Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

these ten stages. The Yellow Sect says one who
practices the Vajrayana must first pass through all of
them. The Old Schools differ, maintaining that not all
the stages are necessary and, though technically they
must be passed, they may not be very clearly defined in
the practitioner's experience. After all, the Mahayanist
takes three kalpas (aeons) to complete his bodhisattva
path while the follower of the Adamantine Vehicle may
progress from unenlightened worldling through all the
stages of the bodhisattva path to Buddhahood in just one
life. It is as if two people, going to the same place,
choose differing forms of transport. Here the
Mahayanist is like a person traveling by train: every
town at which the train stops will be clearly seen by him.
The Vajrayana, however, may be compared to the latest
jet airliner, and one traveling by this vehicle has only a
blurred impression of the country below him.
Thus, in my opinion, these two views do not contradict
each other. If a person for many lives has already
followed the Mahayana, he may very clearly experience
all the ten stages with their different characteristics. But
for one who is just newly initiated into the Vajrayana
with little or no practice of the Great Way in previous
lives and therefore having only a short time as a
bodhisattva, these stages may not occur so clearly. Yet
in both cases, the goal of Full Enlightenment is the
same.
We will now show readers something of these ten stages,
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