The term Buddha, means “one who woke up.” Siddhartha Gautama, who is known as the original incarnation of the Buddha, was the original soul who has created the foundation for Buddhism. Later on, he became known as Shakyamuni Buddha, after achieving his enlightenment. Shakyamuni, is Sanskrit for “Sage of the Shakya.” Shakya, being the city-state where he was born prince. A core belief taught by Buddha, was the concept of a dharma body. The dharma body is a living reality that we can achieve through cultivating our Buddha-nature, which is to live as the original Buddha did. This means to live with a spirit of compassion and care for those around you.

Buddha-nature is also known as “buddha-datu” in its original form. As Shunryu Suzuki Roshi once said “It is wisdom which is seeking wisdom.” While many people believe the desire for Zen is to relieve us of internal suffering, Buddha-nature explains that we are always in a state of positive nirvana if we reach for it. This is a foundational principle of Mayana Buddhism. Through this belief, we begin to see the divinity within and embrace the raw nature of the human experience.