TATHAGATAGARBHA
Within Buddha Dharma we speak often of Gotama Buddha's concept of Tathagatagarbha. What this word means is that there exists a Buddha (wise and correct) Matrix or Embryo within all living human creatures and a Dharma (correct and natural) Matrix or Embryo in ALL life forms. Buddha declares it to be a treasure that is eternal and unchanging.
That treasure, Buddha also declared, was rather like gold, which could become masked by other base metals. It is thus that natural CONFIDENCE is transformed into CONFUSION; that natural FEARLESSNESS is transformed into ACQUISITION for stained Ego ideas of security interests; that natural ONENESS is transformed into mindless DOMINATION.
Thus we can say that the human creature has a Buddha Nature and that all creatures have a Dharma Nature of Confidence, Fearlessness and Oneness with all life. In the human creature this Oneness is transformed into a unique BENEVOLENT AFFECT.
Since it is the human creature that has the "wisdom" element it is in him or her, by virtue of the presence of words and abstract thought, that "Wisdom" can be soiled by "Ignorance."
It is then important to understand this deeply, for in all Buddha Dharma teachings we learn that Good and Evil do not arise from outside the human mind.
Good is what is "beneficial" to life and Evil is that which is "not beneficial" to life.
Furthermore, this natural Benevolent Affect in the human creature is essential not only for the survival of the human species, but to all life forms and the environment itself which supports the diversity of those life forms.
The human creature today is immersed in Ignorance, which masks completely this natural Benevolent Affect and also the Gladness, Compassion and Equanimity which accompany this Natural Affect.
Buddha declared,
"... When I regard all beings with my Buddha eye, I see that hidden within the klesas [mental afflictions] of greed, desire, aversion, and confusion there is seated augustly and unmovingly the Tathagata's wisdom, the Tathagata's vision, and the Tathagata's body.
Good sons, all beings, though they find themselves with all sorts of klesas, have a Tathagatagarbha that is eternally unsullied, and that is replete with virtues no different from my own."
These virtues we know arise from a sound base of Confidence, Fearlessness and Oneness with all living creatures. It is termed most frequently the Buddha Nature when applied to the human creature. It is the wise nature of VIRTUE.
But this virtue is not the weak mental imitation of natural virtue taught by religion and supported by State and education, but a much deeper virtue which is natural and spontaneous.
The Tathagatagarbha Sutra is one of a number of Buddha-matrix sutras which include the Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra, the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Angulimaliya Sutra, and the Anunatva-Apurnatva-Nirdesa, which declare the reality of an Awakened Essence.
Buddhahood is thus a virtue-filled true, though unrecognised, element present inside the mind of every sentient being. The revelation of this nature within consciousness depends upon a purification of the superficial obscurations of Identity and resultant dual thought.
Man, as it were, is in the depths of a dark cave and cannot see the light.
Perhaps one of the most creative and compelling explanations of this predicament was given by Plato in his famous Allegory of the Cave.
Plato, writing with Socrates as the principal speaker in this text, presents his belief, without knowing perhaps that the ancient Masters of Asia had taught it before, that the world revealed by our senses is not the real world but only illusion.
Plato considered that the real world can only be apprehended intellectually, however from the Dharma point of view cognitive intelligence is insufficient.
But there exists the potential for "natural intelligence" which includes the comprehension of Experiences that are the operation language tools of the system beyond words. This does allow an approximation of the truth that permits change.
Plato's objective was not directed at the teaching of Illusion and Duality in and of themselves, but used these to explain the lack of good and justice in the world and the possibility of being liberated.
He considered, as we do in Buddha Dharma, that the universe ultimately is good and that enlightened individuals have an obligation to open Benevolent Affect to the rest of society. In this also he coincided with the Buddha Dharma position.
Before examining Buddha's teachings on the matter we examine the Allegory of the Cave found in Book VII of Plato's best-known work, The Republic.
The Allegory of the Cave
ILLUSIONS
[Socrates] And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: --Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets.
[Glaucon] I see.
[Socrates] And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent.
[Glaucon] You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners.
[Socrates] Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave?
[Glaucon] True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?
[Socrates] And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows?
