughts (or causal data), the images we see in the Astral World while undergoing dhyana one through four are also called «thought-forms» or «thought-images».

If we are seized by the thought-forms that appear (data from the Astral World, or our subconscious mind), they descend further – into our World of Phenomena, the actual consciousness is activated, and we experience illusions of suffering or joy according to this data.

However, dhyana and the subsequent Samadhi are the cessation of the work of all levels of consciousness and, consequently, of all information and past experience, the manifestation of which is the appearance of suffering.

In order to stop the work of the subconscious mind and thought-forms, at the stage of the first dhyana we consistently use two techniques.

1. Vitakka – reflection, deliberation, application of thought
(Sanskrit: vitarka, Pali: vitakka)

The first technique – Reflection, or Application of Thought – means to look closely and deeply at the objects (thought-forms) appearing in the subconscious mind. That is, there is an object (image) and our own reflection data, based on which we properly ponder, consider, and investigate the object that appears. «Reflection data» is the information of the True Dharma fixed deep in our memory at the preliminary stage of practice. Without deep mastery of the Teaching, it is impossible to conduct Reflection.

Through Reflection, we do not get caught up in or alienated from thought-forms, but begin to control both the thought-forms themselves and the workings of our subconscious mind as a whole.

2. Vichara – consideration, balanced pondering (investigation), holding a thought (Sanskrit: vicara, Pāli: vicāra)

The second technique, Investigation, or Retention of Thought, is the deep consideration of thought-images in the state of Contemplation.

At this stage, superficial Pondering stops. There is an immersion to some extent into a deeper state of consciousness. In addition, in this state in relation to the subconscious data coming out, we carry out Investigation. Investigation is when there are only two options: to accept or not to accept.

«Accept» means the work of the consciousness in relation to the object, i.e. the presence of desires/no desires in relation to the object. As a result, the object (data) influences us because we consider the object to be part of ourselves: «These are my desires, my experiences; I want it or don't want it».

«Not to accept» means the opposite state of consciousness: no movement of consciousness in relation to the object and contemplating it as a «non-self». In this state, however, we do not have thoughts such as, «This object is not my essence, so I must distance myself from it». In other words, how analysis is done here is not through placing data about the object. Investigation can also be called the meditation of suppression.

Consequently, if consciousness is controlled by external information, that is, if stopping actual consciousness is not achieved in the previous stage, Reflection and Investigation become impossible. The basis for Reflection and Investigation is Calmness and Contemplation, or concentration without object, realized at the moment of the first Enlightenment.

Thus the real meaning of deep meditation, or the first dhyana, is Contemplation, deep reflection in a state of contemplation. Having established a firm foundation and entered the first dhyana, one should consider the information that has appeared, then merge with it and reach the state of rest, or the stopping of the subconscious mind, which is the entry into the second dhyana.

Second dhyana

When concentration in any layer of consciousness reaches its peak, that consciousness ceases, stops, and disappears. If we concentrate in the World of Phenomena, the actual consciousness stops, and we experience the first Enlightenment, Kensho. If we concentrate (practice Reflection and Investigation) in the Astral World, the subconscious mind stops, and we enter the second dhyana.

The second dhyana is the cessation of Reflection and Investigation. In this stage, no thoughts arise. All we feel is Pleasure and Lightness in mind and body. Moreover, our state is a state of Contemplation, or a state of perfect concentration based on the cessation of the work of the mind.

However, having entered the second dhyana, we are for a short period of time, say five or ten minutes, in a state of complete cessation of thinking at the subconscious level. Then the stopped thinking may arise again. If thinking arises, we return to the first dhyana – Investigation arises. When a coarser state of consciousness arises, we return to Reflection. In other words, the halting state of the subconscious mind must be fixed, that is, we must learn to enter this state unhindered and experience it repeatedly.

Having mastered the second dhyana, we experience for the first time a full-fledged state of Emptiness: data exists, but consciousness is motionless. There is an immersion in pure, very bright silvery-white light. At first, it may flicker, then it stabilizes. In the depths of this light, there is a transparent space, immersed in which we enter Samadhi. However, for this, it is necessary to expand the state of Calmness and Contemplation of the subconscious mind, which we realized by entering the second dhyana.

Third dhyana

The expansion of the state of cessation of thinking at the subconscious level, or the state of Calmness and Contemplation, occurs in the third dhyana stage.

Tranquility is the complete rest of the subconscious mind or the state in which thinking completely ceases, as previously stated.

Contemplation is a clear, precise awareness of all thought-forms, colorful lights, sounds, and visions that appear before us in the Astral World, while our consciousness (subconsciousness) remains motionless.

Consciousness at this moment is very clear; it becomes clearer and clearer as the dhyana deepens. The light surrounding us also becomes more intense.

At this stage, we gain full experience of the Incarnation Body (astral body) and experience of supernatural powers – for example, we can see our past and future lives. We can also observe the various worlds of the universe.

However, dhyana and subsequent Samadhi do not mean to «cut off» consciousness and connection with the physical body and «fly away» or «fall through» somewhere. Dhyana and Samadhi mean control, natural withdrawal, and subsequent emancipation from the Five Aggregates. Hence, being in the Astral World, one can see what is happening in the World of Phenomena. In other words, one can, while in the third dhyana, simultaneously experience two worlds: the Astral World and the World of Phenomena. That is why I often have the following experience. Amid meditation, I realize that I am in my room where I started meditating, and it is literally flooded with dazzling silvery-white light. The light floods even the farthest corners of the room. At this moment, it is not the physical, but the subtle vision that allows me to see the World of Phenomena. I clearly understand where and what is in the room. Subconsciousness and actual consciousness are completely stopped: I just contemplate my room flooded with bright light. However, then I suddenly have the thought, «How strange! After all, the room was completely dark when I started meditating». At that very moment, the subconscious mind goes into motion: first Investigation and then Reflection return, and then I return to my body. At the same time, the surrounding world goes dark, as if someone had turned off the lights in the room.

This experience clearly shows that it is the workings of our consciousness that forms all our illusions and prevents us from seeing reality. What is reality? It is a light that becomes stronger and clearer as one continues meditating and going through the dhyanas. Eventually, one comes to realize that everything is created out of this light (this happens when entering the Formless World). In addition, what stands between us and reality, or the Emptiness, or the light, is the work of consciousness. When the work of consciousness arises, we are plunged into darkness. Therefore, the work of consciousness closes off the Emptiness from us, closes off the light from us.

Here the second line from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras immediately comes to mind: «Yoga is the cessation of the activity of consciousness». Alternatively, Lao Tzu's words from the Tao De Jing:

«One should make [one's heart³³] utterly impartial, firmly keeping peace, and then all things will change by themselves, and we will only have to contemplate their return. [There is a great variety of things in the world, but [all of them] return to their beginning. Return to the beginning is called rest, and rest is called return to essence».

In the stage of the third dhyana, we move away from Pleasure in mind and body. All that remains is Ease and Contemplation.

Fourth dhyana

From the third dhyana, we finally move on to the fourth stage, to a state of perfect cessation of senses, suffering, and pleasure. Our soul calms down and we enter the fourth dhyana, or Samadhi. Lightness disappears, and only contemplative peace remains.

