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I seem to remember that Mahayana Buddhism said somewhere something along the lines of, "Our Buddha nature (or the Buddha) chooses not to be enlightened".

I am not sure if I am remembering this correctly. Does anyone know the teaching to which I am referring, and would someone be so kind as to clear this up, perhaps with some sort of quote, for me?

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  • There are several things that may be similar to what you're asking about: for example here, and here, or here.
    – ChrisW
    Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 2:23

2 Answers 2

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When a sight comes before the eyes, a sound to the ears or a smell to the nose, there is no choosing involved here in terms of seeing, hearing or smelling. The seeing, hearing & smelling occur automatically, without choosing.

Similarly, when the mind is actually getting enlightened by experiencing the truth, it is not involved in choosing.

The mind may choose to establish itself in the path, that is, choose to develop concentration. However, the path is only the path & not the destination.

Developing & establishing concentration is similar to removing dust from the eyes, wax from the ears or mucus from the nose.

When the concentration is complete, i.e., when the mind is lucidly clear, the enlightenment occurs without any choosing.

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Timtak Ignorance is the root of all suffering! That being said.First let me ask you:Do you know what meditation is? Answer from your personal experience not by googling it.Meditation is not calming down your,and reducing your stress levels.That is a camouflage!

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  • Answering a question with another question can be a valid form of discourse elsewhere, but it cannot be posted as an answer on this site. Also this doesn't answer the question: the OP is asking for a reference to a Mahayana quote.
    – ChrisW
    Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 13:29
  • Thanks ChrisW. And thanks also for clarifying my question. @Erido I do nembutsu.
    – timtak
    Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 1:43

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