Even if one is interested
in the dharma and wishes to practice, if one has a very solid belief in ego, one will encounter an obstacle in the manifestation of buddha nature because a belief in self is contradictory to the understanding of attaining Buddhahood and is also the root of all negativity.
in the dharma and wishes to practice, if one has a very solid belief in ego, one will encounter an obstacle in the manifestation of buddha nature because a belief in self is contradictory to the understanding of attaining Buddhahood and is also the root of all negativity.
Khenchen-Thrangu-Rinpoche-Asanga-Uttara-Tantra
The dharma and sangha are a refuge on the way to Buddhahood, but once one becomes a Buddha there is no longer any need for the props of dharma and sangha.
Scriptural dharma cannot be an ultimate refuge because upon achieving Buddhahood, one leaves the teachings behind and no longer has any need to practice them.
The dharma of realization is not the ultimate refuge either.
On the path one goes through different stages of realization and as soon as one reaches one level, then the previous one becomes obsolete.
Because the path changes all the rime, how could it be an ultimate source of refuge?
The truth of
cessation cannot be the ultimate source of refuge because once one develops realization, one doesn't have anything to show for it--something tangible; rather one becomes free from what is unwanted. The truth of cessation is eliminating what is unwanted and not acquiring something positive, so it cannot be the ultimate source of refuge.
[21] The sangha is not the ultimate source of refuge because it still has fear. The sangha has not totally travelled the path and still needs to take refuge in the Buddha and therefore is not beyond all fears.
In the ultimate sense only the Buddha is the true refuge. All suffering and difficulties disappear only when changeless happiness is reached and this occurs only wben one becomes a Buddha. Therefore the Buddha is the only real refuge. Does this mean that refuge in the dharma and
? sangha is not very good? No, because dharma and sangha are qualities that include the Buddha. The Buddha is the dharmakaya which literally means the "embodiment of dharma. " The sangha are beings who are working on the path to Buddhahood and go from one level to another until they finally reach complete realization. The qualities of the Buddha are also the ultimate attainment of the sangha, so it can be said that in the Buddha all the qualities of the dharma and the sangha are present. This is why the Buddha is the ultimate refuge.
Why They are Called the Three Jewels
[22] The original Sanskrit word for "jewel" in the three jewels was ratna and a literal translation into Tibetan should have been rinpoche which means "very precious" or having great value. But the Tibetan translators did not chose a literal translation but preferred another word because when one says something has great value, one is emphasizing its outer quality. The three jewels are so much greater so it was translated it as kern cho. Kern means "rare" and cho means "supreme" or "most excellent. " They chose the word kern because the three jewels are most rare
and cho because they are unsurpassable.
There are six reasons why the Buddha, dharma, and
sangha are referred to as rare and supreme in Tibetan. First, a jewel is very rare and there aren't many persons who encounter one. Likewise the Buddha, dharma, and sangha are quite rare and many persons do not encounter them. Second, jewels are stainless. When one finds a jewel, it is
very bright and shiny and not dirty or repulsive. Similarly, the three jewels are very pure because they are totally free
? from all emotional stains. Third, possessing jewels is to have power. When one possesses a jewel, one has something of great value and by selling it one can obtain financial power which allows one to accomplish many things. Similarly, the three jewels are powerful because they can extinguish all the suffering of beings. Fourth, a jewel is an ornament which makes things more beautiful by its presence. In the same way, the three jewels are ornaments of the world because they bring much goodness to the world because their basic motivation is to benefit other beings with their mere presence. Also the three jewels have such a great sense of self-respect and won't behave incorrectly because they are very careful in their behavior. They have enough respect of others so they will
not behave incorrectly towards them. So these beings have a very high and pure quality because of the way they behave. People who practice the path of dharma on the whole will achieve the final realization of the path. So as time goes by there will be more and more beings who reach the highest state and there will be more and more ornaments of the world. The fifth reason is that the three
jewels have the quality of excellence. In our world there are many different persons who are supposed to be wonderful because they have achieved fame or success or wealth. But these worldly achievements are not permanent and ultimately are not capable of being beneficial. But the three jewels bring eternal peace and changeless happiness. The sixth reason is the three jewels can bring fruition that is changeless. This is similar to a jewel because it doesn't disintegrate. Once one has reached Buddhahood, there is no possibility of falling back into confusion and suffering.
? VAJRA POINT I The Buddha
! Based on the truth o f
Value for Oneself (1**) 1. * Uncreated (2)
2. Spontaneous presence (3) 3. No external conditions (4)
Value for Others (5)
4. Perfect knowledge (6) 5. Compassionate love (7) 6. Power to remedy (8)
VAJRA POINT n The Dharma 'Based on the truth o f
Value for Oneself (1)
1. Inconceivable (2)
2. Nonduality (3)
3. Nonconceptuality (4)
Value for Others (5)
4. Stainlessness (6) 5. Brilliance (7)
6. Remdial power (8)
VAJRA POINT III The Sangha
'Based on the truth o f
Value for Oneself (1)
1. Knowledge of how-it-is (2) 2. Knowledge of manyness (3) 3. InnerjnSna(4)
Value for Others (5)
4. Free from defilements (6) 5. Free from dualism (7)
6. Free from lower paths (8)
Table 1
Outline o f the first Three Vajra Points
* The number in front are for counting the qualities using the 6-quality method of counting. ? ? the numbers behind are for tor using the 8-quality counting method.
THE U T T A R A T A N T R A
? CHAPTER 5
An Introduction to Book II:
The Last Four Vajra Points
The last four vajra points are buddha essence,4 enlighten- ment, the buddha qualities, and the buddha activities. Each vajra point will be divided into two parts: a general description and then a more detailed description. This introduction will be a description of these last four vajra points which cannot be understood directly by ordinary beings.
The Nature o f Each Point
[23] The nature of sugatagarbha or buddha nature is unpolluted suchness which is the true condition of phenomena when it is not distorted by illusion or confusion created by the mind. In the example of mistaking a rope for a snake, if one knows the suchness of the rope, then one doesn't have any fear. Normally, the suchness of
everything is distorted by the illusion of samsara, even though the actual nature of suchness of phenomena is emptiness and clarity. So this polluted suchness is similar to buddha nature. If one has a jewel covered with mud and
4 The fourth vajra point is sugatagarbha (Tib. der sheg nying po). <nhs will be referred to as "buddha nature" or "essence of Buddhahood" for variety.
? one removes the mud, one can see the jewel in its purity. Because the nature of the jewel is pure, one can remove the impurities and it will still retain its purity. In the same way, buddha nature is stainless in that when one removes the emotional and cognitive obscurations, there will be the presence of unpolluted suchness which is Buddhahood. Once all the impurities are removed, the suchness can
manifest in all its purity and becomes enlightenment which is the second of the last foui vajra qualities. When the suchness has been purified, all the qualities inherent in the suchness can manifest; these are the buddha qualities which are the third of the last four vajra points. The buddha qualities represent total fulfillment for oneself and
others. It is fulfillment for oneself because all the causes of suffering, karma, have been removed. This happiness is complete and unchanging because all causes of happiness are present. From the qualities of Buddhahood spring the power to help other beings creating the fourth of the last vajra points, buddha activity. Buddhahood is the supreme way to help all beings and as long as samsara goes on and it will help an infinite number of beings. Buddha activity also doesn't give just temporary relief from suffering, but helps achieve ultimate happiness.
It is said that before we see the three jewels as rare and supreme, we see them as refuge with the Buddha being the ultimate refuge. But where do these refuges come from? They arise from the above four qualities of unpolluted suchness, the qualities of Buddhahood, and the deeds of Buddhahood. Through these qualities one can achieve the three refuges. It is difficult for ordinary persons to under- stand how these last four vajra points can bring the
realization of the three jewels because only Buddhas are capable of seeing this directly.
