Buddha-nature (as Depicted in the Lankavatara-sutra)

by Nguyen Dac Sy | 2012 | 70,344 words

This page relates ‘The Daosheng’s Thought of Buddha-nature’ of the study on (the thought of) Buddha-nature as it is presented in the Lankavatara-sutra (in English). The text represents an ancient Mahayana teaching from the 3rd century CE in the form of a dialogue between the Buddha and Bodhisattva Mahamati, while discussing topics such as Yogacara, Buddha-nature, Alayavijnana (the primacy of consciousness) and the Atman (Self).

1. The Daosheng’s Thought of Buddha-nature

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1. Daosheng and the Nirvāṇa School

Daosheng or Zhudaosheng (360-434 CE) was an important Chinese monk living in the Eastern Jin (317–420 CE) dynasty. After becoming a monk, he spent seven years at Lu-san mountain with Huiyuan. Then he became a disciple of Kumārajīva and worked with Kumārajīva in translation of the Saddharmapundarīkasūtra (Lotus Sūtra) and the Vimalakīrtinirdeśasūtra.^[1] Although Daosheng has studied under many such famous masters, he seems to have stood on his own and emerged as a brilliant lecturer and debater.

According to Young-Ho Kim, the thought of Daosheng can be listed as follows:

(1) The doctrine of Buddha-nature, related to the icchantika issue in the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra;

(2) The doctrine of sudden enlightenment; and (3) Miscellaneous theories which include “a good deed entails no retribution”, “the Buddha has in reality no Pure Land”, “the Dharmakāya is formless”, and “on the double truth”.^[2]

This listing shows that Daosheng mainly concerned with sudden enlightenment, the Buddha-nature, and especially the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra.

Daosheng had spent the latter part of his life to concentrate on the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, therefore he is considered as one of the most important masters of the Nirvāṇa School. At that time, in the Pāli canon the sixteenth Sutta in the Dīghanikāya is the Mahāparinibbanasutta, of which three Chinese translations exist.^[3]

The Mahāyāna versions of the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra were respectively translated into Chinese as follows:

The “Six fascicle text”, namely, Foshuodabannihuanjing,^[4] translated in the Eastern Chin by Buddhabhadra and Faxian in 418 CE.

The “Northern text”, with 40 fascicles, namely, Dabanniepanjing,^[5] was translated in the Northern Liang by Dharmakṣema in 423 CE.

The “Southern text” with 36 fascicles, same title Dabanniepanjing,^[6] translated in the Song by Jñānabhadra in circa 453 CE.

Before the appearance of the Faxian‘s translation of this Sūtra, Daosheng had already evolved certain ideas of his own concerning the state of Nirvāṇa. When he read the Faxian‘s translation passages to the effect that icchantikas, or those who had no seed to become the Buddha because of their heavy desires and very evil karma, did not possess the Buddha-nature, he felt that such an interpretation must be incorrect, that the whole meaning of the Mahāyāna teaching was against the exclusion of one group. A controversial theory Daosheng advocated at this time concerned the question of whether the icchantikas, regarded traditionally as persons who were rejected from the path of enlightenment, had also the Buddha-nature. Daosheng decided they had the Buddha-nature while reading an incomplete version of the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, a complete version of which was still to come. The absolute universality of the Buddha-nature was the logical and psychological conclusion that he reached by understanding from the first part of the Sūtra, even though it contained an obvious statement excepting the icchantikas. The result from this rejection that was Daosheng was expelled from the Buddhist community.^[7] Daosheng, however, swore that “if what I say is contrary to the meaning of the Sūtra, may this present body of mine be covered with sores, but if it is not contrary to the truth, then may I sit in the teacher‘s chair when I pass from life”^[8]

After the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra had been introduced to the South of China by Daosheng, his followers became very active in spreading its teachings in that area. As the main idea in the Sūtra was the Buddhanature, many theories were advanced by various masters on this point, and numerous commentaries were also compiled to explain the meaning of this sūtra.^[9] Thus, Daosheng is the first Chinese who completely comprehended the quintessence of the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra although this Sūtra had not been yet completely translated into Chinese; therefore he was considered as one of the patriarchs of the Nirvāṇa School. Daosheng also developed the Nirvāṇa School up to their highest point during the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. However, after the Sui dynasty, the Nirvāṇa School began to be phased out as a separate entity with the appearance of the Shelun and Tiantai Schools. It almost fully disappeared during the Tang, especially after the appearance of the Sanlun, Faxiang and Huayan Schools, but its basic doctrines were deeply assimilated by these successor traditions. Likewise, the universality of the Buddha-nature in the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra came to be absorbed into Huayan, Chan and so on. All these facts indicate that Daosheng‘s shadow extended beyond both his own century and the Nirvāṇa School. Along with his contribution to the Nirvāṇa School, Daosheng was also considered as the first Chinese who had proposed the doctrine of Buddhanature and sudden enlightenment in Chinese Buddhism.

