Buddhism In the Nyingma Tradition
In the previous column, bodhisattva Maitreya asks Buddha the way to sever the root of samsara (cyclical existence). Previously, bodhisattva Vajragarbha’s questions led to the conclusion that it is the cyclical perspective that obscures awareness (and thus, wisdom), thereby leading to suffering.…
By readers’ request, Master Tam decided to present his commentary to the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment as an overview to the Buddhist foundation, practice, and fruition. He posted a weekly column on the VBA website (Chinese) in 2016. In 2020, the column was extended and published as The Secret Meaning of the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment, which became the 12th book in the Beyond Words series, aiming to offer a lay and non-sectarian view on scriptures in the Buddhist Canon.…
The fifth bodhisattva asking question is Maitreya, but in terms of the practice, the fourth one.
The previous answer brought out an important issue in practice. For all sentient beings, if detaching from the root of saṃsāra is the attainment of perfect awareness, then how does one do so?…
To answer (see previous column), Buddha began explaining why sentient beings still fall into saṃsāra while possessing perfect enlightenment. This is the key to answering Vajragarbha’s three questions.
Within saṃsāra all phenomena fall into relativity to establish themselves, and hence there are notions such as beginning and end, life and death, front and back, existence and non-existence, gathering and dispersing, arising and cessation, and so on.…
The fourth bodhisattva is Vajragarbha, but the third one inquiring into the practice. Here we can briefly explain the significance of the bodhisattva’s name.
In the Buddhist Canon, every time the word “vajra” is used, it refers to a realm that is both secret and subtle (秘密).…
Translator’s note: Master Tam wrote series of books called Beyond Words (離言叢書) between 2011 and 2021. During this time he published thirteen books of commentary to Buddhist sūtras and treatises using the teaching of Buddha-Within. These books include Saṃdhi-nirmocana-sūtra, The Lion’s Roar of Queen Śrīmālā, as well as Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment that we are currently serializing on this website.…
From the earlier observation, a bodhisattva accomplishes the perfect enlightenment, attains its fruition. A bodhisattva’s attainment is no different from a buddha’s attainment, which is an attainment of complete awareness. The complete awareness is where the nature of awareness permeates all phenomena without conflict nor confusion.…
The ultimate quiescence of illusion is the attainment of purity. This realm of purity is also the dharmadhātu. And yet, this realm is still capable of manifesting illusion – upon dharmakaya is the spontaneous dependent arising of all consciousness realms.…
Buddha answers Universal Vision’s inquiry on the stages of practice, they are the various “provisional expedient means” such as contemplation and abiding. By expedient, the stages are presented on the basis that they are in themselves insubstantial, and the practices are presented on the basis that they are a non-requirement.…
The bodhisattva Universal Vision was the third to pose questions to Buddha, but in terms of the practice, he was the second. His question was, in terms of the stages of practice, how should one think, and how should one abide in the practice given this thinking?…
Buddha’s answer to Samantabhadra’s questions was in fact instructions to practicing the illusion-like samādhi.
First, Buddha pointed out that all phenomena are illusory arising, arisen from “the perfectly enlightened marvelous mind of the Tathāgata.” While the arising themselves are illusive, “the perfectly enlightened marvelous mind” that gives rise to these phenomena is not.…
Vajrayana Buddhism Association (VBA) was founded by Nyingma master Tam Shek-Wing (Dorje Jigdral, b. 1935), with branches in Toronto, Vancouver, Hong Kong and Hawaii. Tam became a disciple of H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche in 1972 and was ordained Vajra Archarya by His Holiness in 1984, shouldering the responsibility to present Buddhism to the Western audience.
In this website, you will learn about the Buddhist practice and the Nyingma tradition. Dharma classes and group meditations at our local branches are held in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
