The World of Black Boxes

Chapter Eleven: Material Dharmas within the Black Box

I. All Kinds of Material Dharmas Are Empty and Selfless

Forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangible objects are each divided into many kinds. As explained in the first volume of the *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra*, sounds are classified into several kinds, as are taste objects, tangible objects, and smell objects. Mental objects, combined with these five kinds of objects, are also simultaneously divided into several kinds.

Sounds can be produced by the Tathāgatagarbha within sentient beings themselves, produced by the contact between the physical body and the external world, be purely external sounds, or be sounds produced by the interaction between sentient beings. Sounds from sentient beings themselves are produced solely by their own Tathāgatagarbha. Sounds produced within the body are also divided into several kinds: those produced by conscious perception, contemplation, and thought; those produced during the absorption and digestion of food; those produced by internal organ pathologies; those produced by the mental faculty regulating eating, chewing, and swallowing; those produced by gastrointestinal peristalsis; those produced by autonomous breathing; and those produced by the functioning of internal organs, such as the heartbeat sound. Regardless of why these sounds are produced, when they fall upon one's own ear faculty and are discerned by ear consciousness and mental consciousness, they are all sounds within the black box, not outside the black box. They are all subject to birth, cessation, and change, impermanent, empty, and selfless.

All six objects we can contact are like this. Only when the mind is not turned by these dust realms and does not fall into them can it be free and liberated. When the mind can avoid falling into the realms of the six objects, it can leap outside the realms, transcend them, and not be confined within them. Only then can it clearly perceive the realms, and the mind can be clear and bright, free from confusion.

In the state of mental emptiness, there is one called "existence of person but absence of realm." This is an empty realm. It does not mean emptiness of mind or emptiness of person. On this basis, one must further contemplate the mind and contemplate the person to sever the view of self. Merely emptying the realm is not severing the view of self; the subjective conscious mind has not yet been emptied. Many people's contemplation of the five aggregates has incomplete aspects; their contemplation is not comprehensive. They can only sever part of the self, not the entire self. And this part of the self will gradually reassert itself as "I," ultimately leading to the complete loss of merit.

II. The Relationship Between the Mirror Image, the Mirror, and the Form Outside the Mirror

When looking in a mirror, what is the relationship between the reflection in the mirror and the mirror? The reflection in the mirror does not superimpose upon the mirror; it is not inside, outside, or in the middle of the mirror; it does not contact the mirror at all. The reflection is illusory, without real form. Therefore, it does not contact the mirror, does not superimpose upon it, and does not hinder each other. What the six consciousnesses perceive are all unreal, illusory appearances, like those conjured by a magician through spells. The reflection in the mirror is the form of oneself seen by eye consciousness, the sound of oneself heard by ear consciousness, the smell of oneself smelled by nose consciousness, the taste object in the mouth tasted by tongue consciousness, the tangible object within the body felt by body consciousness, and the five aggregates of grasping discerned by mental consciousness. This includes the masterful nature of the seventh consciousness and all activities of the seventh consciousness; they are all illusory, unreal dharmas.

The seeing nature of the five consciousnesses observable by the sixth consciousness, the seeing nature of the seventh consciousness, and the seeing nature of mental consciousness itself, as well as the five aggregates of grasping and six dust realms observed by mental consciousness, are all reflections. Reflections are born and manifested by the mirror; they are images transmitted by the mirror. The mirror truly exists forever, indestructible. Reflections are born and cease; when they exist, they are not truly existent; they are empty and illusory.

What is the relationship between the image in the mirror and the form outside the mirror? The image and the form have a one-to-one correspondence; they are similar and alike. The image is transformed from the form, originates from the form, and depends on the form to exist. The two are neither identical nor different; they have both identical and non-identical aspects. The inner image cannot exist apart from the outer form; without the form, there is no image. It resembles the outer form. However, the outer form is composed of substantial four great elements, possessing the real functions of the four great elements. The inner image lacks the substantial four great elements and has no real function. For an enlightened person with meditative power, the image in the mirror is like the hair of a tortoise or the horns of a rabbit, utterly without function.

