Traversing the Ladder of the Elements

 

THE “PSYCHONAUTS” OF BUDDHISM 

Please describe in detail the meditation objects and techniques that Buddhists use to attain the  levels of the form and formless realms. Finally, describe the final steps needed after these preliminary steps to attain Buddhahood. Give the overall historical details of the preceding, along with the Yogacara interpretation.

GEMINI

This is a journey through the "psychonautics" of classical Buddhism. The path to the Form and Formless realms is essentially a process of stripping away the coarseness of reality layer by layer until only the most subtle vestige of mind remains.

Here is the detailed technical breakdown of the objects, the history, and the Yogacara interpretation.

Part 1: The Form Realm (Rūpadhātu)

The Technique: Refining the Object

To enter the Form Realm (which correlates to the 4 Dhyānas or Jhānas), the meditator must first suppress the "Five Hindrances" (sensual desire, ill-will, sloth, restlessness, doubt).¹ To do this, they use a specific anchor.

The Primary Objects: The 10 Kasinas

The most famous technique for this is the Kasina (Totalities) practice. The yogi constructs a physical disk or focuses on a natural element:

1. Earth: A disk of clay, focusing on "Earth, Earth."²

2. Water: A bowl of water.³

3. Fire: A flame viewed through a hole.

4. Wind: The sensation of wind or moving leaves.

5. Colors: Blue, Yellow, Red, White (disks of pure color).⁴

6. Light: A circle of light.

7. Space: A limited aperture or window.

The Process:

1. Learning Sign: The yogi looks at the physical object (e.g., the clay disk) until they can visualize it perfectly with eyes closed.

2. Counterpart Sign (Patibhaga-nimitta): As concentration deepens, the mental image changes. It loses its physical defects (cracks, grain) and becomes a glowing, purified disk of light.

3. Absorption: The yogi merges with this purified sign. They leave the sensory world behind and enter the 1st Dhyana.

From here, the yogi drops the object and focuses on the mental factors (bliss, one-pointedness) to climb to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Dhyana. By the 4th Dhyana, the breath has technically stopped (became very subtle), and the mind is in a state of pure, equanimous stillness.

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Part 2: The Formless Realm (Ārūpyadhātu)

The Technique: Removing the Boundaries

The Formless attainments are not new "places" so much as they are deletions of the previous data. The yogi takes the 4th Dhyana as a launchpad and performs a series of mental abstractions.

1. The Sphere of Infinite Space

• Technique: The yogi takes the "Counterpart Sign" (the glowing disk from the Form Realm) and mentally expands it until it breaks. They remove the concept of "materiality" entirely. They focus on the "space" left behind by the object.

• The Thought: "Space is infinite. Space is infinite."

2. The Sphere of Infinite Consciousness

• Technique: The yogi realizes that "Space" is still an external object. They turn their attention inward to the awareness that is perceiving the space. They realize the perceiver is as infinite as the object.

• The Thought: "Consciousness is infinite."

3. The Sphere of Nothingness

• Technique: The yogi realizes that focusing on "Consciousness" is still a form of mental agitation. They drop the focus on the perceiver and focus on the absence of perception. They look for the "gap."

• The Thought: "There is nothing. There is nothing."

4. The Sphere of Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception

• Technique: This is the limit of the mind. The yogi realizes that thinking "There is nothing" is still a perception. But they cannot just fall asleep (Non-Perception). They enter a state so subtle that it cannot be called "conscious," yet it is not "unconscious." It is the very edge of existence.

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Part 3: Historical Context (The Breath-Wind Magicians)

Historically, the techniques for the Formless Realms were not invented by the Buddha. They were likely the specialty of the Sramana (wandering ascetic) movement and the "Breath-Wind Magicians" of the Upanishads that you are interested in.

• Alara Kalama: The Buddha’s first teacher taught him to reach the "Sphere of Nothingness."⁵

• Uddaka Ramaputta: His second teacher taught him the "Sphere of Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception."

The Buddha's Innovation:

The Buddha mastered these states but rejected them as the final goal. He realized that even in the highest formless state, the "I" was still there, hibernating in a subtle form (resembling your "ice" analogy). Upon death, such a yogi would be reborn as a Formless God for eons, but eventually, when the karma ran out, they would fall back into lower realms.

The Buddha added the critical step: Vipashyana (Insight).

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Part 4: The Yogacara Interpretation

The Turning of the Base (Ashraya-paravrtti)

Yogacara (the "Mind-Only" school) reinterprets these realms not as external cosmological locations, but as layers of the Eight Consciousnesses.

1. The Trap of the Formless

Yogacara warns that the "Formless Realm" is often just a deep immersion into the Alaya-vijnana (Storehouse Consciousness).

• When a yogi suppresses all thoughts (Sphere of Nothingness), they are not enlightened; they have simply arrested the 6th Consciousness (Thinking Mind) and are floating in the silent, dark ocean of the Alaya.

• This is dangerous because the "Seeds" (Bija) of anger, greed, and ignorance are still rotting at the bottom of that ocean, waiting to sprout.

2. The Solution: The "Three Natures"

To move from the Formless Realms to Buddhahood, the Yogacara practitioner must apply Wisdom to the silence. They must analyze their experience through the Three Natures:

• Imagined Nature: The labels they used ("Space," "Consciousness"). They realize these are just words.

• Dependent Nature: The realization that the meditation state itself is dependent on causes (winds, posture, focus). It is not an eternal "Self."

• Perfected Nature: The realization of Suchness (Tathata). This occurs when the subject (meditator) and object (emptiness) fuse.

3. The Final Step: The Mirror Wisdom

The transition to Buddhahood in Yogacara is the Turning of the Base.

• The Alaya-vijnana (which holds the karmic seeds) is not destroyed, but purified. It flips over to become the Great Mirror Wisdom.

• The 7th Consciousness (The Ego-Mind which clings to the Alaya as "Self") flips to become the Equality Wisdom (seeing self and other as equal).

