The Meaning of All Dharmas Being Without Self-Nature

The meaning of "all dharmas are without self-nature" is that all dharmas other than the eighth consciousness are without self-nature. What is meant by "without self-nature" is that the dharmas illusorily manifested by the fundamental mind—the eighth consciousness, the tathāgatagarbha—in accordance with karmic conditions and karmic seeds, and in dependence upon the seven consciousnesses, have no inherent nature of their own; they are entirely of the nature of the tathāgatagarbha. Because these dharmas lack self-mastery (avaśatā) and autonomy, being manifested and produced by the tathāgatagarbha, unable to determine their own existence by themselves and unable to control themselves, they are said to be without self-nature. All dharmas manifest through causes and conditions: the cause is the tathāgatagarbha, and the conditions are karmic conditions. Dharmas born of the combination of causes and conditions are precisely dharmas of dependent origination, and dharmas of dependent origination have no inherent nature of their own—they are not autonomous.