III. The Images in the Tathāgatagarbha Mirror Are Also Material Dharmas

All dharmas are divided into material dharmas, mental dharmas, and dharmas that are neither material nor mental. Material dharmas are composed of the four great elements; they are the forms seen by mental dharmas. The images in the mirror seen by the conscious mind are also material dharmas, composed of part of the four great elements, only their compositional structure differs from the material dharmas outside the mirror. Mental dharmas are the mind that discriminates; the images in the mirror cannot discriminate, therefore they are not mental dharmas.

The forms outside the mirror are jointly manifested by the Tathāgatagarbhas of sentient beings sharing the same karma. The images on the mirror are manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha of an individual sentient being based on the outer forms. The forms outside the mirror are false; the images on the mirror are even more false. The particles composing the four great elements differ at various levels of forms, resulting in varying degrees of substantiality. Everything we see of our own physical body is like the images on a mirror. Do they exist? Do they not exist? Are they neither existent nor non-existent? Or are they neither non-existent nor non-non-existent?

IV. The Four Great Elements of the Physical Body and the Material World Are Identical

In the *Śūraṅgama Sūtra*, the Buddha stated that the minute particles of the physical body and the minute particles of the material world are non-dual and non-distinct; they are composed of the same four great elements. For example, the waste and impurities excreted daily from blood vessels and skin are identical to the sand and soil of the material world. Excreted sweat is identical to the water in nature. The breath exhaled from the mouth, nose, and skin is identical to the wind of the material world. The heat emitted from the body is identical to the fire of the material world. Therefore, the four great elements composing material dharmas are identical. The body and the material world are non-dual and non-distinct. When the external four great elements change, the body will change accordingly.

V. Whether Information Can Be Temporarily Stored in the Brain

All material dharmas are subject to instantaneous birth, cessation, and change; they do not remain unchanged. The brain itself is also subject to birth, cessation, and change; it is not motionless, forever in one state. Material dharmas contacting the brain are similarly subject to birth, cessation, and change; they are not stored in the brain. Otherwise, with the brain's limited capacity, material dharmas would burst the brain, and the person would become disabled or dead.

Information belongs to mental objects, discriminated and processed by mental consciousness, including semblant substance realms and mental image realms. It is subject to instantaneous birth, cessation, and change, cannot dwell long, and therefore cannot be stored in the brain. All information can only be stored as seeds in the Tathāgatagarbha, released when conditions ripen. If the brain could store information, slicing open a living or dead person's brain piece by piece would allow finding this information, understanding and studying it, revealing all of a person's secrets. Then people in the world would have no secrets, criminal investigations would be too easy, there would be no unsolvable mysteries, and no thousand-year cold cases or wrongful convictions. If a computer could store information, disassembling it, could the information be found? If a mobile phone could store information, taking it apart, could the information be found?

Information belongs to mental objects, discriminated and processed by mental consciousness, including mental objects included within the domain of dharmas and mental image realms. It is composed of seeds; only the Tathāgatagarbha has seeds; the brain does not have seeds, therefore it cannot store information. Moreover, the brain's capacity cannot hold it. Therefore, information should be stored in the Tathāgatagarbha, originating from the Tathāgatagarbha. If information does not belong to material dharmas, is not composed of the four great elements, then it is the formless, markless seed state, necessarily existing in the Tathāgatagarbha; the brain cannot store seeds.

Footprints on walls or the ground belong to the four great elements, material dharmas; they are tangible objects of the five dust realms, visible to the eye. The formless information displayed on the footprints is the mental object discriminated by mental consciousness, also belonging to information. After a person discerns it, seeds are stored in the Tathāgatagarbha, not in the brain. Although the brain may think about it later, that is the mind thinking, not the brain thinking.

VI. The Mental Image Realm Is the Image within the Subtle Faculty

When the mind is calm, one can perceive that whenever one's mind stirs or is moved, it simultaneously triggers pulsations in the brain nerves, then facial nerve pulsations, followed by corresponding reactions in the hands, feet, and whole body. If so, it shows that the mind's stirring can move the physical body. The mind's stirring also involves the movement of solitary consciousness and five-sense concurrent consciousness, as well as the movement of the mental faculty. Therefore, conscious activities are inseparable from the brain; the images of the six dust realms and the mental image realm are also inseparable from the brain.

