What we really are is our Buddha nature, a potential of perfect joy.  This Buddha nature is the reality everything is based upon, the “heart of perfect awakening”. It is our as well as every sentient being’s natural capacity, including animals, our potential for enlightenment. This potential is limitless in time and space and omnipresent.

Why do we not experience this potential but conditional states like birth, disease, old age and death, instead, which perpetually bring about suffering?
We can picture Buddha nature like the sun that still has its full radiance on bad weather days but is concealed by clouds. The clouds block both warmth and light. In the same way we do not experience the open and limitless nature of our mind, but have a limited, “clouded” view. The veils that conceal Buddha nature arise from basic ignorance: since “infinite times” our mind has a twofold nature. It has the clarity to see and know everything outside but cannot see itself. The space of mind – that which perceives – calls itself “I” and what is seen - the outside world -  is taken as “You” or “Other”.

With this duality all our problems start.  They arise as the three emotional responses attachment, aversion, and ignorance or – in other words – desire, anger and stupidity.  They cloud our perception and, thus, influence all our actions of body, speech, and mind. In this way they become the cause for collecting karma. From these karmic tendencies arises the way we experience the world.
If we did not identify with this limited functionality but with our Buddha nature all our suffering would end. To get there we have to apply the methods Buddha gave to us.

In Diamondway Buddhism a pure view of ourselves and others is especially important. We ourselves are Buddhas who have not yet recognized this, and all other beings as well. Even the most unpleasant contemporary has Buddha nature; even with him we can find potential for development if only we look close enough.

In addition we need a qualified teacher as an example and source of inspiration. He gives us access to meditations, where we most of all identify with Buddha aspects, who perfectly show the nature of our mind, and with their qualities and activities. In this way we more and more change our limited level of self experience to experiencing our Buddha nature. Just because we already carry the seed inside of us it is possible that working on ourselves, meditating, can bring about success. We also need the warmth of trust and the blessing of a teacher to make the seed grow. By meditating we free ourselves from hopes and fears, and experience unconditioned joy, love, compassion and fearlessness.

Buddha’s teachings completely serve the purpose of recognizing our Buddha nature, of collecting the treasure that is yet to be detected, to enjoy its wealth and share it with everyone else.