Tag Archives: Dependent Origination

The Twelve Holes of Karma

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Vajragoni

Suddenly, a realization of grandeur struck him with great force – he had been ensconced within the illustrious Tower all this time. Instead of the vast expanse of the sky, Evan was confronted with a radiant white ceiling. The sandy beach and far-off horizons were replaced by the curved white walls of the tower. His seating arrangement was no longer a weed-covered rock, but rather a sturdy stool crafted from pale steel. The circular area appeared to be vacant, with the exception of a central column that extended from the floor to the ceiling. However, the column’s surface appeared to be unsteady, as if it were in a perpetual state of gradual motion, akin to smoke. The scene had been naught but a reverie, a mirage, a grandiose illusion foolishly perceived as veritable and perpetuated by the human psyche’s yearning and lack of comprehension of the authentic essence of existence. Presently, there was now only an opulent emancipation from the constraints of time and space itself. read more

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Omniscient Ocean

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Vajragoni

Sagaramegha

Then Sudhana, reflecting on the instructions of that spiritual benefactor, pondering that enlightening liberation, polishing that enlightening method of concentration, peering into that conductor into the ocean of the essence of enlightenment, intent upon the sphere of buddhahood, seeking that direction to the vision of Buddha, thinking about that ocean of buddhas, remembering the succession of buddhas, following that approach to the means of enlightenment, looking throughout that sky of the enlightened, went gradually to the monk Sagaramegha in the region of Sagaramukha. When he got there, he paid his respects to Sagaramegha and said, “O noble one, I have set out for supreme perfect enlightenment and want to enter the supreme ocean of knowledge; but I do not know how enlightening beings get out of the host of worldlings and into the host of the enlightened, emerge from the ocean of the mundane whirl and enter the ocean of omniscience, die away from the state of ignorant sentient beings and are born in the family of buddhas, withdraw from the stream of the mundane whirl and follow the stream of enlightening practice, escape from the wheel of transmigration in the mundane whirl and turn to the wheel of practice and vows of enlightening beings, destroy the gang of all demons and make manifest the light of the host of all buddhas, evaporate the ocean of craving and increase the water of great compassion, close all doors of decadence and miserable states and evils which are inopportune for enlightenment and open the door of heaven and nirvana, break through the door of the city of the mundane and enter the door of the city of omniscience, give up craving for all luxuries and give rise to the determination to care for all being.” read more

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One Dark Night

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Vajragoni

John of the Cross utilizes the first few stanzas of his poem, The Dark Night of the Soul, as a medium in which to better understand The Ascent. Darkness is a metaphor for the complete mortification of the senses. To deprive oneself of the gratification of the appetite for all sensate phenomena, the disease of desire is cessated. In Buddhism this has to do with Āyatana, or everything under the sphere of the senses: read more

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Mud and Water

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Vajragoni

Another monk stepped out and said: “I have already been able to meditate on emptiness.”

Bassui responded: “Tell me how you meditate on emptiness.” read more

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Seed of Delusion, Seed of Light

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Vajragoni

Being attuned with the Unborn Buddha Mind is truly a marvelous reality. There is no greater genuine Self-realization than being with one accord in the Unborn. Bankei was truly blessed with the gift of being able to expound upon this profound awareness (undivided bodhipower) to others. Yet, in reading these passages from his teachings it’s apparent that this gift and Undivided-Awakening is limited to only a few—just a handful of bright shining stars in the midst of a raging universe that is littered with the eternal darkness of avidya. Less than 2% of the population is not even dimly aware of the import of the Unborn.  Bankei was truly a singular-spirit who taught the Buddhadharma of the Unborn Buddha Mind with a Hammer—trying to breakthrough the dark layers of ignorance with a great slam-dunk—“Wake-up! All is perfectly resolved in that troubled head of yours…just accept the hardcore reality behind this Noble Self-realization—remove the blinders from your eyes and look into the very heart of THAT which you ALREADY ARE”!  It was always disappointing for Bankei that no one else was on the same spiritual page. The next section primarily draws upon references to his autobiography, whose salient points we covered in our introductory blog to this Dharma series. The one part that struck me was Bankei extrapolating upon this frustration of not being able to find spiritual satisfaction from the attempts of others: read more

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Instant Karma

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Vajragoni

The Lanka once again makes reference to not equating words with meaning:

“Mahamati, if one person points to something with their finger, and a foolish person looks at their finger, they won’t know what they really mean. In the same manner, foolish people become attached to the finger of words. And because they never look away from it, they are never able to discover the true meaning beyond the finger of words.” (Red Pine, pg. 220) read more

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