tathagata garbha* gishin tokiwa - j-stage

TATHAGATA GARBHA*

Gishin Tokiwa

I

What the term "tathagata-garbha" (i. e. the tathagata's matrix-abode) stands

for seems to have been the very central theme of Zen. As Professor Seizan

Yanagida points out,l) Huang-p'o Hsi-yun (-c. 856) refers to the occasion when

the head monk Ming attained Awakening on the Tayu mountain range (south

of Kiangsi province, China), where he had pursued Hui-neng (the Sixth Patri-

arch, 638-713). According to Huang-p'o, Hui-neng said to Ming, "At the very

time you do not think of good or evil, please give back to me the Face that

you had before your parents gave birth to you."2) Here Huang-p'o directly po-

ints to the head monk's Original Self that is prior to his birth (and even that

of his parents); that is, he points to the tathagata's matrix-abode, to use our

term, which goes beyond any thought, either good or evil. In other words, by

the tathagata-garbha is meant the True Self without form, similar to the womb

which always precedes any begotten form, that is to say, the tathata or the

ultimate reality out of which even the tathagata comes. Far from being hidden

or remote, this is that which is most intimate to us, the Self, which is Imme-

diately Present, beyond the distinction of "potential" or "actual".3) In the Ch'an-

men nien-sung chi ("A Collection of Verses Picked up in the Gate of Zen,"

* Professor Winston L. King of Colorado State University was kind enough to

look over this article and to give advice of much value to it. He also improved the English expression of my previous article in this journal on "The Pure Land",XIX-1, 1970.

1) 柳田聖山:『初期禅宗史書の研究』, pp. 411, 412, & Note 12.

2)「不思善不思悪正当与麿時, 還: 我明上座父母未生時面目来」:『黄藁山断際禅師伝心法

要』, Taisho Tripitaka 48, p. 384a.

3) Cf. Dr. Shin'ichi Hisamatsu: ZEN AND THE FINE ARTS, esp. pp. 49-51 in"THE ZEN BASIS: 1. The Meaning of Zen".

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TATHAGATA GARBHA (G. Tokiwa) (11)

compiled in Korea in 1226), at the beginning of the first chapter, we see this

statement:

The World-Honored One, before he left the Tusita palace, had already de-

scended from that celestial abode ; before he came out of his mother's womb,

he had completed the awakening of man."4)

Historically speaking, as this expression from a Zen school text indicates,

the idea of tathagata's matrix-abode derives from that of Sakyamuni as a bo-

dhisattva, or an Awakened being in quest of Awakening, abiding in the womb

of his mother Lady Maya: "bodhisattvo matuh kuksi-gatah" as found in the

sixth chapter (Garbha-avakranti)5) of the Lalitavistara. The bodhisattva hi-

mself, the sutra states, who had come into being in Lady Maya's womb, was

seen to be exceedingly brilliant, clear (prabhasvara), pleasing, and beautiful,

sitting in the paryanka manner ; he was as clearly visible as a great mass of

fire ablaze on the summit of a mountain in the pitch dark of the night would

be from the distance of one to five yo janas (ibid.).6) Lady Maya, after she saw

a snow-white elephant enter her womb in a dream, sang in a gatha (k 7cd):7)

There is no fault in me, nor defect, no wrath, no delusion ; In pregnancy

complete is the dhyana-comf ort,8) the calm of the mind."

The Tathagata-garbha sutra, which evidently developed this idea of the

Lalitavistara, states9)"The Buddha said to Va jramati, At that time there was a Buddha named

4)「世尊未離兜率已降天宮, 未出母胎度人已畢」:『禅門拮頚集』, Prof. Yanagida's

mimeograph text Vol. 1. p. 3.

5)"Entering the Matrix," Vaidya edition p. 50 et al.

6)『方広大荘厳経』2, 処胎品: 第六, T3, p. 550b.

7) L. p. 44: na ca mama khila-doso naiva roso na moho; dhyana-sukha-samangt

janami santa-citta.8) For the term "dhyana-sukha" in the gdtha, consult the Ratnagotra-vibhaga, Prof. Zuiryu Nakamura's edition p. 57, k 34, which cites the same term as one of the

four causes of the bodhisattvas' completion of purification; the four are: agra-

yana-adhimukti (faith in the supreme vehicle), prajna, dhyanasukha, and krpa(or karuna). The verse says: garbha-sthanam dhyana-saukhyam ("Dhyana-comfortis abiding in the matrix.").

