The Aspects of the Five Paths

With this chapter, something shifts. Until now, Gampopa has been teaching what to do — cultivate the four contemplations, generate bodhicitta, practice the six perfections. Now he begins to describe what happens — the territory that unfolds as practice deepens, the landmarks that appear along the way. The five paths are not stages you decide to enter; they describe what naturally arises when the method is applied with sincerity and persistence.

By first cultivating the mind of supreme enlightenment and then persistently training, one will go through all the paths and levels of a bodhisattva.

Lama Jampa Thaye's note: "One eye sees the Buddha nature perspective—that the result is already present. The other sees there is still work to be done in clearing away obscurations. Keep this creative tension. Understanding the paths prevents us from overrating temporary experiences and becoming disillusioned when we discover we're still far from real spiritual qualities."

The summary:

The path of accumulation, the path of application, The path of insight, the path of meditation practice, And the path of complete perfection— These five comprise the explanation of the paths.

The Thirty-Seven Wings of Enlightenment

Throughout the five paths, practitioners give rise to the thirty-seven bodhipakshika dharmas—the factors that carry one to enlightenment as wings carry a bird through the sky. These arise sequentially:

• Path of Accumulation: Twelve wings (four mindfulnesses, four perfect abandonments, four feet of miracle powers)
• Path of Application: Ten wings (five powers, five strengths)
• Path of Insight: Seven wings (seven branches of enlightenment)
• Path of Meditation: Eight wings (eightfold noble path)
• Path of Perfection: Ten attainments of no-more-training

I. Path of Accumulation (tshogs lam)

Definition

One who has the Mahayana family cultivates bodhicitta, receives teachings from masters, and makes effort in the virtues until the heat of wisdom is attained. This path is called "accumulation" because one gathers the accumulations of merit and wisdom to become a vessel for subsequent realizations.

Lama Jampa Thaye's note: "Heat cannot arise unless you have already accumulated enough fuel. What you first do is accumulate merit and wisdom by hearing, thinking, and meditating on the dharma."

Four Stages

Progress on this path is classified in four stages:

1. Realization
2. Aspiration
3. Greater aspiration
4. Achievement

Three Levels and Their Qualities

A. Lesser Stage: Four Types of Mindfulness

1. Sustaining mindfulness of the body — Awareness of sitting, walking, standing, lying
2. Sustaining mindfulness of feelings — Awareness of pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral sensations
3. Sustaining mindfulness of the mind — Awareness of mental states
4. Sustaining mindfulness of phenomena — Awareness of all dharmas as they arise

Lama Jampa Thaye's note: "Mindfulness here means the ability to bring back the mind, to recollect. The first indication of mindfulness is awareness of the body, which is easiest. Then feelings, then mind, then all phenomena."

B. Middle Stage: Four Types of Perfect Abandonment

1. Abandoning non-virtues which have been created — Eliminating existing negativities
2. Not allowing new non-virtues to be produced — Preventing future negativities
3. Producing antidotes, virtues which have not arisen — Creating new virtues
4. Allowing virtues which have arisen to increase — Maintaining and developing existing virtues

C. Greater Stage: Four Feet of Miracle Powers

1. The absorption of strong aspiration — The faculty to direct the mind strongly
2. The absorption of perseverance — The ability to persist in that direction
3. The absorption of the mind — Exclusive focus on what needs attention
4. The absorption of investigation — Analytical examination

Lama Jampa Thaye's note: "Somebody who has these qualities in their meditation already has remarkable strength of mind. That is why they're called the feet of miracles—the ability to do extraordinary things depends on these four qualities. By the time you reach the great path of accumulation, you can rely upon a fully enlightened Buddha rather than an ordinary human teacher."

II. Path of Application (sbyor lam)

Definition

The path of application begins after perfection of the path of accumulation. It has four stages corresponding to the realization of the Four Noble Truths. It is called "application" (or "joining") because one brings together everything accumulated and applies it one-pointedly to the nature of reality.

Lama Jampa Thaye's note: "The Tibetan jorlam has a sense of joining—whatever you developed on the first path, you now bring together in one-pointed focus on the nature of reality. You've got enough force from what you accumulated; now you apply it."

Four Stages

1. Heat (drod) — Initial experience of the force of understanding
2. Maximum Heat (rtse mo) — Peak of that experience
3. Patience (bzod pa) — Acceptance of the profound meaning
4. Highest Worldly Dharma ('jig rten pa'i chos mchog) — The supreme state before direct realization

The Ten Powers and Strengths

A. During Heat and Maximum Heat: Five Powers

1. Power of faith
2. Power of perseverance
3. Power of mindfulness
4. Power of absorption
5. Power of wisdom

B. During Patience and Highest Worldly Dharma: Five Strengths

The same five factors, now strengthened:

1. Strength of faith
2. Strength of perseverance
3. Strength of mindfulness
4. Strength of absorption
5. Strength of wisdom

III. Path of Insight (mthong lam)

Definition

The path of insight begins after the highest worldly dharma and consists of calm abiding as a basis for special insight focused on the Four Noble Truths. It is called "insight" (or "vision") because one directly realizes what was not seen before.