What forms the Astral World is the data of the Causal World: our past experience and the information accumulated up to now. Causal data is manifested in the Astral World in the form of soul work: Discernment, Will, and Perceptions (or image formation). If the work of the soul stops, the Astral World disappears as well. We are immersed in a bright transparent space in which the Astral World, or the world where consciousness manifests as color and images, stops completely.

In other words, we reach a state where our consciousness does not move at all about the data of past experience that are still coming down from the Causal World so that the formation of images stop. A state of unity and freedom arises.

At this moment the sense of time is completely lost. It seems that time has stopped, that it is somewhere outside of you, that the flow of time is flowing independently of you. This happens because our false «self», i.e. the work of Discernment, Will, and Perception, has completely disappeared. The «subject-object» duality disappears. In other words, the false «self» that suffers or rejoices depending on the perceived objects and the work of past experience disappears. This disappearance of the false «self» is Samādhi, which in Sanskrit (samādhi) literally means, «merging with the object of contemplation/focus» (samā «joining together, merging» + dhi «to hold»).

«When the movement of Prāna is completely annihilated, then the mind is again absorbed, and the state of Samādhi is said to have been attained.

When the dual nature of the individual soul and the Atman is overcome and they become one entity, all desires/concepts are destroyed and this is considered to be the state of Samadhi» («Hatha Yoga Pradipika»).

Thus, the state when the work of the physical body is stopped, when Sensations, Perceptions when Formed Experience is stopped and there is no past or future, when Discernment is stopped – such a state is called Samadhi.

Physically, Samadhi manifests itself in the form of a stoppage of breathing. During the previous dhyanas, it gradually becomes more and more infrequent and superficial. Of course, this does not mean Cheyne-Stokes³⁴ breathing – our breathing naturally slows down, becoming barely noticeable. Finally, you exhale and find that for some reason you don't need to take another breath. So why is it not necessary to take a new breath? Because the worldly desires that are no longer forming, are absent. Why are they absent? Because the function of the Formed Experience, the Will, or Motive Force, which forms our desires, has been stopped. In turn, the function of Formed Experience is stopped because the false «self» has disappeared.

Therefore, in Samadhi our false «self» stops completely. This also leads to the cessation of the flow of heat energy, which provides physiological processes in our body. Therefore, all physiological processes in our body, including breathing, heartbeat, and brain activity, also stop. Why does not the physical body of a yogi who has entered Samadhi die? Why is he free to return to his physical body at the end of Samadhi? Because the preservation of the body is ensured by Kundalini of Wind, which can also be called Prana (energy) in its pure form. This flow of Wind preserves our body in Samadhi. In other words, it is in Prana that the key to unlocking the mystery of Samadhi³⁵ is hidden.

After death, we cannot return to the physical body. However, since in Samadhi it is possible to control both body and soul, the ability to enter Samadhi can be called gaining true freedom – the freedom to transcend life and death.

VI. Perfection of Wisdom
(Sanskrit: Prajnya Paramita; Pali: Pannya Paramita)

To put it briefly, wisdom is seeing things as they are. Wisdom is the result, or manifestation, of Enlightenment, so like Enlightenment, Wisdom also has levels. Prajnya, or Wisdom, is originally possessed by each of us, but because of the movement of consciousness, we cannot recognize, or realize it in ourselves.

Let us consider the very first level of wisdom, gained after the realization of the first Enlightenment. All kinds of objects exist around us, which we perceive with our six senses. With our eyes, we see, for example, other people, with our ears, we hear sounds, with our nose, we smell odors, with our tongue, we taste food or drinks, with our touch, we feel, for example, the temperature of the environment or the force of touch, with our actual consciousness we perceive various information, ideas and so on. As soon as we «grasp» an object, our past experiences and information are immediately activated. This happens because our consciousness is active. We immediately distinguish between: «This is good», «this is wrong», «this is a bad person», «This is delicious food», «This is an unpleasant sensation», «this is a wrong opinion» and so on ad infinitum. 72,000 worldly desires arise from discernment and suffering from pain, impermanence, and dissatisfaction. As long as consciousness is moving, all phenomena necessarily correspond to something of these three.

What happens when we return our consciousness to its original state? It stops. Stopping consciousness means stopping dual thinking, i.e. all «good-bad», «tasty-not-tasty», «right-wrong», and «pain-pleasure» disappear. However, as I have repeatedly emphasized before, Enlightenment is not a «blackout» when you do not see, hear, or understand anything. On the contrary, you begin to see everything much more clearly. That is, Enlightenment does not mean turning off and further absence of perception. By the way, it is precisely when the work of consciousness stops that true perception appears. But whatever one sees, hears, whatever one smells, tastes, or feels, whatever information one encounters, nothing has any influence, consciousness does not come into motion, and hence suffering does not arise.

What then does the enlightened one use to perceive objects or phenomena? Wisdom (Prajnya), which begins to arise in response to the perception of anything. Enlightened consciousness cannot be expressed, but there are two things that characterize it. They are Calmness and Contemplation. The latter – Contemplation – when one perceives but the consciousness remains at rest, is Wisdom. That is, in this state one sees any object without an «intermediary» in the form of consciousness, which colors everything that appears before it in the colors of past experience and information. You see exactly the object. And, therefore, you can fully and freely understand the essence of this object. In addition, this state is our true original state, which we all possess from the beginningless past. In other words, there is knowledge (information and past experience) and there is Wisdom. Experience and information, especially those that make us unhappy, can be stripped off (stopped) like clothes if we engage in spiritual practice. But what is essential cannot be removed.

Further, as we continue our practice, we experience Enlightenments at the subconscious and superconscious levels. When all three levels of consciousness are completely stopped, we begin to see the primary source of ALL information that forms both the Universe and what we call «me» – the data of the Causal World (Formless World). Having reached this level, we can see all past and future lives of all living beings, see their karma, and see the causes, conditions, and results of any action. This is the Perfection of Wisdom. However, Wisdom, or Prajnya, is not the ultimate goal, for it is only the Causal World, not Nirvana. We can say that Wisdom is the precursor of Nirvana or the Absolute State.

Therefore, the word «Paramita» is also translated as «leading to the other shore». «This shore» is the World of Phenomena in which we begin our practice. «The Ocean» («Ocean of Sansara») that must be «swum across» is the Astral World, the world of our subconscious mind, which we transcend in Samadhi. «The Other» or «That Shore» is the Causal World (Formless World), surpassing which we realize Emancipation.

Dhyanas 5-8

From the subconscious mind, we pass to the superconscious mind. The superconsciousness corresponds to the Formless World or Causal World. The Higher Causal World consists of four levels or four States of Emptiness:

1. The State of Infinite Space, in which we experience an infinite expansion of consciousness. The fifth dhyana.

2. The State of Infinite Distinction, in which the wisdom of omniscience arises concerning the many expansions of consciousness – any state of consciousness is instantly recognized as it is, without the illusions of double thinking. Sixth dhyana.

3. State of Non-Possession³⁶ – when the experience comes to us of realizing that everything we possess, including the physical body and sensations, is not our property is not us (the True «Self»). Seventh dhyana.