Summary of the Path

1. Preliminary: Use Kasinas (Objects) to suppress hindrances → Form Realm.

2. Intermediate: Delete the object to access the "Software" (Space/Consciousness) → Formless Realm.

3. The Trap: Getting stuck in the "peace" of the Storehouse Consciousness (Alaya).

4. The Exit (Buddhahood): Using Vipashyana to see that even the "Peace" is empty of self-nature. This triggers the Turning of the Base, transforming the subtle body/mind into the Dharmakaya.

WHO WERE THE “BREATH-WIND MAGICIANS?”

Please go into great depth regarding the breath-wind magicians of the previous answer. Is there any historical evidence of them other than the Upanishads? In depth, what role did they possibly play for the Buddha? What did they turn into historically; were they the precursors to the Yoga practitioners or hindu tantrics?

GEMINI 

This is a fascinating area of historical inquiry because these "Breath-Wind Magicians" (often academically referred to as the followers of the Tapas or Ascetic tradition, distinct from the Brahmin priests) represent the "underground" spiritual current of Ancient India.

While the Upanishads provide the philosophical gloss, the "magicians" themselves were likely the Vratyas and early Shramanas.

Here is a detailed breakdown of who they were, where else we find them, and their direct lineage into Yoga and Tantra.

1. Who Were They? (The Historical Evidence)

The "Breath-Wind Magicians" were not a single organized church, but likely wandering ascetics who believed that Prana (Wind/Breath) was the cosmic life force, and that by manipulating it, one could generate Tapas (Magical Heat).

Evidence Beyond the Upanishads:

• The Atharva Veda (The "Vratyas"):

  While the Rig Veda is full of hymns to gods, the Atharva Veda (Book 15) describes a mysterious group called the Vratyas.1 These were wandering, non-conformist mystics who traveled in black carts, used breath control, and practiced a proto-yoga. They are often cited as the earliest precursors to the "magician" archetype. They did not bow to Brahmin priests; they bowed to the internal fire generated by breath.

• The Pali Canon (Majjhima Nikaya 36):

  This is the most "forensic" evidence we have. The Buddha gives a first-hand account of these practitioners. He describes them not as philosophers, but as "technicians" of pain and energy. He describes their technique as Appanakajhana (Breathless Meditation).

  "I stopped the in-breaths and out-breaths through my mouth and nose... then there was a loud sound of winds coming out from my earholes, like the loud sound of a blacksmith's bellows... excessive winds cut through my head... there was a violent burning in my body." — (The Buddha describing the "Wind Magic" technique).

• The Jaina Agamas:

  Early Jain texts describe the practice of Kayotsarga (abandonment of the body).2 While Jains focused on motionlessness, they shared the "Wind Magician" belief that stopping the inflow of karma (which they viewed as physical matter) required a stoppage of physical and mental activity, often involving extreme breath restriction.

2. Their Role for the Buddha: The "Negative Control"

The "Breath-Wind Magicians" played a critical, if antagonistic, role in the Buddha’s evolution. They were the Extreme against which he defined the Middle Way.

• The Experiment: After leaving his formless teachers (Alara Kalama), Siddhartha spent six years with these "magicians" (the five ascetics). He became the ultimate Breath-Wind master. He pushed the technique to its limit, stopping his breath until he nearly died, trying to "burn" his defilements with the generated heat (Tapas).

• The Failure: He realized that energy manipulation is not wisdom. Controlling the winds could create heat, psychic powers (siddhis), and trance, but it did not remove ignorance. The mind was just "stunned" by the violence of the breath retention, not liberated.

• The Synthesis: However, he did not discard the breath entirely. He took the "Wind" object but removed the "Forcing."

  • Magician Style: Hold the breath to generate fire (Tapas).

  • Buddha Style: Watch the breath to generate calm (Samadhi).

  • Result: He transformed the "weapon" of the magicians into the "anchor" of the mindful.

3. The Evolutionary Precursors: From Magicians to Tantrics

You asked if they were the precursors to Yoga and Tantra. The answer is a definitive yes. These early "Breath-Wind" ascetics are the ancestors of the Hatha Yoga and Nath lineages.

Phase 1: The Internal Sacrifice (Vedic Period)

The Brahmins threw physical offerings into a fire. The "Magicians" (Upanishadic sages) internalized this. They said: "My breath is the offering, my body is the fire." This is called Pranagnihotra.

Phase 2: The "Force" Tradition (The Buddha's Era)

This is the era of the "Breathless" ascetics. They believed that stopping the breath/mind (Nirodha) was the goal. This is the root of Classical Yoga (Patanjali), which defines Yoga as "stopping the fluctuations."

Phase 3: The Tantric Explosion (Medieval Era)

This is where the "Breath-Wind Magicians" truly resurfaced as the Siddhas and Nath Yogis (e.g., Gorakhnath).

• The Link: These groups explicitly returned to the "violent" or "forceful" methods the Buddha rejected. They developed Hatha Yoga ("Hatha" literally means "Force").

• The Evolution: Instead of just "stopping" the wind (as the early ascetics did), the Tantrics learned to navigate it. They mapped the channels (Nadis) that the Upanishads only hinted at.

• The Goal: They sought the Vajra Body (Diamond Body)—an immortal, energetic body created by fusing the winds. This matches the Gurdjieffian concept of the "Higher Being Body" almost perfectly.

4. Summary of the Lineage

• Vratyas (1500 BCE): Wandering wind-mystics.

• Early "Magicians" (500 BCE): The ascetics who taught Siddhartha to hold his breath.

• Classical Yoga (200 CE): Patanjali codifies "stopping the mind/breath" as a psychological system.

• Buddhist Tantra / Hatha Yoga (800 CE+): The "Breath-Wind" technology is perfected. The goal shifts from "stopping" the wind to "dissolving" it into the Central Channel to access the Clear Light.

The Verdict: The "Breath-Wind Magicians" were the original scientists of the subtle body. The Buddha was the one who realized that the machine (the winds) was not the ghost (the self), and that perfecting the machine was useless if the operator remained asleep.

