Verse I.28

From Buddha-Nature
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Therefore, one should understand that the ''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra'', the ''Uttaratantra'', and Asaṅga’s commentary (RGVV) excellently determine the tathāgata heart as being all of the following three—the capacity in sentient beings’ mind streams of their being suitable for enlightened activity to engage them, the suchness with stains in the mind streams of sentient beings, and the buddha disposition in the mind streams of beings that is suitable to change state into the three kāyas. Without realizing these meanings, to assert even the ultimate dharmakāya as the tathāgata heart through dividing the latter into the triad of the resultant, the natural, and the causal tathāgata heart is a presentation that may amaze the ignorant, but it is not the meaning of the ''Uttaratantra'' and Asaṅga’s commentary.
 
Therefore, one should understand that the ''Tathāgatagarbhasūtra'', the ''Uttaratantra'', and Asaṅga’s commentary (RGVV) excellently determine the tathāgata heart as being all of the following three—the capacity in sentient beings’ mind streams of their being suitable for enlightened activity to engage them, the suchness with stains in the mind streams of sentient beings, and the buddha disposition in the mind streams of beings that is suitable to change state into the three kāyas. Without realizing these meanings, to assert even the ultimate dharmakāya as the tathāgata heart through dividing the latter into the triad of the resultant, the natural, and the causal tathāgata heart is a presentation that may amaze the ignorant, but it is not the meaning of the ''Uttaratantra'' and Asaṅga’s commentary.
 
===Rongtön Shéja Günsi===
 
===Rongtön Shéja Günsi===
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According to Rongtön Shéja Günsi’s commentary on the ''Uttaratantra'',2751 all sentient beings are said to possess the tathāgata heart because the dharmakāya of perfect buddhas radiates, because they possess the suchness that is undifferentiable from the aspect of the natural purity of the suchness of the dharmakāya, and because they have the disposition for the dharmakāya—the capacity of the basic element.
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After briefly reporting Ngog Lotsāwa’s above explanation of I.28 and quoting I.27, Rongtön presents the manner in which ''Uttaratantra'' I.144–52 and RGVV match the dharmakāya, suchness, and the disposition with the nine examples for buddha nature. He says that the meaning of the tathāgata-dharmakāya’s radiating in all sentient beings is that the dharmakāya of realization pervades all sentient beings, quoting RGVV:
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<blockquote>These three examples of a buddha image, honey, and a kernel explain that all sentient beings possess the heart of a tathāgata in the sense of the tathāgata-dharmakāya’s pervading the entire realm of sentient beings without exception.2752</blockquote>
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The citation of ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra'' IX.15 in RGVV is taken as being the reason for this. According to Rongtön, this means that the factor of natural purity—the cause for attaining the fundamental change of both the dharmakāya of realization and the dharmakāya of the teachings—pervades all sentient beings.
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As for the meaning of suchness’s being undifferentiable, it is explained as "undifferentiable" because its being empty of any real nature pervades everything in terms of the ground and the fruition and everything internal and external. As for being pervaded by the disposition, this refers to the capacity of the mind that is to be awakened by conditions—the substantial cause of buddha wisdom. As ''Uttaratantra'' I.104c says:
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::So the uncontaminated wisdom in beings is like honey . . .
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This explains the basic element to be purified, whose function is the function of the disposition—seeing the qualities of happiness and the flaws of suffering. Here, the assertion that the meaning of "the dharmakāya’s radiating" as being pervaded by enlightened activity is not justified because this contradicts the meaning of ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra'' IX.15, which is adduced as the reason for this. Therefore, there is no flaw of repetition either since natural purity is used in terms of its being contained within the mind stream, while suchness pervades everything internal and external. Suchness and natural purity exist in the manner of a quality and the bearer
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of this quality, respectively. As ''Uttaratantra'' I.164c says:
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::. . . the qualities, whose nature is pure.
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The meaning of the suchness of a tathāgata’s being undifferentiable from all sentient beings is that the suchness of buddhas exists in all sentient beings in an undifferentiable manner. For RGVV says:
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::Thus, in the sense of suchness’s being undifferentiable, this one example of gold explains that the tathāgata—suchness—is the heart of all these sentient beings.2753
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The citation of ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra'' IX.37 is taken as being the reason for this. Thus, the nature of phenomena—being empty of a nature—is without difference.
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The meaning of the tathāgata disposition’s existing in all beings is that the disposition for giving rise to the three buddhakāyas exists in sentient beings. For RGVV says:
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<blockquote>The remaining five examples of a treasure, a tree, a precious statue, a cakravartin, and a golden image explain that the tathāgata element is the heart of all these sentient beings in the sense that the disposition for the arising of the three kinds of buddhakāyas exists [in all beings].2754</blockquote>
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The citation from the ''Abhidharmamahāyānasūtra'' is taken as being the reason for this.
 
===Gö Lotsāwa===
 
===Gö Lotsāwa===
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Gö Lotsāwa’s commentary2755 says that the explanation of the three points of the buddhakāya’s radiating and so on is based on the passage from the ''Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśaparivarta'' that is quoted at the beginning of RGVV as the source of the fourth vajra point. GC’s actual comments on I.27–28 state that the buddha wisdom that enters all sentient beings is expressed as "the tathāgata heart."2756 Though this buddha wisdom is the actual tathāgata, it is only the nominal heart of sentient beings because it is not contained in the mind streams of sentient beings. Also, the nature of the mind (suchness without adventitious stains) that exists in both buddhas and sentient beings without any difference is called "tathāgata heart." The suchness that exists in buddhas is the actual suchness and the suchness of sentient beings is buddhahood in a nominal sense. As for the buddha disposition, it is the factor in all sentient beings that represents the manner in which their skandhas and so on are similar to buddhahood. This disposition is also called "tathāgata heart" by metaphorically referring to it as its fruition, tathāgatahood. Among the Sanskrit synonyms of ''garbha, sāra'' represents a basis from which many dharmas radiate or emanate, thus referring to the dharmakāya. Hṛdaya has the sense of being crucial or something to be cherished, like the heart of a person. Thus, it refers to suchness because those who wish for liberation need to regard it as crucial or cherish it. Garbha itself means "seed" or "womb." Since it stands for something that is present in an enclosing sheath, it refers to the disposition. ''Maṇḍa'' means "something very firm" or "quintessence," as in calling the vajra seat in Bodhgāya ''bodhimaṇḍa'' or speaking of "the essence of butter."
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Thus, sentient beings possess the tathāgata heart because they are pervaded by the perfect buddhakāya, because their suchness exists as being undifferentiable from buddhas, and because they have the buddha disposition. This can be proven by either one of these three reasons—that there are three is only for the sake of guiding different sentient beings. However, all they prove is only a convention (and not a fact), that is, they just explain the meaning of the statement, "All beings possess the tathāgata heart" in different words, but they do not prove the fact that all sentient beings possess it.
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Furthermore, GC describes Ngog’s above division into resultant, natural, and causal tathāgata heart as being "very excellent" and further divides each one of these into their seeming and ultimate aspects.2757 The dharmakāya is twofold in terms of its qualities of freedom and maturation. The disposition is twofold as the naturally abiding and the accomplished dispositions. Suchness is not said to be divided in the ''Uttaratantra'', but the teachings of the Buddha in general speak of the suchness of the ultimate and the suchness of the seeming. The division into three (dharmakāya, suchness, and disposition) is nothing but a division of the nature of the single suchness that is unchanging throughout all three phases. Thus, the three consist of nothing but suchness.
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At the end of its comments on the fourth vajra point, GC says that the entire chapter on the basic element is an explanation of nothing but the meaning of ''Uttaratantra'' I.28.2758 This meaning is comprehensively summarized in the ten points (such as nature and cause) through which the basic element is presented, while the verses on the nine examples are simply an elaboration on it.
 
