The Uttara Tantra : A Treatise on Buddha Nature 1.

The Uttara Tantra : A Treatise on Buddha Nature

A Commentary on The Uttara Tantra $astra bv The Venerable Khemhen Thrangu Rinpoche Abbot of Rumtek Monastery

Bibliotheca Indo-Buddhica Series No. 131

The Uttara Tantra: A Treatise on Buddha Nature A Commentary on The Uttara Tantra Sastra of Asariga by The Venerable Khenchen Thrangu, Rinpoche Abbot of Rumtek Monastery TYansIated by Ken and Katia Holmes Sri Satguru Publications

Published by : SRI SATGURU PUBLICATIONS Indological & Oriental Publishers A Division of Indian Books Centre 40/5, Shakti Nagar, Delhi-110007 India

First Edition : Delhi, 1994 ISBN 81-7030-401-6

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the many persons who helped make this book possible. First of all we would like to thank Ken and Katia Holmes for translating this book from Tibetan into English. We would also like to thank Jean Johnson, Clarke Fountain, David Reed, and Daniel Pirofsky for help in producing this book. A special thanks to Debra Ann Robinson, Mary McCarry, Tess Evans, Phyllis Ohm, Margot Newman, Katie Haggerty, and Susan Roe who patiently transcribed the tapes of Thrangu Rinpoche’s talks.

Foreword

India has been the ground for some of the most profound philosophical schools in the world. There is, of course, the Vedic tradition based largely on the Hindu tradition which is one of the world’s oldest systems of philosophy. Then there is a more recent philosophical school which began in India around the first century A. D. and ended around the tenth century. This was the time of the flourishing of a school of Buddhism which centered in a dozen monastic universities in Northern India. This school was founded by realized individuals, rather than just scholars, and devoted itself to the examination of reality. These Buddhist practitioners and scholars illuminated the notion that what we conventionally take for real and solid, is not. They developed many logical arguments and demonstrations with the tools they had available to them at the time to show that everything as we perceive it is not as it is but rather an empty of inherent existence (Skt. Sunyata). What we take for “reality” is, for the most part, a projection of our mind.

This philosophical tradition which became known as mahayana Buddhism spread throughout the Far East but has been largely ignored in our modem, scientific age. This, however, is ironic because now physicist working on the frontiers of subatomic theory have basically come up with the notion that nothing is solid, but rather is almost completely empty space with certain energy relations between them. Furthermore, if we even try to apply simple logic to these “building blocks” of matter such as electron^, we have to conclude that these elementary panicles do neft exist in any single place and can only be described in terms of probability of where they might be and in their relationship to the rest of the material of the universe. Even in our more down-to-earth sciences we are discovering that objects which we thought of as distinct objects such as a single tree in a forest must be thought of as a complex organic combination with highly complicated interactions with the surrounding environment and not as a single unit.

What does this mean to the ordinary individual? It means that for us to gain any understanding of why we were placed on this earth and how we should live our life now we are here, we have to examine this world to see what is lasting and enduring, and what is just a transitory display of phenomena. The Madhyamaka school with great masters such as Nagarjuna, Asahga, Vasubandhu, Chandraklni, Dignaga, Naropa, Shantarakshita, Shantideva did just this. They demonstrated that our suffering and problems and confusion in this world is due to our almost innate belief that we are a self as a solid enduring object.

Unfortunately, with the confusion after the Moslem invasion of India a vast amount of this literature was lost in India and only fragments of it remain in Sanskrit. However, a large portion of this literature was translated into Tibetan and written down and studied and practiced in Tibet. Because of this one of the greatest works of this tradition. The Uttara Tantra by the great scholar Asanga was preserved. This book consists of 404 verses devoted almost exclusively to enduring and permanent in this world, namely, tathagatagarba or buddha nature. Buddha nature is that primary essence that all beings possess and which is the essence that makes it possible for all beings to achieve enlightenment. The Uttara Tantra is considered so important in the Tibetan tradition that these root verses are often memorized. In addition this text is also extremely relevant for all Buddhist practitioners because it answers many questions such as how can one tell if someone is enlightened and what are the necessary qualities to achieve enlightenment.

In the late 1970s Kagyu Samye Ling in Scotland invited the Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche to come to Europe and teach. Thrangu Rinpoche was eminently qualified because he had just finished establishing the curriculum for the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism for its head, the sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa. He chose one of the most important texts of Tibetan Buddhism to begin with and spent several months giving a line by line commentary on this Uttara Tantra.

The Uttara Tantra like many texts of the time was written in very terse, compact language with extremely deep and subtle references which makes the text accessible to only an extremely erudite scholar. This book follows an oral tradition used by lamas for the last ten centuries which meant that every point was numbered, placed in a category, stated, restated, emphasized, and then summarized. Had the transcripts simply been typeset, the commentary would have been about 700 pages long and would have been very difficult to follow. So with the help of chapters, headings, and extensive elimination of repetition and categorization, the Uttara Tantra was brought down to a manageable size which could be easily read by Westerners. At the suggestion of Ken Holmes the numbers of the verses in the Changeless Nature were added in brackets before the corresponding paragraphs of the commentary so one can read the verses of the Changeless Nature and then read the corresponding commentary. A glossary and appendix of Tibetan terms were also added for the reader not familiar with Buddhist terms. An attempt was also made to make the commentary so that the reader could read it without havinto refer to the root text.

The result is quite extraordinary. We have a complete rendering of an intact text of the period by someone who not only has studied it for a lifetime, but who has done the same meditative practices that Asanga did to reach the realization described in the text. In addition to this we have Thrangu Rinpoche’s line by line exposition explaining every word of the text. The covering of a text with this precision with the guide of Jamgon Kongtrul’s shastra which has to be one of the greatest commentaries on any religious text of this period is something which has been available to only a few rare individuals living over the past centuries in monasteries in Tibet

Clark Johnson, Ph. D. December 21, 1993

An Introduction to the Uttara Tantra

The Buddha gave many teachings and these teachings are classified into three turnings of the wheel of dharma. The subject matter of the first turning of the wheel of dharma are the four noble truths. These truths are the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the truth of the path. The teachings of this first turning were aimed at individuals who did not have the sharpest

intelligence and needed teachings that were easier to comprehend. In this turning the Buddha stated there was suffering, that the defilements were the cause of suffering, and there was a possibility for the liberation from all of this. Everything in this turning was phrased in terms of something tangible and in terms of conventional reality or relative truth. In the second turning the Buddha took a different position by

explaining that everything that appears to exist actually does not have this reality. In this turning the Buddha said, “There is no form, no sound, no smell, no taste” etc. (as in the Prajnd- pUramim or the Heart sOtra) showing that all the objects of the senses and all the forms of appearance are simply illusory and have no ultimate reality. So, the actual nature of all phenomena is voidness.

In the second turning the Buddha established that all phenomena are void but this point was not elucidated.

However, in the third turning, the Buddha revealed the ultimate nature of phenomena by showing that this voidness was not a total absence, a total emptiness of everything, but has qualities of the ultimate nature of phenomena. These teachings also show that all beings possess the essence of the Buddha. If they work on the path, they will be able tc develop the perfect knowledge of the Buddha. The Uttara Tantra explains that this essence of Buddhahood is present in the mind of all beings. After the teachings of the third turning, many works were composed by learned teachers which pertained to this same subject matter. For example, the bodhisattva Maitreva composed five teachings on this topic.

This Commentary

The Uttara Tantra is one of the five teachings of Maitreya and is related to the third turning. This text on the Uttara Tantra is based on the commentary by Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche and has two main parts. The first part is a general introduction which covers the nature of the text, the author, how it was composed, and so forth which is reviewed in this chapter . 1 The second part of the commentary is on the actual text itself and is divided into eight points.

The first point is that there are two kinds of Buddhist teachings — the words of the Buddha ( sutras ) and the commentaries composed by others on the Buddha’s works

'The Uttara Tantra is sastra by Maitreya on the dharani varadaraja sutra of the Buddha. Thrangu Rinpoche used the commentary by Jamgon Kongtrul (1813-1899) which has not been translated into English for the basis of this exposition. The root text has been translated by Ken and Katia Holmes as The Changeless Nature.

(SUstras). One might think the Uttara Tantra is composed of the words of the Buddha because Maitreya is a representative of the Buddha. However, this work is related to the subject matter taught in the third turning and therefore it is classified as an explanatory text composed by someone other than the Buddha.

Secondly, what source did the Uttara Tantra rely on? Some claim this teaching is related to the Mind Only (Skt. Cittamatra) school, but this is not so because this teaching relates directly to the teachings on absolute truth. The Uttara Tantra derives its subject matter from all the sutras of the three turnings — it is like the quintessence of all these sutras and particularly it has a close connection to one sutra taught at the request of King Isvara.

The third point examines the authorship of this work. In general, the sastras are produced by authors who have one of three qualifications. The best is one who has a direct understanding of the absolute truth of phenomena. If someone does not have this understanding, then second best is someone who has met face-to-face with a deity such as Manjusri. The poorest are those authors who are well educated and only have a thorough knowledge of the five branches of the sciences (grammar, logic, craftsmanship, healing, and spirituality). Texts written by someone who doesn’t have one of the above three qualifications aren’t worthy of a Buddhist commentary. Maitreya, the author of the Uttara Tantra, is even better than the best category because not only did he possess realization of absolute truth, but he was a bodhisattva of the highest level.

The fourth point discusses how this work spread after Maitreya had given the teachings of the Uttara Tantra. Buddha Sakyamuni had actually made a prediction that

there would be a teaching given by one of the highest bodhisattvas and it would relate to the highest possible meaning and these teachings would be given to men and propagated among them.

The Story of Asanga

The story of the spread of the Uttara Tantra begins at the famous Buddhist University of Nalanda in India. The university was set on fire by heretics and many precious teachings were destroyed including most of the Abhidharma teachings. At that time a nun called Salwai Tsultim became very worried that the teachings would be lost So she decided to have sons to allow the teachings to grpw and spread again. She had two sons: Asanga who became a proponent of the mahayana teachings and Vasubandhu who became an outstanding proponent of the hlnayUna teachings.

