three doors to liberation

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Aemilius
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three doors to liberation

Post by Aemilius »

Shunyata; emptiness
Animittata; signlessness
Apranihitata; wishlessness

Among these Shunyata is most famous & well known, but now we turn our attention to Animittata or Signlessness. The source of yogachara is the meditation instructions on Signlessness. This means that a Sign is Dependent nature, paratantra; on it mind imagines all kinds of things, this is Imaginary nature, parikalpita; absence of signs is Truly Established nature; Parinishpanna; and it is also the door to liberation called Signlessness, animittata. Hence it is natural that the important cittamatra/yogachara sutra named Lankavatara speaks a lot about Signlessness.

Meditation instructions concerning Apranihitata or Wishlessness are the source of Mahamudra school and Mahamudra lineage, it is like an ultimate passivity, not changing or altering anything that appears, and so on. Thus there is also fear and dread toward the state of wishlessness, you have to make dozens of good wishes, dedication prayers and aspirations after a short meditation on wishlessness! Apranihitata has also been called directionlessness.

These three doors have caused the arising of different lineages and different schools of meditation instructions. They are a natural development that has arisen from the oral instructions of Bhagavan Shakyamuni.
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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mudra
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by mudra »

In commentaries on the Heart Sutra that I received there is also reference to these three doors.

However I don't recall there being reference to Yogacara specifically, in fact it was presented more from a Madyamaka pov overall. Interesting, thanks.
meiji1
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by meiji1 »

I think my understanding is off. What does 'signlessness' refer to? The best I can guess is 'empty of appearance' but shouldn't that just fall under emptiness?
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Huifeng
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by Huifeng »

meiji1 wrote:I think my understanding is off. What does 'signlessness' refer to? The best I can guess is 'empty of appearance' but shouldn't that just fall under emptiness?
There are a couple of distinctly different interpretations:

And early one was that of not having any "mental impressions" (nimitta) in the mind of the meditator (subject side).
Later, when nimitta became synonymous with laksana, ie. objective characteristic, and the state of nirvana was considered to be without characteristics, this came to mean a direct contact with the "signless" meaning nirvana itself.
Later still, continuing that signless meant without objective signs, and the notion that all phenomena are without object signs, it was to know that all phenomena are signless.

These are a couple of, but not all of, the interpretations of the signless.

~~ Huifeng
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kirtu
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by kirtu »

Huifeng wrote: These are a couple of, but not all of, the interpretations of the signless.
And wishlessness?

Kirt
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
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Huifeng
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by Huifeng »

kirtu wrote:
Huifeng wrote: These are a couple of, but not all of, the interpretations of the signless.
And wishlessness?

Kirt
Well, that's actually even more interesting.

The earliest formulations have emptiness (sunyata), signless (animitta) and nothingness (akimcanya)!
But, even some fairly early sutras of the various schools started using intentionless (apranihita) instead of nothingness.
One can easily track them through a range of early sutras, into the various early sectarian sastras.
And, while some schools went emptiness, signless and intentionless, other swapped the order of the last two, emptiness, intentionless and signless.

However, the basic interpretation of intentionless was to have no inclination towards any phenomena, again a subjective stance.
Slightly later, it was considered that this state of absence of intentionality was a characteristic of phenomena themselves, or rather, that the lacked the characteristic of intentionality.

A lot of subjective stance move to objective stances, mainly under the influence of Abhidharma and competition from other systems in India towards ontology and metaphysics. At least, that's my take on it.

It is also fairly common to link the three by indicating that whatever is empty is devoid of signs, and therefore one cannot have intentions towards signless phenomena.

~~ Huifeng
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Aemilius
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by Aemilius »

I understand intentionlessness to be a state of the subject, primarily. Of the early sutras for ex An 11.17, Dasama sutta, is an interesting Mahamudra -type of discourse, it says that dhyanas are willed and fabricated, which sounds like a normal mahamudra discourse, one should get beyond them to a state that is unfabricated, unwilled, !
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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Huifeng
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by Huifeng »

Aemilius wrote:I understand intentionlessness to be a state of the subject, primarily. Of the early sutras for ex An 11.17, Dasama sutta, is an interesting Mahamudra -type of discourse, it says that dhyanas are willed and fabricated, which sounds like a normal mahamudra discourse, one should get beyond them to a state that is unfabricated, unwilled, !
Yeah, that's the basic position, as seen in the Nikayas / Agamas, such as the AN which you cite. :smile:

~~ Huifeng
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ground
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by ground »

Aemilius wrote:Shunyata; emptiness
Animittata; signlessness
Apranihitata; wishlessness
Fully understanding dhammas as neither related to "I" (wrong identity view), nor related to "mine" (wrong view of appropriation) nor related to a "self" (wrong philosophical view) is called "emptiness".

Fully understanding dhammas as not remaining even a single instant is called "signlessness".

Fully understanding volitional formations directed towards dhammas as being merely dukkha is called "wishlessness".


