Bliss ?

[sonamdhargey]

I was wondering about the feeling of bliss. When one attained Nirvana one will experience bliss. How would one will feel bliss when the body is just an object? In a human form, we feel with though our senses that we have on our body. Anyone care to share how it works?

[Q]

True bliss is attained by perfection of the mind, such as seen in Enlightened beings. Blissfulness that comes from our bodily senses are not true bliss.

When we speak about bliss, it is vast bliss that we're looking for. As vast/great bliss is always non dualistic, it brings happiness unconditionally without depending on an object but through realization. Therefore, it is not the small pleasures that is obtained from satisfying ordinary cravings, but through the realization of interdependence, which will ultimately/automatically bring awakening.

There are many types of bliss, and one may get confused in it. But one thing in common is they are all transient and impermanent (ordinary cravings like pleasing the senses, blisses of food etc.) But the bliss of enlightenment is non-fading.

However, it is very difficult to talk about bliss as different level practitioner will view it differently or rather, it will apply to them in a different way.

For example, for a tantrika, bliss can be a form of rehearsal for Buddhahood itself by combining emptiness, as when these 2 combined, it is very close to the nature of the Buddha.

On a regular practitioner on the other hand, bliss can be indulgent in sensuality. Without applying emptiness within bliss, it can be detrimental to one's spiritual growth for one may be pulled to worldly pleasures once again.

[buddhalovely]

We have all heard that Buddha said that life was suffering, right? Wrong.

Buddha did not say that life was suffering (duhkha in Sanskrit). Rather Buddha said that certain mental activities lead to and perpetuated habitual suffering (samsara in Sanskrit). Buddha also taught that one could eliminate suffering (break the samsaric cycle), which he called the path. When the path is completed, then lasting happiness is experienced by the yogi; i.e., suffering and the causes of suffering has ended (called nirvana).

These four noble truths (samsara, the cause of samsara, nirvana, and the path of reaching nirvana) are fundamental to Buddhism.  They are to be taken as a whole -- as the ground, the cause, the path, and the fruit. In early Buddhism samsara (suffering in cyclic existence) and nirvana (unconditional liberation from suffering and lasting happiness) were formulated as being on opposite ends of a linear spectrum; i.e., samsara and nirvana were seen as dualistic opposites. That superficial formulation was corrected in subsequent turnings of the dharma. This error cropped up because of a deeply conditioned assumption of a self (atman) in the Indian psyche, even though Buddha taught selflessness/no self (anatta). In the path of the early Indian Buddhists, this assumption of a self or observer) and some thing that was observed (object) was a starting point, however it mostly reinforced the delusion that there was a separate self (observer) and separate sense objects.

Attacking that very assumption of intellectually imputing a reality to sense objects and an independent observer (ego) can not be successful unless the "observer" could possibly stand outside of that dualistic assumption/context. Attempts to do so mostly created nihilism where nirvana was thought of as  a separate other worldly place, apart from phenomena, existence, and life. Hence the early Buddhists too often saw themselves negating life, "the world", nature, the senses, and the self in an ascetic attitude often bordering on self abnegation despite the Buddha teaching the middleway. In short, it was never the sense organs, the body, nature, or sense objects which were the the real difficulty, rather it was how the limited mind interpreted and categorized the sensory data.

[bambi]

Thank you sonamdhargey for a good question. I believe this is what you are looking for.
In my opinion, when sentient beings die, our mind travel and leave the body. Although we are just a light or orb, we could still perceive ourselves with a complete body hence we still have our senses intact. 


THE   NATURE   OF   THE   BUDDHA   -   TRIKAYA

In order to have a better understanding of the nature of Buddha, one has to study the Trikaya doctrine in Buddhism. According to the Buddhist doctrine, the Buddhas have three bodies (Trikaya) or three aspects of personality.

The Form Body (Rupakaya) or the Manifestation Body (Nirmanakaya) or Transformation Body or Response Body.

