A Brief Explanation of the Mahayana Tathagatagarbha Sutra
Chapter 5: Eight Similes of the Tathāgatagarbha (2)
Original text: 善男子。如来如是。观众生已。为菩萨摩诃萨。净佛智故。显现此义。
Explanation: Good men, after the Tathāgata thus observed sentient beings, in order to purify the wisdom of the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas and enable them to soon become endowed with pure Tathāgata wisdom, He manifests this meaning for sentient beings and bodhisattvas.
After the Tathāgata thus observed sentient beings, He knew that within their bodies there is a pure treasury of the Tathāgata, free from heat and affliction, lying within the shell of sentient beings' ignorance, wrapped inside the five-aggregate bodies of sentient beings' greed, anger, and delusion, so that sentient beings cannot see it. In order for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas to obtain pure Tathāgata wisdom, realize the wisdom, virtues, and marks of the Tathāgata, and ultimately become fully endowed with the Buddha's supreme wisdom, transform consciousness into wisdom, become Buddhas, and deliver sentient beings, He manifests it to sentient beings—He manifests to the bodhisattvas the pure tathāgatagarbha within the bodies of sentient beings, and then lets the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas awaken and enter the Buddha's knowledge and vision, and realize the pure treasury of the Tathāgata. The Buddha spoke out His great vow to go to various Buddha-lands to broadly deliver sentient beings; in order to open up, demonstrate, awaken, and lead sentient beings into the Buddha's knowledge and vision, to open up and demonstrate the treasure store of Tathāgata wisdom, to let the bodhisattvas realize the wisdom, virtues, and marks of the Tathāgata, obtain great wisdom, and ultimately become pure, perfect, and awakened supreme Buddhas.
Original text: 尔时世尊以偈颂曰。
譬如庵罗果 内实不毁坏。种之于大地 必成大树王
如来无漏眼 观一切众生。身内如来藏 如花果中实
无明覆佛藏 汝等应信知。三昧智具足 一切无能坏
是故我说法 开彼如来藏。疾成无上道 如果成树王
Explanation: Finally, the World-Honored One still used a verse to summarize all the similes:
譬如庵罗果。内实不毁坏。种之于大地。必成大树王。For example, the āmalaka fruit has a seed inside called the kernel; the fruit is not damaged. If this fruit is planted in the great earth, in the future it will grow into a towering great tree and become the king of trees. This shows that although the tree seed is small, its force of function is extremely great; it is merely wrapped in the shell of sentient beings' ignorance and cannot manifest its great virtues and capabilities. The Buddha, with skillful means, breaks open the shell of sentient beings' ignorance so that the tathāgatagarbha manifests; when sentient beings realize it, they can achieve a towering great tree like the Buddha's.
如来无漏眼。观一切众生。身内如来藏。如花果中实。The Buddha's untainted eye of wisdom observed that within the five-aggregate bodies of all sentient beings, within their bodies of affliction, within the shell of ignorance, there is the tathāgatagarbha, with the wisdom, virtues, and marks of the Tathāgata, just like the undamaged fruit within a flower or fruit. The Buddha has completely severed all His ignorance, without even a trace of afflictive habits remaining—this is called being untainted (anāsrava); wholesome dharmas and wholesome roots can no longer leak out, reaching complete untaintedness, ultimately becoming a Buddha.
无明覆佛藏。汝等应信知。三昧智具足。一切无能坏。The ignorance in sentient beings' minds wraps and covers the Buddha's pure treasury, the treasury of the Tathāgata, so that sentient beings themselves cannot see the tathāgatagarbha. You multitudes should believe and should also realize through verification that the tathāgatagarbha's power of meditative concentration (samādhi) and power of wisdom are both fully endowed, and no dharma whatsoever can destroy the tathāgatagarbha within sentient beings' bodies.
When the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas' meditative concentration and wisdom are fully endowed, they can realize this pure treasury of the Tathāgata, which can never be destroyed within the body of afflictions. What can be destroyed? Afflictions can be destroyed, the shell of ignorance can be destroyed, sentient beings' five-aggregate bodies can be destroyed, but this treasury of the Tathāgata is forever unborn and undying; no matter what power you have, it cannot destroy Him in the slightest. Why can He not be destroyed? Because He is without form and without mark, unborn and undying; His intrinsic nature is originally thus, without any nature of arising and ceasing—such is the Dharma by its very nature. Therefore no power whatsoever can change Him, eliminate Him, or destroy Him.
