DESCRIPTION

The second gate is ‘following.’ Specifically, following the breath. After focusing attention on the breath through ‘counting’ the practitioner shifts attention to simply following the breath, noting whether it is long or short,

Countermeasures

In Chapter Four Zhiyi presents the Six Gates again, this time as countermeasures to three kinds of obstacles (āvaraṇa): ‘Ripening’ (vipāka), afflictions (kleśa), (re)actions (karma)

vipāka-āvaraṇa

• Counting - when the mind scatters like a monkey in a tree from the ‘ripening’ of discrimination-making initial ideation (vitarka) and mental discursion (vicāra).
• Following - when one’s mind is dull and non-recalling, dim, ‘floating,’ ‘skipping-over,’ and ‘running off’, it comes to abide in dependence upon the breath as an objective condition.
• Stabilization - if one becomes aware of an urgency in body and mind, coarseness of the breath together with a scatteredness and continuous flow of thoughts, ‘stabilization’ is used to relax the body, “release” the breath, and control thoughts, the mind becoming focused in stillness.

kleśa-āvaraṇa

• Contemplation - if desire arises, one uses a ‘contemplation of mind’ technique such as the charnel reflections on the unlovely or some other reflection on “impurity.” - if anger or hatred arises, one uses a ‘contemplation of mind’ technique such as the contemplations on loving-kindness, compassion, Joy, and Equanimity.
• Turning - if delusion arises along with its erroneous views, ‘turn’ back the attention to illuminate the twelve causes and conditions, the three emptinesses, and the factors of enlightenment, engaging in analysis directed at the very source of one’s own mind, and returning in refuge to its fundamental nature.

karma-āvaraṇa

• Purification - if defiled thoughts arise one should realize this obstacle originates from one’s previous black and murky karmic actions and uses a ‘purification’ technique like mindfulness of the ‘provisional purity’ of the light issuing from the thirty-two marks of the Buddha’s transformation body (nirmāṇakāya). - If unwholesome thoughts arise one realizes the karma of past transgressions and uses a a counteractive ‘purification’ technique like mindfulness of the ‘perfect purity’ of the reward-body (saṃbhogha-kāya). - If signs appear which are linked to all manner of abhorrent states of mind, one realizes they are obstacles generated by unwholesome karmic actions committed in past and present lives and uses a counteractive technique like mindfulness of the fundamental purity’ of the Dharma-Body (dharmakāya), which is neither-produced-nor-destroyed, possessing a fundamental nature characterized by purity.

Mutual Inclusion

In Chapter Five, Zhiyi explains two ways in which the Six Gates are mutually inclusive, 1) in their very substance, and 2) in their skillful cultivation that generates superior progress.

The Six Gates are homogeneous

“One should realize that within that very practice of counting the breaths, there exist all Six Gates.”

• “Because the mind depends upon following the breath to perform the practice of counting, that very practice also includes the gate of “following.”
• “Because one puts to rest all grasping at extraneous objective conditions and controls the mind so that it abides in the practice of counting, that very practice includes the gate of “stabilization.”
• Because one is engaged in the process of distinguishing and remaining aware of both mental counting and the breath, with complete clarity, that very practice includes “contemplation.”
• Because one subsequently realizes that all phenomena are false and deceptive, the mind then no longer acquiesces in attachment to objective conditions and the mind then “turns back,” returning again to the counting of breaths.
• Because one remains free of the five hindrances (nīvaraṇa) or any of the defilements associated with coarse afflictions when engaged in focusing on counting the breath, both the body and mind then come to abide in a state of quiescence. Thus, counting includes “purification.”

“Each and every one of the practices of following, stabilization, contemplation, turning, and purification is inclusive of the six gates. This being the case, there are then six times six, that is to say thirty-six gates to the sublime.”

The Six Gates are simultaneous

• Counting - having remained aware of the breath’s initial entry, its internal route of travel, and the location to which it reaches, this continues on as, even after the breath has entered, the mind remains entirely aware as it goes back on out again.
• Following - relying on ‘following,’ one remains undistracted and thus becomes able to accomplish the perfection of ‘counting,’ going from ‘one’ on up to ‘ten.’ In doing this, even while engaged in the practice of “counting,” one achieves the perfection of the gate of ‘following.’
• Stabilization - at precisely that time when one is engaged in ‘counting’, the subtle mind is engaged in a skillful manner. It controls the mind so that it takes as its object the mental practice of ‘counting’ as well as the breath itself. It does not allow ideation (vitarka) or mental discursion (vicāra) to succeed in arising. One is then able, even while engaged in ‘counting,’ to accomplish the perfection of the gate of ‘stabilization.’
• Contemplation - at just that time when one is engaged in ‘counting,’ one perfects the skillful means of discerning wisdom (saṃprajñāna), becoming aware that the aggregates, sense bases, and sense realms are all just like clouds and just like shadows, while also realizing that they are empty and devoid of any inherently existent nature of their own. One is unable to apprehend any ‘person’ or ‘thing.’ While engaged in ‘counting’, one perfects ‘contemplation.’
• Turning - at just the same time, one also becomes entirely aware that this very mind engaged in contemplative illumination is itself devoid of any inherently existent nature and is false, deceptive, and unreal. One then abandons thought devoted to carrying on knowing awareness of an objective sphere. In doing this, even while engaged in ‘counting,’ one perfects the gate of ‘turning.’
• Purification - at just that time when one is engaged in ‘counting’ it is not that one merely fails to apprehend any objective sphere which is contemplated or any subjective agent which is able to contemplate. Additionally, by employing wisdom-based skillful means, one is also unable to conclude that contemplator and contemplated are definitively non-existent either. This is because the fundamentally pure nature of dharmas is like empty space and cannot be made the object of discriminating analysis. At this time, the mind of the practitioner is [realized to be] identical to the very nature of dharmas. It is quiescent and does not move. In this then, even while engaged in ‘counting,’ one perfects the gate of ‘purification.’

“One thus employs the other five gates as adornments to the practice of counting the breaths. “Following,” “stabilization,” “contemplation,” “turning,” and “purification” are all also just like this. However, we shall not now take up those separate discussions. In this case then, there are six times six, or thirty-six permutations which may be collectively referred to as “the thirty-six gates to the sublime.”