After a Buddha has attained Enlightenment, he is the living embodiment of wisdom, compassion, happiness and freedom. In the history made known to us, there was only one Buddha, Shakyamuni. This was his physical body (i.e. Form Body) who was born among men, attained Enlightenment, preached the Dharma and entered Nirvana.

In the Buddhist scripture, it is said that during the three months after the Nirvana, Shakyamuni Buddha was engaged in preaching the Abhidharma, the Earth Store Sutra, etc. to his mother in the Tusita Heaven. He created some Nimmita-Buddha (or Laksana Buddha) as exact replicas of himself. This mind-formed body of Buddhas (i.e. Manomayakaya) is regarded as the Nirmana-kaya, which cannot be distinguished from the Buddha's voice, words and even the rays of light that emitted forth from his body. The created Buddha could be detected only by the gods of the higher realms of existence, and not by ordinary gods or men. The Manifestation Body (i.e. Nirmana-kaya) of the Buddha is the purely transcendental nature of the Form Body (i.e. Rupakaya). The Manifestation Body of the Buddha is possessed of a beautiful Rupakaya adorned with thirty-two marks.

The Manifestation Body is transformed in response to the conditions of the sentient beings. Therefore it is sometimes known as the Transformation Body or the Response Body.

Reward Body/Enjoyment Body (Sambhoga-kaya)

The formation of Sambhoga-kaya of a Buddha is based on his blessings and wisdom, as a reward of his vigorous cultivation in Buddhahood. In various stages of the Bodhisattva's career, a Bodhisattva attains a transcendental body by means of which he continues to appear in the various realms of phenomenal existence.

There are two kinds of Sambhoga-kaya:

Svasambhoga - it is perceived by the Buddhas in other world systems, considered as the body or aspect through which the Buddha enjoys himself in certifying the Dharma.
Parasambhoga - it is perceived by Bodhisattvas and considered as the body or aspect through which the Buddha preaches the Dharma, leading others to the realization of the truth, and enjoys the company of Bodhisattvas.
This is a selfless, pure, spiritual enjoyment, not to be confused with sensual pleasure. Though not a human, historical person, Sambhogakaya is also considered as a being with a transcendental nature.

There are different Buddhas in different world-systems, which are formed in different ways by different minds. One of the best known popular system of classification is known as the Five Dhyani-Buddhas, i.e. a group of five "families" over each of which a particular Buddha presided. They are the wisdom-Buddha in Vajradhatu, (1) Vairocana, (2) Aksobhya, (3) Ratnasambhava, (4) Amitabha and (5) Amoghasiddhi.

Dharma Body (Dharmakaya)

This is referred to as the Truth Body of the Buddha, which is the embodiment of the principle of Enlightenment. The Dharma or the truth is not confined to the verbal teachings which are recorded in the Buddhist scriptures, but in general, also the real and essential nature of Buddhas.

Shakyamuni said, "The Tathagata was Dharma-kaya, as well as Dharmabhuta (i.e. the one who has become Truth)". He also said, "He who sees the Dharma sees the Tathagata; he who sees the Tathagata sees the Dharma".

In other words, the Buddha is equal to Dharma, and all Buddhas are one and the same, being no different from one another in the Dharma-kaya, because the reality of Truth is one.

The reality, being not only wisdom, but also compassion for the purpose of preaching the Dharma to all beings assume innumerable forms. These forms, of which Shakyamuni is the one best known to us, are all identical in nature, and hence they are wholly transcendental.

The Buddha is possessed of a Dharmakaya purified in every way and glorified by the Ten Paramitas, full of splendour and virtue, incomparable and fully enlightened.

In the Shakyamuni's lifetime, both the Form Body and the Dharma Body were united in him. However, after his Nirvana, the distinction became more pronounced. His Form Body was dead and enshrined in the form of relics in stupas, but his Dharma Body being the collection of his Dharma is eternally present.

In Buddhist doctrine, Vairocana represents the Dharmakaya, Rocana (or Locana) represents the Sambhogakaya and Shakyamuni represents the Nirmanakaya. Vairocana is generally recognised as the spiritual or essential body of Buddha, and pervading everything like light. The esoteric school interprets it by the sun, or its light. Vairocana is the chief of the Five Dhyani Buddhas, occupying the centre position, known as the Great Sun Tathagatha.

