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On the Tathgata-Garbha-Dharma-Paryaya Gishin Tokiwa I. In the Mahaparinirvana mahayana sutra (PNS) a monk gives an exposition of the Tathagatagarbha sutra as follows: In all sentient beings the Awakened nature (san-rgyas-kyi-khams: buddha-dha- tuh, herein referring to tathagatagarbha) exists accomplished (tsars: paripurnah) in each of them (sva-sva-kaye). Except for beings of worldly desire (icchantikah), sentient beings will be awakened to this after breaking forms of their disastrous contaminnation (klesa-akarah)." (Peking ed. Tibetan version Vol. 31, No. 788, 99a; Derge ed. Tib. v. Vol. 54, No. 120, 96b) The monk's answers to a king's (and/or a minister's) questions reveal the mo- nk's fear of transgressing human conditions (uttara-manusya-dharma-pralapah) should he state that the Awakened nature certainly (avasyam) exists in himself. In one of his answers he says: Who knows whether I'11 become Awakened or not? But the Awakened nature does exist [in me).7) Then the questioner encourages him thus: So long as you are not an icchantika, please consider yourself on the way to Awakening. The monk tries to overcome his fear of transgression by striving to attain Awakening through practices of dana, sila, jnana, and other dharmas. (cf. P 99b; D 97a) After giving examples of such negative attitudes toward tathagatagarbha, the World-Honored One in the PNS expresses his approach to tathagatagarbha: For eight million kalpas I abstained from taking hold of unworthy things, was content and gave up means of subsistence; and then I practiced on tathagatagarbha, attained the right Awakening, and acquired the Awakened World-Honored one's great compassion to teach [people] one hundred thousand dharma-collections." (ibid.) This seems to show the point that tathagatagarbha, which might be an as- -488- (22) On the Tathagata-Oarbha-Dharma-Paryaya (G. Tokiwa) sumption that causes the fear of transgression in monks, naturally becomes essential to them as preceding every practice when they realize that Awakening is attained only through practice on tathagatagarbha. II. The teaching of the truth of tathagatagarbha (t.g. -dharma-paryayah) is the central theme of the Tathagatagarbha sutra (TGS). This sutra is divided into two parts. The first part deals with what the above passage quoted from the PNS refers to as a monk's exposition of the TGS. The Awakened nature that is said to exist accomplished in unawakened sentient beings is herein designated in such ways as tathagata-garbhah, tathagata-dharmata, buddhata, tathagata- tvam, svayambhutvam ("self -existence"), aham-upama-dharmata ("the nature that resembles Me," the World-Honored One), me-samas-tathagatah, dharmakarah ("d.- mine"), tathagata-kayak, etc. Despite so many apparently abstract expressions, what is implied here seems to be "You, the Awakened," when you are spoken to, or, more basically, "I, the Awakened." According to the TGS, this "I," which is called a sentient being as long as the covering of ignorance (avidya) is unbroken, is ever in samadhi, and well composed (prasantah), without hau- ghtiness (mada) though in the midst of avidya. (Peking ed. Tib. v. Vol. 36, No. 924, 266b; Bukkyo Bunka Kenkyusho ed. p. 66) In the TGS the World-Honored One goes so far as to say: "That (jina-kayak) makes no shaking or perturbation; I see nothing to emanci- pate in it." (P 267b; BBK 74) This "I, the Awakened," is ordinarily not awakened to because of thick co- verings of klesa. This is inevitable because before seeing with tathagata-kno- wing (jnana) which removes the coverings takes place, there will be no carry- ing out of tathagata-activity (t. kriya) in the world. (P 263b-264a; BBK 34) The TGS gives nine examples to illustrate this same point: that is to say, the originally Awakened Self of a sentient being will fail to exercise its activity unless the sentient being "sees with jnana and removes the klesa-covering." This means that the true Self waits to have the klesa-covering seen and broken through before it begins to do its activities in the world. This seems to be the content of the first part of the TGS. It also seems to be what is meant by the truth of tathagatagarbha in this section. -487- On the Tathagata-Garbha-Dharma-Paryaya (G. Tokiwa) (23) III. The second part of the TGS, which occupies only one fifth of the whole sutra, centers around how the present dharma-paryaya came to be called that of tathagatagarbha. Countless kalpas ago an Awakened World-Honored One na- med Nityamrasmyutsarga ("Ever-Light-Emitting") made his appearance in the world. The reason why he was thus named was as follows. When he became a bodhisattva and entered his mother's womb (kuksi-gatah, or garbha-avakrantah), he immediately emitted light from himself. The light that was emitted and pervaded innumerable worlds in the ten directions was pleasing and satiating. A mere touch of it kept people non-retrogressive from