The Buddha Nature: A Study of the Tathāgatagarbha and Ālayavijñāna

The book is organized into three major parts. Part One, “The Tathāgatagarbha in the Śrī-Mālā Sūtra and the Ratnagotravibhāga,” analyzes the Buddha-nature doctrine through the Śrīmālā Sūtra and the Ratnagotravibhāga, addressing ontic subjectivity, soteriology, epistemology, the Buddha’s status, the nescience entrenchment, the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha natures, the relation between tathāgatagarbha and śūnyatā, the self-nature of the embryo, the four supreme virtues, innate mind, Buddhahood, Nirvāṇa, the nine illustrations of the garbha, and the properties of the Buddha. Part Two, “The Ālayavijñāna in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra and the Ch’eng Wei-shih Lun,” studies the union of tathāgatagarbha and ālayavijñāna, the metaphysics of mere-consciousness, the theory of seeds, ignorance, ego-grasping, dharma-grasping, manas, manovijñāna, and the holy path of attainment. Part Three, “The Tathāgatagarbha-Ālayavijñāna: Summary and Comparison,” brings the two lines of thought together, comparing their doctrinal functions and considering the ultimate status of ignorance, the relation between Absolute Suchness and consciousness, and the possible comparison with Hegelian Absolute Spirit.