Mandala of Love
  • Home
  • Meditation
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • ‘Meditation’ April 2017
      • A ‘Mandala of Love’ approach to Meditation
      • Self-Inquiry – Familiarising ourselves with Consciousness
      • The Content of the Mind is Not Important
      • Non-Duality – Buddha, Jesus, and Plato
      • Objectivity – Meditation and Thinking
    • ‘Meditation’ May-Jun 2017
      • René Descartes’ Error
      • Mindfulness – The Buddha’s ‘Remembering’ practice
      • Egoic consciousness – Divided against itself
      • Nurturing an Authentic Self
      • The Four Brahmavihāras – Four Attitudes of Consciousness
      • Mettā – Consciousness as Loving-Kindness
      • The Ethical and Relational Nature of Consciousness
      • The Brahmavihāras – the Soul’s Moral Compass
    • ‘Meditation’ Jul-Aug 2017
      • Upekṣā – Equanimity – Touching the Cosmic Stillness
      • Resting the Mental Body in the Field of Consciousness
      • The Mirror of Consciousness and the Mirror of Narcissism
      • The Hara – the Mysterious Second Chakra
      • The ‘Hell Realms’ – Inner Victims and Inner Persecutors
      • Muditā – Sympathetic Joy – A Sense of Wonder
    • ‘Meditation’ Sept-Oct 2017
      • Sympathetic Joy – an Attitude and an Energetic State
      • Zen and the Art of Human Life
      • Zazen – Just Sitting – Resting as Consciousness
      • Plato’s Cave Revisited
      • The Yin and Yang of Embodied Consciousness
    • ‘Meditation’ Nov-Dec 2017
      • Feeling – The Discernment of Goodness, Value and Beauty
      • Mettā – Living as Love and Contentment
      • Mettā – Healing the Egoic Shadow of Love
      • The Preta Realm – Deprivation, Despair, and Addiction
    • ‘Meditation’ Jan-Apr 2018
      • Flowing with the Currents of Feeling – Psychological Parts
      • Mettā – Being Unconditionally Present with Feeling
      • Empathy and Self-Empathy – Communication and Self-Enquiry
      • Feminine and Masculine – Energy and Presence
    • ‘Meditation’ May-Aug 2018
      • The Yin and Yang of Love and Compassion
      • The Asura Realm – Intuition and the Egoic Will
      • The Mandala and the Stupa
      • The Somatic Anatomy of the Energy Bodies
      • The Mandala of the Four Brahmavihāras
    • ‘Meditation’ Sept-Oct 2018
      • Consciousness, Meditation and the Four Qualia
      • The Beneficial Life Energy of Needs
      • Life Energies of Presence and Connection
    • ‘Meditation’ Nov-Dec 2018
      • Compassion and the All-Accomplishing Wisdom
    • ‘Meditation’ 2019 Jan-Oct
      • The Dharmadhātu Wisdom
      • Akashadhateshvari – Luminous Space
    • Meditation Guidance Overview
      • A Mandala Framework for Meditation and Self-Enquiry
      • Resting as Consciousness
  • 5 Wisdoms
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • Skandhas Intro
      • The Dharmadhātu Wisdom
      • Akashadhateshvari / White Tara – Luminous Space
      • The Five Skandhas – Dakini Wisdom
      • The Five Skandhas – the Cognitive-Perceptual Components
    • Rūpa Skandha
      • Part 1: Thinking and Wisdom
      • Part 2: The Mirror-Like Wisdom
      • Part 3: The Body
    • Vedanā Skandha
    • Samjñā Skandha
    • Samskāras Skandha
    • Vijñāna Skandha
  • 10 Buddhas
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • Padmasambhava’s Inspiration-Prayer
    • 10 Buddhas – Introduction
      • Part 1: Three Yānas / Three Myths
      • Part 2: Ten Dharmic Principles
      • Part 3: Resting as Consciousness
      • Part 4: Integration and Positive Emotion
    • 10 Buddhas – Integration
      • Part 5: Pandaravārsini
      • Part 6: Vajrasattva-Akshobya
      • Part 7: The Somatic Body-Mind
    • 10 Buddhas – Positive Emotion
    • 10 Buddhas – Spiritual Death
    • 10 Buddhas – Spiritual Rebirth
  • Buddhism
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • Hui Neng and the Mirror-Like Wisdom – A Zen Story
    • ‘Meditation’ Series Overview
