The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism
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Topic: The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism
Books
Nibbāna as True Reality beyond the Debate
The book concerns the recent debate in Thailand over the nature of nibbāna (nirvāṇa), the unconditioned, whether it is attā
(self) or anattā (not-self).
Cholvijarn, Potprecha. Nibbāna as True Reality beyond the Debate: Some Contemporary Thai Discussions. Rajburi Province, Thailand: Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram, 2011.
Cholvijarn, Potprecha. Nibbāna as True Reality beyond the Debate: Some Contemporary Thai Discussions. Rajburi Province, Thailand: Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram, 2011.;Nibbāna as True Reality beyond the Debate;Debate(s);The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;Buddha-nature as Self - Atman;ātman;anātman;Potprecha Cholvijarn;Nibbāna as True Reality beyond the Debate: Some Contemporary Thai Discussions
Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature
This is the third volume in the Dalai Lama’s definitive and comprehensive series on the stages of the Buddhist path.
Dalai Lama, 14th, and Thubten Chodron. Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018.
Dalai Lama, 14th, and Thubten Chodron. Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature. Library of Wisdom and Compassion 3. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018.;Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Tibetan Buddhism;Defining buddha-nature;Doctrine;Mahamudra;Dzogchen;pratītyasamutpāda;tridharmacakrapravartana;dharmakāya;trikāya;tathāgatagarbha;Madhyamaka;Yogācāra;The Fourteenth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso;བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་;bstan 'dzin rgya mtsho; Thubten Chodron;Saṃsāra, Nirvāṇa, and Buddha Nature
Articles
A History of Buddha-Nature Theory: The Literature and Traditions
A lengthy historical survey of buddha-nature theory through the literature and traditions, based on academic scholarship.
Gardner, Alex. "A History of Buddha-Nature Theory: The Literature and Traditions." Buddha-Nature: A Tsadra Foundation Initiative, October 9, 2019. https://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/Articles/A_History_of_Buddha-Nature_Theory:_The_Literature_and_Traditions.
Gardner, Alex. "A History of Buddha-Nature Theory: The Literature and Traditions." Buddha-Nature: A Tsadra Foundation Initiative, October 9, 2019. https://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/Articles/A_History_of_Buddha-Nature_Theory:_The_Literature_and_Traditions.;A History of Buddha-Nature Theory: The Literature and Traditions;History of buddha-nature in China;History of buddha-nature in India;History of buddha-nature in Japan;History of buddha-nature in Tibet;History;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Early Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Early Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Indian Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Japanese Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Tibetan Buddhism;Yogācāra;Madhyamaka;Alex Gardner; 
Freedom from Buddha Nature
An argument against buddha-nature by a prominent contemporary American Theravada teacher
Thanissaro Bhikkhu. "Freedom from Buddha Nature." In Head & Heart Together: Essays on the Buddhist Path. Dhammatalks.org, Talks, Writings & Translations of Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Revised December 15, 2018. https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/Head&HeartTogether/Section0016.html
Thanissaro Bhikkhu. "Freedom from Buddha Nature." In Head & Heart Together: Essays on the Buddhist Path. Dhammatalks.org, Talks, Writings & Translations of Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Revised December 15, 2018. https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/Head&HeartTogether/Section0016.html;Freedom from Buddha Nature;History of buddha-nature in India;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;Against Buddha-Nature;Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu
The Example of the Buddha: Relating the Life of the Buddha to Our Own
A teaching on buddha-nature by an American Vipassana teacher
Goldstein, Joseph. "The Example of the Buddha: Relating the Life of the Buddha to Our Own." Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, (n.d.), https://tricycle.org/magazine/the-example-of-the-buddha/.
Goldstein, Joseph. "The Example of the Buddha: Relating the Life of the Buddha to Our Own." Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, (n.d.), https://tricycle.org/magazine/the-example-of-the-buddha/.;The Example of the Buddha;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;Joseph Goldstein; 
Interviews
'Luminous Is This Mind, O Monks': An Intertextual Excursion by Peter Skilling
Dr. Peter Skilling and Lopen Karma Phuntsho will discuss a key early quote attributed to the Buddha that serves as a source for buddha-nature teachings, among other things textual, historical, and beyond.
Peter Skilling is the founder of the Fragile Palm Leaves Foundation (Bangkok). He received a PhD with honors and a Habilitation in Paris (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes). Peter’s publications include numerous articles and several books, including Questioning the Buddha (Wisdom, 2021), How Theravada is Theravada? (University of Washington Press, 2012), and Mahāsūtras: Great Discourses of the Buddha (2 vols., Oxford, The Pali Text Society, 1994 and 1997). His interests include the art and archaeology of South and Southeast Asia, as seen for example in the edited volume Wat Si Chum, Sukhothai: Art, Architecture and Inscriptions (River Books, Bangkok, 2008).
