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From Buddha-Nature
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"Your buddha-nature is really all there is. And it is never ever violated." +
This book contains the first 2 topics from an 18-topic Dharma course taught at Losang Dragpa Centre, Malaysia, where Geshela is the Resident Teacher. Key points from the Lam Rim and other texts are woven into these early chapters, with elaborations to follow in subsequent publications of teachings from this course. ([http://www.tenzinzopa.com/Ebooks/buddhanature.pdf Source Accessed Jan 15, 2021]) +
No abstract given. Here are the first relevant paragraphs:<br><br>Buddhism has a profound and thoroughly developed set of teachings on human being. One might well argue that the question of human being is the question ''par excellence'' with which the Buddhist tradition as a whole struggles. According to the traditional account, for example, the point of departure for the Buddha's own search, discoveries, and teachings was the dilemma of the human condition. Moreover, vast numbers of Buddhist texts speak out of or address human experience as such, consciously focusing upon it as the source of both question and answer. Nonetheless, many questions a modern Westerner asks as a matter of course about human being are not directly addressed in the Buddhist texts. There are of course important reasons for this. Our concept of and assumptions about human individuality are profoundly different from Buddhist views of the same. Our two worlds of discourse about the value and meaning of finite bodily existence, the course of history, the meaning of suffering, and the nature of possible human greatness are set up on entirely different foundations. Thus, for a contemporary Westerner to ask the question "What is a person? What is a human being?" of a Buddhist text is to set oneself up to receive an answer that does not satisfy the intent of the question. Yet, while Buddhist views and assumptions differ so markedly from our own, Buddhist texts reveal in their own way a preoccupation with the human condition as intent as that of our own hyperindividualistic, anthropocentric culture.<br> With such a shared fixation, it is inevitable that persons on both sides of the cultural boundaries will attempt to gain light from the other side on this subject, despite the incommensurability of each other's questions and answers. The present essay is one such attempt: not an East-West comparison, but an effort to address a Buddhist text from the perspective of cross-cultural philosophy (still, despite the name, a thoroughly Western enterprise) . Herein I will engage in dialogue the ''Buddha Nature Treatise'' (Chinese: ''Fo Hsing Lun''<sup>a</sup>; hereafter, ''BNT''), a text representative of the Buddha nature tradition that contains an extensive discussion of the concept of Buddha nature, a crucial component, if not the most crucial component, of the East Asian Buddhist concept of human being. I will attempt to wrest from the text answers to two categories of questions-it s view of the ontological nature of human being and its view of the existential status of human beings. In the course of the discussion I will ask such questions as: What roles do individuality and freedom play in the view of human being portrayed in this text? What value, if any, does an individual human personality possess? Is there anything of value in human history? Clearly, the text itself does not speak in these terms; these are the questions of a twentieth-century, philosophically inclined American. In order to bridge the cultural gap, I will first give a summary account of the text's concept of Buddha nature in its own terms and in its own format. Then, acknowledging that the text itself neither speaks this language nor shares my concerns, I will put my questions to the text and attempt to extract from the text its implications for the subject of my concern. In other words, I cannot claim that the author of the ''BNT'' does make the statements I will give as responses to my questions about human being, but I do claim that these views are implicit in and follow from the statements he does make about Buddha nature. Granting that human freedom requires us to expect the unexpected, nonetheless, I believe that if the author of the ''BNT'' were here today and could engage in dialogue with me, as long as my interlocutor remained consistent, something close to the views I will articulate in the course of this essay would emerge. (King, "Buddha Nature and the Concept of Person," 151–52)
Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche explained how we can attain the state of the omniscient mind at the 14th Kopan Course in 1981. This is an edited excerpt from Lecture 3, Section One of the course. [https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/section-one-lectures-1-5 Click here] to read more. +
Ven. Dhammadipa (“Island of Dharma”) is ordained in both Theravāda and Mahāyāna traditions and teaches śamatha and vipaśyanā meditation at monasteries and universities worldwide in addition to studying and translating Buddhist texts from Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese. He spoke with students at RYI on October 6, 2015 about the topic of Buddha-Nature in the text ''The Awakening of Faith in Mahāyāna''. +
