■Book 51─Highest Yoga Tantra and Mahamudra
■Written by Master Sheng-yen Lu
■Chapter Six
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Compared to others, Nagarjuna's knowledge was most profound and wide-ranging, so he was able to bring Mahayana Buddhism into blossom. He was able to fulfill his bodhisattva mission of propagating the seeds of Buddha-dharma on a large scale.
The history of Nagarjuna's life is infused with many legends. Some Tibetan lamas said that Nagarjuna was born during the first century BCE. Other lamas said that he was born four hundred years after Sakyamuni Buddha entered into pari-nirvana. There was also a saying that Nagarjuna lived for six hundred years. Other sources mentioned that he was still expounding the dharma between the second and third centuries CE.
So, why do I mention Nagarjuna in my writing about Mahamudra? It is because Nagarjuna is the first lineage holder of Vajrayana. He spoke the Dharma to the king of southern India who was committed to the Buddha-dharma, and made Nagarjuna his imperial advisor. Nagarjuna elucidated the doctrines of the Middle Path as found in the Commentary on the Great Prajnaparamita Sastra. These doctrines, he explained, are the Fourfold Mindfulness of Mahamudra.
The Fourfold Mindfulness as taught by Nagarjuna is as follows:
1.Mindfulness of the body - Contemplation on the empty nature of the body.
2.Mindfulness of the suffering caused by emotions - Contemplation on the five aggregates, which are empty in nature.
3.Mindfulness of the mind - Contemplation on the non-origination and non-extinction of all phenomena.
4.Mindfulness of phenomena - Ceaseless contemplation on the first three kinds of mindfulness.
I shall elucidate on this further:
Mindfulness of the body - As Buddhists that practice Mahamudra, it is necessary to remind ourselves to frequently practice mindfulness of the body, visualizing our fathers on our right and our mothers on our left, along with all of our parents, relatives and loved ones in the six realms surrounding us. The hell realm is located the closest to us. Lying further away is the hungry ghost realm. After that is the animal realm, followed by the human realm. Further away is the asura realm, and the furthest is the heavenly realm.
If one does not cultivate the Buddha-dharma, eventually he will become spiritually degenerated. This is true for all sentient beings. All of us who are mindful of ourselves in the physical body know that physical phenomena must undergo the four stages of completion, existence, destruction and finally emptiness. Likewise, everyone is subject to birth, old age, sickness and death. Thus, when observing the mindfulness of the body, it is important to contemplate on the empty nature of the body. As stated in the Diamond Sutra, we must see through the delusion of the physical and egotistical self. The perception of a self, a being, a life, and a soul is essentially empty.
Being mindful of the body means to contemplate on its empty nature. One who is deluded is an ordinary mortal. One who is enlightened is a buddha.
This concept of mindfulness of the body is fundamentally similar to concepts that one first learns in studying Buddhism, and may appear to be “elementary.” Nonetheless, not many people are able to see through the delusion of the body. Many are aware that “all material things will eventually be destroyed, and all living things will age and die,” and that no one is excluded from this natural process. However, those who cannot see through the delusion of the body will continue to pursue fame, fortune and other material things. These deluded people will naturally fall into the three lower realms and will be drawn back into the six realms of samsara.
Thus, constant contemplation on mindfulness of the body involves contemplation on the empty nature of the physical body, and it is the first step in seeking renunciation.
Mindfulness of the suffering caused by emotions - The five aggregates are born from five kinds of discursive thoughts, and are certainly not a part of the nature of True Reality or Suchness. The cause and effect of these two are linked and mutually dependent. The five aggregates are the aggregates of form, feeling, conception, habitual action and consciousness. The aggregate of form refers to physical form. The aggregate of sensation is the feeling caused by the perception of physical objects. The aggregate of conception is the arising of thoughts. The aggregate of habitual action refers to unfocused mental formations and unrefined actions. The aggregate of consciousness is the mental faculty that is responsible for all changes and transformations.
-To Be Continued-
