Samsara, Nirvana, and Buddha Nature

by Dalai Lama

  In this way, the second turning of the Dharma wheel gives a thorough account of emptiness — the third truth, true cessation — while the third turning presents a thorough explanation of the fourth truth, true path. Here the Buddha introduces the clear light mind, a mind that has always been and will continue to be pure. However, he does not explain how to access and realize that mind. Where can we find a deeper explanation of the clear light mind and the method to actualize it? This is the key that opens the door to Tantra. A disciple who wants to learn about this mind in more depth cannot find the explanation in Sūtra, so she is automatically drawn to Tantra.

  Of the four classes of tantra, the first three are preparations for the fourth, the highest yoga tantra (mahānuttarayoga tantra), which contains the real meaning of Tantra. The highest yoga tantra provides a clear explanation about how to access the fundamental innate clear light mind, utilize it, and transform it into a virtuous mental state, a true path that realizes emptiness. The development of this wisdom mind culminates in the state of union, the state of full awakening described in Tantra.

  From this perspective Nāgārjuna’s Commentary on Bodhicitta can be seen as a commentary on the third turning because it unpacks the meaning of a verse from the Guhyasamāja Root Tantra:

  Devoid of all real entities;

  utterly discarding all objects and subjects

  such as aggregates, elements, and sense sources;

  due to sameness of selflessness of all phenomena,

  one’s mind is primordially unborn;

  it is in the nature of emptiness.86

  Similarly, Nāgārjuna’s Praise to the Sphere of Reality comments primarily on the subject matter of the third turning, the subject clear light mind, but hints at the meaning of clear light mind as explained in Tantra. It says (DS 20–21):

  Just as asbestos cloth87

  that is filthy with all kinds of dirt,

  when put into fire,

  the filth is burnt but not the cloth.

  Similarly, it is the case with the clear light mind,

  which has defilements produced by attachment;

  the fire of pristine wisdom burns the defilements

  but not that clear light [mind].

  When fireproof asbestos cloth is put in fire, the stains on it burn until they disappear completely, but the cloth remains untouched. Likewise, when the ordinary mind of sentient beings, the clear light mind, is exposed to the realization of emptiness, the stains on the mind — attachment and so forth — are removed but the clear light mind remains.

  True cessation ultimately refers to the emptiness of the subtlest clear light mind that has become an awakened mind. Although this is not explicitly stated in the third turning, the clear light mind mentioned in the third turning ultimately refers to the clear light mind of highest yoga tantra. Here we see that the three turnings of the Dharma wheel are not disconnected teachings on different topics. Each turning is closely linked to the previous one; it builds on and unpacks the meaning of the previous turning in more depth and detail. In this way, the Buddha, a skillful and wise teacher, gradually leads us to deeper understandings. Similarly, each turning hints at deeper explanations found in the future turnings.

  To summarize, in the context of the three turnings, from the Sūtra perspective buddha nature is of two types: (1) The emptiness of the mind — the object that is perceived — as explained in the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras in the second turning. (2) The mind that is the basis of that emptiness. This undefiled mind has existed beginninglessly and will transform into the liberating paths that perceive this emptiness. Saying this mind is clear light means that the defilements are not an inherent property of this mind.

  As the third turning leads us to understand, the emptiness of the mind is the natural buddha nature, and the basis of this emptiness is the transforming buddha nature. Both are buddha nature according to the Sūtra explanation. Furthermore, there is an extremely subtle mind that is the clear light mind and the seed of wisdom. It, too, is buddha nature. The full explanation of this mind and how to access it is presented in Tantra, specifically in highest yoga tantra.

  A Link between Sūtra and Tantra

  This way of describing the buddha nature as both the object, emptiness, and the subject, mind, is confirmed by the Seventh Dalai Lama in his Commentary on the “Pristine Wisdom on the Verge of Transcendence Sūtra” (Atyayajñāna Sūtra). He explains that the pristine wisdom on the verge of transcendence refers to both the pristine wisdom realizing the ultimate nature as one approaches nirvāṇa and the pristine wisdom realizing suchness that is at the heart of the practice that one must engage in at all times, including at the point of death. In his commentary, the Seventh Dalai Lama quotes the sūtra:

  If you realize the nature of your mind, it is wisdom. Therefore cultivate thorough discrimination not to seek buddhahood elsewhere.

