All appearances are divine and luminous

Rongzom Chokyi Zangpo, detail, Rubin Museum of Art

In my series of blogs (both in French and in English) on “Luminosity” and other divine Light metaphors, I try to look at general characteristics that esoteric Buddhism, and more specifically Mahāyoga, the Guhyagarbha Tantra and Dzogchen may share with the theology of more overtly theistic traditions like Hermeticism, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, etc. In the previous blog (Esoteric Buddhism as self-deification), the present one (All appearances are divine and luminous) and in blogs to come, I am trying to summarize some of my research on this theme.

The term Luminosity (s. prabhāsvaratā t. ‘od gsal), initially used as a metaphor[1], became an indispensable doctrinal element (“Sheer Luminosity”) in Mahāyāna and esoteric Buddhist theology, as I tried to convey through many examples in a long series of exploratory blogs (keywords Luminous, Light, Lumineux and Lumière). A key moment in the Luminous evolution was the introduction of a “Buddha Essence” (s. buddhadhātu) during the so called “Third Turning of the Wheel”. Sometimes there is said to have been a “Forth Turning”. That would certainly be in line with Luminosity taking on a definite divine turn. The coining of a Third Turning also corresponds to the time where Buddhist teachings were being classified in those having a “definitive meaning” (s. nītārtha t. nges don) and those having a “provisional meaning” (s. neyārtha t. drang don). The Buddha Essence theory was said to have a “definitive meaning”, no longer a “skilful means” (s. upāyakauśalya) or a “conditionally adopted position” (s. vyavasthā)[2], and so were the transmissions on the Vajra Body and Vajra Yoga, required to develop the Light vehicle.

Because of the idealist perspective of Luminosity/Divinity, the world of phenomena and facts is ultimately illusory or unreal, and exists only as “appearances” (s. ābhāsa t. snang ba), reflections or manifestations of a deeper, more fundamental reality. These can appear “pure” or “impure” from a divine point of view, and “correct” or “mistaken” from a conventional point of view, according to an individual’s spiritual and/or philosophical progress.

With time “Luminosity” and its numerous derivations have become more definite and absolute. It’s “inseparability” from a token emptiness (s. śūnyatā) kept/keeps it within the fuzzy frame of Mahāyāna Buddhist doctrine, but in all practical matters “Luminous” can be interpreted as “Divine”. Adepts of Luminosity even go as far to declare that emptiness can’t realize non-duality simultaneously (t. gcig car du), whereas “ (monist and divine) Luminosity” can.

This point was made repeatedly by teachers such as Rongzompa (11th)[3], Longchen Rabjam (14th), Ju Mipham[4] (19-20th) etc. The same teachers were also most explicit about the divine nature of appearance(s) (t. snang ba), or Luminosity (t. gsal ba, ‘od gsal). All three teachers commented on the Guhyagarbha tantra, The Secret Essence Tantra, “Reality Ascertained” (or “Definite Nature Just As It Is”). Ju Mipham explains that the “Essence” is the Buddha Essence with its primordially “enlightened body, speech, and mind”, the Trikāya. It is “secret”, concealed, because “due to the veils of temporary obscurations” it is not accessible to the non-initiated. All phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are inseparable with this primordially enlightened state[5].

The “phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa” are appearances (t. snang ba), and all appearances were/are established as divine by Rongzompa (11th) and others. Under the caveat that this work (“Gsang sngags rdo rje theg pa’i tshul las snang ba lhar bsgrub pa”), which only surfaced in the twentieth century in four different editions, had indeed been authored by Rongzompa.[6] The arguments found in this short work are very much in agreement with those exposed by Ju Mipham (19-20th) in his Luminous Essence Commentary on the Secret Essence Tantra (“Gsang ’grel phyogs bcu’i mun sel gyi spyi don ’od gsal snying po”). Rongzompa’s Establishing Appearances as Divine reads as very much as an apology or a defense.

“All phenomena are, in this way, primordially, fully, and completely enlightened. Phenomena appearing as various attributes are, therefore, indeed the maṇḍala of vajra body, speech, and mind. They are like the Buddhas of the three times, never transcending the essence of complete purity. Sentient beings and Buddhas are not differentiated in terms of their essence. Just like distinct causes and results appearing in a dream, they are nothing but perceptions of individual minds brought forth by the power of imputation.”

“Delusion is, by its own [Luminous] essence, completely pure and, hence, enlightened.[7]”

The Secret Essence, the divine maṇḍala of Vajra body, speech, and mind is also called the Ground (t. gzhi). This is the abiding reality/natural state of the Ground (t. gzhi’i gnas lugs), and all its appearances (t. gzhi snang) are “rigpa-dharmakāya” (t. rig pa chos kyi sku)[8].

