THREE KEYS OF LIFE

*** THREE KEYS OF LIFE ***

THREE NETS TO LEAD ASTRAY

"Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth."

- Isaiah 24:17

"Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."

- James 1:15

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The 'Three Nets of Belial' are seen as the traps by which all the earth are lead astray. The first is an attachment or craving, the second is in association with shortcomings and wrongdoing; bringing about the third which is of loss and suffering.

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THREE KINDS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - LIVING WATERS & THE TREE OF LIFE Three Kinds of Righteousness & Three Nets ".... let loose against Israel as God hath spoken through Isaiah, the prophet, the son of Amoz, saying: Fear and the net and the snare are upon thee, O inhabitant of the land. Its explanation is: three nets of Belial concerning which Levi the son of Jacob hath spoken by which he ensnared Israel and directed their faces to the three kinds of righteousness. The first is |*1 fornication, the second is |*2 wealth, the third is the |*3 pollution of the sanctuary." - Damascus Document 6:14-19

The Digging of the Well

And He took from Aaron men of understanding and from Israel wise men and made them understand, and they digged the well. "The princes digged the well; they digged it, the nobles of the people, by the lawgiver. The well is the Law, and they who digged it are the captivity of Israel who have gone forth out of the land of Judah and sojourned in the land of Damascus, all of whom God called princes. For they sought Him and their bough was not turned back in the mouth of one. And the Lawgiver is he who interprets the Law concerning whom Isaiah said, "He bringeth forth an instrument for his work. And the nobles of the people are they who came to dig the well by the precepts which the Lawgiver ordained to walk in them for all end of the wickedness. And they shall reach nothing beside them until there will arise the teacher of righteousness in the end of the days. And all they who were brought into the covenant they shall not enter into the Sanctuary to kindle His altar, and be shutting the door, concerning whom God said, "Who is there among you who would shut the doors, neither do you kindle my altar for naught." If they will not observe to do according to the interpretation of the Law, until the end of the wickedness, and to separate from the children of destruction, and to separate from the wealth of wickedness which is contaminated by a |*1 vow and curse, and from the |*2 wealth of the sanctuary, and rob the poor of his people (so that) widows be their prey, and they |*3 murder the fatherless and to distinguish between clean and unclean and to make known between the holy and the profane, and to observe the Sabbath according to its interpretation and the feasts and the day of fast according to the command of them who entered in to the New Covenant in the land of Damascus. |*1 To raise their offerings according to their interpretation, |*2 to love every one his neighbor as himself, and |*3 to strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy and the stranger, and to seek every one the peace. - Damascus Document 8:4-35

The Ten Sefirot , Three Columns & Tree of Life

Creation of the universe was made possible by a withdrawal of the light of the creator, which was otherwise present everywhere. This was for our own sake, as we cannot receive the full intensity of God's light. Therefore we are separated from God with a sequence of ten energy fields known as the sefirot. Each of the sefirah is distinguished from others with different teachings. Together they make up 'The Tree of Life'. As we ascend each sefirah, we grow in spiritual capacity, giving ability to capacitate light, we draw closer to the creator. Like any tree there is a source of goodness, however this is drawn from the crown being in regards light. Three columns - central, right and left make up the tree. These three columns represent three necessary energies for essential transformation. The right Column represents: benevolence, mercy and desire to give or share. The left power, judgement and desire to receive. Centrally we have the mediation of free will, enabling to meld and transform the desire to receive with purpose of sharing. - A study of 'The Essential Zohar'

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INTERPRETATION - Parallel Attributes / Similarities The three kinds of righteousness are of firstly the noblemen (in confirmation/rod), then the teachers of the law (in digging/staff) and lastly the lawgiver and the law (goal/well itself). These correspond to: column |*1 - right/Yang attributes, column |*2 - left/Yin attributes and column |*3 - central in the tree of life. Where the well itself is the law and mediation is represented by the Teacher of Righteousness/Chief Priest in this sense. Note: |*1, |*2, |*3 refers to corresponding righteousness derived of each form of righteousness.