William G. Grosnick, in his essay "Buddha Nature as Myth", makes a distinction between "empirically verifiable propositions", statements that make claims about the nature of reality whose truth both is and is expected to be capable of clear articulation and demonstration, and "mythic views of reality" that provide a nonverifiable framework of great religious power for the expression of fundamentally important religious orientations. He then argues that Buddha Nature thought—at least as expressed in the early Indic sūtras devoted to it—is of the latter kind. Its function, he suggests, is to provide a mythic orientation toward the world and the religious potential of the individual Buddhist, and so to make the practice of Buddhism possible. It is just because "all beings universally possess Buddha
Nature" that the practice of the path is possible. (Griffiths and Keenan, introduction to ''Buddha Nature'', 4) +
''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.'' +
Ajahn Brahm responds to a question about whether human nature is closer to the Mahayana Buddhist idea of “buddha nature” or the Christian idea of “original sin.” +
This talk will address syntheses forged in Tibet among the doctrines of Madhyamaka, Yogācāra, and buddha-nature (tathāgatagarbha). Buddha-nature is a distinctively Mahāyāna Buddhist doctrine, taking a place along side of the Yogācāra doctrine of the basic consciousness (ālayavijñāna) and the universal emptiness (śūnyatā) of Madhyamaka. In Tibet we see buddha-nature converge with and transform these central Mahāyāna doctrines. 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 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. ([https://soundcloud.com/rangjung-yeshe-institute/dr-douglas-duckworth-buddha-nature-in-tibet-transformations-of-the-ground Source Accessed July 15, 2020]) +
This is a collection of audio and video recordings of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso's teachings on the topic of buddha-nature. The years in which these teachings were given currently span from 1979 to 2001. Represented are translations of his teachings (given in Tibetan) into several languages. Some talks are translated into English and French, some are translated into German, while in others the teachings are translated into English only. While not all of the translators are named, those that are include Shenpen Hookham, Jerome Edou, Ari Goldfield, and Acharya Tenpa Gyaltsen Negi.<br>
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[http://ktgr.dscloud.me/moodle/course/view.php?id=46 Buddha Nature, Karma Chodrub Gyamtso Ling, 1979]<br>
[http://ktgr.dscloud.me/moodle/course/view.php?id=368 Buddha Nature, Munich 1987]<br>
[http://ktgr.dscloud.me/moodle/course/view.php?id=315 Buddha Nature, Karma Theksum Choling, Albany 1998]<br>
[http://ktgr.dscloud.me/moodle/course/view.php?id=451 Buddha Nature, Karma Triyana Dharmachakra 1999]<br>
[http://ktgr.dscloud.me/moodle/course/view.php?id=495 Buddha Nature and Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, Hawaii 1999]<br>
[http://ktgr.dscloud.me/moodle/enrol/index.php?id=163 Buddha Nature, Karmê Chöling 2000]<br>
[http://ktgr.dscloud.me/moodle/course/view.php?id=345 Buddha Nature, Dechen Chöling, 2000]<br>
[http://ktgr.dscloud.me/moodle/course/view.php?id=384 Buddha Nature, Melbourne 2000]<br>
[http://ktgr.dscloud.me/moodle/course/view.php?id=413 Buddha Nature, New York 2001]<br>
[http://ktgr.dscloud.me/moodle/course/view.php?id=172 Buddha Nature, Hartford 2001]<br>
[http://ktgr.dscloud.me/moodle/course/view.php?id=266 Buddha Nature, Florida 2001]<br>
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Visit the Marpa Foundation's [http://ktgr.dscloud.me/moodle/ Digital Library of Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso]. +
This book contains ten essays on the topic of buddha-nature by prominent Buddhist Studies scholars, written in honor of Professor Minoru Kiyota (1923–2013), who taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1962 to 2008. +
A blog post about buddha-nature by a contemporary American teacher. +
In this short book, a teaching given by Thrangu Rinpoche and translated by Erik Pema Kunsang, Thrangu Rinpoche uses the ''Uttaratantrashastra'' to outline ten points of focus, including the seven vajra points. Each chapter contains comments related to each point and a transcript of questions from the participants and answers from Thrangu Rinpoche. +
No abstract given. Here are the first relevant paragraphs
To understand what is meant by “Buddha Nature,” we can look at the story of the three turnings of the wheel of Dharma taught by Shakyamuni Buddha. The first turning of the Dharma wheel is the four noble truths: that discontent arises from grasping the ever-changing phenomena of body and mind as “me,” and that freedom from this discontent is revealed through the path of not grasping anything as truly me. The
four noble truths is a kind of deconstruction method. However, in this first turning, all the different elements that we can deconstruct this person into really do exist. Earth, wind, fire and water, for example: those kind of physical elements, when you break them down into their smallest bits, are indestructible elemental energies or physical matter, atoms. Early Buddhists, who were first turning exponents, had this kind of theory—that the world is made up of atoms—several centuries B.C., long before modern scientists discovered atoms. We don’t really exist as independent “persons”; we are a conglomeration of all this stuff that we think is a real “me,” but if we look closely, we only find atoms. This turning of the Dharma wheel was only the first.