Asanga began by meditating very diligently on Maitreya. He practiced for three years and didn’t seem to be getting any results. He became very depressed at not having accomplished anything in his meditation. So he left his retreat and on the way met a man who was rubbing a rock. He inquired and found that the man was rubbing the rock to get rid of it because the rock was blocking the sun from shining on his house. Asahga was so impressed by his perseverance that he decided to try again. He returned and meditated for 12 years and still did not feel he was getting anywhere with his meditation and became depressed again. He left his retreat and on the way he saw a dog which was very sick and thin. The dog was very angry and ready to bite him. Suddenly, Asahga felt strong compassion for the

dog because he noticed that the dog had worms in his wounds. He wanted to remove the worms to help the dog, but realized that if he pulled the worms off, he would kill them. It was a choice between killing the worms or leaving the worms on the dog which would cause the dog to die. But Asanga felt such strong compassion and felt that he must find a way to get the worms out. He thought, “If I take the worms off with my

tongue, then the worms won’t be hurt and the dog will get better.” So he leaned down and stuck out his tongue; and as he touched the ground, Maitreya appeared before him. He saw Maitreya and exclaimed, “How is it possible! I have been practicing this meditation for 12 years and haven’t been able to meet you. You really don’t have much compassion for me.” Maitreya said, “It wasn’t my lack of compassion. I was there the whole time but you couldn’t see me because you had too many obscurations. After 12 years of practice, your obscurations had become so slight that when you saw the dog, you were able to have compassion and to see me.” After their meeting, Maitreya and Asanga went to the Tusita buddhafield and there Maitreya gave teachings on the second turning to Asanga. From these teachings and especially the teachings of the Prajnaparamita Asanga composed the AbhisamayAlamkara. Maitreya also gave teachings on the third turning with some related to the relative meaning and some related to the absolute meaning of the dharma. Three teachings pertained to the relative meaning: the MahSySnasatrdlankQra, the Dharmata Vibhaga, and the Madhyanta Vibhaga. The teachings related to the absolute meaning of reality were the Abhisamayalamkara and the Uttara Tantra Sastra. So Maitreya gave,. Asanga these five teachings and they were transmitted to human beings of our world.

The fifth point discusses the line of transmission of the Uttara Tantra. The teachings of Maitreya were transmitted in two lines — the words and the meaning. The Uttara Tantra was given to Asanga and he transmitted it to his brother Vasubandhu. Later Asanga wrote five works on the five transmissions from Maitreya to make Maitreya’s teachings more accessible to everyone. His brother Vasubandhu also wrote commentaries on two of these five works of Maitreya. He wrote a commentary on the Dharmata Vibhaga and the Madhyanta Vibhaga.

Among these five teachings, three were disseminated quite widely. These were the Abhisamayalamkara , the Madhyanta Vibhaga, and the Mahayanasutralamkara and were transmitted by Vasubandhu to his disciple Dinnaga. Dinnaga passed them to his disciple Lodro Tenpa who disseminated these teachings quite widely. The other two teachings, the Uttara Tantra and the Dharmata Vibhaga, were more profound and were given to only a few pupils.

In Tibet there were two periods of history in which the Buddhist teachings were widely spread. The earlier period during the eighth century at the time of King Thrisong Deutsen or the “time of the three,” with the “ hree” being maha pandita Santaraksita, King Thrisong Deutsen, and Guru Padmasambhava. During this time these first three teachings of Maitreya were translated into Tibetan and disseminated widely. The two profound works were hidden treasures (Tib. terma 2 ) and were hidden so that they were not known during this first period. Much later Maitripa, one of Marpa’s gurus, saw a stupa that was cracked and

Tibetan words in this text arc spelled as they are pronounced, not as they are spelled in Tibetan. Their Tibetan spelling can be found in Appendix A.

from the stupa came a brilliant light. Maitripa became curious and found these two texts inside the crack. He found their meaning was so deep that he wasn’t sure he understood them. So he prayed to Maitreya for blessings to understand these texts and Maitreya appeared to him and gave him the ritual reading (Tib. lung). After that reading Maitripa could understand the text clearly. These teachings were then passed on to many panditas or the great scholars in India.

Later these deeper teachings spread in Tibet. There were two main lines of transmission — the transmission of the words and the transmission of the meaning of the text. The words were transmitted mainly by Loden Sherab. He was a translator who went to a preeminently Muslim part of India where he received the teachings of the Uitara Tantra and the Dharmata Vibhaga and translated them into Tibetan. His approach followed that of the Madhyamaka school. At the same time there was another lama named Senka Uche who received the teachings of the Uttar a Tantra from the Indian teacher, Guru Tsatsana. He meditated on it to understand its deep meaning and started the meditation transmission.

The main difference between the scholarly and the meditative approach is that in the meditative approach “voidness” is not understood as the absence of everything, but as containing the essence of Buddhahood. In the meditative approach, however, one meditates on the voidness as containing the essence of Buddha to understand this concept. This tradition combined the theoretical material of the Uttara Tantra with meditation of mahamudra. This tradition based on the five teachings of Maitreya was passed on to the third Karmapa, Rangjung

Doije. He wrote a short summary of the Uttara Tantra and through him the Uttara Tantra was transmitted to all the main lamas of the Kagyu lineage. For example, this teaching was transmitted to the eighth Shamarpa Rinpoche, Chuji Dondrup, and to the eighth Tai Situpa Rinpoche, Chuji Jungne, and to Jamgon Kongtrul.

The sixth point concerns the subject matter of the Uttara Tantra. As mentioned before, the Buddha gave his teachings in three turnings of the wheel of dharma. All his teachings, however, have a similar root with the essential point being the absence of a “self.” Some religions believe that if one does what pleases God or the gods, then they will be rewarded one and one will obtain greater happiness. They also believe that if one does something that goes against God or the gods, one will encounter misfortunes and fall into a lower realm. There is no such belief in the Buddhist teachings. What happens to one is not the result of pleasing or displeasing a god. The Buddha’s teachings are based on the study of the nature of things, so v'hen the nature of phenomena is completely understood, one has attained Buddhahood. If one does not understand the nature of things, one continues to live in conditioned existence (Skt. samsara).

The key to all Buddhist teachings is the twofold absence of self and of phenomena. Normally, we believe that we are a separate “self* and this belief in a “self’ arises from the idea of “I.” As soon as we think “I” or “myself,” there develops the wish to keep this “I” happy and comfortable which gives rise to desire. We want to provide that “I” with all the happiness we can find. Then when this “I” feels threatened, the threat generates anger. This “I” will also feel it is better and has better qualities than others and this will generate pride. If this “I” fears there are others who are as good or better, then jealousy will be generated. To summarize, as soon as there is this belief that the individual self has a reality, then all the five negative afflictions (Skt klefas) of desire, anger, aversion, pride, and jealousy are generated. The belief in the existence of phenomena is a consequence of the first belief. When we believe we exist, then we also believe that all phenomena one experiences also exists.

The main point of Buddhist practice is to eliminate the belief of self and phenomena. The way to eliminate the belief in self is to investigate the location of the one who thinks “I am.” If one thinks “I,” then who is thinking “I”? Then try to find this “I” somewhere. If one meditates on this and investigates it closely, one will not find anything that is called the “I.” Through this process one will understand the nonexistence of self. The belief in the existence of phenomena which appears to be real and substantial is more difficult. But when one considers it more closely, one will begin to see that phenomena are very much like a bubble in water or a dream. All these things do not have any solid reality either.

To summarize, the main point of all three turnings of the wheel of dharma is to understand the nonexistence of self and of phenomena. The absence of a “self’ is voidness (Sunyata), but this voidness is not to be misunderstood as blankness, a complete emptiness. It is not like empty space because empty space is frozen and no change can manifest from it. Sunyata has a different quality. This voidness is by nature clarity (Tib. salwd). Having the nature of clarity means that when beings are still impure, all the various appearances of phenomena can manifest within this clarity.

When individuals have eliminated their impurities, Buddhahood is manifested in clarity. Within this clarity the forms (Skt. kayas ) of the Buddha and the activity of the Buddha can manifest. So this voidness is full of all these possibilities. For everything to manifest in the impure and the pure phase, this voidness must be indivisible from clarity. The clarity represents the very vivid intelligent aspect. So clarity and emptiness are completely united and the union of these two is the essence of all Buddhas and is present within the mind of all beings. If one can realize the unity of clarity and voidness, one can reach Buddhahood. This essence of Buddhahood is present in all beings without any distinction which means that whoever practices can realize and reach Buddhahood. There is no difference between a man and a woman, or of a race or social class or anything else because everyone has this essence of enlightenment.

The reason one does not realize the essence of enlightenment is that it is obscured by defilements. One can distinguish three stages of defilements. In the impure phase, the stage of ordinary beings, buddha nature is totally obscured by defilements. In the second phase of the bodhisattvas the impurities are slightly purified with the obscurations partly removed. Finally, in the phase of total purity one is a Buddha.

The concept of buddha nature is central to the Buddhist teachings and is sometimes referred to by the Sanskrit word garba which means “the inner core of something.” If one has a grain with a husk, the essential part of the grain is called the “gharba.” The parallel is that human beings have the essence of Buddha in them, but it is covered by fleeting impurities. This kernel, buddha nature is the main topic of the Uttara Tantra.

The seventh point discusses the different ways of presenting the teachings. As we mentioned before, there is the tradition of Loden Sherab based on the more intel- lectual approach connected with the Madhyamaka tradition. The second approach which came from Sakya Dorje is the tradition of the immediate apprehension of the subject matter through meditation. This latter approach is the more direct approach in which one meditates on the mahamudra and the actual meaning of the nature of phenomena.

Name of the Text

Most Tibetan texts translated from Sanskrit give the Sanskrit name and the Tibetan name in the title. They also usually contain a salutation by the translator to an emanation of the Buddha in order to receive the blessing of the Buddha so the translation will go forward without any obstacles. After the title and salutation, the Uttara Tantra begins with the actual words of Maitreya.

The Uttara Tantra was originally written in Sanskrit which is called “the language of the gods.” This work was then translated into Tibetan to make it accessible to Tibetans who could then read, contemplate, and meditate on it. The name of the text is in both Sanskrit and Tibetan to remember the kindness of the translators who made the work available to the Tibetan people and to show that the work was an original Sanskrit source taught directly by the Buddhas or bodhisattvas. The name of the text is first given in Sanskrit and is called the MahayUna Uttara Tantra Sastra. Then it is translated into Tibetan as tegpa chenpo gyu lama tan cho which in English would literally 12

tbe “the ultimate mahayana treatise on continuity.” Taking each word, tegpa literally means to “carry” or “lift.” This word “carry” has two different aspects: the process aspect of carrying and the result aspect of carrying. The process aspect is represented by the path of the bodhisattva. The result •?pact ia reaching the state of Buddhahood. The word "tegpa" or “yQna" in Sanskrit, can be either small or i -md hf*r* it refera to the great aspect. Mahayana in krit means “great y3na” or “great action of carrying.” ^rc.u for seven different reasons, some of which are as ‘ the aim of the path is great (or very wide), the used on the path is great, the jhiina or knowledge usoj uti the path is very great,

Foltewjflj ; " tegpa chertpo" if U gyu lama." The Sanskrit word for “gyu lama'* if "uttare tantra” and this is usually the short name given to this work. Uitara Tantra can be explained from the viewpoint of the literal words or from the viewpoint of the terminology of its meaning.

