The Significance of Ekaputraka-saṃjn͂ā in the Mahāparinirvāṇa-mahāsūtra

Abstract

The Mahāparinirvāṇa-mahāsūtra （MPNMS） is one of the major Mahāyāna sūtras, and among other things speaks of the permanence and the omnipresence of the Buddha. How does the text argue for this? I propose that the way of seeing all sentient beings as one’s children, the so-called ekaputraka-saṃjn͂ā, 一子想, plays an important role.

In the fourth chapter of Dharmakṣema’s translation, it is revealed that there is no “蔵” because the Buddha can see all sentient beings as his children. This means the Buddha doesn’t keep back and hide his teachings. So where are the Buddha’s teachings? Since the Buddha gives them to all sentient beings, the teachings are in all sentient beings, which means they are “蔵.” The view of sentient beings as “蔵” is connected to the idea of Tathāgatagarbha 如来蔵. In the next chapter, the Buddha teaches that “the secret storehouse 秘密蔵” should be protected, which he conveys by the parable of a mother protecting her child at the risk of her own life. When the Buddha’s teachings are protected, they can continue to exist in this world without perishing. By seeing all sentient beings as children, the Buddha’s teachings can be omnipresent and permanently exist in this world.