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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. The mixed phase is purer than the first, but there are still some impurities left. There are two kinds impurities--impurities from insight and impurities from cultivation of this insight.
The bodhisattvas are in the mixed stage and have re- linquished impurities of insight which are intellectually created perceptions. Usually one has many concepts about things and generally sees phenomena in a distorted way. The bodhisattvas have eliminated the concepts that obscure
? the true nature of things, but they haven't dispelled the "innate obscuration" which can only be eliminated by cultivation of this insight. The Buddhas, on the other hand, are in the third stage of having purified all obscurations. [48] In summary, buddha nature is described in terms of three phases of impure, partially pure, and completely pure. These are similar to the six points of nature, cause, and so on. This impure phase corresponds to ordinary beings; partially pure to bodhisattvas, and completely pure to tathagatas.
8. All-pervasiveness
[49] All-pervasive means that buddha nature embraces everything with nothing left out. For example, space is all- pervasive: It is everywhere and contains everything. Of the two natures of the mind (emptiness and clarity) emptiness is compared to space. The clarity is given the name "immaculate space. " Immaculate space is the name for Buddhahood and is all-pervasive in all beings.
[50] In logic there are general and particular charac- teristics of things. A general characteristic would be some- thing like impermanence which applies to all phenomena. A particular characteristic would be like fire is hot and burning which doesn't apply to other phenomena. Buddha nature is a general characteristic of all beings irrespective
of what qualities they possess. This is compared to space which pervades all forms and objects from very precious jewels to the most inferior objects such as rubbish--all of
which have different particular characteristics.
? 9. (Inalterability
[51] One's faults are incidental to buddha nature and one's good qualities are an inherent part of buddha nature. The nature of buddha essence is that it never changes and has just temporary faults covering it up. The qualities are inherently present in buddh nature and manifest in enlightenment, rather than these qualities just begin to develop at the time of Buddhahood. So buddha nature is changeless and it is the same before and after Buddhahood. [52] Unalterability in the phase of ordinary beings is unalterable for four reasons. First, it is like space which is void and pervades everything and there isn't one object in the universe that isn't permeated by space. Because the
nature of space is extremely subtle, its nature is not altered by the objects whether it surrounds pure or polluted objects. From the beginning, buddha nature has been present in all beings but it was covered by the impurities of anger, jealousy, stupidity, etc. which don't affect the nature of this buddha nature. So buddha essence is unaffected by the impurities just as space is unaffected by the objects it
contains.
[53] Second, if the nature is unalterable, consider all the universes which are made up of the elements. When the universe first begins, it has to manifest in space and when it
disintegrates, it disintegrates in space. All this occurs in space, but space itself doesn't change or decompose. In the same way, buddha nature contains the five aggregates, elements, entrances, etc. and appearances which we experience. Everything arises and disintegrates in the uncreated space of buddha nature.
? [54] Third, one may think the process of arising and dis- integration may change the space so that it will be destroyed. But space has never been destroyed by fires. Since the beginning of time countless fires have never destroyed space. In the same way, buddha essence has never been burned out by the fires of death, sickness, and old age. On the relative level, there is the appearance of birth, sickness, and old age, but these do not affect buddha nature just as fire doesn't affect space.
[55] Fourth, buddha nature is unalterable. At the formation of the universe, the earth element rested on water and this ocean rested on a great circle of air and the air rests on space. So all the elements rest on space while space rested on nothing. All the five aggregates, the elements of thought, and the sense faculties rest on karma. They arise because there is karma--that is good and bad actions--and karma rests on the defilements of attachment, aggression, and ignorance. These defilements rest on a false view of the true nature of things. This false view of reality rests on the purity or true nature of the mind. But this true nature of the mind (buddha nature) like space doesn't rest on anything. So in this example the earth is similar to the five aggregates, the water is similar to karma and the defilements, air to an improper mode of thinking, and space to buddha nature.
[58] Earth is similar to the five aggregates, 12 entrances, and 18 elements. The five aggregates are form, feeling, cognition, mental formations, and consciousness. The earth is very coarse or dense and is the element that is the basis for life. In the same way the aggregates, elements, and entrances are the basis of our experiences of pleasure and pain. Water spreads everywhere on the earth and makes it
? possible for plants to grow from the earth. In the same way, the positive and negative actions of our life determine the quality of our experiences and are motivated by defilements and a belief in a self. Water also is unstable because it moves and goes everywhere and in the same way the defilements also have this unstable way.
[59] Improper thinking is rooted in the basic ignorance of not realizing the essential nature of things. Because of this, delusion arises and is similar to air because air is very light and subtle, but animated by the slightest movement. Similarly, ignorance is very subtle and creates a very slight movement which stirs up karma and defilements.
[60] Improper thinking is not realizing the true nature of mind while proper thinking is to see phenomena correctly. In the example of seeing a rope in a dark place as a snake, the perception of a rope and snake have the same visual sensation. However, because of improper thinking, the rope is seen differently. So one can say this improper thinking rests on the nature of the mind and from it arises karma and the defilements. The actual nature of phenomena is peace and voidness and the absence of
conceptual fabrication. Because one perceives true phenomena incorrectly, one incorrectly believes
phenomena to be real. The first distortion occurs in perception of "self' and "others" and from this arises the feeling of attachment to "self' and a dislike of what is connected to others. From this distortion arises all the physical, mental, and verbal negative reactions. So the basis of this improper mode of thinking arises from karma. [61] Karma and defilements manifest in all our
experiences. Because of karma and defilements we are born in samsara and experience the various sensations
? based on the qualities of our karma. This is compared to the earth rising from the water element. The water contains many of particles of earth which arise to make solid earth. The solid substance will appear, but after a while it will disintegrate into the water element which gave birth to it. In the same way, the water of our karma and defilements arise from the aggregates, elements, and entrances of our experiences. Out of the water of our karma comes birth, old age, sickness, and death and we then sink into our karma to begin again.
