What is Enlightenment? with Justin Kirkwood

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This recording is from our January 2024 One Community gathering. Teacher and translator Justin Kirkwood discusses the meaning of liberation, enlightenment, and Buddhahood, where these concepts overlap, and how they differ.
In Buddhist circles, you will often hear statements like, “get enlightened,” “attain Buddhahood,” and “attain liberation.” At first glance, these phrases seem similar. However, there are particular reasons for each statement and different levels of attainment being described.
About One Community
For one evening each month, we come together as a community to deepen our understanding of the dharma and connect with our fellow sangha members. Each gathering is facilitated by a different Namchak teacher, thought leader, or staff member and will revolve around our month's theme. These gatherings are two hours in total. The first half will consist of a dharma talk, and the second half will offer an opportunity for participants to reflect on the teachings through small group discussions in short break-out sessions. These group discussions will be followed by a Q&A session with the teacher. Participation in small group discussions is encouraged but not required. You can always sit these out! We encourage Learning Circles and meditation buddies to attend together. Inviting friends, partners, family members, neighbors, and co-workers is always welcome.
About Justin Kirkwood
Justin Kirkwood is a dedicated dharma student and teacher with over 20 years of experience in studying and practicing Buddhism. As a former monk who spent eight years in India, Justin had the privilege of studying and practicing with renowned Tibetan masters. He has also worked as a Tibetan translator and interpreter for over a decade, deepening his understanding of the sacred texts. Justin is a vital member of the Namchak Foundation, serving as a translator of texts, an interpreter for Namchak Khen Rinpoche, and a teacher.
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Опубликовано:

18 янв 2024

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Комментарии : 7

@foreknow 6 месяцев назад

Thank you for sharing your insight.

@nikischultz8655 5 месяцев назад

Wow, thank you. That was so incredibly helpful 🙏

@andreaghalan1 6 месяцев назад

Hi from Nepal 🇳🇵❤

@benkessler7460 5 месяцев назад

From a Mahayana perspective, Liberation is means no more involuntary rebirth in samsara. This is the result of fully realizing two-fold emptiness, the result of the Mahayana path. It means you have purified all mental karmas, mental karmas being the cause of rebirth if not purified. The attainment of Arhats really has no business being called Liberation as they are still lashed to the wheel of Samsara. Arhathood is freedom from attachment to the sense of a personal self. But two fold emptiness is not realized by Arhats and they have remaining karmas which cause subtle dualistic fixation or attachment. Bodhicitta is necessary to attain Mahayana Liberation, whereas Arhats can realize "small" no self simply for their own sake. Nirvana is the same attainment as Liberation, it is the cessation of all dualistic fixation due to the complete exhaustion of mind karmas. Ceasing of dualistic fixation means emptiness of all phenomena is realized. This is the stage of a Wisdom Buddha. To be distinguished from a Rainbow Body Buddha which is a further stage that was attained by Padmasambhava. You covered most of this but I think there was some confusion especially around the term Liberation and what it means.

@NamchakCommunity 4 месяца назад

Thank you for sharing!

@JustinKirkwood-oe6sn 3 месяца назад

Hi Ben! I understand what you are saying and appreciate your input, but I have never read a book or heard a teaching that characterized Arhats as being bound to samsara. The defining characteristic of an Arhat is to have "defeated the foe" of the three poisons and to be liberated from taking birth again in samsara. In their own texts, they most commonly use the example of a candle (representing consciousness) being blown out. The distinction is in the terms, "liberation" vs. "Buddhahood" or "omniscience." I would like to hear why you say that the attainment of Arhats has no business being called liberation because I can find no scriptural or traditional support for such a statement. Another subtle point is about the obscurations abandoned by different levels of attainment. You seem to be saying that because Arhats do not overcome subtle dualistic fixation, they do not attain liberation. However, subtle dualistic fixation is defined as an "obstacle to the attainment of omniscience" and not an "obstacle to liberation." Do you agree that Arhats fully realize the absence of a personal self or not? With that realization, do they transcend the three poisons or not? If so, who is it then that would be bound to samsara? By what mechanism would they be bound? I think that this is mainly a disagreement about terminology. Tib: Thar pa is most commonly translated as freedom or liberation and refers to liberation from samsara. It is precisely described as the state attained by an Arhat realizing (merely) the absence of a personal self. It is distinguished from full enlightenment or "great nirvana" or "the state of omniscient Buddhahood" which is attained by realizing the two-fold selflessness as you stated. Even the term Nirvana is used in the context of the Arhats' attainment and is qualified by calling it "great" or "supreme" nirvana when speaking of Buddhahood. The difference lies in the obscurations being abandoned or not by these two antidotal realizations. The realization of the absence of an individual self abandons the "afflictive obscurations" and the realization of the two-fold selflessness abandons "cognitive obscurations" which results in the full enlightenment of a Buddha. best wishes, Justin