Commentary on the Pituputra-saṃyukta Sūtra (33)

The Illusory Nature of All Appearances as Seen from the Water Element

The water element originally has no male or female characteristics, nor any characteristics at all. Yet, from emptiness, it manifests an appearance. This proves that all appearances are illusory. Why can these appearances manifest? Because there are karmic seeds, seeds of appearances. The Tathāgatagarbha manifests male and female appearances, and all appearances, based on these karmic seeds. For the karmic seeds of a man, the Tathāgatagarbha projects the seeds of earth, water, fire, and wind, forming the male appearance. For the karmic seeds of a woman, the Tathāgatagarbha projects the four great elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—to create the physical form of a woman. Originally, earth, water, fire, and wind have no characteristics, and the Tathāgatagarbha itself has no characteristics. Yet, the physical bodies formed possess distinct appearances. These appearances are illusory and unreal. Because appearances are conjured into being—originally non-existent, later able to vanish—transforming from non-existence into an appearance and then back to non-existence, they are illusory.