Gankyil

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 All or part of this article may be confusing or unclear.
Please help clarify the article. Suggestions may be on the talk page. (April 2007)
It is requested that a diagram or diagrams be included in this article to improve its quality.
For more information, refer to discussion on this page and/or the listing at Wikipedia:Requested images.

The Gankyil is a potent polyvalent symbol and ritual tool. The symbol is evident in the Himalaya as well as incised on the Pictish stones of Scotland and Celtic art and knotwork.[1] It is employed in Korea and throughout East Asia. In Bön and Nyingma Dzogchen lineages, the Gakyil is the principal polyvalent symbol and teaching tool: it is symbolic of primordial energy and represents the central unity and indivisibility of all the teaching, philosophical and doctrinal trinities in Dzogchen and is an attribute of the Snowlion.

Namkai Norbu & Shane (1988: p.149-150) state that the:

"The Gankyil, or ‘Wheel of Joy’, can clearly be seen to reflect the inseparability and interdependence of all the groups of three in the Dzogchen teaching, but perhaps most particularly it shows the inseparability of the Base, the Path, and the Fruit. And since Dzogchen, the Great Perfection, is essentially the self-perfected indivisibility of the primordial state, it naturally requires a non-dual symbol to represent it."

Déchen and Ngak’chang (undated) state:

The structure of Dzogchen teachings is always in groups of three – such as base, path and fruit – but although they are divided in this way their indivisibility is emphasised by symbols such as the mélong (me long) and of the ga’kyil (dGa’ dKyil).[2]

Contents

[edit] Nomenclature and etymology

The Gankyil (Skt. ananda-chakra; Tib. dga' 'khyil) (pronounced: ganshey or ganshee) ("bliss+whirling" or "wheel of joy"). Tibetan "dga'" holds the semantic field: "joy", "elation", "rapture", "bliss", "ecstacy", "beauty", "total happiness" (the opposite of dukkha). Often the sign is equated or conflated with its triunic correlate, the Triskel. Tibetan "'khyil" holds the semantic field: "swirling"; "circle", "ring", "bracelet", "coil", "a place where water flows".

[edit] Exegesis

Robert Beer (2003: p.209) in linking the gankyil with the chakravartin, yin-yang, dharmachakra, Three Jewels, three poisons, Four Noble Truths, four directions, cintamani and states:

"The gakyil or 'wheel of joy' is depicted in a similar form to the ancient Chinese yin-yang symbol, but its swirling central hub is usually composed of either three or four sections. The Tibetan term dga' is used to describe all forms of joy, delight, and pleasure, and the term 'khyil means to circle or spin. The wheel of joy is commonly depicted at the central hub of the dharmachakra, where its three or four swirls may represent the Three Jewels and victory over the three poisons, or the Four Noble Truths and the four directions. As a symbol of the Three Jewels it may also appear as the 'triple-eyed' or wish-granting gem of the chakravartin. In the Dzogchen tradition the three swirls of the gakyil primarily symbolize the trinity of the base, path, and fruit."[3]

The 'victory' referred to by Beer (2003: p.209) in the aforcited quotation is symbolised by the 'Victory Banner' (Sanskrit: Dhvaja), one of the Himalayan Ashtamangala.

[edit] The mula kleśa of the Twelve Nidānas

[edit] The three humours of Traditional Tibetan medicine

The 'three humors' or 'tridoshas' (Sanskrit; Tibetan: 'Nyipa gsum') are 'vata' (Sanskrit; Tibetan: rLung) 'wind' (air and aether constitution), 'pitta' (Sanskrit; Tibetan: mKhris-pa) (fire and water constitution), and 'kapha' (Tibetan: [Bad-kan]; 'bad'+'[kan]') (earth and water constitution).

