Buddhanature
In Smile at Fear (Boston and London, 2009), Chogyam Trungpa says that for someone on the spiritual path, at some point “you begin to realize that you have something in yourself that is fundamentally, basically good. It transcends the notion of good or bad. Something that is worthwhile, wholesome, and healthy exists in all of us.” (p. 8)
Trungpa continues about this realization, “According to the Buddhist tradition, that is discovering our buddha nature. He adds, “. . . The technique that seems to be the only way to realize this, is the sitting practice of meditation.” (p. 10)
The discovery of one’s buddha nature is subliminal. It lies under the surface of consciousness. It occurs when the meditator’s focus is solely on breathing and the idea of personal self drops from the mind. Trungpa says that in meditation, “you might find that you are not anything at all. Then, although you find out that you are not, you discover some glowing brilliance that exists within the experience of nonexistence.” (p. 12)
It follows that since the idea of personal self and the cognitive mind are at bay when the meditator senses his or her buddhanature, one’s sense of his buddhanature cannot be conveyed to another.
A meditator’s sense of his or her buddhanature is a private and incommunicable experience that is an immense resource in life.