Brief Discussion on Material Elements (Draft)

Fifteen: Can There Be External Five Dusts Without External Dharma Dust?

Dharma dust must combine with one of the five dusts to form a single dust realm. Dharma dust and the five dusts are inseparable; if separated, nothing would exist—there would be no form, no sound, no scent, no taste, no touch, and no dharma dust. In the dust formed by the combination of dharma dust and the five dusts, dharma dust constitutes a very large proportion, almost dominating it. For example, form dust: color belongs to the five dust realms, discerned by eye consciousness; everything else is dharma dust, discerned by mind consciousness. Only when both discernments are combined is the discernment of form dust complete; neither can be lacking. Especially if the dharma dust discerned by mind consciousness is absent, nothing would exist. Therefore, without dharma dust, the five dust realms fundamentally cannot exist. A unified dust realm cannot lack dharma dust.

For instance, a person’s form body is composed of color and form dharma dust. Color is discerned by eye consciousness, while everything else—including height, weight, build, temperament, appearance, age, personality, disposition, health, and so on—is discerned by mind consciousness. Thus, without dharma dust, there would be no form body. Therefore, when the Tathagatagarbha gives rise to the form body of sentient beings, it must simultaneously give rise to color and dharma dust, sound and dharma dust, and so forth. These together constitute the essential realm of the sentient beings’ form body. When others observe it, they too perceive the illusory realm of sentient beings—their own internal six dusts. External five dusts without external dharma dust are impossible; there is no such thing as an isolated five dust realm. Such a phenomenon does not exist in the conventional world.