Thought of Buddha Nature as Depicted in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra

From Buddha-Nature



Thought of Buddha Nature as Depicted in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra
Dissertation
Dissertation

Abstract

Buddhism, as a religion arose in ancient India and developed in various parts of the world, aims at the unique goal that is providing welfare and happiness for human beings. The real happiness brought to mankind by Buddhism is not a satisfaction of self-requirement, but a spiritual benefit coming from enlightenment of the absolute truth, emancipation of the ego of things and persons, and free from the hindrances of passion and ignorance. Buddhism that is mainly based on teachings of the Buddha delivered at different places on different occasions continues to develop and adapt to the new challenges in the form of thought, different cultures, religions, customs and tradition of the people wherever it went. However, all the Buddha’s teachings originate in the enlightenment of the Buddha.
      All traditions of Buddhism accept that the Buddha attained enlightenment through stages of meditation that led to the Buddhahood endowed with transcendent wisdom and compassion. According to some Mahāyāna scriptures, the Buddhahood is nothing other than the Buddhanature which is the inherent essence within all beings. The doctrine of the Buddha-nature presented in several Mahāyāna scriptures of the so-called Tathāgatagarbha literature was formed in about the third century CE. There is no evidence that the doctrine of Buddha-nature formed a school in India like the Śūnyatā (Emptiness) of the Mādhyamika or the Vijñaptimātratā (Consciousness-only) of the Yogācāra School, but the Buddha-nature plays an important role in the religious life of Mahāyāna Buddhism in the East and Southeast Asian countries because it provides a faith of the permanence and immortality due to a declaration that all sentient beings possess the innate Buddha-nature and have a potentiality of becoming the Buddhas.
      Although most of the followers of Mahāyāna Buddhism believe the doctrine of the Buddha-nature and constantly try their best endeavor to attain the goal of Buddhahood, there were a lot of opinions that criticize the doctrine of the Buddha-nature by asserting that it is not Buddhist because this idea of the Buddha-nature seems to be akin to the permanent Self (ātman/brahman) presented in the Vedānta of Brahmanism. Conversely, according to some other scholars, the Buddha nature or Tathāgatagarbha referred in some Mahāyāna Sūtras does not represent a substantial self or ego; it is rather a positive language to express the thought of śūnyatā and to represent the potentiality of realizing the Buddhahood through Buddhist practices. Modern scholars today fall into an unending discussion about the similarity or difference between the Buddha-nature and Brahman but no one compares the date of these doctrines. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is an attempt to clarify the Buddhist orthodoxy of the doctrine of the Buddha-nature through chronological comparison of the date of Buddha-nature with that of Brahman. Based on the Laṅkāvatārasūtra and other scriptures, the work attempt to elucidate that the Buddhist thought of the Buddha-nature had existed prior the Vedāntic thought of Brahman. Indeed, the thesis shows that while the doctrine of the Buddha-nature had come into existence in the third century CE in the Tathāgatagarbha literature, the Vedāntic doctrine of Brahman appeared for the first time in the sixth century CE. Consequently, although the Buddha-nature is closely akin to Brahman/ātman of the Vedānta, the doctrine of the Buddha-nature is originally a thought of Buddhism. For this reason, the writer chose the topic entitled “Thought of Buddha-nature as Depicted in the LaṅkāvatāraSūtra” for the Ph.D. thesis.
Study on the Buddha-nature is a task which cannot be carried out without the important texts, teachings, practices and historical movements of Buddhism. This study is mainly based upon the Laṅkāvatārasūtra, a Buddhist text of the later period of the Tathāgatagarbha literature, in which the thought of the Buddha-nature is depicted in relationship with most of the Mahāyāna concepts such as the Buddhatā, Tathāgatagarbha, Ālayavijñāna, Dharmakāya, Mind-only, etc. Especially, the Laṅkāvatārasūtra emphasizes the practice of self-realization and sudden enlightenment of the Buddha-nature. It is also said that the Sūtra was handed down by Bodhidharma to his heir disciple Hui-ke 慧可 as the proof of enlightenment in Chan (Zen) Buddhism.
      This thesis is an attempt to investigate and criticize the philosophical and religious thought of the Buddha-nature as depicted in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra. In so doing, we have taken into consideration the following principle themes:

      1. Evolution of the Buddha-nature Concept
      2. The Buddha-nature in the Tathāgatagarbha Literature
      3. The Laṅkāvatārasūtra and Hindu Philosophy
      4. The Thought of Buddha-nature in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra
      5. The Practice of Buddha-Nature in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra
      6. Further Development of the Concept of Buddha-nature in
          China

      Structurally, therefore, excluding the introduction and conclusion, the thesis consists of six major chapters in accordance with the above six main themes respectively.

Citation Sy, Nguyen Dac. "Thought of Buddha Nature as Depicted in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra." PhD diss., University of Delhi, 2012. https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/28355.