? [24] The Buddha can perceive the last four vajra points and understand them fully. The three jewels are the fruition of the realization of the path. Only the Buddhas can see the causal ground because they are endowed with pure vision of how-it-is and variety of all phenomena. Therefore buddha nature, enlightenment, buddha qualities, and
buddha activities are inconceivable to ordinary beings.
[25] There are four reasons why the four vajra points are inconceivable to ordinary beings. First, the essence of en- lightenment is inconceivable because it is pure but is also accompanied by defilements. The essence of enlighten- ment is perfectly and naturally pure from the very beginning having never known any stain. Yet it is
accompanied by defilements and this sounds like a paradox. Thinking about suchness being present with defilements in the mind is quite inconceivable to ordinary beings. If one tries to meditate on it, one can't experience it directly; therefore it is perceived only by the Buddhas. Second, enlightenment is inconceivable to ordinary beings because enlightenment is completely free from defilements, yet has to be purified. Buddha nature is completely pure and through gradual purification buddha nature manifests in its full purity (enlightenment). So there is a logical contradiction between the original purity and
the need to purify it through practice. Third, the buddha qualities are inconceivable because they are inseparable from buddha nature. From the beginning all the qualities of Buddhahood are present in buddha nature, but one achieves all these qualities only when one reaches Buddhahood. Fourth, buddha activity is inconceivable because it is both spontaneous and nonconceptual. Buddha
activity occurs without effort on the part of the Buddha.
? This activity responds to what people need, yet the Buddha doesn't need to think, "I must do this for this person. " Yet all the time the activity is happening exactly in the way needed for each and every being.
[26] The reasons that these vajra points are inconceivable is they appear to be paradoxes. But with closer examination there is no real contradiction. First, buddha nature is perfectly pure from the viewpoint of its nature or essence. The impurities, the defilements, are only the fruition of a mistaken view and therefore has nothing to do with the actual nature of buddha nature. Second, the defilements can be removed because they are not an inherent pan of enlightenment, so they can not pollute its nature. If one looks at the qualities there is no real contradiction either because from the viewpoint of the actual nature these qualities have always been inseparable and present in the essence of Buddhahood. But when
covered up by impurities, they cannot display their presence in action. When impurities are removed, the qualities function as they ought to do. It's similar to what happens when the sun is covered by clouds. When the sun is covered by clouds, the sunlight cannot manifest; however the light itself has not been changed. In the same way, when the qualities of enlightenment are covered up by impurities or not. When they're covered up by impurities, these qualities do not manifest. The fourth point of activity is also not a contradiction. Buddha activity is spontaneous, effortless, and nonconceptual. It is the result of all the previous wishes and resolutions and prayers made by the Buddhas when they were on the path to enlightenment. From the strong impetus of previous
practice all this activity can arise spontaneously and without any conceptualization.
? The Realization o f these Vajra Points
The essence of Buddhahood is actual realization. The attributes that spring from this realization are the qualities that bring about realization to other beings. Buddha nature constitutes the causal conditions and the other three vajra points constitute a result that * akes it possible to purify other beings.
? CHAPTER 6 Buddha Nature:
The Ten Aspects
This chapter is divided into four parts. The first part is a summary of the meaning of the essence of Buddhahood. The second is a more detailed explanation. The third part illustrates through examples how one can purify buddha nature and the fourth part gives the purpose for teaching about buddha nature.
What is Buddha Nature?
The Buddha taught three turnings of the wheel of dharma. In the first turning the Buddha taught the four noble truths concerning mostly the relative level of reality. We perceive the nature of suffering which is the first noble truth. The origin of this suffering is to be found in all our previous actions and emotional obscurations. The third noble truth of cessation of suffering appears when one eliminates these two causes of suffering. Finally, in order to realize the truth of cessation one has to enter the proper path which is the truth of the path. The Buddha then showed how one has to
progress along five different levels of the path before reaching complete enlightenment. In the second turning the Buddha taught about the ultimate nature of phenomena. He said that all phenomena are empty by nature. In the third
? turning the Buddha went further by showing that this emptiness of phenomena does not mean simple absence of things. When beings are in the impure phase, they still possess the essence of Buddhahood. When they reach Buddhahood, there's the presence of the twofold jnana of the how-it-is and variety of phenomena. So the third turning goes beyond the meaning of the first two turnings. [27] The Uttara Tantra relates to the third turning
because it is concerned with the presence of buddha nature in all beings. There are three reasons for buddha nature being present in all beings. First, the dharmakaya of the Buddha pervades all phenomena and can give rise to any phenomena so it is present everywhere. Second, the suchness or the actual nature of nirvana and samsaric phenomena is undifferentiated so there's no "good suchness" which relates to nirvana and no "bad suchness" which relates to samsara. There is only one suchness of all phenomena. Third, all beings possess the foundation for buddha nature and when purified it can develop into full Buddhahood.
Ten Qualities o f Buddha Nature
[29] There are ten different aspects from which one can approach the essence of Buddhahood. These are nature, cause, result, influence, endowments, approach, the various phases, all-pervasiveness, unalterability, and inseparability of its qualities. These are listed in Table 2 .
1. Nature
[30] The nature of buddha nature is explained by means of three examples of a jewel, the sky, and water. The
? significance of these examples will be given later. The dharmakaya is like a jewel because it is totally free from any impurities. It is like the sky when there are no clouds present because the sky by nature is free from clouds. It is like water because water is naturally ver\ pure and the impurities found in water are not part of the nature of the water. In the same way, buddha nature is perfectly pure.
There are four different ways to make buddha nature manifest. First, one must aspire to the dharma because with no aspiration obviously one will not practice it. The second way is to let the essence of buddha nature shine in its clarity and this is accomplished with intelligence (prajna). The third way is by samadhi (meditation) and the fourth is compassion. Without study one will not reflect on buddha nature or without meditation one will not be able to go through the process that makes buddha nature manifest. In more detail:
[31] In the example of the jewel, buddha nature pos- sesses tremendous power because it has the pov/er to achieve ultimate happiness Buddhahood, which is of greatest value for all beings. So it is extremely precious and powerful and is compared to a jewel because a jewel has the power to dispel poverty.
The essence of Buddhahood is compared to the sky because the sky never changes. The earth is constantly changing, but the sky even over periods of thousands of years never turns into anything different. In the same way, the suchness of all phenomena is unchanging and there is no alteration of its nature.
The essence of Buddhahood is compared to water because water has a wet and flowing quality which allows it to go everywhere. By its mere presence everything can
? grow. Buddha nature also possesses a moistening quality, the lubricating quality of compassion.
So buddha nature has the moistening quality of compassion, the unchanging quality of space, and the power of a jewel.
2. Cause
[32] In our present condition of ordinary beings the essence of Buddhahood has not manifested because we encounter the four unfavorable obstacles of Buddhahood. The first obstacle is having hostility or a natural dislike for the dharma. One may wish not to have anything to do with dharma and not want to practice. Obviously, one will never enter the dharma with this kind of attitude. Even without hostility towards the dharma, there may be no confidence in the value of the teaching so there is the feeling that everything taught is useless. The second obstacle is the strong belief in the reality of self.
