A Brief Explanation of the Mahayana Tathagatagarbha Sutra
Chapter Seven All the Bodhisattvas Who Hear the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra Become Buddhas
Original text: 尔时世尊。复告金刚慧菩萨言。过去久远。无量无边。不可思议。阿僧祇劫。复过是数。尔时有佛。号常放光明王如来。应供等正觉。明行足。善逝世间解。无上士。调御丈夫。天人师。佛世尊。
Explanation: At this time, the World-Honored One again told the Bodhisattva Vajra Wisdom that in the past, long, long ago — immeasurable and boundless, inconceivable asaṃkhyeya kalpas (an asaṃkhyeya kalpa means an extremely, extremely large, immeasurably great number of kalpas), and again exceeding that number of asaṃkhyeya kalpas — when asaṃkhyeya kalpa followed upon asaṃkhyeya kalpa, at that time there was a Buddha named Constantly Emitting Light King Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Equally Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Beings, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. Whenever a Buddha attains buddhahood, He is endowed with these ten epithets.
Original text: 金刚慧。何故名曰。常放光明王。彼佛本行菩萨道时。降神母胎。常放光明。彻照十方。千佛世界。微尘等刹。
Explanation: Vajra Wisdom, why was that Buddha named Constantly Emitting Light King Tathāgata? When that Buddha was practicing the bodhisattva path as a bodhisattva, He descended into His mother's womb to be conceived, and while in the womb He constantly emitted light, and that light could thoroughly illuminate the lands as numerous as dust motes in the thousand-Buddha worlds of the ten directions. In the thousand-Buddha worlds throughout the ten directions, there are Buddha-lands as numerous as dust motes; so many Buddha-lands truly cannot be counted, so there is no need to count them. How great the spiritual power of a bodhisattva in his final body is cannot be expressed in words.
When a bodhisattva in his final body is about to become a Buddha, His light can illuminate Buddha-lands as numerous as immeasurable and boundless dust motes; bodhisattvas prior to the ten bhūmis cannot do this. When a bodhisattva emits great light within His mother's womb, able to thoroughly illuminate so many dust-mote Buddha-lands, then as for how many sentient beings there are in so many Buddha-lands, there is no need even to say.
Original text: 若有众生。见斯光者。一切欢喜。烦恼悉灭。色力具足。念智成就。得无碍辩。
Explanation: When sentient beings encounter the light emitted by this bodhisattva, they all give rise to joyful minds; whoever the light shines upon gives rise to joy — this is the spiritual power of a bodhisattva in his final body. After sentient beings give rise to joy, meditative concentration appears, and their afflictions are eradicated. It is just like when we cultivate and attain the first dhyāna and the state of joy and bliss arising from separation [from sensual desire] appears; together with the merit of seeing the mind and the eradication of the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa), the afflictions of greed and hatred can be eradicated, and the delusion and conceit that come afterward can also gradually be eliminated. After all afflictions are extinguished, one's physical form and vigor become complete, and the body's appearance is adorned with major and minor marks (lakṣaṇa-vyañjana-sampad).
"Accomplishment of mindfulness and wisdom" means that whatever Dharma one studies, one can remember that Dharma, understand that Dharma, and then realize that Dharma and obtain wisdom — this is called the accomplishment of mindfulness and wisdom. After studying the Dharma, every thought of the mind is on the Dharma studied; one can not only understand it but also realize it, and therefore one gives rise to a decisive mind regarding the studied Dharma, never wavering. After the accomplishment of mindfulness and wisdom, one obtains unobstructed eloquence: one's eloquence in expounding the Dharma and in debate is excellent, without any obstruction. From this we can see that the virtuous function of this Buddha's light is extremely vast; this is the Buddha's spiritual power, the bodhisattva's spiritual power, and also the spiritual power of the tathāgatagarbha. Sentient beings who encounter it all receive benefit without exception.
Original text: 若地狱饿鬼。畜生阎罗王。阿修罗等。见光明者。皆离恶道。生天人中。
Explanation: If beings in the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, King Yama, asuras, and so forth see the bodhisattva's light, they can all leave the evil paths and be reborn among gods and humans; this too is the Buddha's spiritual power, the bodhisattva's spiritual power, and the spiritual power of the tathāgatagarbha. Once the tathāgatagarbha emits light, sentient beings all leave the hells and the three evil paths. Then, when the tathāgatagarbha within our own bodies functions, can we too leave the hells? Are we still in the hells or not? The material bodies of the hells are all manifested by the tathāgatagarbha; the whole of them is true suchness, and in this way there is no hell — everything is the tathāgatagarbha. Although in appearance it is a body of the three evil paths, in substance it is made from the materials within the tathāgatagarbha; its essence is still the tathāgatagarbha.
