The subject matter of this dissertation is the Buddha nature theory of the middle way in the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra. The discussion of this dissertation focuses on the Buddha nature theory of the middle way, and the Buddha nature theory of the middle way is the main axis of the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra in the sense that the Buddha nature theory is in terms of the middle way from the beginning to the end. The exploration expands to discussion of some of the significant issues. For example: What is the meaning of the Buddha nature of the middle way? What is the correlation of the Buddha nature of the middle way and the important dharma of the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra? What is the reason that the Buddha nature of the middle way is the main axis of the Buddha nature theory of the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra? This dissertation is divided into seven chapters: The first chapter is the introduction, which explains the research background, purpose, research approach and method, and states the gist of each chapter. The second chapter looks for evidence from the Chinese translation of the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra to support that the forty volumes Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, translated by DharmarakSa, has a more complete Sanskrit version. In addition, it describes the important dharma of the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, such as one Buddha vehicle, the eternal tathāgata, eternity-bliss-personality-purity, that all sentient beings have Buddha nature, the relationship between these important dharma and the middle way or the Buddha nature of the middle way. Chapters three to five discuss the meaning of the Buddha nature by way of expanding the meaning of the middle way, which are: the conditioned co-arising, the highest emptiness, non-duality and non-separation. The sixth chapter discusses that the meaning of Buddha nature of the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra does not leave from the middle way from the very beginning to the end. The seventh chapter concludes the dissertation, by listing the research findings, originality, contribution, and the prospect for future related studies. The main findings of the study can be summarized as follows: From the records of the literature of ‘The North’ Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, it is found that when Dharmarakṣa translated the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, he had compared it with the more complete Sanskrit version, and said the important meaning of the dharma of ‘The North’ Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra are complete, and the only difference lies in their complexity, indicating that the ‘The North’ Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra is a unified sutra, not a patchwork of different sutras. Being the same sutra, its theory is consistent. Therefore, there is no the discrepancy between the Buddha nature and the Buddha nature of icchantika. The originalities and contributions of the research results: Buddha nature contains the limitless dharma. However, sentient beings do not see it due to their ignorance and defilements. Therefo
目次
口試委員會審定書 i 誌謝 ii 中文摘要 iii Abstract v 略符說明 viii 目次 x 表目次 xv
