The Anunatva-Apurnatva-Nirdesa ("Exposition of Non-Decrease and Non-Increase") is a Buddhist sutra belonging to the Tathagatagarbha class of sutras. It is noteworthy for its teaching (delivered, in this text, by the Buddha to Sariputra) that Nirvana is not cessation of being or utter vacuity, but is the realm of the Tathagatagarbha, the unfabricated, utterly pure and everlasting essence of all creatures and beings. The Buddha links the Tathagatagarbha to the spotless immaculacy of the "Dharmakaya" (ultimate true nature of the Buddha) ...

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See also:

God in Buddhism, God in Buddhism - The God Idea in Early Buddhism, God in Buddhism - Mahayana and Tantric Mystical Doctrines, God in Buddhism - Literature

Read more here: » God in Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - God in Buddhism - The God Idea in Early Buddhism

The situation takes on a different complexion in Mahayana and Tantric Buddhism. Here one encounters the notion of the Buddhas as kinds of cosmic wizards or magicians, as the creators of, and rulers over, “Buddha fields” (Buddha Paradises – whole world systems of spiritual exaltation and instruction). Although there are countless Buddhas, their essence is one - that of "Tathata" ("suchness" or "that-ness") - , and it is in this sense that the Buddha proclaims himself as "Tathagata" and ...

See also:

God in Buddhism, God in Buddhism - The God Idea in Early Buddhism, God in Buddhism - Mahayana and Tantric Mystical Doctrines, God in Buddhism - Literature

Read more here: » God in Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - God in Buddhism - Mahayana and Tantric Mystical Doctrines

Buddha-nature (originally in Sanskrit, "Buddha-dhatu" - "Buddha Element", "Buddha-Principle") is a doctrine important for many schools of Mahayana Buddhism. The Buddha-nature ("Buddha-dhatu") is taught to be a truly real eternal potential or principle, present in all sentient beings, for awakening and becoming Enlightened. The Buddha-nature doctrine relates to the possession by sentient beings of the innate buddha-mind or buddha-element ("Buddha-dhatu"), which is, prior to the full attainment of buddhahood, not fully actualized, or at ...

Including:

• Buddha-nature - Development of Buddha-nature
• Buddha-nature - Buddha-nature vs. atman

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Buddha-nature (originally in Sanskrit, "Buddha-dhatu" - "Buddha Element", "Buddha-Principle") is a doctrine important for many schools of Mahayana Buddhism. The Buddha-nature ("Buddha-dhatu") is taught to be a truly real eternal potential or principle, present in all sentient beings, for awakening and becoming Enlightened. The Buddha-nature doctrine relates to the possession by sentient beings of the innate buddha-mind or buddha-element ("Buddha-dhatu"), which is, prior to the full attainment of buddhahood, not fully actualized, or at ...

Including:

• Buddha-nature - Development of Buddha-nature
• Buddha-nature - Buddha-nature vs. atman

Read more here: » Buddha-nature: Encyclopedia - Buddha-nature

Buddhism is generally regarded as a non-theistic religion. Although it does teach the existence of “gods” (devas), these are merely heavenly beings who temporarily dwell in celestial worlds of great happiness. Such beings, however, are not eternal in that incarnational form and are subject to death and eventual rebirth into lower realms of existence. However, a distinction needs to be drawn between the seemingly non-deistic and non-theistic teachings of the Buddha in the Pāli Canon and the “agamas”, and the mystically-hued id ...

Including:

• God in Buddhism - The God Idea in Early Buddhism
• God in Buddhism - Mahayana and Tantric Mystical Doctrines
• God in Buddhism - Literature

Read more here: » God in Buddhism: Encyclopedia - God in Buddhism

The Tathagatagarbha doctrine (tathāgatagarbha) teaches that each sentient being contains the effulgent Buddhic element or potential to become a Buddha. "Tathagata-garbha" means "Buddha Womb/ Buddha Matrix" or "Buddha Embryo", and this notion is explicated by the Buddha in the "Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra" as the "True Self" within all sentient beings - the unconditioned, boundless, nurturing, sustaining, deathless and diamond-like Self of Buddha, which is indiscernible to worldly, unawakened vision as a result of the masses of neg ...