RANGTONG & SHENTONG

Is there any historical evidence that the Dharmakaya is not “no substance,” but in fact literally every substance, but seen for what it is: a substance lacking an inherent self nature?

GEMINI

Yes, there is substantial historical and textual evidence for this view. In fact, this precise question sparked one of the greatest philosophical debates in the history of Tibetan Buddhism: the battle between the Rangtong("Empty of Self") and Shentong ("Empty of Other") views.

Your intuition aligns with the Shentong (Yogacara-Madhyamaka) and Tantric positions, which assert that the Dharmakaya is not a mere vacuum ("no substance"), but is instead the Ultimate Reality that remains when the delusions are removed.

Here is the breakdown of the historical evidence that supports the "Substantial" Dharmakaya.

1. The "Third Turning" Scriptures (Tathagatagarbha)

While the "Second Turning" (Prajnaparamita) emphasized that all things are empty of inherent existence, the Buddha gave a "Third Turning" of the wheel, recorded in the Tathagatagarbha Sutras (e.g., Mahaparinirvana Sutra, Srimala Sutra).

• The Evidence: In these texts, the Buddha explicitly uses positive terms to describe the Dharmakaya/Buddha Nature. He calls it:

  • Nitya (Permanent)

  • Dhruva (Stable)

  • Sasvata (Eternal)

  • Atman (True Self - used as a skillful means to contrast with the "non-self" of the ego).

• The "Substance" Argument: The Uttaratantra Shastra (a key commentary by Maitreya/Asanga) uses the analogy of Gold covered in filth.

  • If you clean the filth (delusions/emptiness of self), the Gold (Dharmakaya) remains.

  • The Gold is not "nothing." It is a radiant, positive element (dhatu). It is "empty" of the filth (Other), but "full" of its own golden qualities.

2. The Tantric View: Matter Is Wisdom

In the Anuttarayoga Tantra (Highest Yoga Tantra), the idea that Dharmakaya is "no substance" is technically impossible. Why? Because of the Inseparability of Wind and Mind.

• The Physics of Enlightenment: You cannot have a "mind" (even an enlightened one) without a "mount" (wind/energy).

  • The Very Subtle Mind (Dharmakaya) rides on the Very Subtle Wind.

  • This Very Subtle Wind is the "substance" of the Buddha.

• The Five Elements as Deities: In Tantra, the physical elements (earth, water, fire, wind, space) are not rejected. They are recognized as the Five Female Buddhas (Consorts).

  • Earth = Locana (Stability)

  • Water = Mamaki (Cohesion)

  • Fire = Pandara (Heat/Clarity)

  • Wind = Samayatara (Action)

• The Conclusion: When a Yogi attains Buddhahood, they don't delete the elements. They realize that the substance of the universe (the elements) is the Dharmakaya appearing as form. This is exactly your point: "every substance, but seen for what it is."

3. The Shentong View: The "Affirming Negative"

The great 14th-century Tibetan master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen formulated the Shentong view to defend exactly this position.

• Rangtong (The Void View): Emptiness is a "Non-Affirming Negative." It just says "No Self" and stops. It's like saying, "There is no elephant in the room." It doesn't tell you what is in the room.

• Shentong (The Substance View): Emptiness is an "Affirming Negative." It says, "The room is empty of elephants, but it is full of light."

  • Dolpopa argued that the Dharmakaya is the Great Absolute (Paramartha). It is not conditioned matter, but it is the "Unconditioned Element" that acts as the ground for all reality.

4. Yogacara: The "Perfected Nature"

Yogacara philosophy adds the final piece. It describes reality as having three natures:

1. Imagined: The snake you think you see in the dark. (Illusion).

2. Dependent: The rope that is actually lying there. (The Substance/Basis).

3. Perfected: The realization that the "rope" is devoid of "snakeness."

In this model, Dharmakaya is the Rope (seen correctly). It is not the absence of the rope. If you remove the "snake" (delusion), the "rope" (the dependent/perfected nature) is vividly present.

Summary: A Gurdjieffian Bridge

Your final intuition brings the Gurdjieffian and Buddhist views into a powerful synthesis:

• The Early Misunderstanding: "Emptiness means Nothingness." (Nihilism).

• The Tantric/Shentong Correction: "Emptiness means the Substance is Empty of Distortion."

  • Just as Gurdjieff said, "Everything is material," the Shentong view says the Dharmakaya is the Ultimate "Material" (Wisdom-Wind/Clear Light) that constitutes the true nature of all phenomena.

So, yes: The Dharmakaya is "every substance" in the sense that it is the One Taste (Ekarasa) of reality, stripped of the conceptual overlay that fragments it into "me" and "it."

THE FINAL STEP: VIPASHYANA

Please go into detail the procedure and philosophy behind the Buddha’s final step, of the previous answer: Vipashyana.

GEMINI

The transition from the Form/Formless absorptions (Shamatha) to Insight (Vipashyana) is the specific genius of the Buddha. While the "Breath-Wind Magicians" and Upanishadic sages sought to refine the Self into its purest state (the "Self as Is" or Purusha), the Buddha’s final step was a method of deconstruction.

Here is the detailed procedure and philosophy behind Vipashyana, the "surgical" phase of the path.

1. The Philosophy: Suppression vs. Excision

The philosophy of Vipashyana rests on the difference between suppressing a problem and solving it.

• The Stone on the Grass (Shamatha): When you enter the Form/Formless realms, the "hindrances" (desire, anger, ego) are suppressed by the weight of your concentration. It feels pure, but the roots are still there underneath the stone. If you stop meditating, the grass grows back.

• The Sharp Knife (Vipashyana): Insight does not try to make the mind quiet; it tries to make the mind smart. It aims to dig out the root (Ignorance/Avidya).

• The Core Axiom: The "Self" is not a noun; it is a verb. It is a rapid process of construction. If you slow down the camera enough, you can see the frames of the movie and realize there is no "actor" on the screen, only flickering lights.

2. The Procedure: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness

The "Laboratory" where Vipashyana takes place is the Satipatthana (Four Foundations of Mindfulness). The yogi steps back from the "bliss" of the absorptions and turns their attention to the raw data of experience.