      • A Mandala Framework for Meditation and Self-Enquiry
      • Resting as Consciousness
    • Padmasambhava’s Inspiration-Prayer
  • NVC/Focusing
    • Buddhism and Focusing
      • Part 1 – Eugene Gendlin’s ‘Clear Space’ and the Brahmavihāras
    • Nonviolent Communication (NVC) – Mandala Wisdom
    • Mandala Innerwork and NVC Self-Empathy
    • NVC/Focusing-related articles in other categories
      • Summaries of these articles
      • Feeling – The Discernment of Goodness, Value and Beauty
      • Empathy and Self-Empathy – Communication and Self-Enquiry
      • The Asura Realm – Intuition and the Egoic Will
  • Jung/MBTI
  • Book
    • William Blake’s ‘Jerusalem’
    • Introduction to the Mandala of Love book blog
    • The Cross and the Mandala
    • Carl Jung’s Psychology of the Archetypes
    • The Mandala as the Landscape of the Soul
    • Buddhas and Bodhisattvas – Archetypes of Consciousness
    • Jung’s Phenomenology of the Soul
    • Egoic Consciousness and its Shadow
  • Home
  • Meditation
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • ‘Meditation’ April 2017
      • A ‘Mandala of Love’ approach to Meditation
      • Self-Inquiry – Familiarising ourselves with Consciousness
      • The Content of the Mind is Not Important
      • Non-Duality – Buddha, Jesus, and Plato
      • Objectivity – Meditation and Thinking
    • ‘Meditation’ May-Jun 2017
      • René Descartes’ Error
      • Mindfulness – The Buddha’s ‘Remembering’ practice
      • Egoic consciousness – Divided against itself
      • Nurturing an Authentic Self
      • The Four Brahmavihāras – Four Attitudes of Consciousness
      • Mettā – Consciousness as Loving-Kindness
      • The Ethical and Relational Nature of Consciousness
      • The Brahmavihāras – the Soul’s Moral Compass
    • ‘Meditation’ Jul-Aug 2017
      • Upekṣā – Equanimity – Touching the Cosmic Stillness
      • Resting the Mental Body in the Field of Consciousness
      • The Mirror of Consciousness and the Mirror of Narcissism
      • The Hara – the Mysterious Second Chakra
      • The ‘Hell Realms’ – Inner Victims and Inner Persecutors
      • Muditā – Sympathetic Joy – A Sense of Wonder
    • ‘Meditation’ Sept-Oct 2017
      • Sympathetic Joy – an Attitude and an Energetic State
      • Zen and the Art of Human Life
      • Zazen – Just Sitting – Resting as Consciousness
      • Plato’s Cave Revisited
      • The Yin and Yang of Embodied Consciousness
    • ‘Meditation’ Nov-Dec 2017
      • Feeling – The Discernment of Goodness, Value and Beauty
      • Mettā – Living as Love and Contentment
      • Mettā – Healing the Egoic Shadow of Love
      • The Preta Realm – Deprivation, Despair, and Addiction
    • ‘Meditation’ Jan-Apr 2018
      • Flowing with the Currents of Feeling – Psychological Parts
      • Mettā – Being Unconditionally Present with Feeling
      • Empathy and Self-Empathy – Communication and Self-Enquiry
      • Feminine and Masculine – Energy and Presence
    • ‘Meditation’ May-Aug 2018
      • The Yin and Yang of Love and Compassion
      • The Asura Realm – Intuition and the Egoic Will
      • The Mandala and the Stupa
      • The Somatic Anatomy of the Energy Bodies
      • The Mandala of the Four Brahmavihāras
    • ‘Meditation’ Sept-Oct 2018
      • Consciousness, Meditation and the Four Qualia
      • The Beneficial Life Energy of Needs
      • Life Energies of Presence and Connection
    • ‘Meditation’ Nov-Dec 2018
      • Compassion and the All-Accomplishing Wisdom
    • ‘Meditation’ 2019 Jan-Oct
      • The Dharmadhātu Wisdom
      • Akashadhateshvari – Luminous Space
    • Meditation Guidance Overview
      • A Mandala Framework for Meditation and Self-Enquiry
      • Resting as Consciousness
  • 5 Wisdoms
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • Skandhas Intro
      • The Dharmadhātu Wisdom
      • Akashadhateshvari / White Tara – Luminous Space
      • The Five Skandhas – Dakini Wisdom
