The Realm of Androgyny

The body and mind are interdependent and mutually influential. If consciousness encounters obstacles, it must be due to problems with the supreme sense faculty. Issues with the supreme sense faculty arise either from karmic seeds ripening and manifesting due to past actions, resulting in karmic retribution, or from acquired factors causing obstruction to the supreme sense faculty. Stepping outside the physical body to observe it, the entire form is like a robot requiring constant lubrication to function—truly nothing worthy of clinging to. A noble and virtuous soul holds far greater value than the physical body, and a wise soul surpasses the worth of the physical body beyond measure. Therefore, we should all pursue a higher level of mind, seeking spiritual liberation and wisdom.

A higher-level mind has certainly transformed consciousness into wisdom, possessing both meditative concentration and wisdom in full measure. This is sufficient to transform the physical body, endowing it with auspicious and dignified features that perfectly integrate the strengths of both masculine and feminine forms. Externally, it exhibits both masculine and feminine characteristics, achieving a state of androgyny. Through meditative practice, one can cultivate an androgynous, leakage-free physical body that does not rely on the opposite sex to supplement or compensate for its deficiencies. With such independent personhood, one becomes increasingly perfect and may eventually attain lotus rebirth. With meditative concentration at the level of the first dhyāna or higher, one gains preliminary understanding of androgyny, but the concentration of the first dhyāna is insufficient; it requires prolonged cultivation over an extended period, even across great kalpas.

This explanation of androgyny is from the perspective of meditative concentration and the physical body. The most fundamental androgyny refers to that of the spirit and mind. In terms of spirit, willpower, character, temperament, demeanor, personality, cultivation, conduct, and so forth, one fully possesses both the strengths and wisdom of the masculine and the feminine. There is no need to rely on the opposite sex to compensate for mental or volitional shortcomings because one inherently possesses duality, already being perfect or near-perfect, surpassing ordinary people. Great Bodhisattvas are generally androgynous, embodying the strengths of both genders, including wisdom and physical appearance. The appearance of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cannot be distinguished as male or female; in terms of wisdom, both genders are equal, hence they are called Great Beings.

The appearances of beings in the form realm are not distinguished by gender, as all possess meditative concentration at or above the first dhyāna. In the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and many other Buddha lands, beings also lack gender distinctions, having no differentiation between sexes, and their physical bodies remain eternally youthful. This is the karmic result brought about by meditative concentration, merit, and wisdom. When there are no gender distinctions, interactions become exceptionally natural and effortless, devoid of any sense of incongruity, conflict, or afflictive emotions, creating a feeling of comfort, ease, and naturalness. In contrast, when the two genders interact together, numerous complications arise, wasting much energy and mental effort.