  What is the nature of that mind? He says it has three characteristics: (1) The nature of that mind is such that it is devoid of all conceptual elaborations (it is empty of inherent existence). (2) Since the ultimate nature of all phenomena is undifferentiable, the nature of that mind is all-pervading. (3) The nature is not polluted by any adventitious conceptualizations (afflictions).

  He then turns to the tathāgatagarbha, saying that it exists in the mental continuum of each sentient being. Tathāgatagarbha refers to three factors:

  (1) The factor that allows for the buddhas’ awakening activity to interact with sentient beings (T. nges legs kyi ’phrin las ’jug tu yod pa’i chha). This factor is called the “essence or seed (garbha) of buddhahood” because it allows for sentient beings to enjoy and benefit from the buddhas’ awakening activities, which are fruits of their awakening. It is the aspect of the mind that is receptive and has the capacity to receive the buddhas’ various awakening activities and influence. This is the potency that exists in sentient beings that allows for the buddhas’ awakening activity to interact with sentient beings and stimulate their progress on the path.

  (2) The factor of the sphere of reality — namely, the mind’s emptiness of inherent existence (T. sems rang ’zhin gyis stong pa’i chhos nyid gyi chha). This factor is the emptiness of the mind that is not free from defilements. It is called “the essence of buddhahood” because the nature of the Buddha’s dharmakāya and the nature of sentient beings’ mind are the same in terms of not being inherently polluted by afflictions. In terms of the mind being empty of existing from its own side, there is no difference between a buddha and a sentient being. In that way, sentient beings share the buddhas’ nature.

  (3) The factor that is the seed that serves as the basis for the actualization of the three buddha bodies (T. sku gsum ‘grub byed kyi nyer len sa bon gyi chha). This factor is called the “essence of buddhahood” because from this cause the resultant three buddha bodies emerge. This is the subject clear light mind described in the third turning, which transforms into the three buddha bodies. Usually a seed is an abstract composite, but in this case it refers to a mind. Here the tathāgatagarbha is a conditioned phenomenon, the clear light mind that will become a buddha’s mind. This clear light mind has existed beginninglessly, will continue endlessly, and is the basis of the emptiness of the mind. Why is it called clear light? Clear light implies that the actual nature of the mind is undefiled. The stains that presently cover the mind are adventitious; they have not entered into the nature of the mind and are not an inherent part of the clear light mind. As Maitreya said (RGV 1.62):

  This clear and luminous nature of mind

  is as immutable as space. It is not afflicted

  by desire and so on, the adventitious defilements

  that spring from false conceptions.

  The clear light mind is not permanent, but the fact that the afflictions are adventitious does not change. In the sense of the clear light mind being a continuity, nothing new is created at awakening; the obscurations and defilements have simply been eradicated. At this point, this mind, which has exi
sted since beginningless time and whose nature is undefiled, becomes the omniscient mind.

  Because the Seventh Dalai Lama is ostensibly speaking in terms of Sūtra, the buddha nature he speaks of is the clear light mind described in Sūtrayāna. Looking deeper, I believe that he is actually referring to the fundamental innate clear light mind that has been present in sentient beings since beginningless time and goes on endlessly. The continuity of this mind will attain awakening. Because a clear exposition of the fundamental innate clear light mind that acts as the seed of the three buddha bodies is not found in Sūtra, a practitioner must seek it in Tantra, especially in highest yoga tantra, which contains an extensive explanation of the fundamental innate clear light mind that has existed beginninglessly and continues on until awakening. Without saying it directly, the Seventh Dalai Lama is directing us to the tantric explanation of the innate clear light mind. In this way, the sequence of the three turnings of the Dharma wheel leads us from the basic teaching of the four truths, to in-depth explanations of the third and the fourth truths, and then eventually to the highest yoga tantra.

  Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā usually refer to a subtle mind, rigpa or the clear light mind, as the buddha nature. Among Gelukpas, in Sūtrayāna buddha nature is usually discussed from the perspective of the Ornament of Clear Realizations, where it refers to the emptiness of the mind, not to the subtlest clear light mind itself, as Tantra speaks of it. However, here, commenting on a sūtra, the Seventh Dalai Lama, who is a traditional Gelukpa, also describes the buddha nature in a way similar to that of Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā.

  REFLECTION

  1. When the sūtra says, “If you realize the nature of your mind, it is wisdom. Therefore cultivate thorough discrimination not to seek buddhahood elsewhere,” what does it mean?

  2. What are the three characteristics the Seventh Dalai Lama points to as the characteristics of that wisdom mind?

  3. What is the sequence of teachings in the three turnings of the Dharma wheel that lead us to the tantric explanation of the fundamental innate clear light mind?

  Nothing Is to Be Removed

  A verse is found in the Ornament of Clear Realizations and the Sublime Continuum, both written by Maitreya. The Ornament is a commentary on the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras from the second turning; the Sublime Continuum is a commentary on the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra from the third turning. Speaking of buddha nature, this verse says (RGV 1.155):

  Nothing whatsoever is to be removed;

  not the slightest thing is to be added.

  Perfectly view the perfect [truth];

  seeing the perfect will liberate completely.

  If the meaning of this verse were the same in both texts, there would be unnecessary repetition. To avoid that complication, the verse should be interpreted differently in each text. According to Abhayākaragupta (d. 1125), one of the great Indian commentators on the Ornament, from the viewpoint of the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras, the verse refers to the tathāgatagarbha from the perspective of the object, the empty nature of the mind. In this context, the element within sentient beings from which nothing needs to be removed and nothing needs to be added — something the discovery of which will lead us to nirvāṇa — is the emptiness of the mind. There is nothing to remove from the mind’s emptiness because inherent existence has never existed. There is nothing to add to it because it is the ultimate nature of the mind. It is perfect, and seeing it perfectly — seeing it directly without any conceptual overlay — will cleanse the mind of obscurations and bring awakening. The object, emptiness, is flawless and perfect, and the way of perceiving it is also flawless and perfect. When one actually perceives emptiness in this way with an uninterrupted path, in the very next moment one will attain a liberated path. Nāgārjuna echoes this. Referring to the Buddha, he says (LS 23):

  There is nothing that you have brought forth;

  there is nothing that you have negated.

  You have comprehended that suchness,

  as it was before, so it is afterward.

  The wisdom realizing emptiness does not remove something from the emptiness of the mind that was previously present. Nor does it bring a new reality to the mind. As the Descent into Lanka Sūtra (Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra) says, “Whether the Tathāgata appears in the world or not, reality forever abides.” Buddha nature — understood as the emptiness of the mind — is always present and does not change. The only difference is that wisdom now realizes this ultimate nature of the mind.

  According to the Sublime Continuum, the verse refers to the clear light mind being the buddha nature. The clear light mind is the basis that has many attributes, such as its being pure from the beginning and not newly created. Its being pure from the beginning is described in the first line: because afflictions are not an inherent part of the clear light mind, there is nothing whatsoever to remove from it. Its not being newly created is explained in the second line: it is not the case that once the clear light mind was absent and then it was freshly created. Thus there is nothing to add to it because the clear light mind is eternal. But what does viewing this clear light mind perfectly mean? According to Sūtra, how can nonconceptual experience of the clear light mind liberate us?

  The Sublime Continuum says that the ultimate nature is to be self-revealed: there is no need to use reasoning to understand it; one’s own experience will reveal it. Gyaltsab maintains that this ultimate nature refers to the emptiness of the mind, as it does in the Ornament. If that is the case, what does saying it is self-revealed mean? How can ultimate reality reveal itself? Interpreting the ultimate nature mentioned here to be the clear light mind connects to the Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā meditations on the mind. By stopping memories of the past and plans for the future, the clear and cognizant nature of the mind can be directly perceived. If one abides in this state and has a prior correct realization of emptiness, then the coarse levels of mind dissolve and the subtlest innate clear light mind — rigpa in Dzogchen — manifests; it reveals itself. Combining this mind with our previous familiarity with emptiness liberates us from afflictions and defilements.

