Begin Discovering Your Buddha-Nature

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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

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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!

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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

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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

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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

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

Featured Articles

Article

Mind Is Buddha

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Geoffery Shugen Arnold, Sensei, on Case 30 of the Gateless Gate, “Mazu’s ‘Mind is buddha.'”

Article

Everything Is Buddhanature

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Original sin vs. original goodness: Mahayana Buddhism offers a more hopeful view of human nature.

Article

Trust Practice, Practice Trust

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When we truly give ourselves over to practice, explains Roko Sherry Chayat, we let go of our dependence on outcomes and begin to trust just being what we are, buddhanature, revealed right here, right now, in this very body and place.

Article

Impermanence Is Buddha Nature

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Change isn’t just a fact of life we have to accept and work with, says Norman Fischer. Practitioners have always understood impermanence as the cornerstone of Buddhist teachings and practice.

Article

On the Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna

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An introduction to the Awakening of Faith, an immensely important treatise popular in all traditions of Buddhism in East Asia.

Article

The Path of Gratitude

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In Shin Buddhism, we don’t practice to achieve anything—not enlightenment, good karma, a favorable rebirth, or material rewards. We practice simply to give thanks for what we have received.

Books

Daehaeng

No River to Cross

Suzuki

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

King

Buddha Nature

Buddha-Nature in Tibet

Multimedia

Complete Site Guide

Video

Buddha Nature: What Is It? How Is It Different from soul? A Teaching from Zasep Tulku

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"Everyone has Buddha Nature," explains H.E. Zasep Tulku Rinpoche in a "learning from the Teachers" video on the topic from BuddhaWeekly.

Video

Discovering Buddha Nature: Talk by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

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Mingyur Rinpoche describes buddha-nature with the metaphor of a diamond covered in mud, explaining how the innate purity of awareness can be obscured, but never changed.

Video

Dealing with Depression: Interview with Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo on Study Buddhism

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Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo discusses buddha-nature beautifully for a general audience.

Video

What Is Buddha-Nature? by Wulstan Fletcher

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Wulstan Fletcher explains buddha-nature as the deepest aspect of oneself, a wellspring of goodness and wisdom that is always present.

Video

On How Beginning Students Might Engage with Buddha-Nature Teachings by Ringu Tulku

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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.

Video

We Are Enlightened by Nature

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Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche provides encouragement that we are all enlightened by nature, and the path is a process of discovering that enlightened nature.

Featured Articles

Article

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

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"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

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

Article

Lasting Happiness, by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

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"... 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

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"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

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"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

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"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

The Buddha Nature

Geshe Sonam Rinchen

Buddha Nature

Tsoknyi Rinpoche

Carefree Dignity

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—East Asia

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}

From the experts

Alex Gardner served as the writer-in-residence for Tsadra Foundation's Buddha-Nature Project from 2017-2019. Read his articles on the Ratnagotravibhāga and the history of buddha-nature theory.

First Writer-In-Digital-Residence: Alex Gardner On the Ratnagotravibhāga

Alex Gardner served as the writer-in-residence for Tsadra Foundation's Buddha-Nature Project from 2017-2019. Read his articles on the Ratnagotravibhāga and the history of buddha-nature theory.

Alex Gardner

On the Ratnagotravibhāga

Article

A History of Buddha-Nature Theory: The Literature and Traditions

Article

Other Interviews

Ringu Tulku

Interview

Ringu Tulku

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Ringu Tulku Interview on Buddha-Nature

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.; Texts/Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra, People/'jam mgon kong sprul, People/Sgam po pa, Texts/Dam chos yid bzhin gyi nor bu thar pa rin po che'i rgyan, Topics/Defining buddha-nature, Topics/Sentient beings, Topics/The doctrine of buddha-nature in Tibetan Buddhism, Topics/Third Turning, Topics/Debate(s)

Tokpa Tulku

Interview

Tokpa Tulku

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Tokpa Tulku Interview on Buddha-Nature

Tokpa Tulku. "Tokpa Tulku Interview on Buddha-Nature." Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, April 22, 2019, Kathmandu, Nepal. Audio, 25:08.; Texts/Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra, Key Terms/rang stong, Key Terms/gzhan stong, Topics/The doctrine of buddha-nature in Tibetan Buddhism, Topics/Debate(s)

Featured Articles

Events

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This page of events related to the Buddha-Nature project includes recordings from scholarly meetings, special interviews and speeches, as well as online events hosted by Tsadra Foundation.

