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|content=As one of the key doctrines of Mahāyāna Buddhism, buddha-nature has been taught by many of the greatest masters of India, China, Tibet, Japan, Mongolia, and Korea for well over a thousand years. Here you will find introductions to the many authors who have written on the topic, from the luminaries of Indian Mahyamaka to the great saints of Japan and Tibet. Also in this section you will find pages for the many contemporary scholars and teachers who have written and spoken on buddha-nature. | |content=As one of the key doctrines of Mahāyāna Buddhism, buddha-nature has been taught by many of the greatest masters of India, China, Tibet, Japan, Mongolia, and Korea for well over a thousand years. Here you will find introductions to the many authors who have written on the topic, from the luminaries of Indian Mahyamaka to the great saints of Japan and Tibet. Also in this section you will find pages for the many contemporary scholars and teachers who have written and spoken on buddha-nature. | ||
THIS ABOVE IS MORE FOR EXPLORE. DISCOVER COULD BE SOMETHING LIKE THIS: | |||
According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha taught the doctrine of buddha-nature in a series of sermons that are preserved in what are known as "sūtras." These circulated widely in India and China, spreading the idea of buddha-nature to multiple streams of Buddhist thought. (You can read about this scriptures here [I think we could have a section on scripture for the Discover page, and do gentle introductions to the sūtras and the Gyulama].) In the late Indian and Tibetan tradition, one of the most important books for buddha-nature teachings is called the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'', or ''Gyulama'' in Tibetan. According to legend, the bodhisattva Maitreya gave the book to Asaṅga. The story goes that Asaṅga spent over a decade in a cave meditating day and night and praying to Maitreya to appear and teach him. He experienced several periods of doubt, each time leaving his cave and encountering examples of astonishing fortitude. One time he met a man polishing a massive iron bar with a clothe, intending to make a tiny needle. Another time he noticed that the sides of a cliff had been worn smooth by the countless touches of birds' wings. Rededicating himself to his meditation, he continued on for twelve years. Finally, with no attainment, he left his cave in despair. On his way he came across a dog with a broken back laying by the side of the path, with open wounds infested with maggots. Overcome with compassion Asaṅga cleaned the dog's wounds with his tongue, the better to avoid hurting both the dog and the worms. The dog was then revealed to be the bodhisattva Maitreya. Asaṅga, in a fit of pique complained: why have you not appeared to me before? Maitreya explained that only with his act of compassion was Asaṅga's ego dissolved sufficiently for him to see that Maitreya, like all the buddhas, was present all along. Although not classically read as a buddha-nature teaching, it is possible to interpret the presence of Maitreya as Asaṅga's innate buddha-nature, which in his selfishness he was unable to recognize. | |||
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Revision as of 14:36, 27 March 2019
The People
As one of the key doctrines of Mahāyāna Buddhism, buddha-nature has been taught by many of the greatest masters of India, China, Tibet, Japan, Mongolia, and Korea for well over a thousand years. Here you will find introductions to the many authors who have written on the topic, from the luminaries of Indian Mahyamaka to the great saints of Japan and Tibet. Also in this section you will find pages for the many contemporary scholars and teachers who have written and spoken on buddha-nature.
THIS ABOVE IS MORE FOR EXPLORE. DISCOVER COULD BE SOMETHING LIKE THIS:
According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha taught the doctrine of buddha-nature in a series of sermons that are preserved in what are known as "sūtras." These circulated widely in India and China, spreading the idea of buddha-nature to multiple streams of Buddhist thought. (You can read about this scriptures here [I think we could have a section on scripture for the Discover page, and do gentle introductions to the sūtras and the Gyulama].) In the late Indian and Tibetan tradition, one of the most important books for buddha-nature teachings is called the Ratnagotravibhāga, or Gyulama in Tibetan. According to legend, the bodhisattva Maitreya gave the book to Asaṅga. The story goes that Asaṅga spent over a decade in a cave meditating day and night and praying to Maitreya to appear and teach him. He experienced several periods of doubt, each time leaving his cave and encountering examples of astonishing fortitude. One time he met a man polishing a massive iron bar with a clothe, intending to make a tiny needle. Another time he noticed that the sides of a cliff had been worn smooth by the countless touches of birds' wings. Rededicating himself to his meditation, he continued on for twelve years. Finally, with no attainment, he left his cave in despair. On his way he came across a dog with a broken back laying by the side of the path, with open wounds infested with maggots. Overcome with compassion Asaṅga cleaned the dog's wounds with his tongue, the better to avoid hurting both the dog and the worms. The dog was then revealed to be the bodhisattva Maitreya. Asaṅga, in a fit of pique complained: why have you not appeared to me before? Maitreya explained that only with his act of compassion was Asaṅga's ego dissolved sufficiently for him to see that Maitreya, like all the buddhas, was present all along. Although not classically read as a buddha-nature teaching, it is possible to interpret the presence of Maitreya as Asaṅga's innate buddha-nature, which in his selfishness he was unable to recognize.
