Buddha-Nature - User contributions [en]

Key Terms/dhyāna

2026-03-19T20:58:58Z

M.Koblensky:

User:M.Koblensky

2026-03-17T14:39:01Z

M.Koblensky:

== Fetching from commons.tsadra.org ==
{{#get_web_data:url=https://commons.tsadra.org/index.php/Special:Ask/-5B-5B:%C5%9A%C4%81ntideva-5D-5D/-3FMainNamePhon/-3FFirstImage/-3FBio/mainlabel%3D/limit%3D50/offset%3D0/format%3Dcsv|data=FirstImage=FirstImage,Bio=Bio,MainNamePhon=MainNamePhon}}
* [[{{#external_value:FirstImage}}|100px]]
* {{#external_value:MainNamePhon}}
* {{#external_value:Bio}}

== Fetching from yabzhi.tsadra.org ==
{{#get_web_data:url=https://yabzhi.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BUser%3AJeremi%5D%5D&po=TestImage%0ATestString%0ATestText&p%5Blimit%5D=1&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|data=TestImage=TestImage,TestText=TestText,TestString=TestString}}
* [[{{#external_value:TestImage}}|100px]]
* {{#external_value:TestString}}
* {{#external_value:TestText}}

== Other ==

'''Some things to remind myself !'''

== DRL api query ==
<pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17 Vol. 1}}%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=Description=Description,BuNayTitle=BuNayTitle,Authorlibwiki=Authorlibwiki
}}
{{#external_value:Description}}
</pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17 Vol. 1}}%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=Description=Description,BuNayTitle=BuNayTitle,Authorlibwiki=Authorlibwiki
}}
{{#external_value:Description}}

<pre>
curl https://research-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5BThe%20Complete%20Nyingma%20Tradition%20from%20Sutra%20to%20Tantra%2C%20Books%2015%20to%2017%20Vol.%20%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
</pre>

== OLD ExternalData method to fetch data ==

<pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:Dorje, G.}}%5D%5D%7C%3Fpublications%7C%3Fbio%7C%3FaffiliationRaw%7C%3FaffiliationsecondaryRaw%7C%3FAltNamesOtherRaw%7C%3FAltNamesTibRaw%7C%3FAltNamesWylieRaw%7C%3Farchivistnotes
&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=publications=publications,bio=bio,affiliationRaw=affiliationRaw,affiliationsecondaryRaw=affiliationsecondaryRaw,AltNamesOtherRaw=AltNamesOtherRaw,AltNamesTibRaw=AltNamesTibRaw,AltNamesWylieRaw=AltNamesWylieRaw,archivistnotes=archivistnotes
}}
{{#external_value:publications}}
</pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:Dorje, G.}}%5D%5D%7C%3Fpublications%7C%3Fbio%7C%3FaffiliationRaw%7C%3FaffiliationsecondaryRaw%7C%3FAltNamesOtherRaw%7C%3FAltNamesTibRaw%7C%3FAltNamesWylieRaw%7C%3Farchivistnotes
&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=publications=publications,bio=bio,affiliationRaw=affiliationRaw,affiliationsecondaryRaw=affiliationsecondaryRaw,AltNamesOtherRaw=AltNamesOtherRaw,AltNamesTibRaw=AltNamesTibRaw,AltNamesWylieRaw=AltNamesWylieRaw,archivistnotes=archivistnotes
}}
{{#external_value:publications}}

== Using the OLD method with the Special:Ask page doesn't seems to work ==

<pre>{{#get_web_data:
url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[Dorje, G.]]}}&po=Publications&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=Publications=Publications
}}
{{#external_value:Publications}}
</pre>

{{#get_web_data:
url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[Dorje, G.]]}}&po=Publications&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=Publications=Publications
}}
{{#external_value:Publications}}

== New method on Special:Ask with/without encoding function==

<pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[Dorje, G.]]}}&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=csv with header}}
}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[Dorje, G.]]}}&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=csv with header}}

<pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=[[Dorje, G.]]&po=Publications|format=csv}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=[[Dorje, G.]]&po=Publications|format=csv}}

== New method on Special:Ask with encoding of URL params on DRL !==
<pre>
{{#external_value:Description|source=https://research.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[A Comparison of the Concepts of Buddha-Nature and Dao-Nature of Medieval China]]}}&po=Description&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=CSV with header}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Description|source=https://research.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[A Comparison of the Concepts of Buddha-Nature and Dao-Nature of Medieval China]]}}&po=Description&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=CSV with header}}
<pre>
{{#external_value:Description|source=https://research-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[A Comparison of the Concepts of Buddha-Nature and Dao-Nature of Medieval China]]}}&po=Description&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=CSV with header}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Description|source=https://research-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[A Comparison of the Concepts of Buddha-Nature and Dao-Nature of Medieval China]]}}&po=Description&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=CSV with header}}
== New method on Special:Ask with encoding of full URL ==
<pre>
{{#external_value:Description|source={{urlencode:https://research.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special:Ask&q=[[A Comparison of the Concepts of Buddha-Nature and Dao-Nature of Medieval China]]&po=Description&p[format]=csv}}|format=CSV with header}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Description|source={{urlencode:https://research.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special:Ask&q=[[A Comparison of the Concepts of Buddha-Nature and Dao-Nature of Medieval China]]&po=Description&p[format]=csv}}|format=CSV with header}}

=== Command line curl on commons ===

'''Let's try with Publications field that works with curl'''
<pre>
curl 'https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BDorje%2C+G.%5D%5D&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv'
</pre>
<pre>
,Publications
"Dorje, G.","
* ""The Guhyagarbhatantra and its XIVth Century Commentary Phyogs-bcu mun-sel."" PhD Thesis, SOAS, University of London (3 vols), 1987. See [1]
* Dudjom Rinpoche's ''The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History''. Wisdom Publications, Boston. 1st edition (2 vols), 1991; 2nd edition (1 vol), 2002; ISBN 0861711998. See Wisdom Books
* ''Tibetan Medical Paintings''. Serindia Publications, London (2 Vols); ISBN 0-906026-26-1. 1992. See Serindia
* ''Tibet Handbook''. Footprint Handbooks, Bath. 1st edition, 1996; 2nd edition 1999; 3rd edition 2004; ISBN 1900949334 See Footprintbooks
* ''Bhutan Handbook''. Footprint Handbooks, Bath. 1st edition, 2004. See Footprintbooks
* ''Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings'', Eskenazi & Fogg, London. 2001. See Whiteberyl
* ''Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings: Illuminated Manuscript from the White Beryl of Sangs-Rgyas Rgya-Mtsho''. Holberton, Paul Publishing, 2008. ISBN 9780953994106 ISBN 0953994104
* ''An Encyclopaedic Tibetan-English Dictionary'', (Nationalities Publishing House/ SOAS, Beijing. Vol. 1, 2001). Enquiries: tedic@hotmail.com
* ""A Rare Series of Tibetan Banners."" In ''Pearls of the Orient'', Serindia, 2003. See Serindia
* ''The Tibetan Book of the Dead'': First Complete English Translation, Penguin Classics, 2005.
* ''Jokhang: Tibet's Most Sacred Buddhist Temple'', Thames & Hudson, 2010
* ''The Guhyagarbha Tantra: Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions''. (Snowlion)
* ''An Encyclopaedic Tibetan-English Dictionary''. (Nationalities Publishing House/ SOAS, Beijing. Vols. 2-3.
"
</pre>

== Manual encoding vs urlencode function ==
<pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[Dorje, G.]]}}&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=csv with header}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[Dorje, G.]]}}&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=csv with header}}
<pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BDorje%2C+G.%5D%5D&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=csv with header}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BDorje%2C+G.%5D%5D&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=csv with header}}

== Old way with Special:Ask with manual encoding on DRL ==
<pre>{{#get_web_data:url=https://research.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BA%20Direct%20Path%20to%20the%20Buddha%20Within%5D%5D&po=citation&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=citation=citation
}}{{#external_value:citation}}</pre>
{{#get_web_data:url=https://research.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BA%20Direct%20Path%20to%20the%20Buddha%20Within%5D%5D&po=citation&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=citation=citation
}}'''{{#external_value:citation}}'''

<pre>{{#get_web_data:url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BA%20Direct%20Path%20to%20the%20Buddha%20Within%5D%5D&po=citation&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=citation=citation
}}{{#external_value:citation}}</pre>
{{#get_web_data:url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BA%20Direct%20Path%20to%20the%20Buddha%20Within%5D%5D&po=citation&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=citation=citation
}}'''{{#external_value:citation}}'''

=== FROM LTRHF ===
<pre>{{#get_web_data:url=http://www.ltrhf.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BUser%3AJeremi%5D%5D&po=FeaturedImagePage&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=FeaturedImagePage=FeaturedImagePage
}}{{#external_value:FeaturedImagePage}}</pre>
{{#get_web_data:url=http://www.ltrhf.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BUser%3AJeremi%5D%5D&po=FeaturedImagePage&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=FeaturedImagePage=FeaturedImagePage
}}'''{{#external_value:FeaturedImagePage}}'''

=== FROM COMMONS ===
<pre>{{#get_web_data:url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5B%27jam%20mgon%20kong%20sprul%5D%5D&po=PersonType&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=PersonType=PersonType
}}{{#external_value:PersonType}}</pre>
{{#get_web_data:url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5B%27jam%20mgon%20kong%20sprul%5D%5D&po=PersonType&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=PersonType=PersonType
}}'''{{#external_value:PersonType}}'''

== Another example with API and legacy mode on Commons ==

<pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:Dorje, G.}}%5D%5D%7C%3Fbio%7C%3FaffiliationRaw%7C%3FaffiliationsecondaryRaw%7C%3FAltNamesOtherRaw%7C%3FAltNamesTibRaw%7C%3FAltNamesWylieRaw%7C%3Farchivistnotes
&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=bio=bio,affiliationRaw=affiliationRaw,affiliationsecondaryRaw=affiliationsecondaryRaw,AltNamesOtherRaw=AltNamesOtherRaw,AltNamesTibRaw=AltNamesTibRaw,AltNamesWylieRaw=AltNamesWylieRaw,archivistnotes=archivistnotes
}}
{{#external_value:bio}}
</pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:Dorje, G.}}%5D%5D%7C%3Fbio%7C%3FaffiliationRaw%7C%3FaffiliationsecondaryRaw%7C%3FAltNamesOtherRaw%7C%3FAltNamesTibRaw%7C%3FAltNamesWylieRaw%7C%3Farchivistnotes
&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=bio=bio,affiliationRaw=affiliationRaw,affiliationsecondaryRaw=affiliationsecondaryRaw,AltNamesOtherRaw=AltNamesOtherRaw,AltNamesTibRaw=AltNamesTibRaw,AltNamesWylieRaw=AltNamesWylieRaw,archivistnotes=archivistnotes
}}
{{#external_value:bio}}

== API legacy mode not working on DRL ==
<pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://research.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17 Vol. 1}}%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=Description=Description,BuNayTitle=BuNayTitle,Authorlibwiki=Authorlibwiki
}}
{{#external_value:Description}}
</pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://research.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17 Vol. 1}}%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=Description=Description,BuNayTitle=BuNayTitle,Authorlibwiki=Authorlibwiki
}}
{{#external_value:Description}}

== ASK legacy mode on DRL ==
<pre>
{{#get_web_data:url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5B{{urlencode:A Direct Path to the Buddha Within}}%5D%5D&po=citation&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=citation=citation
}}{{#external_value:citation}}
</pre>
{{#get_web_data:url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5B{{urlencode:A Direct Path to the Buddha Within}}%5D%5D&po=citation&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=citation=citation
}}{{#external_value:citation}}

=== More DRL API ===

<pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17 Vol. 1}}%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=Description=Description,BuNayTitle=BuNayTitle,Authorlibwiki=Authorlibwiki
}}
{{#external_value:Description}}
</pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17 Vol. 1}}%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=Description=Description,BuNayTitle=BuNayTitle,Authorlibwiki=Authorlibwiki
}}
{{#external_value:Description}}

A few links:
*https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php/Special:Browse/:Dorje,-5FG.
*https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php/Special:FormEdit/Person/Dorje,_G.
*https://research.tsadra.org/index.php/Dorje,_G.
*https://www.semantic-mediawiki.org/wiki/SMWCon_Fall_2020/Export_semantic_data_via_API_(Tutorial)
*https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:External_Data
*https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:External_Data/Web_pages

*https://buddhanature-new.tsadra.org/index.php/User:JeremiP/ExternalData_New_Method

Media/Severance: The Early Practice of Chod by Sarah Harding

2024-11-14T17:09:35Z

M.Koblensky:

Media/Severance: The Early Practice of Chod by Sarah Harding

2024-11-14T17:05:10Z

M.Koblensky:

{{Media
|PostToAudioStream=Yes
}}

OUCH2

Media/Severance: The Early Practice of Chod by Sarah Harding

2024-11-14T17:04:53Z

M.Koblensky:

{{Media
|PostToAudioStream=Yes
}}

OUCH

User:M.Koblensky

2024-06-20T12:02:36Z

M.Koblensky:

TEST

'''Some things to remind myself !'''

== DRL api query ==
<pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17 Vol. 1}}%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=Description=Description,BuNayTitle=BuNayTitle,Authorlibwiki=Authorlibwiki
}}
{{#external_value:Description}}
</pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17 Vol. 1}}%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=Description=Description,BuNayTitle=BuNayTitle,Authorlibwiki=Authorlibwiki
}}
{{#external_value:Description}}

<pre>
curl https://research-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5BThe%20Complete%20Nyingma%20Tradition%20from%20Sutra%20to%20Tantra%2C%20Books%2015%20to%2017%20Vol.%20%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
</pre>

== OLD ExternalData method to fetch data ==

<pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:Dorje, G.}}%5D%5D%7C%3Fpublications%7C%3Fbio%7C%3FaffiliationRaw%7C%3FaffiliationsecondaryRaw%7C%3FAltNamesOtherRaw%7C%3FAltNamesTibRaw%7C%3FAltNamesWylieRaw%7C%3Farchivistnotes
&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=publications=publications,bio=bio,affiliationRaw=affiliationRaw,affiliationsecondaryRaw=affiliationsecondaryRaw,AltNamesOtherRaw=AltNamesOtherRaw,AltNamesTibRaw=AltNamesTibRaw,AltNamesWylieRaw=AltNamesWylieRaw,archivistnotes=archivistnotes
}}
{{#external_value:publications}}
</pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:Dorje, G.}}%5D%5D%7C%3Fpublications%7C%3Fbio%7C%3FaffiliationRaw%7C%3FaffiliationsecondaryRaw%7C%3FAltNamesOtherRaw%7C%3FAltNamesTibRaw%7C%3FAltNamesWylieRaw%7C%3Farchivistnotes
&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=publications=publications,bio=bio,affiliationRaw=affiliationRaw,affiliationsecondaryRaw=affiliationsecondaryRaw,AltNamesOtherRaw=AltNamesOtherRaw,AltNamesTibRaw=AltNamesTibRaw,AltNamesWylieRaw=AltNamesWylieRaw,archivistnotes=archivistnotes
}}
{{#external_value:publications}}

== Using the OLD method with the Special:Ask page doesn't seems to work ==

<pre>{{#get_web_data:
url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[Dorje, G.]]}}&po=Publications&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=Publications=Publications
}}
{{#external_value:Publications}}
</pre>

{{#get_web_data:
url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[Dorje, G.]]}}&po=Publications&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=Publications=Publications
}}
{{#external_value:Publications}}

== New method on Special:Ask with/without encoding function==

<pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[Dorje, G.]]}}&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=csv with header}}
}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[Dorje, G.]]}}&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=csv with header}}

<pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=[[Dorje, G.]]&po=Publications|format=csv}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=[[Dorje, G.]]&po=Publications|format=csv}}

== New method on Special:Ask with encoding of URL params on DRL !==
<pre>
{{#external_value:Description|source=https://research.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[A Comparison of the Concepts of Buddha-Nature and Dao-Nature of Medieval China]]}}&po=Description&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=CSV with header}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Description|source=https://research.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[A Comparison of the Concepts of Buddha-Nature and Dao-Nature of Medieval China]]}}&po=Description&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=CSV with header}}
<pre>
{{#external_value:Description|source=https://research-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[A Comparison of the Concepts of Buddha-Nature and Dao-Nature of Medieval China]]}}&po=Description&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=CSV with header}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Description|source=https://research-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[A Comparison of the Concepts of Buddha-Nature and Dao-Nature of Medieval China]]}}&po=Description&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=CSV with header}}
== New method on Special:Ask with encoding of full URL ==
<pre>
{{#external_value:Description|source={{urlencode:https://research.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special:Ask&q=[[A Comparison of the Concepts of Buddha-Nature and Dao-Nature of Medieval China]]&po=Description&p[format]=csv}}|format=CSV with header}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Description|source={{urlencode:https://research.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special:Ask&q=[[A Comparison of the Concepts of Buddha-Nature and Dao-Nature of Medieval China]]&po=Description&p[format]=csv}}|format=CSV with header}}

=== Command line curl on commons ===

'''Let's try with Publications field that works with curl'''
<pre>
curl 'https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BDorje%2C+G.%5D%5D&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv'
</pre>
<pre>
,Publications
"Dorje, G.","
* ""The Guhyagarbhatantra and its XIVth Century Commentary Phyogs-bcu mun-sel."" PhD Thesis, SOAS, University of London (3 vols), 1987. See [1]
* Dudjom Rinpoche's ''The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History''. Wisdom Publications, Boston. 1st edition (2 vols), 1991; 2nd edition (1 vol), 2002; ISBN 0861711998. See Wisdom Books
* ''Tibetan Medical Paintings''. Serindia Publications, London (2 Vols); ISBN 0-906026-26-1. 1992. See Serindia
* ''Tibet Handbook''. Footprint Handbooks, Bath. 1st edition, 1996; 2nd edition 1999; 3rd edition 2004; ISBN 1900949334 See Footprintbooks
* ''Bhutan Handbook''. Footprint Handbooks, Bath. 1st edition, 2004. See Footprintbooks
* ''Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings'', Eskenazi & Fogg, London. 2001. See Whiteberyl
* ''Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings: Illuminated Manuscript from the White Beryl of Sangs-Rgyas Rgya-Mtsho''. Holberton, Paul Publishing, 2008. ISBN 9780953994106 ISBN 0953994104
* ''An Encyclopaedic Tibetan-English Dictionary'', (Nationalities Publishing House/ SOAS, Beijing. Vol. 1, 2001). Enquiries: tedic@hotmail.com
* ""A Rare Series of Tibetan Banners."" In ''Pearls of the Orient'', Serindia, 2003. See Serindia
* ''The Tibetan Book of the Dead'': First Complete English Translation, Penguin Classics, 2005.
* ''Jokhang: Tibet's Most Sacred Buddhist Temple'', Thames & Hudson, 2010
* ''The Guhyagarbha Tantra: Dispelling the Darkness of the Ten Directions''. (Snowlion)
* ''An Encyclopaedic Tibetan-English Dictionary''. (Nationalities Publishing House/ SOAS, Beijing. Vols. 2-3.
"
</pre>

== Manual encoding vs urlencode function ==
<pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[Dorje, G.]]}}&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=csv with header}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q={{urlencode:[[Dorje, G.]]}}&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=csv with header}}
<pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BDorje%2C+G.%5D%5D&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=csv with header}}
</pre>
{{#external_value:Publications|source=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BDorje%2C+G.%5D%5D&po=Publications&p%5Bformat%5D=csv|format=csv with header}}

== Old way with Special:Ask with manual encoding on DRL ==
<pre>{{#get_web_data:url=https://research.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BA%20Direct%20Path%20to%20the%20Buddha%20Within%5D%5D&po=citation&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=citation=citation
}}{{#external_value:citation}}</pre>
{{#get_web_data:url=https://research.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BA%20Direct%20Path%20to%20the%20Buddha%20Within%5D%5D&po=citation&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=citation=citation
}}'''{{#external_value:citation}}'''

<pre>{{#get_web_data:url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BA%20Direct%20Path%20to%20the%20Buddha%20Within%5D%5D&po=citation&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=citation=citation
}}{{#external_value:citation}}</pre>
{{#get_web_data:url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BA%20Direct%20Path%20to%20the%20Buddha%20Within%5D%5D&po=citation&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=citation=citation
}}'''{{#external_value:citation}}'''

=== FROM LTRHF ===
<pre>{{#get_web_data:url=http://www.ltrhf.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BUser%3AJeremi%5D%5D&po=FeaturedImagePage&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=FeaturedImagePage=FeaturedImagePage
}}{{#external_value:FeaturedImagePage}}</pre>
{{#get_web_data:url=http://www.ltrhf.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5BUser%3AJeremi%5D%5D&po=FeaturedImagePage&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=FeaturedImagePage=FeaturedImagePage
}}'''{{#external_value:FeaturedImagePage}}'''

=== FROM COMMONS ===
<pre>{{#get_web_data:url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5B%27jam%20mgon%20kong%20sprul%5D%5D&po=PersonType&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=PersonType=PersonType
}}{{#external_value:PersonType}}</pre>
{{#get_web_data:url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5B%27jam%20mgon%20kong%20sprul%5D%5D&po=PersonType&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=PersonType=PersonType
}}'''{{#external_value:PersonType}}'''

== Another example with API and legacy mode on Commons ==

<pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:Dorje, G.}}%5D%5D%7C%3Fbio%7C%3FaffiliationRaw%7C%3FaffiliationsecondaryRaw%7C%3FAltNamesOtherRaw%7C%3FAltNamesTibRaw%7C%3FAltNamesWylieRaw%7C%3Farchivistnotes
&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=bio=bio,affiliationRaw=affiliationRaw,affiliationsecondaryRaw=affiliationsecondaryRaw,AltNamesOtherRaw=AltNamesOtherRaw,AltNamesTibRaw=AltNamesTibRaw,AltNamesWylieRaw=AltNamesWylieRaw,archivistnotes=archivistnotes
}}
{{#external_value:bio}}
</pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://commons-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:Dorje, G.}}%5D%5D%7C%3Fbio%7C%3FaffiliationRaw%7C%3FaffiliationsecondaryRaw%7C%3FAltNamesOtherRaw%7C%3FAltNamesTibRaw%7C%3FAltNamesWylieRaw%7C%3Farchivistnotes
&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=bio=bio,affiliationRaw=affiliationRaw,affiliationsecondaryRaw=affiliationsecondaryRaw,AltNamesOtherRaw=AltNamesOtherRaw,AltNamesTibRaw=AltNamesTibRaw,AltNamesWylieRaw=AltNamesWylieRaw,archivistnotes=archivistnotes
}}
{{#external_value:bio}}

== API legacy mode not working on DRL ==
<pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://research.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17 Vol. 1}}%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=Description=Description,BuNayTitle=BuNayTitle,Authorlibwiki=Authorlibwiki
}}
{{#external_value:Description}}
</pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://research.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17 Vol. 1}}%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=Description=Description,BuNayTitle=BuNayTitle,Authorlibwiki=Authorlibwiki
}}
{{#external_value:Description}}

== ASK legacy mode on DRL ==
<pre>
{{#get_web_data:url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5B{{urlencode:A Direct Path to the Buddha Within}}%5D%5D&po=citation&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=citation=citation
}}{{#external_value:citation}}
</pre>
{{#get_web_data:url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAsk&q=%5B%5B{{urlencode:A Direct Path to the Buddha Within}}%5D%5D&po=citation&p[format]=csv&p[sep]=,
|format=csv with header
|data=citation=citation
}}{{#external_value:citation}}

=== More DRL API ===

<pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17 Vol. 1}}%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=Description=Description,BuNayTitle=BuNayTitle,Authorlibwiki=Authorlibwiki
}}
{{#external_value:Description}}
</pre>
{{#get_web_data:
url=https://research-new.tsadra.org/api.php?action=ask&query=%5B%5B{{urlencode:The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17 Vol. 1}}%5D%5D%7C%3FDescription%7C%3FBuNayTitle%7C%3FAuthorlibwiki&format=json
|format=JSON
|data=Description=Description,BuNayTitle=BuNayTitle,Authorlibwiki=Authorlibwiki
}}
{{#external_value:Description}}

A few links:
*https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php/Special:Browse/:Dorje,-5FG.
*https://commons-new.tsadra.org/index.php/Special:FormEdit/Person/Dorje,_G.
*https://research.tsadra.org/index.php/Dorje,_G.
*https://www.semantic-mediawiki.org/wiki/SMWCon_Fall_2020/Export_semantic_data_via_API_(Tutorial)
*https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:External_Data
*https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:External_Data/Web_pages

*https://buddhanature-new.tsadra.org/index.php/User:JeremiP/ExternalData_New_Method

Main Page

2023-12-20T10:50:01Z

M.Koblensky:

<h1 class="large mt-5 mb-2" style="font-size: 2.7em; font-variant: none;"><span class="border-bottom-redfade">Buddha-Nature</span></h1>
<h1 class="mt-4 mb-2 border-0 text-center text-120 font-italic">Wisdom and compassion as our true nature.</h1>__NOGLOSSARY__

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File:Jochen-van-wylick-xUiUfbcpdaY-unsplash-stupa-nepal s.jpg

2023-12-20T10:49:11Z

M.Koblensky:

Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā

2023-04-12T20:02:49Z

M.Koblensky: Created page with "Test"

Test

སྙིང་པོའི་ཆོས་མཛོད།

2023-01-31T16:13:39Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

<div class="h1 large"> སྙིང་པོའི་ཆོས་མཛོད། </div>__NOTOC__{{#addbodyclass:no-first-heading larger-toc-text}}

{{Jumbotron
|featuredImage=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/thumb/9/9a/James-wheeler-5KpFjIdGnSQ-unsplash.jpg/800px-James-wheeler-5KpFjIdGnSQ-unsplash.jpg
|content=
དྲྭ་ངོས་འདིར་བོད་སྐད་དུ་ཡོད་པའི་གཞི་ཁམས་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་བསྟན་པའི་ མདོ་རྒྱུད།<br>
བསྟན་བཅོས། གསུང་ཆོས་བཅས་ཀྱི་དཔེ་ཆ། དཔེ་དེབ། གློག་བརྙན།<br>
སྒྲ་བཟུང་སོགས་བཞུགས།<br>
[[Library|དབྱིན་སྐད་དང་ཕར་ན་སིའི་སྐད་དུ་ཡོད་པ་རྣམས་གཟིགས་འདོད་ན་འདིར་གཟིགས་རོགས།]]
}}

<div class="row my-5 sticky-container offset">
<div class="col-lg-9 mt-5 mt-lg-0">

<h2 class="mt-0 pt-0"> [[Texts/Ratnagotravibh%C4%81ga_Mah%C4%81y%C4%81nottaratantra%C5%9B%C4%81stra/Root_Verses|ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ་རྒྱུད་བླ་མའི་རྩ་བ།]] </h2>

<div class="d-flex justify-content-center flex-wrap">
{{#ask: [[Category:Source Verses]][[VerseNumber::I.28]]
|?VerseNumber
|?MasterNumber
|?FrenchTrans
|sort=MasterNumber
|order=asc
|format=template
|template=NewVerses
|link=none
|limit=1
}}
</div>

[[Texts/Ratnagotravibhāga_Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra/Root_Verses|ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ་རྒྱུད་བླ་མ་ཡོངས་རྫོགས་འདིར་གཟིགས། <i class="fad fa-angle-right fa-sm align-middle"></i>]]

<h2> [[སྙིང་པོའི་ཆོས་མཛོད།/མདོ་རྒྱུད།|མདོ་རྒྱུད།]] </h2>

<div class="row m-0">
{{TibetanTileQuery
|query=[[TextClass::Sutra]]
|limit=6
|searchlabel=
|classes=p-0
|order=asc
}}
</div>
[[སྙིང་པོའི་ཆོས་མཛོད།/མདོ་རྒྱུད།|མདོ་རྒྱུད་གཞན། <i class="fad fa-angle-right fa-sm align-middle"></i>]]

<h2> [[སྙིང་པོའི་ཆོས་མཛོད།/བསྟན་བཅོས།|བསྟན་བཅོས།]] </h2>

<div class="row m-0">
{{TibetanTileQuery
|query=[[TextClass::Commentary]]
|limit=6
|searchlabel=
|classes=p-0
|order=asc
}}
</div>
[[སྙིང་པོའི་ཆོས་མཛོད།/བསྟན་བཅོས།|བསྟན་བཅོས་གཞན། <i class="fad fa-angle-right fa-sm align-middle"></i>]]

<h2> གསུང་ཆོས། </h2>

<div class="row m-0">
{{TibetanTileQuery
|query=[[Media/A_Discourse_on_the_Uttaratantra_by_14th_Dalai_Lama_in_Holland_(Part_1_of_4)]]OR
[[Media/Buddha_Potential_1:_Uttaratantra_by_Kirti_Tsenshab_Rinpoche_at_Land_of_Medicine_Buddha_(Part_1_of_9)]]OR
[[Media/Buddha_Potential_2:_Uttaratantra_by_Kirti_Tsenshab_Rinpoche_at_Land_of_Medicine_Buddha_(Part_1_of_7)]]OR
[[Media/Mahayana_Uttaratantra_Shastra:_Taught_by_Khenpo_Sodargye,_May_2019_(part_1)]]OR
[[Media/Teachings_on_the_Uttaratantra_by_Gyumed_Khensur_Rinpoche_Lobsang_Jampa_by_Do_Ngak_Kunphen_Ling,_Redding,_CT_and_the_Mahayana_Sutra_and_Tantra_Center_of_NJ_(Part_1_of_16)]]OR
[[Media/Karmapa_on_The_Nature_of_All_Beings]]OR
[[Media/Karmapa_on_the_Buddha-Nature_School:_Celebrating_the_Buddha-Nature_Website_Inauguration]]OR
[[Media/Karmapa_on_the_Nature_of_Mind]]OR
[[Articles/Khenpo Dawa Paljor's Teaching on Buddha-Nature following Mipham Rinpoche]]
|classes=p-0
}}
</div>
[[Dharma_Teachings|གསུང་ཆོས་གཞན། <i class="fad fa-angle-right fa-sm align-middle"></i>]]

<h2> རྒྱབ་རྟེན་མཁོ་ཆས། </h2>
*[http://www.yalasoo.com/Tibetan/yalasoo_bo_yalasoo.php ཡ་ལགས་སོ་བོད་ཀྱི་རིག་གནས་བརྒྱུད་སྤྲོད་སྒོང་སྤེལ་ཚོགས་པ། • Yalasoo]
*[https://www.tbrc.org/#!footer/about/newhome ནང་བསྟན་དཔེ་ཚོགས་ལྟེ་གནས། • BDRC]
*[http://www.dharmadownload.net/ དམ་ཆོས་འབྱུང་གནས། • Dharma Downloads]
*[https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/ ཨ་དཪྴ་ • Adarsha]
*[http://digitaltibetan.org/index.php/Main_Page བོད་སྐད་གློག་འཕྲུལ། • Digital Tibetan]
*[https://dharmacloud.tsadra.org/ མཐའ་ཡས་དཔེ་མཛོད། • Tsadra Timeless Treasuries]
*[https://dharmaebooks.org/ དམ་ཆོས་འཕྲུལ་དེབ། • Dharma Ebooks]
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<h2> དྲི་ལན། </h2>
[[Ask the writer-in-residence| གནས་སྡོད་རྩོམ་སྒྲིག་པ་ལ་བཀའ་འདྲི།]]

<h2> ཚིག་མཛོད་ </h2>

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Writer-in-digital-residence

2023-01-31T16:13:38Z

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<div class="h1 large">Writer-in-digital-residence</div>

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|content=The writer-in-digital-residence is the recipient of a grant designed to support Tsadra Foundation’s Buddhist literacy projects that connect the larger public with academic research and advance understanding of specific aspects of Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Writers help to curate this online resource and write essays on the history, philosophy, and practices associated with buddha-nature teachings and tathāgatagarbha theory in Tibet. These essays are addressed to an audience of educated readers of Buddhist materials and Buddhist practitioners.
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<h2 class="mt-0 pt-0"> Current writer </h2>

{{PersonProfile|People/Phuntsho, Karma}}

== Previous writers ==

{{PersonProfile|People/Gardner, A.}}

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Traditions

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|title=Exegetical Traditions
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|description=The doctrine of buddha-nature is found in all Mahāyāna Buddhist traditions. The theory developed in India in the first centuries of the Common Era and spread soon after to China and eventually on to Japan and Korea, based largely on the wildly popular treatise ''Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna''. Tibet received the teaching from India in the sixth and seventh centuries CE during the early propagation of Buddhism there, but the doctrine became widespread only with the translation of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' in the eleventh century. While it is not accepted by contemporary Asian Theravādin Buddhist communities, it can be said to be a part of most Western Vipassana teachings.
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==The Traditions of Buddha-Nature==

=== Early Buddhism and Buddhism in India ===

Buddha-nature theory does not appear in the Pāli canon. These scriptures were, according to legend, assembled at the First Council soon after the death of the Buddha and preserved orally until they were written down sometime around the turn of the first millennium. They are the sacred literature of early Buddhism and its sole surviving order: the Theravāda traditions of South and Southeast Asia. Buddha-nature is not rejected in these early Buddhist scriptures; it simply is not present. The notion of an innate enlightenment or the idea that the mind is inherently pure would have been unorthodox to traditional Theravāda Buddhist teachers. Early Buddhism, and most of traditional Theravāda Buddhism, teaches that consciousness is one of the five aggregates of conditioned existence and therefore cannot be associated with nirvāṇa, which is unconditioned. In Theravāda Buddhism nirvāṇa is the utter absence of saṃsāra, a state of nonexistence attained only after ''mahāparinirvāṇa''—that is, the death of a fully enlightened person.

Classical and modern scholars have attempted to find buddha-nature teachings in the Pāli canon, but the contemporary Western Theravādin teacher [[Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu]] has written that this is misguided. For example, buddha-nature proponents point to a passage from the ''Aṅguttaranikāya Sutta'' that reads, "Luminous, monks, is this mind, but sometimes it is defiled by adventitious defilements." [[Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu]] interprets the above passage as meaning simply that once the mind is stained, it can be purified; the text, he argues, makes no claim about the fundamental nature of the mind.
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We do not know how Buddhists in India engaged with buddha-nature theory; too little is known about the daily lives and practices of Indian Buddhists. The core buddha-nature scriptures such as the ''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra'', the ''[[Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra]]'', the ''[[Śrīmālādevīsūtra]]'', and the ''[[Laṅkāvatārasūtra]]'' all circulated widely beginning as early as the second century of the Common Era, and scholars believe that the ''[[Ratnagotravibhāga]]'', the influential commentary on buddha-nature whose author is unknown, was likely written during the fourth century. Thus the concept of buddha-nature was probably discussed and debated in most Indian Buddhist communities for a good thousand years before Buddhism disappeared in India in the thirteenth century.

Every Mahāyāna tradition teaches that because all phenomena arise in dependence on other phenomena they are empty of any self-nature. How to describe that emptiness is, however, a matter of considerable disagreement. The ideas of buddha-nature and the use of positive language to describe enlightenment and the true nature of reality were widely accepted in Indian Buddhist communities alongside the Madhyamaka philosophy of [[Nāgārjuna]] and his disciples. For Madhyamaka adherents, emptiness is the ultimate truth of reality, while conventional appearances—the "form" in the famous line from the ''Heart Sūtra'' that "form is emptiness, emptiness is no other than form"—are true only relative to the rest of the phenomenal world. "Because there are no phenomena that are not dependently arisen," Nāgārjuna wrote, "there are no phenomena that are not empty." All Mādhyamikas since have taken this to mean that not even buddha-nature can be said to exist. Language, because it is relativistic and dualistic, can describe only conventional appearances, not the ultimate, and so, for Madhyamaka, any description of the ultimate cannot be accurate or true. Emptiness can be described only in terms of what it is not: it is not conditioned, not permanent, and so forth. For strict Madhyamaka interpreters, buddha-nature must be considered a provisional teaching, useful but not literally true.

Although Nāgārjuna and his followers asserted that their unity of the two truths—the ultimate truth of emptiness and the relative truth of dependent phenomena—avoids the extremes of eternalism and nihilism (''Madhyamaka'' means “middle way”), not everyone was convinced, and from the very start Madhyamaka was accused of nihilism. While accepting dependent origination and the doctrine of two truths, adherents of the Yogācāra school, for example, directed their focus to the psychological structures that make ignorance and enlightenment possible. In doing so they were willing to assert the fundamental existence of the mind and its qualities, particularly that of self-reflexive awareness. Buddha-nature theory, which holds that the mind is ultimately empty and at the same time luminous, in the sense of being self-reflexive, was naturally appealing to Yogācāra writers, even though in some ways it conflicted with core beliefs, such as that not all beings are destined for enlightenment.

There is reason to believe that buddha-nature theory had an influence on Indian tantra, which draws on doctrines from multiple Mahāyāna schools and integrates ascetic and antinomian practices into a Buddhist framework. Tantric practice relies on the cultivation of mental experiences of luminosity, which is a Buddhist metaphor for the innate purity of mind, and which came to be equated with buddha-nature and the ''dharmakāya''. Tantra is also often described as a set of techniques to circumvent the lengthy process of purifying defilements and accumulating merit, with the promise of attaining enlightenment in a single lifetime. This is allegedly possible due to the potency of the practices, but it also presumes an already-existing correspondence between the body, speech, and mind of the practitioner and those of a buddha, to which one gains access through complex and often arcane mental and physical practices. Tantric theory does not entirely embrace buddha-nature, however. The often-used metaphor of the lotus arising from mud would suggest a transformation rather than an actualization; the mud and the lotus are not of the same nature.

===East Asian Buddhism===

Buddha-nature is a central doctrine in all East Asian Buddhist traditions, although it is of lesser importance in Pure Land teachings. The main Indian buddha-nature scriptures were translated into Chinese starting in the early decades of the fifth century, during a period of renewed interest in Indian scriptures. The ''[[Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra]]'' in particular provided a scriptural justification for the idea that all beings have the innate capacity for enlightenment. Within a hundred years of most of these translations, a native composition called the ''[[Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna]]'' (''Dasheng qixin lun'' 大乗起信論) placed buddha-nature theory into a framework of original enlightenment (''benjue'' 本覺) and actualized enlightenment (''shijue'' 事覺), which holds that the mind is by nature enlightened and that one need only realize that truth to be liberated. Both terms ultimately refer to the same state; the enlightenment attained is fundamentally the same as the enlightenment that was earlier obscured by ignorance. The ''Awakening of Faith'' also accomplished a synthesis of buddha-nature with the Yogācāra doctrine of ''ālayavijñāna'', which it used to explain the origin and perdurance of ignorance.

Following the rush of new translations in the fifth and sixth centuries, brilliant Chinese thinkers began to systematize the teachings they had received, their ideas and practices coalescing into formal Buddhist schools such as Tiantai, Huayan, and Chan (schools that, it should be remembered, had a great deal of intersection and cross-fertilization). The Tiantai school 天台宗 was established by [[Zhiyi]] (智顗 538–597) using the ''[[Lotus Sūtra]]'' as his scriptural foundation. As part of his teaching that every moment of thought contains the full span of existence, [[Zhiyi]] advocated for the coexistence of buddha-nature and the unenlightened state in all beings, be they buddhas or unfortunate residents of the hell realms. After a period of decline, Tiantai was revitalized by [[People/Jingxi_Zhanran|Zhanran]] (湛然 711–782), who advocated for the buddha-nature not only of sentient beings but also of inanimate objects, an idea that found popular appeal and has confounded philosophers ever since. In Japan the tradition, known there as Tendai, was established by [[Saichō]] (最澄 767–822), who popularized original enlightenment in Japan and incorporated tantric practices into the tradition.

In the Huayan school 華嚴宗, the ''[[Awakening of Faith]]'', alongside the ''[[Texts/Buddhāvataṃsakasūtra|Avataṃsakasūtra]]'', was central in the writings of the great patriarchs [[Fazang]] (法藏 643–712) and [[Zongmi]] (宗密 780–841). [[Fazang]] wrote the definitive commentary on the ''[[Awakening of Faith]]''—it was the starting point of all subsequent commentaries—in which he divided all of Buddhism into four schools: Hīnayāna, Mahāyāna, Yogācāra, and Tathāgatagarbha. Although not officially a Yogācāra tradition, Huayan absorbed earlier Chinese Yogācāra traditions such as the Dilun school 地論宗, named after the Chinese title of [[Vasubandhu]]’s ''Daśabhūmivyākhyāna'', a major Yogācāra treatise. Despite the continuing influence of the Huayan writings, the school declined soon after [[Zongmi]]’s time due to official persecution and waning interest in scholastic exegesis, and also from being replaced in popularity by the meditative traditions of Chan and the Pure Land practices of reciting the name of Buddha Amitābha.

In Chan and Zen 禪宗, buddha-nature and original-enlightenment teachings are used to explain the value of meditation in a tradition that teaches that there is nothing to be done. Like all Buddhist traditions, Chan and Zen are awash in rituals and ceremonies designed to achieve all sorts of goals, from making rain to attaining enlightenment. Such activities are vital to the functioning of religious communities and their preservation of the teachings; one Chan sect in medieval China took literally the notion that one need do nothing to attain enlightenment, decided to stop performing any rituals, and so vanished from history. Chan is at least rhetorically centered on meditation—the name of the school is the first character in the transliteration of the Sanskrit word ''dhyāna'', or meditation (禪那).

A doctrinal issue particularly associated with Chan is that of sudden versus gradual enlightenment. The gradual path (''jianwu'' 漸悟) is described as the eons-long accumulation of merit and purification of saṃsāric stains, while the sudden path (''dunwu'' 頓悟) teaches that all one must do is cease delusion. Or, as a Chinese proverb puts it, "put down your butcher knife and become a buddha right now" (放下屠刀立地成佛), the butcher knife symbolizing the harm we do ourselves and others by believing in a fundamental distinction between self and other. The debate is most famously articulated in the ''Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch'', in which dueling poems express first the gradual and then the sudden position:

:The body is the bodhi tree;
:The mind is like a bright mirror’s stand.
:Be always diligent in rubbing it—
:Do not let it attract any dust.

:Bodhi is fundamentally without any tree;
:The bright mirror is also not a stand.
:Fundamentally there is not a single thing—
:Where could any dust be attracted?

Building on the theory of two truths, the great Japanese Zen teacher [[Dōgen]] (道元 1200–1253) taught that all meditation practice is performed not to attain enlightenment but to express one's innate enlightenment. The famous Zen proverb "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him" expresses this: if you think that the Buddha is someone or somewhere else, you're wasting your time; destroy that idea and realize your own innate enlightenment.
The Japanese Shingon school (真言宗), founded by the monk [[Kūkai]] (空海 774–835), combines the buddha-nature teachings of the mainstream Chinese Mahāyāna with tantric traditions centered around Buddha Vairocana. Shingon's esoteric practice is a ritual engagement with the body of Vairocana, which is equated with the dharmakāya and thereby with buddha-nature.

===Tibet / Mongolia / Bhutan===

Like the Buddhist traditions of East Asia, those of Tibet have always been in close contact, cross-fertilizing each other with innovations and shared practices. The dominant traditions of Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Geluk are better understood as loose categories of affiliation than as closed systems, and leaders often move between monasteries to pursue their education. There is therefore no buddha-nature position that can be said to belong to any one particular tradition. Rather, buddha-nature teachings in Tibet are debated in terms of provisional versus definitive and whether buddha-nature is simply another word for emptiness or has qualities of its own. That is, at issue is whether buddha-nature is empty of all qualities (a position known as ''rangtong'', or "self-emptiness" in Tibetan) or is empty of all but its own qualities (''shentong'', or "other-emptiness"). These conversations began in India but took on new life in Tibet.

Buddha-nature theory in Tibet is largely based on the fifth-century treatise the ''[[Ratnagotravibhāga]]'', popularly known in Tibet as the ''Uttaratantra'', or ''Gyü Lama'' (''Rgyud bla ma''), which was translated into Tibetan in the eleventh century. The two poles of dialogue are traditionally defined in Tibet as the analytic and meditative traditions of ''[[Ratnagotravibhāga]]'' exegesis. The analytic tradition generally relies on strict Madhyamaka presentations of emptiness and rejects any attempt to describe ultimate reality with positive characteristics. The definitive commentary on this text is that of [[Ngok Lotsāwa Loden Sherab]] (Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab, 1059–1109), which is still studied today in scholastic institutions, primarily those belonging to the Geluk and Sakya traditions. Among the great thinkers who contributed their voices to this side of the discussion are [[Sakya Paṇḍita Kunga Gyaltsen]] (Sa kya paN Di ta kun dga’ rgyal mtshan, 1182–1251), who established doctrinal orthodoxy for the Sakya tradition in the thirteenth century, and [[Gyaltsap Je Darma Rinchen]] (Rgyal tshab rje dar ma rin chen, 1364–1432), one of several close disciples of [[Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa]] (Tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa, 1357–1419), who together initiated the Geluk tradition in the fourteenth century.

The meditative tradition encompasses a wide span of buddha-nature theory found primarily in the Jonang, Kagyu, and Nyingma traditions. Ngok's Indian master [[Sajjana]] had another disciple, [[Tsen Khawoche]] (Btsan kha bo che, born 1021), whose commentary is lost but who set the stage for the definition of buddha-nature as "luminosity," here a metaphor for reflexive self-awareness. [[Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen]] (Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan, 1292–1361), a fourteenth-century monk from the Tibetan-Nepali border region who became abbot of the monastery Jonang, is credited in Tibet with the origin of other-emptiness. Few subsequent proponents of the other-emptiness position fully agreed with Dölpopa; most, such as the [[Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje]] (Karma pa 03 Rang ’byung rdo rje, 1284–1339), and the Sakya commentator [[Śākya Chokden]] (ShAkya mchog ldan, 1428–1507), sought out a middle ground that would teach a unity of emptiness and luminosity, a view that became standard in Mahāmudrā and Dzogchen. The Dzogchen teachings of the Nyingma tradition can also be placed within the meditative tradition, although Nyingma exegetes before the nineteenth-century philosopher [[Mipam Gyatso]] (Mi pham rgya mtsho, 1846–1912) seldom wrote much about buddha-nature. The Buddhisms of Mongolia and Bhutan and other Central Asian and Himalayan regions are, at least doctrinally, faithful to the traditions developed in Tibet.

===Western Buddhism===

Western Buddhism is a broad catchall for Buddhist traditions outside of Asia. It encompasses teachings and practices that were brought to Russia, Europe, Australia, and the Americas by both Asian-born teachers and Western-born men and women who studied in Asian Buddhist communities. A list of major figures would include [[D. T. Suzuki]] (1870–-1966), translator of the ''[[Awakening of Faith]]''; his patron [[Paul Carus]] (1852–1919), the author of ''Gospel of the Buddha''; and [[Dwight Goddard]] (1861–1939), compiler of ''[[A Buddhist Bible]]''. The list would also include [[Shunryū Suzuki]] (1904–1971), author of the beloved ''Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind'' and founder (in 1967) of Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the first Buddhist monastery outside of Asia; the charismatic Tibetan teacher [[Chögyam Trungpa]] (1939–1987), who founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974 as well as the worldwide Shambhala organization; and the Burmese Theravādin meditation master Mahāsi Sayādaw (1904–1982), who popularized the modern Vipassana (in Pāli, insight) method in Asia and trained the first generation of Western Vipassana teachers. The Vietnamese Zen monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh (born 1926), the founder of the Plum Village tradition, is perhaps the last living member of the first generations of Asian Buddhist teachers that came to the West.

The Western students of these and other Asian masters have become some of the most influential Western Buddhist teachers, such as [[Sharon Salzberg]], [[Joseph Goldstein]], and [[Jack Kornfield]] in the Vipassana community, Robert Aitken (1917–2010) and Joan Halifax in the American Zen community, and Pema Chödron in the Tibetan community (unlike the majority of Western Zen and Vipassana communities, Western Tibetan practitioners continue to rely primarily on Tibetan teachers living in exile). Few of these teachers seem overly concerned with maintaining a separation between their received tradition and the Buddhisms of other regions, and together they have contributed to a new form of Buddhism marked by eclectic assortments of teachings and practices, all of which embrace buddha-nature as a core tenet, explicitly or otherwise. This is true even in the Vipassana community, despite the objection of traditionalists such as the American monk [[Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu]], mentioned at the beginning of this essay. For example, [[Sharon Salzberg]] illustrates the value of buddha-nature by telling of a meeting in 1990 with the [[Fourteenth Dalai Lama]] during which she asked about self-loathing. The [[People/Dalai_Lama,_14th|Dalai Lama]] responded with incredulity that any person would hate themselves: "But you have Buddha nature," he said. "How could you think of yourself that way?" [[Jack Kornfield]] has a teaching series called [https://www.spiritrock.org/buddha-nature "Awakening to Your Buddha Nature"] and leads retreats on the topic.

Perhaps more than any other contemporary Western Buddhist, [[Joseph Goldstein]] models the modern Western synthesis of disparate Asian Buddhist traditions. His book [https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062517012/one-dharma/ ''One Dharma''] represents the first Western ''drumta'' (Tib. ''grub mtha’''), or ''panjiao'' 叛教—that is, classification of tenet systems, a genre of religious writing that both Tibetans and Chinese engaged in extensively to organize all the received Buddhist teachings. Goldstein's tenet system unites the Theravāda Vipassana tradition of the Burmese, Thai, and Bengali teachers who provided the major part of his training; the Tibetan tradition of Dzogchen, which he received well after becoming a highly regarded Buddhist teacher himself; and Zen, in which he is evidently well read but in which he does not appear to have received formal training.

Goldstein acknowledges that buddha-nature teachings are not present in Theravāda Buddhism, save for in the Thai Forest tradition, which developed in the late nineteenth century and which holds that the mind preexists the five aggregates and survives the attainment of nirvāṇa. With support from the Thai masters, Goldstein is able to put forward buddha-nature (or its synonyms) as the definition of wisdom in his ''One Dharma'' synthesis:{{Blockquote|In Buddhism there are many names for ultimate freedom: Buddha-Nature, the Unconditioned, Dharmakaya, the Unborn, the Pure Heart, Mind Essence, Nature of Mind, Ultimate Bodhicitta, Nirvana.}}

Goldstein acknowledges the fundamental philosophical divide between Pāli Buddhism and the Mahāyāna traditions, between consciousness understood as a conditioned aggregate that is left behind at liberation and mind as the ground of enlightenment. In the face of this, and as a strategy of permitting an otherwise untenable synthesis, he states that he can only recommend humility; he can’t square them, but he knows that both are correct. One might suspect that he does not want to insult his beloved teachers by relegating the early Buddhist teachings to the categories of skillful means and provisional truth. But the suggestion is there, both in his introduction, where he offers the two truths as one of four basic principles of ''One Dharma'' ("what is called in Buddhism 'the two truths'—the relative and the ultimate perspectives of reality—together provide a framework for holding divergent points of view") and later in the first pages of chapter 8, on compassion, where he calls them "a matrix of seeing all of the varied teachings as part of the One Dharma of freedom." The book, our first Western systematization of the tenets, might not be entirely successful at reconciling contradictions among the teachings, but it is nonetheless the clearest expression of contemporary Western Buddhism's intention of integrating everything all the same—with buddha-nature ever unspoken at the peripheries, if not smack in the middle.

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Topics

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|description=In the latter stages of its historical development in India, the idea of buddha-nature emerged as one of the most salient features of the Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition. As this form of Buddhism spread beyond the cultural milieu of ancient India, the importance of buddha-nature became evermore pronounced. In East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism, buddha-nature came to be a major keystone in the assimilation and adaptation of the Indian scriptural tradition. And, as these forms of Buddhism expanded upon that Indian heritage and developed their own literary expression of the Buddhist teachings, buddha-nature continued to be a major theme that was revisited again and again. Thus buddha-nature was weaved into the very fabric of these Buddhist traditions. Below you will find a list of pertinent topics related to buddha-nature, along with some of the major themes in which it played a crucial role.
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===== Topic Pages =====

Below you will find a list of topics that touch upon issues related to buddha-nature. Follow the links to view the pages on which content on this site related to these topics is aggregated.

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===== Terms =====

Below you will find a list of key terms. Follow the links to view the individual glossary entries for these terms, as well as a listing of content on this site related to these as topics.

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Tibetan Art

2023-01-31T16:13:29Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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<div class="h1 large"> Tibetan Art </div>

{{Jumbotron
|featuredImage=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/f/f6/Shrineroom14.jpg
|content=There are already quality representations of the amazing and unique art of Tibet and the Himalayas online. Here are some of the most interesting sources where you can learn more...
}}

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== Himalayan Art Resources ==
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<gallery mode="slideshow" class="hi-500 link-no-border mt-0 mb-0">
File:Shakyamuni Buddha with 8 bodhisattvas Image from HAR.jpg|Shakyamuni Buddha with 8 bodhisattvas
File:Abhayakaragupta - PNG 1000px.png|Abhayakaragupta
File:Asanga - PNG 1000px.png|Asanga
File:Atisha - PNG 1000px.png|Atisha
File:Ghantapa, Padmavajra, and Kukkuripa - PNG 1000px.png|Ghantapa, Padmavajra, and Kukkuripa
File:Machig - PNG 1000px.png|Machig
File:Padmasambhava - PNG 1000px.png|Padmasambhava
File:Rongzom - PNG 1000px.png|Rongzom
File:Sakya Pandita - PNG 1000px.png|Sakya Pandita
File:Tara - PNG 1000px.png|Green Tara
File:Vasubhandu - PNG 1000px.png|Vasubhandu
</gallery>
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<div class="bnw-text-section clearfix">
[http://www.himalayanart.org/ Himalayan Art] is an excellent resource for students, scholars, and translators to reference authentic artistic representations of Buddhist deities and ideas through an unparalleled collection of painting, sculpture, and textiles. An excellent example of recently updated content available from Himalayan Art Resources is the [http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=211 Bodhisattva image page] and associated [http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2681 Eight Great Bodhisattvas subject page], which provides a wealth of information about one of the most common images of Himalayan Buddhism.

''The mission of the Himalayan Art Resources website (HAR) is to create a comprehensive education and research database and virtual museum of Himalayan art:''

''First, the website exhibits images of art from museum, university and private collections throughout the world.''

''Second, the website documents all Himalayan art objects that are known through past or present collections or publications.''

''Third, the database identifies and catalogues all images (comprised of painting, sculpture, ritual objects, murals, etc.). When an object image is not available for lack of permission from the copyright holder, the database uses a place card image. Book cover images are used for publications and generic place cards for collections.''

''Fourth, the Himalayan Art Resources Inc. website owns no actual or material art. All images on the Himalayan Art Resources Inc. website belong to the individual institutions, museums, private collections and individuals that have loaned their images to the site.''
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== The Rubin Museum, New York ==

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[[File:Shrineroom14.jpg|class=rounded float-right ml-3 depth-2|350px|link=|]]
The Rubin Museum of Art is an arts and cultural hub in New York City's vibrant Chelsea neighborhood that inspires visitors to make connections between contemporary life and the art and ideas of the Himalayas and neighboring regions including India. With a diverse array of thought-provoking exhibitions and programs—including films, concerts, and on-stage conversations—the Rubin provides immersive experiences that encourage personal discoveries and spark new ways of seeing the world. Emphasizing cross-cultural connections, the Rubin is a space to contemplate ideas that extend across history and span human cultures. The Rubin Museum has a set of fascinating interactive online art with useful descriptions and videos. Take, for example, the educational resource connected with the "All-Knowing Buddha Vairochana" exhibit: [http://akb.rubinmuseum.org/cultural_animate.html?_ga=2.73929233.2038957405.1505144992-94378239.1505144992 Explore cultural connections by clicking] on sections of a traditional Tibetan image and learning about what each piece means — you can even listen to examples of the musical instruments depicted in the image.
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<i class="fad fa-video fa-fw"></i> Welcome to the Rubin Museum of Art
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<i class="fad fa-video fa-fw"></i> An Inside Look
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<i class="fad fa-video fa-fw"></i> The Rubin Museum of Art in One Word
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<i class="fad fa-video fa-fw"></i> "All-Knowing Buddha Vairochana" Exhibit
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<div class="bnw-resources-button">
<i class="fad fa-video fa-fw"></i> Vairochana Visualization
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<i class="fad fa-microphone-alt"></i> Short Vajrasattva Mantra
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<div class="bnw-resources col-lg-9 p-0">
<div class="bnw-resource-item">{{#ev:youtube|Mckxsn1fEo0}}</div>
<div class="bnw-resource-item">{{#ev:youtube|D1YXGvcBQyo}}</div>
<div class="bnw-resource-item">{{#ev:youtube|dK-XYkWeRLM}}</div>
<div class="bnw-resource-item">{{#ev:youtube|mpzvUjR1S3s}}</div>
<div class="bnw-resource-item">{{#ev:youtube|IPKAJX-HnTo}}</div>
<div class="bnw-resource-item">[[File:03 Vajrasattva Mantra (Short Version).ogg|640px]]</div>
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<noinclude>[[Category:Buddha-Nature Project Tests]]</noinclude>

Thupten Jinpa: Emptiness and Buddha-Nature: A Creative Tension Between Two Fundamental Concepts of Mahayana Thought

2023-01-31T16:13:29Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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|eventTitle=Thupten Jinpa
|eventSubtitle=Emptiness and Buddha-Nature: A Creative Tension Between Two Fundamental Concepts of Mahayana Thought
|description=Please join us online for a special event at the start of 2022 with the world-renowned speaker, author, and translator, Thupten Jinpa.

Thupten Jinpa is a former Tibetan monk and a Geshe Lharampa with B.A. in philosophy and a Ph.D. in religious studies, both from Cambridge University. Since 1985, he has been the principal English translator to H.H. the Dalai Lama and has translated and edited numerous books by the Dalai Lama, including the New York Times Bestsellers Ethics for the New Millennium and The Art of Happiness. Jinpa’s own publications include works in Tibetan, English translations as well as books, the latest being Tsongkhapa: A Buddha in the Land of Snows and Illuminating the Intent, a translation of Je Tsongkhapa's commentary on Entering the Middle Way. Jinpa is the general series editor of the 32-volume Bod kyi tsug lag gces btus series, whose translations are published in English as The Library of Tibetan Classics. His current projects include the editing of classical Indian Buddhist texts from Tengyur for a special anthology known as Rgya gzhung gnad che bdam bsgrigs (Selected Indian Buddhist treaties). He is the main author of CCT (Compassion Cultivation Training), an eight-week formal program developed at Stanford University, and co-founder and president of the Compassion Institute. He is the Chair of Mind and Life Institute, founder of the Institute of Tibetan Classics, and an adjunct professor at the School of Religious Studies at McGill University. Jinpa lives in Montreal and is married with two daughters.
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|EventSeries=Conversations on Buddha-Nature
|date=29 January 2022
|eventtime=9:00 AM
|timezone=Eastern Standard Time
|zoomlink=https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2Cg4iyBSRpuoZUm1wLXDXQ
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|recommendedcontent=Books/A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages; Books/Bde gshegs snying po rigs kyi chos skor
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|content=Illuminating the Intent: This Dharma Chat was a special book launch where we celebrated the release of Jinpa’s translation of Tsongkhapa’s Illuminating the Intent: An Exposition of Candrakīrti’s Entering the Middle Way.

Topics discussed include the significance of this text, common misunderstandings of Nāgārjuna’s Madhyamaka, some of Tsongkhapa’s most important ideas and philosophies, and much more.
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|content=How the courage to be compassionate can transform our lives
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Themes

2023-01-31T16:13:28Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

{{FullPagePanel
|title=The Themes
|image=File:Jason-leung-D4YrzSwyIEc-unsplash.jpg
|description=Here you will find some examples of major themes in which the influence of buddha-nature is readily apparent. The first two are directly related to the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' and address topics discussed in the treatise. The following themes are mostly related to the Tibetan tradition and detail how these teachings entered Tibet, as well as several important developments that arose based upon the buddha-nature teachings and how these intersected with other prominent forms of Buddhism that spread in Tibet. These pages are intended as basic introductions to these themes and include citations from traditional sources as well as suggestions for further reading in modern publications.
}}

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<h2 class="mt-0 pt-0">Buddha-Nature Themes</h2>
<div class="row p-1">
{{LocalTile
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|header=The Seven Vajra Topics
|image=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/7/7e/Maitreya_teaching_in_Tushita.jpg
|content=The ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' is based around the explanation of seven topics or subjects, known as the seven ''vajrapada''. These seven are the ''buddha'', ''dharma'', ''sangha'', the element (''dhātu''), enlightenment (''bodhi''), enlightened qualities (''guṇa''), and enlightened activities (''karman'').
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{{LocalTile
|link=The Nine Similes
|header=The Nine Similes
|image=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/5/57/Buddha_Within.jpg
|content=The ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'' utilizes a series of nine similes to describe how buddha-nature exists within sentient beings— a state in which this basic element is ever-present, but obscured by the adventitious stains of afflictive emotions. These nine are repeated and explained in the first chapter of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', in which they are enumerated as 1) a buddha in a decaying lotus, 2) honey amid bees, 3) kernels in their husks, 4) gold in filth, 5) a treasure in the earth, 6) a sprout and so on from a small fruit, 7) an image of the victor in a tattered garment, 8) royalty in the womb of a destitute woman, and 9) a precious statue in clay.
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{{LocalTile
|link=The Traditions of Ngok and Tsen
|header=The Traditions of Ngok and Tsen
|image=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/d/de/Ngok_Lotsawa.jpg
|content=The analytic tradition (''thos bsam gyi lugs'') and the meditative tradition (''sgom lugs'') originated with the Tibetan disciples of the Kashmiri master [[Sajjana]], namely [[Ngok Lotsāwa]] and [[Tsen Khawoche]], respectively.
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|link=Other-Emptiness and the Great Middle Way
|header=Other-Emptiness and the Great Middle Way
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|content=The philosophical concept of other-emptiness (zhentong) has long since been a lightning rod for controversy on the Tibetan plateau. Some of its most ardent supporters have had their works banned, yet it not only endured, but gained the support of prominent adherents of almost every one of the major Tibetan schools.
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|link=Mahāmudrā and Buddha-Nature
|header=Mahāmudrā & Buddha-Nature
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|content=For the Kagyu, the lines of transmission of the Ratnagotravibhāga and the Mahāmudrā teachings converge with the Indian teacher Maitrīpa. In terms of the former, Maitrīpa is believed to have extracted the treatise from a stūpa after receiving instructions from Maitreya in a dream.
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|content=With roots stretching back to the 8th century, the notion of tathāgatagarbha was initially introduced into the lexicon of what would become the Nyingma Tradition through scholastic works that sought to reconcile the philosophy of Madhyamaka and Yogācāra, as well as through Tantric literature that presented advanced
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|image=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/9/9c/Tantra_and_Buney.jpg
|content=Though the theory of buddha-nature is more readily associated with certain Mahāyāna Sūtras and related treatises, such as the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', in the Tibetan tradition there also developed a strong association between this concept and the Vajrayāna. For instance, terms like tathāgatagarbha and sugatagarbha also appear in tantric literature and in the Jonang tradition Dolpopa's development of his famed view of other-emptiness (zhentong) was directly linked with a profound realization he attained through his practice of the Kālacakra Tantra.
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{{LocalTile
|link=Contemporary Masters on Buddha-Nature
|header=Contemporary Masters on Buddha-Nature
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|content=Though the teachings of buddha-nature have a long and storied history, that is not to say that it is an idea which is merely consigned to the past. It is not something that Buddhists once believed, but have since abandoned for new paradigms of how one might now, in our modern times, progress along the path. Rather buddha-nature remains a key feature of many of the Buddhist traditions that exist today.
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The Treasury of Knowledge Series

2023-01-31T16:13:23Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

{{FullPagePanel
|title=The Treasury of Knowledge Series
|image=File:Kongtrul2.jpg
|description=When it was published, The Treasury of Knowledge was the largest single work by a Tibetan author translated into English. In Tibetan religious literature, its ten books stand out as a unique masterpiece embodying the entire range of Buddhist teachings as they were preserved in Tibet. In his monumental work, Jamgön Kongtrul presents an encyclopedic account of the major lines of thought and practice that comprise Tibetan Buddhism.
|imagePosition=top
}}

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<h2 class="mt-0 pt-0">Sponsor & Publisher</h2>
<div class="row">
{{ExTile
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|header=Tsadra Foundation
|content=Visit the Tsadra Foundation page for this translation series, and browse the other translation projects of the foundation.
|link=https://www.tsadra.org/publication/english-publications/treasury-of-knowledge-series/
}}
{{ExTile
|image=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/thumb/7/70/Shambhala_Logo-Color_flame_with_name.png/378px-Shambhala_Logo-Color_flame_with_name.png
|header=Shambhala Publications
|content=Visit Shambhala Publications' page for this series, and read the descriptions of each volume.
|link=https://www.shambhala.com/treasuryofknowledge.html
}}
</div>
<h2>The Source Text</h2>
<h3 class="hidden p-0 m-0 h-0">Source: Shes bya kun la khyab pa'i mdzod</h3>{{#widget:BootsrapHorizontalCard
|img_src=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/7/76/Kongtrul1.png
|img_alt=Shes bya kun la khyab pa'i mdzod
|card_title=Source: Shes bya kun la khyab pa'i mdzod
|card_text=In Tibetan religious literature, its ten books stand out as a unique masterpiece embodying the entire range of Buddhist teachings as they were preserved in Tibet. In his monumental work, Jamgön Kongtrul presents an encyclopedic account of the major lines of thought and practice that comprise Tibetan Buddhism.
|card_muted_small_text=More on the source text <i class="fad fa-angle-right align-middle"></i>
|link=Texts/Shes_bya_kun_la_khyab_pa%27i_mdzod
}}
<h2>Translated Volumes</h2>
<h3 class="hidden p-0 m-0 h-0">Book I: Myriad Worlds</h3>{{#widget:BootsrapHorizontalCard
|img_src=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/thumb/8/82/Myriad_Worlds-front.jpg/398px-Myriad_Worlds-front.jpg
|img_alt=Myriad Worlds
|card_title=Book I: Myriad Worlds
|card_text=This first book of The Treasury which serves as a prelude to Kongtrul's survey describes four major cosmological systems found in the Tibetan tradition—those associated with the Hinayana, Mahayana, Kalachakra, and Dzogchen teachings. Each of these cosmologies shows how the world arises from mind, whether through the accumulated results of past actions or from the constant striving of awareness to know itself.
|card_muted_small_text=Read more on the publisher page <i class="fad fa-angle-right align-middle"></i>
|link=https://www.shambhala.com/the-treasury-of-knowledge-book-one.html
|translators=<i>Translated by</i> Kalu Rinpoché Translation Group
}}<h3 class="hidden p-0 m-0 h-0">Books II, III, and IV: Buddhism's Journey to Tibet</h3>{{#widget:BootsrapHorizontalCard
|img_src=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/thumb/1/1f/Buddhism%27s_Journey_to_Tibet-front.jpg/525px-Buddhism%27s_Journey_to_Tibet-front.jpg
|img_alt=Buddhism's Journey to Tibet
|card_title=Books II, III, and IV: Buddhism's Journey to Tibet
|card_text=Beginning with the appearance of the Buddha in our world (Book Two), it describes the Buddha's life, his enlightenment, and what he taught (Book Three) from a multitude of Buddhist viewpoints. Buddhism's transmission to and preservation in Tibet is the focus of the main part of this volume (Book Four), which describes the scriptural transmissions and lineages of meditation practice as well as the Buddhist arts that together make up the world of Tibetan Buddhism.
|card_muted_small_text=More on this book <i class="fad fa-angle-right align-middle"></i>
|link=Books/Buddhism%27s_Journey_to_Tibet
|translators=<i>Translated by</i> Ngawang Zangpo
}}<h3 class="hidden p-0 m-0 h-0">Book V: Buddhist Ethics</h3>{{#widget:BootsrapHorizontalCard
|img_src=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/thumb/d/de/Buddhist_Ethics-front.jpg/405px-Buddhist_Ethics-front.jpg
|img_alt=Buddhist Ethics
|card_title=Book V: Buddhist Ethics
|card_text=This volume is the fifth book of that work and is considered by many scholars to be its heart. Jamgön Kongtrül explains the complete code of personal liberation as it applies to both monastic and lay persons, the precepts for those aspiring to the life of a bodhisattva, and the exceptional pledges for practitioners on the tantric path of pure perception.
|card_muted_small_text=Read more on the publisher page <i class="fad fa-angle-right align-middle"></i>
|link=https://www.shambhala.com/treasury-of-knowledge-book-5.html
|translators=<i>Translated by</i> Kalu Rinpoché Translation Group
}}<h3 class="hidden p-0 m-0 h-0">Book VI, Part I & II: Indo-Tibetan Classical Learning and Buddhist Phenomenology</h3>{{#widget:BootsrapHorizontalCard
|img_src=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/thumb/f/fc/Indo-Tibetan_Classical_Learning_and_Buddhist_Phenomenology-front.jpg/402px-Indo-Tibetan_Classical_Learning_and_Buddhist_Phenomenology-front.jpg
|img_alt=Indo-Tibetan Classical Learning and Buddhist Phenomenology
|card_title=Book VI, Part I & II: Indo-Tibetan Classical Learning and Buddhist Phenomenology
|card_text=The first two parts of Book Six, contained in this volume, respectively concern Indo-Tibetan classical learning and Buddhist phenomenology. The former analyzes the traditional subjects of phonology and Sanskrit grammar, logic, fine art, and medicine, along with astrology, poetics, prosody, synonymics, and dramaturgy.
|card_muted_small_text=Read more on the publisher page <i class="fad fa-angle-right align-middle"></i>
|link=https://www.shambhala.com/the-treasury-of-knowledge-book-six-parts-one-and-two-2408.html
|translators=<i>Translated by</i> Gyurme Dorje
}}<h3 class="hidden p-0 m-0 h-0">Book VI, Part III: Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy</h3>{{#widget:BootsrapHorizontalCard
|img_src=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/thumb/c/cd/Frameworks_of_Buddhist_Philosophy-front.jpg/402px-Frameworks_of_Buddhist_Philosophy-front.jpg
|img_alt=Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy
|card_title=Book VI, Part III: Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy
|card_text=This volume, Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy, is his masterful survey of the broad themes and subtle philosophical points found in more than fifteen hundred years of Buddhist philosophical writings. In a clear and systematic manner, he sets out the traditional framework of Buddhism's three vehicles and four philosophical systems, and provides an overview of the key points of each system.
|card_muted_small_text=More on this book <i class="fad fa-angle-right align-middle"></i>
|link=Books/Frameworks_of_Buddhist_Philosophy
|translators=<i>Translated by</i> Elizabeth Callahan
}}<h3 class="hidden p-0 m-0 h-0">Book VI, Part IV: Systems of Buddhist Tantra</h3>{{#widget:BootsrapHorizontalCard
|img_src=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/thumb/4/47/Systems_of_Buddhist_Tantra-front.jpg/401px-Systems_of_Buddhist_Tantra-front.jpg
|img_alt=Systems of Buddhist Tantra
|card_title=Book VI, Part IV: Systems of Buddhist Tantra
|card_text=The tantric path is often referred to as the indestructible way of secret mantra, the essence of which is the indestructible union of wisdom (the understanding of emptiness) and method (immutable great bliss). This volume sets forth the various systems that constitute this path, both those of the ancient tantra tradition and of the new tradition.
|card_muted_small_text=Read more on the publisher page <i class="fad fa-angle-right align-middle"></i>
|link=https://www.shambhala.com/the-treasury-of-knowledge-book-six-part-four.html
|translators=<i>Translated by</i> Ingrid McLeod & Elio Guarisco
}}<h3 class="hidden p-0 m-0 h-0">Book VII, Book VIII, Part I & II: Foundations of Buddhist Study and Practice</h3>{{#widget:BootsrapHorizontalCard
|img_src=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/thumb/9/99/Foundations_of_Buddhist_Study_and_Practice-front.jpg/404px-Foundations_of_Buddhist_Study_and_Practice-front.jpg
|img_alt=Foundations of Buddhist Study and Practice
|card_title=Book VII, Book VIII, Part I & II: Foundations of Buddhist Study and Practice
|card_text=Foundations of Buddhist Study and Practice comprises Book Seven and Book Eight, Parts One and Two of the Treasury of Knowledge. Book Seven elucidates the various keys needed to correctly interpret, understand, and contemplate Buddhist teachings, including the secret teachings of the Vajrayana. Parts One and Two of Book Eight explain how the teachings are to be integrated into one’s life through the practice of meditation, which unites a state of one-pointed attention with profound insight into emptiness.
|card_muted_small_text=Read more on the publisher page <i class="fad fa-angle-right align-middle"></i>
|link=https://www.shambhala.com/the-treasury-of-knowledge-book-seven-and-book-eight-parts-one-and-two-2407.html
|translators=<i>Translated by</i> Richard Barron
}}<h3 class="hidden p-0 m-0 h-0">Book VIII, Part III: The Elements of Tantric Practice</h3>{{#widget:BootsrapHorizontalCard
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|card_title=Book VIII, Part III: The Elements of Tantric Practice
|card_text=The Elements of Tantric Practice sets forth the essential components of the path of highest yoga tantra, a system of meditation that unites wisdom and compassion in its two phases of practice. The first phase, that of creation, relies primarily on the use of the imagination to effect personal transformation. The phase of completion allows the practitioner to perfect the process of transformation by training in methods that manipulate the energies and constituents of the mind and body. The result of this path is the direct experience of the fundamental nature of mind and phenomena.
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The Traditions of Ngok and Tsen

2023-01-31T16:13:20Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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|description=The Tibetan traditions generally divide the primary modes of exegesis on the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' into two lines of transmission known as the analytic tradition (''thos bsam gyi lugs'') and the meditative tradition (''sgom lugs''). These two traditions originated with the Tibetan disciples of the Kashmiri master [[Sajjana]]—namely, [[Ngok Lotsāwa]] and [[Tsen Khawoche]], respectively. Therefore, these two are also commonly referred to as the Ngok tradition (''rngog lugs''), representing the scholarly or analytic approach, and the Tsen tradition (''btsan lugs''), representing the more practice-oriented, meditative approach. Though it is likely the diverging motivations of these two figures in requesting these teachings from their mutual teacher that would set these traditions on their respective trajectories.
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<h2 class="mt-0 pt-0">Watch & Learn</h2>

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<h2>From the Masters</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Ngok Lotsāwa Loden Sherab}}

In his ''Epistle: A Drop of Nectar'', Ngok Lotsāwa writes the following verse utilizing similes to depict a model of the path:{{Blockquote|</em>།བཤེས་གཉེན་སྤྲིན་ལས་ལེགས་བྱུང་མང་དུ་ཐོས་པ་ཡི།<br>།ཆར་རྒྱུན་བསིལ་བས་ཉོན་མོངས་གདུང་བ་ཞི་བྱེད་ཀྱིས།<br>།བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོའི་ས་བོན་རབ་ཏུ་བརླན་བྱས་ནས།<br>།སངས་རྒྱས་ཡོན་ཏན་ཕུན་ཚོགས་ལོ་ཏོག་རབ་རྒྱས་བྱ༎<br><br><em>After allaying the "heat" of defilements, with the "cool rainwater" of repeated study, carried by the "clouds" of good teachers; and after moistening the "seeds" of Buddha-nature (''bde gshegs snying po''), you should cultivate "crops" of perfect Buddha-qualities.|[[Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab]]. ''[[Springs yig bdud rtsi'i thig le]]''. In ''Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab kyi gsung chos skor''. Beijing: Krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2009, p. 659.<br>
~ Translation from [[Kano, Kazuo]]. ''[[Buddha-Nature and Emptiness]]: rNgog Blo-ldan-shes-rab and a Transmission of the Ratnagotravibhāga from India to Tibet''. Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 91. Vienna: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien Universität Wien, 2016, p. 232.
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In the opening of his ''[[Condensed Meaning of the Mahāyāna Uttaratantra]]'', Ngok states that the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' is a treatise which explicates the sūtras of definitive meaning that belong to the third turning of the Dharma Wheel and supports the doctrine of the single vehicle.{{Blockquote|</em> །བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་བྱམས་པས་བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པའི་བཀའི་དགོངས་པ་ཕྱིན་ཅི་མ་ལོག་པར་གསལ་བར་མཛད་པ་ན། ངེས་པའི་དོན་གྱི་མདོ་སྡེ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཕྱིར་མི་ལྡོག་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ། ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབྱིངས་ཚུལ་གཅིག་ཏུ་སྟོན་པ། ཤིན་ཏུ་རྣམ་པར་དག་པ་གདོན་མི་ཟ་བའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྣམ་གྲངས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་དོན་རབ་ཏུ་སྟོན་པ། ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ་རྒྱུད་བླ་མའི་བསྟན་བཅོས་འདི་མཛད་པས། ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་དོན་གྱི་དེ་ཁོ་ན་རྣམ་པར་གཞག་པ་ཡིན་ནོ།<em><br><br>When the Illustrious Maitreya clarified in an unmistaken way the intention of the discourses of sugata, he presented the true meaning of Mahāyāna by composing the treatise of the Mahāyānottaratantra, which teaches the precious sūtras of definitive meaning, namely the irreversible wheel of Dharma, the dharmadhātu in a single mode; and which precisely declares the meaning of all religious discourses (dharmaparyāya) which are very pure and certain.|[[Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab]]. ''[[Theg chen rgyud bla ma'i don bsdus pa]]''. In Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab kyi gsung chos skor. Beijing: Krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2009, p. 547.<br>
~ Translation from [[Kano, Kazuo]]. "[[rNgog Blo‐ldan‐shes‐rab's Summary of the Ratnagotravibhāga]]: The First Tibetan Commentary on a Crucial Source for the Buddha‐Nature Doctrine." PhD diss., University of Hamburg, 2006, p. 369.
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In the same text, Ngok explains why the element, i.e., buddha-nature, should be understood in terms of a non-implicative negation:{{Blockquote|</em>།དེས་ན་མེད་པར་དགག་པའི་ཐ་སྙད་ཀྱི་ཡུལ་དུ་གྱུར་པའི་ཁམས་ནི་མེད་པར་དགག་པའི་ཐ་སྙད་ཀྱི་ཡུལ་དུ་གྱུར་པའི་ཉེར་ལེན་དུ་བརྗོད་ཀྱི་སྐྱེས་བུ་བྱེད་པའི་དོན་ཉིད་ནི་དངོས་སུ་ཡོད་པ་མ་ཡིན་ནོ། །ཐ་སྙད་ཀྱི་ཡུལ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ནི།་མེད་པར་དགག་པ་རང་བཞིན་དུ་གྲུབ་པ་དེ་ཁོ་ནར་མེད་པའི་དོན་ཏོ།<em><br><br>Therefore, the dhātu which is the conventional object (yul) of a non-affirming negation (prasajyapratiṣedha) is called the efficient cause (upādāna), which is the conventional object of the non-affirming negation. It is, however, not the case that an object (don) of a human activity (puruṣakāra) [such as the conventional object] exists actually. The term “conventional object” means something which is established as having a nature of the non-affirmative negation, [namely] what does not exist in reality.|[[Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab]]. ''[[Theg chen rgyud bla ma'i don bsdus pa]]''. In Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab kyi gsung chos skor. Beijing: Krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2009, p. 547.<br>
~ Translation from [[Kano, Kazuo]]. "[[rNgog Blo‐ldan‐shes‐rab's Summary of the Ratnagotravibhāga]]: The First Tibetan Commentary on a Crucial Source for the Buddha-Nature Doctrine." PhD diss., University of Hamburg, 2006, p. 375.
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Furthermore, Ngok explains how the three reasons stated in the crucial Verse I.28 of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' are emblematic of the resultant, intrinsic and causal aspects of buddha-nature:{{Blockquote|</em>རྫོགས་སངས་སྐུ་ནི་འཕྲོ་ཕྱིར་དང་། ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ལ་སོགས་པ་ལ། འབྲས་བུ་དང། རང་བཞིན་དང་། རྒྱུའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཅན་ཡིན་པའི་ཕྱིར། དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སཉང་པོ་ཅན་དུ་དགོངས་པའོ༎<br><br>དེ་ལ་རྣམ་པར་དག་པའི་དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་སྐུ་ཡིན་ལ། དེ་འཕྲོ་བ་ནི་དེས་ཁྱབ་པ་སྟེ། སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱིས་ཐོབ་ཏུ་རུང་བའི་ཕྱིར་ཁྱབ་པ་ཡིན་ནོ། ཕྱོགས་འདི་ལ་ནི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ནི་དངོས་པོ་ཡིན་ལ། སེམས་ཅན་འདིའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཅན་དུ་ནི་བཏགས་པ་ཡིན་ཏེ། དེ་ཐོབ་པའི་སྐལ་བ་ཡོད་པ་ལ་དེས་ཁྱབ་པར་བཏགས་པའི་ཕྱིར་རོ༎<br><br>དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་དབྱེར་མེད་ཕྱིར་དང་༑་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ནི། དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དང་། སེམས་ཅན་དེའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཅན་གཉིས་ཀ་དངོས་སུ་ཡིན་ཏེ། དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་དྲི་མ་རང་བཞིན་གྱིས་དབེན་པ་ནི་གློ་བུར་གྱི་སྒྲིབ་པ་དང་བཅས་པའི་ཚེ་ཡང་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་རང་བཞིན་ཡིན་པ་དང་། སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་རྒྱུད་ལ་ངེས་པར་གནས་པའི་ཕྱིར་རོ༎<br><br>རིགས་ཡོད་ཕྱིར་ན། ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ན། དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་རྣམ་པར་དག་པའི་གནས་སྐབས་ཐོབ་པའི་རྒྱུ་དགེ་བའི་བག་ཆགས་ཤེས་རབ་དང་སྙིང་རྗེའི་ས་བོན་ནི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་རྒྱུ་ཡིན་པས་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཞེས་བཏགས་པ་ཡིན་ལ། སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་སྙིང་པོ་ནི་དངོས་པོ་ཁོ་ན་ཡིན་ནོ༎<br><br><em>As for [verse I.28] “Because the body of the Perfect Buddha spreads/pervades [everywhere, because the tathatā cannot be differentiated, and because the gotra exists, the Buddha taught that all sentient beings always have the Buddha nature],” the following is intended: since [all sentient beings] have essence (snying po) of (a) result, (b) nature, and (c) cause, [they] have the Buddha nature.<br><br>Of them, the pure tathatā is [referred to by] the “body of the Perfect Buddha (i.e. the dharmakāya).” Spreading means pervading. Because [such body] is attainable (thob tu rung) by all sentient beings, it [is said] to pervade [them]. In this respect, the tathāgata['s possession of the resultant dharmakāya] is actual (dngos po). On the other hand, one nominally designates sentient beings as those who have its essence, because one designates the existence of a fortune (skal ba) for attaining it (i.e. the resultant dharmakāya) as [the expression that] it pervades [all sentient beings].<br><br>[The second reason] “because the tathatā cannot be differentiated” [should be took] to be actual (dngos su yin) for both the tathāgata and sentient beings who possess his essence (i.e. the Buddha nature). This is because even when the tathatā which is naturally isolated from stains is accompanied by adventitious stains, it is the intrinsic nature of the Buddha and certainly abides in the continuum of sentient beings.<br><br>As for [the third reason] “because the gotra exists,” since a cause for attaining the tathatā at the [resultant] pure state, namely the wholesome impression which is the seed of the [resultant] discriminative insight and the compassion, is the cause of the tathāgata, one designates [such cause] as the tathāgata [merely] nominally, whereas [one calls it] the “essence of sentient beings” (sems can gyi snying po) in precisely actual [sense].|[[Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab]]. ''[[Theg chen rgyud bla ma'i don bsdus pa]]''. In Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab kyi gsung chos skor. Beijing: Krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2009, p. 580.<br>
~ Translation from [[Kano, Kazuo]]. "[[rNgog Blo‐ldan‐shes‐rab's Summary of the Ratnagotravibhāga]]: The First Tibetan Commentary on a Crucial Source for the Buddha-Nature Doctrine." PhD diss., University of Hamburg, 2006, pp. 444–45.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Tsen Khawoche}}

In the only surviving literary work attributed to Tsen Khawoche entitled ''Instructions on the View of Other-Emptiness'', which is preserved among the ''108 Profound Instructions of the Jonang'', he gives the following practical instructions on the three natures:{{Blockquote|</em>ངོ་བོ་ཉིད་མེད་གསུམ་དུ་བཞག་ཀྱང་། དཔྱད་ན། སེམས་ལས་མ་གཏོགས་པའི་གཟུང་འཛིན་མེད་པའི་ཕྱིར་ཆོས་ཅན་གཞན་དབང་དང་། ཆོས་ཉིད་ཡོངས་གྲུབ་ཁོ་ན་དྲི་མ་དང་བྲལ་ཞིང་ལྷུན་གྱིས་གྲུབ་པའི་ཆོས་ཉིད་གཅིག་པུ།<em><br><br>Although classified as three natures without an inherent essence, if you analyze — since there are no fixations and nothing to fixate upon besides the mind, only the phenomenal quality of the relational nature and the phenomenal actuality of the perfected nature are free from defilements. They are the identical ultimate actuality of phenomena which is spontaneous presence.|[[Btsan kha bo che]]. ''[[Gzhan stong lta khrid]]''. In ''Zab khrid brgya dang brgyad kyi yi ge''. Edited by [[Kun dga' grol mchog]]. Gdams ngag mdzod. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 1999, Vol. 18, p. 171.<br>~ Translation from [[Tsen Kawoche]] (btsan kha bo che). [https://jonangfoundation.org/sites/default/files/translation-elucidatingzhentong.pdf "Elucidating the Zhentong View: A Condensation of the Threefold Nature of Reality."] Translated by [[Michael R. Sheehy]]. [http://www.jonangfoundation.org/works Jonang Foundation’s Digital Library], n.d.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Gö Lotsāwa Zhönu Pal}}

Gö Lotsāwa on the origins of the Tibetan exegesis of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'':{{Blockquote|</em>With regard to the [Maitreya works], three among the works of the Illustrious Maitreya, [namely] the ''Abhisamayālaṁkāra'', the ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṁkāra'', and the ''Madhyāntavibhāga'', were translated by the translators Paltseg (Dpal brtsegs), Yeshé Dé (Ye shes sde), and others during the first period of the spread of the doctrine [in Tibet]. As for the [remaining] two, the ''[Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyāna-]Uttaratantra[śāstra]'' and the ''Dharmadharmatāvibhāga'' together with its commentary, Lord Maitrīpa saw light shining from a crack in a ''stūpa'' and, wondering what the source of the light was, tried to determine it. As a consequence, he obtained the texts of the two treatises. He rejoiced [in them] and prayed to the venerable [Maitreya], whereupon he arrived—directly visible in an opening between clouds—and duly bestowed [on Maitrīpa] the "oral transmission" (''lung'') [of both texts]. Thus it is known.

Then he who is called Paṇḍita Ānandakīrti heard [the teaching of both texts] from Lord Maitrīpa and carried the texts to Kashmir disguised as a beggar. Upon his arrival, the great paṇḍita Sajjana recognized him as a scholar and invited him to his home. [Sajjana] listened to [the teaching of] both treatises and copied the texts. The great translator Loden Sherab heard them [from Sajjana], translated them in Śrīnagar in Kashmir, and composed an extensive explanation in Tibet.

Also, the [well-] known Tsen Kawoché, a disciple of Drapa Ngönshé, came with the great translator (i.e., Ngog Loden Sherab) to Kashmir. He requested Sajjana to bestow on him [the Maitreya works] along with special instructions, since he wanted to make the works of the Illustrious Maitreya his "practice [of preparing] for death" (''<nowiki>'</nowiki>chi chos''). Thereupon [Sajjana] taught all five works, with Lotsāwa Zu Gawa Dorjé serving as translator. He also gave special instructions with regard to the ''Uttaratantra'' in the due way, and back in Tibet, Tsen explained it to numerous [spiritual friends] in Ü and Tsang. The translator Zu Gawa Dorjé wrote a commentary on the ''Uttaratantra'' in accordance with the teaching of Sajjana, and translated the ''[Dharma]dharmatāvibhāga'', both root-text and commentary. Thus neither the ''Uttara[tantra]'' nor the ''[Dharma]dharmatāvibhāga'' was spread in India before the time of Lord Maitrīpa. Neither is found in the great treatises such as the ''Abhisamayālaṁkārāloka'', not even "a single phrase of them" (''zur tsam'').<em>|[[Mathes, Klaus-Dieter]]. ''[[A Direct Path to the Buddha Within]]: Go Lotsāwa's Mahāmudrā Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga''. Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008, pp. 161–63.
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Gö Lotsāwa on the view of the Tsen tradition:{{Blockquote|</em>བཙན་ལུགས་པ་རྣམས་ནི་སེམས་ཀྱི་རང་བཞིན་འོད་གསལ་བ་བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཡིན་པས་།་དེ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་རྒྱུ་ཡང་གྲུང་པོར་བཞེད།
<em><br><br>The followers of the tradition of Tsen (Btsan) maintain that since the luminous nature of mind is the buddha nature, the cause of buddha[hood] is fertile.|[['Gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal]]. ''[[Deb ther sngon po]]''. Chengdu: si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1984, p. 424.<br>~ Translation from [[Mathes, Klaus-Dieter]]. ''[[A Direct Path to the Buddha Within]]: Go Lotsāwa's Mahāmudrā Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga''. Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008, p. 33.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Śākya Chokden}}

In his ''Essence of Sūtra and Tantra: An Explanation of Buddhagarbha'', Śākya Chokden implicitly describes the stance of the meditative tradition in relation to the Third Turning of the Dharma Wheel:{{Blockquote|</em>འཁོར་ལོ་ཐ་མ་ཡིས། བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོའི་དགོངས་གཞི་ནི། སྤྲོས་པའི་མཐའ་ཀུན་དང་བྲལ་བའི། རང་བཞིན་འོད་གསལ་ཅེས་བྱ་བ། སོ་སོ་རང་གིས་རིག་པ་ཡི། ཡེ་ཤེས་ཀྱི་ནི་མྱོང་བྱ་ལ། གསལ་བར་བཤད་པ་ཉིད་ཡིན་ཕྱིར། མ་ཡིན་དགག་པར་འཆད་དགོས་སོ།<em><br><br>According to the final turning, the underlying intent of *sugatagarbha is the so-called natural luminosity that is free from all extremes of elaborations. Because it is that which is clearly explained as the object of experience of wisdom that is personally realized, it is necessary to characterize it as an affirming negation.|[[ShAkya mchog ldan]]. ''[[Sangs rgyas kyi snying po'i rnam bshad mdo rgyud snying po]]''. In Gser mdog paN chen shAkya mchog ldan gyi gsung 'bum. rdzong sar: rdzong sar khams bye'i slob gling thub bstan dar rgyas gling, 2006-2007, Vol. 13, p. 161.<br>~ Translation from [[Higgins, David]], and [[Martina Draszczyk]]. ''[[Mahāmudrā and the Middle Way]]: Post-Classical Kagyü Discourses on Mind, Emptiness and Buddha-Nature''. Vol. 1, ''Introduction, Views of Authors and Final Reflections''. Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 90.1. Vienna: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien Universität Wien, 2016, p. 83n203.
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Śākya Chokden explains that the two exegetical traditions are complimentary in the following way:{{Blockquote|</em>བྱམས་པའི་ཆོས་གསན་པ་ལས་རྙེད་པའི་ངེས་དོན་ནི། སངས་རྒྱས་ནས་སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་བར་ལ་ཁྱབ་པའི་རང་བཞིན་རྣམ་དག་གི་ཡེ་ཤེས། རང་བཞིན་གྱི་འོད་གསལ་བ་དེ་ཉིད་བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོར་གསུངས་པ་ཡིན་ནོ་ཞེས། ཁོང་ནས་རྒྱུད་པ་དག་འཆད་ལ། འདི་ལ་སྔོན་གྱི་དུས་སུ་བྱམས་ཆོས་མཚན་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ལུགས་སུ་འཆད་པ་དང་། སྒོམ་ལུགས་སུ་འཆད་པའི་ཁྱད་པར་རོ་ཞེས་གྲགས་མོད། །གཉིས་ཀ་ལྟར་ཡང་འགལ་བ་མེད་དེ། མཚན་འཛིན་སེལ་བའི་ཚེ་ནི་སྔ་མ་ལྟར་ཟབ་ལ། ཡོན་ཏན་གྱི་རྟེན་དུ་བྱེད་པ་ལ་ནི་ཕྱི་མ་ལྟར་དགོས་པས་སོ།<em><br><br>The definitive meaning that he found from having studied the dharmas of Maitreya is explained by those in his lineage as follows. The sugata heart is the naturally pure wisdom, luminous by nature, that pervades [everyone] from buddhas to sentient beings. In earlier times these [two approaches] were known as "the difference between explaining the dharmas of Maitreya as the tradition of characteristics (mtshan nyid kyi lugs) and explaining them as the meditative tradition (sgom lugs)." However, in both cases there is no contradiction because the [explanation] according to the first [approach] is more profound at the time of eliminating the clinging to characteristics, while the [explanation] according to the latter [approach] is needed so that [the sugata heart] can function as the support of qualities.|[[ShAkya mchog ldan]]. ''[[Dbu ma'i byung tshul rnam par bshad pa'i gtam yid bzhin lhun po zhes bya ba'i bstan bcos]]''. In Gsung 'bum shAkya mchog ldan. New Delhi: Ngawang Topgyel, 1995, Vol. 4, p. 240.<br>~ Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 124.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Tāranātha}}

In his ''[[Supplication to the Lineage of Profound Zhentong Madhyamaka]]'', Tāranātha includes the following verse for Tsen Khawoche:{{Blockquote|</em>།མི་ཕམ་གཞུང་ལ་མཁས་པའི་ཕུལ་དུ་གྱུར།<br>།དབུ་མའི་ལམ་ལས་ཆོས་ཉིད་ཟབ་མོ་གཟིགས།<br>།སྡོམ་བརྩོན་དམ་པ་བཙན་རིགས་ཁ་བོ་ཆེ།<br>།དྲི་མེད་ཤེས་རབ་ཞབས་ལ་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས།<em><br><br>Due to the scriptures of the invincible one, you attained the highest degree of learning,<br>From the path of Madhyamaka, you profoundly gazed upon the actuality of phenomena,<br>Sublime observer of precepts, Khawoché from the family of Tsen,<br>To you, Drimé Sherab, I supplicate!|[[Tāranātha]]. ''[[Zab mo gzhan stong dbu ma'i brgyud 'debs]]''. In Gsung 'bum shes rab rgyal mtshan. 'Dzam thang: 'Dzam thang bsam 'grub nor bu'i gling gi par khang, 199?, Vol. 3, p. 164.<br>~ Translation from [[Tāranātha]]. [https://jonangfoundation.org/sites/default/files/jf_zhentong_supp_5_17_07.pdf "Supplication to the Profound Zhentong Madhyamaka Lineage."] Translated by [[Michael Sheehy]]. [http://www.jonangfoundation.org/works Jonang Foundation’s Digital Library], n.d., p. 2.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In his ''Treasury of Knowledge'', Jamgön Kongtrul summarizes the lineages stemming from Sajjana in the following verse:{{Blockquote|</em>།ས་ཛྫ་ན་ལས་རྔོག་དང་བཙན་གྱིས་ཞུས།<br>།བཤད་སྒྲུབ་བཀའ་བབས་དབུ་སེམས་གཉིས་སུའང་བཞེད།<br>།གཙང་ནག་རང་བྱུང་ཀུན་མཁྱེན་ཡབ་སྲས་སོགས།<br>།ཕྱིར་མི་ལྡོག་པ་སེང་ངེའི་སྒྲ་ཆེན་བསྒྲགས།<em><br><br>Translator Ngok Loden Sherab and Tsen Kawoché received from Sajjana<br>The teaching and practice transmissions thought to be two—the middle way and mind-only.<br>Tsang Nakpa Tsöndru Sengé, Rangjung Dorjé, the omniscient master [Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen] and his spiritual children, and others<br>Sounded a lion's great roar of the incontrovertible meaning.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Shes bya kun khyab]]''. Beijing: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1982: Vol. 1, p. 460.<br>~ [[Jamgön Kongtrül]] ('jam mgon kong sprul). ''[[The Treasury of Knowledge: Books Two, Three and Four: Buddhism's Journey to Tibet]]''. Translated by [[Ngawang Zangpo]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2010, p. 269–70.
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In his commentary on the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the ''[[Unassailable Lion's Roar]]'', Jamgön Kongtrul echoes Gö Lotsāwa, stating:{{Blockquote|</em>གྲྭ་པ་མངོན་ཤེས་ཀྱི་མཁན་བུ་བཙན་ཁ་བོ་ཆེ་ཞེས་གྲགས་པའང་ལོ་ཙཱ་ཆེན་པོ་དང་ལྷན་ཅིག་ཁ་ཆེར་བྱོན། སཛྫ་ན་ལ་ཁོ་བོས་བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་བྱམས་པའི་ཆོས་རྣམས་ལ་འཆི་ཆོས་བགྱིད་པ་ལགས་པས་གདམས་པ་བཅས་ཏེ་ཐུགས་ལ་གདགས་པར་ཞུས་པས་གཟུས་དགའ་བའི་རྡོ་རྗེས་ལོ་ཙཱ་བ་བྱས་ནས་བྱམས་ཆོས་ལྔ་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་གསུངས། རྒྱུད་བླ་མ་ལ་གདམས་པའང་ལེགས་པར་གནང་བས་བཙན་དྲི་མེད་ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱིས་བོད་དུ་བྱོན་ཏེ་དབུས་གཙང་རྣམས་སུ་བཤད་པ་མཛད། གཟུས་དགའ་བའི་རྡོ་རྗེས་རྒྱུད་བླ་མ་ལ་སཛྫ་ནའི་གསུང་དང་མཐུན་པར་རྒྱན་ཊཱིཀ་མཛད་ཅིང་ཆོས་ཉིད་རྣམ་འབྱེད་རྩ་འགྲེལ་ཡང་བསྒྱུར། འདི་ལ་བྱམས་ཆོས་སྒོམ་ལུགས་པའང་གྲགས་ཤིང་ཐུན་མོང་མ་ཡིན་པའི་བཤད་པ་དང་ཉམས་ལེན་གྱི་རྒྱུན་ཁྱད་པར་འཕགས་པ་ཡིན་ལ།<em><br><br>Drapa Ngönshe's disciple, widely known as Tsen Khawoche, having gone to Kashmir with the great translator [Ngok], made a request to Sajjana asking him, "Please take me under your guidance and grant me instructions so that I may make the Dharma teachings of the Transcendant Conqueror Maitreya my practice [to prepare] for death." And so, with Zu Gawai Dorje acting as the translator, [Sajjana] taught him all of the Five Dharma Teachings of Maitreya. Since he gave him very thorough instructions on the Uttaratantra, having arrived back in Tibet, Tsen Drime Sherab gave explanations [of this text] to those [people living] in U and Tsang. Zu Gawai Dorje composed a supplemental commentary to the Uttaratantra in accordance with the teachings of Sajjana and also translated the root text and commentary of the [Dharma]dharmatāvibhāga. This is what is widely-renowned as the Meditative Tradition of the Dharma Teachings of Maitreya, and is a remarkably distinguished line of extraordinary explanatory teachings and [instructions for] practice.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos snying po'i don mngon sum lam gyi bshad pa srol dang sbyar ba'i rnam par 'grel ba phyir mi ldog pa seng ge'i nga ro]]''. In Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i tshig 'grel. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2005, pp. 101–2.<br>~ For an alternative translation of the above passage, see [[Hookham, S. K.]] ''[[The Buddha Within: Tathagatagarbha Doctrine according to the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga]]''. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991, p. 271.
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<h2>Further Readings</h2>

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: A Direct Path to the Buddha Within
|cover=File:A_Direct_Path_to_the_Buddha_Within-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/A_Direct_Path_to_the_Buddha_Within:_Go_Lotsāwa's_Mahāmudrā_Interpretation_of_the_Ratnagotravibhāga
|text=Loden Sherab (1059-1109) played a crucial role in the transmission of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' in Tibet. Not only were his translations of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' and its ''vyākhyā'' the ones included in the Tengyur, but he also composed a "summarized meaning" or commentary of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', in which he tries to bring the teaching of buddha nature into line with his Madhyamaka position. The latter is usually identified as being Svātantrika. Since this summary, which is of great significance for the understanding of Zhönu Pal's mahāmudrā interpretation of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', has received little attention by Western scholars up till now, the main points of Loden Sherab's strategy will be presented in this section.

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|image=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/d/de/Ngok_Lotsawa.jpg
|text=Ngog Loden Sherab's Analytical Interpretation of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga''
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|source=[[Mathes, Klaus-Dieter]]. ''[[A Direct Path to the Buddha Within]]: Go Lotsāwa's Mahāmudrā Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga''. Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008, p. 1.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: When the Clouds Part
|cover=File:When the Clouds Part-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/When_the_Clouds_Part
|text=For the transmission of the five works of Maitreya from India to Tibet, there are the four principal lineages through Ngog Lotsāwa, Dsen Kawoché (two), and Marpa Dopa, all of whom traveled to Kashmir and studied the Maitreya works with the great paṇḍitas there (primarily Sajjana and Parahita). The lineage through Ngog Lotsāwa is often called "the exegetical tradition of the dharma works of Maitreya" (byams chos bshad lugs), while Dsen Kawoché’s transmissions represent "the meditative tradition of the dharma works of Maitreya" (byams chos sgom lugs). Judging from CMW, Marpa Dopa’s lineage contains elements of both approaches since CMW’s introduction consists of Mahāmudrā-style meditation instructions based on the Uttaratantra, while its actual commentary on the words of the Uttaratantra and RGVV consists almost exclusively of scriptural exegesis of a scholarly nature.

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|link=http://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/Books/When_the_Clouds_Part/The_Meditative_Tradition_of_the_Uttaratantra_and_Shentong
|image=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/f/f5/Brunnholzl-2017_Square.png
|text=The Meditative Tradition of the Uttaratantra and Shentong
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|source=[[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 123.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: The Blue Annals Parts I & II
|cover=File:The Blue Annals-cover.jpg
|coverLink=Books/The_Blue_Annals_Parts_I_&_II
|text=bTsan Kha-bo-che has been a disciple of Grwa-pa mNgon-śes (here mkhan-bu means a disciple ordained by Grwa-pa mNgon-śes). Before going to Kāśmīra, he requested his upādhyāya (Grwa-pa mNgon-śes) to perform an offering ceremony. The upādhyāya said to him : 'Till your return from Kāśmīra, I shall be responsible for your safety, and you will never get even a toothache!" bTsan Kha-bo-che was born in the Iron-Female-Hen year (lcags-mo-bya -I021 A.D.). At the age of 56 he proceeded to Kāśmīra, and said to Sañjana: "Now I have grown old!

I cannot master many books. I wish to make the Doctrine of the Blessed Maitreya my death prayer ('chi-chos-byed-pa, to recite a religious text at death time). Pray Instruct me in it!"

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{{RelatedButton
|link=http://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/Books/The_Blue_Annals_Parts_I_%26_II/G%C3%B6_Lots%C4%81wa_on_the_Tsen_Tradition_of_the_Dharma_Treatises_of_Maitreya
|image=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/e/e1/Go_Lotsawa_Shonnu_Pal.jpg
|text=Gö Lotsāwa on the Tsen Tradition of the Dharma Treatises of Maitreya
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|source=[[Roerich, George N.]], and [[Gendun Chöpel]]. ''[[The Blue Annals Parts I & II]]''. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 2007, pp. 347-48.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: Buddha-Nature and Emptiness
|cover=File:Buddha-Nature and Emptiness-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/Buddha-Nature_and_Emptiness
|text=An essential study of a key text that presents buddha-nature theory and its transmission from India to Tibet, this book is the most thorough history of buddha-nature thought in Tibet and is exceptional in its level of detail and scholarly apparatus. It serves as a scholarly encyclopedia of sorts with extensive appendices listing every existent commentary on the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' (''Uttaratantraśāstra''), as well as covering Ngok Lotsawa's commentarial text and his philosophical positions related with other Tibetan thinkers.
|source=[[Kano, Kazuo]]. ''[[Buddha-Nature and Emptiness]]: rNgog Blo-ldan-shes-rab and A Transmission of the Ratnagotravibhāga from India to Tibet''. Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 91. Vienna: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien Universität Wien, 2016.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: Visions of Unity
|cover=File:Visions of Unity-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/Visions_of_Unity
|text=Yaroslav Komarovski's Visions of Unity is a thick study of Śākya Chokden, a fifteenth-century Sakya philosopher who wrote extensively on Yogācāra and Madhyamaka in an attempt to synthesize the two. He wrote at a time that a strict interpretation of Madhyamaka was in ascendence and Yogācāra was dismissed as a lesser teaching. Śākya Chokden was a passionate critic of Tsongkhapa, and stridently faulted the Geluk patriarch for spreading nihilism to his own beloved Sakya tradition. He was himself a follower of Madhyamaka, but he embraced many elements of Yogācāra; his attempt at a synthesis was to reclassify the different strands of Yogācāra and Madhyamaka so as to combine those that he liked and dispense with those he did not. Although his writings were recognized for their brilliance, his criticisms of Tsongkhapa and Sakya Paṇḍita, and his qualified acceptance of "other-emptiness" (gzhan stong) meant that he was almost entirely rejected by his peers.
|source=[[Komarovski, Yaroslav]]. ''[[Visions of Unity]]: The Golden Paṇḍita Shakya Chokden's New Interpretation of Yogācāra and Madhyamaka''. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2011.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: The Uttaratantra in the Land of Snows
|cover=File:The Uttaratantra in the Land of Snows-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/The_Uttaratantra_in_the_Land_of_Snows
|text=The book is divided into three main sections: early Kadam thinkers who attempted to fold the Uttaratantra's positive-language teaching on buddha-nature into mainstream Madhyamaka doctrine of non-affirming negation. They did so by asserting that buddha-nature was, in fact, a synonym of emptiness, and was, therefore, a definitive teaching. The second stage was reactions during the thirteenth century. Sakya Paṇḍita, for example, rejected the conflation of buddha-nature and emptiness and declared the teaching to be provisional; early Kagyu thinkers revived the positive-language teachings and asserted that such statements were definitive, and Dolpopa taught "other-emptiness," the strongest expression of positive-language doctrine ever advocated in Tibet. Finally, in the fourteenth century, a number of mainly Geluk thinkers, such as Gyaltsap Je, reacted against Dolpopa and all synthesis of Yogācāra and Madhyamaka thought, relegating the Uttaratantra again to provisional status.
|source=[[Wangchuk, Tsering]]. ''[[The Uttaratantra in the Land of Snows]]: Tibetan Thinkers Debate the Centrality of the Buddha-Nature Treatise''. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2017.
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The Seven Vajra Topics

2023-01-31T16:13:20Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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|description=The ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' is divided into five chapters. However, the treatise itself is based around the explanation of seven topics or subjects, known as the seven ''vajrapada''. These seven are the ''buddha'', ''dharma'', ''sangha'', the element (''dhātu''), enlightenment (''bodhi''), enlightened qualities (''guṇa''), and enlightened activities (''karman''). The first four are discussed in the first chapter and the following three are discussed consecutively in the second, third and fourth chapters, respectively. The treatise also mentions specific sūtras that are the sources upon which the explanation of each of the seven are based. Some of these sūtras cover more than one topic, but only the ''[[Dhāraṇīśvararājasūtra]]'' is stated to cover all seven ''vajrapadas''. Below you will find information on these seven, including their sūtra sources and how they have been addressed in relation to the ''Ratnagotravibhāga''.
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<h2 class="mt-0 pt-0">Watch & Learn</h2>

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<h2>From the ''Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra''</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Maitreya}}
The first three verses of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' give a basic overview of the seven ''vajrapada'' that includes their enumeration, their source, and their causal relationship:
{{Blockquote|buddhaśca dharmaśca gaṇaśca dhātu-<br>bodhirguṇāḥ karma ca bauddhamantyam<br>kṛtsnasya śāstrasya śarīrametat<br>samāsato vajrapadāni sapta I.1<br><br>svalakṣaṇenānugatāni caiṣāṃ<br>yathākramaṃ dhāraṇirājasūtre<br>nidānatastrīṇi padāni vidyā-<br>ccatvāri dhīmajjinadharmabhedāt I.2<br><br>buddhāddharmo dharmataścāryasaṃghaḥ<br>saṃghe garbho jñānadhātvāptiniṣṭhaḥ<br>tajjñānāptiścāgrabodhirbalādyai-<br>rdhamairyuktā sarvasattvārthakṛdbhiḥ I.3<br><br></em>།སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ཚོགས་ཁམས་དང་བྱང་ཆུབ་དང་།<br>།ཡོན་ཏན་སངས་རྒྱས་ཕྲིན་ལས་ཐ་མ་སྟེ།<br>།བསྟན་བཅོས་ཀུན་གྱི་ལུས་ནི་མདོར་བསྡུ་ན།<br>།རྡོ་རྗེ་ཡི་ནི་གནས་བདུན་འདི་དག་གོ། I.1<br><br>།འདི་དག་རང་མཚན་ཉིད་ཀྱི་རྗེས་འབྲེལ་བ།<br>།གོ་རིམས་ཇི་བཞིན་གཟུངས་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་པོའི་མདོར།<br>།གླེང་གཞི་ལས་ནི་གནས་གསུམ་རིག་བྱ་སྟེ།<br>།གཞི་ནི་བློ་ལྡན་རྒྱལ་ཆོས་དབྱེ་བ་ལས། I.2<br><br>།སངས་རྒྱས་ལས་ཆོས་ཆོས་ལས་འཕགས་པའི་ཚོགས།<br>།ཚོགས་ལས་སྙིང་པོ་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཁམས་ཐོབ་མཐར།<br>།ཡེ་ཤེས་དེ་ཐོབ་བྱང་ཆུབ་མཆོག་ཐོབ་སོགས།<br>།སེམས་ཅན་ཀུན་དོན་བྱེད་ཆོས་རྣམས་དང་ལྡན། I.3<br><br><em>Buddha, dharma, assembly, basic element,<br>Awakening, qualities, and finally buddha activity–<br>The body of the entire treatise<br>Is summarized in these seven vajra points. I.1<br><br>In accordance with their specific characteristics<br>And in due order, the [first] three points of these [seven]<br>Should be understood from the introduction in the [[Texts/Dhāraṇīśvararājasūtra|Dhāraṇirājasūtra]]<br>And the [latter] four from the distinction of the attributes of the intelligent and the victors. I.2<br><br>From the Buddha [comes] the dharma and from the dharma, the noble saṃgha.<br>Within the saṃgha, the [tathāgata] heart leads to the attainment of wisdom.<br>The attainment of that wisdom is the supreme awakening that is endowed with<br>The attributes such as the powers that promote the welfare of all sentient beings. I.3|Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, pp. 331-336.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Asaṅga}}

In the commentary to verse I.1, which the Tibetan tradition attributes to Asaṅga, it states:

{{Blockquote
|vajropamasyādhigamārthasya padaṃ sthānamiti vajrapadam/ tatra śruticintāmayajñānaduṣprativedhādanabhilāpyasvabhāvaḥ pratyātmavedanīyo'rtho vajravadveditavyaḥ/ yānyakṣarāṇi tamarthamabhivadanti tatprāptyanukūlamārgābhidyotanatastāni tatpratiṣṭhābhūtatvāt padamityucyante/ iti duṣprativedhārthena pratiṣṭhārthena ca vajrapadatvamarthavyañjanayoranugantavyam/ tatra katamo'rthaḥ katamadvyañjanam/ artha ucyate saptaprakāro'dhigamārtho yaduta buddhārtho dharmārthaḥ saṃghārtho dhātvartho bodhyartho guṇārthaḥ karmārthaśca/ ayamucyate'rthaḥ/ yairakṣaraireṣa saptaprakāro'dhigamārthaḥ sūcyate prakāśyata idamucyate vyañjanam/ <br>[...]<br>itīmāni samāsataḥ sapta vajrapadāni sakalasyāsya śāstrasyoddeśamukhasaṃgrāhārthena śarīramiti veditavyam/<br><br></em>།སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ཚོགས་ཁམས་དང་བྱང་ཆུབ་དང་། །ཡོན་ཏན་སངས་རྒྱས་ཕྲིན་ལས་ཐ་མ་སྟེ། །བསྟན་བཅོས་ཀུན་གྱི་ལུས་ནི་མདོར་བསྡུ་ན། །རྡོ་རྗེ་ཡི་ནི་གནས་བདུན་འདི་དག་གོ། །རྟོགས་པའི་དོན་རྡོ་རྗེ་ལྟ་བུའི་གནས་ཏེ། གཞི་ཡིན་པའི་ཕྱིར་རྡོ་རྗེའི་གནས་སོ། །དེ་ལ་ཐོས་པ་དང་བསམས་པ་ལས་བྱུང་བའི་ཤེས་པས་ཕིགས་པར་དཀའ་བའི་ཕྱིར་ན་བརྗོད་དུ་མེད་པའི་རང་བཞིན་སོ་སོ་རང་གིས་རིག་པར་བྱ་བའི་དོན་རྡོ་རྗེ་ལྟ་བུར་རིག་པར་བྱའོ། །དེ་ཐོབ་པ་དང་རྗེས་སུ་མཐུན་པའི་ལམ་སྟོན་པར་བྱེད་པས་ན་དོན་དེ་བརྗོད་པའི་ཡི་གེ་གང་ཡིན་པ་དེ་དག་ནི་གནས་ཞེས་བརྗོད་དོ། །དེའི་རྟེན་དུ་གྱུར་པའི་ཕྱིར་རོ། །དེ་ལྟར་ཕིགས་པར་དཀའ་བའི་དོན་དང་། རྟེན་གྱི་དོན་གྱིས་དོན་དང་ཡི་གེ་དག་རྡོ་རྗེ་དང་གནས་ཉིད་དུ་རྟོགས་པར་བྱའོ། །དེ་ལ་དོན་ནི་གང་། ཡི་གེ་ནི་གང་ཞེ་ན། རྟོགས་པའི་དོན་རྣམ་པ་བདུན་ནི་དོན་ཞེས་བརྗོད་དེ། འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ། སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་དོན་དང་། ཆོས་ཀྱི་དོན་དང་། དགེ་འདུན་གྱི་དོན་དང་། ཁམས་ཀྱི་དོན་དང་། བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་དོན་དང་། ཡོན་ཏན་གྱི་དོན་དང་། ཕྲིན་ལས་ཀྱི་དོན་དང་། འདི་ནི་དོན་ཞེས་བྱའོ། །ཡི་གེ་གང་དག་གིས་རྟོགས་པའི་དོན་རྣམ་པ་བདུན་པོ་འདི་དག་སྟོན་པར་བྱེད། གསལ་བར་བྱེད་པ་དེ་ནི་ཡི་གེ་ཞེས་བྱའོ། <br>[...]<br> །དེ་ལྟར་མདོར་བསྡུས་ནས་རྡོ་རྗེའི་གནས་བདུན་པོ་འདི་ནི་བསྟན་པའི་སྒོ་བསྡུས་པའི་དོན་གྱིས་ན། བསྟན་བཅོས་འདི་མཐའ་དག་གི་ལུས་སུ་རིག་པར་བྱའོ།<br><br>'''"Vajra point"''' refers to the footing or locus of the actuality of the realization that is like a vajra. This actuality, which is to be realized through personally experienced [wisdom] and has an inexpressible nature, is to be understood as being like a vajra because it is difficult to penetrate by any cognitions that arise from studying and reflecting. The words that express this actuality through teaching the path that accords with attaining it are [also] called "footings" because they serve as the support of this [actuality]. In this way, in the sense of being what is difficult to penetrate and in the sense of being [its] support, respectively, that actuality and the letters [that describe it] are [both] to be understood as "vajra footings."<br>So what does "actuality" and what does "letters" refer to? "Actuality" refers to the sevenfold actuality of realization, that is, the actuality of the Buddha, the actuality of the dharma, the actuality of the assembly, the actuality of the basic element, the actuality of awakening, the actuality of [its] qualities, and the actuality of [enlightened] activity. These are called "actuality." The words that point out and elucidate this sevenfold actuality of realization are called "letters."<br>[...]<br>In brief, these seven vajra points should be known as the "body" of the entire treatise, in the form of the [seven] summary topics that are the gateways to [what this treatise] teaches.<em>
|Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, pp. 331-333.
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In relation to the first three ''vajrapadas'', ''buddha'', ''dharma'', and ''sangha'', he cites the ''[[Dṛḍhādhyāśayaparivarta]]'':
{{Blockquote|anidarśano hyānanda tathāgataḥ/ sa na śakyaścakṣuṣā draṣṭum/ anabhilāpyo hyānanda dharmaḥ/ sa na śakyaḥ karṇena śrotum/ asaṃskṛto hyānanda saṃghaḥ/ sa na śakyaḥ kāyena vā cittena vā paryupā situm/<br><br></em>ཀུན་དགའ་བོ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ནི་བསྟན་དུ་མེད་པ་སྟེ། དེ་ནི་མིག་གིས་བལྟ་བར་མི་ནུས་སོ། །ཀུན་དགའ་བོ་ཆོས་ནི་བརྗོད་དུ་མེད་པ་སྟེ། དེ་ནི་རྣ་བས་མཉན་པར་མི་ནུས་སོ། །ཀུན་དགའ་བོ་དགེ་འདུན་ནི་འདུས་མ་བྱས་པ་སྟེ། དེ་ནི་ལུས་དང་སེམས་ཀྱིས་བསྙེན་བཀུར་བྱ་བར་མི་ནུས་སོ་<br><br><em>Ānanda, the Tathāgata is indemonstrable. He cannot be seen with the eyes. Ānanda, the dharma is inexpressible. It cannot be heard with the ears. Ānanda, the saṃgha is unconditioned. It cannot be worshipped with body or mind.|''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa]]'', in Derge Tengyur, Vol. 123: folio 74b (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degetengyur/pbs/2916204 Adarsha]).<br>~ Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 332.<br>~ View the source Sūtra on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3019034 Adarsha]
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In relation to the fourth ''vajrapada'', the element (''dhātu''), he cites the ''[[Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśaparivarta]]'':
{{Blockquote|tathāgataviṣayo hi śāriputrāyamarthastathāgatagocaraḥ/ sarvaśrāvakapratyekabuddhairapi tāvacchāriputrāyamartho na śakyaḥ samyak svaprajñayā xxx draṣṭuṃ vā pratyavekṣituṃ vā/ prāgeva bālapṛthagjanairanyatra tathāgataśraddhāgamanataḥ/ śraddhāgamanīyo hi śāriputra paramārthaḥ/ paramārtha iti śāriputra sattvadhātoretadadhivacanam/ sattvadhāturiti śāriputra tathāgatagarbhasyaitadadhivacanam/ tathāgatagarbha iti śāriputra dharmakāyasyaitadadhivacanam/<br><br></em>།ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ་དོན་འདི་ནི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཡུལ་ཏེ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྤྱོད་ཡུལ་ལོ། །ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ་དོན་འདི་ནི་རེ་ཞིག་ཉན་ཐོས་དང་། རང་སངས་རྒྱས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱིས་ཀྱང་རང་གི་ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱིས་ཡང་དག་པར་ཤེས་པའམ། ལྟ་བའམ། བརྟག་པར་མི་ནུས་ན། བྱིས་པ་སོ་སོའི་སྐྱེ་བོ་དག་གིས་ལྟ་ཅི་སྨོས་ཏེ། དེ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ལ་དད་པས་རྟོགས་པ་ནི་མ་གཏོགས་སོ། །ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ་དོན་དམ་པར་ནི་དད་པས་རྟོགས་པར་བྱ་བ་ཡིན་ནོ། །ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ་དོན་དམ་པར་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་འདི་ནི་སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་ཁམས་ཀྱི་ཚིག་བླ་དགས་སོ། །ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ་སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་ཁམས་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་འདི་ནི། དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོའི་ཚིག་བླ་དགས་སོ། །ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་འདི་ནི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུའི་ཚིག་བླ་དགས་སོ་<br><br><em>Śāriputra, this actuality is the object of the Tathāgata and [solely] the sphere of the Tathāgata. First of all, Śāriputra, this actuality cannot be correctly [known, seen, or discriminated even by śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas through their own prajñā, let alone by ordinary naive beings, unless they realize [this actuality] through trust in the Tathāgata. Śāriputra, what is to be realized through trust is the ultimate. Śāriputra, "the ultimate" is a designation for the basic element of sentient beings. Śāriputra, "the basic element of sentient beings" is a designation for the tathāgata heart. Śāriputra, "the tathāgata heart" is a designation for the dharmakāya.|''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa]]'', in Derge Tengyur, Vol. 123: folio 74b-75a (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degetengyur/pbs/2916204 Adarsha]).<br>~ Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 332.
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In relation to the fifth ''vajrapada'', enlightenment (''bodhi''), he cites the ''[[Śrīmālādevīsūtra]]'':
{{Blockquote|anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhiriti bhagavan nirvāṇadhātoretadadhivacanam/ nirvāṇadhāturiti bhagavan tathāgatadharmakāyasyaitadadhivacanam/<br><br></em>།བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་བླ་ན་མེད་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཅེས་བྱ་བ་འདི་ནི་མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པའི་དབྱིངས་ཀྱི་ཚིག་བླ་དགས་སོ། །བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པའི་དབྱིངས་ཞེས་བགྱི་བ་འདི་ནི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུའི་ཚིག་བླ་དགས་སོ་<br><br><em>Bhagavan, "supreme awakening" is a designation for the dhātu of nirvāṇa. Bhagavan, "the dhātu of nirvāṇa" is a designation for the dharmakāya of the Tathāgata.|''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa]]'', in Derge Tengyur, Vol. 123: folio 75a (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degetengyur/pbs/2916205 Adarsha]).<br>~ Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 332.<br>~ View the source Sūtra on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3007473 Adarsha]
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In relation to the sixth ''vajrapada'', enlightened qualities (''guṇa''), he cites the ''[[Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśaparivarta]]'':
{{Blockquote|yo'yaṃ śāriputra tathāgatanirdiṣṭo dharmakāyaḥ so'yamavinirbhāgadharmā/ avinirmuktajñānaguṇo yaduta gaṅgānadīvālikāvyatikrāntaistathāgatadharmaiḥ<br><br></em>།ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པས་བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུ་གང་ཡིན་པ་དེ་ནི་འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ། གང་གཱའི་ཀླུང་གི་བྱེ་མ་སྙེད་ལས་འདས་པའི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཆོས་དག་དང་། རྣམ་པར་དབྱེར་མེད་པའི་ཆོས་དང་ལྡན་པ་མ་བྲལ་བའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཀྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་ཅན་ཡིན་ནོ་<br><br><em>Śāriputra, the dharmakāya that is taught by the Tathāgata is endowed with inseparable attributes and qualities that [can]not be realized as being divisible [from it], which [manifest] in the form of the attributes of a tathāgata that far surpass the sand grains in the river Gaṅgā [in number].|''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa]]'', in Derge Tengyur, Vol. 123: folio 75a (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degetengyur/pbs/2916205 Adarsha]).<br>~ Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 332.
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In relation to the seventh ''vajrapada'', enlightened activities (''karman''), he cites the ''[[Tathāgataguṇajñānācintyaviṣayāvatāranirdeśa]]'':
{{Blockquote|na mañjuśrīstathāgataḥ kalpayati na vikalpayati/ athavāsyānābhogenākalpayato'vikalpayata iyamevaṃrūpā kriyā pravartate/<br><br></em>།འཇམ་དཔལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ནི་རྟོག་པར་མི་མཛད། རྣམ་པར་རྟོག་པར་མི་མཛད་མོད་ཀྱི། དེ་ལྟ་ན་ཡང་དེ་འདི་ལྟ་བུའི་རང་བཞིན་གྱི་མཛད་པ་འདི་ནི་མི་རྟོག་རྣམ་པར་མི་རྟོག་བཞིན་དུ་ལྷུན་གྱིས་གྲུབ་པར་འཇུག་གོ།<br><br><em>Mañjuśrī, the Tathāgata does not think and does not conceptualize. Nevertheless, his activity, which has such a nature, operates effortlessly and without thinking and conceptualizing.|''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa]]'', in Derge Tengyur, Vol. 123: folio 75a (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degetengyur/pbs/2916205 Adarsha]).<br>~ Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 333.<br>~ View the source Sūtra on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3017693 Adarsha]
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In relation to all seven of the ''vajrapadas'', he cites the ''[[Dhāraṇīśvararājasūtra]]''. The first three are said to be discussed in the introductory sections of this sūtra and he quotes the following passage that demonstrates the order by which the three emerge:
{{Blockquote|bhagavān sarvadharmasamatābhisaṃbuddhaḥ supravartitadharmacakro'nantaśiṣyagaṇasuvinīta<br><br></em>བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅད་མཉམ་པ་ཉིད་དུ་མངོན་པར་རྫོགས་པར་སངས་རྒྱས་པ། ཆོས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ་ལེགས་པར་བསྐོར་བ། སློབ་མའི་ཚོགས་ཤིན་ཏུ་དུལ་བ་མཐའ་ཡས་པ་མངའ་བ་ <br><br><em>The Bhagavān has completely and perfectly awakened to the equality of all phenomena, has excellently turned the wheel of dharma, and was endowed with limitless very disciplined assemblies of disciples.|''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa]]'', in Derge Tengyur, Vol. 123: folio 75b (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degetengyur/pbs/2916206 Adarsha]).<br>~ Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 333.<br>~ View the source Sūtra on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3015197 Adarsha]
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The following four are said to be introduced gradually in successive sections of this sūtra, culminating in a description of enlightened activity for which he quotes the following passage that utilizes the analogy of a jeweler preparing a rough gemstone:
{{Blockquote|tadyathā kulaputra kuśalo maṇikāro maṇiśuddhisuvidhijñaḥ/ sa maṇigotrādaparyavadāpitāni maṇiratnāni gṛhītvā tīkṣṇena khārodakenotkṣālya kṛṣṇena keśakambalaparyavadāpanena paryavadāpayati/ na ca tāvanmātreṇa vīrya praśrambhayati/ tataḥ paścāt tīkṣṇenāmiṣarasenotkṣālya khaṇḍikāparyavadāpanena paryavadāpayati/ na ca tāvanmātreṇa vīrya praśrambhayati/ tataḥ sa paścānmahābhaiṣajyarasenotkṣālya sūkṣmavastraparyavadāpanena paryavadāpayati/ paryavadāpitaṃ cāpagatakācama bhijātavaiḍūryamityucyate/ evameva kulaputra tathāgato'pyapariśuddhaṃ sattvadhātuṃ viditvānityaduḥkhānātmāśubhodvegakathayā saṃsārābhiratān sattvānudvejayati/ ārye ca dharmavinaye'vatārayati/ na ca tāvanmātreṇa vīrya praśrambhayati/ tataḥ paścācchūnyānimittapraṇihitakathayā tathāgatanetrīmavabodhayati/ na ca tāvanmātreṇa tathāgato vīryaṃ praśrambhayati/ tataḥ paścādavivartyadharmacakrakathayā trimaṇḍalapariśuddhikathayā ca tathāgataviṣaye tān sattvānavatārayati nānāprakṛtihetukān/ avatīrṇāśca samānāstathāgatadharmatāmadhigamyānuttarā dakṣiṇīyā ityucyanta<br><br></em>རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དཔེར་ན་འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ། ནོར་བུ་མཁན་མཁས་པ་ནོར་བུ་སྦྱོང་བའི་ཚུལ་ལེགས་པར་ཤེས་པ་དེ་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་རིགས་ནས་ཡོངས་སུ་མ་དག་པའི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་བླངས་ཏེ། ལན་ཚྭའི་ཆུ་རྣོན་པོས་སྦངས་ནས་སྐྲའི་རེ་བའི་ཡོངས་སུ་སྦྱོང་བས་སྦྱོང་བར་བྱེད་དོ། །དེ་ཙམ་གྱིས་བརྩོན་པ་འདོར་བའང་མ་ཡིན་ཏེ། དེའི་འོག་ཏུ་ཟངས་ཀྱི་ཁུ་བ་རྣོན་པོས་སྦངས་ནས་བལ་གྱི་ལ་བའི་ཡོངས་སུ་སྦྱོང་བས་སྦྱོང་བར་བྱེད་དོ། །དེ་ཙམ་གྱིས་བརྩོན་པ་འདོར་བའང་མ་ཡིན་ཏེ། དེའི་འོག་ཏུ་སྨན་ཆེན་པོའི་ཁུ་བས་སྦངས་ནས་རས་སྲབ་མོའི་ཡོངས་སུ་སྦྱོང་བས་སྦྱོང་བར་བྱེད་དོ། །ཡོངས་སུ་བྱང་སྟེ་དྲི་མ་དང་བྲལ་བ་ནི་བཻ་ཌཱུརྱའི་རིགས་ཆེན་པོ་ཞེས་བརྗོད་དོ། །རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཡང་ཡོངས་སུ་མ་དག་པའི་སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་ཁམས་མཁྱེན་ནས། མི་རྟག་པ་དང་། སྡུག་བསྔལ་བ་དང་། བདག་མེད་པ་དང་། མི་གཙང་བའི་ཡིད་འབྱུང་བའི་གཏམ་གྱིས་འཁོར་བ་ལ་དགའ་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་སྐྱོ་བ་སྐྱེད་པར་མཛད་དེ། འཕགས་པའི་ཆོས་འདུལ་བ་ལ་འཛུད་པར་མཛད་དོ། །དེ་ཙམ་གྱིས་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་བརྩོན་པ་འདོར་བ་ཡང་མ་ཡིན་ཏེ། དེའི་འོག་ཏུ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་དང་། མཚན་མ་མེད་པ་དང་། སྨོན་པ་མེད་པའི་གཏམ་གྱིས་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཚུལ་རྟོགས་པར་མཛད་དོ། །དེ་ཙམ་གྱིས་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་བརྩོན་པ་འདོར་བ་ཡང་མ་ཡིན་ཏེ། དེའི་འོག་ཏུ་ཕྱིར་མི་ལྡོག་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོའི་གཏམ་དང་འཁོར་གསུམ་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པའི་གཏམ་གྱིས་རང་བཞིན་སྣ་ཚོགས་པའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཡུལ་ལ་འཇུག་པར་མཛད་དོ། །ཞུགས་པར་གྱུར་ཞིང་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཆོས་ཉིད་རྟོགས་པར་འགྱུར་ན་ནི། བླ་ན་མེད་པའི་ཡོན་གནས་<br><br><em>O son of noble family, take an expert jeweler who knows the procedure of refining gems very well. Having extracted unrefined precious gems from a jewel mine, he washes them in a caustic alkaline solution and then polishes them by cleansing them with a black-hair cloth. However, he does not cease his efforts at [having done] just that. Next, he washes them in caustic [acidic] food liquid and polishes them by cleansing them with a woolen towel. [Again,] however, he does not cease his efforts at [having done] just that. Next, he washes them in a great medicinal elixir and polishes them by cleansing them with a very fine cloth. Thus cleansed and freed from impure substances, [a refined beryl] is called "a noble beryl." Likewise, O son of noble family, the Tathāgata too, upon perceiving the impure basic element of sentient beings, creates weariness in those sentient beings who delight in saṃsāra through his fear-provoking discourses on impermanence, suffering, identitylessness, and impurity, thus making them enter the noble discipline of the dharma. However, the Tathāgata does not cease his efforts at [having done] just that. Next, he makes them realize the guiding principle of the tathāgatas through his discourses on emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. [Again,] however, the Tathāgata does not cease his efforts at [having done] just that. Next, through his discourses on the dharma wheel of irreversibility, that is, his discourses on the complete purity of the three spheres, he makes sentient beings enter the domain of the tathāgatas. Those [sentient beings] with various causal natures [of entering this domain] who enter it all together and realize the true nature of a tathāgata are called "unsurpassable venerable ones."|''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa]]'', in Derge Tengyur, Vol. 123: folios 76b-77a (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degetengyur/pbs/2916208 Adarsha]).<br>~ Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, pp. 335-336.<br>~ View the source Sūtra on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3015344 Adarsha]
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<h2>From the Masters </h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Sajjana}}

In his ''Mahāyānottaratantraśāstropadeśa'', Sajjana presents a synopsis of the seven ''vajrapada'' in the first seven verses. Verses 1-5 cover the first three, and verses 6-7 cover the remaining four.{{Blockquote|Those who follow the three methods<br>Or those who wish for common results,<br>Having recognized the [three] jewels, resort to these jewels<br>As they manifest for different mind streams.[1]<br><br>However, [the three jewels] are [included in] the ultimate refuge—<br>They are not different in actuality.<br>Here, the purpose [of the ultimate refuge] is to generate [bodhi]citta,<br>Which has the full attainment [of awakening] as its sphere.[2]<br><br>This full attainment is accomplished<br>Through [the stages of] impurity and purity,<br>By way of the distinction of one’s own welfare and that of others<br>And through engaging in this [ultimate] refuge among those to be taken refuge in.[3]<br><br>Therefore, without having gathered the accumulations,<br>The Buddha, the dharma, and likewise the assembly<br>Turn into being conditions<br>That successively arise in their due order. [4]<br><br>From the perfect Buddha, the turning of the wheel<br>Of the dharma [arises], whose sphere is the saṃgha.<br>The saṃgha [consists of] its authoritative properties,<br>Which are the manifestations of the qualities of compassion. [5]<br><br>Those who gradually purify the basic element<br>Through the [buddha]dharmas and through means (upāya)<br>Progress on the paths of what is conducive to liberation<br>And penetration as well as on the uninterrupted path. [6]<br><br>Based on the directly manifest conditions<br>Called "awakening," "the qualities," and "activity"<br>And then based on the [ten] topics of the basic element,<br>One should engage in reflection and familiarization. [7]

|[[Sajjana]]. [[Mahāyānottaratantraśāstropadeśa]] (महायानोत्तरतन्त्रशास्त्रोपदेश). Critical Sanskrit edition in Kano, 2006, Appendix B, 505-519. Also see Takasaki, J. 1974. Nyoraizō shisō no keisei. 如来蔵思想の形成. Tokyo: Shunjūsha.<br>~ Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, pp. 461-463.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Ngok Lotsāwa Loden Sherab}}

