Is buddha-nature already perfected and simply obscured by delusion, or is it a seed or potential that must be cultivated and perfected? Is it the mind's natural luminosity, or is it the same as emptiness? Are buddha-nature teachings definitive or provisional? These are questions that cut to the heart of Mahāyāna Buddhist doctrine regarding the nature of enlightenment, reality, and the Path. This page introduces some of the key questions in buddha-nature theory, framed in terms of binaries.
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Provisional
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Definitive
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Tathāgatagarbha as the Emptiness That is a Non-implicative Negation (without enlightened qualities)
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Tathāgatagarbha as the Emptiness That is an Implicative Negation (with enlightened qualities)
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Tathāgatagarbha as Mind's Luminous Nature
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Tathāgatagarbha as the Unity of Emptiness and Luminosity
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Tathāgatagarbha as a Causal Potential or Disposition (gotra)
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Tathāgatagarbha as the Resultant State of Buddhahood
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Tathāgatagarbha as the Latent State of Buddhahood that is Obscured in Sentient Beings
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There are several types of Tathāgatagarbha
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Tathāgatagarbha was Taught Merely to Encourage Sentient Beings to Enter the Path
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Analytic Tradition
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Meditative Tradition