The Super-Mundane & Buddhahood

29th Feb, 2024

Along the path, I've been quite secular and started off with the "pragmatic dharma" scene popularised by Daniel Ingram but I have been increasingly interested in the more "spiritual" side of this recently. It's not that I didn't recognise super-mundane phenomena (e.g entities/spirits, other planes of existence, past lives, powers, magick etc) as "real", I simply never saw them as necessary experiences for liberation and awakening. In a way, I still believe that we do not need those experiences to gain insight into anatta, emptiness and dependent origination. However, I now recognise that; in order to attain full buddhahood, a thorough understanding of the way in which the dream layer (our normal reality) is manifested, interconnected and the way it works. Note that, I am not proposing a background or ultimate ground of reality, rather in how empty appearances manifests or in samsara, I recognise buddhist teachings as valid and have instinctive intuitive faith in the planes of existence, past lifes etc.

So, back to these few days. I have been cultivating jhana for a few purposes:

1. Improve concentration

2. Explore the super-mundane

3. Have a set of tools that will facilitate better sila. Morality and skilful living

And using metta as the object, is 2 birds 1 stone imo.

I've always put off exploring these because I think it would be a hinderance to my path and I intended to explore the supermundane post full enlightenment. But I now realise, that in order to start getting closer to that intuitive drive to help beings from other planes (e.g hungry spirits, beings in hell-realms or even devas). I must first understand the structure of the dreamscape, and since omniscience is one of the qualities of full buddhahood, thus it is my intention to explore the super-mundane.

However, I shall note that I am well aware of the dangers and distractions of this path. Thus, I shall keep in mind to ardently bring insight, wisdom and caution when exploring these. I must also declare that I have no intention of developing powers for my personal gain and do not recommend anyone do so. But I do intend to understand "my" karmic chain (past lives) to understand the content of existence itself.

Now, returning to the discussion of super-mundane vs mundane. This presupposes 2 worlds, and in a way they are but in reality all is simply empty luminous appearances without inherent existence of not only entities but also objects. So another way to put this is: emptiness is all, all is emptiness. Mundane or super-mundane, all are simply appearances.

What I noticed today

As recently, the intention is to maintain samadhi, strengthen the "realisation" of anatta and cultivate wholesome states of mind (loving-kindness, concentration, joy etc) in daily life. There is an obvious improvement in today's concentration. Previously, I was working with Nargajuna's MMK to penetrate subtle inherent views but I noticed that is pretty hard to work with that in daily life, ESPECIALLY when I have not learnt the text off by heart.

So today I tried a few different things on top of maintaining samadhi throughout the day:

1. Using metta to balance my loving-kindness equally for all beings I encounter in my day

2. Work backwards with the 2 stanza of anatta on ATR:

   1. https://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2009/03/on-anatta-emptiness-and-spontaneous.html

3. Use a more vipassanaic mode of samadhi

Even though there is a sense of "finality" to the realisation of anatta (no-self), I deeply recognise that it is merely the start of the path. But seeing that anatta has always been the case and that sensations have always been self-aware without effort is massively relieving and helped me let go of the seeking energy BIGTIME. This is also why I belief that practice has merely started and that it is starting to take a less secular direction. On the "secular" level though, there is a need to permeate anatta more deeply into all experiences (which is weird to say, because anatta is always so). I must also address that even though reality has always been open and clear, and has always been centreless, without agent, void of inherent existence and sensations have always been self-aware (which pragmatic dharmaist would call full enlightenment). I intuitively feel that it is merely the start of the stream to enlightenment hence, stream-entry (in the therevaden 4 path model) and the dropping of the first 3 fetters. I am not saying that, some in the pragmatic dharma scene are not enlightened, I am simply providing a perspective and a possibility of this "finality" as not being "final".

My formal sit tonight (1.5 hours):

I notice that I had also been rushing into the jhanas abit too quickly as even though they have been increasingly getting more stable, I'd like to go deeper instead of further. So I shall cultivate more patience.

I did 30 mins of vipassana practice whilst first contemplating on the "when" and "where" of sensations to deepen the insight into emptiness. I then went back to contemplating on the 2 stanzas of anatta to stabilise the insight. Now, let me address that some might argue that since anatta is always the case, no practice is needed. I agree that anatta is always the case but I believe that sculpting a more symmetrical and aesthetic reality, as well as going deeper into emptiness and dependent origination is quite fun imo.