4. The state of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception, in which no information can be said to exist or not to exist. In this state, there is no cognition of perceived objects (given as light), which exist by themselves, independent of our cognition. Eighth dhyana.

He who has attained these stages of Samadhi sees the original source of his Formed experience. It is quite difficult for a person who has not had such an experience to understand this. I will try to describe as simply as possible my experience of the Higher Causal World, which I received in meditation.

Formed Experience (Aggregate No.4) and Distinction (Aggregate No.5)

Our Formed Experience (Aggregate No.4) connects us with the Astral and Causal Worlds. Of course, if we consider the Formed Experience as broadly as possible, we can say that it connects us with all three worlds because our past accumulated experience necessarily manifests itself in the World of Phenomena. The manifestation of our own past experience in the material world we call life.

However, Formed experience manifests itself indirectly in the World of Phenomena. In the Causal World, the Formed experiences are particles of light. When they are projected onto the Astral World because of the work of the superconsciousness, we have desires/no desires, or intentions. Actually, this is the function of the Formed Experience – will, or intentions, which are connected with the work of our subconscious mind. We see our desires or no desires in meditation in the form of multi-coloured light and images in our Astral World, as I described above. After that, the images of the Astral World are projected onto the World of Phenomena and take place in the form of concrete events. Therefore, we can say that the Formed experience is directly present only in the Astral World (intentions, will) and the Causal World (particles of light as a primary source). Consequently, we can directly see, and understand the principle of work and stop the action of our Formed experience only in deep meditation and Samadhi, passing from the World of Phenomena to the Astral and then to the Causal World.

Further, it is necessary to note that our Aggregate No. 4 stores, first of all, the experience which we have acquired exclusively in this life. Aggregate No. 4 itself is formed in our intermediate state between the past and present life. By performing actions with our body, speech, and thoughts, we form new experiences, which are accumulated in Aggregate No.4, then moved to Aggregate No.5, and then in reverse order, eventually manifesting in our daily life in the World of Phenomena (see Chapter 1 for details).

Aggregate No.5 is the «repository» of all our data (experience and information) that we have accumulated from the beginningless past to the present moment. Therefore, when data from Aggregate No. 5 is moved to Aggregate No. 4, the latter contains not only the data we have accumulated in this life but also the information and experience we have accumulated in past lives.

Consequently, our desires or intentions in everyday life can be caused both by our experience gained in this life and by the data, we have accumulated, for example, one or a thousand lives ago. For example, a person is likely to make a decision about how to spend an evening based on his or her ordinary daily experience from, say, yesterday or a week ago. But an important decision, for example, about which institute to enroll in or the decision to start spiritual practice, a person will obviously make not on the basis of yesterday's experience, but on the basis of deep data contained in his Distinction, or Aggregate No. 5, based on data formed in past lives.

Samadhi of the Higher Causal World

Entering the Samadhi into the Causal World, or rather into its Higher, «pure» part (i.e. the Higher Causal World, which does not overlap with other worlds), we see all the past experience accumulated by us, first of all, in this life (although there may be particles relating to the experience of past lives) in the form of an ocean of particles of light. They have different shapes, colors, and intensities of the emitted light. The intensity of light, its color, and the shape of the particles are, in fact, information.

Imagine a computer screen. You click on the «My Documents» folder and many folders with different names appear in front of you. These folders contain all kinds of information. It is the same with bits and pieces of past experience. You can «click» on any of them. Since I have done a lot of martial arts in both current and past lives, I saw some red-purple light grains (this color means fighting and points to the World of Asuras). I «clicked», that is, focused on one of them. The experience of one instance when I had to fight came before me. The feeling that I had in that situation arose. I remembered it completely. After I relived the experience of that fight again, the image of it appeared – I saw again how everything happened. That is, at that moment I saw two worlds simultaneously: in my Causal World, I «clicked» on a grain of the past experience, and in my Astral World it appeared as a reliving of that experience in the form of an image. This is how the three worlds of the Universe interact: the Causal World (the Formless World) is the primary source of all information and experience, in the Astral World (the World of Forms) it manifests itself as an image, and then in the World of Phenomena (the World of Passions) the corresponding event takes place.

By experiencing the Causal World in meditation, we begin to understand the elements that shape all of our lives. In other words, we begin to understand the karma we have accumulated. For example, we realize why we strive for these things and reject others. Why do we lead this or that way of life, and so on?

I often hear about «going into the subconscious mind to understand the causes of your problems». However, having gained experience of the Causal World, I can say that such reasoning is meaningless. Firstly, to really dive into one's subconsciousness, one should enter deep meditative concentration or dhyana, and then Samadhi, which is absolutely impossible without correct and serious spiritual practice. Secondly, the subconscious mind is a reflection of the superconscious mind, hence, in order to really understand one's karma it is necessary to immerse oneself in Samadhi into the ocean of light consisting of individual particles. Each grain of light in the Causal World is a grain of our past experience, or karma, from which a desire or no desire is formed in the subconscious mind, i.e. a tendency, then an image appears, and only then these data appear in our actual consciousness and we begin to act. Thus, if we want to realize perfect Enlightenment and Emancipation, it is necessary not only to see and understand these particles of experience, but also to stop their action.

If we continue to concentrate, these grains of light will stop and remain behind. At that moment, I was immersed in transparent pure light. Everything stopped completely. I just stayed in that light, immersed in a state of happiness that is beyond the reach of words.

This light is the fifth of the Five Aggregates: information in its purest form. It is a «data bank»: everything we have done, said, and thought since the beginningless past and up to now, all our past experiences, all the knowledge we have gained, finally, from our World of Phenomena through our Astral World get here – to our Causal World, the world of our superconsciousness. This information determines all our subsequent actions in this world, all our present life, as well as the next life. This information is the only thing we have in us from the past: the body, sensations, images, and will are destroyed at the moment of death, and the data accumulated in them pass into our Causal World, transforming into this information in its pure form, and we enter this transparent light. Then our new Astral World (will, images, subconsciousness) and our new World of Phenomena (body, senses, and actual consciousness) are formed from this information. Thus, if this information in the Causal World does not affect us, there are no rebirths for us and no suffering.

The pure transparent light of the Higher Causal World is called Clear Light in esoteric Buddhism (Tantra-Vajrayana); it is mentioned in the «Bardo Thödol» sutra. The very transparent state of the Emptiness of the Higher Causal World is called Dharmakaya. This is the original state of our consciousness, the Five Aggregates, the information (karma) contained in them, and the entire Universe – the transparent Dharmakaya, the Emptiness or Tao. The World of Phenomena is just a projection of the Astral World, and the Astral World as such is a projection of the Causal World. If this is so, then the World of Phenomena in which we now live is a false, illusory world. However, to see and understand it, we must realize the Causal World, which is the original source, must gain experience of it. That is what Wisdom is. To acquire completely, to exhaust the experience of the Causal World is what Wisdom is. To understand one's true essence, one must understand not only this World of Phenomena but also the Astral and Causal Worlds. Without this, one cannot understand one's essence. For example, to have an experience of the Astral World alone is not enough. I am firmly convinced that only when one understands the Causal World, and to be more precise, only when breaking through its transparent light, one understands the state of the independent existence of the Atman (i.e. one's true original state), then one can understand the structure of the Universe, consciousness, the Five Aggregates, and their interaction.

