If everyone has buddha nature...

[saurab]

Why is learning necessary in buddhism?

Every one has the potential to become a Buddha. That does not mean that they are already the Buddha. Hence the need of learning. A seed is potentially a tree, but in order for a seed to become a tree, it needs soil, water, sunlight, etc. Similarly for human beings to become a Buddha, we need learning and understanding.

[tingdzin]

As Queequeg said, "Buddha nature", like every other term used in the teaching of Buddhism, is just a construct meant to help people realize/actualize/experience, the transformative wisdom of the awakened ones. If the term is meaningless to you, there is no sense in being vexed at all the further verbiage that people pile on top of it if that makes you even more confused. There are 84,000 Dharma doors, and you needn't master them all to get anywhere. Do your own practice sincerely, without worrying about how other people are doing theirs, or trying to reconcile the various opinions people may have.

It may be fun, and occasionally even helpful, to engage in verbal jousting, but always remeber the metaphor of the finger pointing at the moon.

[Minobu]

this is part of what i posted in another thread as an answer posed to me from another member:



lately i'm looking at the words Buddha Nature, and wondering if it means just that...the nature of the Buddha...like compassion and the ability to aid sentients in samsara...like a tree turned into shelter or paper or fire wood for warmth...rocks being used for shelter and bridges and the such ...to ancients and for people that see things through the eyes of Sunyata, Buddha Nature could simply be that when applied to the words"even the trees and rocks have Buddha Nature".

sort of a way of seeing the possibility in all things to aid sentients in samsara...All sentients have Buddha Nature or the possibility of living and acting like a Buddha would. too simple...?????

[GDPR_Anonymized001]

lately i'm looking at the words Buddha Nature, and wondering if it means just that...the nature of the Buddha...

Here is a the definition from the Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. I'm curious to see if it helps you.

buddhadhātu. (T. sangs rgy as ky i khams; C. foxing; J. busshō; K. pulsŏng 佛性).
In Sanskrit, “buddha-element,” or “buddha-nature”; the inherent potential of all sentient beings to achieve buddhahood. The term is also widely used in Buddhist Sanskrit with the sense of “buddha relic,” and the term DHĀTU alone is used to mean “buddha-element” (see also GOTRA, KULA). The term first appears in the MAHĀYĀNA recension of the MAHĀPARINIRVĀṆASŪTRA, now available only in Chinese translation, which states that all sentient beings have the “buddha-element” (FOXING). (The Chinese translation foxing literally means “buddha-nature” and the Chinese has often been mistakenly back-translated as the Sanskrit buddhatā; buddhadhātu is the accepted Sanskrit form.) The origin of the term may, however, be traced back as far as the AṢṬASĀHASRIKĀPRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ, one of the earliest Mahāyāna SŪTRAs, where the fundamental substance of the mind is said to be luminous (prakṛtiś cittasy a prabhāsvarā), drawing on a strand of Buddhism that has its antecedents in such statements as the Pāli AṄGUTTARANIKĀYA: “The mind, O monks, is luminous but defiled by adventitious defilements” (pabhassaraṃ idaṃ bhikkhave cittaṃ, tañ ca kho āgantukehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṃ). Because the BODHISATTVA realizes that the buddha-element is inherent in him at the moment that he arouses the aspiration for enlightenment (BODHICITTOTPĀDA) and enters the BODHISATTVAYĀNA, he achieves the profound endurance (KṢĀNTI) that enables him to undertake the arduous training, over not one, but three, incalculable eons of time (ASAṂKHYEYAKALPA), that will lead to buddhahood. The buddhadhātu is a seminal concept of the Mahāy āna and leads to the development of such related doctrines as the “matrix of the tathāgatas” (TATHĀGATAGARBHA) and the “immaculate consciousness” (AMALAVIJÑĀNA). The term is also crucial in the development of the teachings of such indigenous East Asian schools of Buddhism as CHAN, which telescope the arduous path of the bodhisattva into a single moment of sudden awakening (DUNWU) to the inherency of the “buddhanature” (foxing), as in the Chan teaching that merely “seeing the nature” is sufficient to “attain buddhahood” (JIANXING CHENGFO).

