Sentient beings

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Topic: Sentient beings

Articles

Article
Beings, Non-Beings, and Buddhas: Contrasting Notions of Tathāgatagarbha in the Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśaparivarta and *Mahābherī Sūtra
This article concerns a little studied text of the Mahāyānist tathāgatagarbha literature, namely the *Mahābherī Sūtra, and its relation to other Indian texts which advance forms of tathāgatagarbha doctrine. Its focus will be the contrast between the content of this sūtra and the only other text of the tathāgatagarbha tradition which discusses a particular issue: the unchanging mass of existing sentient beings, without the possibility of any decrease or increase in their number. This is an issue addressed also by the Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśaparivarta, which I shall argue presents a more sophisticated and likely later consideration, both of this matter and of tathāgatagarbha doctrine, than that exhibited by the *Mahābherī Sūtra. Though it is not clear that either text knew of the other, their different treatments of how one should understand the nature and number of existing sentient beings casts light on their respective places in two distinct strains—one very likely older than the other—of Indian tathāgatagarbha thought.
Jones, Christopher V. "Beings, Non-Beings, and Buddhas: Contrasting Notions of Tathāgatagarbha in the Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśaparivarta and *Mahābherī Sūtra." Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies 10 (2016): 53–84. http://jocbs.org/index.php/jocbs/article/view/133.
Article
Reconsidering the "Essence" of Indian Buddha-Nature Literature
This paper is published in Acta Asiatica no.118, which concerns recent scholarship on tathāgatagarbha, or Buddha-nature thought, in Indian literature. In light of recent reassessments of the development of tathāgatagarbha thought in India, this paper considers instances in which tathāgatagarbha is unpacked to refer to some "essence" (dhātu) of a Buddha present in all sentient beings. My observation is that this articulation of Buddha-nature teaching is found throughout Indian tathāgatagarbha literature, from the Nirvāṇa Sūtra through to supposedly "basic" materials of the Ratnagotravibhāga, but is conspicuously absent where Buddhist authors are invested in (re)interpreting Buddha-nature in terms of the basic nature of the mind: an influential innovation that I believe is first evident in the Śrīmālā Sūtra. (Source Accessed April 3, 2020)
Jones, Christopher V. "Reconsidering the 'Essence' of Indian Buddha-Nature Literature." In "What is Tathāgatagarbha: Buddha-Nature or Buddha Within?" Edited by Saitō Akira. Special issue, Acta Asiatica 118 (2020): 57–78.
Article
The Sentient Reflexivity of Buddha Nature
Buddha Nature, or tathagatagarbha in Sanskrit, is a core element of Buddhist philosophical discourse and doctrinal debate. Who or what possesses Buddha Nature, how it manifests itself, and what role it plays in Buddhist soteriology have been sustained questions in actual Buddhist practices and in the works of Buddhologists from ancient times to the present. Based on the author’s textual interpretation, this paper attempts to present a threefold argument: Buddha Nature is not separate from its alleged opposite, sentience; it is not a tangible substance but a state of being whose felt meaning is only metaphorically conveyed; and finally it is a heuristic device or a means of provoking a Buddhist or anyone who takes interest in Buddhism, to visualize the inner complexity of his or her sentient mode of being.
Yü, Dan Smyer. "The Sentient Reflexivity of Buddha Nature: Metaphorizing Tathagatagarbha." The Religious Cultures in the World 6 (2012): 13–22.

Interviews

Interview
Elizabeth Callahan Interview on Buddha-Nature
Elizabeth Callahan discusses buddha-nature and its related concepts in an interview with Marcus Perman of Tsadra Foundation.
Interview
Ringu Tulku Interview on Buddha-Nature
Ringu Tulku discusses buddha-nature and it's related concepts in an interview with Marcus Perman of Tsadra Foundation.
Ringu Tulku. “Ringu Tulku Interview on Buddha-Nature.” Interview by Marcus Perman. Produced by Tsadra Foundation Research Department, October 10, 2019. Audio, 1:00:17.
Interview
Shakya Chokden's Unique Views on Buddha-Nature by Yaroslav Komarovski: Conversations on Buddha-Nature
Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho discusses Śākya Chokden's unique views on Buddha-Nature with one of the world's most knowledgeable scholars of Śākya Chokden, Yaroslav Komarovski.

Śākya Chokden (1428–1507) was one of the most important thinkers of the Sakya tradition and had many complex views on Buddhist philosophy and practice, especially Madhyamaka and theories related to buddha-nature teachings, some of which are quite unique in the history of Buddhism.

