The World of Black Boxes
Chapter 5: The Issue of Internal and External Appearances (Part 2)
9. Cultivation Refines the Mind-Consciousness, Not the Five Sense Faculties
The purification of the six sense faculties refers to the purification of the six consciousnesses produced through the six sense faculties. The five sense faculties themselves are not involved in purity or impurity; they are merely tools used by the mind-consciousness. Without the mind-consciousness, the faculties are like lifeless wood—useless to cultivate and impossible to cultivate. What needs cultivation is the mind-consciousness; through practice, the several consciousnesses are cleansed of defilements, becoming purer. The six sense faculties are receptors for the six dusts (sense objects). External six dusts can enter the subtle sense faculty (indriya) through the six sense faculties. When the faculties and dusts contact each other, the Tathagatagarbha gives rise to the mind-consciousness, which then discriminates the six dusts. After discrimination, defiled mental activities arise, or the consciousness discriminates with defilement, subsequently producing bodily, verbal, and mental actions corresponding to greed, hatred, and delusion, rendering the six consciousnesses impure.
The external six dusts are material dharmas (rūpa-dharma) and cannot enter the six consciousnesses. The six consciousnesses are formless mental dharmas (citta-dharma), not material dharmas; the two cannot interpenetrate or contain each other. In all this, it is the Tathagatagarbha that functions. When the eye sees form, the Tathagarbha contacts the form-dust through the eye faculty. The Tathagatagarbha then apprehends the particles of the form-dust like a mirror reflecting an object, transmitting them to the subtle sense faculty. The form-dust appearing within the subtle sense faculty is an image, not coarse matter composed of the four great elements, but subtle material dharmas composed of the four great elements. The Tathagatagarbha transmits the apprehended particles of the external form-dust's four great elements through the external eye faculty to the eye's subtle sense faculty. After the faculty and dust contact, the Tathagatagarbha produces the eye-consciousness. The eye-consciousness then contacts the image within the subtle sense faculty and discriminates this image, and thus we perceive the form-dust.
The same principle applies to the ear hearing sound, the nose smelling scents, the tongue tasting flavors, and the body feeling touch. Therefore, the Diamond Sutra states: "All phenomena with characteristics are illusory." All appearances we cognize, discriminate, and know are false appearances, shadows manifested for us by the Tathagatagarbha. The Tathagatagarbha is like a mirror; when it contacts the external six dusts, it can manifest images identical to the external six dusts. These images are the internal six dusts. When we truly realize that all appearances are shadows, all are false, then the mind's clinging nature can lessen, afflictions become thinner, we cease to be overly concerned with gain and loss, benefits and harms, and the mind can become pure. Then, when the six faculties again contact the six dusts, the mind-consciousness will not give rise to defiled afflictions, and gradually the mind will attain purity. Therefore, purity is the purity of the mind, not the purity of the faculties. The faculties lack the nature of discrimination; the consciousness possesses the nature of discrimination. When the consciousness discriminates, it carries mental activities that are pure or impure.
10. Does the External Appearance of Flavor-Dust Exist?
Question: Since the internal appearance is transformed from the external appearance, does the external appearance truly exist or not? For example, a dish is very salty. Although the taste differs in everyone's internal appearance, is the dish itself flavorful or flavorless?
Answer: The external appearance of the flavor-dust is the same. Individuals perceive different tastes due to differing karmic forces. Different karmic forces cause the particles of the four great elements of the flavor-dust transmitted by the tongue faculty to vary, altering the internal appearance, hence the sensation after discrimination by the consciousness differs. For instance, a person with an eye disease can see circular halos around lights, which others cannot see; this is due to the karmic obstruction of the eye disease. Sentient beings have different blessings and karmic obstructions, so the flavor-dust they perceive also differs. For example, the Buddha possesses supreme blessings; any food in the Buddha's mouth is the most exquisite flavor, whereas in the mouths of ordinary sentient beings, it is not so.
Flavor-dust is a material dharma, composed of seeds of the four great elements, divided into two types: external appearance and internal appearance. Therefore, the external appearance of flavor-dust—such as salty, bland, sweet, pungent, etc.—exists. The tongue-consciousness and mental-consciousness cannot contact or perceive it. Only the Tathagatagarbha can contact the external appearance of flavor-dust, but It has no mouth, so It cannot tell us.