Read more [https://kokyohenkel.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/7/4/127410773/buddha_nature.pdf here] +
All sentient beings, without exception, have buddha nature, the inherent purity and perfection of the mind, untouched by changing mental states. ''The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra'', one of the "Five Treatises" said to have been dictated to [[Asanga]] by the Bodhisattva [[Maitreya]], presents the Buddha's definitive teachings on how we should understand this ground of enlightenment and clarifies the nature and qualities of buddhahood. This seminal text details with great clarity the view which forms the basis for Vajrayana, and especially Mahamudra, practice. Thus it builds a bridge between the Sutrayana and the Vajrayana levels of the Buddha's teaching, elaborated here in [[Jamgön Kongtrül]]'s commentary. (Source: [https://www.shambhala.com/buddha-nature.html Shambhala Publications]) +
"Everyone has Buddha Nature," explains H.E. Zasep Tulku Rinpoche in a "learning from the Teachers" video on the topic from BuddhaWeekly. In this short video teaching, Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche explains why understanding “Buddha Nature” — in Sanskrit, tathāgatagarbha — can really inspire your Buddhist practice. This short teaching was in response to a question from a student. The student asked: What is Buddha Nature? Why is it important? How is it different from the concept of soul? +
Media/Buddha Potential 1: Uttaratantra by Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche at Land of Medicine Buddha (Part 1 of 9) +
In this nine-part series, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche teaches on chapter one of the Uttaratantra, Sublime Continuum of the Mahayana by Maitreya. This important text clarifies the meaning of our Buddha potential, in particular the emptiness of the mind that allows evolution to a state of complete enlightenment, and gives an extensive explanation of the meaning of the Three Jewels--Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. This teaching was given at Land of Medicine Buddha in 2003 and includes both Tibetan and English interpretation by Voula Zarpani. The first part includes six parts of six classes and three discussion classes led by Venerable George Churinoff. +
Media/Buddha Potential 2: Uttaratantra by Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche at Land of Medicine Buddha (Part 1 of 7) +
In this seven part series, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche teaches on chapter one of the Uttaratantra, Sublime Continuum of the Mahayana by Maitreya. This text clarifies the meaning of our Buddha potential, in particular the emptiness of the mind that allows evolution to a state of complete enlightenment, and gives an extensive explanation of the meaning of the Three Jewels - Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. This teaching was given at Land of medicine Buddha in 2004 and includes both Tibetan and English interpreted by Venerable Tse Yang. +
Articles/Buddha by Nature or Buddha by Nurture: Deliberations on the Buddha-Nature Theory in the Nyingma Tradition by Dorji Wangchuk: Conversations on Buddha-Nature +
''Wangchuk, Dorji. "Buddha by Nature or Buddha by Nurture: Deliberations on the Buddha-Nature Theory in the Nyingma Tradition." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, July 31, 2021. Video, 1:21:34. https://youtu.be/xC06_wvq_cI.'' +
Articles/Buddha in the Storehouse: Mi bskyod rdo rje on the Relationship between Tathāgatagarbha and Ālayavijñāna +
This paper addresses the age-old question of how buddha nature (''tathāgatagarbha'') relates to Yogācāra psychology, focusing on the Eighth Karma pa Mi bskyod rdo rje’s (1507-1554) responses to this question. In the centuries following the first appearance of ''tathāgatagarbha'' doctrines in India (circa 2nd c. CE), opinions became divided over whether buddha nature should be identified with or distinguished from the Yogācāra idea of a substratum consciousness (''ālayavijñāna''). The topic attracted a great deal of discussion and debate among Buddhist scholars, both within and beyond the borders of India. At stake were a set of specific doctrinal issues as to whether and how the Yogācāra ''ālayavijñāna-vāsanā'' model could be reconciled with [1] buddha nature theory [2] tantric buddha nature proxies such as the unconditioned ground (''gzhi'') and causal continuum (''rgyu rgyud'') [3] Indian and Chinese Buddhist conceptions of an immaculate consciousness (''amalavijñāna'') and [4] certain anti-foundationalist strains of Middle Way (Madhyamaka) philosophy that rejected any transcendental basis of consciousness. The Karma pa’s repeated forays into these contested subject areas reveal time and again his commitment to reconcile two contrasting lines of Buddhist thought and praxis: [1] the affirmative appraisal of the nature of mind and reality emphasized in Yogācāra and ''tathāgatagarbha'' classics, the tantras, and the songs and writings of the Buddhist ''mahāsiddhas'' and [2] the metaphysically disinclined stance of the Middle Way (Madhyamaka) philosophy that avoided extremes of affirmation and denial, existence and nonexistence. To adequately appreciate his contributions to such issues, I will first sketch in rough strokes the historical evolution of the ''ālayavijñāna'' doctrine and its complex confrontations with ''tathāgatagarbha'' doctrine in India. Against this backdrop, attention will turn to the Karma pa’s contextualist framing of the ''ālayavijñāna-tathāgatagarbha'' relationship in terms of a progressive understanding that begins with differentiation and culminates in unity. His is a view that stresses the need to initially distinguish between conditions of spiritual awakening (such as ''tathāgatagarbha'') and delusion (such as ''ālayavijñāna'') in order to eventually realize their underlying unity (''zung ’jug'') by recognizing buddha nature as an ever-present continuum (''rgyud'') of awareness that is a precondition of the substratum consciousness that derives and deviates from it. In his attempts to strike a balance between traditional differentiation and unity models, we encounter a thinker who was as confident about the mind’s ability to discover its own unborn and nonconceptual nature as he was skeptical about its ability to discover any underlying metaphysical foundation. (Source: [https://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=article&id=3287479&journal_code=JIABS Peeters Online Journals])
