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If you haven’t already heard of this concept “The Buddha Nature,”  its worth a look, as may hold the key to gaining trust with even the most difficult of people.  While lending itself more as a philosophical Buddhist principle, this concept can be seen in action on a daily basis with tangible power and results beyond scientific explanation.

Historical Perspective

Stepping back in time we see the early Buddha Nature concept as expressed in the seminal ‘Tathagatagarbha Sutra’ named the Nirvana Sutra is, according to Dr. Kevin Trainor, as follows:

‘Sentient beings are said to possess a sacred nature that is the basis for them becoming buddhas … this buddha-nature is in fact our true nature … universal and completely unsullied by whatever psychological and karmic state an individual may be in.”

And in the 13th Century in Japan the Buddhist sage named Nichiren Daishonin referred to Buddha Nature as “The inner potential for attaining Buddhahood”, common to all people.   Based on the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin  says: “All living beings possess the Buddha nature”.

What is the Buddha Nature?

The Buddha nature essentially refers to the potential for attaining Buddhahood, which is described as a state of awakening filled with limitless compassion and wisdom.  Buddhahood is also described as the ability to perceive the true nature of all phenomena.

Activating Buddha Nature to Gain Trust

Sounds pretty amazing right, almost like super human qualities.  Ok so some of you might be debating right now that  “everyone” has this incredibly powerful state within them,  including you and criminals and children?  Well, the only way to really find out is to test it.  So lets say you’re having a really difficult time with your friend, boss, (fill in the blank) and you think: “OK all I need is to activate their Buddha Nature and they will transcend the small mind and step up to the state of  Buddhahood, open up and trust me.  Yes, if you could activate their Buddha Nature this is indeed what would happen, the only problem is of course.. How do you do it?

In order to activate someone else’s Buddha Nature we must first activate our own.  To activate someone else’s Buddha Nature we can use the analogy of a caged bird.  When other birds fly around the cage and sing, the caged bird feels summoned to sing and break free of his cage.  Similarly, you are the one outside the cage and you must sing the tune of compassion and wisdom and see these same qualities withing the opposing character.  When the opposition feels that you truly and sincerely believe they possess the Buddha Nature, their own Buddha Nature will be summoned to sing and break free from the chains of small mindedness.  Keep in mind that you must wholeheartedly believe that the other person possesses the immense state of Buddhahood even if its buried beneath layers and layers of lies, deception, jealousy and vindictiveness.  This of course is the difficult part of your task in gaining trust from a difficult person.  Typically the more difficult they are, the more difficult it is to see they too posses Buddhahood.

Options for Activating your own Buddha Nature

There are many ways to activate your own Buddha Nature.  Below are some options:

1. Be of service to someone without any expectation of anything in return
2. Begin to study human psychology and why people act the way they do.  I recommend the Buddha in Daily Life by Richard Causton.  Remember: You don’t have to be Buddhist to practice the universal principles of Buddhism.
3. Take a yoga class with a good teacher who can guide you to self -reflect
4. Meditate or chant – In Nichiren Buddhism for instance, the Buddha nature within us is summoned forth and manifested by our chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is the name of the Dharma of the Lotus Surra:

 

Please feel free to comment below on how you activate your own Buddha Nature