[Minobu]

lately i'm looking at the words Buddha Nature, and wondering if it means just that...the nature of the Buddha...

Here is a the definition from the Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. I'm curious to see if it helps you.

buddhadhātu. (T. sangs rgy as ky i khams; C. foxing; J. busshō; K. pulsŏng 佛性).
In Sanskrit, “buddha-element,” or “buddha-nature”; the inherent potential of all sentient beings to achieve buddhahood. The term is also widely used in Buddhist Sanskrit with the sense of “buddha relic,” and the term DHĀTU alone is used to mean “buddha-element” (see also GOTRA, KULA). The term first appears in the MAHĀYĀNA recension of the MAHĀPARINIRVĀṆASŪTRA, now available only in Chinese translation, which states that all sentient beings have the “buddha-element” (FOXING). (The Chinese translation foxing literally means “buddha-nature” and the Chinese has often been mistakenly back-translated as the Sanskrit buddhatā; buddhadhātu is the accepted Sanskrit form.) The origin of the term may, however, be traced back as far as the AṢṬASĀHASRIKĀPRAJÑĀPĀRAMITĀ, one of the earliest Mahāyāna SŪTRAs, where the fundamental substance of the mind is said to be luminous (prakṛtiś cittasy a prabhāsvarā), drawing on a strand of Buddhism that has its antecedents in such statements as the Pāli AṄGUTTARANIKĀYA: “The mind, O monks, is luminous but defiled by adventitious defilements” (pabhassaraṃ idaṃ bhikkhave cittaṃ, tañ ca kho āgantukehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṃ). Because the BODHISATTVA realizes that the buddha-element is inherent in him at the moment that he arouses the aspiration for enlightenment (BODHICITTOTPĀDA) and enters the BODHISATTVAYĀNA, he achieves the profound endurance (KṢĀNTI) that enables him to undertake the arduous training, over not one, but three, incalculable eons of time (ASAṂKHYEYAKALPA), that will lead to buddhahood. The buddhadhātu is a seminal concept of the Mahāy āna and leads to the development of such related doctrines as the “matrix of the tathāgatas” (TATHĀGATAGARBHA) and the “immaculate consciousness” (AMALAVIJÑĀNA). The term is also crucial in the development of the teachings of such indigenous East Asian schools of Buddhism as CHAN, which telescope the arduous path of the bodhisattva into a single moment of sudden awakening (DUNWU) to the inherency of the “buddhanature” (foxing), as in the Chan teaching that merely “seeing the nature” is sufficient to “attain buddhahood” (JIANXING CHENGFO).

interesting folks these princeton people yes?
once they use the word inherent to describe the potential for all sentients to achieve Buddhahood they lose me.
nothing is inherent.

also where exactly are they explaining what buddha nature exactly is ?

the fact they think it inherent tells me they are just mish mashing a bunch of translations .

their math is debatable as well

that enables him to undertake the arduous training, over not one, but three, incalculable eons of time (ASAṂKHYEYAKALPA), that will lead to buddhahood

LOL.

it's nice they seem to know what it is like to attain buddhahood through their concept of inherent Buddhanature.

the arduous path of the bodhisattva into a single moment of sudden awakening (DUNWU) to the inherency of the “buddhanature” (foxing), as in the Chan teaching that merely “seeing the nature” is sufficient to “attain buddhahood

so when they can explain what they are actually "seeing" let us know.

I sense a tone of sarcasm and pessimistic ardour in their entry.

[DGA]

sort of a way of seeing the possibility in all things to aid sentients in samsara...All sentients have Buddha Nature or the possibility of living and acting like a Buddha would. too simple...?????

True or false:

According to the Lotus Sutra, all sentient beings have the ability to become Buddhas.

According to the Lotus Sutra, all sentient beings will inevitably become Buddhas.

According to the Lotus Sutra, all sentient beings are always already Buddhas, but may not know it at the moment.

[Queequeg]

True! True! True!

[GDPR_Anonymized001]

True! True! True!

How do I type a T that looks like it might be an F? Never worked in grade school though....

[DGA]

True! True! True!

You see where I'm going with this. Or rather where I'm trying to lead our friend Minobu.

