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) ...

Read more here: » Anunatva-Apurnatva-Nirdesa: Encyclopedia - Anunatva-Apurnatva-Nirdesa

Including:

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

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

Sunnata. (Skt. Shunyata) "Emptiness" (sunnata) in Pali contexts is not the metaphysical Zero (Nonbeing as the principle of Being, Infinite Possibility as distinguished from Indefinite Actuality), but a characteristic of this world, as in S IV.295 96, where it has been explained that when the Almsman returns from a deathlike Contemplation in which consciousness and feeling have been arrested, "three touches touch him,” "emptiness (sunnato)," "formlessness (animito)" and "making no plans (appanihito phasso)," and he discriminates (viveka) ac ...

See also:

Shunyata, Shunyata - Origin and development of śūnyatā, Shunyata - Śunyata in presecular Buddhism, in the Nikayas, Shunyata - Śunyata in the Heart Sutra, Shunyata - Śunyata in Nāgārjuna, Shunyata - Śunyata in the Tathagatagarbha Sutras

Read more here: » Shunyata: Encyclopedia II - Shunyata - Śunyata in presecular Buddhism, in the Nikayas

Śūnyatā, शून्यता (Sanskrit, Pali: suññatā), or "Emptiness," is a term for an aspect of the Buddhist metaphysical critique as well as Buddhist epistemology and phenomenology. Shunyata signifies that everything one encounters in life is empty of soul, permanence, and self-nature. Everything is inter-related, never self-sufficient or independent; nothing has independent reality. Yet shunyata never connotes nihilism, which Buddhist doctrine considers to be a delusion, just as it considers materialism to be a del ...

Including:

• Shunyata - Origin and development of śūnyatā
• Shunyata - Śunyata in presecular Buddhism in the Nikayas
• Shunyata - Śunyata in the Heart Sutra
• Shunyata - Śunyata in Nāgārjuna
• Shunyata - Śunyata in the Tathagatagarbha Sutras

Read more here: » Shunyata: Encyclopedia - Shunyata

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

The Buddhist term Anātman (Sanskrit) or Anatta (Pali) is an adjective that specifies the absence of a supposedly permanent and unchanging self or soul in any one of the psycho-physical (namo-rupa) constituents of empirical existence; eg. "none of these khandhas are my Soul, are anatta (non-Self)". What is normally thought of as the "Self" is in fact an agglomeration of constantly changing physical and mental constituents ("skandhas") which give rise to unhappiness if clung to as though this temporary assemblage formed some kin ...

Including:

• Anatta - Summary
• Anatta - Presecular position on anatta as presented in the Nikayas
• Anatta - Interpretive problems
• Anatta - Anatman anatta in the Tathagatagarbha Sutras

Read more here: » Anatta: Encyclopedia - Anatta

There are a great variety of Buddhist texts. Buddhists place varying value on them: attitudes range from worship of the text itself, to dismissal of some texts as falsification of the ineffable truth. They therefore cannot be called "scripture" in the sense of other religions. The texts can be categorized in a number of ways, but the most fundamental division is that between canonical and non-canonical texts. The former, also called the Sutras (Sanskrit) or Suttas (Pali), are held to be, literally or metaphoricall ...

Including:

• Buddhist texts - Canonical texts
• Buddhist texts - Non-canonical texts
• Buddhist texts - Texts of the Nikaya Schools
• Buddhist texts - Sutta
• Buddhist texts - Abhidharma
• Buddhist texts - Non-canonical texts
• Buddhist texts - Mahayana texts
• Buddhist texts - Perfection of Wisdom Texts
• Buddhist texts - Saddharma-pundarika
• Buddhist texts - Pure Land Sutras
• Buddhist texts - The Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra
• Buddhist texts - Samadhi Sutras
• Buddhist texts - Confession Sutras
• Buddhist texts - The Avatamsaka Sutra
• Buddhist texts - Third Turning Sutras
• Buddhist texts - Tathagatagarbha class sutras
• Buddhist texts - Collected Sutras
• Buddhist texts - Transmigration Sutras
• Buddhist texts - Discipline Sutras
• Buddhist texts - Sutras Devoted to Individual Figures
• Buddhist texts - Proto-Mahayana Sutras
• Buddhist texts - Non-canonical texts
• Buddhist texts - References
• Buddhist texts - Vajrayana Texts
• Buddhist texts - Buddhist tantras
• Buddhist texts - Other products of the Vajrayana literature

Read more here: » Buddhist texts

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

Atman is a Sanskrit word, normally translated as 'soul' or 'self' (also ego). In Buddhism, the concept of Atman is the prime consequence of ignorance, – itself the cause of all misery - the foundation of Samsara itself. In a number of sutras of Mahayana Buddhism, as well as in certain Buddhist Tantras, however, the term "Atman" is used in a dual sense, in some instances denoting the impermanent, mundane ego (attachment to which needs to be overcome), and on other occasions explicitly referring to the ultimately real, p ...