Including:

• Tathagatagarbha doctrine - Tathagatagarbha in Zen
• Tathagatagarbha doctrine - Buddha-bots
• Tathagatagarbha doctrine - Texts

Read more here: » Tathagatagarbha doctrine: Encyclopedia - Tathagatagarbha doctrine

Unlike the Western concept of "soul" or some interpretations of the Indian "atman", Buddha-nature is not considered an isolated essence of a particular individual, but rather a single unified essence shared by all beings with Buddha-nature. (Though such an essence would still be in violation of some interpretations of anatta, as for example that of Nagarjuna, which attacks all essences; similarly, a trans-personal self shared by multiple beings exists already within the Hindu context in some monistic and/or pantheistic interpretations of the atman, and such concept ...

See also:

Buddha-nature, Buddha-nature - Development of Buddha-nature, Buddha-nature - Buddha-nature vs. atman

Read more here: » Buddha-nature: Encyclopedia II - Buddha-nature - Buddha-nature vs. atman

Buddha-nature (Awakened-nature) has been connected in recent decades with the developments of robotics and the possible eventual creation of artificial intelligence. In the 1970s, the Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori popularized the idea that robots, under certain conditions, may possess Buddha-nature. Mori has since founded an institute to study the metaphysical implications of such technology. The implication or the question is, can a perfect simulation of intelligent outward behaviour really light the inner spark of a self-aware c ...

See also:

Tathagatagarbha doctrine, Tathagatagarbha doctrine - Tathagatagarbha in Zen, Tathagatagarbha doctrine - Buddha-bots, Tathagatagarbha doctrine - Texts

Read more here: » Tathagatagarbha doctrine: Encyclopedia II - Tathagatagarbha doctrine - Buddha-bots

In modern-Western manifestations of the Zen Buddhist tradition, it is considered insufficient simply to understand Buddha-nature intellectually. Rather it must be experienced and felt directly, in one's entire mind and body together. Enlightenment in a certain sense consists of a direct experience of one's authentic identity, which is traditionally described as śūnyata (emptiness), the ultimate reality of Buddha-nature. The Zen tradition often uses parables to try to explain the Buddha-nature: according to one story, a monk once app ...

See also:

Tathagatagarbha doctrine, Tathagatagarbha doctrine - Tathagatagarbha in Zen, Tathagatagarbha doctrine - Buddha-bots, Tathagatagarbha doctrine - Texts

Read more here: » Tathagatagarbha doctrine: Encyclopedia II - Tathagatagarbha doctrine - Tathagatagarbha in Zen

Nirvana Sutra or Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra (Chinese: Niepan Jing (涅槃經); Japanese: Nehankyō (涅槃経)) is one of the major texts of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Note that this is one of two Buddhist texts having approximately the same title, the other being part of the Pali Canon. However, both for historical reasons and for the sake of clarity, the former is generally referred to by its Sanskrit title, Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra (or simply "Nirvana Sutra"), and the latter by its Pali title, Mahaparinib ...

Including:

• Nirvana Sutra - Overview
• Nirvana Sutra - Versions
• Nirvana Sutra - Quotations from the Nirvana Sutra
• Nirvana Sutra - Textual history
• Nirvana Sutra - English edition

Read more here: » Nirvana Sutra: Encyclopedia - Nirvana Sutra

Faith (saddha/ sraddha) is an important constituent element of the teachings of the Buddha - both in the Theravada tradition as in the Mahayana. While not of the “blind” variety and on occasion linked with insight (prajna), Buddhist faith (as advocated by the Buddha of the various scriptures) nevertheless requires a degree of trusting confidence and belief primarily in the spiritual attainment and salvational knowledge of the Buddha. Faith in Buddhism centres on belief in the Buddha as a supremely Awakened being, on his unexcelled ...

Including:

• Faith in Buddhism - Faith in Early Buddhism Theravada
• Faith in Buddhism - Faith in Mahayana Buddhism
• Faith in Buddhism - Literature

Read more here: » Faith in Buddhism: Encyclopedia - Faith in Buddhism

The role of faith in Mahayana Buddhism is, if anything, even stronger. Its depth and range become intensified, particularly in the tathagatagarbha sutras and the “Pure Land” literature. In the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha accords a foundational position to faith. He states: "we say that unsurpassed Awakening [bodhi] has faith as its cause. The causes of Awakening are innumerable, but if stated as faith, this covers everything." Faith as understood in this, the Buddha’s final Mahayana sutra, is belief in the te ...

