Spotless from the Start

Monday, December 1, 2008 at 2:21AM

Editor in Tibetan Buddhism, Winter 2008

In order to overcome the five main obstacles facing a bodhisattva, says Dzongsar Khyentse
Rinpoche, we must realize that all beings are primordially pure. He presents the essential
teachings on buddhanature from Maitreyas Uttaratantra Shastra.
As soon as we talk about a path like Buddhism, we think about its finishing linesome kind of
result or goal. But in the Mahayana there is no goal. In the Prajnaparamita Sutra, for instance, we
hear that Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. No eyes, no nose and all that. Theres nothing to
obtain. And theres no no nothing to obtain.
The Mahayana path is more like peeling layers of skin and finally finding out that theres no seed
inside. We have to obtain liberation from the skins, but this is difficult to do because we love our
skins. When were children, a sandcastle is very important to us. Then when were sixteen, a
skateboard is very important, and by then the sandcastle has become a rotten skin. When were in
our thirties and forties, money, cars, and relationships replace the skateboard. These are all layers of
skin. More importantly, even the paths that we practice are all layers of skin, which we use to help us
peel the other skins. The inner skin helps us to think about the outer skin and motivates us to peel it.
But ultimately in the Mahayana path, you have to be free from all systems, all skins.
So what happens when all these skins have been peeled off? Whats left? Is enlightenment a total
negation, like the exhaustion of a fire or the evaporation of moisture? Is it something like that? No,
were talking about something that is a result of elimination. For example, if your window is dirty,
you clean it. You wash the dirt, and then the window, in the absence of dirt, is labeled a clean
window. Theres nothing else. The phenomenon that we are calling a clean window, the quality that
is the absence of dirt, is not something that we produced by cleaning the dirt. I dont think we should
even call it a clean window, because the window in its original state has never been stained by the
extremes of either dirty or clean. Nevertheless, the process of getting rid of the dirt can be labeled as
the emergence of the clean window.
Here were talking about buddhanature, and if you want to know about buddhanature, then
Maitreyas Uttaratantra Shastra is the text you have to study. Its important to be careful when
establishing the idea of buddhanature, because otherwise it might end up becoming something like
an atman, or a truly existing soul. The Mahayana shastras talk about the qualities of freedom, or
elimination, such as the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the thirty-two major marks, the eighty
minor marks, and so on. If youre not careful, you might start to think about buddhanature
theisticallythat is, in terms of the qualities of a permanent god, soul, or essence. But all these
qualities talked about in the Mahayana shastras are simply qualities of the absence of dirt.
When we talk about the result of elimination, we automatically think we are talking about something
that comes afterward: first there is elimination and then comes its effect. But we are not talking
about that at all, because then we would be falling into an eternalist or theistic extreme.
Elimination means having something to eliminate. But in the Prajnaparamita, we understand that
there is nothing to eliminate. And that is the big elimination. The result of that elimination isnt
obtained later. Its always there, which is why its called tantra, or continuum. This quality
continues throughout the ground, path, and result. The window continues from before the dirt was
there, while the dirt is being washed away, and after the cleaning is complete. The window has
always been free from the concepts of dirt and freedom from dirt. Thats why the Mahayana sutras

