Originally Posted by
devotee
Namaste Atanu,
I did some research on whether Buddha had so much allergy with the word Self.
If we look at the Mahaparinirvana Sutra as translated by Professor Jeffery Hopkins there are some places in the Sutras where Buddha equates Buddha Nature with SELF :
'... that which has permanence, bliss, Self, and thorough purity is called the "meaning of pure truth"'.
'Permanent is the Self; the Self is thoroughly pure. The thoroughly pure is called "bliss". Permanent, blissful, Self, and thoroughly pure is the one-gone-thus [i.e. Buddha]';
'Self means the matrix-of-one-gone-thus [i.e. the tathagatagarbha/ Buddha-nature]. The existence of the buddha-nature in all sentient beings is the meaning of "Self"'.
'The buddha-nature, by its own nature, cannot be made non-existent; it is not something that becomes non-existent. Just the inherent nature called "Self" is the secret matrix-of-one-gone-thus [i.e. tathagatagarbha / Buddha-nature]; in this way that secret matrix cannot be destroyed and made non-existent by anything.'
Dr. Shenpen Hookham in her book "The Buddha Within" states :
'In scriptural terms, there can be no real objection to referring to Buddha, Buddhajnana [Buddha Awareness/ Buddha Knowledge], Nirvana and so forth as the True Self, unless the concept of Buddha and so forth being propounded can be shown to be impermanent, suffering, compounded, or imperfect in some way ... in Shentong terms, the non-self is about what is not the case, and the Self of the Third Dharmachakra [i.e. the Buddha-nature doctrine] is about what truly IS.'
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Apart from the above the Buddha Nature has also been described with following words in various Buddhist's scriptures:
a) incorruptible, uncreated, and indestructible
b) it is eternal "bodhi" (Knowledge, Jnan) indwelling samsara ... opens up the immanent possibility of Liberation from all suffering and impermanence
c) Eternal, Present in all beings
d) Unborn, does not die, does not transfer, does not arise. It is beyond the sphere of the characteristics of the compounded; it is permanent, stable and changeless
d) ultimate, all-equal, uncreated essence of all phenomena
So, is it really different from SELF ?
Regards,
OM
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