Inner Dharmāyatana Is the Reflection of Outer Dharmāyatana

Question: Are the forms and appearances of matter, such as height, size, posture, etc., already present in the external world, or do they only manifest within the subtle sense faculties (sheng yi gen)?

Answer: The Tathagatagarbha manifests all dharmas as they truly are. How could the Tathagatagarbha manifest internal dharmas based on something that does not exist externally? Within the external five sense objects (form, sound, smell, taste, touch), there are approximately fixed amounts of the four great elements (earth, water, fire, wind) constantly radiating particles outward. The particles of the four great elements for each material form (rupa) are distinct. These particles cannot be piled together disorderly; their arrangement must certainly be orderly and rule-based, thus having shape. Since there is shape, there is the dharma object (fa chen) of visible form characteristics (xing se). By the same principle, there must also be the dharma object of expressed characteristics (biao se), and in some cases, the dharma object of unexpressed characteristics (wu biao se). Therefore, the dharma objects exist outside the subtle sense faculties long beforehand. They are material dharma objects produced by the Tathagatagarbha using the four great elements. They are real dharmas, inherently existing externally. The Tathagatagarbha then relies on these to manifest the internal sense objects of form. Only then can the six consciousnesses perceive and discern them.

The Tathagatagarbha’s manifestation of all phenomena is like an image appearing in a mirror, projecting an image identical to the external object, or a similar one. What do “identical” and “similar” mean? For example, when we see a person, this person is an image within our own mind, not the actual person outside, not the form of the noumenon. However, it should be consistent with, identical to, or similar to the actual person. The image we perceive within the subtle sense faculties is manifested truthfully by our own Tathagatagarbha based on the actual person outside. Only the Tathagatagarbha can see and contact the actual external person. So, does that actual external person have size, height, length, roundness, squareness, tallness, shortness, fatness, or thinness? Certainly, they do. Moreover, they were produced by his Tathagatagarbha within the mother’s womb, including the dharma objects of limbs, head, feet, weight, height, size, etc. When others see this person, their Tathagatagarbha will, based on this person’s original appearance, manifest an identical or similar image of the internal six sense objects within their own subtle sense faculties. Thus, others simultaneously perceive this person’s colors, height, weight, size, shape of the five sense faculties, personality, temperament, disposition, and other dharma characteristics.

Therefore, when the Tathagatagarbha manifests one’s own aggregate of form (five aggregates), it simultaneously manifests one’s own height, weight, shape, and size. When others look, the Tathagatagarbha can manifest an identical image within their minds based on it, enabling them to correctly perceive this person’s size, height, weight, fatness, or thinness.

The periscope in a submarine or the refracting mirror similar to a periscope on a tank displays scenes and people identical to the real ones, without the slightest difference. This principle is the same as the Tathagatagarbha’s mirroring principle. The Buddha’s teaching on contemplating phenomena as like an image in a mirror is exactly this. If the eye faculty is faulty, the information collected by the Tathagatagarbha becomes distorted as it passes through the eye faculty. The information reaching the subtle sense faculties will also be distorted. Consequently, the image provided by the Tathagatagarbha will also appear distorted. The eye consciousness and mental consciousness will perceive distortions, possibly in color or shape. Excluding the constraints of identical karmic conditions and healthy five sense faculties, the image manifested by the Tathagatagarbha is certainly identical to the actual object.

We can use our own physical body to reason: Has the Tathagatagarbha manifested for us the shapes of limbs and head, which are external dharma objects of form? Shouldn’t the heads and limbs we see of others be similar to those of the actual others? When others look at our own limbs and head, shouldn’t they also be similar to our actual limbs and head?

If we say the Tathagatagarbha did not manifest for us the external dharma objects of form, such as the shapes of limbs and head, then by what means could each sentient being know that they have a head and limbs, see the internal dharma objects of head, feet, limbs, five sense faculties, height, weight, fatness, or thinness? By what means could they have the various functions of the body faculty? These internal dharma objects cannot arise from nothing; they cannot appear without relying on an object. It must be that the Tathagatagarbha, within the mother’s womb, produced the sentient being’s head, limbs, etc., along with their visible form characteristics, expressed characteristics, and unexpressed characteristics. The same applies to other material forms (rupa dharma): at the moment of their initial formation, there must certainly be external dharma objects of visible form characteristics, expressed characteristics, and unexpressed characteristics.