      • The Five Skandhas – the Cognitive-Perceptual Components
    • Rūpa Skandha
      • Part 1: Thinking and Wisdom
      • Part 2: The Mirror-Like Wisdom
      • Part 3: The Body
    • Vedanā Skandha
    • Samjñā Skandha
    • Samskāras Skandha
    • Vijñāna Skandha
  • 10 Buddhas
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • Padmasambhava’s Inspiration-Prayer
    • 10 Buddhas – Introduction
      • Part 1: Three Yānas / Three Myths
      • Part 2: Ten Dharmic Principles
      • Part 3: Resting as Consciousness
      • Part 4: Integration and Positive Emotion
    • 10 Buddhas – Integration
      • Part 5: Pandaravārsini
      • Part 6: Vajrasattva-Akshobya
      • Part 7: The Somatic Body-Mind
    • 10 Buddhas – Positive Emotion
    • 10 Buddhas – Spiritual Death
    • 10 Buddhas – Spiritual Rebirth
  • Buddhism
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • Hui Neng and the Mirror-Like Wisdom – A Zen Story
    • ‘Meditation’ Series Overview
      • A Mandala Framework for Meditation and Self-Enquiry
      • Resting as Consciousness
    • Padmasambhava’s Inspiration-Prayer
  • NVC/Focusing
    • Buddhism and Focusing
      • Part 1 – Eugene Gendlin’s ‘Clear Space’ and the Brahmavihāras
    • Nonviolent Communication (NVC) – Mandala Wisdom
    • Mandala Innerwork and NVC Self-Empathy
    • NVC/Focusing-related articles in other categories
      • Summaries of these articles
      • Feeling – The Discernment of Goodness, Value and Beauty
      • Empathy and Self-Empathy – Communication and Self-Enquiry
      • The Asura Realm – Intuition and the Egoic Will
  • Jung/MBTI
  • Book
    • William Blake’s ‘Jerusalem’
    • Introduction to the Mandala of Love book blog
    • The Cross and the Mandala
    • Carl Jung’s Psychology of the Archetypes
    • The Mandala as the Landscape of the Soul
    • Buddhas and Bodhisattvas – Archetypes of Consciousness
    • Jung’s Phenomenology of the Soul
    • Egoic Consciousness and its Shadow
Mandala of Love
  • Home
  • Meditation
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • ‘Meditation’ April 2017
      • A ‘Mandala of Love’ approach to Meditation
      • Self-Inquiry – Familiarising ourselves with Consciousness
      • The Content of the Mind is Not Important
      • Non-Duality – Buddha, Jesus, and Plato
      • Objectivity – Meditation and Thinking
    • ‘Meditation’ May-Jun 2017
      • René Descartes’ Error
      • Mindfulness – The Buddha’s ‘Remembering’ practice
      • Egoic consciousness – Divided against itself
      • Nurturing an Authentic Self
      • The Four Brahmavihāras – Four Attitudes of Consciousness
      • Mettā – Consciousness as Loving-Kindness
      • The Ethical and Relational Nature of Consciousness
      • The Brahmavihāras – the Soul’s Moral Compass
    • ‘Meditation’ Jul-Aug 2017
      • Upekṣā – Equanimity – Touching the Cosmic Stillness
      • Resting the Mental Body in the Field of Consciousness
      • The Mirror of Consciousness and the Mirror of Narcissism
      • The Hara – the Mysterious Second Chakra
      • The ‘Hell Realms’ – Inner Victims and Inner Persecutors
      • Muditā – Sympathetic Joy – A Sense of Wonder
    • ‘Meditation’ Sept-Oct 2017
      • Sympathetic Joy – an Attitude and an Energetic State
      • Zen and the Art of Human Life
      • Zazen – Just Sitting – Resting as Consciousness
      • Plato’s Cave Revisited
      • The Yin and Yang of Embodied Consciousness
    • ‘Meditation’ Nov-Dec 2017
      • Feeling – The Discernment of Goodness, Value and Beauty
      • Mettā – Living as Love and Contentment
      • Mettā – Healing the Egoic Shadow of Love
      • The Preta Realm – Deprivation, Despair, and Addiction
    • ‘Meditation’ Jan-Apr 2018
      • Flowing with the Currents of Feeling – Psychological Parts
      • Mettā – Being Unconditionally Present with Feeling
      • Empathy and Self-Empathy – Communication and Self-Enquiry
