We Can Become Buddhas

Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche says:

It is because this ground or sugatagarbha or potential is common to all beings that they are capable of attaining enlightenment. If they did not have such a ground then they could never become buddhas.

For example: a stone doesn’t have the ‘ground’ or potential to produce oil, and so no matter how much you might press it and grind it — even if you use modern tools and machinery — you will never extract any oil. A sesame seed, on the other hand, does have the potential to produce oil, and by pressing it in the right way, sesame oil can and will be produced. So it is because the potential exists as part of our basic nature that we can become buddhas.

In my previous blog post, I wrote about the Eight Consciousnesses of Yogacara School. In it, the eight consciousnesses revealed, and of them, it is the eighth consciousness that will help with the understanding of the Buddhist term of "ground". For the eighth consciousness is also called "all-ground consciousness" in Tibetan Buddhism.

Sugatagarbha is the Tibetan Buddhist term for Tathagatagarbha, or Buddha Nature.

Buddha Nature is common to all sentient beings, for every being is capable of attaining enlightenment.

Since the potential to become Buddha exists as part of our primordial nature, we all can become buddhas.

Indeed, Buddha Nature is awaken by hearing the Teaching of the Buddha. Inspired by his message, one may choose to become a Buddha, and develop Bodhi Mind, which is both the determination to become a Buddha and the aspiration to help other sentient beings become enlightened.

One of the ways to become enlightened is to become a Zen master, which might involve a backache and perhaps the risk of hemorrhoids. Seriously though, traditional Zen involves the preliminary chanting of the Heart Sutra followed by hours of the sitting in meditation of zazen.

However, the whole point of meditation is to firstly develop the calm mind and secondly, achieve samadhi (one-pointedness of mind or single-minded concentration). To aid in this task, the disciple is given a koan, which is like a Chinese finger puzzle for the mind. For the intent of a koan and zazen is to make the mind flexible enough to achieve satori (seeing into one's true nature).

This happens when the disciple lets go of clinging to what Zen is supposed to be, and has that moment of sudden enlightenment when he lets go of what he thinks Zen is.

When the Zen practitioner carries the burden of Zen as a bunch of rules requiring discipline to practice just sitting in excellence, it's like the Zen master who carried a beautiful girl across a flooded stream and his disciple.

For the purpose of meditation is not just to achieve a calm mind, but to also develop the flexibility of mind to let go of clinging to thoughts. With every breathe he takes, the disciple learns discipline.

Even though sometimes I may mock the Zen practitioner, it is to discover if his meditation has resulted in the joy of satori. This is why when I meditate, it is done with a smile.

Master Hui-Neng inspired his disciples by teaching them about "no-thought."

No-thought is the state of mind where one cannot find the word for objects he sees and his mind clings to nothing.

In contrast, Hui-Neng's description of the "pure and unattached mind" which "comes and goes freely and functions fluently without any hindrance" reminds me more of the coming and going of the flow of thoughts without doing more than returning to just breathing when their distraction leads one away from meditating.

Even if we meditate and do not achieve Nirvana in this life, it still is possible to become a Buddha in the afterlife.

Yet the Buddhist remembers that she does her mindful practice for all sentient beings. If she chanted daily even ten Buddha Recitations, then that will help her become reborn in the Pure Land of Bliss.

As long as she did this with utmost sincerity to help all sentient beings become Enlightened, and is determined to be reborn in the Pure Land, her rebirth there is assured.

If she would rather chant the Heart Sutra before meditation, and she chanted it with single-mindedness, it's said she'd discover its true meaning.

In Sanskrit, the beauty of the mantra is found in chanting "gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā."

This mantra is pronounced as: "Guh-teh guh-teh PAH-ruh-sum-guh-teh bohd-hee swa-ha."

The Dalai Lama translated the Heart Sutra mantra as "go, go, go beyond, go thoroughly beyond, and establish yourself in enlightenment."

It's been said that all sentient beings have the potential to become buddha, for Self nature is Buddha Nature. Indeed, the Self is filled with selflessness, that sense of psychic prowess performing acts of random kindness in a friendly, loving manner.

Yet it is also empty of the self, which is depicted in Buddhism as the egocentric Monkey mind swinging from thread to thread of thought without a clear focus on the truth of one's actions, or even better, the truth of the Dharmakaya.

For Dharmakaya is but the Truth of the Tathagata that all phenomena, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are essentially empty of permanence, being a part of the temporary nature of all phenomena. Even Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are finite despite living uncountable ages.

