The nature of mind, a perspective

Meditation is a journey towards experiencing the nature of mind.

According to the Buddhist perspective, all sentient beings are born with ‘buddha nature’. The word ‘Buddha’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘bodhi’ which means wisdom as an ideal state of intellect and ethical perfection.

The term buddha - as action verb - translates as “awakened”, or “enlightened”.

Buddha nature, therefore, means, that we all have this seed (embryo) within, a fundamental nature (called in Tibetan ‘tathāgatagarbha’), that allows us, as sentient beings, to have the potential for awakening in our experience as biological entities.

This seed is the very nature of our mind, and from a Buddhist perspective it is timeless, it is with us before we are conceived and goes with us as we transition from this biological experience.

Being human, therefore, is an aspect of the holographic “experience” of the mind. Our Buddha nature is what we bring along for this journey.

While earlier Vedic teachings subscribed to the notion of the existence of an atman (soul or permanent essence), Buddhism differs, through the teaching of annattā, suggesting that even this buddha nature is in a constant state of change, therefore, we cannot attach to it because it cannot be grasped.

Our Buddha nature, from this perspective, is in constant development, and this is the nature of mind, that it can only exist in the full awareness of the present.

Think of it as being the flow of the river, I AM is neither the water, nor the river itself, it is simply the flow.

Meditation is that journey.