Original text: 若诸天人。见光明者。于无上道。得不退转。具五神通。若不退转者。皆得无生法忍。五十功德。旋陀罗尼。
Explanation: If gods and humans see the light, they will never again regress on the unsurpassed Buddha path, becoming non-retrogressing bodhisattvas who have realized enlightenment through seeing the mind, and they become endowed with the five superknowledges. Because the gods originally possess the five superknowledges, at this time their five superknowledges become even more excellent. If they are bodhisattvas who have already become non-retrogressing, then upon seeing the bodhisattva's light again, they can all attain the patience with the non-arising of dharmas (anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti), possess the seed-wisdom of Consciousness-Only, become bodhisattvas who have entered the bhūmis, and possess the fifty merits and the revolving dhāraṇī. If bodhisattvas who have already seen the mind and seen the nature encounter this golden light again, they enter the bhūmis, become noble ones, and enter the family of the Tathāgata.
Original text: 金刚慧。彼光明所照国土。皆悉严净。如天琉璃。黄金为绳。以界八道。种种宝树。花果茂盛。香气芬馨。微风吹动。出微妙音。演畅三宝。菩萨功德。根力觉道。禅定解脱。众生闻者。皆得法喜。信乐坚固。永离恶道。
Explanation: Vajra Wisdom, those Buddha-lands that the light can shine upon all become adorned and pure, like heavenly lapis lazuli. These Buddha-lands are just like the Land of Bliss (sukhāvatī): on the ground, gold is used as boundary cords to demarcate eight paths. All the Buddha-lands have various jeweled trees, with luxuriant flowers and fruits and fragrant, warm aromas. When a gentle breeze blows, these jeweled trees and flowering fruit trees emit subtle and wondrous sounds, just like the jeweled trees of Amitābha Buddha's Land of Bliss emitting subtle wondrous sounds, expounding the Three Jewels and the many merits of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, expounding the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the eightfold noble path, and expounding the merits of meditative concentration and liberation — expounding the same Dharma as the jeweled trees of the Land of Bliss. Those sentient beings who hear it are filled with Dharma joy in their hearts, delight in faith in the Buddha-Dharma, are firm within, and forever leave the evil paths.
Original text: 金刚慧。彼十方刹。一切众生。蒙光明故。昼夜六时。合掌恭敬。金刚慧。彼菩萨处胎出生。乃至成佛。无余泥洹。常放光明。般泥洹后。舍利塔庙。亦常放光。以是因缘。诸天世人。号曰常放光明王。
Explanation: Vajra Wisdom, all the sentient beings in the Buddha-lands of the ten directions, receiving the illumination of the light emitted by this bodhisattva, press their palms together in reverence during the six periods of the day and night. Vajra Wisdom, this bodhisattva dwelt in the womb and was born, until He finally accomplished the Buddha path; after becoming a Buddha, He entered the nirvāṇa of non-abiding (apratiṣṭhita-nirvāṇa). When manifesting these eight marks of attaining the path, His body constantly radiated light. The Buddha's nirvāṇa is called the nirvāṇa of non-abiding; this was the bodhisattva in his final body manifesting the attainment of buddhahood — from entering the womb to becoming a Buddha and entering nirvāṇa, light was constantly emitted from the Buddha's body. After this Buddha entered nirvāṇa, His disciples built stūpas and temples for His relics (śarīra); those relics and the stūpas and temples also constantly emitted light. For this reason, the gods and people of the world called this Buddha Constantly Emitting Light King Tathāgata.
Original text: 金刚慧。常放光明王如来。应供等正觉。初成佛时。于其法中。有一菩萨。名无边光。与二十亿菩萨。以为眷属。无边光菩萨摩诃萨。于彼佛所。问如来藏经。佛为演说。在于一坐。经五十大劫。
Explanation: Vajra Wisdom, when Constantly Emitting Light King Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly and Equally Enlightened, first became a Buddha, under this Buddha's teaching there was a bodhisattva disciple named Boundless Light Bodhisattva, who had two billion bodhisattvas as his retinue. When the Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva Boundless Light was listening to the Dharma beside Constantly Emitting Light King, he asked about this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, and then Constantly Emitting Light King expounded this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra to Boundless Light Bodhisattva. When the Buddha expounded it, He sat down cross-legged and began to speak, expounding for a total of fifty great kalpas. For us, expounding this sūtra takes only a few hours to finish, but that Constantly Emitting Light Tathāgata expounded it for a full fifty great kalpas; once He sat down, He never stopped.
