Eight aspects of liberation

Eight aspects of liberation (Skt. aṣṭavimokṣa; T. rnam par thar pa brgyad རྣམ་པར་ཐར་པ་བརྒྱད་) are eight stages in the pursuit of liberation. Also known as "eight liberations", "eight perfect freedoms", etc. Part of the twenty-one sets of undefiled qualities.

In this context, 'liberation' is understood as a state of mind totally divested of the obscurations that block the subsequently listed realizations.

One common formulation of these stages is:

1. the liberation of viewing form while internally possessing the notion of form;
2. the liberation of viewing form while internally free from the notion of form;
3. the liberation of observing the sublime;
4. the liberation of the sensory sphere of infinite space;
5. the liberation of the sensory sphere of infinite consciousness;
6. the liberation of the sensory sphere of nothingness;
7. the liberation of the sensory sphere in which there are neither concepts nor the absence of concepts;
8. the liberation of the cessation of concepts and feelings.

Explanation

The Treasury of Precious Qualities states:

(1) Perceiving themselves as embodied, Buddhas can transform material forms and also call them into physical manifestation. This is the perfect freedom of “form beholding form.” (2) Perceiving themselves as disembodied, they can transform material forms and call them into manifestation. This is the perfect freedom of “nonform behold beholding form." (3) Now, if, allied to such powers of miraculous manifestation, there occurred the urge to produce pleasant things rather than the contrary, this power of miraculous production would be limited and imperfect. But Buddhas see all forms, fair or ugly, as equal and merely interdependent phenomena relative to each other; they are just conceptual imputations, nonexistent in themselves. This is called the perfect freedom of "beholding beauty."

The four perfect freedoms with regard to the formless states concern the four extremely subtle mental perceptions of infinite space, infinite consciousness, utter nothingness, and neither existence nor nonexistence.

The eighth perfect freedom is the freedom of cessation, an experience possible for Aryas who have attained the four samadhis of form, together with the four formless absorptions, and who have arrested the seven consciousnesses together with all mental factors. For such beings, only the alaya is manifest. They can now abide in the absorption wherein there is neither perception nor feeling. Thus they abide in the absorption of cessation.

Alternative translations

• Eight liberations
• Eight perfect freedoms

Sources

• 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