Stages of Purification

So, today, I thought to talk about the stages of purification.

Buddhism, as many of you know, goes in layers, like an onion…

or like the ocean, it slopes gently to enlightenment…

it is not something one can expect to pick up in a day.

If one has not done the preparatory work in past lives, sometimes even this life is not enough to become free from suffering.

For some people, it is very difficult to practice meditation.

For some it is even difficult to understand the basics of Buddhism.

For others, defilments in the mind make one reject or at least doubt about what the Buddha taught.

So it is very difficult for them to progress.

This is why we need to outline the stages of the path.

To make a road map for those of us who have little perfection.

And need guidance at every step.

Some people can find the path themselves with very little effort.

For most of us, this is not the case.

We understand the path of the Buddha to be the path of purification.

Or the visuddhimagga

magga = path, visuddhi = purity

So, even though we may not know how to become pure, we at least know that this is what the Buddha taught.

The first stage of purification is one that shows itself externally.

It is the purification of morality

This is the most gross purification, that removes the most gross forms of impurity, those that show themselves in our actions and speech.

When we say or do unwholesome things, this is because of a very impure mind.

Many times we may only think bad things, but not act on them.

When it becomes too coarse, we act, and speak in unwholesome ways.

So, morality is the first stage.

We make effort to purify our actions and speech, not killing, stealing, cheating, lying or taking intoxicants.

It is not that there is anything magical about these actions, just that they are very coarse expressions of impurity.

So, we have to refrain from them, and many other minor impure acts, like violence, harsh speech, etc.

If we really want to progress in meditation, we should consider celibacy as well, as this will keep the mind from the coarse impurities just the same.

Once our morality is pure on whatever level we can manage, at least the five precepts, then we can start to develop concentration.

When we first sit down to meditate, we are not focussed at all.

This is because our mind is not even moral, let alone concentrated.

Once we practice for a while, our mind does not want to kill, etc.

so then it starts to focus.

It starts to calm down.

This is the next stage on the path. Concentration.

Concentration actually purifies the mind completely… but only temporarily.

We can sit in meditation without any impure thoughts, and then have them all come back again when we stop.

So, they say concentration removes moderate impurity, but not the most subtle.

The development of concentration, right concentration, in Buddhism is the removal of the five hindrances:

sensual desire (wanting or liking)

aversion (disliking, anger, boredom, fear, sadness, etc.)

sloth and torpor (drowsiness, laziness, etc.)

worry and restlessness

and doubt.

Basically all sorts of stressful states of mind, we have to overcome in meditation.

But if we really want to root out the subtle defilements, we must not repress even the negative emotions.

Because the most subtle defilements are due to ignorance, so we have to create understanding.

Understanding cannot come through repression.

So, when we have negative mind states of craving or aversion or doubt, etc., we have to use them as our teachers… we have to learn all about them.

Once we come to understand them, they will have no power over us; we will not be interested in them.

And so our minds will really be pure.

But in the beginning, we start simply by calming the mind down; before real understanding comes, we are still just repressing the feelings temporarily. This is a good start, because when our minds are pure, we can see things clearer.

When our minds are not clouded by defilement, we can see every little defilement clearly as it arises.

So momentary repression is an important tool in the beginning.

Once we are good at keeping our emotions in check, our minds will be free from the five hindrances.

Many people stop there, thinking it is enough for them to have a break from their stresses.

Meditation becomes a vacation.

In Buddhism we have to go deeper, and so we have to actually look at the defilements.

Once we start to look, we will start to see that actually there is no “I” that is greedy, angry, etc.

We will remove all views and conceits about self and ego.

We will not cling to views and opinions, because we will see that reality is just the way it is… phenomena arising and ceasing incessantly.

This is called purification of view.

Once our view is pure, we will start to see how these phenomena work together, as cause and effect.

When we want something, for instance, we give rise to actions and speech for the purpose of attaining the object of our desire.

when we act and speak thus, it leads us to suffer and stress when we don’t get what we want. and so on.

So, we overcome doubts about things like karma and rebirth.

This is called purification by overcoming doubt.

Because we see cause and effect clearly, we know that the future will only be the same.

We have no reason to think otherwise, because we see the nature of the reality around and inside ourselves.

Soon, we start to sort out the good and bad states, and come to see what is useful and what is not useful.

We come to see through even positive meditation states like peace and calm and happiness, bright lights, etc.

We see that simple bare attention and understanding of things as they are is the path; chasing after certain experiences is not.

This is called “purification by knowledge of what is the path and what is not”

From this point on, insight can arise unimpeded, because we no longer stray into dead end experiences of peace and bliss; now we are no longer judgmental about reality.

This is called purification by following the path.

As a result of following the path, we come to see that everything around and inside of ourselves is changing, unsatisfying and uncontrollable. We become bored of clinging to it, chasing after it.

And soon the mind lets go, seeing perfectly clear that there is nothing worth clinging to.

This is called “purification by knowledge and vision”

This is the realization of nibbana.

Once the mind lets go, it comes to see the cessation of all things; that whatever arises must inevitably cease.

This realisation is the wisdom that does away with any tendancy to give rise to unwholesomeness.

It is still gradual, though.

Slowly, through repeated realization, the mind lets go of all sensual desire, aversion, views, conceit, doubt, desire for becoming or ignorance.

These are the seven proclivities that rest in the mind, waiting for something to intice them into action.

Once these are gone, the mind will never give rise to defilement again.

This is the path of purification.

And that is the dhamma for today.

Thank you all for coming.