Monthly Archives: January 2019

A Clarification of the Fundamental-Essence

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Vajragoni

5. A Clarification of the Fundamental-Essence

After that the [Supreme Source], mind of perfect purity, instructed [Vajrasattva] in the concise meaning of the teachings about Her own being: read more

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The Central Vigor

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Vajragoni

4. The Central Vigor

Then the [Supreme Source], mind of perfect purity, gave the following talk about the Reality of the names [given] to Her own being. read more

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The Guru of the Inner-Ear

Posted on January 13, 2019 by Vajragoni

3. The Guru of the Inner-Ear

Then the [Supreme Source], mind of perfect purity, spoke about “How I have become in the past the maker of all things:” read more

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By Me You Are

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Vajragoni

2. By Me You Are

After that the [Supreme Source], the mind of complete purity, dwelt in what is called a contemplation (samadhi) of ‘all things emerge from Her.’ read more

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The Place where the Primordial Speaks

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Vajragoni


Art by Mara Berendt Friedman

1. The Place where the Primordial Speaks

Homage to the [Supreme Source], the mind of complete purity, the victorious one! read more

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Kulayarāja Tantra—The Motherly Buddha

Posted on January 8, 2019 by Vajragoni

Firstly, I’d like to commend Jonathan for forwarding me the link to the E. K. Neumaier-Dargyay’s translation (The Sovereign All-Creating Mind-The Motherly Buddha:A Translation of the Kun byed rgyal po’i mdo) of this majestic-work. Am most familiar with her erudite skills as another of her books, The Rise of Esoteric Buddhism in Tibet, was the main source of inspiration for my Bodhi-film, Terma: A Mind Film by Vajragoni. From a traditional standpoint, this tantra (extant in Tibetan) presents and focuses on the Supernal-Mind Teaching of the Primordial Buddha, Samantabhadra, who is personified in the text as Bodhicitta, or the Awakened Buddha Mind. We will shortly discuss how for E. K. Neumaier-Dargyay, the text is better rendered as the feminine-side of the Primordial Buddha, or Samantabhadrī—thus the subtitle of this Blog, The Motherly Buddha. First though, how is Bodhicitta best understood in the context of this tantra? Another resource we will be using side by side with the E. K. Neumaier-Dargyay translation is the Dominantly Superb, The Supreme Source: read more

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A further look at the Vijñānas

Posted on January 4, 2019 by Vajragoni

The Sagathakam posits numerous statements concerning the Vijñānas, as does the Lanka as a whole. Doing a search here at Unborn Mind Zen you will discover a rich source of connotations concerning the vijnanic system. This blog offers a further observation through the lens of hermeneutics. Florin Giripescu Sutton in his monumental work, Existence and Enlightenment in the Lankavatara Sutra, makes reference to a paper by Edward Hamlin entitled, Discourse in the Laṅkāvatāra-Sūtra, Journal of Indian Philosophy 11 (1983): 267-313. For a good treatment of Sutton’s work as well as a great technical breakdown of the Vijñānas, see The Complete Lanka and Discussion, available in our Unborn Mind Library. But for now the focus is on Hamlin’s paper with his hermeneutical treatment of the vijñānas. He begins by elucidating: read more

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Prajñā

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Vajragoni


Image by Lori Gardi

  1. As long as there is something attained, there is so much error rising; when the Mind itself is thoroughly understood, error neither rises nor ceases.

The perennial problem often with zen-adepts is that some form of objective needs to be met—something to strive after and thus something attainable. Mystically this is very faulty reasoning because there really is no-thing out there to be attained, it’s a form of objective fallacy. The great Hui Hai once put this to rest by proclaiming, knowing that there is nothing attainable or achievable is the Self-Realization of the Dharmakaya of the Buddhadharma. Furthermore, Anuttarasamyaksambodhi is thus a Self-Perfection that is beyond both the attainable/ [Un]attainable. read more

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