When we are recalling or delusional, brain waves fluctuate. This shows that the mental faculty and mental consciousness discerning the mental image realm affect the brain. The mental image realm thus takes form within the brain as a virtual image. If the mental image realm did not appear within the brain, it would appear outside the body. Could the mental image realm appear outside the body, in empty space? Could the six consciousnesses discern outside the body, in empty space? Could the mental faculty operate outside the body, in empty space? If the mental faculty and mental consciousness could discern in empty space, they would be consciousnesses in empty space, shared by all, without distinction between self and others. After you discern, I would know; if you are full, I would not be hungry; if you decide to practice, I would have decided; if you realize enlightenment, I would have realized it, because it is consciousness in empty space, without distinction between you and me. In fact, this is impossible.

If I am thinking of the Buddha in my mind, the thirty-two marks of the Buddha are my mental image realm. If the mental image realm were in empty space, everyone could see it. All people would be thinking of the Buddha, all gaining merit and benefit. In fact, this is impossible. Even the empty space we see is the empty space within the subtle faculty; it does not go beyond the mind. The empty space discerned by eye consciousness and mental consciousness is also within the subtle faculty; it is also an image. In summary, the mental image realm is an image within the subtle faculty, a virtual appearance, not real.

VII. Whether the Mental Image Realm Is within the Subtle Faculty

The mental image realm appears within the subtle faculty. It does not belong to the mental objects on the five dust realms; it is not mental objects included within the domain of dharmas. It is the mental object solely discerned by solitary mental consciousness, not the mental object jointly discerned with the five consciousnesses. It originates from separate seeds. The mental image realm is affected by the subtle faculty. If the subtle faculty has obstructions, the manifested mental image realm becomes distorted and unreal. For example, people with cerebellar atrophy often experience hallucinations. The mental image realms they discern are all non-valid cognitions, not conforming to reality. After patients discriminate the disordered mental image realm, they develop erroneous views and speak nonsense, unlike normal people.

Because the mental faculty usually contacts mental objects at the location of the brain and discerns mental objects at the brain, mental consciousness also discerns mental objects at the brain, not beyond the brain. The mental faculty and mental consciousness can both contact the mental image realm, so the mental image realm is also inseparable from the brain. Therefore, if the brain has pathologies, the mental image realm becomes disordered. The mental image realm takes form in a separate area within the subtle faculty of the brain, not together with the five dust realms, nor with the mental objects included within the domain of dharmas on the five dust realms. The mental consciousness that discerns mental objects on the five dust realms is five-sense concurrent consciousness. The mental consciousness that discerns the mental image realm is solitary mental consciousness. Although the names differ, their essence is the same mental consciousness. Although it is one mental consciousness, it can simultaneously discern mental objects on the five dust realms and the mental image realm.

VIII. Whether the "Golden Stars" Seen When Seeing Stars Are the Mental Image Realm

The "golden stars" seen when one sees stars cannot be seen by others; one's own five consciousnesses also cannot see them. Therefore, they are the mental image realm corresponding to solitary mental consciousness. Seeing stars is a phenomenon caused by issues with qi and blood, produced due to the relationship with material dharmas. When a person's blood pressure is below normal, blood cannot sufficiently supply brain cells, causing dizziness. At this time, one might see stars. Actually, this is an illusion; there are no real golden stars. But this mental image realm of golden stars is still related to the brain and material dharmas.

So where do the golden stars appear? They appear in the brain, because the mental faculty and mental consciousness do not go beyond the brain to contact any mental objects. When the brain is diseased or obstructed, lacking nourishment, mental consciousness becomes forgetful, unable to recall things, and the mental image realm does not appear. This shows that the mental image realm is closely related to the material dharmas of the brain. The mental image realm can only be discerned by oneself alone; others cannot discern it. As for the external six dust realms, not only can oneself discern them, others can also discern them.

IX. How the Mental Image Realm Appears

Question: After visualizing a lotus for a long time, the lotus appears without deliberate thought. Is this the mental image realm formed by the solitary mental consciousness clinging?

Answer: The mental image realm is not mental objects included within the domain of dharmas; it is not mental objects on the five dust realms. It is a mental object manifested separately. The lotus can appear in the brain, indicating that the mental faculty has stirred and clung. The recollection and imagination of mental consciousness have successfully influenced the mental faculty. Finally, without mental consciousness deliberately thinking, the mental faculty automatically visualizes the lotus through its thought. Otherwise, the mental image realm of the lotus could not appear.

