Category: Buddhism

The Tathagatagarbha Sutra is an influential and doctrinally striking Mahayana Buddhist scripture which treats of the existence of the “Tathagatagarbha” (Buddha-Matrix, Buddha-Embryo) within all sentient creatures. The Buddha reveals how inside each person’s being there exists a great Buddhic “treasure that is eternal and unchanging”. This is no less than the indwelling Buddha himself. Only a Buddha can see this...

In Mahayana 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...

Tathāgata (Sanskrit; Pali “The one thus-come” or “The one thus-gone”; Chinese: 如來; Pinyin: Rú lái; Japanese: nyorai; Korean: yeo-rae) This is traditionally interpreted as “one who comes and goes in the same way (as the previous Buddhas)”. Tathāgata is the name which the historical Buddha Sakyamuni (Siddhattha Gotama) used when referring to himself as recorded in the tripitaka of the...

Tarthang Tulku is a consciously reincarnated Tibetan lama who escaped from Tibet at age 25, then taught in Benares, India, until emigrating to America in the late ’60s with his wife the poet Nazli Nour. After settling in Berkeley they established the Tibetan Aid Project (TAP)which continues till today serving the needs of the Tibetan refugee community. Tarthang Tulku eventually...

Tara or Arya Tara, also known as Jetsun Dolma, is a female Bodhisattva typically associated with Tibetan Buddhism. She is the “mother of liberation”, and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements. Tara is actually the generic name for a set of Bodhisattvas of similar aspect. These may more properly be understood as different aspects of the same...

Tanzhe Temple (Chinese: 潭柘寺; Hanyu Pinyin: Tán Zhè Sì; literally “Temple of Pool and Zhe Tree)”) is a Buddhist temple situated near China National Highway 108 to the west of Beijing. It is relatively well-known in Beijing. At one time, it was one of the most important temples in the nation. Built in the Jin Dynasty, it has an age...

Tantra (Sanskrit: “weave”), tantric yoga or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. It exists in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Bönpo, and New Age forms. Tantra has persisted and often thrived throughout Asian history. Its practitioners have lived in India, China, Japan, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Korea, Cambodia, Burma, Indonesia and Mongolia. No...

Tanha (Sanskrit: Trsna), translates as desire, craving, thirst, want, longing, yearning. As with many Buddhist terms, they have no direct translation into English. We therefore have to use several terms to try and fully describe the original meaning. Tanha is link eight in the twelve linked chain of Dependent Origination Pratitya-samutpada. Tanha is also a constituent part of Samudaya the...

Takuan Soho (沢庵 宗彭 Takuan Sōhō, 1573 – 1645) was a major figure in the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. In 1608 he was made abbot of the Daitoku-ji temple in Kyoto, Japan. According to legend, he was the teacher of the most famous of all the Japanese swordsmen, Miyamoto Musashi. According to history, he communicated with such major figures...

Taiseki-ji (大石寺; full name, 多宝富士大日蓮華山大石寺: Tahō Fuji Dainichirenge-zan Taiseki-ji) is the head temple (総本山: sōhonzan) of the Nichiren Shoshu school of the Nichiren branch of Japanese Buddhism. It is located on the lower slopes of Mt. Fuji in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Taiseki-ji was founded in 1290 ce by Nikkō, one of Nichiren‘s immediate disciples. In addition to being Nichiren...

In Tibetan Buddhism the Tai Situpa is one of the lineages of tulkus, reincarnated lamas, in the Kagyu school. According to tradition, the Tai Situpa is an emanation of the bodhisattva Maitreya, who will become the next Buddha, and who has been incarnated as numerous Indian and Tibetan yogins since the time of the historical Buddha. The title Tai Situpa,...

The Svatantrika Madhyamaka school of Buddhism is a form of Madhyamaka in which reasoning is used to establish that phenomena (dharmas) have no self-nature, and further arguments to establish that the true nature of all phenomena is emptiness. This school differs from the predominant prasangika tradition in that the latter refrain from making any assertions whatsoever about the true nature...

The Sutta Pitaka (or Sutra Pitaka) is the second of three divisions of the Tipitaka, the great Pali collection of Buddhist writings. The Sutta Pitaka contains more than 10,000 suttas (teachings) attributed to the Buddha or his close companions. There are five nikayas (collections) of suttas: Digha Nikaya, the “long” discourses. These include The Greater Discourse on the Foundations of...

The phrase Sutra Pitaka (from the Sanskrit meaning “basket of teachings” or “collection of aphorisms”) can refer to either: – the section of the Buddhist Pali Canon called the “Sutta Pitaka” in Pali. – a wider range of Buddhist texts including teachings in Sanskrit.