We saw that "in residing, perfection is the earth; in mind, perfection is the profound; in giving, perfection is benevolence; in words, perfection is truth; in government, perfection is to heal; in
affairs, perfection is capability; in activity, perfection is timeliness."
The perfect expression of the Feminine Principle of the Life Force is undeniably "Earth" itself and since Earth's benevolence is clearly the nature of that Earth in great diversity then it can be considered profound.
Now we find that it is important to understand that that giving extended to that diversity that is cognitive, namely the human creature, must also be benevolent. But the question is if, as it is said, that "in words perfection is the truth", how can benevolence in the case of the stained human mind be directed well?
We must learn how Generosity, in and of itself, is to be used perfectly upon the Dao path to Awakening as a Sage of Dao.
Merely practicing generosity with a cognitive mind is like trying to fight a forest fire with a garden hose and a bucket. Generosity as a base only works if it is applied as a contemplation which is daily in operation.
Dao is a Reflective and Contemplative practical philosophy and the way to practice this perfection in giving is not provided within Dao. There must, of course, be a motivation to give.
What is MUNDANE MOTIVATION?
It is a force that impulses someone to do "something". That is correct, but if we examine that "something", we find that it is a fruit of the action. We can say then that motivation generates an impulse to get some recompense.
Who is it that is recompensed? Identity, of course.
The great problem is that the motivation must be not only initiated but maintained and requires both determination and persistence and in the end all one accomplishes is a reinforcement of the product which declares, for example, "do not smoke". But it does not change the basic anxiety which provoked smoking in the first place.
Now ask yourself why you have not asked the obvious question.
How does Avaivartika Motivation work, for we cannot admit Identity into the process and expect to get away unscathed?
CORRECT MOTIVATION IS NATURAL WITHOUT A TARGET
Avaivartika Motivation has no OBJECTIVE. What happens is that when a trait is cultivated a door is opened to another natural advance. There then in most cases need be no cognitive motivation for the entry into another stage of development.
Assuming that there is a clear subliminal appreciation of Awakening without Identity Motivation, perhaps through internalizing the Shantideva text, then there is automatically generated the impulse to EXAMINE the PRESENT IMPEDIMENTS in your life. In doing this INTROSPECTION must be guarded against the interference of any Identity evaluation.
Now all the above events entailed cognitive intelligence, but well guarded against Identity presence.
DEVELOPING OTHER-DIRECTEDNESS
This other-directedness forms the basic meditational advance in the development of the Sublime States which is investigated here in terms of its important place in the Circularity or cyclic nature of the Dharma Path.
Then what one does is begin with a careful COGNITIVE GENEROSITY which involves one's apparent self in the process more than real objects.
Now that COGNITIVE GENEROSITY is stained, but by continued guarding of INTROSPECTION that GENEROSITY takes on a new aspect. It becomes less and less mental and objective oriented. NATURAL GENEROSITY then arises and eventually reinforces itself.
You can perhaps see that this GENEROSITY is to be both mental and generated as active behaviour. It is, of course, BENEVOLENT AFFECT. At that point it is no different than that recommended as one of the sublime states by Buddha. But when it is internalized and does not require a mental generation then something else begins to happen.
THE ZEAL CONTEMPLATIONS
This NATURAL GENEROSITY begins to strengthen the what we term in Chan Dharma the ZEAL component and there arises without a CONSCIOUS INTELLECT a NATURAL IMPULSE which is an INTENTION TO CULTIVATE VIRTUE. It is not to be forced in any way. The INTENTION just seems to manifest itself.
You can perhaps deduce what the consequence will be.
That is correct; a greater impulse activating further development of ZEAL Contemplations.
You will then notice a certain arising of the germs of EQUANIMITY that is not forced and it reveals itself in the arousal of a NATURAL PATIENCE.
As you continue to cultivate that NATURAL PATIENCE, without Identity management, then you cognitively introduce the observation of instances of your own annoyance, anger, aversion and like experiences... It is then that you must begin cognitively to EXAMINE THE CONSEQUENCES.
Gautama explained then what happens: COMPASSION and BENEVOLENT AFFECT are generated.
This once more impulses a reinforcement of correct ZEAL contemplations.
What one begins to notice then through the opening of the door is that one's INTENTIONS are purified and CORRECT EFFORT in the natural and correct development of ACTION is generated.
Those correct INTENTIONS and now CORRECT ACTIONS feedback within the system and automatically MEDITATIONS and CONTEMPLATIONS become finer (particularly the ZEAL Contemplations).
You can imagine the consequence: the arousal of Perfect Wisdom which must be cultivated.
One great part of PERFECT WISDOM is the deep realization that there are indeed two truths. This serves to prevent the elementary intellectual mistake of Clinging to NON-EXISTENCE, which is as foolish as Clinging to the belief in a REAL EXISTENCE.
But now what happens when this realization is complete and is not just an intellectual appreciation, one knows how to use the ILLUSIONS which are correctly Balanced and in Harmony with the Life Force of the right hemisphere. It is effectively in this moment that CORRECT ATTITUDES are manifested and the ZEAL Contemplations, working maximally, open the way to communication with the Masculine expressions of the Life Force.