In his ''Condensed Meaning of the Ultimate Continuum of the Mahāyāna'', Ngok Lotsāwa gives the following brief overview of the seven ''vajrapada'':{{Blockquote|</em>སངས་རྒྱས་ལ་སོགས་པ་དོན་དམ་པ་དང་།་བརྡར་བཏགས་པ་རང་གི་རྒྱུད་ལ་འབྱུང་བར་འགྱུར་བའམ། གཞན་ཁོ་ནའི་རྒྱུད་ལ་བྱུང་ཟིན་པ་ནི་འབྲས་བུའམ་རྒྱུའི་རང་བཞིན་ནོ༎ ཁམས་ནི་གཅིག་ཏུ་རྒྱུའི་རང་བཞིན་ཏེ། ཉེ་བར་ལེན་པ་སད་པ་དང་མ་སད་པའོ༎ བྱང་ཆུབ་ལ་སོགས་པ་ཡང་སྐུ་གསུམ་གྱི་རང་བཞིན་ཏེ། གཞན་གྱི་རྒྱུད་ལ་བྱུང་ཟིན་པ་དང་།རང་གི་རྒྱུད་ལ་འབྱུང་བར་འགྱུར་བ་སྟེ།་རྒྱུ་དང་འབྲས་བུའི་རང་བཞིན་ནོ༎ འདི་དག་གི་རང་བཞིན་ཉིད་ནི་གཞུང་ལས་བཤད་པར་ཟད་དོ༎་དེ་ནི་དངོས་པོ་ཉེ་བར་དགོད་པའོ།།<br><br><em>[The Three Jewels] such as the Buddha, both in terms of their ultimate truth and conventional designation, will arise in one's own continuum or they have already arisen in the continuum of only the others. They have either the nature of cause or result [respectively]. The dhātu (the Buddha-element) has only the nature of cause, namely efficient [cause] (upādāna). That is either already activated or not yet. [The remaining three vajrapadas], bodhi, [guṇa, and karman], have the nature of the three bodies [of the Buddha]. Those which have already arisen in the continuum of only others and the ones which will arise in one's own continuum have the nature of cause [of one's own awakening] and [one's expected] result, [respectively]. The nature of those [seven vajrapadas] has been explained in the treatise (i.e. the RGV). That was the presentation of the main topics.|[[Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab]]. ''[[Theg chen rgyud bla ma'i don bsdus pa]]''. In Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab kyi gsung chos skor. Beijing: Krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2009, p. 545.<br>~ Translation from Kano, Kazuo. "[[rNgog Blo-ldan-shes-rab's Summary of the Ratnagotravibhāga: The First Tibetan Commentary on a Crucial Source for the Buddha-Nature Doctrine|rNgog Blo-ldan-shes-rab's Summary of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'': The First Tibetan Commentary on a Crucial Source for the Buddha-Nature Doctrine]]." PhD diss., University of Hamburg, 2006, pp. 370-371.
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In terms of the order of the ''vajrapadas'', Ngok Lotsāwa states:{{Blockquote|</em>གོ་རིམ་ཡང་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ནི་སྐྱེ་བའི་རིམ་པ་ཇི་ལྟ་བར་བསྟན་ཏོ། ལྷན་ཅིག་བྱེད་པ་དང་ལྡན་པའི་རྒྱུ་ཡང་དགེ་འདུན་ལ་ཡོད་པས་དགེ་འདུན་གྱི་རྗེས་ལ་ཁམས་སོ། ཉེ་བར་ལེན་པ་དེ་ལས་བྱུང་བའི་འབྲས་བུ་ཡིན་པས་བྱང་ཆུབ་དེའི་འོག་ཏུ་བསྟན་ཏོ། དེ་ལ་ཡོན་ཏན་བརྟེན་པས་དེའི་འོག་ཏུ་ཡོན་ཏན་བསྟན་ཏོ། ཡོན་ཏན་དེས་ཀྱང་རྗེས་སུ་མཐུན་པའི་འཕྲིན་ལས་འགྲུབ་པས་དེའི་འོག་ཏུ་འཕྲིན་ལས་བསྟན་ཏོ། དེ་ལྟར་བསྟན་པའི་གོ་རིམ་གྱི་ཚིགས་སུ་བཅད་པས་ནི། མི་གནས་པའི་མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པའི་འཁོར་ལོའི་ཚུལ་གསལ་བར་བྱས་པའོ།<br><br><em>As to the order [of the vajrapadas], [the order of] the Three Jewels is presented exactly in accordance with the order of their origination. Since the causes including the co-emergent conditions (i.e. the dhātu and the Three Jewels) abide in the Saṃgha, the dhātu is [enumerated] after the Saṃgha. Being a result generated from the efficient cause (i.e. the dhātu), the bodhi is presented after it. Depending on it (i.e. the bodhi), the guṇa is presented after it (i.e. the bodhi). Since the appropriate karman is accomplished by the guṇa, the karman is presented after it (i.e. the guṇa). The verse regarding the order which taught it in such a way (i.e. RGV I.3) clarified the circle of the
apratiṣṭhitanirvāṇa.|[[Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab]]. ''[[Theg chen rgyud bla ma'i don bsdus pa]]''. In Rngog lo tsA ba blo ldan shes rab kyi gsung chos skor. Beijing: Krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2009, p. 550.<br>~ Translation from Kano, Kazuo. "[[rNgog Blo-ldan-shes-rab's Summary of the Ratnagotravibhāga: The First Tibetan Commentary on a Crucial Source for the Buddha-Nature Doctrine|rNgog Blo-ldan-shes-rab's Summary of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'': The First Tibetan Commentary on a Crucial Source for the Buddha-Nature Doctrine]]." PhD diss., University of Hamburg, 2006, p. 381.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Marpa Dopa Chökyi Wangchuk}}

In his ''Commentary on the Meaning of the Words of the Uttaratantra'', Marpa Dopa succinctly explains the essence of the seven ''vajrapadas'' in this way:{{Blockquote|</em>སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ངོ་བོ་ལ་ཀུན་རྫོབ་ཀྱི་སངས་རྒྱས་ནི་གཟུགས་སྐུ་གཉིས་ཏེ། དེ་ནི་ཉན་ཐོས་རང་རྒྱལ་དང་སོ་སོའི་སྐྱེ་བོ་ལས་དག་པས་མིག་གིས་བལྟ་བར་ནུས་པས་རྟོགས་པར་དཀའ་བའི་རྡོ་རྗེའི་གནས་མ་ཡིན་ཏེ། འོ་ན་དོན་དམ་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་སྐུའོ།<br>[...]<br>།ཆོས་ཀྱི་ངོ་བོ་ནི་ཀུན་རྫོབ་ཀྱི་ཆོས་བསྟན་པའི་ཆོས་གསུང་རབ་ཡན་ལག་བཅུ་གཉིས་ཏེ། དེ་ནི་ཉན་ཐོས་དང་རང་རྒྱལ་བ་དང་སོ་སོ་སྐྱེ་བོས་རྣ་བས་མཉན་པར་ནུས་པས་རྟོགས་པར་དཀའ་བས་རྡོ་རྗེའི་གནས་མིན་ནོ། །འོ་ན་དོན་དམ་པའི་ཆོས་རྟོགས་པའི་ཆོས་སོ།<br>[...]<br>།དགེ་འདུན་གྱི་ངོ་བོ་ནི། ཀུན་རྫོབ་ཀྱི་དགེ་འདུན་སྐྱེས་བུ་ཟུང་བཞི་གང་ཟག་ཡ་བརྒྱད་དེ། དེ་ནི་ལུས་དང་སེམས་ཀྱི་བསྙེན་བཀུར་བྱར་ཡོད་པས་རྟོགས་པར་དཀའ་བས་རྡོ་རྗེའི་གནས་མིན་ནོ། །འོ་ན་དོན་དམ་པའི་དགེ་འདུན་ཕྱིར་མི་ལྡོག་པ་འབྲིང་ས་བཅུ་བར་ལ་གནས་པའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའོ།<br>[...]<br>།ཁམས་ཀྱི་ངོ་བོ་སྒྲོ་སྐུར་གཉིས་དང་བྲལ་བའི་ཆོས་ཉིད་དོ། <br>[...]<br>།བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་ངོ་བོ་ནི་ཉན་ཐོས་རང་རྒྱལ་གྱི་བྱང་ཆུབ་རྡོ་རྗེའི་གནས་མེད་ཡིན་པས་བླ་ན་མེད་པའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་བོ།<br>[...]<br>།ཡོན་ཏན་གྱི་ངོ་བོ་ནི། ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུ་ལ་བརྟེན་པའི་ཡོན་ཏན་དེ་བྲལ་བའི་ཡོན་ཏན་སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གཉིས་དང༌། གཟུགས་ཀྱི་སྐུ་ལ་བརྟེན་པའི་ཡོན་ཏན་ཏེ་རྣམ་པར་སྨིན་པའི་ཡོན་ཏན་སུམ་ཅུ་རྩ་གཉིས་སོ།<br>[...]<br>།འཕྲིན་ལས་ཀྱི་ངོ་བོ་ནི་གཉིས་ཏེ། ལྷུན་གྱིས་གྲུབ་པའི་འཕྲིན་ལས་དང༌། རྒྱུན་མི་འཆད་པའི་འཕྲིན་ལས་སོ། །དང་པོ་ནི་རྣམ་གཞག་རྣམ་པ་ལྔ་ལ་རྣམ་པར་རྟོག་པ་མེད་པར་འཇུག་པའོ།[...]།གཉིས་པ་ནི་ཤེས་པར་བྱ་བའི་གནས་དྲུག་ཤེས་པར་བྱས་ནས་སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་དོན་རྒྱུན་མི་ཆད་པར་བྱེད་པའོ།<br><br><em>[As for] the essence of the Buddha. The seeming Buddha consists of the two rūpakāyas. Since śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and ordinary beings with pure karma are able to look at the [rūpakāyas] with their eyes, they are not a vajra point that is difficult to realize. Rather, [the first vajra point] is the ultimate Buddha—the dharmakāya.<br>[...]<br>[As for] the essence of the dharma. The seeming dharma is the dharma of the teachings (the twelve branches of the Buddha’s speech). Since śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and ordinary beings are able to listen to it with their ears, it is not a vajra point that is difficult to realize. Rather, [the second vajra point] is the ultimate dharma—the dharma of realization.<br>[...]<br>[As for] the essence of the saṃgha. The seeming saṃgha consists of the four pairs of individuals or the eight persons [in the śrāvakayāna and pratyekabuddhayāna]. Since one can venerate them and render services to them with body and mind, they are not a vajra point that is difficult to realize. Rather [the third vajra point] is the ultimate saṃgha—the medium [persons] who are irreversible, the bodhisattvas dwelling on the ten bhūmis.<br>[...]<br>The essence of the basic element. It is the nature of phenomena free from superimposition and denial.<br>[...]<br>[As for] the essence of the awakening. Since the awakening of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas is not a vajra point, [the fourth vajra point] is the unsurpassable awakening [of a buddha].<br>[...]<br>[As for] the essence of the qualities. The qualities based on the dharmakāya are the thirty-two qualities of freedom, and the qualities based on the rūpakāyas are the thirty-two qualities of maturation.<br>[...]<br>[As for] the essence of enlightened activity it is twofold: effortless enlightened activity and uninterrupted enlightened activity. In [the Uttaratantra’s] presentation in five aspects, the first one [is said to] operate in a nonconceptual manner...The second one is the uninterrupted promotion of the welfare of sentient beings through making them understand the six fields of knowledge.
|''[[rgyud bla ma'i tshig don rnam par 'grel pa]]''. In dpal mnga' bdag sgra sgyur mar pa lo tsA ba chos kyi blo gros kyi gsung 'bum, Vol. 1: 414–522. Lhasa: ser gtsug nang bstan dpe rnying 'tshol bsdu phyogs sgrig khang, 2009.<br>
~ Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, pp. 490-493.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Gö Lotsāwa Zhönu Pal}}

Gö Lotsāwa explains the term ''vajrapada'' in his commentary on the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'':{{Blockquote|</em>Now the ''[Ratnagotravibhāga]vyākhyā'' on this stanza [I.1] will be explained. In this regard there is an explanation of the term ''vajra point'' (lit. “vajra base”) and a presentation of canonical sources making the vajra[-like] meanings known. First, the seven meanings (i.e., objects), which must be realized on the basis of the [corresponding] words, are ultimate ones, and thus vajra-like. The words expressing these [meanings] are a basis because they are [their] foundation. Thus all seven words are called ''vajra bases''. To explain them again: since [Tib.] ''de la'' ("in this regard”), [in Sanskrit] ''tatra'', is the seventh case, it [can] be taken to imply [Tib.] ''de na'' (“at that place,” “there”) and [means]: when explaining this vajra ''base''.<br>“Listening” means arisen from listening, that is to say, knowing the meaning from scriptures. “Reflection” means arisen from reflection, that is, knowing the meaning from having reflected on reasons and arguments. “Difficult to understand on the basis of these two [types of] knowledge” means that when directly distinguishing the meaning, it is very difficult to actualize it, because these two [forms of knowledge] are conceptual. Therefore you should take [the meaning] to be an indistinguishable quality and [likewise] understand that the seven ultimate [points] are like a vajra. However [the meaning] is understood, since an expression is [always] referring to a thought, the meaning should not be taken as the actual object of the thought. Within the direct [perceptions] of any knowable object whatsoever, it is the meaning and object of comprehension that have the nature of self-realization, [that is,] a direct [perception] arisen from meditation.<em>|[[Mathes, Klaus-Dieter]]. ''[[A Direct Path to the Buddha Within]]: Go Lotsāwa's Mahāmudrā Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga''. Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008, pp. 195–196.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In his commentary on the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the ''Unassailable Lion's Roar'', Jamgön Kongtrul explains the first verse of the treatise as follows:{{Blockquote|</em>ཐོབ་པར་བྱ་བ་རང་གཞན་གྱི་དོན་གཉིས་མཐར་ཕྱིན་པ་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་དོན་དང་། འདོད་ཆགས་དང་བྲལ་བའི་བདེན་པ་གཉིས་ཀྱི་མཚན་ཉིད་ཅན་དམ་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དོན་དང་། ཡེ་ཤེས་གཉིས་དང་ལྡན་པས་ཕྱིར་མི་ལྡོག་པའི་ཚོགས་འཕགས་པའི་དགེ་འདུན་གྱི་དོན་དང་། དེ་རྣམས་ཐོབ་པའི་ཚུལ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྟོགས་པར་བྱ་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་ཁམས་སམ་དབྱིངས་རང་བཞིན་གྱིས་རྣམ་པར་དག་པའི་དོན་དང་། རྟོགས་པའི་ངོ་བོ་ཁམས་དེ་ཉིད་དྲི་མ་མཐའ་དག་གིས་དག་པ་བླ་ན་མེད་པའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་དོན་དང་། རྟོགས་པའི་ཡན་ལག་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཆེན་པོ་དང་འབྲེལ་པ་བྲལ་བ་དང་། རྣམ་པར་སྨིན་པའི་འབྲས་བུས་བསྡུས་པའི་ཡོན་ཏན་གྱི་དོན་དང་། གཞན་གྱིས་རྟོགས་པར་བྱེད་པའི་ཐབས་ཡོན་ཏན་གྱི་ནུས་པ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཕྲིན་ལས་ལྷུན་གྱིས་གྲུབ་ཅིང་རྒྱུན་མི་འཆད་པའི་དོན་ཐ་མའམ་ཕྱི་མར་བསྟན་པ་དང་བཅས་སྟེ། འཆད་པར་འགྱུར་བའི་བསྟན་བཅོས་མཐའ་དག་གི་ཡན་ལག་ཀུན་གྱི་ལུས་སམ་དངོས་པོ་ནི་མདོར་བསྡུས་པའི་ཚུལ་གྱིས་བསྟན་ནས། བརྗོད་བྱ་ཟབ་མོ་ཐོས་བསམ་གྱི་ཤེས་པས་ཕིགས་པར་དཀའ་བའི་ཕྱིར་རྫས་ཀྱི་དངོས་པོ་རྡོ་རྗེ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ལྟ་བུ་བདུན་དང་། རྗོད་བྱེད་ཡི་གེ་རྣམས་ཀྱང་དེ་དག་གི་ལམ་གསལ་བར་སྟོན་ཅིང་གོ་བར་བྱེད་པས་ན་གནས་ཞེས་བྱ་སྟེ། བརྗོད་བྱ་རྣམས་རིམ་གྱིས་རྟོགས་པའི་གཞིའམ་རྟེན་ཏུ་གྱུར་པའི་ཕྱིར་བརྗོད་བྱ་དང་མཚུངས་པར་གྲངས་བདུན་གྱིས་བསྟན་པ་འདི་དག་གོ །<em><br><br>In a condensed way, the entire content or body of the commentary to be explained is taught in terms of seven vajra points. The term "vajra" is used since a precious vajra is composed of indestructible material, and the subject to be expressed is difficult to penetrate by means of the discriminative wisdoms resulting from study and reflection.<br>The first point contains the explanation of perfect buddhahood, which constitutes what is to be attained—this being the ultimate level of the two benefits, which are benefit for oneself and benefit for others.<br>The second point explains the sacred Dharma as having the characteristics of the two truths, which are free from attachment.<br>The third point is the Sangha of the noble ones, the assembly of those who do not fall back since they possess the two types of primordial wisdom (Skt. ''jñāna'', Tib. ''ye shes'').<br>The fourth point explains the expanse (Tib. ''dbyings'') or the element of beings that is by nature completely pure. This is what needs to be truly realized, its realization constituting the way in which Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are attained.<br>The fifth point is unsurpassable enlightenment, the essence of realization, the state in which this element is purified from all defilements without the slightest remainder.<br>The sixth point describes the qualities accompanying great enlightenment. They are the attributes of realization and consist of [two] fruits: those of freedom and complete maturation.<br> Finally, the seventh point explains buddha activity, which is spontaneous and uninterrupted. This is the power or ability of the qualities, the means causing others to gain realization.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos snying po'i don mngon sum lam gyi bshad pa srol dang sbyar ba'i rnam par 'grel ba phyir mi ldog pa seng ge'i nga ro]]''. In Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i tshig 'grel. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2005, pp. 140-141.<br>- Translation from Fuchs, Rosemarie, trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "The Unassailable Lion's Roar," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000, pp. 98-99.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso}}

Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso elucidates the above explanation of the seven ''vajrapada'' from Jamgön Kongtrul's ''Unassailable Lion's Roar'', stating:{{Blockquote|(1) The state of a buddha is called "perfect" since the two aspects of abandonment and realization are finally perfected.<br>(2) The two truths are the absolute and the relative truth.<br>(3) The Sangha of noble ones consists of those who have directly realized emptiness. They are called "noble" since due to this realization they have reached a higher level of mental development than an ordinary being.<br>(4) Within the system of the Madhyamaka, "Rangtong Madhyamaka" and "Shäntong Madhyamaka" (Tib. ''dbu ma rang stong dang dbu ma gzhan stong'') are distinguished. Literally, Rangtong means "self-empty" and Shäntong "empty of other." In the view of the Rangtong Madhyamaka, "the expanse by nature completely pure" refers to the fact that all phenomena are by nature not truly existent. It is equivalent to emptiness in the sense of complete freedom from conceptual elaboration (Tib. ''spros pa''). In the view of the Shäntong Madhyamaka it is the nature of mind, being the inseparable union of spaciousness and awareness (Tib. ''dbyings rig dbyer med'').<br>(5) The defilements from which the element or the tathagatagarbha is purified in the state of enlightenment are the adventitious stains of delusion with regard to appearances, or in other words, the veils of the mental poisons and hindrances to knowledge.<br>(6) The term "fruit of freedom" is used from the viewpoint of complete freedom from all the defilements consisting of delusion with regard to appearances. With this freedom, the thirty-two qualities of the dharmakaya are attained. The fruit of complete maturation results from the fact that the accumulation of merit has been led to complete maturity. It consists of the thirty-two qualities of the form kayas.<br>(7) When having reached ultimate direct realization, one has disposal over the means causing all other beings to gain this realization. This is buddha activity, which consists of the power or ability of the qualities, or in other words, of the fact that one wields great qualities, those of freedom and complete maturation.|Fuchs, Rosemarie, trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "The Unassailable Lion's Roar," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000, p. 301.
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<h2>Further Readings</h2>

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: When the Clouds Part
|cover=File:When the Clouds Part-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/When_the_Clouds_Part
|text=The ''Uttaratantra'' (I.2) declares that its primary source is the ''Dhāraṇīśvararājasūtra'', which is said to contain all seven vajra points. RGVV adds the following sūtras as alternative individual scriptural sources for these vajra points—the ''Sthirādhyāśayaparivartasūtra'' (vajra points 1 to 3), the ''Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśaparivarta'' (vajra points 4 and 6), the ''Śrīmālādevīsūtra'' (vajra point 5), and the ''Tathāgataguṇajñānācintyaviṣayāvatāranirdeśasūtra'' (vajra point 7). In addition, ''Uttaratantra'' III.27 refers to the ''Ratnadārikāsūtra'' as the source of the sixty-four buddha qualities. RGVV also mentions the ''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra'' as the basis for teaching the dharmakāya, suchness, and the disposition in detail (which refers to ''Uttaratantra'' I.143–52, matching the dharmakāya and so on with the nine examples in that sūtra). Though the ''Sarvabuddhaviśayāvatārajñānālokālaṃkārasūtra'' is not explicitly mentioned in the ''Uttaratantra'', it is clearly the source of the nine examples for enlightened activity used in the ''Uttaratantra''. In addition, RGVV quotes this sūtra several times.

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|source=[[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: Buddha-Nature and Emptiness
|cover=File:Buddha-Nature and Emptiness-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/Buddha-Nature_and_Emptiness
|text=An essential study of a key text that presents buddha-nature theory and its transmission from India to Tibet, this book is the most thorough history of buddha-nature thought in Tibet and is exceptional in its level of detail and scholarly apparatus. It serves as a scholarly encyclopedia of sorts with extensive appendices listing every existent commentary on the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' (''Uttaratantraśāstra''), as well as covering Ngok Lotsawa's commentarial text and his philosophical positions related with other Tibetan thinkers.
|source=[[Kano, Kazuo]]. ''[[Buddha-Nature and Emptiness]]: rNgog Blo-ldan-shes-rab and a Transmission of the Ratnagotravibhāga from India to Tibet''. Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 91. Vienna: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien Universität Wien, 2016.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: A Direct Path to the Buddha Within
|cover=File:A_Direct_Path_to_the_Buddha_Within-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/A_Direct_Path_to_the_Buddha_Within:_Go_Lotsāwa's_Mahāmudrā_Interpretation_of_the_Ratnagotravibhāga
|text=
Maitreya’s ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', also known as the Uttaratantra, is the main Indian treatise on buddha nature, a concept that is heavily debated in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. In ''A Direct Path to the Buddha Within'', Klaus-Dieter Mathes looks at a pivotal Tibetan commentary on this text by Gö Lotsāwa Zhönu Pal, best known as the author of the Blue Annals. Gö Lotsāwa, whose teachers spanned the spectrum of Tibetan schools, developed a highly nuanced understanding of buddha nature, tying it in with mainstream Mahāyāna thought while avoiding contested aspects of the so-called empty-of-other (zhentong) approach.
|source=[[Mathes, Klaus-Dieter]]. ''[[A Direct Path to the Buddha Within]]: Go Lotsāwa's Mahāmudrā Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga''. Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra
|cover=File:Buddha Nature The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra
|text=All sentient beings, without exception, have buddha nature, the inherent purity and perfection of the mind, untouched by changing mental states. The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra, one of the "Five Treatises" said to have been dictated to Asanga by the Bodhisattva Maitreya, presents the Buddha's definitive teachings on how we should understand this ground of enlightenment and clarifies the nature and qualities of buddhahood.
|source=[[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga, with a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('Jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "The Unassailable Lion's Roar," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000.
}}
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The Bibliography

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<div class="h1 large">Selected Bibliography & Resources</div>
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|content=This is the most complete bibliography of academic and related references on the concept of buddha-nature and the [[Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra]] and its commentaries. On this page you can find secondary sources first, followed by multimedia citations with links and then primary source citations with links to relevant recension information and online resources in each available language.
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<div class="h2 mt-0 pt-0">812 Citations</div>

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== Academic Sources (582) ==

*[[Bailey, Harold W.]] ''[[Indo-Scythian Studies: Being Khotanese Texts]]''. Vol. 5. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1963.
*[[Bernert, Christian]], trans. ''[[Perfect or Perfected? Rongtön on Buddha-Nature]]: A Commentary on the Fourth Chapter of the Ratnagotravibhāga (vv.1.27-95[a])''. By [[Rongtön Sheja Künrig]] (rong ston shes bya kun rig). Kathmandu: [[Vajra Books]], 2018.
*[[Brown, Brian Edward]]. ''[[The Buddha Nature: A Study of the Tathāgatagarbha and Ālayavijñāna]]''. Buddhist Tradition Series 11. Delhi: [[Motilal Banarsidass]], 1991. https://archive.org/details/tathagatgarbhabuddhanatureastudyofthetathagatagarbhaandalayavijnanabrianedwardbr/mode/2up.
*[[Brunnhölzl, Karl]], trans. ''[[In Praise of Dharmadhātu]].'' By [[Nāgārjuna]] and the Third Karmapa, [[Rangjung Dorje]] (rang byung rdo rje). Nitartha Institute Series. Ithaca, NY: [[Snow Lion Publications]], 2007.
*[[Brunnhölzl, Karl]], trans. ''[[Luminous Heart: The Third Karmapa on Consciousness, Wisdom, and Buddha Nature]]''. Nitartha Institute Series. Ithaca, NY: [[Snow Lion Publications]], 2009.
*[[Brunnhölzl, Karl]], trans. ''[[When the Clouds Part: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra]]''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: [[Snow Lion Publications]], 2014.
*[[Coleman, James William]]. ''[[The Buddha's Dream of Liberation: Freedom, Emptiness, and Awakened Nature]]''. Somerville, MA: [[Wisdom Publications]], 2017.
*[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Peter Michel]]. ''[[The Buddha Nature: Death and Eternal Soul in Buddhism]]''. Woodside, CA: Bluestar Communications, 1997.
*[[Duckworth, Douglas S.]] ''[[Mipam on Buddha-Nature: The Ground of the Nyingma Tradition]]''. Albany: [[State University of New York Press]], 2008. http://promienie.net/images/dharma/books/mipham_buddha-nature.pdf.
*[[Duckworth, Douglas S.]] ''[[Jamgön Mipam: His Life and Teachings]]''. Boston: [[Shambhala Publications]], 2011.
*[[Khyentse, Dzongsar]]. ''[[Buddha-Nature: Mahayana-Uttaratantra-Shastra]]''. By [[Arya Maitreya]]. With commentary by [[Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche]]. Edited by [[Alex Trisoglio]]. n.p.: Siddhartha's Intent, 2007. http://www.siddharthasintent.org/assets/pubs/UttaratantraDJKR.pdf.
*[[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By [[Arya Maitreya]]. Written down by [[Arya Asanga]]. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "[[The Unassailable Lion's Roar]]," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: [[Snow Lion Publications]], 2000.
*[[Griffiths, Paul J.]], and [[John P. Keenan]], eds. ''[[Buddha Nature: A Festschrift in Honor of Minoru Kiyota]]''. Tokyo: Buddhist Books International, 1990. https://archive.org/details/buddhanatureafestschriftinhonorofminorukiyota_542_W/mode/2up.
*[[Guenther, Herbert V.]], trans. ''[[Books/The_Jewel_Ornament_of_Liberation_(Guenther)|The Jewel Ornament of Liberation]]''. By [[Gampopa]] (sgam po pa). The Clear Light Series. Boston: [[Shambhala Publications]], 1989. First published 1959 by Rider & Co. (London).
*[[Guenther, Herbert V.]] ''[[From Reductionism to Creativity: rDzogs-chen and the New Sciences of Mind]]''. Boston: [[Shambhala Publications]], 1989.
*[[Prasad, H. S.]], ed. ''[[The Uttaratantra of Maitreya: Containing Introduction, E. H. Johnston's Sanskrit Text and E. Obermiller's English Translation]]''. Bibliotheca Indo-Buddhica 79. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1991.
*[[Holmes, Ken]], and [[Katia Holmes]], trans. ''[[Maitreya on Buddha Nature: A New Translation of Asaṅga’s Mahāyāna Uttara Tantra Śāstra]]''. Forres, Scotland: Altea, 1999.
*[[Holmes, Ken]], and [[Katia Holmes]], trans. ''[[The Changeless Nature: The Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra]]''. 2nd ed. By [[Arya Maitreya]] and Acarya [[Asanga]]. Eskdalemuir, Dumfriesshire, Scotland: Karma Kagyu Trust, 1985. https://archive.org/details/mahayanottaratantrasastrathechangelessnaturebykenandkatiaholmes_202003_994_R/page/n1/mode/2up.
*[[Holmes, Ken]], trans. ''[[Ornament of Precious Liberation]]''. By [[Gampopa]] (sgam po pa). Edited by [[Thupten Jinpa]]. Somerville, MA: [[Wisdom Publications]], 2017.
*[[Hookham, S. K.]] ''[[The Buddha Within: Tathagatagarbha Doctrine According to the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga]]''. SUNY Series in Buddhist Studies. Albany: [[State University of New York Press]], 1991.
*[[Hopkins, Jeffrey]], trans. ''[[Mountain Doctrine: Tibet's Fundamental Treatise on Other-Emptiness and the Buddha-Matrix]]''. By Döl-bo-ba Shay-rab-gyel-tsen ([[dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan]]). Edited by [[Kevin Vose]]. Ithaca, NY: [[Snow Lion Publications]], 2006.
*[[Kano, Kazuo]]. ''[[Buddha-Nature and Emptiness: rNgog Blo-ldan-shes-rab and a Transmission of the Ratnagotravibhāga from India to Tibet]]''. Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 91. Vienna: [[Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien Universität Wien]]: 2016.
*[[Komarovski, Yaroslav]]. ''[[Visions of Unity: The Golden Paṇḍita Shakya Chokden's New Interpretation of Yogācāra and Madhyamaka]]''. Albany: [[State University of New York Press]], 2011.
*[[King, Sallie B]]. ''[[Buddha Nature (1991)|Buddha Nature]]''. Albany: [[State University of New York Press]], 1991.
*[[Kramer, Ralf]]. ''[[The Great Tibetan Translator: Life and Works of rNgog Blo ldan shes rab (1059–1109)]]''. Collectanea Himalayica 1. München: [[Indus Verlag]], 2007. https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/6834/1/Kramer_Ralf_2007.pdf.
*[[Loden, Geshe Acharya Thubten]]. ''[[Fundamental Potential for Enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism]]''. Melbourne: Tushita Publications, 1996.
*[[Mathes, Klaus-Dieter]], ed. ''[['Gos Lo tsā ba gZhon nu dpal's Commentary on the Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā (Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos kyi 'grel bshad de kho na nyid rab tu gsal ba'i me long)]]''. Nepal Research Centre Publications 24. Stuttgart, Germany: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2003.
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*[[Jorgensen, John]], [[Dan Lusthaus]], [[John Makeham]], and [[Mark Strange]], eds. and trans. ''[[Treatise on Awakening Mahāyāna Faith]]''. New York: [[Oxford University Press]], 2019.
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*[[Tai Situpa, 12th]] (pad+ma don yod nyin byed). ''[[Awakening the Sleeping Buddha]]''. Edited by [[Lea Terhune]]. Boston: [[Shambhala Publications]], 1996.
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*[[Namgyal, Shechen Gyaltsap Pema]]. ''[[The Great Medicine: A Remedy That Conquers Clinging to Reality; Steps in Meditation on the Enlightened Mind]]''. Explained by [[Shechen Rabjam Jigme Chokyi Senge]]. New Delhi: [[Shechen Publications]], 2006.
*[[Dudjom Rinpoche]] (bdud 'joms 'jigs bral ye shes rdo rje). ''[[Counsels from My Heart]]''. Translated by [[Wulstan Fletcher]] and [[Helena Blankleder]] ([[Padmakara Translation Group]]). Boston: [[Shambhala Publications]], 2003.
*[[Urgyen Rinpoche, Tulku]]. ''[[Rainbow Painting: A Collection of Miscellaneous Aspects of Development and Completion]]''. Translated by [[Erik Pema Kunsang]]. Compiled by [[Marcia Binder Schmidt]] and edited with Kerry Moran. Hong Kong: [[Rangjung Yeshe Publications]], 1995. https://archive.org/details/rainbowpaintingbytulkuurgyenrinpocheerikpemakunsang_400_l/mode/2up.
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*[[Kunsang, Erik Pema]], trans. [[Books/Lamp_of_Mahamudra_(Shambhala)|''Lamp of Mahamudra: The Immaculate Lamp That Perfectly and Fully Illuminates the Meaning of Mahamudra, the Essence of All Phenomena'']]. By [[Tsele Natsok Rangdröl]] (rtse le sna tshogs rang grol). Boston: [[Shambhala Publications]], 1989. http://promienie.net/images/dharma/books/mahamudra_lamp.pdf.
*[[Kunsang, Erik Pema]], trans. ''[[The Heart of the Matter]]''. By [[Tsele Natsok Rangdröl]] (rtse le sna tshogs rang grol). Edited by [[Marcia Binder Schmidt]] and [[Michael Tweed]]. Buddhist Classics. Hong Kong: [[Rangjung Yeshe Publications]], 1996.
*[[Mathes, Klaus-Dieter]]. ''[[A Fine Blend of Mahāmudrā and Madhyamaka: Maitrīpa's Collection of Texts on Non-conceptual Realization (Amanasikāra)]]''. Vienna: Österreichischen Akademie Der Wissenschaften, 2015. https://austriaca.at/7786-9inhalt?frames=yes.
*[[Kilty, Gavin]], trans. ''[[A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages: Teachings on Guhyasamāja Tantra]]''. By [[Tsongkhapa]] (tsong kha pa). Library of Tibetan Classics 15, edited by [[Thupten Jinpa]]. Boston: [[Wisdom Publications]], 2013.
*[[Kilty, Gavin]], trans. ''[[Ornament of Stainless Light: An Exposition of the Kālacakra Tantra]]''. By [[Khedrup Norsang Gyatso]] (mkhas grub nor bzang rgya mtsho). Library of Tibetan Classics 14, edited by [[Thupten Jinpa]]. Boston: [[Wisdom Publications]], 2004.
*[[Harding, Sarah]], trans. ''[[Creation and Completion: Essential Points of Tantric Meditation]]''. By [[Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha’ yas). With commentary by [[Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche]]. Boston: [[Wisdom Publications]], 2002. First published 1996 by Wisdom (Boston).
*[[Hopkins, Jeffrey]], trans. and ed. ''[[The Great Exposition of Secret Mantra]]''. Vol. 1, ''Tantra in Tibet''. By [[Tsongkhapa]] (tsong kha pa). With a commentary by the [[Dalai Lama, 14th|Dalai Lama]]. 1st revised edition. Boulder, CO: [[Snow Lion Publications]], 2016.
*[[Khyentse, Dilgo]]. ''[[The Heart of Compassion: Instructions on Ngulchu Thogme's Thirty-Sevenfold Practice of a Bodhisattva]]''. Translated by [[Matthieu Ricard]] and edited by [[John Canti]] ([[Padmakara Translation Group]]). New Delhi: [[Shechen Publications]], 2006.
*[[Trungpa, Chögyam]], and [[Judith L. Lief]]. ''The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma''. Vol. 2, ''[[Books/The_Profound_Treasury_of_the_Ocean_of_Dharma,_Volume_Two|The Bodhisattva Path of Wisdom and Compassion]]''. Boston: [[Shambhala Publications]], 2013.
*[[Urgyen Rinpoche, Tulku]]. "[[Existence and Nonexistence: Teachings on Dzogchen]]." ''[[Lion's Roar]]'', March 1, 2000.
*[[Tharchin, Lama]]. "[[Guru Yoga in the Foundational Practices]]." Translated by [[Lama Ngawang Zangpo]] (Hugh Leslie Thompson). Austin, Texas, 2009.
*[[Ricard, Matthieu]], Jakob Leschly, Erik Schmidt, Marilyn Silverstone, and Lodrö Palmo, trans. ''[[The Life of Shabkar: The Autobiography of a Tibetan Yogin]]''. By [[Shabkar Tsokdruk Rangdrol]] (zhabs dkar tshogs drug rang grol). Edited by Constance Wilkinson, with Michal Abrams and other members of the [[Padmakara Translation Group]]. Ithaca, NY: [[Snow Lion Publications]], 2001.
*[[Sheehy, Michael R.]], trans. "[[Elucidating the Zhentong View: A Condensation of the Threefold Nature of Reality]]." By [[Tsen Kawoche]] (btsan kha bo che). JonangFoundation.org, n.d. https://jonangfoundation.org/sites/default/files/translation-elucidatingzhentong.pdf.
*[[Sheehy, Michael R.]], trans. ''[[The Essence of Zhentong]]''. By [[Jetsun Tāranātha]]. With Khenpo Kunga Sherab Saljay Rinpoche. JonangFoundation.org, 2008. https://jonangfoundation.org/sites/default/files/jf_snying%20po_final.pdf
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*[[Draszczyk, Tina]], trans. "[[Putting Buddha Nature into Practice]]." A translation of ''Immaculate Vajra Moonrays: An Instruction for the View of Shentong, the Great Madhyamaka'' ([[''Gzhan stong dbu ma chen po'i lta khrid rdo rje zla ba dri ma med pa'i 'od zer'']]). By [[Jamgön Kongtrul]] ('jam mgon kong sprul). In ''[[A Gathering of Brilliant Moons: Practice Advice from the Rimé Masters of Tibet]]'', edited by [[Holly Gayley]] and [[Joshua Schapiro]], 251–84. Somerville, MA: [[Wisdom Publications]], 2017.
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*[[Lai, Whalen]], and [[Lewis R. Lancaster]], eds. ''[[Early Ch’an in China and Tibet]]''. Berkeley Buddhist Studies Series 5. Berkeley, CA: Asian Humanities Press, 1983.
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*[[Shimoda, Masahiro]], ed. ''[[Nyoraizō to Busshō]]'' (Tathāgatagarbha and Buddha Nature). Vol. 8 of ''Shirīzu Daijō Bukkyō'' (Series on Mahāyāna Buddhism). Tokyo: Shunjūsha, 2014.
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*[[Hurley, Scott]]. "[[A Study of Master Yinshun's Hermeneutics: An Interpretation of the ''Tathāgatagarbha'' Doctrine]]." PhD diss., University of Arizona, 2001. https://repository.arizona.edu/bitstream/handle/10150/279857/azu_td_3031364_sip1_m.pdf;jsessionid=7F7C9754E7B4C951472D8BB20D5B4BBE?sequence=1.
*Hsiao, Mei. "[[A Study of Yogācāric Influence on Tathāgatagarbha Doctrine as Found in ''Laṅkāvatārasūtra'']]." PhD diss., University of Calgary, 2008. https://archive.org/details/yogacharastudyofyogacaricinfluenceontathagatagarbhadoctrineasfoundinlankavatarasutrameihsiaothe_179_w/mode/2up.
*Laughlin, Aaron Alexander. "[[''Tathāgatagarbha'' and ''Ātman'': Self Where There Is No-Self]]." ''IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Humboldt State University'' 3 (2019): 57–61. https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/ideafest/vol3/iss1/11
*[[Bhattacherjee, Rupa]]. "[[Multivariant Levels of Interpretations on Selected Caryās]]." MA thesis, University of Calgary, 2000. https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/MQ55135.pdf.
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*[[Radich, Michael]]. "[[Reading the Writing on the Wall: 'Sengchou's' Cave at Xiaonanhai, Early Chinese Buddhist Meditation, and Unique Portions of *Dharmakṣema's ''Mahāparinirvāṇamahāsūtra'']]." ''[[Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies]]'' 42 (2019): 515–632.
*[[Zopa, Thubten]]. "[[Buddha Nature and the Omniscient Mind]]." Lecture 3, Section One of the Fourteenth Kopan Course at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1981. Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, 2020. https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/buddha-nature-and-omniscient-mind.
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*[[Jackson, Roger R.]] ''[[Mind Seeing Mind: Mahāmudrā and the Geluk Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism]]''. Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Somerville, MA: [[Wisdom Publications]], 2019.
*[[Draszczyk, Martina]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: Our Potential for Wisdom, Compassion and Happiness]]''. By [[People/Shamarpa,_14th|Shamar Rinpoche]]. Lexington, VA: Bird of Paradise Press, 2019.
*[[Powers, John]], trans. ''[[Wisdom of Buddha: The Saṁdhinirmocana Mahāyāna Sūtra; Essential Questions and Direct Answers for Realizing Enlightenment]]''. Tibetan Translation Series. Berkeley, CA: Dharma Publishing, 1995. http://lirs.ru/lib/sutra/Wisdom_of_Buddha,The_Samdhinirmocana_Sutra,Powers,1995.pdf.
*[[Fletcher, Wulstan]], and [[Helena Blankleder]] (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. ''[[Treasury of Precious Qualities: The Rain of Joy; Book One]]''. By [[Jigme Lingpa]] ('jigs med gling pa). With ''The Quintessence of the Three Paths'', a commentary by [[Longchen Yeshe Dorje, Kangyur Rinpoche]] (klong chen ye shes rdo rje, bka' 'gyur rin po che). Boston: [[Shambhala Publications]], 2010.
*[[Keenan, John P.]], trans. ''[[The Scripture on the Explication of Underlying Meaning]]''. Translated from the Chinese of [[People/Xuanzang|Hsüan-tsang]] (Taisho Volume 16, Number 676). BDK English Tripiṭaka 25, no. 4. Berkeley, CA: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 2000. https://bdkamerica.org/product/the-scripture-on-the-explication-of-underlying-meaning/.
*[[Fletcher, Wulstan]], and [[Helena Blankleder]] ([[Padmakara Translation Group]]), trans. ''[[The Treasury of Precious Qualities Called The Rain of Joy]]''. By [[Jigme Lingpa]] ('jigs med gling pa). New Delhi: [[Shechen Publications]], 2018.
*[[Hopkins, Jeffrey]], trans. ''[[The Essence of Other-Emptiness]]''. By [[Tāranātha]]. Boston: [[Snow Lion Publications]], 2007.
*[[Thrangu Rinpoche]]. ''[[Songs of Naropa: Commentaries on Songs of Realization]]''. Translated by [[Erik Pema Kunsang]]. Edited by [[Marcia Binder Schmidt]] with Kerry Moran. Hong Kong: [[Rangjung Yeshe Publications]], 1997. https://archive.org/details/songsofnaropakhenchenthrangurinpochemarciabinderschmidtkerrymoran_755_F/mode/2up.
*[[Red Pine]] ([[Bill Porter]]), trans. ''[[The Lankavatara Sutra: A Zen Text]]''. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint Press, 2012.
*[[Saitō, Akira]], ed. "[[What is ''Tathāgatagarbha'': Buddha-Nature or Buddha Within?]]" Special Issue, ''Acta Asiatica'' 118 (2020).
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*[[Zimmermann, Michael]]. "[[A Multi-associative Term: Why ''Tathāgatagarbha'' Is Not One and the Same]]." In "[[What is ''Tathāgatagarbha'': Buddha-Nature or Buddha Within?]]" Edited by [[Akira Saitō]]. Special issue, ''Acta Asiatica'' 118 (2020): 41–55.
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*[[Snellgrove, D. L.]] [[''The Hevajra Tantra: A Critical Study''. Part 1, ''Introduction and Translation'']]. London Oriental Series 6, pt. 1. London: [[Oxford University Press]], 1959. https://archive.org/details/hevajratantraacriticalstudyintroductiontranslationdavidsnellgrovel.oupcomplete_202003_494_N/mode/2up.
*[[Rigzin, Tsepak]], trans. and ed. ''[[The Jewel Ladder: A Preliminary Nyingma Lamrim]]''. By [[Minling Terchen Gyurmed Dorjee]] (smin gling gter chen 'gyur med rdo rje). Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1990. http://promienie.net/images/dharma/books/gyurme-dorjee_jewel-ladder.pdf.
*[[Duff, Tony]], trans. ''[[The Lion's Roar That Proclaims Zhantong]]''. By [[Ju Mipham Namgyal]] ('ju mi pham rnam rgyal). Kathmandu: Padma Karpo Translation Committee, 2010.
*[[Duff, Tony]], trans. ''[[The Lion's Roar of the Ultimate Non-Dual Buddha Nature: A Text by Ju Mipham Namgyal and Explanation by Tony Duff]]''. Kathmandu: Padma Karpo Translation Committee, 2015.
*[[Waldo, Ives]], trans. ''[[The Lion's Roar Proclaiming Emptiness of Other]]''. By [[Mipham Gyatso]] (mi pham rgya mtsho). Unpublished translation. N.p: n.p., n.d.
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*[[Kim, Young-ho]]. "[[Tao-sheng's Commentary on the ''Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-Sūtra'': A Study and Translation]]." PhD diss., McMaster University, 1985.
*[[Brambilla, Filippo]]. "[[A Late Proponent of the Jo nang gZhan stong Doctrine: Ngag dbang tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho (1880–1940)]]." ''Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines'' 45 (2018): 5–50.
*[[Callahan, Elizabeth M.]], trans. ''[[The Profound Inner Principles]]''. By [[Rangjung Dorje]] (rang byung rdo rje), the Third Karmapa. With [[Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye]]'s Commentary ''Illuminating "The Profound Principles."'' [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: [[Snow Lion Publications]], 2015.
*[[Stearns, Cyrus]]. ''[[Le Bouddha du Dolpo: Vie et pensée d'un maître tibétain atypique du XIVe siècle initiateur du shèngtong]]''. Traduit de l'anglais par [[Sylvie Carteron]]. Saint-Cannat, France: Claire Lumière, 2005.
*[[Dalai Lama, 14th]]. ''[[Our Human Potential: The Unassailable Path of Love, Compassion, and Meditation]]''. Translated and edited by [[Jeffrey Hopkins]]. Boulder, CO: [[Shambhala Publications]], 2019.
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*[[Zangpo, Ngawang]] (Hugh Leslie Thompson) trans. ''[[The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Book 14: An Overview of Buddhist Tantra]]''. By [[Chöying Tobden Dorje]] (chos dbyings stobs ldan rdo rje). Boulder, CO: [[Snow Lion Publications]], 2017.
*[[Dorje, Gyurme]], trans. ''[[The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17: The Essential Tantras of Mahayoga]]''. Vol. 1. By [[Chöying Tobden Dorje]] (chos dbyings stobs ldan rdo rje). Boulder, CO: [[Snow Lion Publications]], 2016.
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*[[Cleary, Thomas]], trans. ''[[The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of The Avatamsaka Sutra]]''. Boulder, CO: [[Shambhala Publications]], 1993.
*[[D'Amato, Mario]], trans. ''[[Maitreya's Distinguishing the Middle from the Extremes (Madhyāntavibhāga): Along with Vasubandhu's Commentary (Madhyāntavibhāga-bhāṣya); A Study and Annotated Translation]]''. Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences. Tengyur Translation Initiative. New York: American Institute of Buddhist Studies, Columbia University's Center for Buddhist Studies and Tibet House US, 2012.
*[[Dharmachakra Translation Committee]], trans. ''[[Distinguishing Phenomena from Their Intrinsic Nature: Maitreya's Dharmadharmatāvibhaṅga with Commentaries by Khenpo Shenga (mkhan po gzhan dga') and Ju Mipham ('ju mi pham)]]''. Boston: [[Snow Lion Publications]], 2013.
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*[[Roesler, Ulrike]], [[Ken Holmes]], and [[David P. Jackson]], trans. ''[[Stages of the Buddha's Teachings: Three Key Texts]]''. By [[People/Dol_pa_shes_rab_rgya_mtsho|Dölpa]] (Dol pa shes rab rgya mtsho), [[Gampopa]] (Sgam po pa), and [[Sakya Paṇḍita]] (Sa skya paN+Di ta). Library of Tibetan Classics. Somerville, MA: [[Wisdom Publications]], 2015.
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*Wellings, Nigel. "[[The Nirvana Debate: Joseph Goldstein Extract]]." ''Bath and Bristol Mindfulness Courses'' (blog). An extract from Joseph Goldstein's ''One Dharma'', 158–83. San Francisco: Harper, 2002, May 28, 2009. https://bath-bristol-mindfulness-courses.co.uk/the-nivana-debate-joseph-goldstein-extract/.
*[[Gyaltsen, Acharya Lama Tenpa]]. ''[[Commentary on The Presentation of Grounds, Paths, and Results in the Casual Vehicle of Characteristics from the Treasury of Knowledge by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas)]]''. Root text translation and oral translation by [[Karl Brunnhölzl]]. Seattle, WA: Nītārtha Institute, 2004.
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*[[Viehbeck, Markus]], trans. ''[[Gongchig: The Single Intent, the Sacred Dharma]]''. By [[Jigten Sumgon]] ('jig rten gsum mgon). With commentary entitled ''The Lamp Dispelling the Darkness'' by [[Rigdzin Chökyi Dragpa]] (rig 'dzin chos kyi grags pa). Munich: Otter Verlag, 2009.
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*[[Ostensen, Morten]]. "[[Introduction to Dzogchen and Buddha-Nature]]." ''Buddha-Nature: A Tsadra Foundation Initiative'', July 11, 2019. https://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/Articles/Introduction_to_Dzogchen_and_Buddha-nature.
*[[Ostensen, Morten]]. "[[Introduction to Mahāmudrā and Buddha-Nature]]." ''Buddha-Nature: A Tsadra Foundation Initiative'', August 23, 2019. https://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/Articles/Introduction_to_Mah%C4%81mudr%C4%81_and_Buddha-Nature.
*[[Ostensen, Morten]]. "[[Introduction to Other-Emptiness and the Great Middle Way]]." ''Buddha-Nature: A Tsadra Foundation Initiative'', August 23, 2019. https://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/Articles/Introduction_to_Other-Emptiness_and_the_Great_Middle_Way.
*[[Ostensen, Morten]]. "[[Introduction to the Traditions of Ngok and Tsen]]." ''Buddha-Nature: A Tsadra Foundation Initiative'', February 28, 2020. https://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/Articles/Introduction_to_the_Traditions_of_Ngok_and_Tsen.
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*[[Burchardi, Anne]]. "[[The Role of ''Rang Rig'' in the ''Pramāṇa''-Based ''Gzhan Stong'' of the Seventh Karma pa]]." In ''Mahāmudrā and the Bka'-brgyud Tradition'', edited by [[Roger R. Jackson]] and [[Matthew T. Kapstein]], 317-44. ''Proceedings of the Eleventh Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Konigswinter 2006''. Andiast, Switzerland: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, 2011.
*[[Burchardi, Anne]], trans. [[''The Teaching on the Great Compassion of the Tathāgata'' (''Tathāgatamahākaruṇānirdeśa'')]]. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2020. https://read.84000.co/translation/toh186.html.
*[[Zopa, Geshe Tenzin]]. ''[[Buddha Nature and Preliminary Prayers and Their Explanations]]''. Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia: Losang Dragpa Buddhist Society (LDC), 2010.
*[[Tokiwa, Gishin]]. "[[The Tathāgata-Garbha as the Fundamental Subject of the Four Satyas]]." ''[[Indogaku Bukkyogaku Kenkyu]]'' (Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies) 33, no. 1 (1984): 13–18. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ibk1952/33/1/33_1_403/_pdf/-char/en.
*[[Gu, Guo]]. ''[[Silent Illumination: A Chan Buddhist Path to Natural Awakening]]''. Boulder, CO: [[Shambhala Publications]], 2021.
*[[Li, Zijie]]. ''[[Kukyō ichijō hōshōron to higashiajia bukkyō: Go—nana seiki no nyoraizō, shinnyo, shushō no kenkyū]]'' (The ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' and East Asian Buddhism: A Study on the ''Tathāgatagarbha'', ''Tathatā'' and ''Gotra'' between the 5th and 7th Centuries). Tokyo: Kokusho Kankōkai, 2020.
*[[Yampolsky, Philip B.]], trans. [[Books/The_Platform_Sutra_of_the_Sixth_Patriarch_(Yampolsky)|''The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch: The Text of the Tun-huang Manuscript'']]. Records of Civilization: Sources and Studies 76. New York: Columbia University Press, 1967.
*[[Red Pine]] ([[Bill Porter]]), trans. [[Books/The_Platform_Sutra_(Red_Pine)|''The Platform Sutra: The Zen Teaching of Hui-neng'']]. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, 2006.
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The Nine Similes

2023-01-31T16:13:16Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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|description=The ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'' utilizes a series of nine similes to illustrate how buddha-nature exists within sentient beings— a state in which this basic element is ever-present, but obscured by the adventitious stains of afflictive emotions. These nine are repeated and explained in the first chapter of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', in which they are enumerated as 1) a buddha in a decaying lotus, 2) honey amid bees, 3) kernels in their husks, 4) gold in filth, 5) a treasure in the earth, 6) a sprout and so on from a small fruit, 7) an image of the victor in a tattered garment, 8) royalty in the womb of a destitute woman, and 9) a precious statue in clay. Below you will find information on these nine similes, including scriptural references and how they have been addressed in commentarial literature related to the ''Ratnagotravibhāga''.
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<h2 class="mt-0 pt-0">Watch & Learn</h2>

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<h2>From the ''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra''</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Śākyamuni}}

In the ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'', the narrative begins with the Buddha displaying a miracle in which He causes the sky to be filled with beautiful lotuses inside of which are seated buddhas that radiate light. However, all of a sudden the lotuses whither and decay, giving off a foul stench, which causes confusion among those present. This scene appears in the text as follows:

{{Blockquote|</em>།དེའི་ཚེ་བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་བཤོས་གསོལ་བའི་འོག་ཏུ་ཙན་དན་གྱི་སྙིང་པོའི་ཁང་པ་བརྩེགས་པ་དེ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ནང་དུ་ཡང་དག་འཇོག་ལ་ཞུགས་པར་གྱུར་ཏོ། །དེ་ནས་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་མཐུས། ཙན་དན་གྱི་སྙིང་པོའི་ཁང་པ་བརྩེགས་པ་དེ་ལས་པད་མ་འདབ་མ་བྱེ་བ་ཁྲག་ཁྲིག་ཕྲག་འབུམ་ཡོད་པ། ཚད་ཤིང་རྟའི་ཕང་ལོ་ཙམ་པ། ཁ་དོག་དང་ལྡན་པ་ཁ་མ་བྱེ་བ་བྱེ་བ་ཁྲག་ཁྲིག་ཕྲག་འབུམ་བྱུང་བར་གྱུར་ཏེ། དེ་དག་སྟེང་གི་ནམ་མཁའི་བར་སྣང་ལ་མངོན་པར་འཕགས་ནས་ཐམས་ཅད་དང་ལྡན་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་འདི་ཁེབས་པར་གྱུར་ཏེ། འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ་དཔེར་ན་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་བླ་རེ་བཞིན་དུ་ཀུན་ཏུ་གནས་པར་གྱུར་ཏོ། །པད་མོའི་སྙིང་པོ་རེ་རེ་ལ་ཡང་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་སྐྱིལ་མོ་ཀྲུང་བཅས་ཏེ་བཞུགས་ཤིང་འོད་ཟེར་འབུམ་དག་རབ་ཏུ་འགྱེད་པར་ཀུན་ཏུ་སྣང་ལ། པད་མ་དེ་དག་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱང་ཤིན་ཏུ་ཁ་བྱེ་བར་གྱུར་ཏོ།<br><br>།དེ་ནས་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་བྱིན་གྱི་རླབས་ཀྱིས་པད་མ་དེ་དག་གི་འདབ་མ་དེ་དག་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱང་མོག་མོག་པོ་དང་། ནོག་ནོག་པོ་དང་། དྲི་ང་བ་དང་། སྨད་པར་འོས་པ་དང་། མངོན་པར་དགའ་བར་འགྱུར་བ་མ་ཡིན་པར་གྱུར་ཏོ། །འོན་ཀྱང་པད་མའི་སྙིང་པོ་དེ་དག་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་རྣམས་སྐྱིལ་མོ་ཀྲུང་བཅས་ཏེ་བཞུགས་ཤིང་འོད་ཟེར་འབུམ་དག་རབ་ཏུ་འགྱེད་པར་ཀུན་ཏུ་སྣང་ངོ་། །དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་པད་མའི་སྙིང་པོ་ལ་བཞུགས་པ་དེ་དག་གིས་ཀྱང་ཐམས་ཅད་དང་ལྡན་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་འདི་ཁྱབ་པར་གྱུར་ཏེ། དེའི་ཚེ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་འདི་ཤིན་ཏུ་མཛེས་པར་གྱུར་ཏོ། །དེ་ནས་དེའི་ཚེ་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་ཚོགས་ཐམས་ཅད་དང་། འཁོར་བཞི་ཡང་ཤིན་ཏུ་ངོ་མཚར་དུ་གྱུར་ཅིང་དགའ་བར་གྱུར་ཏོ། <br><br>།བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་ཀྱི་རྫུ་འཕྲུལ་མངོན་པར་འདུ་མཛད་པ་དེ་མཐོང་ནས་ཐེ་ཙོམ་དུ་གྱུར་ཏེ། གང་པད་མ་བྱེ་བ་ཁྲག་ཁྲིག་ཕྲག་འབུམ་འདི་དག་གི་འདབ་མ་རྣམས་འདི་ལྟར་ཁ་དོག་ངན་ཅིང་ཆུ་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱང་ཁ་དོག་ངན་ལ་སྨད་པའི་འོས་སུ་གྱུར་ཏེ། མངོན་པར་དགའ་བར་འགྱུར་བ་མ་ཡིན་པ་དང་། པད་མའི་སྙིང་པོ་དེ་དག་ལ་ཡང་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་རེ་རེ་སྐྱིལ་མོ་ཀྲུང་བཅས་ཏེ་བཞུགས་ཤིང་འོད་ཟེར་འབུམ་དག་རབ་ཏུ་འགྱེད་པས་ཤིན་ཏུ་མཛེས་པར་ཀུན་ཏུ་སྣང་བ་འདིའི་རྒྱུ་ནི་གང་ཡིན། རྐྱེན་ནི་གང་ཡིན་སྙམ་མོ། །དེ་ནས་ཐམས་ཅད་དང་ལྡན་པའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་ཚོགས་དང་། འཁོར་བཞི་པོ་ཐེ་ཚོམ་དུ་གྱུར་པ་རྣམས་འདོང་བར་བྱ་བའི་མཚན་མ་བྱས་སོ། །དེའི་ཚེ་ཙན་དན་གྱི་སྙིང་པོའི་ཁང་པ་བརྩེགས་པ་དེར་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ་རྡོ་རྗེའི་བློ་གྲོས་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་འདུས་པར་གྱུར་ཏེ་འདུག་གོ།<br><br>།དེ་ནས་བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་ཀྱིས་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ་རྡོ་རྗེའི་བློ་གྲོས་ལ་བཀའ་སྩལ་པ། རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་ཁྱོད་ཀྱིས་ཆོས་ཅན་གྱི་གཏམ་ལས་རྩོམས་ཏེ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ལ་ཡོངས་སུ་ཞུ་བར་སྤོབས་པར་གྱིས་ཤིག །དེ་ནས་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ་རྡོ་རྗེའི་བློ་གྲོས་བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་ཀྱིས་གནང་བས་ལྷ་དང་། མི་དང་། ལྷ་མ་ཡིན་དང་བཅས་པའི་འཇིག་རྟེན་དང་། བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་ཐམས་ཅད་དང་། འཁོར་བཞི་པོ་དག་གི་ཐེ་ཚོམ་གྱི་ཟུག་རྔུ་རིག་ནས་བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་ལ་འདི་སྐད་ཅེས་གསོལ་ཏོ། །བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས་འདི་ཐམས་ཅད་པད་མ་ཁ་དོག་ངན་ཅིང་དྲི་མི་བདའ་བ་འདི་ལྟ་བུ་བྱེ་བ་ཁྲག་ཁྲིག་འབུམ་འདི་དག་གིས་ཁེབས་པ་དང་དེ་དག་གི་དབུས་ན་ཡང་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་སྐྱིལ་མོ་ཀྲུང་བཅས་ཤིང་བཞུགས་ཏེ། འོད་ཟེར་འབུམ་དག་རབ་ཏུ་འགྱེད་པར་ཀུན་ཏུ་གདའ་བ་དང་། དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་དེ་དག་མཐོང་ནས་ཀྱང་སྲོག་ཆགས་བྱེ་བ་ཁྲག་ཁྲིག་ཕྲག་འབུམ་ཐལ་མོ་སྦྱར་ཏེ་ཕྱག་འཚལ་བའི་རྒྱུ་ནི་གང་ལགས། རྐྱེན་ནི་གང་ལགས།<br><br><em>At that time, after having been served food, the Exalted One withdrew for meditation in that same Candanagarbha pavilion, whereupon through the power of the Buddha appeared myriads of lotuses [coming out] from the Candanagarbha pavilion, with myriads of petals, as large as the wheels of carts (śakaṭacakrapramāṇa), colorful and not [yet] open. The [lotuses] then rose into the sky, covered this whole (sarvāvat) buddha-field, and remained [there] like a jewel canopy (ratnavitāna). In each calyx of the lotuses (padmagarbha) was seated, cross-legged (paryaṅka), the body of a tathāgata, emitting hundreds of thousands of rays of light and visible everywhere. And all the lotuses were opened up in blossom.<br><br>Then, by the supernatural power (adhiṣṭhāna) of the Buddha all the petals of the lotuses, without exception, became dark, deep-black, putrid (durgandha) and disgusting, and no [longer] pleasing. But in the calyxes of the lotuses the bodies of the tathāgatas sitting cross-legged and emitting hundreds of thousands of rays of light were [still] visible everywhere.<br><br>
Further, this whole buddha-field became filled with the [rays of light from] the bodies of the tathāgatas sitting in the calyxes of the lotuses. This buddha-field became extremely beautiful [during] that time. Then at that time the whole multitude of bodhisattvas and the four assemblies were extremely astonished (āścaryaprāpta) and filled with pleasurable excitement (audbilya-prāpta).<br><br>[But] after seeing that supernatural display (ṛddhyabhisaṃskāra) of the Exalted One, [they] became uncertain (saṃśayaprāpta) [and questioned themselves]:<br>
“What is the reason that the petals of all these myriads of lotuses became so unsightly (durvarṇa), and that the[ir] stalks (nāla) too became unsightly, disgusting and not pleasing, whereas in the calyxes of the lotuses each body of the tathāgatas is [still] sitting cross-legged, and in that [they] emit hundreds of thousands of rays of light are visible everywhere as [something] extremely beautiful?”<br><br>
Thereupon, [the Exalted One] motioned (nimitta) to the entire multitude of bodhisattvas and the four assemblies who had become uncertain to come closer. At that time there was a [certain] bodhisattva-mahāsattva named Vajramati [who had also] gathered [with the others] in the Candanagarbha pavilion.<br><br>Then the Exalted One said to the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Vajramati:<br>“Son of good family (kulaputra), venture to question the Tathāgata, the Honorable One and Perfectly Awakened One, with reference to an exposition on the Dharma!”<br><br>At the Exalted One’s permission, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva Vajramati, realizing that the world with [its] gods, humans and demons and all the bodhisattvas and the four assemblies, were anxious with doubts, then asked him the following:<br>“Exalted One, what is the reason this entire world system is covered with these myriads of such unsightly and putrid lotuses, yet in their centers sit cross-legged bodies of tathāgatas emitting hundreds of thousands of rays of light and visible everywhere, and now myriads of living beings, seeing the bodies of the tathāgatas, raise their joined palms (kṛtāñjali) in homage?”|''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra ('phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo)'', in Derge Kangyur, vol. 66, folios 246b-247b (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3020986 Adarsha]).<br>-Translation from [[Zimmermann, Michael]]. ''[[A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra]]: The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India''. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002, pp. 97-100.
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<h2>From the ''Ratnagotravibhāga''</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Maitreya}}

In the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the nine similes are introduced in verses I.96-97 and then briefly explained in verse I.98:
{{Blockquote|buddhaḥ kupadme madhu makṣikāsu <br>tuṣesu sārāṇya śucau suvarṇam<br>nidhiḥ kṣitāvalpaphale 'ṅkurādi <br>praklinnavastreṣu jinātmabhāvaḥ I.96<br><br>jaghanyanārījaṭhare nṛpatvaṃ<br>yathā bhavenmṛtsu ca ratnabimbam<br>āgantukakleśamalāvṛteṣu<br> sattveṣu tadvat sthita eṣa dhātuḥ I.97<br><br>padmaprāṇituṣāśu cikṣitiphalatvakpūtivastrāvara-<br>strīduḥkhajvalanābhitaptapṛthivīdhātuprakāśā malāḥ<br>buddhakṣaudrasusārakāñcananidhinyagrodharatnākṛti-<br>dvipāgrādhiparatnabimbavimalaprakhyaḥ sa dhātuḥ paraḥ I.98<br><br></em>།སངས་རྒྱས་པད་ངན་སྦྲང་རྩི་སྦྲང་མ་ལ།<br>།སྦུན་ལ་སྙིང་པོ་མི་གཙང་ནང་ན་གསེར།<br>།ས་ལ་གཏེར་དང་སྨྱུག་སོགས་འབྲས་ཆུང་དང་།<br>།གོས་ཧྲུལ་ནང་ན་རྒྱལ་བའི་སྐུ་དང་ནི། I.96<br><br>།བུད་མེད་ངན་མའི་ལྟོ་ན་མི་བདག་དང་།<br>།ས་ལ་རིན་ཆེན་གཟུགས་ཡོད་ཇི་ལྟ་བར།<br>།གློ་བུར་ཉོན་མོངས་དྲི་མས་བསྒྲིབས་པ་ཡི།<br>།སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་ཁམས་འདི་གནས། I.97<br><br>།དྲི་མ་པདྨ་སྲོག་ཆགས་སྦུན་པ་མི་གཙང་ས་འབྲས་གོས་ཧྲུལ་དང་།<br>།སྡུག་བསྔལ་འབར་བས་མངོན་པར་གདུངས་པའི་བུད་མེད་ས་ཡི་ཁམས་དང་མཚུངས།<br>།སངས་རྒྱས་སྦྲང་རྩི་སྙིང་པོ་གསེར་དང་གཏེར་དང་ནྱ་གྲོ་རིན་ཆེན་སྐུ།<br>།གླིང་བདག་མཆོག་དང་རིན་ཆེན་གཟུགས་དང་དྲི་མེད་ཁམས་མཆོག་མཚུངས་པ་ཉིད། I.98<br><br><em>A buddha in a decaying lotus, honey amid bees,<br>Kernels in their husks, gold in filth,<br>A treasure in the earth, a sprout and so on from a small fruit,<br>An image of the victor in a tattered garment, I.96<br><br>Royalty in the womb of a destitute woman,<br>And a precious statue in clay—just as these exist,<br>This basic element dwells in sentient beings<br>Obscured by the adventitious stains of the afflictions. I.97<br><br>The stains resemble the lotus, the insects, the husks, the filth, the earth, the peel of a fruit,<br>The foul-smelling garment, the body of a lowly woman, and the element of earth heated in a fire.<br>The supreme basic element has the stainless appearance of the buddha, the honey, the kernels, the gold, the treasure,<br>The nyagrodha tree, the precious image, the supreme lord of the world, and the precious statue. I.98|Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, pp. 393-394.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Dumo Tashi Özer}}

