The Lankāvatāra Sūtra ( 楞伽经 )
The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra ( 楞伽经 or 入楞伽经 ) is an important scripture in Mahayana Buddhism and is held in special esteem by the Chán/Zen tradition. It is one among several sutras that expound upon Tathāgatagarbha or Buddha-nature, the inherent quality of True nature that resides in all sentient beings.
The sutra begins with the Buddha emerging from the ocean where he had been teaching the Dharma to the Nāga King Sāgara and his retinue. Upon seeing Mount Malaya on the island of Lanka, the Buddha proclaims that fully-enlightened Buddhas of the past have taught the Dharma at this very place. King Rāvana, a figure most popularly known in the Hindu epic the Rāmāyaṇa, then invites the Buddha to teach on the mountain for the non-human beings who reside there. The bodhisattva Mahāmati (“Great Wisdom”) soon becomes the primary interlocutor for the rest of the sutra.
When Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China, appointed Master Huike as his successor, he handed him a copy of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, telling him that everything he needed to know could become found therein. Indeed, the doctrines of “subitism” or “sudden enlightenment (頓悟)” and “gradualism” or “gradual enlightenment (漸悟)” can both be found in this text.
The concept of Tathāgatagarbha is also expounded upon in this sutra. In Chapter 28, the Buddha stated:
“Mahāmati, the tathāgatagarbha of which I speak is not the same as the self mentioned by followers of other paths. Mahāmati, when I speak about the tathāgatagarbha, sometimes I call it ‘emptiness,’ ‘formlessness,’ or ‘intentionlessness,’ or ‘realm of reality,’ ‘dharma nature,’ or ‘dharma body,’ or ‘nirvana,’ ‘what is devoid of self-existence,’ or ‘what neither arises nor ceases,’ or ‘original quiescence,’ or ‘intrinsic nirvana,’ or similar expressions.
“It is to put an end to the fear foolish beings have about the expression ‘no self’ that the tathāgatas, the arhats, the fully enlightened ones proclaim the teaching of the tathāgatagarbha as a projectionless realm devoid of fabrications. Mahāmati, bodhisattvas of the present and the future should not become attached to any view of a self.”
In Chapter eight of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra (Chapter 8 in the Chinese version), an entire chapter which the Buddha talks about why it is important to abstain from eating meat, particularly for those who wish to practice the bodhisattva path. The Buddha said:
“There are countless reasons why you should not eat meat. But I will summarize them for you. Because all beings have at some time been reborn as family members, out of your feelings for them, you shouldn’t eat meat. Because butchers indiscriminately sell the flesh of donkeys and camels, foxes and dogs, cattle and horses and humans along with that of other animals, you shouldn’t eat meat. And you shouldn’t eat meat because animals are raised on impurities. And you shouldn’t eat meat because beings become afraid when they smell its odor, like when a dog snarls in anger and fear at the sight of a caṇḍāla or ḍomba.
“Also, you shouldn’t eat meat because it prevents practitioners from giving rise to compassionate thoughts. You shouldn’t eat meat because those fools who are fond of its stench, its filth, and its impurity are maligned. You shouldn’t eat meat because it makes spells and incantations ineffective. You shouldn’t eat meat because those who kill living creatures become so attached to its taste, they think about it whenever they see them. You shouldn’t eat meat because those who eat meat are abandoned by the gods. You shouldn’t eat meat because it makes your breath stink. You shouldn’t eat meat because it causes nightmares. You shouldn’t eat meat because the tigers and wolves in the forest and the wilderness can smell it. You shouldn’t eat meat because it results in a lack of restraint regarding food and drink. You shouldn’t eat meat because it keeps practitioners from giving rise to aversion. You shouldn’t eat meat because I have often said that when you eat or drink, you should imagine you are consuming the flesh of your children or swallowing medicine. I would never approve the eating of meat.”
This is only a sample of what the Buddha said regarding our conduct in regards to food. The Chinese translation actually has more texts that are not translated into English.
Interestingly, two Sinhalese chronicles, the Mahāvaṃsa and the Dīpavaṃsa, include a legend of the Buddha visiting the island of Lanka three times in order to subdue non-Buddhist yakshas and nāgas that resided there. This is a major point, because it shows that both Mahayana and Theravada traditions maintain that the Buddha taught the Dharma in this area. In fact, about one thousand years ago, Sri Lanka was a hub for the Yogacara school, and both Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions played a major role in the island’s religious history.
Four translations of the sutra were translated into Chinese, now there are three in extant. Two in Tibetan and the Sanskrit version is still extant in Nepal. The first English translation was made by Sensei D. T. Suzuki in 1932. The translation given here was made by American author Red Pine in 2012. You can read this version HERE.
