The breakthrough

The idea that all beings have the Buddha-nature and really do not have to do too much except sit and wait for it to develop is an idea that was never taught by the Buddha. There is no evidence for such a belief in the Nikayas or even in the Mahayana canon. I think this erroneous view stems from worldly beings who are reading something into Buddhism just not there. Potentiality is being confused with actuality.

While it is true that prithagjanas or worldly beings have the capacity to become Arhats or Buddhas it is not a fact that they are or will become such. Lets face it, it takes a lot of spiritual heavy lifting to become a Buddha. Nor is it an easy task to become a Bodhisattva or enter the stream becoming a sotopanna.

There is certainly no leap from prithagjana-hood to Buddha-hood. It requires a developmental path or marga. Nor is there an easy means in the example of Dogens just sit which, by the way, his teacher never taught.

All those who decide to study Buddhism are prithagjanas, which is to say, all have the potential to become Buddhas. But the probability of becoming a Buddha or even a Bodhisattva, like Siddhartha, is rather dismal. To reiterate, prithagjanas have not entered the stream nor is a prithagjana a Bodhisattva. Whether or not they enter the stream which goes to nirvana or have bodhicittotpada depends, entirely, on a profound breakthrough. No breakthroughno enlightenment or Buddhahood.

This breakthrough is more like an immaculate conception in which, turning away from phenomena, including the body we inhabit, we conceive pure Mind which is the embryo of Buddha (buddhagarbha). This embryo then becomes the tender fetus (krparbuda) growing towards Buddhahood (cf. Florin Giripescu Sutton, Existence and Enlightenment in the Lankavatara Sutra, p. 62). Without such a breakthrough or conception the potential never becomes actual. The promise of awakening is never f! ulfilled because we did nothing whatsoever to develop it. Sitting, I hasten to add, is no immaculate conception. The Buddha embryo is essentially deadunfertilized.