In his commentary on the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the ''Heart of the Luminous Sun'', Dumo Tashi Özer gives an overview of the section of the treatise on the nine similes based on the topical outline of the Third Karmapa:<ref>Please note that the full verses, which are reproduced in the text, have been replaced by their respective verse numbers as Brunnhölzl has done in his translation. Furthermore, the verse numbers have been adjusted in his translation to match the numbering schema utilized throughout this site</ref>{{Blockquote|</em>དྲི་བཅས་སྙིང་པོ་བཤད་པ་ལ། དཔེ་དོན་སྤེལ་བ་དང༌། སོ་སོར་བརྗོད་པ་གཉིས་ཀྱིས་མདོར་བསྟན་པ་དང༌། དེ་རྒྱས་པར་བཤད་པ་དང༌། དོན་བསྡུ་བའོ། །དང་པོ་དཔེ་དོན་སྤེལ་བ་ནི། (I. 96-97) །གཉིས་པ་སོ་སོར་བརྗོད་པ་ནི། (I. 98) <br><br>།གཉིས་པ་དཔེ་དགུ་རྒྱས་བཤད་ལ། པདྨ་དང་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་དཔེ་དོན། དེ་བཞིན་དུ་བུང་བ་དང་སྦྲང་རྩི། སྦུན་པ་དང་འབྲས། མི་གཙང་བ་དང་གསེར། ས་དང་གཏེར། ཤུན་པ་དང་མྱུ་གུ་གོས་རུལ་དང་སྐུ། མི་མོ་དང་འཁོར་བསྒྱུར། ས་འདམས་དང་གསེར་གྱི་སྐུ་སྟེ་ཐམས་ཅད་དཔེ་དང་དོན་དང་བྱེད་ལས་གསུམ་གསུམ་མདོར་བསྟན་རྒྱས་བཤད་དུ་ཡོད་དོ། <br><br>།དེ་ལ་དང་པོ་པདྨའི་སྦུབས་ན་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་སྐུ་ཡོད་པ་བཞིན། ཉོན་མོངས་པ་འདོད་ཆགས་བག་ལ་ཉལ་གྱིས་སྦུབས་ན། སྙིང་པོ་རྟོགས་པ་ཆོས་སྐུ་ཡོད་པ་བསྟན་པ་ལ། མདོར་བསྟན་པ་དང་རྒྱས་པར་བཤད་པ་གཉིས། དང་པོ་ལ་མདོར་ནི། (I. 99-100) །གཉིས་པ་རྒྱས་པར་བཤད་པ་ནི། (I. 101)<br><br>།གཉིས་པ་སྦྲང་མའི་ཚང་དུ་སྦྲང་རྩི་ཡོད་པ་བཞིན། །ཉོན་མོངས་པ་ཞེ་སྡང་བག་ལ་ཉལ་གྱི་སྦུགས་ན། བསྟན་པ་ཆོས་སྐུ་ངེས་དོན་ཟབ་མོ་ཡོད་པར་བསྟན་པ་ལ། མདོར་བསྟན་པ་དང་རྒྱས་པར་བཤད་པ་གཉིས། དང་པོ་མདོར་བསྟན་ནི། (I. 102-103) །གཉིས་པ་རྒྱས་བཤད་ནི། (I. 104)<br><br>།གསུམ་པ་སྦུན་པའི་སྦུབས་ན་འབྲས་ལ་སོགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཡོད་པ་བཞིན། །ཉོན་མོངས་པ་གཏི་མུག་བག་ལ་ཉལ་གྱི་སྦུབས་ན། བསྟན་པ་ཆོས་སྐུ་དྲང་དོན་སྣ་ཚོགས་པ་ཡོད་པར་བསྟན་པ་ལ། མདོར་བསྟན་པ་དང་རྒྱས་པར་བཤད་པ་གཉིས། དང་པོ་མདོར་བསྟན་ནི། (I. 105-106)།གཉིས་པ་རྒྱས་བཤད་ནི། (I. 107)<br><br>།བཞི་པ་མི་གཙང་བའི་ནང་ན་གསེར་ཡོད་པ་བཞིན། ཉོན་མོངས་པ་ཀུན་ལྡང་དྲག་པོའི་སྦུབས་ན། སྙིང་པོ་དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་ཡོད་པར་བསྟན་པ་སྟེ། དེ་ལའང་མདོར་བསྟན་པ་དང་རྒྱས་པར་བཤད་པ་གཉིས། དང་པོ་མདོར་བསྟན་ནི། (I. 108-110) །གཉིས་པ་རྒྱས་བཤད་ནི། (I. 111)<br><br>།ལྔ་པ་ནི་སའི་འོག་ནས་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་གཏེར་ཡོད་པ་བཞིན། མ་རིག་བག་ཆགས་ཀྱི་ས་ཡི་སྦུབ་ན། སྙིང་པོ་རང་བཞིན་གནས་རིགས་ཡོད་པར་བསྟན་པ་སྟེ། དེ་ལའང་གཉིས། མདོར་བསྟན་པ་དང་རྒྱས་པར་བཤད་པའོ། །དང་པོ་མདོར་བསྟན་ནི། (I. 112-113) །གཉིས་པ་རྒྱས་བཤད་ནི། (I. 114)<br><br>།དྲུག་པ་ཤུན་པའི་ནང་དུ་ལྗོན་ཤིང་གི་མྱུ་གུ་ཡོད་པ་བཞིན། ཉོན་མོངས་པ་མཐོང་སྤང་གིས་སྦུབས་ན། རྒྱས་གྱུར་གྱིས་རིགས་ཡོད་པ་བསྟན་པ་ལ། མདོར་བསྟན་པ་དང་རྒྱས་པར་བཤད་པ་གཉིས། དང་པོ་མདོར་བསྟན་པ་ནི། (I. 115-116) །གཉིས་པ་རྒྱས་བཤད་ནི། (I. 117) <br><br>།བདུན་པ་གོས་རུལ་ནང་དུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་སྐུ་ཡོད་པ་བཞིན། ཉོན་མོངས་པ་བསྒོམ་སྤང་གིས་སྦུབས་ན། སྙིང་པོ་ངོ་བོ་ཉིད་སྐུ་ཡོད་པར་བསྟན་པ་ལ། མདོར་བསྟན་དང་རྒྱས་བཤད་གཉིས། དང་པོ་མདོར་བསྟན་ནི། (I. 118-119) །གཉིས་པ་རྒྱས་བཤད་ནི། (I. 120) <br><br>།བརྒྱད་པ་བུད་མེད་ཀྱི་ལྟོ་ན་སྟོང་འཁོར་ལོས་བསྒྱུར་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཡོད་པ་བཞིན། མ་དག་ས་བདུན་ལ་བརྟེན་པའི་དྲི་མའི་སྦུབས་ན། ཡོངས་སུ་རྫོགས་པའི་སྐུ་ཡོད་པར་བསྟན་པ་ལ། མདོར་བསྟན་རྒྱས་བཤད་གཉིས། དང་པོ་མདོར་བསྟན་ནི། (I. 121-122) །གཉིས་པ་རྒྱས་བཤད་ནི། (I.123) <br><br>།དགུ་པ་ས་འདམ་གྱི་ནང་ན་གསེར་ཞུན་མའི་སྐུ་ཡོད་པ་བཞིན། དག་པ་ས་གསུམ་ལ་བརྟེན་པའི་དྲི་མའི་སྦུབ་ན། སྙིང་པོ་སྤྲུལ་པའི་སྐུ་ཡོད་པར་བསྟན་པ་ལ། མདོར་བསྟན་དང་རྒྱས་བཤད་གཉིས། དང་པོ་མདོར་བསྟན་ནི། (I.124-125) །གཉིས་པ་རྒྱས་བཤད་ནི། (I. 126) <br><br>།གསུམ་པ་དཔེ་དགུའི་དོན་བསྡུ་བ་ནི། (I. 127-128)<em><br><br>'''2.2.1.2.2.3.2. Explaining the heart of the victors associated with stains'''

This has [three parts:]
::1. Brief introduction of the combined [presentation] of the examples and their meaning as well as their individual descriptions
::2. Their detailed explanation
::3. Summarized meaning

'''2.2.1.2.2.3.2.1. [Brief introduction of the combined presentation of the examples and their meaning as well as their individual descriptions]'''<br><br>

[This has two parts]: (1) combined [presentation] of the examples and their meaning (I. 96-97) and (2) the individual descriptions (I.98).<br><br>

'''2.2.1.2.2.3.2.2. Detailed explanation of the nine examples'''<br><br>

The example and the meaning of (1) the lotus and the buddha and likewise of (2) the bees and the honey, (3) the husks and the grains, (4) the filth and the gold, (5) the earth and the treasure, (6) the peel and the sprout, (7) the rotten garment and the statue, (8) the poor woman and the cakravartin, and (9) the clay and the golden statue—[for each one of] all these, there is a brief introduction and a detailed explanation [in terms of] the triad of the [respective] example, its meaning, and its function.<br><br>
(1) The teaching that '''just as''' a buddha statue exists '''in the sheath of a lotus''', the [buddha] heart (the dharmakāya of realization) exists in the cocoon of the latencies of the affliction of desire has two parts—brief introduction (I.99–100) and detailed explanation (I.101).<br><br>
(2) The teaching that '''just as honey''' exists in a beehive, the dharmakāya of the teaching [that consists of] the profound definitive meaning exists in the cocoon of the latencies of '''the affliction''' of hatred has two parts—brief introduction (I.102–3) and detailed explanation (I.104).<br><br>
(3) The teaching that '''just as kernels''' such as rice exist in the sheath of their husks, the dharmakāya of the teachings [that consists of] the variety of expedient meanings '''exists in''' the cocoon of the latencies '''of the affliction''' of dullness has two parts—brief introduction (I.105–6) and detailed explanation (I.107).<br><br>
(4) The teaching that '''just as gold exists in filth''', the [tathāgata] heart— suchness—exists in the cocoon of the intense outbursts '''of the afflictions''' also has two parts—brief introduction (I.108–9) and detailed explanation (I.110).<br><br>
(5) The teaching that '''just as a treasure of jewels exists beneath the earth''', the [tathāgata] heart—the naturally abiding disposition—exists in the cocoon of the ground of the latent tendencies of ignorance has two parts— brief introduction (I.111–13) and detailed explanation (I.114).<br><br>
(6) The teaching that '''just as a sprout of a tree exists in the peel''' [of a fruit], the unfolding disposition exists '''in the sheath of the afflictions''' to be relinquished through seeing has two parts—brief introduction (I.115–16) and detailed explanation (I.117).<br><br>
(7) The teaching that '''just as a statue of precious substance''' exists '''in a rotten garment''', the [tathāgata] heart—the svābhāvikakāya—exists in the cocoon '''of the afflictions''' to be relinquished through familiarization has two parts—brief introduction (I.118–19) and detailed explanation (I.120).<br><br>
(8) The teaching that just as a cakravartin king exists in the belly of a woman, the sambhogakāya exists in the cocoon of the stains pertaining to the seven impure bhūmis has two parts—brief introduction (I. 121-122) and detailed explanation (I.123).<br><br>
(9) The teaching that '''just as a statue of molten gold''' exists '''in''' mud, the [tathāgata] heart—the nirmāṇakāya—'''exists''' in the cocoon of the stains pertaining to the three pure bhūmis has two parts—brief introduction (I.124–25) and detailed explanation (I.126).<br><br>
'''2.2.1.2.2.3.2.3. Summarized meaning of the nine examples''' (I. 127-128)|[[bdud mo bkra shis 'od zer]]. [[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos kyi 'grel ba gsal ba nyi ma'i snying po]]. In gsung 'bum rang byung rdo rje. Zi ling: mtshur phu mkhan po lo yag bkra shis, 2006, Vol. 7: 185-193.<br>- Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, pp. 741-743.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In his commentary on the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the ''Unassailable Lion's Roar'', Jamgön Kongtrul introduces the nine similes, stating:{{Blockquote|</em>ཐོག་མ་མེད་པ་ནས་ཉེ་བར་གནས་ཀྱང་མ་འབྲེལ་བའི་རང་བཞིན་གློ་བུར་གྱི་དྲི་མ་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་བྱེ་བའི་ནང་ན་གནས་པ་རང་བཞིན་དག་པའི་ཆོས་ཉིད་སྙིང་པོ་དེ་རྣམ་པ་གསལ་བར་མཚོན་པར་བྱེད་པའི་དཔེ་དགུ་པོ་དེ་དག་གིས་ནི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོའི་མདོ་ཇི་ལྟ་བ་བཞིན་དུ་ཤེས་པར་བྱའོ། །<em><br><br>This tathagatagarbha, the true state by nature pure, abides within the many-millionfold shroud of the afflictions. These are defilements that are by nature adventitious. Although they [have been] close to buddha nature since beginningless time, they are not connected with it. This is clearly and fully illustrated by means of nine examples, which should be understood as being given in accordance with the ''Tathagatagarbhasutra'' (Tib. ''de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po'i mdo'').|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos snying po'i don mngon sum lam gyi bshad pa srol dang sbyar ba'i rnam par 'grel ba phyir mi ldog pa seng ge'i nga ro]]''. In Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i tshig 'grel. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2005, p. 221.<br>- Translation from [[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "[[The Unassailable Lion's Roar]]," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000, p. 148.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Dalai Lama, 14th}}

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama introduces the nine similes, stating:
{{Blockquote|By using nine similes, the ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'' gives us an inkling of the buddha nature that has always been and will continue to be within us. Maitreya's ''Sublime Continuum'' and its commentary by Asaṅga explain these similes that point to a hidden richness inside of us—a potential that we are usually unaware of. Contemplating the meaning of these similes generates great inspiration and confidence to practice the path.

All afflictive and cognitive obscurations are condensed into nine obscurations spoken of in the nine similes. By applying the appropriate antidotes, all of these can be removed and full awakening attained. From beginningless time, the basic nature of the mind has been immaculate and has never been mixed with stains or afflictions. But it has been covered by these nine obscurations. As we progress on the path, the transforming buddha nature develops, the mind becomes purer, and the obscurations are gradually eliminated. When all obscurations have been removed such that they can never return, the purified mind becomes the wisdom dharmakāya and its emptiness becomes the nature dharmakāya. Maitreya says (RGV 1:80-81):
{{QuoteIndent|This [tathāgatagarbha] abides within the shroud of the afflictions,<br>as should be understood through [the following nine] examples:<br><br>Just like a buddha in a decaying lotus, honey amidst bees,<br>a grain in its husk, gold in filth, a treasure underground,<br>a shoot and so on sprouting from a little fruit,<br>a statue of the Victorious One in a tattered rag,<br>a ruler of humankind in a destitute woman's womb,<br>and a precious image under clay,<br>this [buddha] element abides within all sentient beings,<br>obscured by the defilement of the adventitious poisons.}}
|[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Thubten Chodron]]. ''[[Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature]]''. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018, pp. 302-303.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Thrangu Rinpoche}}

Thrangu Rinpoche introduces the nine similes, stating:
{{Blockquote|One may have doubts about how Buddha nature is changeless and always present, but will not manifest because of impurities. To illustrate this there will be nine examples of Buddha essence and the impurities.<br><br>When the Buddha gave teachings, he didn't simply declare the truth, but he gave reasons for what he was saying, The reasons for his teachings were sometimes very apparent and at other times very obscure. the obvious reasons for his teachings are the ones grasped by using our senses, There are, however, teachings which cannot be grasped with our sensory faculties-these are objects which are either very far away in space, or very remote in time, or due to karma. If one has a particular karma, one's sphere of experience will prevent one from experience in other types of lives and so one is limited. Since one cannot understand the more hidden meanings directly, one has to understand them through inference. For instance, if one says there's a fire behind that hill because there is smoke, no one can see the fire because it is our of view, but one is believed because smoke is a valid sign of a fire, For a sign to be valuable it must have universal applicability i. e, whenever there is a fire, there must be smoke. The sigh must also be valid, if one says there's a fire because I see a tree, it is an invalid sign, so a sign for showing the presence of something that is hidden must have universal applicability and be a valid sign. The presence of Buddha essence is proved by means of valid reasons of the three fold marks of valid proofs given above. This is used in the context of examples and with the examples one proves its validity. When proven by an example, it is then applied to Buddha nature itself.<br><br>First, the nine examples of beautiful things covered up by impurities are listed and then the nine impurities are listed followed by a list of the pure things. These will be elaborated below. The method for presenting the examples is the same: first a verse giving the example, then a verse giving its meaning, and finally a verse presenting the parallel between the example and Buddha nature is given.
|[[Thrangu Rinpoche]]. ''[[A Commentary on The Uttara Tantra]]''. Translated by [[Ken Holmes]] and [[Katia Holmes]]. Boulder, CO: Namo Buddha Seminar, 1989, pp. 85-86.
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<h2>'''Simile One: ''A Buddha in a Decaying Lotus'''''</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Śākyamuni}}

In the ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'' it is in response to those who question the context of the above apparition that the Buddha then introduces the nine similes, one after another, with the first simile being directly related to the miraculous display of the buddha images inside the withered lotuses:

{{Blockquote|</em>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་ཇི་ལྟར་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པས་སྤྲུལ་པའི་པད་མ་ཁ་དོག་ངན་པ། དྲི་ང་བ། སྨད་པར་འོས་པ། མངོན་པར་དགའ་བར་འགྱུར་བ་མ་ཡིན་པ་འདི་དག་དང་། དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་གཟུགས་མཛེས་པ། གཟུགས་བཟང་བ། བལྟ་ན་སྡུག་པ་དག་པད་མའི་སྙིང་པོ་འདི་དག་ལ་སྐྱིལ་མོ་ཀྲུང་བཅས་ཤིང་འཁོད་དེ། འོད་ཟེར་འབུམ་དག་རབ་ཏུ་འགྱེད་ཅིང་འཁོད་པ་དེ་དག་ཀྱང་རིག་ནས་ལྷ་དང་མི་རྣམས་ཕྱག་འཚལ་ཞིང་མཆོད་པའི་ལས་ཀྱང་བྱེད་པ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱིས་ཀྱང་རང་གི་ཤེས་རབ་དང་། ཡེ་ཤེས་དང་། དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་མིག་གིས་སེམས་ཅན་སྲོག་ཆགས་སུ་གྱུར་པ། འདོད་ཆགས་དང་། ཞེ་སྡང་དང་། གཏི་མུག་དང་། སྲེད་པ་དང་། མ་རིག་པའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་བྱེ་བ་ཕྲག་འབུམ་གྱི་སྦུབས་སུ་གྱུར་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་དང་། <br><br>རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་སེམས་ཅན་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་སུ་གྱུར་པ་དེ་དག་གི་ནང་ན་ང་འདྲ་བར་ཡེ་ཤེས་དང་ལྡན་པ། མིག་དང་ལྡན་པའི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་མང་པོ་འཁོད་ཅིང་སྐྱིལ་མོ་ཀྲུང་བཅས་ནས་མི་གཡོ་བར་འཁོད་པ་མཐོང་སྟེ། ཉོན་མོངས་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱིས་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་ཅན་དུ་གྱུར་པ་དེ་དག་གི་ནང་ན་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཆོས་ཉིད་མི་གཡོ་ཞིང་སྲིད་པའི་འགྲོ་བ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱིས་མ་གོས་པ་དག་མཐོང་ནས་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དེ་དག་ནི་ང་དང་འདྲའོ་ཞེས་སྨྲའོ།<br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་མིག་ནི་དེ་ལྟར་མཛེས་པ་ཡིན་ཏེ། དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་མིག་དེས་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཅན་དུ་མཐོང་ངོ་།<br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ་དཔེར་ན་སྐྱེས་བུ་ལྷའི་མིག་ཅན་ལ་ལ་ཞིག་གིས་ལྷའི་མིག་གིས་འདི་ལྟར་ཁ་དོག་ངན་ཅིང་འདི་ལྟར་དྲི་ང་བའི་པད་མ་ཁ་མ་བྱེ་ཞིང་མ་གྱེས་པ་དག་ལ་བལྟས་ཏེ། དེའི་དབུས་ན་པད་མའི་སྙིང་པོ་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་སྐྱིལ་མོ་ཀྲུང་བཅས་ཤིང་འདུག་པར་རིག་ནས་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་གཟུགས་བལྟ་བར་འདོད་དེ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་གཟུགས་དེ་ཡང་དག་པར་སྦྱང་བའི་ཕྱིར་པད་མའི་འདབ་མ་ཁ་དོག་ངན་ཅིང་དྲི་ང་བ་སྨད་པར་འོས་པ་དེ་དག་འགྱེད་ཅིང་སེལ་བ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པས་ཀྱང་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་མིག་གིས་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོར་མཐོང་ནས་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་གི་འདོད་ཆགས་དང་། ཞེ་སྡང་དང་། གཏི་མུག་དང་། སྲིད་པ་དང་། མ་རིག་པའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་དབྱེ་བའི་ཕྱིར་ཆོས་སྟོན་ཏེ། དེ་སྒྲུབ་པའི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་རྣམས་ནི་ཡང་དག་པ་ཉིད་དུ་གནས་སོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་འདི་ནི་ཆོས་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་ཉིད་དེ། དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་རྣམས་བྱུང་ཡང་རུང་། མ་བྱུང་ཡང་རུང་། སེམས་ཅན་འདི་དག་ནི་རྟག་ཏུ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཅན་ཡིན་ན། རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་སྨད་པར་འོས་པའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་གཡོགས་པས་དེ་དག་གི་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་གཞིག་པ་དང་། དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཀྱང་ཡོངས་སུ་སྦྱང་བའི་ཕྱིར་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་རྣམས་ལ་ཆོས་སྟོན་ཏེ། བྱ་བ་འདི་ལ་ཡང་མོས་པར་བྱེད་དོ། །དེ་ལ་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ་ཆོས་དེ་དག་ལ་མངོན་པར་བརྩོན་པར་གནས་པ་དེ་དག་གང་གི་ཚེ་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་དང་། ཉེ་བའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་ལས་ཡོངས་སུ་གྲོལ་བར་གྱུར་པ་དེའི་ཚེ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་གྲངས་སུ་འགྲོ་སྟེ། དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་བྱ་བ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱང་བྱེད་དོ།<em><br><br>"Sons of good family, just as these unsightly, putrid, disgusting and no [longer] pleasing lotuses, supernaturally created by the Tathāgata, and the pleasing and beautiful form of a tathāgata sitting cross-legged in [each of] the calyxes of these lotuses, emitting hundreds of thousands of rays of light, [are such that when they are] recognized by gods and humans, [these latter] then pay homage and also show reverence [to them], in the same way, sons of good family, also the Tathāgata, the Honorable One and Perfectly Awakened One, [perceives] with his insight (prajñā), knowledge (jñāna) and tathāgata-vision that all the various sentient beings are encased in myriads of defilements, [such as] desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), misguidedness (moha), longing (tṛṣṇā) and ignorance (avidyā).<br><br>And, sons of good family, [he] perceives that inside sentient beings encased in defilements sit many tathāgatas, cross-legged and motionless, endowed like myself with a [tathāgata's] knowledge and vision. And [the Tathāgata], having perceived inside those [sentient beings] defiled by all defilements the true nature of a tathāgata (tathāgatadharmatā) motionless and unaffected by any of the states of existence, then says: 'Those tathagātas are just like me!<br><br>Sons of good family, in this way a tathāgata's vision is admirable, [because] with it [he] perceives that all sentient beings contain a tathāgata (tathāgatagarbha}" <br>"Sons of good family, it is like the example of a person endowed with divine vision [who] would [use this] divine vision to look at such unsightly and putrid lotuses, not blooming and not open, and would [owing to his vision] recognize that there are tathāgatas sitting cross-legged in their center, in the calyx of [each] lotus, and [knowing that, he] would then desire to look at the forms of the tathāgatas; [he would] then peel away and remove the unsightly, putrid and disgusting lotus petals in order to thoroughly clean the forms of the tathāgatas.<br>In the same way, sons of good family, with the vision of a buddha, the Tathāgata also perceives that all sentient beings contain a tathāgata (tathāgatagarbha), and [therefore] teaches the Dharma [to them] in order to peel away the sheaths of those sentient beings [encased in such] defilements [as] desire, anger, misguidedness, longing and ignorance. And after [those sentient beings] have realized the [Dharma, their] tathāgatas [inside] are established in the perfection [of the tathāgatas]."<br><br>"Sons of good family, the essential law (dharmatā) of the dharmas is this: whether or not tathāgatas appear in the world, all these sentient beings at all times contain a tathāgata (tathāgatagarbha). Sons of good family, in view of [this fact and] because [sentient beings] are encased in the disgusting sheaths of defilements, the Tathāgata, the Honorable One and Perfectly Awakened One, teaches the Dharma to bodhisattvas and also leads [them] to put faith in this [revelatory] activity in order to destroy their sheaths of defilements and [thereby] also completely purify the tathāgata-knowledge (tathāgatajñāna) [contained within]. When (yadā) in this [connection] the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas [who] assiduously apply [themselves] (abhiyujyate) to these Dharmas have completely become free from all defilements and impurities, then (tadā) [they] will be designated 'tathāgata, honorable one and perfectly awakened one,' and [they] will also perform all the tasks of a tathāgata." |''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra ('phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo)'', in Derge Kangyur, vol. 66, folios 248a-249a (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3020989 Adarsha]).<br>-Translation from [[Zimmermann, Michael]]. ''[[A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra]]: The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India''. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002, pp. 102-108.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Maitreya}}

In the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the first simile is taught in verses I.99-101:
{{Blockquote|yathā vivarṇāmbujagarbhaveṣṭitaṃ <br>tathāgataṃ dīptasahasralakṣaṇam<br>naraḥ samīkṣyāmaladivyalocano<br>vimocayedambujapattrakośataḥ I.99<br><br>vilokya tadvat sugataḥ svadharmatā-<br>mavīcisaṃstheṣvapi buddhacakṣuṣā<br>vimocayatyāvaraṇādanāvṛto <br>'parāntakoṭīsthitakaḥ kṛpātmakaḥ I.100<br><br>yadvat syādvijugupsitaṃ jalaruhaṃ saṃmiñji taṃ divyadṛk tadgarbhasthitamabhyudīkṣya sugataṃ patrāṇi saṃchedayet<br>rāgadveṣamalādikośanivṛtaṃ saṃbuddhagarbhaṃ jagat<br>kāruṇyādavalokya tannivaraṇaṃ nirhanti tadvanmuniḥ I.101<br><br></em>།ཇི་ལྟར་མདོག་ངན་པད་མའི་ཁོང་གནས་པ།<br>།མཚན་སྟོང་གིས་འབར་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ནི།<br>།དྲི་མེད་ལྷ་ཡི་མིག་ལྡན་མིས་མཐོང་ནས།<br>།ཆུ་སྐྱེས་འདབ་མའི་སྦུབས་ནས་འབྱིན་བྱེད་པ། I.99<br><br>།དེ་བཞིན་བདེ་གཤེགས་མནར་མེད་གནས་རྣམས་ལའང་།<br>།སངས་རྒྱས་སྤྱན་གྱིས་རང་ཆོས་ཉིད་གཟིགས་ཏེ།<br>།སྒྲིབ་མེད་ཕྱི་མཐའི་མུར་གནས་ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཡི།<br>།བདག་ཅག་སྒྲིབ་པ་ལས་ནི་གྲོལ་བར་མཛད། I.100<br><br>།ཇི་ལྟར་མི་སྡུག་པདྨ་ཟུམ་ལ་བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པ་ནི།<br>།དེ་ཡི་ཁོང་གནས་ལྷ་མིག་མཐོང་ནས་འདབ་མ་གཅོད་བྱེད་ལྟར།<br>།ཆགས་སྡང་སོགས་དྲི་སྦུབས་བསྒྲིབས་རྫོགས་སངས་སྙིང་པོ་འགྲོ་གཟིགས་ཏེ།<br>།ཐུགས་རྗེས་ཐུབ་པ་དེ་བཞིན་སྒྲིབ་པ་དེ་ནི་འཇོམས་པར་མཛད། I.101<br><br><em>Suppose a man with the stainless divine eye were to see<br>A tathāgata shining with a thousand marks,<br>Dwelling enclosed in a fading lotus,<br>And thus would free him from the sheath of the lotus petals. I.99<br><br>Similarly, the Sugata beholds his own true nature<br>With his buddha eye even in those who dwell in the Avīci [hell]<br>And thus, as the one who is unobscured, remains until the end of time,<br>And has the character of compassion, frees it from the obscurations. I.100<br><br>Just as someone with the divine eye would perceive an ugly shriveled lotus<br>And a sugata dwelling enclosed in it, thus cutting apart its petals,<br>So the sage beholds the buddha heart obscured by the sheaths of the stains such as desire and hatred,<br>Thus annihilating its obscurations out of his compassion for the world. I.101|Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 394.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In his commentary on the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the ''Unassailable Lion's Roar'', Jamgön Kongtrul first outlines the way in which the similes are presented in the treatise in three verses each. And then he comments on the first simile:{{Blockquote|</em>དགུ་པོ་རེ་རེ་བཞིན་དཔེ་བཤད་པ། དོན་བསྟན་པ། དཔེ་དོན་སྦྱར་ནས་དོན་བསྡུ་བ་སྟེ་གསུམ་གསུམ་དུ་ཡོད་དོ། །དེ་ལྟར་ན་དཔེ་དོན་དང་པོ་ལ་གསུམ། དཔེ། དོན། དེ་གཉིས་སྦྱར་བའོ།<br><br>དེ་ལ་མཚོན་བྱེད་ཀྱི་དཔེ་བསྟན་པ་ནི། ཇི་ལྟར་ན་མདོག་ངན་ཞིང་དྲི་མི་ཞིམ་པའི་པདྨ་ཟུམ་པའི་ཁོང་ན་མཚན་བཟང་སྟོང་གིས་འབར་བའི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་གནས་པ་ནི། དྲི་མ་མེད་པའི་ལྷའི་མིག་གི་མངོན་ཤེས་དང་ལྡན་པའི་མི་འགའ་ཞིག་གིས་མཐོང་ནས་ཆུ་སྐྱེས་ཀྱི་འདབ་མའི་སྦུབས་ནས་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་སྐུ་དེ་འབྱིན་པར་བྱེད་པ་ལྟར་རོ།<br><br>དེས་མཚོན་པའི་དོན་བྱེད་ལས་དང་བཅས་པ་ནི། དཔེ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ། བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་སྲོག་ཆགས་ཐ་ན་མནར་མེད་ན་གནས་པ་རྣམས་ལའང་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཀྱི་སྤྱན་གྱིས་རང་གི་སེམས་ཅན་གསལ་བའི་ཆོས་ཉིད་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་ཡོད་པར་གཟིགས་ཏེ། སྒྲིབ་པ་མེད་ཅིང་ཕྱི་མའི་མཐའ་འཁོར་བའི་མུར་ཐུག་གི་བར་གནས་པའི་ཤེས་རབ་དང་ཐུགས་རྗེ་དང་ཕྲིན་ལས་ཀྱི་བདག་ཉིད་ཅན་དེས་གདུལ་བྱ་གློ་བུར་གྱི་སྒྲིབ་པ་ལས་ནི་གྲོལ་བར་བྱེད་དོ<br><br>གོང་དུ་བསྟན་པའི་དཔེ་དོན་དེ་ཉིད་སླར་ཡང་ལེགས་པར་སྦྱར་ཏེ་གསལ་བར་མཛད་པ་ནི། ཇི་ལྟར་ན། མི་སྡུག་པའི་པདྨ་ཁ་ཟུམ་པའི་ལྟེ་བ་ལ་བཞུགས་པའི་བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་དེ་ནི་པདྨ་དེའི་ཁོང་ན་གནས་པར་ལྷའི་མིག་ལྡན་འགའ་ཞིག་གིས་མཐོང་ནས་དེ་དབྱུང་བའི་ཕྱིར་དུ་པདྨའི་འདབ་མ་གཅོད་པར་བྱེད་པ་ཇི་ལྟ་བར། འདོད་ཆགས་ཞེ་སྡང་སོགས་དྲི་མའི་སྦུབས་ཀྱིས་བསྒྲིབས་པའི་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་སྙིང་པོ་འགྲོ་བ་ཐམས་ཅད་ལ་ཡོད་པ་གཟིགས་ཏེ། དེ་ལྟར་མ་རྟོགས་པའི་འགྲོ་བ་རྣམས་ལ་ཚད་མེད་པའི་ཐུགས་རྗེའི་དབང་གིས། ཐུབ་པ་སངས་རྒྱས་རྣམས་ཀྱང་སྐུའི་སྒྲིབ་བྱེད་པད་འདབ་སེལ་བ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་གློ་བུར་གྱི་སྒྲིབ་པ་དེ་རྣམས་ནི་འཇོམས་པའི་ཕྲིན་ལས་མཛད་དོ། ། <em><br><br>All of the following nine examples are presented in three parts, which are the example itself, its meaning, and their function. First the example is given, then its meaning is explained, and finally both example and meaning are combined and their function is elucidated.<br><br> Inside the closed calyx of a lotus that has an ugly color and a repugnant smell dwells a [spontaneously arisen] statue of the Tathagata, ablaze with a thousand pure and beautiful marks. A man who is endowed with the clairvoyance of immaculate divine vision sees this, and upon being aware of it, removes the buddha statue from the shroud of the petals of the water-born [flower].<br><br>Likewise, with their eye of primordial buddha wisdom, the Sugatas perceive that the tathagatagarbha, the true state illuminating their own being, is even present within those who have to abide in the hell of direst pain (Skt. ''Avīci'', Tib. ''mnar med''). Being endowed with discriminative wisdom, compassion, and activity, which are free from the veils and enduring up to the last, until the far end of samsara, they relieve the disciples from their adventitious obscurations.<br><br>Once someone who possesses divine vision sees this statue of the Sugata abiding within the bud of the closed ugly lotus, he will cut off the petals in order to remove the statue. Likewise the Munis see that the nature of perfect buddhahood is present within all sentient beings, obscured by the shroud of the defilements, by desire, hatred, and the other mental poisons. Through the might of their limitless compassion for all those beings who do not realize this [presence], the awakened Munis also unfold their activity, thus overcoming these adventitious veils, just as the petals obscuring the statue are removed.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos snying po'i don mngon sum lam gyi bshad pa srol dang sbyar ba'i rnam par 'grel ba phyir mi ldog pa seng ge'i nga ro]]''. In Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i tshig 'grel. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2005, pp. 224-226.<br>- Translation from [[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "[[The Unassailable Lion's Roar]]," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000, pp. 150-151.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Dalai Lama, 14th}}

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama explains the first simile as:
{{Blockquote| ''The buddha essence is like a beautiful buddha image in an old, ugly lotus.''<br><br>
When the petals close around a buddha image, we see only the old lotus and not the beautiful buddha image. Not knowing the image is there, we never think to open the petals and take it out. Similarly, the seeds of attachment obscure our buddha essence. While all beings who are not arhats are obscured by the seeds of attachment, this simile applies particularly to ordinary sentient beings in the form and formless realms. Although they have temporarily suppressed the coarse manifest afflictions of the desire realm by entering into deep states of meditative absorption, the seeds of afflictions still remain in their mindstreams. Ordinary beings in the form and formless realms are specified because āryas may also take rebirth in these realms. However, they have already eliminated some portion of the seeds of afflictions.<br><br>We beings in the desire realm, too, have the seed of attachment. When it explodes and becomes full blown, we have no awareness of our buddha essence, which is the source of all hope and confidence. Instead we become totally engrossed in the objects of our attachment. Just as the beautiful and fragrant lotus withers and becomes decrepit after a few days, the people and things we cling to age and decay. While they initially bring us happiness, later we become bored and cast them aside, as we would a withered flower.<br><br>A person with clairvoyance can see the buddha image inside the lotus and will open the flower and remove the buddha image. Similarly, the Buddha sees the buddha essence in each sentient being, even those in the hells, and thinks, "Who will liberate these beings from their obscurations, especially their attachment?" Because the Buddha has great compassion and is free from all defilements, he will guide us to discover the beautiful buddha image—the wisdom dharmakāya—hidden by our attachment.
|[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Thubten Chodron]]. ''[[Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature]]''. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018, pp. 303-304.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Thrangu Rinpoche}}

Thrangu Rinpoche explains the first simile as:
{{Blockquote|Imagine an ugly, withered lotus covering a beautiful Buddha statue. Someone with clairvoyance would see the statue ate think that this was not a good place for such a beautiful statue and would break open the lotus shell and remove the statue. similarly, Buddha nature is in the mind of all beings even those in the worst hell but it is obscured by the defilements of the three poisons. the Buddhas with diving vision and great compassion see this Buddha nature need to reach Buddhahood so they do not continue to suffer in samsara therefore they need the Buddhas with their vision and their teachings to receive the tools to make this Buddha nature manifest.
|[[Thrangu Rinpoche]]. ''[[A Commentary on The Uttara Tantra]]''. Translated by [[Ken Holmes]] and [[Katia Holmes]]. Boulder, CO: Namo Buddha Seminar, 1989, p. 86.
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<h2>'''Simile Two: ''Honey Amid Bees'''''</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Śākyamuni}}

In the ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'' the second simile appears as:

{{Blockquote|</em>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་གཞན་ཡང་འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ། དཔེར་ན་སྦྲང་ཚང་ཟླུམ་པོ་ཤིང་གི་ཡལ་ག་ལ་འཕྱང་བ། བུང་བ་འབུམ་གྱིས་ཀུན་ཏུ་བསྲུངས་ཤིང་སྦྲང་རྩིས་ཡོངས་སུ་གང་བ་ཞིག་ཡོད་ལ། དེ་ནས་སྦྲང་རྩི་འདོད་པའི་མི་ཞིག་གིས་སྲོག་ཆགས་ཀྱི་རྣམ་པ་བུང་བ་དེ་དག་ཐབས་མཁས་པས་བསྐྲད་ན་སྦྲང་རྩི་དེས་སྦྲང་རྩིའི་བྱ་བ་བྱེད་དོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱང་སྦྲང་ཚང་དང་འདྲ་སྟེ། དེ་ལ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཉིད་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་དང་། ཉེ་བའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་བྱེ་བ་ཕྲག་འབུམ་གྱིས་ཀུན་ཏུ་བསྲུངས་པ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་མཐོང་བས་རིག་གོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་ཇི་ལྟར་སྦྲང་ཚང་གི་ནང་ན་སྦྲང་རྩི་བུང་བ་བྱེ་བ་ཕྲག་འབུམ་གྱིས་ཀུན་ཏུ་བསྲུངས་པ་ཡོད་པར་སྐྱེས་བུ་མཁས་པ་ཞིག་གིས་ཤེས་པར་རིག་པ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ལ་ཡང་སངས་རྒྱས་ཉིད་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་དང་། ཉེ་བའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་བྱེ་བ་ཕྲག་འབུམ་གྱིས་ཀུན་ཏུ་བསྲུངས་པ་ཡོད་པར་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་མཐོང་བས་རིག་སྟེ། <br><br>རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཡང་ཐབས་ལ་མཁས་པས་བུང་བ་བསལ་བ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་གི་འདོད་ཆགས་དང་། ཞེ་སྡང་དང་། གཏི་མུག་དང་། ང་རྒྱལ་དང་། རྒྱགས་པ་དང་། འཆབ་པ་དང་། ཁྲོ་བ་དང་། གནོད་སེམས་དང་། ཕྲག་དོག་དང་། སེར་སྣ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་དང་། ཉེ་བའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་རྣམས་བསལ་ནས་ཇི་ལྟར་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་ལ་ཡང་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་དང་། ཉེ་བའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་དེ་དག་གིས་ཉེ་བའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་ཅན་དུ་མི་འགྱུར་བ་དང་། གནོད་པར་མི་འགྱུར་བ་དེ་ལྟ་དེ་ལྟར་ཆོས་སྟོན་ཏོ། <br><br>།དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་མཐོང་བ་དེ་རྣམ་པར་སྦྱངས་ནས་འཇིག་རྟེན་ན་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་བྱ་བ་བྱེད་དེ། རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་ངའི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་མིག་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པ་དེས་ངས་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་དེ་ལྟར་མཐོང་ངོ་།<em><br><br>"Sons of good family, again it is as if there were, for example, a round honeycomb hanging from the branch of a tree, shielded on all sides by a hundred thousand bees and filled with honey. And a person desiring honey, [and knowing of the honey within,] would then with skill [in the application of appropriate] means expel all the living beings, the bees, and then use the honey [in the way] honey is to be used.<br><br>In the same way, sons of good family, all sentient beings without exception are like a honeycomb: with a tathāgata's mental vision realize that [their] buddhahood within is 'shielded on all sides' by myriads of defilements and impurities.<br><br>Sons of good family, just as a skillful person by [his] knowledge realizes that there is honey inside a honeycomb shielded on all sides by myriads of bees, in the same way [I] realize with [my] tathāgata's mental vision that buddhahood is without exception 'shielded on all sides' in all sentient beings by myriads of defilements and impurities."<br><br>"And, sons of good family, just like the [person who] removed the bees, also the Tathāgata, with skill in [the application of appropriate] means (upāyakuśala), removes sentient beings' defilements and impurities [from their buddhahood] within, [such as] desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), misguidedness (moha), pride (māna), insolence (mada), jealous disparagement (mrakṣa), rage (krodha), malice (vyāpāda), envy (īrṣyā), avarice (mātsarya), and so on. [He] then teaches the Dharma in such a way so that those sentient beings will not again become polluted and harmed by the defilements and impurities.<br><br>[When their] tathāgata's mental vision has become purified, [they] will perform the tasks of a tathāgata in the world. Sons of good family, this is how I see all sentient beings with my completely pure vision of a tathāgata."|''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra ('phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo)'', in Derge Kangyur, vol. 66, folios 249a-249b (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3020991 Adarsha]).<br>-Translation from [[Zimmermann, Michael]]. ''[[A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra]]: The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India''. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002, pp. 110-1112.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Maitreya}}

In the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the second simile is taught in verses I.102-104:
{{Blockquote|yathā madhu prāṇigaṇopagūḍhaṃ<br>vilokya vidvān puruṣastadarthī<br>samantataḥ prāṇigaṇasya tasmā-<br>dupāyato'pakramaṇaṃ prakuryāt I.102<br><br>sarvajñacakṣurviditaṃ maharṣi-<br>rmadhūpamaṃ dhātumimaṃ vilokya<br>
tadāvṛtīnāṃ bhramaropamānā-<br>maśleṣamātyantikamādadhāti I.103<br><br>yadvat prāṇisahasrakoṭīniyutairmadhvāvṛtaṃ syānnaro<br>madhvarthī vinihatya tānmadhukarānmadhvā yathākāmataḥ<br>kuryātkāryamanāsravaṃ madhunibhaṃ jñānaṃ tathā dehiṣu<br>kleśāḥ kṣudranibhā jinaḥ puruṣavat tadghātane kovidaḥ I.104<br><br></em>།ཇི་ལྟར་སྲོག་ཆགས་ཚོགས་བསྐོར་སྦྲང་རྩི་ནི།<br>སྐྱེས་བུ་མཁས་པས་དེ་དོན་གཉེར་བ་ཡིས།<br>།མཐོང་ནས་ཐབས་ཀྱིས་དེ་དང་སྲོག་ཆགས་ཚོགས།<br>།ཀུན་ནས་བྲལ་བར་རབ་ཏུ་བྱེད་པ་བཞིན། I.102<br><br>།དྲང་སྲོང་ཆེན་པོས་ཀུན་མཁྱེན་སྤྱན་གྱིས་ནི།<br>།རིག་ཁམས་སྦྲང་རྩི་དང་འདྲ་དེ་གཟིགས་ནས།<br>།དེ་ཡི་སྒྲིབ་པ་སྦྲང་མ་དང་འདྲ་བ།<br>།གཏན་ནས་རབ་ཏུ་སྤོང་བར་མཛད་པ་ཡིན། I.103<br><br>།ཇི་ལྟར་སྦྲང་རྩི་སྲོག་ཆགས་བྱེ་བ་ཁྲག་ཁྲིག་སྟོང་བསྒྲིབས་སྦྲང་རྩི་དོན་གཉེར་མིས།<br>།སྦྲང་མ་དེ་དག་བསལ་ཏེ་ཇི་ལྟར་འདོད་པ་བཞིན་དུ་སྦྲང་རྩིའི་བྱ་བྱེད་པ།<br>།དེ་བཞིན་ལུས་ཅན་ལ་ཡོད་ཟག་པ་མེད་པའི་ཤེས་པ་སྦྲང་མའི་རྩི་དང་འདྲ།<br>།ཉོན་མོངས་སྦྲང་མ་དང་འདྲ་དེ་འཇོམས་པ་ལ་མཁས་པའི་རྒྱལ་བ་སྐྱེས་བུ་བཞིན། I.104<br><br><em>Suppose a clever person were to see<br>Honey surrounded by a swarm of insects<br>And, striving for it, would completely separate it<br>From the swarm of insects with the [proper] means. I.102<br><br>Similarly, the great seer sees that this basic element,<br>Which he perceives with his omniscient eye, is like honey<br>And thus accomplishes the complete removal<br>Of its obscurations that are like bees. I.103<br><br>Just as a person striving for the honey that is covered by billions of insects<br>Would remove them from the honey and use that honey as wished,<br>So the uncontaminated wisdom in beings is like honey, the afflictions are like bees,<br>And the victor who knows how to destroy them resembles that person. I.104|Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 395.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In the ''Unassailable Lion's Roar'', Jamgön Kongtrul explains the second simile as follows:{{Blockquote|</em>སྲོག་ཆགས་སྦྲང་མའི་ཚོགས་ཀྱིས་བསྐོར་བའི་དབུས་ན་གནས་པའི་སྦྲང་རྩི་ནི་སྐྱེས་བུ་བརྟག་པ་དང་། ཐབས་ལ་མཁས་པ་སྦྲང་རྩི་དེ་ཉིད་དོན་དུ་གཉེར་བ་ཡིས། སྦྲང་མའི་དབུས་ན་སྦྲང་རྩི་ཡོད་པ་དེ་མཐོང་ནས་དུ་བ་གཏོང་བ་སོགས་ཐབས་ཀྱིས་སྦྲང་རྩི་དེ་དང་སྲོག་ཆགས་ཀྱི་ཚོགས་རྣམས་ཀུན་ནས་རབ་ཏུ་བྲལ་བར་བྱས་ནས་སྦྲང་རྩི་ཐོབ་པར་བྱེད་པ་བཞིན་ནོ། <br><br>དྲང་སྲོང་ཆེན་པོ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་ཀུན་མཁྱེན་པའི་སྤྱན་གྱིས་ནི་རིག་པའི་ཁམས་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་སུ་ཆུད་པ་སྦྲང་རྩི་སྦྲང་མས་བསྐོར་བ་དང་འདྲ་བ་འདི་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ལ་ཡོད་པར་གཟིགས་ནས་དེ་རྟོགས་པར་བྱེད་པ་དེའི་སྒྲིབ་པ་སྦྲང་མ་དང་འདྲ་བ་རྣམས་གཏན་ནས་མེད་པར་རབ་ཏུ་སྤོང་བའི་ལམ་སྟོན་པར་ཆོས་སྐུ་མངོན་སུམ་དུ་གྱུར་པ་མཛད་པ་ཡིན་ནོ། །<br><br>སྦྲང་རྩི་སྲོག་ཆགས་སྦྲང་མ་བྱེ་བ་ཁྲག་ཁྲིག་བརྒྱ་སྟོང་གིས་བསྒྲིབས་པ་ན་སྦྲང་རྩི་དོན་གཉེར་གྱི་སྐྱེས་བུ་ཐབས་ལ་མཁས་པའི་མི་དེས་སྦྲང་མ་དེ་དག་ཐབས་ཀྱི་སྒོ་ནས་བསལ་ཏེ་ཇི་ལྟར་འདོད་པ་བཞིན་དུ་སྦྲང་རྩིའི་བྱ་བ་བྱེད་པ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ། སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ལ་ཡོད་པའི་ཟག་པ་མེད་པའི་ཤེས་པ་བདེ་སྙིང་དྲི་མེད་སྦུབས་སུ་ཆུད་པ་ནི་སྦྲང་མས་བསྐོར་བའི་སྦྲང་རྩི་དང་འདྲ་བས་ཁམས་ལ་སྒྲིབ་བྱེད་ཀྱི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་སྦྲང་མ་དང་འདྲ་བ་དེ་འཇོམས་པའི་ཐབས་ལ་མཁས་པའི་རྒྱལ་བ་དེ་སྦྲང་རྩི་དོན་གཉེར་གྱི་སྐྱེས་བུ་ཐབས་ལ་མཁས་པ་ཇི་ལྟ་བ་བཞིན་ནོ། <em><br><br>Honey is present in the midst of a surrounding swarm of bees. Upon seeing that there is honey among the bees, a capable and skillful man whose aim is to get this honey makes use of suitable means. Letting smoke rise and so on, he completely separates the honey from the host of bees and procures the honey.<br><br>Likewise the Buddha, the Great Sage, sees with his eye knowing all phenomena that the element of [self-sprung] awareness is present within all beings, contained in the shroud of the mental poisons like honey surrounded by bees. Upon seeing this, he teaches the path by means of which the bee-like veils covering this element are fully and radically abandoned and the element is realized. Thus he causes the direct manifestation of the dharmakaya.<br><br>When honey is obscured by millions and millions of honeybees, a man who is skillful and in search of honey disperses these bees by means of suitable methods and procures the honey, just as he wishes. The unpolluted knowledge, the sugatagarbha, is present within all beings, contained in the shroud of their defilements. Thus it is similar to the honey surrounded by bees. The Victorious One (Skt ''jina'', Tib. ''rgyal ba'') is skilled in the methods to overcome the bee-like mental poisons obscuring the element. Thus he is similar to the skillful man whose aim is to get the honey.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos snying po'i don mngon sum lam gyi bshad pa srol dang sbyar ba'i rnam par 'grel ba phyir mi ldog pa seng ge'i nga ro]]''. In Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i tshig 'grel. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2005, pp. 226-228.<br>- Translation from [[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "[[The Unassailable Lion's Roar]]," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000, pp. 151-152.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Dalai Lama, 14th}}

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama explains the second simile as:
{{Blockquote|''The buddha essence is like honey with a swarm of bees surrounding it.''<br><br>
The honey is like the ultimate truth—the emptiness of inherent existence. Just as all honey has the same taste, the ultimate nature of all phenomena is the same. Bees not only conceal the honey but also angrily sting someone who tries to take it, harming themselves as well as their enemy. Similarly, we cannot see our honey-like buddha essence because it is obscured by the seeds of hatred, anger, resentment, and vengeance. This obscuration pertains specifically to ordinary beings in the form and formless realms who do not experience manifest anger, but still have the seeds of anger in their mental continuums. We beings in the desire realm have the seeds of anger as well as coarse manifest anger. These seeds not only prevent us from seeing our buddha essence but also enable the destructive emotions related to anger and animosity to manifest in our minds, mercilessly stinging ourselves and those around us.<br><br>An insightful person knows that despite the bees around it, the honey itself is pure and delicious. She devises a skillful way to separate the bees from the honey, and then enjoys the honey as she wishes. Tasting honey, like realizing the emptiness of the mind, always brings joy. Similarly, the Buddha sees the buddha essence in each sentient being and with skillful methods, such as the teachings of the three turnings of the Dharma wheel, frees it from defilements.
|[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Thubten Chodron]]. ''[[Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature]]''. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018, p. 304.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Thrangu Rinpoche}}

Thrangu Rinpoche explains the second simile as:
{{Blockquote|Imagine some tasty honey which is surrounded by swarming bees. If an experienced person knows how to separate the honey from the bees, then persons can enjoy the honey. the meaning is the Buddhas with the omniscient eyes to twofold knowledge can see the Buddha nature in all beings which is like the honey. The bees circling the honey could be removed because they weren't part of the honey and in the same way the impurities of beings aren't part of the Buddha nature and there fore can be removed and the Buddha nature can manifest. In this example the man who knows about honey is like the Buddhas who are skilled in removing obscurations which are the bees.
|[[Thrangu Rinpoche]]. ''[[A Commentary on The Uttara Tantra]]''. Translated by [[Ken Holmes]] and [[Katia Holmes]]. Boulder, CO: Namo Buddha Seminar, 1989, p. 86.
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<h2>'''Simile Three: ''Kernels in their Husks'''''</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Śākyamuni}}

In the ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'' the third simile appears as:

{{Blockquote|</em>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་གཞན་ཡང་འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ་དཔེར་ན་འབྲས་སཱ་ལུའམ། ནས་སམ། ཅི་ཙེ་འམ། འབྲུ་རྣམས་ནི་སྙིང་པོ་ཕུབ་མ་ནས་ཡོངས་སུ་བསྲུངས་པ་ཡིན་ཏེ། རང་གི་ཕུབ་མ་ནས་མ་ཕྱུང་གི་བར་དུ་བཟའ་བ་དང་། བཅའ་བ་དང་། མྱང་བའི་བྱ་བ་མི་བྱེད་ཀྱི། རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་སྐྱེས་པ་དང་། བུད་མེད་གང་དག་བཟའ་བ་དང་། བཅའ་བ་ལ་སོགས་པ་ཟས་སྐོམ་གྱི་བྱ་བ་འདོད་པ་དེ་དག་གིས་བརྔས་ཤིང་བརྡུངས་ཏེ། ཕུབ་མའི་སྦུབས་དང་ཕྱི་ཤུན་སེལ་ཏོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཡང་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྤྱན་གྱིས་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཉིད། སངས་རྒྱས་ཉིད། རང་བྱུང་ཉིད། ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་ཀྱི་ཤུན་པས་དཀྲིས་ཤིང་གནས་པར་མཐོང་ངོ་། །རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཡང་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་ཀྱི་ཤུན་པ་བསལ་བ་དང་། དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཉིད་ཡོངས་སུ་སྦྱང་བ་དང་། སེམས་ཅན་འདི་དག་ཇི་ལྟར་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་ཀྱི་ཤུན་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་ལས་གྲོལ་ཏེ། འཇིག་རྟེན་དུ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་གྲངས་སུ་འགྲོ་བར་འགྱུར་སྙམ་ནས་སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ལ་ཆོས་སྟོན་ཏོ།<em><br><br>"Sons of good family, again it is like the example of winter rice, barley, millet or monsoon rice [whose] kernel (sāra) is shielded all around by a husk (tuṣa): as long as the [kernel] has not come out of its husk, [it can]not serve the function of solid, soft and delicious food. But, sons of good family, [it can serve this function very well once] some men or women, desiring that [these grains serve their] function as food and drink in hard, soft or other [forms], after having it reaped and threshed, remove the [coarse] sheath of the husk and the [fine] outer skin."<br><br>"Sons of good family, in the same way [that people are aware of the precious kernel within the husk, so] too the Tathāgata perceives with [his] tathāgata-vision that tathāgatahood, buddhahood, svayaṁbhūtva —wrapped in the skin of the sheaths of defilements—is [always] present in every sentient being. Sons of good family, the Tathāgata also removes the skin of the sheaths of defilements, purifies the tathāgatahood in them and teaches the Dharma to sentient beings, thinking:<br>'How [can] these sentient beings become free from all the skins of the sheaths of defilements [so that they] will be designated in the world as 'tathāgata, honorable one and perfectly awakened one'?'"
|''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra ('phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo)'', in Derge Kangyur, vol. 66, folio 250a (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3020993 Adarsha]).<br>-Translation from [[Zimmermann, Michael]]. ''[[A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra]]: The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India''. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002, pp. 114-115.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Maitreya}}
In the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the third simile is taught in verses I.105-107:
{{Blockquote|dhānyeṣu sāraṃ tuṣasaṃprayuktaṃ<br>nṛṇāṃ na ya[dva]tparibhogameti<br>bhavanti ye'nnādibhirarthinastu<br>te tattuṣebhyaḥ parimocayanti I.105<br><br>sattveṣvapi kleśamalopasṛṣṭa-<br>mevaṃ na tāvatkurute jinatvam<br>saṃbuddhakāryaṃ tribhave na yāva-<br>dvimucyate kleśamalopasargāt I.106<br><br>yadvat kaṅgukaśālikodravayavavrīhiṣvamuktaṃ tuṣāt<br>sāraṃ khāḍyasusaṃskṛtaṃ na bhavati svādūpabhojyaṃ nṛṇām<br>tadvat kleśatuṣādaniḥsṛtavapuḥ sattveṣu dharmeśvaro<br>dharmaprītirasaprado na bhavati kleśakṣudhārte jane I.107<br><br></em>།ཇི་ལྟར་སྦུན་ལྡན་འབྲུ་ཡི་སྙིང་པོ་ནི།<br>།མི་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་ནི་སྤྱད་བྱར་མི་འགྱུར་བ།<br>།ཟས་སོགས་དོན་དུ་གཉེར་བ་གང་ཡིན་པ།<br>།དེ་དག་གིས་ནི་སྦུན་ནས་དེ་འབྱིན་ལྟར། I.105<br><br>།དེ་བཞིན་སེམས་ཅན་ལ་ཡོད་ཉོན་མོངས་ཀྱི།<br>།དྲི་མ་དང་འདྲེས་རྒྱལ་བའང་ཇི་སྲིད་དུ།<br>།ཉོན་མོངས་དྲི་མ་འདྲེས་ལས་མ་གྲོལ་བ།<br>།དེ་སྲིད་རྒྱལ་མཛད་སྲིད་གསུམ་འདུ་མི་བྱེད། I.106<br><br>།ཇི་ལྟར་སཱ་ལུ་བྲ་བོ་ནས་འབྲུའི་སྙིང་པོ་སྦུན་ལས་མ་བྱུང་གྲ་མ་ཅན།<br>།ལེགས་པར་མ་བསྒྲུབས་མི་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་ནི་སྤྱད་བྱ་བཟའ་བ་ཞིམ་པོར་མི་འགྱུར་ལྟར།<br>།དེ་བཞིན་སེམས་ཅན་ལ་ཡོད་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབང་ཕྱུག་ཉོན་མོངས་སྦུབས་ལས་མ་གྲོལ་ལུས།<br>།ཉོན་མོངས་བཀྲེས་པས་ཉེན་པའི་འགྲོ་ལ་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དགའ་བའི་རོ་སྟེར་འགྱུར་བ་མིན། I.107<br><br><em>The kernel in grains united with its husks<br>[Can] not be eaten by people,<br>But those wanting food and so on<br>Extract it from its husks. I.105<br><br>Similarly, the state of a victor in sentient beings,<br>Which is obscured by the stains of the afflictions,<br>Does not perform the activity of a perfect buddha in the three existences<br>For as long as it is not liberated from the afflictions added on [to it]. I.106<br><br>Just as the kernels in grains such as corn, rice, millet, and barley, not extracted from their husks,<br>Still awned, and not prepared well, will not serve as delicious edibles for people,<br>So the lord of dharma in sentient beings, whose body is not released from the husks of the afflictions,<br>Will not grant the pleasant flavor of the dharma to the people pained by the hunger of the afflictions. I.107|Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, pp. 395-396.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In the ''Unassailable Lion's Roar'', Jamgön Kongtrul explains the third simile as follows::{{Blockquote|</em>སྦུན་པ་དང་ལྡན་པའི་འབྲས་བུའི་སྙིང་པོ་ནི་མི་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་ནི་ལོངས་སྤྱད་བྱར་མི་འགྱུར་བས་ཟས་སོགས་ལོངས་སྤྱད་བྱ་དོན་དུ་གཉེར་བའི་མི་གང་ཡིན་པ་དེ་དག་གིས་ནི་སྦུན་པའི་ནང་ནས་འབྲས་བུ་དེ་འབྱིན་དགོས་པ་ལྟར།<br><br>སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ལ་ཡོད་པའི་ཉོན་མོངས་ཀྱི་དྲི་མ་དང་འདྲེས་པའི་རྒྱལ་བའི་སྙིང་པོའང་ཇི་སྲིད་དུ་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་དྲི་མ་དང་འདྲེས་པ་ལས་མ་གྲོལ་བ་དེ་སྲིད་དུ་རྒྱལ་བའི་མཛད་པ་སྲིད་པ་གསུམ་དུ་སྟོན་པར་མི་བྱེད་ཅིང་སྒྲིབ་པ་དང་བྲལ་བ་ལ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཕྲིན་ལས་སྤྲོ་བ་ཉིད་དོ། །<br><br>ཇི་ལྟར་ན་འབྲས་སཱ་ལུ་དང་བྲ་འོ་དང་ནས་ཀྱི་འབྲས་བུའི་སྙིང་པོ་སྦུན་པ་ལས་མ་ཕྱུང་བ་གྲ་མ་ཅན་སྦུན་པ་བསལ་བ་སོགས་ལེགས་པར་མ་བསྒྲུབས་པ་མི་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་ནི་ལོངས་སྤྱད་བྱའི་བཟའ་བ་ཞིམ་པོར་མི་འགྱུར་བ་ཇི་ལྟར། དེ་བཞིན་དུ་སེམས་ཅན་ལ་ཡོད་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབང་ཕྱུག་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་དེ་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་ལས་མ་གྲོལ་བའི་ལུས་ལ་ཡོད་པ་དེའི་ཚེ་བཀྲེས་ཤིང་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་བྲུ་བས་ཉེས་པའི་འགྲོ་བ་རྣམས་ལ་དམ་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དགའ་བའི་རོ་སྟེར་བར་འགྱུར་བ་མ་ཡིན་ནོ། །<em><br><br>Since a grain that still has its husk is not edible for man, those human beings who seek palatable food and nourishment must remove this grain from the inside of its husk.<br><br>The nature of the Victorious One, which is present within all sentient beings but mixed with the defilement of the mental poisons, is similar to this example. As long as it is not freed from being mingled with the defilement of the mental poisons, the deeds of the Victorious One will not be displayed in the three realms of existence. Buddha activity unfolds in order to separate this nature from its veils.<br><br>When ripe grains of rice, buckwheat, or barley have not been well threshed until the husk and spelt are cleared away, when they have therefore not emerged from their husks and still have husk and beard, they cannot be turned into delicious food that is palatable for human beings. Likewise the sugatagarbha, the Lord of Qualities, is present within all beings. Yet, while his body is not liberated from the shroud of the mental poisons, it cannot bestow the taste of the joy of sacred Dharma upon those sentient beings who are stricken by the famine of their afflictions..|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos snying po'i don mngon sum lam gyi bshad pa srol dang sbyar ba'i rnam par 'grel ba phyir mi ldog pa seng ge'i nga ro]]''. In Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i tshig 'grel. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2005, pp. 228-229.<br>- Translation from [[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "[[The Unassailable Lion's Roar]]," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000, pp. 152-153.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Dalai Lama, 14th}}

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama explains the third simile as:
{{Blockquote|''The buddha essence resembles a kernel of grain in its husk.''<br><br>The husk obscures the grain. For the grain to become edible food, the husk must be removed. In the same way, the seed of ignorance obscures our minds so that we cannot realize the ultimate truth. As above, this obscuration applies particularly to ordinary beings in the form and formless realms, but those of us in the desire realm have it as well. The seed of ignorance makes self-grasping ignorance and the ignorance of karma and its effects manifest in our minds. By means of the above three seeds of the three poisons, sentient beings create karma that brings rebirth in saṃsāra.<br><br>Just as the grain cannot be eaten when inside the husk, the deeds of a buddha cannot be displayed while the buddha essence is in the husk of defilements. A wise person knows how to remove the husk and prepare the grain so that it becomes nourishing food. In the same way, the Buddha guides sentient beings to remove their defilements, and the buddhas they will become will provide spiritual sustenance for others.
|[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Thubten Chodron]]. ''[[Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature]]''. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018, pp. 304-305.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Thrangu Rinpoche}}

Thrangu Rinpoche explains the third simile as:
{{Blockquote|Imagine a grain of rice enclosed in its husk. In the husk it is inedible so it cannot manifest as food. Kernels of rice. buckwheat, and barley cannot be used as good food when they are unhusked and similarly as long as Buddha nature called "the lord of all qualities" in the text is not liberated from the shell of impurities, it cannot give the taste of the joy of dharma to beings.
|[[Thrangu Rinpoche]]. ''[[A Commentary on The Uttara Tantra]]''. Translated by [[Ken Holmes]] and [[Katia Holmes]]. Boulder, CO: Namo Buddha Seminar, 1989, p. 87.
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<h2>'''Simile Four: ''Gold in Filth'''''</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Śākyamuni}}

In the ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'' the fourth simile appears as:

{{Blockquote|</em>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་གཞན་ཡང་འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ་དཔེར་ན། རུལ་པ་དང་། ཉལ་ཉིལ་གྱི་གནས་བཤང་གཅི་དྲི་མི་
ཞིམ་པས་ཀུན་ཏུ་གང་བ་ཞིག་ཏུ་མི་གཞན་གསེབ་ལམ་ནས་སོང་བ་ཞིག་གི་གསེར་གྱི་གར་བུ་ཟླུམ་པོ་ཞིག་ལྷུང་བར་གྱུར་ལ། བཤང་གཅི་དྲི་ང་བས་ཀུན་དུ་གང་བ་རུལ་པ་དང་། ཉལ་ཉིལ་གྱི་གནས་དེར་མི་གཙང་བ་གཞན་དང་གཞན་གྱིས་བརྣན་པས་བལྟར་མི་སྣང་བར་གྱུར་ཅིང་། དེར་དེས་ལོ་བཅུའམ། ཉི་ཤུའམ། སུམ་ཅུའམ། བཞི་བཅུ་འམ། ལོ་ལྔ་བཅུ་འམ། ལོ་བརྒྱ་འམ། ལོ་སྟོང་དུ་མི་གཙང་བས་ཆུད་མི་ཟ་བའི་ཆོས་ཅན་དེ་སེམས་ཅན་གང་ལ་ཡང་ཕན་པར་མི་བྱེད་དོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་ནས་ལྷས་ལྷའི་མིག་གིས་གསེར་གྱི་གར་བུ་ཟླུམ་པོ་དེ་ལ་བལྟས་ནས་མི་ཞིག་ལ་ཀྱེ་མི་ཁྱོད་སོང་ལ་འདི་ནི་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་མཆོག་གསེར་རུལ་པ་དང་ཉལ་ཉིལ་གྱི་རྣམ་པས་ནོན་པ་དེ་བྱི་དོར་གྱིས་ལ། གསེར་གྱིས་གསེར་གྱི་བྱ་བ་གྱིས་ཤིག་ཅེས་བསྒོ་ན་རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་རུལ་པ་དང་། ཉལ་ཉིལ་གྱི་རྣམ་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་དེ་ནི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་རྣམ་པ་སྣ་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་ཚིག་བླ་དགས་སོ། །གསེར་གྱི་གར་བུ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་དེ་ནི་ཆུད་མི་ཟ་བའི་ཆོས་ཅན་གྱི་ཚིག་བླ་དགས་སོ། །ལྷས་ལྷའི་མིག་ཅེས་བྱ་བ་དེ་ནི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཚིག་བླ་དགས་སོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་ལྟར་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱང་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཆོས་ཉིད་ཆུད་མི་ཟ་བ་ཡོད་པའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་རུལ་པ་དང་། འདམ་རྫབ་ལྟ་བུ་རྣམས་བསལ་བའི་ཕྱིར་སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ལ་ཆོས་སྟོན་ཏོ།<em><br><br>"Sons of good family, again it is like the example of a round nugget (piṇḍa) of gold [belonging to] someone (puruṣāntara) [who] had walked [along] a narrow path, [and whose nugget] had fallen into a place of decaying substances and filth, [a place] full of putrid excrement. In that place of decaying substances and filth full of putrid excrement, the [gold nugget], having been 'overpowered' by various impure substances, would have become invisible, [and would have remained] there for ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred or a thousand years, [but it would, though surrounded] by impure substances, [never be affected by them, owing to] its imperishable nature (avināśadharmin). [Because of the covering of impure substances, however, it could] not be of use to any sentient being."<br><br>"Sons of good family, [if] then a divinity with divine vision looked at that round gold nugget, [the divinity] would direct a person:<br>'O man, go and clean that gold of excellent value [t]here, [which is only externally] covered with all sorts (-jāta) of decaying substances and filth, and use the gold [in the way] gold is to be used!'<br><br>In [this simile], sons of good family, [what] is called 'all sorts of decaying substances and filth' is a designation for the different kinds of defilements. [What] is called 'gold nugget' is a designation for [what] is not subject to perishability (avināśadharmin) [, i.e., the true nature of living beings]. [What] is called 'divinity [with] divine vision' is a designation
for the Tathāgata, the Honorable One and Perfectly Awakened One.<br><br>Sons of good family, in the same way also the Tathāgata, the Honorable One and Perfectly Awakened One, teaches the Dharma to sentient beings in order to remove the defilements—[which are like] all sorts of decaying substances and mud—[from] the imperishable true nature (dharmatā) of a tathāgata found in all sentient beings."
|''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra ('phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo)'', in Derge Kangyur, vol. 66, folios 250b-251a (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3020994 Adarsha]).<br>-Translation from [[Zimmermann, Michael]]. ''[[A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra]]: The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India''. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002, pp. 117-118.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Maitreya}}
In the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the fourth simile is taught in verses I.108-111:
{{Blockquote|yathā suvarṇaṃ vrajato narasya<br>cyutaṃ bhavetsaṃkarapūtidhāne<br>bahūni tadvarṣaśatāni tasmin<br>tathaiva tiṣṭhedavināśadharmi I.108<br><br>taddevatā divyaviśuddhacakṣu-<br>rvilokya tatra pravadennarasya<br>suvarṇamasminnavamagraratnaṃ<br>viśodhya ratnena kuruṣva kāryam I.109<br><br>dṛṣṭvā muniḥ sattvaguṇaṃ tathaiva<br>kleśeṣvamekṣyapratimeṣu magnam<br>tatkleśapaṅkavyavadānaheto-<br>rdharmāmbuvarṣaṃ vyasṛjat prajāsu I.110<br><br>yadvat saṃkarapūtidhānapatitaṃ cāmīkaraṃ devatā<br>dṛṣṭvā dṛśyatamaṃ nṛṇāmupadiśet saṃśodhanārthaṃ malāt<br>tadvat kleśamahāśuciprapatitaṃ saṃbuddharatnaṃ jinaḥ<br>sattveṣu vyavalokya dharmamadiśa[tta]cchuddhaye dehinām I.111<br><br></em>།ཇི་ལྟར་རབ་ཏུ་རྒྱུ་ཚེ་མི་ཡི་གསེར།<br>།ལྗན་ལྗིན་རུལ་བའི་གནས་སུ་ལྷུང་གྱུར་པ།<br>།མི་འཇིག་ཆོས་ཅན་དེ་ནི་དེར་དེ་བཞིན།<br>།ལོ་བརྒྱ་མང་པོ་དག་ཏུ་གནས་པ་དེ། I.108<br><br>།ལྷ་མིག་རྣམ་དག་དང་ལྡན་ལྷ་ཡིས་དེར།<br>།མཐོང་ནས་མི་ལ་འདི་ན་ཡོད་པའི་གསེར།<br>།རིན་ཆེན་མཆོག་འདི་སྦྱངས་ཏེ་རིན་ཆེན་གྱིས།<br>།བསྒྲུབ་པར་བྱ་བ་གྱིས་ཞེས་སྨྲ་བ་ལྟར། I.109<br><br>།དེ་བཞིན་ཐུབ་པས་མི་གཙང་དང་འདྲ་བའི།<br>།ཉོན་མོངས་སུ་བྱིང་སེམས་ཅན་ཡོན་ཏན་ནི།<br>།གཟིགས་ནས་ཉོན་མོངས་འདམ་དེ་དག་བྱའི་ཕྱིར།<br>།སྐྱེ་དགུ་རྣམས་ལ་དམ་ཆོས་ཆུ་ཆར་འབེབས། I.110<br><br>།ཇི་ལྟར་ལྗན་ལྗིན་རུལ་པའི་གནས་སུ་ལྷུང་བའི་གསེར་ནི་ལྷ་ཡིས་མཐོང་གྱུར་ནས།<br>།ཀུན་ཏུ་དག་པར་བྱ་ཕྱིར་མཆོག་ཏུ་མཛེས་པ་མི་ལ་ནན་གྱིས་སྟོན་པ་ལྟར།<br>།དེ་བཞིན་རྒྱལ་བས་ཉོན་མོངས་མི་གཙང་ཆེན་པོར་ལྷུང་གྱུར་རྫོགས་སངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།<br>།སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ལ་གཟིགས་ནས་དེ་དག་བྱ་ཕྱིར་ལུས་ཅན་རྣམས་ལ་ཆོས་སྟོན་ཏོ། I.111<br><br><em> Suppose a traveling person’s [piece of] gold<br>Were to fall into a filthy place full of excrement<br>And yet, being of an indestructible nature, would remain there<br>Just as it is for many hundreds of years. I.108<br><br>A deity with the pure divine eye<br>Would see it there and tell a person:<br>"[There is] gold here, this highest precious substance.<br>You should purify it, and make use of this precious substance." I.109<br><br>Similarly, the sage beholds the qualities of sentient beings,<br>Sunken into the afflictions that are like excrement,<br>And thus showers down the rain of the dharma onto beings<br>In order to purify them of the afflictions’ dirt. I.110<br><br>Just as a deity seeing a [piece of] gold fallen into a filthy place full of excrement<br>Would show its supreme beauty to people in order to purify it from stains,<br>So the victor, beholding the jewel of a perfect buddha fallen into the great excrement of the afflictions<br>In sentient beings, teaches the dharma to these beings for the sake of purifying that [buddha]. I.111|Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 396.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In the ''Unassailable Lion's Roar'', Jamgön Kongtrul explains the fourth simile as follows:{{Blockquote|</em>ཕན་ཚུན་ལམ་སྲང་དུ་རབ་ཏུ་རྒྱུ་ཞིང་འགྲོ་བའི་ཚེ་མིའི་སྐྱེས་བུ་འགའ་ཞིག་གིས་བརྗེད་ངས་པ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་དབང་གིས་གསེར་སྦྲམ་ཆེན་པོ་ཞིག་ལྗན་ལྗིན་རུལ་པའི་གནས་སུ་ལྷུང་བར་འགྱུར་ལ། ལོ་དུ་མར་ཡང་མི་འཇིག་ཅིང་མེད་པར་མི་འགྱུར་བའི་ཆོས་ཅན་གྱི་གསེར་དེ་ནི་ལྗན་ལྗིན་གྱི་ནང་དེར་མི་འཇིག་པ་སྔར་གྱི་དེ་ཀ་བཞིན་དུ་ལོ་བརྒྱ་ཕྲག་མང་པོ་དག་ཏུ་གནས་པ་དེ་ལྷའི་མིག་རྣམ་པར་དག་པ་དང་ལྡན་པའི་ལྷ་ཡིས་ལྗན་ལྗིན་གྱི་ནང་དེར་གསེར་སྦྲམ་ཡོད་པ་མཐོང་ནས་མི་གསེར་འདོད་པ་ཞིག་ལ་ལྗན་ལྗིན་གྱི་ཁྲོད་འདི་ན་ཡོད་པའི་གསེར་སྦྲམ་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་མཆོག་འདི་དྲི་མ་སྦྱངས་ཏེ་རིན་ཆེན་གྱིས་བསྒྲུབ་པར་བྱ་བའི་རྒྱན་ལ་སོགས་པ་སྒྲུབ་པར་གྱིས་ཤིག་ཅེས་སྨྲ་བ་ལྟར།<br><br>རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཐུབ་པ་ཆེན་པོས་ཀྱང་མི་གཙང་བ་དང་འདྲ་བའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་འདམ་རྫབ་ཏུ་བྱིང་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་བདེ་སྙིང་ནི་འགྲོ་བ་ཐམས་ཅད་ལ་ཡོད་པར་གཟིགས་ནས་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་འདམ་དེ་དག་པར་བྱ་བའི་ཕྱིར་དུ་སྐྱེ་དགུ་རྣམས་ལ་དམ་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་ཆུའི་ཆར་པ་ཆེན་པོ་འབེབས་པར་མཛད་དོ། །<br><br>ལྗན་ལྗིན་རུལ་བའི་གནས་སུ་ལྟུང་བའི་གསེར་ནི་ལྷ་ཡིས་མཐོང་བར་གྱུར་ནས་གསེར་དེའི་དྲི་མ་ཀུན་ཏུ་དག་པར་བྱ་བའི་ཕྱིར་མཆོག་ཏུ་མཛེས་པའི་གསེར་དེ་མི་ལ་ནན་གྱིས་སྟོན་ཅིང་དག་པར་བྱེད་དུ་འཇུག་པ་ཇི་ལྟ་བར། དེ་བཞིན་དུ། རྒྱལ་བ་ཐམས་ཅད་མཁྱེན་པས་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་མི་གཙང་བ་ཆེན་པོའི་ནང་དུ་ལྟུང་བར་གྱུར་པའི་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་སྙིང་པོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་འདྲ་བ་སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ལ་ཡོད་པར་གཟིགས་ནས་སྙིང་པོ་དེ་དག་པར་བྱ་བའི་ཕྱིར་དུ་ལུས་ཅན་རྣམས་ལ་སྐལ་པར་འཚམས་པའི་ཆོས་སྟོན་པར་མཛད་དོ། །<em><br><br>When a man who was traveling had reached a crossroads, out of negligence and lack of attentiveness he dropped a great lump of gold he owned into a place filled with rotting refuse. The nature of gold is such that it will not diminish or be destroyed even after many years. Thus this gold stayed in the midst of this filth just as it was, unblemished for many centuries. Then a god who possessed completely pure vision saw that there was a large lump of gold in the midst of this filth. Upon seeing this he turned to a man who was in search of gold and said: "Purify this supremely precious lump of gold that is lying in this heap of refuse from its defilement and convert it into a piece of jewelry or something similar that is worth being made from such a precious substance!"<br><br>Likewise the great Muni, the Perfect Buddha, sees that the sugatagarbha, the quality of beings, which is sunken in the mud of the filth like mental poisons, is present within all sentient beings. Upon seeing this he pours the mighty rain of his sacred Dharma upon all those beings in order to purify this mud of their afflictions.<br><br>As soon as the god has seen the gold that has fallen into the place full of rotting refuse, with insistence he shows the man this supremely beautiful gold so that he may completely cleanse it, and he incites him to purify it. Similarly the omniscient Victorious One sees that the nature of a perfect buddha, resembling the precious [gold], is present within all sentient beings, but has fallen into the great filth of the mental poisons. U p o n seeing this he teaches the Dharma to all those beings in the measure of their karmic fortune, so that they may purify their [buddha] nature.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos snying po'i don mngon sum lam gyi bshad pa srol dang sbyar ba'i rnam par 'grel ba phyir mi ldog pa seng ge'i nga ro]]''. In Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i tshig 'grel. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2005, pp. 229-231.<br>- Translation from [[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "[[The Unassailable Lion's Roar]]," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000, pp. 154-155.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Dalai Lama, 14th}}

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama explains the fourth simile as:
{{Blockquote|''The buddha essence resembles gold buried in filth''.<br><br>If someone accidentally drops some gold in a pile of filthy refuse at the side of the road, we don't know it is there let alone think to take it out, clean it, and use it. Similarly, while our gold-like buddha essence is not mixed with defilements, the filth of the manifest coarse three poisons prevents us from seeing it. Manifest coarse afflictions are the chief obscuration hindering beings in the desire realm. They provide the condition through which we are reborn especially in the desire realm. Led here and there by powerful emotions that arise suddenly and dominate our minds and by strong wrong views that we stubbornly cling to, we do not even consider the buddha essence that has always been there. Like the filth, manifest coarse attachment, animosity, and ignorance are repugnant. We dislike ourselves when they rule our minds, and others are likewise repulsed by our behavior.<br><br>The gold is pure—it can never become impure—but we cannot see it or use it as long as it is sunk in the filth. Similarly, the emptiness of the mind can never be infiltrated by the afflictions, but it cannot shine forth when obscured by the troublesome manifest afflictions. A deva who possesses the clairvoyant power of the divine eye sees the gold, tells a person where to find it, and instructs him to make the gold into something worthy of being gold. Similarly, the Buddha sees the empty nature of our minds, teaches us how to purify it, and instructs us how to transform our minds into the minds of buddhas. These first four similes pertain specifically to ordinary beings who have not yet realized emptiness.
|[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Thubten Chodron]]. ''[[Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature]]''. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018, p. 305.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Thrangu Rinpoche}}

Thrangu Rinpoche explains the fourth simile as:
{{Blockquote|Imagine an individual going on a journey and on his way he looses some pure gold which falls into some rubbish. It remains unchanged for hundreds of years being quite useless. Then a god with clairvoyance sees the large lump of gold in the rubbish and tells someone where to find this valuable thing so it can be put to its proper use.<br><br>The meaning is the Buddhas can see the pure Buddha nature of beings which has fallen into the filth of defilements and has been lying there for hundreds or thousands of years. Even though it has been there, it has not been polluted by the defilements. It there were no rubbish there is the first place, there would be no need to have the clairvoyant person come along. Also if there had been no gold for the clairvoyance person to point out, it would have been pointless as well. Similarly if Buddha nature were not obscured by defilements. there would be no need for Buddhas to come into this world and teach about Buddha nature. Also if beings didn't have Buddha nature form the beginning, there would be no need for Buddhas to give teachings because would be impossible for individuals to attain Buddhahood. This is why the Buddhas come and give teachings and point out our obscurations. They do this by producing the rain of dharma which has the ability to wash away little by little the impurities which we have accumulated.<br><br>Gold is very useful, but if it is covered by rubbish it is useless. This is why this clairvoyant person tells someone where it is and tells him to remove the rubbish and use the golds. In the same way the Buddhas tell us about the rubbish of all our instability. They see beings who have the wish-fulfilling gem in their hands, but it is being wasted. Beings are suffering, but they have the tool to eliminate the suffering without knowing it. This is why the Buddhas teach the dharma. We remain stuck in problems and difficulties and don't have the power to realize out own goal. we might think there is nothing we can do about it, but since we have the knowledge of how it-is and meanness, we have what is necessary to remove the defilements. The Buddha came to tell us if we practice, using what we have, we can reach enlightenment.
|[[Thrangu Rinpoche]]. ''[[A Commentary on the Uttara Tantra]]''. Translated by [[Ken Holmes]] and [[Katia Holmes]]. Boulder, CO: Namo Buddha Seminar, 1989, pp. 87-88.
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<h2>'''Simile Five: ''A Treasure in the Earth'''''</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Śākyamuni}}

In the ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'' the fifth simile appears as:

{{Blockquote|</em>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་གཞན་ཡང་འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ། དཔེར་ན་དབུལ་པོ་ཞིག་གི་ཁྱིམ་གྱི་ནང་གི་མཛོད་ཀྱི་འོག་གི་ས་ལ་གཏེར་ཆེན་པོ་དབྱིག་དང་། གསེར་གྱིས་རབ་ཏུ་གང་བ་མཛོད་ཀྱི་ཚད་ཙམ་ཞིག་མི་བདུན་སྲིད་ཀྱི་སས་གཡོགས་པའི་འོག་ན་ཡོད་ལ། གཏེར་ཆེན་པོ་དེ་མི་དབུལ་པོ་དེ་ལ་འདི་སྐད་དུ་ཀྱེ་མི་ང་ནི་གཏེར་ཆེན་པོ་སྟེ། སས་གཡོགས་ཅིང་འདུག་གོ་ཞེས་མི་སྨྲ་སྟེ་འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ། གཏེར་ཆེན་པོ་ནི་སེམས་ཀྱི་ངོ་བོ་ཉིད་ཀྱིས་སེམས་ཅན་མ་ཡིན་པའོ། །མི་དབུལ་པོ་ཁྱིམ་གྱི་བདག་པོ་དེ་ནི་དབུལ་བའི་སེམས་ཀྱིས་རྗེས་སུ་སེམས་ཤིང་དེ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་སྟེང་ན་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱུ་ཡང་སའི་འོག་ན་གཏེར་ཆེན་པོ་ཡོད་པ་དེ་མ་ཐོས་མི་ཤེས་མ་མཐོང་ངོ་། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་མངོན་པར་ཞེན་པའི་ཡིད་ལ་བྱེད་བྱེད་པ་ཁྱིམ་ལྟ་བུར་གྱུར་པའི་འོག་ན་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་སྟོབས་དང་། མི་འཇིགས་པ་དང་། མ་འདྲེས་པ་དང་། སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་མཛོད་ཀྱི་གཏེར་ཆེན་པོ་ཡོད་ཀྱང་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་གཟུགས་དང་། སྒྲ་དང་། དྲི་དང་། རོ་དང་། རེག་པ་ལ་ཆགས་པས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་བས་འཁོར་བ་ན་འཁོར་ཏེ། ཆོས་ཀྱི་གཏེར་ཆེན་པོ་དེ་མ་ཐོས་པས་ཐོབ་པར་མ་གྱུར་ཅིང་ཡོངས་སུ་སྦྱང་བའི་ཕྱིར་བརྩོན་པར་ཡང་མི་བྱེད་དོ། །རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་ནས་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་འཇིག་རྟེན་དུ་བྱུང་སྟེ། བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་ནང་དུ་འདི་ལྟ་བུའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་གཏེར་ཆེན་པོ་ཡང་དག་པར་རབ་ཏུ་སྟོན་ཏོ། །དེ་དག་ཀྱང་ཆོས་ཀྱི་གཏེར་ཆེན་པོ་དེ་ལ་མོས་ནས་རྐོ་སྟེ། དེའི་ཕྱིར་འཇིག་རྟེན་ན་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་རྣམས་ཞེས་བྱ་སྟེ། །ཆོས་ཀྱི་གཏེར་ཆེན་པོ་ལྟ་བུར་གྱུར་ནས། སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ལ་སྔོན་མ་བྱུང་བའི་གཏན་ཚིགས་ཀྱི་རྣམ་པ་དང་། དཔེ་དང་བྱེད་པའི་གཏན་ཚིགས་དང་། བྱ་བ་རྣམས་སྟོན་པ་གཏེར་ཆེན་པོའི་མཛོད་ཀྱི་སྦྱིན་བདག་ཆགས་པ་མེད་པའི་སྤོབས་པ་དང་ལྡན་ཞིང་སྟོབས་དང་། མི་འཇིགས་པ་དང་། སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་མང་པོའི་མཛོད་དུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་ནོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་ལྟར་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱང་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་མིག་ཤིན་ཏུ་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པས་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་དེ་ལྟ་བུར་མཐོང་ནས་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་དང་། སྟོབས་དང་། མི་འཇིགས་པ་དང་། སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་མ་འདྲེས་པའི་མཛོད་ཡོངས་སུ་སྦྱང་བའི་ཕྱིར་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་རྣམས་ལ་ཆོས་སྟོན་ཏོ།<em><br><br>"Sons of good family, again it is as if in the earth beneath a storeroom in the house of some poor person, under a covering of earth seven fathoms (puruṣa) deep there were a great treasure, full of money and gold, [of the same] volume as the storeroom. But the great treasure—not being, of course, a sentient being, given [its lack of] a mental essence— [could] not say to the poor [man]:<br>'O man, I am a great treasure, but [I am] buried [here], covered under earth.' [In his] mind the poor man, the owner of the house, would consider [himself] poor, and even though [he] walked up and down directly above the [treasure], he [could] not hear of, know of, or perceive the existence of the great treasure beneath the earth.<br><br>Sons of good family, in the same way, [in] all sentient beings, beneath the[ir] thinking, [which is based on] clinging (abhiniveśamanasikāra)— [and] analogously to the house—there is [also] a great treasure, [namely] the treasury of the essence of a tathāgata (tathāgatagarbha), [including the ten] powers ([daśa] balāni), [the four kinds of] self-assurance ([catvāri] vaiśāradyāni), [the eighteen] specific [qualities of a buddha] ([astādaśa-] āveṇika[ buddhadharmāḥ]), and all [other] qualities of a buddha.<br>And yet sentient beings cling to color and shape (rūpa), sound (śabda), odor (gandha), flavor (rasa) and tangible objects (spraṣṭavya), and therefore wander in saṃsāra, [caught in] suffering (duḥkhena). And as a result of not having heard of that great treasure of [buddha] qualities [within themselves, they] in no way apply [themselves] to taking possession [of it] and to purifying [it]." <br><br>"Sons of good family, then the Tathāgata appears in the world and manifests (saṁprakāśayati) a great treasure of such [buddha] qualities among the bodhisattvas. The [bodhisattvas] then acquire confidence in that great treasure of [buddha] qualities and dig [it] out. Therefore in the world [they] are known as 'tathāgatas, honorable ones and perfectly awakened ones,' because having become [themselves] like a great treasure of [buddha] qualities, [they] teach sentient beings the aspects of [this] unprecedented argument [of buddhahood in all of them] (*apūrvahetvākāra), similes [illustrating this matter], reasons for actions, and [tasks] to fulfill. [They] are donors (dānapati) [who give from] the storeroom of the great treasure, and having unhindered readiness of speech (asaṅgapratibhānavat), [they are] a treasury of the many qualities of a buddha, including the [ten] powers and the [four kinds of] self-assurance.<br>Sons of good family, in this way, with the completely pure vision of a tathāgata, the Tathāgata, the Honorable One and Perfectly Awakened One, also perceives that all sentient beings are like the [poor owner of the house with the hidden treasure] and then teaches the Dharma to the bodhisattvas in order to clean the treasury [in all sentient beings, which contains such qualities as] the tathāgata-knowledge, the [ten] powers, the [four kinds of] self-assurance and the [eighteen] specific qualities of a buddha."
|''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra ('phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo)'', in Derge Kangyur, vol. 66, folios 251a-251b (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3020995 Adarsha]).<br>-Translation from [[Zimmermann, Michael]]. ''[[A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra]]: The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India''. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002, pp. 120-123.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Maitreya}}
In the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the fifth simile is taught in verses I.112-114:
{{Blockquote|yathā daridrasya narasya veśma-<br>nyantaḥ pṛthivyāṃ nidhirakṣayaḥ syāt<br>vidyānna cainaṃ sa naro na cāsmi-<br>nneṣo'hamasmīti vadennidhistam I.112<br><br>tadvanmano'ntargatamapya cintya-<br>makṣayyadharmāmalaratnakośam<br>abudhyamānānubhavatyajasraṃ <br>dāridrayaduḥkhaṃ bahudhā prajeyam I.113<br><br>yadvadratnanidhirdaridrabhavanābhyantargataḥ syānnaraṃ<br>na brūyādahamasmi ratnanidhirityevaṃ na vidyānnaraḥ<br>tadvaddharmanidhirmanogṛhagataḥ sattvā daridropamā-<br>steṣāṃ tatpratilambhakāraṇamṛṣirloke samutpadyate I.114<br><br></em>།ཇི་ལྟར་མི་དབུལ་ཁྱིམ་ནང་ས་འོག་ན།<br>།མི་ཟད་པ་ཡི་གཏེར་ནི་ཡོད་གྱུར་ལ།<br>།མི་དེས་དེ་མ་ཤེས་ཏེ་གཏེར་དེ་ཡང་།<br>།དེ་ལ་ང་འདིར་ཡོད་ཅེས་མི་སྨྲ་ལྟར། I.112<br><br>།དེ་བཞིན་ཡིད་ཀྱི་ནང་ཆུད་རིན་ཆེན་གཏེར།<br>།དྲི་མེད་གཞག་དང་བསལ་མེད་ཆོས་ཉིད་ཀྱང་།<br>།མ་རྟོགས་པས་ན་དབུལ་བའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་ནི།<br>།རྣམ་མང་རྒྱུན་དུ་སྐྱེ་དགུ་འདིས་མྱོང་ངོ། I.113<br><br>།ཇི་ལྟར་དབུལ་པོའི་ཁྱིམ་ནང་དུ་ནི་རིན་ཆེན་གཏེར་ཆུད་གྱུར་པའི་མི་ལ་ནི།<br>།རིན་ཆེན་གཏེར་བདག་ཡོད་ཅེས་རྗོད་པར་མི་བྱེད་དེ་ནི་མི་ཡིས་ཤེས་མིན་ལྟར།<br>།དེ་བཞིན་ཆོས་གཏེར་ཡིད་ཀྱི་ཁྱིམ་གནས་སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ནི་དབུལ་པོ་ལྟ་བུ་སྟེ།<br>།དེ་དག་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་དེ་ཐོབ་བྱ་ཕྱིར་འཇིག་རྟེན་དུ་ནི་དྲང་སྲོང་ཡང་དག་བསྟམས། I.114<br><br><em>Suppose there were an inexhaustible treasure<br>Beneath the ground within the house of a poor person,<br>But that person would not know about this [treasure],<br>Nor would the treasure say to that [person], "I am here!" I.112<br><br>Similarly, with the stainless treasure of jewels lodged within the mind,<br>Whose nature is to be inconceivable and inexhaustible,<br>Not being realized, beings continuously experience<br>The suffering of being destitute in many ways. I.113<br><br> Just as a treasure of jewels lodged inside the abode of a pauper would not say<br>To this person, "I, the jewel treasure, am here!," nor would this person know about it,<br>So the treasure of the dharma is lodged in the house of the mind, and sentient beings resemble the pauper.<br>It is in order to enable them to attain this [treasure] that the seer takes birth in the world. I.114|Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, pp. 396-397.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In the ''Unassailable Lion's Roar'', Jamgön Kongtrul explains the fifth simile as follows:{{Blockquote|</em>མི་དབུལ་པོ་ཞིག་གི་ཁྱིམ་ནང་གི་ས་འོག་ན་མི་ཟད་པའི་གཏེར་ཆེན་པོ་ནི་ཡོད་པར་གྱུར་ལ་མི་དེས་གཏེར་དེ་ཡོད་པར་མ་ཤེས་ཤིང་གཏེར་དེའང་མི་དེ་ལ་ང་འདིར་ཡོད་ཅེས་མི་སྨྲ་བས་མི་དེ་དབུལ་བའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་མྱོང་དགོས་པ་ལྟར།<br><br>སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་ཡིད་ཀྱི་ནང་དུ་ཆུད་པའི་བདེ་སྙིང་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་གཏེར་རང་བཞིན་གྱིས་དྲི་མ་མེད་ལ། སྔར་མེད་ཀྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་གསར་དུ་བཞག་པ་དང་སྤང་བྱ་བདེན་པ་བ་བསལ་དུ་མེད་པའི་ཆོས་ཉིད་ཀྱང་རང་ལ་ཡོད་པ་མ་རྟོགས་པས་ན་ཡོན་ཏན་མངོན་དུ་གྱུར་པའི་འབྱོར་བས་དབུལ་བ་འཁོར་བའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་ནི་རྣམ་པ་མང་པོ་དུས་རྒྱུན་དུ་སྐྱེ་དགུ་འདི་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་ཉམས་སུ་མྱོང་ངོ་། །<br><br>དབུལ་པོའི་ཁྱིམ་ནང་གི་སའི་འོག་ཏུ་ནི་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་གཏེར་ཆུད་པར་གྱུར་བའི་མི་དེ་ལ་ནི་རིན་ཆེན་གྱི་གཏེར་དེ་ཡིས་བདག་འདི་ན་ཡོད་ཅེས་བརྗོད་པར་མི་བྱེད་ཅིང་གཏེར་ཡོད་པ་དེ་ནི་མི་དབུལ་པོ་དེ་ཡིས་ཤེས་པ་མ་ཡིན་པས་དབུལ་བའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་ལས་མ་ཐར་བ་ལྟར། དེ་བཞིན་དུ། ཆོས་སྐུའི་གཏེར་རང་གི་ཡིད་ཀྱི་ཁྱིམ་ན་གནས་ཀྱང་དེ་མ་རྟོགས་པའི་སེམས་ཅན་དག་ནི་དབུལ་པོ་ལྟ་བུ་ཡིན་ཏེ། དེ་དག་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་རང་ལ་གནས་པའི་ཆོས་སྐུའི་གཏེར་མངོན་དུ་ཐོབ་པར་བྱ་བའི་ཕྱིར་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་ཁམས་མཐའ་ཡས་པ་དག་ཏུ་ནི། དྲང་སྲོང་ཆེན་པོ་སངས་རྒྱས་བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་ཡང་དག་པར་བལྟམས་ནས་དམ་པའི་ཆོས་སྟོན་པར་མཛད་དོ། །<em><br><br>If a great inexhaustible treasure were buried in the ground beneath a poor man's house, the man would not know that this treasure was there, and the treasure would also not be able to speak to the man and tell him "I am here!" Therefore the man would have to experience the suffering of poverty.<br><br>Likewise the precious treasure of the sugatagarbha is contained within the minds of all sentient beings. This is the true state [of the mind], which is by nature free from defilement. To this true state no quality that was previously not present is to be added. No defilement is to be removed from it, [since the defilements] to be abandoned are not truly existent. Nevertheless, sentient beings do not realize that this true state is present within themselves. Therefore, although the direct manifestation of the qualities is at hand, they must continuously experience the deprivation of the manifold aspects of the suffering of samsara.<br><br>When a precious treasure is contained in the ground underneath a poor man's house, this precious treasure cannot tell the man "I am here!" and the poor man w i l l not know that this treasure is there. Through his being ignorant of this he is not liberated from his suffering of poverty and deprivation. All beings are equally [unknowing] and thus resemble the poor man. Although the treasure of dharmakaya abides within their own mind's house, they are unaware of it. In order to cause those beings to actually attain the treasure of dharmakaya, which is present within themselves, the great Sage, the Buddha Bhagavat, truly takes birth in the endless realms of the world and teaches the sacred Dharma.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos snying po'i don mngon sum lam gyi bshad pa srol dang sbyar ba'i rnam par 'grel ba phyir mi ldog pa seng ge'i nga ro]]''. In Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i tshig 'grel. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2005, pp. 231-233.<br>- Translation from [[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "[[The Unassailable Lion's Roar]]," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000, pp. 155-156.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Dalai Lama, 14th}}

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama explains the fifth simile as:
{{Blockquote|''The buddha essence is like a treasure under the earth''.<br><br>Like a magnificent treasure buried under the earth in a poor person's yard, the buddha essence is obscured by the latencies of the afflictions. This obscuration pertains especially to śrāvaka and solitary realizer arhats, who have eliminated the coarse manifest afflictions and their seeds, but whose minds are still obscured by the latencies of afflictions, especially the latency of ignorance, that prevent them from becoming fully awakened buddhas. While these arhats have realized emptiness and overcome afflictions, the ground of the latencies of afflictions are the condition through which arhats obtain a mental body and abide in the pacification of samsara that is an arhats nirvāṇa. After these arhats generate bodhicitta, they follow the bodhisattva paths and grounds. In doing so, when the ground of these latencies is removed, they will attain the ultimate true cessation, nonabiding nirvāṇa.<br><br>A treasure buried under the house of a poor family can free them from poverty, but they do not know it is there, even though it is right under them. The treasure does not say, "I'm here. Come and get me." Our naturally abiding buddha essence is like a treasure that has existed in our minds beginninglessly. This emptiness of the mind does not decrease or increase, it does not call out to us saying, "I'm here." But when the Buddha tells us about it, we learn how to uncover it, freeing it from even the ground of the latencies of ignorance that prevent full awakening.
|[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Thubten Chodron]]. ''[[Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature]]''. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018, pp. 305-306.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Thrangu Rinpoche}}

Thrangu Rinpoche explains the fifth simile as:
{{Blockquote|Imagine a man so poor that he doesn't have any food or clothes living in a house built over a great treasure, If the man doesn't know about the treasure, he will continue to suffer in poverty because the treasure doesn't need to acquire new qualities because it has always been there. We do not see the Buddha essence in our mind so we endure all the sufferings of samsara caused by the defilements. The parallel is the treasure doesn't tell the man "I am here" even though it is very close by. Similarly all beings have the precious treasure of the dharmakaya locked in their mind. But continue to have the sufferings of deprivation. Therefore the great sages. the Buddhas, come into our world to help us find this nature.
|[[Thrangu Rinpoche]]. ''[[A Commentary on The Uttara Tantra]]''. Translated by [[Ken Holmes]] and [[Katia Holmes]]. Boulder, CO: Namo Buddha Seminar, 1989, p. 88.
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<h2>'''Simile Six: ''A Sprout and so on from a Small Fruit'''''</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Śākyamuni}}

In the ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'' the sixth simile appears as:

{{Blockquote|</em>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་གཞན་ཡང་འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ། དཔེར་ན་ཤིང་ཨ་མྲའི་འབྲས་བུའམ། འཛམ་བུའི་འབྲས་བུའམ། ཏ་ལའི་འབྲས་བུའམ། སྤའི་འབྲས་བུ་ཡང་རུང་སྟེ། ཕྱི་ཤུན་གྱི་སྦུབས་ཀྱི་ནང་ན་མྱུ་གུའི་ས་བོན་ཆུད་མི་ཟ་བའི་ཆོས་ཅན་ཡོད་པ་གང་གིས་ས་ལ་བཏབ་ན་ཤིང་གི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོར་འགྱུར་རོ། །རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཡང་འཇིག་རྟེན་ན་གནས་པ། འདོད་ཆགས་དང་། ཞེ་སྡང་དང་། གཏི་མུག་དང་། སྲེད་པ་དང་། མ་རིག་པའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་ཕྱི་ཤུན་གྱི་སྦུབས་ཀྱིས་ཀུན་ཏུ་དཀྲིས་པར་མཐོང་ངོ་། <br><br>།དེ་ལ་འདོད་ཆགས་དང་། ཞེ་སྡང་དང་། གཏི་མུག་དང་། སྲེད་པ་དང་། མ་རིག་པའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་ཀྱི་ནང་ན་སྙིང་པོར་གྱུར་པ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཆོས་ཉིད་དེ་ནི་སེམས་ཅན་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་མིང་དུ་ཆགས་སོ། །དེ་ལ་གང་བསལ་བར་གྱུར་པ་དེ་ནི་མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ་སྟེ། མ་རིག་པའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་ཡོངས་སུ་སྦྱངས་པའི་ཕྱིར་སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་ཁམས་ཀྱི་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཆེན་པོའི་ཚོགས་སུ་གྱུར་པ་གང་ཡིན་པ་དེ་ནི་རྙེད་པའོ། །སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་ཁམས་ཀྱི་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཆེན་པོའི་ཚོགས་དམ་པ་དེ་ནི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཇི་ལྟ་བ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་སྨྲ་བར་ལྷ་དང་བཅས་པའི་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱིས་མཐོང་ནས་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་འདུ་ཤེས་སུ་བྱེད་དོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པས་དེ་ལྟར་མཐོང་ནས། བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ་རྣམས་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཁོང་དུ་ཆུད་པར་བྱ་བའི་ཕྱིར་དོན་དེ་ཉེ་བར་སྟོན་ཏོ།<em><br><br>"Sons of good family, again it is like the example of a fruit of a mango tree, a rose apple tree, a palmyra palm or of cane: inside the sheaths of the outer peel there is a seed of imperishable nature (*avināśadharmin) [containing] a sprout, [a seed] which, thrown on soil, will become a great king of trees.<br><br>Sons of good family, in the same way also the Tathāgata perceives that [sentient beings who are] dwelling in the world are completely wrapped in the sheaths of the outer peel of [such] defilements [as] desire (rāga), anger (dveṣa), misguidedness (moha), longing (trṣṇā) and ignorance (avidyā)."<br><br>"In this [connection] the true nature (dharmatā) of a tathāgata, being in the womb (garbha) inside the sheaths of [such] defilements [as] desire, anger, misguidedness, longing and ignorance, is designated 'sattva.' When it has become cool, it is extinct (nirvṛta). And because [it is then] completely purified [from] the sheaths of defilements of ignorance, [it] becomes a great accumulation of knowledge [in the] realm of sentient beings (sattvadhātu). The world with [its] gods (sadevako lokaḥ), having perceived that supreme, great accumulation of knowledge [in the] realm of sentient beings speaking like a tathāgata, recognizes [him] as a tathāgata.<br><br>Sons of good family, in this [connection] the Tathāgata perceives that [all sentient beings] are like the [seed containing a sprout], and then propounds the matter to the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas in order that [they] might realize the tathāgata-knowledge [within themselves]."
|''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra ('phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo)'', in Derge Kangyur, vol. 66, folio 252a (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3020997 Adarsha]).<br>-Translation from [[Zimmermann, Michael]]. ''[[A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra]]: The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India''. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002, pp. 125-129.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Maitreya}}
In the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the sixth simile is taught in verses I.115-117:
{{Blockquote|yathāmratālādiphale drumāṇāṃ<br>bījāṅkuraḥ sannavināśadharmī<br>uptaḥ pṛthivyāṃ salilādiyogāt<br>kramādupaiti drumarājabhāvam I.115<br><br>sattveṣvavidyā diphalatvagantaḥ-<br>kośāvanaddhaḥ śubhadharmadhātuḥ<br>upaiti tattatkuśalaṃ pratītya<br>krameṇa tadvanmunirājabhāva I.116<br><br>ambvādityāgabhastivāyupṛthivīkālāmbarapratyayai-<br>ryadvat tālaphalāmrakośavivarādutpadyate pādapaḥ<br>sattvakleśaphalatvagantaragataḥ saṃbuddhabījāṅkura-<br>stadvadvṛddhimupaiti dharmaviṭapastaistaiḥ śubhapratyayaiḥ I.117<br><br></em>།ཇི་ལྟར་ཨ་མྲ་ལ་སོགས་ཤིང་འབྲས་ལ།<br>།ཡོད་པའི་ས་བོན་མྱུ་གུ་འཇིག་མེད་ཆོས།<br>།ས་རྨོས་ཆུ་སོགས་ལྡན་པའི་ལྗོན་ཤིང་གི།<br>།རྒྱལ་པོའི་དངོས་པོ་རིམ་གྱིས་འགྲུབ་པ་ལྟར། I.115<br><br>།སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ཀྱི་མ་རིག་སོགས་འབྲས།<br>།པགས་སྦུབས་ནང་ཆུད་ཆོས་ཁམས་དགེ་བ་ཡང་།<br>།དེ་བཞིན་དགེ་བ་དེ་དེ་ལ་བརྟེན་ནས།<br>།རིམ་གྱིས་ཐུབ་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོའི་དངོས་པོར་འགྱུར། I.116<br><br>།ཆུ་དང་ཉི་མའི་འོད་དང་རླུང་དང་ས་དུས་ནམ་མཁའི་རྐྱེན་རྣམས་ཀྱིས།<br>།ཏ་ལ་དང་ནི་ཨ་མྲའི་འབྲས་སྦུབས་གསེབ་ནས་ཤིང་སྐྱེ་ཇི་ལྟར་བར།<br>།སེམས་ཅན་ཉོན་མོངས་འབྲས་ལྤགས་ནང་ཆུད་རྫོགས་སངས་ས་བོན་མྱུ་གུ་ཡང་།<br>།དེ་བཞིན་དགེ་རྐྱེན་དེ་དང་དེ་ལས་ཆོས་མཐོང་འཕེལ་བར་འགྱུར་བ་ཡིན། I.117<br><br><em>The germs of the seeds in tree fruits such as mango and palm<br>Have the indestructible nature [of growing into a tree].<br>Being sown into the earth and coming into contact with water and so on,<br>They gradually assume the form of a majestic tree. I.115<br><br>Similarly, the splendid dharmadhātu in sentient beings, covered<br>By the sheath of the peel around the fruit of ignorance and so on,<br>In dependence on such and such virtues<br>Gradually assumes the state of the king of sages. I.116<br><br>Just as, through the conditions of water, sunlight, wind, earth, time, and space,<br>A tree grows forth from within the sheath of palm fruits and mangos,<br>So the germ in the seed of the perfect buddha lodged inside the peel of the fruit of sentient beings’ afflictions<br>Will grow into the shoot of dharma through such and such conditions of virtue. I.117|Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 397.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In the ''Unassailable Lion's Roar'', Jamgön Kongtrul explains the sixth simile as follows:{{Blockquote|</em>ཨ་མྲ་དང་ནྱ་གྲོ་དྷ་ལ་སོགས་པ་ཤིང་གི་འབྲས་བུ་ལྤགས་ཤུན་གྱི་ནང་དུ་ཆུད་ཀྱང་ཤིང་སྡོང་བསྐྱེད་པའི་ནུས་པ་ཡོད་པའི་ཤིང་གི་ས་བོན་མྱུ་གུ་བསྐྱེད་པ་ལ་གེགས་ཀྱིས་འཇིག་པ་མེད་པའི་ཆོས་ཅན་རྐྱེན་ས་གཤིན་པོ་རྨོས་པ་དང་ཆུ་ལུད་དྲོད་སོགས་ཚོགས་པ་དང་ལྡན་པ་ལས་ལྗོན་ཤིང་གི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པ་དང་ལྡན་པའི་དངོས་པོར་རིམ་གྱིས་འགྲུབ་པ་ལྟར།<br><br>སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ཀྱི་མ་རིག་པ་སོགས་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་འབྲས་ཤུན་གྱི་ལྤགས་པའི་སྦུབས་ཀྱི་ནང་དུ་ཆུད་པའི་ཆོས་སྐུའི་ཁམས་སམ་དབྱིངས་དགེ་བ་གང་ཡིན་པ་དེ་ཡང་མཐུན་རྐྱེན་ཚང་བ་ལས་ལྗོན་ཤིང་འགྲུབ་པ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་ཚོགས་གཉིས་ཀྱི་དགེ་བའི་རྐྱེན་དེ་དང་དེ་ལ་བརྟེན་ནས་ས་ལམ་རིམ་གྱིས་བགྲོད་དེ་ཐུབ་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་དངོས་པོར་འགྱུར་བ་ཡིན་ནོ། །<br><br>འབྱུང་བ་ཆུས་བརླན། ཉི་མའི་འོད་ཀྱིས་སྨིན། རླུང་གིས་འཕེལ། སས་བརྟན། དུས་འདས་པས་ནུས་པ་ཐོན། ནམ་མཁས་གོ་ཕྱེ་བ་སོགས་རྐྱེན་དེ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས། ཏ་ལ་དང་ཨ་མྲའི་འབྲས་བུ་ལྤགས་ཤུན་གྱི་སྦུབས་ཀྱི་གསེབ་ན་གནས་པ་ལས་ཤིང་གི་སྡོང་པོ་རིམ་གྱིས་སྐྱེ་བ་ཇི་ལྟ་བར། སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་འབྲས་བུའི་ལྤགས་ཤུན་གྱི་ནང་དུ་ཆུད་པའི་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ས་བོན་མྱུ་གུ་འདྲ་བ་ཡང་། རྐྱེན་ཚོགས་པ་ལས་ཤིང་སྐྱེ་བ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་ཚོགས་གཉིས་ཀྱི་དགེ་བའི་རྐྱེན་དེ་དང་དེ་ལས་མཐོང་ལམ་དུ་ཆོས་ཀྱི་མྱུ་གུ་མཐོང་། སྒོམ་ལམ་དུ་འཕེལ། མི་སློབ་ལམ་དུ་མཐར་ཕྱིན་པར་འགྱུར་བ་ཡིན་ནོ། །<em><br><br>Although it is contained inside the skin of a fruit of a mango, a nyagrodha, or similar trees, a tree seed has the capacity to generate a mighty tree. It has an indestructible property in that there is no hindrance that could obstruct the sprouting of the shoot. Once it has all the necessary conditions collected together, such as well-plowed earth, water, manure, warmth, and so on, it will gradually develop in substance until a genuine king of trees has come about.<br><br>The fruit, which consists of the mental poisons, of ignorance and the other defects of beings, contains within the shroud of its skin the element of the dharmakaya, the expanse of all virtue. Similar to the way in which a mighty tree comes about when all the favorable conditions [for its growth] are present, this element will also turn into the substance of a buddha, a King of Munis, when one relies on the necessary condition, which is the virtue of the two accumulations, and thus gradually travels the paths and levels.<br><br>What has come forth is moistened by water, ripened by sunlight, increased by wind, supported by earth, strengthened by the passing of time, provided with the opportunity to unfold by space, and so on. Due to these necessary conditions a mighty tree is gradually growing from its abode within the narrow shroud of the fruit-skin of a banana or mango. Similarly the seed of the Perfect Buddha, which is contained within the fruit-skin of the mental poisons of beings, resembles the shoot. Just as a tree grows from the meeting of the necessary conditions, the virtue of the two accumulations acts as the necessary condition, on the basis of which the shoot of the Dharma is seen on the path of seeing, augmented on the path of meditation and led to ultimate perfection on the path of no more learning.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos snying po'i don mngon sum lam gyi bshad pa srol dang sbyar ba'i rnam par 'grel ba phyir mi ldog pa seng ge'i nga ro]]''. In Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i tshig 'grel. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2005, pp. 233-235.<br>- Translation from [[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "[[The Unassailable Lion's Roar]]," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000, pp. 156-157.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Dalai Lama, 14th}}

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama explains the sixth simile as:
{{Blockquote|''The buddha essence resembles a tiny sprout hidden within the peel of a fruit''.<br><br>Beans have tiny sprouts inside but we cannot see them until the fruit and its peel have been shed. Similarly, for the path of seeing to be actualized, the objects of abandonment by the path of seeing must be destroyed. This simile applies particularly to ordinary beings on the paths of learning as well as Fundamental Vehicle āryas who are not yet arhats. Until they attain the path of seeing, the acquired afflictions, which are the objects to be abandoned by that path, obscure their buddha essence. While on the path of seeing, these learners have overcome the acquired afflictions but still have the innate afflictions and their seeds.<br><br>The transforming buddha essence is like a sprout that has the potential to grow into a huge tree that will offer shade for many people on a hot day. Just as the sprout needs good conditions to grow, we rely on the conditions of the collections of merit and wisdom to nourish the transforming buddha essence. Great compassion, wisdom, reverence for the Mahāyāna teachings and their goal, a great collection of merit, and samadhi are nourishing conditions that assist the transforming buddha essence to become the wisdom dharmakāya.
|[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Thubten Chodron]]. ''[[Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature]]''. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018, p. 306.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Thrangu Rinpoche}}

Thrangu Rinpoche explains the sixth simile as:
{{Blockquote|A very tiny seed in a fruit has the power to be an enormous tree. One cannot see the tree in the seed, but if one adds to he seed all the right conditions for growth such as a water, sunlight, soil, etc., a great mighty tree will develop, the meaning is that Buddha essence exists in all beings but it is encased in the peel of ignorance which generates out emotional and cognitive obscurations. If one practice virtue, it will generate the favorable conditions for this seed of Buddha nature to grow, Through the accumulation of knowledge and virtue the seed will develop into the " king of victors" or Buddhahood. The parallel is that just as a tree grows from the skin of a fruit and whit the proper conditions will grow into a tree, Buddha essence is enclosed in the skin of defilement s and with proper conditions will manifest into Buddhahood.
|[[Thrangu Rinpoche]]. ''[[A Commentary on The Uttara Tantra]]''. Translated by [[Ken Holmes]] and [[Katia Holmes]]. Boulder, CO: Namo Buddha Seminar, 1989, pp. 88-89.
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<h2>'''Simile Seven: ''An Image of the Victor in a Tattered Garment'''''</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Śākyamuni}}

In the ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'' the seventh simile appears as:

{{Blockquote|</em>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་གཞན་ཡང་འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ་དཔེར་ན་སྐྱེས་བུ་དབུལ་པོ་ཞིག་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་གཟུགས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣ་བདུན་ལས་བྱས་པ། ལག་མཐིལ་ཙམ་ཞིག་ཡོད་ལ། དེ་ནས་སྐྱེས་བུ་དབུལ་པོ་དེས་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་གཟུགས་དེ་ཁྱེར་ཏེ་འབྲོག་དགོན་པ་ལས་ཤིན་ཏུ་འདའ་བར་འདོང་བར་གྱུར་ནས་ཇི་ནས་ཀྱང་དེ་གཞན་གྱིས་མི་ཚོར་ཞིང་རྐུན་པོས་མི་ཁྱེར་བར་བྱ་བའི་ཕྱིར་དེས་དེ་རས་རུལ་པ། དྲི་མི་ཞིམ་པའི་དུམ་བུ་དུ་མས་དཀྲིས་ཏེ་དེ་ནས་སྐྱེས་བུ་དེ་འབྲོག་དགོན་པ་དེ་ཉིད་དུ་ཉེས་པ་གང་གིས་ཀྱང་འཆི་བའི་དུས་བྱས་པར་མ་གྱུར་ལ། <br><br>དེའི་ཚེ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་གཟུགས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ལས་བྱས་པ་རས་རུལ་པའི་དུམ་བུས་དཀྲིས་པ་ཡང་རྡོག་ལམ་དེ་ན་འཕྱན་ཞིང་འདུག་པ་དང་། འདྲོན་པོ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་མ་ཤེས་ནས། འགོམས་ཤིང་འགོམས་ཤིང་དོང་ལ། རས་རུལ་པ་དྲི་མི་ཞིམ་པའི་དུམ་བུའི་ཐུམ་བུ་ཀུན་ཏུ་འདྲིལ་བ་འདི་གང་ནས་རླུང་གིས་བདས་ཞེས་སྨད་པའི་དངོས་པོར་ཡང་སྟོན་པ་དང་། འབྲོག་ན་གནས་པའི་ལྷས་ལྷའི་མིག་གིས་རྣམ་པར་བལྟས་ནས་མི་གཞན་དག་གཅིག་ལ་བསྟན་ཏེ། ཀྱེ་སྐྱེས་བུ་དག་རས་ཀྱི་དུམ་བུ་འདི་ཡི་ཐུམ་བུ་འདིའི་ནང་ན་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་གཟུགས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ལས་བྱས་པ། འཇིག་རྟེན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱིས་ཕྱག་བྱ་བར་འོས་པ་ཡོད་ཀྱིས་ཕྱེ་ཤིག་ཅེས་བསྒོའོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཡང་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་དཀྲི་བས་དཀྲིས་ཏེ། སྨད་པའི་འོས་སུ་གྱུར་ཅིང་ཡུན་རིང་པོར་འཁོར་བའི་འབྲོག་དགོན་པ་ན་རྟག་ཏུ་འཁྱམ་པར་མཐོང་སྟེ། རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་ཐ་ན་དུད་འགྲོའི་སྐྱེ་གནས་སུ་སོང་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱང་རུང་སྟེ། སེམས་ཅན་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་སྣ་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་དཀྲི་བས་དཀྲིས་པར་གྱུར་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ནང་ན་ཡང་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ལུས་ང་ཅི་འདྲ་བ་ཡོད་པ་མཐོང་ངོ་། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ནི་ཇི་ལྟར་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་མཐོང་བ་ཉེ་བའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་དང་བྲལ་ཞིང་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པར་གྱུར་ལ། ཇི་ལྟར་ད་ལྟར་ང་བཞིན་དུ་འཇིག་རྟེན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱིས་ཕྱག་བྱ་བའི་འོས་སུ་འགྱུར་སྙམ་ནས། ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་དཀྲི་བས་དཀྲིས་པ་ལས་ཐར་པར་བྱ་བའི་ཕྱིར་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་ཐམས་ཅད་ལ་ཆོས་སྟོན་ཏོ།<em><br><br>"Sons of good family, again it is like the example of a poor man [who] has a tathāgata image the size of the palm of a hand [and] made of seven kinds of jewels. It then so happened that the poor man wished to cross a [dangerous] wilderness carrying the tathāgata image [with him]. And in order that it might not be discovered by anybody else, or stolen by robbers, he then wrapped it in some rotten, putrid rags.<br><br>Then the man died owing to some calamity in that same wilderness, and his tathāgata image, made of jewels [and] wrapped in rotten rags, then lay around on the footpath. [But] travelers, unaware [of the precious tathāgata image in the rags], repeatedly stepped over [it] and passed by. And [they would] even point [at it] as something disgusting [and question]: 'Where has the wind brought this wrapped bundle of rotten, putrid rags from?' And a divinity dwelling in the wilderness, having looked [at the situation] with divine vision, would show [it to] some people and direct [them]:<br>'O men, [here] inside this bundle of rags is a tathāgata image made of jewels, worthy to be paid homage by all worlds. So [you] should open [it]!"<br><br>"Sons of good family, in the same way also the Tathāgata perceives that all sentient beings are wrapped in the wrappings of defilements and that [they are like something] disgusting, wandering around for ages throughout the wilderness of saṃsāra. And, sons of good family, [the Tathāgata] perceives that also within sentient beings [who] are wrapped in the wrappings of various defilements—and even though [they] may have come into existence as animal —there is the body of a tathāgata of the same [kind] as my own.<br><br>Sons of good family, 'How does the mental vision of a tathāgata (tathāgatajñānadarśana) [in all sentient beings] become free and completely purified from impurities so that [sentient beings] become worthy of the homage of all worlds, as I am now?' Thus thinking, the Tathāgata teaches in this [connection] the Dharma to all bodhisattvas in order to cause [such beings] to become free from the wrappings of defilements [in which they] are wrapped."
|''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra ('phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo)'', in Derge Kangyur, vol. 66, folios 252b-253a (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3020998 Adarsha]).<br>-Translation from [[Zimmermann, Michael]]. ''[[A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra]]: The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India''. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002, pp. 131-133.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Maitreya}}
In the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the seventh simile is taught in verses I.118-120:
{{Blockquote|bimbaṃ yathā ratnamayaṃ jinasya<br>durgandhapūtyambarasaṃniruddham<br>dṛṣṭvavojjhitaṃ vartmani devatāsya<br>muktyai vadedadhvagametamartham I.118<br><br>nānāvidhakleśamalopagūḍha-<br>masaṅgacakṣuḥ sugatātmabhāvam<br>vilokya tiryakṣvapi advimuktiṃ<br>pratyabhyupāyaṃ vidadhāti tadvat I.119<br><br>yadvadratnamayaṃ tathāgatavapurdurgandhavastrāvṛtaṃ<br>vartmanyujjñitamekṣya divyanayano muktyai nṛṇāṃ darśayet<br>tadvat kleśavipūtivastranivṛtaṃ saṃsāravartmojjñitaṃ<br>tiryakṣu vyavalokya dhātumavadaddharmaṃ vimuktyai jinaḥ I.120<br><br></em>།ཇི་ལྟར་རིན་ཆེན་ལས་བྱས་རྒྱལ་བའི་གཟུགས།<br>།གོས་ཧྲུལ་དྲི་ངན་གྱིས་ནི་གཏུམས་གྱུར་པ།<br>།ལམ་གནས་ལྷ་ཡིས་མཐོང་ནས་གྲོལ་བྱའི་ཕྱིར།<br>།ལམ་གནས་དོན་དེ་དེ་ལ་སྨྲ་བ་ལྟར། I.118<br><br>།ཐོགས་མེད་སྤྱན་མངའ་རྣམ་པ་སྣ་ཚོགས་ཀྱི།<br>།ཉོན་མོངས་ཀྱིས་གཏུམས་བདེ་གཤེགས་དངོས་པོ་ཉིད།<br>།དུད་འགྲོ་ལ་ཡང་གཟིགས་ནས་དེ་བཞིན་དེ།<br>།ཐར་པར་བྱ་བའི་དོན་དུ་ཐབས་སྟོན་མཛོད། I.119<br><br>།ཇི་ལྟར་རིན་ཆེན་རང་བཞིན་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་སྐུ་དྲི་ངན་གོས་གཏུམས་པ།<br>།ལམ་གནས་ལྷ་ཡི་མིག་གིས་མཐོང་ནས་ཐར་ཕྱིར་མི་ལ་སྟོན་པ་ལྟར།<br>།དེ་བཞིན་ཉོན་མོངས་གོས་ཧྲུལ་གྱིས་གཏུམས་འཁོར་བའི་ལམ་ན་གནས་པའི་ཁམས།<br>།དུད་འགྲོ་ལ་ཡང་གཟིགས་ནས་ཐར་པར་བྱ་ཕྱིར་རྒྱལ་བ་ཆོས་སྟོན་ཏོ། I.120<br><br><em>Suppose an image of the victor made of a precious substance<br>And wrapped in a filthy foul-smelling cloth<br>Were left on the road, and a deity, upon seeing it,<br>Speaks about this matter to those traveling by in order to set it free. I.118<br><br>Similarly, the one with unimpeded vision sees the body of a sugata<br>Concealed by the stains of various kinds of afflictions<br>Even in animals and demonstrates<br>The means for its liberation. I.119<br><br>Just as the form of the Tathāgata made of a precious substance, wrapped in a foul-smelling garment,<br>And left on the road would be seen by someone with the divine eye and shown to people in order to set it free,<br>So the basic element wrapped in the filthy garment of the afflictions and left on the road of saṃsāra<br>Is seen by the victor even in animals, upon which he teaches the dharma for the sake of liberating it. I.120|Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 398.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In the ''Unassailable Lion's Roar'', Jamgön Kongtrul explains the seventh simile as follows:{{Blockquote|</em>རིན་ཆེན་རིན་ཐང་མེད་པ་ལས་བྱས་པའི་རྒྱལ་བའི་སྐུ་གཟུགས་གོས་ཧྲུལ་དྲི་ངན་གྱིས་ནི་གཏུམས་པར་གྱུར་པ་ལམ་གྱི་བཞི་མདོ་ཞིག་ན་གནས་པ་མི་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་མ་ཤེས་པར་འགོང་བ་སོགས་སུ་གྱུར་པ་ན་ལམ་དེ་ན་ཡོད་པར་ལྷ་ཡིས་མཐོང་ནས་སྐུ་དེ་དེ་ལས་གྲོལ་བར་བྱ་བའི་ཕྱིར་སྐུ་གཟུགས་ལམ་ན་གནས་པའི་དོན་དེ་མི་དེ་རྣམས་ལ་སྨྲ་ཞིང་སྟོན་པར་བྱེད་པ་ལྟར།<br><br>ཐོག་མ་མེད་པ་ནས་དུག་གསུམ་སོགས་བག་ཆགས་རྣམ་པ་སྣ་ཚོགས་པའི་ཉོན་མོངས་ཀྱི་གོས་ཧྲུལ་གྱིས་གཏུམས་པའི་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོའི་དངོས་པོ་ཉིད་དུད་འགྲོ་ལ་ཡང་ཡོད་པར་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་སྤྱན་གྱིས་གཟིགས་ནས། སྐུ་གཟུགས་ཀྱི་སྒྲིབ་བྱེད་སེལ་བ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་སྙིང་པོ་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབྱིངས་དེ་གློ་བུར་གྱི་སྒྲིབ་པ་ལས་ཐར་བར་བྱ་བའི་དོན་དུ་ལམ་ཉམས་སུ་ལེན་པའི་ཐབས་དམ་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྒོ་མཐའ་ཡས་པ་སྟོན་པར་མཛད་དོ། །<br><br>རིན་ཆེན་རང་བཞིན་ལས་གྲུབ་པའི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྐུ་གཟུགས་དྲི་མ་ངན་པའི་གོས་ཀྱི་གཏུམས་པ་ལམ་གྱི་བཞི་མདོར་གནས་པ་མིས་ངོ་མ་ཤེས་པ་ན་ལྷའི་མིག་གིས་མཐོང་ནས་སྐུ་གཟུགས་གོས་ཧྲུལ་ལས་ཐར་བའི་ཕྱིར་དུ་མི་རྣམས་ལ་འདི་ན་སྐུ་གཟུགས་ཡོད་ཅེས་སྟོན་པ་ལྟར། དེ་བཞིན་དུ་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་གོས་ཧྲུལ་གྱིས་གཏུམས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཁམས་འཁོར་བའི་ལམ་ན་གནས་པ་དེ་དུད་འགྲོ་ལ་ཡང་ཡོད་པར་གཟིགས་ནས་དེ་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་གོས་ཧྲུལ་ལས་ཐར་བར་བྱ་བའི་ཕྱིར་རྒྱལ་བས་ཆོས་སྟོན་པར་མཛད་དོ། །<em><br><br>Suppose a statue of the Victorious One made from invaluably precious material is lying at a crossroads, wrapped in an evil-smelling tattered rag, and people heedlessly pass it by, unaware of its presence. When a god sees what is lying there, he will alert the passersby to the fact that a statue is lying by the road and show it to them, so that they retrieve this statue from its evil-smelling covering.<br><br>Since beginningless time the sugatagarbha has been wrapped in the evil-smelling rags of the afflictions, in the various aspects of the three poisons and the other defilements [up to] the remaining imprints. The eye of a buddha sees that this substance of the sugatagarbha is even present within animals. Upon seeing this he opens an endless number of gates of the sacred Dharma. He teaches the means to practice the path, so that this dharmadhatu may be released from its adventitious veils, just as the [rag] enveloping the statue is removed.<br><br>When the god's eye perceives that a statue of the Tathagata, which is made from a material of precious nature but wrapped in a stinking rag, is lying by a crossroads unnoticed by the men passing by, he will show it to those men and tell them: "There is a statue here!" so that it may be retrieved from the tattered rags. Similarly the Victorious One sees the buddha element which, wrapped in the tattered garments of the mental poisons, is lying on samsara's road. He sees that it even abides within animals and teaches the Dharma so that it may be released from these rags of the mental poisons.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos snying po'i don mngon sum lam gyi bshad pa srol dang sbyar ba'i rnam par 'grel ba phyir mi ldog pa seng ge'i nga ro]]''. In Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i tshig 'grel. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2005, pp. 235-237.<br>- Translation from [[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "[[The Unassailable Lion's Roar]]," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000, pp. 157-158.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Dalai Lama, 14th}}

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama explains the seventh simile as:
{{Blockquote|''The buddha essence is like a buddha statue covered by a tattered rag''.<br><br>The innate afflictions and their seeds—the objects to be abandoned on the path of meditation—resemble a buddha image wrapped in a tattered rag. The dismantling of the afflictions began on the path of seeing, and now, on the path of meditation, they are in tatters and ready to be discarded completely. Similarly, ordinary beings and āryas on the learning paths (āryas who are not yet arhats) are still obscured by the innate afflictions and their seeds, but they are weak and will soon be overcome. Nevertheless, while present, they obscure the buddha essence.<br><br>A deva sees a buddha statue under a dirty cloth and explains to a person who wants to have a buddha statue that it is there and she should retrieve it. In the same way, the Buddha sees that the ultimate nature of his own mind—emptiness—is the same as the emptiness of the minds of all sentient beings, even animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings. This beautiful nature is covered by the remnants of the eighty-four thousand afflictions. To free it from these, the Buddha teaches the Dharma. The nature dharmakāya is like a precious statue. Just as the whole statue comes out at once when the rag is removed, the nature dharmakāya appears in its entirety when the mind is freed from all defilements.
|[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Thubten Chodron]]. ''[[Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature]]''. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018, p. 307.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Thrangu Rinpoche}}

Thrangu Rinpoche explains the seventh simile as:
{{Blockquote|Imagine a very valuable Buddha statue wrapped in tattered rags and abandoned by the side of the road. A passerby would not notice it, but if a god came along, he could tell now to find the statue. The meaning is the Buddhas can see with their jñāna that Buddha nature in beings wrapped in the tattered rags of the defilements. They see this in persons and even in animals. In the same way a god can see a statue with divine vision, so the Buddhas can see Buddha nature lying on the road of samsara inside the rags of defilements. They tell beings to remove the tattered rags so the Buddha nature can manifest in its complete purity through the dharmakāya.
|[[Thrangu Rinpoche]]. ''[[A Commentary on The Uttara Tantra]]''. Translated by [[Ken Holmes]] and [[Katia Holmes]]. Boulder, CO: Namo Buddha Seminar, 1989, p. 89.
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<h2>'''Simile Eight: ''Royalty in the Womb of a Destitute Woman'''''</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Śākyamuni}}

In the ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'' the eighth simile appears as:

{{Blockquote|</em>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་གཞན་ཡང་འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ་དཔེར་ན་བུད་མེད་མགོན་མེད་པར་གྱུར་པ། མདོག་ངན་པ། དྲི་མི་ཞིམ་པ། སྨད་པར་འོས་པ། འཇིགས་སུ་རུང་བ། བལྟ་ན་མི་སྡུག་པ། འདྲེ་མོ་འདྲ་བ་ཞིག་མགོན་མེད་པའི་ཁང་པར་ཞུགས་ནས་གནས་སོ། །དེ་དེར་གནས་པ་དང་སྦྲུམ་པར་གྱུར་ཏེ། གང་གིས་གདོན་མི་ཟ་བར་འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བའི་རྒྱལ་སྲིད་བྱེད་པར་འགྱུར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་འདྲ་བ་ཞིག་དེའི་མངལ་དུ་ཞུགས་ཀྱང་བུད་མེད་དེའི་མངལ་ན་འདུག་པའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་ལ་བདག་གི་མངལ་དུ་ཞུགས་པའི་སེམས་ཅན་འདི་ཅི་འདྲ་བ་ཞིག་སྙམ་དུ་ཡང་དེ་ཡིད་ལ་མི་བྱེད། བདག་གི་མངལ་དུ་ཞུགས་སམ། མ་ཞུགས་སྙམ་དུ་ཡང་དེ་དེ་ན་ཡིད་ལ་མི་བྱེད་ཀྱི། གཞན་དུ་ན་དེ་དབུལ་བའི་སེམས་དང་། ཞུམ་པ་དང་། དམན་པ་དང་། ཁོ་རུ་ཆུང་བ་སྙམ་པའི་སེམས་རྗེས་སུ་སེམས་ཤིང་མདོག་ངན་པ་དང་། དྲི་མི་ཞིམ་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱིས་མགོན་མེད་པའི་ཁང་པ་ན་གནས་ཏེ་དུས་འདའ་བར་བྱེད་དོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱང་མགོན་མེད་པར་གྱུར་ཅིང་འཁོར་བའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་གཙེས་པར་གྱུར་ལ། སྲིད་པར་སྐྱེ་བའི་གནས་མགོན་མེད་པའི་ཁང་པ་ན་གནས་སོ། །དེ་ན་སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་རིགས་བཞུགས་ཏེ། ཁོང་ན་ཡོད་ཀྱང་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་གིས་ཁོང་དུ་མ་ཆུད་དོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ནི་སེམས་ཅན་དག་བདག་ཉིད་ལ་ཁྱད་དུ་མི་གསད་པར་བྱ་བའི་ཕྱིར་རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་ཁྱེད་བདག་ཉིད་སྲོ་ཤི་བར་མ་བྱེད་པར་ཁྱེད་བརྩོན་འགྲུས་བརྟན་པར་གྱིས་ཤིག་དང་། ཁྱེད་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཞུགས་པ་ཡོད་པ་དུས་ཤིག་ན་འབྱུང་བར་འགྱུར་ཏེ། ཁྱེད་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་གྲངས་སུ་འགྲོ་བར་འགྱུར་གྱི་སེམས་ཅན་ཞེས་བྱ་བར་ནི་མ་ཡིན་ནོ། །དེར་ཡང་སངས་རྒྱས་ཞེས་བྱ་བའི་གྲངས་སུ་འགྲོའི། བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་ཞེས་བྱ་བར་ནི་མ་ཡིན་ནོ་ཞེས་ཆོས་སྟོན་ཏོ།<em><br><br>"Sons of good family, again it is like the example of a woman without a protector (anāthabhūta), of unsightly complexion, having a bad smell, disgusting, frightening, ugly and like a demoness (piśācī), [and this woman] had taken up residence in a poorhouse. While staying there she had become pregnant. And though the life that had entered into her womb was such as to be destined to reign as a world emperor, the woman would neither question herself with reference to the sentient being existing in her womb 'Of what kind is this life [that] has entered my womb?', nor would she [even] question herself in that [situation]: 'Has [some life] entered my womb or not?' Rather, thinking herself poor, [she would be] depressed, [and] would think thoughts [like] '[I am] inferior and weak,' and would pass the time staying in the poorhouse as somebody of unsightly complexion and bad smell."<br><br>"Sons of good family, in the same way also all sentient beings [think of themselves as] unprotected and are tormented by the suffering of saṃsāra. [They, too,] stay in a poorhouse: the places of [re]birth in the states of being. Then, though the element of a tathāgata has entered into sentient beings and is present within, those sentient beings do not realize [it].<br><br>Sons of good family, in order that sentient beings do not despise themselves, the Tathāgata in this [connection] teaches the Dharma with the [following] words:<br>'Sons of good family, apply energy without giving in to despondency! It will happen that one day the tathagata [who has] entered [and] is present within you will become manifest. Then you will be designated 'bodhisattva,' rather than '[ordinary] sentient being (sattva).' [And] again in the [next stage you] will be designated 'buddha,' rather than 'bodhisattva'.' "
|''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra ('phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo)'', in Derge Kangyur, vol. 66, folios 253b-254a (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3021000 Adarsha]).<br>-Translation from [[Zimmermann, Michael]]. ''[[A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra]]: The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India''. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002, pp. 135-138.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Maitreya}}
In the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the eighth simile is taught in verses I.121-123:
{{Blockquote|nārī yathā kācidanāthabhūtā<br>vasedanāthāvasathe virūpā<br>garbheṇa rājaśriyamudvahantī<br>na sāvabudhyeta nṛpaṃ svakukṣau I.121<br><br>anāthaśāleva bhavopapatti-<br>rantarvatīstrīvadaśuddhasattvāḥ<br>tadgarbhavatteṣvamalaḥ sa dhātu-<br>rbhavanti yasminsati te sanāthāḥ I.122<br><br>yadvat strī malināmvarāvṛtatanurbībhatsarūpānvitā<br>vindedduḥkhamanāthaveśmani paraṃ garbhāntarasthe nṛpe<br>tadvat kleśavaśādaśāntamanaso duḥkhālayasthā janāḥ<br>sannātheṣu ca satsvanāthamatayaḥ svātmāntarastheṣvapi I.123<br><br></em>།ཇི་ལྟར་མི་མོ་གཟུགས་ངན་མགོན་མེད་འགའ།<br>།མགོན་མེད་འདུག་གནས་སུ་ནི་འདུག་གྱུར་ལ།<br>།མངལ་གྱིས་རྒྱལ་པོའི་དཔལ་ནི་འཛིན་བྱེད་པས།<br>།རང་ལྟོ་ན་ཡོད་མི་བདག་མི་ཤེས་ལྟར། I.121<br><br>།སྲིད་པར་སྐྱེ་བ་མགོན་མེད་ཁྱིམ་བཞིན་ཏེ།<br>།མ་དག་སེམས་ཅན་མངལ་ལྡན་བུད་མེད་བཞིན།<br>།དེ་ལ་གང་ཞིག་ཡོད་པས་མགོན་བཅས་པ།<br>།དྲི་མེད་ཁམས་ནི་དེ་ཡི་མངལ་གནས་བཞིན། I.122<br><br>།ཇི་ལྟར་བུད་མེད་ལུས་ལ་དྲི་བཅས་གོས་གྱོན་མི་སྡུག་གཟུགས་ལྡན་པ།<br>།ས་བདག་མངལ་ན་གནས་ཀྱང་མགོན་མེད་ཁང་པར་སྡུག་བསྔལ་མཆོག་མྱོང་ལྟར།<br>།དེ་བཞིན་བདག་རང་ནང་གནས་མགོན་ཡོད་གྱུར་ཀྱང་མགོན་མེད་བློ་ལྡན་པ།<br>།འགྲོ་བ་ཉོན་མོངས་དབང་གིས་ཡིད་མ་ཞི་བས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གཞི་ལ་གནས། I.123<br><br><em>Suppose an ugly woman without a protector,<br>Dwelling in a shelter for those without protection<br>And bearing the glory of royalty as an embryo,<br>Were not to know about the king in her own womb. I.121<br><br>Being born in [saṃsāric] existence is like a place for those without protection,<br>Impure sentient beings resemble the pregnant woman,<br>The stainless basic element in them is similar to her embryo,<br>And due to its existence, these [beings] do have a protector. I.122<br><br>Just as this woman whose body is covered with a dirty garment and who has an unsightly body<br>Would experience the greatest suffering in a shelter for those without protection despite this king’s residing in her womb,<br>So beings dwell in the abode of suffering due to their minds’ not being at peace through the power of the afflictions<br>And deem themselves to be without a protector despite the excellent protectors residing right within themselves. I.123<br><br>|Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, pp. 398-399.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In the ''Unassailable Lion's Roar'', Jamgön Kongtrul explains the eighth simile as follows:{{Blockquote|</em>ཇི་ལྟར་ན་མི་མོ་གཟུགས་བྱད་ངན་ཞིང་མགོན་དང་སྐྱབས་མེད་པ་འགའ་ཞིག་མགོན་མེད་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་འདུག་གནས་འགྲོན་ཁང་དང་གཞི་མདོ་ལ་སོགས་པ་རྣམས་སུ་ནི་འདུག་པར་གྱུར་ལ་རང་གི་མངལ་གྱིས་འཁོར་ལོས་སྒྱུར་བའི་རྒྱལ་པོའི་དཔལ་དང་ལྡན་པར་གྱུར་པའི་ཁྱེའུ་མཚན་དང་ལྡན་པ་ནི་འཛིན་པར་བྱེད་པས་ཀྱང་མངལ་སྦུབས་ཀྱིས་བསྒྲིབས་པའི་ཕྱིར་རང་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ལྟོ་བ་ན་ཡོད་པའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་མིའི་བདག་པོ་ཡིན་པར་མི་ཤེས་པས་གཞན་གྱིས་བརྙས་པ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་འཇིགས་པ་དང་བཅས་ཤིང་སྡུག་བསྔལ་བར་གྱུར་པ་ལྟར། <br><br>སྲིད་པ་འཁོར་བའི་གནས་རྣམ་པ་སྣ་ཚོགས་པར་སྐྱེ་བ་རྣམས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བཅས་པའི་ཕྱིར། མགོན་དང་སྐྱབས་མེད་པའི་ཁྱིམ་ན་གནས་པ་ཇི་ལྟ་བ་བཞིན་ཏེ། གློ་བུར་གྱི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་མ་དག་པའི་སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ནི་མགོན་སྐྱབས་ཡོད་ཀྱང་མ་ཤེས་པའི་ཕྱིར་མངལ་ན་རྒྱལ་པོ་དང་ལྡན་པའི་བུད་མེད་ཇི་ལྟ་བ་བཞིན་ཡིན་ཞིང་། བུད་མེད་དེ་ལ་རྒྱལ་པོ་གང་ཞིག་ཡོད་པས་མགོན་དང་བཅས་པར་འབྱུང་བ་ལྟར། སེམས་ཅན་དེ་ལ་ཆོས་ཉིད་གང་ཞིག་ཡོད་པས་མགོན་གྱི་མཆོག་དང་བཅས་པར་གྱུར་པ་རང་བཞིན་གྱིས་རྣམ་པར་དག་ཅིང་དྲི་མ་མེད་པའི་ཁམས་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་དེ་མངོན་སུམ་དུ་འགྱུར་བས་ན་འཇིགས་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་ལས་སྐྱོབས་པའི་ཕྱིར་བུད་མེད་དེའི་མངལ་ན་གནས་པའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཇི་ལྟ་བ་བཞིན་ནོ། །<br><br>བུད་མེད་ལུས་ལ་དྲི་མ་དང་བཅས་པའི་གོས་གྱོན་ཞིང་མི་སྡུག་པའི་གཟུགས་དང་ལྡན་པ་ཞིག་ས་བདག་འཁོར་སྒྱུར་རང་གི་མངལ་ན་གནས་ཀྱང་། དེ་མ་ཤེས་པར་མགོན་མེད་པའི་ཁང་པར་བསྡད་ནས་དབུལ་བ་དང་བརྙས་པ་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱི་མཆོག་ཉམས་སུ་མྱོང་བ་ལྟར། དེ་བཞིན་དུ། བདག་རང་གི་སེམས་ཀྱི་ནང་གནས་པའི་མགོན་སྐྱབས་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་ཡོད་པར་གྱུར་ཀྱང་དེ་མ་ཤེས་པས་མགོན་སྐྱབས་མེད་དོ་སྙམ་པའི་བློ་དང་ལྡན་པའི་འགྲོ་བ་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་དབང་གིས་ཡིད་མ་ཞི་བ་རྣམས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱི་གཞི་འཁོར་བ་ལ་གནས་པར་གྱུར་ཏོ། །<em><br><br>A woman of miserable appearance and complexion, having neither protection nor refuge, abides in poorhouses, cheap hostels, and at crossroads. She bears in her womb an infant who is endowed with the signs and will become a glorious universal monarch. A n d yet, since this child is obscured by the shroud of her womb, she does not know that this being dwelling in her own body is a ruler of mankind. Being ignorant of this she suffers and is stricken with the fear of being slandered, treated with contempt, and abused by others.<br><br>Since births in the various places of samsaric existence are accompanied by suffering, they are similar to living in a poorhouse, in the abodes of those who have neither protection nor refuge. Since all beings who are not purified from the adventitious afflictions have protection and refuge and yet are ignorant of this, they are similar to the woman who has a king in her womb. Since a king is present within this woman, it will become apparent that she has protection. Since within those beings the true state, the tathagatagarbha, is present, they are accompanied by the best possible protection. Once this element, which is by nature completely pure and free from any defilement, has directly revealed itself, they will be sheltered from all their fear. Therefore the element is similar to the king who dwells in this woman's womb.<br><br>A universal monarch, a ruler of the earth, dwells within the womb of a woman who has an unpleasant appearance and whose body is dressed in dirty clothes. Although this ruler resides in her own womb, being ignorant of this, she has to abide in a poorhouse and undergo the experience of direst suffering, of being destitute, subject to contempt, abused, and neglected. Similarly all sentient beings have a protector and refuge, this being the sugatagarbha which resides within their own minds. Yet, since they do not know this, they deem themselves without any protection and refuge. Thus those beings whose minds are unpeaceful due to the predominating influence of the mental poisons have to abide within the cycle of existence, the ground of suffering.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos snying po'i don mngon sum lam gyi bshad pa srol dang sbyar ba'i rnam par 'grel ba phyir mi ldog pa seng ge'i nga ro]]''. In Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i tshig 'grel. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2005, pp. 237-239.<br>- Translation from [[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "[[The Unassailable Lion's Roar]]," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000, pp. 159-160.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Dalai Lama, 14th}}

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama explains the eighth simile as:
{{Blockquote|''The buddha essence resembles a baby who will become a great leader in the womb of a poor, miserable, forlorn woman''.<br><br>In her womb a woman bears a baby who will be a great leader and do much good in the world. Not knowing that her child will one day be able to protect her, she knows only her present suffering. Similarly, ārya bodhisattvas on the impure grounds—grounds one through seven—have amazing potential that they are as yet unaware of owing to the womb-like confines of the afflictive obscurations. When they emerge from these on the eighth ground, their pristine wisdom becomes even more powerful, like the baby who has grown into a great leader.<br><br>Cyclic existence is like the homeless shelter in which this poor, miserable woman lives. There she is reviled by others and sinks into despair because she has no refuge or protector. Her child, as a great ruler, will soon be able to care for her, but she does not know this. Similarly, we do not realize that our ultimate protector is inside of us. But when the emptiness of our minds is revealed and becomes the nature dharmakāya, our problems are forever pacified. When we later actualize the enjoyment body, we will be like a wealthy monarch who can protect all beings in the land.
|[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Thubten Chodron]]. ''[[Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature]]''. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018, pp. 307-308.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Thrangu Rinpoche}}

Thrangu Rinpoche explains the eighth simile as:
{{Blockquote|Imagine a destitute ugly woman who had no place to say and there fore ended in a pauper hostel. Also imagine that she is pregnant and golds in her womb the future king. She continues to suffer because she doesn't know anything about it This is similar to the way beings hold the precious Buddha essence but do not know anything about it or get any help from it. In the same way as the woman in the hostel. This king is in the womb, we are born in the Six Realms of samsara; are born as humans. some as animals, some as Preta Spirits. All have to suffer-animals suffer from enslavement, sprits have to suffer from thirst and hunger, humans have to suffer from birth, sickness, old age, and death. All of us are like the poor woman living in pain. Even if we are totally destitute and have no happiness, within us is the seed which can terminate all our suffering-we have Buddha nature.<br><br>The poor woman who has a great ruler in her womb is ugly and dressed in dirty clothes. Because she doesn't know that she bears a king she remains in poverty and is very unhappy. In the same way beings have a protector inside their mine but are unaware of this so they have no peace of mind and are overpowered by defilements so that they remain in samsara and undergo all kinds of suffering.
|[[Thrangu Rinpoche]]. ''[[A Commentary on The Uttara Tantra]]''. Translated by [[Ken Holmes]] and [[Katia Holmes]]. Boulder, CO: Namo Buddha Seminar, 1989, p. 89.
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<h2>'''Simile Nine: ''A Precious Statue in Clay'''''</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Śākyamuni}}

In the ''Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra'' the ninth simile appears as:

{{Blockquote|</em>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་གཞན་ཡང་འདི་ལྟ་སྟེ་དཔེར་ན་སྤྲ་ཚིལ་ལས་རྟའི་གཟུགས་སམ། གླང་པོ་ཆེའི་གཟུགས་སམ། བུད་མེད་ཀྱི་གཟུགས་སམ། སྐྱེས་པའི་གཟུགས་དག་བྱས་ཏེ། འཇིམ་པའི་ནང་དུ་བཅུག་ནས་གཡོགས་ལ་བཞུ་སྟེ། ཟགས་པར་བྱས་ལ་གསེར་བཞུ་སྟེ། ཞུ་བར་གྱུར་པས་བཀང་ནས་རིམ་གྱིས་གྲངས་པར་གྱུར་པ་ན། མཉམ་པར་གནས་པར་གྱུར་པའི་གཟུགས་དེ་དག་ཐམས་ཅད་ཕྱི་རོལ་གྱི་འཇིམ་པ་གནག་ཅིང་ཁ་དོག་མི་སྡུག་ཀྱང་ནང་གི་རྣམས་ནི་གསེར་ལས་བྱས་པ་དག་གོ། །དེ་ནས་མགར་བའམ། མགར་བའི་སློབ་མ་ཞིག་གིས་དེ་ལས་གཟུགས་གང་དང་གང་དག་གྲངས་པར་གྱུར་པ་མཐོང་བ་དེ་དང་དེ་དག་གི་ཕྱིར་རིམ་གྱིས་འཇིམ་པ་ཐོ་བས་བསྐོགས་ན་དེ་ནས་སྐད་ཅིག་དེ་ལ་ནང་ན་གསེར་ལས་བྱས་པའི་གཟུགས་ཡོད་པ་དག་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པར་འགྱུར་རོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་བཞིན་དུ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཡང་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་མིག་གིས་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་འཇིམ་པའི་གཟུགས་ལྟ་བུ་ཡིན་ལ། ཕྱི་རོལ་གྱི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་དང་། ཉེ་བའི་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་ཀྱི་ནང་གི་སྦུ་གུ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་ཀྱིས་གང་སྟེ། ཟག་པ་མེད་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་ནང་ན་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་མཛེས་པར་འདུག་པ་མཐོང་ངོ་། །རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་ལ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པས་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་དེ་ལྟར་མཐོང་ནས་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་ནང་དུ་སོང་སྟེ། འདི་ལྟ་བུའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྣམ་གྲངས་འདི་དག་ཡང་དག་པར་རབ་ཏུ་སྟོན་ཏོ། །དེ་ལ་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་སེམས་དཔའ་ཆེན་པོ་གང་དག་ཞི་ཞིང་བསིལ་བར་གྱུར་པ་དེ་དག་གིས་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཡོངས་སུ་སྦྱང་བའི་ཕྱིར་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྡོ་རྗེའི་ཐོ་བས་ཕྱི་རོལ་གྱི་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་འགོགས་སོ། <br><br>།རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་མགར་བ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་དེ་ནི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཚིག་བླ་དགས་སོ། །རིགས་ཀྱི་བུ་དག་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ་ཡང་དག་པར་རྫོགས་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱིས་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་མིག་གིས་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་དེ་ལྟར་མཐོང་ནས་ཉོན་མོངས་པ་དེ་དག་ལས་ཐར་བར་བྱས་ཏེ། སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཡེ་ཤེས་ལ་རབ་ཏུ་དགོད་པའི་ཕྱིར་ཆོས་སྟོན་ཏོ།<em><br><br>"Sons of good family, again it is like the example of figures of horses, elephants, women or men being fashioned out of wax, then encased in clay [so that they are completely] covered [with it and finally, after the clay has dried,] melted [in fire]; and after [the wax] has been made to drip out, gold is melted. And when [the cavity inside the mold] is filled with the melted [gold], even though all the figures, having cooled down step by step (krameṇa) [and] arrived at a uniform state, are [covered with] black clay and unsightly outside, [their] insides are made of gold.<br>Then, when a smith or a smith's apprentice [uses] a hammer [to] remove from the [figures] the outer [layer of] clay [around] those figures which he sees have cooled down, then in that moment the golden figures lying inside become completely clean."<br><br>"Sons of good family, likewise also the Tathāgata perceives with the vision of a tathāgata that all sentient beings are like figures [in] clay: the cavity inside the sheaths of outer defilements and impurities is filled with the qualities of a buddha [and with] the precious uncontaminated knowledge (anāsravajñāna); inside, a tathagata exists in [all] magnificence.<br><br>Sons of good family, having then perceived that all sentient beings are like this, the Tathāgata goes among the bodhisattvas and perfectly teaches [them] these [nine] Dharma discourses of that kind[, i.e., on the tathāgata-knowledge within all sentient beings]. [Using] the vajra[-like] hammer of the Dharma, the Tathāgata then hews away all outer defilements in order to entirely purify the precious tathāgata-knowledge of those bodhisattva-mahāsattvas who have become calm and cool.<br><br>Sons of good family, what is called 'smith' is a designation for the Tathāgata. Sons of good family, after the Tathāgata, the Honorable One and Perfectly Awakened One, has perceived with [his] buddha-vision that all sentient beings are like this, [he] teaches the Dharma in order to establish [them] in buddha-knowledge, having let [them] become free from the defilements."
|''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra ('phags pa de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo)'', in Derge Kangyur, vol. 66, folios 254a-254b (view on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degekangyur/pbs/3021001 Adarsha]).<br>-Translation from [[Zimmermann, Michael]]. ''[[A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra]]: The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India''. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002, pp. 140-142.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Maitreya}}
In the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', the ninth simile is taught in verses I.124-126:
{{Blockquote|hemno yathāntaḥkvathitasya pūrṇaṃ<br>bimbaṃ bahirmṛnmayamekṣya śāntam<br>antarviśuddhyai kanakasya tajjñaḥ<br>saṃcodayedāvaraṇaṃ bahirdhā I.124<br><br>prabhāsvaratvaṃ prakṛtermalānā-<br>māgantukatvaṃ ca sadāvalokya<br>ratnākarābhaṃ jagadagrabodhi-<br>rviśodhayatyāvaraṇebhya evam I.125<br><br>yadvannirmaladīptakāñcanamayaṃ bimbaṃ mṛdantargataṃ<br>syācchānta tadavetya ratnakuśalaḥ saṃcodayenmṛttikām<br>tadvacchāntamavetya śuddhakanakaprakhyaṃ manaḥ sarvavid-<br>dharmākhyānanayaprahāravidhitaḥ saṃcodayatyāvṛtim I.126<br><br></em>།ཇི་ལྟར་ནང་གི་གསེར་ཞུན་གཟུགས་རྒྱས་པ།<br>།ཞི་བ་ཕྱི་རོལ་ས་ཡི་རང་བཞིན་ཅན།<br>།མཐོང་ནས་དེ་ཤེས་པ་དག་ནང་གི་གསེར།<br>།སྦྱང་ཕྱིར་ཕྱི་རོལ་སྒྲིབ་པ་སེལ་བྱེད་ལྟར། I.124<br><br>།རང་བཞིན་འོད་གསལ་དྲི་མེད་རྣམས་ཀྱང་ནི།<br>།གློ་བུར་བར་ནི་རྣམ་པར་གཟིགས་གྱུར་ནས།<br>།རིན་ཆེན་འབྱུང་གནས་ལྟ་བུའི་འགྲོ་བ་རྣམས།<br>།སྒྲིབ་པ་དག་ལས་སྦྱོང་མཛད་བྱང་ཆུབ་མཆོག I.125<br><br>།ཇི་ལྟར་དྲི་མེད་གསེར་འབར་ལས་བྱས་ས་ཡི་ནང་དུ་ཆུད་གྱུར་གཟུགས།<br>།ཞི་དེ་རང་བཞིན་མཁས་པས་རིག་ནས་ས་དག་སེལ་བར་བྱེད་པར་ལྟར།<br>།དེ་བཞིན་ཀུན་མཁྱེན་དག་པའི་གསེར་འདྲ་ཞི་བའི་ཡིད་ནི་མཁྱེན་གྱུར་ནས།<br>།ཆོས་འཆད་ཚུལ་གྱིས་བརྡེག་སྤྱད་སྒྲུབ་པས་སྒྲིབ་པ་དག་ནི་སེལ་བར་མཛད། I.126<br><br><em>Suppose an image filled with molten gold inside<br>But consisting of clay on the outside, after having settled,<br>Were seen by someone who knows about this [gold inside],<br>Who would then remove the outer covering to purify the inner gold. I.124<br><br>Similarly, always seeing the luminosity of [mind’s] nature<br>And that the stains are adventitious,<br>The one with the highest awakening purifies beings,<br>Who are like a jewel mine, from the obscurations. I.125<br><br>Just as an image made of stainless shining gold enclosed in clay would settle<br>And a skillful jeweler, knowing about this [gold], would remove the clay,<br>So the omniscient one sees that the mind, which resembles pure gold, is settled<br>And removes its obscurations by way of the strokes that are the means of teaching the dharma. I.126<br><br>|Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 399.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In the ''Unassailable Lion's Roar'', Jamgön Kongtrul explains the ninth simile as follows:{{Blockquote|</em>ས་འདམ་ནག་པོའི་ནང་གི་གསེར་ཞུན་མ་བླུག་པའི་གཟུགས་ཡན་ལག་རྒྱས་པ་ཡིད་འོང་ཞི་བས་མཛེས་པ་དག་ཕྱི་རོལ་ས་ཡི་རང་བཞིན་འདམ་གྱིས་གཡོགས་པ་ཅན་དེ་མཐོང་ནས་ནང་དུ་གསེར་གྱི་གཟུགས་ཡོད་པ་དེ་ཤེས་པ་དག་ནང་གི་གསེར་གྱི་གཟུགས་ལ་ཡོད་པའི་ས་འདམ་སྦྱང་བའི་ཕྱིར་ཕྱི་རོལ་གྱི་སྒྲིབ་གཡོགས་ས་འདམ་སེལ་བར་བྱེད་པ་ལྟར།<br><br>སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ཀྱི་སེམས་ཀྱི་རང་བཞིན་འོད་གསལ་བ་དེ་ལ་དྲི་མ་རྣམས་ཀྱང་ནི་འབྲལ་རུང་གི་གློ་བུར་བར་ནི་རྣམ་པར་གཟིགས་པར་གྱུར་ནས་རིན་ཆེན་འབྱུང་གནས་ལྟ་བུའི་འགྲོ་བ་རྣམས་ས་འདམ་ལྟ་བུའི་སྒྲིབ་པ་དག་ལས་སྦྱོང་ཞིང་སེལ་བར་མཛད་པའི་རྒྱལ་བ་རྣམས་བྱང་ཆུབ་མཆོག་ཏུ་སངས་རྒྱས་ནས་དམ་པའི་ཆོས་སྟོན་པར་མཛད་དོ། །<br><br>དྲི་མ་མེད་ལ་རྣམ་པར་དག་ཅིང་གསེར་བཟང་འོད་འབར་བ་ལས་བྱས་ཤིང་ལུག་གཏོང་བའི་དུས་ཀྱི་འདམ་ནག་པོའི་ནང་དུ་ཆུད་པར་གྱུར་པའི་གཟུགས་བརྙན་མཛེས་ཤིང་ཞི་བ་དེའི་རང་བཞིན་ལྷ་བཟོ་པ་མཁས་པས་རིག་ནས་ཕྱིའི་ས་འདམ་དག་སེལ་བར་བྱེད་པ་ལྟར། དེ་བཞིན་ཏུ། ཤེས་བྱ་ཀུན་མཁྱེན་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་ཀྱང་། ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པའི་གསེར་དང་འདྲ་བ་རང་བཞིན་གྱིས་ཞི་བའི་ཡིད་ཀྱི་ཆོས་ཉིད་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་ཉིད་ནི་མཁྱེན་པར་གྱུར་ནས་སྒྲིབ་པ་སེལ་བའི་ཐབས་སུ་ཆོས་འཆད་པའི་ཚུལ་གྱིས་ས་འདམ་སེལ་བའི་རྡེག་སྤྱད་འདྲ་བར་སྒྲུབ་པས་ཁམས་རྟོགས་པའི་གེགས་སྒྲིབ་པ་དག་ནི་སེལ་བར་མཛད་པ་ཉིད་དོ། །<em><br><br>When an image, which is artistically well designed in all its parts, pure, and beautiful in its peaceful appearance, has been cast in gold and is still inside its black mold, it is covered by clay and thus externally has the nature of earth. Upon seeing this, experts who know that a golden image is contained in the covering mold will clear away the outer layer in order to remove the traces of clay remaining on the golden image enclosed therein.<br><br>Similarly the Victorious Ones fully see that there are defilements on the luminous nature of the minds of beings, but that these are just adventitious, being able to be removed. Upon seeing this they clear away these veils, which are similar to the mold. Once they are awakened and expanded in supreme enlightenment, they teach the sacred Dharma and purify beings, who are like jewel mines, from all their obscurations.<br><br>Suppose there is an image of peaceful and beautiful appearance that is flawless and completely pure, made from unalloyed, shimmering gold, but which at the time of its casting is contained within a mold of black clay. A n expert skilled in the making of statues would recognize its nature and remove the external layers of clay. Similarly the Buddhas who know the entirety of the knowable recognize the sugatagarbha, the true state of the mind, which is by nature peaceful, and thus similar to completely pure gold. They remove the veils that hinder the direct realization of the element by teaching the Dharma as the means to their removal, acting just as one who strikes the clay, chipping it away to remove the mold.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos snying po'i don mngon sum lam gyi bshad pa srol dang sbyar ba'i rnam par 'grel ba phyir mi ldog pa seng ge'i nga ro]]''. In Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i tshig 'grel. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2005, pp. 239-241.<br>- Translation from [[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga. With a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "[[The Unassailable Lion's Roar]]," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000, pp. 160-161.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Dalai Lama, 14th}}

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama explains the ninth simile as:
{{Blockquote|''The buddha essence is like a golden buddha statue covered by a fine layer of dust''.<br><br>The buddha essence of the pure-ground bodhisattvas—grounds eight through ten—is still covered by a thin layer of cognitive obscurations that impedes their full awakening—the latencies of the defilements that bring about the appearance of inherent existence and prevent directly seeing the two truths simultaneously. Like a magnificent, golden buddha statue that was cast in a mold and now is covered by only a layer of fine clay dust remaining from the mold, their buddha essence will soon be fully revealed when the vajra-like concentration at the end of the continuum of a sentient being removes the last remaining obscurations from the mindstream, allowing the buddha essence to be fully revealed.<br><br>An expert statue maker recognizes the preciousness of the gold statue covered by clay dust and cleanses it to reveal its pure beauty for everyone to enjoy. Similarly, the Buddha sees our buddha essence and guides us on the path to reveal it, so that we will be able to manifest emanation bodies. These emanation bodies will appear in various forms according to the karma of the sentient beings who can benefit from them. By these means, the buddha we will become will compassionately instruct and guide sentient beings according to their disposition.
|[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Thubten Chodron]]. ''[[Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature]]''. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018, pp. 308-310.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Thrangu Rinpoche}}

Thrangu Rinpoche explains the ninth simile as:
{{Blockquote|Imagine if there were a very pure statue covered up with a crust of clay. Someone who knew about this could come along and remove the clay to reveal the gold statue. In the same way, the Clear Light nature of the mind in inside us, but covered with impurities. These impurities are not permanent and can be removed like clay crust covering a very pure and beautiful statue. Underneath we can find the Buddha essence. The meaning is if someone knows that the clay is covering the statue, he or she will remove the clay gradually, in the same way the omniscient Bodhisattvas know by their pure jñāna that the pure Buddha essence which is like gold is inside beings and through teaching the dharma they gradually knock off all the impurities covering the pure mind.
|[[Thrangu Rinpoche]]. ''[[A Commentary on The Uttara Tantra]]''. Translated by [[Ken Holmes]] and [[Katia Holmes]]. Boulder, CO: Namo Buddha Seminar, 1989, p. 90.
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<h2>Further Readings</h2>

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: When the Clouds Part
|cover=File:When the Clouds Part-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/When_the_Clouds_Part
|text=“Buddha nature” (tathāgatagarbha) is the innate potential in all living beings to become a fully awakened buddha. This book discusses a wide range of topics connected with the notion of buddha nature as presented in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and includes an overview of the sūtra sources of the tathāgatagarbha teachings and the different ways of explaining the meaning of this term. It includes new translations of the Maitreya treatise Mahāyānottaratantra (Ratnagotravibhāga), the primary Indian text on the subject, its Indian commentaries, and two (hitherto untranslated) commentaries from the Tibetan Kagyü tradition.

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|text=English translation of the Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra
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|source=[[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. [[Tsadra Foundation Series]]. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra
|cover=File:A Buddha Within-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra
|text=Michael Zimmermann's comprehensive edition of the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra (TGS) and an annotated English translation based on Tibetan materials, with critical editions of canonical materials, includes "an analysis of the textual history of the TGS, an interpretation of the term tathāgatagarbha, a discussion of the authors' ideas as reflected in the sutra, and the specification of the place of the TGS in Indian Buddhist history."
|source=[[Zimmermann, Michael]]. ''[[A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra]]: The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India''. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature
|cover=File:Samsāra, Nirvāna, and Buddha Nature-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature
|text=By using nine similes, the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra gives us an inkling of the buddha nature that has always been and will continue to be within us. Maitreya's Sublime Continuum and its commentary by Asaṅga explain these similes that point to a hidden richness inside of us—a potential that we are usually unaware of. Contemplating the meaning of these similes generates great inspiration and confidence to practice the path.

<div class="text-right zoom-90">
{{RelatedButton
|link=http://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/Books/Sa%E1%B9%83s%C4%81ra,_Nirv%C4%81%E1%B9%87a,_and_Buddha_Nature/Nine_Similes_for_Tath%C4%81gatagarbha
|image=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/6/6f/Dalai-lama-crop.jpg
|text=Nine Similes for Tathāgatagarbha
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|source=[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Thubten Chodron]]. ''[[Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature]]''. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra
|cover=File:Buddha Nature The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra
|text=All sentient beings, without exception, have buddha nature, the inherent purity and perfection of the mind, untouched by changing mental states. The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra, one of the "Five Treatises" said to have been dictated to Asanga by the Bodhisattva Maitreya, presents the Buddha's definitive teachings on how we should understand this ground of enlightenment and clarifies the nature and qualities of buddhahood.
|source=[[Fuchs, Rosemarie]], trans. ''[[Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra]]''. By Arya Maitreya. Written down by Arya Asanga, with a commentary by [[Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé]] ('Jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas) "[[The Unassailable Lion's Roar]]," and explanations by [[Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamsto Rinpoche]]. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2000.
}}
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Texts/Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā

2023-01-31T16:13:14Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

{{Text
|TextClass=Commentary
|PopupSummary=According to the Tibetan tradition this is Asaṅga's commentary to the ''Uttaratantra''.
|JumboSummary=In the Tibetan tradition, which parses out the root verses and refers to that as the treatise (''bstan bcos'', ''śāstra''), this title references the full text complete with the root verses and the accompanying prose commentary (''rnam par bshad pa'', ''vyākhyā''). While the earlier Chinese tradition attributes authorship of both aspects of the text to the as of yet still mysterious figure of Sāramati, the Tibetan tradition attributes the treatise to the Bodhisattva Maitreya and this commentary to the illustrious founder of the Yogācāra school, Asaṅga. However, unlike the Chinese tradition which delineates different aspects of the text into the basic verses, the commentarial verses, and the prose commentary, the Tibetan tradition actually preserves two separate versions of the text we know as the ''Ratnagotravibhāga''.

{{6nbsp}}The first, made up entirely of the so-called root verses, corresponds to the Sanskrit title ''Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra'', though it is known in this tradition only by the Tibetan equivalent of the latter subtitle, ''Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos'', which is commonly rendered into English as the ''Treatise on the Ultimate Continuum of the Great Vehicle'' and is abbreviated as RGV. This version is likely a Tibetan redaction, in that thus far there is no evidence of a Sanskrit version written entirely in verse that excludes the commentarial sections that explain them.

{{6nbsp}}The second, which combines the verses with their accompanying prose commentary, corresponds to the *''Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā'' as it has become known in academic circles where it is referenced with the abbreviation RGVV. However, in Tibetan the subtitle is merely appended with the equivalent of ''vyākhyā'', i.e. ''Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa'', and thus a translation of the Tibetan title of the complete text would be something akin to the ''Explanatory Commentary on the Treatise on the Ultimate Continuum of the Great Vehicle''. However, the extant Sanskrit recension of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra'' directly corresponds to the Tibetan version known as the ''*Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā'', in that it contains both the root verses and the prose commentary. Though, again, lacking a Sanskrit work entitled the ''Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā'', we can surmise that its corresponding Tibetan title was likely manufactured in order to delineate it from the streamlined verse redaction, while the Sanskrit title ''*Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā'' was in turn a product of modern scholars. On the surface it would seem that this title is a combination of the Chinese title back translated into Sanskrit as the ''Ratnagotraśāstra'' and the one found in the Tibetan editions, which state the Sanskrit title as the ''Mahāyānottaratantraśāstravyākhya''. Nevertheless, in terms of content, the Sanskrit RGV corresponds to the Tibetan RGVV, in that the ''Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra'' is the same text as ''Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos rnam par bshad pa''.

For more on this issue see below for Karl Brunnhölzl's Description from When the Clouds Part.

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|text=Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra
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|BuNayKarlDescription='''The ''Mahāyānottaratantra'' (''Ratnagotravibhāga'') and the ''Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā'''''

'''Texts and Authorships'''

The Tibetan and Chinese traditions treat the ''Uttaratantra'' and RGVV as two distinct texts.<ref>The Chinese canon only has a single text listed, but that text actually consists of two parts: A) the verse text: an extract of certain verses from the entire text, and B) the whole work including the prose section but excluding certain verses from part A. (Karl Brunnhölzl, personal communication, January 25, 2020.</ref> Both canons contain separate translations of the "root verses" and the prose commentary together with these verses.<ref>Note however that the Tibetan and Chinese versions of the verses differ considerably in both number and content (see Takasaki 1966a, 9–19; and Schmithausen 1971, 123–30).</ref> However, the two available Sanskrit manuscripts of RGVV (which include both the verses of the ''Uttaratantra'' and the prose commentary) as well as other Indian sources suggest that the two are simply two elements of the same text. The Sanskrit does not speak of RGVV as a commentary on the ''Uttaratantra'', and its title is ''Ratnagotravibhāgo mahāyānottaratantraśāstram'', thus containing both names. Also, though the title ''Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā'' for RGVV is used by modern scholars, it is not attested in any Indian text<ref>The conclusions of chapters 1, 4, and 5 of RGVV contain the compound ''ślokārthasaṃgrahavyākhyānataḥ'' (the Chinese translation omits this). However, as Takasaki (1989, 389) points out, this compound simply refers to the basic verses of the ''Uttaratantra'', its commentarial verses, and the prose explanation of all these verses (RGVV).</ref> (the Tibetan translation in the Tengyur has the title Mahāyānottaratantraśāstravyākhyā).<ref>Despite all this, my discussion will retain the two separate titles ''Uttaratantra'' and RGVV and treat them as two separate texts, since the latter is the prose commentary on the verses of the former.</ref> The Chinese tradition calls RGVV Ratnagotraśāstra, while it is almost always referred to as ''Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra'' or simply ''Uttaratantra'' in the Indian and Tibetan traditions, as attested by titles such as Sajjana’s ''Mahāyānottaratantraśāstropadeśa'' and Vairocanarakṣita’s ''Mahāyānottaratantraṭippaṇī'', as well as quotes from the text in other Indian sources. For example, the ''Sūtrasamuccayabhāṣya''<ref>D3935, fol. 325b.3f. </ref> by Ratnākaraśānti (early eleventh century) explains a part of the prose of RGVV<ref> J67.9–68.6</ref> and explicitly says that it comes from the ''Uttaratantra'' by Maitreya. Likewise, Abhayākaragupta’s ''Munimatālaṃkāra'' quotes a prose passage from RGVV<ref>D3903, fol. 150a.6 (J139.22–24).</ref> by saying that it stems from the ''Uttaratantra'' authored by Maitreya.

{{6nbsp}}The text known as RGVV consists of three parts: (1) basic verses, (2) commentarial verses,<ref>VT (fols. 12v7, 13r2, 15r7) calls the basic verses ''mūla'' (III.4) and the commentarial verses ''vyākhyāśloka'' (I.64–65 and I.67–68). Jñānaśrīmitra’s (c. 980–1040) ''Sākārasiddhiśāstra'' (in Jñānaśrīmitra, ''Jñānaśrīmitranibandhāvali'', 503.20–22) calls the basic verses "''mūla''" (III.1) and the commentarial verses vivṛti (III.2–3; see also 502.17, 503.15, 536.22, and Schmithausen 1971, 124). Ngog Lotsāwa (Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fol. 34b.4) calls the basic verses ''rtsa ba lta bu'i tshigs su bcad pa''.</ref> and (3) prose commentary. The commentarial verses explain the basic verses, and the prose commentary glosses all verses (at least in the first chapter). Such a structure is quite rare among Indian works in general. Though Takasaki and other modern scholars agree that RGVV is a compilation of different elements and have made attempts to identify the "original" core verses of the text, there is no clear solution to isolating such verses.<ref> See Takasaki 1966a, 10–19 and 393–95, and the critique by Schmithausen (1971, 23–30).</ref>

{{6nbsp}}As for the authorship of the ''Uttaratantra'' and RGVV, the Sanskrit manuscripts contain no name of the composer. Beginning with Ngog Lotsāwa’s translations of the ''Uttaratantra'' and RGVV in the Tengyur, the Tibetan tradition holds that the former was composed by Maitreya, while the latter was written by Asaṅga. The Chinese tradition asserts that both were authored by the elusive figure *Sāramati (though no author is given in the translations or any of the old catalogues).<ref> *Sāramati is also held to be the author of the *''Dharmadhātvaviśeṣaśāstra''s (Taishō 1627). In Fa-tsang’s commentary on this work (Taishō 1838, 63c14–21), there is a brief account of *Sāramati’s life, which Fa-tsang heard from Devaprajñā, a monk from Khotan who was the reported translator of the *''Dharmadhātvaviśeṣaśāstra''. This account says that *Sāramati was a bodhisattva on the first bhūmi who was born in India seven hundred years after the passing of the Buddha. He mastered all the teachings of hīnayāna and mahāyāna, but concentrated on teaching the undifferentiated dharmadhātu. Therefore, he composed texts such as the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' and the *''Dharmadhātvaviśeṣaśāstra''. His works do not deal with provisional dharmas but clarify only the substantial ultimate dharmas (see also Takasaki 1966a, 6–9). Modern scholars consider *Sāramati to be someone different than Maitreya or consider "*Sāramati" to be one of his epithets.</ref> In many modern publications, the authorship of the ''Uttaratantra'' and RGVV continues to be disputed with no definitive outcome, some favoring the Tibetan account and some the Chinese tradition.<ref>For an overview, see Kano 2006, 21. </ref> It is noteworthy though that a Khotan-Saka hybrid Sanskrit fragment of the ''Uttaratantra''<ref>CH 0047 in the Stein collection at the India Office (edited in Bailey and Johnston 1935). </ref> from the end of the eighth century, which quotes ''Uttaratantra'' I.1, III.1–8, III.10, and V3d, refers to the text as the ''Ratnagotravibhāgaśāstra'' by the bodhisattva Maitreya. Also, as the above references in texts by Ratnākaraśānti and Abhayākaragupta show, from the eleventh century onward in India, it seems that not only the verses but also the prose parts of RGVV were ascribed to Maitreya. So far, no attribution of the authorship of RGVV to Asaṅga has been found in Indian works.<ref>As Shiu (2006, 186) reports, the contemporary scholar Tam Shek-wing believes that the root verses of the ''Uttaratantra'' were composed by Maitreya, while additional verses were added by *Sāramati. The commentary (RGVV), he says, was authored by Asaṅga, and a final thorough editing of the entire text was done by Maitrīpa after his rediscovery of the work.</ref>

{{6nbsp}}As Kano (2006, 23 and 28–29) points out, from the seventh to tenth centuries, there seem to be no Indian texts that quote the ''Uttaratantra'' (though some texts discuss the topic of tathāgatagarbha), whereas the work is cited in a significant number of Indian Buddhist texts from the eleventh to thirteenth century. However, as Kano says, there are two texts that indicate the possibility of the transmission of the ''Uttaratantra'' still continuing at least throughout the eighth century—besides the above-mentioned Khotan-Saka fragment, the ''Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha'' (late seventh to eighth century) uses terms such as garbha, dhātu, and ratnagotra in accordance with the ''Uttaratantra''.<ref>For details, see Inui 1998 and 2000 as well as Matsunaga 1980, 187ff.</ref> In any case, a Sanskrit manuscript of the ''Uttaratantra'' was brought to China by Ratnamati in 508 Ce and was translated by him in ca. 511 Ce, so the text must have still been available in India in the early sixth century. Takasaki (1966a, 45–54; 1989, 412–15; and 1999) discusses a number of texts from the sixth and seventh centuries that appear to have been influenced by the ''Uttaratantra''. These are the *''Buddhagotraśāstra'' (Taishō 1610), the *''Anuttarāśrayasūtra'' (Taishō 669; both translated by Paramārtha),<ref>About 70 percent of the *''Anuttarāśrayasūtra'' consists of almost literal passages from the Uttaratantra and mostly RGVV (I am indebted to Fitri Junoes for this information).</ref> the *''Dharmadhātvaviśeṣaśāstara'' (Taishō 1627), and two Chinese translations of a ''trikāya'' chapter in the ''Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra'' (Taishō 664 and 665), which is absent in the Sanskrit and Tibetan versions of this sūtra. However, since these texts are available only in the Chinese canon and since the *''Buddhagotraśāstra'' and the *''Anuttarāśrayasūtra'' are not unlikely to have been authored by Paramārtha (499–569), it is uncertain whether they are indeed translations of actual Indian texts.

{{6nbsp}}According to BA,<ref>350</ref> there were six translations of the ''Uttaratantra'' or RGVV into Tibetan. Both texts were translated by: (1) Atiśa and Nagtso Lotsāwa Tsültrim Gyalwa<ref>Tib. Nag tsho lo tsā ba tshul khrims rgyal ba. He was sent to India by King Jangchub Ö (Tib. Byang chub ’od) to invite Atiśa to Tibet and also became one of his main students. He and Atiśa translated the ''Uttaratantra'' and RGVV at Yerpa at the request of Ngog Jangchub Jungné (Tib. Rngog byang chub 'byung gnas).</ref> (1011–1064), (2) Sajjana and Ngog Lotsāwa, (3) Patsab Lotsāwa Nyima Tra<ref>Tib. Pa tshab lo tsā ba nyi ma grags.</ref> (born 1055), (4) Marpa Dopa Chökyi Wangchug, and (5) Yarlung Lotsāwa Tragba Gyaltsen<ref>Tib. Yar klung lo tsā ba grags pa rgyal mtshan. </ref> (1242–1346). (6) Jonang Lotsāwa Lodrö Bal<ref>Tib. Jo nang lo tsā ba blo gros dpal. </ref> (1299/1300–1353/1355) translated only the ''Uttaratantra''. YDC<ref>306</ref> additionally refers to a translation by Lhotragpa Dharma Sengé.<ref>Tib. Lho brag pa dharma seng ge. He was a Kadampa master who also wrote a commentary on the ''Uttaratantra'' (''Bka’ gdams gsung ’bum phyogs sgrig thengs gsum pa'', Lhasa: Dpal brtsegs bod yig dpe rnying zhib ’jug khang, vol. 78, 213–308). </ref> At present, only the translation by Ngog Lotsāwa survives in its entirety, while several citations from translations (1), (3), and (6) are found in some Tibetan commentaries at least up through the fifteenth century.<ref>For example, in addition to using mainly Ngog’s translation, GC sometimes quotes Nagtso’s and Patsab’s renderings. YDC also refers to the translations by these three. For a study of the textual qualities of these translations and a register of sources in which translations (1), (3), and (5) are quoted, see Kano 2005 and 2006, 89–111.</ref> (pp. 93-95)

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Texts/Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra

2023-01-31T16:13:06Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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|JumboSummary=The ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', commonly known as the ''Uttaratantra'', or ''Gyü Lama'' in Tibetan, is one of the main Indian scriptural sources for buddha-nature theory. Comprised of verses interspersed with prose commentary, it systematizes the buddha-nature teachings that were circulating in multiple sūtras such as the ''[[Tathāgatagarbhasūtra]],'' the ''[[Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra]],'' and the ''[[Śrīmālādevīsūtra]].'' It was likely composed during the fifth century. The Tibetan tradition attributes the verses to the Bodhisattva Maitreya and the commentary to [[Asaṅga]], and treats the two as separate texts, although this division is not attested to in surviving Indian versions. The Chinese tradition attributes the text to *[[Sāramati]] (娑囉末底), but the translation itself does not include the name of the author, and the matter remains unsettled. It was translated into Chinese in the early sixth century by [[Ratnamati]] and first translated into Tibetan by [[Atiśa]], although this does not survive. [[Ngok Loden Sherab]] and the Kashmiri Pandita [[Sajjana]] translated it a second time, and theirs remains the standard translation. It has been translated into English several times, and recently into French.

[https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP105-2-1-1 See a manuscript version of the text at the British Library]

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'''Texts and Authorships'''

The Tibetan and Chinese traditions treat the ''Uttaratantra'' and RGVV as two distinct texts.<ref>The Chinese canon only has a single text listed, but that text actually consists of two parts: A) the verse text: an extract of certain verses from the entire text, and B) the whole work including the prose section but excluding certain verses from part A. (Karl Brunnhölzl, personal communication, January 25, 2020.</ref> Both canons contain separate translations of the "root verses" and the prose commentary together with these verses.<ref>Note however that the Tibetan and Chinese versions of the verses differ considerably in both number and content (see Takasaki 1966a, 9–19; and Schmithausen 1971, 123–30).</ref> However, the two available Sanskrit manuscripts of RGVV (which include both the verses of the ''Uttaratantra'' and the prose commentary) as well as other Indian sources suggest that the two are simply two elements of the same text. The Sanskrit does not speak of RGVV as a commentary on the ''Uttaratantra'', and its title is ''Ratnagotravibhāgo mahāyānottaratantraśāstram'', thus containing both names. Also, though the title ''Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā'' for RGVV is used by modern scholars, it is not attested in any Indian text<ref>The conclusions of chapters 1, 4, and 5 of RGVV contain the compound ''ślokārthasaṃgrahavyākhyānataḥ'' (the Chinese translation omits this). However, as Takasaki (1989, 389) points out, this compound simply refers to the basic verses of the ''Uttaratantra'', its commentarial verses, and the prose explanation of all these verses (RGVV).</ref> (the Tibetan translation in the Tengyur has the title Mahāyānottaratantraśāstravyākhyā).<ref>Despite all this, my discussion will retain the two separate titles ''Uttaratantra'' and RGVV and treat them as two separate texts, since the latter is the prose commentary on the verses of the former.</ref> The Chinese tradition calls RGVV Ratnagotraśāstra, while it is almost always referred to as ''Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra'' or simply ''Uttaratantra'' in the Indian and Tibetan traditions, as attested by titles such as Sajjana’s ''Mahāyānottaratantraśāstropadeśa'' and Vairocanarakṣita’s ''Mahāyānottaratantraṭippaṇī'', as well as quotes from the text in other Indian sources. For example, the ''Sūtrasamuccayabhāṣya''<ref>D3935, fol. 325b.3f. </ref> by Ratnākaraśānti (early eleventh century) explains a part of the prose of RGVV<ref> J67.9–68.6</ref> and explicitly says that it comes from the ''Uttaratantra'' by Maitreya. Likewise, Abhayākaragupta’s ''Munimatālaṃkāra'' quotes a prose passage from RGVV<ref>D3903, fol. 150a.6 (J139.22–24).</ref> by saying that it stems from the ''Uttaratantra'' authored by Maitreya.

{{6nbsp}}The text known as RGVV consists of three parts: (1) basic verses, (2) commentarial verses,<ref>VT (fols. 12v7, 13r2, 15r7) calls the basic verses ''mūla'' (III.4) and the commentarial verses ''vyākhyāśloka'' (I.64–65 and I.67–68). Jñānaśrīmitra’s (c. 980–1040) ''Sākārasiddhiśāstra'' (in Jñānaśrīmitra, ''Jñānaśrīmitranibandhāvali'', 503.20–22) calls the basic verses "''mūla''" (III.1) and the commentarial verses vivṛti (III.2–3; see also 502.17, 503.15, 536.22, and Schmithausen 1971, 124). Ngog Lotsāwa (Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fol. 34b.4) calls the basic verses ''rtsa ba lta bu'i tshigs su bcad pa''.</ref> and (3) prose commentary. The commentarial verses explain the basic verses, and the prose commentary glosses all verses (at least in the first chapter). Such a structure is quite rare among Indian works in general. Though Takasaki and other modern scholars agree that RGVV is a compilation of different elements and have made attempts to identify the "original" core verses of the text, there is no clear solution to isolating such verses.<ref> See Takasaki 1966a, 10–19 and 393–95, and the critique by Schmithausen (1971, 23–30).</ref>

{{6nbsp}}As for the authorship of the ''Uttaratantra'' and RGVV, the Sanskrit manuscripts contain no name of the composer. Beginning with Ngog Lotsāwa’s translations of the ''Uttaratantra'' and RGVV in the Tengyur, the Tibetan tradition holds that the former was composed by Maitreya, while the latter was written by Asaṅga. The Chinese tradition asserts that both were authored by the elusive figure *Sāramati (though no author is given in the translations or any of the old catalogues).<ref> *Sāramati is also held to be the author of the *''Dharmadhātvaviśeṣaśāstra''s (Taishō 1627). In Fa-tsang’s commentary on this work (Taishō 1838, 63c14–21), there is a brief account of *Sāramati’s life, which Fa-tsang heard from Devaprajñā, a monk from Khotan who was the reported translator of the *''Dharmadhātvaviśeṣaśāstra''. This account says that *Sāramati was a bodhisattva on the first bhūmi who was born in India seven hundred years after the passing of the Buddha. He mastered all the teachings of hīnayāna and mahāyāna, but concentrated on teaching the undifferentiated dharmadhātu. Therefore, he composed texts such as the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' and the *''Dharmadhātvaviśeṣaśāstra''. His works do not deal with provisional dharmas but clarify only the substantial ultimate dharmas (see also Takasaki 1966a, 6–9). Modern scholars consider *Sāramati to be someone different than Maitreya or consider "*Sāramati" to be one of his epithets.</ref> In many modern publications, the authorship of the ''Uttaratantra'' and RGVV continues to be disputed with no definitive outcome, some favoring the Tibetan account and some the Chinese tradition.<ref>For an overview, see Kano 2006, 21. </ref> It is noteworthy though that a Khotan-Saka hybrid Sanskrit fragment of the ''Uttaratantra''<ref>CH 0047 in the Stein collection at the India Office (edited in Bailey and Johnston 1935). </ref> from the end of the eighth century, which quotes ''Uttaratantra'' I.1, III.1–8, III.10, and V3d, refers to the text as the ''Ratnagotravibhāgaśāstra'' by the bodhisattva Maitreya. Also, as the above references in texts by Ratnākaraśānti and Abhayākaragupta show, from the eleventh century onward in India, it seems that not only the verses but also the prose parts of RGVV were ascribed to Maitreya. So far, no attribution of the authorship of RGVV to Asaṅga has been found in Indian works.<ref>As Shiu (2006, 186) reports, the contemporary scholar Tam Shek-wing believes that the root verses of the ''Uttaratantra'' were composed by Maitreya, while additional verses were added by *Sāramati. The commentary (RGVV), he says, was authored by Asaṅga, and a final thorough editing of the entire text was done by Maitrīpa after his rediscovery of the work.</ref>

{{6nbsp}}As Kano (2006, 23 and 28–29) points out, from the seventh to tenth centuries, there seem to be no Indian texts that quote the ''Uttaratantra'' (though some texts discuss the topic of tathāgatagarbha), whereas the work is cited in a significant number of Indian Buddhist texts from the eleventh to thirteenth century. However, as Kano says, there are two texts that indicate the possibility of the transmission of the ''Uttaratantra'' still continuing at least throughout the eighth century—besides the above-mentioned Khotan-Saka fragment, the ''Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha'' (late seventh to eighth century) uses terms such as garbha, dhātu, and ratnagotra in accordance with the ''Uttaratantra''.<ref>For details, see Inui 1998 and 2000 as well as Matsunaga 1980, 187ff.</ref> In any case, a Sanskrit manuscript of the ''Uttaratantra'' was brought to China by Ratnamati in 508 Ce and was translated by him in ca. 511 Ce, so the text must have still been available in India in the early sixth century. Takasaki (1966a, 45–54; 1989, 412–15; and 1999) discusses a number of texts from the sixth and seventh centuries that appear to have been influenced by the ''Uttaratantra''. These are the *''Buddhagotraśāstra'' (Taishō 1610), the *''Anuttarāśrayasūtra'' (Taishō 669; both translated by Paramārtha),<ref>About 70 percent of the *''Anuttarāśrayasūtra'' consists of almost literal passages from the Uttaratantra and mostly RGVV (I am indebted to Fitri Junoes for this information).</ref> the *''Dharmadhātvaviśeṣaśāstara'' (Taishō 1627), and two Chinese translations of a ''trikāya'' chapter in the ''Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra'' (Taishō 664 and 665), which is absent in the Sanskrit and Tibetan versions of this sūtra. However, since these texts are available only in the Chinese canon and since the *''Buddhagotraśāstra'' and the *''Anuttarāśrayasūtra'' are not unlikely to have been authored by Paramārtha (499–569), it is uncertain whether they are indeed translations of actual Indian texts.

{{6nbsp}}According to BA,<ref>350</ref> there were six translations of the ''Uttaratantra'' or RGVV into Tibetan. Both texts were translated by: (1) Atiśa and Nagtso Lotsāwa Tsültrim Gyalwa<ref>Tib. Nag tsho lo tsā ba tshul khrims rgyal ba. He was sent to India by King Jangchub Ö (Tib. Byang chub ’od) to invite Atiśa to Tibet and also became one of his main students. He and Atiśa translated the ''Uttaratantra'' and RGVV at Yerpa at the request of Ngog Jangchub Jungné (Tib. Rngog byang chub 'byung gnas).</ref> (1011–1064), (2) Sajjana and Ngog Lotsāwa, (3) Patsab Lotsāwa Nyima Tra<ref>Tib. Pa tshab lo tsā ba nyi ma grags.</ref> (born 1055), (4) Marpa Dopa Chökyi Wangchug, and (5) Yarlung Lotsāwa Tragba Gyaltsen<ref>Tib. Yar klung lo tsā ba grags pa rgyal mtshan. </ref> (1242–1346). (6) Jonang Lotsāwa Lodrö Bal<ref>Tib. Jo nang lo tsā ba blo gros dpal. </ref> (1299/1300–1353/1355) translated only the ''Uttaratantra''. YDC<ref>306</ref> additionally refers to a translation by Lhotragpa Dharma Sengé.<ref>Tib. Lho brag pa dharma seng ge. He was a Kadampa master who also wrote a commentary on the ''Uttaratantra'' (''Bka’ gdams gsung ’bum phyogs sgrig thengs gsum pa'', Lhasa: Dpal brtsegs bod yig dpe rnying zhib ’jug khang, vol. 78, 213–308). </ref> At present, only the translation by Ngog Lotsāwa survives in its entirety, while several citations from translations (1), (3), and (6) are found in some Tibetan commentaries at least up through the fifteenth century.<ref>For example, in addition to using mainly Ngog’s translation, GC sometimes quotes Nagtso’s and Patsab’s renderings. YDC also refers to the translations by these three. For a study of the textual qualities of these translations and a register of sources in which translations (1), (3), and (5) are quoted, see Kano 2005 and 2006, 89–111.</ref> (pp. 93-95)

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Testing Infoboxes

2023-01-31T16:13:04Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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[[File:Asanga-pecha1.png|x150px|class=rounded float-right ml-3 mb-2 depth-1|༄།འཕགས་པ་ཐོགས་མེད་།།]]
All questions asked by five watch experts amazed the judge. Jack quietly moved up front and seized the big ball of wax. The quick, brown fox jumps over a lazy dog. DJs flock by when MTV ax quiz prog. Junk MTV quiz graced by fox whelps. Bawds jog, flick quartz, vex nymphs. Waltz, bad nymph, for quick jigs vex! Fox nymphs grab quick-jived waltz. Brick quiz whangs jumpy veldt fox. Bright vixens jump; dozy fowl quack. Quick wafting zephyrs vex bold Jim. Quick zephyrs blow, vexing daft Jim. Sex-charged fop blew my junk TV quiz.
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<h1 class="mt-0 pt-0">The Quick, Brown Fox</h1>
<h2>The Quick, Brown Fox</h2>
<h3>The Quick, Brown Fox</h3>
<h4>The Quick, Brown Fox</h4>
<h5>The Quick, Brown Fox</h5>
<h6>The Quick, Brown Fox</h6>

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The quick, brown fox jumps over a lazy dog. DJs flock by when MTV ax quiz prog. {{ibn|This is a block note. It will separate the text so as to display a page-wide block of whatever you want.<br><br>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. }}{{ic|This is an inline comment. It'll show up in a bubble over the rest of the page. So there's that too. You can use basic HTML tags in here but no wiki markup like links and images. That won't work. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.}} Junk MTV quiz graced by fox whelps. Bawds jog, flick quartz, vex nymphs. Waltz, bad nymph, for quick jigs vex! Fox nymphs grab quick-jived waltz. Brick quiz whangs jumpy veldt fox. Bright vixens jump; dozy fowl quack. Quick wafting zephyrs vex bold Jim. {{InlinePersonTag|page=People/Chöpel,_Gendün|minibio=Amdo Gendun Chopel, a twentieth-century philosopher-artist-historian, has emerged as one of the most controversial figures in the recent history of the Land of Snows. He remains to this day the most admired and loved writer and poet, bridging the divide between tradition and modernity.}} Quick zephyrs blow, vexing daft Jim. Sex-charged fop blew my junk TV quiz. How quickly daft jumping zebras vex. Two driven jocks help fax my big quiz. Quick, Baz, get my woven flax jodhpurs! "Now fax quiz Jack! " my brave ghost pled. Five quacking zephyrs jolt my wax bed. Flummoxed by job, kvetching W. zaps Iraq. Cozy sphinx waves quart jug of bad milk. A very bad quack might jinx zippy fowls. Few quips galvanized the mock jury box.

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My faxed joke won a pager in the cable TV quiz show. Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes. My girl wove six dozen plaid jackets before she quit. Six big devils from Japan quickly forgot how to waltz. Big July earthquakes confound zany experimental vow. Foxy parsons quiz and cajole the lovably dim wiki-girl. Have a pick: twenty six letters - no forcing a jumbled quiz! Crazy Fredericka bought many very exquisite opal jewels. Sixty zippers were quickly picked from the woven jute bag. A quick movement of the enemy will jeopardize six gunboats. All questions asked by five watch experts amazed the judge. Jack quietly moved up front and seized the big ball of wax. The quick, brown fox jumps over a lazy dog. DJs flock by when MTV ax quiz prog.

=== My Faxed Joke ===

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}}

Quick brown dogs jump over the lazy fox. The jay, pig, fox, zebra, and my wolves quack! Blowzy red vixens fight for a quick jump. Joaquin Phoenix was gazed by MTV for luck. A wizard’s job is to vex chumps quickly in fog. Watch "Jeopardy! ", Alex Trebek's fun TV quiz game. Woven silk pyjamas exchanged for blue quartz. Brawny gods just flocked up to quiz and vex him. Adjusting quiver and bow, Zompyc[1] killed the fox. My faxed joke won a pager in the cable TV quiz show. Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes. My girl wove six dozen plaid jackets before she quit. Six big devils from Japan quickly forgot how to waltz. Big July earthquakes confound zany experimental vow. Foxy parsons quiz and cajole the lovably dim wiki-girl.

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Have a pick: twenty six letters - no forcing a jumbled quiz! Crazy Fredericka bought many very exquisite opal jewels. Sixty zippers were quickly picked from the woven jute bag. A quick movement of the enemy will jeopardize six gunboats. All questions asked by five watch experts amazed the judge. Jack quietly moved up front and seized the big ball of wax. The quick, brown fox jumps over a lazy dog.

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}}

DJs flock by when MTV ax quiz prog. Junk MTV quiz graced by fox whelps. Bawds jog, flick quartz, vex nymphs. Waltz, bad nymph, for quick jigs vex! Fox nymphs grab quick-jived waltz. Brick quiz whangs jumpy veldt fox. Bright vixens jump; dozy fowl quack. Quick wafting zephyrs vex bold Jim. Quick zephyrs blow, vexing daft Jim. Sex-charged fop blew my junk TV quiz.

=== Jumping Zebras ===

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How quickly daft jumping zebras vex. Two driven jocks help fax my big quiz. Quick, Baz, get my woven flax jodhpurs! "Now fax quiz Jack! " my brave ghost pled. Five quacking zephyrs jolt my wax bed. Flummoxed by job, kvetching W. zaps Iraq. Cozy sphinx waves quart jug of bad milk. A very bad quack might jinx zippy fowls. Few quips galvanized the mock jury box.

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}}

Quick brown dogs jump over the lazy fox. The jay, pig, fox, zebra, and my wolves quack! Blowzy red vixens fight for a quick jump. Joaquin Phoenix was gazed by MTV for luck. A wizard’s job is to vex chumps quickly in fog. Watch "Jeopardy! ", Alex Trebek's fun TV quiz game. Woven silk pyjamas exchanged for blue quartz.

