about: buddha brat buddhism
It is an enlightened person who takes the Teachings to heart and expressed them playfully as part of
their realization.
One not unduly concerned with maintaining tradition once understanding has arisen.
It can also indicate someone not necessarily enlightened yet, but with enough imagination or gall to
stand a good chance at making it through the Dissolution of the Ego intact.
Buddha Brats Glossary
"Beyond Rebuke" is the Buddha Brats version of Vajra pride which in traditional Buddhism means
complete confidence in ones own realization and subsequently all decisions that one makes.
Contrary to common arrogance and yet without the need for false humility, one is in a state of
Awareness that takes full responsibility for oneself and ones entire reality. With no one and nothing to
blame, one can dance in and with reality without becoming trapped.
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The Natural state of Perfection is the unpolluted natural state of the mind or Buddha which is our true
nature and present at all times. It is often described as unborn, undying, unobstructed, indestructible
and undefiled - in essence, perfect and pure.
According to Dzogchen all beings have always had 'Buddha nature' and this truth has never changed,
and never will. It proposes that suffering is caused by the wrong perception that Buddhahood is
something outside or separate from ourselves that needs to be attained.
According to Dzogchen all that is necessary is to be shown this inherent Buddha in oneself directly, at
which point one recognizes it to be ones Natural State …
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about: buddha brat symbols
The Buddha is sitting down, symbolic of relaxation. The right hand touches the
ground to signify confidence in realization. The left leg is propped up, ready
to help humanity while the relaxed position of the left arm indicates that this
commitment to compassion comes effortlessly.
The body is black to indicate freedom from ego, in essence - empty like the
night sky. It is naked and unadorned to indicate that this state of egolessness is
not something to be acquired but rather the natural, primordial state inherent
in all beings. This Buddha is sexless to encourage both men and woman to
identify with these aspects in themselves.
The sun and moon hover in imperceptible space to indicate that this Buddha is
neither bound by time, nor trapped in any particular place. The sun and moon
also represent the importance of using the feminine aspect of intuitive wisdom
and masculine aspect of skillful means. Furthermore, the aspect of day and
night can also be understood as conventional “right-hand” practices and
unconventional “left-hand” practices.
Behind the head is a melong (mirror) which is traditionally used to demonstrate
the nature of the mind to students, thereby paying homage to the Dzogchen
lineages. We also specifically refer to the Dzogchen teachings themselves which
state that Buddha is always our true nature, we simply need to recognize
it “like seeing ones own face when looking in a mirror”.
The floating rainbow cloth points to the infinite potentiality of the manifest
universe that is born from empty being. It is a symbolic reference that all
thoughts, emotions and physical phenomena are in truth simply coloured light,
movements of form.
Contour drawing by Jonathan Barr Weber
The ‘B’ in our logo comes from the symbol for “birch” in the ancient Futhark, the
oldest form of runic alphabet. It traditionally stands for growth and prosperity.
Norse mythology states that Odin hung himself from the world tree, impaled on
his own spear in order to gain knowledge of the runes. This vividly demonstrates
in western terms the Buddhist ideal of sacrificing the ‘self’. The word “rune”
itself actually means “mystery, secret or whisper” thus aligning perfectly with
Dzogchen as a teaching which itself was known as the “whispered teaching”.
By choosing this rune we also pay homage to the forgotten lineage of the druids
(warrior priests of the ancient west) for whom the birch was holy. Intentionally
resurrecting our ancient roots, we symbolically demonstrate our uniquely
inclusive strategy of fusing eastern wisdom with the fierce power of the west.
Designed by Artyom
This is a symbol with many permutations in various cultures and throughout
time.
It is one of the 8 traditional ‘auspicious symbols’ of Buddhism.
Here it specifically denotes the interdependence of all things, the
interconnectedness of all seeming appearances of duality as well as the
indestructible, timeless and boundless qualities of ultimate, all pervasive and
compassionate wisdom - Buddhahood.
Image from “The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs”
By Robert Beer
This mantra invokes the power of Ekajati, prime guardian of Dzogchen.
Depicted as having one eye, one tooth and one breast to signify her unwavering commitment to Non-Duality, she dances on the corpse of a perverter of the Teachings.
In this way all information on this site is magically sealed with secrecy from
those who would slander or abuse it.
So be it.