Wisdom Is Manifested in the Degree to Which the Manas Personally Realizes the Tathāgatagarbha

When the manas directly realizes the tathāgatagarbha of the Mahāyāna dharma, there are great differences in the degree of that direct realization, and thus great differences in the levels of wisdom. At the stage of the seventh abode, the manas has only realized an extremely, extremely small portion of the tathāgatagarbha, and can only observe its nature in a very coarse and shallow way, so its level of wisdom is very shallow. As cultivation continually advances and one continually observes the functions and nature of the tathāgatagarbha, more and more of the tathāgatagarbha's functional capacities are realized, wisdom becomes ever deeper, and the mind comes to rely on the tathāgatagarbha's nature of non-action and non-self, so that afflictions and innate afflictive obstruction (kleśāvaraṇa) become ever lighter.

This continues until one attains the illusion-like contemplation and enters the various wisdom states of the first bhūmi, the second bhūmi, and so on, observing the portion of seeds contained within the tathāgatagarbha; at that point the manas's direct realization of the tathāgatagarbha is very deep, and its wisdom is deep and broad as well—but still not the deepest, broadest, and most subtle. Continuing in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) to observe the seed-functions of the tathāgatagarbha, the dharma one realizes becomes ever deeper and more subtle. When all the seed-functions of the tathāgatagarbha have been observed, fully realized, and known without remainder, one's wisdom is then perfectly complete: the wisdom of all seeds (sarvākārajñatā) is fully possessed, ignorance is completely severed, birth and death are ended, liberation is thoroughly accomplished, and cultivation is finished. From then on, all one's endeavors are entirely for the sake of liberating sentient beings, so that sentient beings may attain liberation.