Are Seeds Substantially Existent?

Only the tathāgatagarbha truly exists. The seeds of the seven great elements are seeds inherently possessed by the tathāgatagarbha; they have never undergone arising and ceasing, and they have the genuine function of giving birth to all dharmas, so they can also be said to truly exist. As for karmic seeds, they are formed after birth and are subject to arising, ceasing, and change; therefore they are not truly existent. Although the Buddha-nature is also unborn and unceasing, in Nirvāṇa without remainder the Buddha-nature no longer functions, so it cannot be said to be completely real. Yet in Nirvāṇa without remainder, the seeds of the seven great elements still remain, while the Buddha-nature does not. The seeds of the seven great elements are like the heart of the tathāgatagarbha, existing together with it; therefore they can be regarded as truly existent, while everything else is not real.