The Higher Formless World is only a precursor to Nirvana

The state of the Higher Formless World is sometimes considered Nirvana and sometimes confused with it. In the Higher Formless World there is only information, only light, therefore there is no suffering. There are no images or actions in this world. Since there are no deeds, or actions from past experience, the Law of Karma is interrupted there. However, the stay in the Higher Formless World ends when the work of consciousness resumes. At this point, past experience also begins to work and new experience begins to form. Then the function of Discernment resumes. Thus, the state of the Higher Formless World is not absolute freedom or Emancipation.

At one point, I realized that I was not breathing. «Samadhi!» – I thought. That was the mistake, for the completely stopped consciousness came into motion. The perception of information began, and a division into «self» and «not-self» emerged. In the next second, the transparent light turned into multi-coloured particles of experience, then images emerged from them, and then the senses began to work. Next, a slight jolt and I opened my eyes. I was still sitting in the Lotus, my body a little numb. If that time I had continued to concentrate and not let my consciousness start working, then having surpassed this pure light, I would have experienced the state of Nirvana, «situated» above the light.

Nirvana and Personal Emancipation

When the full and repeated experience of Nirvana is experienced, personal Enlightenment and Emancipation³⁷ are realized. Of course, this experience, like any experience in spiritual practice, must be fixed, expanded, and made completely one's own. In other words, to achieve perfection. For example, to be able at any moment in meditation to undergo dhyana from the first to the eighth as described. Then, at the moment of death of the physical body, that practitioner, having passed through all the stages from the World of Passion to the Formless World, can enter Nirvana. In the terminology of Buddhism, such souls are called Arhats.

If having reached this stage, the practitioner decides not to go to Nirvana but to be reborn again and again to help others achieve Enlightenment and Emancipation and to realize Buddhahood himself one day, then he enters the Path of the Bodhisattva, the Soul destined to attain Buddhahood. Such a soul, repeatedly reborn, will continue his own spiritual practice and will lead other souls from worlds full of suffering to the absolute state of Nirvana.

Chapter 4
After Attainment

Living for him is like giving in to the current,
Dying to him is like going to rest…
Jia Yi³⁸

Enlightenment without Emancipation

Perhaps here the reader may have a question: here Enlightenment and Emancipation have been achieved, what next? How do these absolute states manifest themselves in our world?

Let us imagine that a certain person did not engage in technical practice: he did not do, for example, pranayama or mudras to awaken Kundalini and activate the chakras. This practitioner had studied the Dharma deeply, accumulated merit, observed the precepts, and practiced meditation seriously. He has reached the first levels of Enlightenment, and he is not familiar with the energy process. What will be the future life of this practitioner?

First of all, a practitioner who has reached this level will use only his subconsciousness in his daily life. His surface consciousness will be in the state of Calmness and Contemplation, i.e. in its original stopped state. Thanks to this, he will see everything happening around him many times more accurately: it is the work of the actual consciousness that prevents an ordinary person from seeing reality correctly. Depending on the level of Enlightenment, this person will either not experience suffering at all, or suffering will still occur, but he will be able to stop their causes in his subconsciousness, and thus get rid of the suffering itself. Let me give as an example the story of Master Hakuin.

«Zen Master Hakuin was known among his neighbors as a man who lived a pure life. Nearby lived a beautiful girl whose parents ran a grocery store.

One day, the parents discovered that their daughter was pregnant. They were furious. The girl refused to name the father of the child, but after much insistence, she named Hakuin. In great anger, the parents came to the Master.

– Really? Was the only thing he said in response to the avalanche of accusations.

When the child was born, they brought it to Hakuin with the words:

– This is your child, so take it!

The master only uttered:

– Really?

By then he had lost all respect from those around him, but that didn't bother him at all. He diligently took care of the baby, borrowed milk and everything the baby needed from the neighbors.

A year later, the young mother could not stand it and told her parents the truth. The real father of the child turned out to be a young man working at the fish market. The girl's father and mother immediately ran to Hakuin, begged his forgiveness, apologized to him for a long time and asked him to return the child to them. Hakuin willingly forgave them. Returning the child, he only said:

– "Really?» (From the collection «One Hundred and One Stories of Zen»).

What happens to someone who has reached this level after death? At the moment of death, any person experiences the energetic process of Emancipation. That is, there is a cessation of the gross senses, destruction of the gross Four Elements, and then, under the influence of energy, the person leaves his physical body. Then, having passed through his subconsciousness, he leaves behind images and past experiences, immersing himself in the pure light of the Higher Formless World, the world of his superconsciousness. The problem of an ordinary person is that he experiences postmortem shock and does not realize what is happening to him. After all, if one enters the transparent light, one can realize Emancipation and immerse into Nirvana. That is why death is the most important moment in a person's life. However, ordinary people are deprived of this chance due to postmortem shock, or an interruption of consciousness. Of course, an enlightened person will have little or no shock. Thus, he who has attained Enlightenment immediately after the death of the physical body will be able to go through the whole energetic process of Emancipation at once and go to Nirvana. If this could not be done, then, since this person has not accumulated bad karma, he can be reborn in the good world and continue his practice. Thus, death for the enlightened or yogis who do only mental practices is the most important moment in their life, and also a joyful event: as they will be able to see the results of their practice.

Emancipation without Enlightenment

What happens if you practice only energy techniques? Is it possible to attain Emancipation without experiencing at least the first Enlightenment?

Theoretically, it is possible to achieve Emancipation without the experience of Enlightenment. However, this is only in theory. It is very unlikely that a person who has not had a genuine experience of stopping consciousness will be able to go through all the stages of the energetic process without breaking down physically and/or mentally. He will either be forced to end his practice, or he will come to a mental breakdown or, as a consequence and continuation of the mental breakdown, he will take the path of evil. Let me briefly explain these three possible scenarios.

Kundalini energy is very strong. Its rise and the mystical experience that accompanies it cause great fear if the practitioner's mind is not prepared for such an experience. Many people at this stage, frightened, simply give up practicing. It is always necessary to remember the preliminary practices, as I never tire of reminding you.

The rise of energy is accompanied by an entrance into the subconscious mind, and all the data accumulated to this moment comes out at once and falls on the practitioner. Experiencing constant depression and fear, seeing frightening visions in one's own subconsciousness, a person can really go crazy. That is why the practice of accumulation of merit, observance of precepts, and deep study of Dharma comes first, and only then, the yogi begins the technical elements that raise energy.

