A Yogācāra Reading of Tathāgatagarbha: Silla Yogācāra Scholar Daehyeon’s Commentarial Approach to the Awakening of Faith

Since the time of Śākyamuni Buddha, Buddhism has undergone diverse doctrinal developments across different historical periods and geographical regions. As Buddhist teachings diversified, commentators faced a crucial hermeneutical challenge in addressing the relationships among the various doctrinal frameworks, which at times appeared to be in conflict. This paper examines the commentarial approach of Silla Yogācāra monk Daehyeon (ca. eighth century), in which he sought to reconcile the seemingly contradictory doctrines of “nature” (i.e., tathāgatagarbha) and “characteristics” (i.e., Yogācāra) through his interpretation of the Awakening of Faith (Dasheng qixin lun). Contrary to the prevailing exegetical tendencies of the time, which often displayed antagonism toward opposing theoretical frameworks, Daehyeon adopted a hermeneutical approach aimed at integrating both perspectives. Through an analysis of his commentarial work, with particular focus on his interpretation of ālayavijñāna, this study explores how Daehyeon sought to demonstrate the doctrinal coherence between tathāgatagarbha and Yogācāra.