The Buddha Represented by The Three Jewels and the Three Kayas

In the Eight Thousand Verse Prajñāparamitā, Sakyamuni Buddha said:
"The mind is devoid of mind, For the nature of mind is clear light."

The Three Kayas — the Three Bodies of the Buddha, the Trikaya — describes both the truth in us, as three aspects of the true nature of mind, and to the truth in everything.

According to the Rigpa school, "Everything we perceive around us is nirmanakaya, its nature, light or energy is sambhogakaya; and its inherent truth, the dharmakaya."

"Imagine a sky, empty, spacious, and pure from the beginning; its essence is like this. Imagine a sun, luminous, clear, unobstructed, and spontaneously present; its nature is like this. Imagine that sun shining out impartially on us and all things, penetrating all directions; its energy, which is the manifestation of compassion, is like this: Nothing can obstruct it and it pervades everywhere." — Sogyal Rinpoche

Regarding the nature of the mind, Nirmanakaya represents the energy manifested in compassion, unobstructed and present in everything; sambhogakaya, the nature of the unobstructed clear light of luminosity that is spontaneously present; and dharmakaya, the essence of the truth that is empty, spacious, and pure from the beginning.

Having taken refuge in the Three Jewels, the disciple actually takes refuge in the qualities of realization, as embodied in the Three Bodies of the precious Buddha who is the identity that embodies all three kayas.

Foremost, the Dharmakaya, which arises from accumulation of wisdom — the Truth Body of Tathagata, who is the embodiment of Truth.

It represents the Absolute nature of all things, and embodies the very principle of enlightenment and knows no limits or boundaries, being the unconditioned truth that is empty of conditions, the emptiness in which the mind and all phenomena are originally empty of any identity as the Unborn, into which illusion and ignorance, and any kind of concept, have never entered,

Thus it is empty of a conceptualizable essence of mind which has potential.

That potential takes the form of luminosity recognized as the Sambhogakaya, which arises from accumulation of merit — the Enjoyment Body, the body of mutual enjoyment, the embodiment of form that only appears to bodhisattvas as the aspect of the Buddha, or the Dharma, that the disciple meets in visions and in deep meditation as a body of bliss or clear light manifestation.

Being beyond dualistic limitation and beyond space and time, it pervades everything.

This is the basis for the arising of the Nirmanakaya, which also arises from accumulation of merit — the created body which manifests in time and space, the dimension of ceaseless manifestation, the physical body of the Buddha, appearing as the tamer of various beings, both pure and impure, and is the manifestation of enlightenment, in an infinite variety of forms and ways, in the physical world.

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Originally posted: February 23, 2013 7:35 PM

References:

• Prajna
  
• Prajna or transcendent wisdom: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Prajna
  
• Prajna: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prajna
  

Prajnaparamita

• Quote on clear light: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Quotations:_Prajnaparamita_in_Eight_Thousand_Verses
  
• Prajnaparamita: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Prajnaparamita
  
• Prajnaparamita: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prajnaparamita
  
• Heart Sutra: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Sutra * The Heart Sutra is known as Prajnaparamita Hrdaya.
  

Vajrasattva: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Vajrasattva * Since he represents the 100 Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana), Vajrasattva is one of the precious Buddhas mentioned in the text of this blog entry.

Three Jewels / Three Gems

• Refuge in the Three Jewels: http://www.darahasa.ca/buddhism-doctrines/refuge-in-the-three-jewels.shtml
  
• Three Jewels: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Three_Jewels
  
• Clear light: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Clear_light
  

Three Bodies of the Buddha:

• Trikaya: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trikaya
  
• Three kayas: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Three_kayas
  

The Transcendent Wisdom of PrajnaParamita (poem)

All Buddhas of the past,
present, and future
by means of Prajna
Paramita fully awaken to
unsurpassed truth,
complete enlightenment.
Gaté Gaté Para-gaté
Para-samgaté Bodhi Sväha

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originally posted: February 24, 2013 4:20 AM

Reference:

Heart Sutra: http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/heartstr.htm

The Four Nevers (Samaya)

The Bodhi Mind (bodhicitta) is the cause.
Great Compassion is the root and foundation.
Skillful means are the ultimate. — Mahavairocana Sutra

Through skillful means, the view of enlightenment is fulfilled in compassion towards other sentient beings.

For all sentient beings, be they Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, gods and demons, humans, hungry ghosts, and all of suffering the hells are primordial pure.

Thus they were born basically good, but, due to conditioning, all beings appear to be sentient.

Like a mirror in a sandstorm, the mind is subject to mental and physical negativities as a result of conditioning. No matter how much we wipe the mirror clean, the dust of worldliness soon shall settle on it.

Thus, the disciple commits to the Four Nevers:

• Never to abandon the True Dharma.
  
• Never to negate bodhicitta.
  
• Never to withhold or be selective of Buddhist teachings toward others.
  
• Never to cause any sentient being any harm.

Holding the True Dharma dear, the disciple consistently remembers the Buddha. Holding the bodhicitta dear, the disciple is caused by it to become Buddha. Holding the Buddhist teachings dear, the disciple shares the wisdom of the Buddhadharma that he has gleaned only with his fellow disciples. Holding life dear, the disciple refrains from harming any sentient being.

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Reference:

Samaya: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samaya

The Finest Place to Practice (poem)

It is because of attachment
to the many distractions of worldliness
that, despite decades of meditation,
many devotees of the Middle Way fail
to develop even a single siddhi.

Therefore, do not become attached at all
to anything in this world,
lest you give up meditation in haste
and return to worldliness,
only to obtain rebirth in the Hells.

However, even if you develop
a siddhi, try not to show off,
lest your attachment delude you.
It is better to take up Vajrayana,
and devote yourself to a Tibetan guru.

Yet, it is said that the Nembutsu
will surely lead to Amida
and his Pure Land of Bliss. O!
The Name-that-calls is
all that the Pure Land practitioner needs!

For the Pure Land is
the finest place to practice and decide
if you wish to return
to help others by being of service
to other sentient beings in Samsara.

