Can Tathāgatagarbha Depart and Arrive?

"Going last" refers to being the last to separate from the aggregation of the five aggregates (the physical body), the final one to depart from the physical form, after which the physical body becomes a corpse. "Coming first" refers to being the first to arrive within the physical body, causing the embryo to become an aggregation of the five aggregates, thereby possessing the value of life. To determine whether the Tathāgatagarbha can "go last" and "come first," we must clarify whether the Tathāgatagarbha can sustain the body alone.

Can the Tathāgatagarbha sustain the body alone? If the Tathāgatagarbha could sustain the body alone, then in the state of Nirupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa (nirvana without residue), it could also sustain the body alone, without the need for the existence of the manas (the mental faculty) or the motivating force of the manas. If the Tathāgatagarbha did not need to rely on the manas to sustain the body alone, then nirvana would not be quiescent, there would be no nirvana state, and consequently, no Nirupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa to speak of.

In reality, the Tathāgatagarbha and the manas have a relationship of mutual dependence. Without the motivating force of the manas, the Tathāgatagarbha would not function within the realm of the five aggregates and eighteen elements (dhātus). The Tathāgatagarbha cannot operate alone because it is not the sovereign consciousness; it has no active inclination to grasp or manifest any dharmas (phenomena). Only under the impetus of the manas and the forces of karma and vows can it manifest worldly dharmas.

Karma and vow-power are precisely the motivating forces of the manas. When the manas lacks motivating force and no longer wishes to give rise to the body of the five aggregates, the Tathāgatagarbha extinguishes all dharmas, ceasing to manifest the body of the five aggregates, and even the manas itself is extinguished and no longer arises. Only when the manas still possesses karma and vow-power can the Tathāgatagarbha accord with and cooperate with the manas to manifest the corresponding worldly dharmas. The functioning of the Tathāgatagarbha cannot be separated from the manas for even an instant; it cannot be separated from the karma and vow-power of the manas. Even when the Tathāgatagarbha of beings sharing collective karma collectively transforms and creates the universe and the vessel world (the physical environment), it is propelled by the collective karma of those beings and functions through the collective impetus of all their manas.

When the present-life conditions of a being cease and it is time to relinquish the body, if the Tathāgatagarbha were the last to leave the physical body, with the manas having departed before it, could such a situation occur? If it could, then the manas leaving first would mean it separated from the Tathāgatagarbha. In that case, the manas would exist alone. Could the manas exist alone without needing the Tathāgatagarbha to sustain it? If so, the manas would not need the Tathāgatagarbha to project seeds of consciousness, nor would it need the Tathāgatagarbha to give it birth. Then, could the manas exist at that time without being extinguished? If it could, the manas would also be an indestructible consciousness capable of existing alone, meaning there would be two indestructible consciousnesses. In fact, this is impossible. The manas must rely on the Tathāgatagarbha for its existence and functioning at every moment; separated from the Tathāgatagarbha, the manas would immediately perish and cease to function.

Therefore, it is evident that the manas cannot leave the physical body before the Tathāgatagarbha, nor can it leave after the Tathāgatagarbha; it must leave simultaneously with the Tathāgatagarbha. This is because the two are mutually dependent; neither can exist without the other. If they separated, all dharmas would vanish, leaving only the Tathāgatagarbha itself, which is the state of Nirupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa. However, death does not equate to Nirupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa.

So, can the Tathāgatagarbha be the first to enter the physical body? It cannot. The Tathāgatagarbha cannot sustain the physical body alone. It has no grasping nature; it does not grasp the physical body to actively give birth to and sustain it. It is influenced by the mental factor of volition (cetanā) of the manas and propelled by the forces of the manas and karma, accordingly entering the fertilized egg at the same moment as the manas to sustain it, simultaneously taking residence in the mother's womb with the manas. Because the manas and the Tathāgatagarbha are inseparable as form and shadow, the Tathāgatagarbha and the manas are inseparable as form and shadow; they cannot be separated for even an instant. If separated, the manas would perish, and the Tathāgatagarbha could no longer function within the realm of the five aggregates. Then there would be no question of the Tathāgatagarbha leaving the physical body, nor any question of it entering and residing within the physical body.

If the Tathāgatagarbha were the first to enter the mother's womb, it would separate from the manas, and the manas could exist alone without needing the Tathāgatagarbha to sustain it. This is impossible. Therefore, when entering the mother's womb and when leaving the physical body, there is no sequence; the manas and the Tathāgatagarbha enter and leave simultaneously. If there were a sequence, it would mean the two could separate from each other, implying the manas could exist alone and the Tathāgatagarbha could function alone. This would contradict facts and truth.