Even if one is interested
in the dharma and wishes to practice, if one has a very solid belief in ego, one will encounter an obstacle in the manifestation of buddha nature because a belief in self is contradictory to the understanding of attaining Buddhahood and is also the root of all negativity. To have the essence of Buddhahood manifest, one has to remove the two types of emotional and cognitive obscurations. But with a very strong belief in a self then, one cannot begin to remove these obscurations. The third obstacle is the fear of
suffering in samsara because this fear will prevent one from entering the mahSySna path. We are striving oo eliminate suffering, but there has to be an understanding of the void nature of this suffering at the same time. If1one
? can understand that suffering is void, then one doesn't fear this suffering and is able to help all beings attain freedom
from suffering. The fourth obstacle is the lack of an inclination to help other beings. This occurs when one feels one's own problems are enough and so one is not really interested in what happens to others. Someone with this attitude who practices is going to reach the higher states of rebirth in samsara and a form of liberation such as that of the arhats, but it will not be complete liberation of buddha nature manifesting into Buddhahood.
[33] Each obstacle has a type of person attached to it. The first obstacle is associated with persons hostile to the dharma. The second obstacle can be found in many religions. Some religions include a need to eliminate a belief in a self, but many do not even consider this quality; the self is just considered normal and does not have to be relinquished. The Buddhist term for people holding this belief in self is tirthika. Tirthikas are people who are fairly close to the dharma in that they are religious, but the religious belief is not powerful enough to manifest the essence of Buddhahood because they still believe in the presence of a self. The third obstacle is present in the SrSvakas who are individuals who want to find liberation only for themselves because they are afraid of suffering.
The fourth obstacle is found in pratyekabuddhas.
These four obstacles can be removed by their opposite qualities. Aspiration for the dharma will eliminate hostility towards the dharma. Great prajna will eliminate belief in self. The best form of meditation, samadhi, will eliminate the fear of samsara. Compassion will eliminate the lack of
interest in the sufferings of other beings.
In the Uttara Tantra the main emphasis is on view.
There is, of course, mention of how to practice, but the
? view is the main point of the text. The text shows quite clearly the actual nature of phenomena and two aspects emerge--the empty aspect and the clarity aspect. The empty aspect is the spacious, unreal aspect. The clarity aspect is the intelligence, the vivid understanding. In this text these two aspects are shown to be the inseparable union of emptiness and clarity and that is buddha nature.
To summarize, buddha potential can be examined from its innate aspect and the aspect developed through practice. Through practice and the presence of certain qualities, buddha nature can manifest. But in trying to make it manifest one meets four kinds of obstacles. If these four obstacles can be overcome with the help of the four favor- able conditions, then one can work towards Buddhahood and little by little approach the state of the son of a Buddha--a bodhisattva.
[34] The birth of a bodhisattva can, for example, be compared to the birth of a child. First there is aspiration for the dharma, not just dharma in general, but the highest form of dharma, the mahlySna. Aspiration for the dharma creates all of the qualities needed on the path and will
eventually lead to Buddhahood. This is compared to the semen of the father which can give birth to a child. This seed needs a mother so once one aspires to the dharma, one will want to practice and develop the quality of understanding of non-self, and the understanding of the true nature of phenomena. This quality of prajna is compared to the mother because the semen needs a special environment for it to develop and this is the womb of the
mother. The womb represents meditation. If there is some degree of understanding of non-self and the nature of phenomena, this understanding will grow more and more.
? This is like the embryo of a child that needs to develop in the favorable environment of the womb until the body is fully complete with all its limbs and so on. Similarly, prajna needs the favorable environment of meditation to reach full development. The fourth quality of compassion is compared to a nursemaid. When the baby is bom, he still needs much care. With proper care and intention, the baby's body will grow and his intelligence will develop and eventually he will be an adult. The nursemaid is compassion because compassiqn makes the qualities of
prajna and meditation grow. With compassion for beings, one's understanding grows and one's meditation improves. So this example shows that if one has the four qualities of aspiration, prajna, meditation, and compassion one can become a son of the Buddha and truly work on the path of enlightenment.
The meditation referred to here is mostly tranquility meditation (samatha). It is constantly connected to the intelligent side of prajna and with the compassionate side of caring for beings. Without these two qualities meditation is devoid of the understanding of non-self and will not be able to cut the root of samsara and will create karma which brings about rebirth in a form or formless realm.
3. Fruition
The third quality is the fruition that occurs when buddha nature has completely manifested. The fourth quality is the influence of buddha nature that occurs once buddha nature has completely manifested. These two points are dealt with together because they are similar in that fruition is the ultimate goal and influence is the immediate goal.
? [35J The fruition of buddha nature has the transcen- dental qualities of purity, identity, happiness, and permanence. Complete purity is achieved when Buddha- hood is achieved. When one is beyond self and non-self, one achieves the transcendental quality of identity. There is also the quality of transcendental happiness and permanence at the time of fruition. The text states that the function of buddha nature is "revulsion for suffering" and longing for peace. Buddha nature makes us recognize the suffering of our existence. When we have recognized this, we develop a longing to go beyond suffering. This aspiration is present in all beings, being hazy in some persons and very clear in others. The degree of clarity of buddha nature depends on our circumstances. If the right conditions occur, then individuals will meet a teacher and be able to follow the path. Those who have not encountered these external conditions and still have the wish to eliminate suffering will not know that there is a path to liberation. So the influence of buddha nature is to make individuals want to eliminate suffering and find happiness.
[36] There are four things that contradict these con- ditions of the dharmakaya. They are impurity, suffering, impermanence, and absence of true transcendent identity. When one dwells in samsara, one interprets things incorrectly; one believes what is impure as is pure, one believes what is selfless is possesses a self, cne believes something permanent is impermanent, and one believes that suffering is happiness. These are the features of our samsaric illusion; we perceive everything as opposite to what it really is. In the hinayana teachings the Buddha taught what we believe is pure is not; that the belief in self
? is mistaken; that phenomena ore devoid of any self-entity; that we believe is happiness is really suffering and misery; what we take for permanent is actually impermanent. In the relative aspect of reality samsara is impure, selfless, suffering, and impermanent. From the ultimate level of reality, however, these four aspects of samsara are no longer relevant. The ultimate reality transcends the four aspects and their opposites and goes beyond pure and impure, non-self and self, etc.
[37] The quality of transcendental purity is beyond pure and impure. It is not the concept of purity of ordinary beings, nor is it free from the impurities as understood by SrSvakas and pratyekabuddhas; it is a purity beyond these notions. There are two aspects to this purity: the purity of true nature and the purity from incidental impurities. The purity of buddha nature is extremely pure and complete; it is masked just by impurities. It is transcendental purity because when these fleeting purities have been removed, the purity is complete.
The second quality is the transcendental quality of identity. The belief in self of ordinary beings has two different aspects--innate belief in self and the habit of thinking of self as "I. " Innate belief in self occurs when we are bom because no one needs to teach us that we are "I;" we just automatically think of ourselves as "I. " This belief in a self is also found in some religions which believe in the existence of the self which has to be liberated.
In contrast, the belief in non-self is developed by those who practice the hinayana and the general aspect of the mahaySna. What is important to understand is that both the belief in a self and a belief in non-self are just mental concepts and have no actual reality. Transcendental
? identity corresponds to the complete pacification and disappearance of all illusory fabrications of the idea of a self or non-self.
[38] The third quality is the transcendental quality of happiness. When one is bom in samsara, one is subjected to different types of suffering--all-pervading suffering and the suffering of change. But one is not aware of the real suffering in conditioned existence, so one believes that to
achieve happiness is to remain lost in samsara.
On the hinayana path one learns that the actual nature of samsara is suffering. So one meditates on this and develops a conviction that this is true and practices abandoning the causes of suffering. But in the special aspect of the mahayana teachings, it is taught that the view of suffering and happiness of samsara are illusory and that
the actual nature of phenomena is beyond both these concepts. One learns that suffering is only a mental creation of the five aggregates, being produced by the very fine mental imprints on the mind created by ignorance. The ultimate nature is beyond both the idea of suffering and the idea of happiness and this is transcendental happiness.
