From Buddhist teaching, a human being can achieve the highest enlightenment or mental state through training. Therefore through practicing a person can purify his or her thinking and eventually become an enlightened person. Even Buddha himself had to work extra hard to become informed (Kano 5). Just like in the Indian traditions, Buddha passed through a series of lives, and gradually his practice became deeper and higher as time passed by. Eventually, he was born as a nobleman in a small kingdom. It is at this point that he became enlightened.
From Buddha’s viewpoint, every sentient being has the capability of having Buddha nature. This concept refers to the cognitive power or consciousness that brings about the state of enlightenment. Once a person realizes such a state of mind, he or she can remove all the destructive elements from the brain. Hence, no obstacle can stop such an individual from reaching the levels that Buddha himself achieved (Kano 33). Therefore every individual or being has this seed that brings about enlightenment. There are two types of Buddha nature, the natural and the developing. The former comes about naturally; however, the latter requires one to put effort so that it can be nurtured.
Compassion
Just like the Buddha nature, compassion is intrinsic to human beings. Fundamentally, every individual possesses an underlying gentleness which eventually translates to compassion. The Buddha teaching on “Buddha nature” specifies that naturally, all beings are always gentle and not oppressive or aggressive in any way. From a very early age, people are exposed to compassion. Babies are always cared for and nurtured through affection. A child’s very first act is to suck a mother’s milk. Typically, this is an act of compassion or tenderness. Without such actions, a baby cannot survive. As life progresses and one becomes mature, it turns out that having a compassionate state of mind is very vital for the overall well-being of an individual, both psychologically and health wise (Najeeb 1227). Moreover, the feelings of affection will also enhance the emotional safety of a person.
In Buddhism teaching, a story is told of a tiger raised by goats. The animal is ignorant of the fact that it is a tiger until it eats meat and undergoes a transformation (Najeeb 1228). The example is a clear indication that violence is not engrained in the genetic makeup of an individual. It only comes up after it is awakened. The story of the tiger and the goat applies to human beings as well. The human mind can be trained to embody kindness and not violence. An undisciplined mind, on the other hand, is like an elephant. If given a chance to walk around without control, it will cause damage and wreak havoc.
When it comes to the question of whether humanity is compassionate or violent, it is good to take a detailed analysis of the frequency of occurrence of both violence and compassion. In the end, it comes out that interpersonal care is more prevalent than atrocities. People always tend to the wounded and the sick so as to keep them alive. Such tendencies are all displays of compassion. This, however, does not rule out the existence of violence. Ultimately, the prevalence of compassionate acts confirms Buddha’s teaching that humans are not violent by nature.
In conclusion, it comes out that Buddha nature is a concept that any significant being possesses. Another trait that accompanies this concept is compassion which comes out in the form of affection and gentleness. In the end, these concepts enable one to realize stability and the peace of mind.
Works Cited
Kano, Kazuo. Buddha-nature and emptiness: rNgog Blo-ldan-shes-rab and a transmission of the" Ratnagotravibhāga" from India to Tibet. Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien, 2016.
Najeeb, Shahid. "Comments on ‘who founded Buddhism? Notes on the psychological effectiveness of religious objects’." The International Journal of Psychoanalysis 98.4, 2017, pp. 1226-1236.
