In this second post I would like to explore the relationship between the descent through dependent co-arising and Chan silent illumination, or Theravada animitta (signless) samādhi.
In part 1, I gave the following example of directly contemplating hearing, moving through the first half of the steps of dependent co-arising;
- Contact
- Sounds happening within hearing and knowing.
- Six-fold sense bases
- The hearing input seems to happen at the ear.
- Body and mind
- All phenomena now feel like either body, or mental. The hearing input seems to be a body experience, not a mental one. The experience of “ear” however has faded or vanished.
- Sensual consciousness
- All of experience is merged into one category (mental), including the input that was viewed as “hearing”. The experience of “body” has faded or vanished.
- Activities
- There is activity happening within emptiness.
- Ignorance
- All experience IS emptiness.
- Non-duality
- Hard to describe. There simply “is”…
Describing this type of practice can be tricky. Technically, signs and labels begin to cease further up the chain, between craving and feeling tone. So any practice that is directly experiencing feeling tone or contact would be “signless”. However the practices as I have learned them, potentially encompass more than that.
An “entry” is generally practiced that brings conditions closer and closer to silent illumination/animitta samādhi, but it is not until the conditions come to fruition (and generally are themselves abandoned) that the practice could be described as qualifying as this type of method.
Different traditions also take quite different approaches into this realm; some very direct, and some having many prerequisites to help make it possible to practice in this way.
So how does this map on to the steps of dependent co-arising detailed above? We can again use hearing as our example. (Comments added in italics.)
- Contact
- Sounds happening within hearing and knowing. At this point the mind is observing the hearing sense door. Silent illumination however encompasses all of experience.
- Six-fold sense bases
- The hearing input seems to happen at the ear. This is still observation of the hearing sense door.
- Body and mind
- All phenomena now feel like either body, or mental. The hearing input seems to be a body experience, not a mental one. The experience of “ear” however has faded or vanished. Hearing and the “ear” have vanished, but what is being observed is still only a portion of all experience.
- Sensual consciousness
- All of experience is merged into one category (mental), including the input that was viewed as “hearing”. The experience of “body” has faded or vanished. Here, depending on the tradition, it might be said that silent illumination (or, at least, the flavor of it) begins. All of the sense doors have merged into one experience of knowing phenomena. This allows for direct contemplation of all of the sense doors without labels. The knower still is experienced as a subtle “I”.
- Activities
- There is activity happening within emptiness. The experience is now happening “within” emptiness. This is a step closer as the sense doors have merged, losing the concepts and labels. Emptiness is still experienced as a division outside these merged senses. Experience and emptiness are a duality.
- Ignorance
- All experience IS emptiness. Emptiness IS all experience, and all experience IS emptiness. This can seem to be the end of the road. The catch, however, is that emptiness is a “thing”, a concept. Duality still subtly exists in the perception of all as a unity.
- Non-duality
- Hard to describe. There simply “is”… At this stage, duality seems to finally fall away. There are no objects, no subjects, no categories, no concepts. This seems to be where silent illumination and related practices really begin.
As referenced above, from my perspective it might be said that this method of practice begins potentially once nama/rupa (mind and body) merge into one experience. I think however that it is likely more accurate to say the “scent” or “feeling” of silent illumination begins to grow stronger here.
This practice (signless samādhi) is mentioned in a few places in the Pali suttas. Here we look at a portion of MN 121.
Further, Ananda, the monk — not attending to the perception of the dimension of nothingness, not attending to the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception — attends to the singleness based on the theme-less concentration of awareness. His mind takes pleasure, finds satisfaction, settles, & indulges in its theme-less concentration of awareness.
He discerns that ‘Whatever disturbances that would exist based on the perception of the dimension of nothingness are not present. Whatever disturbances that would exist based on the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, are not present. And there is only this modicum of disturbance: that connected with the six sensory spheres, dependent on this very body with life as its condition.’ He discerns that ‘This mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of nothingness. This mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. There is only this non-emptiness: that connected with the six sensory spheres, dependent on this very body with life as its condition.’ Thus he regards it as empty of whatever is not there. Whatever remains, he discerns as present: ‘There is this.’ And so this, his entry into emptiness, accords with actuality, is undistorted in meaning, & pure…
…He discerns that ‘This theme-less concentration of awareness is fabricated & mentally fashioned.’ And he discerns that ‘Whatever is fabricated & mentally fashioned is inconstant & subject to cessation.’ For him — thus knowing, thus seeing — the mind is released from the effluent of sensuality, the effluent of becoming, the effluent of ignorance. With release, there is the knowledge, ‘Released.’ He discerns that ‘Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.’
He discerns that ‘Whatever disturbances that would exist based on the effluent of sensuality… the effluent of becoming… the effluent of ignorance, are not present. And there is only this modicum of disturbance: that connected with the six sensory spheres, dependent on this very body with life as its condition.’ He discerns that ‘This mode of perception is empty of the effluent of sensuality… becoming… ignorance. And there is just this non-emptiness: that connected with the six sensory spheres, dependent on this very body with life as its condition.’ Thus he regards it as empty of whatever is not there. Whatever remains, he discerns as present: ‘There is this.’ And so this, his entry into emptiness, accords with actuality, is undistorted in meaning, pure — superior & unsurpassed.
Ananda, whatever contemplatives and brahmans who in the past entered & remained in an emptiness that was pure, superior, & unsurpassed, they all entered & remained in this very same emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed. Whatever contemplatives and brahmans who in the future will enter & remain in an emptiness that will be pure, superior, & unsurpassed, they all will enter & remain in this very same emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed. Whatever contemplatives and brahmans who at present enter & remain in an emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed, they all enter & remain in this very same emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed.
Therefore, Ananda, you should train yourselves: ‘We will enter & remain in the emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed.’
MN 121
We see here that signless (themeless) samādhi is, at least here, not viewed as the end of the road, but instead as a final gateway into “emptiness that is pure, superior & unsurpassed”. The final step in this practice seems to be the shift to realizing the fabricated nature of silent illumination itself, as well as its arising and ceasing nature.
‘This is peace, this is exquisite—the pacification of all fabrications; the relinquishing of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; unbinding.’
AN 3.32
And from here, I think it might be best to simply leave things open ended for direct experience and further exploration. May some of this inspire others to explore Dharma. Any mistakes are my own.
May all beings directly realize liberation.