-Trung Thanh Nguyen, BA student from Vietnam

In this article, I would like to write a response to our Lopon’s question, which is about the connection between the Buddha’s activity in terms of the manifestation of the form kayas and the pure minds of the practitioners. In class, He made an observation in general that the reflection of the form kayas is based on the ground of the pure minds of beings. And then Lopon la proceeded with the question: “How could we understand the Buddha’s activity here?” To answer this question, we will work on the thesis that although there seems to be no any activity from the Buddha in terms of the manifestation of the form kayas, when they are seen as the reflection within the pure minds of beings. In fact, the Buddha’s activity is ever-present there, free from any ideation, and free from arising and cessation, beyond the ‘mundane’ observation of ‘within’ and ‘outside’ the minds of beings, and spontaneously and uninterruptedly bringing about benefit for the sake of all sentient beings.  

To find the answer for our Lopon’s question, first we will look at how the Buddha’s activity, in terms of the manifestation of the form kayas, is described in the Uttaratantra Śāstra. Like “the appearance of the reflection of Indra in a lapis lazuli ground”¹ bringing the benefit for all gods and goddesses, the Buddha’s activity appears as the form kayas reflecting on the ground of the pure minds of beings, spontaneously and uninterruptedly bringing benefit for the sake of them. Specifically, at the very beginning, the form kayas of the Buddha appear to sentient beings as such a great motivation to encourage them to adopt the practices of virtue such as generosity, discipline, and so forth, for the ‘mundane’ purpose of good rebirths, or even attain the beautiful appearance like the Buddha’s kayas. Later at the next level, when those sentient beings attain some certain roots of virtue, the manifestation of the Buddha’s form kayas appear in an endless number of illusory appearances in the beings’ pure minds such as “an appearance surrounded by a mandala of light and thereby endowed with great splendor and magnificence, and so forth.”² This seeing of the Buddha’s form kayas motivates the beings to cultivate the longing to quickly attain Buddhahood. And to do so, they will fully unite the practice of virtue and studying the sacred Dharma based on the causes of the bodhicitta in terms of motivation, and in terms of application.  

Second, the question of Lopon la continued asking “what is the Buddha’s activity here?” When the reflection of the manifestations of the Buddha’s form kayas is based on the ground of the pure minds of beings, there seems to be no any Buddha’s activity, but the only strive of each sentient being on their way of the purification of the mind for the sake of enlightenment. In other words, how pure the minds of beings are, that much ‘supreme’ manifestation of the Buddha’s form kayas they are able to see. However, according to the explanation in the Uttaratantra Śāstra, we can understand that the Buddha’s activity, in terms of the manifestation of the form kayas, is free from ideation and deliberate effort. It is ever-present there like all-pervasive space, beyond the two extremes of existence and non-existence, and free from arising and cessation. This is because the manifestation of the Buddha’s form kayas arises from the ‘ultimate’ Dharmakaya, which is also not to be viewed in any way in terms of “arising and ceasing” or in terms of “existent and extinct.”³ Therefore, the Buddha’s activity is spontaneous, uninterrupted, and ever-present for bringing benefit to all sentient beings with their various karmic fortunes and their different levels of the purity of mind. This ‘supreme’ activity cannot be seen ‘within’ or ‘outside’ the sentient beings’ mind. It also cannot be seen as existence or non-existence with ideation and deliberate effort. It is the activity made by all Buddhas on the ground of emptiness and luminosity, which is the ‘ultimate’ Dharmakaya. 

In addition, the reflection of the Buddha’s form kayas, which is based on the ground of the pure minds of beings, demonstrates the connection of the Buddha Nature within the mind of each sentient being and the ‘ultimate’ Dharmakaya of all Buddhas. The seed of Buddhahood is there, ever-present in each sentient being. Therefore, it is by nature the important factor for beings to see the Buddha’s activity and be able to receive the benefit from this supreme activity.  

Finally, we will have a look at a great example of the Buddha’s activity in the story of Asanga and the Buddha Maitreya. According to the story, after a long time of retreat for the meditation practice on the Buddha Maitreya, Asanga had not seen any vision of the Buddha Maitreya. However, finally with his great compassion towards the dog and the maggots, the Buddha Maitreya appeared to him. At that time, Asanga was so happy and asked the Buddha Maitreya that “why did you never appear to me before?” The Buddha Maitreya spoke softly: “It is not true that I have never appeared to you before. I was with you all the time, but your negative karma and obscurations prevented you from seeing me. Your twelve years of practice dissolved them slightly so that you were at last able to see the dog. Then, thanks to your genuine and heartfelt compassion, all those obscurations were completely swept away and you can see me before you with your very own eyes.”⁴ Relying on this conversation between the Buddha Maitreya and Asanga, we can see that the Buddha Maitreya was with Asanga all the time, his vision was always ever-present there, spontaneous and uninterrupted for the sake of Asanga and other beings. However, due to Asanga’s negative karmas and obscurations, they prevented him from seeing the vision of the Buddha Maitreya. Then later when his negative karmas and obscurations were purified, this created the pure ground in his mind for the manifestation of the vision of the Buddha Maitreya. Overall, we can find this vision of the Buddha Maitreya similar to the Buddha’s activity in terms of the manifestation of the form kayas. This supreme activity is ever-present, spontaneous, and uninterrupted for bringing the benefit of all sentient beings, like the Buddha Maitreya in the story being always with Asanga for the sake of his enlightenment. However, the reflection of the Buddha’s form kayas is based on the pure minds of sentient beings with different karmic fortunes and capacities. It is like the full manifestation of the vision of the Buddha Maitreya based on the pure mind of Asanga when his negative karmas and obscurations were purified by his great compassion towards the dog and the maggots.  

In conclusion, the teaching on the Buddha’s activity is very profound. The Buddha’s activity is supreme, beyond any conceptualization. Specially, the Buddha’s activity, in terms of the manifestation of the form kayas, is ever-present, spontaneous, and uninterrupted for the benefits of all sentient beings. With its ground in the ‘ultimate’ Dharmakaya, this supreme activity cannot be seen as existent or non-existent; it is free from ideation, from arising and cessation, and free from being ‘within’ or ‘outside’ the pure minds of beings. It is ‘ever-present there’ for the sake of all sentient beings with their various kinds of karmic fortunes and capacities. 

Bibliography 

Arya Maitreya, and Rosemarie Fuchs. Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra / by Arya Maitreya; with Commentary by Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé, The Unassailable Lion’s Roar, and Explanations by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2000. 

Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia. “Asanga.” Buddhist Story. Accessed March 26, 2023. http://tibetanbuddhistencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/Buddhist_Story:_Asanga