是故我说法。开彼如来藏。疾成无上道。如果成树王。For this reason, I teach the Dharma to reveal the tathāgatagarbha within sentient beings' own bodies, displaying Him so that sentient beings may realize Him and see Him, and ultimately swiftly attain the unsurpassed Buddha Way, just as a fruit becomes the king of towering trees. This fruit is a metaphor for the tathāgatagarbha; the tathāgatagarbha can accomplish all dharmas, worldly and transcendent, and can enable sentient beings to achieve the Buddha Way—that is, becoming the king of trees, the king among trees. This is the simile of the king of trees, illustrating that the tathāgatagarbha is like a true, indestructible fruit that can grow into a towering great tree, enabling sentient beings to ultimately achieve the Buddha Way.
Next, the Buddha spoke the sixth simile of the tathāgatagarbha, about the true golden image, comparing the tathāgatagarbha to a true golden image.
Original text: 复次。善男子。譬如有人。持真金像。行诣他国。经由险路。惧遭劫夺。裹以弊物。令无识者。
Explanation: Furthermore, good men, suppose there is a person carrying a true golden image, traveling a long way to another country. Between these two countries, the road is long and rather dangerous. This person, fearing he would encounter bandits and worried that the golden image would be discovered by robbers and plundered, thought of a plan: he wrapped the outside of the golden image with filthy, dirty clothing—such as rags, dirty cloth, straw and mud, and the like—wrapping it around the outside of the golden image. The purpose was to first conceal the golden image so that no one would discover it, making people think it was something filthy and tattered, which no one would want.
Original text: 此人于道。忽便命终。于是金像。弃捐旷野。行人践蹈。咸谓不净。得天眼者。见弊物中。有真金像。即为出之。一切礼敬。
Explanation: After wrapping it, this person suddenly met with an accident on the road and abruptly died. Thereupon the golden image was abandoned in the wilderness. Travelers passing by trampled over it, all saying this bundle was unclean. But a person who had attained the divine eye saw that within the tattered bundle there was a true golden image, took the golden image out, and paid homage to it with all manner of rites and reverence.
What does the person's death indicate? It shows that human life is impermanent and the five aggregates can perish at any time. But although the person died, the golden image did not perish along with his death, showing that when the five aggregates perish, the tathāgatagarbha does not perish. After this person's life ended, the golden image was abandoned in the wilderness, cast out into the desolate wilds. During this time, travelers coming and going, encountering this golden image wrapped in tattered, filthy clothing, paid it no regard whatsoever. The travelers trampled over it with their feet, all considering it an unclean, filthy thing, not knowing what was wrapped inside, and no one ever opened it. It is just like our tattered five aggregates—no one seeks within for the true golden treasure, the tathāgatagarbha. Within our five-aggregate bodies there is a maṇi jewel, yet no one recognizes or knows Him; instead, unknowingly and unwittingly, they use Him to create unwholesome karma.
But the one with the divine eye saw that within the tattered bundle there was a true golden image, just as the Buddha said when He first attained the Way: "All sentient beings of the great earth possess the wisdom, virtues, and marks of the Tathāgata." The Buddha discovered this true golden treasure image, the tathāgatagarbha, removed the outer wrapping of tattered, filthy five aggregates, and took out the golden image, the tathāgatagarbha. After taking it out, everyone saw it, and all came to pay homage. Thus the Buddha can discover the tathāgatagarbha treasure within sentient beings' bodies; after discovering it, He points it out to others so they may realize it; after realizing it, everyone cultivates in accordance with it, all become wealthy and prosperous, and ultimately become ultimate Buddhas.
The divine eye can see everything; no matter what is wrapped around the outside, the divine eye has the property of penetration—even if you wrapped something as thick as the earth, the divine eye could still see through the earth and see what is inside. This one with the divine eye is a metaphor for the Buddha, the World-Honored One. The Buddha can see the true reality of all dharmas; within the filthy, tattered five aggregates, He can see the tathāgatagarbha and Buddha-nature amid the afflictions.
