The Meaning of the Selflessness of All Dharmas (sarva-dharma-niḥsvabhāva)

The meaning of "all dharmas are without self-nature" is that all dharmas, apart from the eighth consciousness, are without self-nature. What is meant by "without self-nature" is that the dharmas illusorily manifested by the true mind—the eighth consciousness, the tathāgatagarbha—in accordance with karmic conditions and karmic seeds, and in dependence upon the minds of the seven consciousnesses, all lack an inherent essence 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, they cannot determine their own existence by themselves, nor can they control themselves; therefore this is called "without self-nature." All dharmas are manifested through causes and conditions: the cause is the tathāgatagarbha, and the conditions are karmic conditions. Dharmas born from the conjunction of causes and conditions are precisely dharmas of dependent arising, and dharmas of dependent arising have no inherent essence of their own—they are not autonomous.