Dharma – The Way Things Are. The real experience and realizations of a spiritual practitioner. Volume I. The Universe

At the age of 35, in 589 BC, Gautama Siddhartha reached the Highest Enlightenment, or, in other words, realized the state of Buddha (Sanskrit: बुद्ध, Buddha; Pali: බුද්ධ, Buddha, literally – «Awakened»). According to the Indian lunar calendar, this occurred on the full moon day of the second month, which falls in late May to early June of the Gregorian calendar.

Sakyamuni Buddha spent the next forty-five years as a Dharma Teacher. Then, in 544 BC, he left this world and entered Parinirvana[14].

Now, let me return for a moment to the spelling of the Buddha's name.

Siddhartha Gautama, born as a prince, spoke and wrote Sanskrit, but after realizing the Highest Enlightenment and beginning to preach the Dharma, he switched to Pali. Pali was a spoken language in those days and was used by everyone, so even commoners could understand his sermons. Therefore, I pronounce and write down the Buddha's worldly name – Siddhartha Gautama – using transliteration from Sanskrit. As for the Buddha's name as spiritual Master, I use the Pali spelling – Buddha Sakyamuni.

However, in essence, what is important is not the name of the Teacher or the names of the texts written by him or recorded from his words, but the Truth of the Teaching that the Great Guru gave to the world, which is recorded in the texts.

The True Dharma preached by Sakyamuni Buddha is recorded in the Tripitaka[15]. Initially, no one wrote down the Buddha's sermons, but disciples who reached high levels of practice memorized his teachings by heart. After the Buddha's departure from this world, the disciples systematized from memory the Law their Master had explained to them for 45 years. Then, about 400 years later, the Law that the Buddha had preached was written down in the Pali language in Sinhalese syllables. This is how the Tripitaka (Sanskrit: त्रिपिटक, tripiṭaka) or Tipitaka (Pali: තිපිටක, tipiṭaka) came into being, which literally means «three baskets», as the texts received were placed by subject into three baskets. Another name for the Tripitaka is the Pali Canon.

Separately, I will explain that a Buddhist text (although this applies to most yoga texts as well) is called a sutra (सूत्र, sūtra) in Sanskrit and a sutta (සුත්ත, sutta) in Pali, which literally means «thread», but a more accurate definition is «formula». In other words, the sutras contain the formulas for our spiritual practice. In the following narrative, I will use both names – sutra or sutta – depending on the context. In addition, I will talk about the main formula for spiritual practice at the end of this introduction.

Nagarjuna

To explain the story of Nagarjuna I have to go back to in 250 BC, as mentioned above during the reign of the Indian Emperor Ashoka, or as he was also called, Dharmashoka (~ 304–232 BC), assembled the third Buddhist Council in the capital of his state – Pataliputta[16]. One of the most important decisions made at this Council or, according to other sources, somewhat later, was to send monks to various countries: Southeast Asia, the Greek kingdoms of Asia, as well as Africa, to spread the Dharma. Thus, after the Third Council, the son of Emperor Ashoka, the Venerable Monk Mahinda (Pali: Mahinda, Sanskrit: Mahendra), who had attained the level of an Arhat[17], was chosen to lead a mission to the southern regions, specifically to the island of Lanka.

Somewhat later, around the first century BC, a new round of development and dissemination of the Teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha began. From that moment until the 6th century A.D., the Mahayana[18] Teachings were formed and transmitted to the northern regions beyond India, Tibet, and China. Back then, a new category of sutras appeared, which was named «Prajnaparamita Sutras» (Prajnaparamita – Sanskrit: प्रज्ञपारमिता, «perfect wisdom»). We find an interesting prediction by the Buddha himself concerning the emergence and spread of Mahayana in the Diamond Sutra[19]:

«The Buddha said to Subhuti: „Five hundred years after the demise of Thus Come One[20], there will arise people who adhere to good vows, in whom a careful study of such speeches can produce a faith-filled mind if they treat the meaning of those speeches as truth. Know that the good roots of these people have been nurtured not by one Buddha, not by two Buddhas, not by three or four or five Buddhas, but by countless thousands and myriads of thousands of Buddhas who have nurtured their good roots. And it will be people who, having heard and thoroughly studied these speeches, will attain a single aspiration that will engender in them pure faith. Thus Come One knows exactly, sees exactly, those beings will thus attain an immeasurable amount of the goodness of happiness”».

