起信論疏筆削記 8.3

8.3

First, indicating the essence. The treatise states: 'Tathāgatagarbha' possesses three meanings: concealing, containing, and producing. Within 'concealing', there are again two meanings: First, because it conceals the Tathāgata, it is called tathāgatagarbha. That is, afflictions are that which conceals, and the Tathāgata is that which is concealed; concealed within the Tathāgata, the treasury of the Tathāgata—this is a tatpuruṣa compound. It is like having gold within a chest and calling it a gold chest; the chest is not gold. Therefore the Liqu bore states: 'All sentient beings are tathāgatagarbha.' The Śrīmālā and the Tathāgatagarbha-sūtra both have this explanation. Second, the Tathāgata itself is concealed and does not appear, so it is called tathāgatagarbha. The dharmakāya is markless; it cannot be known by wisdom or cognized by consciousness, let alone seen with the eyes. Here, the Tathāgata is itself the treasury—this is a karmadhāraya compound, as explained in the Treatise on Buddha-nature. Within 'containing', there are again three meanings: 1. The essence contains the function, meaning that within the dharmakāya there are the marks and functions of bodies and lands, and so forth; 2. The noble contains the ordinary, meaning that all sentient beings are within the Tathāgata's wisdom, also as explained in the Treatise on Buddha-nature; 3. The cause contains the fruit, meaning that the causal stage already encompasses the virtues of the fruitional stage; here, the cause is the treasury because it conceals the fruitional Buddha. The first two are karmadhāraya compounds, and the latter is a tatpuruṣa compound. Regarding 'producing', this means that the realization of tathatā across the ten stages is called the treasury, and the ability to accomplish the Buddha fruit is called the Tathāgata; this is also a karmadhāraya compound. Now, in this treatise, among the six meanings, excluding the fourth and the sixth, the remaining all apply.