[Queequeg]

Yes, I think so...

[Minobu]

In all fairness the quote you cherry picked in and by itself misses the point of my entire post.
I was referring to a Nichiren Daishonin's teaching about the enlightenment of plants and what it might imply ...forget the entire title..


but it and of itself is fine for learning...all i am trying to do is nail this down...i need all the help i can get.

sort of a way of seeing the possibility in all things to aid sentients in samsara...All sentients have Buddha Nature or the possibility of living and acting like a Buddha would. too simple...?????

True or false:

According to the Lotus Sutra, all sentient beings have the ability to become Buddhas.

According to the Lotus Sutra, all sentient beings will inevitably become Buddhas.

According to the Lotus Sutra, all sentient beings are always already Buddhas, but may not know it at the moment.

if you take my words literally..how would what you ask be false..
i agree all true.

the point for me is thus.

what is this Buddha nature besides praising it's qualities ?
As in this quote from another thread

why can't someone please just explain Buddha nature in terms that is simple.
.

Permanent, pure, self, blissful.

i had a notion that maybe it's as simple as the word implies...or , the nature of a Buddha.

would not giving warmth be the nature of a Buddha.
would not compassion be the Nature of a Buddha , wisdom., ability to heal oneself and others...many healers that do not practice Buddhism or even knew of buddha in the past, healed...which bolsters what you wrote.

i am just making note that it might be as simple as that.

Yes the Buddha is powerful as He showed in The lotus Sutra...getting hung up on those powers might skew the simplicity of my notion.

curious to see what you mean by where you are going with this..

the other side is this notion that all things come from Buddha Nature as stated by others.
Or there is a primordial source from which all things come from.

[GDPR_Anonymized001]

interesting folks these princeton people yes?

Yes. This book is a fantastic resource. The primary authors are well-established scholars.

once they use the word inherent to describe the potential for all sentients to achieve Buddhahood they lose me.
nothing is inherent.

If it isn't inherent then what are the causes and conditions of Buddhahood? If there are causes and conditions then this means it is impermanent, yes? If it is impermanent then it is a cause of suffering, not blissful.

also where exactly are they explaining what buddha nature exactly is ?

It's the first sentence of the definition: "the inherent potential of all sentient beings to achieve buddhahood."

the fact they think it inherent tells me they are just mish mashing a bunch of translations .

Please explain why you think this is so? What is your understanding of the term "inherent"?

their math is debatable as well

that enables him to undertake the arduous training, over not one, but three, incalculable eons of time (ASAṂKHYEYAKALPA), that will lead to buddhahood

LOL.

That is from Sutra.

it's nice they seem to know what it is like to attain buddhahood through their concept of inherent Buddhanature.

the arduous path of the bodhisattva into a single moment of sudden awakening (DUNWU) to the inherency of the “buddhanature” (foxing), as in the Chan teaching that merely “seeing the nature” is sufficient to “attain buddhahood

They are referencing sudden/gradual enlightenment and the differing discourses on those concepts in Chan Buddhism. The terms that appear in all capital letters are links to other entries in the dictionary.

so when they can explain what they are actually "seeing" let us know.

Why the quotes on seeing? What do you mean by this statement?

I sense a tone of sarcasm and pessimistic ardour in their entry.

Text is a notoriously bad conveyor of sarcasm. Why do you think there is sarcasm in this quote? You're Canadian, right? Remember the Kids in the Hall? Had a great skit called "Lonely Sarcastic Guy" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziH9St7ajuw

[Minobu]

interesting folks these princeton people yes?

Yes. This book is a fantastic resource. The primary authors are well-established scholars.

once they use the word inherent to describe the potential for all sentients to achieve Buddhahood they lose me.
nothing is inherent.

If it isn't inherent then what are the causes and conditions of Buddhahood? If there are causes and conditions then this means it is impermanent, yes? If it is impermanent then it is a cause of suffering, not blissful.

also where exactly are they explaining what buddha nature exactly is ?

It's the first sentence of the definition: "the inherent potential of all sentient beings to achieve buddhahood."

the fact they think it inherent tells me they are just mish mashing a bunch of translations .