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Faith in Buddhism, Faith in Buddhism - Faith in Early Buddhism Theravada, Faith in Buddhism - Faith in Mahayana Buddhism, Faith in Buddhism - Literature

Read more here: » Faith in Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Faith in Buddhism - Faith in Mahayana Buddhism

The text contained in the Faxian and Tibetan translations is roughly equivalent to just the first quarter of the greatly expanded Dharmaksema version. Given that all known Sanskrit fragments correspond solely to material found in the Faxian and Tibetan versions, and the corresponding part of Dharmakshema, it is generally accepted that this portion of the text was compiled in India, possibly, as the text itself hints, somewhere in southern India, before it was transferred to Kashmir. The additional material in the long Dharmakshema ...

See also:

Nirvana Sutra, Nirvana Sutra - Overview, Nirvana Sutra - Versions, Nirvana Sutra - Quotations from the Nirvana Sutra, Nirvana Sutra - Textual history, Nirvana Sutra - English edition

Read more here: » Nirvana Sutra: Encyclopedia II - Nirvana Sutra - Textual history

The Pali suttas (scriptures) list faith as one of the seven Treasures (dhanas), one of the five “spiritual faculties” (indriyas), one of the four “streams of merit”, and one of the “spiritual powers” (balas). When a person decides to give up domestic life and live as a monk or nun, it is said to be out of faith (“through faith in the Lord”) that he/she does so (Majjhima-Nikaya 107 and 140): first comes the hearing of Dhamma (verbalised spiritual Truth) from the Buddha or one of his disciples, and then follows faith in the Buddha’s teaching and ref ...

See also:

Faith in Buddhism, Faith in Buddhism - Faith in Early Buddhism Theravada, Faith in Buddhism - Faith in Mahayana Buddhism, Faith in Buddhism - Literature

Read more here: » Faith in Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Faith in Buddhism - Faith in Early Buddhism Theravada

The text of the Nirvana Sutra in the original Sanskrit has survived only in a number of fragments, which were discovered in Central Asia, Afghanistan and Japan. It does exist in Chinese and Tibetan versions of varying lengths. Faxian, the monk who initially brought the text to China from India, prepared a brief translation containing six fascicles, but Dharmakṣema's slightly later translation had forty fascicles. Still later, Huiguan, Huiyan, Xie Lingyun, and others during the Liu Song dynasty integrated and amended the translations ...

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Nirvana Sutra, Nirvana Sutra - Overview, Nirvana Sutra - Versions, Nirvana Sutra - Quotations from the Nirvana Sutra, Nirvana Sutra - Textual history, Nirvana Sutra - English edition

Read more here: » Nirvana Sutra: Encyclopedia II - Nirvana Sutra - Versions

The Mahaparinirvana Sutra is a major Mahayana scripture which purports to enshrine the Buddha's "final explanation" of his Doctrine, an explanation characterised by "exhaustive thoroughness" and allegedly delivered on the last day before his parinirvana (his physical death). The Buddha in this sutra declares that this scripture is the "all-fulfilling conclusion" of authentic Dharma (verbalised Truth) and that "all the various secret gates to Dharma, the words of implicit meaning uttered by the tathagatas [Buddhas] are gathered up in t ...

See also:

Nirvana Sutra, Nirvana Sutra - Overview, Nirvana Sutra - Versions, Nirvana Sutra - Quotations from the Nirvana Sutra, Nirvana Sutra - Textual history, Nirvana Sutra - English edition

Read more here: » Nirvana Sutra: Encyclopedia II - Nirvana Sutra - Overview

The Buddha on his eternal and blissful ultimate nature as he stands on the brink of physical death: " ... if you perceive things truly, you will become free from attachment, separated from them, you will indeed be liberated. I have well crossed the watery waste of existence. I abide in bliss, having transcended suffering, therefore I am devoid of unending desire, I have eliminated attachment and gained Liberation [moksha]. There is no old age, sickness or death for me, my life is forever without end. I proceed burning br ...

See also:

Nirvana Sutra, Nirvana Sutra - Overview, Nirvana Sutra - Versions, Nirvana Sutra - Quotations from the Nirvana Sutra, Nirvana Sutra - Textual history, Nirvana Sutra - English edition

Read more here: » Nirvana Sutra: Encyclopedia II - Nirvana Sutra - Quotations from the Nirvana Sutra