This dissertation is a study of the relationship between Kukai’s doctrinal thought, which was formed under the influence of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism at the time of the establishment of Japanese Buddhism, and Tathāgata-garbha thought. Kukai shed ligh ...
This dissertation is a study of the relationship between Kukai’s doctrinal thought, which was formed under the influence of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism at the time of the establishment of Japanese Buddhism, and Tathāgata-garbha thought. Kukai shed light on the excellence of Esoteric Buddhism in comparison with Exoteric Buddhism. Kukai shed light on the excellence of Esoteric Buddhism in comparison with Exoteric Buddhism by presenting the system of ten stages of security of mind(十住心體系) that divides the development of mind into 10 stages, and proved 'the though of attaining Buddhahood with one's own body(現身成佛)' in Esoteric Buddhism by presenting 'the principle of becoming a Buddha immediately(卽身成佛)' which claims that one can attain the Buddhahood in terms of adhisthana(the blessing of Buddhas and Boddhisattvas, and one's own endeavor) that The principle of becoming a Buddha immediately(卽身成佛) refers to the manifestation of Mahāvairocana. And it indicates that where one realizes he himself or she herself is the Mahāvairocana is the place where he or she gets enlightenment, and he or she is a Buddha. What was systemized based on Kukai’s theory of being Buddha as such was Shingon(Japanese Estoric Buddhism; 眞言密敎). And Shingon has further developed a system of the Esoteric Buddhism that Kukai learned in and brought from China, and the Tathāgata-garbha thought, the possibility of being a Buddha, which is the basis of Kukai’s though played an important role in its development. Based on these, the current author has performed researches on Kukai’s doctrinal thought with the assumption that the philosophy of Tathāgata-garbha inheres in Kukai’s doctrinal thought, and as a result learned the following points.
First, we can see that Kukai built his philosophy under the influence of sutra and sastras in Esoteric Buddhism and Tathāgata-garbha when Shingon took shape. Kukai well grasped the point of the two texts of Esoteric Buddhism, Mahavairocana Sutra(大日經) and Diamond Crown Sutra(金剛頂經), and based on his understanding he organized and systemized his own philosophy, and he completed the system of his philosophy on the basis of Awakening of faith in the Mahayana(大乘起信論) and Seokmahayeonron(釋摩訶衍論), which are belong to the text of Tathāgata-garbha family. Kukai’s literature puts his philosophy into order and presents methods of training by quoting Mahavairocana Sutra, Annotations on the Mahavairochana Sutra(大日經疏), and Diamond Crown Sutra. Also, as it is found that the thoughts and terms used in Seokmahayeonron, an annotation book for Awakening of faith in the Mahayana, are frequently quoted in his writings, we can conjecture that the Tathāgata-garbha thought had direct influence on the formation of his doctrinal thought.
Second, by asserting in his Jeuksinseongbuleui(卽身成佛義) that Jeuksinseongbuleui is possible through the principles of three greatness(三大), four mandalas(四曼), and three secrets(三密), Kukai presented ideally systemized principle of being a Buddha, which had not yet been well systemized in the existing Esoteric Buddhism. He claimed that the six elements(六大) that constitute the universe are the nature of dharma-realm(法界), are equipped with the aspects of the four Mandalas by combining with each other without hindrance, and both Buddha and sentient being have three secrets, mystery work of body, speech, and mind and applied this to the thought of three greatness to argue that Jeuksin(卽身) is due to the fact that Buddha and sentient being are equal. When we examine such a philosophy of becoming a Buddha presented by Kukai, we can tell that the philosophy of three greatness in the Tathāgata-garbha thought provided the basis of his philosophy of becoming a Buddha immediately.
As a result of the examination of Kukai’s Shingon doctrinal thought so far, the current author has found out that Tathāgata-garbha thought had much influence on the completion of his philosophy. That is to say, Kukai’s philosophy, who completed Esoteric Buddhism by generalizing all the system of philosophies at that time, is constructed on the basis of the philosophy of becoming a Buddha immediately, and Tathāgata-garbha thought can be said to have played an important role in the establishment of Kukai’s Shingon because Tathāgata-garbha thought underlies such a philosophy of being a Buddha.