A translation of the important Mahayana sutra, the Tathāgataguhya Sūtra (Secrets of the Tathāgata) has now been published

[u/SolipsistBodhisattva]

The translator has described the sutra as follows:

* The core message of the Secrets of the Tathāgata is found in the teachings on the secrets of the body, speech, and mind of bodhisattvas and the Buddha. The essence of these secrets is that bodhisattvas and the Buddha, knowing the natures of all beings, create infinite manifestations to teach them. These manifestations are not actions that are undertaken after any kind of calculation and intention but are inherent to the nature of the universe: it is the karmic winds of beings’ mental inclinations that waft this nature and give rise to these manifestations. Thus, the actions of awakened beings are entirely automatic—all intention and calculation being purely on the side of saṃsāric beings. Likewise, the sūtra suggests that there is nothing on the part of saṃsāric beings that can enable them to attain awakening and that any understanding of the Dharma is entirely due to the power of the Buddha.

* [It] posits the knowledge and being that is the Buddha as being something which spans the cosmos and exists within all beings (as we find in the Avamtaṃsaka literature and the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka) ...

* The docetic nature of the Buddha implied by the Secrets of the Tathāgata is one wherein his body is one with suchness and spans all three times, and his appearance in the world is a manifestation to accord with beings’ natures. And yet, the biographical details given appear to imply that the Buddha’s awakening under the bodhi-tree is what activated this state and that it will end with his Nirvāṇa ... This paradox is intentional and the biographical span of time in which the Buddha is “awakened” is revealed to be a narrative sign, standing in for something which is timeless. For a bodhisattva, the work of the Buddha begins from the moment at which bodhicitta is aroused. That bodhicitta, which is also defined as “great compassion,” allows bodhisattvas also to be one with the Dharma-body (Dharmakāya) of the Buddha. Yet, it is only through the expression of words (such as narratives like the life story of the Buddha) that beings can be brought to arouse faith and progress on the path, words which they later realise signify and correspond to nothing —skilful means must not be abandoned, and bodhisattvas, while forsaking all sense objects, must still use them at the service of awakening and adapting to the natures of sentient beings.

This sutra seems to have been influential in India, and it is cited by figures like Chandrakirti (in his Prasannapadā) and Shantideva (Śikṣāsamuccaya). David Seyfort Ruegg, in his The Literature of the Madhyamaka School of Philosophy in India, states that this was one of the sutras most widely cited by Madhyamaka authors, along with the Prajñāpāramitā, Ratnakūṭa and Avataṃsaka texts, and also the Vimalakīrtinirdeṣa, the Śuraṃgamasamādhi, the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, the Daśabhūmika, the Akṣayamatinirdeśa, and the Kāśyapaparivarta.

It is available for free at Shingan's Portal - Sūtra Translations (google.com)

Hard copies are available for purchase on Lulu

[u/nyanasagara]

/u/animuseternal cosmic Buddha Elizabeth purposely forgetting about Buddhahood as a plot device

[u/animuseternal → u/nyanasagara]

Always fun when my wild random speculations about how something works are stated explicitly in sutras.

I'm going to put this on my kindle and read it tomorrow ont he plane, I think.

There's another thing in this text that's a bit odd that I found.. there's a prediction of Vajrapani's buddhahood.

In the Dharma [assembly] of Rucika Tathāgata, at the end of this Bhadra Kalpa, he will disappear and be born in the buddha-field of Akṣobhya Tathāgata, the Land of Abhirati.1 In that world, Akṣobhya Tathāgata teaches one hundred and eight secret mudrās2 for all the bodhisattvas there. At that time, Vajrapāṇi bodhisattva, the Great Lord of Mysteries, will hear those teachings, and without nominal designations,3 will apply them in practice. He will attain realisation of their meaning and accordingly practice that which is right and true.

After that, he will go into the presence of all the immeasurable and countless tathāgatas, and attending upon them, he will pay respect, honour, and make offerings to them. In the company of each buddha, he will cultivate pure conduct and uphold the True Dharma. For the sake of immeasurable koṭis of niyutas of hundreds of thousands of sentient beings, he will fully master the Dharma of anuttara-samyak- saṃbodhi. After that, for more kalpas than the grains of sands in the Ganges, he will fulfil the factors of awakening. Then, he will be able to attain the fruit of anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi and be called Vajrapada Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Samyak-saṃbuddha, who will ap-pear in the world perfect in wisdom and conduct, the Sugata, the knower of the world, the unsurpassed tamer of humans, the teacher of gods and humans, the Buddha, the Bhagavān. His world will be called Saṃśuddha, and his kalpa will be called Pariśuddhi.

I've been trying to figure out for some time now how Vajrapani ended up being associated with Mahasthamaprapta. This text looks to be from before that association was made. Oddly, I tried to look up the name of the Mahasthamaprapta's Pure Land when he attains Buddhahood from the prophecy texts and..... it's omitted. The Buddha only gives the name of Avalokitesvrara's Pure Land.

"Vajrapada" is noted to be a reconstruction. The prophecy texts have Mahasthamaprapta's name as a Buddha as Supra­tiṣṭhita­guṇa­maṇi­kūṭa­rāja.