My faxed joke won a pager in the cable TV quiz show. Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes. My girl wove six dozen plaid jackets before she quit. Six big devils from Japan quickly forgot how to waltz. {{InlinePersonTag|page=People/Frauwallner,_E.|minibio=Erich Frauwallner studied classical philology and Sanskrit philology in Vienna. He taught Indology from 1928-29 at the University of Vienna. His primary interest was Buddhist logic and epistemology, and later Indian Brahmanic philosophy, with close attention to primary source texts.}} Big July earthquakes confound zany experimental vow. Foxy parsons quiz and cajole the lovably dim wiki-girl.

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Have a pick: twenty six letters - no forcing a jumbled quiz! Crazy Fredericka bought many very exquisite opal jewels. Sixty zippers were quickly picked from the woven jute bag. A quick movement of the enemy will jeopardize six gunboats. All questions asked by five watch experts amazed the judge. Jack quietly moved up front and seized the big ball of wax. The quick, brown fox jumps over a lazy dog. {{InlinePersonTag|page=People/Rgyal_tshab_rje_dar_ma_rin_chen|minibio=Gyaltsap Je Darma Rinchen was one of the chief disciples of Tsongkhapa. He was a prolific writer, composing on Madhyamaka and tantric topics, most famously a commentary on the Bodhicaryāvatāra.}} DJs flock by when MTV ax quiz prog.

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}}
Two driven jocks help fax my big quiz. Quick, Baz, get my woven flax jodhpurs! Bright vixens jump; dozy fowl quack. Quick wafting zephyrs vex bold Jim. Quick zephyrs blow, vexing daft Jim. Sex-charged fop blew my junk TV quiz. How quickly daft jumping zebras vex.

Two driven jocks help fax my big quiz. Quick, Baz, get my woven flax jodhpurs! "Now fax quiz Jack! " my brave ghost pled. Five quacking zephyrs jolt my wax bed. Flummoxed by job, kvetching W. zaps Iraq. Cozy sphinx waves quart jug of bad milk. A very bad quack might jinx zippy fowls. Few quips galvanized the mock jury box. Quick brown dogs jump over the lazy fox. The jay, pig, fox, zebra, and my wolves quack!

=== Blowzy Red Vixens ===

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Blowzy red vixens fight for a quick jump. Joaquin Phoenix was gazed by MTV for luck. A wizard’s job is to vex chumps quickly in fog. Watch "Jeopardy! ", Alex Trebek's fun TV quiz game. Woven silk pyjamas exchanged for blue quartz. Brawny gods just flocked up to quiz and vex him. Adjusting quiver and bow, Zompyc[1] killed the fox. My faxed joke won a pager in the cable TV quiz show. Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes. My girl wove six dozen plaid jackets before she quit. Six big devils from Japan quickly forgot how to waltz. {{FloatingTermBox
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}} Big July earthquakes confound zany experimental vow. Foxy parsons quiz and cajole the lovably dim wiki-girl. Have a pick: twenty six letters - no forcing a jumbled quiz! Crazy Fredericka bought many very exquisite opal jewels.<br><br>

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Few quips galvanized the mock jury box. Quick brown dogs jump over the lazy fox. The jay, pig, fox, zebra, and my wolves quack! Blowzy red vixens fight for a quick jump. Joaquin Phoenix was gazed by MTV for luck. A wizard’s job is to vex chumps quickly in fog. Watch "Jeopardy! ", Alex Trebek's fun TV quiz game. Woven silk pyjamas exchanged for blue quartz. Brawny gods just flocked up to quiz and vex him.

{{FloatingBox
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|content=Junk MTV quiz graced by fox whelps. Bawds jog, flick quartz, vex nymphs. Waltz, bad nymph, for quick jigs vex! Fox nymphs grab quick-jived waltz. Brick quiz whangs jumpy veldt fox.
}}

Sixty zippers were quickly picked from the woven jute bag. A quick movement of the enemy will jeopardize six gunboats. All questions asked by five watch experts amazed the judge. Jack quietly moved up front and seized the big ball of wax. The quick, brown fox jumps over a lazy dog. DJs flock by when MTV ax quiz prog. Junk MTV quiz graced by fox whelps. Bawds jog, flick quartz, vex nymphs. Waltz, bad nymph, for quick jigs vex! Fox nymphs grab quick-jived waltz. Brick quiz whangs jumpy veldt fox. Bright vixens jump; dozy fowl quack. Quick wafting zephyrs vex bold Jim. {{FloatingTermBox
|side=right
|size=col-sm-6 col-md-4
|term=advaya
}} Quick zephyrs blow, vexing daft Jim. Sex-charged fop blew my junk TV quiz. How quickly daft jumping zebras vex. Two driven jocks help fax my big quiz. Quick, Baz, get my woven flax jodhpurs! "Now fax quiz Jack! " my brave ghost pled. Five quacking zephyrs jolt my wax bed. Flummoxed by job, kvetching W. zaps Iraq. Cozy sphinx waves quart jug of bad milk. A very bad quack might jinx zippy fowls. Adjusting quiver and...

{{InsertMedia
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How quickly daft jumping zebras vex. Two driven jocks help fax my big quiz. Quick, Baz, get my woven flax jodhpurs! "Now fax quiz Jack! " my brave ghost pled. Five quacking zephyrs jolt my wax bed. Flummoxed by job, kvetching W. zaps Iraq. Cozy sphinx waves quart jug of bad milk. A very bad quack might jinx zippy fowls. Few quips galvanized the mock jury box. Flummoxed by job, kvetching W. zaps Iraq. Cozy sphinx waves quart jug of bad milk. A very bad quack might jinx zippy fowls. Few quips galvanized the mock jury box.

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Tantra and Buddha-Nature

2023-01-31T16:13:01Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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|description=Though the theory of buddha-nature is more readily associated with certain Mahāyāna sūtras and related treatises, such as the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', in the Tibetan tradition there also developed a strong association between this concept and the Vajrayāna. For instance, terms like ''tathāgatagarbha'' and ''sugatagarbha'' also appear in tantric literature, and in the Jonang tradition Dolpopa's development of his famed view of other-emptiness (''zhentong'') was directly linked with a profound realization he attained through his practice of the ''Kālacakra Tantra''. For the Kagyu, the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' has long since been described as a "bridge between sūtra and tantra," and for the Nyingma ''sugatagarbha'' is commonly used throughout much of the revealed tantric corpus of its treasure tradition. There are even proxy terms for buddha-nature used in tantric literature, such as the ''causal continuum'' (''rgyu'i rgyud''), which at the level of Highest Yoga Tantra is symbolized by the syllabic compound ''Evam'', representing the bliss of union. Even the notion of luminosity, often rendered literally as "clear light" in translations of Tibetan tantric works, can be taken as analogous to descriptions of buddha-nature restructured to conform to the methodologies of tantric praxis. Therefore, buddha-nature remained a crucial concept for the Tibetan Vajrayāna traditions in which it found expression in a variety of literary forms—some of them familiar and others more in tune with the esoteric nature of tantra.
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<h2 class="mt-0 pt-0">Watch & Learn</h2>

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<h2>From the Tantras</h2>

In the ''Hevajra Tantra'', it states:
{{Blockquote|</em>सत्त्वा बुद्धा एव किं तु आगन्तुकमलावृताः<br>तस्यापकर्षनात् सत्त्वा बुद्धा एव न संशयः<br><br>།སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ནི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཉིད།<br>།འོན་ཀྱང་གློ་བུར་དྲི་མས་བསྒྲིབས།<br>།དེ་གསལ་ན་ནི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཉིད། <em><br><br>All beings are, themselves, buddhas.<br>However, this is obscured by adventitious stains.<br>When those are cleared away, buddhahood is actualized.|Adapted from [[Snellgrove, D. L.]] ''[[The Hevajra Tantra: A Critical Study]]''. Part 1, ''Introduction and Translation''. London: Oxford University Press, 1959, p. 107.
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In the ''Guhyagarbha Tantra'', it states:
{{Blockquote|</em>།ཨེ་མའོ་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་ལས།<br>རང་གི་རྣམ་རྟོག་ལས་ཀྱིས་སྤྲུལ།<em><br><br>Ema ho, from the sugatagarbha<br>one's own discursive thinking manifests due to karma.|Cited in [[Higgins, David]]. ''[[The Philosophical Foundations of Classical rDzogs chen in Tibet: Investigating the Distinction Between Dualistic Mind (sems) and Primordial Knowing (ye shes)]]''. Vienna: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien, Universität Wien, 2013, p. 180.
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In the ''Tantra of Great Self-Arisen Awareness'', it states:
{{Blockquote|</em>།ཡང་དག་སངས་རྒྱས་དགོངས་པ་ནི།<br>སེམས་ཅན་ཀུན་གྱི་རང་རྒྱུད་ལ།<br>།སྐུ་དང་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཚུལ་དུ་གནས།<em><br><br>The mind of the perfect buddhas<br>Dwells in the mind stream of sentient beings<br>In the manner of kayas and wisdoms.|From the Rig pa rang shar chen po'i rgyud, cited in [['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[http://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Terdzo-SO-002 Bla ma'i thugs sgrub rdo rje drag rtsal las zhal gdams lam rim ye shes snying po'i 'grel pa ye shes snang ba rab tu rgyas pa]''. In Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo pod drug bcu re bzhi pa (The Great Treasury of Rediscovered Teachings Volume 64) by 'Jam mgon kong sprul, p. 108. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2007–2016.<br>-Translation from [[Kunsang, Erik Pema]], trans. ''[[The Light of Wisdom]]''. Vol. 1. With the root text ''Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo'' by [[Padmasambhava]], the commentary ''The Light of Wisdom'' by [[Jamgön Kongtrül]] the First, and the notes ''Entering the Path of Wisdom'' by [[Jamyang Drakpa]]. Hong Kong: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1999, p. 74.
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<h2>From the Masters</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Candrakīrti}}

In his ''Illuminating Lamp'', a commentary on the ''Guhyasamāja Tantra'', Candrakīrti states:
{{Blockquote|</em>རྒྱལ་བ་ཀུན་གྱི་གནས་ནི་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་དེ།<br>དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཡིན་པའི་ཕྱིར་རོ། <em><br><br>The abode of the victorious ones is all sentient beings<br>Because they are of the essence of the tathagatas.|[[Candrakīrti]]. ''[[Pradīpoddyotana-nāma-ṭīkā]]'' (''sgron ma gsal bar byed pa zhes bya ba'i rgya cher bshad pa''). In bstan 'gyur (sde dge), Vol. 30, p. 133. New Delhi: delhi karmapae choedhey, gyalwae sungrab partun khang, 1982-1985. <br>~ Cited in [[Kunsang, Erik Pema]], trans. ''[[The Light of Wisdom]]''. Vol. 1. With the root text ''Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo'' by [[Padmasambhava]], the commentary ''The Light of Wisdom'' by [[Jamgön Kongtrül]] the First, and the notes ''Entering the Path of Wisdom'' by [[Jamyang Drakpa]]. Hong Kong: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1999, p. 31.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje}}

The Third Karmapa concludes his ''Treatise on Pointing Out the Tathāgata Heart'' with the following lines:
{{Blockquote|</em>།འགྲོ་ཀུན་སངས་རྒྱས་སྙིང་པོ་འདི།<br>།མཐར་ཕྱིན་མ་ནོར་ཤེས་པར་ཤོག<br>།སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་སྙིང་པོ་གཏན་ལ་དབབ་པ་རྡོ་རྗེ་ཐེག་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་རྫོགས་སོ།།<em><br><br>May all beings know this buddha heart<br>Perfectly and without error!<br>This completes the determination of the buddha heart,<br>The essence of the vajrayāna.|[[Rang byung rdo rje]], (Karmapa, 3rd). ''[[De bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po bstan pa'i bstan bcos]]''. In gsung 'bum rang byung rdo rje. Zi ling: mtshur phu mkhan po lo yag bkra shis, 2006, Vol. 7, p. 290.<br>~ Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]], trans. ''[[Luminous Heart: The Third Karmapa on Consciousness, Wisdom, and Buddha Nature]]''. Nitartha Institute Series. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2009, p. 360.
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In his ''Profound Inner Meaning'', he states:

{{Blockquote|</em>།སེམས་ཅན་ཁམས་ནི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི།<br>།སྙིང་པོ་དྲི་མེད་བདེན་གཉིས་ལྡན།<br>།འདི་ནི་ཡེ་ཤེས་རྡོ་རྗེ་རུ།<br>།ཀུན་རྫོབ་གཟུང་འཛིན་སྣང་བ་སྟེ།<br>།བདེན་པ་ཆུ་ཟླ་ལྟ་བུའོ་།<br>།དོན་དམ་སྟོང་ཉིད་བཅོ་བརྒྱད་དེ་།<br>།བདེན་པ་གཉིས་མེད་ཡེ་ཤེས་བརྗོད།<em><br><br>As for the [buddha] element in sentient beings, it is the stainless<br>buddha nature (sangs rgyas kyi snying po),<br>Endowed with the two truths.<br>This [is stated] in the Vajrajñāna[samuccayatantra]:<br>Apparent means to appear as a perceived and a perceiver.<br>[This] truth is like [a reflection of] the moon in water.<br>Ultimate refers to the eighteen [types of] emptiness.<br>[This] truth is called nondual wisdom.|[[Rang byung rdo rje]], (Karmapa, 3rd). ''[[Zab mo nang don]]''. In gsung 'bum rang byung rdo rje. Zi ling: mtshur phu mkhan po lo yag bkra shis, 2006, Vol. 7, p. 344.<br>~ Translation from [[Mathes, Klaus-Dieter]]. ''[[A Direct Path to the Buddha Within: Gö Lotsāwa's Mahāmudrā Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga]]''. Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008, p. 66.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Longchenpa}}

Longchenpa explains the difference between the causal and resultant vehicles in the following way:
{{Blockquote|</em>ཁམས་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་ས་བོན་དུ་ཡོད་པ་ཙམ་རྐྱེན་ཚོགས་གཉིས་ཀྱིས་ཡོན་ཏན་གོང་དུ་འཕེལ་བ་ལས་སངས་རྒྱས་ཐོབ་པར་འདོད་པས་རྒྱུ་འབྲས་སྔ་ཕྱིར་ཁས་ལེན་པའི་ཕྱིར་རྒྱུའི་ཐེག་པ་དང་། སྙིང་པོ་ཡོན་ཏན་བཅས་སེམས་ཅན་ལ་རང་ཆས་ལྷུན་གྲུབ་ཏུ་ཡོད་པ་སྦྱང་གཞི་ཉི་མ་འོད་ཟེར་ལྡན་པ་འདྲ་བ་ལ། སྦྱང་བྱ་ཚོགས་བརྒྱད་གློ་བུར་བའི་དྲི་མ་སྤྲིན་ལྟ་བུས་བསྒྲིབས་པ་ཉིད། སྦྱོང་བྱེད་སྨིན་གྲོལ་ལམ་གྱིས་སྦྱངས་པའི་འབྲས་བུ་གདོད་གནས་ཀྱི་རང་བཞིན་མངོན་དུ་གྱུར་པ་ལས་སྔ་ཕྱིར་བཟང་ངན་ཁྱད་པར་མེད་པར་འདོད་པས་འབྲས་བུའི་ཐེག་པ་ཞེས་བཏགས་པར་བཞེད་དེ།<em><br><br>The causal vehicles are so-called because of accepting a sequence of cause and effect, asserting that buddhahood is attained by increasing the qualities of the nature of the sugata essence, which is merely present as a seed, through the circumstance of the two accumulations. The resultant vehicles are so-called because of asserting that the basis for purification is the [sugata] essence endowed with qualities that are spontaneously present as a natural possession in sentient beings, just as the sun is endowed with rays of light; that the objects of purification are the temporary defilements of the eight collections, like the sky being [temporarily] obscured by clouds; and that one realizes the result of purification, the primordially present nature by means of that which purifies, the paths of ripening and liberation. Besides this, there is no difference in sequence or quality.|[[Klong chen rab 'byams]] cited in 'Jam mgon kong sprul. [http://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Terdzo-SO-002 Bla ma'i thugs sgrub rdo rje drag rtsal las zhal gdams lam rim ye shes snying po'i 'grel pa ye shes snang ba rab tu rgyas pa]. In Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo pod drug bcu re bzhi pa (The Great Treasury of Rediscovered Teachings Volume 64) by 'Jam mgon kong sprul, 172–173. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2007–2016.<br>-Translation from [[Kunsang, Erik Pema]], trans. ''[[The Light of Wisdom]]''. Vol. 1. With the root text ''Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo'' by [[Padmasambhava]], the commentary ''The Light of Wisdom'' by [[Jamgön Kongtrül]] the First, and the notes ''Entering the Path of Wisdom'' by [[Jamyang Drakpa]]. Hong Kong: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1999, pp. 152–53.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Tsele Natsok Rangdrol}}

On the correlation of various terms, Tsele Natsok Rangdrol states:
{{Blockquote|</em>།རང་བྱུང་རང་ཤར་རང་རིག་ཆོས་ཉིད་དོན། །འདི་ལ་མིང་གི་རྣམ་གྲངས་སྣ་ཚོགས་ཏེ། །ཕར་ཕྱིན་ཐེག་པར་ཆོས་ཉིད་བདེན་པ་ཟེར། །སྔགས་ཀྱི་ཐེག་པ་རང་བཞིན་འོད་གསལ་ཟེར། །སེམས་ཅན་དུས་ན་བདེར་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོའི་ཁམས། །ལམ་གྱི་སྐབས་སུ་ལྟ་སྒོམ་ལ་སོགས་མིང། །འབྲས་བུའི་དུས་ན་སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་སྐུ་ཟེར། །དེ་སོགས་མིནད་དང་དབྱེ་བ་དུ་མ་ཡང་། །དོན་ལ་ད་ལྟའི་ཐ་མལ་ཤེས་པ་འདིའོ།<em><br><br>This self-existing and self-manifest natural awareness, your basic state,<br>Has a variety of names:<br>In the Prajnaparamita vehicle it is called innate truth.<br>The vehicle of Mantra calls it natural luminosity.<br>While a sentient being it is named sugata-garbha.<br>During the path it is given names which describe the view, meditation, and so forth.<br>And at the point of fruition it is named the dharmakaya of buddhahood.<br>All the different names and classifications<br>Are nothing other than this present ordinary mind.|[[Rtse le sna tshogs rang grol]]. ''[[Nges don gyi lta sgom nyams su len tshul ji lta bar ston pa rdo rje'i mdo 'dzin]]''. In Rtse le sna tshogs rang grol gyi gsung gdams zab phyogs bsgrigs. Kathmandu: Khenpo Shedup Tenzin and Lama Thinley Namgyal, 2007, pp.13–14.<br>~ Translation from [[Kunsang, Erik Pema]], trans. ''[[The Heart of the Matter]]''. By [[Tsele Natsok Rangdröl]] (rtse le sna tshogs rang grol). Edited by [[Marcia Binder Schmidt]] and [[Michael Tweed]]. Buddhist Classics. Hong Kong: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1996, pp. 30–31.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Terdak Lingpa Gyurme Dorje}}

In his stages of the path (''lam rim'') work on the preliminaries (''sngon 'gro''), ''The Jewel Ladder'', Terdak Lingpa Gyurme Dorje states:
{{Blockquote|</em>།མདོར་ན་སེམས་ཅན་གྱི་སེམས་ཀྱི་རང་བཞིན་འོད་གསལ་བ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ཅན་ཡིན་ཡང་། གློ་བུར་གྱི་དྲི་མས་ཚུལ་བཞིན་མ་ཡིན་པ་ཡིད་བྱེད་ཀྱི་རྣམ་པར་རྟོག་པས་ཉོན་མོངས་པར་འགྱུར་ཞིང་། དེས་ཀུན་ནས་བསླངས་པའི་ཟག་པ་དང་བཅས་པའི་ལས་ལ་སྤྱད་པས་འཁོར་བའི་ཕུང་ཁམས་སྐྱེ་མཆེད་རྣམས་གྲུབ་པ་སྟེ།<em><br><br>In short, no doubt that the luminous nature of the mind of sentient beings has the essences of the Tathagatas; nevertheless, it is deluded by the force of adventitious stains entailing improper modes of thinking and extraneous thoughts. Motivated by these, sentient beings exercise contaminated actions, and thereby aggregates, elements, and sources of perception within cyclic existence are produced.|[[Gter bdag gling pa 'gyur med rdo rje]]. ''[http://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Terdzo-THI-014 Thun mong gi sngon 'gro'i chos bshad rin chen them skas]''. In Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo pod bzhi bcu pa (The Great Treasury of Rediscovered Teachings Volume 40) by [['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2007–2016, pp. 328–29.<br>~Translation from [[Rigzin, Tsepak]], trans. and ed. ''[[The Jewel Ladder: A Preliminary Nyingma Lamrim]]''. By [[Minling Terchen Gyurmed Dorjee]] (smin gling gter chen 'gyur med rdo rje). Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1990, p. 42.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Chöying Topden Dorje}}

In regards to the tantric commitments and the fourteen fundamental downfalls associated with their transgression, Chöying Topden Dorje explains the ninth as:
{{Blockquote|</em>།དགུ་པ་ནི། གཞི་ལམ་འབྲས་བུའི་ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅས་རང་བཞིན་གྱིས་རྣམ་པར་དག་པར་དབྱེར་མི་ཕྱེད་པའི་ཟུང་འཇུག་འོད་གསལ་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་གདོད་མའི་གནས་ལུགས་སུ་བཞུགས་པར་བཤད་པ་ནི་ལམ་ལ་དཀྲི་བའི་ཆེད་དུ་སྤྲོ་བ་བསྐྱེད་པ་ཙམ་ལས་དོན་ལ་དེ་ལྟར་མ་ཡིན་སྙམ་དུ་ཐེ་ཚོམ་ཟ་བས་ཡིད་མ་ཆེས་ཏེ་མ་དད་པའོ།<em><br><br>The ninth fundamental downfall concerns the statement that all things that comprise the ground of our being, the spiritual path, and its result dwell in indivisible integral union within natural purity, luminous awakened mind, the core of joyful buddhas (buddha nature)—our original abiding nature. You incur this downfall when you entertain doubt toward this, and lose trust and faith in it, with the thought that such statements are said merely to forge a connection between a being and the spiritual path, to foster their interest, without it being in fact the case.|[[Chos dbyings stobs ldan rdo rje]]. ''[[Mdo rgyud rin po che'i mdzod]]'', Vol. 3, p. 51. Khreng tu'u: Si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2000.<br>~ Translation from [[Zangpo, Ngawang]] (Hugh Leslie Thompson) trans. ''[[The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Book 14: An Overview of Buddhist Tantra]]''. By [[Chöying Tobden Dorje]] (chos dbyings stobs ldan rdo rje). Boulder, CO: Snow Lion Publications, 2017, p. 127.
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In regards to the meaning of tantra (''rgyud'') as referencing the three continua of ground, path, and fruition, Chöying Topden Dorje explains the first of these, the ground, as:

{{Blockquote|</em>།དང་པོ་གཞིའི་རྒྱུད་ནི། གཞི་འཆིང་གྲོལ་མེད་པའི་གནས་ལུགས་རང་རེག་པ་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་བདེན་པ་དབྱེར་མེད་སྤྱོད་ཡུལ་དང་བར་ཡེ་ནས་གནས་པ་ཁང་ཡིན་པ་སྟེ། ཁམས་བདེ་བར་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་དང་། རང་བཞིན་གྱིས་གནས་པའི་རིགས་དང་། ཀུན་གཞིའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་དང་། དྲི་བཅས་དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ཐ་སྙད་ཁང་ལ་འཇུག་པའི་གཞིའོ། དེ་ཉིད་སེམས་ཅན་ནས་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་བར་དུ་རང་བཞིན་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པར་རྒྱུན་ཆགས་སུ་འཇུག་པས་ན་རྒྱུད་དོ།<em><br><br>First, as for the continuum of the ground, the ground is the abiding nature free from bondage and liberation, the intrinsic awareness, enlightened mind and inseparable truth which abides primordially, beyond the perceptual range of the senses. This is the very ground implied in the [equivalent] terms “seed of buddha nature” (khams bde bar gshegs pa), “seed that naturally abides” (rang bzhin gyis gnas pa'i rigs), “pristine cognition of the substratum” (kun gzhi'i ye shes), “actual truth shrouded in impurity” (dri bcas de bzhin nyid), and so forth. It is said to form a continuum (rgyud) because its natural expression streams unchanging, from the [unenlightened] state of sentient beings as far as the [enlightened] state of buddhahood.|[[Chos dbyings stobs ldan rdo rje]]. ''[[Mdo rgyud rin po che'i mdzod]]'', Vol. 3, p. 121. Khreng tu'u: Si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2000.<br>~ Translation from [[Dorje, Gyurme]], trans. ''[[The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, Books 15 to 17: The Essential Tantras of Mahayoga]]''. Vol. 1. By [[Chöying Tobden Dorje]] (chos dbyings stobs ldan rdo rje). Boulder, CO: Snow Lion Publications, 2016, p. 20.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo}}

In his treasure revelation the ''Heart Essence of the Siddha'', the verse for confession states:
{{Blockquote|</em>ཨ༔ གདོད་ནས་མ་སྐྱེས་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུ༔<br>ཡོངས་གྲུབ་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་ལ༔<br>གཟུང་འཛིན་འཁྲུལ་པས་བཅིངས་པའི་སྒྲིབ༔<br>བློ་བྲལ་གཉུག་མའི་ངང་དུ་བཤགས༔ ས་མ་ཡ་ཨ་ཨ་ཨ༔<em><br><br>Ah! The primordially unborn dharmakāya,<br>in which the sugatabarbha is fully present,<br>in that innate state that is free of conceptuality, I confess,<br>The restraining obscurations caused by my errant grasping and fixation. Samaya Ah Ah Ah!|[['Jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po]]. ''[http://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Terdzo-DA-054 Grub thob chen po'i thug tig las phrin las ye shes snying po]''. In Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo pod bcu gcig pa (The Great Treasury of Rediscovered Teachings Volume 11) by [['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2007–2018, p. 909.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Chogyur Lingpa}}

In terms of generating bodhicitta in the guru practice of his treasure revelation [called] the ''Three Sections of the Great Perfection'', the verse states:

{{Blockquote|</em>ཨེ་མ་ཧོ་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་ལས༔<br>འགྲོ་བ་མ་རིག་འཁྲུལ་པ་རྣམས༔<br>འོད་གསལ་ཆེན་པོར་བསྒྲལ་བའི་ཕྱིར༔<br>གཉིས་སུ་མེད་པར་སེམས་བསྐྱེད་དོ༔<em><br><br>Ema ho! Unbeknownst wandering beings have strayed<br>Away from the sugatagarbha.<br>In order to liberate them in great illumination,<br>I will generate the awakened mind in which they are indivisible<br>    [from that luminosity].|[['Jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po]], ed. ''[http://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Terdzo-AA-024 Dam chos rdzogs pa chen po sde gsum las phyi skor bla ma'i bskyed rim dang byang bu khrigs su bsdebs pa]''. In Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo pod drug bcu re gnyis pa (The Great Treasury of Rediscovered Teachings Volume 62) by [['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2007–2018, p. 98.
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In his treasure revelation the ''Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo'', it states:

{{Blockquote|</em>ཤེས་བྱའི་གཞི་ནི་ཀུན་ཁྱབ་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང༔<br>འདུས་མ་བྱས་པ་གསལ་སྟོང་རིག་པའི་བབས༔<br>འཁྲུལ་གྲོལ་ལས་འདས་མཁའ་ལྟར་རབ་ཏུ་ཞི༔<br>འཁོར་འདས་དབྱེ་བསྲི་མེད་པར་གནས་གྱུར་ཀྱང༔<em><br><br>The ground to be understood is the all-pervasive sugata essence<br>Uncompunded, luminous, and empty, it is the natural state of awareness.<br>Beyond confusion and liberation, it is completely quiescent, like space.<br>Although it abides without separation in samsara or joining in nirvana...|[[Mchog gyur gling pa]]. ''[http://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Terdzo-SO-001 Bla ma'i thugs sgrub rdo rje drag rtsal las zhal gdams lam rim ye shes snying po]''. In Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo pod drug bcu re bzhi pa (The Great Treasury of Rediscovered Teachings Volume 64) by 'Jam mgon kong sprul, p.9. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2007–2016.<br>~ Translation from [[Kunsang, Erik Pema]], trans. ''[[The Light of Wisdom]]''. Vol. 1. With the root text ''Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo'' by [[Padmasambhava]], the commentary ''The Light of Wisdom'' by [[Jamgön Kongtrül]] the First, and the notes ''Entering the Path of Wisdom'' by [[Jamyang Drakpa]]. Hong Kong: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1999, p. 9.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In his commentary to the ''Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo'', Jamgön Kongtrul states:

{{Blockquote|</em>ཤེས་བྱ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་གཞིར་གྱུར་པ་ནི་སྣོད་བཅུད་ཀྱི་དངོས་པོ་ལ་ནམ་མཁས་ཁྱབ་པ་བཞིན་དུ་འཁོར་འདས་ཀུན་ལ་ཁྱབ་པའི་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཁྱད་པར་ལྔ་ལྡན་དུ་བཞུགས་པ་ཡིན་ཏེ། ངོ་བོ་འདུས་མ་བྱས་པ། བཞུགས་ཚུལ་གསལ་སྟོང་རིག་པའི་རང་བབས། དང་པོར་འཁྲུལ་མ་མྱོང་ཞིང་མཐར་གྲོལ་བ་ལས་འདས་པ། ནམ་མཁའ་ལྟར་སྐྱེ་འགག་སོགས་སྤྲོས་པའི་མཚན་མ་མེད་པས་རབ་ཏུ་ཞི་བ། འཁོར་བ་དང་མྱང་འདས་གཉིས་ལ་སྐྱོན་རྟོག་གིས་དབྱེ་ཞིང་རིང་བ་དང་། ཡོན་ཏན་དུ་ཤེས་པས་བསྲི་བ་སྟེ་ཉེ་བར་གྱུར་པ་གང་ཡང་མེད་པར་བཞུགས་ཤིང་གནས་པར་གྱུར་ཏོ།<em><br><br>The ground of all knowable things is called sugata essence, and it pervades all of samsara and nirvana just as space pervades all worlds and beings. It is endowed with these five special qualities: its essence is uncompounded; its mode of being is the empty and luminous natural state of awareness; at the beginning, it knows no confusion and at the end it is beyond liberation; it is totally quiescent like the sky, being devoid of the marks of mental constructs, such as arising, ceasing, and so forth; it abides utterly devoid of separating, growing distant by conceiving faults in samsara, or joining, drawing close by perceiving qualities in nirvana.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[http://rtz.tsadra.org/index.php/Terdzo-SO-002 Bla ma'i thugs sgrub rdo rje drag rtsal las zhal gdams lam rim ye shes snying po'i 'grel pa ye shes snang ba rab tu rgyas pa]''. In Rin chen gter mdzod chen mo pod drug bcu re bzhi pa (The Great Treasury of Rediscovered Teachings Volume 64) by 'Jam mgon kong sprul, 104-105. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 2007–2016.<br>~ Translation from [[Kunsang, Erik Pema]], trans. ''[[The Light of Wisdom]]''. Vol. 1. With the root text ''Lamrim Yeshe Nyingpo'' by [[Padmasambhava]], the commentary ''The Light of Wisdom'' by [[Jamgön Kongtrül]] the First, and the notes ''Entering the Path of Wisdom'' by [[Jamyang Drakpa]]. Hong Kong: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1999, p. 69.
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In his ''Guiding Instructions on the View of Great Shentong Madhyamaka—Light Rays of the Stainless Vajra Moon'', Jamgön Kongtrul states:

{{Blockquote|</em>།ཕྱི་འཇིག་རྟེན་སྣོད་བཅུད་སྲིད་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་རྣམ་པར་ཤར་བ་འདི་དག་བཞིན་གྱི་བྱད་མེ་ལོང་ལ་འཕོས་པ་བཞིན་དུ་ནང་རྩ་རླུང་ཐིག་ལེའི་ཆོ་འཕྲུལ་དུ་ཤར་བ་ཡིན་ཞིང་དེ་གསུམ་ཡང་གཞན་མཆོག་དཀྱིལ་འཁོར་གྱི་འཁོར་ལོ་རྟེན་དང་བརྟེན་པར་བཅས་པའི་རྣམ་པར་བཞུགས་ལ། དེ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱང་། དེ་ཁོ་ན་ཉིད་བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོའ་རང་འོད་རང་མདངས་ཆོས་ཀྱི་སྐུ་ཉིད་རྣམ་པ་ཐམས་ཅད་པར་ཤར་བ་མཆོག་ཏུ་མི་འགྱུར་བའི་ཡེ་ཤེས། །དོན་དམ་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབྱིངས་བདེ་སྟོང་ཟུང་འཇུག་རང་བཞིན་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ལ་རྒྱུན་མི་ཆད་པས་རྒྱུད་ཀྱི་དོན་དུ་གསུངས་ཤིང་། དེའང་གཞིའི་གནས་སྐབས་དྲི་བཅས་དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་ལ་རྒྱུའི་རྒྱུད་དང་། ལམ་དུས་ཆོས་ཉིད་དོན་ནི་རིམ་པར་སྣང་བ་ལ་ལམ་ཐབས་ཀྱི་རྒྱུད་དང་། དག་པ་གཉིས་ལྡན་མངོན་དུ་འགྱུར་བ་ན་ཤིན་ཏུ་རྣམ་དག་འབྲས་བུའི་རྒྱུད་ཅེས་བྱ་སྟེ། ལྟ་བ་ཐུན་མོང་མ་ཡིན་པ་དེ་ཉིད་ཀུན་རྫོབ་ཀྱི་སྟོང་ཚུལ་ལ་མཆོག་ཏུ་འཛིན་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་ཕྱོགས་ཙམ་མི་མཐོང་བ་ལྟ་ཅི་སྨོས། གོང་སྨོས་མདོ་ལུགས་རང་རྐང་གི་ལམ་དེས་ཀྱང་ཡུན་རིང་པོར་འགོར་བ་ཡིན་པས། དབང་དང་དམ་ཚིག་གིས་ཁྱད་པར་དུ་བྱས་པའི་སྔགས་ཀྱི་ལམ་མཐའ་དག་ལས་ཁྱད་པར་དུ་འཕགས་པ་རྡོ་རྗེའི་རྣལ་འབྱོར་ཡན་ལག་དྲུག་ལ་མཉམ་པར་བཞག་པ་ན་དུས་ཐུང་ངུར་ཚེགས་ཆུང་ངུས་བདེ་བླག་ཏུ་རྟོགས་པར་འགྱུར་བ་ཡིན་ནོ།<br><br><em>These appearances of the three existences (the container that is the outer world and the [inner] content [of sentient beings]), just as a face’s being transferred [as a reflection] into a mirror, appear as the magical display of inner nāḍīs, vāyus, and tilakas, and these three abide as the aspects of "the other"—the circle of the supreme maṇḍala with its support and supported. All of these are true reality’s—the sugata heart’s—own light and own radiance, the dharmakāya itself appearing as all aspects, and utterly changeless wisdom. This ultimate dharmadhātu, the union of bliss and emptiness, is unchanging in nature yet uninterrupted. Therefore, it is taught as having the meaning of "tantra." Being the stained suchness during the phase of the ground, it is [called] "the causal tantra." Since this actuality of the nature of phenomena appears gradually during the time of the path, it is [also called] "the path [or] method tantra." When it has manifested as being endowed with twofold purity, it is called "the tantra of the completely pure fruition." Let alone that those who cling to the manner of the seeming’s being empty as being supreme do not even see a fraction of this uncommon view, it takes a long time [to realize this view] even through the above-mentioned path of the sūtra system as it stands on its own feet. Therefore, when you rest in meditative equipoise in the six-branch vajra yoga that is more eminent than all [other] paths of mantra specified by empowerments and samayas, [this view] will be realized conveniently in a short time and with little hardships.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Gzhan stong dbu ma chen po'i lta khrid rdo rje zla ba dri ma med pa'i 'od zer]]''. In 'Khor lo tha ma'i dgongs don gces btus. Kathmandu: Rigpe Dorje Publications, 2008, pp. 196–97.<br>~ Translation from [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 847.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|The 14th Dalai Lama}}

{{Blockquote|"Tantra" means "continuum," like a stream, of which there are three types: base, path, and fruit. The base tantra is the person who is practicing. According to the Secret Union Tantra (guhyasamāja), a Highest Yoga Tantra, there are five lineages of persons—white lotus, utpala, lotus, sandalwood, and jewel, the last being the supreme person. The base continuum is also the naturally abiding lineage, the element, the Buddha nature, the One-Gone-Thus essence. It is called the base because it is the basis of the activity of the path.|[[Hopkins, Jeffrey]], trans. and ed. ''[[The Great Exposition of Secret Mantra]]''. Vol. 1, ''Tantra in Tibet''. By [[Tsongkhapa]] (tsong kha pa). With a commentary by the [[People/Dalai_Lama,_14th|Dalai Lama]]. 1st revised edition. Boulder, CO: Snow Lion, 2016, p. 39.
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{{Blockquote|Highest yoga tantra points to buddha nature in a unique way: it is the subtlest mind-wind that is empty of inherent existence and whose continuity goes on to awakening. All sentient beings have this subtlest mind-wind. In ordinary beings, it becomes manifest only at the time of the clear light of death and goes unnoticed. While the subtlest mind-wind is neutral in the case of ordinary beings, through special yogic practices it can be brought into the path and transformed into a virtuous state, a yogic state. Sentient beings' subtlest mind serves as the substantial cause for the wisdom dharmakāya—the omniscient mind of a buddha—and the true cessation and emptiness of a buddha's mind is the nature dharmakāya. The subtlest wind that is its mount is the substantial cause for the form bodies of a buddha—the enjoyment and emanation bodies. The ''Hevajra Tantra'' says:
{{QuoteIndent|Sentient beings are just buddhas,
but they are defiled by adventitious stains.
When these are removed, they are buddhas.}}

The first line indicates that sentient beings have the substantial cause for buddhahood, the subtlest mind-wind. It does not mean that sentient beings are buddhas, because someone cannot be both a sentient being and a buddha simultaneously. Through the practice of special techniques in highest yoga tantra, the continuum of this subtlest mind-wind can be purified and transformed into the three bodies of a buddha.|[[Dalai Lama, 14th]], and [[Thubten Chodron]]. ''[[Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature]]''. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018, p. 301.
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<h2>Further Readings</h2>

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: Creation and Completion (2002)
|cover=File:CreationAndCompletion-Front.jpg
|coverLink=Creation and Completion (2002)
|text=In the creation stage, practitioners visualize themselves in the form of buddhas and other enlightened beings in order to break down their ordinary concepts of themselves and the world around them. This meditation practice prepares the mind for engaging in the completion stage, where one has a direct encounter with the ultimate nature of mind and reality.
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|link=/index.php/Books/Creation_and_Completion_(2002)/Deity_Practice
|image=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/4/41/CreationCompletion.jpg
|text=Deity Practice
|label=continue reading
|label-right=<i class="ml-1 fal fa-arrow-up rotate45"></i>
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|source=[[Harding, Sarah]], trans. ''[[Creation and Completion: Essential Points of Tantric Meditation]]''. By [[Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha’ yas). With commentary by [[Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche]]. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2002. First published 1996 by Wisdom (Boston).
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: Ornament of Stainless Light
|cover=File:Ornament of Stainless Light-front.jpg
|coverLink=Ornament of Stainless Light
|text=The Kalacakra Tantra is a Buddhist tantra, which means that it reveals a method for the completion of the Mahayana path by following the principles of tantra in general and those of highest yoga tantra specifically. It is tantra because its methodology involves the utilization of the transformative power of the mind focused upon attainable forms of enlightenment to initiate an alchemical process of transmutation. Forms of physical and mental enlightenment are mentally imposed upon ordinary external and internal forms to such an extent that, through the power of faith, understanding, and concentration, these visualized enlightened forms are held to actually replace the ordinary phenomena that act as their bases. This practice, when fully developed in the yogi’s mind, is combined with the physiological manipulation of the vajra body that will eventually transform the mind, and all that is created by that mind, into the “real thing”—the enlightened mind and form of a buddha.
<div class="text-right zoom-90">
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|link=/index.php/Books/Ornament_of_Stainless_Light/Manifesting_the_mind_of_clear_light_by_the_power_of_meditative_concentration
|image=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/6/63/Norzang_Gyamtso.jpg
|text=Manifesting the mind of clear light by the power of meditative concentration
|label=continue reading
|label-right=<i class="ml-1 fal fa-arrow-up rotate45"></i>
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|source=[[Kilty, Gavin]], trans. ''[[Ornament of Stainless Light]]: An Exposition of the Kālacakra Tantra''. By [[Khedrup Norsang Gyatso]] (mkhas grub nor bzang rgya mtsho). Library of Tibetan Classics 14, edited by [[Thupten Jinpa]]. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2004.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages
|cover=File:A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages-front.jpg
|coverLink=A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages
|text=A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages is a profound exploration of tantric Buddhisms vision of human nature and its potential for full awakening. Framed within the notion of five stages as developed in a seminal tantric work of the Indian mystic Nāgārjuna, Lamp is the last major work of Tsongkhapa, one of the greatest masters of Tibetan Buddhism. Reading this important text, we encounter his authoritative voice, coming face to face with his profound personal experience borne of years of learning and meditative practice. Every now and then, especially when Tsongkhapa describes complex physiological and psychological states that arise from specific meditative practices, we feel these could become a reality even for someone like ourselves, if only we devoted sufficient time to the path.
|source=[[Kilty, Gavin]], trans. ''[[A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages: Teachings on Guhyasamāja Tantra]]''. By [[Tsongkhapa]] (tsong kha pa). Library of Tibetan Classics 15, edited by [[Thupten Jinpa]]. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2013.
}}
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</div>

Tenzin Palmo: Conversations on Buddha-Nature 09-25-2021

2023-01-31T16:13:01Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

{{EventPage
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|eventSeriesSubtitle=Regular live interviews with Buddhist practitioners, scholars, and thinkers.
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|description=Join world-renowned teacher, author, and activist Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo to delve into the ineffable nature and reflect on the universality of buddha-nature.

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo is a bhikṣuṇī in the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. She is an author, teacher and founder of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India. In addition to her role as Founding Director of Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery, Jetsunma is a former President of Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women, Founding Director of the Alliance of Non Himalayan Nuns, Honorary Advisor to the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, co-president of the International Buddhist Confederation [IBC], and Founding Member of the Committee for Bhiksuni Ordination.

To find out more about Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo’s life, read Vicki Mackenzie’s biography ''[https://www.amazon.com/Cave-Snow-Western-Womans-Enlightenment/dp/0747543895 Cave in the Snow]'', and see the "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQMLYJEX4wM Cave in the Snow]" movie directed by Liz Thompson and narrated by Rachel Ward.
|lowerDescription=This is a space for stimulating and inspiring conversations on Buddha-Nature and related subjects. As a part of the Buddha-Nature Project of the Tsadra Foundation, Karma Phuntsho will host conversations with a Buddhist leader, influencer or expert each month on the theories and practices of Buddha-Nature, which will be [https://www.facebook.com/buddhanatureresource live on Facebook]. As an exercise of mindful listening, right speech, and wholesome exploration of meaning and nature of life and existence, these conversations aim to enhance the understanding and awareness of Buddha-Nature and promote the ethos of innate goodness and positive perception.
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|content=Cave in the Snow traces JetsunmaTenzin Palmo's journey from her youth in London to her life as a Tibetan Buddhist nun and her 12 years in solitary retreat in a cave in the Himalayas. It also includes the early planning and founding of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery.
|link=https://shop.tenzinpalmo.com/collections/jetsunma-tenzin-palmo-teachings-collection-and-biography/products/cave-in-the-snow
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}}

Robert Thurman: Conversations on Buddha-Nature 11-28-2020

2023-01-31T16:12:57Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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|description=In this online interview, the second in a series titled "Conversations on Buddha-Nature," Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho discusses themes of freedom, spirituality, and buddha-nature with world-renowned Buddhist scholar, translator, writer, and activist Robert Thurman.
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|EventSeries=Conversations on Buddha-Nature
|date=November 28, 2020
|eventtime=10:00 am
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|youtubeid=tvX20nYFM1M
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|recommendedcontent=Books/The_Universal_Vehicle_Discourse_Literature
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|link=https://bobthurman.com/podcasts/
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}}

Recent Essays

2023-01-31T16:12:54Z

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|content=<div class="h1 border-bottom-rightfade mt-0"> Recent Essays </div> Most recent writing from the writer-in-digital-residence, Lopen Dr. [[Karma Phuntsho]].
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== Earlier Writings ==

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Resources/Study Materials

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<div class="h1 large"> Study Materials </div>

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|content=We would like to include study materials here. If you have a syllabus or lesson plans, please do feel free to share them with us by emailing research at tsadra dot org. Please give us feedback and send content our way!
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<h2 class="mt-0 pt-0"> [[Ask the writer-in-residence]] </h2>

[[Ask the writer-in-residence|If you have questions about Buddhist philosophy or history, please feel free to respectfully ask a question of Lopen Karma Phunthso in English or Tibetan on this page]].

== [[Recent Essays]] ==

[[Recent Essays|Read regular posts from the writer-in-digital-residence, Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho]].

== Study Guides ==

[[English Visual Outline of Arya Maitreya's Mahāyāna Uttaratantra Śāstra and Its Commentary The Unassailable Lion's Roar by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodro Thaye]]
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| [[Media:UttaratantraShastra_English_Outline_Poster.pdf‎|Click Here to see the pdf]]
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|description=Khenpo Dawa Paljor taught on Mipham Rinpoche's commentary on the Uttaratantra Shastra: A word-by-word commentary on the Uttaratantra Shastra, (Wyl. theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos kyi mchan 'grel mi pham zhal lung) in 2009. The recordings contain the Tibetan teaching and its live English translation. This page also has the Tibetan text for each section of recording so you can follow along.
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Primary Sources

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<div class="h1 large">The Source Texts</div>__NOTOC__{{#addbodyclass:no-first-heading}}

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|content=<div class="bnw-heading-3 mt-0">A note about source texts</div>Source literature is divided into the two broad categories of sūtras and commentaries. While traditionally both entail a wide range of internal divisions and classifications, here the two can be simply understood to demarcate the difference between scriptures orated by the Buddha or his attendant bodhisattvas, and authored works which draw upon those discourses in order to elucidate a particular aspect of the Buddhist teachings. In terms of the former, these texts are traditionally referred to as “buddhavacana,’’ literally “the speech of the Buddha,’’ and are considered to represent actual sermons that were passed down orally until they were eventually set into writing. Commentaries refers to treatises composed to explicate the doctrine. They are recognized to have been written by historical people, although in many cases the authorship is shrouded in myth and mystery.
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<h2 class="mt-0 pt-0"> Sources for Buddha-Nature Teachings </h2>

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<div class="col-lg-8 maitreya-gradient pl-1 pt-2 pb-3">The seeds of buddha-nature teachings are sprinkled throughout the sutras and tantras of the Buddhist canon. A core group of scripture that initially taught buddha-nature known as the tathāgatagarbha sūtras date between the second and fourth centuries. These include the ''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra'', the ''Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra'', the ''Śrīmālādevīsūtra'' and several others. The famous ''Laṇkāvatārasūtra'' was also important for buddha-nature theory. In Tibetan Buddhism the late-Indian treatise ''Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra,'' or "Gyu Lama" as it is known in the Tibetan, serves as a major source for buddha-nature. In East Asia the ''Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna'' (大乗起信論) was the most influential treatise in spreading buddha-nature theory.
This page provides a listing of some of the key sources for buddha nature teachings found in the sutras, as well as the key texts found in Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan traditions, as well as influential commentaries from centuries of traditional scholarship on the subject.

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== The Titles of the Text ==
For more detail on the meanings of the terms in the title, [[The Meanings of the Titles Ratnagotravibhāga and Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra|see the excerpt from ''When the Clouds Part'' by Karl Brunnhölzl here]].

The title ''Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra''<ref>According to the Sanskrit grammatical rules associated with ''sandhi'', the word boundaries of the “a” of Mahāyāna and the “u” of Uttaratantra combine as “o.” The title could just as easily be rendered “''Mahāyāna Uttaratantra Śāstra''.”</ref> is attested in the surviving Sanskrit manuscripts. It roughly translates as “The Ultimate Teaching (''uttaratantra'')<ref>See [[Articles/Continuum_vs._Teachings|the more detailed discussion of the translation of this term]] here: [[Articles/Continuum_vs._Teachings|Continuum vs. Teachings: Discrepancies in the Translation of the Term Tantra (rgyud) in the Subtitle of the Ratnagotravibhāga]].</ref> of the Mahāyāna, A Treatise (''śāstra'') Analyzing (''vibhāga'') the Jewel (''ratna'') Disposition (''gotra'').” One surviving Sanskrit reference, Abhayākaragupta’s ''Munimatālaṃkāra'', gives the name as ''Mahāyānottara: [Treatise] on the Ultimate Mahāyāna [Doctrine]''.<ref>[[Kano, K.]] ''[[Buddha-Nature and Emptiness]]'', 27, note #41.</ref> Western scholars only became aware of Sanskrit versions in the 1930s (see below); prior to this, they knew the text only in Chinese or Tibetan translation, and this was complicated by the fact that both the Chinese and the Tibetan traditions divide the text into two. Where in India the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' was a single work comprised of root verses, explanatory verses, and prose commentary, the Chinese and Tibetan translators and commentators considered the root and explanatory verses to be one text and the complete text, including the prose commentary, to be a second. Thus not only do we have multiple names in multiple languages for the treatise, but multiple names in Chinese and Tibetan for its different parts....

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<h3 class="mt-0"><span class="noglossary"><div id="rgvTibToggle" class="link-no-border">Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra</div></span></h3>

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== The Texts ==

=== Sutras ===

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=== Commentaries ===

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==Further Reading==
*[[Books/When_the_Clouds_Part/The_Sūtra_Sources_of_the_%27%27Tathāgatagarbha%27%27_Teachings|Details on the Sutra Sources for the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' by Karl Brunnhölzl]]

*[[Articles/Tathāgatagarbha_Scriptures|Michael Radich on the Tathāgatagarbha Scriptures]]

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Participate/Study Groups

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<h1 class="large">Study Groups</h1>

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'''Study Groups''' are facilitated meeting groups that meet regularly online, or in person, or both. They are one of the ways to learn more about buddha-nature while connecting with others interested in similar topics, and often learning from specialists, authors, and dharma teachers about subjects that interest you. Learn more about the groups meeting around the world in the sections below.

*[[Participate/Study_Groups#Now_Reading:_Article_Study_Group_1:_Philosophy|Want to read a short article? Click here...]]
*[[Participate/Study_Groups#Now_Reading:_The_Uttaratantra_in_the_Land_of_Snows_by_Tsering_Wangchuk|Want to read a whole book? Click here...]]
*[[Participate/Study_Groups#Traditional_Study_of_the_Source_Texts|Want to study the source texts? Click here...]]

<span class="mont-font float-right" style="color:rgb(66,103,178); font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;"><i class="fab fa-facebook-square"></i> Connect</span>
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<h2 class="pt-0"> Article Study Group: Buddha-Nature </h2>
Discuss a long-read article with like-minded individuals and learn more about the philosophy of buddha-nature. The article study group will meet regularly online to discuss an article chosen by the group and facilitators at the end of the previous meeting.

==== Now Reading: Article Study Group 1: Philosophy ====

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'''Beginning January 7th, 2019''' - [[Join Mathes's Reading Group|Sign Up Here]]

'''''Abstract''''' <br>
Klaus-Dieter Mathes' article "The Eighth Karmapa Mi bskyod rdo rje (1507-1554) on the Relation between Buddha Nature and its Adventitious Stains" addresses the debate over whether buddha-nature is fundamentally different from saṃsāric existence. Mathes compares the Eighth Karmapa's positions to those of Go Lotsāwa and mainstream Jonang. Mathes argues that although the Eighth Karmapa's views changed over time, he consistently took the position that the stains are fundamentally separate from buddha-nature, and that buddha-nature is not primordially present but exists only in potentiality.

According to the Eighth Karmapa, Go Lotsāwa depicted buddha-nature and the adventitious stains as not separate, likening the two to the ocean and waves. This is the view that buddha-nature is present in the stains; even the pollution of saṃsāric existence is pervaded with buddha-nature. Metaphors from the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra that support this position include the lotus that grows in mud and the sprout of a seed. Dolpopa argued the opposite position, that buddha-nature and the stains are fundamentally separate, like a golden statue covered in excrement, another of the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra metaphors.

== Book Clubs ==

<h4 class="mb-5"> <noglossary>Now Reading: ''The Uttaratantra in the Land of Snows'' by Tsering Wangchuk</noglossary> </h4>

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<div class="my-3">'''Beginning January 7th, 2019''' - [[Join Wangchuk's Reading Group|Sign Up Here]]</div>

<div class="my-3">Join a small group of knowledgeable readers for weekly online meetings to discuss Tsering Wangchuk's [[The Uttaratantra in the Land of Snows]].</div>

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<div class="pr-4 pb-4 pt-3" style="padding-left: 148px !important;">'''Meet the author!'''<br>Dr. Tsering Wangchuk will join us for one session during the reading and talk about his book and take questions from the group. ''Click for more info.''</div>
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<div class="text-center my-3">[[Wangchuk Reading Group 2019-01-07|Overview]] · [[Join Wangchuk's Reading Group|How to Join]]</div>

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==== <noglossary>Lisez le commentaire de Kongtrul sur l’Uttaratantra avec Christian Charrier</noglossary> ====

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<big>'''''L’Inattaquable Rugissement du Lion'''''</big>

Lire avec le traducteur principal Christian Charrier pour des réunions hebdomadaires pour discuter du commentaire de Jamgon Kongtrul sur l'Uttaratantrashastra.

(Read with master translator Christian Charrier for weekly meetings to discuss Jamgon Kongtrul's commentary on the Uttaratantrashastra.)

== Traditional Study of the Source Texts ==

=== Study the Ratnagotravibhāga ===

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*[[Three_Trainings/Study|Links to Three Trainings: Study section]]
**Lama Tenpa in Boulder in 2019
**Karmapa?
**Others?

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Other-Emptiness and the Great Middle Way

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|description=The philosophical concept of other-emptiness (''zhentong'') has long since been a lightning rod for controversy on the Tibetan plateau. Some of its most ardent supporters have had their works banned, yet it not only endured, but gained the support of prominent adherents of almost every one of the major Tibetan schools. Its roots are intertwined with the concept of buddha-nature, though in particular it was via the so-called meditative tradition of exegesis of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' associated with [[Tsen Khawoche]] that zhentong's origins are traced. So much so that the label ''zhentongpa'' has been retroactively applied to various figures in this lineage that actually predate its usage—individuals that may have never heard the term, let alone utilized it in their own compositions...
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<h2 class="mt-0 pt-0">Watch & Learn</h2>

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<h2>Traditional Sources</h2>

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Verse I.155 of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra'' states:
{{Blockquote|</em>།རྣམ་དབྱེར་བཅས་པའི་མཚན་ཉིད་ཅན།<br>།གློ་བུར་དག་གིས་ཁམས་སྟོང་གི།<br>།རྣམ་དབྱེར་མེད་པའི་མཚན་ཉིད་ཅན།<br>།བླ་མེད་ཆོས་ཀྱིས་སྟོང་མ་ཡིན།<em><br><br>The basic element is empty of what is adventitious,<br>Which has the characteristic of being separable.<br>It is not empty of the unsurpassable attributes,<br>Which have the characteristic of being inseparable.|[[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 411.
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In the commentary to verse I.155, it states:

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|</em>།འདིས་ཅི་བསྟན་ཞེ་ན། གང་གི་ཕྱིར་རང་བཞིན་གྱིས་ཡོངས་སུ་དག་པ་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་ཁམས་འདི་ལས་བསལ་བར་བྱ་བ་ཀུན་ནས་ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་རྒྱུ་མཚན་ནི་འགའ་ཡང་མེད་ལ། གློ་བུར་བའི་དྲི་མ་དང་བྲལ་བ་ནི་འདིའི་རང་བཞིན་ཡིན་པའི་ཕྱིར་རོ། །འདི་ལ་རྣམ་པར་བྱང་བའི་རྒྱུ་མཚན་ཅན་གཞག་པར་བྱ་བ་ཡང་ཅུང་ཟད་ཀྱང་ཡོད་པ་མ་ཡིན་ཏེ། རྣམ་པར་དབྱེ་བ་མེད་པའི་ཆོས་དག་པའི་ཆོས་ཉིད་ནི་རང་བཞིན་ཡིན་པའི་ཕྱིར་རོ། །དེས་ན་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ནི། རྣམ་པར་དབྱེ་བ་ཡོད་པ། བྲལ་ཤེས་པ། ཉོན་མོངས་པའི་སྦུབས་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱིས་ནི་སྟོང་པ་ཡིན་ལ། རྣམ་པར་དབྱེ་བ་མེད་པ། བྲལ་མི་ཤེས་པ། བསམ་གྱིས་མི་ཁྱབ་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་གང་གཱའི་ཀླུང་གི་བྱེ་མ་ལས་འདས་པ་ནི་མི་སྟོང་ངོ་ཞེས་གསུངས་སོ། །དེ་ལྟར་ན་གང་ཞིག་གང་ན་མེད་པ་དེ་ནི་དེས་སྟོང་ངོ་ཞེས་ཡང་དག་པར་རྗེས་སུ་མཐོང་ལ། གང་ཞིག་ལྷག་པར་གྱུར་པ་དེ་ནི་དེ་ལ་རྟག་པར་ཡོད་དོ་ཞེས་ཡང་དག་པ་ཇི་ལྟ་བ་བཞིན་དུ་ཤེས་སོ། །ཚིགས་སུ་བཅད་པ་འདི་གཉིས་ཀྱིས་ནི་སྒྲོ་འདོགས་པ་དང་སྐུར་པ་འདེབས་པའི་མཐའ་དང་བྲལ་བའི་ཕྱིར། ཕྱིན་ཅི་མ་ལོག་པ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་མཚན་ཉིད་བསྟན་ཏོ། །དེ་ལ་གང་ཞིག་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ཚུལ་འདི་ལས་སེམས་ཕྱི་རོལ་ཏུ་རྣམ་པར་གཡེང་ཞིང་རྣམ་པར་འཕྲོ་ལ་མཉམ་པར་མི་འཇོག་ཅིང་རྩེ་གཅིག་ཏུ་མི་འགྱུར་བ་དེས་ན་དེ་དག་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ལས་སེམས་རྣམ་པར་གཡེངས་པ་ཞེས་བརྗོད་དོ། །དེ་ལ་དོན་དམ་པ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ཡེ་ཤེས་མེད་པར་ནི་རྣམ་པར་རྟོག་པ་མེད་པའི་དག་པའི་དབྱིངས་རྟོགས་ཤིང་མངོན་པར་འདུ་བྱ་བར་མི་ནུས་སོ།

<em>What is taught by this? There is no characteristic of afflicted phenomena '''to be removed from the basic element''' of the tathāgatas that is completely pure by nature because it has the nature of being the emptiness of adventitious stains. '''Nor is the slightest''' characteristic of purified phenomena '''to be added''' to it because it has the nature of '''inseparable''' pure attributes. Therefore, [the Śrīmālādevīsūtra] says:</em>
{{QuoteIndent|<em>The tathāgata heart is empty of all cocoons of afflictions that are separable [from it] and [can] be realized as being divisible [from it]. It is not empty of the inconceivable buddha attributes that are inseparable [from it], [can]not be realized as being divisible [from it], and far surpass the sand grains in the river Gaṅgā [in number].</em>}}

<em>Thus, one clearly sees that when something does not exist somewhere, the [latter] is empty of the [former]. In accordance with actual reality, one understands that what remains there exists as a real existent. These two verses elucidate the unmistaken defining characteristic of emptiness [in the case of the tathāgata heart] since it [thus] is free from the extremes of superimposition and denial.</em>

<em>Here, those whose minds are distracted from, and stray outside of, this principle of the meaning of emptiness, do not cultivate it in samādhi, and are not one-pointed [with regard to it] are therefore called "those whose minds are distracted from emptiness." Without being introduced to the wisdom of ultimate emptiness, one is not able to realize and directly perceive the nonconceptual basic element''.

|[[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 411.
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<h2>Kadam</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Tsen Khawoche}}

In a brief work entitled ''Instructions on the View of Other-Emptiness'', which is preserved among the ''108 Profound Instructions of the Jonang'', Tsen Khawoche describes the three natures thusly:
{{Blockquote|</em>དེས་ན་ཀུན་བརྟག་རང་གི་ངོ་བོས་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་རི་བོང་གི་རྭ་ལྟ་བུ། གཞན་དབང་ཀུན་བརྟགས་ཀྱིས་སྟོང་པས་སྒྱུ་མ་ལྟ་བུ། ཡོངས་གྲུབ་ཀུན་བརྟག་གཞན་དབང་གཉིས་ཀར་གྱིས་སྟོང་པས་ནམ་མཁའ་ལྟ་བུ། ཀུན་བརྟག་གཞན་དབང་གི་ཐ་སྙད་ཀུན་རྫོབ་ཏུ་ཡོད་ཀྱི་དོན་དམ་དུ་མེད་ལ། ཆོས་ཉིད་ཡོངས་གྲུབ་ནི་དོན་དམ་དུ་ཡོད་ཀྱི། ཆོས་ཅན་ཀུན་རྫོབ་དང་ངོ་བོ་གཅིག་ཐ་དད་གང་ཡང་མ་ཡིན་པ་མཐའ་ཐམས་ཅད་དང་བྲལ་བའི་དབུ་མ་ཆེན་པོའོ།<em><br><br>In this way, the imaginary nature is devoid of an intrinsic essence, like a hare's horns. The relational nature is devoid of the imaginary nature, like an illusion. The perfected nature is devoid of both the imaginary nature and the relational nature, like space. Distinctions between the imaginary and the relational are relative, not absolute. The perfected actuality of phenomena is absolute. This is the Great Middle Way, free from extremes without being in any way either identical or different in essence from the phenomenal quality of relative reality.|[[Btsan kha bo che]]. ''[[Gzhan stong lta khrid]]''. In Zab khrid brgya dang brgyad kyi yi ge. Edited by [[Kun dga' grol mchog]]. Gdams ngag mdzod. New Delhi: Shechen Publications, 1999: Vol. 18, p. 171.<br>~ Translation from [[Tsen Kawoche]]. [https://jonangfoundation.org/sites/default/files/translation-elucidatingzhentong.pdf "Elucidating the Zhentong View: A Condensation of the Threefold Nature of Reality."] Translated by [[Michael R. Sheehy]]. [https://jonangfoundation.org/works Jonang Foundation’s Digital Library], n.d.
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<h2>Jonang</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen}}

As a basic definition, Dölpopa states:
{{Blockquote|</em>དེ་ལ་ཀུན་རྫོབ་གློ་བུར་བའི་དངོས་པོ་རྣམས་ནི་གནས་ལུགས་ལ་གཏན་ནས་མེད་པའི་ཕྱིར་རང་གི་ངོ་བོས་སྟོང་སྟེ་དེ་ནི་རང་སྟོང་ངོ་། ཀུན་རྫོབ་དེ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་སྟོང་པའི་དོན་དམ་སྟོང་པའི་དོན་དམ་གཉུག་མ་ནི་ནམ་ལང་མེད་པ་མ་ཡིན་པའི་ཕྱིར་གཞན་སྟོང་ངོ་།<em><br><br>Since adventitious, relative entities do not exist at all in reality, they are empty of their own essences; they are self-empty. The innate ultimate, which is the ultimate emptiness of these relative things, is never non-existent; therefore, it is other-empty.|[[Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan]]. ''Dpon byang ba'i phyag tu phul ba'i chos kyi shan 'byed''. In gsung 'bum shes rab rgyal mtshan ('Dzamthang ed., 1998), Vol. 6: 416.<br>~ Translation from [[Duckworth, Douglas S.]] "[[Onto-theology and Emptiness: The Nature of Buddha-Nature]]." ''Journal of the American Academy of Religion'' 82, no. 4, (2014): 1075.
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In his ''Fourth Council'', Dölpopa states:
{{Blockquote|</em>།གལ་ཏེ་དོན་དམ་རིག་པ་ཡིན་ན་ནི།<br>།འདུས་མ་བྱས་ཀྱི་རིག་པ་ཁུར་ནས་འོང༌།<br>།རྟག་ཅིང་བརྟན་པའི་རིག་པའང་ཁུར་ནས་འོང༌།<br>།ཐེར་ཟུག་གཡུང་དྲུང་རིག་པའང་ཁུར་ནས་འོང༌།<br>།བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་རིག་པའང་ཁུར་ནས་འོང༌།<br>།ཡོངས་གྲུབ་དགུ་ཡི་རིག་པའང་དེ་བཞིན་ནོ།<em><br><br>If the absolute is pure awareness, that entails unconditioned pure awareness.<br>It also entails permanent and stable pure awareness.<br>It also entails eternal and everlasting pure awareness.<br>It also entails the pure awareness of the sugata essence.<br>It also entails the pure awareness of the nine fully established natures.|[[Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan]]. ''[[Bka' bsdu bzhi pa'i don bstan rtsis chen po]]''. Paro, Bhutan: Lama Ngodrup and Sherab Drimay, 1984, p. 375.<br>~ Translation from [[Stearns, Cyrus]]. ''[[The Buddha From Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen]]''. Tsadra Foundation Series. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2010, p. 148.
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In his Fourth Council, Dölpopa states:
{{Blockquote|</em>བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོར་གསུངས་པའི་ཀུན་གཞི་དང༌། །ཟག་མེད་དགེ་བར་གསུངས་པའི་ཀུན་གཞི་དང༌། །ས་རྣམས་སྣ་ཚོགས་ཡིན་པའི་ཀུན་གཞི་དང༌། །རང་བཞིན་འོད་གསལ་ཡིན་པའི་ཀུན་གཞི་ནི། །འགྱུར་མེད་ཡོངས་གྲུབ་དབུ་མ་ཆེན་པོ་ དང༌། །མྱང་འདས་ཆེན་པོ་ཕྱག་རྒྱ་ཆེན་པོ་དང༌། །བྱང་ཆུབ་ཆེན་པོ་ཨེ་ཝཾ་མཐར་ཐུག་དང༌། །དུས་འཁོར་མཐར་ཐུག་བདེ་དགྱེས་མཐར་ཐུག་དང༌། །གསང་འདུས་ལ་སོགས་ལྷ་སྔགས་རྒྱུད་ཀུན་དང༌། །དཀྱིལ་འཁོར་མཐར་ཐུག་ལ་སོགས་མཐར་ཐུག་ཀུན། །ཀུན་ནས་འདུས་པ་དུ་མ་རོ་གཅིག་དབྱིངས། །ཤེས་རབ་ཕ་རོལ་ཕྱིན་པའི་མཐའ་ལ་དགོངས། །དེ་ཉིད་དང་པོའི་སངས་རྒྱས་རིས་མེད་དང༌། །གདོད་ནས་གྲོལ་བའི་དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་དང༌། །གཙང་བདག་བདེ་དང་རྟག་པའི་འགོག་བདེན་དང༌། །བདེན་དོན་བཅུ་གཉིས་དེ་ཉིད་བཅུ་དྲུག་དང༌། །རྡོ་རྗེ་སེམས་དཔའ་དོན་དམ་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས། །འདུས་མ་བྱས་ཀྱི་སྟོང་ཉིད་སྙིང་རྗེ་དང༌། །རྟག་ཅིང་བརྟན་པའི་ཐབས་ཤེས་དབྱེར་མེད་དང༌། །སངས་རྒྱས་ཀུན་བས་སྔར་ སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱང་ཡིན།<em><br><br>The universal ground that is taught to be the sugata essence,<br> the universal ground that is taught to be taintless virtue,<br> the universal ground that is the various levels,<br> and the universal ground that is natural luminosity<br>refer to the immutable fully established nature, Great Madhyamaka,<br>great nirvāṇa, the Great Seal, great enlightenment, and the ultimate Evaṃ,<br>all the deities, mantras, and tantras such as ultimate Kālacakra and ultimate Cakrasamvara, Hevajra, and Guhyasamāja,<br> all that is ultimate, such as the ultimate maṇḍalas,<br> and the basic space where the myriad drawn together from everywhere has a single taste,<br>the culmination of the ultimate perfection of wisdom.<br>Precisely that is the impartial Primordial Buddha,<br> the primordially free Tathāgata,<br> the truth of cessation that is pure, self, bliss, and permanent,<br> the twelve aspects of truth, the sixteen aspects of thatness,<br>Vajrasattva, absolute enlightenment mind,<br> unconditioned emptiness and compassion,<br>permanent and stable method and wisdom indivisible,<br>Buddha even before all the buddhas.|[[Dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan]]. ''[[Bka' bsdu bzhi pa'i don bstan rtsis chen po]]''. Paro, Bhutan: Lama Ngodrup and Sherab Drimay, 1984, p. 382.<br>~ Translation from [[Stearns, Cyrus]]. ''[[The Buddha From Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen]]''. Tsadra Foundation Series. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2010, pp. 157–58.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Tāranātha}}

