A Fistful of Sand

My mind is reeling. I offered to do a workshop. The offer was granted. They gave me the topic of “Buddha Nature.”  The material on Buddha Nature is seemingly immense. It is also conflicting because there is no one definition agreed upon by all parties attesting to its existence. This brings into doubt its very reality. The tathāgatagarbha doctrine is reputedly one of the most significant Buddhist doctrines to have come under the scrutiny of scholars in recent times. According to scholars, Theravada has no the category of the "Buddha's Nature", all true Mahayanists insists that all the sentient beings possess the Buddha-nature it is Tathāgatagarbha , the Embryo of the Buddhahood in all beings. According to Shunko Katsumata, although the term “ tathāgatagarbha ” first appeared in the  Mahāyāna texts composed in India between approximately 200 and 350 CE and its basic idea can be found in the expressio...

He, refraining from such views, grasps at nothing in the world; and not grasping, he trembles not; and trembling not, he by himself attains to perfect peace. And he knows that rebirth is at an end, that the higher life has been fulfilled, that what had to be done has been accomplished, and that there is no more becoming. Digha Nikaya XV - 68 One of the things that attract educated people to Buddhism is that it seems free of what we might call “religious messiness”. They think of it as just a philosophy. Much of Buddhism does stand up fairly well to philosophical critique. Yet, still, in the background is this whole messy rebirth thing that is an embarrassment to some contemporary Buddhist teachers. Many people are seriously interested in Buddhism but have concerns about “rebirth”.  Because translators have actually used the term “reincarnation” instead of “rebirth” the student might become wary of the teaching. The Suttas are a little hard for Westerner...

Greed, Aversion, Delusion, Anger, Contempt, and Conceit I recently gave a Dhamma talk at a friends Sangha where I was asked the same question I am usually asked when I teach at Christian and secular events. It always seems that the same question arises, “Why are we here?” I then have to ask for clarification, “Do you mean what is the meaning of life or do you mean what was the cause of your birth?” The answer to the “meaning of life” question is always easy – there is no meaning inherent in life. You decide what meaning you believe you have to your life. This is the great secret of the universe. Philosophers, especially in the West have been pondering this question for thousands of years. Why waste your time pondering when all you have to do is open your eyes. The answer to the second question requires more thought. I don’t think many people are interested in the mechanism that brought us into existence at the time of our conception, if indeed, th...