BIBLIOGRAPHY
See David S. Ruegg’s La théorie du tatha ̄gatagarbha et du gotra
(Paris, 1969), Diana Y. Paul’s Philosophy of Mind in Sixth
Century China (Stanford, Calif., 1984), and Takasaki
Jikido ̄’s A Study on the Ratnagotravibha ̄ga (Uttaratantra),
Being a Treatise on the Tatha ̄gatagarbha Theory of Maha ̄ya ̄na
Buddhism (Rome, 1966). Buston’s compendium of sources
on tatha ̄gata-garbha has been translated by Ruegg as Le traité
du tatha ̄gatagarbha de Bu ston Rin Chen Grub, traduction du
De bzin gsegs pa’i snin po gsal zin mdzes par byed pa’i rgyan
(Paris, 1973).
New Sources
Brown, B. E. The Buddha Nature: A Study of the Tathagatagarbha
and Alayavijñana. Delhi, 1991.
Hookham, S. K. The Buddha Within: Tathagatagarbha Doctrine
according to the Shentong Interpretation of the Ratnagotravib-
haga. Albany, N.Y., 1991.
King, Richard. “Is ‘Buddha-Nature’ Buddhist? Doctrinal Ten-
sions in the Srimala Sutra—an Early Tathagatagarbha Text.”
Numen 42 (1995): 1–20.
Lopez, Donald S., Jr., ed. Buddhism in Practice. Princeton, 1995.
Takasaki, Jikido. “The Tathagatagarbha Theory Reconsidered:
Reflections on Some Recent Issues in Japanese Buddhist
Studies” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 27, nos. 1–2
(2000): 73–83.
ROBERT A. F. THURMAN (1987)
Revised Bibliography
TATHATA ̄. According to the Dasheng qixin lun (The
Awakening of Faith in Maha ̄ya ̄na), “suchness” (Skt., tathata ̄
or bhu ̄tatathata ̄; Chin., chen-ju; Tib., de bz ́in nyid) denotes
the totality of reality in both its transcendental and phenom-
enal aspects. It establishes the oneness and unity of the abso-
lute and relative spheres and expresses the totality of all
things (dharmadha ̄tu). Suchness is held to exist in all beings
and thus to undergo no changes either in its perfect or defiled
state: its nature remains uncreated and eternal. All events and
things of sam:sa ̄ra (i.e., all dharmas) make their appearance
in the form of individualizations or mental constructions as
a consequence of the beginningless continuity of the subcon-
scious memory (smr:ti) of past experiences acquired during
previous existences. It is through the elimination of all men-
tal projections that the world construed in the mind (citta)
ceases to make its appearances. When seen in this radically
transformed way, all things in their essential nature escape
and defy any explanation or description because they are free
and beyond distinction, remain unchanged, and are charac-
terized by their absolute sameness (samata ̄), which precludes
any transformation, destruction, or distinction. Since they
cannot be explained in any way, their verbal or conceptual
descriptions must be regarded as mere representations; they
do not denote realities. All things remain ever as they are;
they are such (tatha ̄) as they are, and it is their Suchness
(tathata ̄), free of all attributes, that expresses the nature of
their oneness and totality.
Suchness can only be understood through the inner re-
alization that the true nature of existence does not manifest
itself through dichotomous appearances: knower-known,
subject-object, perceiver and perceived. The notion of Such-
ness embraces two aspects, the immutability, purity, and to-
tality of all things, on the one hand, and the activities that
evolve within sam:sa ̄ra, on the other. However, these two as-
pects of Suchness denote fundamentally one and the same
reality. They cannot be considered as two separate entities;
rather, they are simply representations of Suchness “operat-
ing,” as it were, in its transcendental and phenomenal
spheres. When equated with ́su ̄nyata ̄ (“emptiness”), tathata ̄
represents the absolute negation of all phenomena and their
attributes. Thus, in its metaphysical aspect it has nothing in
common with the conditioned and defiled world. It stands
beyond and above the impurity and relativity of sam:sa ̄ra.
Suchness remains free and undefiled; it cannot be compre-
hended precisely because it comprises within itself the totali-
ty of things and because its nature escapes conceptual catego-
rization.Sam:sa ̄ra, the sphere of defilement and imperfection, has
no beginning but it can be brought to an end. Suchness,
which is eternal, pure, and perfect by nature, is present in
sam:sa ̄ra but it remains obscured by defilements. Yet while it
is in the sphere of phenomenal existence that Suchness and
sam:sa ̄ra coincide, they are neither identical nor distinct from
one another. Sam:sa ̄ra makes its appearance as a chain of de-
pendently originating phenomena issuing from the
tatha ̄gata-garbha (“womb of the Tatha ̄gata”), which repre-
sents, as it were, the personified principle that stands be-
tween the absolute sphere, which is transcendent to human
thought, and the relative sphere, which is pervaded by imper-
fections. When absolute reality becomes manifest in the rela-
tive world it projects itself as, or is called, the store-
consciousness (a ̄laya-vijña ̄na), which contains within itself
two opposite principles. One is the principle of nonenligh-
tenment and the inclination to perpetuate the cycle of sam-
saric existences; the other is the principle of enlightenment,
which represents the highest quality and state of mind, free
of all subjectivity.When it is devoid of all attributes and conceptual pro-
jections, the mind may be compared to space insofar as it is
ubiquitous and constitutive of the unity of all things. This
universally perfect mind, enlightenment itself, constitutes
the dharmaka ̄ya (“Dharma body, Dharma essence”) of all the
Tatha ̄gatas. The mind aware of its perfect and pure nature
abides in the state of enlightenment, yet so long as it is re-
stricted and obscured by ignorance it remains in the state of
nonenlightenment. In other words, perfect enlightenment is
embedded in phenomenal existence through the presence of
prajña ̄ (“transcendental wisdom”) and through the law of
retribution (karman). By perfecting and unveiling prajña ̄,
and through the performance of meritorious acts, the ele-
ment of enlightenment within the mind becomes purified
and freed from karmic residues and wisdom becomes mani-TATHATA ̄ 9019