CHAPTER 7: BUDDHA NATURE II: THE NINE EXAMPLES

 

 CHAPTER 7: BUDDHA NATURE II: THE NINE EXAMPLES

One may still have doubts about how buddha nature is changeless, but does not manifest because of impurities. To illustrate this nine examples of buddha essence and the impurities are given.

Examples of Buddha Nature

When the Buddha gave teachings, he didn’t simply declare the truth, but he gave reasons for what he was saying. The reasons for his teachings were sometimes very apparent and at other times very obscure. The obvious teachings were the ones grasped by the senses. There are, however, teachings which cannot be grasped with sensory faculties because they were about things very far away, or very remote in time, or about karma. A particular karma will prevent one from living certain types of lives. Since one cannot understand these more hidden meanings directly, one has to understand them through inference. For instance, if we say there’s a fire behind that hill because we can see smoke, people believe it even though they can’t see the actual fire because smoke is a valid sign of a fire. For a sign to be significant it must have universal applicability i.e., whenever there is a fire, there must be smoke. The sign must also be valid, if we say there’s a fire because I see a tree, it is an invalid sign. So a sign for showing the presence of something that is hidden must have universal applicability and be a valid sign. The presence of Buddha essence is illustrated with signs using nine examples. Then this reasoning is applied to buddha nature itself.

[96] The nine examples of beautiful things covered up by impurities are listed along with the nine impurities followed by a list of the pure things covered up. These will be elaborated below. The method for presenting each example is the same: first a verse gives the example, then a verse gives its meaning, and finally a verse presents the parallel between the example and buddha nature.

[99] Im agine an ugly, withered lotus covering a beautiful buddha statue. Someone with clairvoyance could see the statue and think that this was not a good place for such a beautiful statue and would break open the lotus shell and remove the statue. Similarly, buddha nature is in the mind of all beings, even those in the worst hell, but it is obscured by the defilements of the three poisons. The Buddhas with divine vision and great compassion see this buddha essence and help beings out of the shell of defilements. Individuals with buddha nature need to reach Buddhahood so they do not continue to suffer in samsara: therefore they need the Buddhas with their vision and their teachings to receive the tools to make this buddha nature manifest.

[102] Imagine some tasty honey which is surrounded by swarming bees. If an experienced person knows how to separate the honey from the bees, then people can enjoy the honey. This means the Buddhas with the omniscient eyes of twofold knowledge can see the buddha nature in all beings which is like the honey. The bees circling the honey can be removed because they aren’t part of the honey. In the same way, the impurities of beings aren’t part of their buddha nature and therefore can be removed allowing buddha nature to manifest. In this example, the man who knows about honey is like the Buddhas who are skilled in removing obscurations, which are the bees.

[105] Imagine a grain of rice enclosed in its husk. Kernels of rice, buckwheat, and barley cannot be used as food when they are unhusked. Similarly, as long as Buddha nature called “the lord of all qualities” is not liberated from the shell of impurities, it cannot give the taste of the joy of dharma to beings.

[108] Imagine an individual going on a joumey and on his way he loses some pure gold which falls into some rubbish. It remains unchanged for hundreds of years being quite useless. Then a god with clairvoyance sees the large lump of gold in the rubbish and tells someone where to find it so it can be put to proper use.

[110] Similarly, the Buddhas can see the pure Buddha nature of beings which has fallen into the filth of defilements and has been lying there for thousands of years. Even though it is there, it has not been polluted by the defilements. If there were no rubbish there is the first place, there would be no need to have the clairvoyant person come along. Also if there had been no gold for the clairvoyant person to point out, it would have been pointless as well. Similarly, if buddha nature were not obscured by defilements, there would be no need for the Buddhas to enter this world and teach about buddha nature. Also if beings didn’t have buddha nature from the very beginning, there would be no need for the Buddhas to give teachings because it would be impossible for individuals to attain Buddhahood. This is why the Buddhas give teachings and point out our obscurations. They do this by producing the rain of dharma which has the ability to gradually wash away the im purities which we have accumulated.

Gold is very useful, but if it is covered by rubbish it is useless. This is why this clairvoyant person tells someone where it is and tells him to remove the rubbish and use the gold. In the same way, the Buddhas tell us about the rubbish of our instability. They see beings who have the wish-fulfilling gem in their hands, wasting it. Beings are suffering, but they have the tool to eliminate the suffering and this is why the Buddhas teach the dharma. Beings remain stuck in problems and difficulties and don’t have the power to realize their own goal. They might think there is nothing they can do, but they have the knowledge of how-it-is and variety, so they have everything necessary to remove the defilements. The Buddha told them that if they practice, they can reach enlightenment.

