Buddhists: The Trouble with Seeking the Buddha Within

[Left Coast]

Occasionally before meditating I'll read a little excerpt from a book of daily Buddhist insights. Last night I read a thought provoking one and thought I'd share it for discussion. There are certain Buddhist traditions, as I understand it, that emphasize the concept that we have an inner "Buddha-nature" which has basically been covered over by greed hate and delusion. So the goal of practice is to get us back to that original state. On that topic, this author writes:

"Seeking the Buddha within can lead some to awakening, though it is a hard road. My concern is that this path is so frequently misconstrued and that most of us don’t need stories that inspire confidence so much as ones that engender humility. Most of us are part of a cult of individuality, and a dangerous one at that. Turning to the Buddha without as our focus can help diminish that ingrained cultural egoism and lead to a more balanced awakening that locates the Buddha not inside, but in all.

When shunyata is realized, we see that our fundamental nature is not one of inner buddhaness, but of an existence which is completely relational in nature. Thus observing the relations that underlie our practice is a powerful tool for waking up to who and how we really are, one which “de-centers” the inherent pitfall of self-orientation contained in the quest for inner buddhas."

-JEFF WILSON, Buddhism of the Heart

Thoughts? Do you tend toward one orientation or another (seeing us as having a Buddha-nature vs. not)? Or is this just another example of an unnecessary duality and they actually describe the same thing in different ways?

 

[Secret Chief]

Do you tend toward one orientation or another (seeing us as having a Buddha-nature vs. not)? Or is this just another example of an unnecessary duality and they actually describe the same thing in different ways?

I tend towards the former, given my "background" of Soto Zen, but I don't see an either/or. I don't see a hard road or a promotion of egoism. It is not a quest, it is already us.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Occasionally before meditating I'll read a little excerpt from a book of daily Buddhist insights. Last night I read a thought provoking one and thought I'd share it for discussion. There are certain Buddhist traditions, as I understand it, that emphasize the concept that we have an inner "Buddha-nature" which has basically been covered over by greed hate and delusion. So the goal of practice is to get us back to that original state. On that topic, this author writes:

"Seeking the Buddha within can lead some to awakening, though it is a hard road. My concern is that this path is so frequently misconstrued and that most of us don’t need stories that inspire confidence so much as ones that engender humility. Most of us are part of a cult of individuality, and a dangerous one at that. Turning to the Buddha without as our focus can help diminish that ingrained cultural egoism and lead to a more balanced awakening that locates the Buddha not inside, but in all.

When shunyata is realized, we see that our fundamental nature is not one of inner buddhaness, but of an existence which is completely relational in nature. Thus observing the relations that underlie our practice is a powerful tool for waking up to who and how we really are, one which “de-centers” the inherent pitfall of self-orientation contained in the quest for inner buddhas."

-JEFF WILSON, Buddhism of the Heart

Thoughts? Do you tend toward one orientation or another (seeing us as having a Buddha-nature vs. not)? Or is this just another example of an unnecessary duality and they actually describe the same thing in different ways?

The thing is a lot of people habitually excise elements of what they think is not Buddha nature, versus what is Buddha nature.

Once again you find yourself facing duality.

It's a reason why I don't act like a Buddhist. =O)

 

[crossfire]

Buddha-nature is the potential for awakening--sentience.
Sentient beings, by definition, possess a subjective mind.
Having a subjective mind gives the opportunity to mistake subjectively produced content for objective reality--aka delusion.
A sentient being can become awakened to their capacity for delusion and overcome their delusions.
An awakened being will realize that they are subject to delusion simply because of their sentience and therefore must remain diligent to look out for possible delusion arising within their mind, which is where the need for humility comes in.

So, regarding the Buddha within: as long as we are sentient, we have to capacity for delusion, but we also have to capacity to awaken ("Buddha" means "awakened") to our capacity for delusion through this sentience. The same condition that gives rise to delusion also is the same condition by which we free ourselves from delusion.