Original text: 护念一切。诸菩萨故。其音普告。十佛世界微尘等。百千佛刹。为诸菩萨。无数因缘。百千譬喻。说如来藏。大乘经典。诸菩萨等。闻说此经。受持读诵。如说修行。除四菩萨。皆已成佛。
Explanation: In order to protect and be mindful of the assembly of bodhisattvas, Constantly Emitting Light King Buddha used the sound of His Dharma teaching to universally announce to the bodhisattvas in the hundred-thousand Buddha-lands as numerous as the dust motes of the Buddha-worlds of the ten directions. The Buddha-lands embraced by Constantly Emitting Light King Buddha are simply too many, yet His voice could reach into all these Buddha-lands. This shows that the Buddha's spiritual power is extremely vast. To protect and be mindful of the assembly of bodhisattvas, Constantly Emitting Light King Buddha used countless causes and conditions and hundreds of thousands of similes to expound the Mahāyāna sūtra of the tathāgatagarbha. In this sūtra there are only eight similes, whereas with that bodhisattva there were hundreds of thousands of similes, using hundreds of thousands of similes and various causes and conditions to expound this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra. That one sitting lasted fifty great kalpas, and the bodhisattvas listening to the Dharma likewise sat listening for that whole length of time without moving. After the bodhisattvas heard this sūtra, they could all cultivate in accordance with what the sūtra teaches, and could receive and uphold it; they all realized the tathāgatagarbha, and moreover widely expounded the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra to sentient beings.
Apart from four bodhisattvas, all the other bodhisattvas have already become Buddhas. At that time those listening to the Dharma were Boundless Light Bodhisattva plus two billion bodhisattvas; apart from the four bodhisattvas who had not become Buddhas, all the other bodhisattvas became Buddhas. Why had these four bodhisattvas not become Buddhas? They had pure great vows to fulfill. Take Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, for example: He is the teacher of seven Buddhas and should have become a Buddha long ago, yet He does not take up the position of a Buddha. After Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva's great vows are all fulfilled and He becomes a Buddha, countless Buddha-lands will all lie within His Buddha-land, embraced by Him; Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva's power of vows is extremely vast.
Original text: 金刚慧。汝莫异观。彼无边光菩萨。岂异人乎。即我身是。彼四菩萨。未成佛者。文殊师利。观世音。大势至。汝金刚慧是。金刚慧。如来藏经。能大饶益。若有闻者。皆成佛道。
Explanation: Vajra Wisdom, do not have any other thoughts: that Boundless Light Bodhisattva was no one else — it was I; my previous life was Boundless Light Bodhisattva. This Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra that Boundless Light Bodhisattva requested Constantly Emitting Light King Buddha to expound delivered two billion bodhisattvas, and in the end they all became Buddhas. Only four bodhisattvas did not become Buddhas; those four bodhisattvas who did not become Buddhas were Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva, and you, Vajra Wisdom Bodhisattva.
You four bodhisattvas still have pure great vows; you do not wish to attain the fruit of Buddhahood too soon, but still wish to fulfill your own pure great vows and deliver immeasurable and boundless sentient beings, being willing to become Buddhas only at the very end. Vajra Wisdom, the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra can greatly benefit sentient beings. The two billion bodhisattvas who heard this sūtra have all become Buddhas; if there are others who hear it, they can likewise realize the tathāgatagarbha, and after realizing it they will gradually become Buddhas in the future — all sentient beings can become Buddhas.
Original text: 尔时世尊重说偈曰。
过去无数劫 佛号光明王 常放大光明 普照无量土
无边光菩萨 于佛初成道 而启问此经 佛即为演说
其有遇最胜 而闻此经者 皆已得成佛 唯除四菩萨
文殊观世音 大势金刚慧 此四菩萨等 皆曾闻此法
Explanation: Finally, the World-Honored One again summarized in verse, saying:
过去无数劫。佛号光明王。常放大光明。普照无量土。
无边光菩萨。于佛初成道。而启问此经。佛即为演说。Countless kalpas ago, there was a Buddha named Light King, who constantly emitted great light, universally illuminating immeasurable and boundless Buddha-lands. Among this Buddha's disciples there was one called Boundless Light Bodhisattva; when Constantly Emitting Light King Buddha had just attained the Way, he requested the Buddha to expound this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, and Constantly Emitting Light King Buddha expounded this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra for Him. Spanning fifty great kalpas, He widely delivered immeasurable beings.
其有遇最胜。而闻此经者。皆已得成佛。唯除四菩萨。
文殊观世音。大势金刚慧。此四菩萨等。皆曾闻此法。If someone could encounter the most supreme Honored One of the Three Realms, encountering this Honored One of the Three Realms expounding the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, and at the same time heard this sūtra, then they have all already become Buddhas now. Only Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva, and Vajra Wisdom Bodhisattva have not become Buddhas. These four bodhisattvas also heard this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra.
