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Monthly Archives: October 2017
The Nine-Sheaths
Even though the Tathagata-garbha is “within” all sentient beings, it is still plagued by a series of kleśas that soil and keep it dormant until efficacious Buddha-qualities peel-away the damning-sheathes. The Ratna gives nine-examples of these defilements that are by … Continue reading
Posted in The Ratnagotravibhāgaśāstra
Tagged bodhichild, Buddha-dhatu, clay-covered gotra, diseased lotus flower, hidden treasure, impoverished woman, kernels, Munis, small seed, soiled garment, soiled treasure, swarming bees, Tathagata-dharmagarbha, Tathagata-dhatu, Tathagata-garbha Sutra, Tathagatakaya
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The Top-Ten Qualities of the Ratnagotra
We have arrived at the core-teaching of the Ratna: all sentient beings are endowed with the Buddhagarbha, or the transcendent seed (gotra) of Bodhi. It is taught as Vajra-point four–the Dhātu, or the essence of the Buddha-Element—Tathagata-garbha. As essence, the … Continue reading
Posted in The Ratnagotravibhāgaśāstra
Tagged abheda, avasthāprabheda, avikāra, dhātu, Germ, gotra, guṇa-pāramitās, Hetu, Karman, phala, sarvatraga, svabhāva, vrtti, Yoga
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The Family Jewels
If asked to sum-up one of the prominent qualities of the Ratnagotra-vibhāgaśāstra it would zero-in on a “family”, in particular the “Tathata-family”, and the nature of the three-jewels that constitutes the essence of this family. The Tathagata-garbha is the womb … Continue reading
The Buddha as Absolute Refuge
When we consider the “three refuges” one can do so in a conventional sense, an empirical sense, and an absolute sense. This blog will reveal the ultimate realization of the three refuges. The Absolute Buddha is the Dharmakaya, or the … Continue reading
The Jewel of the Sangha
The Third Vajra-point pays homage to the Noble (Ārya) Bodhisattvas. There are two types of sangha—one bearing the features of ordinary beings the other bearing the auspicious mark of the Tathagatas—or self-realized beings. Ordinary beings, i.e., worldlings or the puthujjana … Continue reading
The Jewel of the Dharma
We next turn to the Dharma as the Second Vajra-point. “From the Jewel of the Buddha comes the Jewel of the Doctrine.” This is presented with the same structure: a direct homage to the Blessed Teaching of the Tathagata by … Continue reading
The Jewel of the Buddha
The Ratna next turns to a comprehensive overview of the Three Jewels. First up: The Buddha as the First Vajra-point. The segment on the Buddha begins with a direct homage to the Tathāgata by highlighting prominent aspects of Buddhahood. Then … Continue reading
The Matrix of the Tathāgata
danita clark The text of the Ratnagotravibhāga consists essentially of 430 Sanskrit verses with an accompanying prose commentary (vyākhyā) that incorporates extensive quotations from Tathāgata-garbha orientated sutras. The first chapter is indeed the longest and initiates the śāstra with an … Continue reading
Gotra: The Transformative Principle
As mentioned in the introduction to this series, the Ratnagotravibhāga principally covers seven vajrapadas (adamantine topics); vajrapada is Sanskrit for “Vajra-Base”. The seven [Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha), the element (dhātu, which is equivalent to tathāgatagarbha), awakening (bodhi), the … Continue reading
Posted in The Ratnagotravibhāgaśāstra
Tagged Bodhi, dhātu, gotra, guṇa, kriyā, Transformative Principle, Vajra-Base, vajrapada
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The Ratnagotravibhāgaśāstra
The Ratnagotravibhāgaśāstra (Uttaratantra) is the premier śāstra, combined with its [embedded] commentary (the vyākhyā), dealing with the Tathāgatagarbha. It is the earliest systematic portrayal of the Doctrine composed circa the end of the 5th century, and it draws upon a … Continue reading