Medicine Buddha Magical Thinking in Tibetan Buddhism

"The Medicine Buddha mantra is held to be extremely powerful for healing of physical illnesses and purification of negative karma. One form of practice based on the Medicine Buddha is done when one is stricken by disease. The patient is to recite the long Medicine Buddha mantra 108 times over a glass of water. The water is now believed to be blessed by the power of the mantra and the blessing of the Medicine Buddha himself, and the patient is to drink the water. This practice is then repeated each day until the illness is cured." &smash; Wikipedia entry for Medicine Buddha.

This only works via the placebo effect after a lot of Buddhist mindful practice including hours of meditation and receiving tantric rituals regarding the Buddha i.e. the long process involved in becoming one with the Buddha.

It does not work if the disciple has doubts about the practice, but since she has already found her riot Vajra master, all doubt has been removed.

Nothing in the text quoted is that magical.  For with belief anything is possible.

Mixing the Stream of Rebirth

It's been said that the mixing of Tibetan Buddhism with Pure Land Buddhism may lead to confusion. For when studying both the Vajrayana and the Mahayana, the disciple may lose all faith in the Dharma due to the chaos such mixing makes to understanding your purpose in the life into which you were born. That purpose is, once awakened spiritually to the Bodhi Mind, the disciple aspires to rescue all sentient beings with the determination to attain Buddhahood.

In the case of the dedicated Buddhist born into the faith who has heard of the Buddha from an early age, and who has regularly practiced Buddha Recitation, he learned how to use breath meditation to calm his mind, and achieves more gains than losses in his faith. Though his speech may become incoherent when fatigued, his mind still remains as sharp as ever, all thanks to Buddha Recitation and insightful meditation.

The Nine Paths of the Ancient School

According to the Ancient School of Tibetan Buddhism,
there are nine paths or Yanas, and this text begins
with praise for the Basic Vehicle of Hinayana,
the Greater Vehicle of Mahayana, and
the Diamond Vehicle of Vajrayana.
Next comes the description of Hinayana,
followed by the description of its two paths
of Disciples and Hermit Buddhas.

Goodness at the start is to be
found in the teachings that are
the stepping stones for the path.
Goodness in the middle is to be
found in the basis for the path itself.
Finally, goodness of the end is to be
found in the main part of the path.
Connected to these three kinds
of goodness are teachings —
the stepping stones — which describe
how to attain the skillful grace of gods
using the basic goodness of humans to pursue
the state of liberation and enlightenment.

It is said the motivation for those monks who travel
the Path of the Basic Vehicle — the Fundamental Vehicle
and the Individual Vehicle — is to aim for
the personal liberation of nirvana, for they lack the courage
to pursue the enlightenment of all sentient beings.

Faith and renunciation are the stepping stones
for shravakas — who are Auditors, Disciples,
Hearers, Listeners and Pious Attendants,
and pratyekabuddhas — who are solitary realizers,
intermediate buddhas, hermit buddhas and self-realized ones.
For devotees of lesser and medium capacity,
it is called the gradual path.

In Tibetan Buddhism, the Path of the Basic Vehicle,
the Greater Vehicle of Mahayana, and the Diamond Vehicle,
together form the nine Yanas consisting of
the two paths of Hīnayāna, Śrāvakayāna and Pratyekayāna,
and the path of Mahāyāna consisting of Bodhisattvayāna —
the three previous paths being Sutrayāna —
and Vajrayāna, which consists of the Outer Tantras of Kriyatantra,
Upatantra / Ubhayatantra, and Yogatantra; and
the Inner Tantras of Mahāyoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga / Dzogchen.

References:

• Nyingma: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyingma
  
• Basic Vehicle: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Basic_vehicle
  
• Shravaka: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Shravaka
  
• Pratyekabuddha: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Pratyekabuddha
  
• Nine Yanas:
  
  • Nine Yanas: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Nine_Yanas
    
  • Yana - Nine Yanas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yana_%28Buddhism%29#Nine_y.C4.81nas
    

Laity Conflict With Dalai Lama Isn't Buddhist but Political

Those of us who have heard of the members of a subsect of Vajrayana in which its followers respond with aggression toward the Dalai Lama would wonder why they are not behaving like bodhisattvas. It is because they do not believe themselves to be bodhisattvas. This is why the Dalai Lama condemned their leader. In order not to cause controversy I will not mention the name of the subsect or their guru because I view as an internal matter and because just mentioning this is like showing disrespect for the Buddha.

However, this type of behavior is not new, nor is it limited to Mahayana. Certain Theravada schools have had monks abuse their position of power as well. However, it does not make a monk or a layperson an evil person. Rather, it shows that all sentient beings, including you and I, from non-Buddhists to Buddhists and their leaders are subject to six root delusions and twenty lesser delusions, afflictions and other spiritual maladies consistent with self grasping.

Such maladies do not go away only their own due to the six spiritual poisons (attachment (raga), anger (pratigha), ignorance (avidya), pride/conceit (māna), doubt (vicikitsa) and wrong view/false view/opinionatedness) arising from ego delusion (reification of the self i.e. as a permanent entity that is unchanging). Reification is when an object is worshiped or esteemed so highly that the object is given cult status.

Likely they arise by reification of spiritual leaders as justification for acting out of character as bodhisattvas, thus leading me to suspect that they consider themselves ordinary lay people included in the Mahayana Buddhist dedication to all sentient beings.

If this is true, then it is regretful that disciples with the humility of a layperson act in such a way. Were they to act with the humility of bodhisattvas, there would not be sectarian conflict within Buddhism.

Yet no one is immune to such behavior as all sentient beings include human beings. Although I find justification to rationalize conflict, it is beneath us to argue and fight with the Dalai Lama since that breaks the precept of respect for Buddha.

Though I am a lay person, ordinary and unable to follow one precept, let alone the Five Precepts, it saddens me to see even the Buddhadharma (Buddha's Teaching) being place secondary to what is the worldly endeavor of politics.

The Eight Consciousnesses Revisited (poem)

Introduction

In this world of birth-life-death,
when we do not interact with the world we live in,
reality appears non-existent.
Through the six senses organs
and their corresponding objects
we interact with the world.
During sleep or unconscious,
our six consciousnesses are dormant.