Please explain why you think this is so? What is your understanding of the term "inherent"?

their math is debatable as well

that enables him to undertake the arduous training, over not one, but three, incalculable eons of time (ASAṂKHYEYAKALPA), that will lead to buddhahood

LOL.

That is from Sutra.

it's nice they seem to know what it is like to attain buddhahood through their concept of inherent Buddhanature.

the arduous path of the bodhisattva into a single moment of sudden awakening (DUNWU) to the inherency of the “buddhanature” (foxing), as in the Chan teaching that merely “seeing the nature” is sufficient to “attain buddhahood

They are referencing sudden/gradual enlightenment and the differing discourses on those concepts in Chan Buddhism. The terms that appear in all capital letters are links to other entries in the dictionary.

so when they can explain what they are actually "seeing" let us know.

Why the quotes on seeing? What do you mean by this statement?

I sense a tone of sarcasm and pessimistic ardour in their entry.

Text is a notoriously bad conveyor of sarcasm. Why do you think there is sarcasm in this quote? You're Canadian, right? Remember the Kids in the Hall? Had a great skit called "Lonely Sarcastic Guy" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziH9St7ajuw

as for inherency of anything...learn Sunyata.

as for being sarcastic..

that enables him to undertake the arduous training, over not one, but three, incalculable eons of time (ASAṂKHYEYAKALPA), that will lead to buddhahood

over not one, but three, incalculable eons of time

it was not written that way and is being made fun of...
correct me if i am wrong...i have been wrong many times.

[Minobu]

Look Jake ...sorry for being curt with you ..for real..

but Lord Nagarjuna did not go to great lengths to teach sunyata and the total absence of inherency in and of anything...for no reason.

teachers take years to teach sunyata in order for the right view to come about in the student.

toss that out the window and use inherent towards something as important as Buddha Nature..

and they are making fun of the length of time in a tongue in cheek way...

Buddha nature is innate ...and it is not the primordial source from which all things come from is what i am sure of.

[GDPR_Anonymized001]

as for inherency of anything...learn Sunyata.

Sorry, but isn't Sunyata the reason why every sentient being has the "potential to achieve Buddhahood"? Please spend more time thinking about why "inherent potential to achieve buddhahood" is falsified by the concept of sunyata. Please dig a bit deeper on this so I can understand where you are coming from and then write a little more on this. I'm genuinely curious.

as for being sarcastic..

that enables him to undertake the arduous training, over not one, but three, incalculable eons of time (ASAṂKHYEYAKALPA), that will lead to buddhahood

over not one, but three, incalculable eons of time

it was not written that way and is being made fun of...
correct me if i am wrong...i have been wrong many times.

I don't understand why you think two scholars would work years to produce a 1600+ page reference book in order to make fun of things.

[Minobu]

as for inherency of anything...learn Sunyata.

Sorry, but isn't Sunyata the reason why every sentient being has the "potential to achieve Buddhahood"? Please spend more time thinking about why "inherent potential to achieve buddhahood" is falsified by the concept of sunyata. Please dig a bit deeper on this so I can understand where you are coming from and then write a little more on this. I'm genuinely curious.

as for being sarcastic..

that enables him to undertake the arduous training, over not one, but three, incalculable eons of time (ASAṂKHYEYAKALPA), that will lead to buddhahood

over not one, but three, incalculable eons of time

it was not written that way and is being made fun of...
correct me if i am wrong...i have been wrong many times.

I don't understand why you think two scholars would work years to produce a 1600+ page reference book in order to make fun of things.

ok you tell me what you think Sunyata is.

as for the reference book..
the piece you showed me is in error.
and i feell like they are making fun of buddhist thought is all..

is this reference book strictly Buddhist , for i don;t think Princeton uni is a Buddhist org.

it's like this...if i say to you..this christian god not only is one , not two but three gods in one...
would you feel a tad bit made fun of, if you were christian.

they say it's not one not two but three...and then give a sanskrit word...
they did not quote the sutra ..they mocked the length of time ..non believers wrote this.

my take is all and am tired of non buddhist people acting like they know buddhism and then teaching it...

now what is Sunyata ?

