The Arising of All Dharmas from Causes and Conditions Is What I Pronounce as Emptiness

Condition refers to the external forces and circumstances required for the arising of all dharmas; cause refers to the internal driving force for the arising of all dharmas, which can also be called karmic seeds or the karmic actions created in past lives. With the cause of karmic seeds plus the condition of external forces, all dharmas arise. However, there is another reason involved: Who is it that gives birth to all dharmas through causes and conditions? This reason is none other than the Tathāgatagarbha.

For example, the birth of wheat: the cause is the wheat seed, the conditions are the climate, soil, etc. When the causes and conditions are complete, the wheat sprout arises. However, the wheat sprout cannot arise on its own; it also requires a person to plant the seed in the soil, watering, fertilizing, and aerating it. Without human effort, even if there are wheat seeds and the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, the two cannot combine, and the wheat sprout cannot arise. Similarly, if there are only karmic seeds and external conditions, without the Tathāgatagarbha unifying the two, all dharmas will not arise. This is because all dharmas are composed of combinations of the seven fundamental elements. The Tathāgatagarbha contains these seven fundamental elements and also stores the karmic seeds. The external conditions and forces are also dharmas among all dharmas, likewise composed of combinations of the seven fundamental elements, and are born from the Tathāgatagarbha. Therefore, all dharmas, regardless of what they are, are born from the Tathāgatagarbha, meaning they arise from causes and conditions. Since all dharmas arise from causes and conditions, they are originally non-existent and are born later. Where there is birth, there will be cessation. When the causes and conditions cease, all dharmas will cease. Therefore, all dharmas are empty; dharmas arising from causes and conditions are empty, utterly unobtainable.