Tathāgatagarbha[edit]
Since all is Buddha-mind, all actions reflect the Buddha, are actions of a Buddha. Huángbò’s teaching on this reflected the Indian concept of thetathāgatagarbha, the idea that within all beings is the nature of the Buddha. Therefore, Huángbò taught that seeking the Buddha was futile as the Buddha resided within:
If you know positively that all sentient beings already one with Bodhi [enlightenment, Supreme Wisdom], you will cease thinking of Bodhi as something to be attained” [11]
Huángbò was adamant that any form of “seeking” was not only useless, but obstructed clarity:
Sentient beings are attached to forms and so seek externally for Buddhahood. By their very seeking they lose it.[12]
Furthermore, he claimed that
'Studying the Way’ is just a figure of speech [...] In fact, the Way is not something which can be studied. You must not allow this name [the Way] to lead you into forming a mental concept of a road.[13]