When we taste flavor-dust, our own Buddha-nature is operating. Therefore, when tasting food, we can witness the wondrous function of Buddha-nature. At that point, we no longer regard the flavor-dust as real and will realize the view of illusion (māyā). Some people do not cultivate blessings nor meditative concentration, focusing solely on wisdom power; they find it difficult to realize the Dharma practically and often suffer great losses without realizing it. Those who do not cultivate blessings and meditative concentration but specialize in cultivating wisdom will pay a higher price, expending more time and energy. It is better to cultivate abundant blessings and firm meditative concentration first; then, with a little contemplation of the Dharma, realization can be attained. Those who do not wish to suffer losses end up suffering losses in the end; this is an unwise choice.
11. The Six Consciousnesses Can Never Contact the External Appearance
The external appearance is the material dharma commonly experienced by sentient beings with karmic connections, such as the universe and the vessel world (receptacle world). The universe and vessel world are formed by the Tathagatagarbha of each karmically connected sentient being jointly projecting seeds of the four great elements to form the four great elements. Then, all Tathagatagarbhas together use these four great elements to create the universe and vessel world. This part can only be contacted by the respective Tathagatagarbha of each sentient being. Material dharmas can contact each other, but the seven consciousnesses (the first six plus manas) cannot contact them. Therefore, sentient beings absolutely cannot know what the external appearance is truly like or how much it differs from the image-like internal appearance within their own black box.
When scientific instruments test the universe, regardless of whether science develops or not, the instruments necessarily contact the external appearance, not the internal appearance. This is because scientific instruments are also material dharmas, like the external appearance's form-dust; both are created by the Tathagatagarbha of sentient beings sharing collective karma using seeds of the four great elements; both are external appearances that only the Tathagatagarbha can contact. However, when humans observe the external appearance, the instrument along with the form-dust transforms into the internal appearance, generating an image of the external appearance at the back of the head, called the internal appearance. Humans can only observe this false appearance here. If humans do not observe or investigate, there is no internal appearance, only the external appearance. Once observation occurs, a transformed internal appearance arises, similar to but different from the external appearance. Therefore, it is said that for material dharmas, the result differs depending on whether the human eye observes them or not, but the essential nature of the external appearance does not change.
No matter how advanced science becomes, there can never be a claim that humans can infinitely approach the external appearance. This is because as long as they rely on the subtle sense faculty, everything humans see is within the black box of the subtle sense faculty; phenomena outside the black box cannot be seen by the human eye. As for why this is so, it is the rule and law of the Tathagatagarbha; even Buddhas cannot intervene. However, Buddhas possess immeasurable supernatural powers; they can use or not use the subtle sense faculty at will, freely, dependent on nothing. We cannot.
The external appearance is an absolute existence, the most original material dharma manifested by the Tathagatagarbha, and also the most fundamental material dharma. Once sentient beings contact it, the material dharma is no longer original nor fundamental; it is no longer the initial essential nature. When an individual's eight consciousnesses participate, they alter the material dharma, and what is altered is the material dharma within their own mind. Hence the saying that all dharmas are one's own mind. Can the most original material dharma of the external appearance be changed? It can also be changed. An individual's karma merges into it, and the experienced dharmas undergo certain changes, though whether these changes are perceptible depends on whether the difference is obvious or not.
12. Sentient Beings with Different Karma Perceive Different Appearances
Devas see river water as lapis lazuli; humans see it as water; hungry ghosts see it as fierce fire. The same river, seen by sentient beings from different karma paths, manifests different appearances. The Tathagatagarbhas of the three types of sentient beings all participate in manifesting that river. Their respective karmic seeds differ, so their "shares" differ. Then, according to their shares, they "draw dividends," so what each obtains and sees differs. Therefore, the defiled Saha World is described from the perspective of sentient beings. From the perspective of Shakyamuni Buddha, the Saha World is exceedingly magnificent, no different from the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, as stated in the Vimalakirti Sutra. This shows that the world manifested with the Buddha's participation—He projects supremely magnificent karmic seeds—causes the perceived appearance to differ greatly from that perceived by sentient beings with defiled minds. It is like a joint-stock company: different shares yield different dividends.
Sentient beings possessing the subtle sense faculty have an internal appearance. Without the subtle sense faculty, there is no internal appearance. Beings with physical eyes but no supernatural powers can perceive the internal appearance. Those with the divine eye and supernatural powers do not necessarily need to perceive the internal appearance. Those whose six faculties interpenetrate and function interchangeably do not need to perceive the internal appearance. Fully liberated Arhats and Eighth Ground Great Bodhisattvas perceive the six dust realms without needing the six consciousnesses to discriminate; they directly use the mental faculty (manas) to discriminate, and what they discriminate is not the internal appearance. Formless Realm Devas have no physical body, hence no subtle sense faculty and no internal six dusts; when they discriminate mental dusts, it is not the internal mental dust they discriminate.
