That Suchness Does Not Abide in Its Own Nature Does Not Mean Suchness Lacks Self-Nature (Svabhāva)

The meaning of "suchness not abiding in its own nature" is that the tathāgatagarbha does not remain in its original position in a state of possessing nothing, but instead flows forth the seeds within the mind-ground, forming the existence of the myriad dharmas of the three realms. Such suchness refers to the tathāgatagarbha itself as the fundamental substance; the tathāgatagarbha as fundamental substance certainly has its own self-nature, which is different from the natures of all worldly dharmas. If the suchness of the eighth consciousness, the tathāgatagarbha, had no self-nature, it would be a dharma lacking self-mastery (avaśatā), a dharma that is produced. Any dharma that is produced lacks self-mastery and has no independent nature of its own; if it has no independent nature of its own, it is a dharma lacking self-mastery. But the suchness of the eighth consciousness, the tathāgatagarbha, originally exists and is not born from causes and conditions; He forever has His own unique nature and never changes or varies, and therefore He is of great self-mastery.

The meaning of "nirvāṇa has no self-nature" is that nirvāṇa is a state of the tathāgatagarbha—pure and existing independently—and a state is not a dharma possessing self-nature; it is a manifested dharma, used to set off the tathāgatagarbha. If suchness does not refer to the tathāgatagarbha itself as fundamental substance, but rather refers to the true and such-like character of the tathāgatagarbha—a quality—then this suchness has no self-nature of its own; it is without self-nature.

Since it is said that suchness does not abide in its own nature, this shows that the suchness of the tathāgatagarbha does have a self-nature, which is emptiness (śūnyatā). But because the tathāgatagarbha contains and stores seeds, it also has a nature of non-emptiness, being able to manifest the myriad dharmas in accordance with conditions; yet in manifesting the myriad dharmas, It itself remains empty in nature, not existent in nature, for It itself is not the myriad dharmas. Because the suchness of the tathāgatagarbha has the self-nature of emptiness, it can accomplish the myriad dharmas; if the suchness of the tathāgatagarbha did not have the self-nature of emptiness, it could not accomplish the myriad dharmas. Since the tathāgatagarbha cannot become the myriad dharmas, it can only be the suchness of the tathāgatagarbha itself.

No matter how many dharmas the suchness of the tathāgatagarbha manifests, He still has His own original nature, just as gold does not abide in the state originally inherent to gold and is transformed into the shapes of gold ornaments; yet no matter how many gold ornaments the gold is fashioned into, it always retains the properties of gold, the inherent substance of gold. It is precisely because suchness has a self-nature that it is said not to abide in its own nature; "not abiding" also implies existence. Suchness is originally empty and vacant, with nothing at all, yet it can give rise to all dharmas in accordance with conditions, and in giving rise to all dharmas it still has its own original nature. The tathāgatagarbha does not lose the attributes of the tathāgatagarbha as fundamental substance because it has given rise to the myriad dharmas. The attributes of the tathāgatagarbha as fundamental substance never change; otherwise the tathāgatagarbha would not be a dharma that never changes or varies.

The tathāgatagarbha accords with conditions yet is unchanging, and is unchanging yet accords with conditions—this shows that no matter what the causes and conditions are, the tathāgatagarbha's own substance never changes or varies; He has a self-nature, and that self-nature never changes. The three self-natures—the imputed nature (parikalpita-svabhāva) of the seventh consciousness (manas), the dependent nature (paratantra-svabhāva) of the first six consciousnesses, and the perfected nature (pariniṣpanna-svabhāva) of the tathāgatagarbha—are all without self-nature; all are dharmas that can exist only by relying on the tathāgatagarbha itself as fundamental substance.