Category Archives: The Lankavatara Sutra

That’s a Wrap!

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Vajragoni

This past month studying and commentating on the new Red Pine edition of the Lankavatara Sutra has truly been an auspicious time for me; my hope is that this may prove of some benefit for present and future students of … Continue reading →

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The Long and Winding Road

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Vajragoni

As the Lanka winds-down, we are left with some very constructive impressions. Red Pine masterfully translates the great malady that affects all sentient beings—the diurnal wheel of samsara and its accompanying dependent origination: “Fools let their thoughts wander among the … Continue reading →

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The Other

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Vajragoni

Section LXXXII of the Lanka delineates the nature of the Tathagata-garbha and the Alaya vijnana (repository consciousness). This can be quite confusing because although apparently different—one pure, one defiled—they are also essentially synonymous in nature. A good analogy to break … Continue reading →

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Mind Games

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Vajragoni

Sections LXXX-XC entitled “Final Questions” by Red Pine actually combines the former Suzuki chapters 4-9 into one chapter, 4. At the beginning of this Lanka series mention was made concerning the various stages that comprise the Bodhisattva path, and that … Continue reading →

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Instant Karma

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Vajragoni

The Lanka once again makes reference to not equating words with meaning: “Mahamati, if one person points to something with their finger, and a foolish person looks at their finger, they won’t know what they really mean. In the same … Continue reading →

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Living in the Material World

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Vajragoni

Materialism is the great bane of all Lankavatarists. The Lanka pulls no punches in relaying the dangers of materialism: “Materialists employ all manner of expressions, arguments, metaphors, and embellishments to attract and deceive foolish people. They do not accept the … Continue reading →

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A Day in the Life

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Vajragoni

A day in the “apparent” life of a Lankavatarian is just that…it transcends all notions of apparency that usually dwarfs most people between the ironclad mountains of realism and nihilism. As such, a Lankavatarian is “marked with the mark of … Continue reading →

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What a Fool Believes

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Vajragoni

The Lanka places a great premium on the nature of perceptions—what a fool believes he sees or does not see, i.e., existence or non-existence. It also reinforces again and again that the Tathagatas are free from all these discriminations, even … Continue reading →

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Abandon all hope Ye who enter here

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Vajragoni

Chapter three of the Lanka kicks-off with the three-fold nature of the “projection body”, or manomayakaya. “There are three kinds of projection bodies. And what are these three kinds? They are the projection body that experiences the bliss of samadhi, … Continue reading →

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You have Anointed Me

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Vajragoni

When a bodhisattva ascends into higher modes of advancement, the Tathagatas themselves appear to procure their progress: “Moreover, Mahamati, the tathagatas employ two kinds of powers for the support of bodhisattvas who come before them for instruction. And which two … Continue reading →

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