9)『大方広如来蔵経』TT 16 No. 667, pp. 464c-465ab. Cf No. 666, too.

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(12) TATHAGATA GARBHA (G. Tokiwa)

Perpetual-light Emitter When as a bodhisattva he was in his mother's wo-

mb, he emitted light, which shone through All the beings in the worlds

that had fallen into the evil modes of life such as naraka, tiryag-yoni, yama-

loka, and asura, because of the illumining light of the bodhisattva, upon being

slightly touched by the light, forsook their evil life, were reborn as man or

devas (heavenly beings), while all the men and devas, because the illumining

light of the bodhisattva touched them, attained non-retrogression from the ultimate

Awakening, and acquired the five divine powers This bodhisattva, upon

being born, attained the Right Awakening. Having attained Awakening, this

Buddha constantly emitted light. At the time of his parinirvana also he emit-

ted light. After parinirvana the relics of this Buddha, when placed in a tower,

constantly emitted light. Vajramati, when this Buddha was in this world,

there was a bodhisattva named Limitless-light The Limitless-light bodhisat-

tva once asked the Buddha about this truth of tathagata-garbha. Va jramati, the

Perpetual-light-Emitter tathagata-arhan-samyaksambuddha, during the five hun-

dred kalpas without rising out of his seat, widely proclaimed this Tathagata-

garbha sutra.

II

For the understanding of the term tathagata-garbha" it seems to me now

that the Arya sri-mala-devi simha-nada sutra (the Tibetan version)10) is the

10) Professor Kenryu Tsukinowa's edition, esp. p. 18 et seq. (Peking ed, Tib. Tri-

pitaka 24, 276a et seq.) 11) In its basic viewpoint as regards the four arya satyas and the tathagata-garbha

the Sri-males sutra directly succeeds the Lalitavistara. Scholars who found the term "tathagata-garbha" in the L. (Chapter 22 Abhisambodhana, V 254) hesitated, due to their ordinary understanding of the term, to identify it. The Sanskrit text of the L. which gives the term goes like this : Thus, bhiksus, when the tathagata attained Awakening V 254) he found himself in the tathagata's matrix-abode, the tathagata-great-dharma-king's seat (nisannas-tathagatagarbhe tathaga-tamahadharmara ja-asane) For the first seven days, bhiksus, the tathagata re-mained in that abode of Awakening (bodhimanda) with the thought, "Here haveI been awakened to the unsurpassed, right Awakening;(here) have I put an end to the suffering of birth, age, and death, which was without beginning or end."

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most authentic source we possess after the Lalitavistara.11) The Ratna-gotra -

vibhaga which contains many expressions from the Sri-mala sutra in Sanskrit,

some of which are quoted with some noticeably major changes, besides many

quotations from other sources,12) and to which scholars usually have recourse

for obtaining knowledge about the "tathagata-garbha", does not seem to me to

present a very appropriate understanding of it. The reason for this is that the

very standpoint of the author of the Ratna-gotra-vibhaga (hereafter, RGV)

does not appear to be penetrating enough; this is evident when he gives the

definition of the "dharma".13)

It is no wonder that the RGV in its interpretation of the "tathagata-grabha"

does not present a consistent view which fits in with that of Zen, to which I

(Cf . T T 3, p. 596a)In his "introduction" to the Kokuyaku-issaikyo text (Hon'en-bu 9, p. 9c) of the

Chinese version of this sutra (tr. by Divakara in 683), Prof. Dai jo Tokiwa wrote,"Already in the chapter Abhisa ebodhana we find even such terms as tathagata-

garbha', pure dharma-dhatu'. The term tathagata-garbha here could not necessa-rily mean the bhuta-tathata tathagata-garbha, but it seems certain that it has so-mething to do with the sutras of tathagata thought."

Prof. Enichi Ocho, who presented the Japanese reading of ;the Chinese text inthe Kokuyaku-issaikyo series, wrote in his footnote (ibid., p. 198): "As for tatha-

gata-garbha' unlike its ordinary meaning, i. e., the buddha-nature or the bhuta-tathata which lies in the klesa, the term should be taken, in contrast to the term the city of wisdom' which follows, to mean something like tathagata's treasury'."

