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The Four Fruits of Plum Village
*In the Mahayana tradition, the teaching of “emptiness” (śūnyatā)—the absence of a separate self or inherent entity—was deeply explored from the first century BCE, originating in South India and spreading to North India, creating the vast treasury of Prajñāpāramitā. The Mother of Buddhas Sutra (The Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines) together with the Heart Sutra—the “small pill” containing the essence of Prajñā—demonstrate that great wisdom is both the Buddha and the “mother of the Buddha.” The feminine symbolism of Prajñāpāramitā reflects the matriarchal culture of South India, in contrast to the patriarchal influence of Early Buddhism, where “to become a Buddha, a daughter must transform into a son.”
*The Three Doors of Liberation are emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessness, in which “emptiness” is the foundation of all dharmas: “because of emptiness, all things are possible” (Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom). Life and practice lead to the four fruits of holiness, which can be realized right in the present moment:
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Peaceful dwelling—an trú—in every breath, every step.
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Arrived, at home—no longer running after anything, feeling at home in the present moment.
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Interbeing—transcending the separate self, seeing oneself as father, mother, ancestors, and all beings.
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Birthlessness—realizing the nature of no birth and no death of form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness, touching nirvana right here and now.