===Śākya Chogden===
 
===Śākya Chogden===
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Śākya Chogden’s explanation of the ''Uttaratantra''2759 criticizes Ngog Lotsāwa’s position on buddha nature, saying that it is not good that Ngog takes the emptiness of the mind with stains as the tathāgata heart because this tathāgata heart must be identified from the point of view of its qualities whereas its identification as sheer emptiness is not suitable. The identification of the tathāgata heart by later Tibetans as the naturally abiding disposition is not tenable either because the disposition has to be identified from the point of view of its being associated with stains, whereas the tathāgata heart needs to be identified from the point of view of there being no stains to be eliminated any more. Therefore, the actual tathāgata heart that is to be identified as what is taught by the ''Uttaratantra'' is the suchness that is naturally pure of all flaws and in which all the many qualities such as the ten powers are naturally and spontaneously present. Thus, the lines "since suchness is undifferentiable . . . all beings always contain the buddha heart" in ''Uttaratantra'' I.28 including their commentary and related sūtras are to be taken literally. However, the lines "since the perfect buddhakāya radiates . . . all beings always contain the buddha heart" are not to be taken literally. The line "because of the disposition" teaches the basis of intention; I.157 on the five flaws such as faintheartedness, the purpose; and I.84c "There is no nirvāṇa apart from buddhahood," the invalidation of the explicit statement. One may think then that it is strange that one and the same treatise gives the two contradictory explanations of the tathāgata heart’s pervading and not pervading sentient beings. However, Maitreya, by differentiating the identification of the tathāgata heart in terms of the two realities, has excellently explained the intention of the two ways in which the Buddha stated in distinct teachings that the tathāgata heart pervades and does not pervade all beings.
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Thus, Śākya Chogden explicitly distinguishes the tathāgatagarbha as the resultant suchness free from all obscurations and endowed with all qualities from the disposition, which refers to obscured suchness as the cause. This is also what Tāranātha’s outline of twenty-one differences between Śākya Chogden and Dölpopa says about Śākya Chogden’s position:
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<blockquote>The tathāgata heart does not exist in the mind streams of sentient beings. The natural luminosity of the minds of sentient beings is merely
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the cause and the basic element of the tathāgata heart. Therefore, though the causal tathāgata heart or the tathāgata heart that is the basic element exists in all sentient beings, this is not like the [actual tathāgata heart] that fulfills this definition. [Rather,] the tathāgata heart is buddha wisdom. . . . [Śākya Chogden] holds that [statements about] the [tathāgata] heart’s having the nature of its essence and its qualities being inseparable refer to the phase of the fruition alone. During the phase of the cause, there exists only the seed that is the capacity for the qualities being suitable to arise. . . . He holds that only a seed of the fruition exists inherently in the natural luminosity of the mind. Through cultivating the path, the increase [of this seed] is attained. Finally, the fruition arises in its manifest form.2760</blockquote>
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Later in his text,2761 Śākya Chogden says that the tathāgata heart does not pervade all sentient beings. For Asaṅga explains that "inseparable qualities" belong only to the last phase among the three phases of impure sentient beings, partly pure bodhisattvas, and utterly pure buddhas. Also, the ''Uttaratantra'' ’s example of a king’s portrait (I.88–92) clearly says that the emptiness endowed with all supreme aspects does not exist in śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and so on. The example of the sun and its rays (I.93–94) states how the tathāgata heart inseparable from all its qualities does not exist until perfect buddhahood is made manifest. Let alone the tathāgata heart’s being realized by those with great desire, śrāvakas, and pratyekabuddhas, they are not even explained as supports for this tathāgata heart.
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When the ''Uttaratantra'' explains the intention behind the statement that all sentient beings possess the buddha heart, it first distinguishes three bases of intention—the dharmakāya, suchness, and the disposition. The first one is the pure dharmadhātu without any adventitious stains, which is classified as twofold in terms of its natural outflow—the profound and vast teachings. Suchness is said to be nothing but the presentation of its nature. The disposition is twofold, being classified as the naturally abiding disposition and the unfolding disposition, with the latter consisting of the threefold capacity of giving rise to the three kāyas. Among these three bases of intention, the dharmakāya is the actual tathāgata heart, suchness is twofold in being and not being the tathāgata heart, and the disposition is a case of labeling the cause with the name of the result. The dharmakāya of perfect buddhahood entails pervading or radiating toward all sentient beings. Suchness pertains to all phenomena, but the disposition is a phenomena solely in sentient beings. Suchness is threefold in terms of existing in the four kinds of persons—buddhas, noble bodhisattvas, those of great desire, and tīrthikas. In buddhas, it is the perfect dharmakāya; in noble bodhisattvas, a mere fraction of the dharmakāya; and in the others, not even a fraction of the dharmakāya. Therefore, it is not suitable as the disposition. In other words, all noble ones of the mahāyāna (buddhas and bodhisattvas) possess the tathāgata heart, but all sentient beings other than those are only labeled as possessing the tathāgata heart because suchness and the disposition exist in them.
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This means that the statement "all beings possess the buddha heart" is made in terms of a basis of intention, a purpose, and an invalidation of the explicit statement. The basis of intention is suchness with stains; the purpose, to relinquish the five flaws; and the invalidation of the explicit statement according to the ''Uttaratantra'' itself is as follows. The dharmadhātu of those of great desire, tīrthikas, śrāvakas, and pratyekabuddhas is not the tathāgata heart because they fall into the views about a real personality and because their minds are distracted from emptiness. Also, the four obscurations that obscure the tathāgata heart (hostility toward the mahāyāna dharma, views about a self, fear of saṃsāra’s suffering, and indifference about the welfare of sentient beings) are relinquished by their four remedies (confidence in the mahāyāna dharma and cultivation of prajñāpāramitā, samādhis, and great compassion). Therefore, it is once the four remedies have arisen that the persons who are the supports of these remedies are said to possess the tathāgata heart.
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Furthermore, the dharmadhātu of those four persons is not the tathāgata heart because it lacks the five points of nature, cause, fruition, function, and endowment explained in ''Uttaratantra'' I.30–44. The dharmadhātu of those persons lacks the point of being the nature of the tathāgata heart because it is not moistened by power and compassion. Also, the point of its being the cause of the tathāgata heart is incomplete because it lacks the four causes that purify the above four obscurations. It lacks the point of fruition because it lacks the remedies that are the opposites of the four kinds of mistakenness. The point of function is also incomplete because it is uncertain that the dharmadhātu of those persons possesses the functions that arise from the awakening of the power of the disposition through the conditions of the four wheels (relying on wise persons and so on). Otherwise, these functions (weariness of suffering and striving for nirvāṇa) would arise even in those with wrong craving. Likewise, the point of endowment is incomplete because the dharmadhātu of those persons is not endowed with the triad of the dharmakāya, the cause of buddha wisdom, and great compassion. Also, let alone the dharmadhātu of those four persons being inseparable from the qualities that consist of the five supernatural knowledges, wisdom, and the termination of contamination, not even a fraction of these qualities exists in that dharmadhātu. In brief, let alone saying that the tathāgata heart that is adorned with all the major and minor marks exists in all sentient beings, the ''Uttaratantra'' does not even state that the mere tathāgata heart exists in them because the basis of intention, the purpose, and the invalidation of the explicit statement "all sentient beings possess the buddha heart" are contained in the words of the ''Uttaratantra'' itself.
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Though some Tibetans say that the ''Uttaratantra'' is a commentary in terms of the expedient meaning, there are no earlier commentaries that explain this treatise to be of expedient meaning. Among the two great system founders of the mahāyāna, Nāgārjuna says in his ''Dharmadhātustava'' that suchness exists in all sentient beings. He also explains through the example of the waxing moon’s gradually increasing that the dharmakāya exists and increases from the first bhūmi up through buddhahood.
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In Asaṅga’s tradition, there is his actual system and the one that entails an intention. As for the first one, in his commentary on the ''Uttaratantra'', he describes the manner of seeing the boundary lines of the tathāgata heart from the first bhūmi up through buddhahood through the example of the sun’s shining in a clouded and a cloud-free sky.2762 If suchness with stains were the actual tathāgata heart, this would contradict ''Uttaratantra'' I.154–55 ("There is nothing to be removed from this . . .") because these two verses teach the tathāgata heart that is the dharmakāya pure of all adventitious stains. When one sees a part of one’s own true nature pure of stains, one sees that all sentient beings are like that too. This seeing is called "seeing that all sentient beings possess the buddha heart," "realizing that the dharmadhātu is omnipresent," and "realizing variety" (''ji snyed rtogs pa'').
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In the explanation of the system that entails an intended meaning, the sugata heart refers to sugatahood, which has the two aspects of (1) relinquishment and (2) realization. (1) Relinquishment is of two kinds—actual and concordant. The latter is twofold—the purification of the stains of the basic element through the four causes such as confidence in the mahāyāna dharma and the relinquishment of the afflictive stains through the prajñā of the lower yānas. The first one of these is the actual tathāgata heart while the latter is not even explained as the basis of intention of the tathāgata heart. Suchness with stains is said to be the basis of intention of the tathāgata heart from the point of view of its being suitable to become free from adventitious stains, but there is no clear explanation that it is the actual tathāgata heart. Once the power of the disposition is awakened through the four conditions’ having come together and certain parts of the stains of the basic element are eliminated through the four causes such as confidence in the mahāyāna dharma, this is presented as the actual tathāgata heart. (2) Realization is also of two kinds—actual and concordant. The latter is divided into being and not being specified through the four causes such as confidence in the mahāyāna dharma. The first one of these is further classified as being pure of stains as appropriate on the different levels of the path and not being pure of stains at all. Among these two, it is only the former that is explained as representing the dharmakāya and the sugata heart. Therefore, the buddha heart is divided into two aspects—conditioned and unconditioned—which are the seeming and the ultimate, respectively. It is its unconditioned aspect alone that is held to be what exists in all sentient beings. To say that the buddha heart is solely ultimate reality is the system of others but not the scriptural tradition of Maitreya.
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===Dümo Dashi Öser===
 
===Dümo Dashi Öser===
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Dümo Dashi Öser (fifteenth/sixteenth century) omits ''Uttaratantra'' I.27. On I.28, he comments that all beings possess the tathāgata heart since the dharmakāya of a perfect buddha radiates in all sentient beings (that is, the dharmakāya becomes manifest in them through their having familiarized with uncontrived mind as such), since the suchness of sentient beings and the suchness of buddhas is undifferentiable, and since the disposition (the seed of uncontaminated mind) exists in all sentient beings.
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===Mikyö Dorje, the 8th Karmapa===
 
===Mikyö Dorje, the 8th Karmapa===
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In his '''Lamp That Excellently Elucidates the System of the Proponents of Shentong Madhyamaka''', the Eighth Karmapa provides lengthy explanations of the three reasons in ''Uttaratantra'' I.28.2763 However, in his commentary on the Abhisamayālaṃkāra, the Karmapa also presents a detailed refutation of these very reasons’ being able to prove the existence of buddha nature in sentient beings.2764
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===Padma Karpo===
 
===Padma Karpo===
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Padma Karpo2765 explains that "Since the perfect buddhakāya radiates" refers to the dharmakāya of the tathāgatas pervading the nonphysical basic elements of sentient beings because ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra'' IX.15cd says:
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::Just as space is omnipresent in the hosts of form,
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::It is omnipresent in the hosts of sentient beings.
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"Since suchness is undifferentiable" indicates that, in all, suchness is not different, with tathāgatas having its pure nature too. "Because of the disposition" refers to the existence of the disposition that produces the three buddhakāyas. As for the disposition, it is a seed or a cause. As the ''Abhidharmamahāyānasūtra'' says:
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::The dhātu of beginningless time
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::Is the foundation of all phenomena.
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::Since it exists, all beings
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::And also nirvāṇa are obtained.
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To speak about the definite disposition here is done with the intention that all sentient beings are suitable to eventually become buddhas.
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The dharmakāya is the power to accomplish what one wishes for, suchness never changes into anything else, and the disposition means to be moistened through compassion. In this order, these three specific characteristics of the nature of the tathāgata heart accord with the examples of a jewel, gold, and water.
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===Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé===
 
===Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé===
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Lodrö Taye’s commentary on the ''Uttaratantra'' (which is basically a copy of Dölpopa’s commentary) briefly explains I.28 as follows:
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<blockquote>Because the dharmakāya of perfect buddhas radiates toward and pervades all phenomena, because suchness—the true nature of the entirety of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—is undifferentiable, and because the tathāgata disposition—the naturally pure dharmadhātu—exists in all sentient beings as being suitable to be purified from the obscurations, all beings possess the ultimate buddha heart in an uninterrupted manner at all times since beginningless [time]. As the Bhagavān said in the [Tathāgatagarbha]sūtra:</blockquote>
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::Sentient beings always have the tathāgata heart.2766
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Here, in due order, the great Ngog Lotsāwa explains [the first three lines of I.28] as the fruitional, the natural, and the causal sugata heart. The first one—the dharmakāya—is the actual Tathāgata but the nominal heart of sentient beings. It pervades sentient beings because it is suitable to be attained by them.2767
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The same author’s ''Guiding Instructions on the View of Great Shentong Madhyamaka'' comments on this verse in a very similar way under the heading of distinguishing well between existence, nonexistence, and so on, and pointing them out in accordance with the third turning of the wheel of dharma and the vajrayāna, once any suitable samādhi of calm abiding and superior insight has arisen. In this context, the verse is explained in connection with two famous stanzas from the ''Laṅkāvatārasūtra'' as follows:
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::By relying on mere mind,
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::One does not imagine outer objects.
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::By relying on nonappearance,
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::One should go beyond mere mind too.
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::By relying on the focal object of actual reality,
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::One must go beyond nonappearance.
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::If yogins rest in nonappearance,
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::They do not see the mahāyāna.2768
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[Thus,] the realization that the mistakenness of the seeming is mere mind is scrutinized by the Madhyamaka without appearances. Going beyond even that, through the Madhyamaka with appearances, one must engage in the unmistaken way of being of true reality.
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Here, you may wonder, "What is the focal object of actual reality?" Just as there are no four elements that are not pervaded by space, there are no knowable objects that are not pervaded by the dharmakāya of buddhas. Also, in the suchness of buddhas, oneself, and all sentient beings, there are no distinctions of good and bad, big and small, high and low, and so on. Furthermore, the naturally abiding disposition or the basic element that is able to produce the buddha attributes and has been obtained through the nature of phenomena since beginningless time exists in all living beings who consist of the life-force breath. Therefore, all sentient beings possess the tathāgata heart. In order to bring that to mind clearly, recite [''Uttaratantra'' I.28]:
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::Since the perfect buddhakāya radiates,
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::Since suchness is undifferentiable,
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::And since the disposition exists,
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::All beings always possess the buddha heart.2769
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===Mipham Rinpoche===
 
===Mipham Rinpoche===
 
===Dongag Tenpé Nyima===
 
===Dongag Tenpé Nyima===

Revision as of 14:17, 16 July 2018

Mahāyānottaratantra Verse I.28

Sanskrit (E. H. Johnston[1])[edit]

संबुद्धकायस्फरणात् तथताव्यतिभेदतः।

गोत्रतश्च सदा सर्वे बुद्धगर्भाः शरीरिणः॥२८॥

saṃbuddhakāyaspharaṇāt tathatāvyatibhedataḥ|

gotrataśca sadā sarve buddhagarbhāḥ śarīriṇaḥ||28||

Tibetan (Dege, PHI, 111)[edit]

རྫོགས་སངས་སྐུ་ནི་འཕྲོ་ཕྱིར་དང་།།
དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་དབྱེར་མེད་ཕྱིར་དང་།།
རིགས་ཡོད་ཕྱིར་ན་ལུས་ཅན་ཀུན།།
རྟག་ཏུ་སངས་རྒྱས་སྙིང་པོ་ཅན།།

English (Brunnhölzl, 356-357[2])[edit]

Since the perfect buddhakaya radiates,
Since suchness is undifferentiable,
And because of the disposition,
All beings always possess the buddha heart.

Chinese (CBETA T31)[edit]

體及因果業　　相應及以行
時差別遍處　　不變無差別
彼妙義次第　　第一真法性
我如是略說　　汝今應善知

English (Takasaki, p. 197[3])[edit]

The Buddha's Body penetrates everywhere,
Reality is of undifferentiated nature,
And the Germ [of the Buddha] exists (in the living beings).
Therefore, all living beings are
Always possessed of the Matrix of the Buddha.