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BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD CHAPTER V What the Thunder Said The children of Prajapati, the Creator - gods, human beings, the usuras, the godless - lived with their father as students. When they had completed the allotted period the gods said, "Venerable One, please teach us." Prajapati answered with one syllable: "Da." "Have you understood?" he asked. "Yes," they said. "You have told us damyata, be self-controlled." "You have understood," he said. 2 Then the human beings approached. "Venerable One, please teach us." Prajapati answered with one syllable: "Da." "Have you understood?" he asked. "Yes," they said. "You have told us datta, give." "you have understood," he said. Then the godless approached. "Venerable One, please teach us." Prajapati answered with the same syllable: "Da." "Have you understood?" he asked. "Yes," they said. "You have told us dayadhvam, be compassionate." "You have understood," he said. The heavenly voice of thunder repeats this teaching. Da-da-da! Be self-controlled! Give! Be compassionate!

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THE THREE VEHICLES AND TWELVE DIVISIONS OF THE DHARMA

Taking a look at the Tripitaka, to transmit the dharma (teaching) is to turn the wheel of dharma. The dharma of One mind is the supreme vehicle. This verse describes the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching; their corresponding attainments and attributes.

English Tripitaka - The Lotus Sutra

[Chapter Twenty-four] - Bukkyō - The Buddha’s Teaching [161-168]

[161] The three vehicles: “First, the vehicle of the śrāvaka,”18who attains the way [of bodhi] through the Four Truths.19The Four Truths are the truth of suffering, the truth of accumulation, the truth of cessation, and the truth of the Way. Hearing these and practicing these, [śrāvakas] traverse and attain release from birth, aging, sickness, and death; and they realize the ultimate parinirvā a.20 The assertion that “In the practice of these Four Truths, suffering and accumulation are secular while cessation and the Way are paramount”21is the view and opinion of teachers of commentaries. Providing that [the Four Truths] are practiced in accordance with the Buddha-Dharma, the Four Truths are each of “buddhas alone, together with buddhas,” the Four Truths are each “the Dharma abiding in the place of the Dharma,” the Four Truths are each “real form,” and the Four Truths are each “the buddha-nature.” For this reason, they are utterly beyond discussion of “being without the nature,” “non-becoming,” and so 108c forth—because the Four Truths are each “completely beyond necessity.”

[163] “Second, the vehicle of the pratyeka buddha,”22 who attains parinirvā athrough twelvefold dependent origination.23“Twelvefold dependent origination” means: 1) ignorance, 2) action, 3) consciousness, 4) name and form, 5) the six senses, 6) contact, 7) feeling, 8 ) love, 9) taking, 10) coming into existence, 11) birth, 12) aging and death. While practicing these twelve causes, causing dependent origination to occur in the past, present, and future, we take causes one by one and—though not discussing a subject who reflects or an object that is reflected—we investigate them in practice, at which time they are the turning of the wheel of “complete non-necessity”24 and they are causes as “complete non-necessity.” Remember, if ignorance is the one mind, then action, consciousness, and so on are also the one mind. If ignorance is cessation, then action, consciousness, and so on are also cessation. If ignorance is nirvana, then action, consciousness, and so on are also nirvana. Because appearance is also disappearance, we make such assertions as these.25Even “ignorance” is a word that speaks. “Consciousness,” “name and form,” and so on are also like this. Remember, ignorance, action, and so on are “I have an axe and would like to live with you on [this] mountain.”26 Ignorance, action, consciousness, and so on are “When I set out, I received the master’s permission and now I would like to receive the axe.”27