Original text: 金刚慧为彼 第一神通子 时号无边光 已曾闻此经
我本求道时 师子幢佛所 亦曾受斯经 如闻说修行
我因此善根 疾得成佛道 是故诸菩萨 应持说此经
闻已如说行 得佛如我今 若持此经者 当礼如世尊
若得此经者 是名佛法主 则为世间护 诸佛之所叹
若有持是经 是人名法王 是为世间眼 应赞如世尊
Explanation: 金刚慧为彼。第一神通子。时号无边光。已曾闻此经。Vajra Wisdom Bodhisattva was the first Buddha-son of Constantly Emitting Light Tathāgata to attain great superknowledges, foremost in vast spiritual power. At that time there was a bodhisattva called Boundless Light who had also heard this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra; Boundless Light Bodhisattva was I, Śākyamuni Buddha.
我本求道时。师子幢佛所。亦曾受斯经。如闻说修行。When I first sought the unsurpassed Buddha path — when I first gave rise to bodhicitta and wished to become a Buddha — it was at the place of Lion Banner Buddha, when I had just encountered Lion Banner Buddha. At that time, I too received, upheld, heard, and recited this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, and was able to cultivate just as the sūtra says, practicing in accordance with reality.
我因此善根。疾得成佛道。是故诸菩萨。应持说此经。Because of the power of the roots of goodness, merits, and causal conditions of receiving, upholding, hearing, and reciting this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, I swiftly accomplished the Buddha path. Therefore, all you bodhisattvas should receive, uphold, and expound this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra.
闻已如说行。得佛如我今。若持此经者。当礼如世尊。After bodhisattvas hear this sūtra, if they practice and cultivate in accordance with reason and the Dharma, as the Buddha requires in the sūtra, then in the future you will be able to become Buddhas just as I am today. If you wish to receive and uphold this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, you should venerate this sūtra, revering it as you would the World-Honored One. Why? Because this sūtra can give birth to immeasurable Buddhas.
若得此经者。是名佛法主。则为世间护。诸佛之所叹。If one can realize this sūtra — that is, realize the tathāgatagarbha — then that person is the master of the Buddha-Dharma. He can expound the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra at will and can deliver all sentient beings, enabling them all to accomplish the Buddha path in the future. Such a person will receive the protection and support of everyone in the world; the Buddhas of the ten directions will all come to praise and protect him, and this person will also be a Buddha in the future.
若有持是经。是人名法王。是为世间眼。应赞如世尊。If someone can truly receive and uphold this Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, that person is a Dharma King. The "receiving and upholding" spoken of here does not refer to ordinary receiving and upholding, but to having realized the tathāgatagarbha and being able to completely follow and take refuge in the tathāgatagarbha, drawing completely near to being equal to the mind of the tathāgatagarbha, perfectly taking refuge in the tathāgatagarbha and resonating with it. Such a person's mind has completely extinguished ignorance, thoroughly transforming consciousness into wisdom; then He is a Dharma King. Completely transforming one's basis upon the tathāgatagarbha (āśraya-parāvṛtti) is called "upholding" — this is truly upholding the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra; a complete and total transformation of the basis makes one a Dharma King.
Such a person is the eye of the world, the eye of all people in the three-realm world; He can teach everyone in the three-realm world to leave the ocean of suffering of birth and death and attain buddhahood in the fullest sense. Therefore, one should praise this person just as one praises the World-Honored One, and submit to Him; in the future He will be able to become the most honored one of the three realms.
Original text: 尔时世尊。说此经已。金刚慧。及诸菩萨。四众眷属。天人乾闼婆。阿修罗等。闻佛所说。欢喜奉行。
Explanation: After the World-Honored One finished speaking this sūtra, Vajra Wisdom and the bodhisattvas and the fourfold assembly of retinues — the ordained and lay assemblies of men and women — and the gods, gandharvas, asuras, and so forth heard the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra spoken by the World-Honored One, were all extremely joyful, and were all able to practice and personally realize it in accordance with reason and the Dharma — this is called "joyfully undertaking it."
The whole sūtra has now roughly been expounded. This sūtra is about the World-Honored One leading sentient beings to believe deeply that every single sentient being has the pure treasury of the Tathāgata, which dwells imperishably within one's own body and constantly emits light; as long as sentient beings break through the darkness of ignorance, the wisdom, virtues, and marks of the Tathāgata can be revealed. Then, having realized this tathāgatagarbha, one further cultivates in reliance upon it, advancing through the stages in sequence, and finally perfectly accomplishes the Buddha path. This sūtra can give rise to faith in sentient beings, enabling them to believe without doubt that within their own bodies there are the wisdom, virtues, and marks of the Tathāgata. In this way, bodhisattvas at the stage of faith complete their cultivation. This brief exposition of the sūtra ends here. It is hoped that all sentient beings who have the affinity to hear or come into contact with the «Mahāvaipulya Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra» can believe deeply that there is a tathāgatagarbha within their own five-aggregate bodies, be willing to personally realize the tathāgatagarbha under the guidance of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and then make great vows to practice the bodhisattva path in reliance upon it life after life, until in the future they accomplish the path of Buddha-bodhi.
