The Space Element within Tathāgatagarbha

In the third volume of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the World-Honored One taught us: 如来藏中，性觉真空，性空真觉，清静本然，周遍法界。 This means that the nature of empty space is the nature of the tathāgatagarbha; the element of space and the tathāgatagarbha are neither identical nor different. The element of space pervades the dharmadhātu of the ten directions, and the element of space can generate empty space. The sūtra says: 虚空生汝心内，如片云点泰清里。 Here "mind" refers to the tathāgatagarbha mind; empty space is born within the tathāgatagarbha mind, and moreover occupies only a tiny position within the tathāgatagarbha, just like the proportion that a cloud occupies within the sky.

In the world where sentient beings live, where does empty space come from? Where do the gaps within material things come from? Where does the space of our living environment come from? Where do the gaps within cells and the gaps within the body all come from? What functions do empty space and various kinds of space have? These spaces, whether broad or narrow, all arise from nonexistence into existence, and are all subject to arising and ceasing. Since they are subject to arising and ceasing, there must be seeds that give birth to these spaces, and only then can space be born. All dharmas are born from the tathāgatagarbha, and space is one of all dharmas, also born of the tathāgatagarbha; moreover, the tathāgatagarbha can only use the seeds of the element of space to give birth to empty space.

The space born of the tathāgatagarbha includes the external empty space and space, as well as the gaps and space within the body. Because there is space in the external world, it can contain all material form; matter can move, sound, gases, and scent-objects can propagate, various energies can be transmitted, and sentient beings can survive within empty space. External empty space is formed by the tathāgatagarbhas of all sentient beings jointly outputting the seeds of the element of space, and is jointly held and sustained by the tathāgatagarbhas of all sentient beings. Empty space plays an absolutely important role: the worlds of the ten directions are all established and exist within empty space, celestial bodies move within empty space, sentient beings walk, sit, and lie down within empty space, carrying out all kinds of activities of living, and all kinds of objects exist and operate within empty space.

Various material substances also contain gaps and space. The differences in the amount of these gaps create different structures of matter, so the density differs, and the properties of matter differ. The space within matter is also jointly formed and sustained by the tathāgatagarbhas of all sentient beings sharing common karma. The density of matter is the proportion of space within the matter. When the proportional composition of space differs, the structure of matter differs, and the physical properties of matter differ. If the proportions of earth, water, fire, and wind in a substance are the same, but the proportion of the element of space differs, the volume of the matter differs, and the density differs.

Another example is compressed biscuits, which differ from ordinary biscuits because ordinary biscuits, after being compressed, have less space within them, and the moisture has been squeezed out; the proportion of the earth element within the biscuit is greater, so the biscuit's density is greater, and eating it makes one feel full easily and not easily hungry. If matter expands, the proportion of space increases, the volume becomes larger, the density becomes smaller, and the nature and function (svabhāva-vyāpāra) of the matter changes. Therefore, the element of space also plays a very important role within matter.

When space differs, the energy produced by the movement of matter differs. For example, in the high jump and the long jump, the length of the run-up space differs; if it is too long or too short, the jumping power is small; when the spatial distance is appropriate, the momentum of the run-up is great, the energy is great, the jumping power is great—that is, the energy is great—and one jumps farther and higher. Another example is throwing a stone at a wall: when the distance and space from the wall differ, the force with which the stone strikes the wall differs—that is, the momentum and energy differ—and the degree of damage to the wall differs. Therefore, space and empty space are very important dharmas. When living beings live crowded together, the space is small, and they live without ease; for example, in raising chickens, if the space for activity is too small, it will cause the chickens to become sick or even die.

As for space, there is the empty space jointly transformed and created by the tathāgatagarbhas of sentient beings, and there are also the spaces, gaps, and crevices transformed and created by the individual tathāgatagarbhas of sentient beings. The spaces and gaps within the body are created by one's own tathāgatagarbha alone using the seeds of the element of space, including the space within cells. There are gaps and spaces within every tissue and structure of the body, generated by the individual sentient being's tathāgatagarbha alone using the seeds of the element of space. Because there is space within the body, food, gases, and blood can flow, and sentient beings can breathe and maintain the existence of life. Not only is there space within the internal organs, there is also space within the bones, muscles, and various bodily fluids. There is also space within the smallest cellular tissues of the body, and there are gaps within the various molecular structures inside cells. Only in this way can molecules, ions, and other tiny particles move, and cells can carry out metabolism. Because the composition of the element of space within molecules differs, molecular structures differ, properties differ, and the roles they play within the body differ. The four great elements plus the element of space compose the three-realm world of sentient beings; the five great elements exist everywhere.

Empty space is one of the forms of material form; it is the realm directly perceived (pratyakṣa) and discriminated by the eye consciousness, and it is also one of the conditions for the arising of the eye consciousness and the ear consciousness; it is subject to arising and ceasing. Empty space is not like turtle hair or rabbit horns, which are imagined and nonexistent; nonexistent things cannot be seen by the eye consciousness and cannot be discriminated—that would purely be the realm of non-valid cognition of the mind consciousness. Empty space, however, is the boundary-aspect of form; as soon as the eye consciousness sees it, it immediately knows it is space. Therefore, empty space is an existent dharma, generated after birth, and will in the future also cease. In the state of Nirvāṇa without remainder (Anupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa), there is no kind of space or spatial expanse whatsoever, let alone empty space. Therefore, empty space and space are generated by the tathāgatagarbha using the seeds of the element of space, and the seeds of the element of space have the aspect of generative capacity. Therefore, the element of space among the seven great elements is a seed, capable of generating space, gaps, and empty space, so that sentient beings can survive within empty space and matter can operate within empty space. The five-aggregate world cannot be separated from empty space, cannot be separated from the element of space, and the element of space has the aspect of generative capacity. Space is the tathāgatagarbha. The element of space pervades the worlds of the ten directions, pervades the dharmadhātu, and is the nature of the tathāgatagarbha. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra says: 空生大觉中，如海一沤发。"空生" means empty space is born—it is born from the great awakened mind (mahā-bodhi-citta), just like a bubble arising in the great ocean, which in the end will also cease; what arises and ceases is false and illusory. Therefore, the tathāgatagarbha giving birth to empty space has a function; without empty space there would be no existence and operation of any dharma, and this function of empty space is an illusory function, subject to arising and ceasing. In the state where only the tathāgatagarbha exists alone, not even the slightest crevice exists, let alone empty space. Therefore, the element of space is a seed, has the aspect of generative capacity, and can generate all kinds of space—all of which is the nature of the tathāgatagarbha.