The Source of All Dharmas Can Be Inferred Through the Law of Dependent Origination

In secular philosophy, there is a saying: all things grow and depend on the sun. If all things rely on the sun for their existence, what then does the sun itself rely on? Tracing back from one thing to another, there must come a point where the tracing can go no further. At this point, one deduces the ultimate entity—that which exists independently without relying on other conditions or phenomena. This entity neither arises nor perishes, making it the most reliable and dependable foundation.

Pratyekabuddhas, through tracing dependent origination, ultimately arrive at the ālayavijñāna (storehouse consciousness) and can trace no further. They thus conclude: "Consciousness conditions name-and-form; name-and-form conditions consciousness." In this way, the source of all phenomena is deduced as the ālayavijñāna. The five aggregates (name-and-form) arise directly from the ālayavijñāna, while other phenomena serve as supporting conditions for their arising. The birth of all things follows this principle. In our Buddhist practice, we must also learn to reason in this manner. By doing so, many truths can be realized without external instruction, and realizing the Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature) is not exceedingly difficult.

The Śūraṅgama Sūtra states that sunlight does not originate from the sun but arises directly from the Tathāgatagarbha. Similarly, the growth of all things does not depend on the sun but on the Tathāgatagarbha, which emits the four fundamental elements (earth, water, fire, wind), enabling all things to grow. Without the Tathāgatagarbha emitting these four elements, no matter how intensely sunlight shines, all things would perish rather than thrive. Moreover, sunlight itself is formed by the Tathāgatagarbha’s emission of the four elements and never departs from it even for an instant.

By thoroughly studying the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, one’s understanding becomes broad and lucid. It becomes clear that the generation, existence, and functioning of all phenomena are none other than the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha. It is impossible for one thing to generate another, because all phenomena lack inherent existence and are impermanent—how could they generate other things? All things arise directly from the Tathāgatagarbha; other phenomena merely serve as supporting conditions. Matter cannot generate matter; all phenomena are manifestations of the mind. When tracing all phenomena back to their source until no further tracing is possible, that which cannot be traced back—the irreducible essence—is the Tathāgatagarbha.