[Queequeg]

I was referring to a Nichiren Daishonin's teaching about the enlightenment of plants and what it might imply ...forget the entire title..

The enlightenment of plants is attributed to Zhiyi, but I believe the consensus is that this is Zhanran's development of Tiantai thought. It is developed in a commentary called, "Diamond Scalpel". There is a recent English translation in a dissertation floating around the internet...

what is this Buddha nature besides praising it's qualities ?
As in this quote from another thread

why can't someone please just explain Buddha nature in terms that is simple.
.

Permanent, pure, self, blissful.

If I may suggest, work backwards from Malcolm's explanation.

Buddhism generally teaches Impermanence, Impurity, No Self, and Suffering as the marks of unenlightened existence. The Buddha, on the other hand, has relinquished the causes of these four marks, and instead is marked by Buddhahood - Permanence, Purity, True Self, and Bliss. In asserting universal Buddhanature, it is asserted that these marks of Buddhahood are universal.

Pause a moment and consider the implications.

i had a notion that maybe it's as simple as the word implies...or , the nature of a Buddha.

would not giving warmth be the nature of a Buddha.
would not compassion be the Nature of a Buddha , wisdom., ability to heal oneself and others...many healers that do not practice Buddhism or even knew of buddha in the past, healed...which bolsters what you wrote.

These are functions of the Buddha, expressions of Buddhahood (or in terms of the 10 worlds, more properly described as expressions of Bodhisattvahood).

the other side is this notion that all things come from Buddha Nature as stated by others.
Or there is a primordial source from which all things come from.

Not a source, per se. There is no wellspring we can point to and say - there, that's the source. Rather, since reality=mind, mind=reality, in a sense there is a meta level of mind - a substrate, so to speak, that is utterly beyond grasping. In Tiantai, this is the inconceivable, the absolute sublime, the absolute sad, absolute myo. Its the light, the clarity, the quality that precludes nothingness, but is too subtle to support the minutest grasping impulse.

But all of this is just talk, words, suggestion... praise.

Earlier I referred to the Three Causes of Buddhanature - This elusive quality of Buddhanature is why the Complete Cause - the Buddha pointing out the Buddha Nature - is indispensable. In Lotus Buddhism, this is why "hearing the name" is critical. This is the initial introduction to Buddha nature.

There are other ways that this introduction is done. I'm going to try to illustrate this Buddhanature as threefold cause - Direct, Complete and Conditional causes - through the Six Identities taught by Zhiyi.

We start with the Direct Cause -

Identity in principle means that one single thought-moment is identical with the principle of the tathagata-garbha. It is identical with emptiness because of its suchness (tatha), identical with conventional existence because of its function as a treasure-house (garbha) [in appearing in the world in various forms], and identical with the Middle because of its [participation in the] principle [of reality]. The three wisdoms are included in a single thought, though this is beyond conceptual understanding. As explained above, threefold truth is one truth, though neither three nor one; each and every color and scent is endowed with all of reality (sarvadharma). Every single thought is also like this. This is called “identity in principle” which is positive [and conducive to right] bodhicitta.

Also, this “identity in principle” is indivisible with calming-and-contemplation. [That each moment of thought is] indivisible with quiescence is called “calming,” and [that each moment of thought is] indivisible with luminosity is called “contemplation.”

Here Zhiyi uses the term tathagatagarbha, but it is synonymous with buddha-dhatu or Buddhanature. Here he is describing the true aspect of reality which necessarily encompasses everything. Identity in principle is the Direct Cause of Buddhahood - we can become Buddhas because the nature of Buddha is what we already are from the ineffable start. For Zhiyi, reality is threefold - empty, conventional, and middle.

Next we come to the Complete Cause. Swanson translates the name of this stage as "Verbal Identity" but it is also translated as "Hearing the Name" and literally refers to the first instance of hearing the name of the Buddha, but more generally refers to hearing the Buddhist teachings for the first time.

Even though there is already identity in principle, this may not be known in your daily life. If you have not heard of the threefold truth, and are completely unaware of the Buddha Dharma, you are like cattle or sheep whose eyes do not comprehend the [eight] directions. When you hear of the one true bodhi-wisdom as explained above—whether from a teacher or from [reading] the scripture scrolls attain penetrating understanding within [the limits of] words, and know that all dharmas are the Buddha Dharma, this is bodhi[citta] as indivisible with words.

