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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The Stages of Practice ISerial: BZ-00024A One-Day Sitting Study Period, Heart Sutra, Obstacles, Chanting, Daily Life, Posture, Beginners, Doubt... |
Mar 28 1981 Berkeley Zen Center |
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March 28th, 1981, Serial No. 01063 Study Period, Obstacles, Heart Sutra, Chanting, Daily Life, Posture, Beginners, Doubt... |
Mar 28 1981 |
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February 3rd, 1981, Serial No. 00399 Consciousness, Bell, Teacher-and-Student, Concentration, Right Speech, Buddha Nature... |
Feb 03 1981 |
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Ngon Dro, and sleep yoga of Amitabha, Serial 00011 Buddha Nature, Conversation, Breath, Hindrances, Intention, Describe, Beginners... |
Apr 20 1980 |
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The Nature of Mind, Serial 00069 Buddha Nature, Sutra, Non-duality, Concentration, true dharma, Right Effort,... |
Feb 05 1980 |
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December 13th, 1979, Serial No. 00137 Concentration, Emotions, Right Effort, Separation, realization, Suffering, Oneness,... |
Dec 13 1979 |
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December 13th, 1979, Serial No. 00138 realization, Concentration, Buddha Nature, Right Effort, Building, Subject-and-Object... |
Dec 13 1979 |
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March 1st, 1979, Serial No. 00121 Fox, Funeral, causation, Buddha Nature, Karma, Interdependence, Discrimination... |
Mar 01 1979 |
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Foundation Practices Seminar, Serial 00075 Buddha Nature, Right Effort, Bodhisattva Vow, Renunciation, Greed, Conversation,... |
Feb 24 1978 1 and 2 New York City? |
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September 1st, 1977, Serial No. 00101 Compassion, Fox, causation, lecture, Anger, Teacher-and-Student, Buddha Nature,... |
Sep 01 1977 |
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August 30th, 1977, Serial No. 00098 Evil, Buddha Nature, Impermanence, Nirvana, confusion, Religion, realization,... |
Aug 30 1977 |
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August 30th, 1977, Serial No. 00099 Compassion, Transmission, Politics, Attachment, Don't Know Mind, Buddha Nature,... |
Aug 30 1977 |
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August 29th, 1977, Serial No. 00097 Buddha Nature, realization, Oneness, Suffering, Interview, Ego, Precepts, Nirvana,... |
Aug 29 1977 |
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August 26th, 1977, Serial No. 00094 realization, Buddha Nature, Dharma Transmission, Religion, lecture, Vinaya, Intention... |
Aug 26 1977 |
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August 24th, 1977, Serial No. 00092 Subject-and-Object, Intuition, Hindrances, Compassion, Continuous, training, Buddha... |
Aug 24 1977 |
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August 19th, 1977, Serial No. 00089 Transmission, Dharma Transmission, Buddha Nature, lecture, realization, Rinzai, soto... |
Aug 19 1977 |
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August 1977 talk, Serial No. 00095 Happiness, realization, Buddha Nature, Transmission, Consciousness, Beginners,... |
Aug 1977 |
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August 29th, 1976, Serial No. 00084 Silence, Buddha Nature, Hate, Beginners, Anger, Describe, Fox, Balance, Emotions,... |
Aug 29 1976 |
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September 8th, 1975, Serial No. 00074 Transmission, Soto Zen, Discrimination, Buddha Nature, soto, realization, Separation... |
Sep 08 1975 |
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August 27th, 1975, Serial No. 00103 Bell, Subject-and-Object, Concentration, Interdependence, Buddha Nature, Suffering,... |
Aug 27 1975 |