Nectar: The Two Cultivational Paths in Buddhism

 

Quotes:

Rāhula replied, “If one cannot attain the Path after hearing the Dharma, his efforts will be in vain. What will be the benefit of hearing the Dharma then?”

In reply, the Buddha said,　“The benefit of hearing the Dharma will be long-lasting life after life. Although one cannot attain the Path in this lifetime, the Dharma hearings will greatly benefit one’s transformational existence in the five destinations. As I said before, the notion of prajna is also called nectar, a good medicine, a bridge, and a great ship. Have you not heard of these terms?” Adbhutadharmparyāya, Vol. 1 

「羅雲白佛：「徒勞聽法，既不得道，聞法之功何益於人？」

佛告羅雲：「聽法之功，雖於今身不能得道，五道受身多所利益。如我前說，波若智慧，亦名甘露，亦名良藥，亦名橋梁，亦名大船，汝不聞乎？」」《佛說未曾有因緣經》卷1

Remarks: 

The World-Honored One could not bear that all beings be trapped endlessly in the long, dark night, with no way out. He thus founded Buddhism and taught the only two cultivation paths for attaining nirvana: the Path to Liberation and the Path to Buddhahood. The Path to Liberation, which is part of the Path to Buddhahood, is accomplished by eradicating one’s self-view and self-attachment. Self-view involves clinging to the perceptive mind that can see, hear, feel, and perceive, and by regarding this mind as one’s permanent and imperishable identity. A person who holds this view usually presumes that mental consciousness is the permanent foundational consciousness that underlies the cycles of birth and death and that the mind transmigrates from past lifetimes into the present one and proceeds to future lifetimes.

On the other hand, according to the Buddha’s teachings, to realize the Path to Buddhahood, practitioners must first realize tathāgatagarbha to acquire the “fundamental wisdom” regarding the eighth consciousness. They should then further realize the specific characteristics of tathāgatagarbha to acquire the “subsequently attained wisdom.” The realization of tathāgatagarbha will enable them to directly perceive the ultimate reality and eventually enter the First Ground.

Given that nectar[1] is the best food in the desire realm to nourish celestial beings, the two aforementioned Dharma doors taught by the Buddha allow practitioners to exit the transmigration of life and death in the three realms by ending their delimited existence, and to achieve the ultimate fruition of Buddha Bodhi. Thus, these two transcendental dharma gates are the true medicines of immortality. The name “nectar” is hence adopted to show its extraordinariness and denote the supremacy of these two great dharmas. For these reasons, “nectar” refers to the dharma doors of the two major cultivational paths. Furthermore, the Buddha expounded on the reality of the dharma realms through the dharma door of nectar to indicate the true origin of life of all sentient beings in the ten directions and three times, highlighting that the root of all sentient beings in the dharma realm is the eighth consciousness, tathāgatagarbha.

Cultivating the Path to Liberation can enable practitioners to exit the three realms but not to become a buddha or to realize the Buddha Bodhi’s prajña. Only when practitioners turn their minds to practicing the Great Vehicle upon the perfect completion of both paths can they achieve the ultimate fruition of the Buddha.

Thus, these two paths are the only cultivational methods of the splendid nectar that the Buddha Dharma contains.

#Buddha #nectar #tathagatagarbha #Buddhadharma #buddhahoodpath 

Footnote: 

[1] In Buddhism, the notion of nectar is not a mixture of any substance or physical material.