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

by Nguyen Dac Sy | 2012 | 70,344 words

This page relates ‘Dharmakaya in the Lankavatara-sutra’ 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).

4.2. Dharmakāya in the Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra

< Previous

Next >

[Full title: The Buddha-nature as Dharmakāya, (2): Dharmakāya in the Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra]

D.T. Suzuki analyzes in his Studies of the Laṅkāvatārasūtra that the Laṅkāvatārasūtra distinguishes the Buddha personalities in terms of “Buddha”, not in terms of “Body” (kāya).

So instead of Trikāya, the Laṅkāvatārasūtra has the Buddha‘s names and other concepts corresponding to the Trikāya as follows:^[1]

-For Dharmakāya: Dharma-buddha, Dharmatā-buddha, Tathatājñāna-buddha, Mūla-tathāgata, Buddha-nature (in term of Buddhatā)

-For Sambhogakāya: (Nisyanda-) Nishyanda-buddha, Dharmatānishyanda-buddha.

-For Nirmāṇakāya: Nirmāṇa-buddha, Will-body (manomayakāya).

Among these above Buddha‘s names, the Nishyanda or Nisyanda derived from the root syand, literally means “flowing down”, or “flowing out”, so the Nishyanda-buddha is sometimes translated in the Wei and the Tang version as Recompense Buddha (bao-fo) or in the Liu Song as Depending Buddha (yi-fo).^[2] Suzuki criticizes that ―not only is there no connection in meaning between Nishyanda and Sambhoga, which means “enjoyment”, but also the definition given in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra to the Nishyandabuddha as to his functions seems to be quite different from the nature of the Sambhogakāya as we ordinarily have it.‖^[3] However, the Nishyanda and Sambhoga have the same meaning. Both refer to the complete achievement of wisdom and compassion results from the innumerable Bodhisattva‘s vows and works that the Buddha has done. So the Nishyanda and Sambhoga consist of the recompense Buddha‘s body and his Buddha land. The term Dharmakāya is often mentioned in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra but it is not always the same as Dharmakāya in the Trikāya.

The Laṅkāvatārasūtra mentions about the “Tathāgata‘s Dharmakāya”, about the “inconceivable Dharmakāya”, and about the “ Dharmakāya as will-body”, etc., as the following passages.

“The Dharmakāya of the Tathāgata, which belongs to the realm and course of Tathāgatahood transcending thought and in which there is no rising of the five Dharmas. That is to say, they will attain the Tathāgata-body (Tathāgatakāya) which is the Dharma intimately bound up with the understanding born of transcendental knowledge (prajñā), and which, entering into the realm of Māyā (māyāvishaya), reaches all the Buddha-lands, the heavenly mansions of Tushita, and the abode of the Akanishṭha.”^[4]

Here, the Dharmakāya is the realm and exposed form of the Buddha-nature revealing in the Tathāgata, so it is also called the Tathāgatakāya endowed with prajñā transcending normal thinking. This body of the Buddha does not change at all even though the Buddha enters into the world (māyāvishaya) or stays in the Buddha-lands, etc.

The process of practice in order to attain this Dharmakāya (Tathāgatakāya) is described in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra as follows.

“The Bodhisattvas entering into the state of imagelessness where they see into the truth of Mind-only, arriving at the abode of the Pāramitās, and keeping themselves away from the thought of genesis, deed, and discipline, they will attain the Samādhi Vajravimbopama which is in compliance with the Tathāgatakāya and with the transformations of suchness. After achieving a revulsion in the abode [of the Vijñānas], Mahāmati, they will gradually realise the Tathāgatakāya, which is endowed with the powers, the psychic faculties, self-control, love, compassion, and means; which can enter into all the Buddha-lands and into the sanctuaries of the philosophers; and which is beyond the realm of Citta-mano-manovijñāna.”^[5]

When the Bodhisattva realizes the Buddha-nature, he is described as being a holy man sealed by the Buddhas.

The following passage will describes the realm of the Dharmakāya which is similar with the Sambhogakāya that the Bodhisattva achieves when he is gradually and successively going up the scale from the first to the ninth stage where his insight is perfected, and finally he reaches the tenth stage known as Great Dharmameghā.