The Sixth Consciousnesses Arise

Reality exists through our experience of phenomena.
By interacting with it through the six senses,
we constantly experience reality as being real.
Our experiences are moderated by our mind as consciousness.
Therefore reality exists because we constantly interact with it.
While awake and fully conscious, our six consciousnesses arise.

When eyes see a visual object, sights lead to visual consciousness arising.
When ears hears a sound, sounds lead to auditory consciousness arising.
When nose detects an odor, smells lead to olfactory consciousness arising.
When tongue detects tastes, tastes lead to gustatory consciousness arising.
When body feels tangibles, feelings lead to tactual consciousness arising.
When mind ideates, thoughts leads to mental consciousness arising.

the Seventh and Eighth Consciousness

From the mind arises
two more consciousnesses,
base consciousness and
storehouse consciousness.

When mind experiences a disturbing emotion or attitude, self grasping leads to deluded awareness.
When mind experiences reflexive awareness, memory leads to all-encompassing foundation consciousness.

The Sense of Self is of the Mind

According to the Tibetan Lama Thrangu Rinpoche,
When sometimes you have a sense of self,
and you think “I”, that is an operation
not of the seventh consciousness
but of the sixth.

The Three Mental Consciousnesses

In the Chittamatra and Svatantrika-Madhyamika schools,
three mental consciousnesses exist, mental consciousness,
base consciousness, and store-house consciousness.
Of these three consciousnesses, mental consciousness
and base consciousness are active, and
the store-house consciousness is not active
being a subtle, neutral level of consciousness.
In it, traces of past actions are stored as "seeds"
ready to ripen into future experience.
For their further manifestations and activities, these seeds are potential energy
retained by the store-house consciousness, which receives impressions
from all functions of each of the other seven consciousnesses.

Seventh Consciousness as Source of the Other Consciousnesses


According to conventional Yogacara tradition, deluded awareness,
being the base consciousness, is the "source" of
the other seven consciousnesses, which all evolve and transform
based on experience of phenomena which make up reality.

The Names of the Seventh and Eight Consciousnesses

According to the Tibetans lamas of Vajrayana,
base consciousness is called emotional consciousness.
Lama Chökyi Nyima calls it afflictive aspect of consciousness.
Padmakara calls it defiled emotional consciousness.
Gyurme Dorje, the Agyur Rinpoche, calls it deluded consciousness.
The store-house consciousness is called all-ground consciousness.
Called the "seed consciousness" or container consciousness,
it serves as the "container" for all experiential impressions

Store-house Consciousness Empowers Rebirth

The store-house consciousness accumulates all potential energy
for the mental and physical manifestation of a sentient being's existence.
It is the storehouse-consciousness which induces transmigration
or rebirth, causing the origination of a new existence.

Base Consciousness Focuses Inward

In Tibetan Buddhism, the base consciousness
focuses inwards on the ground of all (alaya)
that is mistaken for a self that is real,
which results in all experience of reality
then consists of the choice of wanted or unwanted.

Always present, it is the basis for
all ordinary mental states,
be it virtuous, non-virtuous or neutral,
The base consciousness only stops
when the Bodhi Mind arises,
in the highest state of samadhi,
or during the non-abiding nirvana —
the great nirvana beyond
both ordinary existence in Samsara —
this world of birth-life-death, —
and in the basic nirvana of self-power.

Tathagata and Alaya Vijnana are One

Both the Lankavatara Sutra and Ch'an & Zen agree:
the Tathagatagarbha and alaya vijnana are one,
identical and fundamentally pure.
Atman is the permanent, unchanging self,
and prakrti, the original and primal nature
from which all things evolve, whether
it be mental, emotional and physical.
Though the Tathagatagarbha looks similar to atman
and alaya vijnana, prakrti, the Tathagatagarbha
conforms to the non-self doctrine,
and alaya vijnana is the mind-stream.
Mind-stream or consciousness-stream,
both streams are the same, but
cannot be reified as atman at all.

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Ayatana (sense bases): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayatana
Salayatana (the six sense bases): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%B9%A2a%E1%B8%8D%C4%81yatana
Eight consciousnesses: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Consciousnesses
http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Eight_consciousnesses

My Dharma is Against the Stream

Buddha said: my dharma is against the stream.
This old fool says: I have no dharma but Buddha's,
And even that, I practice poorly and incorrectly.


Were I to have my own dharma, it is certain that it would be New Age, even though most of my practice would bee similar to Chinese Pure Land Buddhism.

Since I only have an intellectual understanding of Tibetan Buddhism, it boggles my mind to consider practicing any of it on my own without a Vajrayana guru to guide me.

That is, if I could afford the cost of going for Vajrayana.

However, I see Vajrayana through Buddha eyes too. From what they could see, Tibetan Buddhism is similar to Shingon School of Japanese Buddhism.

What this means is mysticism combined with something called mikkyo, which consists of chanting dharanis and mantras.

Hopefully that that's all done in Shingon for the same reason why I chanting: to prepare myself for rebirth in the Pure Land of Bliss.

Acala or Myo-o of Shingon Buddhism

Myo-o - Wisdom Kings protecting Dainichi Nyorai, Important to Shingon Sect of Esoteric Buddhism: "Rain God or Peacock Wisdom King.
Wards off evil from poisoning or calamity; prayed to in times of drought, poisoning, and disaster; rides a peacock (in India, peacock is famous for eating poisonous snakes); one face, four arms" His Sanskrit name is Mahamayuri. Here's another view of Mahamayuri, who is one of four goddesses (feminine archetypes) surrounding Mahapratisara.

PSCO 25: Utz: "The Mahamayuri is one of the five formulae of the Pancaraksa or 'Quintuple Protection.' This five-fold Manichaean Yaksa catalogue does not correspond to any in Buddhist literature, which are not so extensive in a number of categories. For instance, in the Mahamayuri, the catalogue has only the categories Yaksa and country. " Thus Mahamayuri was introduced into Vajrayana from Manichean texts.

Commentary: In Shingon Buddhism, the Five Wisdom Kings are worshiped without their consorts. However, the consorts themselves represent other aspects of wisdom.

