The Fourth Stage: Consider Free of Mental Fabrications as Equipoise-nature
The fourth stage regards free of mental fabrications as equipoise-nature, which refers to the oneness of the mind's true nature and the phenomena arising from the mind ––– Emptiness and luminosity. The phenomena arising from the mind refer to things we see, hear, and feel. All of them are emptiness and luminosity.
This "equipoise-nature" is the true Dzogchen. You are no longer afraid of discursive thoughts and phenomena. As Milarepa says, "the more thoughts you have, the happier you are," because thoughts are essentially emptiness. When phenomena appear, just let them be, because the appearance and disappearance of all phenomena are just the dance of Emptiness. At this time, phenomena are given a wonderful name - the Adornment of Emptiness.
Different people have different views towards phenomena. Untrained people fear them, while practitioners in Theravada Buddhism regard them as suffering. They enter Nirvana to shelter from phenomena. Mahayana Buddhism goes further and says that "compassion is not entering Nirvana, and wisdom is not dwelling in the three types of existence." Mahayana practitioners have no fear of phenomena because they are essentially emptiness in nature, the same as the nature of the min ––– equipoise-nature. This is the last stage, where we consider free of mental fabrications as equipoise-nature.
At this point, you rest in meditative equipoise most of the time, but you still contemplate from time to time, even in the midst of meditative equipoise. Since they are equal in nature, you are not afraid of contemplation. However, this type of contemplation is not deliberate, and it is not powerful enough to destroy your enlightenment. Therefore, you can contemplate even while enlightened.
In Dzogchen, the term "Flowing-water Mind Yoga" refers to the idea that all phenomena pass through the mind like flowing water and are not independent of the mind. The term "Yoga" means the integration of two things, in this case, the mind and the phenomena manifested by the mind. Both are characterized by Luminosity and Emptiness, which is the state of Dzogchen.
During this stage of practice, we need to study and contemplate the experiences of patriarchs, masters, and accomplished practitioners. We use their experiences as a reference to continuously check our own practices, and we work to attain a deeper understanding of the subtleties of the mind. This state in Dzogchen is known as "the differentiation of samsara and nirvana." In Chan Buddhism, it is referred to as "peeling and pecking off the layers of eggshells."
What does "peeling and pecking off the layers of eggshells" mean? Our true nature is like a chick in an egg, and to break free from the imprisonment of samsara, masters strike hard from the outside of the egg, while practitioners break through the layers from the inside, similar to how a chick pecks at the eggshell. Layer by layer, the eggshell of samsara is broken down until our true nature is revealed. This is similar to the process of the true nature of the mind dissolving attachment, leading to awakening.
Resting at ease in true nature does not mean simply sitting and enjoying something. It is a type of enjoyment, but one that is effortless and dissolves all phenomena arising before it, making them coherent to the mind as a whole. This is called "the consideration of the absence of mental fabrications as equipoise-nature." This is the authentic practice of Dzogchen and Chan Buddhism, known as "the Differentiation of Samsara and Nirvana" or "the Self-Liberation of the Six Senses."
What is the Self-Liberation of the Six Senses? In the initial stage of the practice of Emptiness, we consider an object before us as Emptiness in nature through contemplation. By using the method called the four negations of Madhyamaka, we can experience the sense of Mere Emptiness. For example, we may use light beams to shoot an object. However, this topic is extensive, and those interested can contact our staff for more information.
All the stages mentioned above are devices that aim to destroy the five aggregates. However, once the last stage is reached, they are liberated on their own. When the mind distinctly knows the fundamental difference between Samsara and Nirvana, directly experiences the nature of the mind, and rests at ease in the true nature, all external phenomena naturally come to liberation on their own. Thus, the liberation of the mind and the liberation of all phenomena arising from the mind mean the same thing, occurring simultaneously.
This process is called "the Self-Liberation of the Six Senses" in Dzogchen and "To Guard and Let It Be" in Chan Buddhism. "To guard" refers to naturally keeping the internal realization carried out without an intention. A practitioner in this stage naturally knows this is it. "Let it be" refers to letting all phenomena and thoughts rise and fall. This is the fourth stage of Madhyamaka.
Excerpted from: The Relationship Between Buddhist Theory and Practice