their at- tempts to attain unsurpassed right Awakening, and made those people who were already unretrogressive intuitively realize the truth of No-birth (anutpat- tika-dharma-ksantih). The light kept on being emitted all through the bodhisattva's life, that is, upon birth (jatih), upon quitting worldly life to become a monk (pravrajya), upon attaining Awakening (samyaksambodhih), after the attainment, and upon attaining parinirvana. Light was even emitted from his relics in a caitya. This is why this World-Honored One was celebrated with the name Nityamrasmy- utsarga. This Awakened One, answering questions from a bodhisattva named Anan- tarasmi ("Limitless Light") concerning the truth of tathagatagarbha, gave an ex- position of the truth in one sitting (ekasane) which lasted as long as five kalpas. Moreover, the present World-Honored One identifies himself with this past Buddha. He also identifies the present representative of his audience, Vajramati, with the past bodhisattva Anantarasmi. Now, how should we understand the content of the truth of tathagatagarbha as it was taken up by both the past and the present Buddhas? The story told by the Awakened One Nityamrasmyutsarga naturally reminds us of a statement in the Lalitavistara and other texts that describes how the bodhisattva entered Lady Maya's womb and abiding there in samadhi emitted light from himself (cf. Garbhavakranti-par ivartah). In this case, if the story were just of an embryo emitting all-curing light from its body, it would remain nothing more than a legendary one. The kind -486- (24) On the Tathagata-Garbha-Dharma-Paryaya (G. Tokiwa) of light which might come from something particular cannot be all-curing, because it must have the nature of limitation. In the truth of tathagatagarbha, that which becomes a bodhisattva and enters the mother's womb can neither be an embryo nor even a bodhisattva. By a bodhisattva I mean a being who is originally Awakened and who seeks anew to attain the original Awakening through becoming something particular. The truth of tathagatagarbha tells us that that which assumes the form of something is Self that is No-self, No-self that is Self. Only when one is awakened to this true Self, can every manner of being and doing be all-curing. That is what is meant by the truth of tathagatagarbha. The term "tathagata-garbha" means tathagata abiding in garbha (the womb); it can also mean tathagata abiding in jati, tathagata in pravrajya, tathagata in samyaksambodhi, tathagata in tatha- gatatva, tathagata in parinirvana, and so on. Tathagata in garbha can best stand for all of the others in both of the fol- lowing two points: that which abides and that which is abided in. Garbha, without abiding anywhere, can stand for the root-source or origin and that which precedes any manner of abidance. When garbha is taken to mean some- thing that abides and something abided in, it fails to convey the original mea- ning of tathagatagarbha; it would inevitably come to mean something physical or physiological. Thus, tathagatagarbha should be taken to mean tathagata abiding nowhere (tathagato garbha-gatah) or the source of tathagatas (tathagatanam garbhah). It is that kind of Self which is not anything, and which does not abide anywhe- re. IV. The Lankavatara sutra regards the attainment of Awakening (parinispan- na-svabhavah) as tathagatagarbha or tathagata's core (tathagata-garbha-hrdayam. Vaidya ed. 29; Nan jo 68). Before this, the PNS already considers the third of the four noble truths (aryasatyani), duhkha-nirodha, to be attaining tathagatagar- bha. The PNS states: This is annihilation of suffering (ayam duhkha-nirodhah). Here the practice of sunyata is not to practice absolute emptiness (atyanta-sunyata) in such a manner as to consider tathagatagarbha non-existent and consequently destroy everything -485- On the Tathagata-Garbha-Dharma-Paryaya (G. Tokiwa) (25) (sarvam-nastam). The practice of annihilating suffering is seen among all the he- retics (pasandah) as well. They mistake the kind of emptiness that is contradicto- ry to reality (artha-viruddha-sunyata) for annihilation of suffering. In all sentient beings tathagatagarbha exists, but is not perceived clearly (na prasannam prajnayate). When klesa is broken, you come to see yourself attaining tathagatagarbha. When you realize that deeds produced by your total being (eka- citta-utpadita-karma-phalena) resulted in your acquisition of unchanging (nityam) and pleasing (sukham) complete mastery of everything (dharma-aisvaryam), you are at that point practicing the annihilation of suffering. Through practicing absolute emptiness and negating tathagatagarbha (the Self), sufferings will not be suppressed; the practicer will become like a moth that flies into a lamp. In contrast to this, those who practice in the belief that tathagataga- rbha exists (in themselves), suppress the forms of klesa (klesakaram nirodhayanti) while klesas exist (klesah sant).
