Three paths
Aspects of practice - there's a subject that's been found most interesting in both traditional and contemporary spiritual arenas. Using the esoteric Buddhist notion of horizontal identity and vertical differentiation, as found in the Shingon tradition (i.e. Mantrayana as transmitted to Japan), I will consider this subject in several ways.
First of all, the historical Buddha himself has discerned that an authentic path must consist of ethical development, meditational development and wisdom development. In each of these three domains there prevails a specific language, a specific motivational drive, and a specific understanding of purpose and ultimate goal.
Later Buddhist lineages have each had their own take on this division of the path. Some have developed and emphasized a stage-like conception, while other have formulated a context in which these three were compatible and inclusive (see, for example, the six perfections). In more advanced Mahayana sutric views, such as the Avatamsaka tradition, the three were not only inter-dependent, but also inter-related to such a deep level, that each was an aspect of the other two. In such a way, adapting a less arcane terminology, ethics starts as observance of certain behaviours, develops through inner recognition and motivational adjustment (functioning as a dynamic form of meta-formal meditation) and culminates as a fundamental recognition, an insight into the universal relatedness of all phenomena and, simultaneously, their transaperency to noumenon: taken together, their Emptiness. "Ethics" here covers all steps, hence in Zen the three precepts (abandon evil, practice good, save all beings), while in Shingon the three levels of shila/vinaya precepts, bodhicitta precepts and samaya precepts. These actually echo the Early Tradition's admonition, "Abandon negative action; create virtue; purify your mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha".
Thus, "ethics" functions as a semantic locus for a transformation that takes place on all levels simultaneously - the deeper ones being revealed as the transformation itself progresses. The same formula may be applied to meditation, that starts as attending to gross events, then wtinessing the unravelling of even most subtle appearances, and finally culminates as the dissolution of even the most subtle recoiling impulse, known as the fundamental dualistic contraction. Or even wisdom - first starts as an exoteric understanding of cause and effect, most vividly illustrated in the law of karma; further deepening as insight into dependent co-arising of every "thing" and everything, most improtantly one's own self-reification; and finally, bursting forth as a shocking self-recognition in and as everything witnessed, the liberating knowledge known as the mirror-condition. There are further, more esoteric versions of all this, but this shall suffice to serve as the basic spectrum-preview of the traditional view.
Since we have a horizontal and a vertical aspect to the three paths of ethics, meditation and wisdom, we may envisage a useful matrix if we language it properly. Horizontally, ethics may be seen as any practice in the intersubjective domain of mutual regard, usually coined as "compassion"; meditation as any practice in the subjective domain of self-observation, usually coined "wakefulness"; and wisdom as any practice in the objective domain of understanding, usually coined "insight". The Buddhist tradition has not done this explicitly, at least not on any significant scale, because all three trainings have been squeezed into the subjective domain almost by default. The discovery of the Ground in first person terms ("within your own mind") was the very definition of contemplative realisation. The world and beings belonged to the "sphere of illusory appearance". Not to mention that perspectives in these terms were not clearly differentiated in any premodern scheme that took root. Of course, what follows is that the traditional way of seeing the three trainings is more often vertical - as three stages or levels in self-actualisation. Wisdom was, in such context, seen as nondual and primordial, but even the discovering of such wisdom has stages of development which necessarily started with adopting "correct views", or at least articles of belief. So, in the vertical and stage-like perspective, we may easily agree on a preparatory stage of purification, an advanced stage of visionary transformation, and a culminating stage of nondual realisation, after which the Ultimate is being expressed for the sake of every being in ever expanding skilfull means, also known as "method". Putting these three-and-three together, we have preparatory, advanced and culminating stages of compassion, wakefulness and insight. So far, so good.
There are several additional threefold divisions used widely in the Buddhist history, which only serve to compound the situation, as these have been promptly identified with either the horizontal or vertical scales in our example. The totalistic view prevalent in virtually all premodern mystical teachings, sees corespondences everywhere, so that, if there two 3's of something, these two must relate in someway. For example, there are 3 yanas in Theravada (arhat, pratyeka and buddha), also in Mahayana (shravaka, pratyeka and bodhisattva), also in Tibetan Buddhism (Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana). There are "three scopes" of spiritual potential, according to Tsongkhapa (initial, intermediary and excellent) depending on the depth of one's motivation. There are three planes (kama, rupa and arupya), and three meditational spheres (access, form and formless), and three poisons (attachment, aversion and ignorance). There are three Buddha-bodies (nirmana, sambhoga and dharmakaya), and three baskets of the teaching (vinaya, sutra and abhidharma), and three turnings of the wheel, i.e. three cycles in the Buddhist doctrine (renunciation, emptiness and buddha-nature), and three meanings to tantra or continuity (basis, path, fruit), and even three steps in Dzogchen (view, meditation, action), as well as three powers (own-virtue, other-mercy and spiritual universe) and three awakenings in Shingon (by endowment, by empowerment, by embodiment). All these 3's have been, without exception, at one time or another, related to each other in various ways, emphasizing always the fundamental importance of Shakyamuni's historical paradigm of development and liberation: higher ethics is basis to higher awareness leading to higher understanding.