Yaroslav Komarovski is a full professor of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His recent books include Radiant Emptiness: Three Seminal Works by the Golden Paṇḍita Shakya Chokden (Oxford 2020), Tibetan Buddhism and Mystical Experience (Oxford 2015), and Visions of Unity: The Golden Paṇḍita Shakya Chokden's New Interpretation of Yogācāra and Madhyamaka (SUNY 2011). If you would like to read some of his papers on Shakya Chokden, you can find them freely available online here: DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

HANDOUT FOR EVENT: Click here
Komarovski, Yaroslav. "Shakya Chokden's Unique Views on Buddha-Nature." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, October 30, 2021. Video, 1:22:45. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0aw9CIgaiE.
Interview
What Is My Mind without Me? Buddha-Nature in the Karma Kagyu School by Karl Brunnhölzl
In this interview Karl Brunnhölzl and Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho discuss the buddha-nature teachings in the Karma Kagyu school, touching on Karl's first encounter with the buddha-nature teachings, the inspiration for his book When the Clouds Part, the Ratnagotravibhāga as a bridge between sūtra and tantra, how buddha-nature teachings were transmitted in the Kagyu lineage, the Third and Eight Karmapa's views on buddha-nature, and much more.
      Karl Brunnhölzl is one of the most prolific translators of Tibetan texts into English and has worked on all of the Five Treatises of Maitreya. He was originally trained as a physician and then studied at Kamalashila Institute, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso's Marpa Institute, and Hamburg University. Since 1989, Karl has served as a translator, interpreter, and Buddhist teacher mainly in Europe, India, and Nepal. Since 1999, he has acted as one of the main translators and teachers at Nitartha Institute (director: Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche) in the USA, Canada, and Germany. He has translated and written about buddha-nature extensively and he is the author of several books on Buddhism, such as The Center of the Sunlit Sky, Luminous Melodies, Milarepa's Kungfu, and The Heart Attack Sutra. He has also completed several ground-breaking translations in the Tsadra Foundation series, including a three-volume work on the Abhisamayālaṃkāra. He has also completed the work Prajñāpāramitā, Indian "gzhan stong pas", and the Beginning of Tibetan gzhan stong in the Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde series. When the Clouds Part: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sutra and Tantra, formed the basis for the Buddha-Nature website project. In 2019 his translation of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha with Indian and Tibetan commentaries was published and won the Khyentse Foundation Prize For Outstanding Buddhist Translation.
Brunnhölzl, Karl. "What Is My Mind without Me? Buddha-Nature in the Karma Kagyu School." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, February 26, 2022. Video, 1:16:52. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh--a5jxNq4.