Other English Translations for Comparison[edit]

  • Listed by date of publication[4]
Obermiller (1931)[5]
The Body of the Supreme Buddha is all-pervading,
The Absolute is (one) undifferentiated (Whole)
And the Germ (of Buddhahood) exists (in every living Being).
Therefore, for ever and anon, all that lives
Is endowed with the Essence of the Buddha.
Guenther (1959)
Because of the permeation of Sambuddhakāya, of the
undifferentiatedness of Tathatā,
And of the existence of families, all sentient beings are constantly
endowed with Buddha-nature.
Ruegg (1969)[6]
En raison de l'irradiation du Corps du Sambuddha, de l'indifferenciation de l'Ainsite et de la Lignee, tous les etres incarnes sont toujours (des) buddhagarbha.
Ruegg (1973)[7]
En raison de l'irradiation par le Corps du buddha parfait, de l'indifferenciation de l'Ainsite et de l'existence du gotra, tous les etres incarnes sont toujours pourvus du buddhagarbha.
Ahmad (1983)[8]
Because of the extension (sphara˚a) of the Awakened Body (of the Buddha); because of its interpenetration (vyatibheda) with Suchness; And because of its embryo, all embodied :beings are eternally the wombs of the Buddha.
Holmes (1985)[9]
The buddha-essence is ever-present in everyone because
the dharmakaya of perfect buddhahood pervades all,
the suchness is undifferentiated and they have the potential.
Guenther (1989)[10]
Because of the pulsation of the gestalt as an awakening process
(evolving like a dissipative structure) in its totality,
Because of (its) inseparability from Being-in-its-beingness, and
Because of (its) existence as a program, all embodied beings
Have within themselves forever this thrust to move in the direction of a total spiritual awakening.
Hookham (1992)[11]
Because the Perfect Buddhakaya radiates,
Because the Tathata is inseparable,
Because the Gotra is present,
All beings have the Essence (garbha) of Buddha.
Holmes (1999)[12]
The buddha-essence is ever-present in everyone because
the dharmakaya of perfect buddhahood pervades all,
suchness is without differences and
they have the potential.
Unlisted Translator on Rigpa Wiki[13]
Because the perfect buddha’s kaya is all-pervading,
Because reality is undifferentiated,
And because they possess the potential,
Beings always have the buddha nature.

{{note Template ideas: <pre> {{Verse |versesktdev1=संबुद्धकायस्फरणात् तथताव्यतिभेदतः<br> गोत्रतश्च सदा सर्वे बुद्धगर्भाः शरीरिणः |versesktdev1source=[http://www.dsbcproject.org/canon-text/content/575/2687 Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon] |versesktrom1=saṃbuddhakāyaspharaṇāt tathatāvyatibhedataḥ<br> gotrataśca sadā sarve buddhagarbhāḥ śarīriṇaḥ |versesktrom1source=[http://www.dsbcproject.org/canon-text/content/575/2687 Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon] |versetib1=རྫོགས་སངས་སྐུ་ནི་འཕྲོ་ཕྱིར་དང་<br> དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་དབྱེར་མེད་ཕྱིར་དང་<br> རིགས་ཡོད་ཕྱིར་ན་ལུས་ཅན་ཀུན<br> རྟག་ཏུ་སངས་རྒྱས་སྙིང་པོ་ཅན |versetib1source=Dege, PHI,111 |DegeLink=https://adarsha.dharma-treasure.org/kdbs/degetengyur/pbs/934147 |nulinesinverse=4 |versetranseng1=Since the perfect buddhakaya '''radiates''', <br> Since '''suchness''' is undifferentiable, <br> And because of the '''disposition''',<br> All beings always '''possess''' the buddha heart. |versetranseng1source=[[When the Clouds Part]], [[Brunnhölzl, K.|Brunnhölzl]], 356-357 |versetranseng2=The Buddha's Body penetrates everywhere,<br> Reality is of undifferentiated nature,<br> And the Germ [of the Buddha] exists (in the living beings).<br> Therefore, all living beings are<br> Always possessed of the Matrix of the Buddha. |versetranseng2source=p. 197 - [[Takasaki, Jikido]]. [[A study on the Ratnagotravibhāga (Uttaratantra), being a treatise on the Tathāgatagarbha theory of Mahayana Buddhism]]. Serie Orientale Roma 33. Roma: Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente (ISMEO), 1966. |versechinese1=體及因果業　　相應及以行 <br> 時差別遍處　　不變無差別 <br> 彼妙義次第　　第一真法性 <br> 我如是略說　　汝今應善知 |versechinese1source=[http://cbeta.buddhist-canon.com/result/normal/T31/1611_001.htm CBETA T31] }} </pre>}}

Ratnagotravibhāga Root Verse I.28
First Verse

Verse I.28 Variations

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Charrier, Christian and Patrick Carré. Traité de la Continuité suprême du Grand Véhicule. Plazac: Éditions Padmakara, 2019.

RGVV Commentary on Verse

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Other English translations[edit]

Textual sources[edit]

Commentaries on this verse[edit]

Academic notes[edit]

  1. Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon Unicode Input
  2. Brunnhölzl, Karl. When the Clouds Part: The Uttaratantra and its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra. Boston: Snow Lion Publications, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, 2014.
  3. Takasaki, Jikido. A Study on the Ratnagotravibhāga (Uttaratantra): Being a Treatise on the Tathāgatagarbha Theory of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Serie Orientale Roma 33. Roma: Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente (ISMEO), 1966.
  4. Many of the sources in this list come from an unpublished essay by Kurtis Schaeffer, who kindly shared his work.
  5. Obermiller, E. "The Sublime Science of the Great Vehicle to Salvation Being a Manual of Buddhist Monism." Acta Orientalia IX (1931), pp. 81-306.
  6. Ruegg, David Seyfort. La Theorie du Tathāgatagarbha et du Gotra. Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient. Publications De l'Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient Volume LXX. 1969.
  7. Ruegg, David Seyfort. Le Traite du Tathāgatagarbha de Bu ston Rin chen grub. Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient. Publications De l'Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient Volume LXXXVIII. 1973.
  8. Ahmad, Zahiruddin. "The Womb of the Tathāgata or Buddhist Monism." Journal of The Oriental Society of Australia 15/16, 1983-84. pp 27-44.
  9. Holmes, Ken & Katia. The Changeless Nature. Eskdalemuir, Scotland: Karma Drubgyud Darjay Ling, 1985.
  10. Guenther, Herbert V. From Reductionism to Creativity. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1989.
  11. Hookham, S. K. The Buddha Within: Tathagatagarbha Doctrine According to the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1992.
  12. Holmes, Ken & Katia. Maitreya on Buddha Nature. Scotland: Altea Publishing, 1999.
  13. http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Buddha_nature

Textual Sources[edit]

Verse Location[edit]

A Note On Verse Order: See notes in Brunnhölzl, K. When the Clouds Part, page 1076. Some text versions have this verse as verse I.27 and either leave out the verse 27 we have here or put it after this verse as verse 28.

Note 1236 in Brunnhölzl, K. When the Clouds Part: In the Tibetan Editions of the Uttaratantra, this verse follows I.28, and some editions omit it altogether. JKC (50) notes this fact and says that it does belong to the text since Dölpopa, Karma Könshön (a student of the Third Karmapa), Rongtön, Gö Lotsāwa, and others quote and comment on it extensively:

སངས་རྒྱས་ཡེ་ཤེས་སེམས་ཅན་ཚོགས་ཞུགས་ཕྱིར།།
རང་བཞིན་དྲི་མེད་དེ་ནི་གཉིས་མེད་དེ།།
སངས་རྒྱས་རིགས་ལ་དེ་འབྲས་ཉེར་བརྟགས་ཕྱིར།།
འགྲོ་ཀུན་སངས་རྒྱས་སྙིང་པོ་ཅན་ཏུ་གསུངས།།27།།

Commentaries on this verse[edit]

Asanga[edit]

Karl Brunnhölzl notes that neither the RGVV, nor Vairocanarakṣita’s Mahāyānottaratantraṭippaṇī comment specifically on the meaning of verses I.27 and I.28. (When the Clouds Part, 855.)

Sajjana[edit]

Verse 8 of Sajjana’s Mahāyānottaratantraśāstropadeśa offers an interesting reformulation/gloss of the first two reasons. Line 8b “since the welfare of sentient beings depends on the victor” corresponds to the first reason (“since buddha wisdom enters into the multitudes of beings” in I.27a and “because the perfect buddhakāya radiates” in I.28a). It highlights the intrinsic affinity between the buddha natures of buddhas and sentient beings, which enables the former to benefit and awaken the latter. In this vein, an interlinear gloss on verse 11 explicitly relates the twofold dharmakāya—“the utterly stainless dharmadhātu and its natural outflow (teaching the principles of profundity and diversity)” in Uttaratantra I.145 (explained by RGVV as “consisting of the arising of [individually] corresponding [forms of] cognizance in other sentient beings to be guided”) to “the perfect buddhakāya radiates . . .” Line 8c “because suchness operates in accordance with the welfare [of beings]” corresponds to the second reason (“since its stainlessness is nondual by nature” in I.27b and “because suchness is undifferentiable” in I.28b). This line emphasizes the active nature of suchness when it is understood as buddha nature, which always engages in the welfare of sentient beings, be it in the form of external buddha activity or as the internal driving force for the path of ordinary beings and bodhisattvas to attain buddhahood.

Ratnākaraśānti[edit]

The second chapter of Ratnākaraśānti’s Sūtrasamuccayabhāṣya establishes that the teaching of there being only a single yāna ultimately is of definitive meaning. In this context, he says that the tathāgata heart is only temporarily obscured by adventitious stains and quotes a verse by the Buddha also found in RGVV, Nāgārjuna’s Dharmadhātustava, and Uttaratantra I.28. Ratnākaraśānti concludes that the tathāgata heart is the single disposition that serves as the basis for there being just a single yāna.

Since the dharmadhātu has the meaning of gotra, they are inseparable. Therefore, since all [beings] possess tathāgatagarbha, its fruition is just a single yāna. However, since it was taught as various yānas in the form of progressive means of realization and [since] this gotra does not appear due to [being obscured by] afflictions and so on, temporarily, [the Buddha] spoke of five gotras. For, he said:
Just as within stony debris
Pure gold does not appear,
And then appears through being purified,
The sugata is said [to appear] in the world.[1]

Also noble Nāgārjuna says [in his Dharmadhātustava]:

In a pregnant woman’s womb,
A child exists but is not seen.
Just so, dharmadhātu is not seen,
When it’s covered by afflictions.[2]

Likewise, noble Maitreya states [in his Uttaratantra]:

Because the illuminating dharmadhātu radiates,
There is no difference in suchness,
And the actuality of the disposition appears,
All [sentient beings] possess the sugata heart.[3]
Therefore, just as [described in] the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra, though [tathāgatagarbha] is ensnared by afflictions, when the conditions for [its] awakening have formed, all [yānas] are simply a single yāna.[4]

Note that Ratnākaraśānti’s version of Uttaratantra I.28 contains interesting variant readings, especially in lines a and c. Either Ratnākaraśānti paraphrased I.28 in this way himself (or quoted it so from memory) or he used a different manuscript of the Uttaratantra.[5]

Ngog Lotsāwa[edit]

Ngog Lotsāwa’s Synopsis of the “Uttaratantra”[6] first elaborates on the example of the huge scroll the size of an entire trichiliocosm that is encapsulated in a single minute particle. Here, the buddha wisdom that exists in the mind streams of sentient beings is the dharmadhātu. This dharmadhātu is wisdom in the sense that the prajñā of buddhas knows, in a single moment, all phenomena to lack characteristics. Therefore, this prajñā is inseparable from what it knows. Thus, the ultimate, this very dharmadhātu, is the wisdom that is aware of this dharmadhātu. Since said dharmadhātu abides in all sentient beings in a complete manner, the example and its meaning are very much justified. When the obscurations have subsided, no characteristics whatsoever are seen, and this very nonseeing is the seeing of true reality. The wisdom of nothing to be seen is nothing but suchness itself. Therefore, it is in this sense justified (that dharmadhātu and wisdom are one).

As for the intention of lines I.28ac, Ngog says that sentient beings possess the tathāgata heart because they (a) possess the fruitional, (b) the natural, and (c) the causal tathāgata heart. (a) The perfect buddhakāya is pure suchness, and its radiating refers to sentient beings’ being pervaded by it. It pervades them because it is suitable to be attained by all sentient beings. From this perspective, the “tathāgata” (in “tathāgata heart”) refers to the actual tathāgata, while it is only in a nominal sense that sentient beings possess the heart of this tathāgata. For those who have the fortune to attain this tathāgatahood are labeled as being pervaded by it. (b) In terms of suchness, both “tathāgata” and sentient beings who possess the tathāgata heart are taken to be the actual suchness. For even when suchness, which is naturally devoid of stains, is associated with adventitious obscurations, it is the nature of a buddha and it definitely abides in the mind streams of sentient beings. (c) In terms of the disposition, “tathāgata” is understood in a nominal sense because the causes for attaining the state of pure suchness—the latent tendencies of virtue that consist of the seeds of prajñā and compassion—are the causes of a tathāgata, whereas it is precisely the disposition that is “the heart of sentient beings.”