[edit] The mula prajñā

  • 'study' (Sanskrit: shruta; Tibetan: thos+pa)
  • 'reflection' (Sanskrit: cinta; Tibetan: sam+pa)
  • 'meditation' (Sanskrit: bhavana; Tibetan: sgom pa)

These three aspects are the 'mula prajñā' of the sadhana of Prajñā-Pāramitā, the 'paramita of wisdom'. Hence, these three are related to, but distinct from, the Prajñāpāramitā that denotes a particular cycle of discourse in the Buddhist literature that relates to the doctrinal 'field' (Sanskrit: kṣetra[5]) of the 'second turning' of the Dharmacakra.

[edit] The mula dharmas of the path

The Dzogchen teachings focus on three terms:

To see directly the absolute state of our mind is the View; the way of stabilizing that View and making it an unbroken experience is Meditation; and integrating that View into our daily life is what is meant by Action.

[edit] Terms rendered as "Meditation"

It is important to note that there are two nearly synonymous, near homophonic lexical items in Tibetan often mistranslated as orthographic homonyms, where both are often rendered into English as "meditation": namely, 'sgom-pa' that holds the semantic field: ???; and 'goms pa'.[6]

[edit] Historical placement and cross-cultural cognates

In metaphysical terms, the Gankyil is the Vajrayana equivalent of the Bindu of Classical Hinduism and it is held to embody the conceptual mystery of the point at which Creation [7] begins, when the unity becomes the many. The Gankyil is the evocative investiture of Indra's Pearls: the principle of inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference [8] and the resolution of duality into primordial unity. [9]

Herbert V. Günther, when writing [10] about Buddhist triunes, states that "...the magical number Three, [is] so deeply rooted in our very being" and references this inference by citing the Russian mathematician V.V. Nalimov (1982: p.165-168) who according to Gunther provides a concise presentation of why "all of us prefer the trinity: trilogy, triptych… ".

[edit] Shang

The gankyil is the central part of the 'shang' (Tibetan: gchang), a traditional ritual tool and instrument that Bönpo shaman employ as an energetic sound structure to cast their mindstream as thoughtform, sometimes also with the intention to engender sambhogakaya simulacrum.

[edit] Gakyil as symbol of the Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma

As the inner wheel of the Vajrayana Dharmachakra, the Gankyil also represents the syncretic union and embodiment of the Buddha Shakyamuni's Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma. The pedagogic upaya doctrine and classification of the triunic 'three turnings' of the Dharmacakra, was first postulated by the Indian Yogacara school.

[edit] Gankyil as attribute of Snowlion

The energetic potency (wisdom or shakti) of the Snowlion is personified in the attribute of the Gankyil that the Snowlion keeps in eternal play. The Gankyil is a vriddhi derivation of the dragon's fiery 'pearl of great price', the priceless Pearl of Wisdom.[11] As a gem, the gankyil is also a rendering of the Cintamani or Wishfulfilling Jewel at the centre of the lotus of the Avalokiteśvara Mantra and as the energetic nirmanakaya embodiment of the Trikaya.

[edit] Gankyil and Triratna doctrine

The Triratna, Triple Jewel or Three Gems are triunic are therefore represented by the Gankyil:

[edit] Gankyil and Three Roots

[edit] Gankyil and the Three Dharma Seals

The indivisible essence of the Three Dharma Seals is embodied and encoded within the Gankyil:

[edit] Gankyil and Trikaya doctrine

The gankyil is the energetic signature of the Trikaya, realised through the transmutation of the obscurations forded by the Three poisons (refer klesha) and therefore in the Bhavachakra the Gankyil is encoded as the snake, boar and fowl(?). Gankyil is to Dharmachakra, as still eye is to cyclone, as Bindu is to Mandala. The Gankyil is the inner wheel of the Vajrayana Dharmacakra (refer Himalayan Ashtamangala).

The Gankyil is symbolic of the Trikaya doctrine of nirmanakaya, sambhogakaya and dharmakaya and also of the Buddhist understanding of the interdependence the Three Vajras: of body, voice and mind. The divisions of the teaching of Dzogchen are for the purposes of explanation only; just as the Gankyil divisions are understood to dissolve in the energetic whirl of the Wheel of Joy.

