Korea Journal of Buddhist Studies 불교학연구 ISSN:1598-0642(Print)

I think the structure of enlightenment in the Awakening of Faith in Māhayāna(大乘起信論) can be understood through analysis of the unique concept of ‘permeation(vāsanā, 熏習)’ found in the text. It admits the mutual permeation of dirty and pure dharmas(染淨互熏), and this is characteristic of the Tathāgatagarbha(如來藏) doctrine. When a satient being's mind loses its original purity, it is called non-enlightenment(不覺), and it corresponds to the permeation of a dirty dharma into a pure dharma(染法熏習). But the original enlightenment(本覺) has power to permeate into a satient being's ignorance and lead one into religious practices, when one's intrinsic Tathāgatagarbha internally works and the Buddhas/bodhisatvas externally help one. Therefore the original enlightenment corresponds to the permeation of Thusness(眞如熏習). But the actualized enlightenment(始覺) is based on normal mind(妄心), once deluded but permeated by Thusness. Therefore the actualized enlightenment corresponds to the permeation of a deluded mind(妄心熏習). These two enlightenments correspond to the permeation of a pure dharma into a dirty dharma(淨法熏習). The original enlightenment as internal permeation of Tathāga- tagarbha is an initial step to a satient being's enlightenment, but it is also a final step to enlightenment when one becomes a fully enlightened person(Buddha) and externally permeates into other satient beings to attain enlightenment. And this original enligh- tenment as fulfillment of the actualized enlightenment shows the Māhayāna spirit of transference(pariṇāmanā, 廻向).