Buddha Nature - Its Inherently The Same

Buddha Nature resides in each and one of us and all of us have the potential to realise this nature. Regardless of what notions and concepts we may have, the truth is Buddha Nature is inherent in all sentient beings and the same for all.

You do not have anymore Buddha Nature than i do nor do i have more Buddha Nature than you. And do not ever think that saints have more Buddha Nature than we do, for this only serves to undermine ourselves, our potential to emulate them in terms of their kindness and compassion. =)

There is a simple illustration that can give us a glimpse of how non-increasing and non-decreasing the Buddha nature is, how inherently it is the same for all sentient beings. In this illustration, we make use of a Mountain (Buddha Nature) and 4 basic groups of people, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats and Other Sentient Beings.

The Mountain (Buddha nature) is some distance away from these 4 groups of people. To these 4 groups of people, the Mountain is the same, there is no difference for they are facing the same Mountain. The only difference is how clear do these 4 groups of people have the Mountain in sight - it depends on how much obstruction has been cleared and how uncluttered their minds are.

For Buddhas - there are no obstruction, just like seeing the mountain on a clear bright sunny day. The whole mountain is in sight clearly with all its granduer and details.

For Bodhisattvas - there are very little obstructions, it is akin to seeing the mountain on a clear day but with occasional passing clouds. Once in a while, the sight is not all that clear when the clouds passes by and the sunlight shining on the mountain is dimmed.

For Arhats - there are slightly more obstructions compared to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, it is like seeing the mountain with some mist. The mountain is clearly in sight but they are not able to see the full details with the mist shrouding the mountain.

For Other Sentient Beings (including myself) - it is like seeing the mountain shrouded with a huge fog. The sight is fuzzy and to some extent, the fog may be so bad that we do not see the mountain even when we stand at the mountain feet.

This simple illustration provide us some insights to how non-increasing and non-decreasing the Buddha nature is. It is the same in all sentient beings, no more and no less just as the Mountain (Buddha Nature) is to these 4 groups of people. All there is to it, is the amount of obstructions we have that prevent us from having a clear sight like a Buddha.