Original text: 如是。善男子。我见众生。种种烦恼。长夜流转。生死无量。如来妙藏。在其身内。俨然清净。如我无异。是故佛为。众生说法。断除烦恼。净如来智。转复化导。一切世间。
Explanation: Just like the simile of the golden image—good men, I see that sentient beings, because of their various afflictions, transmigrate ceaselessly through the long night of birth-and-death, through measureless lifetimes and kalpas of birth and death; yet the wondrous treasury of the Tathāgata is within their bodies, solemnly pure, no different from my undefiled consciousness (amala-vijñāna). For this reason, the Buddha teaches the Dharma for sentient beings, enabling them to sever afflictions, purify their wisdom, and become perfectly endowed with the wisdom, virtues, and marks of the Tathāgata, and then in turn to guide and transform all the measureless sentient beings of the world.
The wondrous treasury of the Tathāgata is the treasure store of the Tathāgata; "wondrous" means as marvelously strange as a maṇi jewel, able to manifest all the wondrously existent dharmas of the three-realm world—therefore it is called the wondrous treasury of the Tathāgata. The wondrous treasury of the Tathāgata remains so pure within sentient beings' bodies of affliction; sentient beings' greed, anger, and delusion have not defiled Him. His purity and wisdom are identical to the Buddha's undefiled consciousness, without any difference—equally pure, equally precious, equally wondrous.
The tattered wrapping around the true gold is a metaphor for sentient beings' various afflictions. Because sentient beings have various afflictions, they transmigrate ceaselessly through the long night of birth-and-death; as long as they have not returned to the right path, have not seen the mind and seen the nature, birth-and-death is beginningless and endless, with no time of escape. Until the day you realize the treasury of the Tathāgata and exhaust afflictions and ignorance, the long night of birth-and-death ends, and there is birth-and-death no more; the mind-ground is all light, without ignorance and without darkness. The Buddha appeared in the world in order to uncover the wondrous treasury of the Tathāgata within sentient beings' bodies of affliction, to let sentient beings obtain great wealth and freedom, and to expound the Buddha-Dharma for sentient beings. The purpose is to sever sentient beings' afflictions, realize the wisdom, virtues, and marks of the Tathāgata, and find the treasure store of the Tathāgata. Then, in turn, to guide and transform all sentient beings of the world, like an inexhaustible lamp, lamp after lamp lighting one another, letting the Buddha-Dharma flow on forever, delivering all sentient beings to escape the dark night of birth-and-death.
Original text: 尔时世尊以偈颂曰。
譬人持金像 行诣于他国 裹以弊秽物 弃之在旷野
天眼者见之 即以告众人 去秽现真像 一切大欢喜
我天眼亦然 观彼众生类 恶业烦恼缠 生死备众苦
又见彼众生 无明尘垢中 如来性不动 无能毁坏者
佛既见如是 为诸菩萨说 烦恼众恶业 覆弊最胜身
当勤净除断 显出如来智 天人龙鬼神 一切所归仰
Explanation: The World-Honored One again used a verse to summarize:
譬人持金像。行诣于他国。裹以弊秽物。弃之在旷野。For example, a person carrying a golden image travels on the road to another country; fearing bandits, he wraps the golden image in filthy, tattered clothing; in the end the person suddenly dies, and the golden image is abandoned in the desolate wilds. This shows that the wondrous treasury of the Tathāgata does not die when a person dies, does not perish when the five aggregates perish.
天眼者见之。即以告众人。去秽现真像。一切大欢喜。A person endowed with the divine eye discovers the golden image and immediately tells the multitude; the multitude removes the filthy clothing, revealing the true golden image, and all the assembly greatly rejoices. The one with the divine eye is a metaphor for the Buddha, the World-Honored One. The Buddha sees that within sentient beings' bodies of affliction there is the treasury of the Tathāgata, permanently abiding and unchanging, so He demonstrates it to sentient beings and finds ways to subdue the afflictions and take out the treasure. The Buddha tells sentient beings that within the body of affliction there is the wondrous treasury of the Tathāgata, and only by the method of subduing one's own mind can it be dug out—realizing one's own wondrous treasury of the Tathāgata, seeing the mind and seeing the nature, ultimately becoming a Buddha.
