This article aims at providing an outlook on the possible origin of tathāgatagarbha theory with a special reference to its relation to the soteriological and formal solutions found in the
Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra and
Avataṃsaka-sūtra. Through comparative textual analysis, the first work of this tradition,
Tathāgatagarbha-sūtra, is shown as a text providing a metaphysical foundation for the postulate of universal Buddhahood posited by the
Lotus Sutra. The realization of this postulate was possible through the implementation of 'Buddha-wisdom' (
tathāgatajñāna) — a quality intrinsic to all living beings, which comes from the Tathāgata's all-encompassing compassion — taken from the "Manifestation of the Tathāgata" chapter of
Avataṃsaka. By combining these influences the
Tathāgatagarbha-sūtra is presented as a culmination of an important soteriological trend of the early Mahāyāna, and at the same time the starting point for an influential 'buddha-nature' tradition. (
Source accessed June 26, 2020)
Zapart, Jarosław. "Wszechprzenikliwa podstawa oświecenia, czyli o formowaniu się koncepcji tathagatagarbhy" (The All-Pervading Foundation of Enlightenment: Early Developments of Tathāgatagarbha Teachings).
Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture 1, no. 1 (2012): 127–48.
https://depot.ceon.pl/bitstream/handle/123456789/2724/JZ_-_O_formowaniu_tg.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y;Wszechprzenikliwa podstawa oświecenia, czyli o formowaniu się koncepcji tathagatagarbhy;tathāgatagarbha;Tathāgatagarbhasūtra;Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra;History of buddha-nature in India;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Early Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Indian Buddhism;Jarosław Zapart;