      • Feminine and Masculine – Energy and Presence
    • ‘Meditation’ May-Aug 2018
      • The Yin and Yang of Love and Compassion
      • The Asura Realm – Intuition and the Egoic Will
      • The Mandala and the Stupa
      • The Somatic Anatomy of the Energy Bodies
      • The Mandala of the Four Brahmavihāras
    • ‘Meditation’ Sept-Oct 2018
      • Consciousness, Meditation and the Four Qualia
      • The Beneficial Life Energy of Needs
      • Life Energies of Presence and Connection
    • ‘Meditation’ Nov-Dec 2018
      • Compassion and the All-Accomplishing Wisdom
    • ‘Meditation’ 2019 Jan-Oct
      • The Dharmadhātu Wisdom
      • Akashadhateshvari – Luminous Space
    • Meditation Guidance Overview
      • A Mandala Framework for Meditation and Self-Enquiry
      • Resting as Consciousness
  • 5 Wisdoms
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • Skandhas Intro
      • The Dharmadhātu Wisdom
      • Akashadhateshvari / White Tara – Luminous Space
      • The Five Skandhas – Dakini Wisdom
      • The Five Skandhas – the Cognitive-Perceptual Components
    • Rūpa Skandha
      • Part 1: Thinking and Wisdom
      • Part 2: The Mirror-Like Wisdom
      • Part 3: The Body
    • Vedanā Skandha
    • Samjñā Skandha
    • Samskāras Skandha
    • Vijñāna Skandha
  • 10 Buddhas
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • Padmasambhava’s Inspiration-Prayer
    • 10 Buddhas – Introduction
      • Part 1: Three Yānas / Three Myths
      • Part 2: Ten Dharmic Principles
      • Part 3: Resting as Consciousness
      • Part 4: Integration and Positive Emotion
    • 10 Buddhas – Integration
      • Part 5: Pandaravārsini
      • Part 6: Vajrasattva-Akshobya
      • Part 7: The Somatic Body-Mind
    • 10 Buddhas – Positive Emotion
    • 10 Buddhas – Spiritual Death
    • 10 Buddhas – Spiritual Rebirth
  • Buddhism
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • Hui Neng and the Mirror-Like Wisdom – A Zen Story
    • ‘Meditation’ Series Overview
      • A Mandala Framework for Meditation and Self-Enquiry
      • Resting as Consciousness
    • Padmasambhava’s Inspiration-Prayer
  • NVC/Focusing
    • Buddhism and Focusing
      • Part 1 – Eugene Gendlin’s ‘Clear Space’ and the Brahmavihāras
    • Nonviolent Communication (NVC) – Mandala Wisdom
    • Mandala Innerwork and NVC Self-Empathy
    • NVC/Focusing-related articles in other categories
      • Summaries of these articles
      • Feeling – The Discernment of Goodness, Value and Beauty
      • Empathy and Self-Empathy – Communication and Self-Enquiry
      • The Asura Realm – Intuition and the Egoic Will
  • Jung/MBTI
  • Book
    • William Blake’s ‘Jerusalem’
    • Introduction to the Mandala of Love book blog
    • The Cross and the Mandala
    • Carl Jung’s Psychology of the Archetypes
    • The Mandala as the Landscape of the Soul
    • Buddhas and Bodhisattvas – Archetypes of Consciousness
    • Jung’s Phenomenology of the Soul
    • Egoic Consciousness and its Shadow
  • Home
  • Meditation
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • ‘Meditation’ April 2017
      • A ‘Mandala of Love’ approach to Meditation
      • Self-Inquiry – Familiarising ourselves with Consciousness
      • The Content of the Mind is Not Important
      • Non-Duality – Buddha, Jesus, and Plato
      • Objectivity – Meditation and Thinking
    • ‘Meditation’ May-Jun 2017
      • René Descartes’ Error
      • Mindfulness – The Buddha’s ‘Remembering’ practice
      • Egoic consciousness – Divided against itself
      • Nurturing an Authentic Self
      • The Four Brahmavihāras – Four Attitudes of Consciousness
      • Mettā – Consciousness as Loving-Kindness
      • The Ethical and Relational Nature of Consciousness
      • The Brahmavihāras – the Soul’s Moral Compass
    • ‘Meditation’ Jul-Aug 2017
      • Upekṣā – Equanimity – Touching the Cosmic Stillness
      • Resting the Mental Body in the Field of Consciousness
