The Realm of Androgyny

Body and mind are mutually dependent and influence each other. If obstacles arise in the mind consciousness, it must be that a problem has occurred in the supreme faculty (indriya). The problems of the supreme faculty are of two kinds: one is that innate karmic seeds ripen when conditions mature, and karmic retribution manifests; the other is that acquired factors cause obstacles in the supreme faculty. Step outside yourself and look at the physical body: it is entirely a robot that can only function when lubricating oil is constantly added—there is truly nothing worth craving and cherishing. A noble, virtuous soul is far more valuable than the physical body, and a soul endowed with wisdom is countless times more valuable than the physical body. Therefore, we should all pursue a higher-level mind, pursuing liberation of the mind and wisdom.

And a higher-level mind must have transformed consciousness into wisdom, fully endowed with meditative concentration (samādhi) and prajñā, sufficient to transform the physical body, making the body adorned with major and minor marks (lakṣaṇa-vyañjana-sampad), possessing both the strengths of the male form and the strengths of the female form—in appearance having both male and female features, able to perfectly merge the male and female forms together, achieving androgyny. Meditative attainment can cultivate androgyny, making the physical body untainted, with no need to rely on the opposite sex to supplement and compensate for one's own deficiencies. In this way, with an independent personality, one becomes increasingly perfect, and in the future one can be born by transformation from a lotus flower. With meditative concentration of the first dhyāna and above, one will know what preliminary androgyny is like, but the concentration of the first dhyāna is still not enough; long-term sustained cultivation is required, even cultivation over long kalpas.

This is androgyny discussed from the perspective of meditative concentration and the physical body. The most fundamental androgyny refers to the spiritual and mental level: in spirit, perseverance, character, temperament, bearing, personality, cultivation, conduct, and so forth, one is fully endowed with both the strengths and wisdom of males and the strengths and wisdom of females, with no need to rely on the opposite sex to compensate for deficiencies in one's resolve, because one inherently possesses this dual nature, already perfect or close to perfect, superior to ordinary people. Great bodhisattvas are generally androgynous, possessing the strengths of both genders, including wisdom and physical appearance. Buddhas and bodhisattvas cannot be distinguished as male or female by their appearance; in wisdom, male and female are identical, and thus they are called "great personages" (mahāpuruṣa).

The appearance of the devas of the form realm is not differentiated into male and female; they all possess meditative concentration of the first dhyāna and above. The inhabitants of the land of bliss (sukhāvatī) and many other buddha-lands are likewise not differentiated into male and female, with no gender distinction, and their physical bodies remain forever young—this is the karmic retribution brought about by meditative concentration, merit, and wisdom. When there is no gender distinction, getting along with one another is especially at ease, with no sense of discord, no conflicts/disputes/gossip, no afflictive emotions—everything feels comfortable, at ease, and natural. But when the two genders live together, there are many troubles, wasting a great deal of energy and mental effort.