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 tathagatagarbha (the pith of Buddhahood) in China, which corresponds to it in India. By this investigation it is expected that the meaning of the development 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 considered 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 unchangeable 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 tathagatagarbha. 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 unconditioned 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 recognition 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 following sentence from Lao-tzu: The way produces the one, the one produces (13) the two, the two produces everything. This opinion seems to be a kind of the theory of emanation, but in his buddhistic expression it is not always so. According to his opinion the meaning of the original reality (pen-chi) (14) is divided into the following two aspects.

(11) Pao-tsang-lun (寳藏論). Taisho. 45. 150 A.

(12) Chao-lun (肇論). Taisho. 45. 150C.

(13) Lao-tzu (老子). 42.

(14) Pao-tsang-lun. Taisho. 45. 148 A-C.

-382- (30) The Development of the Thought of Tathagatagarbha (K. Tamaki)

(A) In the case that the original reality in understood as the unconditioned noumenon, it is further divided into two noumena:

(a) The unconditio:ned noumenon realized through the awakening (証滅

無爲). It is the thusness, by which al1 the saints cu1tivate the path of

Buddha and cut off the impediment.

(b)The unconditioned noumenon in itself (性本無爲). It is the natural suchness, not cultivated, not awakened. It is naturally pure, cleansed and true. It is the absolute nature. The reason of the absolute nature is neither the conditioned, nor the unconditioned neither this world, nor the other world. As it is not the conditioned, it is unable to be cultivated, and as it is not the unconditioned, it is unable to be awakened. If it had the possibility to be cultivated or awakened, it would be never the unconditioned noumenon in itself. (B) The original reality (pen-chi) in naturally pure and cleansed, deep and subtle, undefiled in its substance, nameless and formless. All "the universe is the impression of one dharma, the impression is itself the original reality. The reason of the original reality is neither oneself nor other, neither identity nor difference, and comprehends the one spirit and moreover penetrates all things. Therefore all the sentient beings are born by the one vehicle (eka-yana). The delusion means the difference, and the enlightenment means the one. It is possible to know all the universe by the one sense, and so the one is the universe, the universe is the one, vice versa. All the universe is able to subsist by the force of one dharma. If we are mindful, we are delusive, and if we are mindless, we are omnipresent, therefore the true oneness is the infinite variety, the infinite variety is the true oneness. Moreover in the commentary of Vimala- kirti-sutra Tseng-chao says: When we are mindless, there is no boundary. When there is no boundary, there is no frontier. When is neither boundary nor frontier, our wisdom is infinite. When our wisdom is infinite, the illumination of our wisdom is boundless,. Therefore we can know all the (15) universe at a time throngh one sense.

(15) The Commentary of Vimalakirti-sutra. Taisho. 38. 365 A.

-381- The Development of the Thought of Tathagatagarbha (K. Tamaki) (31) Of the two themes, above mentioned, the first one shows the search for the absolute nature (shih-hsiang), and so it will thereafter relate to the absobute nature in Tien-tai Sect. Tseng-chao and Hui-ssu (514-577) or Chih-i (538-597) are similar to each other, in that they are transcending and denying every standpoint, and searching for the absolute wisdom. The second theme shows the sprout of the doctrine in Hua-yen Sect that the one is the whole, the whole is the one, and Tseng-chao attains the opinion as the result of seeking after the absolute wisdom. Therefore the tathagatagarbha or the original reality in Tseng-chao is considered to comprehend simultaneously the sprout of the most important doctrine in both Tien-tai and Hua-yen Sect, or rather we can say that his garbha has the powerful energy of wisdom which will develop to the doctrine of Tien-tai or Hua-yen Sect. From the standpoint of the development of garbha in China, the doctrine of Hua-yen is more important than Tien-tai. And before the problem of garbha in Hua-yen Sect is observed, the ' f ollowing literatures cannot be left untonched: Nieh-pan-ching-chi-chieh (Pao-Iiang 444-509) Ta- cheng-i-chang (Hui-yiiau 523-592) Nieh-pan-ching-i-chi (Hui-yiian), Ta-cheng- hsiian-lun (Chi-tsang 549-623), Nieh-pan-ching-yu-i (Chi-tsang), Sheng-man- pao-ku (Chi-tsang). Above all, Ta-cheng-i-chang (Hui-yiian) is essential in the development of garbha. But to my regret these are all omitted, because this theme becomes lengthy. Chih-yen (602-668),the second founder in Hua-yen Sect, observes the (16) human consciousness in chapter Wei-shih of Kung-mu-chang. His main subject about the human consciousness is alayavijnana (fundamental consciousness). He intends to make clear alayavijnana from the various standpoints, and after all he takes the essence of alayavijnana for tathagatagarbha or the purest mind. In spite of being based on the literatures of Ta-cheng-e-pi-ta-mo-tsa-chi-lun(Mahayanabhidharma-samuccaya-vyakhya), Yii-chieh-shih-ti-lun (Yogacara-bhumi-sastra), She-ta-cheng-lun (Mahayana- samgraha-sastra). and Hsien-yang-sheng-chiao-lun (Prakaranaryavaca-sastra), he raises the alayavi jnana to the tathagatagarbha and understands the