[165] “Third, the vehicle of the bodhisattva,” who accomplishes anuttara samyaksa bodhi through the teaching, practice, and experience of the six pāramitās. The meaning of this “accomplishing” is beyond “becoming,” beyond “non-becoming,” beyond “initiation,” beyond “new creation,” beyond “age-old creation,” beyond “original practice,” and beyond “non-doing”: it is just to accomplish anuttara samyaksa bodhi. “The six pāramitās” means dāna-pāramitā, śīla-pāramitā, k ānti-pāramitā, vīrya-pāramitā, dhyāna pāramitā, and prajñā-pāramitā. 28Each of these is the supreme state of bodhi, and is beyond discussion of “non-birth” and “non-becoming.” We do not always see dāna as the first and prajñā as the last. A sutra says, “A keen 109a witted bodhisattva [can] see prajñā as the first and dāna as the last. A dull witted bodhisattva [only] sees dāna as the first and prajñā as the last.” At the same time, k ānti might also be first, and dhyāna might also be first. There might be thirty-six realizations of the pāramitās—from [each] trap, a trap being realized.29 The meaning of “pāramitā” is the far shore having arrived. The far shore is beyond the semblance or trace of going or coming, but its arrival is realized.30Arrival is the universe: do not think that practice leads to the far shore. Practice exists on the far shore; therefore, if we are practicing, the far shore has arrived—because this practice invariably is equipped with the power of realization of the entire universe.

[168] The twelve divisions of the teaching (the sutras; also called the scriptures):31

1) Sūtra—here32 called “original scriptures”;33

2)Geya—here called “praising over again”34(praising of a sutra in verse);35

3)Vyākara a—here called “affirmation”; 36 (here [also] called “[verses] other than

4)Gāthā—here called “chants” geya:”37 they are like the poems and poems of praise of this region);38

5) Udāna—here called “spontaneous preaching without being asked”39 (“Sutras that are spontaneous preaching without being asked”: Sacred human beings generally wait to be requested to preach the Dharma, but [in this case] they become unsolicited teachers of living beings, and so [the preaching] is spontaneous preaching without being asked. Again, the Buddha-Dharma is so difficult to know that it is called “unaskable.” If it is not preached spontaneously, the many will not know it. In preaching for others, still again, [sacred ones] may not know what Dharma to preach for others. Therefore, they preach spontaneously without being asked, in order thereby to manifest preaching so profound that is only realized in experience. Thus, by means of spontaneous preaching without being asked, [sacred ones] manifest what is to be disclosed);

6) Nidāna—here called “[accounts of] causes and circumstances”40 (“Sutras of causes and circumstances” aim to clarify the method of the precepts and to show, on the basis of violations, what a transgression is. When the form of a transgression is evident, it is possible properly to establish discipline. This [division] also, through causes and circumstances, clarifies what is to be disclosed);

7)Avadāna—here called “parables”41(avadāna);42

8)Itiv ttaka—here called “past episodes”43(here called “accounts as they occurred”44or called “past episodes”); 9) Jātaka—here called past lives45 (The events in “past lives” describe 109b tales of deeds performed in former lives as a bodhisattva. The events in “past episodes” describe various concurrences in former ages);

10) Vaipulya—here called “the exact and the wide”;46

11)Adbhuta-dharma—here called “the unprecedented”;

12)Upadeśa—here called “discussion of doctrine.”

THREE UNIVERSAL TRUTHS

All things are impermanent and changing. Impermanence tends to suffering, making life imperfect. The self is not personal and unchanging.

The first is annica, which means nothing is forever and everything on earth changes. Let go of things out of our control and accept that change happens all the time, this is good practice towards nirvana. In wisdom one might say, nothing is forever so enjoy each moment as it happens.

Next along is dukkha, meaning all things suffer, from a giant tree that losing a limb to the toddler who falls and hurts herself. Suffering does not limit itself to pain. Including boredom, embarrassment, sadness, being unsatisfied in a partnership and more. When we acknowledge that things will never be perfect, accepting suffering, we will be more content. With dukkha, we learn to understand that our desires can make us greedy and cruel. If we only think of what we want, we will be less loving and unhappy.

Third we have anatta, meaning no self. Scholars may believe this means we do not have a soul going on to an afterlife, only the energy we create in this life. However, others think anatta means to be unselfish and not have ego. Therefore, we should not try to control or claim other people or possessions. Caring and sharing is the root of anatta.