What's the word for 'the doctrine that all beings have buddha-nature'? I know this doctrine has a particular term, but I can't remember it...

In Mahayana especially, they keep teaching that all minds naturally move towards pleasant states and away from unpleasant ones. Considering this point is the start of metta meditation. Is there a technical term for this doctrine/teaching?

Hi Conor,

Is it tathagatagarbha? I think garbha is literally "Container" and tathagatha is maybe "thus one gone"?

Caution! I could be completely wrongo-bongo.

If I'm not mistaken (could be) I read this term in Thupten Jinpa's book on self about two years ago?

Good luck : )

Maybe let us know?

Metta is awesome meditation...

On the topic of buddha nature, I love this article.

Tathagatagarbha means "Buddha-nature". I seem to remember that there's some word that means "the teaching that all beings have Buddha-nature"

HI Conor,

So I went to 'Lord Internets' this morning; have you checked out this wikipedia page?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha-nature

Maybe your answer is there.

The DhO site members tend to discuss more often Theravadan practice and Pali canon and in that school of thought, as Bruno's linked essay goes into a little, there's not a corresponding idea for fundamentally Awake-nature, or Buddha-nature. Theravadan Abhidhamma develops an idea of bhavanga sota -- the undercurrent of each living being composed of moments of consciousness (cittas) and this undercurrent is like an ultimate reality in living being which is changing all the time, based on logical cause-and-effect. One could visually think of DNA replication graphics: instead of base pairs replicating, types of moments of consciousness and factors (unwholesome, wholesome, beautiful) give rise to similar types of consciousness and factors in a long string of cause-and-effect. A person can change their continuum of consciousness by choosing to develop wholesome and beautiful mental factors and moments of consciousness.

In the Awake-nature continuum of being, tathagatagarbha, there's an understanding that the continuum of consciousness is ultimately awakened and so all beings would at some level "know" their fundamental nature.

Anyway, these two broad ideas arise because there's a need to explain in relation to rebirth cosmology explanations and itscause-and-effect principle: how is it that I came into being with these attributes and conditions? Apparently, rebirth cosmology was not ubiquitous in Gotama's day, that his study and practice lead him to have conviction in rebirth, that rebirth is an effect of prior causes ("previous supporting conditions").

Anyway, the cosmological theories can make sati, vipassana, and samatha learning seem easy.


edit: in this color

I agree with Katy. Tathagata-garbha sounds like the word you're looking for. "Garbha" means "womb" or "matrix," and "tathagata" is the way the Buddha referred to himself, the "thus-gone" one. So "tathagata-garbha" means that every being is like a womb that can produce a Buddha.