Marpa Dopa and Parahitabhadra (as represented in CMW)[edit]

CMW’s2723 explanation of I.28 starts by saying that the Uttaratantra is the treatise that determines the meaning of the sūtras of definitive meaning. Therefore, in order to determine the intended meaning of the statement in the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra that "All sentient beings possess the tathāgata heart," first, the comments on the intention of the scriptures of the Tathāgata about the basic element are explained in I.28. Next, CMW indicates that its comments on this verse are based on the purport of verses I.144/147–52/155, which match the dharmakāya, suchness, and the disposition with the nine examples. This is followed by the explanation of the actual words of I.28:

The basic element has three phases—the phase of its being pure, the phase of its being both pure and impure, and the phase of its being impure. The phrase "Since the perfect buddhakāya radiates" refers to the phase of its being pure. [In it,] "kāya" [means] the dharmakāya, which [actually] refers to all three kāyas. "Through what does one know that?" Maitreya himself says [below]:

The dharmakāya is to be known as twofold—
The utterly stainless dharmadhātu
And its natural outflow (teaching
The principles of profundity and diversity).2724

"Radiates" [means] that these three kāyas pervade all sentient beings. "How do they pervade them?" In order to purify the basic element of sentient beings for as long as saṃsāra is not empty, with the dharmakāya’s functioning as the support, the sambhogakāya promotes the welfare [of sentient beings] through pervading the pure retinues who dwell on the bhūmis, and the three [kinds of] nirmāṇakāya perform the welfare [of sentient beings] through pervading the impure retinues. Therefore, the basis to be purified—the [tathāgata] heart or basic element—exists in [all] sentient beings. "Why?" If the basis to be purified—the basic element—did not exist [in sentient beings], their being pervaded by the three kāyas would be pointless. Having that in mind, [Maitreya] says, "All beings always possess the buddha heart."2725 Such is not only explained in the Uttaratantra alone, but the 'Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra' states:

Just as space is asserted to be always omnipresent,
This is held to be always omnipresent.
Just as space is omnipresent in the hosts of forms,
It is omnipresent in the hosts of sentient beings.2726

The phrase, "since suchness is undifferentiable" refers to the phase of the basic element’s being both pure and impure—the naturally pure suchness of buddhas and sentient beings is without any difference. This is declared in the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra [as follows]:

Though it is without difference in everything,
Suchness having become pure
Is the Tathāgata. Therefore,
All beings possess its heart.2727

[The phrase] "since the disposition exists" refers to the phase of the basic element’s being impure—since the disposition of a tathāgata exists in all sentient beings, it abides as what is suitable to give rise to the dharmakāya. Exactly this is explained [in the Uttaratantra] below:

It is held that the three buddhakāyas
Are obtained from these two dispositions—
The first kāya, by virtue of the first one,
And the latter two, by virtue of the second one.2728

The following paragraph represents CMW’s comments on the nature of the basic element as explained in Uttaratantra I.30–31. However, since this paragraph again takes up the three reasons in I.28 and further elaborates on them through connecting them with I.30–31, it is presented here too.

In terms of the particular [characteristics of the nature of the basic element], during the phase of the basic element’s being pure, the dharmakāya radiates into all sentient beings, thus possessing the power to accomplish the goals that sentient beings think about. Therefore, it is similar to a precious gem. During the phase of the basic element’s being both pure and impure, the suchness of buddhas and sentient beings is undifferentiable. Therefore, it is similar to space. During the phase of the basic element’s being impure, the mahāyāna disposition exists in all sentient beings. Therefore, it is similar to water since it moistens the mind streams [of beings] by way of compassion. In terms of its general characteristic, in analogy with these three examples [of a jewel, space, and water] being pure by nature, their meaning refers to the basic element’s being pure by nature.2729

Later,2730 CMW’s comments on I.144/147–52/155 explicitly correlate verses I.145/148–147/150 with line I.28a; verse I.148/151, with I.28b; and verses I.149/152–152/155, with I.28c. In particular, the dharmakāya consists of the actual stainless dharmakāya (suchness endowed with twofold purity) and its natural outflow—the two rūpakāyas. Due to explaining the mahāyāna dharma, the rūpakāyas serve as the concordant cause for others attaining the dharmakāya through studying, reflecting, and meditating on this dharma. Furthermore, since the rūpakāyas represent the result that is concordant with the cause that is the dharmakāya, the dharmakāya itself is also their concordant cause. In terms of ultimate reality, the rūpakāyas teach the profundity of emptiness to bodhisattvas (ultimately, this represents the sambhogakāya). In terms of seeming reality, they explain the diversity of the three yānas (ultimately, this represents the nirmāṇakāya).

Suchness is compared to three attributes of gold—its being pure by nature, its color being changeless, and its being suitable to be made into ornaments (suggesting that, though suchness is undifferentiable in buddhas and sentient beings, it can eventually manifest as all kinds of precious qualities of realization and relinquishment).

As for the disposition, verse I.149/152 is said to describe its essence in terms of the naturally abiding and the unfolding disposition. Just as a treasure exists since the beginning of the world and is not created by humans, the naturally abiding disposition exists since beginningless time and is not created by the efforts of people. Just as a tree grows through water, manure, and so on, the unfolding disposition represents the arising of proper mental engagement such as studying. Verses I.150/153–152/155 present the power or capacity of the disposition. Just as a precious statue is not produced now and all kinds of desired things arise if it is supplicated, the dharmakāya is unproduced by causes and conditions and is a treasure of qualities such as the powers. Just like a prince, the sambhogakāya enjoys the mahāyāna dharma like a kingdom. Just as a golden statue is not an actual body but an image of a body, the nirmāṇakāya arises as an image in samādhi.

This is followed by a discussion of the ālaya and its relation to the disposition,2731 which is primarily based on the first chapter of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha and its commentary Vivṛtagūḍhārthapiṇḍavyākhyā. Being phrased throughout in classical Yogācāra diction, this section is a clear example of an early Tibetan commentary that based on the position of the Indian master Parahitabhadra, explicitly combines the Yogācāra teachings with those on buddha nature, which is exactly what later Tibetans such as the Third Karmapa and virtually all Shentongpas did in great detail. In particular, CMW quotes Parahitabhadra as saying that the ālaya and the disposition are the same—the naturally abiding ālaya’s being the same as the naturally abiding disposition and the adventitious ālaya’s being the same as the unfolding disposition. The ālaya is the foundation of both contaminated seeds and the uncontaminated seeds of the supramundane mind, which coexist like a mix of water and milk. However, the uncontaminated seeds do not exist substantially, are not able to produce manifest uncontaminated results yet, and are not the primary seeds in the ālaya, while the seeds of afflicted phenomena have the opposite characteristics. Therefore, the Mahāyānasaṃgraha refers to the ālaya as the support of afflicted phenomena alone. As for the coexistence of both uncontaminated and contaminated seeds in the naturally abiding disposition or ālaya, until one focuses on this ālaya through the remedial path, the seeds of afflicted phenomena exist in it as adventitious stains. However, once one focuses on this ālaya through the path, the adventitious stains become purified.

Furthermore, CMW’s introduction2732 elaborates on "the three natures" that are used in the three reasons in I.28: (1) the stainless dharmakāya, (2) changeless suchness, and (3) the disposition endowed with qualities. The text also provides instructions on how to work with these three in meditation. First, CMW describes the stainless dharmakāya as follows:

The stainless dharmadhātu of one’s own mind, by its very essence beyond [ordinary states of] mind and inconceivable by thoughts, is the instruction beyond expression on the definitive meaning, that is, the profound that is of one taste. Though this mind—the nature of phenomena free from speech, thought, and expression—is expressed by all kinds of yānas [in different ways], regard it as the definitive meaning of the heart of the matter, luminous mind as such. There are three guiding instructions about this dharmakāya. First, the mind appearing as all kinds of thoughts is the means. This being free from identification is prajñā. Mind’s appearing but being without nature, lucid yet without clinging, is the nondual path. This is [how to] rest in the dharmakāya first. In between, if thoughts arise, their being examined by prajñā is the indication of profundity. In the end, letting them be as lucid wisdom in an uncontrived manner is the indication of guidance through means.

Next, the text explains suchness’s not changing through thoughts in three parts:

(a) With regard to guidance through examples, as the example for [suchness’s] being changeless, consider the sky—no matter how much dust and smoke may arise [in it], the sky is not tainted. Thoughts are like this example. As the example for [suchness’s] being untainted, consider gold—gold is not tainted by a film and stains [on it], which are like thoughts. As the example for [suchness’s] being pure, consider water—if water is not muddied, [this resembles suchness’s] not being muddied by thoughts.

(b) Guidance through the meaning is sixfold. (1) At the time of being a sentient being, the true nature of the mind—suchness—does not change into the stains in its essence, no matter which afflictions and thoughts may arise. If suchness became the stains of thoughts, one would not become a buddha. (2) At the time of being a buddha, [suchness] does not change into qualities—there is no enhancement in the essence of the dharmakāya, which is self-arisen wisdom. If there were, one would not become a buddha through the path. (3)–(4) The stainless true nature of the mind is not tainted by flaws at the time of being a sentient being, nor is it tainted by qualities at the time of being a buddha. [As the Uttaratantra says:]

There is nothing to be removed in this
And not the slightest to be added.2733

[And:]

Similarly, with the treasure of jewels lodged within the mind,
Whose true nature is stainless and without anything to be added or to be removed,
Not being realized, all these beings continuously experience
The suffering of being destitute in many ways.2734


(5) Sentient beings are the adventitious flaws of thoughts. Therefore, one familiarizes with them as being nonentities. (6) Buddhahood is one’s own mind’s being stainless of these adventitious stains of thoughts. [Thus,] one familiarizes with this luminosity of one’s own mind.
(c) You may wonder, "How does one familiarize [with this]?" [One does so through] the three inconceivable [ways of] taking these very [guiding instructions] as the path. (1) At the time of being a sentient being, suchness is naturally pure and the essence of the mind is real as self-arisen wisdom. Through [mind’s] not recognizing its own face, the stains of thoughts arise, which is inconceivable. What one makes a living experience is thoughts being pointed out to be unidentifiable. (2) At the time of being a buddha, naturally stainless mind is real as self-arisen wisdom. Through [mind’s] recognizing its own face, it is free from the adventitious stains of thoughts, which is inconceivable purity. One makes this certainty about natural luminosity a living experience. (3) The [tathāgata] heart—the dharmakāya, self-arisen wisdom—is without distinction in buddhas and sentient beings. Its essence—alpha-pure ultimate luminosity—is the inconceivable nature. The temporary lack of realizing the true nature of the mind is its inconceivable appearance as all kinds of thoughts and flaws for sentient beings. The realization of the true nature of the mind is its inconceivable appearance as the kāyas and wisdoms for buddhas. [Thus,] natural luminosity is to be resolved through the view, temporarily to be made a living experience through familiarization, and thereafter one should train in compassion and bodhicitta.

Finally, the disposition endowed with qualities is discussed in five parts:

(a) The luminosity of one’s own mind is the disposition for the dharmakāya. Since it abides primordially and by nature as buddhahood, it is not that something nonexistent is accomplished. There is not the slightest buddhahood to be added apart from the realization of one’s own mind. (b) To realize thoughts as being adventitious is the sambhogakāya. (c) The arising of compassion for those who do not realize this is the nirmāṇakāya. (d) By virtue of the wisdom of realizing the two rūpakāyas, which is the supreme accomplished disposition, [luminosity] is free from the stains of thoughts—the buddhahood that is the dawn of realization is unceasing. Through realizing one’s own mind, there is not the slightest to be removed because there is no sentient being to be relinquished apart from [mind’s] playing as thoughts without a basis. (e) [The Uttaratantra says]:

It is held that the three kāyas are attained
By virtue of these two dispositions—2735
Therefore, through that, at the time of recognizing one’s own mind as the inseparability of the expanse and wisdom, the following kind of experience arises. Since one’s own mind’s being unidentifiable (the expanse) and its being lucid and unceasing (wisdom) are inseparable, the characteristics [of mind’s nature] are beyond [ordinary states of] mind. Therefore, without thoughts and clinging, [all] that appears and exists dawns as the essence of the three kāyas. This has three parts. (1) The nature of the mind is the dharmakāya—the essence of the minds of all sentient beings in the three realms is real as luminosity. (2) The arising of one’s own realization of this actuality through instructions and familiarization is the sambhogakāya. Through that, though [this luminosity] itself may arise as all kinds of thoughts, one realizes that their essence lacks a root. (3) The arising of compassion without deliberately familiarizing with apprehending the conceptual cognitions of mind to be independent real entities is the nirmāṇakāya. Through various means, this is what arises in the mind stream [as] the bodhicitta that is associated with the thoughts of sentient beings. Those are [the ways of] bringing the naturally luminous [tathāgata] heart onto the path to buddhahood.