[112] Imagine a man so poor that he doesn’t have any food or clothes, living in a house built over a great treasure. If the man doesn’t know about the treasure, he will continue to suffer in poverty because the treasure cannot say, “Look, I am here.” Similarly, all beings have the great treasure of buddha nature in their minds and this treasure has always been there. They do not see the Buddha essence in their mind so they endure all the sufferings of samsara. The treasure can’t tell the man “I am here” even though it is very close by. Similarly, all beings have the precious treasure of the dharmakaya locked in their mind, but continue to suffer. Therefore the great sages, the Buddhas, come into our world to help beings find this treasure.

[115] A very tiny seed in a fruit has the power to be an enormous tree. One cannot see the tree in the seed, but if one adds all the right conditions for growth such as water, sunlight, soil, etc. to the seed, a mighty tree will develop. Similarly, buddha essence exists in all beings but is encased in the peel of ignorance which generates our emotional and cognitive obscurations. If one practices virtue, it will generate the favorable conditions for this seed of buddha nature to grow. Through the accumulation of knowledge and virtue, the seed will develop into the “king of victors” or Buddhahood. The parallel is that just as a tree with the proper conditions grows from a seed enclosed by the skin of a fruit into a tree, buddha essence is enclosed in the skin of defilements and with proper conditions will manifest into Buddhahood.

[118] Imagine a very valuable buddha statue wrapped in tattered rags and abandoned by the side of the road. A passerby would not notice it, but if a god came along, he could see the statue. Similarly, the Buddhas with their jnana can see that buddha nature of beings is wrapped in the tattered rags of the defilements. They see this in persons and even in animals. As a god can see a statue with divine vision, the Buddhas can see buddha nature lying on the road of samsara inside the rags of defilements. They tell beings to remove the tattered rags so the buddha nature can manifest in its complete purity.

[121] Imagine a destitute ugly woman with no place to stay who ends up in a pauper’s hostel. Also imagine that she is pregnant and holds in her womb the future king. She continues to suffer because she doesn’t know anything about it. Similarly, beings hold the precious Buddha essence but do not know anything about it or get any benefit from it. As the woman in the hostel has a king in. her womb so beings are bom in the six realms of samsara; some as humans, some as animals, some as hungry ghosts, etc. All have to suffer—animals suffer from enslavement,spirits have to suffer from thirst and hunger, humans have to suffer from birth, sickness, old age, and death. All are like the poor woman living in misery.

[123] The poor woman with a great ruler in her womb is dressed in dirty clothes. Because she doesn’t know that she bears a king, she remains in poverty and is very unhappy. In the same way, beings have a protector inside their mind, but are unaware of this so they have no peace of mind and are overpowered by defilements; thus they remain in samsara and undergo all kinds of suffering.

[124] Imagine a very pure statue covered with a crust of clay. Someone who knew about this could remove the clay and reveal the gold statue. In the same way, the clear light nature of the mind is inside us, but covered with impurities.

These impurities are not permanent and can be removed like the clay crust covering the beautiful statue. Someone knowing that the clay is covering the statue can remove the clay gradually to reveal the gold statue. In the same way, the omniscient bodhisattvas know with their jnana that buddha essence is inside beings and through teaching the dharma they can gradually remove all the impurities covering the pure mind.

[127] These nine examples show that all beings have buddha essence, but it doesn’t manifest because it is covered by impurities. The Buddhas can see the Buddha essence and therefore they teach the dharma on how to remove the impurities. Because of buddha nature, one can reach Buddhahood with purification.

 

In summary, there were nine exam ples of the impurities. If one had a white shell, for example, one can’t separate the whiteness from the roundness of the shell. But buddha nature is completely separate from the impurities so these impurities can be separated when buddha nature manifests.

[130] Each of the nine examples corresponds to one of the defilements and a level of the path. To summarize:

1. In the example of the lotus, the shell corresponds to attachment found in ordinary beings.
2. In the example of the bee swarm, the bees correspond to aggression found in ordinary beings.
3. In the example of withered rice, the husk corresponds to ignorance found in ordinary beings.
4. In the example of gold in rubbish, the filth corresponds to attachment, aggression, and ignorance in a very active state found in ordinary beings.
5. In the example of buried treasure, the soil corresponds to the latent karmic traces of attachment, aggression, and ignorance left behind in arhats.
6. In the example of fruit, the skin corresponds to fabricated obscurations worked on by those on the path of insight by bodhisattvas on the mahayana path.
7. In the example of the statue in rags, the rags correspond to the innate obscurations worked on by those on the path of cultivation by bodhisattvas on the mah5y5na path.
8. In the example of the pregnant woman, her womb represents the impurities of the bodhisattva in the first to seventh bodhisattva levels. 9. In the example of the statue in clay, the clay represents the impurities of the bodhisattva in the eighth to tenth bodhisattva levels. In more detail:

[134] A lotus is a beautiful flower which grows out of mud. When one sees a lotus blooming, it is very beautiful and one is happy seeing it. Later when it withers, one’s pleasure disappears. In a similar way, desire comes out of the mind of samsara and when something desirable or attractive first presents itself, it might bring pleasure, but with time it loses its appeal and becomes suffering.

[135] Bees are very attached to their honey; when the honey is touched they become very angry or irritated and give pain to others by stinging them. So when the bees are hurt, they hurt others. In the same way, when one is angry, one is very irritable and one hurts others with harsh words or actions.

[136] Grains such as rice are covered with a husk which obscures the grain inside. In the same way, ignorance keeps one from seeing the true nature of phenomena. It is a thick covering like a shell or husk which prevents one from seeing what is there.

[137] Filth or rubbish covering gold is very unpleasant and disagreeable. In the same way when attachment, aggression, and ignorance are very strong, they are very repulsive and also increase one’s attachment to pleasures.

[138] The soil covers the treasure so that one does not know a treasure is there. In the same way, very fine mental imprints caused by ignorance are present in the mind. This is the innate ignorance present since the beginning of time samsara which covers up the true nature of the mind so one cannot recognize its true nature.

[139] When one is on the path to enlightenment as an ordinary being, one is on the path of accumulation and the path of junction. One practices because one has a goal of practice, but little direct realization. After a while one gets a direct insight into the nature of phenomena and becomes a bodhisattva who sees “the rope as a rope” and all mis-conceptions are relinquished. This is the path of cultivation of insight which is compared to a shoot growing from the skin of a fruit When one has reached this path of insight, jnana starts to manifest.

[140] On the path of insight, the obscurations are eliminated but we don’t automatically reach Buddhahood. We have been in samsara for such a long time that we have acquired very strong mental habits. The gross mis-conceptions have been removed, but the innate ignorance from the very beginning still remains as a trace. After we have the insight, we need to cultivate this insight until it becomes very firm. This path of cultivation is called the path of the realized ones. It is the time when the core of the belief of self (called the “multitude of fears” because it causes great fear) is removed. This is compared to tattered rags which are so rotten they are quite easy to remove. In the same way, these mental impurities are quite soft, subtle, and easy to remove.

[141] The eighth example corresponds to the impurities in the first seven bodhisattva levels. These are compared to a baby in the womb. The baby must wait there nine months and with each day it knows it is closer to being bom. Similarly, a bodhisattva at each stage is growing more complete as impurities are removed with jnana maturing more and more.

[142] The ninth exam ple relates to the very fine impurities of the last three bodhisattva levels which have to be eliminated. These are compared to traces of clay covering a statue. These great beings, the bodhisattvas on the tenth level, remove these slight impurities through vajra-like samadhi. This is compared to a vajra because it is very powerful and solid; it can destroy everything else and not be destroyed itself.

[144] There is a purity aspect of each of the nine examples. Buddha nature is the union of three natures: dharmakaya, the suchness, and causal ground. The dharmakaya refers to the clarity aspect, the suchness to voidness, and the causal ground to the aspect of full manifestation. If one has a shell that is white and round, one can say that from the color aspect it is white, from the shape aspect it is round; however, the w hiteness and roundness are inseparable. In the same way the clarity, voidness, and the causal ground which are the ability to m anifest as Buddhahood are also inseparable. Of the nine examples there are three examples for the dharmakaya, one example for the suchness, and five for the causal ground.

[145] The first three examples relate to the dharmakaya. The dharmakaya can be divided into the actual dharmakaya and the relative dharm akaya which is also called dharmakaya, but is not really the dharmakaya. The true dharmakaya is the stainless dharmadhatu, the actual buddha nature, which is by nature luminosity and in the domain of self-cognisant jnSna. Relative dharmakaya is called the “teaching dharmakaya” which are the scriptures that teach the meaning of the dharmakaya. These scriptures have a deep aspect related to the dharmakaya and a vast aspect related to the various mentalities of beings.

[146] The first example is of the true dharmakaya which cannot be fathomed so it is represented by the Buddha in a withering lotus. (5-Thrangu Rinpoche believes that in this case it is the Buddha himself, not a statue of the Buddha.)