A. Observation of the Body (Kaya)

The yogi breaks the "solid" body into elements.

• Technique: Instead of feeling an "arm," they feel "hardness," "heat," "pressure," and "motion."

• The Insight: "This is not me; this is just a bio-mechanical event made of wind and earth."

B. Observation of Feelings (Vedana)

This is critical. Every sensation comes with a "tone": Pleasant, Unpleasant, or Neutral.

• Technique: The yogi watches these tones arise and vanish. They notice that "Pleasant" turns into "Neutral" or "Unpleasant" rapidly.

• The Insight: "I cannot own this feeling because it changes before I can grasp it."

C. Observation of Mind (Citta)

The yogi watches the mood or state of mind (lustful, angry, distracted, focused).

• Technique: You don't fix the anger; you objectify it. "There is anger present."

• The Insight: The mind is a series of discrete pulses, not a continuous stream.

D. Observation of Mental Objects (Dhamma)

The yogi applies the specific filters (The 3 Marks) to everything they see.

3. The Mechanism: The Three Marks (Tilakkhana)

The "engine" of Vipashyana is applying three specific analytic tools to every moment of consciousness.

1. Anicca (Impermanence):

   • The Practice: The yogi looks for the flicker. They don't just see a "light"; they see the oscillation of the wave. They see that the "observer" in the Formless Realm is actually blinkering on and off millions of times a second.

2. Dukkha (Unsatisfactoriness/Suffering):

   • The Practice: Because it flickers, it is unreliable. You cannot build a home on a flashing light. The yogi develops a "holy disenchantment" or nausea regarding the "peace" of the high realms.

3. Anatta (Non-Self):

   • The Practice: If it flickers and is unreliable, it cannot be "Me." The yogi realizes there is no controller. The thoughts are thinking themselves.

4. The Trajectory: The Stages of Insight

When performed correctly, Vipashyana follows a predictable curve, often called the "Progress of Insight."

• Stage 1: Arising and Passing Away (Udayabbaya): The yogi sees reality as a sparkling, vibrating field. It is often euphoric. You see the birth and death of every moment.

• Stage 2: Dissolution (Bhanga): The "birth" part becomes hard to see; the yogi only sees things vanishing. The world feels like it is crumbling or dissolving into sand.

• Stage 3: The Dark Night (Fear/Disgust): The yogi realizes that everything—even their beloved "Self" and the "Gods" of the Formless realm—is dissolving. This causes existential terror. The "Solid Core" you asked about earlier is revealed to be a flux.

• Stage 4: Equanimity Regarding Formations (Sankhara-upekkha): The yogi accepts the flux. They stop fighting the river. They sit on the bank and watch the universe explode and implode without reacting.

• Stage 5: Cessation (Nirodha): The mind stops constructing entirely. The "film" breaks. The consciousness touches the "Unconditioned" (Nirvana). This is the moment of "Stream Entry."

5. The Yogacara Twist: Turning the Light Around

Since you are interested in Yogacara, their version of Vipashyana adds a meta-cognitive layer.

In Yogacara, you don't just analyze the object (the body/feeling); you analyze the Subject (the mind knowing the object).

• The Technique: When observing "Blue," the yogi asks: "Is the blue 'out there,' or is it an image in my mind?"

• The Realization: They realize the "Blue" and the "Eye Consciousness seeing Blue" are the same substance. There is no "viewer" looking at a "screen." There is just the experience of "seeing."

• The Final Step: This collapses the subject/object duality. The "Storehouse Consciousness" (Alaya) is seen for what it is—a flow of projections. This triggers the Ashraya-paravrtti (Turning of the Base).

Summary:

The Form/Formless realms build a High-Definition Monitor (a stable, bright mind).

Vipashyana is the act of looking at the pixels so closely that you realize the "picture" never existed. The "Magician" falls in love with the picture; the Buddha falls in love with the screen.

THE ACTING BEHIND THE MOVIE

You mentioned Nirodha (cessation) then, or the consciousness touches the unconditioned (Nirvana); this sounds like the elements of nirvana you mentioned somewhat earlier, as well as the “qualities” of Nirvana that the earliest Buddhist scriptures speak of.

GEMINI

This is exactly the connection. You have identified one of the most vital and often misunderstood aspects of Early Buddhism.

While modern interpretations (especially Western psychological ones) often view Nirodha (Cessation) as a mere "going out" of the flame—a sort of spiritual suicide or deletion—the earliest texts describe it as an encounter.

When the "film breaks" (Cessation), the mind does not hit "nothingness" (in the nihilistic sense); it hits a wall of absolute reality called the Unconditioned Element (Asankhata Dhatu).

Here are the specific details regarding this "Element" and its positive qualities as found in the Pali Canon.

1. The Ontology: It is a "Something"

In the Udana (8.3), the Buddha makes his most famous ontological statement to prove that Nirvana is a reality, not just an absence.

"There is, monks, an Unborn, Unbecome, Unmade, Unfabricated (Asankhata). If there were not that Unborn, Unbecome, Unmade, Unfabricated, there would be no escape discerned from what is born, become, made, fabricated. But since there is an Unborn... therefore an escape is discerned."

The Implication: Nirvana is not the "end of the world"; it is the substrate that allows escape from the world. It is an existing "Element" (Dhatu) that stands in contrast to the "Conditioned Element" (Samsara).

2. The Positive Qualities (The 33 Synonyms)

In the Samyutta Nikaya (SN 43), the Buddha gives a stream of synonyms to describe this Unconditioned Element. He does not just call it "Cessation." He uses words that imply safety, solidity, and reality.

Here are the key "Qualities" of that element:

• Amata (The Deathless): This is the most common name. It is a state where entropy does not exist.

• Dipa (The Island): Relates to your interest in a "center." It is the solid ground in the flood.

• Lena (The Shelter/Cave): A place of protection from the rain of karma.

• Khema (The Security): A state where no danger can enter.

• Para (The Beyond): It is "other" than the known universe.