Whether the mental image realm appears depends on the mental faculty; it is controlled by the mental faculty. If the mental faculty wants it to appear, it can appear; if it wants to extinguish it, it can extinguish it. Mental consciousness, directed by the mental faculty, also visualizes and recollects the lotus; otherwise, the mental image realm of the lotus could not appear in the conscious mind. When meditative power is deep and contemplation is profound, the mental image realm can manifest at will. Mental consciousness does not need to exert much effort; the mental faculty recollects, and the Tathāgatagarbha can manifest it illusorily.

X. The Difference Between the Fundamental Realm and the Semblant Substance Realm

The fundamental realm is manifested with the direct participation of the eighth consciousness. The eighth consciousnesses of all sentient beings with karmic connections jointly output the four great elements to manifest it. It is the most original realm of material dharmas, called the fundamental realm. After the eighth consciousness of an individual sentient being conditions the fundamental realm, it manifests an image like a mirror reflection, called the semblant substance realm. The seventh consciousness, the mental faculty, conditions the semblant substance realm.

For example, the fundamental realm of the earth is composed of substantial seeds of earth, water, fire, and wind; it is a substantial dharma with solidity. The mental faculty, the seventh consciousness, conditioning the seeing part of the eighth consciousness, can condition the semblant substance realm of the earth manifested by the seeing part of the eighth consciousness. This earth carries the image of the four great elements from the fundamental realm, similar and resembling the fundamental realm, but less real, without real solidity.

For example, water in the fundamental realm is composed of substantial four great elements, possessing moistness and the ability to submerge; it is conditioned by the eighth consciousness. After conditioning it, the seeing part of the eighth consciousness manifests semblant substance realm water, carrying the image of the four great elements from the fundamental realm water, similar and resembling the fundamental realm, but without substantial moistness or substantial ability to submerge. It is conditioned by the mental faculty, the seventh consciousness, and is called the semblant substance realm.

For example, fire in the fundamental realm is composed of substantial four great elements, possessing combustibility; it is conditioned by the eighth consciousness. After conditioning it, the eighth consciousness manifests similar semblant substance realm fire based on it, carrying the image of the four great elements from the fundamental realm fire, similar and resembling the fundamental realm fire, but without real combustibility. It is conditioned by the mental faculty and is called the semblant substance realm.

For example, wind in the fundamental realm is composed of substantial four great elements, possessing the ability to blow and drift; it is conditioned by the eighth consciousness. After conditioning it, the eighth consciousness manifests semblant substance realm wind based on it, carrying the image of the four great elements from the fundamental realm wind, similar and resembling the fundamental realm, but without substantial ability to blow or substantial ability to drift. It is conditioned by the mental faculty and is called the semblant substance realm.

The mental faculty, relying on the seeing part of the eighth consciousness, conditions these dharmas, yet thinks what it sees is all real and seen by itself personally. It appropriates the seeing part of the eighth consciousness as its own, unaware that what it sees is fundamentally different from what the eighth consciousness sees, unaware that without the mirror of the eighth consciousness, it would see nothing. It claims the functions of the eighth consciousness as its own, truly a thief.

All phenomena are illusory. All that the scriptures say is true and not false. The seventh consciousness conditions the seeing part of the eighth consciousness. The eighth consciousness truly exists; it is the true fundamental reality dharma. What the eighth consciousness sees, the seventh consciousness cannot see. The seventh consciousness can only see the semblant substance realm manifested after the eighth consciousness sees the dharmas; it is not the original or substantial dharma; it is not the fundamental realm.

The semblant substance realm differs from the fundamental realm; it differs from the original realm. Therefore, it can only carry part of the substance, not the entire substance. Why? Because during the transmission process, some particles of the four great elements are blocked or absorbed by the medium, the particles of the four great elements change, and the material dharmas change accordingly.

XI. What Are the Appearing Parts Referred to by the Fundamental Realm, Semblant Substance Realm, Direct Realm, Mental Image Realm, External Six Dusts, and Internal Six Dusts?

(1) The fundamental realm is where all Tathāgatagarbhas each output the four great elements to form shared four great elements. All Tathāgatagarbhas jointly use these four great elements to create the universe, the material world, and the six dust realms. Only the Tathāgatagarbha can see and condition it. This part of the appearing part is the most substantial appearing part and also the most fundamental external appearing part. All fundamental realms are dharmas directly conditioned by the eighth consciousness. All dharmas directly manifested by the eighth consciousness are dharmas directly conditioned by the eighth consciousness. When the eighth consciousness of another person manifests and produces dharmas, one's own eighth consciousness conditioning them is not direct conditioning but indirect conditioning, separated by a layer, somewhat distant.

