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20130105

The Reincarnation of the Buddha and His Diamond Mind

Always it puzzles me that of all the Buddhas, the historical Buddha has rarely been said to reincarnate.

However, I am mistaken, and apologize for giving the impression that the Buddha never reincarnates.

For he does...

Reflection Means Both Incarnation and Reincarnation

Imagine the Adi-Buddha sitting in contemplation with the 108 Buddhas in a field. Imagine further that all Buddhas possess the diamond mind which reflects upon the all the Buddhas.

With respect to the term "diamond", it refers to the unwavering mind which arises from the depths of deep meditation that is known as the clear mind of contemplation and is admired for its clarity and pureness.

Indeed, the diamond mind of the Buddha is the pure mind of Amida Buddha, which is one ofthe 108 Buddhas.

Thus all Buddhas in reflecting Adi-Buddha, reflect on the primordial wisdom of the Buddha.

For the diamond mind of the Buddha is indeed unwavering, unyielding in the face of evil yet yielding to good, and hard to fathom yet soft as a lotus petal.

As the Adi-Buddha is reflected in all the 108 Buddhas, so too is the Buddha Gautama reflected in all the Buddhas

Yet these Buddhas are but reflections of Great Compassion and Great Wisdom, and thus reflect on Amida Buddha.

For the qualities of compassion and wisdom as reflected by Amida Buddha represent the compassion and wisdom of the Buddha.

Therefore, Amida Buddha represents both compassion and wisdom of the Buddha. Thus, Amida is an incarnation of the Buddha, representing the dual aspects of compassion and wisdom.

With respect to the incarnation and reincarnation of the Buddha, it is not the soul that incarnates in the Five Wisdom Buddhas, but the spiritual qualities of the Buddha. This is why the term "reflection" is used in accurately describing the Buddha's relationship with all the Buddhas including Amida Buddha.


Great is the Life of Amitayus and Great is the Light of Amida

In a previous essay I wrote about the Boundless Wisdom of Amida as represented by Infinite Light and the Boundless Compassion of Amitayus as represented by Infinite Life.

With respect to the Buddhist principle of non-self, the term "infinite" implies permanence as in the phrase "that which never goes out."

However, because the wisdom of Amida Buddha and the compassion of Amitayus Buddha are two aspects of the Buddha, the words, "infinite" and "boundless" imply that the Buddha"s wisdom and compassion are everywhere.

For wherever the Buddhist follower sees the words Infinite or Boundless, their actual meaning is "great as the diamond mind of the Buddha, great as the pure mind of Amida", which in its short form is "Great", which has no misleading implications of permanence.

Adi-Buddha is introduced in the following essay: http://gandhara.blogspot.com/2013/01/buddhism-isnt-about-king-in-heaven.html

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