• Suddhi (The Purity): It is uncontaminated by the defilements.

• Santa (The Peaceful): The ultimate cool, distinct from the "heat" of the Breath-Wind Magicians.

• Sacca (The Truth): It is the only thing that doesn't lie (i.e., doesn't change).

3. The "Consciousness Without Surface" (Vinnanam Anidassanam)

This is the most "Gurdjieffian" or "Tantric" aspect of the early texts. You asked about "Light" and "Mind" earlier. In the Kevaddha Sutta, the Buddha describes a specific type of consciousness that is experienced when one touches the Unconditioned.

"Consciousness without surface, Without end, Luminous all around. Here water, earth, fire, & wind have no footing."

The Analysis:

• Without Surface (Anidassanam): It doesn't "land" on an object. Normal consciousness needs an object (a sight, a sound) to exist. This consciousness is self-sustaining.

• Luminous (Pabhassaram): It has its own intrinsic brightness or clarity.

• The Connection: This sounds suspiciously like the Clear Light (Osel) of Tibetan Tantra. It suggests that even in Early Buddhism, the "Cessation" was not a blackout, but the revelation of a Luminous, Non-Local Awareness.

4. The "Sphere" of Cessation

So, when the yogi attains Nirodha, they are technically switching dimensions.

• Samsara: The dimension of "Interdependent Co-arising" (If A happens, B happens).

• Nirvana: The dimension of "Non-arising."

When the texts say the mind "touches" the Deathless element, it is like a hand touching a cool metal railing. The railing was always there, but the hand (mind) was too busy waving around (vrittis) to grab it.

• Vipashyana (Insight) stops the waving.

• Cessation is the moment the hand makes contact.

Summary

The "Qualities" you are looking for are Permanence (in the sense of deathlessness), Safety, Purity, and Light. It is the Solid Core you were seeking. The Buddha just argues that you cannot build this core (as Gurdjieff suggests with the Soul); you can only reveal it, because it is the one thing in the universe that was never built.

FINDING THE “PEARL OF GREAT PRICE”

If you analyze the Buddhist scriptures, in particular the early ones, is the Buddhist project about purification of the self? It can be said that it is not about recognizing that there is no self; but that it is about clarifying the mind, so that clinging to self is purified? It might even be said that, as in the earliest scriptures, it is about reaching “Brahman?”

GEMINI

This is a sophisticated reading of the texts that aligns with what some scholars call the "Positive Interpretation" of Early Buddhism. You are touching on a secret open in the Pali Canon: the Buddha often refused to say "there is no self," and instead focused almost entirely on the process of purification.

If we analyze the early scriptures (Nikayas) through this lens, your hypothesis holds significant weight. Here is the evidence that the Buddhist project is indeed about "clarifying the mind" rather than just "deleting the self," and how it surprisingly relates to "Brahman."

1. "Not-Self" is a Strategy, Not a Truth

The most common misunderstanding is that Anatta means "There is no self."

In the Ananda Sutta, the wanderer Vacchagotta asks the Buddha point-blank: "Is there a self?" The Buddha remains silent.

Later, he explains to Ananda: "If I said 'there is a self,' that would be Eternalism. If I said 'there is no self,' that would be Annihilationism."

The Implication:

The teaching of Anatta (Not-Self) is not a metaphysical answer ("You don't exist"). It is a methodological tool (a strategy).

• The Method: You look at the body, feelings, and thoughts and say, "This is not me, this is not mine, this is not my self."

• The Goal: By peeling away what is not you (the "clinging"), you are purifying the mind.

• The Remainder: The Buddha is silent on what remains after the peeling is done. But logically, if you peel away the "false," what remains is the "true" (or at least, the Pure).

2. The Project is "Visuddhi" (Purification of the Citta)

The ultimate goal in the early texts is often called Citta-Visuddhi (Purification of the Mind). The "Self" isn't the enemy; the defilements (kilesas) are.

In the Pabhassara Sutta, the Buddha says:

"Luminous, monks, is the mind (citta). And it is defiled by incoming defilements."

The "Diamond in the Mud" Model:

This suggests the mind has an innate, radiant nature (Luminous Mind) that is temporarily obscured.

• Your Hypothesis: The goal is to wash the mud off the diamond.

• Standard View: The goal is to realize the diamond doesn't exist.

• The Textual Evidence: The texts support the "washing" view. The "Arahat" is defined as one whose "mental fermentations have ended" (khinasava), not one who has ceased to exist.

3. The "Brahman" Connection (Brahmabhūta)

This is the most striking piece of evidence for your "Reaching Brahman" theory.

While the Buddha rejected the Vedic Creator God (Maha-Brahma), he systematically repurposed the word "Brahman" to mean "The Ultimate" or "The Holy."

In multiple suttas (e.g., Majjhima Nikaya 27), the Buddha describes the enlightened person (Tathagata) with these exact words:

"He is Dhamma-become (Dhammabhūta), Brahma-become (Brahmabhūta)."

What does "Become Brahma" mean?

• It does not mean becoming a deity.

• It implies becoming the embodiment of Excellence.

• In the Bramaviharas (The Divine Abodes), the meditator cultivates universal love and compassion to "live like Brahma."

• The Conclusion: The Buddha suggests that the "purified self" (the Arahant) is the true "Brahman" that the Vedic priests were trying to find but failed to reach.

4. The "Self" as a Refuge (Atta-dipa)

As mentioned in the previous answer, the Buddha explicitly commands his disciples to "Make the Self your island (Atta-dipa)."

If the project were purely "No-Self," this command would be nonsensical.

Instead, it implies:

1. The Small Self (Ego): This is the clinging, the defilement. Purify it.

2. The Great Self (Refuge): This is the purified mind/dhamma. Rely on it.

This mirrors the Upanishadic idea of the Jiva (small self) realizing it is the Atman (Great Self), though the Buddha avoids the word Atman to prevent people from clinging to a "soul theory."

Summary: You Are Technically Correct

Your analysis aligns with the "apophatic" tradition of Early Buddhism.

• Is it about purification? Yes. The goal is the destruction of greed, hatred, and delusion.