-380- (32) The Development of the Thought of Tathagatagarbha (K. Tamaki) former as a part of the latter. Therefore it is distinct that he takes the garbha for the extreme of subject by seeing the garbha in the depths of alayavi jnana. But in the theory of universal causation of dharma-dhatu in Chih-yen, the garbha has not so important meaning. In Fa-tsang (643-712) the idea of tathagatagarbha has the great signi. fication in his books. He often touches upon the garbha in Tan-hsfian- chi or Hua-yen-wu-chiao-chang which are great important in his works, and he writes the commentaries on the sutras and sastras of tathagatagarbha, for instances, Ju-leng- chieh-hsin-hsuan-i, Ta-cheng-chi-hsin-lun-i-chi,(17) Ta-cheng-fa-chieh-wu-cha-pieh-lun-su and soon. Wang-chin-huan-yuan-kuan is one of his well-known works and unifies the universal causation of dharma-dhatu by making the- garbha the absolute subiect. In this book he divides the content into the six sections, (1) one essence, (2) two functions, (3) three universalities, (4) four virtues, (5) five tranquilities, (6) six insights. The one essence points to the eternal substance in tathagatagarbha which means the pure, clear and round body, it is a unifying point of all the universal causatin of dharma-diatu, and it shows the great wisdom, for instance, the great light of wisdom, the universal illumination of dharmadhatu, the true achnowledgment and the purest mind which are all expounded in Mahayanasraddhotpada-sastra. The second two functions occur based on this one essence, the third three universalities based on the second, the fourth four virtues based on the third, the fifth five tranquilities based on the fourth and at last the sixth six insights occur based -on the fifth. of the six insights, the first one means that the outer world is reduced to one mind, therefore it is nothingness, the second one that the actual world is produced from one mind, the third one that the one mind and the actual world are united in. secret, the fourth one that the intellectual body presents all the pheno- mena, the the fifth one that the many bodies of Buddha are never inter- rupted each other and and the sixth one means the infinite relation of

(16) Kung-mu-chang (孔日章). Taisho. 45. 543 A-547 C

(17) Wang-chin-huan-yiian-kuan (妄蓋還源観). Taisho. 637 A-641A

-379- The Development of the Thought of Tathagatagarbha (K. Tamaki) (33) all the univeresal causation of dharma-dhatu. Therefore the absolute substance,of tathagatagarbha that means the one, pure, clear and round body, unifies the infinite relation of all the universal causation. This is considered to be the true significance of what the one is the whole, the whole is the, one, vice versa, and the one is nothing but the tathagatagarbha.

(3) Conclusion. In India the naive substantiality of tathagatagarbha in Tathagarbha- sutra is gradually neglected and is replaced by the functions, for instances, an agent of action in Lafikavatara-sutra, subject of recognition, fundamental force in Vajrasamadhi-sutra, and belief, wisdom, meditation and compassion in Mahayanottaratantra-sutra. Therefore the tathagatagarbha in India is considered to intend the unification of functions instead of the real substantiality. The development of tathagatagarbha in China, on the con- trary, starts from the wisdom (prajna), and while it touches upon the original thought in China, it tries to obtain the view of the world (Weltan- schaung). Both in India and China the tathagatagarbha develops fostered by the wisdom and meditation, seeking, after the unification of subjectivity. But in India the individuality and universality are simply related in tathagatagarbha and the view of the world is not produced. In china the tathagatagarbha is believed to be the unifying and com- prehending point of the universal causation of dharma-dhatn, therefore the relation between the individuality and universality is a main subject. In the modernized style, this opinion, is considered to comprehend the theoretical unity of the existence and sociality

-378-