我天眼亦然。观彼众生类。恶业烦恼缠。生死备众苦。My divine eye is also like this: it can see all classes of sentient beings; the unwholesome karma they create and the afflictions of their own minds are all binding and entangling the wondrous treasury of the Tathāgata. Because they do not see the treasure, they are poor and suffering, lingering in birth-and-death.
又见彼众生。无明尘垢中。如来性不动。无能毁坏者。I also see those sentient beings: within their ignorance, afflictions, toils, and defilements, there is the Tathāgata's nature of buddhahood, solemnly unmoving, which no one can destroy. Because He is as solid as vajra, indestructible.
佛既见如是。为诸菩萨说。烦恼众恶业。覆弊最胜身。Since the Buddhas have seen such a true golden wondrous treasure, they must proclaim the wondrous Dharma of the tathāgatagarbha to the bodhisattvas; telling the bodhisattvas that sentient beings' afflictions and various unwholesome karmas cover and obscure the wondrous treasury of the Tathāgata, obstructing their own most supreme Dharma body, the tathāgatagarbha, so that sentient beings cannot obtain great freedom and great liberation.
当勤净除断。显出如来智。天人龙鬼神。一切所归仰。The Buddha instructed the bodhisattvas: you should diligently sever all afflictions, sever all ignorance, and purify your own wisdom; only afterward can you manifest the great wisdom of the Tathāgata, transform consciousness into wisdom, and possess the wisdom of the Tathāgata. When the eight consciousnesses are transformed into the four wisdoms, and the four wisdoms are perfectly luminous, that is being fully endowed with the ten epithets of the Buddha, the World-Honored One. After sentient beings become Buddhas, they all possess the ten epithets; all the devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits, all the multitude, come to revere them, all come to take refuge in and venerate the Teacher of devas and humans, the supreme honored one of the three realms.
Next is the seventh simile: the simile of the poor woman carrying a noble child.
Original text: 复次。善男子。譬如女人。贫贱丑陋。众人所恶。而怀贵子。当为圣王。王四天下。此人不知。经历时节。常作下劣。生贱子想。
Explanation: The Buddha said: Furthermore, good men, suppose there is a woman who is poor, lowly, and ugly, despised by everyone, yet she carries a noble child who will become a sage king, a wheel-turning sage king ruling over the four continents. This woman does not know the truth of what she is experiencing or the conditions of the season, and often thinks she might give birth to a lowly child.
A woman who is originally very ugly, poor and lowly—everyone who sees her feels disgust and dislike, no one likes her, and she feels very inferior within. Although she is like this, she carries a noble child, a child of noble lineage. The child's father is of a noble lineage, from an upper-class family, so the child she carries is a noble child; after the child is born and grows up, he will inherit his father's enterprise and become a wheel-turning sage king.
The so-called wheel-turning sage kings are of four kinds: the golden wheel king, silver wheel king, copper wheel king, and iron wheel king. The golden wheel king rules the four great continents; the four great continents include Jambudvīpa—the earth of the Sahā world—in the south, Pūrvavideha in the east, Aparagodānīya in the west, and Uttarakuru in the north—these are the four great continents. Our earth belongs to Jambudvīpa. The golden wheel king rules the four great continents, the silver wheel king rules three continents, the copper wheel king rules two continents, and the iron wheel king rules one continent—there are these four kinds of wheel-turning sage kings in total. The noble child carried by this poor, lowly woman will in the future rule the four continents, but the woman herself does not know it. She often has a thought that she will give birth to a poor, lowly, base child. Why? Because she considers herself base and lowly, so the child cannot be noble. She does not know that the child's father is of noble lineage, and the child will in the future inherit his father's enterprise and become the golden wheel-turning king ruling the four continents.
