釋摩訶衍論 2.48

2.48

Treatise: There are ten kinds of tathāgatagarbha, because they are spoken of distinctively in the sūtras. What are the ten? First, the tathāgatagarbha of the great dhāraṇī, because it completely subsumes all tathāgatagarbhas. In the Sūtra on the Inexhaustible Receptacle of All Buddhas, it is said: The Buddha told Mañjuśrī: "There is a tathāgatagarbha named the Great Treasure Inexhaustible Superior Complete Dhāraṇī, which completely subsumes all receptacles, with nothing it does not penetrate, nothing it does not match, completely complete, identically identical. Of all tathāgatagarbhas that exist, there is none that does not take this as root. Why is this? This tathāgatagarbha is the king of tathāgatagarbhas, the lord of tathāgatagarbhas, the heaven of tathāgatagarbhas, the earth of tathāgatagarbhas. For this reason it is called the tathāgatagarbha of the Great Treasure Inexhaustible Superior Complete Dhāraṇī." What meaning does this sūtra passage clarify? It reveals the general characteristic of that which is relied upon in the dhāraṇī receptacle, while the tathāgatagarbhas in the other sūtras are the distinctive characteristics of those that rely [upon it]. For what reason is it called "tathāgatagarbha"? Because it gathers and maintains. Second, the tathāgatagarbha far-removed from turning and far-removed from binding, because it is singular in purity and singular in completeness. In the Sūtra on the True Limit, it is said: "Son of the Buddha! As for the tathāgatagarbha, there is only the awakened one, there is only suchness as suchness; it is free from the cause of saṃsāra and free from the bondage of deliberative cognition, each and every one purely white; therefore it is named the receptacle of the Tathāgata." What meaning does this sūtra passage clarify? It reveals the one mind of the gate of tathatā: it has no cause of delusion and no cause of awakening, no fruit of delusion and no fruit of awakening; singular in truth and singular in suchness, there is only the pure and wondrous substance of the Tathāgata. For what reason is it called "tathāgatagarbha"? Because it is unmixed. Third, the tathāgatagarbha that imparts activity and imparts characteristics, because it imparts the power of saṃsāric transmigration to the dharmakāya Tathāgata and causes it to be covered and concealed. In the Laṅkāvatārasūtra, it is said: "The tathāgatagarbha is the cause of good and non-good, experiencing suffering and pleasure; together with causes it is both born and destroyed, like an actor." What meaning does this sūtra passage clarify? It reveals the one mind of the gate of arising and ceasing: it imparts power to delusion and imparts power to awakening, manifesting the phenomena of birth-and-death and nirvāṇa. It is just like an illusory person who is non-illusory imparting power and function to all illusory deeds according to what is appropriate. For what reason is it called "tathāgatagarbha"? Because it causes concealment. Fourth, the tathāgatagarbha of tathatā-tathatā, because there is only suchness. In the Sūtra on True Cultivation, it is said: "The tathāgatagarbha of conforming-to-principle conforming-to-principle is neither established nor slandered, neither permanent nor impermanent; it is not realized by the fundamental cognition, nor is it the cognitive object of the mental consciousness. Why is this? There is only principle-principle, without this or that." What meaning does this sūtra passage clarify? It reveals the innate principle of tathatā within the gate of tathatā, which is solely principle as principle itself, not cognition as principle itself. For what reason is it called "tathāgatagarbha"? Because there is no other. Fifth, the tathāgatagarbha of the tathatā of arising and ceasing, because although unarisen and unceasing, it suffers the defilement of arising and ceasing. In the Laṅkāvatārasūtra, it is said: "Mahāmati! Foolish common people, unawakened and unknowing, grasp at all dharmas as not abiding for an instant; falling into wrong views, they make this statement: 'The uncontaminated dharmas also do not abide for an instant,' thereby destroying that tathāgatagarbha of tathatā. Furthermore, Mahāmati, the vajra-tathāgatagarbha, the dharma realized by the Tathāgata, does not not-abide for an instant. Mahāmati, if the dharma realized by the Tathāgata did not abide for an instant, then all noble ones would not become noble ones." What meaning does this sūtra passage clarify? It reveals the innate principle of tathatā within the gate of arising and ceasing, as the dharma that is unarisen and unceasing, far-removed from the characteristic of impermanence. For what reason is it called "tathāgatagarbha"? Because it suffers defilement. Sixth, the empty tathāgatagarbha, because all emptynesses cover and conceal the Tathāgata. In the Śrīmālādevīsūtra, it is said: "World-Honoured One! The empty tathāgatagarbha is distanced from, released from, and distinct from all receptacles of defilement." What meaning does this sūtra passage clarify? It reveals that all defiled dharmas within the gate of arising and ceasing conceal the intrinsic characteristics of