Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 24, 2026

Buddha-mind

Buddha-mind refers to bodhicitta, "[the] Buddha's compassionate and enlightened mind," and/or to Buddha-nature, "the originally clear and pure mind inherent in all beings to which they must awaken."

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Buddha-mind (Chinese foxing, Japanese busshinweb 1) refers to bodhicitta, "[the] Buddha's compassionate and enlightened mind," and/or to Buddha-nature, "the originally clear and pure mind inherent in all beings to which they must awaken."web 1note 1

Explanation

Regarding awakening, Harold Stewart explains:

In Buddhist terminology this all-decisive moment is known as the Awakening of the Buddha-Mind, or Bodaishin [...] There are three practically synonymous terms in the Mahayana for this: Bodaishin (Sanskrit: Bodhicitta); Busshin, literally 'Buddha-Heart' of Great Compassion (Sanskrit: Tathagatagarbha, or the latent possibility of Buddhahood inherent in all beings); and Bussho (Sanskrit: Buddhata), or the Buddha-nature.3

Busshin may also refer to Buddhakaya, the Buddha-body,4web 2 "an embodiment of awakened activity."web 3

Chan/Zen is also called foxin zong (Chinese) or busshin-shū (Japanese),2 the "Buddha-mind school."256

See also

See also

Notes

Notes

  1. Compare "Buddha's compassion, Buddha's heart,"1 and "The term “buddha-mind” also functions in certain cases as a synonym for Buddhadatū (foxing) or tathagatagarbha."2
References

References

  1. Hisao Inagaki (1995), 真宗用語英訳グロッサリー, p.7;
  2. Buswell & Lopez (2014), p. "foxin zong".
  3. Harold Stewart, "Awakening to One's True Personality"
  4. Buswell & Lopez (2014), p. "buddhakāya".
  5. Moore (1982), p. 42.
  6. Waddell (2010a), p. "the Buddha mind school [Zen]".
Sources

Sources

Printed sources
  • Buswell; Lopez (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University Press
  • Moore, Charles A. (1982), The Japanese Mind: Essentials of Japanese Philosophy and Culture, University of Hawaii Press
  • Waddell, Norman (2010a), Foreword to "The Essential Teachings of Zen Master Hakuin: A Translation of the Sokko-roku Kaien-fusetsu", Shambhala Publications
Web-sources
  1. Oxford Reference, busshin, from Damien Keown, "A Dictionary of Buddhism"
  2. Japanese Dictionary, busshin
  3. Thich Nhat Hanh, The Three Gems, TriCycle