Tathāgatagarbha Also Has Awareness

The tathāgatagarbha also has four aspects: the perceiving-aspect, the object-aspect, self-cognition (svasaṃvitti), and self-validating cognition (sva-saṃvitti-saṃvitti-bhāga). Therefore, the tathāgatagarbha also has knowing, and the scope of what He knows is extremely vast. Because the tathāgatagarbha has the nature of discernment, He can discern the manas, the physical sense faculties, and the material world, and discern karmic seeds. This discerning nature is the perceiving-aspect of the tathāgatagarbha, while the physical sense faculties and the material world are the object-aspect of the tathāgatagarbha. Because the tathāgatagarbha has the nature of discernment, the tathāgatagarbha has knowing. This knowing is self-cognition (svasaṃvitti), the ability to personally and directly know the manas' mental engagement (manaskāra) and deliberation (cetanā) mental factor, to directly know the physical sense faculties and the material world, and to directly know karmic seeds.

The tathāgatagarbha also has self-validating cognition (sva-saṃvitti-saṃvitti-bhāga), being able to reflect upon Himself, knowing that He has discerned the mental activities of the manas, and knowing that He has discerned the physical sense faculties, the material world, and karmic seeds. However, the tathāgatagarbha does not know Himself as a self, nor does He cling to Himself; therefore, the tathāgatagarbha is without self. The perceiving-aspect of the tathāgatagarbha is extremely broad, meaning that the scope of His knowing and discernment is very wide: He discerns the seven consciousnesses, discerns the physical sense faculties and the material world, and discerns karmic seeds. This discerning nature is the perceiving-aspect of the tathāgatagarbha.