From the terminology viewpoint, the first word gyu means “continuity" and means there is a continuity in the words and the continuity of these words creates a clear understandable meaning which makes up the work. To this word “gyu" il Added (he qualifier lama which means “ultimate," "superior," “higher” or “excellent.” This is added to “continuity" because the continuity of this text contains the deepest meaning.

From the viewpoint of meaning of the work, the word “gyu” means “continuity” but in this context it means the continuity of the essence of the Buddhahood which never changes whether it is in terms of the ground when it is present in all beings, or in terms of the path when beings are practicing the attainment of enlightenment, or in terms of fruition when one becomes a Buddha. Throughout all these phases the nature of Buddhahood remains the same so there is an unbroken continuity all along its development The word “lama” here means “[[Wikipedia:Absolute

(philosophy)|ultimate]]” or “highest” because the type of practice which will come from this text is not ordinary Buddhist practice, but superior to the practice of hinayana. It is a very high type of practice because it points to the ultimate nature of all phenomena. It also comes from a very high bodhisattva which is another reason for giving it the qualifier of “ultimate.” Finally, the word “ultimate” is in the title because the Uttara Tantra involves explaining absolute truth so it is like a bridge between the sutras and the tantras.

The last word “ tan cho ” or “&stra” in Sanskrit literally means “a teaching which brings remedy” or a remedial teaching. This is because these teachings which are elucidations of the Buddha’s teachings constitute a remedy for all the defilements and help beings abandon the sufferings of the three dimensions of existence.

The names of Buddhist works are generally given because of an analogy or an example. Here the name gyu is given in reference to the subject matter of the work which is the essence of Buddhahood. This continuity refers to the subject matter and also the function of the work. The function of this work is to help beings enter the Mahayana path.

The Salutation

The salutation of the translators to the Buddhas is “homage to all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.” The Tibetan word for Buddha is sang gay and each syllable illustrates that the Buddha has two qualities: the quality of purity because he has eliminated all negative impurities and the quality of realization because once the impurities are gone, there is the full understanding of everything. The first syllable sang means “totally purified” or “awakened.” meaning awakened from the sleep of ignorance.

A Buddha has completely eliminated all impurities, all the things that had to be removed have been removed. The second part of the word gay means “fully blossomed” referring to the fact that once every obscuration has been fully removed, the pure intelligence of a Buddha understanding all phenomena with full clarity. This word gay is also used to describe what happens to a lotus flower when it opens up completely. So the word sang gay in this context means awakened and fully blossomed.

The next word in the salutation is “bodhisattvas” or chang chub sem pa. This word was translated from the Sanskrit into four syllables in Tibetan. Literally, it means “those who have enough courage to strive for enlightenment.” So the first word chang chub or “enlightenment,” can be broken into chang which means “completely purified” which has essentially the same meaning as sang in Tibetan and means purified of all ignorance. Chub means internalized or assimilated. This means that once all the obscurations have been removed, all knowledge has been realized. The Tibetan word changchub is the word for “enlightenment” in general, but in this particular context of bodhisattvas it means “almost completely purified” or “has almost completely assimilated the meaning of everything.” The second word sempa means “those who have the courage to embark on the path of enlightenment.” So in the salutation the translators prostrate to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in order to receive the blessings so their work will be done properly and without difficulties.

Divisions of the Commentary

Following the salutation the text by Maitreya begins. Buddhist commentaries usually follow the style of presenting the work in three main divisions. Usually, each chapter begins with one verse which is a condensed summary of the whole chapter, followed by a set of verses giving detailed explanations of each of the points mentioned in the first part, and a third set recapitulating the meaning of the verses. This first introductory chapter has three parts. Part A of the first division shows the work is composed of seven points called “indestructible” or vajra points because they are very profound like a vajra. Part B shows this work is connected with the sutras and is based on Buddha’s teachings. Part C is an explanation of the order of the seven points.

As already mentioned, all beings want to find some kind of happiness and eliminate their difficulties. In this respect everyone is the same. The difference between individuals lies in the way they go about attaining this happiness. Some people seek material happiness and some try to find happiness through the dharma. Those who try to find worldly happiness might believe happiness will come to them by achieving fame or success or wealth. If they try this, they will not reach real happiness.

The only way |p find true happiness is to achieve Buddhahood. When one is a Buddha, all negative things which could bring unhappiness have been relinquished and everything that is to be realized has been realized. Only then can eternal happiness be achieved. All other attempts will bring temporary happiness. So the first points examined in the Uttara Tantra relate to this goal.

Outline of the Work

The first three points of the Uttara Tantra relate to the Buddha, the dharma, and the sahgha because these lead to the goal of enlightenment. The first vajra point is the Buddha who shows the way to enlightenment. The second vajra point is the dharma which are the teachings given by the Buddha and show us how to attain our goal. The third vajra point is the sahgha or our companions on the path who help us from straying from the path. These three vajra points are external causes. Besides this we need something within ourself. If we don’t have anything within that makes it possible to reach enlightenment, then we cannot actually reach it.

The fourth vajra point is the essence of Buddhahood called buddha nature which is present in all beings. Once we know buddha nature is present in the mind of all beings, we know that whoever strives for enlightenment can attain it. We cannot say this person can reach Buddhahood, but that person can’t because all persons have the seed of enlightenment. But it is not enough to have the seed of enlightenment; we must cultivate it so it develops fully into Buddhahood. We must exert ourself to remove all impurities for the goal to be achieved and this effort is the fifth vajra point. Then the good qualities achieved after obtaining enlightenment make up the sixth vajra point.

Why is it important to reach enlightenment? !t is important because it is a state of possessing all the qualities which are the ultimate fulfillment for oneself. All that is left are all perfect qualities wh ' *h are not just of value for oneself, but automatically have great value for all other beings trapped in conditioned existence. The seventh and last vajra point, then, is the activity of a Buddha. This activity flows naturally from Buddhahood to benefit all other beings.

The Connection to the Sutras

[2] These seven vajra points were not arbitrarily made up by Maitreya, but were taught by the Buddha in the sutras. The Buddha taught this subject in seven vajra points because there is an inner connection between these points and their intrinsic characteristics. The Buddha taught this relationship at the request of King Isvara in the Dharani varraja sutra. In the introductory chapter of that sutra there is a teaching on the three jewels (the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha). The Buddha is shown to be the one who has reached full realization of the true nature of all phenomena. From this realization springs the dharma. Once there is this teaching of the Buddha, there are persons who accompany the Buddha and learn his teachings and train their minds and become the sangha.

In the DHQraniSvarllraja sutra the other four vajra points are covered beginning with how bodhisattvas can learn to purify the obstacles blocking the way to realization. They have to purify emotional afflictions and their dualistic thinking which is blocking true wisdom. This sutra explains the ways one can eliminate these obscurations. If the essence of Buddhahood is purified, then it manifests. This sutra shows 60 different ways that the essence of Buddhahood can be made pure and manifest.

The fifth vajra point, enlightenment, is introduced by explaining the 16 aspects of compassion of a bodhisattva. With enlightenment all the qualities inherent in enlightenment are present (such as the ten powers of the Buddha and the four fearlessnesses.) The sixth vajra point is the qualities of enlightenment. The seventh vajra point describes the activity of the Buddha or the natural outflow of activities of Buddhahood. These points are in this particular order to show the intimate connection between them. The seven vajra points are also taught in several other sutras, but they are not taught in sequence and the connection between the points is not discussed in the other sutras.

The Order of the Vajra Points

[3] When the Buddha enters the world, he is the root of all the good qualities, of all the forms of true happiness. Logically, the first vajra point has to be the Buddha from whom all the good qualities and happiness spring. Once a Buddha has entered the world to help other beings, he turns the wheel of dharma. From the Buddha springs the dharma. Once the dharma exists, it spreads. When beings are ready to understand the dharma, they practice the dharma each according to their ability and the aspect of the path that suits them. Through the practice of the path, they develop signs of realization and become known as “realized sangha” which is the third vajra point.

When the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha are present, there is the possibility of realizing the existence of buddha nature. Although persons possess buddha nature from the beginning of time, the presence of the three jewels makes it possible for individuals to learn about Buddhahood so that they can begin making buddha nature manifest. They learn how to purify the obscurations that cover it. Little by little this [[essence of

Buddhahood]] becomes clearer and clearer until the wisdom (jfiana) manifests completely. But for this to happen there must be the external conditions of the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha and the inner condition of buddha nature within one’s mind. With the combination of the external and internal conditions, it is possible to remove all the impurities obscuring the essence of Buddhahood. Once all these impurities have been removed, one achieves Buddhahood which is the connection between the fourth and the fifth vajra point.

Once Buddhahood is achieved, one asks the question of what qualities are connected with this condition and this question is answered in the sixth vajra point. When one achieves Buddhahood, it is not only great fulfillment for oneself, but also of great value to others. The value for oneself means the qualities of enlightenment pertain not only to the body aspect, but to the mind aspect. The qualities of the body will be explained in terms of the two kayas of the Buddha (nirmanakaya and sambhogakaya). The qualities of the mind are all the qualities of. the dharmakaya.

Once the qualities of Buddhahood are present, great benefit for all other beings springs from them automatically which brings about the seventh vajra point, the activities of Buddhahood. So from these qualities comes the activities of the Buddha which help all beings. This activity is totally effortless, continuing until samsara has been completely eliminated.

The above three parts were an explanation of the central structure of the text which in Tibetan is referred to as the “body” of the text What follows are the different parts or what Tibetan scholars call the “limbs” of the text. The detailed explanation of the seven vajra points is actually divided into two sections: the goal one is aiming for which covers the first three vajra points plus a summary, and the tools for reaching enlightenment which comprise the remaining four vajra points.

The Buddha

The explanation of the Buddha is divided into three sections: a description of what a Buddha is by means of the salutation, a section describing the qualities of the Buddhas, and a section with a more detailed explanation of these qualities.