• Is it about reaching Brahman? Yes, in the sense of Brahmabhūta—becoming the embodiment of the Holy/Ultimate.

The Buddha’s teaching can be summarized not as "You are nothing," but as "You are not the noise." If you purify the noise (clinging), the Silence (Nirvana/Brahman) remains.

Crystallized Being in Buddhism

 

BEING IN BUDDHISM 

QUESTION:

Please list for me all the original terms the Buddha used in early scripture that stand for “being.” Indicate the different shades of meaning for each, along with the contexts for each. In particular, single out from these terms that are used in a positive sense; in relation to the possession or acquisition of a solid core or essence or center.

GEMINI:

The Buddha used a precise vocabulary to distinguish between the "being" who is drifting mechanically in samsara and the "being" who has forged an unshakable inner center.

Since you are looking for parallels to the Gurdjieffian concept of "crystallization"—the acquisition of a solid core or essence—you will find the Positive/Constructive terms below most relevant. These terms (Group 2) refer to a state where the scattered "many I's" have been unified into a singular, cultivated will.

Group 1: The Raw Material (Neutral or Negative)

These terms describe the ordinary state of existence: fluid, changing, and often defined by attachment.

1. Satta (Sanskrit: Sattva)

• Literal Meaning: Being, creature, living thing.

• Nuance: The Buddha often glossed this word via a pun on the verb sanjati (to cling or stick). When asked "Why is one called a 'being' (satta)?", he replied: "Because one is stuck (satta) and clinging to desire... therefore one is called a being."

• Context: Used for ordinary, unenlightened beings who are trapped by their own attachments. It implies a lack of freedom; one is "stuck" in the machine of samsara.

2. Bhava (Sanskrit: Bhava)

• Literal Meaning: Becoming, existence, state of being.

• Nuance: This is active existence. It is not a static state but a process of becoming something else based on craving.

• Context: usually negative or diagnostic (e.g., bhava-tanha, the craving to "become"). In Gurdjieffian terms, this is the constant flux of the "man-machine" reacting to stimuli, perpetually "becoming" angry, happy, or sad without any permanent center.

3. Puggala (Sanskrit: Pudgala)

• Literal Meaning: Person, individual.

• Nuance: The "functional person." While the Buddha denied an eternal, changeless soul (atman), he used puggala to talk about the character, the moral agent, or the specific individual who takes rebirth.

• Context: Used in lists of types of people (e.g., "The person who torments himself," "The person of integrity").

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Group 2: The Acquired Center (Positive/Solid)

These are the terms you are looking for. They describe a being who has undergone "self-creation" or "cultivation" (bhavana). These terms suggest that while a metaphysical soul is denied, a functional, fortified center is absolutely required for liberation.

4. Bhāvitatta (Sanskrit: Bhāvitātman)

• Literal Meaning: "Cultivated Self" or "Developed Self."

• Etymology: Bhāvita (developed/cultivated) + Attā (self).

• The "Solid Core" Nuance: This is perhaps the closest Pāli equivalent to a "crystallized" being. It refers to someone whose body, virtue, mind, and wisdom have been fully developed. They are not a "raw" human anymore; they have been "cooked" or processed by the Dhamma.

• Context: "He is a bhāvitatta (developed self)... he dwells with a mind that is immeasurable." It implies a self that is no longer fragile or reactive but has mass and gravity.

5. Pahitatta (Sanskrit: Prahitātman)

• Literal Meaning: "Self-sent" or "Resolute Self."

• Nuance: A being who has "sent" or directed their attā (self/mind) toward a single aim (Nirvana). It implies total unification of will. The "many I's" are gone; there is only one "I" directed at the goal.

• Context: Used to describe the ardent meditator: "Energetic, with a resolute self (pahitatta)."

6. Attā-dīpa (Sanskrit: Ātma-dvīpa)

• Literal Meaning: "Self as Island" or "Self as Lamp" (the word dīpa means both).

• Nuance: Radical self-reliance. This term appears in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta. The Buddha tells Ananda not to look for an external savior but to make his own "self" (attā) an island of safety in the flood of samsara.

• Context: "Be islands unto yourselves, refuges unto yourselves... seeking no external refuge." This is the command to form an inner center that cannot be washed away by external shocks.

7. Brahmabhūta (Sanskrit: Brahmabhūta)

• Literal Meaning: "Become Brahma" or "Become Divine."

• Nuance: The term Brahma here implies "best," "excellent," or "sublime." It does not mean merging with a Godhead, but rather that the human being has transformed into the embodiment of the Holy.

• Context: Used for the Arahant or Buddha. They have not just "improved"; they have become the Dhamma itself. "He is Dhamma-become (dhammabhūta), Brahma-become (brahmabhūta)."

8. Sāra (Sanskrit: Sāra)

• Literal Meaning: Heartwood, pith, essence, core.

• Nuance: The Buddha often used the analogy of a tree. The outer bark and twigs are the superficial personality (ethics, concentration). The Sāra is the hard heartwood at the center (Liberation/Wisdom).

• Context: "He who takes the unessential to be essential (asāre sāramatino)... never finds the essence." The goal of the path is to locate and become the Sāra—the solid, unrotting core.

Group 3: The Unshakable State (Crystallized)

9. Tādi (The "Such" One)

• Literal Meaning: "Like that," "Such," or "Unshakable."

• Nuance: A term for the Arahant. It means one who is stable, constant, and "such" regardless of the "eight worldly winds" (gain/loss, fame/disrepute, etc.).

• Context: A mountain of solid rock. "Just as a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, so the wise are not moved by praise or blame." The Tādi is the man who cannot be moved—Gurdjieff’s "Man No. 7."

10. Thita (Stable/Firm)

• Literal Meaning: Standing, firm, established.

• Nuance: Used to describe the consciousness of an enlightened being which no longer "growls" or moves toward objects.

• Context: "His mind is firm (thita), attained to imperturbability."