Original text: 如是。善男子。如来观察。一切众生。轮转生死。受诸苦毒。其身皆有。如来宝藏。如彼女人。而不觉知。是故如来。普为说法。言善男子。莫自轻鄙。汝等自身。皆有佛性。若勤精进。灭众过恶。则受菩萨。及世尊号。化导济度。无量众生。
Explanation: Just like the simile of the ugly woman carrying a noble child—good men, the Tathāgata observes that all sentient beings transmigrate through birth-and-death, suffering the torment of many pains, not knowing that their bodies all contain the treasure store of the Tathāgata, which can manifest all the myriad dharmas of the three-realm world and govern the three-realm world. Sentient beings are unknowing, just like that woman; therefore the Tathāgata universally teaches the Dharma for sentient beings, telling those sentient beings who consider themselves lowly: Good men, do not belittle and despise yourselves, do not demean yourselves; within your own bodies there is all the nature of buddhahood, and you can all become Buddhas. If you can diligently and vigorously cultivate, diligently study, eliminate the many transgressions and evils of birth-and-death, and extinguish all afflictions and faults, you will receive the titles of bodhisattva and World-Honored One; when perfected, you become a Buddha, and then guide, transform, and rescue measureless sentient beings, delivering them all from the ocean of suffering of birth-and-death, ultimately perfect and complete, achieving the Buddha Way.
Because of ignorance, sentient beings do not know that within their bodies there is the tathāgatagarbha, and they have inferior thoughts about themselves; therefore they create unwholesome karma and transmigrate through the cycle of birth-and-death in the six paths, suffering all kinds of torment. Just like that woman carrying a noble child, they themselves are unaware—unaware since beginningless kalpas—this is called beginningless ignorance. Breaking open and exhausting beginningless ignorance, one achieves the fruit of buddhahood, and afterward guides and benefits endless sentient beings—this is immeasurably many times more noble than the golden wheel king.
Original text: 尔时世尊以偈颂曰。
譬如贫女人 色貌甚庸陋 而怀贵相子 当为转轮王
七宝备众德 王有四天下 而彼不能知 常作下劣想
我观诸众生 婴苦亦如是 身怀如来藏 而不自觉知
是故告菩萨 慎勿自轻鄙 汝身如来藏 常有济世明
若勤修精进 不久坐道场 成最正觉道 度脱无量众
Explanation: At this time the World-Honored One summarized with a verse:
譬如贫女人。色貌甚庸陋。而怀贵相子。当为转轮王。For example, a poor woman whose appearance is very plain and ugly nevertheless carries a child with noble marks; after this child is born and grows up, he will become a wheel-turning sage king.
七宝备众德。王有四天下。而彼不能知。常作下劣想。The wheel-turning king possesses the seven treasures: the wheel treasure, elephant treasure, horse treasure, jewel treasure, noble woman treasure, treasurer treasure, and general treasure—these seven treasures. The golden wheel king is endowed with all the virtues and capabilities of humanity, excels in all the various arts of the world, and can rule the four continents. But this poor, lowly woman does not know it; she often has the thoughts of a base person, thinking she will give birth to a lowly child.
我观诸众生。婴苦亦如是。身怀如来藏。而不自觉知。The Buddha sees that all sentient beings, in the suffering they undergo, are also like this. They do not know that within their bodies there is the treasure store of the Tathāgata, and so they transmigrate through long kalpas in birth-and-death, suffering immeasurable, boundless hardships. Sentient beings are just like this: they always carry the tathāgatagarbha within their bodies, yet never know it themselves. One can see how heavy sentient beings' ignorance is, how heavy the afflictions accumulated through transmigration, and how deep the suffering must be.
是故告菩萨。慎勿自轻鄙。汝身如来藏。常有济世明。Therefore the Buddha tells the bodhisattvas: you must never belittle yourselves or despise yourselves; within your bodies there is the treasure store of the Tathāgata, constantly radiating light, illuminating and aiding the world; therefore in the future you will all become Buddhas, becoming honored ones of the three realms, fully endowed with the ten epithets, manifesting bodies in measureless worlds, broadly delivering measureless sentient beings.
Does the tathāgatagarbha have the bright lamp that aids the world? Delivering the world, aiding the world—are all the dharmas of the eighteen-realm world delivered forth by the tathāgatagarbha? All of them are manifested by the tathāgatagarbha; all the dharmas of the three-realm world are the merit of the tathāgatagarbha; the appearance of the myriad dharmas is all His merit; in the future He will also manifest countless bodhisattva bodies and Buddha bodies, as well as immeasurable, boundless Buddha-lands, gathering in immeasurable, boundless sentient beings to attain liberation. "Bright" means wisdom, great wisdom—the great wisdom that manifests all the dharmas of the three-realm world; the tathāgatagarbha is a maṇi jewel: whatever it is said to manifest, it can manifest; all dharmas are manifested by Him.