The Salutation

[4] The Buddha is described in the salutation. A Buddha is someone who has reached total fulfillment Buddhahood is the ultimate fulfillment for oneself because it is free from all suffering and all possibility of suffering. If one is a Buddha, there is no longer any fear, any worry, or any doubt that suffering will never return. When Buddhahood has been achieved, one does not selfishly enjoy it just for oneself but from this Buddhahood springs activity which spontaneously helps all other beings. In the text the salutation is made in the form, “I bow down..." and lists six qualities of Buddhahood. The first three qualities of the Buddha are connected to the value to oneself and the last three qualities are connected to the value for others.

The first quality of Buddhahood is the quality of heipg uncreated and not composed of anything. The text says the Buddha is eternal, centerless, and endless. Eternal means there is no birth or starting point of the Buddha. Centerless means there is no place where the Buddha abides. Endless means there is no death, no interruption of the Buddha. A birth, a place of abiding, and an ending, implies a condition of change. If there were change, even with happiness in the beginning, this happiness could change to suffering. Change automatically means impermanence and impermanence implies suffering. Being uncreated, the Buddha doesn’t belong to conditioned phenomena which changes.

The second quality of Buddhahood is peace or equanimity which implies the spontaneous presence of everything beneficial. This peace means that all of the conceptual agitation has totally ended. One is constantly agitated by millions of thoughts so the mind is never peaceful. We must exert effort all the time with everything being difficult and a trouble. Whatever one wants is not available because there is always something in the way. This creates mental pain and physical difficulties because one is always struggling to do things not once, but again and again. In contrast, the Buddha with this peace of mind doesn’t need to make any effort and everything happens spontaneously and effortlessly.

The third quality of Buddhahood is that it relies on no external conditions. The essence of Buddhahood is inherent, so one cannot give Buddhahood to another. Also one can’t look outside oneself to become enlightened. Buddhahood realizes itself and has nothing to do with an external process.

The above three qualities are related to value for oneself. From the presence of these qualities springs the next three qualities of value for others. When Buddhahood is achieved, one has gone beyond suffering and all the causes of suffering. In other words, one is awakened from ignorance and this is the achievement of ultimate happiness. There is this full understanding of the nature of all phenomena which is the full blossoming of jfiSna. When this happens, a Buddha has the power to help others and shows other beings the fearless path. To do this he or she has a quality of knowledge which comes from complete realization of the nature of everything and the quality of compassionate love which creates a desire to share this knowledge with others.

Compassion and knowledge are compared to a sword and a vajra. The sword cuts through all suffering. The vajra destroys the wall of doubts which is surrounded by the thicket of wrong views. So the Buddha uses compassion and knowledge to rid beings of their suffering, wrong views, and misunderstandings. The three qualities of a Buddha connected to the value for others are wisdom, compassion, and the power to help others.

The short answer to the qualities of the Buddha is perfect fulfillment for oneself and for others. A longer answer is to list the above six qualities. The most complete answer is to say the Buddha has eight qualities which are the six qualities plus the value for self and value for others. It is beneficial for the Buddhist practitioner to leam these eight qualities and to keep them in mind, not just read them in the text.

The first quality of the Buddha is “uncreated” (Tib. du ma che) which also means “unconditioned” in Tibetan. One part of the Tibetan word means “gathered” or “gathered together.” It is gathered together by many different causal conditions that make up things. For example when growing a flower, we first need the seed which is the basic cause for the existence of the flower. We also need a whole set of secondary conditions such as water, fertilizer, and heat that makes growth of the flower possible. The developed flower therefore is not “unconditioned” because it is a result of the seed and all the factors needed for its growth. We may ask what is wrong with something being created from a composite of many different things. The problem is that if one of the factors is lacking, then the object won’t develop or come about. For instance, if water is lacking, the flower will wither and die or if heat is lacking, the flower will not bloom. In contrast, the the essence of Buddhahood is not created by different causes or con- ditions. The essence of Buddhahood is present in the mind of all beings from the beginning. Because it was not created, the nature of Buddhahood is changeless.

The second quality of the Buddha is the spontaneous presence of all the good qualities of the Buddha. This spontaneity means the absence of effort. All the qualities of the Buddha, the qualities of the purity of the dharmakaya and form kayas are inherently present and do not have to be modified or developed in any way. They have always been there without any effort.

The third quality is realization without relying on some external condition. If one had to rely on something external, one would be controlled by external circum- stances to realize it. The Buddha has no need to rely on an external object or condition. One may ask, “What is doing this realizing to become a Buddha?” It is the jnana, the aspect of the pure intelligence of the mind. This jriana recognizes itself without the introduction of any outside factor so enlightenment becomes a process of jnana seeing its own nature.

The next three qualities are connected with value for others. The fourth quality is perfect knowledge. If one shows the path to others, one needs to know it oneself; otherwise there is nothing to show. This means the under- standing of the Buddha cannot be partial and the Buddha must continuously perceive the true nature of all phenomena, not just glimpse it. The perfect knowledge of the Buddha has two aspects: the knowledge of seeing phenomena as they are and the knowledge of seeing the multitude and variety of phenomena.

If the Buddha perceived the nature of phenomena without compassion, he would keep this knowledge to himself. So the fifth quality is compassionate love. The Buddha is endowed with perfect compassion quite similar, but stronger than, the love a mother has for her only son. That love implies one wants to free the other person from suffering and have him or her be happy. The Buddha has the most perfect form of compassion and this makes him able to help beings.

The Buddha has perfect knowledge and compassion, but these two qualities can’t help all beings if a sixth quality is lacking. To remove all suffering and the cause of suffering, one must have the power to do it. The Buddha has this ability to help others free themselves from suffering and the causes of their suffering with compassion and knowledge. With these he can cut through the seeds of suffering and destroy the wall of doubts.

[6] The first quality is uncreated. If something has a beginning, and an intermediate state where it is abiding, and an end when it disintegrates, then it has the three marks of existence of birth, life, and death which are the characteristics of composite things. Buddhahood is not created because it is inherent in the mind of all beings from the beginning. Because it is always present, there is no cessation of Buddhahood. It is there continually helping beings as long as samsara goes on. In the middle there is no actual presence of Buddhahood in the sense it is solid because its essence is voidness and its nature is clarity. It is therefore a union of voidness and clarity.

The Buddha has spontaneous presence because of his peace and possession of the dharmakaya. By nature the Buddha is peaceful because he has no impulse to harm anything. There are also no emotions that are a result of desire that would push a Buddha into acting to create all this effort and all this striving because in Buddhahood all these aspects of striving and concocting thoughts have disappeared and been purified. So the Buddha is peaceful and has the nature of the dharmakaya which is free from all mental efforts and creations. This is why the Buddha is said to be spontaneous and have the spontaneous presence of all the good qualities.

[7] The third quality of Buddhahood is that it is not realized through external conditions. To realize Buddhahood we don’t need to depend on anything external. This does not mean that at the beginning of the path, we do not need help to learn how to practice. At the beginning of the path we cannot see this pure essence of Buddhahood in all beings so we must rely on external sources. At the moment of realization of Buddhahood, however, we cannot rely on anyone or anything else; we must rely on jhana which is inherently present in the mind. When the impurities masking jhSna have been removed, the strong clarity of this jnSna is present and recognizes itself.

All beings have the essence of Buddhahood, but they don’t know it and therefore need help to reach Buddhahood. The perfect knowledge of the Buddha knows how to help them. Besides this knowledge of how to help there is the compassion which sees the agony beings have to go through again and again. This compassion sees the need to help beings reach Buddhahood which is the only way to truly liberate them.

The Buddha has the power to help remove the suffering and all the defilements of beings that are causing the suffering. So the Buddha sees the need to help others, knows how to help them, and has the ability to do so.

The Dharma

The first vajra point is the Buddha who has eight qualities. When Buddhahood is achieved, the Buddha begins spontaneously helping beings reach enlightenment. How does he do this? Does he give them his blessing and they are immediately transported into Buddhahood? This is not the way the Buddha helps beings. He points out the path of enlightenment to them and helps them by teaching the dharma which is the path of enlightenment. This is why the dharma is the second vajra point.

The word “dharma” has two different meanings: The dharma of statements which are all the teachings of the Buddha passed on to his disciples. These also include the explanatory texts (sastras) which were written by others to explain the Buddha’s words. The words 6 f the Buddha are divided into three “baskets” called the Tripitaka. The first is the Vinaya teachings which were intended to free one from attachment. The second basket is the sutras which are intended to free one from aggression. The third is the Abhidharma which are intended to free one from ignorance. All these teachings add up to 84,000 different facets of the teachings.

The dharma of realization is the result of dharma practice so the bodhisattvas can realize within themselves all the qualiues that are described in the teachings such as the six paramitas. The word “dharma” is most frequently used to mean “teaching.” In the Uttara Tantra, however, the meaning of “dharma” refers to the dharma of realization and is used in the sense of something which has the ability to eliminate all defilements and bring about the full fruition of jfiana (the highest and purest form of knowledge and intelligence). The dharma of statements is only an indirect tool to acquire the qualities, whereas all the qualities of purity and realization can be directly attained with the dharma of realization. In the Uttara Tantra the word “dharma” will be used mostly in its ultimate sense of the realization of these qualities.

The dharma of realization has two aspects: the truth of cessation and the truth of the path. The truth of cessation is “total freedom from bondage.” The Tibetan word for bondage is ching wa, literally meaning “attachment” or “attached.” Sometimes this word “bondage” refers to the defilements related just to attachment. But in this text the word “bondage” is used for all obscurations — the defilements of emotions and the obscurations due to dualistic thinking. The truth of cessation is freedom from both these obscurations and one achieves it when one is free from all these defilements. This truth is achieved by the practice of the path to develop jii5na. When this knowledge is born in one, one can reach the truth of cessation.

[9] The truth of cessation has three qualities, the truth of the path has three qualities and with these two truths, the dharma of realization has eight qualities.

The text first describes dharma in ihe salutation. It says, “I bow down to the sun of the dharma.” The dharma is compared to the sun because when the sun rises, the light of the sun dispels all darkness by shining everywhere spon- taneously. Likewise, when one has a direct realization of the dharma, all the defilements and obscurations are dispelled completely.

