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 earth, water, fire, and wind—all using the tathāgatagarbha. We live in the palace of the tathāgatagarbha, enjoying everything provided by the tathāgatagarbha.

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 with the tathāgatagarbha, hear with the tathāgatagarbha, smell with the tathāgatagarbha, taste with the tathāgatagarbha, touch with the tathāgatagarbha, and think with the tathāgatagarbha. The six faculties that serve as the medium in between are also the tathāgatagarbha—everywhere is the tathāgatagarbha. Inside and outside, everything is the tathāgatagarbha; this transparent body of the five aggregates, inside and out, is not a person at all.