Why All Dharmas Are Neither Conditioned nor Inherent in Nature

The material universe is part of all dharmas. When the material universe first arises, what causes or conditions facilitate its emergence? None—no dharma can be found to assist the arising of the material universe. For example, during the gradual formation of Earth, no dharma existed beforehand that could serve as a condition for Earth's formation. Similarly, throughout the process of Earth's formation, no dharma existed that could act as a condition for its formation. Therefore, the emergence of Earth is not conditioned, and the formation of the material universe is likewise not conditioned.

Then, is the formation of the material universe spontaneous? We must first consider the definition of spontaneity. So-called spontaneity implies self-existent, naturally occurring, unaffected by external factors, eternally abiding, without birth or cessation. For instance, the existence of Earth should be self-existent and naturally occurring—it should not have been non-existent before, only to gradually form within a certain period, for what is formed later is not spontaneous. Similarly, after forming for a period, if it gradually degenerates, vanishes, or perishes, that too is not spontaneous. Likewise, the material universe has a beginning and an end, birth and destruction, coming and going—thus, it is not spontaneous.

In summary, the material universe is neither conditioned nor spontaneous. Then what is its nature? It is the nature of tathāgatagarbha. The birth and destruction of the material universe, as well as its birth, abiding, change, and cessation, are all due to tathāgatagarbha. All are formed by the seven fundamental seeds within tathāgatagarbha: birth is tathāgatagarbha’s birthing, abiding is tathāgatagarbha’s sustaining, change is tathāgatagarbha’s transforming, and cessation is tathāgatagarbha’s withdrawal of seeds. Thus, the material universe, and indeed all dharmas, are the characteristics of tathāgatagarbha.