Shurangama Sutra, Volume 3: The Falseness of the Eye Faculty and the Realm of Form

Furthermore, Ananda, why are the twelve sense bases fundamentally the Tathagatagarbha, the wondrous true suchness nature? Ananda, observe now these Jeta Grove trees and all the springs and ponds. What do you think? Are these phenomena such that forms generate the eye’s seeing, or does the eye faculty generate the forms? Ananda, if the eye faculty were to generate forms, then when seeing emptiness (which is without form), the nature of form should cease. If it ceases, then everything would manifest as non-existent. Since forms are absent, who would perceive the emptiness? The same applies to emptiness.

Explanation: The World-Honored One said: Ananda, why are the twelve sense bases originally the Tathagatagarbha’s wondrous true suchness nature? Ananda, observe for now this Jeta Grove and all the springs and ponds. What do you think? How does the perception of form arise? Is it that forms themselves produce the seeing of eye-consciousness, or does the eye faculty produce the forms? Ananda, if the eye faculty could produce forms, then when seeing emptiness—which lacks form—the eye faculty perceives emptiness, and forms would vanish. If forms vanish, the seeing that perceives forms would also vanish. If the seeing that perceives forms vanishes, one could not perceive emptiness, nor perceive anything at all. If forms were absent, the eye faculty would lack seeing; yet one can still know that emptiness is nothingness. Who perceives the nothingness and emptiness? However, you clearly can see emptiness; your seeing has not vanished. It does not cease along with the disappearance of forms. This indicates that the eye faculty does not generate forms; it is another entity that produces the forms.

If form objects were to generate the eye’s seeing, then when observing emptiness (which is without form), emptiness could not generate the eye’s seeing, and the capacity to see would then cease. If it ceases, everything would be non-existent. In that case, who would know and perceive that emptiness is without form? Therefore, it should be understood that the capacity to see, emptiness, and form objects have no fixed locus. Both form objects and the seeing nature are illusory, neither conditioned nor spontaneous in nature—they are certainly the nature of Tathagatagarbha.

Here, the Buddha implicitly indicates that Tathagatagarbha produces forms, and these forms are internal manifestations—shadows of external forms, a secondary manifestation of Tathagatagarbha, or what may be called an unfolding. If forms produced the seeing of eye-consciousness, then emptiness, not being form, could not produce seeing. When seeing emptiness, there would be no seeing. Since there is no seeing, how could one see emptiness and know it as emptiness?

Therefore, it should be understood that the seeing of eye-consciousness, forms, and emptiness have no locus. Both forms and the seeing of eye-consciousness are illusory—neither conditioned nor spontaneous in nature—but are of Tathagatagarbha nature, all arising from Tathagatagarbha. Thus, the thesis that Tathagatagarbha produces all dharmas is established. Hence, the World-Honored One draws an essential conclusion: All dharmas are born from Tathagatagarbha; they are solely manifested by the Tathagatagarbha mind.

The twelve sense bases—the six sense faculties and six sense objects—the World-Honored One reveals to sentient beings, are all of Tathagatagarbha nature, all born from Tathagatagarbha. They lack intrinsic nature or reality of their own; they are produced dharmas, illusory and unreal. Forms and the seeing of eye-consciousness have no locus, no intrinsic nature, and are not inherently existent. Therefore, the World-Honored One declares them illusory.

Understanding the sense faculties, sense objects, and consciousness from the Agama Sutras makes the Śūraṅgama Sūtra easier to comprehend. When the six faculties contact the six objects, Tathagatagarbha gives rise to the six consciousnesses. The six consciousnesses then contact the six objects, resulting in perception. In reality, it is the continuous interaction of these three that produces uninterrupted perception. The six faculties have already been produced, and the external six objects have already arisen. Tathagatagarbha then transforms the external six objects into internal six objects. The subtle sense faculties contact the internal six objects, and the six consciousnesses emerge to perceive them. Viewed this way, are not the six faculties, six objects, and twelve sense bases utterly illusory? Thus, their origin becomes clear.