The Sanskrit term Tathāgatagarbha is made up of two roots:
- Tathāgata “gone into suchness” (a term for buddhahood)
- Garbha “womb, embryo or essence”
The Tathāgatagarbha teachings are found in a group of mahāyāna sūtras that present the concept of the garbha, (or womb) of the tathāgata, (the buddha).
This Tathāgatagarbha is innate, part of all beings. For this reason it does not require cultivation, only discovery and uncovering. Because it is already present and perfect within each being, every sentient being has the potential to realize Buddhahood.
This however does not mean we are all already awakened and nothing needs to be done. Ignorance acts like a deep veil of confusion and unskillful habits that we must learn to see through so that true nature can function freely. This is the role of Prajñāpāramitā, developing liberating wisdom.
This concept of Tathāgatagarbha is also equated with the concepts of the Dharmakāya, (truth body or reality body) and the Buddhadhātu, (Buddha-element or Buddha-nature).
Only the wise know this mind, this mind called dharma-nature, this mind called liberation. Neither life nor death can restrain this mind. Nothing can.
It’s also called the Unstoppable Tathagata, the Incomprehensible, the Sacred Self, the Immortal, the Great Sage. Its names vary but not its essence.
-Bodhidharma
In relation to the Yogācāra (the mind-only school, an influential tradition emphasizing the study of cognition, perception, and consciousness) and Madhyamaka (the middle-way school, otherwise known as the emptiness-doctrine or the no-svabhāva-doctrine) schools of Buddhist teachings, the Tathāgatagarbha teachings seem to have been less prominent in India, while they became increasingly popular and significant in Central and East Asian Buddhism.
The Buddhist sutras that contain these teachings
- Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra (Buddha Womb Sutra)
- Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra (Lion’s Roar of Queen Srimala)
- Anūnatvāpurnatvanirdeśa (The Teaching Explaining the Absence of Increase or Decrease)
- Mahāmegha Sūtra (Great Cloud Sutra)
- Aṅgulimālīya Sūtra (Angulimala Sutra)
- Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra (Great Final Nirvana Sutra)
- Mahābheri Sūtra (Great Dharma Drum Sutra)
- Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra (Descent into Lanka Sutra)
- Ghanavyūha Sūtra (Secret Adornment Sutra)
These last two, the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra and the Ghanavyūha Sūtra, also weave in Yogācāra Buddhist concepts. The Ghanavyūha sūtra can be found as part of the much larger Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Flower Adornment Sutra).
The Tathāgatagarbha that I teach differs from the Self taught by non-Buddhists. Great Wisdom Bodhisattva!
Sometimes, terms such as emptiness, formlessness, wishlessness, suchness, reality, the nature of things, the Dharma body, Nirvāņa, being without an inherent nature, neither production nor extinction, fundamental stillness, the inherent nature of Nirvaņa, and so forth, are used to describe Tathagatagarbha. In order to put an end to ignorant people’s fear of the nonexistence of the self, the Tathagata, worthy of worship and perfectly enlightened, expounds the doctrine of Tathagatagarbha which is separate from the state of erroneous imagination
The extremely profound purport, Śāriputra, is precisely the supreme truth. The supreme truth is precisely the quintessence of beings (sattvadhātu). The quintessence of beings is precisely the embryo of the tathāgatas (tathāgatagarbha). The embryo of the tathāgatagas is precisely the dharma-body (dharmakāya).
– Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra (Descent into Lanka Sutra)
Śāriputra, because foolish common people lack [even that] insight which comes from hearing [the teachings], hearing of the Tathāgata’s nirvāṇa they entertain the view that it is annihilation and the view that it is cessation.
Because they entertain the notion that it is annihilation and the notion that it is cessation, they consider that the realm of beings decreases, and this creates the extremely heavy evil karma of a greatly mistaken view.
This dharma-body, Śāriputra, is one which has the quality of being unborn and unperishing. It is unlimited in the past and unlimited in the future, because it is free from the two extremes. It is unlimited in the past, Śāriputra, because it is free from a time of birth, and it is unlimited in the future because it is free from a time of perishing.
The Tathāgata’s dharma-body, Śāriputra, is permanent because of its quality of immutability, because of its quality of inexhaustibility. The Tathāgata’s dharma-body, Śāriputra, is constant because it can permanently be taken as a refuge, because it is equal with the future limit (of saṁsāra). The Tathāgata’s dharma-body, Śāriputra, is tranquil because of its non-dual nature, because of its nature as free from discrimination. The Tathāgata’s dharma-body, Śāriputra, is unchangeable because of its imperishable nature, because of its non-created nature.
When this very same dharma-body, Śāriputra, ensnared by limitless defilements greater in number than the sands of the Ganges, drifting on the waves of the world from beginningless ages, comes and goes through birth and death, then it is termed ‘Beings.’
When this very same dharma-body, Śāriputra, repels the anguish and suffering of birth and death in the world, banishes all desires, practices the ten perfections, collects the eighty-four thousand teachings, and cultivates the practices leading to bodhi, then it is termed ‘bodhisattva.’
