Buddha Nature Talks
In Buddhist philosophy, Buddha-nature is the potential for all sentient beings to become a Buddha or the fact that all beings already have a pure buddha-essence within. "Buddha-nature" is the common English translation for several related Mahayana Buddhist terms, most notably tathāgatagarbha and buddhadhātu, but also sugatagarbha, and buddhagarbha. Tathāgatagarbha can mean "the womb" or "embryo" (garbha) of the "thus-gone one" (tathāgata), and can also mean "containing a tathāgata". Buddhadhātu can mean "buddha-element," "buddha-realm" or "buddha-substrate".
Buddha-nature has a wide range of (sometimes conflicting) meanings in Indian and later East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist literature. Broadly speaking, it refers to the belief that the luminous mind, "the natural and true state of the mind," which is pure (visuddhi) mind undefiled by kleshas, is inherently present in every sentient being, and is eternal and unchanging. It will shine forth when it is cleansed of the defilements, that is, when the nature of mind is recognised for what it is.
The Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra (written 2nd century CE), which was very influential in the Chinese reception of these teachings, linked the concept of tathāgatagarbha with the buddhadhātu. The term buddhadhātu originally referred to buddha relics. In the Mahāparinirvāṇa, it came to be used in place of the concept of tathāgatagārbha, reshaping the worship of physical buddha relics of the Buddha into worship of the inner Buddha as a principle of salvation.
The primordial or undefiled mind, the tathagatagarbha, is also often equated with emptiness; with the alayavijñana ("storehouse-consciousness", a yogacara concept); and with the interpenetration of all dharmas (in East Asian traditions like Huayan). Buddha nature ideas are central to East Asian Buddhism, which relies on key buddha-nature sources like the Mahāparinirvāṇa. In Tibetan Buddhism, buddha-nature ideas are also important, and are often studied through the key Indian treatise on buddha-nature, the Ratnagotravibhāga.
Title | Speaker | |
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Stand Up from the GroundSerial: BZ-01567 Saturday Lecture Form-and-Emptiness, Continuous, Intuition, Big Mind, Bodhisattva Way, soto, Rinzai,... |
Jul 23 2005 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Find Out for YourselfSerial: BZ-00576 Lecture Precepts, Duality, Instruction, Subject-and-Object, Discrimination, Oneness,... |
Jul 17 2005 |
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July 17th, 2005, Serial No. 01337, Side B Birth-and-Death, Right Effort, Peace, Practice Period, Offering, Buddha Nature, Zoom... |
Jul 17 2005 |
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July 16th, 2005, Serial No. 00575Serial: BZ-00575 Lecture Precepts, Obstacles, Tassajara, Practice Period, Buddha Nature, Duality, Monastic... |
Jul 16 2005 |
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Reflections on My LifeSerial: BZ-01335 76th Birthday, Saturday Lecture Sojun Mel Weitsman, Priest, Lay Practice, Priest-and-Lay, Lay, Tassajara, American,... |
Jul 08 2005 Berkeley Zen Center |
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GenjokoanSerial: BZ-01332 Sesshin Day 4 Genjokoan, Buddha Nature, Birth-and-Death, Priest, Bodhidharma, Transmission,... |
Jun 25 2005 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Lay OrdinationSerial: BZ-01327 Buddha's Robe, Saturday Lecture Rakusu, Lay Ordination, Precepts, Ordination, Lineage, Buddha Nature, Lay, Confession... |
Jun 11 2005 Berkeley Zen Center |
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June 9th, 2005, Serial No. 01034, Side A Duality, Daily Life, Intuition, Two Truths, Buddha Nature, Absolute-and-Relative,... |
Jun 09 2005 |
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June 2nd, 2005, Serial No. 01033, Side A Birth-and-Death, Ordinary Mind, Buddha Nature, Continuous, Impermanence, Sixth... |
Jun 02 2005 |
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May 26th, 2005, Serial No. 01560 Five Ranks, Subject-and-Object, Samadhi, Duality, Separation, Buddha Nature, Doubt,... |
May 26 2005 |
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Delusion and IgnoranceSerial: BZ-01323 Saturday Lecture Delusion, Ignorance, Happiness, resistance, Greed, Ego, Impermanence, Birth-and-Death... |
May 14 2005 Berkeley Zen Center |
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2005.05.09-serial.00186 Buddha Nature, Intention, Compassion, Samadhi, Daily Life, Happiness, Anger, Non-... |
