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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Tozan's Five RanksSerial: BZ-00730 Lecture Continuous, Observe, Describe, Silent Illumination, Buddha Nature, Anger, Ego, Five... |
Nov 20 1991 |
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Book of Serenity: Case #91Serial: BZ-00714A More of Dreams, Sesshin Day 2 SER-91, First Principle, Dream World, Subject-and-Object, Dragons, Buddha Nature,... |
Sep 01 1991 Berkeley Zen Center |
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July 19th, 1991, Serial No. 00970, Side B true dharma, Religion, Composure, resistance, Heart Sutra, Concentration, Daily Life... |
Jul 19 1991 |
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July 18th, 1991, Serial No. 00623Serial: BZ-00623 Lecture Intuition, Buddha Nature, Discrimination, Aspects of Practice, Tassajara, Building,... |
Jul 18 1991 Unknown Location |
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May 23rd, 1991, Serial No. 00277 Birth-and-Death, Buddha Nature, Thoroughness, Religion, Separation, Obstacles, Lay,... |
May 23 1991 |
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May 13th, 1991, Serial No. 00726 Hindrances, Addiction, Practice Period, Buddha Nature, Anger, Doubt, Lay, Ego,... |
May 13 1991 |
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Mumonkan Case 10Serial: SF-00046 Seizei lonely and destitute. Enthusiasm, Priest, Sanctuary, Sangha, Buddha Nature, Faith, soto, Balance, Zazen... |
Apr 28 1991 Green Gulch Farm |
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Fundamentals and Practicality of ZazenSerial: BZ-00700B One-Day Sitting Zazen, Harmonizing, Posture, Buddha Nature, Peace, resistance, confusion, Instruction... |
Apr 21 1991 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Mumonkan: Case #23Serial: BZ-00692B "Neither Good Not Evil;" Intentions, Humbleness, Saturday Lecture Humility, MM-23, Sixth Patriarch, Humility, Bodhisattva Ceremony, Dharma Transmission... |
Mar 30 1991 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Dogen's GuidelinesSerial: BZ-00691B No Gaining Idea, Discernment, Sesshin Day 2 Gaining Mind, Shingi, Bell, Don't Know Mind, Gaining Mind, Buddha Nature,... |
Mar 17 1991 Berkeley Zen Center |
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All Being and Our Sense of SelfSerial: BZ-00691A Sesshin Day 1 Birth-and-Death, Impermanence, Buddha Nature, Ego, Platform Sutra, Priest, Religion,... |
Mar 16 1991 Berkeley Zen Center |
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One-Day SittingSerial: SF-01078 #shuso-talk Precepts, Vows, Nirvana, Buddha Nature, Bodhisattva Vow, Suzuki Roshi, Attachment,... |
Mar 09 1991 Unknown |
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ParinirvanaSerial: BZ-00689A Eight Aspects of an Enlightened Being, One-Day Sitting Parinirvana, Eight Aspects, Nirvana, Eight Aspects, Concentration, Duality, Greed,... |
Feb 16 1991 Berkeley Zen Center |
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GenjokoanSerial: BZ-00698B Enlightenment, Rohatsu Day 7 Enlightenment, Religion, Peace, Buddha Nature, Attachment, Diversity, Hindrances, Lay... |
Dec 08 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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GenjokoanSerial: BZ-00698A Firewood and Ash, Rohatsu Day 6 Birth-and-Death, Monastic Practice, Buddha Nature, Peace, Impermanence, Liberation,... |
Dec 07 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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GenjokoanSerial: BZ-00697A Going Beyond Buddha, Rohatsu Day 4 Buddha, cognitive process, Light-and-Darkness, resistance, Lay Practice, Absolute-and... |
Dec 05 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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GenjokoanSerial: BZ-01517A Manifesting This Moment, Rohatsu Day 2 Genjokoan, Birth-and-Death, Buddha Nature, Heart Sutra, Happiness, Attachment,... |
Dec 03 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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The Eightfold PathSerial: BZ-00695A One-Day Sitting Eightfold Path, Concentration, Right Speech, Mindfulness, Four Noble Truths, Right... |
Nov 11 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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1990.11.08-serial.00251A Emptiness, Delusion, Buddha Nature, Peace, No-Self |
Nov 08 1990 |
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November 3rd, 1990, Serial No. 01478 Dragons, Posture, Sixth Patriarch, Buddha Nature, Karma, Hindrances, confusion,... |
Nov 03 1990 |
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Jewel Mirror Samadhi Precious Mirror, Buddha Nature, Samadhi, Faith, Diversity, soto, Patience, Ego,... |
Oct 24 1990 |
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September 15th, 1990, Serial No. 00492, Side A Buddha Nature, Building, Aspects of Practice, Separation, Culture, Fox, Rinzai, soto... |
Sep 15 1990 |
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Coursing in Deep Prajna ParamitaSerial: BZ-00467B Saturday Lecture Birth-and-Death, Heart Sutra, Four Noble Truths, Buddha Nature, Samadhi, Karma,... |
Sep 08 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Blue Cliff Record: Case #86Serial: BZ-00388A It's Everywhere, Sesshin Day 1 BCR-86, Evil, Buddha Nature, Darkness and Light, Discrimination, Duality, Light-and-... |
