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Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

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1. With the Japanese Tantra<br />

Bodily impurity is in the human body. In the practice of<br />

meditation, the human body ceases to be experienced by<br />

the meditator who attains success in samatha in the<br />

dhyanas. One does not cling to the human body, <strong>and</strong><br />

when it is meditated away, the thought of its impurity<br />

also vanishes. What remains is a pure heavenly body.<br />

Then this body has to be subjected to the process of<br />

sunyata sublimation in the Mahayana teachings. After<br />

this, no impurity remains either in flesh or in spirit <strong>and</strong><br />

the veils of sorrow <strong>and</strong> of knowledge are both gone. All<br />

impurity, gross <strong>and</strong> subtle, is thus destroyed. In this<br />

complete process through the three yanas, the Hinayana<br />

is in the position of cause, Mahayana is the<br />

sublimation-cause, <strong>and</strong> the position of consequence is<br />

held by the Vajrayana, when the pure body is<br />

transformed into a Buddha-body.<br />

For the whole system, then, the first two yanas may be<br />

considered as causal, while the Vajrayana is of<br />

consequence, where everything belongs to Buddhahood.<br />

I must emphasize to the readers that they should pay<br />

much attention to the two yanas of cause: To Hinayana<br />

purification <strong>and</strong> Mahayana sublimation, for without a<br />

firm basis of the practice of their teachings, there can be<br />

no possibility of true attainment in Vajrayana. Without<br />

the first two yanas, the third one becomes merely a<br />

matter of empty rituals <strong>and</strong> meaningless mumblings.<br />

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