Uttaratantra: The Three Jewels of Refuge

Other languages

Question about Method and Wisdom

Could Your Holiness explain a little bit more about method and wisdom?

When we speak of method and wisdom in Buddhism, method is referring primarily to the various actions and practices that will act as a cause for being able to generate a Form Body of a Buddha or a Rupakaya, a Corpus of Emanations. When we speak of wisdom, this is referring to those actions or things that will build up a network of deep awareness, a collection of insight, to act as a cause for achieving the mind or the omniscience of a Buddha.

A general presentation in the Dharma is of the two truths as the basis, the pair of method and wisdom as the path, and then the two types of Body or Corpuses of Buddha as the result. In terms of the enlightening forms of the body of a Buddha, these are actually involved with being for the benefit of others. This is because these enlightening forms can actually meet with others and will actually directly bring about benefit to others. The enlightening forms or Rupakaya of a Buddha are things that are for the benefit of others.

Wherever there is the body of a Buddha, the mind of a Buddha must also be present. The body and mind are inseparable. Therefore, if one has not achieved the omniscient mind of a Buddha, one will not be able to have infinite enlightening forms that benefit others. The enlightening mind of a Buddha is actually something for the benefit of oneself. It is a meaningful purpose for oneself. This is the basis for allowing one to have meaningful benefit for others with one's actual physical bodies of a Buddha.

There are different aspects within the categories of method and wisdom. For instance, in the category of method there are the far-reaching attitudes or perfections of generosity and patience, as well as love, compassion and so forth. Included on the side of wisdom are the various types of wisdom; but, primary among them is the discriminating awareness with which we understand a lack of truly established existence, in other words voidness. Although we could include the discriminating awareness of understanding impermanence and the different types of voidness, it is primarily the discriminating awareness with which we understand a lack of true, self-established existence.

Top