Topic of the week

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Read regular posts from the writer-in-digital-residence, Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho.

Event

Celebrating Buddha-Nature

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Live Event: Celebrating Buddha-Nature · Join us on Zoom or Facebook live as we celebrate Buddha-Nature teachings.

Explore the root verses

I.28

Comme la sagesse des bouddhas imprègne la multitude des êtres,

Que sa nature immaculée est non duelle Et que la filiation spirituelle des bouddhas est une métaphore du fruit, Il est enseigné que tous les êtres sont porteurs

de la quintessence des bouddhas.

French

English

Verse page

The Root Verses

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Study the Uttaratantra's root verses in multiple languages.
Click to view all verses

Traditional expositions

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso

Teaching

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso

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Discourse on the Uttaratantra by The 14th Dalai Lama in Holland

Dalai Lama, 14th. "Discourse on Uttaratantra." Pt. 1 of 4. Interpreted by Alexander Berzin, Filmed May 1986 in Holland. Produced by Study Buddhism. Video, 1:37:22, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsiVRQ3T6EY.; Texts/Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra, Key Terms/āgantukamala, Key Terms/prabhāsvaracitta

Ringu Tulku

Teaching

Ringu Tulku

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Buddha Nature: A Talk by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

Ringu Tulku. "Buddha Nature." Pt. 1 of 3. Produced by and filmed at Karma Sonam Dargye Ling Temple, December 1, 2015. Video, 1:37:22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8BD50jtFgg.;

Kirti Tsenshab

Teaching

Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche

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Buddha Potential 1: Uttaratantra by Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche at Land of Medicine Buddha, 2003

Tsenshab, Kirti. "Buddha Potential 1: Uttaratantra by Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche." Pt. 1 of 9. Filmed at Land of Medicine Buddha, Soquel, CA, 2003. Video, 1:27:14. https://vimeo.com/136634699.; Texts/Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra

Khenpo Sodargye

Teaching

Khenpo Sodargye

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Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra: Taught by Khenpo Sodargye, May 2019

Khenpo Sodargye. "The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra." Pt. 1 of 15. In Chinese with English translation. Produced by Khenpo Sodargye's team, May 2019. Video, 1:00:17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4OiLLo1e_Y.; Texts/Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra, Key Terms/Nyingma

Teaching

Engle, A.

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Teachings on the Uttaratantra by Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche

Khensur, Gyumed. "Uttaratantra (Buddha Nature)." Pt. 1 of 16. Streamed live on August 13, 2016 by Do Ngak Kunphen Ling and the Mahayana Sutra and Tantra Center of New Jersey. Video, 1:49:55. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIeSENCwGzI.; Texts/Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra

Orgyen P'huntsok

Teaching

Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok

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Tulku Orgyen Phuntsok Buddha Nature Class: Teachings on the Uttaratantra

Phuntsok, Tulku Orgyen. "Buddha Nature." A Six-Part Teaching on the Uttaratantra Shastra. Pt. 1 of 6. Produced by the Odiyana Institute, 2018. Video, 1:20:20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtQ5xyMtlAg.; Texts/Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra

tathāgatagarbha - Buddha-nature, literally the "womb/essence of those who have gone (to suchness)." Skt. तथागतगर्भ Tib. དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ Ch. 如来藏

Go to the page with the definition of 'tathāgatagarbha'

tathāgatagarbha - Buddha-nature, literally the "womb/essence of those who have gone (to suchness)." Skt. तथागतगर्भ Tib. དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ Ch. 如来藏

Go to the page with the definition of '如来藏'