Sep 01 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Sesshin LectureSerial: BZ-00516A One-Day Sitting Buddha Nature, Posture, Obstacles, Continuous, Evil, Duality, Peace |
Aug 19 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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August 3rd, 1990, Serial No. 01507 Ordinary Mind, Describe, Big Mind, Practice Period, Buddha Nature, Dragons, Teacher-... |
Aug 03 1990 |
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Dogen: Non-ThinkingSerial: BZ-00513A Sesshin Day 4 Dogen, Non-thinking, Peace, Subject-and-Object, Duality, Daily Life, Posture, Buddha... |
Jun 23 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Sun Faced Buddha/Moon Faced BuddhaSerial: BZ-00505A Saturday Lecture Buddha, Koan, Subject-and-Object, Buddha Nature, Constancy, First Principle, Observe... |
May 19 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Earth DaySerial: BZ-00508 Saturday Lecture Earth Day, Precepts, Happiness, Tassajara, Buddha Nature, Dragons, Commitment, Greed... |
Apr 22 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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March 25th, 1990, Serial No. 00510, Side B Lotus Sutra, Berkeley Zen Center, Anger, Buddha Nature, Transmission, Gratitude,... |
Mar 25 1990 |
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Every Day is a Good DaySerial: BZ-00510A Saturday Lecture Bell, Non-duality, Buddha Nature, Monastic Practice, Samadhi, Diversity, Rinzai,... |
Mar 18 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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March 3rd, 1990, Serial No. 00497, Side B Ego, Subject-and-Object, Mahayana, Precepts, Ordinary Mind, Concentration, Buddha... |
Mar 03 1990 |
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February 24th, 1990, Serial No. 00497, Side A Doubt, Buddha Nature, Gratitude, Sixth Patriarch, Cultivation, Mahayana, confusion,... |
Feb 24 1990 |
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The Triple TreasureSerial: BZ-00499 Saturday Lecture Triple Treasure, Triple Treasure, Sangha, Big Mind, Teacher-and-Student, Buddha... |
Feb 03 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Precepts; Ryaku FusatsuSerial: BZ-00501 One-Day Sitting Precepts, Ryaku Fusatsu, Precepts, Karma, Greed, Repentance, Hate, Renewal, Buddha... |
Jan 13 1990 Berkeley Zen Center |
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December 23rd, 1989, Serial No. 00502, Side A Peace, Impermanence, Buddha Nature, Four Noble Truths, Bodhisattva Ceremony,... |
Dec 23 1989 |
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Fall Practice PeriodSerial: BZ-00386 Saturday Lecture Practice Period, Practice Period, Buddha Nature, Commitment, training, Priest, Daily... |
Nov 05 1989 Berkeley Zen Center |
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October 27th, 1989, Serial No. 01055 true dharma, Emptiness, Oneness, Buddha Nature, Separation, Vows, Karma, Suzuki Roshi... |
Oct 27 1989 Unknown |
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Mumonkan Case #25 Mahayana, realization, Samadhi, Blue Cliff Record, Rinzai, Teacher-and-Student,... |
Oct 03 1989 Unknown |
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September 11th, 1989, Serial No. 04068 realization, Hsin Hsin Ming, Buddha Nature, Lay, Samadhi, Evil, Transmission,... |
Sep 11 1989 Green Gulch |
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Blue Cliff Record: Case #7: Pt. 2Serial: BZ-00382 "You Are, Echo", Sesshin Day 2 Echo, BCR-7, Buddha Nature, Pure Existence, Big Mind, Fox, Bodhidharma, Precepts,... |
Sep 04 1989 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Blue Cliff Record: Case #7: Pt. 1Serial: BZ-00381 "You Are, Echo", Sesshin Day 1 Echo, BCR-7, Buddha Mind, Karma, Dragons, Absolute-and-Relative, Big Mind, confusion... |
Sep 03 1989 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Five-day Sesshin Dragons, Suzuki Roshi, Buddha Nature, Blue Cliff Record, First Principle, Zendo,... |
Aug 30 1989 Unknown |
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Going Beyond Limitations Blue Cliff Record, Suzuki Roshi, Buddha Nature, First Principle, Dharma Transmission... |
Aug 28 1989 Green Gulch |
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August 11th, 1989, Serial No. 04067Serial: SF-04067 Duplicate realization, Buddha Nature, Hsin Hsin Ming, Evil, Lay, Samadhi, Transmission,... |
Aug 11 1989 Green Gulch |
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July 15th, 1989, Serial No. 00379, Side A Lotus Sutra, Blue Cliff Record, Nirvana Sutra, Buddha Nature, Mahayana, Echo, Bowing... |
Jul 15 1989 |
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Sunday Lecture Mill Valley, Blue Cliff Record, Zazen, Buddha Nature, Liberation, Harmonizing, Zendo... |
Jul 09 1989 Green Gulch |
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Sesshin LectureSerial: BZ-00377A Sesshin Day 3 Duality, Buddha Nature, Subject-and-Object, Oneness, Dharma Transmission, Doubt,... |
Jun 23 1989 Berkeley Zen Center |
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June 10th, 1989, Serial No. 00375, Side A resistance, Posture, Instruction, Buddha Nature, Hindrances, Continuous, confusion,... |
Jun 10 1989 |
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June 3rd, 1989, Serial No. 00374 Concentration, Buddha Nature, Mindfulness, Interdependence, Intuition, Passions,... |
Jun 03 1989 |