Once again, Śāriputra, when this very same dharma-body is free from the covering of all the world’s defilements, beyond all suffering, and free from the stains of all defilements, it attains purity, it attains perfect purity, and dwells among the pure dharmas of the other shore. It reaches the stage of what is desired by all beings, it thoroughly penetrates all spheres (of knowledge), and there is none surpassing it. It is free of all hindrances, free of all obstacles, and it attains sovereign power over all things. [This then] is termed ‘Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Awakened One.’
Therefore, Śāriputra, there is no quintessence of beings separate from the dharma-body, there is no dharma-body separate from the quintessence of beings. The quintessence of beings is precisely the dharma-body, the dharma-body is precisely the quintessence of beings. These two things, Śāriputra, have one meaning; [only] the names differ.
– Anūnatvāpurnatvanirdeśa (The Teaching Explaining the Absence of Increase or Decrease)
“They entertain the view that there is increase or decrease because these beings, having resorted to the Tathāgata’s sūtras of provisional meaning, lack the wisdom-eye; because they are remote from the view of emptiness in accord with reality; because they do not know in accord with reality the initial aspiration (to awakening) realized by the Tathāgata; because they do not know in accord with reality the practices which accumulate immeasurable merits for bodhi; because they do not know in accord with reality the immeasurable qualities attained by the Tathāgata; because they do not know in accord with reality the Tathāgata’s immeasurable power; because they do not know in accord with reality the Tathāgata’s immeasurable sphere (of knowledge); because they do not believe in the Tathāgata’s immeasurable range of action; because they do not know in accord with reality the Tathāgata’s inconceivable, immeasurable mastery of the teachings; because they do not know in accord with reality the Tathāgata’s inconceivable, immeasurable skillful means; because they are not able to distinguish in accord with reality the Tathāgata’s immeasurable sphere of discrimination; because they are not good at penetrating into the Tathāgata’s inconceivable great compassion; because they do not know in accord with reality the Tathāgata’s great nirvāṇa.
– Anūnatvāpurnatvanirdeśa (The Teaching Explaining the Absence of Increase or Decrease)
…when I regard all beings with my buddha cakshur (eye), I see that hidden within the kleshas (barbs) of raga (greed), lobha (confusion), dvesha (hatred) and moha (obscuration) there is seated augustly and unmovingly the Tathagata jnana , the Tathagata-vision and the Tathagata kaya. Kulaputras, all beings, though they find themselves with all sorts of kleshas, have a tathagata-garbha that is eternally unsullied, and that is replete with virtues no different from my own. Moreover, Kulaputras, it is just like a person with supernatural vision who can see the bodies of tathagatas seated in the lotus position inside the flowers, even though the petals are not yet unfurled; whereas after the wilted petals have been removed, those tathagatas are manifested for all to see. In similar fashion, the Buddha can really see the beings (sattva) tathagata-garbha. And because he wants to disclose the tathagata-garbha to them, he expounds the sutras and the Dharma, in order to destroy kleshas and reveal the buddha-dhatu (buddha-element, buddha-nature). Kulaputras, such is the dharma of all Buddhas
– Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra (Buddha Womb Sutra)
Lord, what is called the ‘Illustrious Doctrine’ is a term for the Great Vehicle. Why so?
Because all the vehicles of the Disciples and the Self-Enlightened and all the mundane and supramundane virtuous natures are distributed by the Great Vehicle. For example, the four great streams issue from Lake Anavatapta. In the same way, all the vehicles of the Disciples and the Self-Enlightened and all the mundane and supramundane virtuous natures issue from the Great Vehicle. For Example, whatever seeds there are, and plants, shrubs, herbs, trees, all of them, based on the great earth and resting on the great earth, sprout and grow. In the same way, whatever vehicles there be of Disciples and of the Self-Enlightened and whatever mundane and supramundane virtuous natures there be, based on the Great Vehicle, sprout and grow. Hence, Lord, when one is based on the Great Vehicle and embraces the Great Vehicle, he also has recourse to and embraces all the vehicles of Disciples and of the Self-Enlightened and all the mundane and supramundane virtuous natures.
Lord, that being the case, the nescience entrenchment is the source from which arise all the [primary] defilements and secondary defilements, which should be eliminated by contemplation. From that [nescience entrenchment] there also arise the secondary defilements on thoughts, on calming, on clear vision, on meditation, on intense concentration, on equipoise, on yoga, on knowing, on the fruit, on understanding, on power, on fearlessness.
Lord, the secondary defilements which are more numerous than the sands of the Ganges are utterly eradicated by the enlightenment wisdom of the Tathagatas; and all of them arise from the nescience entrenchment. The nescience entrenchment is the cause and condition for all the secondary defilements and their manifestations. Those manifestations are momentary, a moment of consciousness and its associate (a dharma).
