Vijñāna, mind-nature, and Tathāgatagarbha

Author: Zhou Guihua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The core thought of Buddhism in China and even the entire East is the concept of mind-nature Tathagatagarbha. The Indian form of the mind-nature Tathagatagarbha thought is based on the Buddha-nature Tathagatagarbha theory, and it is a result of the integration with Yogacara thought and mind-nature thought. The crucial role of mind-nature thought in this has been established, but the formative role of Yogacara thought has rarely been recognized. Yogacara transformed the Dharmata Tathagatagarbha theory into the mind-nature Tathagatagarbha theory by combining the Yogacara thought with the mind-nature thought in the sense of idealism, thereby constructing the basic ideological model of late Indian Tathagatagarbha thought. Further developed through the [One Mind with Two Doors] of the Great Vehicle Awakening of Faith and the theory of true suchness conditioned origination, it formed the core ideological form of Chinese Buddhism. The mind-nature Tathagatagarbha thought, in its form, has obvious Sanskrit characteristics and has been criticized in India, China, and even Japan. Modern Chinese scholars such as Ouyang Jingwu, Lü Ji, and Yin Shun, as well as Japanese [Critical Buddhism] thinkers like Matsuo Shiro and Kojima Kensho, have criticized it. This is its recent manifestation. However, their critiques are biased. The theme of this book is the Tathagatagarbha thought, which revolves around Yogacara, mind-nature, and Tathagatagarbha thought and their interrelationships. It is the author's reflections on the Tathagatagarbha issue over the past three or four years. The main content of this book is divided into three parts: first, the analysis and clarification of Yogacara thought, mind-nature thought, and Tathagatagarbha thought in China and India; second, the analysis and revelation of the relationships among the three; and third, an examination of some critiques of Tathagatagarbha thought and even Yogacara thought in China and Japan, using the Chinese Chan Academy and Japanese [Critical Buddhism] as examples.