The Wisdom Realm of Tathāgatagarbha

The tathāgatagarbha possesses the four great seeds of earth, water, fire, and wind. He is able to deliver the four great seeds in different proportions to constitute the sense faculties, the body, and the material world. When the earth seed is delivered in greater quantity and occupies a larger proportion, the material form is hard; when the water seed is delivered in greater quantity and occupies a larger proportion, the material form is soft and moist; when the fire element is delivered in greater quantity, the material form has heat and warmth; when the wind element is abundant, the material form is light, soft, and mobile. Therefore, when the tathāgatagarbha creates our bones, nails, hair, muscles, and sinews, He delivers more of the earth seed. How much He delivers, He knows; we do not know.

Because at that time there was not yet any so-called "we" in existence—we had to rely on Him to be created—and at that time the mind consciousness had not yet been generated, even though we now have consciousness, we still do not know of this matter; we remain ignorant of it. Only the tathāgatagarbha, which discerns the karmic seeds, can know this matter. Likewise, He knows how much of the other seeds of water, fire, and wind to deliver, without anyone to teach or direct Him—for there is no "anyone" at all. It is only because He discerns the karmic seeds that He knows how to carry out these tasks. When creating our blood, brain matter, and bone marrow, the tathāgatagarbha delivers more of the water seed, delivering the other seeds in different proportions—and He knows all of this.

When to create what, He knows; in which part of the body to create what, He knows; what shape and what color to create—human form, animal form, or non-human form—He knows; when to generate the consciousnesses, He knows; when the fetus is complete and should be born, He knows; after birth, all matters of the material body and the five aggregates, and how they change, He knows; how to grow up, and into what form, He knows; when one should fall ill with what disease, He knows; when the signs of aging appear, He knows—and once He knows, He manifests the signs of aging; when death will occur, He knows, and so He manifests the omens preceding death.

He also knows when to leave the material body, and knows what kind of antarā-bhava to generate, and knows which realm sentient beings should be reborn into, and with which parents they have karmic affinity. The things we do not know, He knows them all; how the cosmic material world is created, He knows; how mountains, rivers, flowers, grass, and trees come into being, He knows; when the cosmic material world will be destroyed, and how it will be destroyed, He knows... There is nothing that He does not know. Consider ourselves: what do we really know? It is all ignorance. This is the wisdom realm of the tathāgatagarbha: He is not deluded about any dharma; He perceives all dharmas, is mindful of all dharmas, transforms all dharmas, and manifests all dharmas. His functions and virtues are immeasurable and boundless in number, and only upon attaining buddhahood can we fully know all these dharmas.