Regarding Mahamayuri, he is one of the Five Wisdom Kings, and represents "peace." Mahamayuri also protects his devotees from poisoning, both physical and spiritual. Though "poison" may be seen as "evil", so a Mahamayuri sutra may be used to protect a devotee from the immediate effects of evil karma.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahamayuri

Only Consciousness is Reborn

Mind undergoes rebirth, not a permanent soul.

Yet you may ask, "is the mind then permanent?"

No, when one considers it spiritual energy, the ordinary mind is impermanent.

For the consciousness which merges with the physical form "creates" mind.

When one dies, that consciousness (mindstream) returns to the Absolute as Alaya.

Then it is sent out again according to karmic merit, to influence the destiny it chooses, be it rebirth as the creation of new life in a new existence (samsara), or rebirth in the Pure Land.

In essence, consciousness enters the mind continuum as the mindstream and is reborn according to the fruition of karma.

A thorough reading of Yogacara and certain Vajrayana sutras will confirm this.

Buddha Remembrance Works!

As a Pure Land Buddhist, I am not concerned with personal liberation like the Zen masters are. For that is self power (jiriki).

Rather, I am concerned with the liberation of all sentient beings by uttering the Name-that-calls (Nembutsu) in Buddha Remembrance. This is known as other power (tariki).

Buddha Remembrance is Nembutsu practice in which the follower chants the name of Amida Buddha mindfully with utmost sincerity and gratitude. Since most people may not be able to visualize the Pure Land or Amida himself, they still possess gratitude and sincerity.

Often when I practice Buddha Remembrance, I do so in short bursts to avoid entering a trance. It is important to beware of this since a trance-like state of mind may be mistaken for samadhi (mental concentration or composing of the mind).

For example, yesterday I experienced a calm state of mind, and although there was self doubt, it was easy to let go of those feelings and return to that feeling of calm.
During this time, I was at the library studying Buddhism.

You might think I learned something, and I did: the academic works of Pure Land by the Chinese Buddhist Buddhist Education Foundation are more to my liking.

For I'm not totally into Vajrayana even though some of my blog posts refer to it.

My skepticism of Vajrayana is based on Chogyam Trungpa's lifestyle and how it affected his ability to carefully pick his successor. In all fairness, it boggles the mind that Shambhala members would condone what happened, but they weathered it well.

Nor am I really into Theravada since it had the wrong idea about Mahayana. Even Zen masters are equally wrong-minded. For Mahayana is not cheating nor does it promote Nirvana, the Pure Land, or even Tusita Heaven as a reward for their respective practices.

Anyway, after my aborted attempt to find a good Buddhist book to read, I walked to the mall and had lunch. During the time I was there, I experienced this joy that comes to me more often these days.

It is because I've been doing short bursts of Buddha Remembrance consisting of silently chanting the Nembutsu (Namu Amida Butsu or the shortened version Nam'Am'da') ten to twenty times, counting them off one finger at a time.

Hey, I only have ten fingers!

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To reference some words in this text, click on the labels below. If you're a novice at using Blogspot, the labels are in colored text and link to other blog posts.

Samadhi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam%C4%81dhi_%28Buddhism%29
Chogyam Trungpa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%B6gyam_Trungpa

The Five Wisdom Buddhas

Symbolically, the Five Wisdom Buddhas represent the five aspects of spiritual wisdom of the Buddha.

Commonly found in Vajrayana mandalas, the Five Wisdom Buddhas are also the main objects of worship in Shingon Buddhism, a variety of esoteric Japanese Buddhism that arose in Japanese before Vajrayana Buddhism became known.

Vairocana is considered the Adi-Buddha of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, with the other four Buddhas assigned to cardinal directions.

Based on the Yogācāra elaboration of concepts concerning the jñāna (spiritual knowledge) of the Buddhas of the Trikaya, the Five Wisdom Buddhas are a later development used to symbolize the aspects of the Dharmakaya (truth-body), which embodies the principle of enlightenment.

First, two Buddhas appeared in Yogacara sutras which represented wisdom and compassion - they were, respectively, Akṣobhya and Amitābha. To embody the aspects of power, or activity, and the aspect of beauty, or spiritual riches, two more Buddhas were added, Amoghasiddhi, and Ratnasaṃbhava. Finally, the central figure became Vairocana.

Thus power represents spiritual activity, while beauty represents spiritual riches.

Traditionally, Aksobhya is the eastern Buddha of consciousness as an aspect of reality, working for the joy of all beings, while Amitabha is the western Buddha of comprehensive love, working for the enlightenment of all sentient beings.

Amoghasiddhi is the northern Buddha of the conceptual mind that conquers all evils, while Ratnasambhava is the southern Buddha of the mind developing equanimity and equality to destroy greed and pride.

Meanwhile, Vairocana is the celestial Buddha (Adi Buddha) who is the embodiment of Emptiness.

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Five Wisdom Buddhas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Wisdom_Buddhas

Buddhism is not Mysticism

Buddhism is not a mysticism. Rather, Buddhism is a toolkit to relief psychic suffering. As part of that relief, it teaches transcendence of ego — the self which arises through ignorant craving.

That transcendence of ego is called the transcendent Self and is also known as the Diamond Mind.

Rejection of the transcendent Self is rejection of the Diamond Mind, and of the Buddha himself.

For the true Reality of the Self is often occulted by academics whose commentaries on the Buddhist sutras sometimes leads the skeptics to the false belief that Buddhism is a form of mysticism.

By hiding the fact that Adi Buddha is reflected in the Five Wisdom Buddhas, so too is the fact that personal experience is reflected in the experience of everyone.

Yet academics who have no experience in Buddhism, who have not heard the Buddhadharma, and who then write of the Diamond Mind and the transcendent Self, suggest that each of us has the potential to become bodhisattvas and ultimately Buddhas.

For the fallacy of potential nirvana is that the average person is often adverse to exercise his potential under the mistaken assumption that it's not for him and that it's all a bunch of hogwash, too.

However, I beg to differ and present you with the following analogy to encourage the willing among you to exercise your potential to become awakened and achieve Nirvana.

