Treatise on the Establishment of Truth (Satyasiddhi-sastra)

A work by Harivarman of India ( around the third or fourth century) translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva in the
early fifth century. It is the primary text of the Establishment of Truth school, the work consists of five sections,
which respectively cover the following topics:

(1) The Three treasures of the Buddha, the Law, and the Samgha, or Buddhist Order.

(2) The Four noble truths The work also gives a brief explanation of the four noble truths and asserts that one can
attain nirvana by discarding three kinds of attachment: attachment to the self, attachment to the dharmas (elements
of existence), and attachment to emptiness.

(3) Two kinds of emptiness: the teaching of dharma-nyat, the emptiness of phenomena and anatman

(4) Two doors (Divimukham): Loka mukham and Paramartha mukham, the other names of Samvrti and paramattha
satya (ultimate truth). On a samvrti level ( common principles) atman exists.

(5) Nature of mind and mental factors

Besides, the contents of Satyasiddhi contained both arguments and rejoinders from teachers with different opinions
regarding the issues disputed. The texts quoted in Satyasiddhi also include early sutra materials as well as
references to positions that can be traced in various Abhidharma treaties of different teachers and schools, so it can
be a rich source of early Buddhist textual materials and philological investigations.

The nature of mind is one of the central topics discussed in this work. From the beg., Buddhism considered mind
plays a central role in the suffering of human beings and proposed some applications of practices for taming the
mind, for being free from the defilements with the purpose of getting liberation. However, the sutras never clarify
clearly the nature of positive and negative mental qualities. Regarding to this issue, there have been two
proposals: some teachers propose that mind consists of consciousness itself and number of entities as mental
factors, other teachers consider that the so-called mental factors are nothing but consciousness itself in different
modes.

The Treatise on great virtue of wisdom ( Maha prajna paramita sastra)

From clinging to things there arise disputes; but if there is no clinging, what dispute will there be? He who
understands that all dristis, clinging or non-clinging, are in truth of the same nature, has already become free from
all these. (61a)

The wayfarer that can understand this does not seize, does not cling to anything, does not imagine that this alone is
true (and not that). He does not quarrel with anyone. He can thus enjoy the flavour of the nectar of the Buddhas
doctrine. Those teachings are wrong which are not of this nature (i.e., non-contentious and accommodative). If one
does not accommodate other doctrines, does not know them, does not accept them, he indeed is ignorant. Thus,
then, all those who quarrel and contend are really devoid of wisdom. Why? Because every one of them refuses to
accommodate the views of others. That is to say, there are those who say that what they themselves speak is the
highest, the real, the pure truth; that the doctrines of others are words, false and impure. (61a)

Thus every one of these contending teachers clings to his own standpoint and does not accommodate the view of
others. This alone is right all else is wrong, he says. If one accepts ones own doctrines, honours and cultivates
ones own doctrines and does not accommodate and honour others doctrines, and just picks up faults in them, and
if this kind of conduct is the pure conduct, fetching the highest good, then there is none whose conduct is impure.
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Why? Because everyone accepts his own doctrine. (61b)

p. 131:

In the dharma of the Buddha one abandons all passions, all wrong views, all pride of self; one puts an end to all
(these) and does not cling (to anything). (63c)

Referring to the Sutra on the Raft, the Sastra says that the Buddha has taught there that one has to abandon ones
clinging even to good things, how much more to bad ones! He does not encourage any fond notion even in regard
to the prajnaparamita or any learning on it or clinging to it. How much less should one cling to other things!

The Sastra proceeds:

The intention of the Buddha is this: My disciples (must be) free from passion for Dharma, free from attachment to
dharma, free from partisanship. What they seek is only the freedom from (passion and) suffering; they do not
quarrel about the (diverse) natures of things. (63c)

In the Arthavargiya Sutra Makandika puts a difficulty before the Buddha:

(It may be that) in the case of rigidly fixing (and holding on to) things, there directly arise all sorts of (wrong)
notions. But if all is abandoned, the internal as well as the external, how can enlightenment (Bodhi) be realized at
all? (63c)

The questioner commits the mistake of imagining that the determinate in itself leads to clinging, and that the
indeterminate nature (sunyata) of things means a literal abandoning of them. These are only different phases of the
error of clinging, the error of imputing the limitations in our approach to the nature of things themselves. If the
determinate in itself leads one to clinging, then, certainly, there is no way of realizing the bodhi; then, it would
follow that to abandon clinging would be to abandon the determinate itself, and the indeterminate would mean a
total denial of the determinate. These are the wrong notions that arise from the initial mistake of imagining that the
determinate is in its very nature such as to lead one to clinging. But this is a view which leads one to self-
contradiction at every step. For how can one speak and convey his meaning through specific concepts and yet say
that the determinate leads one by its very nature to clinging? The Buddhas answer amounts to saying that what is
to be abandoned is not the determinate itself, but ones clinging to it. One can realize freedom by abandoning the
false sense of self, which is the root of all clinging:

Bodhi is not realized by seeing or hearing or understanding, nor is it realized by the (mere) observance of morals;
nor is it realized by abandoning hearing and seeing and it is (definitely) not realized by giving up morals.

