Eliminating the Two Sets of Obscurations in Sutra and Anuttarayoga Tantra According to Non-Gelug

Berlin, Germany, January 16, 2002

The Two Sets of Obscurations
According to the non-Gelug explanation, the Svatantrika-Madhyamaka and Prasangika-Madhyamaka schools of
tenets share the same presentation of the two sets of mental obscurations (sgrib-gnyis, two sets of obstacles). The
presentation derives from Maitreyas Filagree of Realizations (mNgon-rtogs rgyan, Skt: Abhisamaya-alamkara).
(1) The obscurations that are disturbing emotions and attitudes and which prevent liberation
(nyon-sgrib) include
(a) unawareness (ma-rig-pa, ignorance) concerning the self-identity of persons
(gang-zag-gi bdag-med), together with its legacies (sa-bon, seeds),
(b) the disturbing emotions and attitudes (nyon-mongs, klesha, emotional afflictions)
that arise from that unawareness, together with their legacies.
(2) The obscurations regarding all knowables and which prevent omniscience (shes-sgrib)
refer to
(a) unawareness concerning the self-identity of all phenomena (chos-kyi bdag-med),
together with its habit (bag-chags, instinct),
(b) the habits of unawareness concerning the self-identity of persons,
(c) the habits of the disturbing emotions and attitudes.
Removal of the obscurations such that they never recur (true stopping or cessation of them) begins with the path
of seeing, the fifth of the five paths to enlightenment. Although bodhisattvas begin to remove the two sets
simultaneously, they finish removing the obstacles preventing liberation before completing the removal of the
obstacles preventing omniscience.
Legacies, Habits, Trace Awareness, and Latent Awareness
In general, legacies and habits are nonconcomitant affecting variables (ldan-min du-byed). Being neither forms
of physical phenomena nor ways of cognizing something, they are abstractions imputed on a series of similar
events.
[For a more detailed discussion see: Concomitant and Nonconcomitant Affecting Variables,]
Nevertheless, according to Maitreya, all obscurations eliminated on the paths of seeing and meditation are ways
of cognizing something. Therefore, when legacies and habits are taken as potentials (nus-pa) for cognizing
something in certain ways, they themselves may also be considered ways of cognizing something, but only
obscured ways (lkog-gyur). They are not manifest (mngon-gyur) ways of cognizing an object.
As an obscured way of cognizing something, a legacy is a trace awareness. A trace disturbing emotion or attitude
is still a disturbing emotion or attitude and thus falls in the category of obscurations preventing liberation.
As an obscured way of cognizing that is subtler than a trace awareness, a habit is a latent awareness of an object.
A latent disturbing emotion or attitude is not an actual disturbing emotion or attitude. It is merely a nominal
disturbing emotion or attitude (nyon-mongs-kyi ming-btags-pa) and falls in the category of obscurations
preventing omniscience.
[For a further discussion of manifest and obscured awareness, see: Relationships with Objects.]
Unawareness of Two Types of Voidness
The unawareness included in the two sets of obscurations are unawarenesses of the voidness (emptiness) of two
different impossible ways of existing.

(1) Unawareness about persons is unawareness of their absolute absence (med-dgag) of

