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Discover

New to Buddhism or to the concept of buddha-nature? Discover how buddha-nature is articulated in various Buddhist traditions by exploring multimedia, articles, books, and translations of primary sources from leading Buddhist teachers and academics. This page brings together a collection of curated resources designed to make the concept of buddha-nature understandable and accessible to a general audience.

Buddha-Nature in East Asia

Multimedia

Complete Site Guide

Audio

Buddha-Nature by Rev. George Kosho Finch

This week's topic is Buddha Nature, in Sanskrit: tathāgatagarbha (如来藏). All sentient beings are considered to be in possession of the Buddha Nature, the potential to attain enlightenment.

Video

It Is Your Buddha-Nature That Sees, Hears, and Speaks!

Daehaeng Kun Sunim, a Seon (Zen) master and Buddhist nun from Korea, responds to questions about the concept of Juingong (the underlying mind) from an audience member.

Audio

Trusting in Our Own Buddha-Nature

Rinso Ed Sattizahn gives a dharma talk at San Francisco Zen Center's City Center on the topic of buddha-nature. He touches on selections from Dōgen's Genjōkōan to illustrate this Buddhist teaching

Video

One's True Mind and Inherent Nature by Sheng Yen

Our true mind is the pure mind of wisdom free of defilements. Our inherent nature refers to the nature of our being something common, which is also called the Buddha-nature.

Audio

The Cloudless Sky of Buddha-Nature

Rev. Kokyo Henkel teaches on "The Cloudless Sky of Buddha Nature" at the San Francisco Zen Center on September 6, 2011.

Featured Articles

Article

On Buddhanature—and What It Is Not, by Khandro Rinpoche

"Buddhism must always be seen as a skillful means for realizing the most basic aspect of human life: one's inherent buddhanature."

Article

Emptiness–Buddhanature, by Traleg Kyabgon

"Our true nature is buddhanature and that buddhanature is the nature of all sentient beings."

Article

Lasting Happiness, by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

"... We don’t have to look outside the present moment to experience wisdom, compassion, and the boundless purity of our true nature."

Article

This Is My Mind, Luminous and Empty, by Tsoknyi Rinpoche

"That something, when I was old enough to fit words to it, is a kind of spark that lights the lives of all living beings.... In many Buddhist teachings, it’s known as buddhanature."

Article

The Example of the Buddha: Relating the Life of the Buddha to Our Own, by Joseph Goldstein

"Another level on which we can relate is to view the Buddha as a fundamental archetype of humanity; that is, as the full manifestation of buddha-nature, the mind that is free of defilement and distortion..."

Article

The Sky Dragon's Profound Roar, by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso

"We practice the genuine dharma because it is a method for clearing away the temporary stains that obscure our vision of the true nature of mind."

Books

14th Dalai Lama & Peter Michel

14th Dalai Lama & Thubten Chodron

Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature

Shenpen Hookham

The Buddha Within

Thubten Loden

The Fundamental Potential for Enlightenment

Study the Sources

The seeds of buddha-nature teachings are sprinkled throughout the sutras and tantras of the Buddhist canon. A core group of scripture that initially taught buddha-nature known as the tathāgatagarbha sūtras date between the second and fourth centuries. These include the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra, the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, the Śrīmālādevīsūtra and several others. The famous Laṅkāvatārasūtra was also important for buddha-nature theory. In Tibetan Buddhism the late-Indian treatise Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra, or Gyü Lama as it is known in the Tibetan, serves as a major source for buddha-nature. In East Asia the Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna (大乗起信論) and the Vajrasamādhisūtra were the most influential treatises in spreading buddha-nature theory. All of these important buddha-nature texts have been translated into English by leading scholars and translators. Below is a selection of these works:

Buddha-Nature in Translation

Zimmermann

A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra

Blum

The Nirvana Sutra, Vol. 1

Alex Wayman & Hideko Wayman

The Lion's Roar of Queen Śrīmālā

Red Pine

The Lankavatara Sutra: A Zen Text

Rosemarie Fuchs

Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra

Jorgensen & Lusthaus, et al.

Treatise on Awakening Mahāyāna Faith

Robert Buswell

The Formation of Ch'an Ideology in China and Korea (The Vajrasamādhisūtra}

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