The doctrine of Buddha Nature (Tathagatagarbha) is a profoundly optimistic and inclusive concept, asserting that enlightenment is not an acquisition but an uncovering of one's true nature. In poetry, this idea provides a foundation for themes of intrinsic worth, universal compassion, and the divine within the mundane. It suggests that the lotus of enlightenment grows from the mud of the ordinary mind. Poets use this concept to affirm that every being, regardless of their current state, possesses a radiant, innate capacity for awakening.

Buddha Nature (Tathāgatagarbha) teaches that all beings possess the seed of awakening, obscured only by delusion; this optimistic doctrine underlies Zen koans and Mahayana compassion practices; poets use it to affirm inherent dignity—even in suffering—and to imagine enlightenment not as acquisition but as uncovering what already is.