This is also called “verbal cessation-and-contemplation.” If you rush from place to place in search of [the truth] when you have not yet heard [these teachings], and then hear them, and the mind striving upward finally finds rest—this is called “cessation” [at the verbal level]. To have faith in [a verbal and conceptual understanding of] Dharma-nature and not [yet] have faith in the variety [of wider implications] is called contemplation or insight [at the verbal level].

Once you hear the Buddha's name, you are indelibly made aware of the potentiality of Buddhahood, this quality of your own self. This is comparable to having the Buddhanature pointed out to you, but only being faintly aware of it due to the undeveloped state of your wisdom eye. You are shown Buddhanature, but you're not quite sure what you see. You make out something, but its not clear.

In the Lotus Sutra, this is corresponds to the Buddha telling the assembly about his real life span. No one can comprehend it - not even the cosmic Bodhisattvas who gathered from across the universe (even Bodhisattvas at the bhumis barely comprehend Buddhanture). Only the Buddhas really understand.

The Buddha discusses this moment of hearing the name in Chapter 17 of the Lotus Sutra - addressing Maitreya he says,

“O Ajita! Those sentient beings who hear about the great length of the Buddha’s lifespan, and can awaken even a single thought of willing acceptance (adhimukti), will all obtain immeasurable merit. If there are sons and daughters of a good family who, for the sake of highest, complete enlightenment, practice the five perfections of giving (dāna), good conduct (śīla), perseverance (kṣānti), effort (vīrya), and meditation (dhyāna), with the exception of the perfection of wisdom (prajñā), for eighty myriads of koṭis of nayutas of kalpas, their merit is not even a hundredth, a thousandth, a hundred thousandth of a myriad of a koṭi of the former person’s merit. It is so small that it cannot be conceived of through calculation or illustration. If there are sons and daughters of a virtuous family who possess such merit as the former, they will never revert from highest, complete enlightenment.”.

"Man's mind once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions."

The Buddha Shakyamuni introduces the idea of his immeasurable life span, which is understood to be an explanation of his real identity (his identity to that point was thought to be defined by birth at Lumbini, awakening at Gaya, and teaching at Sarnath - but the Buddha explains this is just upaya, his real identity is infinitely grander). Someone who simply hears of the life span, of the Buddhanature, and accepts it (adhimukti) has irreversibly stretched the dimension of their mind to the infinite scope of the Buddha. It doesn't matter that there is no understanding of what this actually means. Intuitively one understands that the field of endeavor (reality) is utterly boundless and Buddhahood thoroughly permeates. The path of awakening then is cast as completely working out the implications of the Buddha's life span (Buddhanature).

O Ajita, those who hear of the great length of the Buddha’s lifespan and understand the intent of these words will obtain limitless merit that will give rise to the highest wisdom of the Tathāgata... O Ajita! Those sons and daughters of a virtuous family, who, hearing me teach the great length of the Buddha’s lifespan, wholeheartedly accept it, will see the Buddha, who always dwells on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa together with the great bodhisattvas and śrāvakas, teaching the Dharma to the assembly. Moreover, they will see the land of this sahā world, which is made of lapis lazuli, level and even. The network of roads is laid out like a chessboard, paved with Jambūnāda gold and bordered with jeweled trees. All its foundations, towers, and balconies will be made of treasures and the multitude of these bodhisattvas will be dwelling in them. Those who can see such things should know that to be able to do so is a sign of their full and willing acceptance.

The Conditional Cause describes the process of working out the implications of the Buddhanature pointed out by the Buddha.

Back to Zhiyi. The third stage is where we begin the work of drawing out the implications of the Buddha's life span, the Buddhanature, and internalize the teachings - naturalize them.

Identity in contemplative practice means that if you merely hear the verbal and oral explanation [of the Buddha Dharma], you are like an insect chewing on wood and accidentally making letters. That insect does not know whether [the marks it is making] are letters or not letters. If you do not have penetrating understanding, how can you have bodhi-wisdom? It is imperative that your mental insight is clear and full, so that there is a correspondence between the principle [of reality] and your wisdom, that your actions are in accordance with your words, and that your words are in accordance with your actions.