[edit] Three cycles of Nyingmapa Dzogchen

The gankyil also embodies the three cycles of Nyingmapa Dzogchen codified by Mañjushrīmītra:

  • Semde (mind class/cycle);
  • Longde (space class/cycle); and
  • Mengagde (oral instruction class/cycle), and this classification determined the exposition of the Dzogchen teachings in the subsequent centuries.

[edit] Three lineages of Nyingmapa Dzogchen

The gankyil also embodies the three tantric lineages as Penor Rinpoche[12], a Nyingmapa, states:

According to the history of the origin of tantras there are three lineages: The Lineage of Buddha's Intention, which refers to the teachings of the Truth Body originating from the primordial Buddha Samantabhadra, who is said to have taught tantras to an assembly of completely enlightened beings emanated from the Truth Body itself. Therefore, this level of teaching is considered as being completely beyond the reach of ordinary human beings. The Lineage of the Knowledge Holders corresponds to the teachings of the Enjoyment Body originating from Vajrasattva and Vajrapani, whose human lineage begins with Garab Dorje of the Ögyan Dakini land. From him the lineage passed to Manjushrimitra, Shrisimha and then to Guru Rinpoche, Jnanasutra, Vimalamitra and Vairochana who disseminated it in Tibet. Lastly, the Human Whispered Lineage corresponds to the teachings of the Emanation Body, originating from the Five Buddha Families. They were passed on to Shrisimha, who transmitted them to Guru Rinpoche , who in giving them to Vimalamitra started the lineage which has continued in Tibet until the present day.

[edit] Three aspects of energy in Dzogchen doctrine

The gankyil also embodies the energy manifested in the three aspects that yield the energetic 'emergence'[13] (Tibetan: rang byung) of 'phenomena' (Sanskrit: dharmas) and 'Sentient beings' (Tibetan: yid can):

  1. 'dang' (Wylie: gDangs), which is essentially infinite and formless;
  2. 'rolpa' (Wylie: Rol-pa), which may be perceived as the thoughtform of 'the eye of the mind', or the transpersonal imaginal manifestion (Many practices of thödgal and yangthig work on the basis of functioning of the rolpa aspect of individual's energy. It is also the original source of the deities visualized in Buddhist tantric transformational practices and of manifestations of one hundred peaceful and wrathful deities in bardo;
  3. 'tsal' (Wylie: rTsal, which may be conceived as the manifestation of the energy of the individual him or herself, as apparently an 'external' world.[14] The mind of a sentient being is also tsal energy when it is 'contaminated' by the karmic winds.[citation needed] Certain practices stop the karmic winds of the body and therefore allow the energy of tsal to be experienced by itself.

Though not discrete correlates, dang equates to dharmakaya; rolpa to sambhogakaya; and tsal to nirmanakaya.

Van Schaik (2004: p.33) explains the Dzogchen doctrine of the triunic complex of the manifesation of energy further:

In terms of energy – there are three characteristic ways in which the energy manifests – Dang, Rolpa, and rTsal (gDang, rol pa, and rTsal). Dang is the energy in which ‘internal’ and ‘external’ are not divided from that which manifests. It is symbolised by the crystal sphere which becomes the colour of whatever it is placed upon. Rolpa is the energy which manifests internally as vision. It is symbolised by the mirror. The image of the reflection always appears as if it is inside the mirror. rTsal is externally manifested energy which radiates. It is symbolised by the refractive capacity of the faceted crystal. For a realised being, this energy is inseparable in its manifestation from the dimension of manifest reality. Dang, Rolpa, and rTsal are not divided.

