BODHIDHARMA (&#) Father of Zeu-Buddhisim in China Painted by Mu-ch' i (ffcgS) Studies in the Lankavatara Sutra One of the most important texts of Mahayana Buddhism, in which almost all its principal tenets are presented, including the teaching of Zen DAISETZ TEITARO SUZUKI Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 81-215-0833-9 This edition. 1998 Originally published in 1930 © Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. Printed and published by Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., Post Box 5715, 54 Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi 110 055. PREFACE While preparing a second series of Essays in Zen Bud­ dhism, the author thought it desirable for the reader to know something more about the Lankavatara than had been sketched out in the First Series To do this he had to study the sutra more thoroughly, and as he was doing so, his interest in it grew stronger and wider. Then, he came to the conclusion that his study of the Lankavatara might be published independently and even prior to the second series of Zen Essays. The result is this book now before the reader. The Lankavatara is a Mahayana text difficult in more than one way to understand perfectly as to its meaning and also in its proper historical setting. But its importance as giving most of the fundamental tenets of Mahayana Bud­ dhism has urged the author to publish whatever results he has gained so far in his study. They are no doubt short of being quite satisfactory from a strictly scholarly point of view, but the author's earnest wish is to open the way, if he could so hope, for further study and more thorough­ going investigation of the text. Mahayana Buddhism is just beginning to be known in the West As to the apprecia­ tion of its full significance we have to wait patiently for some years yet to come. The first two parts of these Studies were already pub­ lished in The Eastern Buddhist, but in the present work they have been revised fully and inaccuracies corrected as far as available. The third part is entirely new. As the Studies were not planned out as a whole from the beginning but have grown progressively in the author's mind, some repetitions have become inevitable. The second part dealing with the Lankavatara containing the philosophy of Zen Bud- vi LANKAVATARA SUTRA dhism was written first. As it was being revised after its publication in The Eastern Buddhist, Volume IV, Nos. 3-4, for 1928, the thought suggested itself that the sutra must be studied also textually since there are still three Chinese and one (or two) Tibetan translations. The result was the first part of the present work, which appeared as an in­ dependent article in The Eastern Buddhist, Volume V, No. 1, for 1929. The Lankavatara does not belong exclusively to the Zen school of Buddhism, it is also the common property of the Mahayana. When it is studied apart from Zen, some of the important conceptions developed in the sutra, which do not necessarily belong to the philosophy of Zen, are to be ex­ pounded, however briefly. Hence the third part of the present Studies, entitled "Some of the Important Theories Expounded in the Lankavatara." The author has prepared for the benefit principally of his Japanese and Chinese readers a glossary of the Sanskrit technical terms found in the book. This he hopes to be of use in their perusal of Sanskrit Buddhist literature and at the same time illustrative of the methods of the Indian- Chinese translators. It is the pleasant duty on the part of the author to ac­ knowledge all the help given him in various ways by the fol­ lowing friends: Mr. Dwight Goddard of Vermont, U.S.A., who typed the whole manuscript while he was staying in Japan last winter; Professor Hokei Idzumi who gave valuable information whenever the author met with grammatical difficulties in reading the Sanskrit text; Mr. Bunkyo Saku- rabe who collected facts concerning the Tibetan translations of the Lankavatara; Professor Shizusato Sugihira and Mr. Kensei Tokogawa who read the proofs for typographical errors. The author further wishes most sincerely to thank Mrs. L. Adams Beck for her critical reading of the proof-sheets and for many valuable suggestions. He appreciates the PREFACE vii genuine interest she has taken in his attempt to introduce to the West the Mahayana way of viewing human life and the world. The work of proof-reading has also fallen to his wife who is always ready to help the author in his literary under­ takings, and for which he remains ever thankful. Finally, the author mentions with gratitude the sub* stantial help and encouragement ungrudgingly rendered by his friend, Mr. Yakichi Ataka, of Osaka, without whom this work would probably never have seen the