Tathāgatagarbha and Ālaya in the Commentaries on the Dari jing

Abstract

This paper explores the doctrinal exegesis of tathāgatagarbha and ālaya formulated in the commentaries on the Dari jing. The analysis is divided into three sections: the first section examines the meaning of ālaya, the second investigates the meaning of tathāgatagarbha and the third discusses the logic inherent in the identification of tathāgatagarbha and ālaya. The paper arrives at the conclusion that ālaya and tathāgatagarbha share two closely related characteristics, namely innateness 持此身 and omnipresence 満世間,and it is on this basis that the commentaries on the Dari jing integrate tathāgatagarbha and ālaya.