The discernment of the tathāgatagarbha differs from the discernment of the seven consciousnesses

All dharmas are the object-aspect of the tathāgatagarbha—marks that are produced and discerned by the tathāgatagarbha. This discernment is different from the discernment of the seven consciousnesses; the content and nature of the two kinds of discernment differ, and the two kinds of discernment must not be conflated into one.

Even the slightest change that occurs in the body is brought about by the tathāgatagarbha employing the seeds of the four great elements. Changes in the body in turn influence changes in mental activities; it is the tathāgatagarbha that, in accordance with conditions both internal and external, transforms the physical body and mental activities, and sometimes it changes them in accordance with karmic seeds. The feelings of the body consciousness are related to temperature, warmth, the circulation of qi and blood, and the nervous system; the feelings of the eye consciousness are related to brightness and color—dazzling is due to brightness, not to heat.