..续本文上一页es, food, medicine and other everyday necessities to those who are destitute. (2) Exceptional generosity is additionally giving away precious things that one cherishes very highly to those in need. (3) Extremely difficult generosity is even giving away one”s own body.
We know from stories about the former lives of Buddha Shakyamuni, at times when he was born a bodhisattva, that he gave away his body or head, which is a very difficult thing to do. Can an ordinary inpidual do this
Shantideva taught in the Bodhicharyavatara that it is not at all recommendable for someone who has not realized extraordinary wisdom and compassion to give away his or her hands or other bodily parts. We may conclude that it is therefore impossible for ordinary beings like us to be just as generous as the Buddha was in former lives. But the aspiration to achieve this most difficult kind of generosity is not less beneficial than actually carrying out the act. Therefore - so that doubts and discouragement do not arise and in reliance upon the instructions on phowa4 - one imagines that one transfers one”s consciousness outside the body and then offers hands and limbs to ghosts, ghouls, evil phantoms and gods.
What is exceptional about giving away one”s own body
Why is it really helpful
The size of the offering and the intention are decisive. If both are great, then the benefit will be great. What does this have to do with one”s physical body
Nobody will deny that one cherishes and clings to one”s body the most, therefore giving it away is an exceptional present. Why did Shantideva say that such an act is impossible for ordinary beings
He wrote that it is not such a good thing to do because ordinary beings are overly attached and habituated to their body. He explained that one may be fascinated by the idea, but when it comes to actually living up to one”s intention of giving away one”s body or limbs, one loses heart and becomes more than distraught. As a result, regret overwhelms practitioners. When this happens, one discovers that the intention was not such a good idea after all. And so, generously surrendering the body while practicing chod is only imagined, which is already very beneficial. Merely imagining such an act of generosity is therefore a precautionary measure so that there is no danger of regretting and feeling badly when the situation actually presents itself and one backs off.
The instructions dealing with the sixth paramita say that prajna (“wisdom-awareness”) needs to be realized in order to achieve supreme awakening. Wisdom-awareness is the realization that all appearances in the world and one”s life are devoid of inherent existence, i.e., everything is empty of a self-existing nature. The Prajnaparamitasutra states, “There is no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no mental formation” and so forth. It is necessary to relinquish all preconceptions and discursiveness that one clings to and nurtures in order to fully realize the empty nature of all things referred to in the above verse. Chod is a reliable and powerful method of practice to overcome all false assumptions about the world of appearances and experiences. Imagining that one is offering one”s body as food to spirits and demons helps a practitioner give up clinging to a self, which, in truth, does not exist as supposed.
It is so much easier imagining that one is offering one”s body to those one loves and admires. Offering one”s body to those one fears and dislikes, to those deemed enemies and foes, to those who hinder and obstruct any plans one may wish to accomplish is much more difficult. Therefore, the instructions on chod suggest that, in order to overcome and reliably dispel attachment to a self, one specifically imagines giving one”s body to those one disl…
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