The first three qualities relate to the truth of cessation and the true nature of phenomena. The first quality is inconceivability because phenomena are devoid of solid reality. When one hears this one should not fall into the extreme of nihilism by thinking “if it is void, then nothing at all has any significance” and begin believing that karma does not apply so there is no difference between a good and a bad action. To counteract this nihilism, the text states that emptiness (Skt. shunyata ) is not non-existence. On the relative level, whatever appears to us, even though it is an illusion, is there and our actions do have an effect. However, on the absolute level there are the buddha kayas or the jnana of the Buddhas. This presence of the Buddha kayas and the validity of karma on the relative level are understood by the self-cognizant jetana. On the relative level, everything manifests; but all these phenomena have never had any actual reality because they are by nature void. With an understanding of the emptiness, one can avoid the other danger of believing in solid existence — the belief in realism.

The true nature of everything (1) is not “nonexistence” and (2) it is not “existence.” It is not (3) a combination of existence and nonexistence because this is logically im- possible. If one had existed in the first place, then one might be able to combine it with nonexistence. But since there is no existence to begin with, then one cannot combine the two because they are not there in the first place. It is not (4) beyond existence and nonexistence. Again this is impossible because existence and nonexistence cannot combine. It is not possible to be something other than existence or non-existence. This argument shows the true nature of everything is free from the reasoning of these four extremes and the true nature is free from the complication of our rational thinking.

This true nature is beyond any verbal definition. If one has an object one can define it with words. The very subtle true nature of everything cannot be defined with words. It is said in many texts that the true nature of things is ineffable (impossible to comprehend), it is beyond words, beyond thoughts, beyond definition. How can one then understand it? First one must gain indirect knowledge of it with logical thinking. Once one has this indirect knowledge of it, then one meditates to obtain a direct understanding of it. This direct understanding comes from the self-cognizant aspect of one’s intelligence. All phenomena are devoid of any substantial reality and this emptiness is not just an empty space. If it were an empty space, then it would be a blankness. The emptiness of the mind, in contrast, is the dharmadhatu which is the space of the true nature of things and has a very vivid clarity. Within this clarity is the possibility for everything to manifest. This possibility of manifestation can have the quality of purity or impurity. When there is impurity, the manifestation will take illusory forms. When the purity is undisturbed, the manifestation will appear in pure forms and pure lands of the Buddha. So the true nature of phenomena is the essence of emptiness and the nature is clarity. This nature is known by self-cognizant jnSna. When the jiiana knows itself, it knows that nature. Therefore the text says this essence of Buddhahood “is neither existence nor nonexistence.”

Now follows a word, “peace,” which means total paci- fication of all karma and all defilements. Even though in the text there is only one word, “peace,” this word “peace” points to the two other qualities of the truth of cessation. The second quality is nonduality and the third is freedom from concept. Everything that comes before the word “peace” refers to the quality of inconceivability.

The second quality is stainlessness or purity. There are two kinds of obscurations to be purified on the practice of the path: the emotional aspect of the defilements and the obscurations of dualistic knowledge. Once all the obscurations are removed, the sun of jnSna which is in- herently present in the mind can now shine through in all its brilliance. The word “brilliant” refers to the light of jiiana and points out the second quality of clarity. Once the obscurations have been removed, there is total clarity of knowledge because the sun of jiiana has been freed of the clouds.

The third quality is bringing a remedy to all the ailments of the defilements which were obscured by attachment, aggression, and ignorance. When the sun of jiiana has been liberated from its clouds, it dispels all the negativity and remedies it. This is why the truth of the path is compared to the sun in the phrase, “I bow down to the sun of dharma.” The sun free from clouds is pure and its brilliance sheds its light everywhere and its qualities remedy darkness.

Now in more detail:

[10] The truth of cessation is represented by the achievement of realizing the truth of phenomena. This true nature has the quality of being inconceivable. “Inconceivable” means that the nature of things being beyond the four conceptual extremes is neither existent or nonexistent nor a combination of these two nor beyond these two. It is “inconceivable” in terms of using words.

The second quality is nonduality which means freedom from the impurities of karma and defilements. Karma literally means “action” and refers to all good and bad actions a person does. These actions are always tainted by defilements and dualistic thought. Even when we perform good actions, these actions are still tainted in some subtle sense (such as wanting something in return for the good action) and therefore are still a cause for rebirth. If we perform good actions, they will produce good results and lead to a higher rebirth in samsara. But still they will result in rebirth in samsara. The defilements are the root of ego and the belief in the existence of the self. If there is still the presence of karma and defilements, then there is still samsara. The dharma is free from both karma and defilements and therefore it is called nondual.

The third quality of the truth of cessation is non- conceptual or being totally free from concepts and thoughts. Whenever there are thoughts, there is the danger of incorrect thoughts which are thoughts contradicting the actual nature of things. These incorrect thoughts generate negative actions and defilements and with these one ends up living in samsara. These concepts then are the rOot of samsara. The truth of cessation doesn’t have any of these thoughts which will give rise to samsara.

The quality of stainlessness means free from the stains of defilements and dualistic knowledge. The dharnia of the truth of the path is free from these impurities. Even though they may appear, these impurities are only fleeting and not really part of the dharma. The dharma by nature has never been soiled or polluted by these impurities. It is similar to pure gold which might sometimes be tarnished, but that tarnish is not an inherent part of the gold. The tarnish is only a temporary condition that can be eliminated. Similarly, there may be clouds in the sky, but clouds are not an inherent part of the nature of the sky; they are just accidents passing through the sky. In the same way, the impurities of karma, defilements and dualistic knowledge, are just fleeting phenomena happening in the mind and not an integral part of dharma.

When the truth of the path has been completely realized, there is a brilliance which lights up all the appearances of relative reality very clearly. One can also see the true nature of phenomena at the same time with this clarity. One sees phenomena in the relative aspect and the ultimate aspect. When the truth of the path has been achieved, it is like a light that lights up both the relative and absolute aspect of phenomena.

The realization of the qualities of purity and clarity eliminate the defilements of the three poisons: attachment, aggression, and ignorance. Dharma has the intrinsic characteristics of freedom from the causes of bondage. Freedom from bondage relates to the truth of cessation.

Bondage is all the emotional negativities, the obscurations of dualistic knowledge, and the subconscious traces that remain after the coarser impurities have been removed. These obscurations bind one to sams&ra and these defilements do not disappear by themselves, so one must apply a remedy to the obscurations.

If one practices the path, beginning with the path of ac- cumulation, the path of junction, etc., eventually one attains Buddhahood. The truth of the path frees one from bondage and when bondage has disappeared, one has reached the truth of cessation. So the dharma can be said to be that which has the qualities of the truth of cessation and the truth of the path.

Dharma has two aspects — the dharma of teaching and the dharma of realization. When one takes refuge, one must realize there are two aspects of refuge — refuge as a causal condition leading one to enlightenment and refuge as the result after one has achieved enlightenment. The refuge of cause is taken at the very beginning of the path as ordinary beings by taking refuge in the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. At this point one does not know the path that leads to Buddhahood and therefore one needs to rely on the Buddha who shows the path as guide. One takes refuge in the dharma as the teachings of the Buddha and one takes refuge in the sangha as companions on the path. As an ordinary being one takes refuge in the Buddha who is outside oneself, the dharma that’s not one’s personal realization, and the sangha composed of beings with their own realization. So in the beginning one takes refuge in things realized by other beings and one studies the Tripitaka as the dharma.

In the Uttara Tantra, on the other hand, refuge is in the context of the fruition refuge. One first takes refuge in the three jewels as the cause for one’s future enlightenment. When one takes refuge in the sangha, one becomes part of the sangha. Next on the path if one practices and eliminates the obscurations and impurities. The true qualities of dharma become evident. Then the dharma aspect becomes realized and when one takes refuge in the dharma, it is not external but is internalized. Eventually one becomes a Buddha and does not rely on anything external any more and one becomes one’s own refuge. At the fruition level one takes refuge in the dharma of realization rather than in the dharma as a teaching and becomes the realized sangha. The Uttara Tantra refers to the truth of the path which leads to the truth of cessation and dharma as realization.

How the Qualities are Connected to the Truths

[11] The truth of cessation is freedom from bondage when there is nothing more to relinquish and the truth of the path frees one from bondage. The truth of cessation has qualities of inconceivability, nonduality, and noncon- ceptuality. The truth of path has the qualities of purity, clarity, and remedy. So the six qualities are contained in the two truths.

[12] Asariga in the Uttara Tantra goes through the qualities three times to make sure they are understood. First, he gives it in the salutation, then he gives it in detail in the second point and then le connects the various qualities with the praise in the third part. In the fourth point, the truth of cessation is presented as inconceivable because it is beyond the grasp of intellect: when one thinks about it, one cannot say it is like this or that or give it a color or definition. Secondly, it is beyond the grasp of speech: it cannot be expressed, it cannot be described in words; one cannot say it is like this or like that.

Thirdly, it is inconceivable because it cannot be grasped by the understanding of an ordinary person. In the salutation to the dharma it states that the truth of cessation is self- cognizant and known only to the deeply realized. When one is working on the path, one learns about this truth, then one reflects on it, then one meditates on it. When all impurities have been removed through meditation, one will reach the state of realized ones, the level of the bodhisattvas, when one sees the true nature of phenomena directly without any distortion. Then one will know the truth of cessation directly because the truth of cessation cannot be known by an ordinary mind.

The second quality of peace is inherent in the true nature of phenomena which are endowed with twofold purity. This peace is there because all forms of suffering have been removed because karma and defilements have

been relinquished. So first “peace” means suffering has been pacified. Secondly, it is peace because it is completely free from anything rough and coarse or harsh. Thirdly, it is peace because it is nondual or nonconceptual being free from the coarseness of thoughts.

With the three qualities of the truth of the path, purity is a natural feature of the realization because the twofold obscurations have been removed. There is not only purity, but there is also clarity. Once there is purity and clarity, there is the power to remedy the three poisons. In the salutation this is explained in the example of the sun. The sun is by nature very pure, and because of this purity, it dispels all forms of darkness. In the same way, realization of the truth of the path eliminates obscurations, defilements, and dualistic knowledge and brings about the recognition of the natural purity of the nature of phenomena.

In the Uttara Tantra the sahgha is the realized sahgha, the mahSySna sahgha. The Tibetan word for “sahgha” is gendurt. The first syllable ge means “virtue” and the second dun means “aspiration” so gendun are those aspiring to virtue. There are two types of sahgha — that of ordinary beings and that of realized beings. Ordinary beings haven’t reached a state of realization and don’t have a direct understanding of the truth because they are still subject to the defilements. However, they have strong aspirations to do what is good. The sahgha of ordinary beings is made up of lay people and ordained people.