existing with static, monolithic identities as beings separate from their bodies and minds,
controlling and using them. (2) Unawareness about phenomena is unawareness of their
absence of existing with true unimputed existence, with total nonexistence, with both, or with
neither. The manner of their being devoid of these impossible ways of existing is beyond
words and concepts namely, beyond the conceptual categories of an affirmation (sgrub-pa),
absolute nullification (med-dgag), both, or neither.
Unawareness about persons is included among disturbing attitudes, while unawareness about phenomena is not
an actual disturbing attitude. This is because unawareness about phenomena is an obscuration regarding all
knowables, not an obscuration that is a disturbing emotion or attitude. The two sets of obscurations do not have a
common denominator (mthun-gzhi), which means there is no phenomenon that can be included among both sets.
Therefore, unawareness about phenomena is only a nominal disturbing attitude.
Two Levels of Disturbing Emotions and Attitudes
Both actual and nominal disturbing emotions and attitudes have two levels:
(1) Conceptually-based disturbing emotions and attitudes (nyong-rmongs kun-btags) derive
from ideological or psychological conditioning, such as anger based on racist propaganda or
on the experience of being deprived of affection as a child. Even a dog may have this level of
anger
and
aggression
from
being
mistreated
as
a
puppy.
(2) Automatically-arising disturbing emotions and attitudes (nyon-rmongs lhan-skyes) arise
without depending on a conceptual basis. For example, humans and animals alike tend
automatically to become depressed or even angry when someone yells at them.
Bodhisattvas rid themselves forever of the conceptually-based disturbing emotions and attitudes on the path of
seeing. From the second through the tenth bhumis, bodhisattvas rid themselves of nine grades of disturbing
emotions and attitudes eliminated forever (abandoned) on the path of accustoming (sgom-spang, abandonments
of the path of meditation). Depending on the assertion of when the final removal of all the obstacles preventing
liberation occurs, the nine grades include either both automatically-arising and nominal disturbing emotions and
attitudes, or only nominal ones. Once the automatically-arising ones are removed forever, bodhisattvas have only
nominal disturbing emotions and attitudes, not actual ones.
Assertions Specific to Nyingma and Kagy
The Bodhisattva Sutra Path
According to Nyingma and Kagy, yogic nonconceptual cognition (rnal-byor mngon-sum) of voidness beyond
words and concepts, gained by following the bodhisattva (Mahayana) sutra methods alone, requires a zillion
eons to attain the path of seeing and eliminate forever:
(1) conceptually-based unawareness regarding persons and its legacy,
(2) conceptually-based disturbing emotions and attitudes and their legacies,
(3) conceptually-based unawareness regarding phenomena and its habit.
The first two are among the obscurations preventing liberation; the third is among those preventing omniscience.
A second set of zillion eons is required for this yogic cognition to reach the eighth out of the ten bodhisattva
bhumis and eliminate forever:
(1) the first six out of the nine grades of unawareness regarding persons eliminated forever on
the path of accustoming namely, the six automatically-arising grades and their
legacies,
(2) the first six out of nine grades of disturbing emotions and attitudes eliminated forever on
the path of accustoming namely, the six automatically-arising grades and their
legacies,
(3) the first six out of nine grades of automatically-arising unawareness regarding phenomena
eliminated forever on the path of accustoming and their habits.

The first two are among the obscurations preventing liberation; the third is among those preventing omniscience.
Thus, bodhisattvas on the sutra path finish ridding themselves of the obscurations preventing liberation when
they reach the eighth bodhisattva bhumi.
Yogic nonconceptual cognition of voidness beyond words and concepts requires a third set of zillion eons to
reach enlightenment and eliminate forever:

(1) the final three out of the nine grades of unawareness regarding persons eliminated forever
on the path of accustoming which are merely habits,
(2) the final three out of nine grades of disturbing emotions and attitudes eliminated forever
on the path of accustoming which are merely habits,
(3) the final three out of nine grades of automatically-arising unawareness regarding
phenomena eliminated forever on the path of accustoming and their habits.
All three are among the obscurations preventing omniscience.
The Anuttarayoga Path
Nyingma and Kagy assert two types of anuttarayoga practitioners: those who progress through stages (lam-rimpa) and those for whom everything happens at once (cig-char-ba). Neither requires three zillion eons to achieve
enlightenment.
For those who progress through stages, clear-light nonconceptual cognition of voidness beyond words and
concepts eliminates forever, all at once, with the attainment of the path of seeing:
(1) conceptually-based unawareness regarding persons and its legacy,
(2) conceptually-based disturbing emotions and attitudes and their legacies,
(3) the first six out of the nine grades of automatically-arising unawareness regarding persons
and their legacies,
(4) the first six out of nine grades of automatically-arising disturbing emotions and attitudes
and their legacies,
(5) conceptually-based unawareness regarding phenomena and its habit,
The first four are among the obscurations preventing liberation; the fifth is among those preventing omniscience.
Thus, bodhisattvas who progress through stages on the anuttarayoga path finish ridding themselves of the
obscurations preventing liberation when they reach the path of seeing.
In stages over the path of accustoming, this clear-light cognition eliminates forever, with the attainment of
enlightenment:
(1) the final three out of the nine grades of unawareness regarding persons eliminated forever
on the path of accustoming which are merely habits,
(2) the final three out of nine grades of disturbing emotions and attitudes eliminated forever
on the path of accustoming which are merely habits,
(3) all nine grades of automatically-arising unawareness regarding phenomena and their
habits.
As on the bodhisattva sutra path, the first two of these three groupings are items eliminated forever on the path of
accustoming, but not included among the obscurations preventing liberation. Thus, on the path of accustoming
these bodhisattvas need to rid themselves only of the obscurations preventing omniscience not gotten rid of by
the path of seeing.
For those for whom everything happens at once, attainment of the path of seeing, the path of accustoming, and
enlightenment happen simultaneously. Because of extremely strong legacies of meditation with clear-light

nonconceptual cognition of voidness from previous lives, their initial attainment of this cognition in this life
removes forever, all at once, the complete sets of obscurations preventing liberation and enlightenment.
Assertions Unique to Sakya
The Sutra Path
According to the Sakya explanation, the initial attainment of yogic nonconceptual cognition of voidness in
bodhisattva sutra and the three lower tantras and of clear-light nonconceptual cognition of voidness in
anuttarayoga equally eliminate forever:
(1) conceptually-based and automatically-arising unawareness regarding persons and their
legacies,
(2) conceptually-based and automatically-arising disturbing emotions and attitudes and their
legacies,
(3) conceptually-based unawareness regarding phenomena and its habit.
The first two constitute the complete set of obscurations preventing liberation; the third is among those
preventing omniscience. Thus, all sutra and tantra bodhisattvas finish ridding themselves of the obscurations
preventing liberation when they reach the path of seeing. This attainment through yogic nonconceptual cognition
of voidness gained through the bodhisattva sutra methods requires a zillion eons. When attained through clearlight nonconceptual cognition gained through anuttarayoga methods, it needs much less time.
A second zillion eons is required in bodhisattva sutra to reach the eighth bhumi and attain yogic nonconceptual
cognition of voidness effortlessly and spontaneously, so as to eliminate forever:
(1) the first six out of the nine grades of unawareness regarding persons which are merely
habits,
(2) the first six out of the nine grades of disturbing emotions and attitudes which are merely
habits,
(3) the first six out of the nine grades of automatically-arising unawareness regarding
phenomena and their habits.
The first two are items eliminated forever on the path of accustoming, but, unlike the Nyingma and Kagy
presentations, they are not included among the obscurations preventing liberation. All three groupings are among
the obscurations preventing omniscience.
Yogic nonconceptual cognition of voidness requires a third set of zillion eons to eliminate forever:
(1) The final three out of the nine grades of unawareness regarding persons which are
merely habits.
(2) The final three out of the nine grades of disturbing emotions and attitudes which
aremerely habits,
(3) The final three out of the nine grades of automatically-arising unawareness regarding
phenomena and their habits.
As Nyingma and Kagy also assert, the first two of these three groupings are items eliminated forever on the
path of accustoming, but not included among the obscurations preventing liberation. All three groupings are
among the obscurations preventing omniscience.
The Anuttarayoga Path
Sakya does not assert practitioners for whom everything happens at once. As in Gelug, all practitioners of
bodhisattva sutra and tantra progress in stages.
According to the Sakya presentation, anuttarayoga practitioners eliminate forever the same items on the paths of
seeing and accustoming as do bodhisattva sutra practitioners. The more efficient anuttarayoga methods, however,
obviate the necessity for this process to take three zillion eons.