08/22/2024
The definitive sign of realization in Chöd is to be free from fear.
The level of final accomplishment in the practice is the spontaneous pacification of magical interferences [by gods and demons].
Āryadeva in his Grand Poem uses the technical terms “the definitive sign of realization” (chöd tshad) and “the level of final accomplishment” (tshar tshad).
Machig associates these expressions with two other terms, “the symptoms” (lhong) and “magical displays or interferences” (Cho ‘phrul). Together, these represent four levels of realization in Chöd practice. When her disciple Chökyi Sengé inquired whether these four levels appear in progressive order or simultaneously, whether they are associated two by two or are independent, Machig explained the entire process of realization according to the Chöd system.
To start with, what is referred to as “symptom” (lhong) is synonymous with “sign” or “characteristic.” In Chöd terminology, when the practitioner offers his or her body as food to gods and demons in frightening places and practices the Chöd samādhi uniting emptiness and compassion, the splendor of the yogi’s meditative absorption in the essence of reality is unbearable to those beings.
As Āryadeva says:
When you are thus meditating on nondual pāramitā,
The local gods and demons can’t stand it, and in despair
Cause magical interferences of all kinds,
Real, imaginary or in dreams.
So the gods and demons create obstacles and set about disturbing the yogi’s practice. For the yogi, these manifest physically or mentally as uncomfortable or unpleasant states, and this discomfort is described as the first symptom of realization in practice.
If the yogi perseveres in meditation practice, these minor discomforts and disturbances gradually transform into visions, hallucinations, mirages, or dreams produced by beings attempting to interfere with any realization.
These magical appearances or interferences (Cho ‘phrul) can be caused by all sorts of creatures: karmic debtors, negative subterranean or celestial negative forces such as Rahu or Yama, the Lord of Death (gShin rje).
As for the outer miraculous occurrences, they may manifest in the form of earthquakes, floods, avalanches, forest fires and other natural catastrophes. They may also affect the objects of the senses — form, sound, taste — or mental states, both in waking and in dreams.
Machig’s Quintessence of Cutting through Demonic Objects (sNying tshom) defines four kinds of miraculous occurrences in progressive order, from the coarsest to the most subtle:
(1) the tangible with embodied form,
(2) the verbal (skad gdon),
(3) visions of destruction created by demons, and
(4) those caused by dreams.
Machig insists that all of these magical manifestations of gods and demons derive from mind itself, and that the means to eliminate them, for those of excellent meditative capacity, is “to liberate them in their own place,” according to the higher view of Mahāmudrā:
In dealing with these, [if your meditative capacity] is excellent,
Remain absorbed in the true nature [of mind].
Whatever miraculous displays of gods and demons appear,
Recognize them as the miraculous display of your own mind,
And do not concentrate your awareness on these monsters.
Remain at ease, serene in the very nature of this recognition.
When you are absorbed in a natural, serene state,
These miraculous displays will be naturally pacified.
And once appeased in the essence of phenomena,
They will next appear to you as friendly.
Those of medium capacity should separate body and consciousness, then allow mind to remain in empty space: then these miraculous occurrences will dissolve into emptiness.
A meditator of lesser capacity should apply the teachings of transforming the body into an offering of food to gods and demons while the mind remains naturally absorbed in its own nature. When the yogi’s realization of emptiness increases, he or she is no longer affected by miraculous displays.
On the contrary, they gradually lose their power over the mind, and the gods or demons themselves will start to pay attention to the yogi’s words, eventually coming under the spell of his or her spoken advice.
Supernatural powers and qualities appear in the yogi, but the real sign of coming realization takes the form of an intense joy: this experience is the third level of realization, called the “level of final accomplishment” (tshar tshad).
This level of accomplishment also varies according to the capacity of the meditator. For those of lesser capacity, the outer level is to remain serene and calm when facing miraculous interferences of gods and demons; the inner level is when the gods and demons show their confidence in the meditator and reward him or her with supernatural siddhis; the secret level is the ongoing sensation of well-being or bliss, achieved when sickness as well as negative forces and thoughts have been totally eliminated or pacified; and the ultimate level of accomplishment is to be animated by love and compassion, to have internalized the realization of the impermanence of all phenomena, and, henceforth, to apply oneself to Dharma practice with full confidence.