[147] The second example of honey represents the teaching dharmakaya because the taste of honey is very subtle, as are the teachings of the dharmakaya. Honey is always very sweet and all kinds of honey have this same sweet taste. In comparison, all the various phenomena of the dharmakaya have one taste or a similar nature. The third example of grain in husks, the millions of grains represent the great variety of teachings. The deep aspect of the teaching is represented by the honey, the vast aspect is represented by the grains in the husk.

[148] The fourth exam ple of gold illustrates the changeless character of the suchness. Suchness is not com pletely pure and not changed by suffering or defilements. It is perfectly pure and therefore is compared to gold which has the same qualities.

[149] The last five examples refer to causal ground. The causal ground is compared to a treasure because a treasure can lie beneath the ground for hundreds of years and remain unchanged. The causal ground is compared to a fruit because when a fruit is still a fruit one cannot see the tree, but the fruit contains the potential of a tree. The example of a treasure describes the innate aspect of the causal ground and the example of the fruit describes how the proper practice o f virtue can m anifest into Buddhahood. These two aspects of the causal ground develop into the three kayas of the Buddha. The dharmakaya is the outcome of the innate aspect and the form kayas are the outcome of the practice of virtue.

[151] The essence kaya, svabhavikakaya or dharmakaya, is compared to an example of a buddha statue made of precious substances. The innate aspect of causal ground is compared to a treasure of jewels because it is there naturally. The sambhogakaya is compared to a great king or cakravatin because the  sambhogakaya is endowed with the great power of dharma. The nirmanakSya is illustrated by a golden statue because it is a representation of the Buddha.

[153] As an ordinary person one cannot understand Buddha essence directly and therefore needs the help of faith to understand it. The buddha nature has been there from the very beginning and was never created by anyone. It is the spontaneously present jnana. An ordinary person cannot see this directly because his buddha nature is covered by impurities. He or she may be able to gain some indirect understanding of it by inference, but even this is hard to understand because it is in the domain of the inconceivable. For example, the sun sheds its brilliant rays all the time; as far as the sun is concerned, it never is obscured by anything. But a blind person will never see this sunshine. In the same way, the spontaneously present jfiana has been there from the very beginning but it is hidden from ordinary beings who do not have the clear eyes of prajna to see through the thick darkness of ignorance. They must rely on faith in order ;o understand this buddha nature. Buddha essence has two kinds of purity: it is naturally pure, and is pure from incidental impurities. It has always had these qualities, but when one doesn’t see this fully one makes mistakes, goes astray, and wanders in samsara.

[155] Buddha nature is void and not void in a way. The buddha essence is devoid of any passing impurity because these are not an intrinsic part of it. On the other hand, the buddha essence is not devoid of the supreme qualities because the qualities are an inseparable part of the actual nature of the buddha essence.

Importance o f Buddha Nature

The fourth major division in this chapter on buddha nature explains why it is necessary to teach about the presence of the buddha nature and what benefits one can expect from understanding this teaching.

To review, the Buddha turned the wheel of dharma three times. The second turning demonstrated the voidness of all phenomena. In these teachings the Buddha said there is no form, sound, taste, smell, etc. with everything being devoid of any actual nature. Everything is void beyond the four extremes of existence and nonexistence and beyond the eight m ental fabrications. Everything is the dharmadhatu devoid of any actual nature of its own. In the third turning, Buddha stated all beings had buddha nature and he described the nature of the buddha nature in detail. Ordinary beings might think that there is a contradiction between teachings of the second turning in which the Buddha said there wasn’t anything and in the third turning in which he said there was.

[156] In the text it states that the Buddha taught phenomena are devoid of actual nature; they are like a cloud, a dream, or an illusion. This was explained in many sutras in the long, m iddle, and short form of the PrajnQpUrartiitU sutra. The Buddha in this teaching stated that anything knowable is devoid of any actual nature; that is, it is always void and always has been void. In the third turning the Buddha said that all beings have Buddha essence which appears to contradict the second turning teachings.

[157] The answer to this contraction is that if we do not understand the presence of Buddha nature in all beings, we will make five mistakes in reasoning.