Gampopa[edit]

In its section on buddha nature as the fundamental cause for the entire path and its fruition, Gampopa’s Ornament of Precious Liberation2736 quotes Uttaratantra I.28 to support its explanation about the three reasons why all sentient beings possess the tathāgata heart. (1) The first reason is that the dharmakāya—emptiness—pervades all sentient beings, which means that buddhahood is the dharmakāya, the dharmakāya is emptiness, and emptiness pervades all sentient beings. (2) The second reason is that the nature of phenomena—suchness—is undifferentiable, that is, the suchness of buddhas and the suchness of sentient beings cannot be differentiated in terms of being better and worse, bigger and smaller, or higher and lower, respectively. (3) The third reason is that the disposition exists in all sentient beings, that is, beings have five kinds of buddha disposition: (a) the cut-off disposition, (b) the uncertain disposition, (c) the śrāvaka disposition, (d) the pratyekabuddha disposition, and (e) the mahāyāna disposition.

(a) According to Asaṅga, those with the cut-off disposition are those who have the six characteristics of not feeling the slightest weariness even when seeing the flaws of saṃsāra, not feeling the slightest faith even when hearing about the qualities of the Buddha, not feeling the slightest regret about excessively engaging in wrongdoings, and not having the slightest shame, embarrassment, and compassion. Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra III.11 says:

Some are solely devoted to wrongdoing,
Some have completely destroyed the immaculate dharmas,
Some lack the virtue conducive to liberation,
Some have inferior immaculate [dharmas], and [some] lack the cause.2737

When the Buddha spoke about beings with the "cut-off disposition," he had in mind that they remain in saṃsāra for a very long time but not that they will absolutely never attain buddhahood—if they make efforts, they too will attain it. Thus, the Mahākaruṇāpuṇḍarīkasūtra says:

Ānanda, even if a sentient being who has no karmic fortune to pass into nirvāṇa does as little as tossing up a flower into space by focusing on the Buddha, the result of this root of virtue will be the result that is nirvāṇa. I say that [this being] will reach the culmination of nirvāṇa and the end of nirvāṇa.2738

(b) The uncertain disposition depends on conditions. For example, it turns into the śrāvaka disposition upon relying on a spiritual friend who is a śrāvaka, associating with companions who are śrāvakas, or seeing the scriptures of the śrāvakas. The same goes for the conditions that make the uncertain disposition turn into the pratyekabuddha disposition or the mahāyāna disposition.

(c) The characteristics of the śrāvaka disposition consist of being afraid of saṃsāra after having seen its flaws, having confidence in nirvāṇa, and possessing little compassion (that is, not being very interested in the welfare of beings).

(d) The characteristics of the pratyekabuddha disposition consist of the three of the śrāvaka disposition as well as being very proud, keeping one’s master secret, and liking to be in solitude.

(e) The mahāyāna disposition is classified as twofold—the naturally abiding disposition and the accomplished disposition. The nature of the naturally abiding disposition is the capacity of generating the buddha qualities that is of beginningless time and obtained by virtue of the nature of phenomena. The nature of the accomplished disposition is the capacity of generating the buddha qualities that is obtained by having familiarized with roots of virtue before. The synonyms for the mahāyāna disposition are "seed," "basic element," and "nature." It is superior to the dispositions of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas because the latter reach their level of complete purity through having purified just the afflictive obscurations, whereas the mahāyāna disposition reaches its level of complete purity through having purified both obscurations.

The mahāyāna disposition can be either awakened (that is, its signs being observable) or unawakened. The four adverse conditions for its awakening are being born in states lacking leisure (such as in the lower realms or as long-living gods), being heedless, engaging in wrong ways, and possessing the flaws of the obscurations. The favorable conditions for its awakening are the outer condition of being taught the genuine dharma by others and the inner condition that consists of proper mental engagement, striving for roots of virtue, and so on. According to the Daśadharmakasūtra, the signs of the bodhisattva disposition are that, without relying on a remedy, one’s body and speech are naturally gentle, one’s mind has little deceit and hypocrisy, and one is loving and open toward all sentient beings. According to Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra III.5, the signs are that whatever bodhisattvas do is preceded by their compassion for sentient beings, they have faith in the mahāyāna dharma, they endure all hardships without second thought, and they engage in the roots of virtue that have the nature of the pāramitās.

Among these five dispositions, the existence of the mahāyāna disposition is the proximate cause of buddhahood. Since the dispositions of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas also lead to the attainment of buddhahood in the end, they are the distant causes of buddhahood. Within the uncertain disposition, there are some that are a proximate cause and some that are a distant cause. Since the cut-off disposition only refers to a long time before attaining buddhahood but not to absolutely never attaining buddhahood, it is the very distant cause of buddhahood.

The examples for the existence of the disposition for buddhahood in all sentient beings include being like silver in silver ore, sesame oil in sesame seeds, and butter in milk. Thus, just as silver can be manifested in silver ore, oil in seeds, and butter in milk, buddhahood can be manifested in sentient beings.

Rinchen Yeshé[edit]

Rinchen Yeshé’s commentary on the Uttaratantra2739 begins by repeating what RGVV says on I.28 and then elaborates on the meaning of the first three lines of this verse. As for the meaning of the dharmakāya of a tathāgata pervading all sentient beings, the naturally pure dharmakāya pervades all sentient beings. The dharmakāya that is also pure of all adventitious stains pervades all sentient beings as being suitable to be attained. Or, the phrase, "the perfect buddhakāya" refers to being pervaded by all three kāyas. To support this, Rinchen Yeshé first quotes Uttaratantra I.144 and RGVV on I.146–47. As for the manner of the three kāyas’ pervading sentient beings, he says that they exist in beings as being suitable to be attained as the manifest three kāyas. Or, in order to purify the basic element of sentient beings for as long as saṃsāra is not empty, the dharmakāya functions as the support for that, while the sambhogakāya promotes the welfare of pure retinues by pervading them, and the nirmāṇakāya promotes the welfare of impure retinues by pervading them. Therefore, the basis to be purified by these three kāyas—the basic element that is the tathāgata heart—exists in sentient beings. If this basis to be purified did not exist in beings, the promotion of their welfare through the three kāyas would be pointless.2740

As for the meaning of suchness’s being undifferentiable, since its nature never changes into anything else, it is suchness. It exists in all sentient beings and buddhas in an undifferentiable manner. As Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra IX.37 says:

Though it is without difference in everything,
Suchness’s having become pure
Is the Tathāgata. Therefore,
All beings possess its heart.

Also the prajñāpāramitā sūtras say:

The suchness of the world, the suchness of arhats,
The suchness of pratyekabuddhas, and the suchness of the victors—
As just a single suchness, free from being and never other,
Has prajñāpāramitā been realized by the Tathāgata.2741

And:

The element of space in the eastern direction, in the southern direction,
Likewise in the western direction and the northern direction is boundless.
Existing above, below, in the ten directions, and in as many as there are,
There is no difference and there is no distinction.
The suchness of the past, the suchness of the future,
Likewise the suchness of the present, the suchness of arhats,
The suchness of all phenomena, and the suchness of the victors—
All this is the suchness of dharma, and there is no distinction.2742

As for the meaning of the disposition’s existing in sentient beings, the disposition of the manifest three kāyas’ being suitable to be attained, if this disposition is purified, exists in all sentient beings. Therefore, one should understand that all beings possess the buddha heart.2743

Butön Rinchen Drub[edit]

In his Ornament That Illuminates and Beautifies the Tathāgata Heart,2744 Butön says that the teachings on tathāgatagarbha are of expedient meaning. He supports this by lengthy quotes from the Ghanavyūhasūtra, the Laṅkāvatārasūtra, the Śrīmālādevīsūtra, and the Aṅgulimālīyasūtra. Butön also adduces the typical three criteria that are considered to determine a teaching as being of expedient meaning: (1) its basis of intention (dugongs gzhi), (2) its purpose (dogs pa), and (3) the logical invalidation of the explicit statement (dngos la gnod byed).

(1) The general basis of intention of the teachings on buddha nature is the ālaya-consciousness, which refers to the sheer cause of buddhahood. In particular, Maitreya in his Uttaratantra had a threefold basis of intention in mind: (a) the dharmakāya, (b) suchness, and (c) the disposition.

(2) The purpose of teaching tathāgatagarbha lies in the indirect intention (ldem por dgongs pa) of its being the remedy that eliminates the five flaws described in Uttaratantra I.157–67.2745 In addition, Butön adduces Uttaratantra I.28, showing that the statement "all beings contain the buddha heart" was taught for three reasons. Following RGVV, Butön matches these three reasons with the nine examples in Uttaratantra I.144–52. However, his explanation of these three consists mainly of extensive quotes from the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, the Avatamsakasūtra, and the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra.

(a) As for the dharmakāya, Butön cites the Avataṃsakasūtra as saying that the dharmakāya pervades all sentient beings, all phenomena, and all realms, just as formless space does. According to Butön, this was said with the intention that the dharmakāya is not attained right now, but will be attained later. Citing the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, he also refutes the notion that buddhahood dwells within due to the dharmakāya’s pervading everything and thus dwelling within sentient beings.

(b) As for suchness’s being undifferentiable, Butön says that the basic nature of all sentient beings—natural luminosity, which does not change into anything else—is the suchness of mind. It exists in buddhas and sentient beings without difference. Once that suchness—natural luminosity—has become pure of all adventitious stains without exception, it is buddhahood. Since this suchness also exists in sentient beings without difference, its complete purification of all stains will be attained later if they have cultivated the path. Therefore, the statement that suchness is undifferentiable is also made with the intention of referring to another time.

(c) As for all sentient beings’ possessing the disposition, the disposition is what gives rise to the three kāyas of a buddha. Since the tathāgatadhātu exists in all sentient beings, it is taught that they possess the tathāgata heart. Quoting Uttaratantra I.27, Butön says that since the teaching on the disposition is a case of labeling the cause with the name of the result, it likewise bears the intention of referring to another time. Also the example of the big scroll in the Avataṃsakasūtra was given with such an intention. Butön quotes that sūtra as saying that, due to being uninterrupted from the birth of all buddhas up through their entering parinirvāṇa, the buddhas fill up the entire dharmadhātu, and the seeing of all the diverse births of buddhas represents the eighth expertise in explanations with an intention. According to Butön, this passage refers again to the above threefold basis of intention (dharmakāya, suchness, and disposition), because it bears the intention of the seeds of all dharmas (chos) that are the buddha qualities existing in a complete manner and their true nature (chos nyid)— suchness—existing without difference before and after. According to the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, the nature of a buddha exists in all sentient beings because the seeds of buddhahood exist in them.

(3) Finally, Butön says that all this also establishes the invalidation of what the teachings on buddha nature say explicitly. In addition, he quotes the well-known passage from the Śrīmālādevīsūtra:

The tathāgata heart is empty of all cocoons of afflictions that are separable [from it] and [can] be known to be divisible [from it]. It is not empty of the inconceivable buddha qualities that are inseparable [from it], [can]not be known to be divisible [from it], and far surpass the sand grains in the river Gaṅgā [in number].2746

However, Butön gives a very peculiar interpretation of the phrase "empty of . . . [can] be known" (she's pa rnams kyis stong pa), taking it to mean "empty of knowing" (she's pas stong pa) and concluding that this phrase explains the tathāgata heart as lacking wisdom. Therefore, he says, it also lacks all the qualities that are contained in this wisdom, because these two (wisdom and qualities) must be produced by the two immeasurable accumulations of wisdom and merit, respectively.

Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen[edit]

Dölpopa’s commentary on the Uttaratantra2747 explains I.28 as the manner in which the dharmadhātu pervades everything. Since the dharmakāya of the perfect buddhas radiates toward and pervades all phenomena, since suchness—the nature of all phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—is undifferentiable, and because the disposition of the tathāgatas—the naturally pure dharmadhātu—exists in all sentient beings as being suitable to be purified from its obscurations, all beings always possess the ultimate buddha heart since the very beginning in an uninterrupted manner.2748

Gyaltsab Darma Rinchen[edit]

In his commentary on the Uttaratantra,2749 the Gelugpa scholar Gyaltsab Darma Rinchen says that the tathāgata heart is explained by way of the result that is a tathāgata, the nature of a tathāgata, and the cause of a tathāgata. However, it is not that mere suchness and the dharmakāya of perfect buddhas are taken as instances of the tathāgata heart because the Uttaratantra and Asaṅga’s commentary explain the latter as pertaining solely to the phase of sentient beings and the phase of the cause. As for identifying the three instances of the tathāgata heart in Uttaratantra I.28, the result of having cultivated the path that purifies the basic element— the enlightened activity of the dharmakāya of perfect buddhas—radiates toward and pervades all sentient beings.2750 Beings are explained to possess the tathāgata heart because they have this very factor of being suitable for enlightened activity to engage them, which is associated with them as the special phenomenon that exists solely in the mind streams of sentient beings. This is similar to Abhisamayālaṃkāra VIII.11ab:

By virtue of the vastness of activity like that,
Buddhahood is described as "all-pervading."

