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The Development of the Thought of Tathagatagarbha from India to China

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The Development of the Thought of Tathagatagarbha from India to China The Development of the Thought of Tathagatagarbha from India to China Kshir Tamaki (1) The Character of Tathagatagarbha in India. Here I want to consider the features in the development of tathagata- garbha (the pith of Buddhahood) in China, which corresponds to it in India. By this investigation it is expected that the meaning of the deve- lopment of tathagatagarbha from India to China and divergences of it in both countries will clear up. The naivest character of tathagatagarbha in India is explained in tathagatagarbha-sutra. The garbha is considered to be substantial in this sutra, because it is covered by the evil passions, and when these passions are eliminated it begins to shine from the inside of mind. In this sutra it is explained to be unchangeable and immovable, as if the identity of (1) ego, and Mahaparinirvana-sutra says that the ego itself is the garbha or (2) buddhahood. Observed from the ordinary consciousness, it is unable to be grasped and so epistemologically transcendent, but from the standpoint that it is covered by the evil passions, it is ontologically immanent. Aryasrimala-sutra emphasizes the epistemological transcendency of tathagatagarbha. It expounds that the garbha is subtle, delicate and (3) unintelligible, and transcends the theoretical boundary. This suggests that it rises above the sphere of philosophical understanding and will be grasped by the complete and fundamental experience like the dhyana or yoga. In Lankavatara-sutra it is expounded that the bodhisattva should practise (1) Tathagatagarbha-sutra. Taisho Tripitaka, 16. 457 C. Tibetan Tripitaka Peking Ed. (TTP) 36. 241-2-4, 3-2. (2) Mahaparinirvana-sutra. Taisho. 12. 407 B. (3) Aryasrimala-sutra. Taisho. 12. 221 B. TTP. 24. (258-5-8)-(259-1-1). -386- (26) The Development of the Thought of Tathagatagarbha (K. Tamaki) (4) yoga aiming to awaken the tathagatagarbha. This sutra sometimes identifies the garbha with the alayavi jnana which means the human fundamental consciousness, and explains the garbha as a cause of both the good and (5)b ad, and an agent of all the existences. Such characters of tathagatagarbha as substantiality, ego, transcendency and immanency are objective, even if it is an object of the religious experience, but the character of an agent is a actual maker of all the existences, and so subjective. Therefore in Lankavatara-sutra the meaning of tathagatagarbha is consi- dered to be converted from the objective understanding to the subjective one. Va jrasamadhi-sutra is important in the thonght of tathagatagarbha: This sutra is very strong in the practical meaning and expression, and so it will give the new character to the tathagatagarbha. In the sutra the idea vaguely seems to appear, which corresponds to the true and the changeable mind in Mahayanasraddhotpada-sastra. The true and unchan- geable mind means, of course, the tathagatagarbha, but the changeable, emerging and decaying mind points to it, too. From the standpoint of our actual experience, both the unchangeable and the changeable minds are unable to' be really discriminated, and at last reduced to the tathaga- tagarbha. This seems to be the result of the practical postulate. Going further, it is simply presented in this sutra that the tathagatagarbha is not only the ground of reality or the agent of all the existences, but also the central subject of recognition. In Lafikavatara-sutra, as above mentioned, the tathagatagarbha is the object of recognition through the religious yoga, but in this sutra it is the originally awakening centre, therefore the subject of recognition. The another new character of it in this sutra is to take it for the fundamental force, and it has the ability of breaking all the evil passions Anunatvapurnatvanirdesa identifies the tathagatagarbha with the world of sentient being and the universal buddhahood (dharmakaya), and so there is nothing to choose between the world of sentient - being and the (6) universal buddhahood. It indicates the universality and totality of tatha- -385- The Development of the Thought of Tathagatagarbha (K. Tamaki) (27) gatagarbha. The important theme of this sutra is to know the whole world (7) of one truth, which comprehends both the sentient being and buddhahood. In Wu-shang-i-ching the whole world is divided into three situations, the sentient being, bodhisattva (the human being who strives for the truth) and buddha. The tathagatagarbha is omnipresent in these three situations, i.e., while the tathagata envelops these situations, every situa- tion of these envelops the tathagata, vice versa. Mahayanottaratantrasastra is one of the most important works in the thought of tathagatagarbha, and is very complicated and systematic. In the Sastra the tathagatagarbha is explained in the ten items and the buddhatva (buddhahood) in the eight items, and both are considered to be just the same. Of the ten items of the tathagatagarbha, the second implies the f our causes, i.e. belief (adhimukti), wisdom (pra jna), meditation (9) (samadhi) and compassion (krpa). These characters show the causes for the results of realized tathagatagarbha, and moreover these are not separated, but interrelated each other. Referred to some. of the eight items of buddhatva, the wisdom means the independent recognition (svayambhujnana) or awakened condition (abhisambodha), the meditation means the unconditioned spontaneity. (asamskrta-anabhoga) or the tranqui- lized ultimate existence (Santa-dharma-Sariratva), therefore it points to the ultimate subjectivity, and the compassion means to work ceaselessly as long as the birth and death of human being exist. Thus the belief, wisdom, meditation and compassjon are not only interrelated each other, but also point to the only unified tathagatagarbha. Therefore though the garbha has the various aspects, in fact it will be considered to be the whole and unified function which shows that the unconditioned (4) Larnkavatara-sutra, Nanjio Ed. 223. Taisho. 16. 510C, 557 A. 620 A (5) Op. cit. 220. Taisho. 16. 510 B. (6) Anunatvapurnatvanirde's a. Taisho. 16. 467 A. (7) Op. cit. Taisho. 16. 466 B, 467 A. (8) Wu-shang-i-ching (無 上 依 経) Taisho. 16. 469C. (9) Mahayanottaratantrasastra. Johnston Ed. 29-30. TTP. 108. 39-2-8. Taisho. 31. 829 B. -384- (28) The Development of the Thought of Tathagatagarbha (K. Tamaki) spontaneity is the ceaseless action, the ceaseless action is the uncondition- ed spontaneity, vice versa. Summarized the above explained, the garbha is considered to have such characters as the ontologically immanent and epistemologically transcendent, the unchangeable and immovable, something like the identity of ego or ego itself, the agent of all the existences, the harmo- nized mind of the unchangeable and the changeable, the subject of reco- gnition or recognition itself, the force or energy, universality, totality, omni. presence, equality and oneness, and the unified function of the belief, wisdom, meditation and compassion. In the history of development of the tathagatagarbha there are num- erable characters of it, but it is most important that however provided the garbha may be, the provision is unable to be ended. For example, Lar kavatara-sutra takes the thought of tathagatagarbha for the doctrine (10) of expedient. In such a attitude as taking it for the expedient, there must be the fundamental standpoint which transcends the provision of garbha, i.e. the expedient. Based upon the transcendent standpoint, it is possible to create the expedients freely, and so any provision of garbha is unre- stricted. The free creation of garbha, however, which means the movement of development of it, is not aberrant, but it has naturally the self -control. There must be a criterion by which the characters of garbha will be produced. According to my opinion, it must be the wisdom and meditation. The wisdom means to illuminate everything, and the meditation to calm the waves of consciousness and and reduce them to emptiness, and there is no any other dogma. On looking back upon the development of garbha in India, one of the greatest problems may be a unity of the self and the other, which means the recovery of the subjectivity. Even if the unity may be stimulated by the doctrine of ego (atmavada) in Indian philosophy, the basis must be looked for, which sub jectif ies and unifies the relativity (10) Lankavatara-sutra. 78. Taisho. 16. 489 B. -383- The Development of the Thought of Tathagatagarbha (K. Tamaki) (29) (pratityasamutpada) and voidness (sunyata). The basis is not something like the metaphysical idea, but the ground of self-enlightenment. (2) The Character of Tathagatagarbha in China. Chinese Buddhism changed completely by Kumara jiva (344-413). As is generally known, Kumara jiva and his disciples insisted the doctrine of voidness (sunyata) or wisdom (prajna). According to Pao-tsang-lun of Tseng-chao (384-414).the world of the ultimate experience is called the true Oneness (chen-i), but the content of it is unable to be defined, and so it has many names, i.e., the essential nature (fa-hsing), universal buddhahood (fa-shen), thussness (chen-ju), ultimate reality (shih-chi), empty space (hsii- kung), buddhahood (fo-hsing), nirvana (nieh-pan), world of truth (fa-chieh), (11) original reality (pen-chi) and tathagatagarbha (ju-lai-tsang). And his Chao- lun emphasizes the identification of the original voidness (pen-wu), absolute nature (shih-hsiang), essential nature (f a-hsing), natural voidness (12) (hsing-kung) and meeting of causation (yuan-hui). Referred to these books, the absolute nature (shih-hsiang), which will be thereafter the ultimate doctrine of Tien-tai Sect, and tathagatagarbha are considered to be identified. The true intension of the ultimate experience is nothing else than the thoroughness of wisdom (prajna), which will reduce the form to the formless, the mind to the mindless. When Tseng-chao understands the original reality (pen-chi) as the nature of nirvana universal to every sentient being, he borrows the foll- owing sentence from Lao-tzu: The way produces the one, the one produces (13) the two, the two produces everything.
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