For meditators of superior capacity, the outer level is to subjugate fears and harmful magical interferences by the splendor or charisma (zil gnon) of realization; the inner level is to remain without arrogance, i.e., without any conception of a self, when faced by whatever evil may appear, be it illness, frustration, or demons; the secret level is to view adversity and obstacles as friends; and the ultimate level is the actualization of immaculate dharmatā, the empty nature of self.
In this process, gods and demons become conscious of their karma and of their negative mental inclinations. They will receive the yogi’s instructions and in this way will be set on the path to enlightenment. In exchange they must vow not to harm anyone and to protect the yogi’s teachings.
At this stage, the meditator has cut through all mental confusion and dualistic notions of good and bad. Experiencing directly the truth of suclmess of phenomena and the very nature of non-self, he or she realizes the dharmakāya, while also establishing others, such as the lord of the soil (sa bdag) and local gods and demons, on the path of liberation.
This is called the definitive sign (chöd tshad) in the realization of Chöd Again, the outer sign of this realization consists in no longer being subject to fear or terror when faced with the magical interferences of divine or demonic forces; the inner sign is the insight that illness and negative emotions are none other than karmic retribution; the secret sign is to be free from confusion when faced with any thought that appears, whether good, evil, or indifferent; and the definitive sign is to have cut through the erroneous holding on to a self, regardless of what sense objects or gratification may appear.
One should not attach undue importance to any such classification: in actual experience things may well differ according to the individual, for instance the order in which one experiences these levels.
Some might not experience one or another of these levels, yet realize the remaining three. Every combination is possible depending on individual karma and tendencies, as well as on specific confrontations with different gods or demons. In addition, the texts provide numerous other explanations and systems of classification.
Machig summarizes the result of Chöd practice as follows:
Once tangible and intangible demons as well as those of exaltation and of grasping to a self are pacified, as the temporary result, one’s body will be free of illness, one’s mind free of suffering. The ultimate result is the realization of Buddhahood, the very nature of the three kāyas.
In the light of these four levels of realization, it is of interest to reread the second chapter of The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, entitled “The Voyage to Lashi.” Here Milarepa is attacked by Bharo, a powerful demon of Nepal, and his armies, who create all sorts of terrifying apparitions.
At first, Milarepa addresses them as follows:
Through mirages and illusions,
You pernicious male and female devils
Can create these fantastic terrors.
Although they are unable to distract Milarepa from his meditation, these demons refuse to be subjugated. Milarepa next teaches them the law of cause and effect and sings for them the song of “The Seven Adornments”:
I, the Yogi who desires to remain in solitude,
Meditate on the Voidness of Mind.
Awed by the power of my concentration,
You jealous demons are forced to practice magic.
For the yogi, demonic conjurations
Are beauty and adornment.
At this point most of the demons are convinced by the yogi’s spoken word: they stop interfering and request him to teach them Dharma.
In the end they vow allegiance to him and take the commitment to serve him. Between the lines we can distinguish the four levels of realization of Chöd, from the first symptoms to the signs of realization where the demons submit to the yogi and set out on the path to enlightenment.
We also find these different levels of realization all through the life of Machig, starting from her first experiences at the Tree of Serlag, where she subjugates the armies of the nāga king, up to the conclusion of her life story, where it is said:
Machig studied and realized the concise, medium and extensive words of the Buddha. She perfectly studied the chapter on demons, in particular teachings such as:
Attachment to any phenomenon whatsoever,
From coarse form to omniscience,
Should be understood as the play of a demon....
Having obtained liberation through these teachings, she gained the extraordinary experience of naturally eliminating the four demons....
To summarize, the Chöd tradition fits into the universe of popular Tibetan demonology. As we have seen, this demonology is a veritable science in which each entity is listed and classified according to its powers and has its experimental verification within the living transmission.
Machig’s Chöd tradition is a dramatization and a synthesis that utilizes all the resources of the mental sphere, combining into a single doctrine the ultimate teachings of Mahāmudrā, ta***ic visualization techniques, and the vast pantheon of primordial forces, local gods and demons that inhabit the imagination of the Tibetan people.
This appears to be the main function of Chöd: to serve as a link between the highest metaphysical vision and the popular religion. Its closeness to the world of positive and negative forces explains why the Chödpa, while remaining outside religious institutions, was so popular among Tibetans and often called upon to deal with diseases, spirit possessions, exorcisms, and so forth, roles normally filled in Central Asian cultures by shamans.
~ Machig Labdrön and the Foundations of Chöd: https://amzn.to/3MbtoAL