Peter Skilling is the founder of the Fragile Palm Leaves Foundation (Bangkok). He received a PhD with honors and a Habilitation in Paris (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes). Peter’s publications include numerous articles and several books, including Questioning the Buddha (Wisdom, 2021), How Theravada is Theravada? (University of Washington Press, 2012), and Mahāsūtras: Great Discourses of the Buddha (2 vols., Oxford, The Pali Text Society, 1994 and 1997). His interests include the art and archaeology of South and Southeast Asia, as seen for example in the edited volume Wat Si Chum, Sukhothai: Art, Architecture and Inscriptions (River Books, Bangkok, 2008).
Skilling, Peter. 'Luminous Is This Mind, O Monks': An Intertextual Excursion. Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, Oct 29, 2022. Video, 1:14:13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlwOE_JzknM.
Skilling, Peter. 'Luminous Is This Mind, O Monks': An Intertextual Excursion. Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, Oct 29, 2022. Video, 1:14:13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlwOE_JzknM.;'Luminous Is This Mind, O Monks': An Intertextual Excursion by Peter Skilling;Buddha-nature as Luminosity;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Early Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;prabhāsvara;prabhāsvaracitta;ātman;Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra
Interview with Jamie Hubbard and Paul Swanson
Jamie Hubbard and Paul Swanson discuss Critical Buddhism, buddha-nature, and their book Pruning the Bodhi Tree.
Interview with Jamie Hubbard and Paul Swanson;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;anātman;Original Enlightenment;tathāgatagarbha;Yogācāra;Dasheng qixin lun
Interview with Venerable Dhammadipa
Venerable Dhammadipa discusses the term tathābatagarbha, the Yogācāra tradition, and the Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna.
Interview with Venerable Dhammadipa;Yogācāra;Dasheng qixin lun;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;Meditation;anātman;Original Enlightenment;tathāgatagarbha;Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra;Ven. Dhammadipa Thero
Sammā Arahaṃ Meditation, Self, and Nibbāna: Equivalents of Buddha-Nature Discourse in Thai Buddhist Traditions by Potprecha Cholvijarn
Dr. Cholvijarn and Dr. Karma Phuntsho discuss similarities and dissimilarities in debates about interpretations of the ultimate in Thai and Tibetan Buddhism.
Potprecha Cholvijarn is the author of Nibbāna as True Reality beyond the Debate, a book about the recent debate in Thailand over the nature of nibbāna (nirvāṇa), the unconditioned, whether it is attā (self) or anattā (not-self). Western Buddhist studies, especially of recent years, have assumed that Theravāda Buddhism straightforwardly teaches the doctrine of anattā: that Theravāda Buddhism rejects attā in all respects, including in the ultimate sense. However, as the well-known debate in Thailand, which reached its zenith in 1999, has shown, there appears to be a significant minority of Theravāda monks, respected by significant numbers of Theravāda laity, arguing that nibbāna is attā.
In the book, Dr. Cholvijarn compares the Thai debate to the Tibetan Rang Stong and Gzhan Stong dispute and concludes that "they reveal two similar trends found in the history of Buddhist thought, one positing a substantial absolute beyond all conceptualization, and the other rejecting all kinds of substantial absolute. Both trends are found at various points in the history of Buddhism in different traditions."
Potprecha Cholvijarn holds a PhD in Buddhist Studies from the University of Bristol, in the UK. He is currently a special lecturer at the Thai Studies Centre, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University.Cholvijarn, Potprecha. "Sammā Arahaṃ Meditation, Self, and Nibbāna: Equivalents of Buddha-Nature Discourse in Thai Buddhist Traditions." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, March 28, 2022. Video, 1:16:33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfLEi4eUDFo.
Cholvijarn, Potprecha. "Sammā Arahaṃ Meditation, Self, and Nibbāna: Equivalents of Buddha-Nature Discourse in Thai Buddhist Traditions." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, March 28, 2022. Video, 1:16:33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfLEi4eUDFo.;Sammā Arahaṃ Meditation Self and Nibbāna: Equivalents of Buddha-Nature Discourse in Thai Buddhist Traditions by Potprecha Cholvijarn;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;anātman;dharmakāya;ātman;Debate(s)
Multimedia
On the Roots of Tathāgatagarbha and His Position on the Concept by Venerable Dhammadipa
Venerable Dhammadipa discusses the concept of tathāgatagarbha, or buddha-nature, and its appearance in Chinese Buddhist traditions, noting that one hardly finds anything about the concept in the Theravada tradition.
