Buddha-Family Traits and Buddha-Nature Factors by Alexander Berzin
Buddha-Family Traits and Buddha-Nature Factors
The Buddha-families refer to factors of Buddha-nature. In other words, they are Buddha-family traits. They are inborn factors of everyone's mental continuum that allow each of us to become Buddhas.
On the basis level, they are unpurified, which means that their continuities are mixed with unawareness (ignorance) and the disturbing emotions and attitudes, and more specifically, that they are mixed with the emotional and cognitive obscurations.
On the pathway level, they are partially purified and partially unpurified. This refers to the arya level, when some of the obscurations have been removed forever.
On the resultant level, they are fully purified, so that they function unimpededly as the enlightening aspects of a Buddha.