  The Capacity Giving Rise to the Three Kāyas

  What is the relationship between the transforming buddha nature and the third factor of the tathāgatagarbha as set forth by the Seventh Dalai Lama — the factor that is the seed that serves as the basis for the actualization of the three buddha bodies? Take the example of a rosary and the beads that form it. When we think of a rosary, we think of one thing that is a continuum. That is similar to buddha nature as presented by the Seventh Dalai Lama. When we think of the individual beads, we focus on the particular components of the rosary. The beads are analogous to the various consciousnesses that can be the buddha nature. At one time it is bodhicitta, at another time it is the mind realizing emptiness, at yet another time it is the mind restraining from nonvirtue, and so on. The Seventh Dalai Lama is not referring to these specific mental states; he is emphasizing the continuum, the common feature shared by all of them. This common feature is the mental primary consciousness; this is the tathāgatagarbha. Some of the instances of this continuum may grasp true existence, and from that perspective they are not buddha nature. But from the perspective of that mind still being clear light — that which is clear and cognizant, whose obscurations are adventitious — it is the buddha nature.

  Looking deeper, this third factor of tathāgatagarbha cannot refer to the transforming buddha nature. Why not? According to Sūtra, the transforming buddha nature is any mind that is not freed from defilements, whose continuity goes on to awakening and that serves as the basis for the emptiness that is the naturally abiding buddha nature. The naturally abiding buddha nature is the emptiness of the mind that is not yet freed from defilements. The seed having the capacity to give rise to the three kāyas must be a pure state of mind that is not defiled. This can only be a very subtle mind that has existed since beginningless time and will go on endlessly. The explanation of this primordial clear light mind is found in great depth only
in highest yoga tantra, not in the Sūtra teachings that speak of the transforming buddha nature.

  A Buddha’s Nature Dharmakāya

  To review, in Tantra the fundamental innate clear light mind of sentient beings has never been mixed with defilements. This innate, ever-present mind has two qualities — it is the subtlest mind, and it has existed beginninglessly, exists endlessly, and will go on to awakening. When coarser levels of mind appear out of this subtlest mind, afflictions manifest. But when the coarser levels of mind — including the white appearance, red increase, and black near attainment — absorb and cease, only the beginningless and endless clear light mind remains. At that time it is not possible for afflictions to arise. This indicates that the coarse minds are adventitious — they are not stable and enduring — while the innate clear light mind is eternal. This primordial clear light mind is the basis from which an individual’s saṃsāra evolves and it is also the basis from which the qualities of nirvāṇa come about.

  The primordial clear light mind differs from the clear light mind described in Sūtra, which is together with afflictions in that afflictions manifest in it even though those afflictions are not an inherent part of that mind. However, afflictions are never able to manifest in the primordial clear light mind presented in Tantra because this mind manifests only after the coarser levels of mind and wind have ceased, at the time of death or by means of special yogic techniques.

  In the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras, the nature body of a buddha (svābhāvikakāya) is said to be an unconditioned, permanent phenomenon — the emptiness of inherent existence of the awakened mind. The wisdom dharmakāya of a buddha is a conditioned, impermanent phenomenon that is the continuation of the clear light mind described in Sūtra. In Tantra, the primordial clear light mind is called the “composite nature body of a buddha.” Although the emptiness of the awakened mind — the nature body in common to Sūtra and Tantra — is a permanent phenomenon, the existence of a composite nature body is unique to Tantra because only Tantra speaks of the primordial clear light mind. Calling the primordial clear light mind at buddhahood the composite nature body emphasizes that nothing is newly created at buddhahood. This mind has been there all along, but now all the defilements, which were never an inherent part of it, are completely gone.