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Increased attention to the tathāgatagarbha doctrine in the last decade has lead to significant publications and meetings on the topic of buddha-nature and related themes. Scholars in Asia, Europe, and the Americas have published new translations and studies of the foundational scriptures and commentaries, and are examining the history and literature of the doctrine. In July 2019 Tsadra Foundation partnered with the University of Vienna to bring many of these scholars together for an international symposium titled Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia.Klaus-Dieter Mathes
Zhang ston Bsod nams grags pa’s Defense of Dol po pa’s Clear-Cut Distinction between Buddha Nature and the Ground Consciousness
Mathes, Klaus-Dieter. “Zhang ston Bsod nams grags pa’s Defense of Dol po pa’s Clear-Cut Distinction between Buddha Nature and the Ground Consciousness.” Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 40:48. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-ALrY63cho.; People/'gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal, Key Terms/trisvabhāva, Key Terms/pariniṣpannasvabhāva, Key Terms/paratantrasvabhāva, Key Terms/parikalpitasvabhāva, Key Terms/Jonang, Texts/Laṅkāvatārasūtra, Texts/Śrīmālādevīsūtra, People/Karmapa, 3rd, Texts/Tathāgatagarbhasūtra, Texts/Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśaparivarta, People/Dol po pa, Texts/Mahāyānottaratantraśāstropadeśa, Texts/Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā, Key Terms/ālayavijñāna, Key Terms/Yogācāra, People/Zhang ston bsod nams grags pa, Key Terms/gzhan stong, Texts/Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra
Khenpo Tamphel
The Difference Between a Sentient Being and a Buddha: 'Jig rten gsum mgon’s Instruction on the Process of Confusion
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.; Key Terms/tathāgatagarbha, People/'bri gung skyob pa 'jig rten mgon po, Key Terms/Ngok Tradition, Key Terms/Tsen Tradition, Key Terms/dharmakāya, Key Terms/dharmatā, Key Terms/kun gzhi, Topics/Mahamudra, Topics/Sentient beings, Topics/Drikung Kagyu, Texts/Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra
Jacqueline Stone
From Buddha Nature to Original Enlightenment “Contemplating Suchness” in Medieval Japan
Stone, Jacqueline. "From Buddha Nature to Original Enlightenment: 'Contemplating Suchness' in Medieval Japan." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 47:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zXXWsD39hc.; Key Terms/dharmadhātu, Key Terms/neyārtha, Key Terms/nītārtha, Texts/Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra, Key Terms/tathatā, Key Terms/dharmatā, People/Shinran, People/Genshin, Topics/History of buddha-nature in China, Topics/History of buddha-nature in Japan, Topics/The doctrine of buddha-nature in Japanese Buddhism, Topics/Tien Tai, Key Terms/original enlightenment, Disclosure model
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From the experts
In this interview, Professor Klaus-Dieter Mathes discusses buddha-nature and the key ideas behind it, the controversies it generates, and some of the related Buddhist philosophy in comparative perspective.
Publications
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 "Gyu 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) was the most influential treatise in spreading buddha-nature theory.Traditional expositions