13. The External Appearance for Sentient Beings Sharing Collective Karma Must Be Identical
Question: Is the external appearance seen by hungry ghosts and humans the same? For example, when hungry ghosts see a river, humans see a river, and devas see a river—they are clearly looking at the same river, yet what they see differs: humans see a river, devas see lapis lazuli, hungry ghosts see flames or pus and blood.
Answer: Since they are seeing the same river, the external appearance is certainly identical; it is only the internal appearances that differ individually. This difference is caused by the relationship of karmic forces. If the hungry ghost sees a river in the hungry ghost world, it is definitely different from the river humans see in the human world, because the external appearances differ. If the hungry ghost sees things in the hungry ghost world, it has no relation to us humans; the external appearances are different. If it sees the mountains, rivers, and earth of the human world here, although what it sees differs from what humans see, the external appearance is consistent; it is still seeing the river in the human realm.
Although the ghost realm has its own way of life and environmental conditions for ghosts, differing from the human realm, when it sees human beings and things in the human realm—for example, when a ghost sees a person—is it a person in the ghost realm or a person in the human realm? The person it sees and the person others see are the same person. Could the external appearance be the same? It certainly is the same. Therefore, when we humans make offerings and give alms of water and food to ghosts and spirits, the ghosts and spirits can receive it, eat it, feel full, and find it delicious.
14. The Supremely Auspicious Realm Experienced by the Buddha
For the Buddha, the external appearance and internal appearance are completely identical. The Saha World seen by the Buddha is completely identical to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Thus, the external appearance of the Saha World manifested by the Buddha's immaculate consciousness (amala-vijñāna) is also as beautiful and magnificent as the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Similarly, living in the Saha World, the Buddha's clothes never gather dust, nor does His skin. Dust represents the mind's ignorance (avidyā), and since the Buddha has no ignorance, He does not attract dust.
The Buddha possesses the Five Eyes and Six Supernatural Powers. When the Buddha perceives the six dusts, He can completely do so without using the six consciousnesses to discriminate the internal appearance; He need not use the subtle sense faculty. The Buddha's seventh consciousness alone can fully substitute for the six consciousnesses in discriminating all dharmas. Even the Buddha's first five consciousnesses can individually discriminate all dharmas. This is because each of the Buddha's eight consciousnesses possesses the twenty-one mental factors (caittas): the Five Universals: attention (manasikāra), contact (sparśa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saṃjñā), volition (cetanā); the Five Particulars: desire (chanda), resolve (adhimokṣa), mindfulness (smṛti), concentration (samādhi), wisdom (prajñā); the Eleven Virtuous Factors: faith (śraddhā), shame (hri), remorse (apatrāpya), non-greed (alobha), non-hatred (adveṣa), non-delusion (amoha), diligence (vīrya), pliancy (praśrabdhi), heedfulness (apramāda), equanimity (upekṣā), non-harming (ahiṃsā). Thus, the Buddha's immaculate consciousness, like the Wisdom of Wonderful Observation (pratyavekṣaṇā-jñāna), possesses desire, resolve, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom, enabling it to perceive and observe the six dust realms. The same applies to the first five consciousnesses and the seventh consciousness. Therefore, all eight consciousnesses of the Buddha are endowed with perfect wisdom and virtuous functions.
Glaring at people, looking at people with evil eyes, squinting at people, looking at people with contempt—these are unwholesome mental factors of the eye-consciousness. But at the Buddha-ground, even the Buddha's first five consciousnesses are wholesome, and the first five consciousnesses also possess wisdom, capable of discriminating all dharmas. These states are beyond our imagination. Since the Buddha can directly perceive the external appearance, His external appearance must all be supremely perfect. Yet, He can also perceive the non-auspicious, non-perfect realms according to sentient beings' minds. For the Buddha, there is fundamentally nothing imperfect. Therefore, the Saha World, for Shakyamuni Buddha, is a supremely magnificent Buddha-land. Compared to the world seen by sentient beings with defiled minds, it is completely different. Hence the content found in the Vimalakirti Sutra.