When we were children, we had the potential to graduate from high school. We learned to read and write, and to do math. Today, we are able to read and write, as well as add, subtract and multiply.

Likewise, in learning about the Four Noble Truths, and dependent arising, it is then possible to go on to learn about the Diamond Mind and the transcendent Self. It is even possible to understand that the spiritual nature of Adi Buddha is reflected in the 102 Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana).

For Buddhism is not mysticism, for the Four Noble Truths is proof of that.

Learning about the Diamond Mind and the transcendent Self helps us to go beyond meditating to achieve the clear mind to see that the Diamond Mind is achieved through meditation and study of the sutras. Such learning is also not mysticism.

As well, Adi Buddha is not mysticism.

For mysticism requires only one thing: a mind confused by the ego lost in ignorant craving. Since the purpose of Buddhism is to remove confusion by pacifying ignorant craving through meditation to achieve the mind of clarity and the heart of peace, the result is the true heartmind which is able to see that Buddha-Nature is in all sentient beings.

Indeed, the heartmind is able to see that all sentient beings are originally bodhisattva who have the potential to become Buddha.

Buddhism Isn't About A King in Heaven

Buddhism is documented to have a founder who went to a Buddhist Heaven through a process called parinirvana, and vehemently denied he will reincarnate. In fact, there is no affirmed reincarnation of the Buddha because that would be sacrilege.

Instead you can pick and choose of several Buddhas to acquire wisdom, conquer illness, live a long life of boundless compassion and/or acquire boundless wisdom, etc. knowing full well that they actually represent various aspects or qualities of the mind.

All the devas, daemons and other mythological creatures have had the Buddhadharma preached to them, thus making them protectors of the Dharma.

And even they too represent qualities of the mind.

Are you following me now?

Buddhism is all about the mind, and protecting it from suffering through meditation, firs to calm your mind until it can clearly realize peace of mind as path to happiness.

Even the different worlds in Buddhist cosmology from hell to hungry ghost to human to devas to Tusita Heaven are merely qualities of the human mind!

Indeed, the old Zen saying, "If you see the Buddha, kill hiom!", actually means "If you have a vision of the Buddha, awaken from your dream since it is not the Buddha but your desire to become a buddha."

Thus, Buddhism is actually an Asian psychology which will drive the mad even crazier and render the truly devoted, devoted, gentle, and peaceful.

However, the Lesser Vehicle of the Way of the Monks is known to turn said monks into mighty warriors both in Sri Lanka and in Southeast Asia.

Sadly though, they happen to be sexist and old-fashioned.

Such is the way of South East Asia.

As for Buddhism, there isn't a king in heaven. There are five Wisdom Buddhas which are reflections of the wisdom of the primordial Buddha, the Adi-Buddha, who actually isn't a living being.

One can say Adi-Buddha was present before everything else in the universe existed but not in the sense of an actual living being.

Imagine though that the Adi-Buddha is in the centre of 108 peaceful and wrathful deities who are reflections of it. Imagine further that all famous sages and Bodhiattvas are too reflections of the Adi-Buddha. Imagine even further than you and I are also reflection of Adi-Buddha, for we are all potential buddhas.

Yet Adi-Buddha is first and foremost the Original Beginning, the Unending One, and the ultimate reality all in one, and then some!

Adi-Buddha does not create; for he is the originator of what became this universe.

It is he who pours out the stuff of which this reality is made of.

All phenomena is symbolically represented by the primordial nature of Adi-Buddha; for all phenomena have in Adi-Buddha their collective source,

Being in a continuous, eternal co-relation with the deity, Adi-Buddha also represents the non-duality of the individual's mind and the cosmos, which are interrelated.

For your mind creates the cosmos, just as the cosmos creates the atoms of which your body consists and the air that your breath.

Who needs a king in heaven when you have Adi-Buddha being the source of reality itself?

Who needs a creator god when Adi-Buddha is the origin of the universe itself?

Five Wisdom Buddhas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Wisdom_Buddhas
Adi-Buddha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi-Buddha
Dharmakaya: click on the label "Dharmakaya"

Manjusri in Journey to the West

In the Journey to the West, The Vajrayana Bodhisattva Manjusri - Manjusri's lion caused havoc in Wuji to punish its king for dunking it (disguised as a Buddhist priest) in the moat. Tathagata Buddha did this to test the king's faith. Tathagata is another name for the Sakyamuni Buddha formerly known as Gotama.



More information on Manjusri Bodhisattva.

The Bardo Prayer Which Protects From Fear

When the journey of my life has reached its end,
and since no relatives go with me from this world
I wander in the bardo state alone,
may the peaceful and wrathful Buddhas send
out the power of their compassion
and clear away the dense darkness of ignorance

When parted from beloved friends, wandering alone
my own projections' empty forms appear,
may the Buddhas send out the power of their compassion
so that the bardo's terrors do not come.

When the five luminous lights of wisdom shine,
fearlessly may I recognize myself;
when the forms of the peaceful and wrathful ones appear
fearless and confident may I recognize the bardo.

When I suffer through the power of evil karma,
may the peaceful and wrathful Buddhas clear away suffering;
when the sound of dharmata roars like a thousand thunders,
may it be transformed into the sound of mahayana teaching.

When I follow my karma, without a refuge,
may the peaceful and wrathful Buddhas be my refuge;
when I suffer the karma of unconscious tendencies,
may the samadhi of bliss and luminosity arise.

At the moment of spontaneous birth in the bardo of becoming,
may the false teachings of the tempters not arise;
when I arrive wherever I wish by supernatural power,
may the illusory terrors of evil karma not arise.

When savage beasts of prey are roaring,
may it become the sound of dharma, the six syllables;
when I am chased by snow, rain, wind, and darkness,
may I receive the clear, divine eye of wisdom.

May all sentient beings of the same realm in the bardo,
free from jealosy, be born in a higher state;
when great thirst and hunger are caused by passions,
may the pain of thirst and hunger, heat and cold, not arise.

