Absolute freedom and happiness – our true essence

Emancipation without Enlightenment

What happens if you practice only energy techniques? Is it possible to attain Emancipation without experiencing at least the first Enlightenment?

Theoretically, it is possible to achieve Emancipation without the experience of Enlightenment. However, this is only in theory. It is very unlikely that a person who has not had a genuine experience of stopping consciousness will be able to go through all the stages of the energetic process without breaking down physically and/or mentally. He will either be forced to end his practice, or he will come to a mental breakdown or, as a consequence and continuation of the mental breakdown, he will take the path of evil. Let me briefly explain these three possible scenarios.

Kundalini energy is very strong. Its rise and the mystical experience that accompanies it cause great fear if the practitioner's mind is not prepared for such an experience. Many people at this stage, frightened, simply give up practicing. It is always necessary to remember the preliminary practices, as I never tire of reminding you.

The rise of energy is accompanied by an entrance into the subconscious mind, and all the data accumulated to this moment comes out at once and falls on the practitioner. Experiencing constant depression and fear, seeing frightening visions in one's own subconsciousness, a person can really go crazy. That is why the practice of accumulation of merit, observance of precepts, and deep study of Dharma comes first, and only then, the yogi begins the technical elements that raise energy.

Kundalini activates the chakras and supernatural abilities of the initial level appear. If the yogin's consciousness is unstable, if he has not had the experience of Calmness and Contemplation, then this yogin is not able to see correctly, what is happening to him. In essence, it is an ordinary person, with all the basic passions and worldly problems derived from hatred, ignorance, and greed, which are peculiar to people. If there has been no experience of Enlightenment, all these worldly desires are active, and the person considers them as himself: it seems to him that all this is part of his real personality. Moreover, in this state supernatural abilities appear. It is true that they are accompanied by frightening visions, but this process is very exciting for the immature consciousness of a person who has only been practicing technically. As a rule, in such a case a person becomes something like a «sorcerer», «hereditary magician», etc. He will think that he has achieved Emancipation, that he can control the course of events, influence the lives of others, and so on. In other words, he will use his powers to satisfy his egoism. In the next life, such a person will be reborn in one of the three lower worlds (the World of Hell, the World of Animals, and the World of Hungry Spirits) or «stuck» in the Lower Astral, becoming a lower spirit.

Of course, if a practitioner who has activated several chakras and acquired a number of supernatural powers of the initial level uses them for the benefit of others, this is wonderful and does not contradict the True Dharma in any way. A person accumulates negative karma when reveling in his supernatural powers of the initial level, he begins to satisfy his own and others' worldly desires with their help. One must remember that the true higher six supernatural powers^[39] and worldly desires are directly opposite things.

Enlightenment and Emancipation

Here we have before us a truly great soul who has attained both Enlightenment and Emancipation. In the terminology of Original Buddhism, such souls are called Arhats. In Late Buddhism, this is the level of Mahamudra. In Yoga it is the level of attainment of the three yogas: Enlightenment and Emancipation in Raja Yoga, energetic Emancipation of Kundalini Yoga, and the highest Enlightenment realized through Jnana Yoga. In Taoism, this is the level of Heavenly Immortal.

When this level is realized, the Attainer can have two options, «Nirvana without remainder» and «Nirvana with remainder».

«Nirvana without remainder»

«Nirvana without remainder» means entering Nirvana. For the Attainer who has entered Nirvana, there are no longer three worlds: the World of Passion (the World of Phenomena, or the material world), the World of Forms (the Astral, or subtle world), and the Formless World (the Causal World, or the world of the soul essence).

In other words, he who has attained «Nirvana without remainder» has left the material world, in which he had a physical body and external senses; has passed through the subtle world, in which he is held by images and desires arising from past experience and discernment; and has entered the world of the soul essence, or causal world, which contains all past experience and information in the form of transparent light. In the last stage, the Attainer terminated these data in the causal world and realized a state without the Causal World's influence. Thus, the false «self» in the form of the Five Aggregates is completely destroyed. This is what is expressed by the definition «without remainder».

However, we need to realize that Nirvana does not mean Nothingness – a state of pitch darkness in which nothing exists. The state of Nirvana is the independent original state of the True «Self». As mentioned in the previous chapter, the True «Self» is like a mirror reflecting everything as it is. The Atman, or True «Self», originally possesses consciousness, will, and perceptions. Emancipation is when all of the above are stopped and do not come into motion.

«This, monks, is true peace, this is the highest: cessation of all formations, abandonment of all basis for rebirth, extinction of craving, impartiality, cessation, Nibbana^[40]» (Ananda Sutta, NA 3.32).

The Five Aggregates in this state are annihilated («cessation of all formations»), and all past experience is completely stopped, has no influence, and does not manifest. Since experience is completely stopped, no actions are performed («extinction of craving, impartiality, cessation»), and thus no new karma is formed. This is expressed in the sutra as «abandonment of all basis for rebirth», that is, no cause in the form of karma for a new birth is formed. Thus, the state where past experience is stopped and no new experience is formed is Nirvana.

«Nirvana with remainder»

The second option is «Nirvana with remainder». In this case, the Attainer remains for some time in the World of Men. There can be two reasons here.