say the result is beyond aspiration. You cannot wish or pray for the result of elimination, because its
already there; it continues all the time, so theres no need to aspire to it.
The essence of all of the Buddhas teachings is emptiness, or interdependent arising. Nothing arises,
dwells, or ceases independently. Therefore, theres nothing permanent. There is no truly existing
self. Everything that we think exists, or does not exist, or both or neitherall these things are
fabrications of our mind. We fabricate them and then we become attached to our fabrications. But we
dont realize they are our own fabrications. We think they are real, which is why they are referred to
as extreme. Basically, every single conception or clinging that we have is some kind of fanatical
process. The Mahayana sutras teach emptiness, or shunyata, to lead us beyond all these extremes
and fabrications.
When we talk about emptiness, something beyond fabrication, we immediately think of a state of
being that has no function, like a couch potato or piece of stone, but that is absolutely not correct. It
is not merely a negation, elimination, or denial. It is not like the exhaustion of a fire or the
evaporation of water. It is full of function, and we call this function buddha activity, which is one
aspect of buddhanature. This buddhanature has an aspect of uninterrupted wisdom. This is the
difficulty, because as soon as we talk about wisdom, we think in terms of cognition and the senses
and their sense objects. We are curious about how a buddha perceives things. But although
buddhanature is seemingly a cognizer, it has no object, and therefore it cannot be a subject.
Furthermore, its not inanimate, nor is it animate, in the sense of mind. This is why the Uttaratantra
Shastra is really complementary to the Mahasandhi (Dzogchen) teachings, which always say that
mind and wisdom are separatethe dualistic mind of subject and object is separate from the nondual
wisdom, which is not other than buddhanature.
You could say that when Nagarjuna explains the Prajnaparamita, he concentrates more on its empty
aspect, whereas when Maitreya explains the same thing he concentrates more on the -ness aspect.
This -ness is buddhanature. You might wonder why the Buddha taught in the sutras that all
phenomena are like cloudsunstable, naturally illusory, and empty. Why is it that even though we
can experience them, they are without essence, like a dream or mirage?
Why is all this taught as emptiness in the Madhyamaka teachings and the Prajnaparamita Sutras?
And as Mipham Rinpoches commentary on the Uttaratantra Shastra asks, why in this third turning
of the wheel of dharma does the Buddha say that this buddhanature exists within all sentient beings?
Isnt that a contradiction? Furthermore, since buddhanature is very difficult to understand, even for
sublime beings who are on the path, why is it taught here for ordinary beings? Lets go to stanza 156
of Maitreyas text:
156 He had taught in various places that every knowable thing is ever void, like a cloud, a dream, or an
illusion. Then why did the Buddha declare the essence of buddhahood to be there in every sentient
being?

First of all, there is no contradiction between the second turning of the wheel of the dharma, where
the Buddha taught that everything is emptiness, and the third turning of the wheel, where the Buddha
taught that all sentient beings have buddhanature. In the Prajnaparamita Sutras of the second
turning, the Buddha emphasizes that nothing is truly existent. So here when Buddha says there is
buddhanature, he isnt saying that buddhanature truly exists. Rather he is emphasizing its clarity
aspect. When we talk about the union of clarity and emptiness, its important that we understand
both aspects, not only the emptiness aspect.
Beyond this, the Buddhas teachings on buddhanature address, and counteract, five particular
mistakes:
157 There are five mistakes: faint-heartedness, contempt for those of lesser ability, to believe in the false,

to speak about the true nature badly, and to cherish oneself above all else. So that those in whom these
above were there might rid themselves of them, therefore was it declared.

Generally, throughout the buddhadharma, and especially in the Mahayana, the most important thing
is to generate enlightened mind. If you read the Bhadrakalpa Sutra (the Sutra of the Fortunate
Aeon), you will hear how in the beginning one thousand buddhas generated enlightened mind.
Generating enlightened mind is a promise or pledge to enlighten oneself and all sentient beings, and
for practitioners on the path it is the most important thing. For example, when you pray, why does
prayer work? It works because of this determination, this pledge to help sentient beings. Its all
based on that. Hence, there are five reasons to teach buddhanature, each one addressing one of the
five mistakes, and these reasons are all about helping us to make good on this pledge.
First, if buddhanature were not emphasized, then a bodhisattva on the path might become
discouraged, because the path is long, rough, and endless. One might also despise oneself, thinking
how can someone impure and useless like me achieve enlightenment? Bodhichitta, the wish to
enlighten all sentient beings, will not arise within people who have that kind of discouragement and
despise themselves.
When we know that buddhanature is there within us, like a gold coin buried in the dirt, it gives us a
lot of encouragement. We know enlightenment is possible because buddhanature is there within us.
This brings joy to the path. If we didnt know there was a gold statue inside the mold, there would be
no joy in breaking the mold. But when we know, the desire to find the statue inside is so strong that
we dont even notice the process of breaking the mold, which is generating enlightened mind.
Secondly, as bodhisattvas we have to benefit all sentient beings. If we dont know that buddhanature
resides within everybody, then we might not respect other sentient beings. Rather, we might think
were great because were bodhisattvas, and then despise other sentient beings. This could become a
big obstacle, hindering us in benefiting other beings.
Imagine that you think youre a bodhisattva who has buddhanature and that other sentient beings
dont have buddhanature and therefore require your help. You think you have to somehow insert the
buddha inside them. Thats a very big mistake. Its what we call exaggeration or imputation. The
Buddhist view is that everybody has buddhanature. It will not change. No one, no guru, no Buddha
can insert it. All anyone can do is become some kind of path to enable people to realize it
themselves.
The third reason buddhanature is taught is to dispel the obstacles that obstruct us from having prajna.
There are two such obstacles. The first one is imputation. Even though there is no buddhanature, we
impute or imagine its existence by thinking that all these buddha qualities exist, such as the
ushnisha, the protuberance on top of the Buddhas head, symbolizing his great wisdom and
enlightenment. But in reality, they dont.
We also need to overcome the second obstacle to wisdom, namely thinking that the buddha qualities
do not exist, or that there are no buddha qualities within us, which is like some kind of criticism.
This is the fourth reason buddhanature is taught.
Finally, the fifth reason is to dispel the obstacle that prevents us from understanding that we are
equal to others. If we dont know that buddhanature exists equally within all beings, then we might
have more attachment to ourselves and more aversion toward others.
So those are the five reasons why buddhanature is taught.
Buddhanature is pure and free from all kinds of compounded phenomena, right from the beginning.

