The all-pervading foundation of Enlightenment : early developments of Tathāgatagarbha teachings

This article aims at providing an outlook on the possible origin of tathāgatagarbha theory with a special reference to its relation to the soteriological and formal solutions found in the "Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra" and "Avataṃsaka-sūtra". Through comparative textual analysis, the first work of this tradition, "Tathāgatagarbha-sūtra", is shown as a text providing a metaphysical foundation for the postulate of universal Buddhahood posited by the "Lotus Sutra". The realization of this postulate was possible through the implementation of buddha-wisdom (tathāgatajñāna) - a quality intrinsic to all living beings, which comes from the Tathāgata's all-encompassing compassion - taken from the "Manifestation of the Tathāgata" chapter of the "Avataṃsaka". By combining these influences the "Tathāgatagarbha-sūtra" is presented as a culmination of an important soteriological trend of the early Mahāyāna, and at the same time the starting point for an influential buddha-nature tradition