The first is the intention to fully complete one's personal spiritual practice. When personal Enlightenment and Emancipation are realized, the karma accumulated before the present life ceases and the Attainer is left with only the karma he has formed in this life up to the time of Attainment. After the Attainment, the karma accumulated in this life begins to manifest and decay. When this process is complete, «Nirvana without remainder» is realized. Depending on the level, this process may be completed while the Attainer is still alive, or at the time of death, or in an intermediate state after the death of the physical body. This approach is characteristic of Hinayana^[41] practitioners who are engaged only in their own spiritual practice, the goal of which is personal Enlightenment and Emancipation, after which Nirvana is realized.

The second reason why an Attainer may decide to remain in this world is to show people with whom there is a karmic connection the path to Enlightenment and Emancipation by explaining the True Dharma. This is the decision made by Mahayana and Vajrayana practitioners following the Bodhisattva Path, as I mentioned at the end of the previous chapter. The intention behind this decision is Love and Compassion. In other words, the mind of the attainer of this level is completely still in relation to his own suffering, but active in relation to the suffering of other sentient beings.

In this state, the Attainer intentionally retains some desires for existence in order to live as a human being, but most of his desires have been destroyed. In other words, the experiences formed in this state are not completely stopped. The Five Aggregates also exist in this state. However, they do not affect the Attainer because his consciousness is stopped. This state is called «Nirvana with remainder». «Remainder» is the Five Aggregates and formed experiences, some of which have not been consciously stopped by the Attainer. He can use his past experience to preach the Dharma, for example, but (and this is the essential point) the past experience no longer forms worldly desires. This is true for both types of Attainers, those who simply complete their practice and those who follow the Bodhisattva Path.

Further, since past experience is not completely stopped, there are events in the life of the Attainer; in other words, his past karma pertaining to this life will manifest. However, the consciousness of the Attainer remains unchanged, that is, it does not come into being under any conditions:

«When a monk is so completely emancipated in mind, even the mighty forms cognized by the eye that enter the field of sight, the mighty sounds cognized by the ear that enter the field of hearing, the odors, tastes, tactile sensations, the mighty mental phenomena cognized by the mind that enter the field of mind, do not encompass his mind. There is no effect on his mind. He remains steady, attained steadfastness, and contemplates their disappearance» (Sona Sutta, AN 6.55).

So, when Enlightenment and Emancipation are realized, the karma of the past still manifests, but the new Attainer no longer accumulates. By the way, this is true even if Enlightenment alone is realized. For example, Master Hakuin wrote:

«One night everything around suddenly ceased to exist, and I crossed the threshold of Enlightenment. All the doubts and uncertainties that had been plaguing me were suddenly gone – their very foundation disappeared like melted ice. The deep root of karma, which had bound me to the wheel of births and deaths for countless kalpas, dissolved like foam on water» (Hakuin Ekaku «Wild Ivy»).

So why doesn't karma accumulate? There are five conditions for committing an action and, consequently, for karma to accumulate.

First is the intention, or the desire to perform an action. The intention of an ordinary person arises from his past experience and is expressed as «I want» or «I don't want». Simply put, personal effort is the work of selfishness, but with the attainment of Emancipation, selfishness disappears. Emancipation is a state of complete absence of desires originating from selfishness. Consciousness and past experiences are stopped and hence there is no egoism.

Secondly – finding and establishing the object of action. For example, an ordinary person interacts with various people. With someone, friendly relations are established, i.e. positive karmic ties, with someone – on the contrary, relations are hostile, based on dislike, and karmic ties, accordingly, negative ones arise. However, the Attainer no longer creates karmic ties. This means that he is no longer consciously building relationships. For example, the Attainer has disciples or other people in contact with him, and he sees that this is because of karmic ties from past lives. The Attainer himself will not seek meetings, or try to find some approach to another person to satisfy his desires, as ordinary people do.

Thirdly, the performance of the action itself and, fourthly, the work of consciousness during the action. Here it is appropriate to recall the state of non-action^[42]. The essence is that even if any actions are performed (not arising, of course, from egoism and worldly desires), the consciousness of the Attainer remains unaffected – does not come into motion, does not change:

«The Perfectly Wise, in doing deeds, prefers Non-action; in practicing teaching, he does not resort to words; in causing things to change, [he] does not realize them himself; in creating, he does not possess [that which is created]; in setting things in motion, he makes no effort to do so; in successfully completing [something], he is not proud.

…

The realization of Non-action always brings tranquillity». («Tao De Jing»).

Finally, fifth, is the satisfaction or dissatisfaction with what has been accomplished. Since the consciousness of the Attainer does not come into motion, the experience arising from actions remains only as a fact of memory, but it does not take root and become the cause of subsequent actions, as it happens with ordinary people.

In view of the above, we can understand why, for example, according to the Buddhist sutras, an Arhat cannot:

1. Intentionally take the life of a living being.

2. Take something that has not been given to him, i.e. steal something.

3. Have sexual desire and be sexually active.

4. Tell a deliberate lie.

5. Accumulate possessions.

6. Commit acts based on hatred (dislike, disgust), ignorance and greed (covetousness, attachment)

7. Experience fear.

Therefore, the realization of Enlightenment and Emancipation is a state of perfect freedom and absolute happiness. An Attainer of «Nirvana with remainder» simultaneously resides in three worlds of the Universe: in the World of People, he has a physical body, in the World of Forms – many subtle bodies, in the Formless World – bodies of consciousness. He himself is immersed in the state of Nirvana. In addition, this state of Nirvana is projected on the three worlds. At any moment, he can leave this world by destroying his physical body and go, for example, to the World of Forms. He can also go to Nirvana whenever he sees fit, that is, realize «Nirvana without remainder». In this state, the Attainer completely transcends death.