      • The Mirror of Consciousness and the Mirror of Narcissism
      • The Hara – the Mysterious Second Chakra
      • The ‘Hell Realms’ – Inner Victims and Inner Persecutors
      • Muditā – Sympathetic Joy – A Sense of Wonder
    • ‘Meditation’ Sept-Oct 2017
      • Sympathetic Joy – an Attitude and an Energetic State
      • Zen and the Art of Human Life
      • Zazen – Just Sitting – Resting as Consciousness
      • Plato’s Cave Revisited
      • The Yin and Yang of Embodied Consciousness
    • ‘Meditation’ Nov-Dec 2017
      • Feeling – The Discernment of Goodness, Value and Beauty
      • Mettā – Living as Love and Contentment
      • Mettā – Healing the Egoic Shadow of Love
      • The Preta Realm – Deprivation, Despair, and Addiction
    • ‘Meditation’ Jan-Apr 2018
      • Flowing with the Currents of Feeling – Psychological Parts
      • Mettā – Being Unconditionally Present with Feeling
      • Empathy and Self-Empathy – Communication and Self-Enquiry
      • Feminine and Masculine – Energy and Presence
    • ‘Meditation’ May-Aug 2018
      • The Yin and Yang of Love and Compassion
      • The Asura Realm – Intuition and the Egoic Will
      • The Mandala and the Stupa
      • The Somatic Anatomy of the Energy Bodies
      • The Mandala of the Four Brahmavihāras
    • ‘Meditation’ Sept-Oct 2018
      • Consciousness, Meditation and the Four Qualia
      • The Beneficial Life Energy of Needs
      • Life Energies of Presence and Connection
    • ‘Meditation’ Nov-Dec 2018
      • Compassion and the All-Accomplishing Wisdom
    • ‘Meditation’ 2019 Jan-Oct
      • The Dharmadhātu Wisdom
      • Akashadhateshvari – Luminous Space
    • Meditation Guidance Overview
      • A Mandala Framework for Meditation and Self-Enquiry
      • Resting as Consciousness
  • 5 Wisdoms
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • Skandhas Intro
      • The Dharmadhātu Wisdom
      • Akashadhateshvari / White Tara – Luminous Space
      • The Five Skandhas – Dakini Wisdom
      • The Five Skandhas – the Cognitive-Perceptual Components
    • Rūpa Skandha
      • Part 1: Thinking and Wisdom
      • Part 2: The Mirror-Like Wisdom
      • Part 3: The Body
    • Vedanā Skandha
    • Samjñā Skandha
    • Samskāras Skandha
    • Vijñāna Skandha
  • 10 Buddhas
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • Padmasambhava’s Inspiration-Prayer
    • 10 Buddhas – Introduction
      • Part 1: Three Yānas / Three Myths
      • Part 2: Ten Dharmic Principles
      • Part 3: Resting as Consciousness
      • Part 4: Integration and Positive Emotion
    • 10 Buddhas – Integration
      • Part 5: Pandaravārsini
      • Part 6: Vajrasattva-Akshobya
      • Part 7: The Somatic Body-Mind
    • 10 Buddhas – Positive Emotion
    • 10 Buddhas – Spiritual Death
    • 10 Buddhas – Spiritual Rebirth
  • Buddhism
    • Summaries of these Articles
    • Hui Neng and the Mirror-Like Wisdom – A Zen Story
    • ‘Meditation’ Series Overview
      • A Mandala Framework for Meditation and Self-Enquiry
      • Resting as Consciousness
    • Padmasambhava’s Inspiration-Prayer
  • NVC/Focusing
    • Buddhism and Focusing
      • Part 1 – Eugene Gendlin’s ‘Clear Space’ and the Brahmavihāras
    • Nonviolent Communication (NVC) – Mandala Wisdom
    • Mandala Innerwork and NVC Self-Empathy
    • NVC/Focusing-related articles in other categories
      • Summaries of these articles
      • Feeling – The Discernment of Goodness, Value and Beauty
      • Empathy and Self-Empathy – Communication and Self-Enquiry
      • The Asura Realm – Intuition and the Egoic Will
  • Jung/MBTI
  • Book
    • William Blake’s ‘Jerusalem’
    • Introduction to the Mandala of Love book blog
    • The Cross and the Mandala
    • Carl Jung’s Psychology of the Archetypes
    • The Mandala as the Landscape of the Soul
    • Buddhas and Bodhisattvas – Archetypes of Consciousness
    • Jung’s Phenomenology of the Soul
    • Egoic Consciousness and its Shadow