May 09 2005 |
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2005.05.08-serial.00184 Buddha Nature, Mindfulness, Posture, Observe, Dependent Origination, confusion,... |
May 08 2005 |
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2005.05.08-serial.00185 Buddha Nature, Buddha Ancestors, Daily Life, Vows, Subject-and-Object, Demons, Ego,... |
May 08 2005 |
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2005.05.07-serial.00182 Buddha Nature, Dragons, Precepts, Oneness, Interdependence, Sangha, Subject-and-... |
May 07 2005 |
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2005.05.07-serial.00183 Buddha Nature, Samadhi, Daily Life, Meditation, Non-discrimination, Sixth Patriarch,... |
May 07 2005 |
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2005.05.06-serial.00180 Buddha Nature, Dependent Origination, Intention, Subject-and-Object, Interview,... |
May 06 2005 |
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2005.05.06-serial.00181 Buddha Nature, Heart Sutra, Practice Period, Liberation, Don't Know Mind, Daily... |
May 06 2005 |
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2005.05.05-serial.00178 Buddha Nature, Culture, Sixth Patriarch, Posture, Practice Period, Heart Sutra,... |
May 05 2005 |
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2005.05.05-serial.00179 Buddha Nature, Continuous, Beginners, Subject-and-Object, Dependent Origination,... |
May 05 2005 |
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March 29th, 2005, Serial No. 00584 Tassajara, Practice Period, Buddha Nature, Emotions, Zoom, Demons, Hindrances,... |
Mar 29 2005 |
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Teacher-Student RelationshipsSerial: BZ-00599 Hierarchy, Sesshin Day 5 Teacher-and-Student, Teacher-and-Student, Precepts, Anger, Intimacy, Practice Period... |
Mar 27 2005 |
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March 19th, 2005, Serial No. 01314, Side B zen meditation, Soto Zen, Nirvana Sutra, true dharma, Buddha Nature, soto,... |
Mar 19 2005 |
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February 28th, 2005, Serial No. 00771 Discrimination, Ego, Ordinary Mind, Hindrances, Evil, Buddha Nature, Book of Serenity... |
Feb 28 2005 |
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Expressing Yourself CompletelySerial: BZ-00572 Sesshin Day 5 Silence, Practice Period, Vows, Ordinary Mind, Teacher-and-Student, confusion, Bell,... |
Feb 24 2005 |
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Shikantaza: Calm MindSerial: BZ-00570 Sesshin Day 1 Shikantaza, Birth-and-Death, Posture, Silent Illumination, Bowing, Big Mind, Buddha... |
Feb 20 2005 |
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February 18th, 2005, Serial No. 00772 Buddha Nature, Silent Illumination, Mahayana, Heart Sutra, Describe, Nirvana Sutra,... |
Feb 18 2005 |
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February 17th, 2005, Serial No. 00773 Precepts, Intuition, Forgiveness, Buddha Nature, Absolute-and-Relative, Repentance,... |
Feb 17 2005 |
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February 2nd, 2005, Serial No. 00586 Ego, Hate, Precious Mirror, Instruction, Buddha Nature, Happiness, Describe, Culture... |
Feb 02 2005 |
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2005.01.30-serial.00037 Buddha Nature, Don't Know Mind, Ordinary Mind, confusion, Religion |
Jan 30 2005 |
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2005.01.30-serial.00279 Buddha Nature, Don't Know Mind, Ordinary Mind, confusion, Religion |
Jan 30 2005 |
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Heart SutraSerial: BZ-01293 Duality, Nonduality, Rohatsu Day 3 Heart Sutra, Duality, Non-duality, Duality, Intuition, Non-duality, Oneness, Buddha... |
Dec 01 2004 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Heart SutraSerial: BZ-01292B Form and Emptiness; Interdependence, Rohatsu Day 2 Heart Sutra, Form-and-Emptiness, Interdependence, Teacher-and-Student, Demons,... |
Nov 30 2004 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Remembrances of Suzuki-rôshiSerial: BZ-01289A Addressing One's Buddhanature, Saturday Lecture Suzuki Roshi, Lineage, Buddha Nature, Composure, Buddha Mind, Lineage, Birth-and-... |
Nov 13 2004 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Buddha Nature and the Ugly DucklingSerial: SF-00056 Zendo lecture; feeling of not fitting in and not belonging that sends us towards spiritual practice. Lotus Sutra, Buddha Nature, Ego, Delusion, training, Precepts, stubbornness, Posture... |
Nov 06 2004 Tassajara |