The True Meaning of Liberation

“Mahamudra: Essence and Practice” (Book  II)

The True Meaning of Liberation

◎Yixin Chen: What do you mean by liberation?

●XueMo: The liberation I meant is ultimate liberation. Strictly speaking, those who are reborn into buddha-land haven’t achieved ultimate liberation yet. Rebirth can be one of the buddahood achievements, but it is not ultimate. Rebirth in a buddha-land is like going to a transfer station, where you go on practicing. If you are too obsessed with rebirth, you can hardly achieve ultimate liberation in this lifetime.  If you are attached to something, whether it is good or beauty, whether it is heaven or buddha-land, there will be no ultimate liberation. The real liberation is the shattering of attachment to everything. Liberation is absolute freedom with no attachment. Even if what you are attached to is Buddha or the image of Yidam, there will be no ultimate liberation. Those who are attached to the image of Yidam will be reborn in the Yidam’s buddha-land at best. But sometimes, demons may transfigure themselves into the appearance of Yidam to lure you. They may make use of your attachment to Yidam to lead you to depravity.  

If you are too obsessed with achievement, you can’t get it. So, Buddhist practice consists in letting go of everything, of all attachment in your lifttime, even of the obsession with attaining buddhahood. Only in this way do you have the possibility of enlightenment. Those who have attained Mahamudra are not attached to what they have attained.

An enlightened person is likely to achieve ultimate liberation, as long as he is able to maintain his state of enlightenment, without degeneration, without losing his true nature, and without being disturbed by the physical pains before his death. When he enters into the eight phases at the point of death, he can melt the child-brightness he has achieved into the mother-brightness existing in the dharma realm. In this way, he reaches liberation. This kind of liberation is free from any attachment. If there is any attachment, there will be no liberation for sure.

An achiever of Mahamudra doesn’t necessarily experience bardo (intermediate state). So, you have to attain shunyata (empty nature) in your lifetime and know exactly what it is, not only in theory but also in practice. You should be able to know and identify the brightness of empty nature. Only in this way can you make child and mother brightness merge together at the point of death. Mahasiddhas who have accomplished the dual practice of brightness and shunyata, however, achieve the union of mother and child brightnesses in their lifetime.

One of the superiorities of Vajrayana is that there are many skillful means. There are means to let you experience shunyata, and there are means to help you break down the barrier of the body. Even when you have missed the death brightness and and thus entered into bardo, you still can be reborn into a Pure Land by visualizing the Yidam.

Notice

Translated by non-professional volunteers, there would be some inaccuracies in the translation. You are welcome to offer us some advice for emendation. Please feel free to contact us.We also look forward to you joining our voluntary translation team.

Please contact us at suonanzhuoma1988@163.com, thank you.

《光明大手印：实修心髓》下

解脱的真正含义

◎陈亦新：您所说的解脱是什么？

●雪漠：我指的是究竟解脱。按真正的解脱标准，所有往生佛国者，都不是究竟解脱。往生可以算成就的一种，但真正的解脱不是往生。往生只是究竟解脱的中转站。往生是你到另一个佛国净土接着修。如果过于执著往生，今生是很难究竟解脱的。当你心中有所执著，无论你执著善还是美，无论你执著天空还是佛国，一有执著，必无解脱。真正的解脱是对所有执著的破除。解脱就是了无牵挂，了无牵挂之后的绝对自由就是解脱。哪怕他执著于佛，执著于本尊形象，也不会究竟解脱。执著于本尊形象者，至多往生本尊佛国。而且，有时候，魔也会化现为本尊形象来引诱你，他会利用你的执著而将你引向堕落。

你执著成就时，反而得不到成就。所以，真正的修行是放下一切，放下对今生的所有执著，甚至把成就、成佛也放下，才有可能开悟。证得大手印的人，是不会执著他证得的那个东西的。

而真正开悟的人，只要他的保任功夫到家，不要堕落，不要迷失他的本性，临终时不要因为肉体的痛苦影响他的悟境，那么，他就有可能解脱。当他进入临死八相时，将他修成的子光明融入法界本有的母光明，达到子母光明会，就会解脱。那种解脱也是了无牵挂，要是他有所牵挂，则必无解脱。

证得大手印之人，不一定经历中阴身。所以，你必须在生前证得空性，明明白白地了知空性是怎么回事，你不仅要在理上明白，还要在事上也明白，能认知空性光明。只有这样，你才可能在临终时做到子母光明会。证得双运果位的大成就师，则在生前就达到了子母光明会。

密宗较优胜的是有许多方便法门，比如，可利用多种方便法门，能让你认知空性；有许多方便能让你身不作障；即使你错过了死光明进入中阴身，那你还可以观本尊形貌而往生净土，等等。

声明：本文系文化志愿者试译，非专业人才翻译，错误定然不少，如出现疏漏及错误，敬请读者见谅。如有任何翻译上的建议及修正意见，欢迎及时与我们取得联系，我们会加以校对、修改，并希望有专业才能的朋友也能加入我们志愿者群体中来。

邮箱地址：suonanzhuoma1988@163.com