It is wonderful to contemplate the myriad Buddhas, bodhisattvas and the Buddhist pantheon of gods and goddesses pacified by the Buddha to protect him, the Dharma and the Sangha through skillful means.

Although my words about Buddhism may seem hypocritical for exposing the less interesting aspects of Buddhism for Westerners, it is not so.

All my words on Buddhism are inspired by what the Buddha said. For the truth is, we can become Buddhas, by going beyond an intellectual understanding of the Dharma to actually practising meditation.

Though I prefer silent Nembutsu practice of Buddha Remembrance in combination with some kind of breath meditation to prevent my chanting from annoying the neighbours! >:)

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References:

Buddha nature: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Sugatagarbha
Eight Consciousnesses Revisited: http://gandhara.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-eight-consciousnesses-revisited-poem.html
Yogacara: the Eight Consciousnesses: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogacara#The_eight_consciousnesses

Ordinary Mind, Original Nature and Self Nature True Mind

What is ordinary mind?
Ordinary mind is the mind
you were born with, subject
to cause and effect, which
is called Monkey Mind,
due to it swinging from
thought to thought mindlessly.

What is original nature?
The basic goodness everyone is
born with, yet is hidden
by the action of Monkey Mind.
Original nature is Self Nature,
which can be uncovered through
meditation and Buddha Remembrance.

What is Self Nature True Mind?
Self Nature is original nature,
and True Mind is buddha-mind.
Thus True Mind is awakened
to its original nature.

Meditation on Buddha Nature

Buddha Nature is self nature.
Self nature is one's original nature.
One's original nature is one's true nature.
One's true nature is the Pure Mind.
The Pure Mind is the Pure Heart.
The Pure Heart is selflessness.
Selflessness is non-self.
Non-self is other nature.
Other nature is Buddha Nature.

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Commentary:
Buddha Nature is self nature because it is an intrinsic part of the mind.

Self nature is one's original nature due to Buddha Nature.

One's original nature is one's true nature found through meditation and mindful practice.

One's true nature is the Pure Mind attained through meditation.

The Pure Mind is the Pure Heart attained through mindful practice.

The Pure Heart is selflessness, achieved through being helpful and of service to others without thought for fame or gain.

Selflessness is non-self in action by being helpful to other.

Non-self is other nature because service to others promotes their happiness and well-being.

Thus is other nature is Buddha Nature.

Is Buddha Nature the soul? No, for its original nature is non-self, discovered through the oneness of self and other. Though neither self nor other exist for eternity, Buddha Nature exists in the mind of every sentient being. Once actualized through meditation and mindful practice, Buddha Nature helps each of us to experience and show compassion for others.

How is self nature other nature? When self and other work together as one, all thought of "I, me, and mine" fade away. In unity, we work together to help each other. Thus is self nature other nature.

Use Sadness to Seek Your Destiny

The whole purpose of life is to become whole, so that when you choose your love, you choose out of a sense of wholeness, rather than to complete what you are missing inside.

In order to be whole, each one of us works to completely nurture both the inner feminine and masculine until we remember our original nature.

In doing so, you are free to use your deepest sadness to fulfill your destiny.

For this is the purpose of depression and anxiety: inspiration to never give up on the goal to remember each one of us was, is, and will always be whole and complete in the depths of the mind.

Joy Arises

In the unthinkable, inscrutable, ordinary nature of reality there is no difference between freedom and bondage. No matter what arises, when you perceive your original nature, the joy arises automatically--and what joy!

-Shabkar, "The Flight Of The Garuda"

It is prudent to remain full of joy as much as possible.

Freedom and bondage should not determine nor be a condition of your joy.

Thus is it the intense focus of meditation on one single thing in one's life that help bring about this joy spontaneously.

This is the fruit of true mind control.

Leave Your Mind in Its Natural State

Leave the mind in its natural, undisturbed state.
Don't follow thoughts of "This is a problem, that is a problem!"
Without labeling difficulties as problems,
leave your mind in its natural state.
In this way, you will stop seeing miserable conditions as problems."

-Lama Zopa Rinpoche, "Transforming Problems Into Happiness"

If false thinking suddenly stops

If false thinking suddenly stops for an instant, and you see through your own mind, the vastness of its original perfect light, the purity of its original state, no thing in it at all, this is called awakening. There is nothing to be awakened or cultivated other than this mind. — Han-shan