(2) The semblant substance realm is the six dust realms manifested layer by layer by an individual Tathāgatagarbha after conditioning the fundamental realm, absorbing the particles of the four great elements from the fundamental realm and transmitting them all the way to the subtle faculty. It is like the image in a mirror, carrying the particles of the four great elements from the fundamental realm, with some difference from the fundamental realm, more illusory than the fundamental realm. This part of the appearing part includes the similar appearing parts transformed the moment the Tathāgatagarbha contacts the fundamental realm, up to the appearing parts before entering the five sense faculties or the five subtle faculties. As for the internal appearing parts discerned by the six consciousnesses, they are also relative external appearing parts, conditioned by the mental faculty. Therefore, the mental faculty perceives the dust realms before the six consciousnesses.

During the transmission process of these appearing parts, the particles of the four great elements are filtered and absorbed by the intervening medium. The particles of the four great elements are continuously filtered out, causing the appearing parts of the semblant substance realm to become increasingly subtle, gradually increasing the difference from the fundamental realm. However, their connection to the fundamental realm is still relatively large, and their appearance is also quite similar. Besides the Tathāgatagarbha being able to see and condition this part of the appearing parts, the mental faculty, following the Tathāgatagarbha, can also see and condition them.

Because the mental faculty can condition and see the semblant substance realm before it enters the subtle faculty, it has a certain discernment of it. It can correspondingly know the general nature and meaning of the semblant substance realm, and the five universal mental factors will manifest and operate. For semblant substance realms involving one's own safety, it will have swift decisive power. The Tathāgatagarbha, knowing this decision, can, when the semblant substance realm enters the subtle faculty to form the direct realm, at the moment the six faculties contact the six dusts, very swiftly give birth to the six consciousnesses to respond, reacting very rapidly, without opportunity for mental consciousness's analysis, contemplation, inference, or judgment. Mental consciousness and the five consciousnesses only need to obey the mental faculty's allocation and commands; they do not need to judge themselves but must react and respond. Only afterward is there time for contemplation, analysis, inference, and judgment, knowing what one just did and what happened. This is the reason the mental faculty can rapidly respond to sudden events.

(3) The direct realm: When the semblant substance realm enters the subtle faculty through the five coarse sense faculties, the six dust realms manifested within the subtle faculty become the direct realm, resembling the semblant substance realm, called the direct realm. It has certain differences from the semblant substance realm. The semblant substance realm, during the transmission process, is filtered by the five sense faculties. The particles of the four great elements may undergo certain changes, causing the direct realm to be more subtle and even more unreal and illusory.

(4) The mental image realm: It greatly differs from the direct realm; it differs even more from the semblant substance realm; its difference from the fundamental realm is immense; perhaps it has no connection to the fundamental realm. It is initiated by the mental faculty's clinging, arising from nothingness. Mental consciousness processes and perfects the mental faculty's delusions, sketching and adding details, using invalid cognition imagination to exert more delicate delusional functions, even making the delusional realm vivid and lifelike. The five consciousnesses cannot participate in this at all; it is entirely completed by mental consciousness cooperating with the mental faculty. At this time, mental consciousness is called solitary mental consciousness, solely engaged in delusional work, sketching scenes.

The external six entrances and external six dusts refer to the six dust appearing parts outside the subtle faculty, not yet entered into the subtle faculty. They should refer to the semblant substance realm and the fundamental realm, conditioned by the mental faculty; the six consciousnesses cannot condition them, much less see them. What the six consciousnesses cannot discern does not belong to the internal appearing parts; it should be considered the six dusts outside the subtle faculty, called external six dusts.

The internal six dusts refer to the direct realm within the subtle faculty. Not only can the mental faculty condition and see it, the six consciousnesses can also condition and see it. Of course, the eighth consciousness can even more so condition and see it. All dharmas, regardless of which stage they are at, are manifested and upheld by the eighth consciousness Tathāgatagarbha. The Tathāgatagarbha certainly can condition and see them; otherwise, no dharma could be born or exist.