12) cf. 宇井伯寿:『宝性論研究』, Prof. ui writes thus (ibid., P. 304): "This[sri-

mala) sutra is very important because it presents the eka-yana view which

clarifies what the tathagata-garbha, the dharma-kaya, is; it is without parallel in

the frequency with which it is quoted in the RGV 25 quotations (26 times);certain expressions from the sutra are seen constituting part of the passages and

gathas of the RGV. When viewed generally also, it is known that this is the onethat should be regarded as the most important of sutras on the tathagata-garbha

view. Any scripture that may mention the view without the knowledge of this

sutra is to be looked upon as earlier than this."Prof. Ui, who compared the sutra-quotations in the RGV with the Chinese ve-

rsion of the sutra, but who did not check the sutra's Tibetan version, naturally,

never became aware of the differences of the quotations from the Tibetan origi-nal, as far as his Hoshoron-kenkyu was concerned.

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briefly referred above. The RGV identifies the term "garbha" with the "klesa-

coverings" and speaks of "the impurities of the garbha-coverings" (garbha-kosa-

mala, Nakamura edition p. 135 k 141a). In the expression "tat-klesa-kosa-ga

rbhatvam" ("the tathagata remains hidden in the klesa-coverings," N 117 k

95c); the term "garbhatva" (gnas-pa; abode) is used in the sense of "gudhatva"

(gtums-pa; concealment). Conversely, attaining wisdom free from discrimin-

ation (jnanam avikalpam) is said to be like maturing (vipakavat) and like

getting liberated from the womb-covering (vikosa-garbhavat, N 135 k 141cd).

Naturally the RGV distinguishes the "tathagata-garbha" interpreted as the tat-

hagata wrapped up in the klesa-coverings from the "tathagata-dharmakaya",

i. e. the tathagata liberated from the coverings. The RGV states:"By the polluted (samala) tathata' I mean that nature (dhatu) not liberated

from the klesa-coverings (avinirmukta-klesa-kosa) which is called the tathagata-

garbha (i. e. tathagata in defilement). By the pollution-free (nirmala) tathataI mean that coming home to the Buddha-stage through the reversal of the basis

(buddha-bhumau asraya-parivrtti-laksanah) which is called the tathagata's dha-

rma-kaya (N 39)."

Accordingly, when the RGV takes up the expression "All the living beings

(sarva-sattvas) are tathagata-garbhas (N 49)," it interprets this to mean that

all the living beings are potentially tathagatas, although at present their tatha-

gatahood, hidden and completely forgotten, is far from being actualized. It sta-tes:

Because the Buddha-wisdom has gone into the interior (antargama) of living

beings,

Because the (wisdom which is) pollution-free is originally (prakrtya) non-

dual, [and)

Because to the seed of the Buddha's lineage applicable is the metaphor of the

13) N 35: The author of the RGV divides the dharma into two: the dharma for

proclamation (desana) and the dharma for and of attainment (adhigama). By thedharma of attainment, i. e. nirodha-satya, he means, "according to the sravaka-

principle (naya), only the non-existence of defilement and suffering (klesa-duhkha-abhava-matra), like a light blown out." He concludes that a non-existence isunworthy of being either a shelter (sarana) or a non-shelter.

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fruit,

All the living beings are called Buddha's garbhas (N 49 k 27)."

III

The Sri-males sutra identifies the "tathagata - garbha," the "dharma kaya;"

and "liberation from the klesa-coverings (klesa-kola-nirmukta)" with the "du-

hkha-nirodha" (Tsukinowa ed. p. 130).14) The sutra's view on the tathagata-

garbha can be seen under the following six items with a slight change of orderin my explanation below. 1. These honorable truths (arya-satyani), which were

2. awakened to (abhisambuddhani) 3. by the tathagatas (tathagata-arhan-sa-

myaksambuddhaih), 4. were proclaimed (desitani) (by theme 5. to the world

which has gone into the egg-shell of ignorance (avidya-anda-kola-gata-loke)

(T120).15) 6. THIS (idam)

1. As regards the four arya-satyani the Lalitavistara says:"This is suffering (idam duhkham); this is what causes suffering (ayam

duhkha-samudayah); this is the extinction of suffering (ayam duhkha-ni-

rodhah); this is the path which leads to the extinction of suffering (iyam

duhkha-nirodha-gamini-pratipat)."16)

According to the ,Sri-mala sutra, the three satyas (satyatrayas) are of a

14) The RGV has a different quotation from the Chinese version says theSri-mala sutra: duhkha-nirodha-namna sarva-klesa-kola-vinirmukto tatha-

gata-dharma-kayo desitah. ayam eva ca bhagavams tathagata-dharma-kayo vini-rmukta-klesa-kolas tathagata-garbhah sucyate. iti sarva-vistarena yatha-sutrameva dub kha-nirodha-satya-vyavasthanam anugantavyam (N 21).

