The Interrelationship Between the External Environment and Body and Mind

Question: When major climatic changes are imminent, many people experience physical reactions. For instance, if a cold front is approaching or heavy rain is imminent, some individuals may suffer from migraines one or two days beforehand; those with rheumatism may experience joint pain flare-ups due to weather changes. Firstly, this occurs because significant changes in the material world cause the four elements constituting the physical body, produced by the tathagatagarbha, to become imbalanced, which also involves the karmic retribution generated by individual karma seeds. Secondly, before major changes occur in the material world, certain conditions have already manifested. While the conscious mind cannot discern them, the manas (root mind) does perceive them. Since the manas governs the body, it causes the body to react. Is this the case?

Answer: The elements composing the material universe are the four elements seeds within the tathagatagarbha. The elements constituting material phenomena are also the four elements seeds within the tathagatagarbha, identical to those composing the physical body. Therefore, the physical body is fundamentally no different from external material phenomena; it is no different from stone or wood. The sole distinction lies in the fact that the physical body is individually sustained and operates autonomously through the tathagatagarbha of a specific sentient being. In contrast, external matter is collectively sustained by the tathagatagarbhas of all beings sharing collective karma, resulting in functional differences from the tathagatagarbha’s operation within the physical body.

The physical form manifested and sustained individually by a sentient being’s tathagatagarbha belongs to its immediate objective condition (ālambana-pratyaya). Material phenomena collectively sustained by multiple tathagatagarbhas serve as the distant objective condition for all those tathagatagarbhas. Due to this distinction between immediate and distant conditions, their functions differ, and the operational mode of the tathagatagarbha varies accordingly.

Regarding the physical body, which is the immediate objective condition directly sustained by the tathagatagarbha alone: Firstly, the tathagatagarbha continuously alters the seeds of the four elements based on the sentient being's karma seeds to transform the physical body. Secondly, it constantly changes the seeds of the four elements in response to the external living environment and various conditions to continuously modify the physical body. Thirdly, it perpetually adjusts the seeds of the four elements in accordance with the mental activities of the manas, cooperating with the manas to alter the state of the physical body, thereby enabling the functions of the five aggregates. In contrast, the distant objective condition—the material universe collectively perceived by tathagatagarbhas—only undergoes continuous changes to the four elements based on the collective karma seeds and conditions of sentient beings, thereby transforming material phenomena, without possessing the functional attributes of the five aggregates.

When changes occur in the external material universe, altering the living environment on which sentient beings depend, material phenomena consequently change. External material phenomena can influence the physical body and thus affect the conscious mind. How do external material phenomena affect the conscious mind? External material phenomena serve as the outer sensory objects (dust) for sentient beings. The tathagatagarbha absorbs particles of the four elements from external matter through the body faculty, thereby altering the particles of the four elements within its own physical body, causing the body to change. For example, when the weather turns cold, the fire element changes. The physical body, via the tathagatagarbha, absorbs particles of the fire element from the external environment, causing the fire element within the body to change, resulting in a sensation of coldness. When rain falls, the water element changes. The tathagatagarbha absorbs particles of the water element, increasing the water element and dampness within the physical body, leading to a feeling of humidity. Preexisting ailments in the body, such as rheumatism or arthritis, may then flare up.

How does the tathagatagarbha absorb particles of the four elements from various materials? For instance, concerning the physical bodies of other sentient beings, which one's own tathagatagarbha did not participate in manifesting, how does it absorb particles of the four elements that it did not manifest? The tathagatagarbha does not actively seize particles of the four elements directly from matter. Rather, material phenomena instantaneously release particles of the four elements moment by moment, while simultaneously, new seeds of the four elements form particles upon the matter. Because material phenomena undergo momentary birth, cessation, and alteration, particles of the four elements are continuously released from matter. This allows the tathagatagarbha to absorb particles of the four elements from the physical bodies of other sentient beings and from external material objects, forming its own inner sensory objects (rūpa-ālambana) and inner mental objects (dharma-ālambana), while simultaneously altering the four-element structure of its own physical body.

Since all material phenomena must instantaneously release particles of the four elements moment by moment, they can influence the surrounding environment. This constitutes the principle known as magnetic field attraction. Every sentient being's physical body releases bioelectricity and possesses a magnetic field. The release of energy from material phenomena also generates magnetic fields. Therefore, different materials exhibit different magnetic fields, leading to attraction or repulsion between substances. Similarly, attraction and repulsion exist between sentient beings.