The emergence of the Mahayana and the sutras that underlie it is due to the activities of the greatest Mahayana Teacher, Mahasiddha Nagarjuna. Siddha means the Achiever, one who possesses supernatural powers and has attained perfection. Thus, the epithet «Mahasiddha» can be translated as «Great Achiever». The Buddha's predictions about the appearance and activities of the Great Achiever Nagarjuna are contained in the Mahamegha Sutra: «Four hundred years after my leaving, one of the lichchhavas[21] will become a monk named Naga and will preach my teachings. Eventually, in the world of Prasannaprabha, he will become a Buddha named Janakaraprabha».

There are three main texts on Nagarjuna's life: «Life of Nagarjuna» by Kumarajiva, a commentator and translator of Buddhist books into Chinese (approximate years of life: 344–413); «Guru Nagarjuna» by Daranatha (Taranatha Gunga-Nyingbo, 1575–1634); and «Life of Nagarjuna» by Budong Rinchendub (1290–1364), a prominent Tibetan historian and codifier.

According to the Life of Nagarjuna text, he was born in South India 400 years after the Buddha's Parinirvana. According to other sources, he lived from 150 to 250 AD. Like many Mahasiddhas, Nagarjuna's biography contains many legends, mysticism, and historical facts.

From an early age, Nagarjuna studied the Vedas and then the Tripitaka, but he was not satisfied with this knowledge. «Thereafter, he began to look for other sutras but found none anywhere; it was only in the depths of the snowy mountains that an aged Bhikkhu (monk) gave him a Mahayana sutra, the deep meaning of which, though he understood, he could not find a lengthy interpretation… He traveled through many countries in search of other sutras. In the whole of Jambudvipa[22], he did not find them, though he searched everywhere». This is how Kumarjiva describes Nagarjuna's spiritual quest. Then, an important event occurs, both in Nagarjuna's life and in the history of Mahayana – he finds the Prajnaparamita sutras and, first of all, the Diamond Sutra. All three authors of Nagarjuna's biographies describe this moment almost identically:

«Then Nagaraja, the king of dragons, took pity on him to his palace at sea and showed him seven precious vaults containing the Vaipulya books and other sutras of deep and hidden meaning. Nagarjuna read them for 90 days… His spirit penetrated their meaning and realized their true benefit. Naga read his thoughts and asked: „Have you not yet entered into the Sutra you see? ” He replied, „There are many Sutras in your storehouse. The number of them is incalculable. I have to recite them again ten times on Jambudvipa”. Naga said: „There are many more Sutras than in my palace”. Then Nagarjuna comprehended the unified meaning of the Sutras and made great progress in concentration-samadhi with humility before the beginninglessness. Naga handed them to him, and he returned to Jambudvipa» («The Life of Nagarjuna», Kumarjiva).

Buddha Sakyamuni visited the Naga kingdom while appearing on the island of Lanka, which is recorded in the Lankavatara-sutra.

Let us return to Nagarjuna. In the text of Budon Rinchendub, we find an interesting detail: «The Nagas begged him to stay with them, but he decided to take with him the „Prajnaparamita Sutra” (in this case the Diamond Sutra – author's note), and in return, he erected 10 million shrines to them, and the Nagas became his friends. Since then he has been known as Nagarjuna (Nāga: «dragon» + Arjuna: the name of the tree under which he was born, literally «Silver Serpent», Sanskrit: नागार्जुन, nāgārjuna, – author's note)».

Of course, such descriptions cannot be regarded as a scientific or historical source of information about how the Mahayana sutras were first discovered. However, an important fact in these descriptions is that Nagarjuna discovered the sutras in some hidden place (in the underwater kingdom of the Nagas). The fact is that many sutras were deliberately hidden by their authors after they were written because the latter believed that at the time of the sutra's creation, people were not yet ready to accept the teachings contained in the sutra. Centuries later, these sutras were discovered, for example, underground – in Buddhist temples or monasteries during construction work or archaeological excavations.

There was also another way for the relevant teachings to appear in the form of sutras at a necessary moment. For example, a Master would write down a particular sutra. Realizing that people at this moment would not be able to realize this Law, the Master gave a task to one of his high disciples to be born in the future, in the appropriate period, and to reveal to the world the sutra written by the Master.

Anyway, with or without the help of the nagas, Nagarjuna discovers the Prajnaparamita sutras. Another important point is that Nagarjuna was probably the only person at that time who could theoretically and empirically understand the highest Mahayana law, the Doctrine of Emptiness. Had it not been for this fact, this finding would have been of value only to historical scholars, and Mahayana would not have spread further. However, thanks to Nagarjuna, the Mahayana Teachings were greatly developed and spread throughout India during that time. Nagarjuna left behind several fundamental works on Mahayana philosophy and, above all, the Doctrine of Emptiness, which I shall endeavor to show the reader in the pages of this book.