Kundalini activates the chakras and supernatural abilities of the initial level appear. If the yogin's consciousness is unstable, if he has not had the experience of Calmness and Contemplation, then this yogin is not able to see correctly, what is happening to him. In essence, it is an ordinary person, with all the basic passions and worldly problems derived from hatred, ignorance, and greed, which are peculiar to people. If there has been no experience of Enlightenment, all these worldly desires are active, and the person considers them as himself: it seems to him that all this is part of his real personality. Moreover, in this state supernatural abilities appear. It is true that they are accompanied by frightening visions, but this process is very exciting for the immature consciousness of a person who has only been practicing technically. As a rule, in such a case a person becomes something like a «sorcerer», «hereditary magician», etc. He will think that he has achieved Emancipation, that he can control the course of events, influence the lives of others, and so on. In other words, he will use his powers to satisfy his egoism. In the next life, such a person will be reborn in one of the three lower worlds (the World of Hell, the World of Animals, and the World of Hungry Spirits) or «stuck» in the Lower Astral, becoming a lower spirit.

Of course, if a practitioner who has activated several chakras and acquired a number of supernatural powers of the initial level uses them for the benefit of others, this is wonderful and does not contradict the True Dharma in any way. A person accumulates negative karma when reveling in his supernatural powers of the initial level, he begins to satisfy his own and others' worldly desires with their help. One must remember that the true higher six supernatural powers³⁹ and worldly desires are directly opposite things.

Enlightenment and Emancipation

Here we have before us a truly great soul who has attained both Enlightenment and Emancipation. In the terminology of Original Buddhism, such souls are called Arhats. In Late Buddhism, this is the level of Mahamudra. In Yoga it is the level of attainment of the three yogas: Enlightenment and Emancipation in Raja Yoga, energetic Emancipation of Kundalini Yoga, and the highest Enlightenment realized through Jnana Yoga. In Taoism, this is the level of Heavenly Immortal.

When this level is realized, the Attainer can have two options, «Nirvana without remainder» and «Nirvana with remainder».

«Nirvana without remainder»

«Nirvana without remainder» means entering Nirvana. For the Attainer who has entered Nirvana, there are no longer three worlds: the World of Passion (the World of Phenomena, or the material world), the World of Forms (the Astral, or subtle world), and the Formless World (the Causal World, or the world of the soul essence).

In other words, he who has attained «Nirvana without remainder» has left the material world, in which he had a physical body and external senses; has passed through the subtle world, in which he is held by images and desires arising from past experience and discernment; and has entered the world of the soul essence, or causal world, which contains all past experience and information in the form of transparent light. In the last stage, the Attainer terminated these data in the causal world and realized a state without the Causal World's influence. Thus, the false «self» in the form of the Five Aggregates is completely destroyed. This is what is expressed by the definition «without remainder».

However, we need to realize that Nirvana does not mean Nothingness – a state of pitch darkness in which nothing exists. The state of Nirvana is the independent original state of the True «Self». As mentioned in the previous chapter, the True «Self» is like a mirror reflecting everything as it is. The Atman, or True «Self», originally possesses consciousness, will, and perceptions. Emancipation is when all of the above are stopped and do not come into motion.

«This, monks, is true peace, this is the highest: cessation of all formations, abandonment of all basis for rebirth, extinction of craving, impartiality, cessation, Nibbana⁴⁰» (Ananda Sutta, NA 3.32).

The Five Aggregates in this state are annihilated («cessation of all formations»), and all past experience is completely stopped, has no influence, and does not manifest. Since experience is completely stopped, no actions are performed («extinction of craving, impartiality, cessation»), and thus no new karma is formed. This is expressed in the sutra as «abandonment of all basis for rebirth», that is, no cause in the form of karma for a new birth is formed. Thus, the state where past experience is stopped and no new experience is formed is Nirvana.

«Nirvana with remainder»

The second option is «Nirvana with remainder». In this case, the Attainer remains for some time in the World of Men. There can be two reasons here.

The first is the intention to fully complete one's personal spiritual practice. When personal Enlightenment and Emancipation are realized, the karma accumulated before the present life ceases and the Attainer is left with only the karma he has formed in this life up to the time of Attainment. After the Attainment, the karma accumulated in this life begins to manifest and decay. When this process is complete, «Nirvana without remainder» is realized. Depending on the level, this process may be completed while the Attainer is still alive, or at the time of death, or in an intermediate state after the death of the physical body. This approach is characteristic of Hinayana⁴¹ practitioners who are engaged only in their own spiritual practice, the goal of which is personal Enlightenment and Emancipation, after which Nirvana is realized.

The second reason why an Attainer may decide to remain in this world is to show people with whom there is a karmic connection the path to Enlightenment and Emancipation by explaining the True Dharma. This is the decision made by Mahayana and Vajrayana practitioners following the Bodhisattva Path, as I mentioned at the end of the previous chapter. The intention behind this decision is Love and Compassion. In other words, the mind of the attainer of this level is completely still in relation to his own suffering, but active in relation to the suffering of other sentient beings.

In this state, the Attainer intentionally retains some desires for existence in order to live as a human being, but most of his desires have been destroyed. In other words, the experiences formed in this state are not completely stopped. The Five Aggregates also exist in this state. However, they do not affect the Attainer because his consciousness is stopped. This state is called «Nirvana with remainder». «Remainder» is the Five Aggregates and formed experiences, some of which have not been consciously stopped by the Attainer. He can use his past experience to preach the Dharma, for example, but (and this is the essential point) the past experience no longer forms worldly desires. This is true for both types of Attainers, those who simply complete their practice and those who follow the Bodhisattva Path.

Further, since past experience is not completely stopped, there are events in the life of the Attainer; in other words, his past karma pertaining to this life will manifest. However, the consciousness of the Attainer remains unchanged, that is, it does not come into being under any conditions:

«When a monk is so completely emancipated in mind, even the mighty forms cognized by the eye that enter the field of sight, the mighty sounds cognized by the ear that enter the field of hearing, the odors, tastes, tactile sensations, the mighty mental phenomena cognized by the mind that enter the field of mind, do not encompass his mind. There is no effect on his mind. He remains steady, attained steadfastness, and contemplates their disappearance» (Sona Sutta, AN 6.55).

So, when Enlightenment and Emancipation are realized, the karma of the past still manifests, but the new Attainer no longer accumulates. By the way, this is true even if Enlightenment alone is realized. For example, Master Hakuin wrote:

«One night everything around suddenly ceased to exist, and I crossed the threshold of Enlightenment. All the doubts and uncertainties that had been plaguing me were suddenly gone – their very foundation disappeared like melted ice. The deep root of karma, which had bound me to the wheel of births and deaths for countless kalpas, dissolved like foam on water» (Hakuin Ekaku «Wild Ivy»).

So why doesn't karma accumulate? There are five conditions for committing an action and, consequently, for karma to accumulate.

First is the intention, or the desire to perform an action. The intention of an ordinary person arises from his past experience and is expressed as «I want» or «I don't want». Simply put, personal effort is the work of selfishness, but with the attainment of Emancipation, selfishness disappears. Emancipation is a state of complete absence of desires originating from selfishness. Consciousness and past experiences are stopped and hence there is no egoism.

Secondly – finding and establishing the object of action. For example, an ordinary person interacts with various people. With someone, friendly relations are established, i.e. positive karmic ties, with someone – on the contrary, relations are hostile, based on dislike, and karmic ties, accordingly, negative ones arise. However, the Attainer no longer creates karmic ties. This means that he is no longer consciously building relationships. For example, the Attainer has disciples or other people in contact with him, and he sees that this is because of karmic ties from past lives. The Attainer himself will not seek meetings, or try to find some approach to another person to satisfy his desires, as ordinary people do.

Thirdly, the performance of the action itself and, fourthly, the work of consciousness during the action. Here it is appropriate to recall the state of non-action⁴². The essence is that even if any actions are performed (not arising, of course, from egoism and worldly desires), the consciousness of the Attainer remains unaffected – does not come into motion, does not change:

«The Perfectly Wise, in doing deeds, prefers Non-action; in practicing teaching, he does not resort to words; in causing things to change, [he] does not realize them himself; in creating, he does not possess [that which is created]; in setting things in motion, he makes no effort to do so; in successfully completing [something], he is not proud.

…

The realization of Non-action always brings tranquillity». («Tao De Jing»).

Finally, fifth, is the satisfaction or dissatisfaction with what has been accomplished. Since the consciousness of the Attainer does not come into motion, the experience arising from actions remains only as a fact of memory, but it does not take root and become the cause of subsequent actions, as it happens with ordinary people.

In view of the above, we can understand why, for example, according to the Buddhist sutras, an Arhat cannot:

1. Intentionally take the life of a living being.

2. Take something that has not been given to him, i.e. steal something.

3. Have sexual desire and be sexually active.

4. Tell a deliberate lie.

5. Accumulate possessions.

6. Commit acts based on hatred (dislike, disgust), ignorance and greed (covetousness, attachment)

7. Experience fear.

Therefore, the realization of Enlightenment and Emancipation is a state of perfect freedom and absolute happiness. An Attainer of «Nirvana with remainder» simultaneously resides in three worlds of the Universe: in the World of People, he has a physical body, in the World of Forms – many subtle bodies, in the Formless World – bodies of consciousness. He himself is immersed in the state of Nirvana. In addition, this state of Nirvana is projected on the three worlds. At any moment, he can leave this world by destroying his physical body and go, for example, to the World of Forms. He can also go to Nirvana whenever he sees fit, that is, realize «Nirvana without remainder». In this state, the Attainer completely transcends death.

Delusions about Enlightenment and Emancipation (end)⁴³

Now when we have considered the state of Attainment, it is necessary to talk about the common delusions concerning Enlightenment and Emancipation.

1. «Everything is empty, everything is permitted»

The first, the most dangerous delusion, can be expressed as «if you are realized, you can do anything because everything is empty». To put it briefly, it is an oxymoron⁴⁴. Why is it so? Because the state of perfect realization, or concentration, in other words, the state of Enlightenment, is the cessation of the workings of consciousness and thus of past experience. Therefore, an enlightened yogi cannot have any worldly desires originating from past experience because it is stopped. That is, an enlightened yogi who is in a state of perfect realization will not, for example, use alcohol, or drugs, have sex, or cause suffering to others, nor can he be seized by the taste or quantity of food, attachment to material things, and so on. Furthermore, even if objects appear in the external world that are perceived by an ordinary person as objects of worldly desires, such as a charming member of the opposite sex, delicious food, and so on, a person who has experienced even the first Enlightenment will not have any desires.

So where did such a ridiculous and wild misconception like «do anything, the main thing is to be conscious» come from? The fact is that as long as the enlightened person remains in this material world for one of the two reasons described above, he will perform actions. First, it is one's own spiritual practice. Second, and more importantly, is the transmission of the True Dharma to deluded people.

To fulfil these two points, the enlightened one will maintain his life in the World of People, that is, he will perform actions – for example, cooking meals, cleaning the meditation place, or traveling to different cities to give lectures. However, all the actions of the enlightened one come not from worldly desires, but from the true intention of the Atman, which is to realize the perfect state of Nirvana and to transmit this Teaching to others. The latter is expressed as Love (Maitri) and Compassion (Karuna).

Nevertheless, even by performing certain actions, the enlightened person does not form new experience, or karma, because his consciousness remains in the original state of Calmness and Contemplation (here we can speak of perfect awareness) and does not come into motion, i.e. remains unaffected even if an action is performed. Experience remains only as a fact of memory, not as a driving force that forms new desires that lead to new actions and new experiences. In other words, experience does not take root or begin to drive the enlightened one. As D.T. Suzuki says: «Tranquility of mind does not mean that one should cease all activity. True tranquility lies in the activity itself».

However, if an ordinary person who has built a world of fixed ideas, such as «everything is empty, nothing exists», acts according to the principle of «do whatever you want if you are conscious»; he will create nothing but negative karma and causes of new sufferings. Because as long as our consciousness is active, it is the perceived world that is a reality for us. As long as our consciousness is active, we, by performing actions, will form new experiences that will lead to new desires and actions.

Suppose a person, thinking that «everything is empty» and therefore nothing bad can happen, wants to commit some reckless act, for example, jump from the roof of a skyscraper or start using drugs. When he is flying down or dying of an overdose, will he still believe that «everything is empty»? Will the fixed idea of «everything is empty» that he has created help him at that moment? What does a person feel a second before dying from a fall from a great height or an overdose? Inner Joy and True Tranquility? Hardly. More like horrible pain and terror. And what would indicate a future reincarnation? The state before death. Pain and terror is the World of Hell. Thus, even by covering up bad or reckless deeds with the Doctrine of Emptiness, it is impossible to avoid an accumulation of bad karma, it is impossible not to feel pain, and it is impossible to avoid suffering.

«A young man named Yamaoka Tesshu, studying Zen, visited one master after another. He also came to Dokuon from Shikoku. Eager to show his accomplishments, he said:

– Both mind and Buddha and all sentient beings are ultimately non-existent. The true nature of phenomena is Emptiness. There is neither realization nor delusion, neither sage nor mediocrity. There is neither reward nor gain.

Dokuon, who had been quietly listening, remained silent. Suddenly he tapped Yamaoka hard with his bamboo stick. The young man became very angry.

– If nothing exists, Dokuon asked, – where did this anger come from?» (from the collection «One Hundred and One Stories of Zen»).

So, «do whatever you want if you are conscious because everything is empty» is the same as «a sober person with two ppm of alcohol in his blood».

2. «Effortless Enlightenment»

A second delusion that has become particularly common nowadays is to believe that there is no effort required to realize Enlightenment, but simply to «be in the natural flow or moment». This is akin to the Zen «silent insight» that Master Hakuin⁴⁵ struggled with all his life.

On the one hand, it is true that in the process of practice, we come to a state of natural presence, or a state akin to the Calmness and Contemplation I described in the previous chapter. Observing objects and phenomena while in this state, we eventually perceive the Emptiness of all that we perceive and realize the first Enlightenment. The problem, however, is that this state of natural presence is simply taken out of the context of the practice process by ignorant and lazy people and presented not as a small intermediate part of the path, but as the only means and the only goal of the entire True Dharma practice.

However, such an approach is impossible, no matter how much a person, immersed in his own vague ideas and banal laziness, dreams of realizing Enlightenment «without effort». The fact is that there is a law of inertia in this Universe. It says that if we do not impart any energy to a body at rest, it will not get acceleration and will not start moving. On the other hand, if we do not apply force to an object that is moving at a certain speed, it will continue to move at the same speed.