[Tenzin K]

In the generation of bliss, even from gross worldly passions, the bliss can be enjoyed as a deity, as an offering to deities, and oneself as a deity and to generate and deepen the sense of emptiness of all phenomena and self. This is the tantric function of blissful states. They are generated and enjoyed purely as means towards enlightenment, as aspects of the path, not as ends in themselves. In themselves they are mere sensations - part of samsara. The generation of bliss can be kept going all the time. It is possible to experience and re-experience joy and feelings of intense elation, controlled ecstasy and serene, tranquil bliss. To begin with, bliss seems to preclude emptiness, but then the two become thoroughly entwined, such that touching one brings out the other.

The three main components of the tantric path, the vajrayana, therefore, are these three - bliss, emptiness and compassion/bodhichitta. Bodhichitta [strong compassion] is required at the start of the path, in the middle and at the end. Bliss and emptiness, likewise, are required at all stages.

It is the most intense bliss of sexual union that is so highly regarded by tantrikas, because it is so intense and all-consuming. It can also be controlled through tantric sexual yogas so that it keeps burning on rather than climaxing and then ending. This function is to increase wisdom and tranquillity and lead also to deeper and deeper feelings both of compassion and bodhichitta or pity, and also of emptiness. The deeper and more intense the preceeding bliss, so the deeper and more intense the apprehension of compassion and emptiness. Bliss is therefore just a stepping-stone into the fuller apprehension of compassion and emptiness.

The essence of tantric practice is the transformation of oneself into a deity and the transformation of the world into a pure realm paradise, ie. to become a Buddha and to view the world as a Buddha views it.

It is not to be achieved through abandoning the world or abandoning oneself as is often sommonly believed and erroneously taught, but through transforming our perception of both - tranforming this perception slowly, continuously, incrementally and very thoroughly. By saturating the mind in Buddhist images, concepts, doctrines and practices one gradually becomes a deity and one views self and world as pure. One key feature of this process is to use self and world to generate a body and mind of great bliss, for without this bliss one is not a Buddha and one's view of the world is thus still impure or samsaric.

This process means to use the multifarious sensations of this body and mind in this world to generate continuous and unfading bliss. Bliss that is also and very importantly continually, inseparably and intimately commingled, conjoined and blended with emptiness, tranquillity, non-attachment and bodhichitta. All of these qualities must be blended with the bliss. If not then one simply falls into hedonism - sensations and pleasure for the sake of it and as an end in itself, thus lacking all spirituality and achieving no purifcation of the mind or of one's perception of the world.

The Buddha view is only attained through bliss and the bliss is only attained and maintained through deity yoga and seeing the world as mandala. This is the final step into Buddhahood - maintaining the unfading bliss. Rather than seeing the world as one big distraction from spiritual practice, we can then begin to use it as a source of bliss and use it continuously to generate bliss. This bliss we make from everything we see, everything we hear, touch, taste and smell. All matter, all motion, all mass, all colours, all sensations. Thus we can have sound bliss, music bliss, noise bliss, red bliss, blue bliss, pink bliss, softness bliss, coarse bliss, lumps bliss, silk bliss, pain bliss, salty bliss, sweet bliss, fruity bliss, minty bliss, fragrant bliss, etc.

Once our body and senses become the source of continuous and unfading bliss, conjoined with emptiness etc then we are very close to seeing the world as mandala and of achieving the truth body, enjoyment body and emanation body of a Buddha.

Even the defilements become forms of bliss - anger bliss, hatred bliss, envy bliss, ignorance bliss, jealousy bliss, attachment bliss.

The bliss must be welded with compassion or bodhichitta and tranquillity as this makes it warm, caring and powerful, radiant and supple. Ifthe compassion element is missing then it becomes selfish bliss, indulgent bliss and falls into hedonism. The non-attachment is also important or we become deeply attached to the bliss and the pleasure element. Similar argum