Toh 44-28Chapter 28: The Ornament after the Tathāgata's Departure

Commentary: Chapter 28 - The Ornament after the Tathagata’s Parinirvana

Background

This Chapter 28 belongs to a sutra in the Northern Canon (Kangyur), which preserves the profound teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni and the buddhas of former times. This work focuses on the period after the Tathagata — a title referring to the buddhas of bodhi — enters nirvana and departs from the material world. This is an important theme in the Mahayana Buddhadharma, for it explores how the Buddhadharma continues to function and manifest in the world through forms of spiritual adornment.

The Northern Tibetan tradition emphasizes that the departure of a buddha is not a complete loss. Instead, the Buddha’s teachings endure in many different forms, from recorded sutras and sacred images to practitioners who cultivate and propagate the Dharma gateways. This chapter teaches that precisely these elements — called ornaments after the Tathagata’s sublime passing — are the continuation of the Buddha’s spiritual presence.

Main Content

This sutra presents the ways in which ornaments, that is, the elements that adorn and honor the Buddhadharma, are maintained and developed in the world. According to Mahayana thought, the Buddha has three bodies (trikaya): the dharmakaya, the sambhogakaya, and the nirmanakaya. After the Tathagata enters nirvana, the dharmakaya remains transcendent and boundless, while the nirmanakaya continues to appear in order to teach sentient beings through forms that the mind can perceive.

These ornaments include: the teachings preserved in the sutra collection; arhats and bodhisattvas who continue to spread the Dharma; revered images of the Buddha; and especially practitioners who practice the Dharma gate with the aspiration to liberate all sentient beings. Every act of practice, every Dharma teaching, and every compassionate deed of a practitioner is a way to honor and continue the enlightened activity of the Tathagata.