Vajrayana Buddhism Association
Buddhism In the Nyingma Tradition
Translator’s Note: This article was posted on Master Tam’s personal website on June 12, 2023.
This post will be demoralizing to read. Over a decade ago, back when I was planning to teach the practice of Vajra Drolod, I had wanted to write what I’m about to write.…
In the previous column, bodhisattva Pure Wisdom asked if there were any differences in the realization by sentient beings, bodhisattvas, and buddhas. Below is the first part of the answer.
Click here for the table of contents to revisit the dialogue between Buddha and previous bodhisattvas.…
In the previous column, bodhisattva Maitreya asked Buddha the way to sever the root of samsara (cyclical existence). Here, bodhisattva Pure Wisdom will continue the line of inquiry, inquiring into the different levels of realization, and the stages of practice.…
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.…
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.…
