The Knowing of Tathāgatagarbha Differs from That of Manas

The knowledge of the Tathagatagarbha and the knowledge of the manas are entirely different in content. For instance, when the manas realizes the Tathagatagarbha and knows the Tathagatagarbha, the Tathagatagarbha itself cannot realize itself nor know itself. When the manas realizes that the physical body is neither the self nor real, the Tathagatagarbha does not know that the physical body is unreal or that it is not the Tathagatagarbha itself. The content contemplated by the mental factors of thought in the Tathagatagarbha is completely different from that contemplated by the mental factors of thought in the manas, with significant distinctions. Therefore, the dharmas realized by the manas cannot be realized by the Tathagatagarbha; the choices and determinations made by the manas cannot be identically chosen or determined by the Tathagatagarbha, which merely complies with and follows the choices of the manas.

When the manas investigates a dharma, the Tathagatagarbha does not know when it will be successfully investigated. However, the Tathagatagarbha can discern the mental factors of thought in the manas, discern causes and conditions, and discern karmic seeds, primarily by providing the seeds of consciousness required by the manas, thereby cooperating with the manas in its contemplation and investigation. As for specific matters pertaining to phenomena, the Tathagatagarbha has no awareness of them. This distinguishes the Tathagatagarbha from the seven consciousnesses.