The two Chinese versions of the sutra also agree with the RGV. However, asfar as the Tibetan version of the sutra is concerned, the avagraha or negativesign prefixed to "vinirmukta" is completely out of place because the context hereis concerned with the nirodha-satya ! Prof. Z. Nakamura in the footnote of theequivalent expression in his Tibetan text mentions that the Peking and the Sna-rthafn versions omit the negative.

15) The Sanskrit expressions given here of the Sri-males sutra, except for those

quoted in the RGV, are the present writer's tentative renderings from the Tibetan version, Tsukinowa ed.

16) Chapter 22 Abhisarbodhana, Vaidya ed. p. 253.

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composed character (samskrta-laksanah) and not eternal (anityah), whereas

the one satya (eka-satyah), the duhkhanirodha-satya goes beyond the sphere of

composition; it is eternal, the shelter, the arya-satya (T 134, 136). This exti-

nction of suffering is the tathagata's matrix-abode, the dharma-kaya, liberation

from the klesa-coverings (T 130).

3. The tathagata-arhan-samyaksambuddhas are those who through the sunyata-

jnana have destroyed (prahanah) all the klesa-coverings (T 118).

2. The "tathagata-garbha- jnana" is none other than the sunyata-jnana of the

tathagatas (T 130). The tathagata-garbha is the attainment of the World-Ho-

nored One (bhagavata-adhigatah), his actual experience (saksatkrtah) (ibid.).

It is his abode (tathagata-gocarah) (T 122). The tathagata's garbha-sunyata-

jnana is twofold: (a) the tathagata's garbha, which is distinguished (vinirbha-

vah) from all the klesa-coverings, is void (sunya) (i. e. beyond attainment or

accord) by the wisdom which is not liberated (amukta-jnanaih) (from the

klesa-coverings)17); (b) the tathagata's garbha, not distinguished (avinirbhavah)

from the Buddha-dharma, is not void (asunyah) [,i. e. attained and accorded)

by the wisdom which is liberated, with its virtues beyond thought, which su-

rpass the number of the grains of sand of the Ganges river (mukta-jnana-aci-

ntya-garnga-nadi-valuka-vyativrttaih) (T 130, 132).18)

4. (a) The proclamation of the content of arya-satya is of two kinds: making

it (desana-kriya) and not making it (akriya) (T 124). The desana-making is

limited (parimita) (T 124), whereas the not-making-desana is unlimited (apa

17) Cf. "kosa-mukta-jnanavatanam" (T 146) amukta-jnana-bahya-samskrta-dharmanam" (T 148).

18) As already suggested, the RGV gives a quotation from the Sri-males sutra withchanges which are self-contradictory (N 149):

Thus it is said, The tathagata-garbha is void because its wisdom is distingu-ished and liberated from all the klesa-coverings (vinirbhagair mukta- jnaih sarva-klesa-kosaih); it is not void because its wisdom is not distinguished or separatedfrom the Buddha's virtues, which surpass the number of the grains of sand ofthe Ganges river, and which are beyond thought."

Here the RGV has no reason at all to insist on, as it does in other places,separating the tathagata-garb ha from the dharma-kaya.

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rimita) (T 126). Why are the tathagata-arhan-samyaksarnbuddhas consumma-

te (samaptah) in the not- making- desana of the content of arya-satya It is

because they actually experience (saksatkarayah) extinction of all the conscio-

usness (sarva-manah-skandha-nirodhah), extinction of all the suffering (sarva-

duhkha-nirodhah) (T 128).

This sutra-expression reminds us of the Zen case of Kasyapa's smile in res-

ponse to Sakyamuni's picking up a lotus flower to show to the audience.19)

(b) The proclamation of the arya-satya-artha is profound beyond discri-

minative thought (atarkya) and goes against all the world (sarva-loka-pra-

tikula) because this proclamation of the profound teaching is the tathagata's

matrix-abode (tathagata-garbha iyam gambhira-nirdesa-desand) (T 120, 122).

The tathagata-garbha is the abode (sthanam) of this proclamation of the arya-

satya-artha (T 122).