15. Sentient Beings Experience Different Internal Appearances Due to Different Karma
The Tathagatagarbha of each sentient being apprehends the external appearance, transforming it into its own internal appearance. This also depends on the sentient being's own karmic conditions, apprehending according to its own karmic seeds. When participating in manifesting the external appearance, because each one's karmic seeds differ, the projected four great elements certainly differ from those of other sentient beings. In other words, the "shares" invested in the manifestation differ, so the karmic retribution differs, and the external appearance each attracts should also differ. Therefore, the appearances apprehended by each Tathagatagarbha differ, and the manifested internal appearances also differ. This is the first point.
Secondly, due to differing karmic forces, even with the same external appearance, after the Tathagatagarbha apprehends it, the manifested internal appearance will still differ. This is due to the sentient being's karmic seeds; the six sense faculties have obstructions, preventing the normal transmission and reception of particles of the four great elements. The Tathagatagarbha thus cannot normally manifest the corresponding internal appearance, so the internal appearance becomes distorted. Then, the six consciousnesses discriminate this distorted internal appearance, yet mistake it for the true external appearance outside. Consequently, the six consciousnesses perform abnormal, distorted discrimination of the six dusts. Additionally, because the six consciousnesses have the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, their wisdom is narrow and inferior, and they cannot normally discriminate the internal appearance, hence they often perform erroneous discrimination.
16. Seeing Objects Should Mean Seeing the Mind
When we know the six dusts, the six dusts are appearances manifesting on the mind. Therefore, seeing objects should mean seeing the mind. Without the mind, there are no objects; objects are objects of the mind; there are no objects outside the mind. When the eye sees a flower, the eighth consciousness contacts the flower through the eye faculty, like a mirror reflecting an image, manifesting the shadow of the flower at the black box in the back of the head. Then, the internal eye faculty contacts the shadow-dust of the flower, and the mental faculty (manas) contacts the mental dust (dharmadhātu) associated with the flower. Based on this, the eighth consciousness gives rise to the eye-consciousness and mental-consciousness. These two consciousnesses then discriminate the shadow of the flower. The shadow is almost identical to the external flower opposite our eye faculty—very three-dimensional and lifelike—so we think we are seeing the real external flower, but actually, it is all shadow-dust within the black box.
Therefore, when we look at flowers or other material things, we should know that these images of objects are jointly manifested through the combined function of our eye-consciousness, mental-consciousness, mental faculty, and eighth consciousness. At that moment, we should introspect within the act of seeing the object\: which is the eye-consciousness, which is the mental-consciousness, which is the mental faculty, and which is the eighth consciousness? In this way, the mind can penetrate objects, and objects also connect with the mind. As for the real external flower, it is jointly manifested by the eighth consciousnesses of sentient beings sharing collective karma. It is equally false and illusory, dependent on the seeds of the four great elements within the eighth consciousnesses of all collectively karmically connected sentient beings to manifest. All eighth consciousnesses collectively uphold the flower. Similarly, the sounds we hear, the scents and odors we smell, the sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, etc., flavors we taste—all are like this.
17. Sentient Beings Perceive Dust Realms Only When They Have Ignorance
When the six faculties contact the six dusts, the eighth consciousness produces the six consciousnesses. The three—faculty, dust, and consciousness—combine in contact. The six consciousnesses discriminate the internal six dusts, and sentient beings then know the content of the internal six dusts; discrimination and knowing are completed. What sentient beings perceive is the internal dust, the internal appearance, not the external dust, the external appearance. Therefore, the six dusts perceived by sentient beings are illusory. The internal dust is illusory; the external dust seems real compared to the internal dust, but it is also an illusion manifested by the eighth consciousness, equally unreal and illusory. The true reality is the unborn, undying true mind, the Tathagatagarbha, the eighth consciousness. Apart from this, all is false, all is illusory, like a magical display, unreal.
Sentient beings can never contact the external dust; they live entirely within false, illusory appearances, like diseased eyes seeing flowers in the sky. Do the internal dust and external dust exist or not? When sentient beings have diseased eyes, they see flowers in the sky. When sentient beings have diseased mental faculties (obscurations), they perceive all appearances as real and true. When sentient beings' minds are free from disease, they do not see flowers in the sky; they only perceive the nature of the Tathagatagarbha. For example, our five aggregates move, function, and act; these false appearances are not eliminated—they exist—but this existence is false existence. These dharmas may not be comprehended now. After realization, when various contemplative wisdoms arise, then it will be understood. This is the directly perceived experiential state (pratyakṣa-pramāṇa). No matter how others explain it, one cannot grasp it, because this is not a matter of understanding; it must be personally confirmed through actual practice to be realized. What is understood conceptually is unreliable and cannot resolve the problem of birth and death.
