Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 2Eliot, Charles
Religion
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 2
Eliot, Charles
Asia -- Religion; Buddhism; Hinduism
Dharma-kâya of all Buddhas. It is also called Tathâgatagarbha, the
womb or store-house of the Buddha, from which all individual
existences are evolved under the law of causation, but this aspect of
it is already affected by ignorance, for in Bhûta-tathatâ as known in
the light of the highest truth there is neither causation nor
production. The Yogâcâra employs the word _śûnyatâ_ (void), though not
so much as its sister school, but it makes special use of the term
_âlaya-vijñâna_, the receptacle or store of consciousness. This in so
far as it is superindividual is an aspect of suchness, but when it
affirms and particularises itself it becomes _citta_, that is the
human mind, or to be more accurate the substratum of the human mind
from which is developed _manas_, or the principle of will,
self-consciousness and self-affirmation. Similarly the Vedânta
philosophy, though it has no term corresponding to _âlaya-vijñâna_, is
familiar with the idea that Brahman is in one aspect immeasurable and
all-embracing but in another is infinitesimal and dwells in the human
heart: or that Brahman after creating the world entered into it. Again
another aspect of suchness is enlightenment (_bodhi_), that is
absolute knowledge free from the limitations of subject and object.
This "is the universal Dharma-kâya of the Tathâgatas" and on account
of this all Tathâgatas are spoken of as abiding in enlightenment _a
priori_. This enlightenment may be negative (as _śûnyata_) in the
sense that it transcends all relations but it may also be affirmative
and then "it transforms and unfolds itself, whenever conditions are
favourable, in the form of a Tathâgata or some other form in order
that all beings may be induced to bring their store of merit to
maturity."[113]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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