The Nature of Cream

"Oh, good man! You say that if there is not the nature of cream in milk, it can not produce the cream; if the seed of nyagrodha tree does not possess the nature to be 50 feet tall, can not occur of this reach 50 feet. An ignorant person may well say this, but not one who is wise. Why? Because there is not nature (own of any phenomena). Oh, good man! If there were the nature of cream, there would be no need to evoke the power of causal relations. Oh, good man! Mix water to milk, leave them thus for a month, and we will never get the cream. If a drop of essence of 'phalgu' [ficus oppositifolia: a red powder usually made of wild ginger root] is added, we obtain the cream. If there were the phenomenon of cream, why would we need to wait upon the combination of causal relations? The same is the case with the Buddha Nature of all beings. Assisted by various causal relations, we can see it; based on various causal relations, we can attain unsurpassed Enlightenment. If things come about based on causal relations, this tells us that there is no nature that may be called its own, (the phenomenon itself). Since there is no nature that can be named, one may well attain unsurpassed Enlightenment. Oh, good man! For this reason, the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva always praises (what is) good in a person, and does not speak badly of what is deficient. This is straight mind."

Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 32, on the Bodhisattva Highly-Virtuous King 6.

nature of cream.mp3