Another taboo subject for Western Buddhists

One-pointed of Mind samadhi, if perfected, whether one realizes it from the teachings of the Buddha, Patanjali, or Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, leads to a more profound attainment which Buddhists call bodhicittotpada (lit. bodhi-mind-arising) in which one sees the world, for the first time, from the perspective of an enlightened being (buddha).

 As far as this blog is concerned, I hardly dwell on this profound attainment because when we have authentic one-pointed of Mind samadhi, it is the magical key that will help us to eventually unlock the door to bodhicittotpada.  Naturally, I find it much easier to blog about how to see and engage with Zen and Buddhism correctly—at lest to have the right orientation.  

 Turning back to the matter of one-pointed of Mind samadhi it is a subtle subject to blog about.  Nevertheless, I have tried to cover it in various ways.  One major problem is we are not used to our mind being  an attainable, effective substance, as being fundamentally transcendent to the corporeal body.  We only know mind’s gross side, the common, ordinary mind.  

 To move to the accomplishment of one-pointed of Mind samadhi, the matter is like pure water trying to see itself only minus the waviness or ripples.  We must keep in mind that our ordinary thoughts are wavy or vibrations of Mind.  Said again, these thoughts are the movement of pure Mind; its temporalization/samsara.  This has to be overcome if we are to become Buddhas.

 With the attainment of one-pointed of Mind samadhi and the subsequent practice of it (in my case seven years) we are then open to an encounter with a kalyana-mitra (lit. virtuous friend) which may or may not be of this world (and often is not of this world).  This is the scary part—it takes a lot of courage.  For those who were taught that belief in such beings is mumbo jumbo it is rather a frightening event to encounter an immaterial kalyana-mitra.  But only with such an encounter can the empowerment of bodhicittotpada truly take place which the Lankavatara Sutra calls mahâyana-prabhâsa (lit. mahayana clear light).  Only then will the adept be further sustained by the power of the Buddhas to fulfill their spiritual career.

 As the reader can probably guess, discussing this subject is almost a taboo in polite Buddhist circles.  But I feel it is important to let meditation practitioners know that with the attainment of one-pointed of Mind samadhi they will be moving in the right direction towards Buddhahood.  It doesn’t matter if they are the film maker David Lynch, who is a Transcendental Meditation practitioner, some Vedanta practitioner or a Daoist or a Buddhist hermit living alone in the mountains of Zhongnan.  They hold the magical key with one-pointed of Mind samadhi.  When they are ready a kalyana-mitra will appear. 

 

Comments

[Bob Morris]

This may be silly but the kalyana-mitra "virtuous friend" reminds me of the 1950 film "Harvey" which we enjoyed recently via Netflix.

[clyde]

Kojizen; I think my view of Zen was closer to the Zennist’s some years ago, when I ‘practiced’ alone (without a teacher or sangha). But my experience of Zen has evolved, especially when I began sitting with a (non-sectarian Buddhist) sangha and meeting living teachers.

[Kojizen]

Clyde, Hasn't your experience of Zen always been different than The Zennist's? :o)

[Heat Pump Prices]

I found this article useful in a paper I am writing at university. Hopefully, I get an A+ now!

[clyde]

Here and in other posts you assert that “polite Buddhist circles” (or sometimes “Western Buddhists”, etc.) hold this view or that view. My experience is different and I wonder: What “polite Buddhist circles” have you engaged? What Buddhist teachers have you met and talked with? What Buddhist sanghas have you sat with and discussed Buddhist doctrine, practices and experiences?

clyde