When I see my future parents in union,
may I see the peaceful and wrathful Buddhas with their consorts;
with power to choose my birthplace, for the good of others,
may I receive a perfect body adorned with auspicious signs.

Obtaining for myself a perfect human body,
may all who see and hear me at once be liberated;
may I not follow all my evil karma,
but follow and increase what merit I may have.

Wherever I am born, at that very place,
may I meet the yidam of this life face to face;
knowing how to walk and talk as soon as I am born,
may I attain the power of non-forgetfullness
and rememberance of past lives.

In all the stages of learning, high, middle and low,
may I understand just by hearing, thinking and seeing;
wherever I am born, may that land be blessed,
so that all sentient beings may be happy.

O peaceful and wrathful Buddhas, may I and others
become like you yourselves, just as you are,
with your forms and your auspicious marks,
your retinues, your long life and your realms.

Samantabhadra, the peaceful and wrathful ones,
infinite compassion, the power of truth of the pure dharmata,
and followers of tantra in one-pointed meditation:
may their blessings fulfill this inspiration-prayer.

Buddhist Faith

Since faith is not realized by reasoning, their emotional basis may lead to the cognitive distortion caused by rationalization of feeling and emotions.

For example: if I feel strong emotions about an event (my birthday), a thing (taking pictures), or a state of mind (happiness), then I act happy, experience anticipation, or feel happy.

Each of these effects may become problematic if the cognitive distortion leads to a gross change in mood. For happiness could lead to future suffering if it isn't allowed to end on its own.

Yet faith in Amida Buddha's Primal Vow is sure to aid the Pure Land practitioner in practice of Buddha Recitation at least ten times when done with sincerity and thanksgiving.

Faith based on emotional reasoning is unsound because if one's feelings about enlightenment changes, then so will one's faith in enlightenment, which requires spiritual awakening through both meditation and mindful practice consisting of being of service and helpful to others.

However, faith in the Buddha as a Higher Power is dependent on a deeper concept of the Buddha as having three forms (bodies), consisting essentially of the three kayas, which are aspects of enlightened being, the reflections of the historical Gautama Buddha in three distinct ways to help all sentient beings.

The word Buddha itself means "awakened one" and "fully realized", for it implies serenity arising in the calm state of mind so that clear insight about enlightenment is possible.

With such a clarity of mind, one is able to see the original nature of mind perfectly as it is, unchanged and pristine. Such clear insight is the reflection of the pure heart of the Buddha and specifically of Buddha Nature itself.

As a result of Buddha Nature's effect on the heart-mind, one is able to maintain the open mind while freeing oneself from the fetters of life.

Indeed, that which fetters us in life are our desires, which lead to ignorant craving to satisfy desires, clinging to name and form, and becoming dependent on satisfying desires.

Once free, we awaken to the understanding about the true nature about relative and absolute levels of consciousness and relative and absolute truth.

Thus, the Buddha is the truly awakened one, and has realized the complete transcendence of mental and behavioral negativities which obscure the mind, and lead one to become fettered by delusions about life, lost in the darkness of ignorance clouded over by all kinds of cognitive distortions.

Having realized such a transcendence, the practitioner is able to remain positive, bright and cheerful as though the cloud of ignorance has disappeared in the sunshine of the Buddha's radiance.

All realized sentient beings are Buddhas. They who realized their true nature yesterday were Buddhas, they who realize their true nature today may be considered Buddhas, and they who are about to realize their true nature will become Buddhas tomorrow. Thus, "Buddha" is the general term which does not refer to a specific realized being but to every realized being.

Once Buddhas have realized their true nature, they strive to be of service to others, and thus benefit other sentient beings, from the microscope quanta to the macroscopic multiverse. Thus they diligently work to keep their bodies healthy so that they are able to free their minds of the fetters of human existence through meditation and mindful practice.

In order to benefit others, Buddhas appear in many different forms or bodies. Specifically, the main bodies consist of the three kayas: Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya.

Additionally, there are also four and five kayas in Tibetan Buddhism, which qualify other expressions of enlightened being, yet ultimately all are one Buddha.

'Kaya' is a Sanskrit word which means "body in the sense of many qualities gathered together, joined and united as one". In this context, "kaya" specifically refers to the body of spiritual experience and knowledge arising from such experience, manifested as "the embodiments of loving-kindness, compassion, wisdom and skillful means which appear in the world to help sentient beings."

Dharma is Sanskrit for external and internal phenomenon, both inside and outside. Dharmakaya refers to the primordial nature of phenomena which truly transcends all conception of dualistic thought while remaining impartial without discrimination.

For Dharmakaya is Great Equanimity, the steadiness of mind under stress which is calm and serene.

Clear and devoid of all worldly passion, the mind is open to the clear insight inculcated by years of earnest and devoted mindful practice and meditation with eyes open and the heart-mind free of the cognitive distortions arising from ego delusion, having realized by direct experience the true meaning of wisdom.

Thus is this embodiment of wisdom known as Dharmakaya.

Each of us is aware of many kinds of phenomenon, which include what we know and feel, and are categorized in two types: 1) subjective phenomena and 2) objective phenomena. Both develop through interaction with the elements, which are composed of sub-units called quanta, and may have shape and form.

On careful examination of the elements, each of them are composed of individual atoms, and each atom is composed of quanta such as electrons, protons and even neutrons which form a cohesive whole.

None of these particles exist alone, for each is dependent on others for their existence. On careful examination of a particular element, thorough investigation in terms of subject and object soon disappears by the intuition of Great Emptiness. This spiritual intuition is derived from meditation and mindful practice, which results in the calm mind necessary to develop clear insight into the nature of being.

One cannot go beyond this examination of a single element, for it is beyond our dualistic conception. Thus is the true nature of being realized as Great Emptiness.

When we view subjective phenomena, we see that it is not unlike the elements. While it is possible to divide the mind into eight categories of consciousness as in the Yogacara school of Buddhism, the mind still functions as one unit.

When we try to find from where our current thoughts come, nowhere are we able to discover from where they arise. When we seek each thought's destination, each of their paths is undetermined.

Indeed, each thought rises and falls in waves, sometimes with a flurry of mental activity and often without rhyme or reason — no one knows where our thoughts will go, nor where they will lead us.