"Luminous, monks, is the mind.[1] And it is defiled by incoming defilements." {I,v,9}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements." {I,v,10}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is defiled by incoming defilements. The uninstructed run-of-the-mill person doesn't discern that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person — there is no development of the mind." {I,vi,1}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements. The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones — there is development of the mind." {I,vi,2}

-source-
​

 

[Left Coast]

Buddha-nature is the potential for awakening--sentience.
Sentient beings, by definition, possess a subjective mind.
Having a subjective mind gives the opportunity to mistake subjectively produced content for objective reality--aka delusion.
A sentient being can become awakened to their capacity for delusion and overcome their delusions.
An awakened being will realize that they are subject to delusion simply because of their sentience and therefore must remain diligent to look out for possible delusion arising within their mind, which is where the need for humility comes in.

So, regarding the Buddha within: as long as we are sentient, we have to capacity for delusion, but we also have to capacity to awaken ("Buddha" means "awakened") to our capacity for delusion through this sentience. The same condition that gives rise to delusion also is the same condition by which we free ourselves from delusion.

"Luminous, monks, is the mind.[1] And it is defiled by incoming defilements." {I,v,9}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements." {I,v,10}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is defiled by incoming defilements. The uninstructed run-of-the-mill person doesn't discern that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person — there is no development of the mind." {I,vi,1}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements. The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones — there is development of the mind." {I,vi,2}

-source-
​

That makes a lot of sense. The trouble comes, I think, when we confuse "the Buddha within" with our own deluded ego.

 

[Martin]

Occasionally before meditating I'll read a little excerpt from a book of daily Buddhist insights. Last night I read a thought provoking one and thought I'd share it for discussion. There are certain Buddhist traditions, as I understand it, that emphasize the concept that we have an inner "Buddha-nature" which has basically been covered over by greed hate and delusion. So the goal of practice is to get us back to that original state. On that topic, this author writes:

"Seeking the Buddha within can lead some to awakening, though it is a hard road. My concern is that this path is so frequently misconstrued and that most of us don’t need stories that inspire confidence so much as ones that engender humility. Most of us are part of a cult of individuality, and a dangerous one at that. Turning to the Buddha without as our focus can help diminish that ingrained cultural egoism and lead to a more balanced awakening that locates the Buddha not inside, but in all.

When shunyata is realized, we see that our fundamental nature is not one of inner buddhaness, but of an existence which is completely relational in nature. Thus observing the relations that underlie our practice is a powerful tool for waking up to who and how we really are, one which “de-centers” the inherent pitfall of self-orientation contained in the quest for inner buddhas."

-JEFF WILSON, Buddhism of the Heart

Thoughts? Do you tend toward one orientation or another (seeing us as having a Buddha-nature vs. not)? Or is this just another example of an unnecessary duality and they actually describe the same thing in different ways?

Different Buddhist schools have different interpretations, but I think Buddha nature is most accurately expressed as the potential for enlightenment. So all sentient beings have Buddha nature, the potential for enlightenment.
However Buddha nature is not generally portrayed as some kind of "true self" or "wise self", which would be more like Vedanta (Hinduism). In Mahayana the goal is to find wisdom, rather than to find an underlying self, or underlying reality, or whatever.

 

[Twilight Hue]

That would suggest alternatively an inner non Buddha nature.

How would one propose to get around such a duality?

 

[crossfire]

That would suggest alternatively an inner non Buddha nature.

How would one propose to get around such a duality?

The aggregates...

 

[Martin]

That would suggest alternatively an inner non Buddha nature.

How would one propose to get around such a duality?

If you equate Buddha nature with wisdom or enlightenment, there is no problem.

 

[crossfire]

If you equate Buddha nature with wisdom or enlightenment, there is no problem.

And if you want to seek enlightenment, you must realize you are unenlightened first. Duality solved.

 

[Martin]

And if you want to seek enlightenment, you must realize you are unenlightened first. Duality solved.

Yes, wisdom v. ignorance.