- The first mistake is faintheartedness; we will become discouraged about the possibility of attaining Buddhahood. We will think the Buddhas of the past have managed to attain Buddhahood, but they were individuals quite different from ourself, so Buddhahood is totally out of reach. If we think this way, we may not even Degin to work for liberation.
- The second mistake is we don’t know that other beings have Buddha nature and we might feel contempt for persons who have a lesser understanding than our own and believe they have no chance of achieving Buddhahood.
- The third mistake is to have misconceptions of the true nature of things and believe appearances are real.
-Fourth, if we d o n ’t understand that all beings have buddha nature and therefore have the possibility of reaching Buddhahood, we might think that beings are simply empty and void and we might therefore ridicule their true nature. If we do not understand all beings are alike because they all possess buddha nature, we may make
- the fifth mistake of thinking more highly of ourself than others. We therefore spend more time looking for happiness for ourself and less in helping others. To prevent these five mistakes the Buddha gave three teachings.

[158] The ultimate nature of everything is devoid of anything composite. In this true nature there is no such thing as form, sound, sight, etc. because it is beyond both existence and non-existence, the four extremes, and the eight conceptual fabrications. In the ultim ate sense everything is voidness, but in the relative sense everything manifests because of the defilements, karma, and the fruition of karma.

[159] These three causes of manifestation are compared to clouds, a dream, and an illusion respectively. In the second turning, all relative manifestation are described as an illusion but in the ultimate sense all phenomena are void. The defilem ents of attachm ent, aggression, ignorance, and belief in a self are compared to clouds which cover buddha essence. These defilements give rise to our good and bad actions (karma) which are tainted by the presence of defilements. These actions are compared to the experiences we have in dreams. Although sounds, forms, feelings, and so on appear to us as real in a dream, they have no reality in themselves. This is the same for everything we experience. As a result of defilements and karma there is the maturation of the five aggregates. A great magician with different tricks can conjure up different illusions. These illusions are produced by the magician, but they do not have any actual independent reality. In the same way, all aggregates and manifestations of existence are conjured up by the defilements and karma and are like an illusion with no independent reality. The second turning made clear that on the ultimate level everything is void, but on the relative level everything manifests to us like clouds or dreams or illusions.

[160] The purpose of this teaching was to eliminate five misconceptions which arise from not knowing about buddha nature. The first mistake is discouragement or faintheartedness which is a form of self-contempt. It appears when one thinks one is unable to do something because one is not good enough to do it. We think, “I cannot get rid of the defilements; I cannot achieve Buddhahood and help beings and practice dharma” and lack the confidence to practice. In general, when someone doesn’t have enough confidence in worldly affairs, they cannot accomplish what they have to do. This is also true of the dharma; if we don’t have enough courage, we aren’t able to generate the state of mind conducive to enlightenment. A bodhisattva must have compassion and understanding. Without self-confidence, the bodhisattva won’t be able to practice along these lines.

[162] If we are able to generate some bodhicitta, then others who don’t have this motivation appear inferior. So to think, “I’m much better than others because they don’t have strong motivation” and to develop strong pride and look down on others is the second mistake because everyone has buddha nature.

[163] The third mistake is to lack the right kind of understanding and to believe phenomenal appearances to be real. We cling to this m isconception, because we do not understand that all phenomenal appearances are empty.

[164] The faults and defects in beings are only transient and fabrications. Actually, within individuals all the qualities are pure and present. If we don’t understand this, we will speak ill of the true nature which is the fourth fault.

[165] The fifth mistake of not knowing that all beings possess buddha nature and to value oneself over all beings. The opposite is characteristic of bodhisattvas who love others as much as themselves. If we don’t know about buddha nature, one cannot achieve this complete love.

[166] If we know about the presence of buddha nature, the five mistakes can be dispelled. On hearing the teaching of Buddha nature we will not be discouraged; on the contrary we will be happy to learn there is no need to continue in samsara because we possess this essence of Buddhahood and has the power to achieve Buddhahood in the future. We will be joyous because we discover we are on the path with all the Buddhas of the past, present, and future and is able to achieve enlightenment because we have the cause of it in ourself.

The second benefit of this teaching is that we will develop respect for all beings. Because all beings are potential Buddhas, we cannot despise them, but can only feel respect for them. The knowledge of buddha nature will also dispel the three remaining faults. Knowing all persons possess buddha nature allows us to stop believing the reality of phenomena. At first we believe everything is empty and believe in this reality. Knowledge of Buddha nature gives rise to prajnS which is the understanding of the true nature of things. Understanding that buddha nature is possessed by all beings gives birth to jnSna. Finally, loving kindness will develop as a result of giving up egotism or valuing oneself over others.

[167] With the growth of these five good qualities, the five unwholesome qualities will be abandoned and we will understand that all beings are the same in that they all possess the buddha essence and have the power to achieve Buddhahood. When we know this, we will develop loving kindness towards beings making it possible to achieve Buddhahood quickly./.

Chapter 8