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"Words are things, and a small drop of
ink,
falling like dew, upon the thought produces
that which makes
thousand, perhaps,
millions of people
think."
Siddhartha Gautama
All the great
mystics of all the great schools of
thought experienced mortification of
the flesh.
Fasting traditionally presaged a great spiritual
struggle.
Siddhartha Gautama fasted eating only the seeds of the
cannabis plant.
He sat under a tree for 40 days and 40 nights swearing
he would not move until he found what he was searching for.
Accordingly, Mara - "The evil one" - tried to make Gautama give up his
quest.
At the end of 40 days he experienced - nirvana - literally, the
"blowing out" of the flame of desire and the negation of suffering.
He
found salvation.
From then on he was known as Buddha or "enlightened
one."
He preached and taught about the meaning of life and his way to
nirvana.
He founded the Sangha - an order of monks.
By the time
he died 45 years later, many thousands had adopted his teachings.
"I
consider the positions of
kings and rulers as that of dust motes.
I observe
treasures of gold and gems as
so many bricks and pebbles.
I look upon the finest silken robes as
tattered rags.
I see myriad worlds of the universe as small seeds of
fruit, and the greatest lake
in India as a drop of oil on my foot.
I perceive
the teachings of the
world to be the illusion of
magicians.
I discern
the highest conception of
emancipation as a golden brocade in a dream, and view the
holy path of the
illuminated ones as vision flowers.
I see meditation as a pillar of a
mountain, Nirvana as a daydream.
I look upon the judgement of right and
wrong as the serpentine dance
of a dragon, and the rise and fall
of beliefs as but traces left by the four seasons."
Siddhartha Gautama
According to many
traditions within Mahāyāna Buddhism, on the way to becoming a Buddha,
a bodhisattva proceeds through ten grounds or bhūmis.
The ten
bhūmis and their descriptions according to the Avataṃsaka Sūtra
and The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, a treatise by Gampopa, an influential
teacher of the Tibetan Kagyu school.
Before a bodhisattva arrives at
the first ground, he or she first must travel the first two of the five
paths:
the path of accumulation
the path of
preparation
The ten grounds of the bodhisattva then can be grouped into
the next three paths
bhūmi 1 the path of insight
bhūmis 2-7 the path of meditation
bhūmis 8-10 the path of no
more learning
The chapter of ten grounds in the Avataṃsaka
Sūtra refers to 52 stages.
The 10 grounds are:
Great Joy: It is said that being close to enlightenment and
seeing the benefit for all sentient
beings, one achieves great
joy, hence the name.
In this bhūmi the bodhisattvas practice
all perfections
(pāramitās), but especially emphasizing generosity
(dāna).
Stainless: In accomplishing the
second bhūmi, the bodhisattva is free from
the stains of
immorality, therefore, this bhūmi is named "stainless".
The
emphasized perfection
is moral discipline
(śīla).
Luminous: The
third bhūmi is named "luminous", because, for a bodhisattva who
accomplishes this bhūmi,
the light of Dharma is said
to radiate for others from the bodhisattva.
The emphasized
perfection is patience
(kṣānti).
Radiant: This bhūmi
is called "radiant", because it is said to be like a radiating light that fully
burns that which opposes enlightenment.
The emphasized
perfection is vigor
(vīrya).
Incorrigible: Bodhisattvas who
attain this bhūmi strive to help
sentient beings
attain maturity, and attempt not become emotionally involved when such beings
respond negatively, both of which are
difficult to do.
The emphasized perfection is
meditative
concentration (dhyāna).
Obviously
Transcendent: By depending on the perfection of wisdom, [the
bodhisattva] does not abide in either saṃsāra or nirvāṇa,
so this state is "obviously
transcendent".
The emphasized
perfection is wisdom
(prajñā).
Gone Afar: Particular
emphasis is on the perfection of skillful means (upāya), to help
others.
Immovable:
The emphasized virtue is aspiration.
This, the "immovable"
bhūmi, is the bhūmi at which
one becomes able to
choose his place of rebirth.
Discernment: self-focused
material grasping is transmuted into
clear-sighted
compassion.
Cloud of
Dharma: Emphasized
virtue is the practice of primordial wisdom.
After the ten bhūmis,
according to Mahāyāna Buddhism, one attains complete
enlightenment
and becomes a Buddha.
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