Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

　　The Buddha Nature

　　Instructions on

　　A Treatise entitled: “A Teaching on the Essence of the Tathagatas (The Tathagatagarbha)”

　　by the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje,

　　according to

　　An Illumination of the Thoughts of Rangjung (Dorje):

　　A Commentary to “The Treatise that Teaches the Buddha Nature”

　　by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye the Great

　　Translated from Tibetan by Peter Roberts

　　Presented at the Namo Buddha Seminar in Oxford, 1990

　　Dedicated to the long life, good health, and beneficent activities of

　　His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa, Urgyen Trinley Dorje,

　　His Eminence Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, Lodro Chokyi Nyima,

　　Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, all Kagyu Masters

　　who never tire of teaching and helping whenever called,

　　Peter Roberts for translating so reliably, and those

　　who simply care, each in his and her own way.

　　CONTENTS

　　The Root Text

　　Introduction

　　1. An Explanation of the Title

　　2. Why Shastras Were Written & Nine Categories of Shastras

　　3. Homages in Traditional Texts

　　4. When Did Samsara Begin

　　 When Will It End

　　5. Definitions of the Buddha Nature

　　6. How Does Samsara Arise

　　7.Why Did Rangjung Dorje Write The Tathagatagarbhashastra

　　8. Thirty-Two Unsurpassable Qualities of the Dharmakaya

　　9.The Wonderful Rupakayas: The Sambhogakaya, the Nirmanakaya

　　10.Teaching Through Example

　　11.Refutations and Proof

　　12.The Presence of Wisdom

　　 -Discriminating Wisdom

　　 -Wisdom that Accomplishes Actions

　　 -Wisdom of Equality

　　 -Lasting Wisdom

　　13. Eliminating Doubts of Other Viewpoints

　　14. Quotations that Describe Realization of the Buddha Nature

　　15. A Summary of the Sutras and Tantras by the Third Karmapa

　　16. Conclusion & Dedication

　　The Root Text

　　The Treatise entitled: “A Teaching on the Essence of the Tathagatas

　　(The Tathagatagarbha)”

　　by the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje

　　Translated by Peter Roberts

　　at Sonada Monastery near Darjeeling in June 1990,

　　from a five-folio xylograph printed at Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim

　　Verse pisions and translation are based on

　　Jamgon Kongrtrul Lodro Thaye”s commentary to this text,

　　a forty-one-folio xylograph made at Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim, entitled

　　“An Illumination to “The Treatise that Teaches the Buddha Nature” –

　　De-bzhin-gshegs-pa”i-snying-po-tsan-pa”o-bstan-bcos-kyi-rnam-“grel-

　　rang-byung-dgong-gsal-ces-bya-ba-bzhugs-so”

　　I pay homage to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

　　 “Though beginningless, it has an end.

　　 It is pure by nature and has the quality of permanence.

　　 It is unseen because it is obscured by a beginningless covering.

　　 Like, for example, a golden statue that has been obscured.”

　　 That was taught (by the Buddha).

　　 “The element of the beginningless time

　　 Is the location of all phenomena.

　　 Due to its existence, there are all beings

　　 And also the attainment of nirvana.”

　　 (That was taught by the Buddha.)

　　 “All beings are Buddhas,

　　 But obscured by incidental stains.

　　 When those have been removed, there is Buddhahood.”

　　 That is a quotation from a Tantra.

　　The “element” has no creator,

　　But is given this name because it retains its own characteristics.

　　“Beginningless” means that

　　There is nothing previous to it.

　　The “time” is that very instant.

　　It hasn”t come from somewhere else.

　　“Phenomena” are explained to be

　　Samsara and nirvana appearing as a duality.

　　This is named “the ground of the latencies of ignorance.”

　　The movement of mental events, correct thoughts

　　And incorrect thoughts are the cause of that arising (of samsara and nirvana).

　　The condition for their causes is taught to be the alaya (the universal ground).

　　The “location” is the Buddha nature.

　　Incorrect conceptualisation is completely locate…

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