158 The ultimate true nature is always devoid of anything compounded, so it is said that defilements,
karma, and their full ripening are like a cloud, etc.

Therefore, buddhanature is free from the three kinds of emotions: desire, aggression, and jealousy. It
is free from the emotions of karmic formation, such as virtuous actions and non-virtuous actions.
And it is free from the result of emotion, the five aggregates. So therefore the emotions are like
clouds.
159 The defilements are said to be like clouds, karma is likened to the experience in dreams, and the full
ripening of karma and defilementsthe aggregatesare likened to conjurations.

The nature of beings is primordially pure, and thats why we call it buddhanature. Although
emotions are seemingly apparent and seemingly stubborn, seemingly like a second nature, they are
never a second nature. They are like cloudsthey are adventitious, and not a true part of you. This
point is quite important. In Buddhism we always come to the conclusion that these emotions and
defilements are temporary. When were looking at a grey cloudy sky, we might call it a cloudy sky,
but its not really a cloudy sky. The clouds are never the sky. The clouds are temporary or
adventitious.
The next part is very important for our understanding of karma. Since emotions are temporary, socalled karma or action is like a dream. This is very important because many people think that karma
is almost like a substitute for God. They think its like someone who punishes you, rewards you, and
decides your fate. But its never like that in Buddhism. Karma is actually like a dream. In a dream,
you might experience all kinds of ecstasy, but no matter how much you pant and sweat, its just a
dream.
When we say, Its just a dream, theres sometimes a connotation that we despise it, because its not
real. But it doesnt work like that either. If you become enamored with a dream-elephant, then in the
dream you go through the ecstasy of meeting the elephant, the sadness of missing the elephant, and
eventually the agony of no longer having the elephant. Thats how karma works.
This stanza is a big summary of Buddhism. Emotions are temporary, so action is like a dream, and
therefore the aggregatesthe result of emotions and actionare like a mirage. The five aggregates
are like a mirage, because the closer you approach them, the more futile or essenceless they become.
We try so hard to get close to the elephant, but even if theres an engagement, the exchange of rings,
a marriage ceremony, or whatever, the elephant remains a mirage.
To emphasize this, the Buddha taught emptiness in the earlier turnings of the wheel of dharma. For
example, in the Prajnaparamita Sutra, he said that form is emptiness, emptiness is form, and
everything is like a mirage or a dream, and so forth. Then after that, in order to dispel the five kinds
of obstacles or downfalls, the Buddha taught buddhanature in the third turning of the wheel of the
dharma.
So why is it so hard for us to conceive of or accept that everybody has buddhanature? Mipham
Rinpoche has a very good explanation. As we have seen, beings have all these adventitious emotions
that are not their nature, but that are nevertheless a temporary manifestation. The problem is that this
is the first thing that we see in others, and so we think, Thats it; thats whats real, without looking
at whats behind that. I would call it, Emotion at first sight.
Theres another problem that arises when you look at whats on the surface and think that its the
absolute truth: you might begin to wonder how enlightenment or buddhanature can coexist with
emotion. Then you separate or remove buddhahood from normal, ignorant sentient beings. This is
why we always think that buddhahood will come to us later, in some other time or place, after ten
years of practice, or whatever; we dont understand that buddhanature is already there but covered

by defilements, like the gold coin buried beneath the dirt.