original awakening and its immeasurable virtues of nature. For what reason are all defiled dharmas collectively called "empty"? Because all defiled dharmas are illusory distinctions; their substance and characteristics lack reality, and their functions are not true; therefore they are called "empty." And because they can conceal the real virtues and true substance of the dharmakāya Tathāgata, it is named the receptacle of the Tathāgata; its name is established from the defilement that is capable of concealing. Seventh, the non-empty tathāgatagarbha, because all non-emptiness suffers the defilement of emptiness. In the Śrīmālādevīsūtra, it is said: "World-Honoured One! The non-empty tathāgatagarbha is not distanced from, not released from, and not distinct from the inconceivable buddha-dharmas that exceed the sands of the Ganges." What meaning does this sūtra passage clarify? It reveals that original awakening in its intrinsic characteristic within the gate of arising and ceasing is equipped with all virtues exceeding the sands of the Ganges, and suffers defilement by all defiled dharmas exceeding the sands of the Ganges. For what reason are all pure dharmas collectively called "non-empty"? Because the intrinsic nature of all pure dharmas is real in its substance and superior and wondrous in its function, far-removed from falsehood and transcending artificiality; therefore they are called "non-empty." Suffering the concealment of defilement, it is called "tathāgatagarbha"; when it manifests, it is called "dharmakāya"; when it is concealed, it is called "tathāgatagarbha"; its name is established from the purity that is concealed. Eighth, the tathāgatagarbha that is capable of subsuming, because the intrinsically pure mind within the receptacle of avidyā is capable of subsuming all virtues. In the Sūtra on Neither Increasing nor Decreasing, it is said: "The substance associated with the tathāgatagarbha from the beginning, as well as the pure dharmas—this dharma is truly real and not false, an inconceivable dharma of cognition not distanced from and not released from it; from the beginningless extremity, there has existed this pure associated substance of dharma." What meaning does this sūtra passage clarify? It reveals that the intrinsically pure mind of all sentient beings is fully endowed with the three cognitions from the beginningless past, and complete with the four virtues without any deficiency. For what reason is it called "tathāgatagarbha"? Because the inverted mind neither knows nor awakens to it; its name is established from the purity that is capable [of subsuming]. Ninth, the tathāgatagarbha that is subsumed, because once having transcended all defiled dharmas, the receptacle of the ground of avidyā is subsumed by the completely awakened one. In the Sūtra on Neither Increasing nor Decreasing, it is said: "The substance dissociated from the tathāgatagarbha from the beginning, as well as the unchaste dharmas of the entanglement of defilements—this beginningless unchaste dharma of the entanglement of defilements, distanced from, released from, and dissociated from it, can only be severed by the Tathāgata's bodhi-cognition." What meaning does this sūtra passage clarify? It reveals that the Buddha of complete initial awakening severs all hindrances and possesses all cognitions. The light of cognition is the exterior, and the darkness of hindrances is the interior; all defiled dharmas are gathered and maintained by cognition. For what reason is it called "tathāgatagarbha"? Because it is gathered and maintained. Tenth, the concealed tathāgatagarbha, because the dharmakāya Tathāgata is covered and concealed by defilements, hidden away as a receptacle. In the Sūtra on Neither Increasing nor Decreasing, it is said: "The equal, constant, and existing dharmas reaching to the future extremity of the tathāgatagarbha are the root of all dharmas, equipped with all dharmas and possessing all dharmas, not distanced from and not released from mundane dharmas." What meaning does this sūtra passage clarify? It reveals that the substance of the multi-aspect one mind is equal to the dharmadhātu, pervades the three times, and is fully complete with all defiled and pure dharmas, with nothing it does not penetrate and nowhere it does not reach. Furthermore, it reveals that the intrinsically pure mind within the gate of following conditions is concealed and submerged within defiled dharmas, the dharmakāya Tathāgata having not yet manifested. These are called the ten. Among these ten, the present tathāgatagarbha is the one that imparts activity and imparts characteristics. Having spoken of the gate of tathāgatagarbha, next we speak of the gate of the ālayavijñāna. That which is called the unarisen and unceasing blending with the arising and ceasing, neither one nor different, is named the ālayavijñāna; this leaves out the partial names and establishes the complete name, for though the meaning is complete, the words are not yet complete. Among that which is spoken of here, what dharmas are each of the unarisen and unceasing and the arising and ceasing? What are their boundaries? The verse says: