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From Buddha-Nature
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This volume presents the first book-length study in English of the concept of Buddha nature as discussed in the ''Buddha Nature Treatise'' (''Fo Xing Lun''), attributed to Vasubandhu and translated into Chinese by Paramartha in the sixth century. The author provides a detailed discussion of one of the most important concepts in East Asian Buddhism, a topic little addressed in Western studies of Buddhism until now, and places the Buddha nature concept in the context of Buddhist intellectual history. King then carefully explains the traditional Buddhist language in the text, and embeds Buddha nature in a family of concepts and values which as a group are foundational to the development of the major indigenous schools of Chinese Buddhism.<br> In addition, she refutes the accusations that the idea of Buddha nature introduces a crypto-Atman into Buddhist thought, and that it represents a form of monism akin to the Brahmanism of the ''Upanisads''. In doing this, King defends Buddha nature in terms of purely Buddhist philosophical principles. Finally, the author engages the Buddha nature concept in dialogue with Western philosophy by asking what it teaches us about what a human being, or person, is.
(Source: back cover) +
This book contains the teachings on buddha nature given
by the 14th Shamarpa, Mipham Chokyi Lodro (1952-2014),
in Dhagpo Kagyu Ling, France, in the year 1988. In a very
inspiring way he clearly pointed to what really counts: the heart of awakening is nothing other than our true nature and therefore all of us, in fact every sentient being, can awaken to his or her buddha qualities.
The Shamarpa based his explanations on the text ''Revealing Buddha Nature'' composed by the 3rd Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339), which sums up Maitreya/Asaṅga's ''Ultimate Continuum'', that is, the ''Uttaratantraśāstra'', also known as the ''Ratnagotravibhāga''. This latter treatise is considered to reflect the meaning of the so-called third and final cycle of the Buddha's teachings, which is mainly concerned with buddha nature and its qualities.
The first part of this book consists of the Shamarpa's instructions, which at the time were orally translated from the Tibetan by Lama Rinchen, a long-time meditator, translator, and retreat-master, based in France. . . . The second part of this book presents a translation of ''Revealing Buddha Nature'' by Karmapa Rangjung Dorje, the text on which these teachings are based. (Draszczyk, preface, xi) +
The tathāgatagarbha or buddha nature doctrine is centered on sentient beings’ potential for buddhahood—sometimes understood in the sense that all beings already contain a “buddha within.” This notion is found through various strands of early Mahāyāna sources that, notwithstanding their complex and interwoven development, came to share enough common features to summarize them under the doxographical category of Tathāgatagarbha.
The chapters contained in this volume represent the latest research into buddha nature theory that covers a range of topics across major Buddhist traditions. These contributions were originally presented as papers during the symposium “Tathāgatagarbha across Asia: The Reception of an Influential Mahāyāna Doctrine in Central and East Asia,” held at the University of Vienna in 2019. This symposium brought together academic scholars focusing on religio-historical developments of buddha nature theory as well as traditional teachers and monastics who offered emic perspectives on the relevance of the concept within the context of their own tradition. The resulting volume, therefore, aims at contributing to the overall better understanding of tathāgatagarbha doxography, both historically and in living Buddhist communities. [https://wstb.univie.ac.at/product/wstb-103/ (Source: WSTB)] +
This is David Higgins and Martina Draszczyk's second book together and comes out of their first study, ''[[Mahāmudrā And The Middle Way]]''. In their follow up they have delivered another two volumes on the writings of the Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje (1507-1554) and his nuanced approach to the intricacies of the buddha-nature debate. It is an approach that combines the yogic sensibilities of Mahāmudrā with the dialectic approach of the Madhyamaka, which, according to the authors, Mikyö Dorje characterizes as the Yuganaddha-Apratiṣṭhāna-Madhyamaka (''zung ’jug rab tu mi gnas pa’i dbu ma''), that is, as a “Nonfoundational (or Nonabiding) Middle Way consisting in Unity.” As the authors explain,