2. The Daosheng’s Doctrine of Buddha-nature

The Daosheng‘s interpretation of the concept of Buddha-nature closely concerns with the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra. He proposed “the icchantikas do not possess the root of faith. But, though they are cut off from the root of the good, they still possess the Buddha-nature”^[10] Because the icchantikas are also living beings and the door of the Buddhahood is opened for all living beings, according to Daosheng, the icchantikas are also endowed with the Buddha-nature and are able to become the Buddhas.^[11] According to Daosheng, the ultimate truth or śūnyātā of the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras and the Buddha-nature of the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra are the same. Prajñāpāramitā sūtras and the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, though different in titles, teach the same idea, namely, the Buddha-nature. Being so, it transcends symbols and forms, and is not to be divided or limited. Daosheng also teaches that the Buddha-nature is realized instantly and completely by oneself. If living beings comprehend the oneness of truth, the indifferences between external objects and oneself, the unification of being and nonbeing; they are able to realize the Buddha-nature and attain Nirvāṇa, where the permanent, blissful and pure life is enjoyed by the true-self (chenwo).^[12] Thus, Daosheng identifies no-self with true-self by representing two sides of a single reality, in which no-self implies a mean to express true-self. The Buddha-nature is synonymously used by Daosheng with the terms such as Dharma, True, Origin (ben), Dao, naturalness, Principle (li), the middle path, and Nirvāṇa.^[13] Because the Buddha-nature is latent, according to Daosheng, it is necessary to have the supporting conditions (yuan) to stimulate its hidden state.

The Buddha-nature and the supporting conditions are combined together in the process of enlightenment. In his commentary on the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, he writes:

“道生曰.因緣不得相離.因緣有故.學得成佛.豈離無我而有我耶.”^[14]

“Cause and conditions cannot be separated from each other. Because there are cause and conditions, learning can lead to attainment of Buddhahood. How can no-self and self be separated?”^[15]

Thus, the Daosheng‘s doctrine of Buddha-nature is the combination of the thought of true-self in the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra and no-self or śūnyātā in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras. The Buddha-nature is also the main thought for his doctrine of sudden enlightenment as the following presentation.

3. The Daosheng’s Doctrine of Sudden Enlightenment

The Daosheng‘s doctrine of sudden enlightenment was relevantly presented in his writing named “On Sudden Enlightenment to Achieve Buddhahood”; however, this writing is lost along with all of his other thematic works.^[16] Therefore, we do not have direct sources from Daosheng regarding his doctrine of sudden enlightenment. For this doctrine, we depend chiefly on the few lines in his preface to the “Southern text” of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra as well as upon two sources: Bianzonglun (Discussion of essentials)^[17] by Xielingyun (385-433 CE), a close friend and expositor of Daosheng; and Zhaolunshu (Commentary on the treatises of Sengzhao)^[18] by Huita (557-589 CE); both authors attributed their meanings of sudden enlightenment to Daosheng.

The metaphysical and epistemological grounds for Daosheng‘doctrine of sudden enlightenment lay in the concept of Li (principle), a term of extreme significance in the Chinese philosophical tradition. Li has a wide spectrum of implications embracing both the particular and the universal. Here, Li may relate to the essential substance underlying all things, which is immutable, invisible, and non-analyzable.

Daosheng made this view in preface to the “Southern text” of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra as follows:

“道生曰.夫真理自然.悟亦冥符.真則無差.悟豈容易.不易之體.為湛然常照.但從迷乖之.事未在我耳.苟能涉求”^[19]

“The true Li (principle) is naturalness. Enlightenment occurs when one is mysteriously united with it. Since the truth allows no variance, how can enlightenment involve stages? The unchanging essence is always quiescent and shining. It is only because of the delusions obscuring it that it appears to be beyond our reach.”^[20]

This paragraph asserts the invariance of the truth or the essence of mind; hence enlightenment cannot be divided into stages. It must occur at once or sudden, without stages or gradations. In addition, because the unchanging essence which is always quiescent and shining and lies within human mind, it is identical with the Buddha-nature. When one is united with Li or the Buddha-nature, the enlightenment occurs. Because Li is indivisible, the enlightenment cannot be partly realized. In other words, according to Daosheng, there is not gradual enlightenment (jianwu) or partial enlightenment (xiaowu), but sudden enlightenment (dunwu).

Thus, along with the doctrine of Buddha-nature, the Daosheng‘s thought of sudden enlightenment clearly played an important role in the practice of Chinese Buddhism, especially in Chan, the School that emphasized the Buddha-nature and sudden enlightenment.

4. Daosheng: The Theoretical Forerunner of Chan

After Daosheng passed away in 434 CE, some of his disciples and followers continuously preserved and expounded his doctrines up to the time when Bodhidharma came to China. They were Baolin, Fayao and Huisheng, all at the Longguangsi temple, where Daosheng resided temporarily from 419 to 429 CE. Other important followers such as Emperor Wendi (407–453 CE; the third king of the Liu Song dynasty), Fayuan (409-489 CE), Dao-yu (405-475 CE) and Liuqiu (436-495 CE), also took a keen interest in the Daosheng‘s doctrines. Among them, Liuqiu was a lay scholar who lived far from Daosheng;however, his thought was considered as the re-embodiment of the Daosheng‘s thought. Young-Ho Kim comments that “Liuqiu‘s works were remarkably similar in subject matter and methodology to Daosheng‘s. He expounded the meaning of the premises that good does not entail reward and that one achieves Buddhahood through sudden enlightenment.”^[21]

Thus, the influence of the Daosheng‘s doctrines of Buddha-nature and sudden enlightenment continuously impacted throughout the fifth century, just before the time that Bodhidharma came to China in 520 CE. However, beside his important doctrines of Buddha-nature and sudden enlightenment which closely relate to Chan, we cannot find any meditation practice of Daosheng and his followers to attain the Buddhanature and sudden enlightenment. Their approaches may be only intellectual, noetic and cognitive; whereas Chan is practical and intuitive. Consequently, it may only be said that Daosheng was not the founder, but the theoretical forerunner of Chan.