5. The duhkha-nirodha-satya, which goes beyond the range of consciousness

(vi jnana-visaya-vyativrttah) of all the living beings, is beyond thought (acin-

tyah) (T 136). The consciousness of all the- ignorant, ordinary beings is the

synonym of the perverse, extreme views (adhivacanam anta-dvaya-darsana-

viparyasanam) (ibid.). The two extreme views, i. e. the views of annihilation

and eternity (chinna-darsanam ca nitya-darsanam, ca), are synonyms for the

discriminative, ignorant, ordinary beings who attach themselves to the ego in

their grasping at the (five) constituent elements of their beings (tad-adhivaca-

nam upadana-skandhesu atma-abhinivesa-bala-prthagjana-tarkikanam) (T 136,

138).

6. On what basis is the arya-satya-artha-desana made-if in the manner of

not making it toward the beings of such extreme views Concerning this

the sutra states:"The names of the two forms (ye name dvayor dharmayoh), being dead

and being alive,' are the synonyms of the tathagata's matrix abode (te adhi-

19) The 禅門拮順集1, P. 18, introduces this case and states, "The World-Honored

One said, Here is the Right Dharma-Eye Pitaka, which I trust to Mahakasyapa.

Another text goes, The World-Honored one with his blue-lotus eyes looked upon

Kasyapa, who smiled.

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vacane tathagata-garbhasya) (T 144, 146)."

It is the practice of the world (loka-vyavaharah) to speak of being dead'

or being alive' (T 146; quoted in the RGV, N 89)."

The tathagata's matrix-abode is not born, does not get old or die; it does

not perish or rise (ibid.; quoted ibid.)."

This is the same as saying "All the living beings are tathagata-garbhas." But

it does not mean that all the living beings are potentially tathagatas, as it did in

the RGV. Here there is no discrimination of any kind, such as the "unawakened"

and the "awakened," the "past," the "future," and the "present," or any others.

Indeed, no living being can be taken as anything, neither as a living being nor

as a non-living-being. And as SUCH, i. e. as Not-anything-particular, all the

living beings abide in the matrix where there is neither the tathagata nor the

ordinary beings. In close connection with the present theme, Zen gives this

instance:

Master Chien-yuan (漸源仲興, 一) succeeded Tao-wu (道吾円智 or 宗智,

-835 A. D.) in the dharma The Master once followed Tao-wu to a bene-

factor's house. Exchanging looks with the other and tapping the coffin with his

hand, the Master said, "Is this alive or dead Tao-wu said, Alive I won't

say; dead' I won't, either." The Master: "Why will you not Tao-wu: "I

won,t; I wont." The Master did not consent to this. He left Yang-ch'i (陽渓),

passed a night, and at midnight awoke (to THIS). He broke into weeping,

returned to the temple, and Tao-wu, delighted, came out himself to receive

him.20)

When, therefore, one reads the sutra statement,

The tathagata's matrix-abode because it experiences suffering (duhkha-

anubhavanat) disgusted with the suffering, gets eager for, seeks after, and

becomes devoted to attaining nirvana (T 148)," one should concentrate upon

20) Tr. from the 祖堂集("A Collection from the Patriarchs' Ha11," compiled in 952)

6 (Chubunsha text p. 128). Cf.『景徳伝灯録』15, P. 100;『禅門拮頚集』14, pp. 106,

107;『五灯会元』, Zokn-zokyo 2Z-11-1, p.92; Dr. Shin'ichi Hisamatsu Mondo: At

the Death of a "Great-Death-Man", THE EASTERN BUDDHIST Vol. II No. 1,

1967, p. 33.

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WHO experiences suffering. But one cannot take it as any particular thing, as

the sutra states:

The tathagata's matrix-abode is not the ego, not the living being, not the

life, not the individual (T 148, 150)."

Dr. Shin'ichi Hisamatsu, after his "last mondo face to face with Daisetz-

koji," which went (EB II-1, p. 29; see Note 17):

Ohhhhhhhhh

This ONE who hurts

Are you suffering

It's all right,

Thank you

and after the memorial discourse, uttered this (ibid., p. 34):

Who is the hurting ONE

If you want to see "ME" at my last,

First die a Great Death

For "I" make no response to your calling;"I" present no sight to your eye,

No sense to your touch,

No image to your conception.

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tathagata garbha* gishin tokiwa - j-stage

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