The fourth quality is transcendental permanence. When one is an ordinary person lost in samsara, one believes all things are lasting, permanent, even though all conditioned things are actually impermanent. So the belief in permanence is an illusion. In the hinayana practice the teachings reverse the idea of permanence replacing it with the concept of impermanence. But in the ultimate sense, both of these ideas and concepts have no actual reality. The actual nature of things is beyond the ideas of permanence
and impermanence; it is transcendental permanence because the whole of samsara and nirvana is identical and
? the qualities inherent in nirvana are already present in samsara. This permanence should be understood in terms of no change because everything is identical.
There are four transcendental qualities: purity, identity, happiness, and permanence. Considering these in the light of the hinayana or the general mahayana can be extremely surprising because these transcendental qualities seem to contradict the teachings of the Buddha. But these four transcendental qualities are given in terms of uie ultimate nature of phenomena which is beyond the limiting extremes of suffering and happiness, of permanence and impermanence, of self and non-self, and purity and impurity.
[39] Once we have achieved these four transcendental qualities, we are free from the extremes of samsara and nirvana and will not fall back into samsara or enter into the one-sided nirvana of liberation for ourselves. So this fruition is the achievement of liberation of the two extremes prajna preventing us from falling into samsara and compassion preventing us from liberating just ourselves. There are two aspects to a belief in a self--the
personal and the phenomenal self-entity. Through prajna, the highest form of spiritual intelligence, we can cut the root of this misconception and become free of emotional and cognitive obscurations as well as all the fine mental imprints. With compassion we see beyond our own personal interest and satisfaction. In the root text it says those with compassionate love will "cut through all self- cherishing" because they cherish all beings. Cherishing means not to drop them without any concerns, but to really help them.
? 4. The Function o f Buddha Nature
[40] The influence or function of buddha nature is covered in two points. The first point discusses what would happen if buddha nature were not present in all beings. If beings didn't have buddha nature, they wouldn't feel weariness of suffering and wouldn't therefore want to go beyond suffering (nirvana). One can see that non-sentient objects such as trees or stones don't have buddha nature;
consequently they don't have any wish to achieve Buddhahood. So this is what would be missing if buddha nature weren't there.
[41J Secondly, samsara will inherently bring much pain and difficulties. Of course, there will be some happiness and satisfaction, but this happiness is likely to change and become pain. So when we are in samsara, we are likely to experience pain. By possessing buddha nature, we are able to see that worldly existence brings suffering and can
conceive of nirvana. So we can aspire to go beyond the suffering of conditioned existence. If one didn't have this seed of Buddhahood, it would be impossible to perceive these aspects and strive for nirvana.
5. Endowments o f Buddha Nature
[42] The fifth point is endowments or literally possessing the qualities of buddha nature at the moment of fruition. Buddha nature can be compared to the ocean because the ocean contains many precious things. In the same way, buddha nature has the potential for achieving Buddhahood because it already has all the various qualfties
of Buddhahood. These qualities are the qualities of the
? body of the Buddha and the qualities required on the path to Buddhahood had such as faith, courage, prajna, and so on. These various qualities are also inseparable and this is demonstrated in a comparison of a butter lamp. In more detail:
[43] Buddha nature possesses three seeds--the seeds of the dharmakaya, the seeds of jnana, and the seeds of com- passion. The completely pure dhamakaya of the Buddhas is the first seed of aspiration. Buddha nature can arise only in those who have the aspiration to achieve enlightenment.
The second seed for realizing the jnana of the Victorious Ones (the Buddhas) is prajna. The ground from which prajna develops is meditation. In ordinary beings prajfia is fairly weak and with cultivation it becomes greater and greater until it blossoms into the full jnana of the Buddhas. Fully developed this jnana becomes the jnana of how-it-is and the jnana of variety.
The third seed is the great compassion of the Buddhas. The Buddhas have perfect compassion which is free from any conceptual reference point and the fruition of this seed leads to enlightenment. So within buddha nature is contained all the seeds of the future qualities of the
Buddhas.
In comparing the endowments of buddha nature with
an ocean, the vastness of the ocean is compared to the aspiration for enlightenment. The qualities of prajna and meditation are compared to the jewels in the ocean. Buddha nature contains these two qualities which are very precious because they give rise to the twofold jnana of the Buddhas. To show that prajna and meditation are not just dry qualities, the wetness of the ocean is compared to a the "wet" quality of compassion.
? [44] In the second example, the qualities of buddha nature at the time of fruition are compared to a butter lamp. Buddha nature is completely stainless, totally pure in nature even though some fleeting impurities are covering it temporarily. The essence of Buddhahood at fruition has the qualities of clear cognition (Tib. ngon she), jnSna, and freedom from impurities. The quality of clear cognition has five powers relating to the variety of phenomena. The first power of cognition is "divine vision" which is the ability to see extremely distant and small things. The second power
is the "divine ear" which is the ability to hear very distant and very soft sounds. The third power is the "knowledge of the mind of others" which is clairvoyance or exactly knowing the thoughts of others. The fourth power is "knowledge of the past" which is being able to see things going back thousands of years. Fifth is the power of "miraculous transformation of one's body. " All of these powers of clear cognition relate to Buddha's jnana.
The second quality of jfiana refers to the knowledge of how-it-is. It perceives phenomena as merely mani- festations, not having any actual reality; so this jnana is stainless because it isn't polluted by any belief in reality.
The third quality is clarity. There are two aspects of knowledge: knowing the relative and knowing the ultimate. These are always present together, when one knows the variety of phenomena, one knows the true nature of phenomena and one has the third quality of clarity. The parallel between these three qualities is demonstrated with a butter lamp's light, heat, and color. The light can dispel
darkness; once darkness is gone one can see everything very clearly. So the brightness of the light is compared to the clear cognition which can see phenomena very clearly.
? The stainless jnana is compared with the heat of the butter lamp because the heat is inseparable from the brightness of the flame. So the stainless jfiSna of the Buddha is inseparable from this essence of Buddhahood. The color of the butter lamp refers to the great clarity of the knowledge of the Buddha. This example of the butter lamp shows how that these three qualities of buddha nature are inseparable.
6. Manifestation or Approach
[45] Buddha nature is present in all beings, its essential nature never changes or transforms into anything. Some in- dividuals understand this, some do not, and the teachings describe three types of individuals. First there are ordinary beings who are not yet free of their emotional instability. Then there are more evolved persons, the bodhisattvas. Third there are the perfect Buddhas which can be illustrated by the Tibetan name for "Buddha" which is formed of two syllables sang gay. Sang means "pure," and gay means "perfectly blossomed. " So perfect purity represented in the first syllable of sangay and perfect knowledge represented in the second syllable. When the qualifier of "perfect" is added one finds that all the qualities of purity and understanding are perfectly complete in the Buddha.
These three types of individuals have three different approaches to buddha essence. The ordinary beings will approach it in a mistaken way, the bodhisattvas will approach it without mistake, and the Buddhas will see it directly. The difference is simply their approach to buddha nature, but the object of their approach, enlightenment, is the same for all of them. In more detail:
? [46] Ordinary beings approach buddha nature in a completely incorrect direction. This can be understood in an example of a rope in a dark place that someone mistakes for a snake. If one person sees it is as a snake and another person sees it as only a rope, one of them has a mistaken perception and the other the right perception even though both are looking at the same >>hing. So it is with buddha nature: ordinary beings see it incorrectly and the
bodhisattvas see it correctly. But there is still a third way to see it, the Buddhas see buddha nature just as it is with their direct, clear, extensive, vast, and complete vision. The bodhisattvas, for instance, see it clearly, but do not see it in its entirety. So it is said that the Buddhas see buddha nature completely, just as it is, with the complete absence of
conceptual interference.