Including:

• Atman Buddhism - The need for Buddhists to understand Atman
• Atman Buddhism - The definition of Atman in Buddhism
• Atman Buddhism - The ontological status of Atman in Buddhism
• Atman Buddhism - Atman in Nikaya
• Atman Buddhism - The abandonment of Atman in later Buddhist metaphysics
• Atman Buddhism - Positive teachings on the Atman in Mahayana Buddhism

Read more here: » Atman Buddhism: Encyclopedia - Atman Buddhism

There are a great variety of Buddhist texts. Buddhists place varying value on them: attitudes range from worship of the text itself, to dismissal of some texts as falsification of the ineffable truth. They therefore cannot be called "scripture" in the sense of other religions. The texts can be categorized in a number of ways, but the most fundamental division is that between canonical and non-canonical texts. The former, also called the Sutras (Sanskrit) or Suttas (Pali), are held to be, literally or metaphoricall ...

Including:

• Buddhist texts - Canonical texts
• Buddhist texts - Non-canonical texts
• Buddhist texts - Texts of the Nikaya Schools
• Buddhist texts - Vinaya
• Buddhist texts - Sutta
• Buddhist texts - Abhidharma
• Buddhist texts - Non-canonical texts
• Buddhist texts - Mahayana texts
• Buddhist texts - Perfection of Wisdom Texts
• Buddhist texts - Saddharma-pundarika
• Buddhist texts - Pure Land Sutras
• Buddhist texts - The Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra
• Buddhist texts - Samadhi Sutras
• Buddhist texts - Confession Sutras
• Buddhist texts - The Avatamsaka Sutra
• Buddhist texts - Third Turning Sutras
• Buddhist texts - Tathagatagarbha class sutras
• Buddhist texts - Collected Sutras
• Buddhist texts - Transmigration Sutras
• Buddhist texts - Discipline Sutras
• Buddhist texts - Sutras Devoted to Individual Figures
• Buddhist texts - Proto-Mahayana Sutras
• Buddhist texts - Non-canonical texts
• Buddhist texts - References
• Buddhist texts - Vajrayana Texts
• Buddhist texts - Buddhist tantras
• Buddhist texts - Other products of the Vajrayana literature

Read more here: » Buddhist texts: Encyclopedia - Buddhist texts

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

Sunnata. (Skt. Shunyata) "Emptiness" (sunnata) in Pali contexts is not the metaphysical Zero (Nonbeing as the principle of Being, Infinite Possibility as distinguished from Indefinite Actuality), but a characteristic of this world, as in S IV.295 96, where it has been explained that when the Almsman returns from a deathlike Contemplation in which consciousness and feeling have been arrested, "three touches touch him,” "emptiness (sunnato)," "formlessness (animito)" and "making no plans (appanihito phasso)," and he discriminates (viveka) ac ...

See also:

Shunyata, Shunyata - Origin and development of śūnyatā, Shunyata - Śunyata in presecular Buddhism in the Nikayas, Shunyata - Śunyata in the Heart Sutra, Shunyata - Śunyata in Nāgārjuna, Shunyata - Śunyata in the Tathagatagarbha Sutras

Read more here: » Shunyata: Encyclopedia II - Shunyata - Śunyata in presecular Buddhism in the Nikayas

For Nāgārjuna, who provided the most important philosophical formulation of śūnyatā, emptiness as the mark of all phenomena means is a natural consequence of dependent origination; indeed, he identifies the two. In his analysis, any enduring essential nature (i.e., fullness) would prevent the process of dependent origination, would prevent any kind of origination at all, for things would simply always have been and always continue to be. That things happen is proof that things lack the kind of nature ...