Thus, we see that the subject of our self discovery, the mind, is arising in
Great Emptiness which defies expression and our ability to describe accurately its nature of being, both the source of thought and its destination.

Based in one primordial nature, both the internal and external are indistinct and indistinguishable from each other, for all are Emptiness and beyond dualistic thought, beyond the nature of existence and non-existence, being both existence and non-existence and neither of them, extending far beyond the common sense idea of being the state of containing nothing. Rather, Emptiness is expressible as a description within context of the concepts of impermanence and no-self, for it describes both the true nature of being and the original nature of mind, yet is incomprehensible to ordinary sentient beings.

Being devoid of shape or form, Emptiness is not a 'thing' nor does it have any quality of 'thingness'. It is truly omnipresent, yet is not God existing apart from the multiverse but transcends our limited human conception of God.

Indeed, the primordial nature of being is both great and small yet is neither great nor small, for it defies all definition and is thus beyond any articulate expression about itself.

While our circumstances cannot change the primordial nature of being, it is possible to perfectly realize this nature as the realization of Dharmakaya.

With Great Emptiness being our primordial nature, this Emptiness is neither like a black hole nor is it nothingness itself. For Emptiness is full of thingness yet is not a thing nor is it thingness itself. By means of the primordial nature of being, all things in this multiverse arise without effort and thought to spontaneously appear with clarity of mind.

Indeed, the calm mind — which arises due to meditation, is inculcated through dedicated mindful practice of being of service to others, and helps every sentient being to realize Emptiness as it is — is one of the signs of Emptiness made real.

When no concept of Emptiness exists, all things are blocked, nothing moves, nothing develops, and nothing appears &mdash as though frozen in time. When the spontaneous radiance of unceasing clarity illumines the mind, the resulting clear insight is known as Sambhogakaya.

Sambhogakaya is the perfect enjoyment of the body of spiritual experience and knowledge. This perfect enjoyment is possible due to the effect of meditation and practice which helps develop the clear insight into our primordial nature as its radiant wisdom aspect.

Displayed as the Five Wisdoms, Sambhogakaya consist of:

1) Dharmadhatu Wisdom,

2) Mirror-like wisdom,

3) Wisdom of Equality,

4) Discriminating Awareness Wisdom, and

5) All-Accomplishing Wisdom.

All Five Wisdoms reflect the clarity aspect of our true nature, that clearness of mind which inspires us to see clearly our primordial nature as it is.

While we exist in the world of samsara — this life of suffering birth, life, old age and death — ignorant of Emptiness, of enlightenment, and of our true primordial nature, these Wisdoms are seen as the eight consciousnesses.

When the obscuration of dependent arising are purified and removed by meditation and mindful practice, our understanding of the eight consciousnesses are transformed by applying the Five Wisdoms through meditation. Consequently deep understanding of the primordial nature of our present consciousness is based on these Five Wisdoms.

Here are the eight consciousnesses: first are the five sense consciousnesses of

1. eye consciousness,
   
2. ear consciousness,
   
3. tongue consciousness,
   
4. nose consciousness, and
   
5. body consciousness.

— these first five consciousness operate via the sense organs to perceive the external objects of sense. By themselves, they are limited with the eye consciousness seeing only form within the limited range of visible light, which cannot taste or hear sounds or smell. Likewise, the ear is only able to hear a limited range of sounds, but cannot see, taste and so on. So, how may the five consciousnesses work together as one? That function belongs to the sixth sense because it is like a judge who makes decisions, and is able to receive input from the five external consciousnesses and to organize that input so that we are able to make sense of our experience. As a result, the sixth consciousness makes as one the five sense consciousnesses, creating mental fabrications, and thus is known as the mind consciousness. Being very immediate, the first five consciousnesses have no continuity and only refer to the present, having no sense of the past or the future, and only communicates directly in the present moment. Thus they are rather exclusive and single-minded. Not only does the sixth consciousness unite these five, it is able to refer to events and activities of the past and the future. Indeed, the mind actually makes sense of time itself. On closer examination, the mind has two aspects to it:

1. the sixth consciousness, which handles the business of past, present and future; makes decisions based on information received from the first five consciousnesses; and is very neutral and rational;
   
2. the seventh consciousness, which is very subtle, giving rise to ego-clinging, the vain grasping of the ego.

Due to the action of ego-clinging, ignorance, anger, attachment, jealousy, pride and doubt develop, arising and falling according to the complex interplay between karma and samsara. All this happens in the mind. All of these aspects of the mind are based on the eight consciousness, the ground of mind or storehouse (Ayala) consciousness. Being neutral, the nature of the eighth consciousness is such that it retains every basic habit pattern of sentient beings. Everything being stored there — be it good, bad or neutral karma — all kinds of habits and any kind of actions we do in our lifetimes are stored there. This is why it is called a "storehouse". For Alaya is an even more subtle consciousness than the defiled mind of the seventh consciousness. When these eight consciousnesses are transmuted or transformed, they turn into the Five Wisdoms, and are symbolized by the five Dhyani Buddhas, which are the radiant spectrum of clarity qualifying the Dharmakaya.

1. The main Buddha of Dharmadhatu Wisdom is Vairocana;
   
2. the eastern Buddha of Mirror-like Wisdom is Akshoba;
   
3. the Wisdom of Equality is represented by the Buddha of the southern direction, Ratnasambhava;
   
4. the western Buddha of Discriminating Awareness is Amitabha; and
   
5. the northern Buddha of All Accomplishing Wisdom is Amogha Siddhi.

