Before anyone begins to leap into the contemplation fray with some idea of developing this meditation, let it be made clear that it is the most difficult of the three key contemplations.
It is difficult in terms of the concepts involved in understanding it and most
important the seductive force of Mara, pointing the way to Samsara must cease to be seen as folly and maximum identity elimination attained before the Contemplation can function well.
It is to be clear that the contemplation begins with the usual establishment of
access by means of mindfulness of the rise and fall of breath and the generation
of the Defensive Qi, which involves an efficient plan of "organization" which has clear instructions present for an efficient subliminal act of recuperation of the final EXPERIENCE, which can be then received by the mundane consciousness.
The correct and exhaustive generation of what we term the Device CD, in separate sessions, must also be made and it is this Device that is the topic of greatest importance here.
FUNCTION
The contemplation is called the Function of Function, so let us begin with a clear explanation of what we mean by Function, which is of course not mundane.
In the traditional cognitive way of speaking with associative words and concepts we can say, for example, that the function of "cup" is "for drinking" or anything else that is related to its mundane use. In each case the Identity is present in the concept.
We might to the contrary, eliminating Identity and allowing the "cup" an individual and separate illusory existence, declare that the true Function of the cup is "holding."
A motorcycle, for example, can be said to have a mundane function of "transporting" and the Identity is always present in the concept of transporting as the "object of transport." We then might say that the natural function unlinked to identity is "moving."
In other words, the "Natural Function" is devoid of an Identity association.
Daily practice is required to reinforce this idea of divorcing Identity attachment from all phenomena, whether they are material or abstract ideas.
The Function that we are interested in here is the Function of the Natural System, which is Survival, the essential program of the Feminine Principle of the Life Force.
THE DEVICE
We have discussed elsewhere the Contemplation Device (CD) for Emptiness which is upon Pure Sensory Awareness, which we term "Essence" and Undifferentiated Form, which is upon the undifferentiated "nature of the incoming irritations, Pure Form Awareness" upon the system. Here we must be clear what this Function CD is exactly and its psychological fount.
We will have accepted the division of the senses into five modalities and mind, which is really thought. But there is yet another sense modality that we seldom speak of.
It is the sensory reception of external energy. Here we are interested in what we may term "Positive Energy," which is the energy feedback from whatever is external related to our Masculine Principle Expressions. These Expressions we know to be those of Correct and Natural Survival. That means benefit to the balanced four actions of survival for self, offspring, tribe and the environment which supports these.
Each of us radiates a palpable energy which we can discern as being positive or negative. Certain people give off positive energy, others negative and we respond accordingly. Oftimes your own energy and optimism increase and you feel a certain affect towards that person or living creature. They exude, as it were, a "glow of compassion and support."
To the contrary, negative energy tends to generate responses in which your own energy may decrease with an impulse to get away from the scene or to defend oneself as one feels constricted and opposed in some way or another.
Normally, this energy which we receive is quite mundane and Identity-bound and we receive this energy in a manner that is also bound to Identity. But what we are interested in here is the Pure Positive Discriminating Energy that is not Mundane.
That received positive energy we call the GLADNESS of OTHERS and its reason for being is to let the right hemisphere know that the survival actions produced by the system are effective. The Experience at reception is our own apparent Gladness.
AWARENESS OF GLADNESS
Just as Pure Awareness, Pure Mindfulness, Pure Sensory Awareness, and Pure Undifferentiated Form Awareness form the first reception and transformation of information from the unknowable external world, so there is also an Awareness of Gladness.
The Function of this Gladness is to inform that correct programs have been executed.
As a model try to imagine our contact with the unknown world as a mirror. That mirror has substance, a central core, which we call "Pure Function". The external face of this mirror, which gives a reflection, albeit transformed, we can name as Pure Awareness and the internal face as Pure Mindfulness, from which Attention arises.
What is that Pure Function of the core? It is to signal, without particularity, that there is correct interface between Pure Awareness and Pure Mindfulness.
This Pure Sensory Awareness takes place before the operations of Attention, Sensation, Discrimination, Perception, Cognition and Mundane Consciousness are operating and is sent to the right hemisphere for processing.
Now that external reflection, which is not the same as the substance of the mirror,
nor the same as the external irritation, we call "Undifferentiated Form." The transformation which shows up on the inner face we can term in this model "Pure Sensory Awareness." That Pure Sensory Awareness is not the same as the internal transformation.
It is this central core which receives the external positive energy, Function, which we call "Gladness" and it is the only information available that the Survival programs have been executed by Cognition correctly.