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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

Yönten Gyamtso clarifies the three doors:
“It is said that three approaches to ultimate reality are implicit in all phenomena.
They are known as the three doors of perfect liberation (mam thar sgo
gsum
) and are: emptiness, absence of (truly existing) attributes, and absence
of expectancy.

“1. Emptiness is defined as the ‘absence of reference' or ‘unfindability, in
other words, the absence of inherent existence. Phenomena, from form to
omniscience, are totally devoid of even the slightest degree of intrinsic being.
Their true status lies outside the range of discursive cognition, and consequently
it is precisely mental construction that veils it. Phenomena, the objects
of thought, appear only as long as thoughts occur (namely, the ordinary
mind and its mental factors). For in themselves, phenomena are without true
existence, not only on the ultimate level but even on the conventional level.

“2. Absence of attributes or featurelessness is defined as ‘pacification' or
‘subsiding.’ Phenomena arise in interdependence as the natural display of
emptiness. Thus, from the very outset, conceptual ascriptions like existent or
nonexistent, good or bad, and definitions in terms of productive causes and
conditions (beneficial or otherwise) cannot properly be applied to them. To
divide the phenomenal field into self and other, clean and unclean, and so on,
is the very antithesis of the absence of attributes. For the truth is that, within
the nature o f emptiness, the dharmadhatu, the domain of nonconceptual
primordial wisdom, phenomena do not exist in this way.

“3. Absence of expectancy is defined as ‘absence of suffering and ignorance.’
The phenomena included within the categories of true sufferings and
true origins (‘true sufferings' means the universe and its inhabitants, and their
‘true origins' means karma and defilement born of ignorance) have never
existed [as such]. Therefore they are no different from ‘nirvana,' the state
beyond suffering. As the Way of the Bodhisattva (9:103) says:

Something such as this does not exist, not even slightly.
Beings by their nature are beyond the reach of suffering.
May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
Nicholas Weeks
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

He continues:
“The antithesis of this is our tendency to consider samsara and nirvana as
distinct realities, and to imagine that nirvana is a goal to be attained— whereas
in the nature of the mind itself, there is no distinguishing between samsara
and nirvana. As the Introduction to the Middle Way (6:208—9) affirms:

The character of emptiness
Is absence of a real, existent referent.

The absence of all attributes is peace.
And third, (the absence of expectancy) has been defined as
nonexistence
Of all suffering and ignorance.

“The three doors of perfect liberation are also associated with the ground,
path, and result. Emptiness refers to the ground because it lies beyond the
extreme ontological positions of existence and nonexistence. Absence of attributes
refers to the path because, even at the present moment, phenomena are
without real existence. Absence of expectancy refers to the result, because no
hope or reliance is placed in the future. The Introduction to the Middle Way (6:216)
says:

The present instant does not stay;
The past and future have no being.
Because these three cannot be pointed out,
They are referred to as the unobservable.
[YG III, 517:6-520:1]
From Treasury of Precious Qualities, vol. 2:431-2 - also in volume 1, Appx. 10
May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
Anonymous X
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by Anonymous X »

All good teachings! :good:
White Lotus
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by White Lotus »

Is it possible to simplify signlessness into "wordlessness": non thought? To have no conceptual thought about any doctrine in particular. If not can you please explain simply why 'sign' is not used in the traditional sense of a 'word'. Tom. :?:
in any matters of importance. dont rely on me. i may not know what i am talking about. take what i say as mere speculation. i am not ordained. nor do i have a formal training. i do believe though that if i am wrong on any point. there are those on this site who i hope will quickly point out my mistakes.
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Aemilius
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by Aemilius »

Signlessness is different. It is like this, here are three lines: A. Objectively there is no sign "A".
The signification or apprehending there a sign takes place in your consciousness. Objectively there are only three lines.
The apprehending "a line", or "three lines", is also a construction in your mind.
You learn signs and their meanings all through your life starting from childhood. Signs do not exist without learning them. They are dependent on culture, signs exist and have meanings because of culture. For example, you can look at Egyptian hieroglyphs without experiencing anything at all. And similarly with other ancient or modern systems of signs and writing that are unfamiliar to you.
There are also other systems of signs than writing, for example the military or other uniforms, that signify a position, role or profession in a society and culture.
This is one possible explanation of signs and signlessness, the basic idea or explanation comes from Robert Thurman.
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
White Lotus
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Re: three doors to liberation

Post by White Lotus »

'A' is a sign made of three lines. Its meaning and use is dependent on culture and context. Every word is a sign, signifying a reality. To be signless is to see the emptiness or ungraspability of all signs. How does the realisation that all signs are signless contribute to liberation? :anjali:
in any matters of importance. dont rely on me. i may not know what i am talking about. take what i say as mere speculation. i am not ordained. nor do i have a formal training. i do believe though that if i am wrong on any point. there are those on this site who i hope will quickly point out my mistakes.
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