Waves of Mind, Oceans of Consciousness: Embodied Metaphors in the Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra and its Transformative Role

How do Buddhist sūtras employ metaphoricity to transcend linguistic limitations and actualize non-conceptual realization? Focusing on the metaphor of water, waves, and ocean (Skt. udadhi, Chi, 大海; Skt. taraṃga, Chi. 波浪) as conceptual mappings for mind, consciousness, and conceptual thoughts, the paper examines the embodied dimension of metaphors in Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra and their role in shaping religious realities. Two key conceptual metaphors—mental activity as fluid movement and psychological peace as physical stillness—illustrate how Buddhist transmission relies on sensory engagement and transformation of experience to mediate teachings. With examinations of Chinese commentaries and associated cultural productions, the study argues that the reception and transformation of water-mind imagery highlights the cognitive and experiential mechanisms of metaphors that actualize Buddhist knowledge transmission, demonstrating how embodied metaphors extend Buddhist soteriological ideals beyond the textual realm into empirical practice. This approach reframes knowledge transfer by emphasizing embodied metaphors as integrative mechanisms bridging literature, philosophy and practice.