What Is Seeing One's Nature?

Seeing the nature is the functional operation of the tathāgatagarbha in perceiving dharmas; it is formed from the seed of the great element of seeing within the tathāgatagarbha. Only after the tathāgatagarbha perceives dharmas can the seven consciousnesses have seeing, and perceive the dharmas corresponding to each of them. Seeing the nature is also called buddha-nature, and is also called the tathāgatagarbha-nature; it is the wondrous function of the tathāgatagarbha. Without buddha-nature, no dharma could be put into function, and none could arise. Therefore the Buddha said that all dharmas are the tathāgatagarbha-nature, all are the functional operations of the tathāgatagarbha.

Buddha-nature, or seeing the nature, is also called the nature of awareness; it is the nature of the tathāgatagarbha by which it is aware of all dharmas. Only after the tathāgatagarbha has perceived and cognized all dharmas can the seven consciousnesses have awareness and cognition, be able to apprehend dharmas, know and perceive dharmas, and experience dharmas. That is why the Buddha said that the awareness-nature of the tathāgatagarbha is the wondrous true suchness-nature, and that all dharmas are the wondrous true suchness-nature; without the wondrous true suchness-nature, no dharma could manifest or be born. This buddha-nature, this wondrous true suchness-nature, is of such importance that, combined with the five universally operative mental factors of the tathāgatagarbha, it perfectly presents all dharmas — only thus is the world of the five aggregates so resplendent, colorful, and manifold.

The tathāgatagarbha is like a light bulb, and buddha-nature is like the light of the bulb. The bulb emits light, illuminating and perceiving all dharmas, and only then can it operate the dharmas; during operation, the mental factors arise and function in accompaniment. When buddha-nature manifests its wondrous function, all dharmas appear, the seven consciousnesses perceive dharmas, and the eight consciousnesses operate in concord.

Seeing the nature, or buddha-nature, can only be put into function depending on the tathāgatagarbha as the substance; it is not identical to the substance of the tathāgatagarbha, yet it is not something that can function unconditionally forever — here a phenomenon of arising and ceasing is hidden. However, one must not confuse the arising and ceasing of buddha-nature with the arising and ceasing of the dharmas of the world of the five aggregates; the two are essentially different in nature.