The Kušalamula says, “[There are those] who speak much but do not practice; I do not rely on words, but practice bodhi solely in the mind.” When mind and mouth are in correspondence with each other, this is the bodhi[citta] of contemplative practice.

Four verses of the Ta chih tu lun evaluate being endowed with wisdom through hearing [the Dharma]. This [endowment of wisdom] is comparable to when the eye gains [illumination from] the sun, things are illumined fully and without distortion. Contemplative practice is also like this. You do not stop your mental contemplation even though you have not yet fathomed the principle [of reality]. This [practice] is like the simile in the Šurangama Samadhi Sutra of shooting arrows at a target. This is called the bodhi[citta] of contemplative practice.

This is also called the “cessation-and-contemplation of contemplative practice.” To constantly produce these thoughts is called “contemplation” [at the level of contemplative practice], and to suspend other thoughts is called “cessation” [at the level of contemplative practice].

I'll quote the teaching on the remaining stages to fill out this picture of progression within the consciousness of Buddhanature.

Positive bodhi[citta] [at the level] of identity in resemblance means that your contemplation becomes increasingly clear and your cessation becomes increasingly quiescent, as one learns archery and hits the target more accurately. This [improvement] is called contemplative wisdom that [increasingly] resembles [that of the Buddha]. [As it says in the Lotus Sðtra, at this level of your understanding,] all the worldly occupations that sustain life are in no way contradictory [to the practice of the Buddha Dharma], and your thoughts and conceptions are all what have already been expounded in the sutras by previous Buddhas. It is as explained [in the Lotus Sutra] concerning the purification of the six senses. (See Lotus Sutra Chapter 19) [At this level] “cessation” is the perfect overcoming of ignorance, and “contemplation” resembles the meaning of the Middle Path.

Identity in partial realization means that by the power of the contemplation [achieved at the previous level] of resemblance, you enter the stage of the copper wheel. [At this level] first you destroy ignorance and perceive Buddha-nature, opening the storehouse of treasures and manifesting true thusness. This is called the bodhi[citta] [of the stages] of abodes. Eventually you reach [the stage of] “(almost) equivalent to awakening”, as ignorance becomes minute and weak, and wisdom in turn grows prominent. This [progress] is like [the lunar cycle where] from the first day to the fourteenth day the disk of the moon [gradually] becomes round and perfect as the dark area [gradually] disappears. If you wish to attain enlightenment with the body of a Buddha, then you pass through the eight highlights for attaining the path; if you are to attain the path with the body of one of the other nine destinies, you appear in various incarnations [as a bodhisattva, such as Avalokitešvara] in the “Gateway to Everywhere” chapter [of the Lotus Sutra], as explained extensively in the sutras.

This is called bodhi[citta] [at the level] of Partial Realization. It is also called “partial realization of cessation-and-contemplation,” and “partial realization of wisdom and severence [of passions].”

Bodhi[citta] [at the level of] ultimate identity means [advancing] one more step from [the level of] “[almost] equivalent to awakening” to enter subtle (sublime) awakening, where the light of wisdom is perfect and complete and does not need to increase any more. This is called the fruit which is bodhi-wisdom.

Nothing more is severed at the time of mahaparinirvana. This is called the fruit of fruits. A person [at the stage of] “equivalent to awakening” does not pass [to this fruit]; only a Buddha is able to pass. There is no path to expound beyond dha [the last letter in the Siddham alphabet]. Therefore this is called “ultimate bodhi,” and is also called “ultimate cessation and contemplation.”

Zhiyi then describes the six stages with similes:

To use a simile to illustrate all [Six Identities]:
1. a poor person has a house with a store of [buried] treasure, but does not
know about it.
2. A friend points this out, and they come to know about it.
3. They clear away the weeds and dig,
4. until gradually they come near to getting [the treasure].
5. They approach and open the treasure, and
6. they exhaustively take it out and use it.
By putting together these six similes, one can understand [the Six Identities].

