Level 9: Fruition of the Path

In Mahayana Buddhism, as we move from a state of confusion toward wisdom, we pass through the 5 paths to liberation. The 5 paths include the path of accumulation, the path of preparation, the path of seeing, the path of meditation and the path of no more learning. This is one way of understanding the process of purification, in which we cleanse the mind of that which obscures us from seeing the truth of how things exist.

In Buddhism, ground, path and fruition are a means of describing different aspects of the Buddha’s teachings. We might think of the ground as the ever-present Buddha nature within us, the path as the practices that help us get to know our true nature, and fruition as the realization of the nature of mind, the union of wisdom and compassion.

Fruition in Buddhism is a non-dual state that is beyond words. We can try to describe it as the realization of our true nature, as the direct experience of ultimate reality, or as the union of wisdom and compassion. It is sometimes described as the simultaneous experience of the two kayas, the two bodies of a Buddha which represent relative and ultimate truth.

Buddhist literature describes the qualities and characteristics of a Buddha in many ways. These include the 32 physical characteristics of an enlightened being, 7 factors of enlightenment, 6 (or 10) perfections, 18 unshared qualities and 9 supreme attributes. Each of these lists helps us familiarize ourselves with the signs of fruition, so that we may act in the ways that bring us closer to it.