7. Phases
[47] The seventh point describes buddha nature in terms of phases: the impure phase, the slightly impure phase, and the totally pure phase. The impure phase is the stage of ordinary beings in which buddha nature is obscured by the emotional and cognitive obscurations.
cessation cannot be the ultimate source of refuge because once one develops realization, one doesn't have anything to show for it--something tangible; rather one becomes free from what is unwanted. The truth of cessation is eliminating what is unwanted and not acquiring something positive, so it cannot be the ultimate source of refuge.
[21] The sangha is not the ultimate source of refuge because it still has fear. The sangha has not totally travelled the path and still needs to take refuge in the Buddha and therefore is not beyond all fears.
In the ultimate sense only the Buddha is the true refuge. All suffering and difficulties disappear only when changeless happiness is reached and this occurs only wben one becomes a Buddha. Therefore the Buddha is the only real refuge. Does this mean that refuge in the dharma and
? sangha is not very good? No, because dharma and sangha are qualities that include the Buddha. The Buddha is the dharmakaya which literally means the "embodiment of dharma. " The sangha are beings who are working on the path to Buddhahood and go from one level to another until they finally reach complete realization. The qualities of the Buddha are also the ultimate attainment of the sangha, so it can be said that in the Buddha all the qualities of the dharma and the sangha are present. This is why the Buddha is the ultimate refuge.
Why They are Called the Three Jewels
[22] The original Sanskrit word for "jewel" in the three jewels was ratna and a literal translation into Tibetan should have been rinpoche which means "very precious" or having great value. But the Tibetan translators did not chose a literal translation but preferred another word because when one says something has great value, one is emphasizing its outer quality. The three jewels are so much greater so it was translated it as kern cho. Kern means "rare" and cho means "supreme" or "most excellent. " They chose the word kern because the three jewels are most rare
and cho because they are unsurpassable.
There are six reasons why the Buddha, dharma, and
sangha are referred to as rare and supreme in Tibetan. First, a jewel is very rare and there aren't many persons who encounter one. Likewise the Buddha, dharma, and sangha are quite rare and many persons do not encounter them. Second, jewels are stainless. When one finds a jewel, it is
very bright and shiny and not dirty or repulsive. Similarly, the three jewels are very pure because they are totally free
? from all emotional stains. Third, possessing jewels is to have power. When one possesses a jewel, one has something of great value and by selling it one can obtain financial power which allows one to accomplish many things. Similarly, the three jewels are powerful because they can extinguish all the suffering of beings. Fourth, a jewel is an ornament which makes things more beautiful by its presence. In the same way, the three jewels are ornaments of the world because they bring much goodness to the world because their basic motivation is to benefit other beings with their mere presence. Also the three jewels have such a great sense of self-respect and won't behave incorrectly because they are very careful in their behavior. They have enough respect of others so they will
not behave incorrectly towards them. So these beings have a very high and pure quality because of the way they behave. People who practice the path of dharma on the whole will achieve the final realization of the path. So as time goes by there will be more and more beings who reach the highest state and there will be more and more ornaments of the world. The fifth reason is that the three
jewels have the quality of excellence. In our world there are many different persons who are supposed to be wonderful because they have achieved fame or success or wealth. But these worldly achievements are not permanent and ultimately are not capable of being beneficial. But the three jewels bring eternal peace and changeless happiness. The sixth reason is the three jewels can bring fruition that is changeless. This is similar to a jewel because it doesn't disintegrate. Once one has reached Buddhahood, there is no possibility of falling back into confusion and suffering.
? VAJRA POINT I The Buddha
! Based on the truth o f
Value for Oneself (1**) 1. * Uncreated (2)
2. Spontaneous presence (3) 3. No external conditions (4)
Value for Others (5)
4. Perfect knowledge (6) 5. Compassionate love (7) 6. Power to remedy (8)
VAJRA POINT n The Dharma 'Based on the truth o f
Value for Oneself (1)
1. Inconceivable (2)
2. Nonduality (3)
3. Nonconceptuality (4)
Value for Others (5)
4. Stainlessness (6) 5. Brilliance (7)
6. Remdial power (8)
VAJRA POINT III The Sangha
'Based on the truth o f
Value for Oneself (1)
1. Knowledge of how-it-is (2) 2. Knowledge of manyness (3) 3. InnerjnSna(4)
Value for Others (5)
4. Free from defilements (6) 5. Free from dualism (7)
6. Free from lower paths (8)
Table 1
Outline o f the first Three Vajra Points
* The number in front are for counting the qualities using the 6-quality method of counting. ? ? the numbers behind are for tor using the 8-quality counting method.
THE U T T A R A T A N T R A
? CHAPTER 5
An Introduction to Book II:
The Last Four Vajra Points
The last four vajra points are buddha essence,4 enlighten- ment, the buddha qualities, and the buddha activities. Each vajra point will be divided into two parts: a general description and then a more detailed description. This introduction will be a description of these last four vajra points which cannot be understood directly by ordinary beings.
The Nature o f Each Point
[23] The nature of sugatagarbha or buddha nature is unpolluted suchness which is the true condition of phenomena when it is not distorted by illusion or confusion created by the mind. In the example of mistaking a rope for a snake, if one knows the suchness of the rope, then one doesn't have any fear. Normally, the suchness of
everything is distorted by the illusion of samsara, even though the actual nature of suchness of phenomena is emptiness and clarity. So this polluted suchness is similar to buddha nature. If one has a jewel covered with mud and
4 The fourth vajra point is sugatagarbha (Tib. der sheg nying po). <nhs will be referred to as "buddha nature" or "essence of Buddhahood" for variety.
? one removes the mud, one can see the jewel in its purity. Because the nature of the jewel is pure, one can remove the impurities and it will still retain its purity. In the same way, buddha nature is stainless in that when one removes the emotional and cognitive obscurations, there will be the presence of unpolluted suchness which is Buddhahood. Once all the impurities are removed, the suchness can
manifest in all its purity and becomes enlightenment which is the second of the last foui vajra qualities. When the suchness has been purified, all the qualities inherent in the suchness can manifest; these are the buddha qualities which are the third of the last four vajra points. The buddha qualities represent total fulfillment for oneself and
others. It is fulfillment for oneself because all the causes of suffering, karma, have been removed. This happiness is complete and unchanging because all causes of happiness are present. From the qualities of Buddhahood spring the power to help other beings creating the fourth of the last vajra points, buddha activity. Buddhahood is the supreme way to help all beings and as long as samsara goes on and it will help an infinite number of beings. Buddha activity also doesn't give just temporary relief from suffering, but helps achieve ultimate happiness.
It is said that before we see the three jewels as rare and supreme, we see them as refuge with the Buddha being the ultimate refuge. But where do these refuges come from? They arise from the above four qualities of unpolluted suchness, the qualities of Buddhahood, and the deeds of Buddhahood. Through these qualities one can achieve the three refuges. It is difficult for ordinary persons to under- stand how these last four vajra points can bring the
realization of the three jewels because only Buddhas are capable of seeing this directly.
? [24] The Buddha can perceive the last four vajra points and understand them fully. The three jewels are the fruition of the realization of the path. Only the Buddhas can see the causal ground because they are endowed with pure vision of how-it-is and variety of all phenomena. Therefore buddha nature, enlightenment, buddha qualities, and
buddha activities are inconceivable to ordinary beings.
