..续本文上一页ause no one knows it”s there, for generations and generations people leave their rubbish there and it becomes more and more covered because no one realizes it is underground.

　　One day a man who is clairvoyant comes along and sees this precious golden statue under the ground. He then tells someone, “Do you know that there is a precious and beautiful golden statue there under the ground. All you need to do is dig it up, clean it, and you will own this extremely valuable thing.” Someone with sense would heed the man, take the statue out of the ground, clean it, and possess what has been there for such a long time.

　　This example is very vivid: Since the beginning of time this precious Buddha-nature has been in all beings, yet it has been covered with the dirt of the defilements. Because one doesn”t realize one has this precious nature within, defilements build up. But then the Buddha who is like the man with clairvoyance tells us, “You know, there is Buddha-nature within you. All you need to do is uncover and clean it so all the exceptional qualities it has will manifest.”

　　Those who heed the Buddha”s teachings can discover this incomparable thing which has been within us all the time and which we never knew was there until we were told. For that essence to be revealed we need to meditate on the truth, on the essence of phenomena, the way things really are. If we do that, we clean away all the delusions and defilements which have been covering up that essence. So we meditate on the essence of everything which is emptiness. Through that meditation we will discover this emptiness has within it wisdom and clarity. Through the process of becoming used to the emptiness and clarity which is the universal essence or dharmata we will automatically eliminate all of the delusions which have been blocking that vision.

　　Once we see the truth of everything, all the deluded aspects can”t exist at the same time. So to clear away the obscurations and blockages to Buddha-nature, we need first to know about the essence of emptiness and clarity. Once we know it exists, we meditate on it to become closer and closer to Buddha-nature.

　　Buddahood: The Fruition

　　Now we will move on to fruition which is Buddhahood. The word for Buddha in Tibetan has two syllables, sang gey. These show the two main qualities or principle aspects of this highest goal of Buddhahood. The first is the aspect of purity which means one is free from all the impurities of the defilements, from ignorance, and from all the obscurations.

　　The syllable sang means “awakened,” “awakened from that sleep of ignorance,” or “purified from that ignorance.” The second syllable gey means “blossomed” because being free from impurities, all of the deep wisdom of the Buddha becomes present and this clarity and knowledge has completely blossomed and is completely free from obscurations. So Buddhahood is the complete blossoming of the highest wisdom and purity.

　　Now, the teachings of the Buddha can be pided into three main levels or vehicles which are the Hinayana, the Mahayana, and the Vajrayana. Another way of analyzing them is to look at them in terms of the sutra and the tantra level of teaching.

　　The Sanskrit word sutra was translated into Tibetan as do which means “teachings” or “explanation.” Generally, the sutra level of teachings contains all of the explanations, all the ways of presenting the vast meaning that the Buddha gave in his life of teachings. So the sutra tradition is a way of presentation of the Buddha”s teachings.

　　The other aspect is the tantra. When this Sanskrit word was translated into Tibetan, it became ju which means “continuum.” Sometimes it is called mantra which in Tibetan is nga.

　　This word tantra or “continuum” shows that there is this presence of Buddha-nature or Buddha-essence in all sentient beings that they had have from the very beginning of existence and will possess until they reach Buddhahood. So, by gradually working on the path, step by step, one develops one”s full potential and reaches Buddhahood. This constant or continuous presence within us is what is worked with in the tantric teachings. (The Tantra path is also called the Vajrayana)

《Buddha Nature and Buddhahood:the Mahayana and Tantrayana》全文阅读结束。