The Functions of the Seven Great Seeds

The Seven Great Seeds: The great seeds of earth, water, fire, wind, space, perceiving, and consciousness. The first five great seeds—earth, water, fire, wind, and space—are used to constitute form dharmas. The great seed of perceiving and the great seed of consciousness are used to constitute mental dharmas. The great seed of consciousness constitutes the mental dharmas of the seven consciousnesses. The great seed of perceiving forms the functional capacity of the Tathāgatagarbha to perceive all dharmas. In this way, all dharmas within the entire five-aggregate world are fully encompassed. Form dharmas and mental dharmas include all dharmas. By means of the great seed of perceiving, the Tathāgatagarbha integrates all dharmas into a unified whole, forming the complete and systematic worldly dharmas.