«Attachment to the best and the search for it brings suffering. Existing things have no nature; they are like clouds in the sky. Birth, life, death, goodness, injury – where do they come from? What is it? What can make you happy? Moreover, what can destroy you if your mind is pure space? From the beginning, there is nothing to be done because everything is empty» (Nagarjuna's words to his best disciple, Nagabodhi).

Padmasambhava

(Sanskrit: पद्मसंभव, padmasaṃbhava, the Lotus-Born).

The next round of Sakyamuni Buddha's development of teachings, Buddhism emerged in Tibet, primarily due to the teachings of Tantra-Vajrayana and Guru Padmasambhava. Around the 3rd century A.D., the first Tantra-Vajrayana sutras appeared. Their history is very similar to that of the Mahayana sutras.

Buddhism appeared and developed in Tibet through the efforts of two teachers, Shantarakshita and Padmasambhava.

«Blue Chronicle»[23] says that the first Tibetans to embrace Buddhism were the Chiang people. This happened at the end of the fourth century A.D. when the Buddha's Teachings penetrated Tibet from China. However, Chinese Buddhism did not spread further than the Land of Snows. When Trisong Decen (estimated time of life: 742–810, reigned from 755 to 797) ascended the throne, his powerful minister Mashan, who hated the Buddhist teachings, ordered the expulsion of all Chinese monks and ordered the monasteries to be given over to butcher shops. Despite this, King Trisong Decen could still invite the teacher Shantarakshita from India to preach the Mahayana teachings. Shantarakshita was a major Buddhist scholar. Subsequently, Shantarakshita received the honorific title of «Acharya Bodhisattva», «Bodhisattva Teacher», for his tremendous work spreading Buddhism in Tibet.

Shantarakshita brought to Tibet the teachings of the classical Mahayana preached by Nagarjuna, the Mahayana, which carries the profound Teachings on the Emptiness of all objects and phenomena and the salvation from suffering for all living beings. Mahayana flourished in India, a peaceful country with a warm and fertile climate, and was practiced by people with a mindset appropriate to the teachings and their country. However, the classical Mahayana was hardly understood at that time by the Tibetans, who were a warlike and indomitable people, unsophisticated in philosophical and ethical subtleties. Besides this, the Bon priests and shamans hindered the spread of Buddhism by invoking the will of the gods and demons of Tibet. Therefore, Shantarakshita advised Trisong Decen to invite a Tantric yogi to Tibet. A Mahasiddha named Padmasambhava who was from Uddiyana.

The ancient Buddhist country of Uddiyana («Garden» in Sanskrit) comprised the eastern part of present-day Afghanistan and the Swat River valley in Pakistan, located between the territories of Afghanistan and India. Uddiyana is considered the birthplace of many eminent Teachers. Numerous higher Teachings, such as Dzogchen, originated and were practiced in Uddiyana, which later spread to India and Tibet thanks to great yogis and Mahasiddhas.

The appearance of Padmasambhava in the World of People was predicted by the Buddha in the «Sutra of Incomprehensible Mysteries»:

Manifestation of the Buddhas of the Three Times,The doer of wondrous deeds in this blessed Kalpa,Will appear in the form of a vidyadharva[24].In the middle of the marvelous lotus flower.

One of the Yeshe Tsogyal[25] texts quote Padmasambhava's words about his appearance in the material world:

«Some believe that I appeared in a lotus flower amidst the pollen in Dhanakosha Lake in Uddiyan; some believe that I was born a prince in those parts. Others believe I came with a flash of lightning on the summit of Mount Namchak. Diverse are their beliefs, for I have appeared in many forms. Twenty-four years after Shakyamuni Buddha's Parinirvana, Amitabha, Adi, the Buddha of Infinite Light, filled with Bodhichitta[26], thought of Enlightenment and from the heart of Mahakaruna[27], in the form of Mahakaruna, I, Padmasambhava, the lotus-born guru, appeared as the syllable „shri”. As the rain entered the world, I came in innumerable forms for those ready to receive me. The deeds of the Enlightened Ones are incomprehensible. Who will determine the measure for them?»

Arriving in Tibet, Padmasambhava set about preaching the Dharma and demonstrating mystical powers to the Tibetans. The power bestowed by the Tantra-Vajrayana made a greater impression on the Tibetans than the preaching of the Mahayana Bodhisattva Path by Shantarakshita. It is also possible that the esoteric teachings of Padmasambhava somehow (at least outwardly) seemed similar to the familiar Bon to the Tibetans. Padmasambhava shamed the Bon priests and sorcerers, surpassing their magical art, and subdued the demons and spirits of Tibet, converting them to Buddhism and making them Dharmapalas – deities that protect the Dharma.

