Why the Buddha Manifests in the Human World

Quotes:

"The Blessed One said to him, 'Mahamati, the tathāgata-garbha holds within it the cause for both good and evil, and by it all the forms of existence are produced. Like an actor, it takes on a variety of forms and [in itself] is devoid of an ego-soul and what belongs to it.'" Lankāvatāra-sūtra, Chapter 4

 

佛告大慧：「如來之藏，是善不善因，能遍興造一切趣生，譬如伎兒變現諸趣，離我我所；」《楞伽經》卷 4

 

Remarks: 

The most significant cause and condition for the Buddha to manifest in the human world is to teach and reveal the reality of the Dharma realm, the eighth vijñāna, the tathāgatagarbha. 

The literal Sanskrit meaning of tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-Matrix, Buddha-Embryo, Buddha-Essence) is “the womb of the thus-come-one.” It is within all sentient beings. The tathāgatagarbha is the “seed” vijñāna—tathāgata+garbha—a womb that has stored seeds therein for potential tathāgata since the beginningless eon. The stored “seeds” can generate all dharmas; thus, the tathāgatagarbha is the root that all dharmas depend on to arise.

Furthermore, according to Vol. 2 of the Commentary on the Summary of the Great Vehicle (Mahāyānasaṃgrahabhāṣya) by Bodhisattva Vasubandhu, the treatise [Mahāyāna-samgraha]  states, "in the Agamas of Mahāsāṃghika, the other name, root consciousness, reveals this consciousness, which exemplifies a tree that relies on its roots." The Commentary states, "This consciousness is the cause of all (other) consciousnesses; thus, [it] is the 'root' of various consciousnesses. Taking the analogy of tree roots, the sprouts, stems, branches, leaves, and so forth all rely on the true roots; thus they are called. Without the roots, there will be no sprouts or tree. In the same way, this consciousness is the 'root' of other consciousnesses." The tree roots give rise to and sustain the sprouts, stems, branches, leaves, and so forth in the same way that the tathāgatagarbha (ālayavijñāna) gives rise to and supports the seven other evolving vijñānas (consciousnesses). In nature, tree roots are hidden underground and unseen on the land’s surface. By the same token, the ālayavijñāna is the part of the mind that ordinary people are not aware of and cannot observe due to their primordial ignorance (avidyā, meaning "beginningless ignorance," the active misconstruction of the nature of reality), yet it is fundamental to the generation of other consciousnesses; without its existence, the other seven consciousnesses cannot come into existence. All wholesome or unwholesome karmic seeds will be indiscriminately stored there equally and perpetually, allowing the execution of the law of causality for all beings.

The aforementioned noumenon, the tathāgatagarbha mind, is inherently endowed with the maturational (vipāka) nature to ripen all the seeds stored therein according to their conditions. It is forever indeterminate (neutral) in all the states in which it is encountered; thus, it can justly store and sustain all seeds from our past lives and cause our future lives to come into being. If we do not acquire the correct and insightful Buddhist knowledge and understanding of the merits and virtues of the tathāgatagarbha, we will give rise and fall victim to all kinds of non-Buddhist false speculations. 

The main cause and condition for the Buddha to manifest in the human world is to teach and reveal the reality of the Dharma realm, the eighth vijñāna, the tathāgatagarbha, so that all sentient beings will have a chance to be enlightened and take the Path to Buddhahood in the future.

#Buddha #Buddhism #tathagatagarbha #vijnana 

「論曰：復次，摩訶僧祇部阿含中，由根本識別名，此識顯現，譬如樹依根。釋曰：此識為一切識因故，是諸識根本。譬如樹根，芽、節、枝、葉等所依止說名樹根。若離此根，芽等不成，此識為餘識根本亦爾。」《攝大乘論釋 卷第二》