Discovering the Operation of Tathāgatagarbha Through the Activities of the Five Skandhas and Seven Consciousnesses

The sentient beings' physical bodies are born and sustained solely by the Tathagatagarbha. The seeds of the four elements form the material dharmas of the physical body, while the seeds of consciousness form the seven consciousnesses. On one hand, the Tathagatagarbha continuously outputs the seeds of the four elements to maintain the functioning of the physical body; on the other hand, it also outputs the seeds of consciousness, constantly cooperating with the mental factor of volition (manas) to give rise to the physical, verbal, and mental activities of the six consciousnesses. In this way, the five aggregates exist and function moment by moment.

Inanimate objects are manifested by the seeds of the four elements, resulting from the collective maintenance by the Tathagatagarbhas of beings sharing collective karma. The seeds of flowers, plants, and trees are likewise generated by the seeds of the four elements within the Tathagatagarbha. All dharmas are born and maintained by the Tathagatagarbha. The seeds of flowers, plants, and trees lack generative essence; the superficial phenomenon appears as if they are produced by the physical seeds of the plants, but in essence, they are generated by the seeds of the four elements within the Tathagatagarbha. Therefore, all are functions and roles of the Tathagatagarbha. Similarly, the physical bodies of sentient beings are also born from the seeds of the four elements, identical to the seeds of the four elements that constitute flowers, plants, and trees, and all are functions and roles of the Tathagatagarbha.

Inanimate objects are composed solely of the seeds of the four elements; they lack seeds of consciousness and thus lack the seven consciousnesses. Moreover, the Tathagatagarbhas of many beings collectively output the seeds of the four elements to maintain the existence of inanimate objects. Without the seven consciousnesses, inanimate objects lack the activities of the five aggregates. The Tathagatagarbha cannot cooperate with inanimate objects to have conscious activities, nor can it cooperate with them to have activities of the five aggregates. Furthermore, since inanimate objects are collectively maintained by so many Tathagatagarbhas, which specific Tathagatagarbha outputs the seeds of consciousness to cooperate with the activities of the seven consciousnesses? If they collectively output the seeds of consciousness, inanimate objects would inevitably fall into great chaos, making cooperation impossible, even if they possessed the seven consciousnesses. Therefore, regarding inanimate objects, even the Buddha could not find how the Tathagatagarbha cooperates in their functioning. However, within the five aggregates of sentient beings, one can find the Tathagatagarbha; through the activities of the five aggregates and the activities of the seven consciousnesses, one can discover the traces of the Tathagatagarbha's operation. This is called attaining enlightenment through realization of the mind (mingxin zhengwu).

When discovering the operation of the Tathagatagarbha, the more specific the observation, the better. The most specific and obvious operation is the Tathagatagarbha's cooperation with the manas (the seventh consciousness). The operation of the Tathagatagarbha outputting the seeds of the four elements onto the physical body is imperceptible to anyone, possibly except for the Buddha; others are unlikely to observe it. Regarding inanimate objects, the operation of numerous Tathagatagarbhas outputting the seeds of the four elements is even more impossible to observe. Therefore, one cannot realize one's own Tathagatagarbha through inanimate objects, nor can one realize the Tathagatagarbha of an individual being; it is impossible to attain enlightenment that way.