The à ÂrëmÃÂlÃÂdevë Siá¹ÂhanÃÂda Sà «tra (, of Queen à ÂrëmÃÂlÃÂ) is one of the main early MahÃÂyÃÂna Buddhist texts belonging to the TathÃÂgatagarbha sà «tras that teaches the doctrines of Buddha-nature and "One Vehicle" through the words of the Indian queen à ÂrëmÃÂlÃÂ. After its composition, this text became the primary scriptural advocate in India for the universal potentiality of Buddhahood.
Brian Edward Brown, a specialist in Buddha-nature doctrines, writes that the composition of the à ÂrëmÃÂlÃÂdevë Siá¹ÂhanÃÂda Sà «tra occurred during the êká¹£vÃÂku Dynasty in the 3rd century CE as a product of the Caitika schools of the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghikas. Alex Wayman has outlined eleven points of complete agreement between the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghikas and the à ÂrëmÃÂlÃÂ, along with four major arguments for this association. Anthony Barber also associates the earlier development of the TathÃÂgatagarbha Sà «tra with the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghikas, and concludes that the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghikas of the ÃÂndhra region were responsible for the inception of the Buddha-nature doctrine. In the 6th century CE, ParamÃÂrtha wrote that the MahÃÂsÃÂá¹Âghikas revere the sà «tras that teach the Buddha-nature doctrine.
The à ÂrëmÃÂlÃÂdevë Siá¹ÂhanÃÂda Sà «tra was translated to Chinese in 436 CE by Guá¹Âabhadra (394-468) and later by Bodhiruci (672-727). A complete Sanskrit original is no longer extant, but extensive quotations are found in the Sanskrit text of the RatnagotravibhÃÂga as well as some recently discovered fragments conserved in the Schøyen Collection. It was later translated into English by Alex and Hideko Wayman as The Lion's Roar of Queen Srimala.
The à ÂrëmÃÂlÃÂdevë Siá¹ÂhanÃÂda Sà «tra teaches the reality of an ultimate, immaculate consciousness within each living being, which is the Buddhic "DharmakÃÂya" (essence of Truth), which is yet temporarily sheathed in obscuring defilement. This DharmakÃÂya, when viewed as intrinsically free from spiritual ignorance, is said to constitute eternity, bliss, the self, and purity in their perfect state. The use of the word "self" in this sutra is in a way unique to this class of sutra. The great Queen à ÂrëmÃÂlÃÂ, who according to this text is empowered by the Buddha to teach the Dharma, affirms:
The scripture, which was extremely influential by way of clarification of the TathagÃÂtagarbha view of à Âà «nyatÃÂ, insists that the ultimately correct understanding of emptiness is that the TathÃÂgatagarbha is empty of all knowledge that is not liberation, whereas, in contrast, the qualities which characterise a Buddha are not empty of inconceivable virtues. An alternative title offered by the Buddha for this sutra expresses this idea of an ultimate meaning to the emptiness doctrine: "The True Revelation of the Buddha's Intention when Teaching Emptiness."
The sà «tra has, furthermore, significantly contributed to the MahÃÂyÃÂna notion of the permanent, steadfast and eternal TathagÃÂtagarbha, which is nothing less than the perfect DharmakÃÂya temporarily concealed by (ultimately unreal) mental contaminants: