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Nature of Nirvana

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  • O you Bhiksus! Do not abide in the thought of the non-Eternal, Suffering, non-Self, and the not-Pure and be in the situation of those people who take stones, bits of wood, and gravel to be the true gem. You must study well the Way, how to act, wherever you go, and “meditate on the Self, the Eternal, Bliss, and the Pure”. Know that the outer forms of the four items which you have learnt up to now are inversions and that anyone who desires to practise the Way should act like the wise man who deftly gets hold of the gem. This refers to the so-called thought of Self, and that of the Eternal, Bliss, and Pure."

    Chapter 3 of the Mahaparinirvana sutra
  • sorry posts were to long I have 2 posts before this one on page 3 which is the start of this post.
  • @ozen, Meaning? So don't let go of greed, hatred and delusion then? ;)
    On the contrary, don't let go of generosity, love and other good stuff. :)
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited July 2012
    @KarunaDharmakaya, Take a chill pill. The first link was not an article, the second link (and the quote from it) were. If you can't even hold it together in normal conversation and understand what's going on and where it's coming from, what makes you think you understand the sutras at all?
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited July 2012
    @ozen, Well sure, but in letting go of attachment to conditioned phenomena we act with generosity, universal compassion and all that because it's just in accord with reality. We don't have to "hold on" to them at that point, they're just natural for us. The stuff that's really good is already in accord with reality and isn't adversely affected by enlightenment. If anything it's perfected by enlightenment. We act with true virtue rather than with any hidden agenda.
  • @KarunaDharmakaya, Take a chill pill. The first link was not an article, the second link (and the quote from it) were.
    and again your artical didnt negate true self nor did it even mention it.

    as I posted up above the ACTUAL Buddha nature sutras is what says true self is nirvana.
    when you keep saying the Buddha didnt talk about the true self then you are ignoring the entire buddha nature sutras.(or saying they aint real).
  • @ozen, Well sure, but in letting go of attachment to conditioned phenomena we act with generosity, universal compassion and all that because it's just in accord with reality. We don't have to "hold on" to them at that point, they're just natural for us.
    Rather I meant what we're generous and loving towards.
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited July 2012
    @KarunaDharmakaya, The Buddha never taught true self, he taught not-self. I suggest finding a teacher. The only thing that is meant by true self is acting in accord with what you really are, which is emptiness. It doesn't refer to some self that got caught up in the aggregates, transmigrates, and then returns to its source... that is Brahmanism, Hindu belief and view of Nirvana.
  • @KarunaDharmakaya, The Buddha never taught true self, he taught not-self. I suggest finding a teacher. The only thing that is meant by true self is acting in accord with what you really are, which is emptiness. It doesn't refer to some self that got caught up in the aggregates, transmigrates, and then returns to its source... that is Brahmanism, Hindu belief and view of Nirvana.
    again cloud YOU are the one saying the Buddha never taught true self,the Buddha nature sutras DO SAY the Buddha taught true self you sir are pretending like they dont exist.
    SO is Buddha nature fake???is the Buddha nature sutras fake??is all of Mahayana Buddhism that uses Buddha nature sutras fake?note if you say Buddha nature is a Buddhist teaching then you OBVIOUSLY have to accept the sutras that BROUGHT you Buddha nature.


    LET THE SUTRAS EDUCATE YOU ON WHAT BUDDHA NATURE IS.(not make up your own views about what it is then try to say the very sutras rthat teach Buddha nature are wrong)(that makes no sense)

    chapter 3 on grief
    Then, the World-Honoured One praised all the bhiksus and said: "It is good, it is good, that you practise the selflessness meditation." Then all bhiksus said to the Buddhha: "We not only practise the selflessness meditation, but even other meditations, to wit, all those on Suffering, the non-Eternal, and Selflessness. O World-Honoured One! When intoxicated, the mind spins round, and all mountains, rivers, castles, palaces, the sun, moon and stars appear to spin round too. O World-Honoured One! Any person who does not practise the meditation of the non-Eternal and Selflessness cannot be called a sage. Due to indolence, one repeats birth and death. O World-Honoured One! Because of this, we all practise such meditations."
    Then the Buddha said to all the bhiksus: "Hear me well, hear me well! Now, you mention the case of an intoxicated person. This refers to knowledge, but not the signification. What do I mean by signification? The intoxicated person sees the sun and moon, which do not move, but he thinks they do. The same is the case with beings. As all illusion and ignorance overhang [the mind], the mind turns upside down and takes Self for non-Self, Eternal for non-Eternal, Purity as non-Pure, and Bliss as sorrow. Overhung by illusion, this thought arises. Though this though arises, the meaning is not gained [realised]. This is as in the case of the intoxicated person who takes what does not move as moving. The Self' signifies the Buddha; 'the Eternal' signifies the Dharmakaya; 'Bliss' signifies Nirvana, and 'the Pure' signifies Dharma. Bhiksus, why is it said that one who has the idea of a Self is arrogant and haughty, traversing round Samsara? Bhiksus, although you might say, 'We also cultivate impermanence, suffering, and non-Self, these three kinds of cultivation have no real value/ meaning. I shall now explain the excellent three ways of cultivating Dharma. To think of suffering as Bliss and to think of Bliss as suffering, is perverse Dharma; to think of the impermanent as the Eternal and to think of the Eternal as impermanent is perverse Dharma; to think of the non-Self [anatman]as the Self [atman] and to think of the Self [atman] as non-Self [anatman] is perverse Dharma; to think of the impure as the Pure and to think of the Pure as impure is perverse Dharma. Whoever has these four kinds of perversion, that person does not know the correct cultivation of dharmas. Bhiksus, you give rise to the idea of Bliss with regard to phenomena associated with suffering; the idea of Eternity with regard to phenomena associated with impermanence; the idea of the Self with regard to phenomena without Self; and the idea of Purity with regard to phenomena that are impure. Both the mundane and also the supramundane have the Eternal, Bliss, the Self, and Purity. Mundane teachings [dharmas] have letters and are without meaning [referents]; the Supramundane [teachings] have letters and meaning. Why? Because mundane people have these four perversions, they are unacquainted with the [true] meaning/ referents. Why? Having these perverse ideas, their minds and vision are distorted. Through these three perversions, mundane people see suffering in Bliss, impermanence in the Eternal, non-Self in the Self, and impurity in the Pure. These are called perversions/ inversions. Because of these perversions/ inversions, mundane people know the letters but not the meaning [referents]. What is the meaning/referent? Non-Self is Samsara, the Self is the Tathagata; impermanence is the sravakas and pratyekabuddhas, the Eternal is the Tathagata's Dharmakaya; suffering is all tirthikas, Bliss is Nirvana; the impure is all compounded [samskrta] dharmas , the Pure is the true Dharma that the Buddha and Bodhisattvas have. This is called non-perversion/ non-inversion. By not being inverted [in one's views], one will know [both] the letter and the meaning. If one desires to be freed from the four perverse/ inverted [views - catur-viparita-drsti], one should know the Eternal, Blissful, the Self and the Pure in this manner."
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited July 2012
    This thread has obviously deteriorated.
This discussion has been closed.