The law of inertia is also at work in our consciousness. The ordinary, unenlightened state of our consciousness is the consciousness of the six worlds of the World of Passion, caught up in worldly desires arising from egoism. If this consciousness is left alone and no effort is made, it will remain in the original state of the six worlds of the World of Passion, a state where there is nothing but suffering, no matter how much one engages in self-deception by being in the «natural flow, without effort». This applies not only to the current life but also to the next one. As V.Vysotsky says in his «Song about the transmigration of souls»:

Your soul aspired to the heights -

You will be born again with a dream,

But if you lived like a pig

You'll remain a pig.

Moreover, if we continue the practice of satisfying worldly desires, continue to bring in relevant worldly information, and gain relevant experience, then we will accelerate toward the three bad worlds. But if we apply the opposite force to our consciousness, giving it an acceleration in the opposite direction from the three evil worlds, we will head towards worlds superior to the World of Passion, and then realize the true original state of our consciousness, in which we will see our true nature.

Thus, we need a serious and sincere intention to realize Enlightenment and Emancipation, an intention based on a deep study of the True Dharma and Right View, not on worldly desires. This intention, or determination, will lead us to the practices of Goodness, Merit, Law, and Tranquility. If the practitioner does not have these foundations, then his life becomes one of relaxed idleness: he begins to ignore everything in the world and believes that he can only sit and «contemplate» without bothering to study the Teachings, observe the precepts, accumulate merit, make Diligent Effort, practice Patience, or engage in meaningful technical and meditative practice. In the end, this leads to the fact that in meditation, which for such «practitioners» is more like a sitting slumber, he begins to hear voices from the Lower Astral telling him: «You have attained Emancipation. You are enlightened». Experienced practitioners tell him that he has fallen into a devilish state, and he responds by calling them liars. Unfortunately, I know many such examples.

3. «Instant Enlightenment»

The third delusion is the mistaken belief that the Doctrine of Emptiness, Dzogchen, Mahamudra, or Zen practice leads one to instant Enlightenment. Indeed, when the experience of the first Enlightenment (Kensho) is experienced, the cessation of consciousness is sudden. But before experiencing this experience, the practitioner must engage in serious and long spiritual practice – it is impossible to experience Kensho simply by hearing some teaching, even a very high one: the mind of an ordinary person is simply not ready for it. When we hear stories from the past about how ordinary people experienced Kensho simply by hearing some saying of a Master, we should not be deceived. These people had certainly been practicing for a long time before that moment. This practice may have had a concrete form or may have been formless and consisted of an agonizing inner search for the answer to the vital question «Who am I?» which was a powerful unidirectional concentration. When this inner concentration of consciousness reached its peak, the Master, seeing this state of the person, uttered the words that were the answer to the question that tormented the person. At this moment, a kind of explosion takes place in the human consciousness: the walls of fixed ideas and egoistic aspirations are destroyed. The man «experiences a great death, body and consciousness completely leave him, and from the deepest filth he rises completely pure»⁴⁶. The words of the Master at this point become only a catalyst that would be utterly useless without the prior practice of the person himself.

4. «If you are enlightened, then you are enlightened, and if you are not, then you are not»⁴⁷

The fourth delusion is that the experience of the first Enlightenment is somehow equated with the Final Enlightenment experienced by Gautama Siddhartha, who realized the state of Buddhahood. In other words, the fact that there are many levels of Enlightenment and Emancipation is denied.

However, if one tries to express the first Enlightenment or Kensho, mathematically, it is less than one billionth (1/1 000 000 000) of the absolute Enlightenment that Shakyamuni Buddha realized. The fact is that the soul called Tathagata or Bhagavan possesses, as it is said in Abhidharma philosophy, the only value of being among a thousand in the third degree, that is, a billion universes.

Imagine a multi-storied building with one hundred apartments. You live in one of them on a long-term lease, for example. It turns out that you own 1/100 of this house. However, there is an owner who owns the whole house. Similarly, there are a billion Universes, and our World of People is one of the worlds in this billion of Universes. The consciousness with which we perceive the World of People is our actual consciousness. We have had the experience of Kensho, our actual consciousness is stopped. At that moment, the experiences we had previously had in the World of People, and the newly incoming experiences have ceased to influence us. That is, we have received the experience of one of the worlds in a billion universes and stopped it. When in the same way we receive and stop the experience of all worlds in a billion universes, we will realize the state of Buddha, Tathagata, or Bhagavan.

This is why the greatest Zen Master Hakuin Ekaku spoke of «practice after Enlightenment».

Instead of a conclusion

Meditative experience gives us confidence. It is the certainty that the spiritual world does exist, and dedicating ourselves to that world is the only thing that makes sense in this life. Buddhist, yogic, and Taoist texts provide ample evidence for this fact. These texts refer to human life as short and in order to make the most of this life, we must engage in spiritual practice. This is the conclusion I have come to after having had, albeit not fully, the meditative experiences described in the sutras. Of course, anyone can have his or her own way of thinking and his or her own way of living this life. We are free to have them. I will be happy if this essay can answer at least some of your questions about life and death, about the causes of joy and suffering, and about Enlightenment and Emancipation. I hope that my telling of the True Dharma has brought the reader at least to the edge of clarity about the Teachings handed down by the Great Teachers of the past. And having received the answers, you will begin your spiritual practice, and eventually come to know your authentic selves.

Information about the author of the essay

The author, Vadim Sychevskiy, was born in the USSR (Russia, Moscow) in 1979.

From the age of 12, after seeing movies with Bruce Lee, he began to study and practice martial arts (Karate-do Goju-ryu and Jit Kun Do), then Chinese Taoism and Japanese Zen Buddhism.

Later studied yoga at the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Center at the Embassy of India. He received a yoga teacher's certificate.

In 1996, he started teaching Taoist Qigong, yoga techniques, and Buddhist meditation.

Currently, in addition to yoga and Taoism, he studies and practices Buddhism of the Southern (Theravada) and Northern (Vajrayana) traditions.

He has practiced in Buddhist monasteries in Sri Lanka.

In the course of his spiritual practice, he has experienced the energetic process of Kundalini Yoga, from the awakening of Kundalini energy to entering Samadhi.

His spiritual experience and achievements have been validated by high Masters of different traditions.

In 2010, he received his spiritual name, Dhamma Gaveshi (Pali: ධම්ම ගවේෂී, Dhamma Gavēṣī – Dharma Explorer).

In 2021, he completed a three-volume book that had lasted over 6 years, «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of a Spiritual Practitioner».

Currently, the author conducts consultations on spiritual practice, and individual and group classes, where he uses his knowledge and spiritual experience to teach:

– Taoist Qigong

– Original Indian Yoga

– Buddhist meditation

The author is happy to share his knowledge of Dharma, and lectures integrating the teachings of Buddhism, Yoga, and Taoism.

