All dharmas are tathāgatagarbha

Observe your fingernails and think about why they are hard. It turns out they contain a large proportion of the earth element. Why are bones hard? Because they contain a large proportion of the earth element. If bones are to avoid becoming soft and brittle, one must supplement calcium. Why supplement calcium? Because calcium contains a large proportion of the earth element. So the food and drink we consume are all eating the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind—all eating the tathāgatagarbha. Clothing, food, shelter, and daily use are all the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind—all using the tathāgatagarbha. We dwell in the palace of the tathāgatagarbha, enjoying everything that the tathāgatagarbha provides.

What we see is the tathāgatagarbha, what we hear is the tathāgatagarbha, what we smell is the tathāgatagarbha, what we taste is the tathāgatagarbha, what we touch is the tathāgatagarbha, and what we think is the tathāgatagarbha. We see by means of the tathāgatagarbha, hear by means of the tathāgatagarbha, smell by means of the tathāgatagarbha, taste by means of the tathāgatagarbha, touch by means of the tathāgatagarbha, and think by means of the tathāgatagarbha. The six sense faculties that serve as intermediaries are also the tathāgatagarbha—everywhere is the tathāgatagarbha. Inside and out, everything is the tathāgatagarbha. This transparent body of the five aggregates—inside and out, there is no person to be found.