In Tibetan Buddhism, Padmasambhava is also called Guru Rinpoche (Precious Master). He is recognized as the founder of the oldest branch of Tibetan Buddhism, Nyingma. The Nyingma school is considered the «school of old translations» because Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita translated all Buddhist literature into Tibetan over many years with the help of 108 translators and 25 disciples.

Guru Padmasambhava compiled many texts detailing the processes of Tantra-Vajrayana spiritual practice. Padmasambhava's wife, Yeshe Tsogyal, was the chief scribe of these texts. The West's most famous text of esoteric Buddhism, the Bardo Thodol, or «Tibetan Book of the Dead», probably belongs to Padmasambhava's authorship. We will turn to the text of this sutra in the fifth chapter of the first volume, which describes the process of death, intermediate state (Bardo), and rebirth.

Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, and Milarepa

These are the four Great Yogins and Teachers of the Kagyu school of Tibetan esoteric Buddhism. Tilopa was Naropa's Guru. Naropa's best disciple was Marpa, whose closest disciple and successor was later Milarepa.

The first prominent personality in this list is Tilopa (Sanskrit: Talika, 988–1069), the great Indian Achiever of Yoga Tantra. Tilopa is one of the 84 Mahasiddhas, revered as the founder of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.

Tilopa was born into a Brahmin family and, according to some sources, a royal family. After receiving instructions from a Dakini goddess in meditation, he left his monastery and began to lead a wandering life. According to tradition, Buddha Vajradhara (Sanskrit: «Holder of the vajra» – a symbol of the highest dimension of the void nature of mind in Vajrayana Buddhism) came to him during meditation, and Tilopa received a direct transmission of the teachings of Mahamudra. Mahamudra (Sanskrit: महमुद्रा, literally: «Great Symbol» or «Great Seal», «Chag Chen» – Tib.) is the highest spiritual teaching of Tibetan Buddhism, which consists of the practitioner's direct abiding in the state of the true nature of the mind. Having received the transmission of the Teachings, Tilopa stopped wandering and began to train disciples.

Tilopa's best disciple was Naropa (Sanskrit: Nadaprada, 956–1040). The Kagyu tradition holds that Naropa was born into a royal family. By age 36, Naropa was already one of the abbots of Nalanda, a famous Buddhist university and monastic complex in ancient times. One day, while he was studying books, an old woman with thirty-seven unpleasant features appeared before him. Being an incarnation of Vajradakini, the female deity who embodies Emptiness (the ultimate nature of reality from which all enlightened experience arises), revealed to him the futility of book knowledge and told him that her «brother» (Tilopa) could impart special true knowledge to him. Naropa left his high position at the university, abandoned his books, and went in search of his Guru.

When Naropa became Tilopa's disciple, Tilopa subjected him to twelve major ordeals, each culminating in transmitting teachings, the highest being Mahamudra. Having accomplished this Achievement, Naropa systematized the teachings of the six stages given to him by Tilopa. Thus came into existence the system of Tantra-Vajrayana practice called «Naropa's Six Yogas», leading to the rapid achievement of Enlightenment and Liberation[28]. Naropa's trials, the transmission of the Teachings, and initiation into the Six Yogas are described in the text «The Life and Teaching of Naropa»[29]. I will use excerpts from it in the chapters on Tantra-Vajrayana.

Naropa's chief disciple, his «son of the heart» to whom he passed on the holding of the root lineage, was Marpa Chokyi Lodryo, or Marpa the Translator (Tib.: Lotsawa) (1012–1097).

Marpa was a great enlightened lay lama and translator who brought many elements of the Vajrayana Teachings from India to Tibet, including Mahamudra, which later formed the Kagyu lineage and became part of the Gelug School. Marpa was one of the major figures in the «second wave» of Buddhism's arrival in Tibet and the Tibetan founder of the Kagyu School.

Jetsun Milarepa, or Milarepa Shepa Dorje (1052–1135), was a Great Tibetan Yogi, Preceptor, Master, and one of the founders of the Kagyu School. He was the best disciple of Marpa.

Milarepa's spiritual path was full of tragedy and incredible obstacles, which, in his words, «cannot be passed by present-day people due to their mental, physical, and spiritual weakness». On overcoming suffering, Milarepa also said, «You should treat the pains and troubles in this life as friends leading you to Nirvana».