  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  • ABBREVIATIONS
  • INTRODUCTION
    • General Introduction1
      • The Concept of the Buddha-nature4
      • The Individuality of the Buddha-nature5
        • The Tathāgatagarbha6
        • The Dharmakāya8
      • The Universality of the Buddha-nature10
      • Introduction to the Tathāgatagarbha literature15
      • Introduction to the Laṅkāvatārasūtra16
    • Clarification of the Topic24
      • Object of the present Study24
      • The Extent of Existing Studies on the Topic26
    • Scope and Method of The Research on the Topic Concerned28
      • Scope of the Research28
      • Research Methodology29
    • Plan of the Study29–33
  • CHAPTER I: EVOLUTION OF THE BUDDHA-NATURE CONCEPT
    • I.1. Traces of the Buddha-nature in Early Buddhism34
    • I.1.1. The Buddha-nature and the Buddha’s Enlightenment35
    • I.1.2. The Buddha-nature and the Luminous Mind42
    • I.2. Buddha-nature in Mahāyāna Buddhism44
    • I.2.1. The Buddha-nature and Mādhyamaka45
    • I.2.2. The Buddha-nature and Yogācāra50–59
  • CHAPTER II: THE BUDDHA-NATURE IN THE TATHĀGATAGARBHA LITERATURE60
    • II.1. The Early Period62
    • II.1.1. The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra63
    • II.1.2. The Srīmālāsūtra66
    • II.1.3. The Mahāparinirvānasūtra70
    • II.1.4. The Ratnagotravibhāgaśāstra75
    • II.1.5. The Anuttarāśrayasūtra78
    • II.1.6. The Other Texts79
    • II.2. The Middle Period81
    • II.2.1. Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra81
    • II.2.2.The Buddha-nature Treatise82
    • II.2.3. Mahāyānasaṃparigrāhaśāstra86
    • II.3. The Later Period89
    • II.3.1. The Laṅkāvatārasūtra89
    • II.3.2. The Awakening of Mahāyāna Faith89
    • II.3.3. The Gaṇḍavyūhasūtra92-94
  • CHAPTER III: THE LAṄKĀVATĀRASŪTRA AND HINDU PHILOSOPHY95
    • III.1. Āryadeva and the Laṅkāvatārasūtra96
    • III.1.1. Āryadeva and His Works96
    • III.1.2. Āryadeva and the Laṅkāvatārasūtra99
    • III.2. Six Hindu Philosophical Systems109
    • III.2.1. Sāṃkhya110
    • III.2.2. Yoga112
    • III.2.3. Nyāya113
    • III.2.4. Vaiśeṣika115
    • III.2.5. Mīmāṃsā116
    • III.2.6. Vedānta117
    • III.2.6.1. Vedānta philosophers117
    • III.2.6.2. Date of Vedānta121
    • III.3. The Buddha-nature and Brahman128-133
  • CHAPTER IV: THE THOUGHT OF BUDDHA-NATURE IN THE LAṄKĀVATĀRASŪTRA134
    • IV.1. Tathāgatagarbha and Ālayavijñāna: the Essence of Beings
    • IV.1.1. System of Consciousnesses135
    • IV.1.2. The Ālayavijñāna140
    • IV.1.3. Ālayavijñāna and Tathāgatagarbha144
    • IV.2. TATHĀGATAGARBHA AND ĀTMAN149
    • IV.3. BUDDHATĀ: THE ESSENCE OF THE BUDDHA154
    • IV.3.1. Beyond the Twofold Hindrance and Ego157
    • IV.3.2. Overcoming the Twofold Death159
    • IV.3.3. Cleansing the Twofold Group of Passions160
    • IV.4. THE BUDDHA-NATURE AS DHARMAKĀYA162
    • IV.4.1. Origin and Development of the Dharmakāya162
    • IV.4.2. Dharmakāya in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra167–173
  • CHAPTER V: THE PRACTICE OF BUDDHA-NATURE IN THE LAṄKĀVATĀRASŪTRA174
    • V.1. Sudden Enlightenment, Gradual Cultivation and the Revulsion175
    • V.1.1. Gradual Cultivation and Habit-energy175
    • V.1.1.1. Gradual Cultivation175
    • V.1.1.2. Habit-energy178
    • V.1.2. Sudden Enlightenment and Revulsion180
    • V.1.2.1. Sudden Enlightenment180
    • V.1.2.2. The Revulsion185
    • V.2. Self-Power and Other-Power189
    • V.2.1. Self-Power189
    • V.2.2. Other-Power197–205
  • CHAPTER VI – FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE THOUGHT OF
    BUDDHA-NATURE IN CHINA
    206
    • VI.1. The Daosheng’s Thought of Buddha-Nature209
    • VI.1.1. Daosheng and the Nirvāṇa School209
    • VI.1.2. The Daosheng’s Doctrine of Buddha-nature212
    • VI.1.3. The Daosheng’s Doctrine of Sudden Enlightenment213
    • VI.1.4. Daosheng: The Theoretical Forerunner of Chan215
    • VI.2. The Buddha-Nature And Chan Buddhism216
    • VI.2.1. The Thought of Buddha-nature in Chan216
    • VI.2.2. Chan and the Laṅkāvatārasūtra244
    • VI.2.3. The Buddha-nature in Gongan and Mozhao Chan228
    • VI.3. The Buddha-Nature Thought in the Tiantai School235
    • VI.4. The Buddha-Nature Thought in the Huayan School239–245
  • CONCLUSION246
    • Summation246
    • The Buddha-nature: Solution to Individual and Social Problems253
    • The Buddha-nature Today: A New Approach257–260
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY261–284
  • A GLOSSARY OF CHINESE CHARACTERS285–290