It is possible to follow the Buddhist path without being ordained but by taking refuge and taking any of the levels of the precepts. At the refuge ceremony one takes refuge in the three jewels which represents ordinary refuge but is also taken by the realized sahgha. In this refuge ceremony there is no distinction among those who take refuge and the sahgha is made up of friends and companions who help us on the path and make sure we don’t go astray. But the Uttara Tantra describes fruition refuge which is the refuge we are trying to achieve ultimately. In this fruition refuge we are trying to go beyond the state of ordinary beings which on the mahaySna path means achieving Buddhahood and the sahgha is called the realized sahgha.

Definition of the Sahgha in the Salutation

[13] The outline of this chapter will be similar to the chapter on the Buddha because it also has three divisions: a definition of the nature of the sahgha in the salutation, the identification of the qualities in the sahgha, and a description of the six qualities mentioned in the salutation. The salutation begins, “I bow down...” to the realized sahgha who possess these qualities by one who is trying to follow their example to reach enlightenment. These qualities are two-fold — the qualities of knowledge and the qualities of purity. The qualities of knowledge make it possible for the

realized sahgha to see the nature of all phenomena just as it is. The qualities of purity allow one to be free of all impurities and obscurations. There are three aspects of this knowledge: the knowledge of how-it-is, the knowledge of variety, and the inner knowledge of jnana which perceives the presence of buddha potential in all beings. From these three kinds of knowledge come three aspects of freedom: freedom from emotional defilements; freedom from the hindrances of dualistic thinking which blocks the vision of the true nature of phenomena, and the freedom from lower motivation that leads to striving for happiness for just oneself.

[14] The first aspect of knowledge is the jn3na of how- it-is. From the beginning of time the nature of mind has been empty and clear. Emptiness has been emphasized in the Madhyamaka teachings. But in the teachings on meditation, particularly the mahamudra, emptiness is considered just one aspect of the nature of the mind with the other aspect being clarity. The real nature of the mind then is a combination of emptiness and clarity. The defilements of attachment, aggression, and ignorance might or might not be present, but they are not an inherent part of the mind. The defilements are more like mistakes or delusions. The jftSna of how-it-is perceives the true nature of the mind, the one with emptiness and clarity which is described in the next verse.

The second aspect of knowledge, the jnana of variety, appears once one has the knowledge of the ultimate nature of phenomena and there is such great clarity that one can see the actual nature of beings — each and every being just as he or she is. Through the jfiana of variety of phenomena one sees the true nature of beings as being the ultimate “no-self.” One discovers that the self does not exist in reality and this is the actual nature of all beings.

The third aspect of the realized sangha is the pure vision gained through the inner jfiSna and thus “they know the all-pervasive presence of perfect Buddhahood in each and every one of them.” Through this aspect of knowledge individuals see the essence of Buddhahood in themselves and all the other beings. This essence is like the germ of the jnana of the Buddha and that seed is in the mind of all beings. At the stage of ordinary beings, this essence of Buddhahood does not manifest. At the stage of bodhisattvas, this essence manifests to some extent. Only when one has achieved enlightenment can this essence fully manifest into Buddhahood. The difference between these three types of beings is not one of nature because the essence of the Buddha is the same in all beings. So this is what is “seen though inner jnana.”

In the salutation it says that the realized sangha are unobscured in intelligence and this word “unobscured” refers to the three qualities of freedom. The first freedom is from emotional obscurations — attachment, aggression, or ignorance. The second freedom is from the obscuration of dualistic thinking. Dualistic thinking is to think in terms of subject and object and to believe everything is substantial. The third freedom is from a combination of the previous two obscurations which creates the mistake of wanting to find happiness just for oneself such as the frZlvakas or pratyekabuddhas do. In summary, through jnSna the realized sangha possesses three types of knowledge so they can see the ultimate purity of the nature of all beings. These six qualities are summarized in Table 1.

In the third chapter on the Buddha, the ultimate dharmakaya was discussed without discussing the sambhogakaya and nirm5nak5ya. In the chapter on the dharma the scriptural dharma and dharma of realization were discussed and the realization dharma was emphasized. In the discussion of the sangha, the ordinary and the realized sangha were discussed with the emphasis on the realized sangha. So in these three chapters the approach has emphasized the ultimate, highest form of the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha.

Six Qualities of the Sangha

[15] The knowledge of how-it-is in its fullest degree is only achieved with Buddhahood. When one is on the path of the bodhisattva, this knowledge is present to a varying degree. With knowledge of how-it-is one does not perceive the relative aspect, the illusory appearance of phenomena, but sees it just as it is without any distortion. For example, if one sees a rope in the dark, one might mistake it for a snake. The knowledge of how-it-is wouldn’t see the rope as a snake because the nature of how-it-is does not see the illusory appearances of samsSra. This knowledge experiences the actual nature of phenomena which is the nature of the dharmadhatu, the original nature. This is the nature and function of this knowledge of how-it-is.

[16] The jnSna of variety of phenomena is to see what there is in many aspects, not just 10 things or 100 things, but to see everything in its great diversity. The knowledge of how-it-is pertains to absolute truth, the knowledge of variety pertains to the relative truth. So with the knowledge of variety one sees everything: one sees the number of beings, one sees the motivations of the beings, and one sees all the various appearances of existence. One also sees the characteristics of objects such as their colors, form, etc., but there’s no confusion in seeing them, they are each seen very distinctly. Realized beings perceive the relative reality of all appearances and their perception is not divorced from the knowledge of how-it-is. When one sees relative phenomena, one does not get caught up in confusion and illusion. So even though realized beings can see the relative, at the same time they know the ultimate level, which means they cannot go back to seeing illusions.

[17] The third quality of the perception of inner jnana is very intimately connected to the knowledge of how-it-is and the knowledge of variety. It is connected with the knowledge of how-it-is because jfiSna perceives the true, absolute nature of phenomena; the “thatness of suchness.” It doesn’t see phenomena as totally empty but being indivisible from all the qualities of Buddhahood. This perception is also connected with the knowledge of variety by perceiving all beings as possessing the essence of Buddhahood. The word “inner” in “inner jfiana” (Tib.

nang gi yeshe)\ refers to the fact that it belongs to the true nature of the mind. “Jnana” (Tib. yeshe) refers to the fact that of the two aspects of phenomena, emptiness and clarity, with jnana being the clarity aspect. This jnana has the capacity to develop fully into all the qualities of freedom and maturity of a Buddha and knows that the inner jnana present in all beings.

[18] Perception with the three aspects of knowledge is absolutely pure and this relates to the three qualities of purity. The realized ones are free from the three types of obscurations of attachment, aggression, or ignorance. If they had these they would act in a negative way causing them to be trapped in samsara and the three aspects of pure knowledge would not arise. In the case of sravakas, for example, who are free of the first obscuration of emotions the realized sahgha is most important.

[19] There are three reasons for the presentation of the division of three refuges. The first is that there are the three vehicles (Skt. yanas) of the hinaySna, mahaySna, and vajraySna. The second reason for the division of three refuges is that there are three types of deeds. There are deeds of making prostrations, offerings, and prayers to the Buddha. Individuals doing these feel the Buddha is really the best of all beings and a model to respect. Others feel that the dharma is really the most important thing because it is the path of liberation and they feel great faith and respect for the teachings. The third category of persons feels the most important point for them is the sahgha so they will direct most of their deeds towards building the sahgha.

The third reason for the division of the three refuges is just personal preference: some are more attracted to the

Buddha, some to the dharma, and some to the sangha as a refuge.

Dharma and Sangha are not the Ultimate Refuge

[20] The only ultimate source of refuge is the Buddha. The dharma and sangha are a refuge on the way to Buddhahood, but once one becomes a Buddha there is no longer any need for the props of dharma and sangha. Scriptural dharma cannot be an ultimate refuge because upon achieving Buddhahood, one leaves the teachings behind and no longer has any need to practice them. The dharma of realization is not the ultimate refuge either. On the path one goes through different stages of realization and as soon as one reaches one level, then the previous one becomes obsolete. Because the path changes all the time, how could it be an ultimate source of refuge? The truth of cessation cannot be the ultimate source of refuge because once one develops realization, one doesn’t have anything to show for it — something tangible; rather one becomes free from what is unwanted. The truth of cessation is eliminating what is unwanted and not acquiring something positive, so it cannot be the ultimate source of refuge.

[21] The sangha is not the ultimate source of refuge because it still has fear. The sangha has not totally travelled the path and still needs to take refuge in the Buddha and therefore is not beyond all fears.

In the ultimate sense only the Buddha is the true refuge. All suffering and difficulties disappear only when changeless happiness is reached and this occurs only when one becomes a Buddha. Therefore the Buddha is the only real refuge. Does this mean that refuge in the dharma and sarigha is not very good? No, because dharma and sahgha are qualities that include the Buddha. The Buddha is the dharmakaya which literally means the “embodiment of dharma.” The sahgha are beings who are working on the path to Buddhahood and go from one level to another until they finally reach complete realization. The qualities of the Buddha are also the ultimate attainment of the sahgha, so it can be said that in the Buddha all the qualities of the dharma and the sahgha are present. This is why the Buddha is the ultimate refuge.

Why They are Called the Three Jewels

[22] The original Sanskrit word for “jewel” in the three jewels was ratna and a literal translation into Tibetan should have been rinpoche which means “very precious” or having great value. But the Tibetan translators did not chose a literal translation but preferred another word because when one says something has great value, one is emphasizing its outer quality. The three jewels are so much greater so it was translated it as kern cho. Kern means “rare” and cho means “supreme” or “most excellent. ” They chose the word kern because the three jewels are most rare and cho because they are unsurpassable.

There are six reasons why the Buddha, dharma, and sahgha are referred to as rare and supreme in Tibetan. First, a jewel is very rare and there aren’t many persons who encounter one. Likewise the Buddha, dharma, and sahgha are quite rare and many persons do not encounter them. Second, jewels are stainless. When one finds a jewel, it is very bright and shiny and not dirty or repulsive. Similarly, the three jewels are very pure because they are totally free from all emotional stains. Third, possessing jewels is to have power. When one possesses a jewel, one has something of great value and by selling it one can obtain financial power which allows one to accomplish many things. Similarly, the three jewels are powerful because they can extinguish all the suffering of beings. Fourth, a jewel is an ornament which makes things more beautiful by its presence. In the same way, the three jewels are ornaments of the world because they bring much goodness to the world because their basic motivation is to benefit other beings with their mere presence. Also the three jewels have such a great sense of self-respect and won’t behave incorrectly because they are very careful in their behavior.

