The Freedom of Tathāgatagarbha and the Unfreedom of the Seven Consciousnesses

How is the tathāgatagarbha at ease? He has no six faculties and does not face the six sense objects; therefore He does not give rise to any mental activity, has no afflictions of greed, anger, or delusion, and does not create karmic actions, so He will not undergo the transmigration of birth and death according to karmic actions. He has no eyes and does not see forms, is not deluded by forms, is not inverted with regard to forms, and is not bound by forms; therefore He is at ease. No matter what fine things or treasures He faces, He does not crave them; whether forms are beautiful or ugly, He does not look at them, so He does not stir or turn according to forms—He is at ease with regard to forms. Whether He is praised or insulted, it makes no difference to Him; He has no ears and cannot hear, and gives rise to no afflictions of greed, anger, or delusion; therefore He is at ease with regard to sounds. He is at ease with regard to material form, at ease with regard to sounds, and with regard to all six sense objects—form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas—He is at ease with all of them. Because He has no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind, and does not face the six sense objects, He gives rise to no mental activity or thought, and remains suchness is immovable (tathatā-acalita) with regard to the six sense objects.

Then, are the seven consciousnesses of us sentient beings at ease with regard to the six sense objects? No, they are not. When the eye sees form, it is bound by form; when the ear hears sound, it is bound by sound; when the nose smells scents, the tongue tastes flavors, and the body feels tangibles, all are bound. The mind of the seven consciousnesses cannot break free from these forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, and dharmas: seeing form, it abides in form; hearing sound, it abides in sound; smelling scent, it abides in scent; tasting flavor, it abides in flavor; feeling touch, it abides in touch; knowing dharma, it abides in dharma. The tathāgatagarbha does not see, hear, perceive, or know these dharmas; He is not tainted by them, not bound by them, not inverted with regard to them; therefore He is at ease.

This passage describes the intrinsic nature of the tathāgatagarbha. After enlightenment, based on His intrinsic nature, one can achieve the transformation of the basis as tathāgatagarbha (āśraya-parāvṛtti-tathāgatagarbha). Before enlightenment, if one knows these intrinsic characteristics of the tathāgatagarbha, then at the very moment of creating bodily, verbal, and mental actions, one can reflect on what kind of intrinsic nature the tathāgatagarbha has and how pure He is; then one can follow His example, and when facing the states of the six sense objects, one should also not give rise to afflictions of greed, anger, or delusion, and should also purify oneself. Although this is not the true transformation of the basis, it still has a great effect; through frequent cultivation in this way, the mind can be transformed.