The Characteristics of Tathāgatagarbha Can Be Observed.

Question: Regarding the object-aspect (nimitta) of the tathāgatagarbha, the Diamond Sutra says: All marks are false and illusory. Saying that the tathāgatagarbha is without marks is spoken from the perspective of those who have not yet seen the mind; for one who has awakened and seen the mind, the tathāgatagarbha is neither with marks nor without marks. The awakened bodhisattva's mind consciousness of awareness perceives the operational characteristics of the tathāgatagarbha mind, and this is still obtained through contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the aggregates, sense bases, and sense fields; the so-called seeing is what the wisdom eye sees after enlightenment. To give an analogy: it is like seeing footprints on the snow and knowing that someone has walked by, but in fact we have not seen the person—what we saw is still snow. Therefore the operational characteristics of the tathāgatagarbha are still without marks, and this does not contradict what the Diamond Sutra teaches. Is this correct?

Answer: What the Diamond Sutra means by "All marks are false and illusory" refers to worldly dharmas that can be cognized by worldly people, and does not include the true-suchness mind-body. The true-suchness mind-body itself is without marks; although it is formless and without marks, He can operate in harmony with the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses upon the five aggregates. Since He can operate, there exist operational characteristics of that operation; yet such operational characteristics are not worldly dharma-marks, and therefore they are also without marks. For an awakened bodhisattva, the bodhisattva's wisdom eye and dharma eye can still observe these operational characteristics, thereby attaining the great wisdom of the real mark of the dharmadhātu. The analogy of footprints in the snow is excellent, but another analogy can also be made: the tathāgatagarbha is like the snow, and the five aggregates are like the snowprints; the snowprints are all snow, and the five aggregates are precisely the tathāgatagarbha.