The Five Major Seed Functions of Tathagatagarbha

The inherent seeds of Tathāgatagarbha are the Seven Great Seeds. Among them, the Five Great Seeds—earth, water, fire, wind, and space—are the fundamental elements constituting material form dharmas (rūpa-dharma). The perception-great-seed and consciousness-great-seed are the elements constituting the eight consciousnesses, the mind dharmas (citta-dharma) of sentient beings. Form dharmas refer to the six sense objects: forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, and mental objects (dharmas), plus the five sense faculties of sentient beings, totaling eleven form dharmas. All material form dharmas in the universe and the vessel world, including the physical bodies of sentient beings, from the vast cosmos and worlds down to the form, sound, smell, taste, and tangible quality of a single mote of dust, are all formed by Tathāgatagarbha using the Five Great Seeds.

How does Tathāgatagarbha project the Five Great Seeds to form material form dharmas? The Five Great Seeds initially projected are formless and markless dharmas, neither form nor mind. After forming the initial, extremely minute particles, they transform into form dharmas with characteristics. The initial form dharmas are not only invisible to the naked eye but also undetectable by the most sophisticated microscopes. Then, the particles rapidly accumulate and combine, growing larger and larger, becoming exceedingly minute particles detectable by precision instruments, such as electrons, protons, neutrons, nucleons, quarks, etc., ultimately forming tangible, visible aggregates of matter.

This operation of Tāthāgatagarbha is utterly inconceivable; it can transform formless seeds into tangible form dharmas, truly as if conjured out of thin air. Tathāgatagarbha can be said to be the greatest magician. When Tathāgatagarbha alters the proportion and quantity of the Five Great Seeds even slightly, the material form dharmas change, and their material properties are altered. Furthermore, the Five Great Seeds within the material form dharmas are projected and withdrawn instantaneously, moment by moment. If the matter is in a growth phase, the number of seeds projected continuously increases, and the proportions also change. If the matter is in a phase of decay or maturation, fewer and fewer seeds are projected, and the proportions likewise change. The same type of matter, at different stages and under different environmental conditions, has different compositions, functions, colors, scents, tastes, different capacities for diffusion, different speeds of birth, abiding, change, and cessation, and different shapes and appearances.

From the very beginning, matter, starting as minute particles, possesses a certain potential energy and kinetic energy. Because seeds are projected onto the particles and extinguished moment by moment, with birth, abiding, change, and cessation never pausing, the particles move at high speeds along certain trajectories according to fixed patterns, thereby generating energy. From the smallest particles constantly aggregating to form small particles, which then gather into larger particles, and further into even larger particles, ultimately becoming matter with fixed shapes, the energy aggregates increasingly, the forces of action aggregate increasingly, and the magnetic field strength aggregates increasingly.

All kinds of particles move according to certain patterns along fixed orbits; this movement generates potential energy, and where there is potential energy, there is energy. Humans utilize this energy to benefit human existence. With numerous types of matter, the types of energy produced are also numerous. The various disciplines that appear in the secular world, such as physics, chemistry, optics, and other sciences, all study material form dharmas, researching the energy of material form dharmas and the conversion and conservation of energy. However, none have arrived at a final, perfect conclusion because scientists do not understand the Dharma of Tathāgatagarbha and are unaware of its operating principles. Therefore, all their high-level research and scientific experiments cannot possibly reach the ultimate and perfect understanding. Only the Buddha can perceive the ultimate source of the material world.

If we combine the principle of how material form dharmas arise with scientific experiments, we can unravel all the inconceivable phenomena existing in the world and the universe, such as those in physics, chemistry, optics, mathematics, and so on. By mastering the Wisdom of Consciousness-Only and possessing the seeds of Consciousness-Only wisdom, we can investigate all worldly disciplines with perfect clarity, penetrating directly to their roots, including religion, philosophy, psychology, physiology, biology, and all other fields—all are functions and operations of Tathāgatagarbha. The Dharma of Tathāgatagarbha can reveal all the mysteries within the trichiliocosm. Thus, the truth of the universe will be made manifest in the human world. Relying on this, we can attain the deepest wisdom. When wisdom reaches its ultimate limit, one becomes an omniscient one, a Buddha.

After we study the Buddha Dharma, awaken the mind, and perceive the true nature, then advancing further in practice, when we possess the Wisdom of the Seeds of Consciousness-Only (vijñāna-mātra-bīja-jñāna), and the wisdom of Consciousness-Only is developed, and we have realized part of the functional operation of the seeds of Tathāgatagarbha, then within worldly dharmas, merely by engaging with any single category or academic field, we can become the absolute authority. Applying our effort to any academic field, we can become top talents, surpassing the world's most eminent scientists. In any subject, any Dharma gate, any field, we can become the foremost expert. This is the greatest benefit we can gain within worldly dharmas by studying the Buddha Dharma, studying Consciousness-Only, and realizing the Consciousness-Only nature and Suchness nature of all dharmas. The Buddha Dharma enables us to be wise in any field and invincible in worldly dharmas.