若勤修精进。不久坐道场。成最正觉道。度脱无量众。If you bodhisattvas can diligently cultivate and study the Buddha-Dharma, before long you will sit at the place of practice for becoming a Buddha, manifest the most correct path of awakening, and ultimately become the most ultimate and perfect samyaksaṃbuddha. After becoming perfectly awakened, you will deliver immeasurable, boundless sentient beings from the ocean of suffering of birth-and-death, letting all sentient beings together achieve the Buddha Way and perfect the omniscience/wisdom of all aspects (sarvākārajñatā).
Next is the eighth simile spoken by the Buddha: the simile of the smelter casting a true golden image.
Original text: 复次。善男子。譬如铸师。铸真金像。既铸成已。倒置于地。外虽焦黑。内像不变。开模出像。金色晃曜。
Explanation: The Buddha said: Furthermore, good men, suppose a smelter casts a true golden image. After the casting is complete, the image is turned upside down and placed on the ground. Although the outside is scorched black, the image inside is unchanged. When the mold is opened and the image taken out, the golden color gleams and dazzles.
The Buddha is likened to the smelter; the tathāgatagarbha is like the golden image; the five-aggregate body of afflictions is like the mold. A person engaged in smelting and casting images uses a mold to cast a true golden image: after melting the true gold, he pours it into the mold; after pouring, he fires it with a great flame and smelts it—this is called casting. After cooling, it is removed from the mold; the mold is opened and the true golden image taken out—this is the entire casting process. After the smelting master finishes casting, he places the mold upside down on the ground; the outside is all scorched black because it was fired with a great flame. What is scorched black is the mold, but the true golden image inside is golden in color; no matter how it is smelted, no matter how scorched black the outside mold is, when the mold is opened, the true gold inside is golden, radiating golden light.
Original text: 如是。善男子。如来观察。一切众生。佛藏在身。众相具足。如是观已。广为显说。彼诸众生。得息清凉。以金刚慧。捶破烦恼。开净佛身。如出金像。
Explanation: Just like the simile of casting the true golden image—good men, the Tathāgata observes that all sentient beings have the Buddha's treasury within their bodies, fully endowed with all marks; all marks are manifested by the tathāgatagarbha—in fact, they are the marks of the tathāgatagarbha itself. After the Tathāgata thus observes, He broadly proclaims it to sentient beings; when those sentient beings hear it, their afflicted minds cease and they attain coolness. Then, using the vajra wisdom obtained from hearing the Dharma, they smash apart the afflictions and open up the pure Buddha body, just like the golden image within the mold.
The tathāgatagarbha is like the true golden image; the five-aggregate body is like the mold for casting the golden image. The mold is scorched black; the five-aggregate body is endowed with the afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion, and is likewise defiled. Although sentient beings' five aggregates are a body of affliction, within it there is the treasure store of the Tathāgata, just like a true golden image radiating light that shakes the earth, gleaming golden, of immeasurable value. The Buddha observes all sentient beings: the tathāgatagarbha is within the body, fully endowed with all marks—whatever seed you want, there is a seed for it; all dharmas can be manifested. Although He has not a single mark, He can manifest all marks; the seeds of all marks are stored within the tathāgatagarbha.
After the Tathāgata thus observes, He proclaims the profound Dharma of the tathāgatagarbha to the multitude of sentient beings, telling them that every person's body contains the wisdom, virtues, and marks of the Tathāgata, the treasure store of the Tathāgata, the maṇi jewel, which can manifest all the dharmas of the three-realm world; this maṇi jewel is incomparably precious. After proclaiming it to sentient beings, they first cease their afflictions, their minds attain coolness; after realizing the tathāgatagarbha, they extinguish afflictions, and from then on no longer seek outwardly, no longer having heat and torment. What is heat and torment? The afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion, with all evils gathered in one body, afflictions like flames burning the body—these are heat and torment. When the mind has heat and torment and greedily seeks outward, it is not cool; after afflictions are extinguished, one no longer seeks outward, the mind ceases—that is coolness and tranquility (praśama).