[Glaucon] Yes, he said.
[Socrates] And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them?
[Glaucon] Very true.
[Socrates] And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow?
[Glaucon] No question, he replied.
[Socrates] To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.
[Glaucon] That is certain.
(See The Heart of the Perfection of Transcendental Wisdom: The Great Prajnaparamita 般若波羅蜜多心經)
(See The Sutra of Perfect Awakening 圓覺經). There are twelve chapters as a series of discussions on correct meditation practice, and deals with issues such as the meaning and origin of the Shadows of ignorance, sudden and gradual awakening from those Illusions and original Buddhahood.
THE FIRST CONFUSION AND PAIN OF LIBERATION
[Socrates] And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?
[Glaucon] Far truer.
[Socrates] And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him?
[Glaucon] True.
[Socrates] And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he's forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities.
[Glaucon] Not all in a moment, he said.
LIBERATION BY EXPERIENCE
[Socrates] He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?
[Glaucon] Certainly.
[Socrates] Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is.
[Glaucon] Certainly.
[Socrates] He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold?
[Glaucon] Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him.
[Socrates] And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the cave and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them?
[Glaucon] Certainly, he would.
[Socrates] And if they were in the habit of conferring honors among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honors and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer,
Better to be the poor servant of a poor master,
and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner?
[Glaucon] Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner.
[Socrates] Imagine once more, I said, such an one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness?
[Glaucon] To be sure, he said.
[Socrates] And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the cave, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death.
[Glaucon] No question, he said.
CONCLUSION REGARDING NATURAL BENEVOLENT AFFECT
[Socrates] This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed.
[Glaucon] I agree, he said, as far as I am able to understand you.
[Socrates] Moreover, I said, you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs; for their souls are ever hastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell; which desire of theirs is very natural, if our allegory may be trusted.
[Glaucon] Yes, very natural.
[Socrates] And is there anything surprising in one who passes from divine contemplations to the evil state of man, misbehaving himself in a ridiculous manner; if, while his eyes are blinking and before he has become accustomed to the surrounding darkness, he is compelled to fight in courts of law, or in other places, about the images or the shadows of images of justice, and is endeavoring to meet the conceptions of those who have never yet seen absolute justice?
[Glaucon] Anything but surprising, he replied.
[Socrates] Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter light, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other; or, if he have a mind to laugh at the soul which comes from below into the light, there will be more reason in this than in the laugh which greets him who returns from above out of the light into the cave.
[Glaucon] That, he said, is a very just distinction.
[Socrates] But then, if I am right, certain professors of education must be wrong when they say that they can put a knowledge into the soul which was not there before, like sight into blind eyes.
[Glaucon] They undoubtedly say this, he replied.
[Socrates] Whereas, our argument shows that the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of being, and learn by degrees to endure the sight of being, and of the brightest and best of being, or in other words, of the good.
[Glaucon] Very true.
[Socrates] And must there not be some art which will effect conversion in the easiest and quickest manner; not implanting the faculty of sight, for that exists already, but has been turned in the wrong direction, and is looking away from the truth?
[Glaucon] Yes, he said, such an art may be presumed.
[Socrates] And whereas the other so-called virtues of the soul seem to be akin to bodily qualities, for even when they are not originally innate they can be implanted later by habit and exercise, the of wisdom more than anything else contains a divine element which always remains, and by this conversion is rendered useful and profitable; or, on the other hand, hurtful and useless. Did you never observe the narrow intelligence flashing from the keen eye of a clever rogue --how eager he is, how clearly his paltry soul sees the way to his end; he is the reverse of blind, but his keen eyesight is forced into the service of evil, and he is mischievous in proportion to his cleverness.
[Glaucon] Very true, he said.
[Socrates] But what if there had been a circumcision of such natures in the days of their youth; and they had been severed from those sensual pleasures, such as eating and drinking, which, like leaden weights, were attached to them at their birth, and which drag them down and turn the vision of their souls upon the things that are below --if, I say, they had been released from these impediments and turned in the opposite direction, the very same faculty in them would have seen the truth as keenly as they see what their eyes are turned to now.