Contact the author (through the translator, Nikolai):

gaveshi.en@gmail.com

English communities and translations will be in the future. For now, Russian-speaking communities are available:

Community of spiritual practitioners «Dharma – The Way Things Are» in VK

YouTube channel of the author of «Dharma – The Way Things Are»

The electronic version of the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Aegitas Publishing, 2021 in Russian:

VOLUME I VOLUME II VOLUME III

Illustrations

Illustration № 1

Illustration № 2

Illustration № 3

Illustration № 4

1.Master Hakuin Ekaku (1686–1768) was the greatest Zen Master and one of the most notable figures of Japanese Zen Buddhism.

2.For the difference between Enlightenment and Emancipation and the spiritual levels, see Chapters 3 and 4.

3.Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki (1870–1966) was a Japanese Buddhist scholar, professor of philosophy. In my, perhaps subjective, opinion, D.T. Suzuki experienced one or more Enlightenments, which is clear from his texts.

4.An ancient Sanskrit text explaining the Teachings of Yoga. Written by an unknown author on behalf of God Shiva. It is generally believed that God Shiva passed on all the teachings and ways of practicing yoga to his wife Goddess Parvati, and she in turn passed on the knowledge to God Ganesha. Therefore, it is believed that the text of «Shiva Samhita» was written down by a yogi from the words of God Ganesha.

5.For the three worlds of the Universe, see later in this chapter. For a detailed description, see «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experience and Realizations of a Spiritual Practitioner», Volume I.

6.For the teaching that explains the loss of the state of Nirvana, the Law of the 12 Stages of Conditioned Emergence, see «Dharma – The Way Things Are. The Real Experience and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Volume I.

7.For a detailed description of karma and the Law of Karma, see «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Volume I, Chapter 1.

8.For a detailed description of the three worlds of the Universe, see «Dharma – The Way Things Are. The Real Experience and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Volume I.

9.Sutra on the Fruit of Hermitry (Sāmaññaphalasutta, DN 2).

10.In the Maya Sutra (Sanyutta Nikaya 11.23. Maya Sutta: Magic) it is said that practicing magic leads to the World of Hell because of wasting merit. For more on merit and bad karma, see «Dharma – The Way Things Are. The Real Experiences and Realizations of a Spiritual Practitioner».

11.On the Great Teachers of the past, see «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Volume I, Introduction.

12.В. Shklovsky – (1893–1984) Russian Soviet writer.

13.This teaching was explained by Shakyamuni Buddha in the Anattaniya Sutta (SN III.69) or the Sutra on the «Not-Self» – see «Dharma – The Way Things Are. The Real Experience and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Volume II, Chapter 3.

14.I will talk about the process of meditation and stopping all levels of consciousness in Chapter 3. For a detailed description, see the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of a Spiritual Practitioner», Volume III.

15.H.V. Kalu Rinpoche (1903–1989) was a Kagyu Lama and a Master of high-level meditation. The name Kalu Rinpoche means «Lama who brings Light».

16.Avidya(Sanskrit) is literally «unseeing», i.e., lack of self-awareness, a state in which we try to find ourselves outside, not seeing that everything we perceive is not our essence.

17.Shunyata – Emptiness, see later in this chapter.

18.The ending is in the next chapter.

19.«Enlightenment, Awakening» – Sanskrit.

20.For the profound meaning of faith and devotion, see «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realisations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Volume III, Chapter 1.

21.A phrase by Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592), a French Renaissance writer and philosopher.

22.For misconceptions about Enlightenment-including «instant enlightenment» – see the next chapter.

23.Ananda Maitreya Maha Nayaka Thero (1896–1998) was the greatest Guru of the twentieth century who lived in Sri Lanka, gaining fame not only as a preceptor and scholar, an expert in canonical scriptures, but also as a great practitioner who perfectly realized all stages of Buddhist meditation.

24.See Chapter 2.

25.Synonym of Atman.

26.The second shloka of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras in Sanskrit: «Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha» – «Yoga is the cessation of the work of consciousness». «Consciousness» in this case is all levels of consciousness, including Atman consciousness.

27.In addition to surface consciousness, we are held in the World of Phenomena by the physical body and senses, which stop working during the process of energetic Emancipation, see the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of a Spiritual Practitioner», Volume II, Chapter 2.

28.Koan – a short narrative, question, dialog, usually without a logical background, often containing alogisms and paradoxes. They are used in Zen practice as an object of concentration to achieve Kensho and subsequent levels of Enlightenment.

29.The complete stopping of the false «self» occurs when entering Samadhi, see later in this chapter.

30.Usually, these words are attributed to Lao Tzu, but the classical version of the «Tao De Jing» and his early version of «Lao Tzu» do not contain this phrase. I assume that this statement belongs to one of the Zen Masters.

31.Vipassana meditation can also be practiced before the realization of the first Enlightenment, after the practitioner's consciousness has approached Calmness and Contemplation through Samatha meditation – see the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Volume III.

32.For details on the Four Awakened States of Consciousness and their relationship to the dhyana, see the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experience and Realizations of a Spiritual Practitioner», Volume I, Chapter 3.

33.In Chinese: «Shin» is literally «heart», also «soul», i.e. Discernment, Will, Perceptions, see Chapter 1.

34.Cheyne-Stokes respiration (J. Cheyne, Scottish physician, 1777–1836; W. Stokes, Irish physician, 1804–1878) – one of the types of periodic breathing characterized by repeated cycles of gradual increase and decrease in the amplitude of respiratory excursions and complete cessation of respiratory movements (apnea) between such cycles.

35.About Kundalini of Wind, Prana, all kinds of energy and stages of the energetic process of Emancipation – see the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Volume II, Chapter 2. Detailed description of the eight dhyas and the state of Samadhi – Volume III, Chapter 3.

36.Usually translated as «Nothingness of Everything», but this is an inaccurate translation – see the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Volume I, Chapter 3.

37.For personal and ultimate Enlightenment and Emancipation, see the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Volume II, Chapter 3.

38.Jia Yi (~ 201 BC – 168 BC) was a Chinese philosopher, writer and poet during the Han Empire.

39.The true six supernatural powers (Pāli: abhiññā; Sanskrit: abhijña – «true, thorough knowledge, supernatural powers») are realized after repeatedly entering Samadhi – see the book «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experiences and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Volume II, Chapter 2.

40.Nirvana in the Pali language.

41.The three major systems of practice, or Chariots, of Buddhism are Hinayana, Mahayana, and Tantra-Vajrayana, for a detailed description see «Dharma – The Way Things Are. Real Experience and Realizations of the Spiritual Practitioner», Volume II, Chapter 3.

42.Non-action is originally a Taoist term, equivalent to Contemplation.

43.The beginning is in the previous chapter.

44.Oxymoron – a figurative combination of contradictory concepts; paradox; stylistic figure or stylistic error – a combination of words with opposite meanings (i.e. the combination of incongruous).

45.See the book «Wild Ivy: The Spiritual Autobiography of the Zen Preceptor Hakuin».

46.Master Hakuin's description of the Kensho experience.

47.The «defenders of the blind, dry path of Zen's „silent insight”» phrase from Wild Ivy.

Absolute freedom and happiness – our true essence

Vadim Sychevskiy

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The history of Buddhism

Yoga

Age restriction:

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Release date on Litres:

04 June 2024

Writing date:

2022

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174 p. 7 illustrations

ISBN:

978-0-3694-1126-6

Aegitas

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