Three spheres

three spheres (Skt. trimaṇḍala; T. 'khor gsum འཁོར་གསུམ་). In the Mahayana tradition, the "three spheres" are subject, object and action.

For example, consider a child looking a toy:

• subject (or agent) = the child
• object = the toy
• action = looking/seeing

When the three spheres are conceptualized (seen as inherently existing), this is a cognitive obscuration (jñeyā-varaṇa).

When the three spheres are seen to be lacking inherent existence, there is no cognitive obscuration.

Non-conceptualizing the three spheres

The Khenjuk states:

Generosity and so forth are mundane when holding the focus of the three spheres of giver, recipient and gift, and are supramundane paramitas when embraced by the absence of focus on the three spheres. The entire Mahayana path is contained within these six paramitas.

Kangyur Rinpoche states:

The complete and infallible means to attain enlightenment are the six transcendent perfections—which is the same as saying the two accumulations. The practice of the perfections using a specific object of focus and attitude results in the accumulation of merit, while the practice of the perfections in a state of nonconceptuality, in which the three spheres (of subject, object, and action) are seen to be without true existence, gives rise to the accumulation of wisdom.

Minyak Kunzang Sonam states:

If only the first five paramitas are practiced, they are like a gathering of blind people. In order to attain perfect enlightenment, they must be embraced by the knowledge realizing emptiness—the leader for the blind. Then one is able to progress into the city of omniscient wisdom.

One must therefore cultivate knowledge, which is endowed with vast means—great compassion and the mind of enlightenment—and does not conceptualize the three spheres—the object of meditation, the one who meditates, and the act of meditating—as truly existent. That is the indispensable cause for the attainment of omniscience.

Purity of the three spheres

The following term is translated as "purified of the three spheres":

• trimaṇḍala-pariśuddha (T. འཁོར་གསུམ་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པ་; C. sānyè qīngjìng 三業淸淨)

For example, the Kauśika prajñāpāramitā states:

... as the perfection of giving, the perfection of discipline, the perfection of patience, the perfection of effort, the perfection of concentration, the perfection of wisdom, the perfection of means, the perfection of aspiration, the perfection of power, and the perfection of gnosis are purified of the three spheres and thus boundless, the perfection of wisdom is boundless.

East Asian tradition

In East Asian Buddhism, there are several terms that refer to the non-conceptualization of the giver, the object, and the receiver. For example:

• sānlún tǐkōng 三輪體空 - In the practice of donation, seeing the donor, donee, and the donation as all being empty of self-nature.
• sānlún qīngjìng 三輪淸淨 - Triply pure generosity, giving, offering, etc. The giver of the donation is empty 施空, the receiver is empty 受空, and that which is donated is empty 施物空. Donation of the highest virtue is carried out without the idea of the distinction between the giver, the receiver, and the gift, and is called the donation of the pure threefold circle.

Alternate names

The three spheres are also referred to as

• three spheres of meditation (sgom pa'i 'khor gsum སྒོམ་པའི་འཁོར་གསུམ་)
• three agents of object, agent, and action (bya byed las gsum བྱ་བྱེད་ལས་གསུམ་)

See also

• Two accumulations

Sources

• Chökyi Dragpa (2004), Illuminating the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Heidi Koppl, Wisdom Publications 
• Jigme Lingpa; Kangyur Rinpoche (2010), Treasury of Precious Qualities, Book One, translated by Padmakara Translation Group, Boston: Shambhala Publications 
• Mipham Rinpoche (2002), Gateway to Knowledge, vol. III, translated by Kunsang, Erik Pema, Rangjung Yeshe Publications 

External links

• three spheres, Christian-Steinert Dictionary
• bya_byed_las_gsum, Rangjung Yeshe Wiki