Though suchness naturally devoid of stains is the nature of both sentient beings and buddhas, by taking its being the nature of buddhas as a reason, it refers to the tathāgata heart at the time when it is associated with the stains of the mind streams of sentient beings. It is said that all sentient beings possess the tathāgata heart with the intention that suchness with stains—the very suchness that is naturally devoid of the stains of the mind streams of sentient beings—exists in all beings. The same is also said with the intention that all beings possess the buddha disposition during the phase of the cause that makes them attain the three kāyas. Though there is also the naturally abiding disposition, when it is explained that beings possess the tathāgata heart through taking the existence of the disposition as a reason, this must be explained from the perspective of the cause of a tathāgata. When the same is explained through taking the existence of suchness as a reason, it must be explained from the perspective of the nature of a tathāgata.

Therefore, one should understand that the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra, the Uttaratantra, and Asaṅga’s commentary (RGVV) excellently determine the tathāgata heart as being all of the following three—the capacity in sentient beings’ mind streams of their being suitable for enlightened activity to engage them, the suchness with stains in the mind streams of sentient beings, and the buddha disposition in the mind streams of beings that is suitable to change state into the three kāyas. Without realizing these meanings, to assert even the ultimate dharmakāya as the tathāgata heart through dividing the latter into the triad of the resultant, the natural, and the causal tathāgata heart is a presentation that may amaze the ignorant, but it is not the meaning of the Uttaratantra and Asaṅga’s commentary.

Rongtön Shéja Günsi[edit]

According to Rongtön Shéja Günsi’s commentary on the Uttaratantra,2751 all sentient beings are said to possess the tathāgata heart because the dharmakāya of perfect buddhas radiates, because they possess the suchness that is undifferentiable from the aspect of the natural purity of the suchness of the dharmakāya, and because they have the disposition for the dharmakāya—the capacity of the basic element.

After briefly reporting Ngog Lotsāwa’s above explanation of I.28 and quoting I.27, Rongtön presents the manner in which Uttaratantra I.144–52 and RGVV match the dharmakāya, suchness, and the disposition with the nine examples for buddha nature. He says that the meaning of the tathāgata-dharmakāya’s radiating in all sentient beings is that the dharmakāya of realization pervades all sentient beings, quoting RGVV:

These three examples of a buddha image, honey, and a kernel explain that all sentient beings possess the heart of a tathāgata in the sense of the tathāgata-dharmakāya’s pervading the entire realm of sentient beings without exception.2752

The citation of Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra IX.15 in RGVV is taken as being the reason for this. According to Rongtön, this means that the factor of natural purity—the cause for attaining the fundamental change of both the dharmakāya of realization and the dharmakāya of the teachings—pervades all sentient beings.

As for the meaning of suchness’s being undifferentiable, it is explained as "undifferentiable" because its being empty of any real nature pervades everything in terms of the ground and the fruition and everything internal and external. As for being pervaded by the disposition, this refers to the capacity of the mind that is to be awakened by conditions—the substantial cause of buddha wisdom. As Uttaratantra I.104c says:

So the uncontaminated wisdom in beings is like honey . . .

This explains the basic element to be purified, whose function is the function of the disposition—seeing the qualities of happiness and the flaws of suffering. Here, the assertion that the meaning of "the dharmakāya’s radiating" as being pervaded by enlightened activity is not justified because this contradicts the meaning of Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra IX.15, which is adduced as the reason for this. Therefore, there is no flaw of repetition either since natural purity is used in terms of its being contained within the mind stream, while suchness pervades everything internal and external. Suchness and natural purity exist in the manner of a quality and the bearer of this quality, respectively. As Uttaratantra I.164c says:

. . . the qualities, whose nature is pure.

The meaning of the suchness of a tathāgata’s being undifferentiable from all sentient beings is that the suchness of buddhas exists in all sentient beings in an undifferentiable manner. For RGVV says:

Thus, in the sense of suchness’s being undifferentiable, this one example of gold explains that the tathāgata—suchness—is the heart of all these sentient beings.2753

The citation of Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra IX.37 is taken as being the reason for this. Thus, the nature of phenomena—being empty of a nature—is without difference.

The meaning of the tathāgata disposition’s existing in all beings is that the disposition for giving rise to the three buddhakāyas exists in sentient beings. For RGVV says:

The remaining five examples of a treasure, a tree, a precious statue, a cakravartin, and a golden image explain that the tathāgata element is the heart of all these sentient beings in the sense that the disposition for the arising of the three kinds of buddhakāyas exists [in all beings].2754

The citation from the Abhidharmamahāyānasūtra is taken as being the reason for this.

Gö Lotsāwa[edit]

Gö Lotsāwa’s commentary2755 says that the explanation of the three points of the buddhakāya’s radiating and so on is based on the passage from the Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśaparivarta that is quoted at the beginning of RGVV as the source of the fourth vajra point. GC’s actual comments on I.27–28 state that the buddha wisdom that enters all sentient beings is expressed as "the tathāgata heart."2756 Though this buddha wisdom is the actual tathāgata, it is only the nominal heart of sentient beings because it is not contained in the mind streams of sentient beings. Also, the nature of the mind (suchness without adventitious stains) that exists in both buddhas and sentient beings without any difference is called "tathāgata heart." The suchness that exists in buddhas is the actual suchness and the suchness of sentient beings is buddhahood in a nominal sense. As for the buddha disposition, it is the factor in all sentient beings that represents the manner in which their skandhas and so on are similar to buddhahood. This disposition is also called "tathāgata heart" by metaphorically referring to it as its fruition, tathāgatahood. Among the Sanskrit synonyms of garbha, sāra represents a basis from which many dharmas radiate or emanate, thus referring to the dharmakāya. Hṛdaya has the sense of being crucial or something to be cherished, like the heart of a person. Thus, it refers to suchness because those who wish for liberation need to regard it as crucial or cherish it. Garbha itself means "seed" or "womb." Since it stands for something that is present in an enclosing sheath, it refers to the disposition. Maṇḍa means "something very firm" or "quintessence," as in calling the vajra seat in Bodhgāya bodhimaṇḍa or speaking of "the essence of butter."

Thus, sentient beings possess the tathāgata heart because they are pervaded by the perfect buddhakāya, because their suchness exists as being undifferentiable from buddhas, and because they have the buddha disposition. This can be proven by either one of these three reasons—that there are three is only for the sake of guiding different sentient beings. However, all they prove is only a convention (and not a fact), that is, they just explain the meaning of the statement, "All beings possess the tathāgata heart" in different words, but they do not prove the fact that all sentient beings possess it.

Furthermore, GC describes Ngog’s above division into resultant, natural, and causal tathāgata heart as being "very excellent" and further divides each one of these into their seeming and ultimate aspects.2757 The dharmakāya is twofold in terms of its qualities of freedom and maturation. The disposition is twofold as the naturally abiding and the accomplished dispositions. Suchness is not said to be divided in the Uttaratantra, but the teachings of the Buddha in general speak of the suchness of the ultimate and the suchness of the seeming. The division into three (dharmakāya, suchness, and disposition) is nothing but a division of the nature of the single suchness that is unchanging throughout all three phases. Thus, the three consist of nothing but suchness. At the end of its comments on the fourth vajra point, GC says that the entire chapter on the basic element is an explanation of nothing but the meaning of Uttaratantra I.28.2758 This meaning is comprehensively summarized in the ten points (such as nature and cause) through which the basic element is presented, while the verses on the nine examples are simply an elaboration on it.

Śākya Chogden[edit]

Śākya Chogden’s explanation of the Uttaratantra2759 criticizes Ngog Lotsāwa’s position on buddha nature, saying that it is not good that Ngog takes the emptiness of the mind with stains as the tathāgata heart because this tathāgata heart must be identified from the point of view of its qualities whereas its identification as sheer emptiness is not suitable. The identification of the tathāgata heart by later Tibetans as the naturally abiding disposition is not tenable either because the disposition has to be identified from the point of view of its being associated with stains, whereas the tathāgata heart needs to be identified from the point of view of there being no stains to be eliminated any more. Therefore, the actual tathāgata heart that is to be identified as what is taught by the Uttaratantra is the suchness that is naturally pure of all flaws and in which all the many qualities such as the ten powers are naturally and spontaneously present. Thus, the lines "since suchness is undifferentiable . . . all beings always contain the buddha heart" in Uttaratantra I.28 including their commentary and related sūtras are to be taken literally. However, the lines "since the perfect buddhakāya radiates . . . all beings always contain the buddha heart" are not to be taken literally. The line "because of the disposition" teaches the basis of intention; I.157 on the five flaws such as faintheartedness, the purpose; and I.84c "There is no nirvāṇa apart from buddhahood," the invalidation of the explicit statement. One may think then that it is strange that one and the same treatise gives the two contradictory explanations of the tathāgata heart’s pervading and not pervading sentient beings. However, Maitreya, by differentiating the identification of the tathāgata heart in terms of the two realities, has excellently explained the intention of the two ways in which the Buddha stated in distinct teachings that the tathāgata heart pervades and does not pervade all beings.

Thus, Śākya Chogden explicitly distinguishes the tathāgatagarbha as the resultant suchness free from all obscurations and endowed with all qualities from the disposition, which refers to obscured suchness as the cause. This is also what Tāranātha’s outline of twenty-one differences between Śākya Chogden and Dölpopa says about Śākya Chogden’s position:

The tathāgata heart does not exist in the mind streams of sentient beings. The natural luminosity of the minds of sentient beings is merely the cause and the basic element of the tathāgata heart. Therefore, though the causal tathāgata heart or the tathāgata heart that is the basic element exists in all sentient beings, this is not like the [actual tathāgata heart] that fulfills this definition. [Rather,] the tathāgata heart is buddha wisdom. . . . [Śākya Chogden] holds that [statements about] the [tathāgata] heart’s having the nature of its essence and its qualities being inseparable refer to the phase of the fruition alone. During the phase of the cause, there exists only the seed that is the capacity for the qualities being suitable to arise. . . . He holds that only a seed of the fruition exists inherently in the natural luminosity of the mind. Through cultivating the path, the increase [of this seed] is attained. Finally, the fruition arises in its manifest form.2760

Later in his text,2761 Śākya Chogden says that the tathāgata heart does not pervade all sentient beings. For Asaṅga explains that "inseparable qualities" belong only to the last phase among the three phases of impure sentient beings, partly pure bodhisattvas, and utterly pure buddhas. Also, the Uttaratantra ’s example of a king’s portrait (I.88–92) clearly says that the emptiness endowed with all supreme aspects does not exist in śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and so on. The example of the sun and its rays (I.93–94) states how the tathāgata heart inseparable from all its qualities does not exist until perfect buddhahood is made manifest. Let alone the tathāgata heart’s being realized by those with great desire, śrāvakas, and pratyekabuddhas, they are not even explained as supports for this tathāgata heart.

When the Uttaratantra explains the intention behind the statement that all sentient beings possess the buddha heart, it first distinguishes three bases of intention—the dharmakāya, suchness, and the disposition. The first one is the pure dharmadhātu without any adventitious stains, which is classified as twofold in terms of its natural outflow—the profound and vast teachings. Suchness is said to be nothing but the presentation of its nature. The disposition is twofold, being classified as the naturally abiding disposition and the unfolding disposition, with the latter consisting of the threefold capacity of giving rise to the three kāyas. Among these three bases of intention, the dharmakāya is the actual tathāgata heart, suchness is twofold in being and not being the tathāgata heart, and the disposition is a case of labeling the cause with the name of the result. The dharmakāya of perfect buddhahood entails pervading or radiating toward all sentient beings. Suchness pertains to all phenomena, but the disposition is a phenomena solely in sentient beings. Suchness is threefold in terms of existing in the four kinds of persons—buddhas, noble bodhisattvas, those of great desire, and tīrthikas. In buddhas, it is the perfect dharmakāya; in noble bodhisattvas, a mere fraction of the dharmakāya; and in the others, not even a fraction of the dharmakāya. Therefore, it is not suitable as the disposition. In other words, all noble ones of the mahāyāna (buddhas and bodhisattvas) possess the tathāgata heart, but all sentient beings other than those are only labeled as possessing the tathāgata heart because suchness and the disposition exist in them.