From time immemorial, the nescience entrenchment has been unconscious. The natures to be eliminated, more numerous than the sands of the Ganges and which are utterly eradicated by the enlightenment wisdom of the Tathagatas, are all natures whose substratum and foundation is the nescience entrenchment. For example, whatever kind of seed it be, or grass, shrub, herb, or tree, all of them are founded on soil, germinate on soil, and grow on soil. If the great earth were shattered, should disintegrate, be displaced, and become nonexistent, then whatever kind of seed it be, or grass, shrub, herb, or tree, all of them would be shattered, would disintegrate, be displaced, and become nonexistent.
Lord, in the same way, the natures to be eliminated, exceeding the sands of the Ganges River, which are all utterly eradicated by the enlightenment wisdom of the Tathagata, are founded on the nescience entrenchment, are situated on the nescience entrenchment, germinate and grow [there]. If the nescience entrenchment were eliminated or purified and were to become nonexistent, the natures to be eliminated, exceeding the sands of the Ganges River, which are all utterly eradicated by the enlightenment wisdom of the Tathagata, would all be eliminated or purified and become nonexistent.
The supramundane knowledge which is diamond-like is of nonprogressive nature. Lord, that being the case, all the Disciples and Self-Enlightened ones actually know the first kind of knowledge of the Noble Truths which eliminates static kinds [of defilement], but they do not have the second kind of knowledge of the Noble Truths for eliminating the static kinds. Lord, the Tathagata-Arhat-Samyaksambuddhas are outside the sensory domain of all Disciples and Self-Enlightened ones, and eliminate all the defilement-stores by inconceivable voidness knowledge. The ultimate knowledge which disintegrates the entire defilement-store is entitled ‘Right Knowledge.’ The first kind of knowledge of the Noble Truths is not the ultimate knowledge but is the knowledge on the way towards the incomparable right completed enlightenment.
Lord, the cessation of suffering is not the destruction of Dharma. Why so?
Because the Dharmakaya of the Tathagata is named ‘cessation of suffering,’ and it is beginningless, uncreate, unborn, undying, free from death; permanent, steadfast, calm, eternal; intrinsically pure, free from all the defilement-store; and accompanied by Buddha natures more numerous than the sands of the Ganges, which are non-discrete, knowing as liberated, and inconceivable. This Dharmakaya of the Tathagata when not free from the store of defilement is referred to as the Tathagatagarbha.
Lord, among those four Noble Truths, three Truths are impermanent and one Truth is permanent. Why so?
Because the three Truths belong to the characteristic of the constructed, and anything belonging to the characteristic of the constructed is impermanent.
Anything impermanent has an illusory nature. Everything with illusory nature is untrue, impermanent, and not a refuge. Therefore, the Noble Truths of Suffering, Source of Suffering, and Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering are actually untrue, impermanent, and not a refuge. Lord, among those [four], the one Truth — Cessation of Suffering — excludes the realm with the characteristic of the constructed.
Anything excluding the realm with the characteristic of the constructed is permanent.
Whatever is permanent lacks an illusory nature. Anything that lacks an illusory nature is true, permanent, and a refuge. Therefore, the Truth — Cessation of Suffering — is in reality true, permanent, and a refuge.
Lord, samsara is based on the Tathagatagarbha. It was with reference to the Tathagatagarbha that the Lord pointed out and explained, ‘[It is] without limit in the past.’
Since there is the Tathagatagarbha, there is reason for speaking of ‘cyclical flow’ (samasra). Lord, as to ‘cyclical flow,’ no sooner do the sense organs for perception pass away than it [the Tathagatagarbha] takes hold of sense organs for perception, and that is ‘cyclical flow.’ Lord, the two natures, ‘passing away’ and ‘rebirth’ are conventional terminology for the Tathagatagarbha. Lord, ‘perished’ and ‘born’ are conventional terminology for the world (loka). ‘Perished’ is the loss of the senses. ‘Born’ is the renewal of the senses. But, Lord, the Tathagatagarbha is not born, does not die, does not pass away to become reborn. The Tathagatagarbha excludes the realm with the characteristic of the constructed. The Tathagatagarbha is permanent, steadfast, eternal. Therefore the Tathagatagarbha is the support, the holder, the base of constructed [Buddha natures] that are non-discrete, not dissociated, and knowing as liberated from the stores [of defilement]; and furthermore is the support, the holder, the base of external constructed natures that are discrete, dissociated, and knowing as not liberated.
Lord, if there were no Tathagatagarbha, there would be neither aversion towards suffering nor longing, eagerness, and aspiration towards Nirvana. What is the reason?
Whatever be these six perceptions, and whatever be this [other] perception, these seven natures are unfixed, momentary, and lack experience of suffering; hence these natures are unfit for aversion towards suffering or for longing, eagerness, and aspiration towards Nirvana. Lord, the Tathagatagarbha has ultimate existence without beginning or end, has an unborn and undying nature, and experiences suffering; hence it is worthy of the Tathagatagarbha to have aversion towards suffering as well as longing, eagerness, and aspiration towards Nirvana.
– Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra (Lion’s Roar of Queen Srimala)