Reflections on the Union of Method and Wisdom as Taught in the Martsang Lam Rim

In the study of Mahayana Buddhism, there are two aspects to be practiced and accumulated: namely method and wisdom. Method is synonymous with the practice of the perfections in general, and the development of bodhicitta in particular, being the compassionate intention to liberate all sentient beings from suffering. Wisdom is synonymous with the mind that realises emptiness. These are the two wings by which one travels the spiritual path, and their union is the means to realise Buddhahood. 

At first blush however, these two aspects appear something of a dichotomy. Emptiness is presented in the form of an absence (of inherent existence) that is be realised, whereas bodhicitta is presented in the form of a presence that is to be cultivated. In addition, compassion is generated through feeling, whereas the view of emptiness is developed through rational analysis. Moreover, compassion is directed towards a multiplicity of sentient beings, who are separate and discrete, whereas emptiness is undifferentiated and common to all phenomena. Given these differences, it is reasonable to enquire as to how these two aspects can be unified. The answers can be found in the Martsang Lam Rim. 

Firstly, both aspects are developed through the abandonment of grasping. In the beginning, bodhicitta may be cultivated on the basis of ordinary compassion, by remembering the kindness of ones’ mother. This feeling of great fondness is then gradually extended towards all sentient beings by recognising that through endless cycles of rebirth, every being has at one time been our mother and shown us the same sacrifice and protective kindness. Through this process, we transform attached love and compassion into unattached bodhicitta that is applied with equanimity towards all beings. It is a feeling of joy that is comparable to the rays of the sun that fall upon all beings without discrimination or judgement. We can see therefore that even though compassion is explained as a presence, it is also an absence of grasping, and its true nature is unattached, selfless and boundless.

Likewise, the view of emptiness is developed on the basis of ordinary perception. The classifications of the Abhidharma schools elaborate the diverse objects of perception, and their characteristics are the object of negation for the mind analysing emptiness. This may begin by considering the relationship between an object and its parts. Through evaluating all possible relationships (such as the object and its parts being the same or separate, and so forth) and finding no definitive statement that stands up to scrutiny, one cultivates the view of emptiness that can be extended to all phenomena. This is the dialectic method, whereby each extreme position of existence or non-existence leads to a contradiction under analysis and is thereby refuted. Even though this approach relies on negation, the objective is to loosen the mental tendencies to grasp at true existence, therefore freeing the mind of habitual elaborations and opening up to intuitive wisdom.

Secondly, both aspects are developed on the basis of the view of dependent origination. Bodhicitta is developed by reflecting upon the relationships between all beings and how all aspects of our existence depend upon the kindness of others. For example, when we think about just one mouthful of food, we can remember all of the people that contributed to bringing it to our plate. In the first instance, there are the people who contributed directly, meaning the farmers, the lorry drivers, the shop assistants, the manufacturers and so forth. At a broader level, it is all the people who played a supporting role, like the farmer’s spouse, parents, teachers, friends and so forth, without whom they may never have become a farmer. When we then consider all the people who influenced those involved, pretty quickly we realise that it comprises all people who have ever lived. Of course, the analysis is not just limited to humans, as for example, the crops grew in soil fertilised with animal manure, perhaps the seeds were scattered by birds and ploughed by oxen, the soil comprises millions of microorganisms; and so on. Again, it doesn’t take much to understand that just one mouthful of food depended to some extent upon all beings who have ever existed. Through this analysis, we break down the barriers between beings and start to see the interconnected nature of all things.

Likewise, the view that all things arise due to causes and conditions is also the view of emptiness. Nagarjuna opens his seminal treatise on emptiness (Mulamadhyamakakarika) by showing that it is only because objects contain no essence that the process of cause and effect is efficacious. If on the other hand, an object really did contain an inherent essence, then that character must also be present within its causes. However, were that to be true, then there would be no need for origination (of the object), because the essence of the object would already be present (within the causes) – for example, a shoot would not arise from a seed, because it would already be present within the seed. Through such contradictions, Nagarjuna deftly shows that the inseparability of emptiness and dependent arising is the basis of all of the majesty of existence; all phenomena are empty appearances being continuously transformed through cause and effect.   

Thirdly, both bodhicitta and emptiness rely upon the view of selflessness. Whilst it follows that the logic of emptiness presented above applies equally to persons and phenomena, the view of selflessness may seem counter intuitive in the case of bodhicitta. How can one arise compassion without an agent, being the self, and an object, being the multiplicity of sentient beings? In the case of attached emotions, this duality is dominant – possessive love reinforces both our sense of self and a feeling of ownership to the recipient of our affections. It also habituates our sense of division, between those beings that we like and those that we don’t like or feel indifference towards. Bodhicitta is the opposite to this; it is a mental state that breaks down barriers and does not distinguish between beings based upon conceptions. When one has a strong sense of self, then one also has a strong sense of separation with others, and true compassion cannot arise. It is only when one breaks the chains of self-grasping, that one can truly see that all beings arise together and are mutually co-dependent. With this openness and connectivity with all beings, one is able to generate unattached compassion and love.

In this manner, the cultivation of both bodhicitta and wisdom weaken the ego and open up the possibility for unattached love and intuitive wisdom. Once there is no grasping at self and other, no grasping at existence and non-existence, and no grasping at one or many; this is the unification of compassion and emptiness. From a meditative perspective, bodhicitta is experienced as bliss, and emptiness is experienced like space. In this state, there is no separation between bliss and space; where there is space there is bliss, and where there is bliss there is space, they are of one aspect. It is in this state that the unity of method and wisdom is realised in a non-conceptual manner, beyond the dualism of samsara and nirvana. 

Article author: Julian McIntyre

Martsang Lam Rim Student

Source: Martsang Lam Rim written by His Holiness Gangri Karma Rinpoche.