善男子 一切衆生 悉有佛性 如來常住 無有變易 以諸衆生 煩惱覆故 不能得見 若斷煩惱 便得成就 阿耨多羅三藐三菩提
shàn nán zǐ yī qiē zhòng shēng xī yǒu fó xìng rú lái cháng zhù wú yǒu biàn yì yǐ zhū zhòng shēng fán nǎo fù gù bù néng dé jiàn ruò duàn fán nǎo biàn dé chéng jiù ā nòu duō luó sān miǎo sān pú tí
Key Message
Within every sentient being lies the seed of enlightenment. Afflictions merely veil it — they cannot extinguish the Buddha-nature itself.
▸This is one of the most famous and important passages in the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra.
This is one of the most famous and important passages in the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra. The declaration 'all sentient beings without exception possess the Buddha-nature' (一切衆生悉有佛性) has been evaluated as a revolutionary proclamation in the history of Mahāyāna Buddhism. The Tathāgata permanently abides without change, but sentient beings, being covered by afflictions (煩惱), cannot see the Buddha-nature. If one cuts through afflictions, one can achieve anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi — unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment. This teaching declares that enlightenment is not possible only for special beings but is a universal possibility open to all sentient beings.