“These various forms appear different in shape and size, yet they are of a single essence. . . . The Sixth Patriarch called it "essence of Mind". . . Here the Third Patriarch calls it "timeless Self-essence." Bankei called it "unborn Buddha-mind." They all refer to the same thing: Buddha-nature, true self. This essence is not born and can never die. It exists eternally. Some call it energy; others call it spirit. But what is it? No one knows. Any concept we have of what it is can only be an analogy. . . .” KnowsMindDifferentSelfFormSpiritDiesEnergyBornExistenceShapesConceptsEssenceThirdsSizeVariousTimelessTrue SelfUnbornAnalogiesBuddha NaturePatriarch Author:Dennis Merzel
“Quoting Dudjom Rinpoche on the buddha-nature: No words can describe it No example can point to it Samsara does not make it worse Nirvana does not make it better It has never been born It has never ceased It has never been liberated It has never been deluded It has never existed It has never been nonexistent It has no limits at all It does not fall into any kind of category” KindDoeFallBornExistenceExampleLimitsCategoriesLiberatedDeludedQuotingBuddha NatureSamsara Author:Sogyal Rinpoche
“An act of meditation is actually an act of faith--of faith in your spirit, in your own potential. Faith is the basis of meditation. Not of faith in something outside you--a metaphysical buddha, an unattainable ideal, or someone else's words. The faith is in yourself, in your own 'buddha nature.' You too can be a buddha, an awakened being that lives and responds in a wise, creative, and compassionate way.” WaySpiritFaithCreativeWiseMeditationIdealsBasesCompassionateMetaphysicalAwakenedUnattainableBuddha Nature Author:Martine Batchelor
“As human beings we have the same experience of destructive and constructive emotions. We also have a human mind capable of developing wisdom. We all have the same Buddha nature.” MindHumansHuman BeingsEmotionCapableDevelopingDestructiveHuman MindConstructiveBuddha Nature Author:Dalai Lama
“Wordless is not the same of expressionless. All phenomenon of the universe, audible and inaudible, tangible and intangible, sentient and insentient, are the clear and ceaseless expression of the buddha nature.” UniverseClearExpressionPhenomenonTangibleIntangibleBuddha Nature Book:The True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Three Hundred Koans Source: The True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Three Hundred Koans
“To the fuki plant, dandelions, and their kind that lie for long patiently under the fallen snow, comes the season of breezy spring. No sooner do they see the light of the world, stretching their longing heads out from the cracks in the snow, than they are instantly nipped off. For these plants isn't the sorrow as deep as that of the child's parents whose child had accidentally died? They say everything in the plant and tree kingdom attains Buddhahood. Then they, too, must have Buddha-nature.” WorldKindChildrenLongLightDeathLyingParentTreeDyingSorrowSpringSeasonsDiedLongingPlantSnowKingdomsFallenCracksStretchingImpermanenceDandelionsLight Of The WorldBuddha NaturePlants And TreesBreezy Author:Kobayashi Issa
“Buddha nature is not something that we possess, nor is it something we can be. It is the nature of things, just as they are. To realize our buddha nature, to live in accord with this awakening, is the truth that alleviates suffering in the world.” WorldSufferingRealizingAwarenessAwakeningAccordAlleviateBuddha Nature Author:Geoffrey Shugen Arnold