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  • Buddhist Thought

    Buddhist Thought

    Buddhist Thought Buddhism has existed for well over two thousand years. It has spread over most of Asia and now it has reached the West. Its philosophy is said to be very difficult. How can we begin to understand it? Buddhist Thought guides the reader towards an understanding and appreciation of the central concepts of classical Indian Buddhist thought, tracing their development from the time of Buddha, and opening up the latest scholarly perspectives and controversies. Abstract and complex ideas are made accessible by the authors’ clear and lucid style. Of particular interest here is by far the most accessible and up-to-date survey of Buddhist Tantra in India. In Tantric Buddhism, under strictly controlled conditions, sexual activity may play a part in the religious path. This apparently shocking and frequently misunderstood topic is absolutely crucial for an understanding of developments in Buddhism that are of wide interest in the West. Detailed bibliographies complete this comprehensive, authoritative and engaging introduction to one of the world’s great philosophies. Paul Williams is Professor of Indian and Tibetan Philosophy and Co- Director of the Centre for Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol. His numerous publications include Mahayana Buddhism (Routledge, 1989). Anthony Tribe teaches in the Asian Studies Program, University of Montana, and is a specialist on Indian Tantric Buddhism. Both authors have many years’ experience of introducing Buddhist thought to nonspecialists, and have borne in mind the interests and difficulties of such students when writing this book. Buddhist Thought A complete introduction to the Indian tradition Paul Williams with Anthony Tribe London and New York First published 2000 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002.
  • The Tathagatagarbha Sutra

    The Tathagatagarbha Sutra

    Siddhartha’s Teaching on Buddha-nature The Tathagatagarbha Sutra Introduction: This Buddha-Garbha (Buddha Matrix or Essence) is revealed by the Buddha to his more advanced students as the unchanging and peaceful Buddha Quintessence within each being, but which also actively functions as the seed of all positive spiritual qualities. Its presence underlies the thirst for Enlightenment and makes the attaining of Enlightenment possible (since Enlightenment, through the Tathagatagarbha, is already resident within our mind. When considering Tathagatagarbha, one must at all times be mindful of the caveat that it is ultimately incomprehensible and inexplicable to the un-awakened mind -- so to define it as mere "Emptiness" or as merely a function of Buddhist practice (rather than as a truly real, sustaining internal presence), is to fail to do justice to this transcendental essence. The fact is that whatever one says about the Tathagatagarbha cannot fully capture its plenitude of mystery and perfection; words are ultimately inadequate and there is nothing in the world that can truly be compared to it. Tathagatagarbha constitutes the realm or sphere of the perfect, all-knowing Buddhas themselves and nurtures each person in whom it is found (i.e., every single being). Only when seen and truly known by inward introspection and purified spiritual vision can it be fully understood. And then -- one has become a Buddha! The Chenrezig Project – Snohomish County WA :: Central Florida 1 www.ChenrezigProject.org *** Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying on the Vulture Peak near Rajagrha in the lecture hall of a many-tiered pavilion built of fragrant sandalwood.