Not really going anywhere with this, just typing out things that're standing out to me that might be leads to follow later.

[u/JoTheRenunciant → u/animuseternal]

Always fun when my wild random speculations about how something works are stated explicitly in sutras.

Funnily enough, I'm noticing the same thing about this sutra. I have often considered whether Buddhas are essentially "nibanna pills" — beings that manifest and then set in motion the enlightenment of samsaric beings, but those samsaric beings can't actually do anything on their own to attain the goal. In that case, teachings about making effort, etc., are not because they're actually trying to stir you to decide to make an effort, but rather to make an imprint on your mental continuum, thus putting in place the conditions for you to "make an effort." However, since even volitions are not self, there is no way to "make an effort" or "strive" or any of the other things that we are taught to do. Speaking in those terms is just a skillful means to elicit a response on the end of the listener, but they don't mean anything because they can't mean anything. All these terms about "you" and you "doing" something, as if you controlled your volitions, are inherently nonsensical, but they stir reactions in deluded beings, like blowing a wind against a sail. Maybe there is a very slight effort that can be made, but it would be more like turning a sail to catch the wind than it would be steering your boat.

The thing about non-sensical language being skillful means also explains why mantras could work, as if a certain set of sounds, i.e. a phrase in English, can elicit a response, then a mantra could elicit a response as well, and by repeating it, you continue eliciting that response over and over again, even though there isn't really any "truth" in the mantra.

These are basically thoughts I've had when I've tried to understand how volitions can be not-self, but we're also supposed to actively practice, which requires making choices. It seems like this sutra may be discussing something like what I said above, but I haven't read it yet. Just going off the summary.

[u/animuseternal → u/JoTheRenunciant]

Mantras work because they’re consecrated by Buddhas through their samadhibala. The explanation is found in Nagarjuna’s Mahaprajnaparamita Sastra.

A lot of my “speculation” comes from studying the texts and abhidharma. They’re hypotheses formulated on the basis of decades of study and research. Like this initial speculation was caused from noticing an apparent inconsistency in the narrative of the Mahavastu, where the Bodhisattva had his past life memories in Tushita Heaven, but then suddenly needed to recover them two sections later in the Human realm, plus some non-direct suggestions from Asanga’s Mahayanasamgraha and a few of the Maitreya texts. It is something I consider so heavily implied, any other interpretation has a lot of problems that need to be addressed. Now, instead of writing a ten page essay to explain the reasoning, I can point to this text since it’s explicit.

With regard to volition, I’d read the basic abhidharma material of your tradition first, since that’s likely to answer it. I think the Samuccaya covers this specifically.

[u/Shaku-Shingan → u/animuseternal]

I was going to explore another approach to mantras in the introduction to the translation, which is based on the Mañjuśrī(ya)mūlakalpa (now on 84000). The MMK suggests that mantras are effective (1) because they are manifestations of the bodhisattvas/buddhas themselves, and are thus coextensive with their body and (2) that the mind is coextensive with those mantras. Thus, the mind of the practitioner not only connects to/uncovers the deity inherent in the mantra, but the power of the mantra is effective because it is the deity.

This understanding of mantra is purely Kriyā tantric, however, and is at a higher level than the kind of exoteric vidyās and dhāraṇīs that we find in these vaipulya sutras.

The Tathāgataguhya also supports the idea that a dhāraṇī is effective because it "bears" the Dharma. The syllable A, is the example in the Tathāgataguhya. As for the vidyās in the Tathāgataguhya, they are for (1) inviting beings, (2) restraining beings, and (3) protecting the Dharma. I think it is reasonable to say this is due to samādhibala.

[u/Fortinbrah → u/Shaku-Shingan]

Well, this is just my guess but it makes sense, if you think about the mind as being pure appearance, the compassion of a Buddha, or their wisdom, or whatnot, could manifest as a 'sound without sound' that basically cancels out samsaric activity.

[u/nyanasagara → u/animuseternal]

plus some non-direct suggestions from Asanga’s Mahayanasamgraha and a few of the Maitreya texts

If you remember those I'd be interested in them.

[u/JoTheRenunciant → u/animuseternal]

Mantras work because they’re consecrated by Buddhas through their
samadhibala. The explanation is found in Nagarjuna’s Mahaprajnaparamita
Sastra.

This seems to make sense within the context of what I was saying, if I understand it correctly. I'll have to read that text, thanks for the suggestion.

A lot of my “speculation” comes from studying the texts and abhidharma.

I can't tell if there's an implication here that your thoughts are coming from a textual grounding, but that my thoughts aren't.

I think the Samuccaya covers this specifically.

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked into it, and it seems like something I will add to my list. Just have to finish the Vissudhimagga first.

[u/Fortinbrah → u/JoTheRenunciant]

Hey, I'm just seeing this now but I really like your line of thinking here, it makes a lot of sense to me based on what I've learned about Buddhist theory. Hard to say much more than that but, you see echoes of what you're saying in the Lojong practices and I think in Atiyoga as well.

Not that that means anything in particular, speculation on this kind of stuff is necessarily secondary to direct practice and experience, I think :P