[As background, see: The Five Pathway Minds (The Five Paths).]

One of the major Mahayana sutra texts studied by all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism is Filigree of Realizations (mNgon-rtogs rgyan, Skt. Abhisamayalamkara), a commentary by Maitreya on the Prajnaparamita Sutras (phar-byin mdo, Sutras on Far-Reaching Discriminating Awareness, Perfection of Wisdom Sutras). It receives such emphasis in the Tibetan traditions – and not in the Indian or East Asian Mahayana ones – perhaps because Haribhadra, the author of its main commentary, was a disciple of the mid-eighth century Indian master Shantarakshita. Shantarakshita was the first Indian master to visit Tibet.

In this text, Maitreya explains the stages of the realizations (rtogs-pa) gained with the five pathway minds (lam-lnga, five paths) that lead to the three purified states (byang-chub, Skt. bodhi).

The five pathway minds are:

1. the path of building up (tshogs-lam, path of accumulation),

2. the path of applying (sbyor-lam, path of preparation),

3. the path of seeing (mthong-lam),

4. the path of accustoming (sgom-lam, path of meditation),

5. the path of no further training (mi-slob-lam, path of no more learning).

The three purified states are those of

1. a shravaka arhat,

2. a pratyekabuddha arhat,

3. a bodhisattva arhat – meaning in this context, a Buddha.

The first two purified states are Hinayana; the third is Mahayana.

The realizations are primarily of the sixteen characteristics of the four noble truths or of voidness, organized into eight sets of realizations (dngos-po brgyad, eight phenomena). Each is comprised of many exemplifying topics (mtshon-byed-kyi chos), seventy all together, with each topic having numerous divisions. The sets, topics, and divisions form overlapping networks. Practitioners progresses through the five paths linearly, one after the other, by gaining these networks of realizations.

[See: List of the Sixteen Characteristics and Incorrect Views of the Four Noble Truths.]

The eight sets of realizations are in three groupings:

1. The three sets of realized awareness of the mother texts (yum mkhyen-pa gsum). The mother texts refer to the Hundred Thousand, Twenty-five Thousand, and Eight Thousand Verse Prajnaparamita Sutras.

2. The four sets of applied realizations (sbyor-ba bzhi, four yogas).

3. The resultant Dharmakaya (‘bras-bu chos-sku).

The Three Sets of Realized Awareness

The three sets of realized awareness are groupings of realizations gained by three sets of aryas (‘phags-pa, highly realized beings), those who have gained nonconceptual cognition of the sixteen characteristics of the four noble truths. The three are organized into basis, pathway, and resultant stages and thus, in a complex manner, are cumulative. They are studied, however, in reverse order to their attainment, in order to inspire interest in developing them.

1. Omniscient realized awareness (rnam-mkhyen) encompasses the realizations that are exclusive to Arya Buddhas. Arya Buddhas are synonymous with Buddhas.

2. Pathway realized awareness (lam-shes) encompasses the realizations that are common to all bodhisattva aryas, including Buddhas.

3. Basis or fundamental realized awareness (gzhi-shes) encompasses the realizations that are common to all three types of aryas – shravaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattva – including shravaka and pratyekabuddha arhats and Buddhas.

The Four Sets of Applied Realizations

The four sets of applied realizations are groupings of realizations that bodhisattvas apply along the Mahayana paths to enlightenment.

4. The realizations applied along the complete Mahayana path (rnam-rdzogs sbyor-ba) encompass the factors, from among the three sets of realized awareness, that one works with in common on the four Mahayana paths up to Buddhahood, from the path of building up to the end of the path of accustoming. These include, for example, understanding the two truths (bden-gnyis) and working with shamatha (zhi-gnas, stilled and settled state of mind, calm abiding) and vipashyana (lhag-mthong, exceptionally perceptive state of mind, special insight).
5. The ever-sharper applied realizations (rtse-sbyor) encompass the increasingly higher specific realizations that one gains at each of the stages of the Mahayana path, from the path of applying to the end of the path of accustoming.
6. The accumulative applied realizations (mthar-gyi sbyor-ba) encompass the realizations that build up, one on the other, from the Mahayana path of building up to the phase immediately preceding the last phase of the path of accustoming, and which give confidence in the three sets of realized awareness. These include, for example, the six far-reaching attitudes (perfections), which build up one on the other.
7. The realizations applied at the last phase (skad-cig-ma’i sbyor-ba) encompass the final realizations gained on the last phase (moment) of the tenth bodhisattva bhumi on the path of accustoming, and which bring enlightenment.

8. The resultant Dharmakaya is the corpus of omniscient realizations encompassing everything and which is gained with Buddhahood. This set encompasses all four corpuses (bodies) of a Buddha.

The eight sets of realizations interweave as networks to describe the path and the result:

• The second through the seventh sets interweave as networks to describe the path.

• The first three and the eighth sets interweave to describe the result.

Moreover, the realizations of practitioners at each stage of the path are networks comprised of different combinations of the eight sets:

• Bodhisattvas on the Mahayana Path of Building Up have the fourth and sixth sets of realizations. Hinayanists (shravakas and pratyekabuddhas) on the Hinayana paths of building up have none of the eight sets of realizations.

• Bodhisattvas on the Mahayana Path of Applying have the fourth through the sixth sets. Hinayanists on the Hinayana paths of applying have none of them.

• Arya bodhisattvas on the Mahayana Path of Seeing have the second through the sixth sets. Arya Hinayanists on the Hinayana paths of seeing have only the third.

• Arya bodhisattvas on the Mahayana Path of Accustoming up to the phase immediately preceding the last phase before Buddhahood have the second through the sixth sets. Arya Hinayanists on the Hinayana paths of accustoming up to the phase immediately preceding the last phase before Hinayana arhatship still have only the third.

• Arya bodhisattvas on the last phase of the Mahayana path of Accustoming Before Buddhahood have the second through the seventh sets. Arya Hinayanists on the Hinayana paths of accustoming before Hinayana arhatship still have only the third.

• Arya Arhat Buddhas (equivalent to Buddhas) have the first three and the eighth factors. Hinayana Arya Arhats still have only the third.

Page Contents

Basic Features

The Three Sets of Realized Awareness

The Four Sets of Applied Realizations

The Resultant Dharmakaya

The Interweaving of the Eight Sets of Realizations into Networks