The Shurangama Sutra: For example, discarding thousands of clear oceans only to recognize a single bubble as the entirety of the ocean, mistaking it for the whole vast sea.
The great ocean is metaphorically the Tathagatagarbha, while the bubbles and foam represent all phenomena. All phenomena are but a single bubble within the great ocean of Tathagatagarbha. The Buddha instructs us not to regard any dharma within the five aggregates and eighteen elements as the true Tathagatagarbha or as the self.
A single body of five aggregates is merely one bubble, not the entirety of the self. One should not let a single body of five aggregates obscure one’s vision, thereby failing to perceive the whole ocean of Tathagatagarbha. All dharmas within the ocean of Tathagatagarbha belong to oneself—not merely the present body of five aggregates, the present world of five aggregates, nor merely the present wealth, sensual pleasures, fame, food, and sleep, nor merely the present world of five desires. Therefore, one’s vision must be broadened to encompass all past and present kalpas, all generations within the Tathagatagarbha, extending even to the world after attaining Buddhahood. Yet all these worlds are nothing more than bubbles within the Tathagatagarbha, unworthy of attachment. Once one grasps the Tathagatagarbha, it is equivalent to possessing the entire ocean; why would one cling to a single bubble of the five aggregates?
In cultivating the Dharma, one must grasp the guiding principle and seize the essential points. Grasp the guiding principle of Tathagatagarbha and seize the essential points of all dharmas. When the guiding principle is upheld, all details become clear. With Tathagatagarbha held firmly in mind, one perceives all dharmas, gathering all rivers into the great ocean. Conversely, mistaking the body of five aggregates as the true self is like a single leaf blocking one’s view, obscuring the vast expanse of heaven and earth.
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