[25] There are four reasons why the four vajra points are inconceivable to ordinary beings. First, the essence of en- lightenment is inconceivable because it is pure but is also accompanied by defilements. The essence of enlighten- ment is perfectly and naturally pure from the very beginning having never known any stain. Yet it is
accompanied by defilements and this sounds like a paradox. Thinking about suchness being present with defilements in the mind is quite inconceivable to ordinary beings. If one tries to meditate on it, one can't experience it directly; therefore it is perceived only by the Buddhas. Second, enlightenment is inconceivable to ordinary beings because enlightenment is completely free from defilements, yet has to be purified. Buddha nature is completely pure and through gradual purification buddha nature manifests in its full purity (enlightenment). So there is a logical contradiction between the original purity and
the need to purify it through practice. Third, the buddha qualities are inconceivable because they are inseparable from buddha nature. From the beginning all the qualities of Buddhahood are present in buddha nature, but one achieves all these qualities only when one reaches Buddhahood. Fourth, buddha activity is inconceivable because it is both spontaneous and nonconceptual. Buddha
activity occurs without effort on the part of the Buddha.
? This activity responds to what people need, yet the Buddha doesn't need to think, "I must do this for this person. " Yet all the time the activity is happening exactly in the way needed for each and every being.
[26] The reasons that these vajra points are inconceivable is they appear to be paradoxes. But with closer examination there is no real contradiction. First, buddha nature is perfectly pure from the viewpoint of its nature or essence. The impurities, the defilements, are only the fruition of a mistaken view and therefore has nothing to do with the actual nature of buddha nature. Second, the defilements can be removed because they are not an inherent pan of enlightenment, so they can not pollute its nature. If one looks at the qualities there is no real contradiction either because from the viewpoint of the actual nature these qualities have always been inseparable and present in the essence of Buddhahood. But when
covered up by impurities, they cannot display their presence in action. When impurities are removed, the qualities function as they ought to do. It's similar to what happens when the sun is covered by clouds. When the sun is covered by clouds, the sunlight cannot manifest; however the light itself has not been changed. In the same way, when the qualities of enlightenment are covered up by impurities or not. When they're covered up by impurities, these qualities do not manifest. The fourth point of activity is also not a contradiction. Buddha activity is spontaneous, effortless, and nonconceptual. It is the result of all the previous wishes and resolutions and prayers made by the Buddhas when they were on the path to enlightenment. From the strong impetus of previous
practice all this activity can arise spontaneously and without any conceptualization.
? The Realization o f these Vajra Points
The essence of Buddhahood is actual realization. The attributes that spring from this realization are the qualities that bring about realization to other beings. Buddha nature constitutes the causal conditions and the other three vajra points constitute a result that * akes it possible to purify other beings.
? CHAPTER 6 Buddha Nature:
The Ten Aspects
This chapter is divided into four parts. The first part is a summary of the meaning of the essence of Buddhahood. The second is a more detailed explanation. The third part illustrates through examples how one can purify buddha nature and the fourth part gives the purpose for teaching about buddha nature.
What is Buddha Nature?
The Buddha taught three turnings of the wheel of dharma. In the first turning the Buddha taught the four noble truths concerning mostly the relative level of reality. We perceive the nature of suffering which is the first noble truth. The origin of this suffering is to be found in all our previous actions and emotional obscurations. The third noble truth of cessation of suffering appears when one eliminates these two causes of suffering. Finally, in order to realize the truth of cessation one has to enter the proper path which is the truth of the path. The Buddha then showed how one has to
progress along five different levels of the path before reaching complete enlightenment. In the second turning the Buddha taught about the ultimate nature of phenomena. He said that all phenomena are empty by nature. In the third
? turning the Buddha went further by showing that this emptiness of phenomena does not mean simple absence of things. When beings are in the impure phase, they still possess the essence of Buddhahood. When they reach Buddhahood, there's the presence of the twofold jnana of the how-it-is and variety of phenomena. So the third turning goes beyond the meaning of the first two turnings. [27] The Uttara Tantra relates to the third turning
because it is concerned with the presence of buddha nature in all beings. There are three reasons for buddha nature being present in all beings. First, the dharmakaya of the Buddha pervades all phenomena and can give rise to any phenomena so it is present everywhere. Second, the suchness or the actual nature of nirvana and samsaric phenomena is undifferentiated so there's no "good suchness" which relates to nirvana and no "bad suchness" which relates to samsara. There is only one suchness of all phenomena. Third, all beings possess the foundation for buddha nature and when purified it can develop into full Buddhahood.
Ten Qualities o f Buddha Nature
[29] There are ten different aspects from which one can approach the essence of Buddhahood. These are nature, cause, result, influence, endowments, approach, the various phases, all-pervasiveness, unalterability, and inseparability of its qualities. These are listed in Table 2 .
1. Nature
[30] The nature of buddha nature is explained by means of three examples of a jewel, the sky, and water. The
? significance of these examples will be given later. The dharmakaya is like a jewel because it is totally free from any impurities. It is like the sky when there are no clouds present because the sky by nature is free from clouds. It is like water because water is naturally ver\ pure and the impurities found in water are not part of the nature of the water. In the same way, buddha nature is perfectly pure.
There are four different ways to make buddha nature manifest. First, one must aspire to the dharma because with no aspiration obviously one will not practice it. The second way is to let the essence of buddha nature shine in its clarity and this is accomplished with intelligence (prajna). The third way is by samadhi (meditation) and the fourth is compassion. Without study one will not reflect on buddha nature or without meditation one will not be able to go through the process that makes buddha nature manifest. In more detail:
[31] In the example of the jewel, buddha nature pos- sesses tremendous power because it has the pov/er to achieve ultimate happiness Buddhahood, which is of greatest value for all beings. So it is extremely precious and powerful and is compared to a jewel because a jewel has the power to dispel poverty.
The essence of Buddhahood is compared to the sky because the sky never changes. The earth is constantly changing, but the sky even over periods of thousands of years never turns into anything different. In the same way, the suchness of all phenomena is unchanging and there is no alteration of its nature.
The essence of Buddhahood is compared to water because water has a wet and flowing quality which allows it to go everywhere. By its mere presence everything can
? grow. Buddha nature also possesses a moistening quality, the lubricating quality of compassion.
So buddha nature has the moistening quality of compassion, the unchanging quality of space, and the power of a jewel.
2. Cause
[32] In our present condition of ordinary beings the essence of Buddhahood has not manifested because we encounter the four unfavorable obstacles of Buddhahood. The first obstacle is having hostility or a natural dislike for the dharma. One may wish not to have anything to do with dharma and not want to practice. Obviously, one will never enter the dharma with this kind of attitude. Even without hostility towards the dharma, there may be no confidence in the value of the teaching so there is the feeling that everything taught is useless. The second obstacle is the strong belief in the reality of self.
Even if one is interested
in the dharma and wishes to practice, if one has a very solid belief in ego, one will encounter an obstacle in the manifestation of buddha nature because a belief in self is contradictory to the understanding of attaining Buddhahood and is also the root of all negativity. To have the essence of Buddhahood manifest, one has to remove the two types of emotional and cognitive obscurations. But with a very strong belief in a self then, one cannot begin to remove these obscurations. The third obstacle is the fear of
suffering in samsara because this fear will prevent one from entering the mahSySna path. We are striving oo eliminate suffering, but there has to be an understanding of the void nature of this suffering at the same time. If1one
? can understand that suffering is void, then one doesn't fear this suffering and is able to help all beings attain freedom
from suffering. The fourth obstacle is the lack of an inclination to help other beings. This occurs when one feels one's own problems are enough and so one is not really interested in what happens to others. Someone with this attitude who practices is going to reach the higher states of rebirth in samsara and a form of liberation such as that of the arhats, but it will not be complete liberation of buddha nature manifesting into Buddhahood.