[62] The true nature of the mind is compared to space because space is never created or destroyed. Likewise, the actual nature of the mind is changeless, clear, and not polluted by impurities. Space is not created by water or destroyed by fire and similarly buddha nature is not created by the water of karma and defilements or destroyed by the fire of old age, sickness, and death. The fires of death and old age are compared to the fires at of the end of time (hell fire) and ordinary fire respectively.
[66] Birth is acquiring a new set of aggregates in a particular life. Sickness and old age are alterations of the aggregates and death occurs when the aggregates terminate. The bodhisattvas are beyond old age, sickness, and death because they have realized the true nature of reality. Even though they are free from these four states, they do not try to liberate just themselves because this realization leads to a desire to free others. In more detail: [67] Even though bodhisattvas give the appearance of birth, old age, sickness, and death, they do not experience suffering themselves. The realized ones, who have reached the bodhisattva levels have eliminated the root of birth, old
age, sickness, and death because they have eliminated
? karma. They have eliminated suffering and the experience of suffering because suffering is the fruition of the defilements. The bodhisattvas have the direct realization of voidness and clarity, therefore have transcended birth, old age, sickness, and death. Even though they are beyond this, they can see that other beings haven't realized this and this arouses compassion so they continue to manifest these four states.
[69] Taking each bodhisattva level, the text begins with the "sons of the victorious ones" who are all the followers of the Buddha. In this context the text refers to those who have reached the first bodhisattva level, that is those who have gained direct realization of the true nature of phenomena and realized buddha essence without distortion so they have the "eyes of jnana. " Others who don't have this realization are like the blind and the bodhisattvas remain to help these blind individuals. These bodhisattvas don't have to return and help others, but do so out of com- passion.
[70] Those who have reached the level of the "realized ones" are in the next stage. The Tibetan word for "realized" is pag pa which literally means "higher. " These are beings who have reached a higher state and the term refers to the first level of the bodhisattva. One reaches this domain when one reaches the path of insight which is the moment when phenomena are seen directly. An ordinary being may be on the path of accumulation or the path of
junction. On these levels a person does not have this direct insight and therefore is called an "immature" being which in Tibetan means "infant. " Ordinary beings are compared to infants because they cannot eat or take care of themselves. The difference between ordinary beings and
? deeply realized beings rests completely on the absence of insight into the nature of reality. The realized bodhisattvas can manifest all the suffering in the domain of ordinary beings because they possess skillful means. This shows their realization is changeless and their suffering is an appearance to help others.
[71] Even though bodhisattvas in the second to seventh levels have transcended the defilements and karma, they do not depart from the world. When they work in the world, they do not become polluted by the defilements because they understand the true nature of phenomena. For example, a lotus grows in dirty water, but it is not dirty. In the same way, bodhisattvas are immersed in our world but they are not polluted by karma, defilements, or the suffering of our world.
[73] The main difference between bodhisattvas of the seventh and eighth level is that seventh level bodhisattvas have a slightly different experience between meditation and post-meditation. If you have dry wood, when lighted it catches fire automatically without effort. In the same way, bodhisattvas have great compassion so they automatically help other beings. Bodhisattvas on the eighth and ninth levels are constantly immersed in a state of balance, meditation on peace, so when they are helping others their minds are always in a perfect state of meditation. So there is no difference between their meditation and post- meditation.
[77] Bodhisattvas on the ninth level are very similar to bodhisattvas of the eighth level. Bodhisattvas on the tenth level have all the qualities of bodhisattvas on the eighth and ninth levels, but they are developed even further. As a result of their actions in previous lives, they have gathered
? a great amount of virtue and spiritual energy and knowledge and can help beings without any effort or having to conceptualize "I must help" because they don't believe in the substantiality of objects. When they act, it is completely spontaneous like wood being placed on a fire. Even though this action is automatic, it is extremely precise so that by sitting, coming, and going they can teach the dharma. They chose a particular style that helps beings directly, know exactly when to act, and know how to act. Some beings, for example, need miracles and clairvoyance; others need only to observe very pure conduct; still others need only to hear the dharma. Buddha activity will come when it is needed, not a few days early or a few days later.
The activity of bodhisattvas on the tenth level goes everywhere and embraces everyone and is compared to space. There are uncountable beings everywhere and the extent of their negative karma is inconceivable. The activity of the bodhisattvas goes on continuously and manifests spontaneously. These bodhisattvas act without hindrances and interference of thoughts. They are in meditation all the time. The activities of these bodhisattvas are practically the same as the Buddhas. The difference, however, between a tenth level bodhisattvas and the Buddhas is the same as the difference between the earth and an atom or the difference between the ocean and water found in a hoof-print. There is a vast difference in the
degree that they manifest.
[79] One may incorrectly think that when a bodhisattva has achieved the last stage of perfect Buddhahood, the buddha nature improves. But it doesn't change for fopr
reasons. In the pure phase, buddha nature is the dharmakaya and all the qualities are present so it can't
? change and therefore is permanent. It is eternal because Buddhahood is the constant refuge of beings and buddha activity won't end. The dharmakaya or stainless dharma- dhatu is nondual because within it is the sameness of samsara and nirvana and all these qualities are pacified because there are no conceptual differences. The fourth quality is indestructibility because it is not created by defilements or karma. It is present from the beginning, has not been created, and therefore is indestructible. In more detail:
[80] Buddha nature is unalterable because it has no birth because it has no beginning, it has no death because it has no end, it is free from sickness because it doesn't change from good to bad, and it is free from old age because it is indestructible.