One of the Ten Titles about Buddha -- Tathagata

Author: Tao Qing Hsu

 

The word Tathagata is transliterated from the Sanskrit. The word Tathagata is translated to be As-it-is or As-it-comes. It also means thus come and thus go. It means how it comes and let it goes as the same. That is, to image there is a clean and bright mirror, when something is reflected in a mirror, it will appear exactly the same. It will never appear the different. When this thing is removed, there will be nothing in the mirror. That is, the emptiness and silence in the mirror. Such a mirror and its function which it presents can be compared to be our hearts. Each of our hearts has such a mirror-like function and state. When we can realize this and stabilize such a state of mind, it means that we see our heart of Tathagata’s root. This Tathagata is not others, but our self. However, when we do not understand the Buddhism or when we are the beginner of learning Buddha, we always think that Tathagata is some kind of gods with supernatural power, or is someone else who doesn’t matter with us.   

 

When Buddhist scriptures mention a certain Tathagata, it means that they were once sentient beings just like us. After countless time and generations of practice in Buddha-law, they finally achieved enlightenment and became Buddhas one day, and they were conferred the title Tathagata. The practicing and enlightened achievement of Tathagata is the same as Buddha. Therefore, Tathagata is and means Buddha.

 

There are a lot of metaphor and describing about Tathagata, which are explained by the Buddha Shakyamuni in the different Buddhist scripture. In the content of Buddhist scriptures translated in the future, there will be also opportunities to mention it one after another. The word Rulaifo is transliterated from the Chinese. It means Tathagata-Buddha. The word Rulai or Rulaifo is universally used in the society or novel or drama of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In this circumstance and for the common sense, the word Rulai or Rulaifo usually means the Buddha Shakyamuni. But, if you have read a lot of different Buddhist scripture, you will own the different knowledge about the word Tathagata.

 

And why we are not the Tathagata, we know that our inner mind is always like a thick-dust and no-bright mirror which is unable to truly reflect anything. Meanwhile, our mind is always like a drama automatic making machine, what happened outside of our mind would be possible to be distorted or to be mistakenly understood by us, thus to generate a lot of troubles and worries for us which makes us feel bad and emotional. We thus couldn’t make a correct decision when encounter anything. If we want to change our self to be a person with a steady mind, it is worth for us to learn Buddha.         

Chapter 3: Cut off the love and remove the greed

(Chapter 3) A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha

Co-translators in the time of Eastern Han Dynasty, China(A.D. 25 - 200) : 

Kasyapa Matanga and Zhu Falan (Who translated the said Scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese. )

Translator in modern time (A.D.2018: Tao Qing Hsu (Who translated the said Scripture from Chinese into English.)

Teacher and writer for explaining the said Scripture: Tao Qing Hsu

Chapter 3: Cut off the love and remove the greed

The Buddha said, “Those who shave their hair and beard to become the Sramana and accept the Dao-law should renounce worldly possessions, be content to beg for alms, and take only what is needed. Eat one meal before noon a day, pass the night beneath trees, and be cautious not to desire more, for love and desire are what makes people foolish and concealing.”

The said rules are set by Buddha for his disciples, Sramanas. Such rules inspire and remind us, to be content what we have, and not to greedy more, because love and desire are what makes people foolish and concealing.

As we have mentioned in the aforesaid chapter, the definition of love and desire here is narrower, which motive is based on the personal-ego and selfishness. That is why the love and desire makes people foolish and concealing.

There is a saying,” To love would cause the dying tragically.” Why? It is involved the personal factor and the factor of the other side. Someone could not accept to be betrayed or broken up in love, and its hatred heart and its mind of revenge would thus be arisen to become the factual action. When they are in such state, their mind would lose reason and their action would be out of control, and thus to do the harmful thing. We call such person as horrifying lover. In generally, such person is lack of confidence and self-esteem. Even though this, they still want to control their lover. In the viewpoint of Buddha, such person is foolish and pitiful.

Someone use the love or sexual desire as excuses and means to have the fortune, especially, the young woman with beautiful appearance and good shape of body to attract the elder-rich man. Then, they would have the fortune by the means of divorce or of broken up. Sometimes we call such person as love-liar. The rich man attaches the lust of love and he is thus concealed by the infatuation.

Most people are following their own hormone of body and their visual sense, but, not following their mind of reason, to find their love. When the second person is shown up, they would be interested in such person by following their own sexual desire and visual sense. We call such thing as illusion and infatuation. In such state, the fact would not be found. So, there is a saying,” The lovers are falling in love because they do not understand each other. The lovers break up because they finally understand each other.”    

In the fiction or drama, the love is always created as romantic story. But, in fact, it is not true in our daily life. In the relationship of love, it is more related to the responsibility, tolerance, respecting to each other, sweet burden and honesty. Unfortunately, most people do not understand it, especially, the young male and female.

When people love and desire someone, something or to do something, they might conceal others for some reasons. Or they might be concealed by others. Then, to lie is happened. The evil karma is formed. The evil future might be waiting there.

The love and desire as mentioned here is the evil cause. Having cut it off, the evil result would not be happened certainly.

Extending the meaning of love and desire, human can love or desire the fame, power, fortune, food, and career. No matter love or desire, fame or power, fortune, food or career, their essence are not sin. Why? If we understand the deep meaning of Buddhism, we would know that those essences are emptiness. Since those essences are emptiness, they are not related to the sin or non-sin. Then, we might have a question. What is the problem or the trouble about the love or desire in such thing? 

As we know, there are two viewpoints in one thing. That is positive viewpoint and negative viewpoint. When we misuse our love and desire for such things, those would cause the bad result in our life. For example, there is a saying,” Human is afraid of fame; Pig is afraid of fat.” Why? When a person attaches the fame, jealous and attack in speech is followed. When a pig is fat, it would be killed to be as food. 

However, good fame would be helpful for the people of world. Such person is aim to benefit the people of world, and good fame therefore follows him (or her). Other things can be deduced by analogy.