XII. The Differences and Connections Between the Fundamental Realm, External Six Dusts, and Internal Six Dusts

The external six dusts existing in the universe are jointly born and upheld by the Tathāgatagarbhas of all sentient beings. They are maintained by all Tathāgatagarbhas using the four great elements. The four great elements are born instant by instant and cease instant by instant; thus, the external six dusts are born and cease instant by instant. The external six dust realms are the most original material dharmas, composed of substantial seeds, relatively substantial material dharmas. Strictly speaking, they are called the fundamental realm, discerned by the Tathāgatagarbha. The mental faculty cannot discern them; the six consciousnesses even less so. Nevertheless, the fundamental realm is also instant by instant subject to birth, cessation, and change. During the process of the birth, cessation, and change of the four great elements, the four great elements are emitted outward, even emitted into the various Tathāgatagarbhas. Therefore, we can feel that matter has a magnetic field and energy around it.

The emitted particles of the four great elements are then absorbed back by the Tathāgatagarbha. Only after being absorbed are they called external six dusts. The Tathāgatagarbha then transmits the particles of the four great elements from the external six dusts into the subtle faculty through the five sense faculties. The five sense faculties refer to the various nervous systems of the body. For example, the eye faculty has the vitreous body and neural transmission systems, transmitting the particles of the four great elements emitted by matter outside the eye faculty all the way to the subtle faculty at the back of the brain, forming the internal form dust. The internal form dust falls into the subtle faculty of the eye, and the faculty and dust contact each other.

Actually, both the external form dust and the internal form dust are first discerned by the mental faculty. After discerning the internal form dust, if the mental faculty wants to know it specifically, it gives birth to eye consciousness and mental consciousness. If the mental faculty does not want to know it specifically, we are unaware of this kind of form dust. The mental objects together with the five dusts are transmitted simultaneously with the five dusts. Form mental objects and form dust are transmitted together through the eye faculty. Sound mental objects and sound dust are transmitted together through the ear faculty. Smell mental objects and smell dust are transmitted together through the nose faculty. Taste mental objects and touch mental objects are the same.

This means there are many dharmas in the subtle faculty. When the mental faculty does not want to discern them, the six consciousnesses cannot discern them; we remain unaware of the dharmas transmitted from the five sense faculties. If the nervous system transmission has no obstruction or error, the formed internal six dusts somewhat resemble the external six dusts, or are very similar, because the internal six dusts are reflections of the external six dusts. And the external six dusts are reflections of the fundamental realm, like the reflection in a mirror. The internal six dusts we discern are like the reflection in the mirror. The external six dusts we cannot discern are equivalent to the objects outside the mirror; those objects are more real than the internal six dusts, more congruent with the original six dusts fundamental realm. The fundamental realm is composed of substantial four great elements; the mental faculty cannot contact it. Only after the Tathāgatagarbha, like a mirror, absorbs and illusorily transforms the four great elements from that fundamental realm can the mental faculty condition it.

XIII. The Categories and Essence of the Mental Image Realm

The mental image realm corresponding to solitary mental consciousness is divided into substance-less mental image realms and substance-possessing mental image realms. Substance-less mental image realms are realms imagined by mental consciousness, utterly without reality, non-existent in reality or before one's eyes, like flowers in the sky or horns on a rabbit, carrying not a shred of substance. Therefore, some people very much enjoy fantasizing out of thin air, indulging in unrealistic thoughts, to give the spirit something to rely on, alleviating mental fatigue and avoiding boredom and dullness. For example, recalling the past or fantasizing about the future, wildly and without grounding. Such fantasized mental image realms, because they consume little energy and may not require meditative power, have relatively little impact on the brain. Therefore, they manifest quite frequently and lack much restraining power.

Substance-possessing mental image realms are realms discriminated solely by mental consciousness that have some connection to the five dust realms, carrying a little substance of the four great elements from the five dust realms. Mental consciousness elaborates on the imagination based on the five dust realms, or misinterprets. For example, seeing a rope as a snake. The rope is the direct realm of form dust. Mental consciousness should originally discern the shape of the rope based on the direct realm and express the name "rope." But mental consciousness misinterprets, judging the rope as a snake, expressing the image and name of a snake, even crying out in fright. The snake is the mental image realm; the five consciousnesses do not participate in its discrimination. The snake form does not appear separated from the form dust realm; therefore, it is a substance-possessing mental image realm.