Multimedia

Video
Douglas Duckworth at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium
Douglas Duckworth presents how buddha-nature is interpreted by Mipam Gyatso (1846–1912). He shows that while Mipam accepts that the qualities of the buddha are primordially present, unconditioned, and not newly produced, they are also empty of inherent existence.
Duckworth, Douglas. "Sentient Beings Within: Buddha-Nature and the Great Perfection." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 42:46. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slBWdnUfS8w.
Video
Essence of Buddha-Nature by B. Alan Wallace
In this video segment B. Alan Wallace talks about buddha-nature and the concept of tathāgatagarbha. This talk was part of a Spring 8-week retreat on Shamatha, Vipashyana, and Mahamudra, based upon two texts: Panchen Lozang Chökyi Gyaltsen’s Highway of the Jinas: A Root Text on the Precious Geluk-Kagyü Mahamudra Tradition, and Karma Chagmé’s Naked Awareness: Practical Teachings on the Union. (Source Accessed Nov 17, 2020)
Wallace, B. Alan. "Essence of Buddha-Nature." Produced by Jeffrey Khoo, Claudio Li Caizi, Brenton Palmer-Angell, and Diogo Rolo. Filmed during a Spring eight-week retreat on Shamatha, Vipashyana, and Mahamudra held April–May 2016 at Lama Tsongkhapa Institute, Pomaia, Italy. Video, 27:53. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHMFbgfX6ys.
Video
Is Buddha-Nature a Radical Teaching? by Karl Brunnhölzl
Karl Brunnhölzl discusses whether the teachings on buddha-nature can be considered a radical teaching. He suggests that it is indeed radical, as it fundamentally raises questions about who we are and what it means to be on the path.
Brunnhölzl, Karl. "Is Buddha-Nature a Radical Teaching?" Interview by Marcus Perman. Tsadra Foundation Research Department, December 3, 2018. Video, 3:26. https://youtu.be/l86nQ9ac58M.
Video
Karl Brunnhölzl: On the Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje's View of Buddha-Nature
Brunnhölzl, Karl. "On the Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje's View of Buddha-Nature." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, February 26, 2022. Video, 8:06. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hI5lAoX4Os.
Brunnhölzl, Karl. "On the Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje's View of Buddha-Nature." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, February 26, 2022. Video, 8:06. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hI5lAoX4Os.
Video
Khenpo Tamphel at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium
Drawing on the text entitled A Mahāmudrā Investigation into Confusion: An Instruction for Identifying the Process of Confusion by Jikten Sumgon, Khenpo Tamphel explains how, according to this text, sentient beings and buddhas are related, how confusion arises that leads to saṃsāra, and how recognition of the true nature of sentient beings is the way to enlightenment.
Tamphel, Khenpo Könchok. "The Difference Between a Sentient Being and a Buddha: 'Jig rten gsum mgon’s Instruction on the Process of Confusion." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 47:23. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GbYgx3ozDM.
Video
On Chapter 1 Verse 28 of the Uttaratantra by Karl Brunnhölzl
Karl Brunnhölzl, author of When the Clouds Part, discusses chapter 1 verse 28 of the Uttaratantrashastra, the famous verse in this text which talks about the three reasons all sentient beings have buddha-nature.
Brunnhölzl, Karl. “On Chapter 1 Verse 28 of the Uttaratantra.” Interview by Marcus Perman. Tsadra Foundation Research Department, December 3, 2018. Video, 5:50. https://youtu.be/6ZTHfbtX5Z8.
Video
On How Beginning Students Might Engage with Buddha-Nature Teachings by Ringu Tulku
Ringu Tulku talks about how beginning students might start to orient themselves toward buddha-nature teachings in practice. He explains that it is important to recognize that everybody has the seed of wisdom and compassion within them, which can develop over time. The development of this wisdom through education, training, etc., is the practice of Buddhism and is what the path is all about.
Ringu Tulku. “On How Beginning Students Might Engage with Buddha-Nature Teachings.” Interview by Marcus Perman. Tsadra Foundation Research Department, October 10, 2019. Video, 9:05. https://youtu.be/HZ2EGsfaLEw.
Video
On the Meaning of Chapter 1 Verse 28 of the Ratnagotravibhāga by Ringu Tulku
Ringu Tulku explains the three reasons that are posited for why sentient beings have buddha-nature in chapter 1, verse 28 of the Ratnagotravibhāga. He explains that the first verse is referring to the notion that all beings have the same consciousness, a consciousness that is, at its core, luminous and clear. The second verse is referring to the idea that all phenomena are the same; it is appearance and emptiness. There is no differentiation between phenomena; hence the notion that, in reality, saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are the same. It is only that a person experiencing nirvana is experiencing reality in an undeluded way, whereas a saṃsāric being sees reality in a deluded way. The difference is in perception. The third verse is referring the fact that everyone possesses some seed of wisdom that can develop. For these reasons all beings are said to have buddha-nature. In his concluding remarks he discusses the relationship between a sentient being and a buddha.
Ringu Tulku. “On the Meaning of Chapter 1 Verse 28 of the Ratnagotravibhāga.” Interview by Marcus Perman. Tsadra Foundation Research Department, October 10, 2019. Video, 13:26. https://youtu.be/pkd9S_V6Dlk.
Video
On the Nature of Mind and Its Relationship to Buddha-Nature by Ringu Tulku
Ringu Tulku continues his discussion of buddha-nature by further distinguishing what Buddha nature means. He explains that buddha-nature is not something external or something that is in our bodies to be located. Rather, buddha nature describes the way we are. He explains that the consciousness of the Buddha, which is clear and luminous, is the same as every other consciousness, but we do not recognize this as such. We instead tend to react to our experiences with dualistic thinking, which leads to negative emotions and to saṃsāric experience. Given that our minds share the same capacity for enlightenment as the Buddha, the task is then to recognize this and transform our experience.
Ringu Tulku. “On the Nature of Mind and Its Relationship to Buddha-Nature.” Interview by Marcus Perman. Tsadra Foundation Research Department, October 10, 2019. Video, 7:46. https://youtu.be/0NKhxlJCelo.
Video
On the Relationship between a Sentient Being and a Buddha by Ringu Tulku
In this excerpt, Ringu Tulku discusses the relationship between a sentient being and a buddha. He discusses how a Buddha is a being that sees reality in an undeluded, clear way, and when beings do not see reality clearly, they are called sentient beings. That is, a buddha is not something that exists on its own, apart from sentient beings; it is more like a description for a being who has developed wisdom to its fullest and experiences reality as it is. He goes on to explain how sometimes the categories of "sentient being" and its association with saṃsāṛa and "Buddha" and its association with nirvāṇa are often reified, and this tends to lead to confusion.
Ringu Tulku. “On the Relationship between a Sentient Being and a Buddha” Interview by Marcus Perman. Tsadra Foundation Research Department, October 10, 2019. Video, 5:07. https://youtu.be/6rTj6lLcUR0.
Video
On the Terminology Associated with Buddha-Nature by Elizabeth Callahan
In this video Elizabeth Callahan discusses the various terminology that is used when talking about buddha-nature. She describes buddha-nature as who we are at our very core and goes on to discuss several terms that are associated with uncovering this buddha-nature within Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna, and Mahāmudrā contexts.
Callahan, Elizabeth. “On the Terminology Associated with Buddha-Nature.” Interview by Marcus Perman. Tsadra Foundation Research Department, November 9, 2019. Video, 8:29. https://youtu.be/ValneCRetjc.
Video
On the Three Reasons That All Beings Have Buddha-Nature by Tokpa Tulku
Tokpa Tulku discusses the three reasons all beings have buddha-nature, which come from chapter 1 verse 28 of the Uttaratantraśāstra, or Gyü Lama. As for the first reason, he points to the fact that the Buddha was once a deluded sentient being. Therefore, if the Buddha, through developing wisdom, attained enlightenment, this proves that sentient beings have buddha-nature, that they can also achieve the same. The second verse, he explains, points to the notion that the Buddha's mind and the mind of a sentient being are the same; while they are different in terms of their obscurations and level of delusion, from the ultimate point of view they are of the same nature. As for the third reason, he points to the fact that all sentient beings want to be happy and free of suffering, a quality which proves that all beings have buddha-nature.
Tokpa Tulku. “On the Three Reasons That All Beings Have Buddha-Nature.” Interview by Marcus Perman. Tsadra Foundation Research Department, April 22, 2019. Video, 6:29. https://youtu.be/yx60OVqkuxc.
Video
What Is Buddha-Nature? by Ringu Tulku
In describing the meaning of buddha-nature, Ringu Tulku explains that the point to be understood is that there is no essential difference between an enlightened being and an ordinary being, as both are the same. The enlightened being only recognizes who he/she is and the other does not. He goes on to explain how the buddha-nature teachings indicate that the enlightened state is possible for everyone, not just for a select few. The seeds of the idea of Buddha-nature, he continues, are present even in the early sūtras, and gradually such teachings became more explicit over time, especially in the Vajrayana.
Ringu Tulku. “What Is Buddha-Nature?” Interview by Marcus Perman. Tsadra Foundation Research Department, October 10, 2019. Video, 8:14. https://youtu.be/LdI_620Uj0M.
Video
Yaroslav Komarovski: What Does Shakya Chokden Mean by Ultimate Sentient Beings?
Komarovski, Yaroslav. "What Does Shakya Chokden Mean by Ultimate Sentient Beings?" Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, October 30, 2021. Video, 3:46. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydT_Abjuuwc.
Komarovski, Yaroslav. "What Does Shakya Chokden Mean by Ultimate Sentient Beings?" Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, October 30, 2021. Video, 3:46. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydT_Abjuuwc.

