The Buddha Nature in All Beings

The Chart of Mortals, Saints, Delusion and Enlightenment We read in the Avatamsaka Sutra that: “All beings have the same wisdom, abilities, and virtues as the Buddha.” However, their wandering thoughts, and attachments prevent them from attaining Buddhahood. In the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment we read that: “All beings have originally attained Buddhahood” and “All beings originally are Buddhas” These words have often puzzled readers. For many of us, Buddha, bodhisattva, arhats, and saints are just mythical beings who are beyond our reach and comprehension. The Buddhist sutras explain the reality of our existence in the universe and the truth about who we are. Buddha is trying to help people to change their way of life. Turning sinners into Samaritans, delusion to awakening, tragedy to fortune, affliction to enlightenment, and life and death to nirvana. Buddha returns our own sense of the Buddha to us. We will only find the key to this understanding if we know how and where to look. The Buddha told us that the right place to look is “in between our moments of awakening and delusion” as we go through life. As we go through our lives, shifting back and forth between momentary clarity and confusion, are we able to truly “see through to the truth and let go of afflictions”? Let us take a look at the following short film, which may give us some insight into the meaning of life within this universe. The colour white represents one’s true nature, Yellow represents wandering thoughts, blue represents discrimination and red represents attachment. One’s true nature is neither created nor is it destroyed. It does not come and go. It is not constant or stoppable nor is it one or many. True nature is everywhere throughout the universe and beyond. It is omnipresent. It is an emptiness that can give rise to all possible phenomena and is the root of all-living and non-living entities in our universe. In the study of the philosophy, it is called the true essence of the universe. Wandering thoughts, discriminations and attachments arise from a single moment “of unillumined darkness”. They are not part of our true nature. The Heart Sutra stated: “..(wisdom)will shine upon and shows that the five aggregates(form, feeling conception, impulse, consciousness) are all empty. It transcends all sufferings and misfortunes… All beings are originally Buddhas. One’s true nature already possesses ultimate wisdom, good fortune, ability, and magnificence. This true nature is also known as “Dharma nature”, “original nature,” or “mind nature” in Buddhism. Similar descriptions can also be found in Confucian texts. An example is the first phrase in The Trimetric Classic : “A being at his or her birth is naturally full of goodness”. Due to a moment of an unenlightened state of being, which gives rise to “unillumined darkness” Such “unillumined darkness” is simply another name for wandering thoughts that lead to further erroneous views about our reality. Once such views arise, delusion follows. When delusion accumulates, discriminations arise. Layer upon layers of delusion and discrimination turn into attachment. An ordinary person, depending on the levels of his or her attachment, can be separated into being living in the six realms. The six realms are the realms of heavenly beings, humans, asuras, animals, ghosts, and hell dwellers. In reality, enlightenment is something we possess intrinsically. Delusion is not. Enlightenment is the essence of our true nature that is filled with goodness. Delusion is wandering thoughts, discriminations, and attachments. No matter how deeply one’s wandering thoughts, discriminations, and attachments are rooted, one’s original nature is never lost or destroyed. Since wandering thoughts, discriminations, and attachments, are not innate to our true nature they can be eliminated. Since all beings possess the true nature, it can definitely be restored. The Buddha told us the truth about life in the universe unwavering confidence that can ordinary person can become a Buddha. Ordinary being have wandering thoughts, discriminatory beliefs and emotional attachment toward all manner of phenomena. Arhats have wandering thoughts and discrimination but bear no attachments. Bodisattvas have wandering thoughts but have no discriminations and attachments. Buddhas have nothing but enlightenment and such perfect wisdom and magnificence that the true nature they possess is shown in abundance. That is why Buddha has taught all beings that when we are able to see-through that afflictions and delusions are empty that when we let go of attachments, discriminative beliefs, and wandering thoughts, we will all become Buddhas. In fact, we are all Buddhas in the first place. When we attain true awakening, we will finally see that all phenomena are different forms of dharmas. Our physical body is a dharmic body. Goodness and evil, right and wrong, beauty and ugliness all are part of our own wandering thoughts , discriminations, and attachments. None of them, nor any phenomenon, is of the slightest matter to our true nature. It is much like wearing a pair of coloured sunglasses. All phenomena seen through these glasses are distorted. Only by removing the glasses can we see the truth. Glasses are used here as a metaphor to represent wandering thoughts, discriminations and attachments. Surangama Sutra stated: …if we can transform our physical environment, we are no different from Buddhas… Everything hinges on whether or not we are willing to let go of wandering thoughts, discriminations and attachments which originally do not exist. An old Chinese proverb says “Drop your butcher’ knife and you become a Buddha.” The butcher’ knife Represents our wandering thoughts, discriminations, and attachments. The instant an ordinary person awakens and truly lets go, this person becomes a Buddha. The disciple Sudhana mentioned in the Avatamsaka Sutra, and the sixth patriarch of the Zen school, Master Huineng are good examples of those who have achieve this are. Where is Buddha? Buddhas are ourselves! Master Yongjia said: In dreams, there are real matters and sensations. When awakened, nothing, not even the universe, exists. Dreamily living in reality, ordinary people, when faced with good or adverse situations, will experience real happiness and pain. These feelings are directly derived from our delusion and such feelings are experienced in vain. There are good and adverse situations for Buddhas and bodhisattvas. But because Buddhas and bodhisattvas are awakened, they do not experience emotions such as pleasure, sadness, suffering, and joy. Instead, they dwell forever in the state of purity and light. The Buddha understands that all beings are originally Buddhas. He respects all beings equally as he would other Buddhas. Ordinary beings do not understand this truth. They arrogantly regard Buddhas as ordinary beings. Such arrogance derives from the habit of ordinary beings exercising their wandering thoughts and attachments. These pollute and cover up their innate perfection, wisdom, capability, power and true nature. Only true sincerity, respect, humility, kindness, compassion, and universal love are real – and these virtuous perfections are already in the true nature of all beings. Starting from this moment, let us let go of all our wandering thoughts, discriminations, and attachments. Let us restore the virtues and goodness of our true nature and comprehend, with true practice, that The “Harmonious World starts in My Mind”