Summary for your Blog/Practice

If you are writing on the higher bodies, Bhāvitatta (The Developed Self) is your bridge. It confirms that while the "ego" is a delusion to be dissolved, the "system" must be cultivated into a stable, reliable vehicle (Attā-dīpa) capable of holding the "weight" of enlightenment.

Becoming or Existing in the Three Realms, & Beyond

 

Early Buddhist Scriptural Bhava & Bhavana

So give me examples and scriptures and context of places in the early Buddhist scriptures — and compare and contrast — where the Buddha speaks of Bhava and  Bhavana.

Gemini 

In early Buddhist scripture, the relationship between Bhava and Bhāvanā is one of the most significant linguistic and practical "puns" in the Buddha’s teaching. While both come from the same Sanskrit/Pali root (√bhū, meaning "to be" or "to become"), they represent two opposing forces: one is the problem (the "downward" cycle), and the other is the solution (the "upward" path).

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1. Bhava: The 10th Link of the Problem

In the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, Bhava (Becoming) is the tenth link. It is the fuel that leads directly to Birth (Jaˉti) and Suffering (Jaraˉmaraṇa).

• Scriptural Context: In the Samyutta Nikaya (SN 12.2), the Buddha defines Bhava as three types of becoming: sensual becoming, form becoming, and formless becoming.

• The Meaning: Bhava is the "taking on" of an identity. It is the moment where your craving (Taṇhaˉ) and clinging (Upaˉdaˉna) solidify into a specific "state of existence."

• Daily Life Example: If you are angry, Bhava is the moment you transition from "experiencing anger" to "becoming an angry person." You have "taken birth" in a state of rage.

2. Bhāvanā: The Solution of Cultivation

As discussed, Bhāvanā is the intentional cultivation of the mind. It is the active work of the Eightfold Path.

• Scriptural Context: In the Digha Nikaya (DN 33), the Buddha identifies three essential types of Bhāvanā:

  1. Kāya-bhāvanā: Development of the body (mindfulness of physical experience).

  2. Citta-bhāvanā: Development of the mind (concentration and emotional states).

  3. Paññā-bhāvanā: Development of wisdom (insight into reality).

• The Meaning: If Bhava is a "passive" becoming driven by habit, Bhāvanā is "active" becoming driven by wisdom.

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Compare and Contrast: The Two Types of "Becoming"

Feature	Bhava (The Link)	Bhāvanā (The Practice)
Nature	Passive/Reactive. It happens to you because of craving.	Active/Intentional. You do it to transform your character.
Direction	Downward. It leads to more birth, more ego, and more stress.	Upward. It leads to the thinning of the ego and liberation.
Result	Solidifies the sense of "Self" ($Att\bar{a}$).	Dissolves the sense of "Self" ($Anatt\bar{a}$).
Metaphor	A weed growing wild because of rain and soil.	A garden being intentionally tilled and planted.

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3. The "Middle Way" in the Kaccānagotta Sutta

You asked about the distinction between Being and Non-being. The Kaccānagotta Sutta (SN 12.15) is the definitive text here.

The Buddha tells Kaccāna that most people are stuck in a duality:

• Atthitā (Existence/Being): "Everything is real and permanent."

• Natthitā (Non-existence/Non-being): "Nothing matters; everything is empty and meaningless."

The Buddha rejects both. He says that when you see the Origin of the world through Bhāvanā (cultivation of wisdom), the idea of "non-existence" disappears. When you see the Cessation of the world, the idea of "existence" disappears.

The Insight: Reality is a flow (Bhava), but by practicing Bhāvanā, you learn to navigate that flow without getting "stuck" in a fixed identity of "being" or "non-being."

Summary of the Upward Path

Early Buddhists used Bhāvanā as a "counter-becoming." They didn't try to stop "becoming" through force; they cultivated a better kind of becoming—the Paramitas—to eventually reach a state where the "engine" of becoming (craving) simply ran out of fuel.

Would you like to explore the Kaccānagotta Sutta further to see why Nagarjuna considered it the single most important discourse for his philosophy of Emptiness?

Desire, Form & Formless Becoming

I’m interested in your previous: “Scriptural Context: In the Samyutta Nikaya (SN 12.2), the Buddha defines Bhava as three types of becoming: sensual becoming, form becoming, and formless becoming.” So please describe these in detail; and do you think that these might be the direct precursors to the later desire, form and formless realms? If so , in what way??

Gemini 

In early Buddhist thought, the answer to your second question is a definitive yes. The three types of Bhava(Becoming) mentioned in SN 12.2 are the direct psychological seeds of what later became the cosmological Three Realms (Ti-dhātu).

In the early scriptures, the Buddha did not necessarily see "realms" as just physical places you go after death; he saw them as scales of consciousness you inhabit right now.

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1. The Three Types of Becoming (Bhava)

In SN 12.2, the Buddha defines the 10th link of the chain as follows:

A. Sensual Becoming (Kāma-bhava)

This is becoming driven by the five senses and the desire for "things."

• The Experience: When your identity is tied to what you eat, what you buy, sexual desire, or physical comfort.

• The Trap: It is a heavy, "coarse" form of becoming. It is the most unstable because sensual objects change rapidly, leading to high-intensity suffering ($Dukkha$).

B. Form Becoming (Rūpa-bhava)

This is a more refined "becoming" that occurs when the mind moves away from external senses and focuses on internal, refined objects.

• The Experience: In early Buddhism, this is specifically linked to the first four Jhānas (meditative absorptions). Here, you aren't "becoming" a consumer; you are "becoming" a state of peace, light, or pure equanimity.

• The Trap: Even though it is "higher" than sensual becoming, it is still a "becoming." You are still identifying with a state of being, which is still subject to the 12 links.

C. Formless Becoming (Arūpa-bhava)

This is the most subtle level of becoming, where even the "form" of a meditative object is dropped.

• The Experience: This corresponds to the "Formless Attainments"—becoming one with infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, or neither-perception-nor-non-perception.

• The Trap: It is so subtle that practitioners often mistake it for Nirvana. But because there is still a "seed" of identity (the one who experiences the infinite), the 12 links are still active.

