The Internal Aspects of Sentient Beings' Experiences Differ According to Their Varied Karma

The tathāgatagarbha of every sentient being appropriates external appearances, transforming them into its own internal appearances. This process also depends on the sentient being's own karmic conditions and karmic seeds. When participating in manifesting external appearances, since each being's karmic seeds differ, the manifested four great elements inevitably differ from those of other sentient beings. That is to say, the shares of investment contributed to the manifestation differ, so the resultant karmic retribution differs, and the external appearances each summons should likewise differ. Consequently, the appearances appropriated by each tathāgatagarbha differ, and the manifested internal appearances also differ. This is the first point.

Second, due to differing karmic forces among sentient beings, even if external appearances are identical, once the tathāgatagarbha appropriates them, the manifested internal appearances will still differ. This occurs because of the sentient beings' karmic seeds, which cause obstructions in the six sense faculties, preventing the normal transmission and reception of the subtle particles of the four great elements. Consequently, the tathāgatagarbha cannot correctly manifest the corresponding internal appearances, resulting in distorted internal appearances. The six consciousnesses then perceive these distorted internal appearances, yet they mistakenly believe them to be the true external appearances. Thus, the six consciousnesses engage in abnormal and distorted discrimination of the six sense objects. Additionally, because the six consciousnesses are afflicted by greed, hatred, and delusion, their wisdom becomes narrow and inferior, preventing them from correctly discerning the internal appearances. Therefore, they frequently engage in erroneous discrimination.