The Process of Development of
The Five Buddha Families
Tantric Buddhism and the Bardo or intermediate state teachings start from the basic, open, and clear space that underlies everything. This Space is not empty though and includes the entire realm of Potential Energy. This state is referred to as our truth body or Dharmakaya.
From this basic truth body comes what is called the enjoyment body or Sambhogakaya. This body is composed of the essential qualities of that potential energy and our experience of those qualities.
The final fruition of this energy in terms of movement, thought, speech, action, and form is called the Emanation body or Nirmanakaya. This represents the final physical manifestation of these energies.
The description of the five Buddha Families represents the emanation of physical, mental, and emotional manifestations of the enjoyment body energies from within the basic truth body. These five energies are divided into the Buddha, Karma, Padma, Ratna, and Vajra families of Energies.
We start out with defining (consciously or unconsciously) our range of awareness, activity, and functioning. This is the energy of the Buddha Family. The Buddha Family begins with the passive energy of Awareness. The Active energy in this family is Experiencing. The Skanda associated with the Buddha Family is Consciousness and the element associated with it is the Space element. The Wisdom aspect of the Buddha Family is All-Encompassing Awareness and the neuroses associated with it are Dullness, Confusion, and Self-centredness.
Once the self is defined and delineated, then "Other" automatically comes into existence. From this comes the drive to move towards "other" to regain wholeness and to gain control of what has now become outside of our selves and therefore outside of our control. This is the Karma Family energy. The Karma Family involves the passive energy of Capacity or Potential. Its Active energy is Acting or Transforming. The Skanda of the Karma family is Intentions and the element is the element of Wind. Its Wisdom aspect is Skillfulness and Creativity and the neuroses associated with the Karma family are Doubt, Envy, Restlessness and Paranoia.
As we move towards Other, we begin to notice the attributes and qualities of the portion of Other in front of us. We therefore begin to draw that portion of Other to us. This is Padma Family Energy. The Padma Family involves the passive energy of Appreciation. The active energy is Uniting. The Skanda involved is Perceptions and the element is Fire. It manifests in a Buddha as Investigation and Compassion and the neuroses associated with the Padma family are Longing, Obsession, and Manipulation.
Once we have drawn in that portion of Other, we then feel the texture and qualities of Other in order to confirm the validity of our Perceptions from before. This is Ratna Family Energy. The Ratna Family has its passive expression in Balance. Its active expression is Nourishing and Supporting. The Skanda involved in the Ratna family is Feelings and the element is the Earth element. This involves the Buddha quality of Equality and the neuroses are Attachment, Miserliness, and Pride.
Once we have felt the qualities of Other, we then categorize and organize Other and incorporate it or delineate and resolve its relationship to our defined self. Through this process we strengthen our self definition and reinforce the boundries in our world. This is the Energy of the Vajra Family. The Vajra Family has the passive energy of Clarity. The active energy is Organizing and Resolving. The Form Skanda belongs to the Vajra family and the element associated with it is the Water element. The Wisdom is the Wisdom of Intelligence and the neuroses associated with the Vajra family are Anger, Pessimism, and Superiority.
At this point the cycle of these actions begins again and we redefine ourselves based on our recent experience and then follow through in the same pattern. With each repetition we strengthen our world views and the distinctions they involve.
There is a distinct correlation between the body/mind collection of each family, the element involved, and the corresponding wisdom and neuroses. The Consciousness collection and the space element have the same underlying energy. This energy expresses itself in terms of awareness and experiencing. From this activity comes the wisdom manifestations of Understanding and Wisdom, or the neurotic manifestations of dullness, confusion, self-centredness or self-absorption. The other energy families operate in the same way.
At this point in our practice, we will begin the process of studying and analyzing the details of each of these families. We will start with the grossest level of the Vajra family and the world of Form. We will examine the details of the components involved in each family. We will look at the body/mind component that is a part of each family. We will see how there are certain parts of the body that are controlled by these energies. We will also examine the wisdom energy, the neurotic energy and the means to convert neurosis into wisdom for each of the 5 Buddha families.
In examining ourselves and our reality according to these concepts, there are a few things that we need to remain aware of.
Each of us contains all of these elements and Body/Mind components. We are composed of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Space and each one of these elements contains an underlying intelligence and wisdom. This also means that our Body/Mind components of Form, Feeling, Perception, Intention, and Consciousness also contain this underlying intelligence and wisdom. This means that each of us also has the potential for any of the neuroses or any of the wisdoms involved in these 5 Buddha Families.
Therefore, we can't just say that this or that family doesn't apply to us or doesn't concern us or does not relate to our own situation or that we cannot possibly perfect this or that wisdom. We will not attain enlightenment until we have penetrated all 5 wisdoms. The potential for suffering will continue to exist until we can completely express the wisdom aspect of all 5 elements and all 5 body/mind components. Using these descriptions and teachings will allow us to transform our worst neuroses and develop any wisdoms that we may be missing or that need perfecting. This will eventually lead to the complete Wisdom and Skill of the Buddha and the resulting permanent Peace and Joy.
The second thing that needs to be remembered is that the expression and experience of the underlying energies of these elements and body/mind collections is Wisdom. Neuroses and suffering arise because we grasp at these Wisdom energies, resist them, or are overwhelmed and try to avoid them. Perceiving the real nature of our Forms, Feelings, Perceptions, Intentions, and Consciousness is what is meant by the first of the Buddha's eightfold path of Complete Viewpoint. From that can come complete thought, speech, and action, which results in a complete livelihood. All of this is accomplished through complete effort, Complete mindfulness, and complete concentration. Incomplete or misguided views are the cause of our grasping, resisting and avoiding. The thought, speech, and action that arise from those misguided views, is what gives rise to our emotional disturbances and causes our suffering.
Finally, we need to remember about Karma and how the force of our past habits will cause us difficulties and obstacles in converting neuroses into wisdom. The habitual force of our grasping, resisting, and avoiding can be very strong. We have been reinforcing some of these neuroses for many years in this lifetime and for many other lifetimes besides. A great deal of repeated effort is required to gradually learn to express these energies with wisdom instead of succumbing to neurotic expressions of these forces. Hopefully, recognizing that the wisdom energy is underlying the neurotic expression of that energy will help us transform our emotional disturbances as we are experiencing them. Once again, effort, mindfulness, and concentration are required to make this happen.
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