For AndrewPKYap and others, very well written, by Dharma Dan the
arhat:
THE HEART SUTRA MODEL
This model is based upon the phrase in the Heart Sutra form is
emptiness, emptiness is form. To my knowledge, this model is not
found in quite this presentation anywhere other than here, nor has
it ever been related to the Four Path model of the Theravada in the
way that follows. The inspiration for using this phrase comes from
a wonderful chapter in Chogyam Trungpas Cutting Through Spiritual
Materialism called Shunyata.
I present this somewhat novel model here because it focuses on real
insight directly and treats any emotional benefits of this as side
effects. Further, there are often too many cycles of insight before
arahatship, making the four path model troublesome. This phenomena
of too many cycles (which I will sometimes call paths with a
lowercase p) between each of the Four Paths gets worse as one
works towards final awakening. As Bill Hamilton put it, and I have
learned the hard way, The arahat fractal is vast.
This model does not reinforce fascination with content, nor with
life denying ideals or limited emotional range models in the way
that the traditional Four Path Model often does. It does not tempt
one to count paths. It keeps the focus on precise inquiry into the
truth and ones experience of it or lack thereof.
This model basically says that enlightenment is about direct
insight that progressively reveals something different in the
relationship to the field of experience and gradually allows things
in it to be held in their proper proportion. However, as to the
specific implications of this increased clarity and more realistic
perspective as regards behavior or how emotions manifest, all bets
are off.
We will begin with the obvious statement that form is form. By
form, I mean all mental and physical phenomena, i.e. the world of
sensations as we know it. Saying that form is form is like saying
that sensations are sensations or experience is experience.
There is nothing all that profound about this understanding, and
all living creatures know this. This is the state of understanding
before stream entry. It is valid within its scope, and this should
not be forgotten. The laws of the world are the laws of the world,
and these must be acknowledged and respected, as must the beings
that live in that world.
By clearly investigating form, one eventually comes to the
understanding of the stream enterer, that emptiness is emptiness.
Unlike those that are unenlightened, one who has attained first
path, that of stream entry, has directly understood in some
completely inexplicable way what is meant by emptiness in terms
of the non-experience of ultimate reality that results from
entering Fruition through one of the Three Doors. However, while
the stream enterer may have some intellectual clues about the
relationship between emptiness and form due to the ways the Three
Doors present, they have no obvious direct experience of it when
experiencing almost all sensations. Correlations between this model
and the Four Path model begin to break down during the middle two
Paths.
Thus, the meanings of interdependence, dependent arising and
particularly non-duality will still be somewhat mysterious to them,
though in some intuitive way they will have a deeper understanding
of these than someone who is unenlightened. Second path is a step
higher in terms of the Four Path map, but it brings no huge
improvements in the understanding of these things from the point of
view of this model. The phenomenal world still generally seems
perniciously dual for both those of the first two paths. At both
first and second path, Nirvana is largely seen as something beyond
all of this, an inconceivable discontinuity. However, it seems to
have little to do with most of the sensations of the world except
that it is found in the attainment of Fruition beyond experience
and the sensate universe. It can be frustrating that the refuge
seems to be found largely outside the universe in some
non-experience, and there is a growing sense that true freedom must
somehow be found in the world however it manifests. Precise inquiry
into the true nature of sensations continues as before.
The next understanding that comes is that form is emptiness. This
might be thought of as the understanding of those of third path, as
the attainment of this understanding does some serious damage to
the illusion of a separate watcher or self, i.e. to the illusion of
duality. However, it is very appropriate here to reiterate the
truth of the joke being made by the phrase Twelfth Path. There
may be a lot of cycles of insight and fascinating stuff that goes
on between stream entry and the dawning of the understanding that
form is emptiness. In exactly the same way, there may also be
many new levels at which this may be understood before the work is
fully done. Thus, counting paths doesnt work well when using this
model beyond first path.