These are Sambhogakaya's five principle Buddhas. All Buddhas are highlighted reflections of one Buddha. Different levels, aspects or kayas of Buddha exist solely to benefit sentient beings with each Buddha being able to appear in any of these three kayas. Dharmakaya Buddhas like Samantabhadra show themselves only to highly realized beings i.e. tenth bhumi Bodhisattvas who may also receive teachings from the five Dhyani Buddhas. Novice Buddhists, or those with dualistic thoughts and conceptions, may find it hard to to perceive and receive teachings from Sambhogakaya and Dharmakaya Buddhas. Thus, the third Buddha, the Nirmanakaya ("manifest in form") Buddha, is manifested, not just in one style or form but in almost every way possible, so as to benefit all sentient beings, regardless of their high realization, their novice status or their inability to transcend the calm mind and apply it to clear insight. Indeed, the Nirmanakaya Buddha suits all sentient beings. Nirmanakaya Buddhas may be divided into four groups:

1. Supreme emanations
   
2. Birth emanations
   
3. Artisan emanations, and
   
4. Emanations of various things.

Born into the world as a unique person is the Supreme emanation, e.g. Buddha Shakyamuni (Gautama) or Guru Padmasambhava. Each of them consists of special forms of body, speech and mind. The mind of realization has three qualities:

love,

compassion, and

wisdom, and also the ten powers and four kinds of fearlessness.

A Buddha has no obstruction to seeing the past, present or future. Indeed, everything is clear to the eye of wisdom, for a Buddha's speech and body qualities are apparently more obvious yet people have strong doubts about such wisdom. Consequently they pretend it cannot be done exactly as it says in the sutras.

Even during Gautama Buddha's time, they investigated this and "closely examined whether Buddha was totally enlightened and perfectly clear in relation to object or not."

The second Nirmanakaya or birth emanation appears in the animal and non-visible realms, using different names and forms, male or female as they are needed.

For example, the Jataka tales about Buddha taking birth as animals such as a fish, a bird, a monkey, a bear, a lion, and also humans. These are all avatars of the Buddha which may or may not traditionally appear wearing robes. Such incarnated avatars may not immediately be recognized as Buddhas. In each case, they are born to remove obstacles and dualistic conceptions, so as to free sentient beings from ignorance and bring about the perfection of each believer's understanding of primordial wisdom.

Called the artisan emanation, the third Nirmanakaya appears as objects of art and the artists who make them for the benefit of sentient beings. Some of the forms these emanations take include thangkas (Tibetan Buddhist iconography), statues and even music. Thus, artisan emanations in the form of beautiful works of art inspired by Buddhist meditation may result from the mindful practice of disciples, which serve the purpose of bringing clarity and peace of mind. Indeed, joy and a marvelous sense of something special also touches the heart-mind to its central core for each and every practitioner who creates such works of art.

Through each of the kayas the isciple is able to continuously renew his or her faith in the Buddha, and remain on the long journey called enlightenment, which may have begun in our primordial past, continues today, and shall eventually happen one day soon for each and every one of us.

For, even though there may be people living vicariously within the realm of dualistic notions of being either for good or for evil, in due time, even they too will realize love, compassion and even the clarity of mind associated with a spiritual awakening.

Whether one is animist, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or pagan, monotheistic or polytheistic or even some form of pan(en)theism, all religious paths do lead to each faith's version of enlightenment through sudden spiritual experiences which transform their lives.

How does this happen?

In the past, Buddha Nature was sown in the storehouse consciousness, in the present that primordial nature is sown in each moment, and in the future, Buddha Nature shall ripen, only for the cycle of samsara to rise and fall until Nirvana, when the mind of realization achieves Buddhahood.

Thus I place my faith in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.


Reference:

The Three Kayas: http://www.abuddhistlibrary.com/Buddhism/A%20-%20Tibetan%20Buddhism/Authors/Kenpo%20Palden%20Sherab%20Rinpoche/The%20Three%20Kayas/The%20Three%20Kayas.htm


Thji

Notes on Om Mani Padme Hum

This note is a study aid. See reference for details.

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Six syllables give praise to the bodhisattva of compassion,
Avalokiteshvara who is also known in Tibetan Buddhism as Chenrezig, and as Guanyin in Chinese Buddhism. According to Tsangsar Tulku Rinpoche's Chenrezig Sudhana, these syllables are:

Om represents:
• Six Pāramitās:
∘ Generosity
• Purifies:
∘ Pride / Ego
• Samsaric realm:
∘ Devas
• Color:
∘ White
• The symbol of the Deity:
∘ Wisdom
• (Wish them) to be born in:
∘ Perfect Realm of Potala

Ma represents:
• Six Pāramitās:
∘ Ethics
• Purifies:
∘ Jealousy / Lust for entertainment
• Samsaric realm:
∘ Asuras
• Color:
∘ Green
• The symbol of the Deity:
∘ Compassion
• (Wish them) to be born in:
∘ Perfect Realm of Potala

Ni represents:
• Six Pāramitās:
∘ Patience
• Purifies:
∘ Passion / desire
• Samsaric realm:
∘ Humans
• Color:
∘ Yellow
• The symbol of the Deity:
∘ Body, speech, mind quality and activity
• (Wish them) to be born in:
∘ Dewachen

Pad represents:
• Six Pāramitās:
∘ Diligence
• Purifies:
∘ Ignorance / prejudice
• Samsaric realm:
∘ Animals
• Color:
∘ Blue
• The symbol of the Deity:
∘ Equanimity
• (Wish them) to be born in:
∘ the presence of Protector (Chenrezig)

Me represents:
• Six Pāramitās:
∘ Renunciation
• Purifies:
∘ Poverty / possessiveness
• Samsaric realm:
∘ Pretas (hungry ghosts)
• Color:
∘ Red
• The symbol of the Deity:
∘ Bliss
• (Wish them) to be born in:
∘ Perfect Realm of Potala

Hum represents:
• Six Pāramitās:
∘ Wisdom
• Purifies:
∘ Aggression / hatred
• Samsaric realm:
∘ Naraka
• Color:
∘ Black
• The symbol of the Deity:
∘ Quality of Compassion
• (Wish them) to be born in:
∘ the presence of the Lotus Throne (of Chenrezig)

According to HH the 14th Dalai Lama,

Om symbolizes:
• the practitioner's impure body, speech, and mind
• the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha

Mani (jewel) symbolizes:
• the factors of method: (the) altruistic intention to become enlightened, compassion, and love

Padme (lotus) symbolizes:
• wisdom

Hum symbolizes:
• indivisibility
• purity achieved by an indivisible unity of method and wisdom

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References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om_mani_padme_hum