This means that the statement "all beings possess the buddha heart" is made in terms of a basis of intention, a purpose, and an invalidation of the explicit statement. The basis of intention is suchness with stains; the purpose, to relinquish the five flaws; and the invalidation of the explicit statement according to the Uttaratantra itself is as follows. The dharmadhātu of those of great desire, tīrthikas, śrāvakas, and pratyekabuddhas is not the tathāgata heart because they fall into the views about a real personality and because their minds are distracted from emptiness. Also, the four obscurations that obscure the tathāgata heart (hostility toward the mahāyāna dharma, views about a self, fear of saṃsāra’s suffering, and indifference about the welfare of sentient beings) are relinquished by their four remedies (confidence in the mahāyāna dharma and cultivation of prajñāpāramitā, samādhis, and great compassion). Therefore, it is once the four remedies have arisen that the persons who are the supports of these remedies are said to possess the tathāgata heart.

Furthermore, the dharmadhātu of those four persons is not the tathāgata heart because it lacks the five points of nature, cause, fruition, function, and endowment explained in Uttaratantra I.30–44. The dharmadhātu of those persons lacks the point of being the nature of the tathāgata heart because it is not moistened by power and compassion. Also, the point of its being the cause of the tathāgata heart is incomplete because it lacks the four causes that purify the above four obscurations. It lacks the point of fruition because it lacks the remedies that are the opposites of the four kinds of mistakenness. The point of function is also incomplete because it is uncertain that the dharmadhātu of those persons possesses the functions that arise from the awakening of the power of the disposition through the conditions of the four wheels (relying on wise persons and so on). Otherwise, these functions (weariness of suffering and striving for nirvāṇa) would arise even in those with wrong craving. Likewise, the point of endowment is incomplete because the dharmadhātu of those persons is not endowed with the triad of the dharmakāya, the cause of buddha wisdom, and great compassion. Also, let alone the dharmadhātu of those four persons being inseparable from the qualities that consist of the five supernatural knowledges, wisdom, and the termination of contamination, not even a fraction of these qualities exists in that dharmadhātu. In brief, let alone saying that the tathāgata heart that is adorned with all the major and minor marks exists in all sentient beings, the Uttaratantra does not even state that the mere tathāgata heart exists in them because the basis of intention, the purpose, and the invalidation of the explicit statement "all sentient beings possess the buddha heart" are contained in the words of the Uttaratantra itself.

Though some Tibetans say that the Uttaratantra is a commentary in terms of the expedient meaning, there are no earlier commentaries that explain this treatise to be of expedient meaning. Among the two great system founders of the mahāyāna, Nāgārjuna says in his Dharmadhātustava that suchness exists in all sentient beings. He also explains through the example of the waxing moon’s gradually increasing that the dharmakāya exists and increases from the first bhūmi up through buddhahood.

In Asaṅga’s tradition, there is his actual system and the one that entails an intention. As for the first one, in his commentary on the Uttaratantra, he describes the manner of seeing the boundary lines of the tathāgata heart from the first bhūmi up through buddhahood through the example of the sun’s shining in a clouded and a cloud-free sky.2762 If suchness with stains were the actual tathāgata heart, this would contradict Uttaratantra I.154–55 ("There is nothing to be removed from this . . .") because these two verses teach the tathāgata heart that is the dharmakāya pure of all adventitious stains. When one sees a part of one’s own true nature pure of stains, one sees that all sentient beings are like that too. This seeing is called "seeing that all sentient beings possess the buddha heart," "realizing that the dharmadhātu is omnipresent," and "realizing variety" (ji snyed rtogs pa).

In the explanation of the system that entails an intended meaning, the sugata heart refers to sugatahood, which has the two aspects of (1) relinquishment and (2) realization. (1) Relinquishment is of two kinds—actual and concordant. The latter is twofold—the purification of the stains of the basic element through the four causes such as confidence in the mahāyāna dharma and the relinquishment of the afflictive stains through the prajñā of the lower yānas. The first one of these is the actual tathāgata heart while the latter is not even explained as the basis of intention of the tathāgata heart. Suchness with stains is said to be the basis of intention of the tathāgata heart from the point of view of its being suitable to become free from adventitious stains, but there is no clear explanation that it is the actual tathāgata heart. Once the power of the disposition is awakened through the four conditions’ having come together and certain parts of the stains of the basic element are eliminated through the four causes such as confidence in the mahāyāna dharma, this is presented as the actual tathāgata heart. (2) Realization is also of two kinds—actual and concordant. The latter is divided into being and not being specified through the four causes such as confidence in the mahāyāna dharma. The first one of these is further classified as being pure of stains as appropriate on the different levels of the path and not being pure of stains at all. Among these two, it is only the former that is explained as representing the dharmakāya and the sugata heart. Therefore, the buddha heart is divided into two aspects—conditioned and unconditioned—which are the seeming and the ultimate, respectively. It is its unconditioned aspect alone that is held to be what exists in all sentient beings. To say that the buddha heart is solely ultimate reality is the system of others but not the scriptural tradition of Maitreya.

Dümo Dashi Öser[edit]

Dümo Dashi Öser (fifteenth/sixteenth century) omits Uttaratantra I.27. On I.28, he comments that all beings possess the tathāgata heart since the dharmakāya of a perfect buddha radiates in all sentient beings (that is, the dharmakāya becomes manifest in them through their having familiarized with uncontrived mind as such), since the suchness of sentient beings and the suchness of buddhas is undifferentiable, and since the disposition (the seed of uncontaminated mind) exists in all sentient beings.

Mikyö Dorje, the 8th Karmapa[edit]

In his Lamp That Excellently Elucidates the System of the Proponents of Shentong Madhyamaka, the Eighth Karmapa provides lengthy explanations of the three reasons in Uttaratantra I.28.2763 However, in his commentary on the Abhisamayālaṃkāra, the Karmapa also presents a detailed refutation of these very reasons’ being able to prove the existence of buddha nature in sentient beings.2764

Padma Karpo[edit]

Padma Karpo2765 explains that "Since the perfect buddhakāya radiates" refers to the dharmakāya of the tathāgatas pervading the nonphysical basic elements of sentient beings because Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra IX.15cd says:

Just as space is omnipresent in the hosts of form,
It is omnipresent in the hosts of sentient beings.

"Since suchness is undifferentiable" indicates that, in all, suchness is not different, with tathāgatas having its pure nature too. "Because of the disposition" refers to the existence of the disposition that produces the three buddhakāyas. As for the disposition, it is a seed or a cause. As the Abhidharmamahāyānasūtra says:

The dhātu of beginningless time
Is the foundation of all phenomena.
Since it exists, all beings
And also nirvāṇa are obtained.

To speak about the definite disposition here is done with the intention that all sentient beings are suitable to eventually become buddhas.

The dharmakāya is the power to accomplish what one wishes for, suchness never changes into anything else, and the disposition means to be moistened through compassion. In this order, these three specific characteristics of the nature of the tathāgata heart accord with the examples of a jewel, gold, and water.

Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé[edit]

Lodrö Taye’s commentary on the Uttaratantra (which is basically a copy of Dölpopa’s commentary) briefly explains I.28 as follows:

Because the dharmakāya of perfect buddhas radiates toward and pervades all phenomena, because suchness—the true nature of the entirety of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa—is undifferentiable, and because the tathāgata disposition—the naturally pure dharmadhātu—exists in all sentient beings as being suitable to be purified from the obscurations, all beings possess the ultimate buddha heart in an uninterrupted manner at all times since beginningless [time]. As the Bhagavān said in the [Tathāgatagarbha]sūtra:

Sentient beings always have the tathāgata heart.2766

Here, in due order, the great Ngog Lotsāwa explains [the first three lines of I.28] as the fruitional, the natural, and the causal sugata heart. The first one—the dharmakāya—is the actual Tathāgata but the nominal heart of sentient beings. It pervades sentient beings because it is suitable to be attained by them.2767

The same author’s Guiding Instructions on the View of Great Shentong Madhyamaka comments on this verse in a very similar way under the heading of distinguishing well between existence, nonexistence, and so on, and pointing them out in accordance with the third turning of the wheel of dharma and the vajrayāna, once any suitable samādhi of calm abiding and superior insight has arisen. In this context, the verse is explained in connection with two famous stanzas from the Laṅkāvatārasūtra as follows:

By relying on mere mind,
One does not imagine outer objects.
By relying on nonappearance,
One should go beyond mere mind too.
By relying on the focal object of actual reality,
One must go beyond nonappearance.
If yogins rest in nonappearance,
They do not see the mahāyāna.2768


[Thus,] the realization that the mistakenness of the seeming is mere mind is scrutinized by the Madhyamaka without appearances. Going beyond even that, through the Madhyamaka with appearances, one must engage in the unmistaken way of being of true reality.


Here, you may wonder, "What is the focal object of actual reality?" Just as there are no four elements that are not pervaded by space, there are no knowable objects that are not pervaded by the dharmakāya of buddhas. Also, in the suchness of buddhas, oneself, and all sentient beings, there are no distinctions of good and bad, big and small, high and low, and so on. Furthermore, the naturally abiding disposition or the basic element that is able to produce the buddha attributes and has been obtained through the nature of phenomena since beginningless time exists in all living beings who consist of the life-force breath. Therefore, all sentient beings possess the tathāgata heart. In order to bring that to mind clearly, recite [Uttaratantra I.28]:

Since the perfect buddhakāya radiates,
Since suchness is undifferentiable,
And since the disposition exists,
All beings always possess the buddha heart.2769

Mipham Rinpoche[edit]

Dongag Tenpé Nyima[edit]

Surmang Padma Namgyal[edit]

Ngawang Kunga Wangchug[edit]

Thrangu Rinpoche[edit]

Etc Etc[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. 2717. RGVV (J6) adds that the Buddha uttered this verse while having the pure disposition and buddha nature (the tathāgatadhātu) in mind. (When the Clouds Part, Notes page 1217.)
  2. 2718. Verse 27. This corresponds to the eighth of the nine examples for buddha nature in the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra (D258, fols. 253b1–254a5) and Uttaratantra I.121–23. (When the Clouds Part, Notes page 1217.)
  3. 2719. I.28: chos dbyings snang byed ’od ’byung zhing / de bzhin nyid la tha dad med / rigs kyi don ni snang ba’i phyir / thams cad bde gshegs snying po can /. (When the Clouds Part, Notes page 1217.)
  4. 2720. D3935, fols. 296b.5–297a.2. (When the Clouds Part, Notes page 1217.)
  5. 2721. Given the significant differences in lines I.28ac and the well-known literalness of Tibetan translators, it seems rather unlikely that the translator here just produced a very free rendering of the Sanskrit as it is found in J and translated in DP. (When the Clouds Part, Notes page 1217.)
  6. 2722. Rngog lo tsā ba blo ldan shes rab 1993b, fols. 28b.4–29b.2. (When the Clouds Part, Notes page 1217.)

tathatā - Suchness itself, absolute reality, or thusness, as in the ultimate state of being of phenomena. Skt. तथता Tib. དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་

gotra - Disposition, lineage, or class; an individual's gotra determines the type of enlightenment one is destined to attain. Skt. गोत्र Tib. རིགས་ Ch. 鍾姓,種性

tathatā - Suchness itself, absolute reality, or thusness, as in the ultimate state of being of phenomena. Skt. तथता Tib. དེ་བཞིན་ཉིད་

gotra - Disposition, lineage, or class; an individual's gotra determines the type of enlightenment one is destined to attain. Skt. गोत्र Tib. རིགས་ Ch. 鍾姓,種性

gotra - Disposition, lineage, or class; an individual's gotra determines the type of enlightenment one is destined to attain. Skt. गोत्र Tib. རིགས་ Ch. 鍾姓,種性

Uttaratantra - The Ultimate Continuum, or Gyü Lama, is often used as a short title in the Tibetan tradition for the key source text of buddha-nature teachings called the Ratnagotravibhāga of Maitreya/Asaṅga, also known as the Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra. Skt. उत्तरतन्त्र Tib. རྒྱུད་བླ་མ་ Ch. 寶性論

These are the root verses of the Uttaratantra attributed to Maitreya by the Tibetan tradition.

gzhan stong - The state of being devoid of that which is wholly different rather than being void of its own nature. The term is generally used to refer to the ultimate, or buddha-nature, being empty of other phenomena such as adventitious defiling emotions but not empty of its true nature. Tib. གཞན་སྟོང་

dharmakāya - "Truth body" or "true being" — One of the three bodies of a buddha. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, it often refers to a kind of fundamental principle or the true nature of reality itself. Skt. धर्मकाय Tib. ཆོས་སྐུ་ Ch. 法身

dharmadhātu - The fundamental expanse from which all phenomena emerge. Skt. धर्मधातु Tib. ཆོས་དབྱིངས་ Ch. 法界

advaya - Literally, "without duality," it refers to that which is indivisible, in that it is not divided into two. Skt. अद्वय Tib. གཉིས་མེད་ Ch. 不二

nītārtha - Refers to a teaching that is literally true. Skt. नीतार्थ Tib. ངེས་དོན་

āgantukamala - Mental stains that are not inherent to the nature of the mind but are temporarily present as the residue of past actions or habitual tendencies. It is sometimes iterated as adventitious defilements (Skt. āgantukakleśa, Tib. glo bur gyi nyon mongs), which references the fickle and temporary nature of disturbing emotions that lack an ultimately established basis for existence. Skt. आगन्तुकमल Tib. གློ་བུར་གྱི་དྲི་མ་

Mahāyānottaratantraśāstravyākhyā - This is the title of Asaṅga's commentary to the Gyü Lama that is given by Tibetan sources instead of the Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā. Skt. महायानोत्तरतन्त्रशास्त्रव्याख्या Tib. ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ་རྒྱུད་བླ་མའི་བསྟན་བཅོས་རྣམ་པར་བཤད་པ།

According to the Tibetan tradition this is Asaṅga's commentary to the Uttaratantra.