‘Meditation’ 2019 Jan-Oct

Akashadhateshvari / White Tara – Luminous Space

This article was written as Post 43 in the ‘Meditation Guidance’ series, but like the previous one (here) it also serves as part of a series of introductory articles in the ‘5 Wisdoms’ series, in which my intention is to guide my readers even deeper into some focused reflection on what the Buddha meant when he spoke of the ’emptiness of the five skandhas’, and of the illusory nature of the self.

Following on from my last article (here), there is much more that we need to explore in regard to the Dharmadhātu Wisdom. This is the Wisdom which is associated with the recognition of Consciousness, and with the centre of the mandala, and may be regarded as representing the source of the other four Wisdoms. Metaphorically, we can think of the relationship between the white centre of the Buddhist mandalas and its associated Dharmadhātu Wisdom, and the four colours of the quadrants – the other four Wisdoms – in a somewhat similar way to the way we might think of a source of pure white sunlight being split into the colours of the rainbow.

The Dharmadhātu Wisdom is the Wisdom that Buddhist tradition personifies in the figure of the archetypal Buddha Vairocana, the ‘Illuminator’, or more accurately in his female Buddha partner, the mysterious and powerful figure of Akashadhatvishvari (please see my note at the end of this article on the two different spellings of this name). Strictly speaking the male Buddha Vairocana represents the compassionate activities of wisdom teaching that arise from the experience or the Dharmadhātu Wisdom, whereas the female buddha Akashadhatvishvari personifies the Dharmadhātu Wisdom itself. The Sanskrit word ākāsha has a ring of profound mystery about it. It is akin to the quintessence, or ether, in western alchemical thought – the subtle, intelligent substance that pervades all space, and from which the other four elements are created. Perhaps the best modern equivalent would be something like ‘Quantum Space’ or ‘the Quantum Field’. Vibrant with energy and information, ākāsha is the primordial space of Consciousness that is the basis of everything. A reasonable English translation therefore, of Akashadhatvishvari, would be something like ‘Sovereign Lady of Infinite Space’.

Consciousness: Presence and Connection; Light and Space

I have previously talked of the Buddha couple in the centre of the mandala as personifications of Presence and Connection (here), which are the principles at the centre of my ‘NVC mandala’ (the four components in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication model – more on that here), but these archetypal Buddhas are multidimensional figures, and are much more than this – indeed all conceptualisations in regard to them are only ways of drawing a little closer to an indefinable mystery. My first response personally, when I reflect on this central ‘divine marriage’ image and its traditional names and associations, is to think of them as representing the metaphorical union of Light and Space in the experience of Consciousness.

The experience of Consciousness, or awareness of being aware, is difficult to describe. The words and images that various spiritual traditions have used to approach that experience are often misleading – being religious projections rather than attempts at objective description. Buddhist tradition, especially that of the Indian Mahayana, whose libraries and culture were unfortunately destroyed by Moslem invasions, is clearly distinguishable from other religions by both its commitment to objectivity in its intellectual analysis, and by the subtlety of the myths, images and metaphors by which it points to the unconditioned reality of Consciousness. Central among these metaphorical pointers were Light and Space.

It is as if Consciousness is an ever-present light within – a bright inner luminosity that never fails us, but is rarely acknowledged or examined. It is the diamond in our pocket that we do not know about; the beautiful gift that has been delivered to us, never to be actually received and unwrapped. It is not surprising perhaps, that in general, humanity fails to recognise Consciousness. While Consciousness is an objective reality, it is not an object like any other, and neither is it the subjective personal self that we often take it to be. The Buddha described it as ’empty’ – empty of self. As the Buddhist tradition established itself over the centuries, it increasingly acknowledged that this impersonal emptiness was also luminous and spacious – still difficult metaphors, but they bring us closer to the experience. And the word shunyata, Sanskrit for Emptiness, came to have these extremely positive associations of luminosity and spaciousness – connoting an infinitely abundant collective source of all truth, goodness, healing and positive transformation.

