gzhi
gzhi
Basic Meaning
The foundational basis of both saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. It is often used as a synonym for tathāgatagarbha and dharmadhātu.
Has the Sense of
In the Dzogchen teachings it is commonly counted among the trilogy of ground, path, and fruition. Sometimes referred to as the primordial ground (ye bzhi), it is the source from which all phenomena arise.
Term Variations | |
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Key Term | gzhi |
Topic Variation | gzhi |
Tibetan | གཞི་ ( shi) |
Wylie Tibetan Transliteration | gzhi ( shi) |
Buddha-nature Site Standard English | ground |
Richard Barron's English Term | ground (of being) |
Jeffrey Hopkin's English Term | basis |
Gyurme Dorje's English Term | ground [of spiritual realization], basis |
Term Information | |
Source Language | Tibetan |
Basic Meaning | The foundational basis of both saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. It is often used as a synonym for tathāgatagarbha and dharmadhātu. |
Has the Sense of | In the Dzogchen teachings it is commonly counted among the trilogy of ground, path, and fruition. Sometimes referred to as the primordial ground (ye bzhi), it is the source from which all phenomena arise. |
Related Terms | Dharmadhātu, Tathāgatagarbha |
Term Type | Noun |
Definitions | |
Rangjung Yeshe Dictionary | 1) basis, source, foundation, base, basic [ground]. 2) Syn {don} referent, the object, objective support. Syn {dngos po} 3) ground (of being); ground aspect; ground, basic ground, basic nature. Syn. buddha-nature. Syn {de gshegs snying po ka dag klong rig pa'i klong} 4) to form a basis for, a source of; matters; to cause, ex. {+r gyur} which causes. which is the foundation. fundamental state; 5) basic; foundational, ground-, fundamental. substratum [ggd]. rtsod gzhi - the subject of the debate [ggd] |
Works About this Term
Books
Mipam ( 'ju mi pham rgya mtsho, 1846–1912) is one of the most prolific thinkers in the history of Tibet and is a key figure in the Nyingma tradition of Buddhism. His works continue to be widely studied in the Tibetan cultural region and beyond. This book provides an in-depth account of Mipam’s view, drawing on a wide range of his works and offering several new translations. Douglas S. Duckworth shows how a dialectic of presence and absence permeates Mipam’s writings on the Middle Way and Buddha-nature.
Articles
Buddha-nature comes to shape a Madhyamaka interpretation of emptiness in a positive light in a way that parallels its place in a Yogācāra interpretation (as a positive foundation of mind and reality). Buddha-nature supplements a Yogācāra theory of mind and reality by offering a positive alternative to a theory of consciousness that otherwise functions simply as the distorted cognitive structure of suffering. It thus is not only the potential for an awakened mind, but the cognitive content of awakening, too.
In Tibet we see the interpretation of buddha-nature converge with Mahāyāna doctrines in structurally parallel ways. Paired with buddha-nature, the doctrine of emptiness in Madhyamaka pivots from a “self-empty” lack of intrinsic nature to an “other-empty,” pure ground that remains. In narratives of disclosure characteristic of the doctrine of buddha-nature, we also see parallel shifts in the foundations of Yogācāra, as grounds of distortion like the basic consciousness, the dependent nature, and self-awareness are reinscribed into a causal story that takes place within a pure, gnostic ground.