They have enough respect of others so they will not behave incorrecdy towards them. So these beings have a very high and pure quality because of the way they behave. People who practice the path of dharma on the whole will achieve the final realization of the path. So as time goes by there will be more and more beings who reach the highest state and there will be more and more ornaments of the world. The fifth reason is that the three jewels have the quality of excellence. In our world there are many different persons who are supposed to be wonderful because they have achieved fame or success or wealth. But these worldly achievements are not permanent and ultimately are not capable of being beneficial. But the three jewels bring eternal peace and changeless happiness. The sixth reason is the three jewels can bring fruition that is changeless. This is similar to a jewel because it doesn’t disintegrate. Once one has reached Buddhahood, there is no possibility of falling back into confusion and suffering.

Outline of the first Three Vajra Points

VAJRA POINT I

The Buddha

'Based on the truth of

Value for Oneself (1**)

1. * Uncreated (2)

2. Spontaneous presence (3)

3. No external conditions (4)

Value for Others (5)

4. Perfect knowledge (6)

5. Compassionate love (7)

6. Power to remedy (8)

VAJRA POINT n

The Dharma

'Based on the truth of

Value for Oneself (1)

1. Inconceivable (2)

2. Nonduality (3)

3. Nonconceptuality (4)

Value for Others (5)

4. Stainlessness (6)

5. Brilliance (7)

6. Remdial power (8)

VAJRA POINT m

The Sangha

Based on the truth of

Value for Oneself (I)

1. Knowledge of how-it-is (2)

2. Knowledge of manyness (3)

3. Inner jnSna (4)

Value for Others (5)

4. Free from defilements (6)

5. Free from dualism (7)

6. Free from lower paths (8)

• The number in front are for counting the qualities using the 6-qualily method of counting. ** the numbers behind are for tor using the 8-quality counting method.
  

An Introduction to Book II:

The Last Four Vajra Points

The last four vajra points are buddha essence, 4 enlighten- ment, the buddha qualities, and the buddha activities. Each vajra point will be divided into two parts: a general description and then a more detailed description. This introduction will be a description of these last four vajra points which cannot be understood directly by ordinary beings.

The Nature of Each Point

[23] The nature of sugatagarbha or buddha nature is unpolluted suchness which is the true condition of phenomena when it is not distorted by illusion or confusion created by the mind. In the example of mistaking a rope for a snake, if one knows the suchness of the rope, then one doesn’t have any fear. Normally, the suchness of everything is distorted by the illusion of samsara, even though the actual nature of suchness of phenomena is emptiness and clarity. So this polluted suchness is similar to buddha nature. If one has a jewel covered with mud and

4 The fourth vajra point is sugatagarbha (Tib. der sheg nying po). kills will be referred to as “buddha nature” or “essence of Buddhahood” for variety.

one removes the mud, one can see the jewel in its purity. Because the nature of the jewel is pure, one can remove the impurities and it will still retain its purity. In the same way, buddha nature is stainless in that when one removes the emotional and cognitive obscurations, there will be the presence of unpolluted suchness which is Buddhahood. Once all the impurities are removed, the suchness can manifest in all its purity and becomes enlightenment which is the second of the last four vajra qualities. When the suchness has been purified, all the qualities inherent in the suchness can manifest; these are the buddha qualities which are the third of the last four vajra points. The buddha qualities represent total fulfillment for oneself and others. It is fulfillment for oneself because all the causes of suffering, karma, have been removed. This happiness is complete and unchanging because all causes of happiness arc present. From the qualities of Buddhahood spring the power to help other beings creating the fourth of the last vajra points, buddha activity. Buddhahood is the supreme way to help all beings and as long as samsara goes on and it will help an infinite number of beings. Buddha activity also doesn’t give just temporary relief from suffering, but helps achieve ultimate happiness.

It is said that before we see the three jewels as rare and supreme, we see them as refuge with the Buddha being the ultimate refuge. But where do these refuges come from? They arise from the above four qualities of unpolluted suchness, the qualities of Buddhahood, and the deeds of Buddhahood. Through these qualities one can achieve the three refuges. It is difficult for ordinary persons to under- stand how these last four vajra points can bring the realization of the three jewels because only Buddhas are capable of seeing this directly.

The Buddha can perceive the last four vajra points and understand them fully. The three jewels are the fruition of the realization of the path. Only the Buddhas can see the causal ground because they are endowed with pure vision of how-it-is and variety of all phenomena. Therefore buddha nature, enlightenment, buddha qualities, and buddha activities are inconceivable to ordinary beings.

There are four reasons why the four vajra points are inconceivable to ordinary beings. First, the essence of en- lightenment is inconceivable because it is pure but is also accompanied by defilements. The essence of enlighten- ment is perfectly and naturally pure from the very beginning having never known any stain. Yet it is accompanied by defilements and this sounds like a paradox. Thinking about suchness being present with defilements in the mind is quite inconceivable to ordinary beings. If one tries to meditate on it, one can’t experience it directly; therefore it is perceived only by the Buddhas. Second, enlightenment is inconceivable to ordinary beings because enlightenment is completely free from defilements, yet has to be purified. Buddha nature is completely pure and through gradual purification buddha nature manifests in its full purity (enlightenment). So there is a logical contradiction between the original purity and the need to purify it through practice. Third, the buddha qualities are inconceivable because they are inseparable from buddha nature. From the beginning all the qualities of Buddhahood are present in buddha nature, but one achieves all these qualities only when one reaches Buddhahood. Fourth, buddha activity is inconceivable because it is both spontaneous and nonconceptual. Buddha activity occurs without effort on the part of the Buddha.

This activity responds to what people need, yet the Buddha doesn’t need to think, “I must do this for this person.” Yet all the time the activity is happening exactly in the way needed for each and every being.

[26] The reasons that these vajra points are inconceivable is they appear to be paradoxes. But with closer examination there is no real contradiction. First, buddha nature is perfectly pure from the viewpoint of its nature or essence. The impurities, the defilements, are only the fruition of a mistaken view and therefore has nothing to do with the actual nature of buddha nature. Second, the defilements can be removed because they are not an inherent pan of enlightenment, so they can not pollute its nature. If one looks at the qualities there is no real contradiction either because from the viewpoint of the actual nature these qualities have always been inseparable and present in the essence of Buddhahood. Bui when covered up by impurities, they cannot display their presence in action. When impurities are removed, the qualities function as they ought to do. It’s similar to what happens when the sun is covered by clouds. When the sun is covered by clouds, the sunlight cannot manifest; however the light itself has not been changed. In the same way, when the qualities of enlightenment are covered up by impurities or not. When they’re covered up by impurities, these qualities do not manifest. The fourth point of activity is also not a contradiction. Buddha activity is spontaneous, effortless, and nonconceptual. It is the result of all the previous wishes and resolutions and prayers made by the Buddhas when they were on the path to enlightenment. From the strong impetus of previous practice all this activity can arise spontaneously and without any conceptualization.

The Realization of these Vqjra Points

The essence of Buddhahood is actual realization. The attributes that spring from this realization are the qualities that bring about realization to other beings. Buddha nature constitutes the causal conditions and the other three vajra points constitute a result that * akes it possible to purify other beings.

Buddha Nature: The Ten Aspects

This chapter is divided into four parts. The first part is a summary of the meaning of the essence of Buddhahood. The second is a more detailed explanation. The third part illustrates through examples how one can purify buddha nature and the fourth part gives the purpose for teaching about buddha nature.

What is Buddha Nature?

The Buddha taught three turnings of the wheel of dharma. In the first turning the Buddha taught the four noble truths concerning mostly the relative level of reality. We perceive the nature of suffering which is the first noble truth. The origin of this suffering is to be found in all our previous actions and emotional obscurations. The third noble truth of cessation of suffering appears when one eliminates these two causes of suffering. Finally, in order to realize the truth of cessation one has to enter the proper path which is the truth of the path. The Buddha then showed how one has to progress along five different levels of the path before reaching complete enlightenment. In the second turning the Buddha taught about the ultimate nature of phenomena. He said that all phenomena are empty by nature. In the third turning the Buddha went further by showing that this emptiness of phenomena does not mean simple absence of things. When beings are in the impure phase, they still possess the essence of Buddhahood. When they reach Buddhahood, there’s the presence of the twofold jnSna of the how-it-is and variety of phenomena. So the third turning goes beyond the meaning of the first two turnings. [27] The Uttara Tantra relates to the third turning because it is concerned with the presence of buddha nature in all beings. There are three reasons for buddha nature being present in all beings. First, the dharmakaya of the Buddha pervades all phenomena and can give rise to any phenomena so it is present everywhere. Second, the suchness or the actual nature of nirvana and samsaric phenomena is undifferentiated so there’s no “good suchness” which relates to nirvana and no “bad suchness” which relates to samsara. There is only one suchness of all phenomena. Third, all beings possess the foundation for buddha nature and when purified it can develop into full Buddhahood.

Ten Qualities of Buddha Nature

[29] There are ten different aspects from which one can approach the essence of Buddhahood. These are nature, cause, result, influence, endowments, approach, the various phases, all-pervasiveness, unalterability, and inseparability of its qualities. These are listed in Table 2 .

The nature of buddha nature is explained by means of three examples of a jewel, the sky, and water. The

TEN ASPECTS OF BUDDHA NATURE

significance of these examples will be given later. The dharmakaya is like a jewel because it is totally free from any impurities. It is like the sky when there are no clouds present because the sky by nature is free from clouds. It is like water because water is naturally ver> pure and the impurities found in water are not part of the nature of the water. In the same way, buddha nature is perfectly pure.

There are four different ways to make buddha nature manifest. First, one must aspire to the dharma because with no aspiration obviously one will not practice it. The second way is to let the essence of buddha nature shine in its clarity and this is accomplished with intelligence (prajna). The third way is by samadhi (meditation) and the fourth is compassion. Without study one will not reflect on buddha nature or without meditation one will not be able to go through the process that makes buddha nature manifest. In more detail:

[31] In the example of the jewel, buddha nature pos- sesses tremendous power because it has the power to achieve ultimate happiness Buddhahood, which is of greatest value for all beings. So it is extremely precious and powerful and is compared to a jewel because a jewel has the power to dispel poverty.

The essence of Buddhahood is compared to the sky because the sky never changes. The earth is constantly changing, but the sky even over periods of thousands of years never turns into anything different. In the same way, the suchness of all phenomena is unchanging and there is no alteration of its nature.