Lama Jampa Thaye's note: "The Tibetan thongwa and Sanskrit darshana mean seeing. I prefer 'vision' to retain 'insight' for vipashyana meditation. It means the direct seeing of reality—an extraordinary transformation takes place and your way of understanding reality becomes fundamentally different."

Sixteen Aspects

Four insights correspond to each of the Four Noble Truths, making sixteen: eight patient acceptances and eight awarenesses. For each truth:

1. Patient acceptance of the dharma leading to awareness of that truth
2. Actual awareness of that truth
3. Continuous patience leading to discriminating awareness
4. Continuous discriminating awareness subsequent to realization

Seven Branches of Enlightenment

At this stage, seven of the thirty-seven wings arise:

1. Perfect mindfulness branch
2. Perfect discrimination branch
3. Perfect perseverance branch
4. Perfect joy branch
5. Perfect relaxation branch
6. Perfect absorption branch
7. Perfect equanimity branch

The Transition from Worldling to Noble One

The path of insight marks a decisive transformation. Before this point, one is a "worldling" (prthagjana)—someone who can fall back within samsara. Upon entering the path of insight, one becomes an "arya" (noble one)—someone who cannot fall backwards but will progress, quickly or slowly, toward complete enlightenment.

IV. Path of Meditation (sgom lam)

Definition

The path of meditation practice begins after the realization of special insight. It is called "meditation" because one becomes familiar with the realizations achieved in the path of insight—deepening and stabilizing what was directly seen.

Two Aspects

A. Worldly Meditation Practice

The four meditative absorptions (dhyanas) and the four formless absorptions:

1. First through fourth dhyana
2. Infinite space
3. Infinite consciousness
4. Nothingness
5. Neither perception nor non-perception

Three purposes:

• Suppressing afflictions to be abandoned on this path
• Establishing the Four Immeasurables and other qualities
• Creating the foundation for supramundane practice

B. Meditation Practice Beyond the World

Furthering calm abiding and special insight focused on the two types of wisdom. The eight patient acceptances were completed in the path of insight; now one becomes familiarized with the eight awarenesses through the meditative concentrations.

The Eightfold Noble Path

At this stage, eight of the thirty-seven wings are practiced:

1. Perfect view
2. Perfect conception
3. Perfect speech
4. Perfect action
5. Perfect livelihood
6. Perfect effort
7. Perfect mindfulness
8. Perfect absorption

V. Path of Perfection (mthar phyin pa'i lam)

Definition

After the vajra-like absorption, one actualizes the nature of awareness, the awareness of exhaustion, and awareness of the unborn. It is called "perfection" because training is complete and one enters the city of nirvana.

The Vajra-Like Absorption

This absorption is at the edge of the path of meditation, included in the preparation and unobstructed stages. It is called "vajra-like" because it is:

• Unobstructed — Cannot be affected by worldly action
• Hard — Cannot be destroyed by obscurations
• Stable — Cannot be shaken by discursive thoughts
• One taste — Everything is of one taste
• All-pervasive — Observes the suchness of all knowledge

Three Awarenesses

Awareness of the exhaustion of causes — Primordial wisdom observing the Four Noble Truths by the power of the exhaustion of all causes

Awareness of the unborn — Primordial wisdom observing the Four Noble Truths by the power of abandoning the result, suffering

Awareness of exhaustion and non-production — Primordial wisdom clearly observing both the exhaustion of cause and non-production of result

Ten Attainments of No-More-Training

At this stage, the final ten wings are complete:

1. Perfect view of no-more-training
2. Perfect conception of no-more-training
3. Perfect speech of no-more-training
4. Perfect action of no-more-training
5. Perfect livelihood of no-more-training
6. Perfect effort of no-more-training
7. Perfect mindfulness of no-more-training
8. Perfect absorption of no-more-training
9. Full liberation of no-more-training
10. Perfect primordial wisdom of no-more-training

These ten are included in the five unafflicted aggregates:

• Perfect speech, action, and livelihood → heap of moral ethics
• Perfect mindfulness and absorption → heap of absorption
• Perfect view, conception, and effort → heap of wisdom
• Full liberation → heap of full liberation
• Perfect awareness → heap of seeing the primordial wisdom of full liberation

Conclusion

The five paths provide a map of the journey from first generating bodhicitta to complete Buddhahood. This map serves two purposes: it encourages us when we can determine we're making progress, and it protects us from overrating temporary experiences or mistaking concepts for genuine transformation.

Lama Jampa Thaye's note: "Will you know the day you move from accumulation to application? Nobody will appear in the sky to tell you. There's no ceremony, no badge. It's just a general indication that your practice, your way of relating to dharma, will change in these ways."

Yet ultimately, as the previous chapter on wisdom established, there are no paths and levels in the absolute sense. The Buddha nature is fully complete within all beings. From a relative perspective, however—from our present state where enlightened qualities are not functioning—we do have to go on a journey, we do have to change, we do have to develop understanding.