āvaraṇa - Literally, that which obscures or conceals. Often listed as a set of two obscurations (sgrib gnyis): the afflictive emotional obscurations (Skt. kleśāvaraṇa, Tib. nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa) and the cognitive obscurations (Skt. jñeyāvaraṇa, Tib. shes bya'i sgrib pa). By removing the first, one becomes free of suffering, and by removing the second, one becomes omniscient. Skt. आवरण Tib. སྒྲིབ་པ་

Go to the page with the definition of 'defilements'

The Awakening of Faith is a key source text for buddha-nature theory in East Asian Buddhism.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Awakening of Faith'

Mahāyāna - Mahāyāna, or the Great Vehicle, refers to the system of Buddhist thought and practice which developed around the beginning of Common Era, focusing on the pursuit of the state of full enlightenment of the Buddha through the realization of the wisdom of emptiness and the cultivation of compassion. Skt. महायान Tib. ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ། Ch. 大乘

Go to the page with the definition of 'Mahāyāna'

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

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An important sūtra source for the Ratnagotravibhāga, particularly for its discussion of the nine examples that illustrate how all sentient beings possess buddha-nature.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Tathāgatagarbhasūtra'

"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.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra'

Descent into Laṅka Sūtra, a very influential text in East Asia and Nepal.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Laṅkāvatārasūtra'

These are the root verses of the Uttaratantra attributed to Maitreya by the Tibetan tradition.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra'

These are the root verses of the Uttaratantra attributed to Maitreya by the Tibetan tradition.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra'

Uttaratantra - The Ultimate Continuum, or Gyü Lama, is often used as a short title in the Tibetan tradition for the key source text of buddha-nature teachings called the Ratnagotravibhāga of Maitreya/Asaṅga, also known as the Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra. Skt. उत्तरतन्त्र Tib. རྒྱུད་བླ་མ་ Ch. 寶性論

Go to the page with the definition of 'Gyü Lama'

The Awakening of Faith is a key source text for buddha-nature theory in East Asian Buddhism.

Go to the page with the definition of '大乗起信論'

These are the root verses of the Uttaratantra attributed to Maitreya by the Tibetan tradition.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Ratnagotravibhāga'

These are the root verses of the Uttaratantra attributed to Maitreya by the Tibetan tradition.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Ratnagotravibhāga'

These are the root verses of the Uttaratantra attributed to Maitreya by the Tibetan tradition.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Uttaratantra'

Uttaratantra - The Ultimate Continuum, or Gyü Lama, is often used as a short title in the Tibetan tradition for the key source text of buddha-nature teachings called the Ratnagotravibhāga of Maitreya/Asaṅga, also known as the Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra. Skt. उत्तरतन्त्र Tib. རྒྱུད་བླ་མ་ Ch. 寶性論

Go to the page with the definition of 'Uttaratantra'

These are the root verses of the Uttaratantra attributed to Maitreya by the Tibetan tradition.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Uttaratantra'

āgantukamala - Mental stains that are not inherent to the nature of the mind but are temporarily present as the residue of past actions or habitual tendencies. It is sometimes iterated as adventitious defilements (Skt. āgantukakleśa, Tib. glo bur gyi nyon mongs), which references the fickle and temporary nature of disturbing emotions that lack an ultimately established basis for existence. Skt. आगन्तुकमल Tib. གློ་བུར་གྱི་དྲི་མ་

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prabhāsvaracitta - The luminous aspect of mind that is often contrasted with its empty aspect. It is often used figuratively to reference the cognizant, or knowing, aspect of mind and sometimes more literally as the natural luminosity of mind and luminous wisdom that is experienced in meditation. Skt. प्रभास्वरचित्त Tib. འོད་གསལ་གྱི་སེམས་ Ch. 光明心

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Nyingma - The Nyingma, which is often described as the oldest tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, traces its origin to Padmasambhava, who is said to have visited Tibet in the eighth century. Tib. རྙིང་མ་

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tantra - Tantra, when juxtaposed with Sūtra, generally refers to the scriptures and texts which discuss esoteric topics. While the term is used to refer to texts on other topics, it is mostly used to refer to the genre of scriptures and texts on themes and topics associated with Vajrayāna Buddhism. Skt. तन्त्र Tib. རྒྱུད། Ch. 密宗

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