[Minobu]

I was referring to a Nichiren Daishonin's teaching about the enlightenment of plants and what it might imply ...forget the entire title..

The enlightenment of plants is attributed to Zhiyi, but I believe the consensus is that this is Zhanran's development of Tiantai thought. It is developed in a commentary called, "Diamond Scalpel". There is a recent English translation in a dissertation floating around the internet...

what is this Buddha nature besides praising it's qualities ?
As in this quote from another thread

Permanent, pure, self, blissful.

If I may suggest, work backwards from Malcolm's explanation.

Buddhism generally teaches Impermanence, Impurity, No Self, and Suffering as the marks of unenlightened existence. The Buddha, on the other hand, has relinquished the causes of these four marks, and instead is marked by Buddhahood - Permanence, Purity, True Self, and Bliss. In asserting universal Buddhanature, it is asserted that these marks of Buddhahood are universal.

Pause a moment and consider the implications.

i had a notion that maybe it's as simple as the word implies...or , the nature of a Buddha.

would not giving warmth be the nature of a Buddha.
would not compassion be the Nature of a Buddha , wisdom., ability to heal oneself and others...many healers that do not practice Buddhism or even knew of buddha in the past, healed...which bolsters what you wrote.

These are functions of the Buddha, expressions of Buddhahood (or in terms of the 10 worlds, more properly described as expressions of Bodhisattvahood).

the other side is this notion that all things come from Buddha Nature as stated by others.
Or there is a primordial source from which all things come from.

Not a source, per se. There is no wellspring we can point to and say - there, that's the source. Rather, since reality=mind, mind=reality, in a sense there is a meta level of mind - a substrate, so to speak, that is utterly beyond grasping. In Tiantai, this is the inconceivable, the absolute sublime, the absolute sad, absolute myo. Its the light, the clarity, the quality that precludes nothingness, but is too subtle to support the minutest grasping impulse.

But all of this is just talk, words, suggestion... praise.

Not a light hearted post Q...

I, a guy with practically 0 formal education to speak of, have always respected those with higher education. I have an amour quality i impose on some of them that can level their ego's at the various doors they open for and with others.

Buddhism can be quite eye closing for some. In the sense i have to read your post several times before i get a slight drift.

I was trying to show that maybe on another level to view this all from, it's much more simpler.

The enlightenment of trees and rocks is as i described.

The piece of paper and the wooden sticks The Gohonzon is attached to isn't actually a vehicle for an actual Buddha to dwell from , like a statue of Buddha as well is not (though some would argue it can and i tend to go along with them)....but has the quality to infer something helpful on a sentient. When we view a statue of a Buddha in a room , it brings with it a certain je nessai quoi . when a statue is made with symbols such as a noose or a sword , it brings a whole other depth of meaning with it.

The Characters on the Gohonzon work with our mind and one could go Jungian here.

Besides the characters and symbols I was looking at the whole thing in a much simpler and yet practical manner.

[Queequeg]

The simplest way to put it...

There is nothing but the Diamond Chalice Precept - it can't be broken. "We" participate in the sublime true aspect of reality, whether we're as deluded as a sorry young man strapping a bomb to his chest and blowing up himself and little girls or whether we thoroughly stabilize the mind and directly perceive the true aspect. The only real variable is how thoroughly wisdom is opened.

[Minobu]

The simplest way to put it...

There is nothing but the Diamond Chalice Precept - it can't be broken. "We" participate in the sublime true aspect of reality, whether we're as deluded as a sorry young man strapping a bomb to his chest and blowing up himself and little girls or whether we thoroughly stabilize the mind and directly perceive the true aspect. The only real variable is how thoroughly wisdom is opened.

Eurika !!!
that just did it. Well something anyway lol...
So where can we study this Diamond Chalice Precept in IT'S entirety please.

is this related;

I was referring to a Nichiren Daishonin's teaching about the enlightenment of plants and what it might imply ...forget the entire title..

The enlightenment of plants is attributed to Zhiyi, but I believe the consensus is that this is Zhanran's development of Tiantai thought. It is developed in a commentary called, "Diamond Scalpel". There is a recent English translation in a dissertation floating around the internet...

.