The Self-Validating Cognition of the Tathāgatagarbha (One)

The reason for saying to ordinary sentient beings that the tathāgatagarbha does not have self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana) is, first, that ordinary beings (pṛthagjana) and pre-bhūmi bodhisattvas (pūrvabhūmika bodhisattva) cannot observe the self-validating cognition of the tathāgatagarbha, and therefore it is not said that the tathāgatagarbha possesses self-validating cognition; second, the content of the tathāgatagarbha's self-validating cognition differs from the content of the mind consciousness's self-validating cognition, and also differs from the self-validating cognition of other deluded consciousnesses. The tathāgatagarbha is without self and does not know that there is a self, yet He can also know which dharmas have been set in motion; those that have already been run, He does not run again; those that have not finished running must continue to run, and He knows how they are to be run.

The self-validating cognition of the selflessness of the tathāgatagarbha is very difficult to explain clearly in words. Just like the discriminating nature and knowing nature of the tathāgatagarbha, it is not easy to explain clearly to ordinary sentient beings. Does the tathāgatagarbha discriminate the six sense objects? Of course He discriminates them; otherwise, how could He manifest the six sense objects, alter the six sense objects, and uphold the six sense objects? However, this kind of discrimination by the eighth consciousness cannot, like the six consciousnesses, discriminate the specific contents—after discriminating the six sense objects, knowing what it is that has been discriminated. After the tathāgatagarbha discriminates the six sense objects, He knows nothing, and then continues to discriminate and operate. The mechanistic manner of discrimination of the tathāgatagarbha is like a computer discriminating a program: a computer can also discriminate fonts and produce fonts, but it does not know what fonts are, whereas the mind consciousness knows what fonts are and what significance they have.

The discrimination of the tathāgatagarbha is also like a washing machine discriminating instructions to wash clothes, but the washing machine does not know the specific content and meaning of the instructions, whereas the mind consciousness does. The operation, discrimination, and knowing nature of the tathāgatagarbha are like the mindlessness of a robot, which works yet does not know exactly what it has done, whereas the mind consciousness knows.