Вадим Сычевский
Absolute freedom and happiness – our true essence
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.