18. The Manifestation of Internal and External Six Dusts
The external six dusts are transmitted through the external faculties to the internal faculties, forming the internal six dusts. The entire process is empowered by the Tathagatagarbha; it is not that the external and internal faculties themselves can transmit or give birth to the six dusts. The external and internal faculties themselves are composed of the four great elements and have no active function. Without the mind-consciousness functioning within them, the external and internal faculties are the same as stones, wood, or insentient objects. Precisely because the mind-consciousness operates within the external faculties, internal faculties, and the four great elements, the four great elements seem to have function; the external and internal faculties seem able to transmit material dharmas and have the function of receiving material dharmas.
In reality, all these functions are illusions manifested by the Tathagatagarbha. The structure of the internal and external faculties is created by the Tathagatagarbha. The Tathagatagarbha receives the external material six dusts. The Tathagatagarbha transmits the external six dusts through the external faculties to the internal faculties, forming the internal six dusts. The internal six dusts are also produced by the Tathagatagarbha using seeds of the four great elements. Both external and internal dusts are composed of seeds of the four great elements.
However, the substance of internal and external dusts has a certain distinction. The external dust is composed of real seeds of the four great elements, close to the essential nature realm, carrying the substance of the four great elements of the essential nature realm. The internal dust is the shadow of the external dust, a false image transformed based on the external dust, carrying part of the seeds of the four great elements, hence appearing false. The external dust is like the object outside the mirror, called the real object. The internal dust is the image inside the mirror, a false object. The image of the internal dust and the shape of the external dust are approximately the same, but their essence is different; there is a distinction.
19. How is Pork Eaten?
How do the six consciousnesses eat pork? Do they eat real pork? The four great elements of pork are constructed by the pig's Tathagatagarbha using seeds of the four great elements; they have nothing to do with humans. So how do the pig's four great elements enter the human body and disappear? The external appearance of the pig's body, the real meat, the essential nature realm—only the Tathagatagarbha can contact it. The six consciousnesses can only contact the internal appearance. So how do the six consciousnesses contact the pork and eat it? In other words, what is eaten into the stomach can only be the internal appearance. Then how does the external appearance of the pork vanish? The external appearance really does get eaten and disappear. Who is so powerful?
When you put pork into your mouth, the lips, teeth, tongue, and other body faculties cannot contact the real pork; chewing does not chew real pork; the tongue-consciousness does not taste the real flavor of the meat; the essential nature realm of the pork's external appearance cannot enter the stomach and intestines. In short, the six consciousnesses contact only false appearances; they cannot contact the true essential nature realm. So what's the point of eating meat like this? It's all self-deception; actually, no negative karma is created either. But the pig's meat truly disappears. The pig's mental faculty will not easily forgive those who eat its flesh. The pig's Tathagatagarbha painstakingly manifested a lump of meat, having nothing to do with humans; you contributed no effort, so what right do you have to eat its meat? How is this different from robbery and plunder?
20. The Body One Sees Oneself Is Also an Image of the Internal Appearance Within the Black Box
Question: These past few days, while contemplating the principle of external and internal appearances, I feel I haven't made much progress. Although I know the theory is correct, I cannot connect it to reality at all. Later, I suddenly realized: I unconsciously set my own body apart from external things, forgetting that this physical body of mine is also just part of an appearance. Actually, external appearance and internal appearance are purely the realms cognized by consciousness. To truly realize this, one must put effort into meditative concentration (samādhi) to truly gain something. Is this the principle?
Answer: The body one sees oneself is also an image of the internal appearance within the black box; it is not the essential nature realm body born from the Tathagatagarbha. Only the Tathagatagarbha can see and touch the essential nature realm body. Without meditative concentration, one cannot contemplate these dharmas; then, all dharmas remain merely theory. In that case, theory is theory, and oneself remains oneself; one's mind has no connection whatsoever to liberation. The theory is not one's own. Even if one discusses it eloquently and logically, it is only intellectual understanding (kōan-ch'an), unable to withstand birth and death. Meditative concentration is extremely important; practical contemplation is also extremely important. Only after contemplation arises can one truly and directly realize it. Then, those dharmas truly belong to oneself; they are not obtained from outside or from others. A true practitioner does not merely learn others' words; when speaking, one should speak one's own words. To speak one's own words, one must actually realize it. Only then will wisdom open up greatly, various contemplative wisdoms manifest, and one will truly attain liberation and benefit.