One of the sūtra sources for the Ratnagotravibhāga, which is only extant in its Chinese translation.

"This sūtra became an important scriptural source for the discussion of buddha-nature in China and is famous for associating the term buddhadhātu with tathāgatagarbha.

Tsen Tradition - Tsen Khawoche's "meditative tradition" of exegesis of the Uttaratantra; it is one of two major Tibetan traditions of exegesis, both stemming from students of Sajjana. Tib. བཙན་ལུགས་

prabhāsvaratā - In a general sense, that which clears away darkness, though it often appears in Buddhist literature in reference to the mind or its nature. It is a particularly salient feature of Tantric literature, especially in regard to the advanced meditation techniques of the completion-stage yogas. Skt. प्रभास्वर Tib. འོད་གསལ་ Ch. 光明

Ngok Tradition - Ngok Lotsāwa Loden Sherab's "analytic tradition" of exegesis of the Uttaratantra; one of two major Tibetan traditions of exegesis, both stemming from students of Sajjana. Tib. རྔོག་ལུགས་

Tsen Tradition - Tsen Khawoche's "meditative tradition" of exegesis of the Uttaratantra; it is one of two major Tibetan traditions of exegesis, both stemming from students of Sajjana. Tib. བཙན་ལུགས་

bīja - A seed, commonly used figuratively in the sense of something which has the potential to develop or grow, and likewise as the basic cause for this development or growth. Skt. बीज Tib. ས་བོན་ Ch. 無漏種

prabhāsvaratā - In a general sense, that which clears away darkness, though it often appears in Buddhist literature in reference to the mind or its nature. It is a particularly salient feature of Tantric literature, especially in regard to the advanced meditation techniques of the completion-stage yogas. Skt. प्रभास्वर Tib. འོད་གསལ་ Ch. 光明

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