Marpa told Milarepa to practice solitary meditation in caves and mountain refuges. According to the biographical text «The Life of Milarepa, after many years of practice, he came to a «profound experiential realization of the true nature of reality».

Milarepa was a naljorpa. Literally, a «naljorpa» is a «yogi» or «hermit-practitioner» who has attained a high level. However, because the naljorpas lead a peculiar lifestyle, they are called «yogis of mad wisdom» that is from the ordinary person's point of view. Thus, Milarepa denied social prejudices and stereotypes, fixed ideas, the bondage of material goods, the monastic statutes, and the monastic system in general. He censured worldly desires, human weaknesses, as well as superstitions, rituals, blind servility, and fanaticism. Milarepa led an appropriate lifestyle. After realizing Enlightenment, he lived in the Drakar Taso (White Rock Horse Tooth) cave and was also a wandering Teacher. Milarepa rejected all possessions and epitomized complete freedom from needs, complete dedication to practice, acceptance of all the inconveniences of a solitary life in mountain caves, and a complete comprehension of the nature of mind or the original state of consciousness. All done in a single lifetime.

Milarepa was also a mystic poet, the greatest poet of medieval Tibet. In the poetic field, Milarepa became famous for the Vajra songs, which he spontaneously composed to convey enlightened experiences:

Benefit to self and othersNever can be found in idleness.Strive, therefore, to perform good deeds.A restless, wandering mindCan never see the truth of Mahayana.Practice concentration, therefore.Buddha cannot be found by seeking him.So, contemplate your own mind.Until the autumn mists dissolve into the sky,Be diligent with faith and determination («Milarepa's One Hundred Thousand Songs»).

His Venerable Kalu Rinpoche[30]

(years of life: 1903–1989)

Kalu Rinpoche is a Teacher of our more recent times: he left our world relatively recently – in 1989. He was a meditation Master of the highest level. His spiritual name – Kalu Rinpoche – means «Lama who carries the Light». Like the above yogis, he belonged to the Kagyu School. Kalu Rinpoche was one of the first Tibetan Gurus of Buddhism in the West.

There is one interesting story connected with him. The matter is that in Paris in 1976, Kalu Rinpoche gave initiation to two very famous people – artist and sculptor Mikhail Shemyakin and poet, bard, and actor Vladimir Vysotskiy. Vysotskiy's wife Marina Vlady, a French actress, was present at that meeting and described this incident in her book «Volodya or Interrupted Flight…». I will quote her valuable testimony in Volume III, Chapter 1, when we talk about the practice of the precepts.

Kalu Rinpoche gave many lectures and wrote several texts, which I will quote throughout this book.

«All sentient beings are Buddhas; only superficial veils obscure this state. Once these veils are removed, our potential becomes the experience of Awakening. This means that the level of comprehension is directly related to the extent to which we have been able to purify the mind of ignorance and confusion» (Kalu Rinpoche).

Bodhidharma

(Sanskrit: बोधिधर्म, Bodhidharma, literally, the Dharma Seer).

The exact years of Bodhidharma's life are unknown. The life of Bodhidharma is contained in the treatise «Records of the Transmission of the Lamp», compiled in 1004 by the Zen monk Dao-yuan at the beginning of the Song Dynasty. This treatise refers to two dates in Bodhidharma's life, 527 A.D., when Bodhidharma arrived in China, and 536: «From the time the death of the Preceptor was announced (536–?) to the first year of rule under the Jinde of the Song Dynasty (1004), 467 years had already passed». However, if we subtract 467 from 1004, it turns out that Bodhidharma died in 537. I think such a mystery is caused by the Great Bodhidharma leaving the material world and, accordingly, China in a very unusual way, as I will describe below.

So, in 527 A.D. (according to another version voiced including Professor D.T. Suzuki, it happened in 520), Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk who had reached the highest spiritual level, arrived by sea to China, where, traveling, began to preach the Dharma. Because Bodhidharma had a thick beard, he was nicknamed the «bearded barbarian». In Chinese transcription, his name sounds like Putidamo (Chinese: 菩提达摩, Pútí dá mó), shortened to Damo (达摩, Dá mó); in Japanese, it is Daruma (だるま, Daruma).

Bodhidharma was the 28th Patriarch of Buddhism after Sakyamuni Buddha himself[31].

Settling in the now world-famous Shaolin Monastery, he spent, according to some reports, about nine years in meditation. After this, he founded the Chan Buddhist School, becoming its first Patriarch. When this teaching reached the shores of Japan, it received the name now widely known to Westerners – Zen.