GLADNESS
We can now define GLADNESS as the experience of this core, Function, which is activated by the GLADNESS of OTHERS, which is natural and correct, responding also in a correct Survival way.
It is the EXPERIENCE of this core that is transmitted to the right hemisphere, but there is a corresponding mundane cognitive experience connected which is experienced in Consciousness. We can say in terms of the mundane that we are GLAD when others are GLAD, which is quite seldom and must in any case be developed by Mindfulness.
This Gladness is most evident in one's relation with animals, if it is richly cultivated, and is a reaction to their gladness, which has no Identity and is obvious in their reaction to the outside world and their companions.
REVIEW OF THE MODEL
1. It is Like a mirror with a composition of three layers.
2. The central layer is PURE FUNCTION, which has the physiological task of communicating that the interface between the outer and inner layers is in operation. That signal gives no information relevant to the content of communication. This is sent to the right hemisphere.
3. The outer layer receives the external irritation and we call that layer PURE AWARENESS. The signal, also sent to the right hemisphere, is that the external stimuli are being received correctly.
4. The inner layer generates the base of all inner contact and we call that base PURE MINDFULNESS, but it carries no content and sends to the right hemisphere the signal, or experience, that there is full contact with the internal system of ATTENTION.
5. We can in this model allow that the inner face of PURE MINDFULNESS is then transformed as "Pure Sensory Awareness" (or Pure Sensory Attention), which is sent to the right hemisphere.
6. We can say that the external face of PURE AWARENESS has the reflection which we will call "Pure Undifferentiated Form," which is sent to the right hemisphere.
7. Finally we can say that the central core receives external signals of the Pure Energy of External Gladness. The character of the signal that is then sent to the right hemisphere is Pure Internal Gladness.
The right hemsphere then will have received the experience of ALIVE from the outer level, GLAD from the central level and SENSING from the inner level.
It will receive the reflection of Undifferentiated Form for its internal use and the signal of the transformed Pure Sensation for internal use.
It is this transformed Pure Sensation that is the base of the internal Cognitive system which we call the Skandhas.
THE CONTEMPLATION DEVICE
The Contemplation Device for this Contemplation of Function is "the Last Conceptualization of Gladness formed in the most simple unattached concepts possible (Vitakka) and/or the "Last Conceptualization of the associated COGNITIVE EXPERIENCE".
Remember that while the Contemplation begins with the Last Conceptualization, the final target is to awaken the right-brain Gladness which may not be discerned, but is the
Natural feedback mechanism for the Uncarved Wood, the Buddha Nature; reinforces the correct operation of that trait in the Shén Transformation and also, as a third right hemisphere function impulses and fuels Natural Essence.
We can declare then that the Last Conceptualization Device (CD) for the Function of Function is "Unadulterated Gladness," which is Cognitive.
The best way to access this Function is to set the Contemplation Device (CD) in the following manner:
Since Cognition has been silenced by the initial access to the Becoming of Consciousness and the Defensive Qi established then one lets all forms and Names fall away, then, dwelling within Discrimination one allows all Disaffect and Neutral events to fall away so that only Approach and associated Affect remain.
This Approach/Affect is other-directedness.
One then retaining this dwelling allows all Sensation (Recognition) fall away this leads one to access to the central Core of Function with a corresponding Cognitive Experience which in turn allows access to the Function operation within the right hemisphere.
We use then the Cognitive Experience as a Last Concepualization to awaken the dormant internal and unknowable language experiences of Natural Gladness.
This subliminal Gladness then, which is also part of the internal efferent process of Shén, becomes part and initiator of the four states which are called Sublime and are really one energy force with different intensity and application, which supports and awakens Shén.
THE THREEFOLD SUBLIMINAL ACTION
In summary then we can say that correct Contemplation of Gladness reinforces the present weak, but not destroyed, innervating elements of Natural Function.
This consists of:
1. Feedback communicating correct external natural survival behavior to the Buddha Nature, the Uncarved Wood, which then continues with force and vigor.
2. Reinforcement of Communication Shén by way of innervating the Energy Force.
3. Innervating the Essence factor with which it communicates.
This method is not to be confused with the Chan Last Conceptualization of Compassion, which is part of the path of Emptiness.
The development of the CD and the generation of its use in the contemplation of "Function of Function" will require the close attendance and attention of a guide both for the contemplation itself and the development of daily activity which brings Gladness to others.
This daily activity is a complete dedication to Others and is like that of Huineng, whose Other-Directedness became legend.