Then sentient beings use vajra wisdom to break apart afflictions and open the pure Buddha body, like taking out the golden image. What is vajra wisdom? Realizing the indestructible vajra mind (vajra-citta) and obtaining great wisdom. With this great prajñā wisdom, one severs the afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion, as well as ignorance and evil views, peeling away all ignorance and afflictions, revealing the Dharma body of the tathāgatagarbha—this is called opening the pure Buddha body; it is equivalent to manifesting the golden image of the tathāgatagarbha. Its perfect manifestation is the Buddha at the stage of fruition.
Original text: 尔时世尊以偈颂曰。
譬如大冶铸 无量真金像 愚者自外观 但见焦黑土
铸师量已冷 开模令质现 众秽既已除 相好画然显
我以佛眼观 众生类如是 烦恼淤泥中 皆有如来性
授以金刚慧 捶破烦恼模 开发如来藏 如真金显现
如我所观察 示语诸菩萨 汝等善受持 转化诸群生
Explanation: At this time the World-Honored One summarized with a verse, saying:
譬如大冶铸。无量真金像。愚者自外观。但见焦黑土。For example, in a very large smelting and casting furnace, immeasurable, boundless true golden images can be cast; foolish people only look at the mold from the outside and can only see an exterior smoked and stained like scorched black earth, not knowing that inside is a true golden image. "Smelting" means smelting; "casting" means casting images, molding. One true golden image represents one tathāgatagarbha.
铸师量已冷。开模令质现。众秽既已除。相好画然显。But the smelter knows the preciousness of what is inside; estimating that the mold has cooled, he opens the mold, and the true golden image inside manifests. Removing the scorched black outer mold, the major and minor marks (lakṣaṇa-vyañjana-sampad) of the true golden image appear solemnly before the eyes. This is a metaphor: as long as sentient beings peel away the dark clouds of affliction, they can realize the pure tathāgatagarbha. What is the tathāgatagarbha like when seen? Intrinsically pure, without a trace of defilement, gleaming golden, radiating light that shakes the earth, illuminating and manifesting all dharmas, while its essence remains suchness is immovable (tathatā-acalita).
我以佛眼观。众生类如是。烦恼淤泥中。皆有如来性。I observe with the Buddha eye that sentient beings are just like this simile: within the mire of afflictions, all possess the wisdom and virtues of the Tathāgata, all possess Buddha-nature, gleaming golden, illuminating everything, guiding and transforming everything.
授以金刚慧。搥破烦恼模。开发如来藏。如真金显现。The Buddha, the World-Honored One, bestows the vajra jewel-wisdom upon sentient beings, letting them realize the tathāgatagarbha, which is as indestructible as vajra and manifests like true gold; sentient beings then possess vajra wisdom. This wisdom is transmitted by the World-Honored One; after sentient beings study it, they open up the vajra wisdom; with this vajra wisdom, they can break apart the casting mold of afflictions and reveal Buddha-nature.
Why is it said that having wisdom enables one to break apart afflictions? Afflictions are mainly the afflictions and habits of greed, anger, and delusion centered on the self. Having realized the tathāgatagarbha, the mind has wisdom; the mind-ground clearly understands that the five aggregates fundamentally have no self and all dharmas have no self; thus one severs the afflictions of self and the afflictions of dharmas. Realizing that one's own five-aggregate body is manifested by the tathāgatagarbha, that the five-aggregate body is false and illusory while the tathāgatagarbha is real, unborn and undying, one will in the future be able to become a Buddha. Thus sentient beings no longer seek outwardly, extinguish the afflictions of greed, anger, and delusion, and their minds attain coolness.
如我所观察。示语诸菩萨。汝等善受持。转化诸群生。Just as I have observed—within sentient beings' bodies of affliction there is all the treasure store of the Tathāgata—I demonstrate and explain this Dharma of the tathāgatagarbha to the bodhisattvas; you bodhisattvas should well receive and hold the Dharma gate of the tathāgatagarbha, and then in turn guide and transform the multitude of sentient beings. Like passing on the lamp, one passing to another—this is called the inexhaustible lamp—until in the end all sentient beings achieve the Buddha Way.
After the World-Honored One finished teaching the above eight similes, He made a summary and synthesis, and then entrusted them to the assembly, explaining the conditions for receiving and holding this sūtra.