"This nomenclature tells us much about the central philosophical aims and presuppositions of the Eighth Karma pa and his Karma bka’ brgyud tradition. As a Mahāmudrā proponent, Mi bskyod rdo rje gives primacy to innate modes of being and awareness, such as coemergent wisdom or buddha nature naturally endowed with qualities, that are amenable only to direct yogic perception and revealed through the personal guidance of a qualified teacher. As an exponent of ''yuganaddha'' (''zung ’jug''), i.e., unity (literally, “yoking together”), he espouses the tantric goal of unity beyond extremes, a goal grounded in the inseparability of the two truths or realities (''bden gnyis dbyer med''), of appearance and emptiness (''snang stong dbyer med''). In his eyes, this unity is only fully realized when one understands that the conventional has no independent existence apart from the ultimate and that the latter is a condition of possibility of the former. As an advocate of ''apratiṣṭhāna'' (''rab tu mi gnas pa''), i.e., nonfoundationalism, he resolutely maintains that all outer and inner phenomena, including deep features of reality disclosed through meditation, lack any ontic or epistemic essence or foundation that the mind can lay hold of. Finally, as a champion of Madhyamaka, i.e., the Buddhist Middle Way, the author attempts to ply a middle course between the extremes of existence and nonexistence, eternalism and nihilism. These various doxographical strands are deftly interwoven in the Karma pa’s view of buddha nature, which affirms the innate presence of buddha nature and its qualities in all sentient beings as well as their soteriological efficacy while denying either any ontological status." (Higgins and Draszczyk, preface, 14)
The present compendium aims to give the Buddhist student an opportunity to come into direct contact with these very positive and cataphatic (Truth-affirmative) doctrines and therewith enrich his or her practice of the Dharma. The Nirvana Sutra gives us the Buddha's own direct teachings, and the Srimala Sutra communicates similar doctrines through the person of the great Buddhist queen, while speaking in the approving presence of the Buddha himself. (Tony Page, preface, 4) +
''Buddha Nature and Animality'' is about peaceful living. In discussions about the relation between humans and their animal relatives, a central theme is that Buddhism represents the most viable philosophical/religious alternative to the malaise surrounding us when we confront ecological problems. This recognition points to the notion of compassion. ''Karuna'' is given expression as an alternative to stewardship since stewardship too falls into the dualistic trap of privileging the human. Authors seek beyond the limits imposed by discourses of ethics and assume a more radical approach to seek the roots of the perspectives that allow the conceptual space for the problematic dialogues in the first place. Rather than viewing animals as distinct beings sharing our environs, authors attempt to give the animal soul back to spirituality. They argue for the naturally enlightened spontaneity arising in animal nature and that animal nature is Buddha-nature. This "animal-buddha" nature is fundamental to understanding Buddhism as a 21st century philosophy for living and dying. (Source: [https://www.jainpub.com/inc/sdetail/1229 Jain Publishing Company]) +
"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]) +
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''. +
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>
<br>
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. +
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. +
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. +
On September 19, 2020, the Tsadra Foundation celebrated Buddha-Nature teachings and officially launched an online educational resource. Karma Phuntsho hosted the event as the new Writer-In-Digital-Residence, and we learned more about Buddha-Nature teachings from His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Alak Zenkar Rinpoche, Geshe Thupten Jinpa, Lama Shenpen Hookham, Dr. Karl Brunnhölzl, and Alex Gardner. +
On September 19, 2020, the Tsadra Foundation celebrated Buddha-Nature teachings and officially launched an online educational resource. Karma Phuntsho hosted the event as the new Writer-In-Digital-Residence, and we learned more about Buddha-Nature teachings from His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Alak Zenkar Rinpoche, Geshe Thupten Jinpa, Lama Shenpen Hookham, Dr. Karl Brunnhölzl, and Alex Gardner. +