The essence of Buddhahood is compared to water because water has a wet and flowing quality which allows it to go everywhere. By its mere presence everything can grow. Buddha nature also possesses a moistening quality, the lubricating quality of compassion.

So buddha nature has the moistening quality of compassion, the unchanging quality of space, and the power of a jewel.

2. Cause

[32] In our present condition of ordinary beings the essence of Buddhahood has not manifested because we encounter the four unfavorable obstacles of Buddhahood. The first obstacle is having hostility or a natural dislike for the dharma. One may wish not to have anything to do with dharma and not want to practice. Obviously, one will never enter the dharma with this kind of attitude. Even without hostility towards the dharma, there may be no confidence in the value of the teaching so there is the feeling that everything taught is useless. The second obstacle is the strong belief in the reality of self. Even if one is interested in the dharma and wishes to practice, if one has a very solid belief in ego, one will encounter an obstacle in the manifestation of buddha nature because a belief in self is contradictory to the understanding of attaining Buddhahood and is also the root of all negativity. To have the essence of Buddhahood manifest, one has to remove the two types of emotional and cognitive obscurations. But with a very strong belief in a self then, one cannot begin to remove these obscurations. The third obstacle is the fear of suffering in samsara because this fear will prevent one from entering the mahSySna path. We are striving Co eliminate suffering, but there has to be an understanding of the void nature of this suffering at the same time. If one can understand that suffering is void, then one doesn’t fear this suffering and is able to help all beings attain freedom from suffering. The fourth obstacle is the lack of an inclination to help other beings. This occurs when one feels one’s own problems are enough and so one is not really interested in what happens to others. Someone with this attitude who practices is going to reach the higher states of rebirth in samsara and a form of liberation such as that of the arhats, but it will not be complete liberation of buddha nature manifesting into Buddhahood.

[33] Each obstacle has a type of person attached to it. The first obstacle is associated with persons hostile to the dharma. The second obstacle can be found in many religions. Some religions include a need to eliminate a belief in a self, but many do not even consider this quality; the self is just considered normal and does not have to be relinquished. The Buddhist term for people holding this belief in self is tirthika. Tirthikas are people who are fairly close to the dharma in that they are religious, but the religious belief is not powerful enough to manifest the essence of Buddhahood because they still believe in the presence of a self. The third obstacle is present in the £rSvakas who are individuals who want to find liberation only for themselves because they are afraid of suffering. The fourth obstacle is found in pratyekabuddhas.

These four obstacles can be removed by their opposite qualities. Aspiration for the dharma will eliminate hostility towards the dharma. Great prajna will eliminate belief in self. The best form of meditation, samadhi, will eliminate the fear of samsara. Compassion will eliminate the lack of interest in the sufferings of other beings.

In the Uttara Tantra the main emphasis is on view. There is, of course, mention of how to practice, but the view is the main point of the text. The text shows quite clearly the actual nature of phenomena and two aspects emerge — the empty aspect and the clarity aspect. The empty aspect is the spacious, unreal aspect. The clarity aspect is the intelligence, the vivid understanding. In this text these two aspects are shown to be the inseparable union of emptiness and clarity and that is buddha nature.

To summarize, buddha potential can be examined from its innate aspect and the aspect developed through practice. Through practice and the presence of certain qualities, buddha nature can manifest. But in trying to make it manifest one meets four kinds of obstacles. If these four obstacles can be overcome with the help of the four favor- able conditions, then one can work towards Buddhahood and little by little approach the state of the son of a Buddha — a bodhisattva.

[34] The birth of a bodhisattva can, for example, be compared to the birth of a child. First there is aspiration for the dharma, not just dharma in general, but the highest form of dharma, the mahaySna. Aspiration for the dharma creates all of the qualities needed on the path and will eventually lead to Buddhahood. This is compared to the semen of the father which can give birth to a child. This seed needs a mother so once one aspires to the dharma, one will want to practice and develop the quality of understanding of non-self, and the understanding of the true nature of phenomena. This quality of prajnS is compared to the mother because the semen needs a special environment for it to develop and this is the womb of the mother. The womb represents meditation. If there is some degree of understanding of non-self and the nature of phenomena, this understanding will grow more and more.

This is like the embryo of a child that needs to develop in the favorable environment of the womb until the body is fully complete with all its limbs and so on. Similarly, prajnS needs the favorable environment of meditation to reach full development. The fourth quality of compassion is compared to a nursemaid. When the baby is bom, he still needs much care. With proper care and intention, the baby’s body will grow and his intelligence will develop and eventually he will be an adult. The nursemaid is compassion because compassiqn makes the qualities of prajnS and meditation grow. With compassion for beings, one’s understanding grows and one’s meditation improves. So this example shows that if one has the four qualities of aspiration, prajna, meditation, and compassion one can become a son of the Buddha and truly work on the path of enlightenment.

The meditation referred to here is mostly tranquility meditation (samatha). It is constantly connected to the intelligent side of prajna and with the compassionate side of caring for beings. Without these two qualities meditation is devoid of the understanding of non-self and will not be able to cut the root of samsara and will create karma w hich brings about rebirth in a form or formless realm.

3. Fruition

The third quality is the fruition that occurs when buddha nature has completely manifested. The fourth quality is the influence of buddha nature that occurs once buddha nature has completely manifested. These two points are dealt with together because they are similar in that fruition is the ultimate goal and influence is the immediate goal.

The fruition of buddha nature has the transcen- dental qualities of purity, identity, happiness, and permanence. Complete purity is achieved when Buddha- hood is achieved. When one is beyond self and non-self, one achieves the transcendental quality of identity. There is also the quality of transcendental happiness and permanence at the time of fruition. The text states that the function of buddha nature is “revulsion for suffering” and longing for peace. Buddha nature makes us recognize the suffering of our existence. When we have recognized this, we develop a longing to go beyond suffering. This aspiration is present in all beings, being hazy in some persons and very clear in others. The degree of clarity of buddha nature depends on our circumstances. If the right conditions occur, then individuals will meet a teacher and be able to follow the path. Those who have not encountered these external conditions and still have the wish to eliminate suffering will not know that there is a path to liberation. So the influence of buddha nature is to make individuals want to eliminate suffering and find happiness.

[36] There are four things that contradict these con- ditions of the dharmakaya. They are impurity, suffering, impermanence, and absence of true transcendent identity. When one dwells in samsara, one interprets things incorrectly; one believes what is impure as is pure, one believes what is selfless is possesses a self, cne believes something permanent is impermanent, and one believes that suffering is happiness. These are the features of our samsaric illusion; we perceive everything as opposite to what it really is. In the hinaySna teachings the Buddha taught what we believe is pure is not; that the belief in self is mistaken; that phenomena are devoid of any self-entity; that we believe is happiness is really suffering and misery; what we take for permanent is actually impermanent. In the relative aspect of reality samsSra is impure, selfless, suffering, and impermanent. From the ultimate level of reality, however, these four aspects of samsara are no longer relevant. The ultimate reality transcends the four aspects and their opposites and goes beyond pure and impure, non-self and self, etc.

[37] The quality of transcendental purity is beyond pure and impure. It is not the concept of purity of ordinary beings, nor is it free from the impurities as understood by SrSvakas and pratyekabuddhas; it is a purity beyond these notions. There are two aspects to this purity: the purity of true nature and the purity from incidental impurities. The purity of buddha nature is extremely pure and complete; it is masked just by impurities. It is transcendental purity because when these fleeting purities have been removed, the purity is complete.

The second quality is the transcendental quality of identity. The belief in self of ordinary beings has two different aspects — innate belief in self and the habit of thinking of self as “I.” Innate belief in self occurs when we are bom because no one needs to teach us that we are “I;” we just automatically think of ourselves as “I.” This belief in a self is also found in some religions which believe in the existence of the self which has to be liberated.

In contrast, the belief in non-self is developed by those who practice the hlnaySna and the general aspect of the mahSySna. What is important to understand is that both the belief in a self and a belief in non-self are just mental concepts and have no actual reality. Transcendental identity corresponds to the complete pacification and disappearance of all illusory fabrications of the idea of a self or non-self.

[38] The third quality is the transcendental quality of happiness. When one is bom in samsSra, one is subjected to different types of suffering — all-pervading suffering and the suffering of change. But one is not aware of the real suffering in conditioned existence, so one believes that to achieve happiness is to remain lost in sams2ra.

On the hinaySna path one learns that the actual nature of samsara is suffering. So one meditates on this and develops a conviction that this is true and practices abandoning the causes of suffering. But in the special aspect of the mahSySna teachings, it is taught that the view of suffering and happiness of samsSra are illusory and that the actual nature of phenomena is beyond both these concepts. One learns that suffering is only a mental creation of the five aggregates, being produced by the very fine mental imprints on the mind created by ignorance. The ultimate nature is beyond both the idea of suffering and the idea of happiness and this is transcendental happiness.

The fourth quality is transcendental permanence. When one is an ordinary person lost in samsSra, one believes all things are lasting, permanent, even though all conditioned things are actually impermanent. So the belief in permanence is an illusion. In the hlnaySna practice the teachings reverse the idea of permanence replacing it with the concept of impermanence. But in the ultimate sense, both of these ideas and concepts have no actual reality. The actual nature of things is beyond the ideas of permanence and impermanence; it is transcendental permanence because the whole of samsSra and nirvana is identical and the qualities inherent in nirvana are already present in samsara. This permanence should be understood in terms of no change because everything is identical.

There are four transcendental qualities: purity, identity, happiness, and permanence. Considering these in the light of the hinaySna or the general mahayana can be extremely surprising because these transcendental qualities seem to contradict the teachings of the Buddha. But these four transcendental qualities are given in terms of tne ultimate nature of phenomena which is beyond the limiting extremes of suffering and happiness, of permanence and impermanence, of self and non-self, and purity and impurity.

[39] Once we have achieved these four transcendental qualities, we are free from the extremes of samsara and nirvana and will not fall back into samsara or enter into the one-sided nirvana af liberation for ourselves. So this fruition is the achievement of liberation of the two extremes prajnS preventing us from falling into sams&ra and compassion preventing us from liberating just ourselves. There are two aspects to a belief in a self — the personal and the phenomenal self-entity. Through prajna, the highest form of spiritual intelligence, we can cut the root of this misconception and become free of emotional and cognitive obscurations as well as all the fine mental imprints. With compassion we see beyond our own personal interest and satisfaction. In the root text it says those with compassionate love will “cut through all self- cherishing” because they cherish all beings. Cherishing means not to drop them without any concerns, but to really help them.