Are the Four Great Elements' Paramāṇus Permanent Dharmas?

The only permanently abiding dharma is the tathāgatagarbha. The four great elements' ultimate particles of matter are always arising and ceasing; since they arise and cease, they are not permanent and unchanging. The four great seeds that compose the ultimate particles of the four great elements belong to the intrinsically existing seeds within the eighth consciousness; if they are dependent upon the eighth consciousness, they may also be said to be permanent. However, the four great seeds cannot function without the requisite conditions. For example, in the state of nirvāṇa without remainder, the four great seeds lie idle and unused, unable to generate any dharma whatsoever. If the four great seeds were subject to arising and ceasing, then the four great seeds within the tathāgatagarbha in nirvāṇa without remainder would have vanished; yet if an arhat emerges from the state of nirvāṇa and the four great seeds can once again produce a material body, where did those four great seeds come from? If the four great seeds permanently abide within the tathāgatagarbha, then the four great seeds are permanent, non-arising, non-ceasing dharmas.

The tathāgatagarbha is formless and without appearance; the four great seeds within the tathāgatagarbha, or the seven great seeds, are likewise formless and without appearance. These seeds permanently abide within the tathāgatagarbha. If they did not permanently abide, what dharma would the tathāgatagarbha have to regenerate seeds? The tathāgatagarbha can use the seeds of the four great elements and the seven great elements to give birth to all dharmas. Without these seeds, the tathāgatagarbha would have no way to give birth to any dharma; there is simply no other dharma or seed that could give birth to these seeds.

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