[33] Each obstacle has a type of person attached to it. The first obstacle is associated with persons hostile to the dharma. The second obstacle can be found in many religions. Some religions include a need to eliminate a belief in a self, but many do not even consider this quality; the self is just considered normal and does not have to be relinquished. The Buddhist term for people holding this belief in self is tirthika. Tirthikas are people who are fairly close to the dharma in that they are religious, but the religious belief is not powerful enough to manifest the essence of Buddhahood because they still believe in the presence of a self. The third obstacle is present in the SrSvakas who are individuals who want to find liberation only for themselves because they are afraid of suffering.
The fourth obstacle is found in pratyekabuddhas.
These four obstacles can be removed by their opposite qualities. Aspiration for the dharma will eliminate hostility towards the dharma. Great prajna will eliminate belief in self. The best form of meditation, samadhi, will eliminate the fear of samsara. Compassion will eliminate the lack of
interest in the sufferings of other beings.
In the Uttara Tantra the main emphasis is on view.
There is, of course, mention of how to practice, but the
? view is the main point of the text. The text shows quite clearly the actual nature of phenomena and two aspects emerge--the empty aspect and the clarity aspect. The empty aspect is the spacious, unreal aspect. The clarity aspect is the intelligence, the vivid understanding. In this text these two aspects are shown to be the inseparable union of emptiness and clarity and that is buddha nature.
To summarize, buddha potential can be examined from its innate aspect and the aspect developed through practice. Through practice and the presence of certain qualities, buddha nature can manifest. But in trying to make it manifest one meets four kinds of obstacles. If these four obstacles can be overcome with the help of the four favor- able conditions, then one can work towards Buddhahood and little by little approach the state of the son of a Buddha--a bodhisattva.
[34] The birth of a bodhisattva can, for example, be compared to the birth of a child. First there is aspiration for the dharma, not just dharma in general, but the highest form of dharma, the mahlySna. Aspiration for the dharma creates all of the qualities needed on the path and will
eventually lead to Buddhahood. This is compared to the semen of the father which can give birth to a child. This seed needs a mother so once one aspires to the dharma, one will want to practice and develop the quality of understanding of non-self, and the understanding of the true nature of phenomena. This quality of prajna is compared to the mother because the semen needs a special environment for it to develop and this is the womb of the
mother. The womb represents meditation. If there is some degree of understanding of non-self and the nature of phenomena, this understanding will grow more and more.
? This is like the embryo of a child that needs to develop in the favorable environment of the womb until the body is fully complete with all its limbs and so on. Similarly, prajna needs the favorable environment of meditation to reach full development. The fourth quality of compassion is compared to a nursemaid. When the baby is bom, he still needs much care. With proper care and intention, the baby's body will grow and his intelligence will develop and eventually he will be an adult. The nursemaid is compassion because compassiqn makes the qualities of
prajna and meditation grow. With compassion for beings, one's understanding grows and one's meditation improves. So this example shows that if one has the four qualities of aspiration, prajna, meditation, and compassion one can become a son of the Buddha and truly work on the path of enlightenment.
The meditation referred to here is mostly tranquility meditation (samatha). It is constantly connected to the intelligent side of prajna and with the compassionate side of caring for beings. Without these two qualities meditation is devoid of the understanding of non-self and will not be able to cut the root of samsara and will create karma which brings about rebirth in a form or formless realm.
3. Fruition
The third quality is the fruition that occurs when buddha nature has completely manifested. The fourth quality is the influence of buddha nature that occurs once buddha nature has completely manifested. These two points are dealt with together because they are similar in that fruition is the ultimate goal and influence is the immediate goal.
? [35J The fruition of buddha nature has the transcen- dental qualities of purity, identity, happiness, and permanence. Complete purity is achieved when Buddha- hood is achieved. When one is beyond self and non-self, one achieves the transcendental quality of identity. There is also the quality of transcendental happiness and permanence at the time of fruition. The text states that the function of buddha nature is "revulsion for suffering" and longing for peace. Buddha nature makes us recognize the suffering of our existence. When we have recognized this, we develop a longing to go beyond suffering. This aspiration is present in all beings, being hazy in some persons and very clear in others. The degree of clarity of buddha nature depends on our circumstances. If the right conditions occur, then individuals will meet a teacher and be able to follow the path. Those who have not encountered these external conditions and still have the wish to eliminate suffering will not know that there is a path to liberation. So the influence of buddha nature is to make individuals want to eliminate suffering and find happiness.
[36] There are four things that contradict these con- ditions of the dharmakaya. They are impurity, suffering, impermanence, and absence of true transcendent identity. When one dwells in samsara, one interprets things incorrectly; one believes what is impure as is pure, one believes what is selfless is possesses a self, cne believes something permanent is impermanent, and one believes that suffering is happiness. These are the features of our samsaric illusion; we perceive everything as opposite to what it really is. In the hinayana teachings the Buddha taught what we believe is pure is not; that the belief in self
? is mistaken; that phenomena ore devoid of any self-entity; that we believe is happiness is really suffering and misery; what we take for permanent is actually impermanent. In the relative aspect of reality samsara is impure, selfless, suffering, and impermanent. From the ultimate level of reality, however, these four aspects of samsara are no longer relevant. The ultimate reality transcends the four aspects and their opposites and goes beyond pure and impure, non-self and self, etc.
[37] The quality of transcendental purity is beyond pure and impure. It is not the concept of purity of ordinary beings, nor is it free from the impurities as understood by SrSvakas and pratyekabuddhas; it is a purity beyond these notions. There are two aspects to this purity: the purity of true nature and the purity from incidental impurities. The purity of buddha nature is extremely pure and complete; it is masked just by impurities. It is transcendental purity because when these fleeting purities have been removed, the purity is complete.
The second quality is the transcendental quality of identity. The belief in self of ordinary beings has two different aspects--innate belief in self and the habit of thinking of self as "I. " Innate belief in self occurs when we are bom because no one needs to teach us that we are "I;" we just automatically think of ourselves as "I. " This belief in a self is also found in some religions which believe in the existence of the self which has to be liberated.
In contrast, the belief in non-self is developed by those who practice the hinayana and the general aspect of the mahaySna. What is important to understand is that both the belief in a self and a belief in non-self are just mental concepts and have no actual reality. Transcendental
? identity corresponds to the complete pacification and disappearance of all illusory fabrications of the idea of a self or non-self.
[38] The third quality is the transcendental quality of happiness. When one is bom in samsara, one is subjected to different types of suffering--all-pervading suffering and the suffering of change. But one is not aware of the real suffering in conditioned existence, so one believes that to
achieve happiness is to remain lost in samsara.
On the hinayana path one learns that the actual nature of samsara is suffering. So one meditates on this and develops a conviction that this is true and practices abandoning the causes of suffering. But in the special aspect of the mahayana teachings, it is taught that the view of suffering and happiness of samsara are illusory and that
the actual nature of phenomena is beyond both these concepts. One learns that suffering is only a mental creation of the five aggregates, being produced by the very fine mental imprints on the mind created by ignorance. The ultimate nature is beyond both the idea of suffering and the idea of happiness and this is transcendental happiness.
The fourth quality is transcendental permanence. When one is an ordinary person lost in samsara, one believes all things are lasting, permanent, even though all conditioned things are actually impermanent. So the belief in permanence is an illusion. In the hinayana practice the teachings reverse the idea of permanence replacing it with the concept of impermanence. But in the ultimate sense, both of these ideas and concepts have no actual reality. The actual nature of things is beyond the ideas of permanence
and impermanence; it is transcendental permanence because the whole of samsara and nirvana is identical and
? the qualities inherent in nirvana are already present in samsara. This permanence should be understood in terms of no change because everything is identical.