Thero, Ven. Dhammadipa. "On the Roots of Tathāgatagarbha and His Position on the Concept." Interview by Marcus Perman. Salon Tibétain, Tsadra Foundation, Boulder, CO, Jan 30, 2019. Video, 7:35. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvQ4W0U7JY8.
Thero, Ven. Dhammadipa. "On the Roots of Tathāgatagarbha and His Position on the Concept." Interview by Marcus Perman. Salon Tibétain, Tsadra Foundation, Boulder, CO, Jan 30, 2019. Video, 7:35. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvQ4W0U7JY8.;On the Roots of Tathāgatagarbha and His Position on the Concept by Venerable Dhammadipa;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Chinese Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;anātman;tathāgatagarbha;Dasheng qixin lun;Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra;Ven. Dhammadipa Thero;On the Roots of Tathāgatagarbha and His Position on the Concept
Peter Skilling: On Practices Associated with Luminosity in the Early Pāli & Theravāda Tradition
Skilling, Peter. "On Practices Associated with Luminosity in the Early Pāli & Theravāda Tradition." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, Oct 29, 2022. Video, 4:40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzEA9d87mns.
Skilling, Peter. "On Practices Associated with Luminosity in the Early Pāli & Theravāda Tradition." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, Oct 29, 2022. Video, 4:40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzEA9d87mns.
Skilling, Peter. "On Practices Associated with Luminosity in the Early Pāli & Theravāda Tradition." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, Oct 29, 2022. Video, 4:40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzEA9d87mns.;Peter Skilling: On Practices Associated with Luminosity in the Early Pāli & Theravāda Tradition;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Early Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;prabhāsvara;prabhāsvaracitta;Peter Skilling: On Practices Associated with Luminosity in the Early Pāli & Theravāda Tradition
Peter Skilling: On the Cuḷasuññata Sutta and Its Relationship to Maitreya's Madhyāntavibhāga
Skilling, Peter. "On the Cuḷasuññata Sutta and Its Relationship to Maitreya's Madhyāntavibhāga." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, Oct 29, 2022. Video, 8:05. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEVQMmbrKB8.
Skilling, Peter. "On the Cuḷasuññata Sutta and Its Relationship to Maitreya's Madhyāntavibhāga." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, Oct 29, 2022. Video, 8:05. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEVQMmbrKB8.
Skilling, Peter. "On the Cuḷasuññata Sutta and Its Relationship to Maitreya's Madhyāntavibhāga." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, Oct 29, 2022. Video, 8:05. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEVQMmbrKB8.;Peter Skilling: On the Cuḷasuññata Sutta and Its Relationship to Maitreya's Madhyāntavibhāga;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;Madhyāntavibhāga;Peter Skilling: On the Cuḷasuññata Sutta and Its Relationship to Maitreya's Madhyāntavibhāga
Potprecha Cholvijarn: On the Background to the Nibbāna as Self or Not-Self Debate
Cholvijarn, Potprecha. "On the Background to the Nibbāna as Self or Not-Self Debate."
Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, March 28, 2022. Video, 6:49. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9L-KcGTJQs.
Cholvijarn, Potprecha. "On the Background to the Nibbāna as Self or Not-Self Debate."
Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, March 28, 2022. Video, 6:49. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9L-KcGTJQs.
Cholvijarn, Potprecha. "On the Background to the Nibbāna as Self or Not-Self Debate."
Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, March 28, 2022. Video, 6:49. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9L-KcGTJQs.;Potprecha Cholvijarn: On the Background to the Nibbāna as Self or Not-Self Debate;ātman;anātman;Buddha-nature as Self - Atman;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;Debate(s);Potprecha Cholvijarn: On the Background to the Nibbāna as Self or Not-Self Debate
Potprecha Cholvijarn: On the Inspiration behind His Study of Self & Non-Self Debates in the Thai Theravāda Tradition
Cholvijarn, Potprecha. "On the Inspiration behind His Study of Self & Non-Self Debates in the Thai Theravāda Tradition." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, March 28, 2022. Video, 2:18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9AAxD_wZcM.
Cholvijarn, Potprecha. "On the Inspiration behind His Study of Self & Non-Self Debates in the Thai Theravāda Tradition." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, March 28, 2022. Video, 2:18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9AAxD_wZcM.
Cholvijarn, Potprecha. "On the Inspiration behind His Study of Self & Non-Self Debates in the Thai Theravāda Tradition." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, March 28, 2022. Video, 2:18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9AAxD_wZcM.;Potprecha Cholvijarn: On the Inspiration behind His Study of Self & Non-Self Debates in the Thai Theravāda Tradition;Buddha-nature as Self - Atman;Buddha-nature as Emptiness;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Theravadin Buddhism;Potprecha Cholvijarn: On the Inspiration behind His Study of Self & Non-Self Debates in the Thai Theravāda Tradition