See also:

Shunyata, Shunyata - Origin and development of śūnyatā, Shunyata - Śunyata in presecular Buddhism in the Nikayas, Shunyata - Śunyata in the Heart Sutra, Shunyata - Śunyata in Nāgārjuna, Shunyata - Śunyata in the Tathagatagarbha Sutras

Read more here: » Shunyata: Encyclopedia II - Shunyata - Śunyata in Nāgārjuna

Students of Buddhism often encounter an intellectual quandary with the teaching in that the concept of anatta and the doctrine of rebirth seem to be mutually exclusive. If there is no-self, no abiding essence of the person, it is unclear what it is that is reborn. The Buddha discussed this in a conversation with a Brahmin named Kutadanta. There have been a number of attempts by various schools of Buddhism to make explicit how it is that rebirth occurs. The more orthodox schools claim that certain of the dispositions or psychological c ...

See also:

Anatta, Anatta - Summary, Anatta - Presecular position on anatta as presented in the Nikayas, Anatta - Interpretive problems, Anatta - Anatman anatta in the Tathagatagarbha Sutras

Read more here: » Anatta: Encyclopedia II - Anatta - Interpretive problems

The Buddhist term Anatman (Sanskrit), or Anatta (Pali) is an adjective in sutra used to refer to the nature of phenomena as being devoid of the Soul, the ontological and subjective Self (atman) which is the “light (dipam), and only refuge” [DN 2.100]. Of the 662 occurrences of the term Anatta in the Nikayas, its usage is restricted to referring to 22 nouns (forms, feelings, perception, experiences, consciousness, the eye, eye-consciousness, desires, mentation, mental formations, ear, nose, tongue, body, lusts, things unreal, etc.), all p ...

See also:

Anatta, Anatta - Summary, Anatta - Presecular position on anatta as presented in the Nikayas, Anatta - Interpretive problems, Anatta - Anatman anatta in the Tathagatagarbha Sutras

Read more here: » Anatta: Encyclopedia II - Anatta - Presecular position on anatta as presented in the Nikayas

Not all Buddhist scriptures, however, deny the reality of atman. Within the Mahayana branch of Buddhism, there exists an important class of sutras (influential upon Ch'an and Zen Buddhism), generally known as Tathagatagarbha sutras ("Buddha-Matrix" or "Buddha-Embryo" sutras), a number of which affirm that, in contradistinction to the impermanent "mundane self" of the five "skandhas"(the physical and mental components of the mutable ego), there does exist an eternal True Self, which is in fact none other than the Buddha himself in his ...

See also:

Atman Buddhism, Atman Buddhism - The need for Buddhists to understand Atman, Atman Buddhism - The definition of Atman in Buddhism, Atman Buddhism - The ontological status of Atman in Buddhism, Atman Buddhism - Atman in Nikaya, Atman Buddhism - The abandonment of Atman in later Buddhist metaphysics, Atman Buddhism - Positive teachings on the Atman in Mahayana Buddhism

Read more here: » Atman Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Atman Buddhism - Positive teachings on the Atman in Mahayana Buddhism

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

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

See Mahayana Sutras for a list of sutras categorised by source, without discussion. Buddhist texts - Perfection of Wisdom Texts. Deal with prajñā (wisdom or insight). Wisdom in this context means the ability to see Reality as it truly is. Do not contain an elaborate philosophical argument, but simply try to point to the true nature of reality, especially through the use of paradox. The basic premise is a radical non-dualism, in which every, and any dichotomist way of seeing things are denied: so p ...

See also:

Buddhist texts, Buddhist texts - Canonical texts, Buddhist texts - Non-canonical texts, Buddhist texts - Texts of the Nikaya Schools, Buddhist texts - Vinaya, Buddhist texts - Sutta, Buddhist texts - Abhidharma, Buddhist texts - Non-canonical texts, Buddhist texts - Mahayana texts, Buddhist texts - Perfection of Wisdom Texts, Buddhist texts - Saddharma-pundarika, Buddhist texts - Pure Land Sutras, Buddhist texts - The Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra, Buddhist texts - Samadhi Sutras, Buddhist texts - Confession Sutras, Buddhist texts - The Avatamsaka Sutra, Buddhist texts - Third Turning Sutras, Buddhist texts - Tathagatagarbha class sutras, Buddhist texts - Collected Sutras, Buddhist texts - Transmigration Sutras, Buddhist texts - Discipline Sutras, Buddhist texts - Sutras Devoted to Individual Figures, Buddhist texts - Proto-Mahayana Sutras, Buddhist texts - Non-canonical texts, Buddhist texts - References, Buddhist texts - Vajrayana Texts, Buddhist texts - Buddhist tantras, Buddhist texts - Other products of the Vajrayana literature

Read more here: » Buddhist texts: Encyclopedia II - Buddhist texts - Mahayana texts

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