So the first fault is the arrogance of a bodhisattva who thinks that you dont have these qualities of
buddhanature, so he has to give them to you. The second fault is when a bodhisattva doesnt realize
that defilements are adventitious, and he says that you have a problem and need to be purified.
Its so important that you hear these words, because although Buddhism is growing and spreading, it
could also be degenerating. If you dont know this information, some Buddhist teachers might
behave like people who can control your life. They may become your spiritual and secular leaders,
deciding what things you should and shouldnt have. They will try to tell you what to do, what to
add, and what to remove. Eventually we might have Buddhist masters imposing laws that make
everyone wear six layers of socks wherever they go, or things like that.
165 If one clings to the faults, the untrue, and disparages the qualities, the true, one will not have the
loving-kindness of the wise, which sees the similarity of others and oneself.

This stanza is really beautiful. Unless you know that all beings have buddhanature, you will not have
loving-kindness. Loving-kindness has to be based on the fact that everybody is equal, and this
equality is based on knowing that everybody has the buddhanature. As long as you think that the
person who gives love is higher in some hierarchical sense, and that the poor needy beings who
receive it are somehow lower, then there is no love and kindness. Its more like condescension or
pity.
166 Through learning in such fashion there will arise enthusiasm, respect, as toward the Buddha,
prajna, jnana, and great love.

Now we come to the benefit of hearing about buddhanature. When we hear about buddhanature, we
experience joy or enthusiasm toward the path, because we know that enlightenment is possible. Even
a dog is worthy of homage, because it has buddhanature. No matter how many emotions you have
erupting inside you, youll know that they are removable, and that is wisdom. At the same time, you
will know that all the qualities of the Buddha are within you, and that is primordial wisdom.
So now when you hear about, read about, or see amazing buddha qualities, you wont treat them as
separate from you, thinking, Well thats them, but Im different. You will not think things like that
because you know that all the qualities of the Buddha, down to every single lock of hair, exist within
you. There is nothing to be jealous of or to covet, because you have everything. And when you know
that everybody has buddhanature, loving-kindness will grow. Can you see that emptiness alone
doesnt allow you to do these things?
So what is the effect of knowing that you have these great qualities? If you have confidence, then
negativity, literally the unutterable negative actions, cannot easily overcome you. You become a
stranger to negativity, and strangers have some kind of dignity. When youre a stranger, others dont
have access to you. They dont come in and feel at home with you, because youre courageous. The
second effect of knowing that you have buddhanature is that you will not look down on those who
are destitute, thinking that they are lower than you. You wont have arrogance, nor will you feel
inferior when you see a sublime being, someone who has attained a lot. Theres no reason to feel
inferior, because you have everything that that sublime being has. You have no more and no less
than Shakyamuni Buddha or any of a thousand buddhas. Basically, theres no inferiority or
superiority complex any longer because of buddhanature.
When negativities arise, you will know that they are not truly existent. When good things such as
small signs of enlightened qualities arise, you will not get excited, because you know you already
have them. Then there is loving-kindness. With all these, you will attain enlightenment swiftly.

DZONGSAR KHYENTSE RINPOCHE is the spiritual director of the international Buddhist

association Siddharthas Intent and the head of the Khyentse Foundation. He is the author of What
Makes You Not a Buddhist and the director of two films, The Cup and Travellers & Magicians. This
article is adapted from teachings he gave on Maitreyas Uttaratantra Shastra in Dordogne, France,
between 2003 and 2004, which were edited by Alex Trisoglio. 2007 by Siddharthas Intent. The
translation of the root text is by Ken and Katia Holmes. The complete transcript of these teachings is
available at www.siddharthasintent.org.
Article originally appeared on Buddhadharma (http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/).
See website for complete article licensing information.