Our Path, Our Manifestation.

 In Tibetan Buddhism there are three aspects to understanding the Path: the Ground, the Path and the Fruition. The Ground is our Buddha nature, the Path is our confusion about that Buddha nature, and the Fruition is recognising that the Path (our confusion) never existed in the first place and that we are the Ground (Buddha nature) all the time (timelessness)!

This is a passage from ‘Re-enlightenment’ by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.

 The qualities of an enlightened buddha are not his qualities; they are the qualities of the buddha nature fully manifest. We also posses that same quality, but it is hidden, lying dormant.

 If our buddha nature is beyond delusion and liberation, can’t we also say that we are in essence primordially enlightened? We could succeed in convincing ourselves with such a philosophical trick, but it’s not really true, because we have already strayed onto the path.

 If we had never fallen into confusion, we could rightly claim to be primordially enlightened. But unfortunately it is too late to claim that. Our precious wish-fulfilling jewel has already fallen into the mud.

 Primordial enlightenment means that Ground and Fruition are identical and there is no Path of delusion to be cleared away. This is definitely different from the situation of us who have already strayed onto the Path and therefore need to clear away delusion in order to reach Fruition.

 Take the example of a myriad of jewels: some are covered in mud, some are clean. All of them are jewels, but each is distinctly individual. Sentient beings’ minds cognise individually, so we have to say that they are separate.

 This is quite a good example, to view all beings and buddhas as countless jewels, some covered with dirt, some clean. They are not identical even though they have the same qualities. Iff the minds of all sentient beings were one, then when one individual attains enlightenment, everybody else would be liberated at the same moment.

 But if you attain enlightenment it doesn’t mean I will be enlightened. Understand it this way: although beings have similar qualities, we are not one. We have the same essence, which is empty and cognisant, but our form of manifestation is separate, distinct from that of another sentient being.