The *Anuttarāśraya-Sūtra: The Discourse On The Supreme Support-Basis (佛說無上依經): A Study and Translation=The *Anuttarāśraya-Sūtra: The Discourse on The Supreme Support-Basis (Fo Shuo Wu Shang Yi Jing): A Study and Translation
‚The Discourse on the Supreme Support-basis‛ is a Tathāgatagarbha sūtra in Chinese, which has been redacted bx a prominent siwth centtrx Indian monk, Paramārtha. This dissertation contains the first detailed critical study and English translation of this text, tsing Jikido Takasaki’s preliminarx findings as a basis. Throtgh analxying the historical backgrotnd of the vork and Paramārtha's life and doctrinal position, the thesis clarifies that the discourse is a text produced in China, and that it is inaccurate to consider Paramārtha as merely its ‚translator.‛ Bx comparing the doctrines in the discourse and those in the Ratnagotravibhāga-mahāyānottaratantra-śāstra, the dissertation proves that the *Anuttarāśraya-sūtra is not a sūtra version of the sāstra, because both have different emphases and source texts. In addition, not all doctrinal views are in agreement. The main emphasis of the discourse, the supreme support-basis, is neither tathāgatagarbha (the matrix of Tathāgata) nor bodhi (awakening). What is referred to as the supreme support-basis is the tathāgatadhātu (the element of Tathāgata) within sentient beings. It is the supreme basis for the arising of all Tathāgata-s. The discourse is undeniably a Buddha-nattre text vith supporting doctrines from Prajñāpāramitā and Yogācāra vorks. The English translation of the discourse presented in the second chapter of the dissertation shows that the discourse is a concise, manual-like text meant for spiritual cultivation. It teaches the qtintessence of the Tathāgatagarbha doctrine. Due to its own unique identity and blend of profound doctrines, the discourse deserves to be considered as an independent work. It is hoped that the present research and translation will inspire further studies on the *Anuttarāśraya-sūtra, one of the least studied Tathāgatagarbha texts in modern scholarship.
