What Dharmas Are the Indriyas, Kaya, and Bhajana-Loka?

The sense-body and receptacle-world both refer to the material forms transformed by the Tathāgatagarbha using the five great seeds, serving the survival needs of sentient beings. They possess shared material attributes and are perpetually subject to birth, cessation, and change. Among them, the sense-body arises from the individual karma of sentient beings, while the receptacle-world arises from their collective karma. The sense-body includes the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, and body faculty. The body refers to the entire physical form, the totality of the body, encompassing these five faculties. The receptacle refers to the universe, the receptacle-world, encompassing the three realms: the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm. This includes the palaces of various heavenly realms, various mountains, various rivers, various lands, various trees, various treasures, as well as diverse living environments and utensils necessary for survival. The "world" denotes the boundaries of these various material receptacles; the desire realm has boundaries with the form realm, and with the formless realm; each of the three realms has its own boundaries, possessing distinctions.

Because the sense-body and receptacle-world are material forms, the five great seeds operate within them. Therefore, they all possess energy and are energy fields. Form, sound, smell, taste, and touch all have energy, exerting significant influence on the body and mind of sentient beings. The universe contains various sounds, so-called "heavenly music," whose origin sentient beings do not understand. This is because the universe contains various material forms; the movement and collision of these material forms generate energy waves, forming sounds. The void in the universe is immense, boundless and limitless. Sounds drift through the air without obstruction, appearing especially vast, distant, profound, and awe-inspiring. Sentient beings hearing them may feel tranquility and yearn for them, or feel fear and panic, seeking to avoid them.

Why do sounds arise in empty space? This is because the void is not devoid of matter; within the void are numerous particles, an immense number. The movement and mutual collision of these particles give rise to sound. These particles are composed of the five great seeds: earth, water, fire, wind, and space. The vibration of each great seed can release energy, and their combination can generate even more energy. Energy also transforms between them, becoming new forms of energy. Precisely because of this, humanity can utilize water energy and wind energy, converting them into electrical energy for power generation and lighting, serving the needs of production and daily life.

The dust of form and the dust of sound are forms of energy. The dust of smell is also a form of energy; some fragrances have an invigorating and mind-refreshing effect, while others inhibit brain nerve cells, causing unconsciousness or poisoning. The dust of taste is likewise, and the dust of touch even more so. Therefore, all six dusts possess energy. The universe, the receptacle-world, belongs to form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects (dharmas) – all possess energy.