Just
As It Is – All Beings Are Free
Few
days ago, compassionate motivation of enlightenment (skt.
bodhicitta, j. bodaishin/菩提心), from the relative perspective, was discussed at
Facebook. Mahayana and vajrayana approaches of buddhism are big on
bodhicitta, where practitioners remind themselves of the suffering
and confusion of all sentient beings, while mentally praying and
physically acting for the liberation of all beings. This is what
bodhisattvas, those aiming at full liberation, do, with great
spiritual benefits. Bodhicitta is the tip of the spear of mahayana
buddhism, which reveals our innate buddhanature while uncovering our
selfish confusion in all of its forms, including those that are not
easy to detect.
There
is also another perspective to bodhicitta, ultimate bodhicitta, where
all beings are already free. This perspective exists simultaneously
with the relative one. The ultimate perspective doesn't deny the
relative one, this is essential to understand.
In
my experience, ultimate bodhicitta can be glimpsed along the way, as
we keep praying and acting for the liberation of others. Then at some
point, the fact that all beings are free already, sneaks on us, and
we experience both perspectives. This makes our practice mature, as
well as realistic. It is realistic because sentient beins are both,
free and imprisoned, buddhas and samsaric beings, until we cease to
be samsaric beings.
In
my article, Nuts and Bots of Bodhicitta (to be published at
Levekunst.com), I gave a simple meditative exercise to boost one's
experience and understanding of bodhicitta.
The
gist of this exercise is this: Be or sit with all beings.
This
is a highly useful meditation for those who work to understand one's
true nature. When familiarity increases, this exercise ceases to be
an articial practice, and becomes what we actually are, a mind of
perfect clarity and stability, that is shared by all life, in a
dynamic lively way.
This
can also be used to check if one's atiyoga (t. dzogchen atiyoga), or nonmeditation
is correct. If we generate bodhicitta during nonmeditation, and our
energyfield disappears by blessings shooting outwards from our body,
and by consequence we become connected with sentient beings outside
our energy field, it is an indication that our atiyoga is still
unripe. It is unripe because atiyoga is ”buddhanature sitting”
and in buddhanature all beings are already connected. In this case,
we need to keep generating bodhicitta and focus on tantric practice.
However, if nothing happens by saying a prayer, our practice is sound
and correct.
This
is how I understand, ”just as it is”, a phrase often used in zen
buddhism, and this is what I believe, correct just sitting (j.
shikantaza/只管打坐) is.
Thank
you for reading,
-
Kim Katami, 8.12.2018.