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June 15, 2019

The Dharmadhātu Wisdom

 

 

This article was written as Post 42 in the ‘Meditation Guidance’ series, but it also it also serves as bridge to, and is the first article in, a series of introductory articles in the ‘5 Wisdoms’ series, in which my intention is to guide my readers even deeper into some focused reflection on what the Buddha meant when he spoke of the ’emptiness of the five skandhas’, and of the illusory nature of the self.

 

In my last article (here) I looked at Compassion through the lens of the All-Accomplishing Wisdom, the wisdom which supports healing, wholeness and compassionate activity, by grounding it in a balanced, all-encompassing and multidimensional awareness of the energetic dimensions of our experience. This balanced and comprehensive quality is symbolised by the mandalas of Buddhist tradition. One of the curious pointers that the tradition gives us in regard to the All-Accomplishing Wisdom is its association with the mandala-like symbol of the vishva vajra – the universal vajra, or Vajra Cross – which is usually understood to symbolise ‘the separation and reconciliation of the opposites‘. The mandala, we are being told, is a vishva vajra, and the vishva vajra is a mandala. Non-dual wisdom, it would seem therefore, is most comprehensive, and finds its most practical and effective expression as Compassion – and when it is recognised as having five dimensions. And because of the particular dynamics between the components of the egoic mind and their relationship to Consciousness, it is well symbolised by a mandala or a cross.

My intention with the previous articles – in the ‘Meditation Guidance’ series – has been to provide information that may be of interest to readers with a general interest in meditation, self-enquiry practice, and non-duality teachings, while also drawing on relevant information from Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication (NVC) model, and from other relevant psychological models, especially that of Carl Jung . While I hope to engage the same broad audience in my future articles, this article is the first of a series of longer articles that is aiming to go much deeper into the Buddha’s teachings, so I have created a new ‘Buddhism’ category for them.

The Four Brahmavihāras and the Five Wisdoms

Although my previous writing (in the ‘Meditation Guidance’ series) has been informed by an awareness of the corresponding Wisdoms in the Five Wisdoms framework from Mahayana Buddhism, the main mandala framework used in the early articles was that of the ancient Indian brahmavihāras: Equanimity, Appreciative Joy, Loving Kindness and Compassion. The Five Wisdoms, which I introduced in a previous article here, have some advantages over the four-fold brahmavihāras framework, but the brahmavihāras give us a simpler ‘way in’ to the experience of meditation, and they give us a necessary initial focus on the ethical and relational aspects of the personal transformation that arises from resting as Consciousness.

 

 

The brahmavihāras also represent an earlier, foundational stage in the development of the mandala wisdom within the Buddhist tradition. The Buddha appears to have adopted them enthusiastically and re-framed them, adapting them to the new context of his anatma (no-self) doctrine – more on this below. In the four-fold brahmavihāras framework, the central, fifth part of the model, which is Consciousness, is implied – the brahmavihāras can be seen as the four ‘attitudes’ of Consciousness. In the five-fold Five Wisdoms model, the central principle, of Consciousness, is explicitly included as one of the Wisdoms – the Dharmadhātu Wisdom.

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January 1, 2019
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Recently Published Articles
  • The Ten Archetypal Buddhas of the Mandala – Part 7: The Somatic Body-Mind
  • A History Lesson from Dr Martin Luther King
  • The US-Facilitated Coup in Ukraine in 2014
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  • Reflections on Buddhist Self-Enquiry and Eugene Gendlin’s ‘Focusing’ – Part 1
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  • The Ten Archetypal Buddhas of the Mandala – Part 7: The Somatic Body-Mind
  • A History Lesson from Dr Martin Luther King
  • The US-Facilitated Coup in Ukraine in 2014
  • Reflections on NATO and the Tragic Irrationality of the Ukraine Crisis
  • Reflections on Buddhist Self-Enquiry and Eugene Gendlin’s ‘Focusing’ – Part 1
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