Nirvana School

The Nirvāṇa School (Chinese: 涅槃宗; Niepan-zong) was a doctrinal tradition within East Asian Mahāyāna Buddhism that centered on the interpretation and propagation of the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra (Chinese: 大般涅槃經). It is characterized by a positive understanding of Nirvāṇa, and by its assertion that all sentient beings inherently possess Buddha-nature (佛性, fo xing) and so all beings can attain Buddhahood. In this tradition, Nirvāṇa represents the actualization and manifestation of this innate Buddha-nature, which is perpetually present within each being as an eternal and unchanging reality. The Nirvana school also promoted the controversial idea of "the enlightenability of the icchantika" (beings traditionally thought to be devoid of the seed of enlightenment). While the school eventually faded, its central message regarding the universality of Buddha-nature became a credal doctrine for Sinitic Mahayana Buddhism.

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