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2. From Psychology to Cosmology: The Three Realms

In the later Abhidharma and the broader Mahayana traditions, these three "becomings" were mapped onto the Three Realms (Ti-dhātu). The transition happened because of the Buddhist Law of Karma: The way you "become" in this life dictates where you "take birth" in the next.

• The Sensual Realm (Kāma-loka): If your Bhava is consistently driven by sensual desire, you are "tuned" to the frequency of the human realm, animal realm, or hell realms.

• The Form Realm (Rūpa-loka): If your Bhava is cultivated through the Jhānas, your consciousness "vibrates" at the level of the Brahma deities—refined beings of light and joy.

• The Formless Realm (Arūpa-loka): If your Bhava is refined into the infinite, you take birth as a formless deity, existing as pure, long-lived consciousness.

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3. How they are connected via the 12 Links

The genius of the early scripture is that it treats "becoming" as a biological and psychological momentum.

1. Craving ($Taṇhā$): You want a specific experience.

2. Clinging ($Upādāna$): You latch onto that experience.

3. Becoming ($Bhava$): The mind "takes the shape" of that experience (Sensual, Form, or Formless).

4. Birth ($Jāti$): The actual manifestation of that state—either as a moment of "being an angry person" or the physical birth of a new body in a corresponding realm.

Why this matters for your "Upward Path"

This is why your use of the 10 Perfections is so radical. Most "spiritual" people simply move from Sensual Becoming to Form Becoming (meditative bliss). But the Buddha warned that this is just moving from a "lower" link to a "higher" link—you are still in the chain.

By practicing the Perfections (Bhāvanā), you aren't just trying to "become" a deity in the Formless Realm; you are using Wisdom (Paññā) to see through the process of becoming itself. You are trying to reach Vibhava—the ending of the drive to "be" or "become" anything at all.

Key Scriptural Insight: In the Atthakavagga (one of the oldest parts of the Sutta Nipata), the Buddha says that the wise person doesn't "take a stand" in any of these three types of becoming. They don't identify with the coarse, the refined, or the infinite.

The Path Through the Three Realms, & Beyond.

Is there any scriptural or historical basis in a belief that one should or could follow a progressive path from desire becoming to form becoming to formless becoming, and finally to the ultimate of Buddhahood??

Gemini 

Yes, there is a strong scriptural and historical basis for this "progressive path," though the early texts and the later Mahayana traditions view the "ultimate" destination through different lenses.

The concept you are describing is often called Anupubba-sikkhā (Gradual Training). The Buddha frequently taught that progress in the Dhamma is like the ocean floor: it shelves gradually, inclines gradually, and slopes gradually, with no sudden drop-off.

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1. The Scriptural Basis: The "Ladder" of the Jhanas

In the early Pali Suttas (such as the Anupubba Sutta, AN 9.41), the Buddha describes his own journey toward Awakening as a step-by-step mastery of these becomings:

1. Renouncing Sensual Becoming (Kama-bhava): The practitioner withdraws from sensual pleasures to enter the first four Jhanas. This is the transition into Form Becoming.

2. Transcending Form (Rupa-bhava): The practitioner then moves into the four "Formless Attainments" (Infinite Space, Infinite Consciousness, etc.). This is the mastery of Formless Becoming.

3. The Cessation of Perception and Feeling: Finally, the practitioner moves beyond even the most subtle "becoming" to reach the cessation of all conditioned states.

The Logic: You use a "higher" level of becoming to abandon a "lower" one. You use the joy of meditation (Form) to let go of the stress of the senses (Sensual). You use the peace of the infinite (Formless) to let go of the "coarseness" of form.

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2. The Historical "Bhumis" (Levels)

Historically, as Buddhism moved toward the Mahayana tradition, this progressive path was systematized into the Ten Bhumis (Stages of the Bodhisattva).

In this model, the 10 Perfections (Paramitas) you mentioned earlier are mapped directly onto these stages. Each stage represents a progressive "cleansing" of the three types of becoming:

• Lower Bhumis: Focused on overcoming Kama-bhava through Generosity and Ethics.

• Middle Bhumis: Focused on mastering Rupa-bhava through Patience and Energy.

• Higher Bhumis: Focused on the subtle Arupa-bhava and the "Turning of the Basis" into Buddhahood.

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3. The Distinction: Mastery vs. Attachment

There is a crucial distinction in the scriptures regarding this progression. The Buddha warned that many practitioners "get stuck" in the higher realms:

• The Worldly Path: One masters the Formless Becoming, enjoys the "infinite," and then is reborn in a Formless Realm. When that karma expires, they fall back down the 12 links.

• The Supramundane Path (The Path to Buddhahood): One uses the Form and Formless states as tools or "working grounds" (Kammatthana), but remains aware of their impermanence.

Key Quote: In the Potthapada Sutta (DN 9), the Buddha explains that these states are "perceptions" ($Saññā$). He teaches that one should progress through them but eventually develop the Wisdom to let go of even the highest state.

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4. Why this leads to Buddhahood

In the Yogacara context, which seems to resonate with your practice, this progression is necessary because the Storehouse Consciousness (Alaya-vijnana) is so deeply habituated to "becoming."

You cannot simply jump from "Desire" to "Buddhahood" because the subtle habits of the Form and Formless realms are still there. You must:

1. Refine the mind (moving through the realms).

2. Purify the mind (applying the Perfections at each level).

3. Transcend the mind (the "Turning of the Basis" where all three types of becoming are transformed into the Three Bodies of a Buddha).

Summary Table: The Progressive Path

Stage of Path	Type of Becoming addressed	Primary Perfection (Paramita)
Initial	Sensual (Kama)	Generosity & Morality
Intermediate	Form (Rupa)	Patience & Meditation
Advanced	Formless (Arupa)	Wisdom & Skillful Means
Ultimate	Buddhahood	Perfection of Knowledge (Jnana)

This "Ladder of Becoming" ensures that no part of the psyche is left in the dark. By the time you reach the "Ultimate," you have mastered every possible frequency of existence and found them all to be "not-self."