Dang, Rolpa and rTsal are not divided and neither are the ku-sum (sKu gSum – the trikaya) the three spheres of being. Chö-ku (chos sKu – Dharmakaya), the sphere of unconditioned potentiality, is the creative space from which the essence of the elements arises as long-ku (longs sKu - Sambhogakaya) the sphere of intangible appearances – light and rays, non material forms only perceivable by those with visionary clarity. Trülku (sPrul sKu – Nirmanakaya), the sphere of realised manifestation, is the level of matter in apparently solid material forms. The primordial base manifests these three distinct yet indivisible modes.[15][16]

The triunic modality of the energy of manifestation and the Trikaya are indivisible, though particular aspects, qualities or properties of these may be foregrounded and backgrounded according to time, place, circumstance and intention. The dang energy of a sentient being is essentially a mystery, infinite, spacious and formless, it relates to the Dharmakaya. Rolpa energy is that of an interior vision, or the 'eye of the mind' of visualization; it relates to the Sambhogakaya. Tsal is the energetic manifestation of what is generally considered 'corporeal' phenomena and it relates to the Nirmanakaya. The interplay of these energies and the profundity and elegance of this doctrine provides a hypothesis of thoughtform phenomenon, emergence, poltergeist activity, Will-o'-the-wisp, psychokinesis, levitation and other siddhi' (Sanskrit; Tibetan: bsgrub), spiritual healing, intercessory prayer, and the logistics of the doctrine of Pratītyasamutpāda amongst innumerable other 'mysteries'.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Comparable designs and motifs to the Gankyil are classified as derivations of the three spiral patterns in Celtic art and knotwork according to Sloss (1999) and are evident on the: Aberlemno Stone, Book of Durrow, Clach a' Charridh (or Shandwick Stone), and the Hilton of Cadboll Stone.
  2. ^ Déchen, Khandro & Ngak’chang Rinpoche (undated). "Dzogchen transmission of the non-dual state." Aro Encyclopædia. Source: [1] (accessed: February 1, 2008)
  3. ^ Beer, Robert (2003). The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols. Serindia Publications. ISBN 1932476032 Source: [2] (accessed: December 7, 2007)
  4. ^ Von Nils Florian Besch (2006). Tibetan Medicine Off the Roads: Modernizing the Work of the Amchi in Spiti. Source: [3] (accessed: February 11, 2008)
  5. ^ Source: [4] (accessed: February 10, 2008)
  6. ^ For a detailed discussion refer: Wayman, Alex (?). A Problem of 'Synonyms' in the Tibetan Language: Bsgom pa and Goms pa. Source: [to be supplied when have more bandwidth] (accessed: February 10, 2008) NB: published in the The Journal of the Tibet Society.
  7. ^ The Creation is essentially uncreated due to its endemic essence-quality to engender-manifest in a blissful, luminous and void play or thoughtform phantasmagoria of the Five Pure Lights.
  8. ^ The front-end of this metatext is primary and to be foregrounded whilst the back-end translineage association is to inform an aggregation: to graft unity of the disparate. (The gendered language of the back-end deixis is not upheld herewith.)
  9. ^ As the inaugural quatrain of Blake's singularly resplendent Auguries Of Innocence enshrines:
    To see a World in a Grain of Sand
    And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
    Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
    And Eternity in an hour. (Kazin, 1946: p.150)
  10. ^ Two, Three, Five
  11. ^ Source: http://www.sacred-texts.com/etc/ddl/ddl12.htm (accessed: Friday January 19, 2007)
  12. ^ http://www.bhutanvisit.com/Buddhism/nyingmapa.html accessed: 1 February 2007
  13. ^ For a sound introduction to "emergence" refer: Corning, Peter A. (2002). The Re-emergence of "Emergence": A Venerable Concept in Search of a Theory. Institute For the Study of Complex Systems. NB: initially published in and © by Complexity (2002) 7(6): pp.18-30. Source: [5] (accessed: February 5, 2008)
  14. ^ Norbu (1999), pp. 99, 100, 101
  15. ^ Van Schaik, Sam (2004). Approaching the Great Perfection: Simultaneous and Gradual Methods of Dzogchen Practice in the Longchen Nyingtig. Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-370-2. Source: [6] (accessed: February 2, 2008)
  16. ^ Déchen, Khandro & Ngak’chang Rinpoche (undated). "Dzogchen transmission of the non-dual state." Aro Encyclopædia. Source: [7] (accessed: February 1, 2008)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Buddhism
Concepts • Topics • History • Timeline • Schools • Texts • People • Places • Culture • Temples
Portal