“Remaining genuinely is the dharmakāya,
Accompanying awareness is the sambhogakāya,
And the non-duality of stillness and movement is the nirmāṇakāya.
This is what we call the “three-kāya rigpa[9].”

The conceptual mind doesn’t allow access to the divine maṇḍala of the Ground, and it can not perceive as such the divine appearances (t. lhar snang), pure appearances (t. dag snang), the appearances of the maṇḍala of the Ground (t. gzhi snang), which are the Ground’s own inherent appearances (t. rang snang), i.e. as epiphanies (or theophanies), but only in an adulterated (impure, t. ma dag) form, as objects of a dualist perception.

If appearances are not “seen” or rather not directly intuited (t. rig pa) as the “pure” or “divine” appearances of the Ground maṇḍala, then they turn into “impure” appearances, even if they were to be correctly perceived through valid cognition (s. pramāṇa). The latter Ju Mipham calls a “confined vision” (t. tshur mthong). Through this vision one may be seeing ordinary (impure) things without error (s. bhrānti)[10], perhaps even non-dualistically or without mental engagement, but without intuiting them as divine appearances, such as gods, mantras, maṇḍalas etc. According to the above mentioned Nyingma teachers, this is not seeing things “as they really are”, because appearances are divine… Confined vision does not allow for:

“[seeing] the appearance of as many buddha-fields as there are dust motes in the world in a single dust mote, performing activities of many eons in a single moment, displaying emanations while not departing from the unchanging basic space of phenomena, and knowing all objects of cognition in a single instant with a nonconceptual mind[11].” (Luminous Essence, p. 49)

Unless appearances are seen as divine, they are not seen as they really are. This turns into circular reasoning:

“Likewise, unless ordinary body, speech, and mind are understood to be divine, and revered [as divine], their [divine] qualities will not be seen. However, it is observed that [divine] qualities manifest wherever [body, speech, and mind] are understood and revered [as divine][12].” (Establishing Appearances as Divine, p. 98)

In order to see them as divine, one has to start viewing them as such through Deity Practice. "If you want to believe, pray; and you will believe." (Blaise Pascal, Pensées, section 418)

Here, we are however said to be in a different situation than Pascals solution. A preparation is required, and one sets off with conceptual means. Through “realizing the intrinsic nature by wisdom”, compassion and aspiration prayers (t. smon lam), one gets as ready as one can in order to receive the required grace and accomplishment (s. siddhi), allowing for direct, non sensorial, non conceptual access, Light on Light, through a channel of Light.

“[Some individuals with pure vision] will say, “Dear friends, these appearances of ordinary bodies and enjoyments commonly perceived by us human beings are, in fact, the divine maṇḍala as perceived by pure individuals. If an individual who has free access to the field of pure experience grants us accomplishment, then, even to us human beings, those objects will appear as divinities and we will experience them as such. It is just like when, from time to time in the past, some of us human beings gained accomplishment and thereby achieved the divine field of experience.[13]” (Establishing Appearances as Divine, p. 101-102)

“[T]he appearances to ordinary [perception] are shown to be a delusion, or deluded perceptions, while the appearances of divinities are not delusion, or are appearances free from delusion. This should be realized with certainty.[14]” (Establishing Appearances as Divine, p. 104)

The same appearances are seen by the pure as divine and by the impure as ordinary or worse, through their habitual patterns (s. vāsanā). These patterns are the objects of purification in Deity Practice.

“As long as there appear completely pure bodies and fields of experience, as well as completely impure bodies and fields of experience, then, since all that is differentiated with reference to location and time are appearances of a single moment of the all-ground consciousness, [the achievement of pure appearance] is not in any way an achievement of primordial properties. Just as, for example, the characteristics of space are not established within space. This is also an unmistaken proof.[15]” (Establishing Appearances as Divine, p. 108)

The single moment argument is a more important point IMO, when leaving aside the distinction between pure divine and impure bodies and fields. No reference to space and time, nor BTW to all-ground consciousness… “The characteristics of space are not established within space”. Then how can the divine qualities of Buddha Essence be established in Buddha Essence? As for all-ground consciousness, for Rongzompa, there is no distinction between the eight collections of consciousness, from a non-deluded level. More on that another time.

***

[1]"This mind is luminous monks, but it is defiled by adventitious defilements. The uninstructed worldling does not understand this as it really is ; therefore for him there is no mental development. This mind is luminous monks, and it is freed from adventitious defilements. The instructed noble disciple understands this as it really is ; therefore for him there is mental development." Aṅguttara Nikāya 1.49-52

[2] See Buddhist Philosophy of Language in India, Jñānaśrīmitra on Exclusion, Lawrence J. McCrea and Parimal G. Patil, Columbia University Press, New York, 2010, p. 26

[3] Heidi I. Koppl, Establishing Appearances as Divine, Rongzom Chokyi Zangpo on Reasoning, Madhyamaka, and Purity, 2013, Snow Lion

[4] Jamgon Mipham, Luminous Essence: A Guide to the Guhyagarbha Tantra, Dharmachakra Translation Committee, Snow Lion, 2009

[5] Luminous Essence (2009), p. 6. The innate Trikāya and their respective associated contemplative experiences:
dharmakāya - non-conceptuality (t. mi rtog)
saṃbhogakāya - luminosity, clarity (t. gsal ba)
nirmāṇakāya - bliss (t. bde ba), as the meeting of non-conceptuality and luminosity

[6] Establishing Appearances as Divine (2013), p. 109

[7] Establishing Appearances as Divine (2013), p. 96

[8] Vajra Verses on the Natural State revealed by Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa

gzhi yi gnas lugs spros dang bral:
gzhi snang rig pa chos kyi sku:

[9] gnyug mar gnas pa chos kyi sku:
shes bzhin 'char ba longs spyod rdzogs:
gnas 'gyu gnyis med sprul pa'i sku:
sku gsum rig pa de la zer:

[10] “Liberation is merely the end of error” (Mahāyānasūtralaṅkara IX, 3)

[11] rdul gcig gi khyon la rdul snyed kyi zhing snang ba/ dus skad cig la bskal pa mang po'i mdzad pa ston pa/ chos dbyings 'gyur med las ma g.yos bzhin du sprul pa'i rol pa ston pa/ rnam rtog dang bral ba'i [96] thugs kyis shes bya thams cad dus gcig tu mkhyen pa sogs/ bsam gyis mi khyab pa'i spyod yul gang zhig tha mal pa'i tshur mthong gi yul du 'gal ba lta bur snang ste bsgrub par mi nus pa rnams p96-97

[12] tha mal pa'i lus dang ngag dang yid kyang lhar ma shes shing ma bkur na/ yon tan mi dmigs te/ shes shing bkur bas gzhi de nyid las yon tan dmigs pa'i phyir ro//

[13] kha cig gis yongs su dag pa'i gang zag rnams kyis lha'i dkyil 'khor du mthong ba dang /gsang sngags kyi tshul las lha'i dkyil 'khor nyid yin par ston pa'ang thos te/ de las la la ni tha mal pa'i lus dang longs spyod du snang ba ni dngos po'i mtshan nyid de/ lhar mthong ba ni kun brtags pa la sogs par 'dod pa la/ kha cig ni tha mal pa'i lus dang longs spyod ni snang ba _ma dag pa yin pas/ gang zag dag pa rnams kyis mthong ba dang*/_gsang sngags kyi tshul las grags pa bzhin du/ lha nyid dngos po rnams kyi mtshan nyid yin par 'dod pa las/ des smras pa/

grogs po dag bdag cag lta bu mi rnams la mthun par snang ba'i tha mal pa'i lus dang longs spyod yul du snang ba 'di ni/ gang zag dag pa rnams kyis mthong ba bzhin du lha'i dkyil 'khor nyid yin te/ dag pa'i spyod yul la spyod par dbang ba rnams kyis dngos grub byin na mi rnams la yang spyod yul 'di dag lha nyid du snang zhing longs spyod du yod pa'i phyir bdag cag lta bu'i mi las sngon cad par dbang ba rnams kyis dngos grub byin na lha'i spyod yul la longs spyod du yod pa'o/

[14] de bas na khyab pa nges pa'i gtan tshigs 'di nyid kyis tha mal par snang ba ni snang ba 'khrul ba'o// 'khrul ba'i snang ba'o// lha ni snang ba ma 'khrul ba'o// ma 'khrul pa'i snang ba'o// zhes nges par rtogs par bya'o//

[15] mdor bsdus te bsgrub par bya na ji srid du yongs su dag pa dang ma dag pa'i lus dang spyod yul du snang ba yul dang dus la sogs pa rnam pas rab tu phye ba thams cad ni kun gzhi rnam par shes pa'i skad cig ma gcig gi snang ba yin pa'i phyir gdod ma thob par bya ba'i chos ni gang yang med de/ dper na nam mkha' la nam mkha'i mtshan nyid sgrub tu med pa bzhin no// zhes bya ba 'di yang skyon med par grub pa yin no//