Thus what one should abandon is disputation as well as the (false) notion of I and mine; one should not cling
to the diverse natures of things. It is in this way that bodhi can be realized. (63c)

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The Awakening Of Faith In Mahyna (Mahyna -Sraddhotpada Sastra) Avaghoa

In the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, the discourse on the Awakening of Faith in Mahayana is a treatise of central
importance. It is most important for developing the Indian Buddhist doctrine of an inherent potentiality for
Buddhahood (tathgatagarbha) into a monistic ontology based on the mind as the ultimate ground of all experience.

The Awakening of Faith is predicated on the notion of a single unconditional Absolute, referred to by various terms
including "suchness" and "Buddha-nature", that beyond description or conceptualization. This Absolute is seen as
true reality while the world of the senses is an illusion. The word is sometimes used interchangeably with sunyata,
or emptiness.

Awakening of Faith proposes that tathata is not some pure realm separate from the phenomenal world, but
expresses itself as phenomena. Original enlightenment or Buddha Nature was the natural state even before people
were born. Ordinary human beings do not realize this. But in this life people may cultivate an initial enlightenment
that is the basis of a final enlightenment.

So, the main content of the work is nothing other than the Absolute itself the Great Vehicle on which all beings
are capable of riding to enlightenment. There is a teaching (dharma) which can awaken in us the root of faith in the
Mahayana. The teaching of the text is traditionally summarized as "One Mind Two Aspects, Three Greatnesses,
Four Faiths, Five Practices.

One Mind and Its Two Aspects

- The Mind in terms of the Absolute (tathata; Suchness), is the one World of Reality (dharmadhatu) It is called
"the essential nature of the Mind" which is unborn and is imperishable.

- The Mind in Terms of Phenomena (samsara-birth and death) is reflected in the Storehouse Consciousness which
is "neither birth nor death (nirvana)", staying harmoniously with "birth and death (samsara)". Both are neither
identical nor different.

So, mind is simultaneously empty and non empty. The mind prior to perception, the alaya consciousness without
content is empty but non empty in itself. From the beginning it has never been related to any defilements, it is
trully empty. But when it gone through illusions it becomes non empty.

The Essence Itself and the Attributes of Suchness

The essence of Suchness knows no increase or decrease in ordinary men, the Hinayanists, the Bodhisattvas, or the
Buddhas. It is eternal.

From the beginning, Suchness in its nature is fully provided with all excellent qualities; namely, it is endowed with
the light of great wisdom, the qualities of illuminating the entire universe, of true cognition and mind pure in its
self-nature; of eternity, bliss, Self, and purity; of refreshing coolness, immutability, and freedom.

The influences of Suchness are of two kinds.

- The first is conceived by the mind of ordinary men and the followers of Hinayana in the "object-
discriminating consciousness". This is called the influence of Suchness in the form of the "Transformation-
body" (Nirmanakaya).

- The second is conceived by the mind of the Bodhisattvas, from the first stage of aspiration to the highest
stage, in the mentality which regards external objects as unreal. This is called the influence of Suchness in
the form of the "Bliss-body" (Sambhogakaya).

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 I. The Correction of Evil Attachments

All evil attachments originate from biased views; if a man is free from bias, he will be free from evil attachments.
There are two kinds of biased view: one is the biased view held by those who are not free from the belief in atman
[i.e., ordinary men]; the other is the biased view held by those who believe that the components of the world are
real [i.e., the Hinayanists].

II. Analysis of the Types of Aspiration for

All Bodhisattvas aspire to the enlightenment (bodhi) realized by all the Buddhas, disciplining themselves to this
end, and advancing toward it. Briefly, three types of aspiration for enlightenment can be distinguished. The first is
the aspiration for enlightenment through the perfection of faith. The second is the aspiration for enlightenment
through understanding and through deeds. The third is the aspiration for enlightenment through insight.

III. 3 subtles 6 grosses 5 minds

IV. On Faith and Practice

On Four Faiths

The first is the faith in the Ultimate Source. A man comes to meditate with joy on the principle of Suchness.

The second is the faith in the numberless excellent qualities of the Buddhas.

The third is the faith in the great benefits of the Dharma (Teaching). A man comes constantly to remember and
practice various disciplines leading to enlightenment.

The fourth is the faith in the Sangha (Buddhist Community) whose members are able to devote themselves to the
practice of benefiting both themselves and others.

On Five Practices
There are five ways of practice which will enable a man to perfect his faith. They are the practices of charity,
observance of precepts, patience, zeal, and cessation of illusions and clear observation.

I. Encouragement of Practice and the Benefits Thereof

A man who wishes to obtain correct faith in the profound Realm of the Tathagata and to enter the path of
Mahayana, he should practice this treatise to reach the unsurpassed enlightenment.

The summary of the 4 stages of enlightenment (suchness) :

The first three are collected as "nonfinal enlightenment" covering states said "not to be enlightened to the fountain
head of the mind":

1) The ability to prevent incorrect (wrong) thought from arising

2) Enlightenment in appearance: aware of the changing nature of thought but free from thoughts subject to change

3) Approximate enlightenment: those aware of the temporary abiding state of thoughts

4) Final enlightenment: to be fully enlightened to have reached the fountainhead of the mind