The Seven Vajra Points
1. Buddha sangs
rgyas
2. Dharma chos
3. Sangha dge
‘dun
4. Disposition, Element khams
5. Enlightenment byang
chub
6. Qualities yon
tan
7. Activity phrin
las
1. Buddha – The
Eight Qualities for the Benefit of Self and Other (don gnyis kyi yon tan brgyad)
1. rang don Benefit of Self
2. ‘dus
ma byas Uncreated, uncompounded
3. lhun grub Spontaneously present
4. so so
rang rig Realized through self-awareness
5. gzhan
don Benefit of Other
6. mkhyen
pa Knowledge
7. brtse
ba Compassionate Love
8. nus pa Ability
2. Dharma – The
Eight Qualities of Cessation and the Path (‘gog lam gyi yon tan brgyad)
1. ‘gog
pa Cessation
2. bsam tu
med pa Inconceivable
3. gnyis
med Non-duality
4. rtog med Non-conceptuality
5. lam Path
6. dag pa Pure
7. gsal ba Clear
8. gnyen
po Antidote
3. Sangha – The
Eight Qualities of Awareness and Liberation (rig grol gyi yon tan brgyad)
1. so so
rig pa Awareness
2. ji lta Primordial wisdom that knows the nature of things
3. ji snyed Primordial wisdom that knows all that there is
4. nang gi
ye shes Inner primordial wisdom
5. grol ba Liberation
6. chags
med Free of attachment
7. thogs
med Free of obstruction
8. bla med
yon tan Unsurpassable qualities
4. The Element/Disposition
The three phases (gnas
skabs gsum)
1. ma dag
pa Impure
2. ma dag
dag pa Partially impure and partially pure
3. shin tu
rnam dag Completely pure
The two kinds of potential
(rigs nyis)
1. rgyas
‘gyur gyi rigs developed potential
2. rang bzhin
gnas rigs naturally present potential
Twofold purity (dag
pa gnyis ldan)
1. ngo bo
ye dag primordially pure
2. glo bur
bral dag purified of adventitious stains
gshegs snying
bstan pa'i mdo sutras which teach Buddha Nature
de gshegs
snying po tathagatagarbha (Skt.)
bde gshegs
snying po sugatagarbha (Skt.)
bral ‘bras result of elimination
smin ‘bras result of maturation
dman sgrib obstruction of inferior states
gzhan stong extrinsic emptiness, ‘other emptiness’
rang stong intrinsic emptiness, ‘self emptiness’
Further Reading
Arya Maitreya, Jamgön Kongtrul
Lodrö Thaye and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Buddha Nature, translated by Rosemarie Fuchs. Snow Lion, 2000.
Geshe Sonam Rinchen, Buddha
Nature, translated and edited by Ruth Sonam, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 2003
Hookham, Shenpen K., The
Buddha Within: Tathagatagarbha Doctrine According to the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga, State University
of New York Press (SUNY) 1991.
Thrangu Rinpoche, Buddha
Nature, Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1993.