“Establishing himself here, he will be seated in the great jewel palace known as “Great Lotus Throne” which is in the shape of a lotus and is adorned with various sorts of jewels and pearls; he will then acquire and complete a world of Māyā-nature; surrounded by Bodhisattvas of the same character and anointed like the son of the Cakravarti by the hands of the Buddhas coming from all the Buddha-lands, he will go beyond the last stage of Bodhisattvahood, attain the noble truth of self-realization, and become a Tathāgata endowed with the perfect freedom of the Dharmakāya, because of his insight into the egolessness of things. This, Mahāmati, is what is meant by the egolessness of all things, and in this you and other Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas should well exercise yourselves.”^[6]

Hidden within all sentient beings, the Buddha-nature under the state of Ālayavijñāna holds within it all good and not good seeds in mind. When the Bodhisattva path has completely performed, all the good seeds, wisdom and compassion in the mind of the enlightened one will become the pure energies to constitute the Nirmāṇakāya, the Body of Transformation in response to the needs of sentient beings.

The Body of Transformation is made by the pure energies of mind called will-body (manomayakāya) or will-made (manomaya).

“The Blessed One said this to him: Mahāmati, the Tathāgata is not a non-entity; nor is he to be conceived as all things are, as neither born nor disappearing; nor is he to look around for causation [in order to appear before others]; nor is he without signification; I refer to him as unborn. Nevertheless, Mahāmati, there is another name for the Tathāgata when his Dharmakāya assumes a will-body (manomayā). This is what goes beyond the comprehension of the philosophers, Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, and those Bodhisattvas still abiding in the seventh stage. The unborn, Mahāmati, is synonymous with the Tathāgata.”^[7]

The Manomaya or “will-made” is explained that a Bodhisattva is able to assume a variety of forms according to his wishes just as easily as one can in thought pass through or over all kinds of physical obstructions. The “Dharmakāya assumes a will-body” means that the Dharmakāya is in its relation to a world of multitudinousness where it may take any forms it likes according to conditions. In this case the Dharmakāya is no other than the Nirmanakāya. So we read further that the Tathāgata‘s other names are a legion in this world only that sentient beings fail to recognize them even when they hear them.

Briefly, the Mahāyāna doctrine of Dharmakāya has the root in Early Buddhism referring to the Buddha‘s dharmas or the Truth of Dharma taught by the Buddha. In Early Mahāyāna literature, Dharmakāya is identical with Thusness (tathatā) to indicate the universal principle of all things. The Prajñāpāramitā literature develops the thought of Dharmakāya into the ultimate body of all Buddhas while the Buddha‘s physical body is called the rūpakāya. Some of the scriptures of the Tathāgatagarbha literature such as the Laṅkāvatārasūtra present the doctrine of Trilogy of Buddha, i.e. the Dharmatā-buddha, Nishyanda-buddha and Nirmāṇa-buddha, which are the prototype of the later Trikāya doctrine. The thought of Dharmakāya is complete in the doctrine of Trikāya founded by the Yogācāra School. Trikāya are the Dharmakāya, Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya which are basically similar with the Trilogy Buddha of the Laṅkāvatārasūtra but still different in some details. The concepts of Dharmakāya presented in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra all are able to be explained with the doctrine of Buddha-nature. In other way of speaking, not only the Dharmakāya, but also the Trikāya and Trilogy Buddha, all are based on the Buddha-nature to create. From the universality of the Buddha-nature as the essence of all things including the Buddhas, sentient and insentient beings, the Dharmakāya and the Dharmatā-buddha exist. The Dharmakāya, i.e. the Buddha-nature in exposition, of all the Buddhas has no forms, no marks but it is possible to manifest itself in forms and marks of the Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya because the Buddha-nature is also endowed with pure energy (seeds) of wisdom and compassion under the form of Buddha powers.

From the above analysis, it can be said that the thought of the Buddha-nature play important role in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra. The Buddha-nature, as depicted in the Sūtra, includes not only the simple form of Buddhatā, i.e. the wisdom and compassion as the qualities or natures of the Buddha, but also a nucleus to develop other doctrines. In the conventional truth, the Buddha-nature under the name Tathāgatagarbha is identical with Ālayavijñāna. The doctrine of Ālayavijñāna in the Sūtra accepts the Buddha-nature as its background to develop the system of eight consciousnesses. Inversely, the Buddha-nature based on the Ālayavijñāna to expose itself in the conventional world. Further, the doctrine of trilogy Buddha is also based on the Buddha-nature to create. Dharmatā-buddha, the prototype of Dharmakāya, is the Buddha-nature in the absolute truth, i.e. the Buddha-nature exposes in the Buddha.

In the aspect of practice, doctrines of self-realization, revulsion, sudden enlightenment and gradual cultivation all are based on the Buddha-nature to deploy. Therefore, the Laṅkāvatārasūtra is also the most important textbook of Chan, a school of Chinese Buddhist meditation based on the Buddha-nature as its main doctrine. This aspect of the Buddha-nature will deploy in the following chapter.