light so soon and in such favourable conditions. Whatever merit there is, ac­ cording to Mahayana teaching, in the production of such a work as this, may be transferred over to the further growth of his spiritual welfare and also to that of all the author's other friends and fellow-beings. DAISETZ TEITARO SUZUKI Kyoto, September 1929 CONTENTS BODHIDHARMA by #g§ (Mu-ch'i) Frontispiece Page PREFACE v ABSTRACTS OF STUDIES xi I AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF THE LANKAVATARA SUTRA 3 II THE LANKAVATARA SUTRA AND THE TEACH­ ING OF ZEN BUDDHISM 89 I. GENERAL SURVEY OF THE PRINCIPAL IDEAS EX­ POUNDED IN THE SUTRA 90 II. (A) THE INTELLECTUAL CONTENTS OF THE BUD­ DHIST EXPERIENCE 153 (B) THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE BUDDHIST EX­ PERIENCE 169 III. LIFE AND WORKS OF THE BODHISATTVA 202 III SOME OF THE IMPORTANT THEORIES EX­ POUNDED IN THE LANKAVATARA SUTRA... 239 (I) THE DOCTRINE OF MIND-ONLY 241 (II) THE CONCEPTION OF NO-BIRTH 383 (III) THE TRIPLE BODY OF THE BUDDHA 308 (IV) THE TATHAGATA 339 (V) OTHER MINOR SUBJECTS 357 A SANSKRIT-CHINESE-ENGLISH GLOSSARY ... 373 INDEX 459 ABSTRACTS OF STUDIES I AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF THE LANKAVATARA SUTRA Page I. THE CHINESE AND THE TIBETAN TRANSLATIONS 3-15 One of the important Mahayana texts, the title ex­ plained 3 The first Chinese translation by Dharmaraksha .. 4 The second (Sung) by Gunabhadra, which is the one given by Bodhidharma (l§£if) to his first disciple Hui-k'e (|£ RT) 4 The third (Wei) by Bodhiruci 6 The fourth (T'ang) by Sikshananda 7 Fa-tsang's (^j^) detailed remarks on the different Chinese translations 7 A footnote concerning the way in which the Sanskrit texts were converted into Chinese ...^ 7 The Empress Tse-t'ien's (BtJXfffcJn) preface to the T* ang version, partially translated 10 The three or five Sanskrit (?) copies utilised .... 11 The fourth translation the best of the Chinese texts extant 11 Two Tibetan versions 12 Concerning the translator of the Tibetan Lankava­ tara, No. 1 and its contents 12 The Tibetan Lankavatara No. 2, translated from Gunabhadra's Chinese 14 A tabular comparison of the two texts, Tibetan and Chinese 14 Generally one Tibetan translation for one Sanskrit text 15 xii LANKAVATARA SUTRA II. COMPARISON OP THE CONTENTS OP THE THREE CHI­ NESE AND THE TIBETAN TRANSLATIONS AND ONE SANSKRIT TEXT 15-20 Table showing chapter-divisions in the different texts, Chinese, Tibetan, and Sanskrit .... facing p. 16 Facts suggested by the table 16 Gunabhadra the oldest and simplest, in which the Ravana chapter, the Dharani, and the "Saga­ thakam" are missing 16 The Lankavatara is a collection of notes loosely strung 17 Bodhiruci has more chapter-divisions, but no system 18 A practical way of reading the sutra suggested .. 19 Questions proposed regarding the history of Maha­ yana literature 20 The Ravana chapter is a later addition, so is the Meat-eating chapter 20 The position and make-up of the "Sagathakam," and its relation to the main text 21 The rise of Nagarjuna predicted, and the teaching of the Pure Land 23 The construction of the Lankavatara analysed ... 24 III. EXAMPLES OP THE TEXTUAL DIFFERENCES 25-37 Comparison of extracts from the different transla­ tions, Gunabhadra (Sung), Bodhiruci (Wei), Sikshananda (T'ang), and the Sanskrit text— each accompanied by an English translation ... 26 Comparison of the opening gathas of Chapter II in Sikshananda (T'ang) and the Sanskrit, showing how the one differs from the other in the order of the verses and also in the sense 34 IV. A FURTHER EXAMINATION OP THE SUTRA AS TO ITS INNER CONNECTION 37-44 The sutra takes a form of dialogue between Bud­ dha and Mahamati, which takes place on Mount CONTENTS xiii Lanka 38 Mahamati's so-called 108 questions incoherently developing adjust themselves ill to the main thesis of the sutra 38 Buddha's answers also irrelevant 39 The 108 clauses of negation unintelligible as they stand in the text 41 Concerning the existence of the fuller texts ac­ cording to Pa-tsang (jkffl.) 42 The sutra proper begins after the 108 questions and clauses 43 The two Japanese commentators deserving study 43 V. THE LANKAVATARA AND BODHIDHABMA, FATHER OP ZEN BUDDHISM IN CHINA 44-51 The sutra closely connected with Zen Buddhism.. 44 Bodhidharma (|£$ljl?J$?) giving the sutra- to Hui-k'e (S£"T), as stated by Tao-hsiian (HJO, the author of Biographies of the High Priests (JMflH*) • 44 The Transmission of the Lamp by Tao-yiian (SIM 3£&}&l&) on the incident 45 The Pao-lin Chuan (&#*£) 45 •Ma-tsu's (.fHifi.) relation to the sutra 46 The sutra as an antidote of poison 47 Ta-kuan ($£M) on Bodhidharma's relation to the Lankavatara 48 Ta-kuan\s position justifiable to a certain extent.