Essay name: Hevajra Tantra (analytical study)
Author:
Seung Ho Nam
Affiliation: University of Kerala / Faculty of Oriental Studies
This is an English study of the Hevajra Tantra: an ancient Sanskrit text that teaches the process of attaining Buddha-hood for removing the sufferings of all sentient beings. The Hevajratantra amplifies the views and methods found in the Guhyasamaja Tantra (one of the earliest extant Buddhist Tantras) dealing with Yoga and Mandalas.
Chapter 3 - Tantric Doctrine in Hevajra Tantra
24 (of 138)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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covered with defilements, as has been mentioned earlier. But, the beings
depending on their primary afflictions are situated under appropriate
Tath膩gata Families or lineage. They can attain the state of perfection of
the Tath膩gata under whose lineage the practitioner belongs only after
removing all afflictions and obscurations to omniscience.
(ii) The Intrinsic Pure Mind and the Accidental defilements
i
Generally speaking the Tath膩gatagarbha theory is about the Truth Body
or the Buddha nature possessed by all sentient beings but which is
covered by afflictions of greed, hatred and stupidity etc. of sentient
beings. The theory of Intrinsic pure mind is already seen in "Agama
s奴tras and it is supported by "Sariputra abhidharma, and Mah膩samghika.
This concept on being introduced to
to
Mah膩y膩na s奴tras hss been
extensively used and found in many s奴tras including "Praj帽膩p膩ramit膩s奴tra
谢. The concept of 'Intrinsic pure mind' and 'All phenomena is originally
pure' can be said to be the fundamental thought in all Mah膩y膩na s奴tras.
But we can not say that only 鈥業ntrinsic pure mind' is the Tath膩gatagarbha
doctrine. According to the "艢r墨 m膩l膩 s奴tra, it is preached that 'This
Dharmakaya of the Tath膩gata when not free from the store of defilement
is referred to as the Tath膩gatagarbha'. The Dharm膩k膩ya which exists in
the proximety with defilement, is Tath膩gatagarbha.187
In Mah膩y膩na Buddhism, Tath膩gatagarbha doctrine is presented in the_
most systematized way in Ratnagotravibh膩ga写, it preachs the following:
The one's essential nature of mind which is pure and radiant, is not destroyed like
space. But it is polluted by the occasional stains of desire and the other [defiling
forces] which arise from the wrong conception [of existence]. (RGV. 1.63)188
187 Hirakawa A. Lee, Ho Geun (tr. in Korean), "The History of Indian Buddism
(NE#49) E), vol. 2. (Seoul: Min Zok Sa, 1991), pp.66鈥�67.
188 cittasya y膩sau prak峁泃i岣� prabh膩svar膩 na j膩tu s膩 dyaur iva y膩ti vikriy膩m/
膩gantukai r膩ga mal膩dibhis tv asav upaiti sa峁僰le艣am abh奴ta kalpa jai岣�//63// E.H.
Johnston (ed.), 'The Ratnagotravibh膩ga Mah膩y膩nottaratantra艣膩stra, (Patna: The
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