Discernment of Tathagatagarbha on the Material World, the Five Aggregates Body, and the Activities of the Manas

The Tathāgatagarbha perceives the external five dusts, not only discerning the seeds of the five dusts but also discerning the general appearances and the forms of the subtle particles of the presently manifest five dusts. Because the Tathāgatagarbha takes up the subtle particles of the four great elements, it necessarily discerns the state of these particles. The Tathāgatagarbha perceives the body faculty and the material world—this is the state formed by seeds. Innumerable seeds of the four great elements mingle together, arising and ceasing instantaneously. The Tathāgatagarbha necessarily discerns the general state and structure, etc., of the material world, but not in the manner or with the content of the six consciousnesses. The Tathāgatagarbha knows the present state of the material world and its future state, and thus can maintain and alter the state of the material world. In this way, what it perceives is not merely seeds, for the seeds have already become material phenomena.

The mode of operation of the Tathāgatagarbha differs from that of the seven consciousnesses; their mental states are vastly different, and the difference in wisdom is even greater. The seven consciousnesses can in no way compare to the Tathāgatagarbha’s transcendent great wisdom—that great wisdom which creates, manifests, and upholds all worldly phenomena.

The Tathāgatagarbha also instantaneously upholds and alters the five-aggregate body. It necessarily perceives the current state of the five-aggregate body, knowing how to change it in the next instant, continuously maintaining the five-aggregate body in accordance with the karmic seeds. In the next moment, whether the five-aggregate body should manifest illness, whether the body should deteriorate or improve, what changes should occur next—the Tathāgatagarbha knows all this. It knows when the last breath should be expelled. Thus, based on the karmic seeds and karmic conditions, it causes the material body to change, acting according to conditions to transform the material body to accord with the karmic seeds, thereby actualizing cause and effect.

If the mind of the seven consciousnesses desires wealth, the Tathāgatagarbha perceives the mental activities of the manas (mind faculty) and then perceives the karmic seeds to see if there are corresponding karmic seeds and whether the conditions for wealth have ripened. If the conditions have ripened, the Tathāgatagarbha cooperates to create opportunities for wealth, arranging various events, and then wealth is obtained. Otherwise, the Tathāgatagarbha remains unmoved by the matter.