There are four transcendental qualities: purity, identity, happiness, and permanence. Considering these in the light of the hinayana or the general mahayana can be extremely surprising because these transcendental qualities seem to contradict the teachings of the Buddha. But these four transcendental qualities are given in terms of uie ultimate nature of phenomena which is beyond the limiting extremes of suffering and happiness, of permanence and impermanence, of self and non-self, and purity and impurity.
[39] Once we have achieved these four transcendental qualities, we are free from the extremes of samsara and nirvana and will not fall back into samsara or enter into the one-sided nirvana of liberation for ourselves. So this fruition is the achievement of liberation of the two extremes prajna preventing us from falling into samsara and compassion preventing us from liberating just ourselves. There are two aspects to a belief in a self--the
personal and the phenomenal self-entity. Through prajna, the highest form of spiritual intelligence, we can cut the root of this misconception and become free of emotional and cognitive obscurations as well as all the fine mental imprints. With compassion we see beyond our own personal interest and satisfaction. In the root text it says those with compassionate love will "cut through all self- cherishing" because they cherish all beings. Cherishing means not to drop them without any concerns, but to really help them.
? 4. The Function o f Buddha Nature
[40] The influence or function of buddha nature is covered in two points. The first point discusses what would happen if buddha nature were not present in all beings. If beings didn't have buddha nature, they wouldn't feel weariness of suffering and wouldn't therefore want to go beyond suffering (nirvana). One can see that non-sentient objects such as trees or stones don't have buddha nature;
consequently they don't have any wish to achieve Buddhahood. So this is what would be missing if buddha nature weren't there.
[41J Secondly, samsara will inherently bring much pain and difficulties. Of course, there will be some happiness and satisfaction, but this happiness is likely to change and become pain. So when we are in samsara, we are likely to experience pain. By possessing buddha nature, we are able to see that worldly existence brings suffering and can
conceive of nirvana. So we can aspire to go beyond the suffering of conditioned existence. If one didn't have this seed of Buddhahood, it would be impossible to perceive these aspects and strive for nirvana.
5. Endowments o f Buddha Nature
[42] The fifth point is endowments or literally possessing the qualities of buddha nature at the moment of fruition. Buddha nature can be compared to the ocean because the ocean contains many precious things. In the same way, buddha nature has the potential for achieving Buddhahood because it already has all the various qualfties
of Buddhahood. These qualities are the qualities of the
? body of the Buddha and the qualities required on the path to Buddhahood had such as faith, courage, prajna, and so on. These various qualities are also inseparable and this is demonstrated in a comparison of a butter lamp. In more detail:
[43] Buddha nature possesses three seeds--the seeds of the dharmakaya, the seeds of jnana, and the seeds of com- passion. The completely pure dhamakaya of the Buddhas is the first seed of aspiration. Buddha nature can arise only in those who have the aspiration to achieve enlightenment.
The second seed for realizing the jnana of the Victorious Ones (the Buddhas) is prajna. The ground from which prajna develops is meditation. In ordinary beings prajfia is fairly weak and with cultivation it becomes greater and greater until it blossoms into the full jnana of the Buddhas. Fully developed this jnana becomes the jnana of how-it-is and the jnana of variety.
The third seed is the great compassion of the Buddhas. The Buddhas have perfect compassion which is free from any conceptual reference point and the fruition of this seed leads to enlightenment. So within buddha nature is contained all the seeds of the future qualities of the
Buddhas.
In comparing the endowments of buddha nature with
an ocean, the vastness of the ocean is compared to the aspiration for enlightenment. The qualities of prajna and meditation are compared to the jewels in the ocean. Buddha nature contains these two qualities which are very precious because they give rise to the twofold jnana of the Buddhas. To show that prajna and meditation are not just dry qualities, the wetness of the ocean is compared to a the "wet" quality of compassion.
? [44] In the second example, the qualities of buddha nature at the time of fruition are compared to a butter lamp. Buddha nature is completely stainless, totally pure in nature even though some fleeting impurities are covering it temporarily. The essence of Buddhahood at fruition has the qualities of clear cognition (Tib. ngon she), jnSna, and freedom from impurities. The quality of clear cognition has five powers relating to the variety of phenomena. The first power of cognition is "divine vision" which is the ability to see extremely distant and small things. The second power
is the "divine ear" which is the ability to hear very distant and very soft sounds. The third power is the "knowledge of the mind of others" which is clairvoyance or exactly knowing the thoughts of others. The fourth power is "knowledge of the past" which is being able to see things going back thousands of years. Fifth is the power of "miraculous transformation of one's body. " All of these powers of clear cognition relate to Buddha's jnana.
The second quality of jfiana refers to the knowledge of how-it-is. It perceives phenomena as merely mani- festations, not having any actual reality; so this jnana is stainless because it isn't polluted by any belief in reality.
The third quality is clarity. There are two aspects of knowledge: knowing the relative and knowing the ultimate. These are always present together, when one knows the variety of phenomena, one knows the true nature of phenomena and one has the third quality of clarity. The parallel between these three qualities is demonstrated with a butter lamp's light, heat, and color. The light can dispel
darkness; once darkness is gone one can see everything very clearly. So the brightness of the light is compared to the clear cognition which can see phenomena very clearly.
? The stainless jnana is compared with the heat of the butter lamp because the heat is inseparable from the brightness of the flame. So the stainless jfiSna of the Buddha is inseparable from this essence of Buddhahood. The color of the butter lamp refers to the great clarity of the knowledge of the Buddha. This example of the butter lamp shows how that these three qualities of buddha nature are inseparable.
6. Manifestation or Approach
[45] Buddha nature is present in all beings, its essential nature never changes or transforms into anything. Some in- dividuals understand this, some do not, and the teachings describe three types of individuals. First there are ordinary beings who are not yet free of their emotional instability. Then there are more evolved persons, the bodhisattvas. Third there are the perfect Buddhas which can be illustrated by the Tibetan name for "Buddha" which is formed of two syllables sang gay. Sang means "pure," and gay means "perfectly blossomed. " So perfect purity represented in the first syllable of sangay and perfect knowledge represented in the second syllable. When the qualifier of "perfect" is added one finds that all the qualities of purity and understanding are perfectly complete in the Buddha.
These three types of individuals have three different approaches to buddha essence. The ordinary beings will approach it in a mistaken way, the bodhisattvas will approach it without mistake, and the Buddhas will see it directly. The difference is simply their approach to buddha nature, but the object of their approach, enlightenment, is the same for all of them. In more detail:
? [46] Ordinary beings approach buddha nature in a completely incorrect direction. This can be understood in an example of a rope in a dark place that someone mistakes for a snake. If one person sees it is as a snake and another person sees it as only a rope, one of them has a mistaken perception and the other the right perception even though both are looking at the same >>hing. So it is with buddha nature: ordinary beings see it incorrectly and the
bodhisattvas see it correctly. But there is still a third way to see it, the Buddhas see buddha nature just as it is with their direct, clear, extensive, vast, and complete vision. The bodhisattvas, for instance, see it clearly, but do not see it in its entirety. So it is said that the Buddhas see buddha nature completely, just as it is, with the complete absence of
conceptual interference.
7. Phases
[47] The seventh point describes buddha nature in terms of phases: the impure phase, the slightly impure phase, and the totally pure phase. The impure phase is the stage of ordinary beings in which buddha nature is obscured by the emotional and cognitive obscurations.
