Namaste DT Strain,
thank you for the post.
i would disagree with the assertions in said email.
there are several Suttas where the Buddha explains that he trains lay people like he trains monks, to wit:
the Kesi Sutta
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/anguttara/an04-111.html
in the Jhana Sutta, the Buddha does not draw distinctions between monastics and laiety in terms of the practice:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/anguttara/an-04-123-tb0.html
in the Saddha Sutta, Buddha explains that a lay follower can be 'totally unbound' through the practice:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/anguttara/an05-038.html
(excerpt)
A massive tree
whose branches carry fruits & leaves,
with trunks & roots
& an abundance of fruits:
There the birds find rest.
In that delightful sphere
they make their home.
Those seeking shade
come to the shade,
those seeking fruit
find fruit to eat.
So with the person consummate
in virtue & conviction,
humble, sensitive, gentle,
delightful, & mild:
To him come those without effluent —
free from passion,
free from aversion,
free from delusion —
the field of merit for the world.
They teach him the Dhamma
that dispels all stress.
And when he understands,
he is freed from effluents,
totally unbound.
in the Piti Sutta, Buddha explains that lay people can equally realize the Jhanas:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/anguttara/an05-176.html
as for Buddha nature...
without said nature, Awakening would not be possible.... predicated upon the above Suttas, i conclude that Buddhanature is a feature of sentient beings.
here is a link to a more thorough explanation from a specific Vajrayana point of view:
http://www.kagyu.org/buddhism/cul/cul04.html
metta,
~v