(see The Dharma Practice for Release from these Impediments)
IMPORTANT SUTRAS OF THE TATHAGATAGARBHA SERIES
The Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra, 勝鬘師子吼一乘大方便方廣經, translated into Chinese in 436 CE by Guṇabhadra (394-468) teaches the reality of an ultimate, immaculate Consciousness within each living being. This is the Essence of Truth, which is obscured by defilements. When free from ignorance, the Transcendental SELF, the NO-SELF, is revealed with blissful PURITY in their perfect state.
The Angulimaliya Sutra teachs that the Buddha is eternal, that the non-Self and emptiness teachings only apply to the worldly sphere (not the nirvanic), and that the tathagatagarbha (Buddha-essence) is real and immanent within all beings and all phenomena. This self however is the transcendental self that is "observing" the existence of illusory sensations without content.
It consists largely of teachings by the bodhisattva Angulimala. The Sutra insists that the tathagatagarbha and the self (transcendental, not traditional atman) are real and that to deny their existence is to generate a state of stained imbalance.
To seek out the tathagatagarbha, equated with the true Self, is a noble enterprise, because this transcendental 'self principle,, the tathagatagarbha 'Essence of Self,' is the natural recompense.
Buddha speaking to Manjushri stated:
"Mañjuśrī, people churn milk because they understand that butter is present therein. Why do people not churn water? Because that substance is not present there. Likewise, Mañjuśrī, people maintain moral discipline (śīla) and engage in the holy life (brahmacarya) because of the existence of the Tathāgata-garbha."
Anunatva-Apurnatva-Nirdesa is a teaching directed by the Buddha to Sariputra.
It declares that Nirvana is neither vacuity nor the cessation of being, but is the realm of the Tathagatagarbha, the utterly pure and everlasting essence of all creatures and beings.
The Buddha states:
"First, the Tathagatagarbha is intrinsically conjoined with pure qualities from time without beginning; secondly, the Tathagatagarbha is intrinsically not conjoined with impure qualities from time without beginning; and thirdly, the Tathagatagarbha is unchanging sameness throughout the future... it is veridical and not delusive, a pure reality that is without separation and exclusion from jnana [knowingness, awareness], an inconceivable 'dharma' that is the dharmadhatu."
The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, 涅槃經, provides an extension and subtle and important re-evaluation of earlier teachings on non-Self and Emptiness.
When Buddha spoke of that "non-Self" he referred to the impermanent, mundane, skandha-constructed ego, and put it in contrast with the transcendental supra-mundane "no-self".
"Emptiness", sunyata, is explicated as being empty of that which is mentally compounded, painful, and impermanent.
In conclusion, with regard to these sutras we can say that when "EMPTINESS" is experienced a belief in the existence of all phenomena compounded and organized by the stained mind is seen to cause suffering and is really impermanent. It is indeed then revealed that the impermanent, mundane, skandha-constructed ego, is pure illusion and that there is a transcendental supra-mundane "no-self".
This "Transcendental No-self" is a "sense-observing operation" that thus cannot cling or crave to the illusions generated within the operational system.
It balances the useful illusions with the truth of the EMPTINESS which has been revealed and allows the freedom from clinging and craving to illusions. It is not excluded then from the supra-mundane experiences of Pure Mindfulness and Pure Awareness.
Thus, as Buddha explained, "people churn milk because they understand that butter is present therein." It is then that the human creature with a greater "NO-SELF" knowledge maintains a drive to proceed with a natural virtue and engage in a natural life process.
This natural virtue has as its base the revealed absolutely essential SURVIVAL characteristic of BENEVOLENT AFFECT.
Let us finally return to Plato and the words of Socrates:
" Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye;
... and he who remembers this when he sees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter light, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light.
And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other; or, if he have a mind to laugh at the soul which comes from below into the light, there will be more reason in this than in the laugh which greets him who returns from above out of the light into the cave."
It is clear that when one has begun to lift the self-induced darkness from the senses one must return and live within Samsara with a clear knowledge of the stains therein, but with Benevolent Affect for all living things and an understanding of the suffering, oftimes hidden, within the human creatures who run in confusion, greed and aversion within a stained Samsara.