We have discussed the horizontally equal and the vertically differentiated aspect. However, there's a third way, and a third dimension. This dimension is neither strictly horizontal, nor vertical, as there is both a verticality and a horizontality to it. It may be seen as the depth, or modality, of the whole previously constructed matrix.
First of all, the historical Buddha himself has discerned that an authentic path must consist of ethical development, meditational development and wisdom development. In each of these three domains there prevails a specific language, a specific motivational drive, and a specific understanding of purpose and ultimate goal.
Later Buddhist lineages have each had their own take on this division of the path. Some have developed and emphasized a stage-like conception, while other have formulated a context in which these three were compatible and inclusive (see, for example, the six perfections). In more advanced Mahayana sutric views, such as the Avatamsaka tradition, the three were not only inter-dependent, but also inter-related to such a deep level, that each was an aspect of the other two. In such a way, adapting a less arcane terminology, ethics starts as observance of certain behaviours, develops through inner recognition and motivational adjustment (functioning as a dynamic form of meta-formal meditation) and culminates as a fundamental recognition, an insight into the universal relatedness of all phenomena and, simultaneously, their transaperency to noumenon: taken together, their Emptiness. "Ethics" here covers all steps, hence in Zen the three precepts (abandon evil, practice good, save all beings), while in Shingon the three levels of shila/vinaya precepts, bodhicitta precepts and samaya precepts. These actually echo the Early Tradition's admonition, "Abandon negative action; create virtue; purify your mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha".
Thus, "ethics" functions as a semantic locus for a transformation that takes place on all levels simultaneously - the deeper ones being revealed as the transformation itself progresses. The same formula may be applied to meditation, that starts as attending to gross events, then wtinessing the unravelling of even most subtle appearances, and finally culminates as the dissolution of even the most subtle recoiling impulse, known as the fundamental dualistic contraction. Or even wisdom - first starts as an exoteric understanding of cause and effect, most vividly illustrated in the law of karma; further deepening as insight into dependent co-arising of every "thing" and everything, most improtantly one's own self-reification; and finally, bursting forth as a shocking self-recognition in and as everything witnessed, the liberating knowledge known as the mirror-condition. There are further, more esoteric versions of all this, but this shall suffice to serve as the basic spectrum-preview of the traditional view.
Since we have a horizontal and a vertical aspect to the three paths of ethics, meditation and wisdom, we may envisage a useful matrix if we language it properly. Horizontally, ethics may be seen as any practice in the intersubjective domain of mutual regard, usually coined as "compassion"; meditation as any practice in the subjective domain of self-observation, usually coined "wakefulness"; and wisdom as any practice in the objective domain of understanding, usually coined "insight". The Buddhist tradition has not done this explicitly, at least not on any significant scale, because all three trainings have been squeezed into the subjective domain almost by default. The discovery of the Ground in first person terms ("within your own mind") was the very definition of contemplative realisation. The world and beings belonged to the "sphere of illusory appearance". Not to mention that perspectives in these terms were not clearly differentiated in any premodern scheme that took root. Of course, what follows is that the traditional way of seeing the three trainings is more often vertical - as three stages or levels in self-actualisation. Wisdom was, in such context, seen as nondual and primordial, but even the discovering of such wisdom has stages of development which necessarily started with adopting "correct views", or at least articles of belief. So, in the vertical and stage-like perspective, we may easily agree on a preparatory stage of purification, an advanced stage of visionary transformation, and a culminating stage of nondual realisation, after which the Ultimate is being expressed for the sake of every being in ever expanding skilfull means, also known as "method". Putting these three-and-three together, we have preparatory, advanced and culminating stages of compassion, wakefulness and insight. So far, so good.
There are several additional threefold divisions used widely in the Buddhist history, which only serve to compound the situation, as these have been promptly identified with either the horizontal or vertical scales in our example. The totalistic view prevalent in virtually all premodern mystical teachings, sees corespondences everywhere, so that, if there two 3's of something, these two must relate in someway. For example, there are 3 yanas in Theravada (arhat, pratyeka and buddha), also in Mahayana (shravaka, pratyeka and bodhisattva), also in Tibetan Buddhism (Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana). There are "three scopes" of spiritual potential, according to Tsongkhapa (initial, intermediary and excellent) depending on the depth of one's motivation. There are three planes (kama, rupa and arupya), and three meditational spheres (access, form and formless), and three poisons (attachment, aversion and ignorance). There are three Buddha-bodies (nirmana, sambhoga and dharmakaya), and three baskets of the teaching (vinaya, sutra and abhidharma), and three turnings of the wheel, i.e. three cycles in the Buddhist doctrine (renunciation, emptiness and buddha-nature), and three meanings to tantra or continuity (basis, path, fruit), and even three steps in Dzogchen (view, meditation, action), as well as three powers (own-virtue, other-mercy and spiritual universe) and three awakenings in Shingon (by endowment, by empowerment, by embodiment). All these 3's have been, without exception, at one time or another, related to each other in various ways, emphasizing always the fundamental importance of Shakyamuni's historical paradigm of development and liberation: higher ethics is basis to higher awareness leading to higher understanding.
We have discussed the horizontally equal and the vertically differentiated aspect. However, there's a third way, and a third dimension. This dimension is neither strictly horizontal, nor vertical, as there is both a verticality and a horizontality to it. It may be seen as the depth, or modality, of the whole previously constructed matrix.
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