How Does Tathagatagarbha Perceive the Contact Between Sense Faculties and Objects?

Question: How does the Tathāgatagarbha perceive the contact between faculties and objects?

Answer: The faculties—whether the external five faculties, the internal five faculties, or the mental faculty—are all directly manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha. The Tathāgatagarbha constantly perceives and upholds them; thus, it knows the general state of the five faculties and the functioning of the mental faculty.

The objects—whether the external six objects or the internal six objects—are all manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha. The external six objects belong to substantial material forms, which the Tathāgatagarbha perceives moment by moment, and it knows all their changes. The internal six objects are directly transmitted by the Tathāgatagarbha into the supreme meaning faculties and cannot be separated from them for an instant. Therefore, the Tathāgatagarbha necessarily knows where the internal six objects are transmitted and will not transmit them to non-supreme meaning faculties.

Thus, the Tathāgatagarbha perceives, contacts, and knows the internal six faculties, as well as perceives, contacts, and knows the internal six objects. Where the faculties and objects contact, the Tathāgatagarbha naturally perceives, contacts, and knows—this is not difficult at all. Furthermore, according to the directing attention and decisions of the mental faculty, the Tathāgatagarbha gives rise to the six consciousnesses. When the six consciousnesses contact the internal six objects within the supreme meaning faculties, they are able to discern the six objects.