Commentary on The Sutra of the Compendium of Father and Son (XIII)

The external earth element's hardness is illusory and unreal.

Original Text: Great King, what is the external earth element? It is hardness. For example, when this world was first established, the palaces where the Brahma King resides were formed from great treasures. Furthermore, the palaces where the gods of the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven reside are all formed from the seven treasures. Great King, if there were no earth element, from where would that hardness arise?

Explanation: After explaining the internal earth element, the Buddha proceeded to explain the external earth element. Wherever there is the earth element, there is hardness. Outside the physical body, there are also hard substances. This does not refer to the inner six dusts within the eighteen realms, but to the outer six dusts, specifically referring to the outer form dust, which is the essential realm conjointly manifested by the Tathagatagarbha and can only be contacted by the Tathagatagarbha.

The Buddha said: Great King, what is called the hardness of the external earth element? For example, when this trichiliocosm was first formed, the palaces where the Brahma King, the lord of the first dhyāna heaven, resides were constructed from various treasures. The heavenly palaces of Śakra Devānām Indra are also composed of the seven treasures. Furthermore, the palaces where the lord of the sixth heaven of the desire realm, the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven, resides are all built from the seven treasures. Great King, if there were no earth element, from where would the hardness of those palaces arise?

The hardness present in all material forms is formed by the seeds of the earth element. The palaces of the Brahma King in the first dhyāna heaven are also composed of the seven treasures, the palaces of the lords of the second dhyāna heaven are also composed of the seven treasures, and Mount Sumeru is also composed of the seven treasures. All seven treasures, hundred treasures, possess their hardness; all are formed by the earth element. The earth is composed of earth, sand, and various minerals, within which lie various treasures, all possessing hardness, formed by the earth element.

When the world was first forming, the palaces also formed gradually. The Tathagatagarbha of all beings with shared karma conjointly outputs the seeds of the four great elements or the five great elements, forming the great elements that conjointly manifest the universe, the vessel world, manifesting the palaces of the various heavenly realms, manifesting the Four Continents, Four Great Oceans, and Seven Golden Mountains. Within these material things, the earth element is contained; all possess hardness.

If within our Tathagatagarbha there were no hardness of the earth, then from where would the hardness of the external vessel world arise? This statement illustrates that the formation of all external vessel worlds arises from the seeds stored within the Tathagatagarbha. It is the Tathagatagarbha of all sentient beings with affinities that outputs the shared karmic seeds, along with the seeds of the five great elements, manifesting the universe, the vessel world. This statement tells us where the universe, the vessel world, comes from: it comes from the Tathagatagarbha. Therefore, it is still the mind that creates all phenomena; all phenomena are transformed by the mind, all phenomena arise from the mind. This earth element is but a seed, a function, within the Tathagatagarbha. By this point, one should begin to understand a little the principle that all phenomena are mind-only.