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- The altruistic mind- Skandaism (Intellectual vehicle)
At the fourth stage a human being understands the no-soul
doctrine and realizes that the temporary ego consists merely of
the five skandhas or aggregates: form, feeling, ideas, actions and
consciousness. Such an individual is a shravaka (a Hearer of the
Word).
This is the higher spiritual life of the practitioner in the
Theravada School, Kou-Cha-Shu and Jo-Jitsou-Shu sects. At this
level, one forgets his ego and is looking for the truth. They
realize that a strong sense of ego is the cause of delusion as ego
itself is also a delusion and therefore must be abandoned. This
stage is similar to the lotus’ bud, waiting for the sunshine to
blossom into a beautiful flower.
- The Human mind – (Prateyka or the Self-Enlightened)
People at this level understand the cause of suffering, or
thirst for embodied existence, and seek on the one hand, to
eliminate the creation of new karma and strive on the other for
nirvana. Such are the Prateyka Buddhas, who know how to win
enlightenment for themselves, but lack the upaya or skillful
means to help others towards the same goal. This is considered a
selfish attitude. A Prateyka Buddha is one who, through
realization of the causes and conditions of greed, can get rid of
them. There are 12 linked conditioned causes, the first one being
ignorance. In the Shingon system, the fourth and fifth stages are
the realm of one who meditates upon the unreal and realizes that
all things are reflections of images on a mirror. The reflection of
the moon and the lotus, no matter how clear it appears in the
water, are also unreal. Life is also a dream that ends quickly.