All Dharmas Are Without Self and Inherent Nature

The spring rain falls continuously, silently moistening all things. This perception of spring rain leads people to regard such sensations and cognitions as the self, while considering the perceived objects as possessions of the self, believing both the self and its possessions to be real and substantial. Consequently, they cling to these perceptions, creating various bodily, verbal, and mental karmas for the sake of these sensations. The karmic seeds are then stored within the Tathagatagarbha. When these karmic seeds mature, the Tathagatagarbha releases them, and the creator of the karma receives corresponding karmic retributions—good, evil, or neutral. The root cause lies in taking these perceptions as real, as the self and its possessions, thereby clinging to and developing attachment or aversion toward the perceived people, things, and phenomena, and creating karmic actions for the sake of perception. All karmic actions arise because of the self and originate from the self; hence, it is said that with the notion of self, sin arises.

Now, let us analyze whether the people, things, and phenomena we perceive are real and whether they can truly be possessed by us. For example, the raindrops we see in the spring rain are composed of the four great elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—and are produced by the Tathagatagarbha. The sound of raindrops hitting the ground is also an auditory object (sound-dust) formed by the four great elements, generated by the Tathagatagarbha. These external visual objects and auditory objects are not generated by the Tathagatagarbha of a single individual but are co-generated by the Tathagatagarbhas of beings sharing collective karma. The process by which the sound of raindrops hitting the ground is generated is extremely complex: the manifestation of sound is related to the movement of matter, and the movement of matter is connected to the transformations of the four great elements.

When matter collides, sound is produced. The movement of matter inevitably involves collisions. The arising, ceasing, and transformation of the four great elements cause the continuous motion of minute particles, resulting in the movement of matter. Therefore, all phenomena are the functional manifestations of the Tathagatagarbha.

Sound is classified into many types, as described in the first volume of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra: there are sounds solely sustained by one's own Tathagatagarbha, such as speech, coughing, breathing, and sounds produced by internal organs; there are sounds generated by the contact and friction between the body and external objects, such as footsteps, sounds of handling objects, rustling of clothing, and impacts between the body and matter—these are sounds produced through the interaction of one's own Tathagatagarbha with external objects. Other cosmic sounds, like the music of the heavens, are conjointly manifested and sustained by the Tathagatagarbhas of beings sharing collective karma.

Sound encompasses many more aspects: it possesses numerous attributes, and its classification is highly complex and difficult to delineate. All these are functions of the Tathagatagarbha. The vast majority result from the conjoint sustaining function of all the Tathagatagarbhas of beings sharing collective karma, and they are all produced through the arising, ceasing, and transformation of the four great elements—earth, water, fire, and wind.

When visual objects (rūpa-dhātu), auditory objects (śabda-dhātu), and mental objects (dharma-dhātu) come into contact with the eye faculty, ear faculty, and mental faculty, the Tathagatagarbha generates eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, and mental consciousness. Then, perception of the raindrops and the sound of them hitting the ground arises, followed by sensation. Thus, visual objects, auditory objects, and mental objects are born from the Tathagatagarbha; the eye faculty, ear faculty, and mental faculty are born from the Tathagatagarbha; eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, and mental consciousness are born from the Tathagatagarbha. All of these are illusory appearances. No phenomenon possesses autonomy; none is the self, nor belongs to the self. Fundamentally, all are devoid of self.

Upon thorough investigation, we find everywhere the functional manifestations of the Tathagatagarbha. Where is the intrinsic reality of the five aggregates (skandhas) themselves? There is none at all. Therefore, within any phenomenon, there is no self, nor does anything belong to the self. The entirety is the True Suchness (Tathatā). No one can point to any thing or phenomenon that is not a functional manifestation of the seven great seeds of the Tathagatagarbha. All are functions of the Tathagatagarbha, all attributable to the Tathagatagarbha. The seven consciousnesses (vijñānas) still depend on the Tathagatagarbha to extensively create all karmas. The Tathagatagarbha never discriminates nor rejects; it responds wherever called upon, hence it is said, "A thousand places beseech, a thousand places respond." The wondrous sound of Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin) refers to the Tathagatagarbha. It goes wherever there is need, yet it is also said to be "neither coming nor going."

Internal olfactory objects (gandha-dhātu) and internal gustatory objects (rasa-dhātu) are solely manifested and sustained by one's own Tathagatagarbha. External gustatory objects and external olfactory objects are conjointly manifested and sustained by the Tathagatagarbhas of beings sharing collective karma, involving many complex factors. Internal tactile objects (spraṣṭavya-dhātu) are solely manifested and sustained by one's own Tathagatagarbha. External tactile objects are conjointly manifested and sustained by the Tathagatagarbhas of beings sharing collective karma, which is also complex. Similarly, internal visual objects and internal mental objects are solely manifested by the Tathagatagarbha, while external visual objects and external mental objects are conjointly manifested by the Tathagatagarbhas of beings sharing collective karma. The six faculties (indriyas), six objects (āyatanas), and six consciousnesses (vijñānas) are all illusory appearances, unreal, all born from the Tathagatagarbha, like the manifested sounds of wind and rain—passing and leaving no trace.

The sounds we hear now are actually sounds that have already passed. After a sound is produced, there is a lapse of time before it reaches our ear faculty. Then, the Tathagatagarbha manifests consciousness to cognize it, which takes further time. Then, a response is formed and sent back, taking yet more time. The cognitive responses of consciousness through the other five faculties are also all reacting to sensory objects (viṣaya) that are already in the past; there is no immediate present. Therefore, everything we do belongs to the past; nothing is in the immediate present. Hence, it is said that all phenomena (dharmas) lack inherent nature (svabhāva); all are functional manifestations of the Tathagatagarbha; none is the self.