30thApril2012

NineStagesofMeditation

[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/8dzs_PjmWHo/T5339H2OB9I/AAAAAAAABN0/JCvn6XwHjWo/s1600/shamatha_stages.jpg]
AswecometotheendofmymonthwithaspecialemphasisonBuddhismIwantedtodrawattentiontoafamoussetofpicturesfor
theninestagesofmeditationaparalleltothesymbolicsequencefortheattainmentofmeditativetranquilitythatisfoundinthe
'tenoxherdingpicotgraphs'ofZenBuddhism,thatreadersofmyblogmaybemorefamiliarwith.Heretheelephant isreplacedby
theox,andinsomeZentraditionsthecolouroftheoxchangesfromblacktowhiteastheoxisglimpsed,found,herded,riddenand
finallyforgotten.Thetenoxherdingimagesillustratethesearchfor theoxseeing its footprint catchingthe oxherding itriding
the ox back home forgetting it forgetting the man who subdued it returning to the place from which he started from and
appearinginthemarketplacetoteachandtransform.

Beginningatthestartofthepathinthelowerright,thediagramshowsamonkchasing,binding,leading,andsubduinganelephant
whosecolourprogressesfromblacktowhite.Theelephantrepresentsthemind,anditsblackcolourthegrossaspectof'sinking'or
mentaldullness.Themonkey represents distraction or mental agitation and its black colour 'scattering'. The hare represents the
moresubtleaspectofsinkingormentaltorpor.Thehookedgoadandlassowhichthemonkwieldsrepresentclearunderstandingand
mindfulrecollection.Theprogressivelydiminishingflame,whichoccursatintervalsalongthepath,representsthedecreasingdegree
ofeffortneededtocultivateunderstandingandrecollection.Thefivesenseobjectsofcloth,fruit,perfume,cymbals,and a mirror
representthefivesensualsourcesofdistraction.

Attheendofthepathsinglepointedconcentrationisattained,andthe'purifiedelephant'ofthemindisnowcompletelysubmissive.
Theflyingmonkrepresentsbodilyblissandhisrindingoftheelephant,mentalbliss.Ridingtheelephantbacktriumphantlyacross
the rainbow, wielding the flame sword of perfect insight having attained the flame of lcear understanding and mindfulness,
representstheuprootingofsamsarabytheunityofshamataandvipashyanawhichdirectlyrealisesemptiness(shunyatta).

Keytotheninestagesoftranquilabiding(shamata):

1. Thefirststageisattainedthroughthepowerofstudyorhearing.
2. Themonkfixeshismindontheobjectofconcentration.
3. Thelassorepresentsmindfulnessorrecollection.
4. Thehookedelephantgoadrepresentsclearunderstanding.
5. Theflamewhichprogressivelydiminishesalongthepath,representsthedegreeofeffortneededtodevelopbothrecollection
andunderstanding.

6. Theelephantrepresentsminditscompleteblackcolourrepresentsthegrossformofmentaldullnessorsinking.

7. Themonkeyrepresentsmentalagitationitsblackcolourrepresentsdistractionorscattering.Themonkeyatfirstrunswildly,
leadingtheelephant.

8. Thesecondstageisattainedthroughthepowerofconcentration.
9. Thisisachievedbylengtheningtheperiodsofconcentrationontheobject.
10. Thefivesensesoftouch(cloth),taste(fruit),smell(perfumedconch),sound(cymbals),andsight(mirror),aretheobjectsof
distraction.

11. Beginning at their heads, the elephant and monkey begin to turn white. This shows the continuous progress in fixing and
holdingtheobjectofconcentration.

12. Thethirdandfourthstagesareattainedthroughthepowerofmemoryorrecollection.
13. Themonklassoestheelephant,fixingthewanderingmindontheobject.
14. Thehare,whichnowappearsontheelephantsback,representsthesubtleaspectofsinking,ormentaltorpor.Hereoneisable
todifferentiatebetweenthegrossandsubtleaspectsofsinking.

15. Theelephant,monkeyandharelookbackshowingthathavingrecognisedthesementaldistractions,themindturnsbackto
theobjectofcontemplation.

16. Themeditatorholdsaclearanddetailedconceptionoftheobject.
17. Attainmentofthefifthandsixthstagesofmeditativeabsorptionthroughthepowerofclearcomprehension.
18. Themonkeynowfollowstheelephantthearisingofdistractiondiminishes.
19. Eventhearisingofvirtuousthoughtsmustbeperceivedasadistractionfromtheobjectofconcentration.
20. Themonkhookstheelephantwithhisgoadthemindisstoppedfromwanderingbyclearunderstanding.
21. Themindiscontrolled.
22. Theharedisappearsandthemindispacified.
23. Theseventhandeightstagesareattainedthroughthepowerofenergeticperseverance.
24. Themonkeyleavestheelephantandnowsquatsbehindthemonkincompletesubmission.Howevertherearestillslighttraces
ofblackthisshowsthateventhesubtlestsinkingandscatteringmaycontinuetoarise.Shouldtheybegintoarisetheycanbe
eliminatedwiththeslightesteffort.

25. Themonkeydisappearsandtheelephantbecomescompletelywhite.Themindcannowremaincontinuallyinabsorptiononthe
objectofconcentration.

26. Singlepointednessofmind.
27. Theninthstageofmentalabsorptionisattainedthroughthepowerofperfection.
28. Perfect equanimity. The path has ended and the elephant is at rest. From the heart of the meditating monk emanates a
rainbow.

29. Themonkfliesalonebodilybliss.
30. Themonkridestheelephantattainmentofshamata.
31. ridingtheelephantacrosstherainbowmentalbliss.
32. The monk wields the flaming sword of perfect insight, and rides triumphantly back along the rainbow samsara's root is
destroyedbytheunionofshamataandvipashyana(sword),withemptiness(shunyata)astheobjectofcontemplation.

33. Control of the flame of supreme mindfulness and understanding represents the ability to examine the sublime meaning of
shunyata:theknowledgeoftheultimaterealityofallphenomena.

Theupperpartoftheillustration,wheretherainbowemanatesfromthemonk'sheart,representsthetenthandeleventhstagesof
transcendentalmentalabsorption.

1. Thetenthstageofbodilyandmentalblississymbolisedbytheflyingmonk,andthemonkridingtheelephant.
2. Theeleventhstageisrepresentedbythemonkrindingtheelephantbackacrosstherainbow.
3. From the monk's heart emanate two dark rainbows, which the monk is justabout to cut assunderwithhisflaming swordof
wisdom. These two rainbows represent karmic hindrances and mental illusion (kleshavarana), and the obscurations of the
instinctsofmentaldistortion(jneyavarana).

Posted30thApril2012byBernardKwan
Labels:Buddhism,Tibetan,zen

1 Viewcomments

JamesLibby February12,2016at4:59PM
thankyou
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