Another example: Seeing a flower, mental consciousness then processes and imagines the flower, imagining its appearance before blooming, imagining its appearance after blooming, or imagining it becoming larger or smaller, changing color and variety, or imagining additional branches and leaves, or imagining many more similar flowers forming a bouquet. Another example: Seeing a book, simultaneously associating it with another book, or associating it with another cover, associating it with another name for the book, etc.

Therefore, the realms we encounter, the realms appearing in our minds, the thoughts in our hearts—where is there any real dharma? Where is there any real, unchanging nature? It is purely the ignorance and boredom of the mind, creating all kinds of unnecessary matters, adding confusion and disturbance, preventing the self-mind from attaining stillness and quiescence. Sentient beings, due to ignorance, do not know the joy of quiescence. They seek trouble where there is none, create disputes out of nothing, with deep-seated habits, severely obstructing the arising of meditative concentration.

XIV. Whether the Mental Image Realm Has Seeds

(1) The visual and auditory hallucinations experienced by people with brain atrophy belong to substance-less mental image realms; others cannot discern them. If others could discern one's own mental image realm, then what one discerns would not be the mental image realm; the person with brain atrophy would not be ill; it would not be an illusion. He can see people who fundamentally do not exist, while others cannot see them. He can hear sounds that fundamentally do not exist, while others cannot hear them. The forms and sounds he contacts are all created out of nothing, groundless rumors. For example, a person with cerebellar atrophy clearly sees person A but mistakes them for person B. Person B is a substance-possessing mental image realm, carrying some substance of A, not existing apart from A; without A, there is no B.

Does such a mental image realm have seeds? Brain atrophy is karmic retribution; it has karmic seeds. When the karmic seeds ripen, the retribution of brain atrophy manifests, also suffering. Not only is the spirit tormented, the body is also tormented. After prolonged hallucinations, one becomes very fatigued and may use sedative drugs to control it. Then the mental image realm consumes brain cells and brain energy. The mental image realm dharma dust does not require the Tathāgatagarbha to output seeds from the mind-essence to form it, but it requires certain particles of the four great elements within the brain nerve cells. Sentient beings without subtle faculties would not experience brain atrophy; they would not need to consume brain cells or brain energy.

(2) The delusional consciousness of mentally ill people is also scattered solitary mental consciousness; what it discerns is also the mental image realm. He feels that everything he sees and hears is normal, no different from others. But others cannot discern what the mentally ill person sees, hears, and perceives; that is the mental image realm. If what the mentally ill person sees could be seen by others, it would not be the mental image realm; he would not be a special mentally ill person; he would be the same as a normal person. What sentient beings see differs from what the Buddha sees; this shows sentient beings are sick, while the Buddha is not sick.

The mental faculty corresponds to karmic seeds and karmic retribution. When karmic retribution appears, the mental faculty is in a pathological state; mental consciousness thinks wildly. The Tathāgatagarbha follows along, manifests according to conditions, illusorily producing the realms wildly thought of by the mental faculty and mental consciousness. Thus, to others, the mentally ill person appears insane and abnormal. As for substance-possessing mental image realms, the Tathāgatagarbha, based on the existing dust realms, takes part of the four great elements to illusorily manifest another mental image realm, seemingly unrelated to the existing realm. After mental consciousness recognizes and grasps it, taking it as real, others see this person as insane. The root of the illness lies in the mental faculty, in the karmic actions of past lives, the retribution experienced in this life—illusory and false.

(3) Ordinary normal people are not much different from those with brain atrophy or the mentally ill. Everything they see is also unreal and insubstantial, induced by karmic force, arising from nothingness, like groundless rumors. They do not see the true dharmas, yet upon the true dharmas, they falsely see illusory semblant substance realms, mental image realms, and direct realms. These realms all carry the substance, truth, and essence of the Tathāgatagarbha, yet they are unaware. They solely see the false, the illusory; truly inverted and insane.

The root of the illness lies in the mental faculty, induced by ignorance and karmic force. When the karma dissipates and the illness recedes, restoring what is seen, one will see the true and the real; false appearances disappear, illusory appearances recede. When the mind is free from illness, naturally it is cool and clear. Within this, who is not sick?