The Meaning of Arising-and-Ceasing Dharma in Buddhism

 

Quote:

"Why is called tathāgata+garbha ?... What is [the meaning of] arising and ceasing?" 

Lankavatara Sutra, Chapter 1

「云何名為藏? … 云何生與滅?」

《楞伽阿跋多羅寶經》卷1

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 each and every sentient being. 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. 

The various manifestations of the phenomenal dharma characteristics of arising, changing, abiding, and ceasing are all brought forth by the dharma seeds upheld and stored by the repository consciousness (i.e. tathagata-garbha). The consciousness repository entity, the self does not arise or cease, but all the seeds contained therein are constantly flowing, arising, and ceasing. Hence, the notion of neither arising-and-ceasing nor non-arising-and-ceasing.” These are the essence taught by the Buddha in the sutra. 

#Buddha #repositoryconsciousness #arisingandceasing