RGVV - Ratnagotravibhāgavyākhyā

tathāgatagarbha - Buddha-nature, literally the "womb/essence of those who have gone (to suchness)." Skt. तथागतगर्भ Tib. དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ Ch. 如来藏

kleśa - Often referred to as poisons, these are a class of disturbing or disruptive emotional states that when aroused negatively affect or taint the mind. Skt. क्लेश Tib. ཉོན་མོངས་ Ch. 煩惱

sugatagarbha - Literally, the "essence" or "heart of the Bliss Gone One(s)," a synonym for tathāgatagarbha that is likewise often rendered into English by the term buddha-nature. Though it is often back translated into Sanskrit as sugatagarbha, this term is not found in Sanskrit sources. Skt. सुगतगर्भ Tib. བདེ་གཤེགས་སྙིང་པོ་

An important sūtra source for the Ratnagotravibhāga, particularly for its discussion of the nine examples that illustrate how all sentient beings possess buddha-nature.

prajñā - One of the key terms for wisdom or knowledge, most often having the sense of insight, transcendent knowledge, or perhaps gnosis. In some contexts it can also refer to cognition or intellectual understanding. Skt. प्रज्ञा Tib. ཤེས་རབ་ Ch. 般若

āvaraṇa - Literally, that which obscures or conceals. Often listed as a set of two obscurations (sgrib gnyis): the afflictive emotional obscurations (Skt. kleśāvaraṇa, Tib. nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa) and the cognitive obscurations (Skt. jñeyāvaraṇa, Tib. shes bya'i sgrib pa). By removing the first, one becomes free of suffering, and by removing the second, one becomes omniscient. Skt. आवरण Tib. སྒྲིབ་པ་

dhātu - A fundamental component or essential constituent. Skt. धातु Tib. ཁམས་ Ch. 界

bhūmi - A plateau of spiritual development. Skt. भूमि Tib. ས་

nirmāṇakāya - An fully enlightened Buddha is said to have the power to manifest in many forms in order to help the sentient beings. The emanation body of a buddha, as the third of the three bodies of a buddha, refers to the many forms in which a buddha can manifest and which are accessible to ordinary sentient beings. Buddhist scholars present four types of emanation bodies: emanation as supreme being, emanation as rebirth, emanation as artisan and emanation in diverse forms. Skt. निर्माणकाय Tib. སྤྲུལ་སྐུ། Ch. 化身

Mahāyāna - Mahāyāna, or the Great Vehicle, refers to the system of Buddhist thought and practice which developed around the beginning of Common Era, focusing on the pursuit of the state of full enlightenment of the Buddha through the realization of the wisdom of emptiness and the cultivation of compassion. Skt. महायान Tib. ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ། Ch. 大乘

paramārthasatya - "Ultimate truth" or "absolute truth"; the reality of things as they truly are. Skt. परमार्थसत्य Tib. དོན་དམ་བདེན་པ་ Ch. 第一義諦,眞諦

samudānītagotra - A potential or disposition that is acquired, accentuated, or developed through past karmic actions. Skt. समुदानीतगोत्र Tib. རྒྱས་འགྱུར་གྱི་རིགས་ Ch. 習所成種性

prakṛtisthagotra - The potential for awakening that is inherently present in all beings. Skt. प्रकृतिस्थगोत्र Tib. རང་བཞིན་གནས་རིགས་ Ch. 本性住種性

kun gzhi - Although it is commonly used as an abbreviation of ālayavijñāna (kun gzhi'i rnam shes), in later Tibetan traditions, particularly that of the Kagyu and the Nyingma, it came to denote an ultimate or pure basis of mind, as opposed to the ordinary, deluded consciousness represented by the ālayavijñāna. Alternatively, in the Jonang tradition, this pure version is referred to as ālaya-wisdom (kun gzhi'i ye shes). Skt. आलय Tib. ཀུན་གཞི་

Yogācāra - Along with Madhyamaka, it was one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Asaṅga and Vasubandhu around the fourth century CE, many of its central tenets have roots in the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra and the so-called third turning of the dharma wheel (see tridharmacakrapravartana). Skt. योगाचार Tib. རྣལ་འབྱོར་སྤྱོད་པ་ Ch. 瑜伽行派

trisvabhāva - According to the Yogācāra school, all phenomena can be divided into three natures or characteristics: the imaginary nature (parikalpitasvabhāva), the dependent nature (paratantrasvabhāva), and the perfect or absolute nature (pariniṣpannasvabhāva). Skt. त्रिस्वभाव Tib. རང་བཞིན་གསུམ་

prabhāsvaracitta - The luminous aspect of mind that is often contrasted with its empty aspect. It is often used figuratively to reference the cognizant, or knowing, aspect of mind and sometimes more literally as the natural luminosity of mind and luminous wisdom that is experienced in meditation. Skt. प्रभास्वरचित्त Tib. འོད་གསལ་གྱི་སེམས་ Ch. 光明心

prabhāsvaratā - In a general sense, that which clears away darkness, though it often appears in Buddhist literature in reference to the mind or its nature. It is a particularly salient feature of Tantric literature, especially in regard to the advanced meditation techniques of the completion-stage yogas. Skt. प्रभास्वर Tib. འོད་གསལ་ Ch. 光明

bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt. बोधिचित्त Tib. བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས། Ch. 菩提心

śūnyatā - The state of being empty of an innate nature due to a lack of independently existing characteristics. Skt. शून्यता Tib. སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ Ch. 空,空門

śrāvaka - The disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain individual liberation or nirvāṇa. The final goal of the Hearers is to become an arhat, a state in which one has totally eliminated the inner problems of attachment, hatred and ignorance, the main causes for rebirth in this cycle of existence. There are four stages of a śrāvaka path including eight phases. Skt. श्रावक Tib. ཉན་ཐོས། Ch. 聲聞

Pratyekabuddha - Pratyekabuddhas are saints who, in their last birth in the cycle of existence, are said to become enlightened through solitary practice on the nature of dependent ordination. These saints are said to appear when there is no buddha around and work either alone or in small groups. Skt. प्रत्येकबुद्ध Tib. རང་སངས་རྒྱས།,རང་རྒྱལ། Ch. 緣覺

bīja - A seed, commonly used figuratively in the sense of something which has the potential to develop or grow, and likewise as the basic cause for this development or growth. Skt. बीज Tib. ས་བོན་ Ch. 無漏種

Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt. बोधिसत्त्व Tib. བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch. 菩薩

Prajñāpāramitā - A class of Mahāyāna sūtras which represents some of the earliest known literature of this genre of Buddhism. There are around forty texts associated with this category, though the most widespread is the exceedingly brief Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra, popularly known as the Heart Sūtra. This class of literature is typically associated with the second turning of the dharma wheel and especially with the teachings on emptiness (śūnyatā). As such, these texts were the primary scriptural source for the philosophy of the Madhyamaka school. Skt. प्रज्ञापारमिता Tib. ཤེར་ཕྱིན་,ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ་ Ch. 般若波羅蜜多

neyārtha - Refers to something that is taught for a specific reason, rather than because it is entirely true. Skt. नेयार्थ Tib. དྲང་དོན་

Descent into Laṅka Sūtra, a very influential text in East Asia and Nepal.

One of the tathāgatagarbha sūtras.

gzhi - The foundational basis of both saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. It is often used as a synonym for tathāgatagarbha and dharmadhātu. Tib. གཞི་

ālayavijñāna - A neutral base consciousness that is posited as the storehouse for the seeds of past karmic actions in which they remain in a latent state until the circumstances arise for them to ripen as karmic consequences. Skt. आलयविज्ञान Tib. ཀུན་གཞིའི་རྣམ་ཤེས་ Ch. 藏識,阿賴耶識

"This sūtra became an important scriptural source for the discussion of buddha-nature in China and is famous for associating the term buddhadhātu with tathāgatagarbha.

sūtra - Sūtras mainly refer to the discourses delivered by the Buddha and his disciples, and the Sūtra corpus is one of the three main sets of teachings which form the Buddhist canon. Skt. सूत्र Tib. མདོ། Ch. 佛经

Geluk - The Geluk tradition traces its origin to Tsongkhapa, who propagated a modified version of the Kadampa lojong and lamrim teachings. It is the dominant tradition of Tibet, having established its control of the government under the figure of the Dalai Lama. Tib. དགེ་ལུགས་

A lost Yogācāra sūtra, which is preserved only in a few quotes in other Yogācāra texts.

One of the sūtra sources for the Ratnagotravibhāga, which is only extant in its Chinese translation.

vajrapada - Literally, vajra-footing, or base. In the context of the Ratnagotravibhāga, this is the name given to the seven subjects that are addressed in the treatise. These seven are the buddha, dharma, saṅgha, the element (dhātu), enlightenment (bodhi), enlightened qualities (guṇa), and enlightened activities (karman). Skt. वज्रपद Tib. རྡོ་རྗེའི་གནས་

sarvākāravaropetāśūnyatā - As opposed to a mere voidness, this phrase refers to an emptiness that is endowed with enlightened qualities and attributes. Tib. རྣམ་ཀུན་མཆོག་ལྡན་གྱི་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་

ātman - Though it can simply be used as the expression "I" or "me", in Indian thought the notion of self refers to a permanent, unchanging entity, such as that which passes from life to life in the case of people, or the innate essence (svabhāva) of phenomena. Skt. आत्मन् Tib. བདག་ Ch. 我,灵魂

bhūmi - A plateau of spiritual development. Skt. भूमि Tib. ས་

sems nyid - Commonly found in Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā literature, this term denotes the true, natural state of mind as it is. Often used in these traditions as a synonym for buddha-nature. Skt. चित्तत्व Tib. སེམས་ཉིད་

Madhyamaka - Along with Yogācāra, it is one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Nāgārjuna around the second century CE, it is rooted in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, though its initial exposition was presented in Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. Skt. मध्यमक Tib. དབུ་མ་ Ch. 中觀見

dhātu - A fundamental component or essential constituent. Skt. धातु Tib. ཁམས་ Ch. 界

tathāgatagarbha - Buddha-nature, literally the "womb/essence of those who have gone (to suchness)." Skt. तथागतगर्भ Tib. དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ Ch. 如来藏

Vajrayāna - The esoteric Buddhist tradition which developed as a syncretic system involving deity worship, use of mantras, physical energy, and mystical practices. It is also known as the mantra tradition and the tantric school as a result of being based on texts known as tantras. Skt. वज्रयान Tib. རྡོ་རྗེ་ཐེག་པ། Ch. 金剛乘

Cittamātra - Though it is sometimes used synonymously with Yogācāra, it is in fact one of the more prominent philosophical theories associated with this school. It asserts that the objects in the external world with which we interact are actually mentally created representations appearing as those objects. The character of these perceptions is predetermined by our own karmic conditioning that is stored in the ālayavijñāna. Skt. चित्तमात्र Tib. སེམས་ཙམ་

gotra - Disposition, lineage, or class; an individual's gotra determines the type of enlightenment one is destined to attain. Skt. गोत्र Tib. རིགས་ Ch. 鍾姓,種性

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