In his ''Essence of Other-Emptiness'', Tāranātha states:

{{Blockquote|</em>དབུ་མ་ཆེན་པོ་ནི། བོད་དུ་གཞན་སྟོང་དུ་གྲགས་པ་རྣམ་རིག་གི་དབུ་མ་སྟེ། རྗེ་བཙུན་བྱམས་པའི་གཞུང་དང་། འཕགས་པ་ཐོགས་མེད་དང་།མཁས་མཆོག་དབྱིག་གཉེན་གྱིས་གསལ་པར་མཛད་ཅིང་། འཕགས་པ་ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ཀྱིས་ཆོས་དབྱིངས་བསྟོད་པར་ཡང་ཆེས་གསལ་བས། འཕགས་མཆོག་གཉིས་ཅར་གྱི་བཞེད་པ་གཞན་སྟོང་ཡིན་ནོ།<em><br><br>In Tibet, the Great Madhyamaka is the Madhyamaka of discerning cognition and is known as "''zhentong''." This [system] was elucidated by the treatises of the majestic Maitreya, Asaṅga, the supreme scholar Vasubandhu, and was greatly clarified by Ārya Nāgārjuna’s ''Dharmadhātustava''. In fact, the proclamations of the two most supreme [Asaṅga and Nāgārjuna] is zhentong!|[[TA ra nA tha]]. ''[[Gzhan stong snying po]]''. In gsung 'bum/_tA ra nA tha（dpe bsdur ma). Pe cin: krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2008: Vol. 36, p. 169.<br>~ [[Tāranātha, Jetsun]]. ''[[The Essence of Zhentong]]''. Translated by [[Michael R. Sheehy]] based upon the 'Dzam thang edition of the ''[[Gzhan stong snying po]]''. [https://jonangfoundation.org/sites/default/files/jf_snying%20po_final.pdf Jonang Foundation’s Digital Library]: Ngedon Thartuk Translation Initiative, 2008.
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In his ''Essence of Other-Emptiness'', Tāranātha states:
{{Blockquote|</em>།གཞན་སྟོང་གི་གྲུབ་མཐའ་སྤྱི་དེ་ནི། ཕྱོགས་གླང་དང་བློ་གྲོས་བསྟན་པ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་སློབ་མ་སློབ་རྒྱུད་མང་ལ་བཟང་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་རྒྱ་ཆེར་བཤད་ཅིང་། ཐུན་མོང་མ་ཡིན་པ་དེ་ནི་གཞན་གྱི་བློར་ཤོང་བ་དཀའ་ནས་སློབ་མ་མཆོག་རྣམས་ལ་སྙན་ནས་སྙན་དུ་བརྒྱུད་ཚུལ་གྱིས་དར་བར་མཛད་དོ། །ཕྱིས་གཞན་སྟོང་གི་དབུ་མ་འདི་དང་། སེམས་ཙམ་གྱི་གྲུབ་མཐའ་འདྲ་འདྲེས་སུ་བྱས་པ་རྒྱ་གར་དུ་མང་དུ་བྱུང་བ་ལ་བརྟེན་བོད་པ་ཕལ་ཆེར་གྱིས་གཅིག་པར་འཁྲུལ་ལོ། །བོད་དུ་ནི་ལོ་པཎ་དུ་མས་གཞུང་རྣམས་བསྒྱུར་ཀྱང་། གྲུབ་མཐའ་གཙང་མར་འཛིན་པ་ལོ་ཙཱ་བ་གཟུ་དགའ་བའི་རྡོ་རྗེ་དང་། བཙན་ཁ་བོ་ཆེ་སོགས་བྱམས་ཆོས་སྒོམ་ལུགས་པ་རྣམས་ཡིན་ཞིང་། ཁྱད་པར་དུ་གཞན་སྟོང་ཟབ་མོ་སེང་གེའི་སྒྲས་ས་སྟེང་ཁྱབ་པར་མཛད་པ་པོ་ནི། ཀུན་མཁྱེན་ཆེན་པོ་རྡོལ་བུ་ཤེས་རབ་རྒྱལ་མཚན་ཡིན་ནོ།<em><br><br>As for the general philosophical system of zhentong, this was elaborately explained in the works of Dignāga and Sthiramati as well as by many of their excellent students and successors. As for the extraordinary [philosophical system of zhentong], since this is difficult for most people to comprehend, it was diffused through the manner of whispered ear-to-ear transmission to the most outstanding disciples. Later, there were many in India who confused this Zhentong Madhyamaka with Cittamātra. Relying upon this, most Tibetans perpetuated this same confusion. In Tibet, although there were many scholars who translated these texts, among those who authentically upheld this philosophical system were Lotsāwa Zu Gaway Dorje, Tsen Khawoché, and those of the meditative tradition of the Five Treasures of Maitreya. In particular, the one who made the profound zhentong pervade throughout this land like a lion’s roar was the great omniscient Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen.|[[TA ra nA tha]]. ''[[Gzhan stong snying po]]''. In gsung 'bum/_tA ra nA tha（dpe bsdur ma). Pe cin: krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2008: Vol. 36, p. 171.<br>~ [[Tāranātha, Jetsun]]. ''[[The Essence of Zhentong]]''. Translated by [[Michael R. Sheehy]] based upon the 'Dzam thang edition of the ''Gzhan stong snying po''. [https://jonangfoundation.org/sites/default/files/jf_snying%20po_final.pdf Jonang Foundation’s Digital Library]: Ngedon Thartuk Translation Initiative, 2008.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Ngawang Lodrö Drakpa}}

In his ''The Beautiful Ornament of a Clear Mind'', Ngawang Lodrö Drakpa states:
{{Blockquote|</em>སྟོང་གཞི་དོན་དམ་གཉིས་མེད་ཀྱི་ཡེ་ཤེས་དེ་རང་ངོས་ནས་མི་སྟོང་པར་གཞན་གཟུང་འཛིན་སོགས་སྤྲོས་པ་མཐའ་དག་གིས་གདོད་ནས་སྟོང་པ་དང་། ཀུན་རྫོབ་གློ་བུར་གྱིས་བསྡུས་པའི་ཆོས་རྣམས་དོན་དམ་གཞན་གྱི་ངོ་བོས་སྟོང་པའི་སྟེང་དུ་ཀུན་རྫོབ་རང་གི་ངོ་བོས་ཀྱང་སྟོང་པར་སྨྲ་བས་ན་དབུ་མ་གཞན་སྟོང་པ་ཞེས་བརྗོད།<em><br><br>"A proponent of other-emptiness" refers to: (1) one who claims that the ultimate nondual wisdom, the empty-ground, is not empty from its own side, and from the beginning is empty of all that is other—the conceptual constructs such as a perceived-perceiver [duality], and (2) in addition to claiming that adventitious phenomena comprising the relative are empty of the essence of the extrinsic ultimate, relative [phenomena] are also said to be empty of their own essences.|[[Ngag dbang blo gros grags pa]]. ''[[Phyi nang grub mtha’i rnam bzhag gi bsdus don blo gsal yid kyi rgyan bzang]]''. In 'Dzam thang ba blo gros grags pa'i gsung 'bum. 'Dzam thang: 'Dzam thang bsam 'grub nor bu'i gling gi par khang, 199?: Vol. 11, p. 270.<br>~ Translation from [[Duckworth, Douglas S.]] ''[[Mipam on Buddha-Nature: The Ground of the Nyingma Tradition]]''. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2008, p. 62.
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<h2>Kagyu</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje}}

Tāranātha, in his ''History of the Kālacakra Teachings'', tells this story of Dölpopa meeting with the Third Karmapa and the prophecy that is thought to be a reference to Dölpopa's later articulation of the Zhentong view:
{{Blockquote|</em>དེ་ནས་ལྷ་ས་དང་འཚུར་ཕུ་སོགས་སུ་ཕེབས། ཆོས་རྗེ་རང་བྱུང་པ་དང་ཆོས་ཀྱི་གསུང་གླེང་མང་དུ་མཛད། རང་བྱུང་པས་རྗེ་འདིའི་ལུང་རིག་གི་ཞལ་ཡ་མ་ཐེགས་ཀྱང་། མངོན་ཤེས་བཟང་པོ་མངའ་བས། ཁྱེད་ལ་ལྟ་གྲུབ་དང་ཆོས་སྐད་ད་ལྟའི་འདི་བས་ཀྱང་ཆེས་བཟང་བ་ཅིག་མྱུར་དུ་འོང། ཅེས་ལུང་བསྟན།<em><br><br>Then [Dölpopa] traveled to Lhasa, Tsurpu, and so forth. He had many discussions about Dharma with Dharma lord Rangjung. Rangjung could not match the scriptural reasoning of this lord, but he had fine clairvoyance and prophesied, "You will soon have a view, practice, and Dharma language much better than this that you have now."|[[TA ra nA tha]]. ''[[Dpal dus kyi 'khor lo'i chos bskor gyi byung khungs nyer mkho]]''. In The Collected Works of Jo-nang rje-btsun Tāranātha. Leh: Sman rtsis Shes rig Dpe mdzod, 1983: Vol. 2, p. 26.<br>~ Translation from [[Stearns, Cyrus]]. ''[[The Buddha From Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen]]''. Tsadra Foundation Series. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2010, p. 48.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Karma Trinlepa}}

In his presentation of the instructions of his teacher, the Seventh Karmapa, explaining the zhentong view of the Third Karmapa, Karma Trinlepa states:

{{Blockquote|<em>The meaning that is taught in the tantras, the bodhisattva<br>   commentaries,<br>Many sūtras, and by those who follow the [five] dharmas of Maitreya<br>Represents the Shentong held by Rangjung Dorje,<br>About which I heard the following from the mighty victor.<br><br>He said that mind as such, unconfined, unbiased, <br>Naturally luminous, expanse and awareness inseparable, <br>The great sphere, ordinary mind, Whose essence does not change into anything, <br>Is known as "other-empty" from the point of view of <br>Having become buddhahood, once it is pure of adventitious stains.<br><br>That this primordial ground is not tainted by any obscurations <br>Is the purport of "being empty of other." <br>This very mind as such being ignorant about itself <br>Is called "adventitious obscuration."<br>Since this is something suitable to be separated from mind, <br>The nature of phenomena is empty of it and thus "other-empty."<br><br>The sixty-four qualities that reside within the basic nature <br>Are indeed never separable from mind, <br>So speak about "obscured buddhahood" at the time of the ground <br>And "stainless buddhahood" at the time of the fruition!<br><br>The thirty-two qualities of freedom from all obscurations <br>And the thirty-two maturational [qualities] of enlightened activity<br>   unfolding<br>Are the distinctive features of a perfect buddha alone—<br>We do not assert that these exist at [the time of] the ground.<br>The sixty-four qualities that exist at [the time] of the ground <br>Are obscured by obscurations—through eliminating these stains,<br> One becomes a stainless victor. Therefore, the basis of being empty <br>In terms of other-emptiness is the sugata heart—<br>The nature of the mind is primordially just this.<br>What it is to be emptied of are the adventitious stains to be<br>   relinquished,<br>Which are referred to as the imaginations of apprehender and<br>   apprehended.<br><br>Therefore, ultimate reality is nothing but mind as such<br>Free from the imaginations of apprehender and apprehended,<br>Natural luminosity, the connate union,<br>The inseparability of expanse and awareness, ordinary mind—<br>This is the view of profound other-emptiness.<br>Therefore, "''rangtong''" and "''shentong''"<br>Are not held to be contradictory by my guru.</em>|[[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, pp. 134–35.|style=max-width: none;}}

{{CommentatorSeparator|Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje}}

In his ''The Lamp That Excellently Elucidates the System of the Proponents of Zhentong Madhyamaka'', the Eighth Karmapa states:

{{Blockquote|<em>In brief, ordinary beings are fettered by the shackles of clinging to their appropriating bodies and minds of seeming [reality] as being permanent, blissful, a self, and pure. Śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha arhats are fettered by the shackles of clinging to the ultimate state as being impermanent, suffering, and without self as well as [clinging] to the [saṃsāric] existence of attachment as being impure. However, unsurpassable completely perfect buddhas, through knowing the entirety of how all phenomena without exception actually are and how they appear, clearly realize the basic nature, ultimate reality, as being the pāramitās of supreme purity, permanence, bliss, and self. On the other hand, they clearly realize the ways in which [phenomena] appear—the adventitious elements of seeming sentient beings—as being impermanent, suffering, without self, and impure. Through these two modes [of realization], they eliminate the extremes of permanence and extinction. This is because tathāgatas [on the level] of seeming [reality] are primordially nonexistent, while ultimate reality—the tathāgata heart that does not fall into any extremes or confines of seeming [reality]—exists.</em>|[[Mi bskyod rdo rje]]. ''[[Dbu ma gzhan stong smra ba'i srol legs par phye ba'i sgron me]]''. In Dbu ma gzhan stong skor bstan bcos phyogs bsdus deb dang po. Rumtek (Sikkim), India: Karma Shri Nalanda Institute. 1990: pp. 31–32.<br>~ Translated in [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, pp. 817–18.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Jamgön Kongtrul}}

In his ''Treasury of Knowledge'', Kongtrul discusses the origins of other-emptiness:

{{Blockquote|<em>The uncommon philosophical tenet system [of Maitreya's texts] remained with supreme disciples, who transmitted it orally. In Tibet, this [uncommon explanation] was transmitted by the lotsāwas Zu Gawé Dorjé and Tsen Kawoché and was first established as a system of standard texts (yig cha'i srol) by the mahāsiddha Yumo [Mikyö Dorjé] and others. The uncommon key points of this view were elucidated in the teachings of the lord of victors Rangjung Dorjé, the omniscient [Longchen] Drimé Özer, and others, who also clearly maintained that this [view] was the final definitive meaning. In particular, the omniscient dharma lord Dolpopa the Great proclaimed the lion's roar of "Shentong-Madhyamaka." Later, Serdok Paṇchen [Shākya Chokden], the exalted Tāranātha, and others clarified the uncommon key points of this system of philosophical tenets. [These are the masters who] appeared as the founders and promulgators of this great chariot-system</em>.|[[Callahan, Elizabeth M.]] (Kalu Rinpoché Translation Group), trans. ''[[Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy: A Systematic Presentation of the Cause-Based Philosophical Vehicles]]''. Book Six, Part Three of ''The Treasury of Knowledge''. By [[Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé]] ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas). Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2007. p. 250.
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In his ''Guiding Instructions on the View of Great Shentong Madhyamaka—Light Rays of the Stainless Vajra Moon'', Kongtrul gives the following verses adapted from the ''Laṅkāvatārasūtra'' to be recited as one goes for refuge:

{{Blockquote|</em>སེམས་ནི་རང་བཞིན་འོད་གསལ་ཏེ།<br>།དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་བདེ།<br>།སེམས་ཅན་རྣམས་ཀྱི་ཉེར་ལེན་ནི།<br>།མཐའ་དང་མཐའ་མེད་རྣམ་སྤངས་པའོ།<br><br>།བྱི་དོར་བྱས་པས་གསེར་མདོག་དང་།<br>།ས་ལེ་སྦྲམ་དང་འཁར་བ་དག<br>།ཇི་ལྟར་མཐོང་བ་དེ་བཞིན་དུ།<br>།ཕུང་པོ་རྣམས་ལ་སེམས་ཅན་དང་།<br><br> །གང་ཟག་མེད་ཅིང་ཕུང་པོ་མེད།<br>།སངས་རྒྱས་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཟག་མེད་པ།<br>།རྟག་ཏུ་ཞི་བ་རྣམ་བསྒོམས་ཏེ།<br>།དེ་ལ་བདག་ནི་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆི།<em><br><br>Naturally luminous mind<br>Is the pure tathāgata heart,<br>But this appropriation of sentient beings<br>Is free from limit and nonlimit.<br><br>The color of gold and the pure gold<br>In gravel become visible<br>Through cleansing it—so it is with the ālaya<br>Of the skandhas in a sentient being.<br><br>Buddha is neither a person<br>Nor the skandhas but uncontaminated wisdom.<br>Having familiarized with it, it is always peacefulness—<br>In it, I take my refuge.|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Gzhan stong dbu ma chen po'i lta khrid rdo rje'i zla ba dri ma med pa'i 'od zer]]''. In Gdams ngag mdzod. Delhi: Shechen Publications, 1999: Vol. 4, p. 575.<br>~ Translated in [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 837.
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In his ''Guiding Instructions on the View of Great Shentong Madhyamaka— Light Rays of the Stainless Vajra Moon'', Kongtrul states:

{{Blockquote|</em>ལས་དང་རྒྱུ་དང་འབྲས་བུ་དང་རྣམ་པར་སྨིན་པ་དང་། ཉོན་མོངས་པ་དང་། ཕུང་ཁམས་སྐྱེ་མཆེད་རྟེན་ཅིང་འབྲེལ་བར་འབྱུང་བ་སོགས་རྣམ་པར་དབྱེ་བ་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་དོན་དམ་དུ་ཡོད་མ་མྱོང་བར་མ་ཟད། ཀུན་རྫོབ་ཏུའང་ལྡན་ལ་མ་གོས་པར་བཞུགས་ཤིང་། རང་བྱུང་གི་མཚན་དཔེ་སྟོབས་དང་མི་འཇིགས་པ་དང་། དྲན་པ་ཉེ་བར་བཞག་པ་གསུམ་དང་། བྱམས་པ་དང་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་དང་། རྡོ་རྗེ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ཏིང་ངེ་འཛིན་དང་། ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབྱིངས་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཚད་མེད་པ་སོགས་རྣམ་པར་དབྱེར་མེད་པའི་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་གངྒཱའི་གླུང་གི་བྱེ་མ་སྙེད་ལས་ལྷག་པ་ནི་གདོད་ནས་རང་ཆས་སུ་བཞུགས་པས་མི་སྟོངས་སོ་ཞེས་<em><br><br>Everything that is separable, such as karma, causes and results, [karmic] maturations, afflictions, skandhas, dhātus, āyatanas, and dependent origination, has not only never existed ultimately but even on the level of the seeming, [the tathāgata heart] abides such that it is [merely] associated [with these phenomena] but is never tainted [by any of them]. [By contrast,] the inseparable buddha attributes that exceed the sand grains in the river Gaṅgā in number, such as the self-arisen major and minor marks, the powers, the fearlessnesses, the threefold foundation of mindfulness, great love and compassion, and immeasurable samādhis (such as the vajra-like one) and wisdoms (such as dharmadhātu [wisdom]), are present in an intrinsic and primordial manner. Therefore, [the tathāgata heart] is not empty [of them].|[['Jam mgon kong sprul]]. ''[[Gzhan stong dbu ma chen po'i lta khrid rdo rje'i zla ba dri ma med pa'i 'od zer]]''. In Gdams ngag mdzod. Delhi: Shechen Publications, 1999: Vol. 4, p. 575.<br>~ Translated in [[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 841.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Zurmang Pema Namgyal}}

In his work ''The Full Moon Dialogue'', Zurmang Pema Namgyal gives an overview of seven different positions on self-emptiness and other-emptiness that have been established among the Tibetan scholastic traditions:
{{Blockquote|</em>མདོར་བསྡུས་གནད་ཀྱི་དྲིས་ལན་དབུ་མ་རང་སྟོང་དང་གཞན་སྟོང་གི་ཁྱད་པར་ལ། འདོད་ཚུལ་གྱི་དབྱེ་བ་སྤྱིར་བསྟན་པ། ཇོ་ནང་པའི་དགོངས་པ་བྱེ་བྲག་ཏུ་བརྗོད་པ། དབུ་མ་གཉིས་ཀྱི་འཐད་ཚུལ་བསྟན་པ་དང་གསུམ་ལས། དང་པོ་ལ་མིང་དོན་ཅི་རིགས་ཀྱི་དབྱེ་སྒོ་གཙོ་བོར་བདུན་ཙམ་དུ་འདུག་སྟེ། ཀུན་མཁྱེན་ཇོ་ནང་ཡབ་སྲས་ནི། རྣམ་ཤེས་རང་སྟོང་། ཡེ་ཤེས་གཞན་སྟོང་དུ་འདོད་པ་དང་། ཤཱཀ་མཆོག་པ་གསེར་མདོག་པཎ་ཆེན་ནི། ཆོས་ཅན་སྣང་བ་རང་སྟོང་། ཆོས་ཉིད་འོད་གསལ་གཞན་སྟོང་དུ་འདོད་པ་དང་། ས་བཟང་མ་ཏི་པཎ་ཆེན་ནི།་ཡུལ་དང་ཡུལ་ཅན་རང་སྟོང་༎ དབྱིངས་དང་ཡེ་ཤེས་གཞན་སྟོང་དུ་འདོད་པ་དང་། ཀརྨ་པ་བདུད་འདུལ་རྡོ་རྗེ་ནི། འཁོར་བ་རང་སྟོང་༎ མྱང་འདས་གཞན་སྟོང་ཙམ་དུ་འདོད་ན་ལེགས་ཕྱོགས་དང་། ཀུན་མཁྱེན་མི་སྐྱོད་ཡབ་སྲས་ནི། དག་པའི་སྐུ་དང་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཀྱང་གནས་ཚུལ་རང་སྟོང་། སྣང་ཚུལ་གཞན་སྟོང་དུ་འདོད་པ་དང་། འཇམ་མགོན་སི་ཏུ་པཎ་ཆེན་ནི།་དགག་ཕྱོགས་རང་སྟོང་། སྒྲུབ་ཕྱོགས་གཞན་སྟོང་དུ་འདོད་ན་ལེགས་ཕྱོགས་དང་། ཀཿ་ཐོག་དགེ་རྩེ་པཎ་ཆེན་ནི། མཉམ་གཞག་ལ་ཟློའི་སྐབས་རང་སྟོང་། རྗེས་ཐོབ་ཤན་འབྱེད་སྐབས་གཞན་སྟོང་དུ་འདོད་པ་ལེགས་ཞེས་པ་སྟེ། འདོད་ཚུལ་བདུན་པོ་འདི་དག་ནི་བློ་གསལ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་བློ་གྲོས་ཟོར་ཡངས་པའི་ཆེད་དུ་བསྡུས་ཏེ་བཀོད་པ་ཡིན་ནོ།<em><br><br>There are about seven main divisions concerning the meaning of the terms (rangtong and zhentong):<br>1. The omniscient Jonang, (Dölpopa Sherap Gyeltsen [1292-1361]) father and sons, consider consciousness to be rangtong and pristine awareness (yeshé) to be zhentong.<br>2. The supreme Shakya, Serdok Penchen (1428-1507), considers the appearance of phenomena to be rangtong and the luminous, true nature of phenomena (dharmatā) to be zhentong.<br>3. Sazang Mati Penchen (1294-1376) considers subject and object to be rangtong and space and pristine awareness to be zhentong.<br>4. Karmapa Düdül Dorjé (1733/4-1797/8) considers cyclic existence (saṁsāra) to be rangtong and transcendence of suffering (nirvāṇa) to be zhentong. This is a wholesome position.<br>5. The omniscient Mikyö (1507-54), father and sons, consider the pure kāyas and pristine awareness to be rangtong in terms of their true nature and to be zhentong in terms of the way they appear.<br>6. Jamgön Situ Penchen (1700-74) considers the aspect that refutes to be rangtong and the aspect that establishes to be zhentong. This is a wholesome position.<br>7. Furthermore, Katok Getsé Penchen (1761-1829) considers properly the context of mastery in equipoise to be rangtong and the context of differentiation in post-meditation (subsequent attainment) to be zhentong.|[[Burchardi, Anne]]. "[[A Look at the Diversity of the Gzhan stong Tradition]]." ''Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies'' 3 (2007): 3–4.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso}}

{{Blockquote
|In the nature of the mind there is no stain. There is not the slightest conceptual fabrication in the mind’s true nature, and that is why mind is known as “empty of other,” gzhan-stong. Since the ineffable nature of mind of every single sentient being is clear light and since the essence of this clear light is free of the slightest stain that arises due to dualistic fixations and mental constructs, one can develop the vast understanding that the one who apprehends (the subject) and what is apprehended (objects) have the same essence. Knowing this enables practitioners to develop inconceivable compassion and a pure vision of reality. Knowing that relative apprehensions are “self-empty,” rang-stong, and knowing that mind’s true nature is “empty of other,” gzhan-stong, a sincere practitioner no longer slips into garments that are extreme views about creation or cessation. Seeing that all phenomena that can be apprehended are empty of an own essence, one no longer clings to the extreme of permanence. Seeing that mind’s true nature is replete with many invaluable qualities that manifest spontaneously and naturally, one no longer clings to the extreme of nihilism or cessation. Since all relative phenomena that appear are empty of a self, it is conclusive that the mind that apprehends and conceives relative appearances is also empty of a self. Since mind’s true nature transcends what can be accomplished, affirmed, or refuted, then what one thinks must be accomplished and what one thinks must be abandoned are always and already pure and free.|[[Gyamtso, Khenpo Tsultrim]]. "[[Shentong – An Introduction]]." Instructions presented at Vajra Vidya Thrangu House in Oxford. Translated by [[Ari Goldfield]] and transcribed and edited by Gaby Hollmann, 2000.
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<h2>Sakya</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Rendawa Zhönu Lodrö}}

Though he was a fierce critic of the Jonang earlier in his scholastic career, he seems to have had a change of heart later in life, and in his final written work, the ''Jewel Lamp Illuminating the Definitive Meaning of the Glorious Kālacakra'', Rendawa Zhönu Lodrö states:
{{Blockquote|</em>དེ་ལ་རང་སྟོང་ནི་ཆད་པའི་མཐར་ལྟུང་བའི་ཕྱིར། དེ་རྟོགས་པ་ནི་ཐར་པའི་ལམ་ཡང་དག་པ་མ་ཡིན་གྱི། གཞན་སྟོང་སེམས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་ཉིད་འོད་གསལ་བསྒོམས་པའི་སྟོབས་ཀྱིས་སོ་སོ་རང་རིག་པའི་ཚུལ་གྱིས་མྱོང་བའི་ནང་རིག་འགྱུར་མེད་ཁོ་ན་ཡང་དག་པའི་ལམ་དུ་གཞེད་དེ།<em><br><br>Because the emptiness of self-nature falls into the extreme of nihilism, its realization is not the perfect path of liberation; only the emptiness of other, the true nature of mind, luminosity, an immutable inner pure awareness experienced through the force of meditation and through a discriminating self-awareness, is accepted as the perfect path.|[[Red mda' ba gzhon nu blo gros]]. ''[[Dpal dus kyi 'khor lo'i nges don gsal bar byed pa rin po che'i sgron ma]]''. In Red mda' ba gzhon nu blo gros kyi gsung skor. Kathmandu: Sa skya rgyal yongs gsung rab slob gnyer khang, 1999: Vol. 4, pp. 340–41.<br>~ Translation from [[Stearns, Cyrus]]. ''[[The Buddha From Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen]]''. Tsadra Foundation Series. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2010, p. 59.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Śākya Chokden}}
In his ''Undermining the Haughtiness of Others by the Wheel of Brahma: A Treatise Clarifying Mahāmudrā'', Śākya Chokden states:
{{Blockquote|</em>དཔེར་མཚོན་ན། །འཁོར་ལོ་བར་པ་ཆོས་མམས་ཀུན། །རང་སྟོང་ཉིད་དུ་བཤད་འོག་ཏུ། །འཁོར་ལོ་གསུམ་པར་དེས་སྟོང་པའི། །འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པའི་ཡོངས་གྲུབ་ཉིད། །ངེས་པའི་དོན་དུ་བཤད་དེ་བཞིན། །གཞན་ཡང་ཆུ་ཤིང་སྙིང་པོ་ནི། །རྩལ་བས་མ་མྱེད་གྱུར་མོད་ཀྱང་། །ལོ་འདབ་རྒྱས་པའི་དབུས་ཞིག་ཏུ། །འབྲས་བུ་མངར་པོར་སྨིན་དེ་བཞིན༎<em><br><br>To illustrate with an example, [the Buddha]—after explaining in the middle ''dharmacakra'' that all phenomena are simply empty of own-nature—taught in the third ''dharmacakra'' that the unchanging perfect nature which is empty of that [self-emptiness] is the definitive meaning. Likewise, one doesn’t find any core of a banana plant when one searches for it, yet in the middle of the unfolded leaves [bananas] nonetheless ripen as sweet fruits.|[[ShAkya mchog ldan]]. ''[[Phyag rgya chen po gsal bar byed pa'i bstan bcos tshangs pa'i 'khor los gzhan blo'i dregs pa nyams byed]]''. In paN chen shAkya mchog ldan gyi gsung 'bum legs bshad gser gyi bdud rtsi. Kathmandu: Sachen international, 2006: Vol. 17, p. 368.<br>~ [[Higgins, David]], and [[Martina Draszczyk]]. ''[[Mahāmudrā and the Middle Way: Post-Classical Kagyü Discourses on Mind, Emptiness and Buddha-Nature]]''. Vol. 2, ''Translations, Critical Texts, Bibliography and Index''. Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 90.2. Vienna: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien Universität Wien, 2016, p. 21.
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<h2>Nyingma</h2>

{{CommentatorSeparator|Minling Lochen Dharmaśrī}}

In his commentary to Ngari Paṇchen's ''Ascertaining the Three Vows'', Lochen Dharmaśrī states:

{{Blockquote|</em>སྤྱིར་གསང་སྔགས་ཀྱི་རྒྱུད་སྡེ་རྣམས་ལས་གསུངས་པའི་བྱང་སྡོམ་ཐོབ་ཚུལ་དང་། དེའི་བསླབ་བྱའི་རྐང་གྲངས་ཀྱང་ཕལ་ཆེར་ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ཀྱི་ལུགས་དང་མཐུན་པར་འབྱུང་བའི་གནད་ཀྱིས་རང་ཅག་སློབ་དཔོན་ཆེན་པོ་པདྨ་སཾ་བྷ་ཝའི་རྗེས་སུ་འཇུག་པ་སྔ་འགྱུར་གྱི་རིང་ལུགས་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་སེམས་བསྐྱེད་ཀྱི་ཆོ་གའི་ཕྱག་བཞེས་ཀྱང་ནཱ་གརྫུ་ན་དང་མཐུན་པར་སྣང་མོད། འོན་ཀྱང་ལྟ་བ་ནི་དེར་མ་ངེས་ཏེ། ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ཀྱི་བསྟོད་ཚོགས་དང་མི་འགལ་ཡང་གཙོ་བོར་ཐོགས་མེད་སྐུ་མཆེད་ཀྱིས་ཇི་ལྟར་བཀྲལ་བ་དང་མཐུན་ཏེ། རྣམ་གྲངས་མ་ཡིན་པའི་དོན་དམ་མེད་དགག་ལ་མི་བྱེད་པར་མ་ཡིན་དགག་གི་སྟོང་ཉིད་ལ་བྱེད་པའི་ཕྱིར་དང་། འཁོར་ལོ་ཐ་མ་ངེས་དོན་དུ་བཞེད་པའི་ཕྱིར་རོ།<em><br><br>In general, due to the essential point that the manner of taking the bodhisattva vow stated in the tantras of Secret Mantra, and also the enumerated trainings, are in accord for the most part with the tradition of Nāgārjuna, our tradition of early translations following the master Padmasambhava appears to be in accord with Nāgārjuna also in the ritual practice for generating the mind of awakening. However, it is not certain that the [Nyingma] view is [in accord with] his because even though it does not contradict Nāgārjuna’s “Collection of Praises,” [the Nyingma] for the most part are in accord with the way that Asaṅga and his [half-]brother [Vasubandhu] explain because of (1) taking the uncategorized ultimate as not a nonimplicative negation, but taking it as an emptiness that is an implicative negation, and (2) accepting the last wheel as the definitive meaning.|[[Lo chen Dharmaśrī]]. ''[[Sdom pa gsum rnam par nges pa'i 'grel pa legs bshad ngo mtshar dpag bsam gyi snye ma]]''. Bylakuppe: Ngagyur Nyingma Institute, n.d.: p. 296. <br>~Translation from [[Duckworth, Douglas S.]] ''[[Mipam on Buddha-Nature: The Ground of the Nyingma Tradition]]''. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2008, p. 70.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Getse Mahāpaṇḍita Tsewang Chokdrup}}
In his ''Ornament of Sugatagarbha'', Getse Mahāpaṇḍita states:
{{Blockquote|</em>གཞན་སྟོང་མིང་ཙམ་ཐུགས་ལ་མ་ཤོང་ནས། རང་སྟོང་མཐར་ཐུག་བཞེད་ན་མེད་དགག་དང་། སྔགས་སུ་བཤད་པའི་སྦྱང་གཞི་ཡོད་པ་འགལ<em><br><br>Having not come to a basic understanding of gzhan stong, if rang stong is asserted as the ultimate position, the absolute negation (med dgag) would be in contradiction with the basis of purification (sbyang gzhi) which is stated in the Mantra.|[[Dge rtse ma hA paN+Di ta tshe dbang mchog grub]]. ''[[Nges don dbu ma chen po'i tshul rnam par nges pa'i gtam bde gshegs snying po'i rgyan]]''. In Dge rtse Mahāpandita'i gsung 'bum. Chengdu: dmangs khrod dpe dkon sdud sgrig khang, 2001: Vol. 1, p. 97.<br>~ Translation adapted from [[Makidono, Tomoko]]. "[[Kaḥ thog Dge rtse Mahāpaṇḍita's Doxographical Position: The Great Madhyamaka of Other-Emptiness (gzhan stong dbu ma chen po)]]." ''Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies'' 12 (2011): 90.
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{{CommentatorSeparator|Mipam Gyatso}}
In his ''Lion's Roar Affirming Other Emptiness'', Mipam states:
{{Blockquote|</em>
གཞན་སྟོང་གི་གྲུབ་མཐའ་ངེས་པར་གཏན་ལ་འབེབ་ན། དང་པོ་མགོན་པོ་ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ཀྱི་གཞུང་བཞིན་དུ་ཆོས་ཐམས་ཅད་རང་བཞིན་མེད་པར་གཏན་ལ་འབེབས་དགོས་ཏེ། དེ་མ་ཤེས་ན་ཀུན་རྫོབ་རང་ངོ་ནས་སྟོང་ཚུལ་དང་། དོན་དམ་གཞན་གྱིས་སྟོང་ཚུལ་གཏན་ལ་མི་ཕེབ་པས། ཐོག་མར་སྤྲོས་བྲལ་སོ་སོར་རང་གིས་རིག་པར་བྱ་བའི་དོན་གཏན་ལ་དབབ་པར་བྱའོ།<em><br><br>In order to understand definitively the philosophical system of extrinsic emptiness, one must first understand the absence of inherent existence according to the texts of Nāgārjuna. If one does not understand this, one will not understand how deceptive reality is empty with respect to itself, and how ultimate reality is empty with respect to the other. So, one must first understand for oneself the absence of conceptual elaborations.|[[Mi pham rgya mtsho]]. ''[[Gzhan stong khas len seng ge'i nga ro]]''. View Tibetan text on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/mipam/pbs/1499266 Adarsha]<br>~ Translation from [[Pettit, John W.]] ''[[Mipham's Beacon of Certainty: Illuminating the View of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection]]''. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1999, p. 415.
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In his ''Lion's Roar Affirming Other Emptiness'', Mipam states:
{{Blockquote|</em>།ངེད་ཀྱི་ལུགས་ལ་ཡུལ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་དང་། ཡུལ་ཅན་ཡེ་ཤེས་གཉིས་ཀ་དོན་དམ་ཡིན་ཅིང་། དེ་གཉིས་ཡང་དག་པའི་དོན་དུ་སྣང་སྟོང་བདེན་གཉིས་ཐ་དད་མེད་པས་དོན་དམ་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབྱིངས་ནི་སྟོང་པ་ཕྱང་ཆད་མ་ཡིན་ཏེ། རྣམ་དབྱེར་མེད་པའི་སྐུ་དང་ཡེ་ཤེས་ཀྱིས་མི་སྟོང་པར་ཡེ་ནས་ལྷུན་གྱིས་གྲུབ་པའི་ངོ་བོ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་སྐུར་གནས་སོ།<em><br><br>In our system, both objective emptiness and the subject, which is gnosis, are ultimate. In the final analysis, both of these are the nondifference of the two truths of appearance and emptiness, so the ultimate expanse of phenomena is not an ascertained emptiness. It is not empty of the inseparable Buddha bodies and gnoses, and abides as the primordial, spontaneously present essence body (ngo bo nyid sku, svabhākāya).|[[Mi pham rgya mtsho]]. ''[[Gzhan stong khas len seng ge'i nga ro]]''. View Tibetan text on [https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/mipam/pbs/1499275 Adarsha]<br>~ Translation from [[Pettit, John W.]] ''[[Mipham's Beacon of Certainty: Illuminating the View of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection]]''. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1999, p. 421.
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<h2>Further Readings</h2>

{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: The Buddha from Dolpo (2010)
|cover=File:The Buddha from Dolpo (2010)-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/The_Buddha_from_Dolpo_(2010)
|text=Little is known about the early Tibetan proponents of philosophical points of view that would later come to be known as shentong. According to Lhai Gyaltsen, many persons with partial realization of the teachings of definitive meaning had appeared in Tibet before the fourteenth century, most of them dedicated practitioners. But no one until Dölpopa had mastered all the teachings of definitive meaning in the various scriptures, treatises, and esoteric instructions, and then formulated that realization into a coherent philosophical tenet. Tāranātha traces one lineage for what he calls "instructions on the view of the Madhyamaka emptiness of other," and a second lineage for the Kālacakra teachings passed down in the Jonang tradition. [...] This first text is a record of the names of teachers who taught the shentong view based on the teachings of the Mahāyāna scriptures and commentaries. Jetsun Tāranātha's second text, concerned with the lineage of the Kālacakra teachings transmitted in the Jonang tradition, records the names of teachers who taught the shentong view based on the tantras, specifically as articulated in the Kālacakra Tantra and related literature. Examples of the writings of very few of the Tibetan masters in each of these lineages before the time of Dölpopa seem to have survived.

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|text=A Historical Survey of the Shentong Tradition in Tibet
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|source=[[Stearns, Cyrus]]. ''[[The Buddha From Dolpo]]: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen''. Tsadra Foundation Series. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 2010, pp. 41–42.
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{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: When the Clouds Part
|cover=File:When the Clouds Part-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/When_the_Clouds_Part
|text=In its chapter on how the Shentong tradition spread in India and Tibet, as mentioned above, TOK [the ''Treasury of Knowledge''] states that the intention of the sūtras of the third wheel of dharma was elucidated by the works of Maitreya except the ''Abhisamayālaṃkāra'' and by Nāgārjuna’s collection of praises. In India, the meaning of these texts was explained and spread widely by Asaṅga, Vasubandhu, Candragomī, their followers, Ratnākaraśānti, and others. Dharmapāla (530-561) composed a treatise called ''Dawn of Brightness'' commenting on Nāgārjuna’s collection of reasoning as bearing the intention of the third wheel of dharma. However, while the general philosophical system of Maitreya as expressed in the ''Abhisamayālaṃkāra'', ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra'', and ''Madhyāntavibhāga'' was explained through many traditions (such as those of Dignāga and Sthiramati), the uncommon view of these texts was sustained in such a way that only the supreme disciples transmitted it orally, with the texts of the ''Dharmadharmatāvibhāga'' and ''Uttaratantra'' being hidden away as treasure texts until Maitrīpa rediscovered them. Via *Ānandakīrti and Sajjana, these texts were transmitted to Ngog Lotsāwa as well as Su Gawé Dorje and Dsen Kawoché.

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|link=http://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/Books/When_the_Clouds_Part/The_Meditative_Tradition_of_the_Uttaratantra_and_Shentong
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|text=The Meditative Tradition of the Uttaratantra and Shentong
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|source=[[Brunnhölzl, Karl]]. ''[[When the Clouds Part]]: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra''. Tsadra Foundation Series. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014, p. 124.
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{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism
|cover=File:The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/The_Nyingma_School_of_Tibetan_Buddhism
|text=Concerning the subtle, inner Great Madhyamaka of definitive meaning, it is stated in the ''Jewel Lamp of the Madhyamaka'' by the master Bhavya (''skal-ldan''):

<blockquote>The Madhyamaka of the Prāsaṅgika and the Svātantrika is the coarse, Outer Madhyamaka. It should indeed be expressed by those who profess well-informed intelligence during debates with [extremist] Outsiders, during the composition of great treatises, and while establishing texts which concern supreme reasoning. However, when the subtle, inner Madhyamaka is experientially cultivated, one should meditate on the nature of Yogācāra-Madhyamaka.</blockquote>

In this way, two Madhyamaka are spoken of, one outer and coarse, the other inner and subtle.

Concerning the latter, the regent Ajita [Maitreya] has extensively analysed the meaningful intention of the topics of vast significance which revealed all things in terms of the three essential natures. This he did by means of discourses connected with the irreversible intention of the final turning of the doctrinal wheel and with the utter purity of the three spheres [of subject, object and their interaction].
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|link=/index.php/Books/The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism/Dudjom Rinpoche on Great Madhyamaka
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|text=Dudjom Rinpoche on Great Madhyamaka
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|source=[[Dorje, Gyurme]], and [[Matthew Kapstein]], trans. and ed. ''[[The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History]]'' By [[Dudjom Rinpoche, Jikdrel Yeshe Dorje]] (bdud 'joms 'jigs bral ye shes rdo rje). Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1991. p. 169.
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{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: A Direct Path to the Buddha Within
|cover=File:A_Direct_Path_to_the_Buddha_Within-front.jpg
|coverLink=Books/A_Direct_Path_to_the_Buddha_Within:_Go_Lotsāwa's_Mahāmudrā_Interpretation_of_the_Ratnagotravibhāga
|text=The Jonang tradition of zhentong Madhyamaka asserts a truly existing ultimate that is endowed with all buddha qualities and thus not "empty of an own-being" (rang stong), but "empty of other" (gzhan stong) nonexisting adventitious stains. The validity of the common Madhyamaka assertion that "all phenomena are empty of an own-being" is thus restricted to the level of apparent truth. Such a stance is mainly based on the Tathagatagarbhasūtras, but also Yogācāra works are adduced, since their theory of trisvabhāva (three natures, i.e., the imagined, dependent, and perfect natures) allow such a distinction between rangtong and zhentong.
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|image=https://commons.tsadra.org/images/e/e1/Go_Lotsawa_Shonnu_Pal.jpg
|text=The Zhentong Interpretation of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga''
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|source=[[Mathes, Klaus-Dieter]]. ''[[A Direct Path to the Buddha Within]]: Go Lotsāwa's Mahāmudrā Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga''. Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008, pp. 45–48.
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{{BookExceprt
|title=Book: The Gzhan stong Chen mo
|cover=File:Gzhen stong chen mo-cover.jpg
|coverLink=Books/The_Gzhan_stong_Chen_mo
|text=Over seven hundred years after Dol po pa's interpretive formula and philosophical articulation known as "gzhan stong"—regarding how the nature of relative reality empty of intrinsic characteristics while ultimately full of enlightened qualities—these writings as well as the larger body of Jo nang gzhan stong literature have received little attention within the Western academy. Due to the historical accident of privileged access to diasporaic Tibetan traditions emphasizing "rang stong"—in contrast to "gzhan stong"—a premature normative has been set within Western studies on Tibetan Buddhist interpretations of emptiness, resulting in the gzhan stong formulation of the Jo nang tradition being less well-known. However, due to more recent access to the living Jo nang Tibetan Buddhist tradition in the Amdo region of the northwestern cultural domain of Tibet, and due to more regular availability of gzhan stong literature, we now have opportunities to re-consider this normative and re-evaluate the gzhan stong understanding of the Jo nang.
|source=[[Sheehy, Michael R.]] "[[The Gzhan stong Chen mo: A Study of Emptiness according to the Modern Tibetan Buddhist Jo nang Scholar 'Dzam thang Mkhan po Ngag dbang Blo gros Grags pa (1920–75)]]." PhD diss, California Institute of Integral Studies, 2007, introductory remarks.
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{{BookExceprt
|title=Article: A Look at the Diversity of the Gzhan stong Tradition
|cover=File:JIATS_Cover.jpg
|coverLink=Articles/A_Look_at_the_Diversity_of_the_Gzhan_stong_Tradition
|text=This article introduces two studies by classical Tibetan Buddhist scholars that explain the range of meanings of the term zhentong. The two texts – one by Pema Bidza (twentieth century), the other by Tāranātha (1575-1634) – are analytical studies that summarize and compare the various views of previous scholars who wrote on zhentong. Such interpretive studies are valuable in that they present us with different ways of interpreting the heterogeneous material classified under the rubric “zhentong.” They also suggest ways of contextualizing the different levels of discourse found within this material.
|source=[[Burchardi, Anne]]. "[[A Look at the Diversity of the Gzhan stong Tradition]]." ''Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies'' 3 (2007): 1–24.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Article: Did ’Gos lo tsā ba gZhon nu dpal (1392–1481) Espouse a gZhan stong View?
|cover=File:Did 'gos Lo?-cover.jpg
|coverLink=Articles/Did_’Gos_lo_tsā_ba_gZhon_nu_dpal_(1392–1481)_Espouse_a_gZhan_stong_View?
|text=The article investigates ʼGos Lo tsā ba gZhon nu dpalʼs analysis of Buddha nature and pursues the question of whether this master advocated a gzhan stong view. Mathes faces a difficult situation regarding sources, since no philosophical work by ʼGos Lo tsā ba has come down to us apart from a commentary on the Ratnagotravibhāga (in which the term gzhan stong is not mentioned). Therefore, Mathes makes use of “secondary sources” such as the Eighth Karma paʼs polemical review of ʼGos Lo tsā baʼs lost Kālacakra commentary and a biography composed by the Fourth Zhwa dmar pa. As Mathes is able to show, ʼGos Lo tsā baʼs position on Buddha nature differs sharply from the position held by the Eighth Karma pa, who (like the Third and Seventh Karma pas) supported a type of gzhan stong view. It is, moreover, obvious that ʼGos Lo tsā ba was influenced, to a certain extent, by Tsong kha paʼs scholastic exegesis and thus attempted to harmonize the latterʼs view of emptiness with the mahāmudrā approach of the bKaʼ brgyud pas. In the end, Mathes comes to the conclusion that it is problematic to describe ʼGos Lo tsā baʼs position as gzhan stong, although the Eighth Karma pa (ironically) terms it as “great gzhan stong.”
|source=[[Mathes, Klaus-Dieter]]. "[[Did 'Gos Lo tsā ba gZhon nu dpal (1392-1481) Espouse a gZhan sTong View?]]" In ''Fifteenth Century Tibet: Cultural Blossoming and Political Unrest; Proceedings of a Conference Held in Lumbini, Nepal, March 2015'', edited by Volker Caumanns and Marta Sernesi, 291–311. LIRI Seminar Proceedings Series 8. Lumbini, Nepal: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2017.
}}

{{BookExceprt
|title=Article: A Late Proponent of the Jo nang gZhan stong Doctrine: Ngag dbang tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho (1880–1940)
|cover=File:A Late Proponent of the Jo nang gZhan stong Doctrine-cover.jpg
|coverLink=Articles/A_Late_Proponent_of_the_Jo_nang_gZhan_stong_Doctrine:_Ngag_dbang_tshogs_gnyis_rgya_mtsho_(1880–1940)
|text=Although the doctrines and leading early figures of the Jonang tradition have been the focus of increasing scholarly attention over the past thirty years, much has yet to be written about developments in the tradition during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The goal of this paper is to shed light on this later period by focusing on one particular Jo nang thinker, Ngag dbang tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho (1880-1940). In order to contextualize his
distinctive view and style, I will begin by sketching the historical evolution of the Jo nang tradition across Central and Eastern Tibet, and by providing some biographical and doctrinal information about Tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho’s main teacher, ’Ba’ mda’ Thub bstan dge legs rgya mtsho (1844-1904).
|source=[[Brambilla, Filippo]]. "[[A Late Proponent of the Jo nang gZhan stong Doctrine: Ngag dbang tshogs gnyis rgya mtsho (1880–1940)]]." ''Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines'' 45 (2018): 5–50.
}}

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|columns=3
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Media/Yaroslav Komarovski: On the Life & Works of Shakya Chokden

2023-01-31T16:12:40Z

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{{Media
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|header= Kunga Drolchok: shAkya mchog ldan gyi rnam thar zhib mo rnam par 'byed pa
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|content= Biography of gser mdog paN chen shAkya mchog ldan; written by jo nang rje btsun kun dga' grol mchog
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|content= ''Golden Lancet: Resolved Abundant Discourse on the ‘Thorough Differentiation of the Three Types of Vows’ Treatise'' (''Sdom gsum gyi rab tu dbye ba’i bstan bcos kyi ’bel gtam rnam par nges pa
legs bshad gser gyi thur ma'')
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Media/Yaroslav Komarovski: On Where We Find Discussions of Buddha-Nature in Shakya Chokden's Works

2023-01-31T16:12:37Z

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{{Media
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|content=Treats tathāgatagarbha as jñāna imbued with deities, etc., that has to be identified
and meditated upon
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|RelatedPubs=Reburying the Treasure—Maintaining the Continuity: Two Texts by Śākya Mchog Ldan on the Buddha-Essence
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Media/Yaroslav Komarovski: On How Shakya Chokden Inspired His Book Tibetan Buddhism & Mystical Experience

2023-01-31T16:12:29Z

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|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/2/20/Tibetan_Buddhism_and_Mystical_Experience-front.jpg
|content= Komarovski, Yaroslav. ''Tibetan Buddhism and Mystical Experience''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015.
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|PeopleMentioned=Tsongkhapa; Gorampa Sönam Senge
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Media/Yaroslav Komarovski: On How He Came to Specialize in the Works of Shakya Chokden

2023-01-31T16:12:26Z

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|content=
''Shes rab kyi le'u'i tshig don go sla bar rnam par bshad pa nor bu ke ta ka'' (''The Ketaka Jewel: An Easy to Understand Explanation of the Words and Meaning of the Wisdom Chapter'')
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|link= https://library.bdrc.io/search?q=%22lta%20ba%27i%20shan%20%27byed%20theg%20mchog%20gnad%20kyi%20zla%20zer%22~1&lg=bo-x-ewts&t=Instance&f=asset,inc,tmp:possibleAccess&f=asset,inc,tmp:catalogOnly
|header= Gorampa Sönam Senge: ''Lta ba'i shan 'byed theg mchog gnad kyi zla zer''
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|header= Gorampa Sönam Senge: ''Sdom gsum kha skong gi bsdus don''
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/e/e0/Sdom_gsum_kha_skong_gi_bsdus_don_BDRC-front.jpg
|content= A supplementary writing on the three vows that examines the topic of buddha-nature
|watermark= Text
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{{ExTile
|link= https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:WA00EGS1016899?s=q%3D%2522shAkya%2520mchog%2520ldan%2522~1%26lg%3Dbo-x-ewts%26t%3DWork%26n%3D1
|header= Śākya Chokden: Collected Works/gsung 'bum
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|content= Collected Works by Sakya master Panchen Shakya Chokden (1428-1507). Recently edited from manuscripts and republished from computer input.
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Media/Thupten Jinpa: Buddha-Nature and the Tension between Two Fundamental Concepts of Mahayana Thought

2023-01-31T16:12:16Z

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{{Media
|RelatedWritings=Texts/Tathāgatagarbhasūtra; Texts/Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i ṭīkka; Texts/Śrīmālādevīsūtra; Theg pa chen po rgyud bla ma'i bstan bcos
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|header= Illuminating the Intent
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|content= Jinpa, Thupten, trans. ''Illuminating the Intent: An Exposition of Candrakīrti's Entering the Middle Way.'' By Tsongkhapa. Library of Tibetan Classics 19. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2021.
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|PeopleMentioned=Tsong kha pa; Rgyal tshab rje dar ma rin chen; Dol po pa; Ngok Lotsāwa Loden Sherab; People/Nāgārjuna
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Media/The Furthest Everlasting Continuum and Three Principal Aspects of the Path by the 14th Dalai Lama (Part 1 of 3)

2023-01-31T16:12:14Z

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{{Media
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|content= Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2006. Revised 2012.
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|CitationOverride=Dalai Lama, 14th. "The Furthest Everlasting Continuum and Three Principal Aspects of the Path." 3 pts. Produced by the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Recorded at the Main Tibetan Temple, Dharamsala, H.P., India, May 10–12, 2019. Video, pt. 1, 55:33, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faL13tq0M1s; pt. 2, 53:51, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUA8QKR64So; pt. 3, 49:51. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDwhewEW30o.
}}

Media/Seiji Kumagai at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium

2023-01-31T16:12:04Z

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{{Media
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|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/1/11/Shinran_Wikipedia.jpg
|content= ''Kyōgyōshinshō'' is the magnum opus of Shinran Shonin, the founder of the Japanese Buddhist sect Jodo Shinshu.
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{{ExTile
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|content= ''Tannishō'', or ''Lamentations of Divergences'', is a 13th cent. Buddhist text compiled by Yuien, a disciple of Shinran.
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{{ExTile
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|content= "Hymns of the Dharma Ages." Composed of 116 verses, it is one of three Japanese hymns that make up the ''Sanjō Wasan'' (三帖和讃)
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|PeopleMentioned=Genshin;Hōnen;Yoshiro Tamura;Shinran;Mitsuya Dake;Donran
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Media/Peter Skilling: Reflections on a Middle-Indic Verse from a Ratnagotravibhāga Commentary

2023-01-31T16:12:04Z

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Media/Peter Skilling: On the Cuḷasuññata Sutta and Its Relationship to Maitreya's Madhyāntavibhāga

2023-01-31T16:12:03Z

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Early Buddhist Texts, Translations, and Parallels. https://suttacentral.net/mn121/en/sujato?layout=plain&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin
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Media/Peter Skilling: On the Concept of Self (atta) in Pāli Sources

2023-01-31T16:11:54Z

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|content= Bhikkhu Sujato. ''Attadīpasutta: Be Your Own Island''. SuttaCentral: Early Buddhist Texts, Translations, and Parallels. https://suttacentral.net/sn22.43/en/sujato?layout=plain&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin.
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|PeopleMentioned=People/Cholvijarn, P.
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Media/Michael Sheehy at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium

2023-01-31T16:11:49Z

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{{Media
|TilePhoto=Vienna_2019_-_Day_4_-_July_19th_-_12.jpg
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|MediaNumberInEvent=20
|RelatedWritings=Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra;Vimalaprabhā;Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra;Ri chos nges don rgya mtsho
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{{ExTile
|link= https://read.84000.co/translation/toh361.html
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{{ExTile
|link= https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degetengyur/pbs/2850754
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|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/d/db/K%C4%81lacakrap%C4%81da_2_kalacakra.org.jpg
|content= Commentary on the Difficult Points of the Lotus Girl: Degé Tengyur, vol. 1350 (rgyud, ''na'') 72b5-220a7
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{{ExTile
|link= https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=W24001
|header= Yumo Mikyö Dorje: ''Gsal sgron skor bzhi''
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|content= Cycle of the Four Illuminated Lamps. Treatises on the sadhana practice of the ''Kālacakra Tantra''.
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{{ExTile
|link= https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=W8LS18988
|header= Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen: ''Bstan pa spyi 'grel''
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|content= The General Commentary on the Doctrine
|watermark= BDRC
}}
{{ExTile
|link= https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=W1KG5815
|header= Nyawon Kunga Pal: '' 'Khrul 'joms dang bstan pa spyi 'grel gyi rnam bshad''
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/5/57/Nyawon_kunga_pal_JonangFoundation.org.jpg
|content= Dispelling the Darkness of the Psyche by Illuminating the Intent, a commentary on Dolpopa's ''Bstan pa spyi 'grel''.
|watermark= BDRC
}}
{{ExTile
|link= https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=W1PD95815
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|content= Pointing Out the Ground, Path, and Fruition.
|watermark= BDRC
}}
|PeopleMentioned=Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen;Chokle Namgyal;Jonang Lotsāwa Lodro Pal;Yönten Gyatso;Tāranātha;People/Kalkī Śrī Puṇḍarīka;Kālacakrapāda, (Dus zhabs pa 'jam pa'i rdo rje);Kunpang Tukje Tsondru;Yumo Mikyö Dorje;Nyawon Kunga Pal;Chomden Rikpai Raldri;Rendawa Zhönu Lodrö;Tsongkhapa
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Media/Martina Draszczyk at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium

2023-01-31T16:11:48Z

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{{Media
|TilePhoto=Vienna_2019_-_Day_2_-_July_17th_-_12.jpg
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|MediaEventPage=Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia
|MediaNumberInEvent=5
|RelatedWritings=Ratnagotravibhāga;Laṅkāvatārasūtra;Tathāgatagarbhasūtra;Śrīmālādevīsūtra;Atyayajñānasūtra
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|header= Hevajra Tantra
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/d/d0/Sutra.jpg
|content= Derge (sde dge): (D 417) rgyud, ''nga'' 1b1-13b5 (vol. 80)
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{{ExTile
|link= https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/gampopa/pbs/1464760
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|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/f/f4/Gampopa_%28R._Beer%29.jpg
|content= In this text Gampopa points out that mind is not mere essencelessness, but rather coemergent wisdom which he in turn equates with natural awareness (tha mal gyi shes pa), both key terms of Bka’ brgyud Mahāmudrā.
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{{ExTile
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|header= Gampopa: ''Key Instructions on the Two Modes of Abiding in the Two Armors (Gnas lugs gnyis kyi man ngag dang go cha gnyis kyi man ngag)''
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/f/f4/Gampopa_%28R._Beer%29.jpg
|content= Text within Gampopa's Collected Works which talks about the inherent qualities of mind's true nature.
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{{ExTile
|link= https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/gampopa/pbs/1464889
|header= Gampopa: ''Responding to Questions of Dusum Khyenpa (Dus gsum mkhyen pa’i zhu lan)''
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/f/f4/Gampopa_%28R._Beer%29.jpg
|content= Text within Gampopa's Collected Works in which he explains that buddhas and sentient beings are of one stream. Manifestations and mind as such are not separable from each other.
|watermark= ADARSHA
}}
{{ExTile
|link= https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:W1KG18170?s=%2Fshow%2Fbdr%3AMW1KG18170%3Ftabs%3Dbdr%3AIE0OPP006951#open-viewer
|header= Layakpa Jangchub Ngödrup: ''Commentary on the Four Dharmas of Gampopa (Dwags po chos bzhi'i rtsa 'grel)''
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/b/b4/Layakpa.jpg
|content= Commentary on Gampopa's Four Dharmas treatise that explicitly identifies buddha-nature with natural luminosity and wisdom that is endowed with qualities.
|watermark= BDRC
}}
{{ExTile
|link= https://www.tbrc.org/#library_work_ViewByOutline-O3CZ5553CZ1260%7CW23891
|header= Pakmodrupa Dorje Gyalpo: ''Five Instructions on the Essential Meaning (Snying po don gyi gdams pa lnga)''
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/a/ae/Pagmodrupa_TOL.jpg
|content= Text which interprets Gampopa's thoughts on buddha-nature and contains the famous metaphor for buddha-nature as being akin to sesame oil which is naturally and fully contained in the sesame seed.
|watermark= BDRC
}}
|RelatedPubs=The Jewel Ornament of Liberation (Guenther);Ornament of Precious Liberation (Holmes)
|PeopleMentioned=Gampopa;Herbert V. Guenther;Chayulpa Zhonnu Ö;Chakriwa;Milarepa;Atiśa;Marpa Chökyi Lodrö;People/Nāropa;Maitrīpa;Ngok Lotsāwa Loden Sherab;Tsen Khawoche;Sajjana;Bhāviveka;Kamalaśīla;Jñānaśrīmitra;Jayānanda;Śākya Chokden;Gö Lotsāwa Zhönu Pal;Jamgön Kongtrul;Maitreya;Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje;Layakpa Jangchub Ngödrup;Pakmodrupa Dorje Gyalpo
}}

Media/Lama Shenpen Hookham: On the Expectations of Western Students

2023-01-31T16:11:47Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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|link= https://www.shambhala.com/cutting-through-spiritual-materialism-458.html
|header= Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/5/5b/Cutting_Through_Spiritual_Materialism-front.jpg
|content= Trungpa, Chögyam. ''Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism''. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2002.
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{{ExTile
|link= https://www.shambhala.com/the-guru-principle.html
|header= The Guru Principle
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|content= Hookham, Lama Shenpen. ''The Guru Principle: A Guide to the Teacher-Student Relationship in Buddhism''. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications, 2021.
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Media/Lama Shenpen Hookham: On Putting Buddha-Nature into Practice at the Awakened Heart Sangha

2023-01-31T16:11:46Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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|header= Awakened Heart Sangha
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/8/8d/Awakened_Heart_Sangha_Logo.png
|content= The Awakened Heart Sangha is a spiritual community formed by students of Lama Shenpen Hookham. She guides students worldwide from her retreat centre in Wales.
|watermark= WEBSITE
}}
|PostToAudioStream=No
}}

Media/Lama Shenpen Hookham: On Her Approach to the Maṇḍala Principle and Its Relationship to Buddha-Nature

2023-01-31T16:11:45Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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|link= https://buddhawithin.org.uk/2019/03/21/mandala-principle/
|header= What is Mandala Principle?
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/8/8d/Awakened_Heart_Sangha_Logo.png
|content= Many of the problems of the modern world arise because we lack a living experience of connection, belonging and wholeness. Everything can appear meaningless, fragmented and too complex for us to handle. What is needed is the real experience of ''mandala'', centred on the Indestructible Heart Essence (our Buddha Nature).
|watermark= WEBSITE
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|PeopleMentioned=People/Shikpo, Rigdzin; People/Trungpa, Chögyam
|PostToAudioStream=No
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Media/Lama Shenpen Hookham: On Her Approach to the Guru Principle

2023-01-31T16:11:44Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

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|content= Hookham, Lama Shenpen. ''The Guru Principle: A Guide to the Teacher-Student Relationship in Buddhism''. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications, 2021.
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Media/Lama Shenpen Hookham: On Her Approach to Teaching about the Process of Death and Dying

2023-01-31T16:11:44Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

{{Media
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|link= https://www.windhorsepublications.com/product/theres-more-to-dying-than-death/
|header= There's More to Dying Than Death
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/9/95/Theres_More_to_Death_Than_Dying-front.jpg
|content= Hookham, Shenpen. ''There's More to Dying Than Death: A Buddhist Perspective." Birmingham, United Kingdom: Windhorse Publications, 2006.
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Media/Kurtis Schaeffer at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium

2023-01-31T16:11:41Z

M.Koblensky: Text replacement - "commons.tsadra.org/images-commons" to "commons.tsadra.org/images"

{{Media
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|TileDescription=Kurtis Schaeffer discusses Jikme Lingpa's view and attitude toward buddha-nature as found in his major philosophical work, the ''Treasury of Precious Qualities,'' and in various other writings. He shows how Jikme Lingpa maintained an antinomian approach to buddha-nature in the context of Great Perfection thought.
|MediaEventPage=Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia
|MediaNumberInEvent=19
|RelatedWritings=Yon tan rin po che'i mdzod dga' ba'i char
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|link= https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=O2DB94833%7CO2DB948332DB94834$W7479
|header= Jikme Lingpa: ''Rdzogs chen pa rang byung rdo rje mkhyen brtse'i 'od zer gyi rnam thar''
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/8/87/Jikme_lingpa_statue.jpg
|content= The Autobiography of Jikme Lingpa
|watermark= BDRC
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{{ExTile
|link= https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degetengyur/pbs/2905505
|header= Śāntideva: ''Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra''
|image=
|content= "Way of the Bodhisattva": A text written c. 700 AD in Sanskrit verse with ten chapters dedicated to the development of bodhicitta.
|watermark= ADARSHA
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{{ExTile
|link= https://www.tbrc.org/#!rid=W3CN4996
|header= Jikme Lingpa: ''Yon tan rin po che'i mdzod las 'bras bu'i theg pa rgya cher 'grel rnam mkhyen shing rta''
|image= https://commons.tsadra.org/images/8/87/Jikme_lingpa_statue.jpg
|content= The Chariot for Omniscience: A Vast Commentary on the Result Vehicle Section of the Treasury of Precious Qualities
|watermark= BDRC
}}
|RelatedPubs=Books/Treasury of Precious Qualities: Book One (2010);Books/Treasury of Precious Qualities: Book Two
|PeopleMentioned=Jikme Lingpa;Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen;Śākya Chokden;Chapa Chökyi Senge;Longchenpa
}}