The Process of All Buddhas' Attainment of Omniscient Wisdom

Gold possesses the nature of gold. Gold is analogous to the Tathagatagarbha, and the nature of gold is analogous to the nature of the Tathagatagarbha, which is also equivalent to the nature of Suchness. Gold basins, gold bowls, and gold ornaments are fashioned from gold; they all possess the nature of gold, or in other words, they are all the nature of gold. Similarly, all dharmas produced and transformed by the Tathagatagarbha possess the nature of Suchness, meaning they all possess the nature of the Tathagatagarbha.

One may know that a gold basin or bowl is made of gold, but initially, one may not know that it is made of one hundred percent pure gold, that every minute particle from the inside out is gold, all possessing the attributes of gold. After prolonged contact and continuous observation and verification of the gold basin or bowl, one gains an increasingly deeper understanding of the attributes of gold. This leads to greater certainty about the gold content and purity of the basin or bowl. Ultimately, one verifies completely that the gold basin or bowl is entirely made of pure gold, one hundred percent gold, possessing all the attributes of gold, and can be treated entirely as gold.

This process is identical to the progression after realizing the Tathagatagarbha, leading to the arising of Universal Wisdom, Particularized Wisdom, Path Wisdom, and All-Encompassing Wisdom. When one first attains enlightenment and realizes the Tathagatagarbha within the five aggregates, it is equivalent to just knowing that the gold basin or bowl is made of gold, containing a certain degree of gold nature, but not knowing the exact purity percentage of the gold. After Particularized Wisdom arises, upon careful observation and verification of the Tathagatagarbha within all dharmas, one increasingly observes the nature of the Tathagatagarbha possessed by all dharmas. After observing for a certain period, one realizes that all dharmas possess a fraction of the Suchness nature of the Tathagatagarbha. At this point, one enters the First Bhumi (Ground).

After continuing to observe and verify within all dharmas, one realizes that all dharmas perfectly and completely possess the Suchness nature of the Tathagatagarbha. One attains the full ten parts of the Suchness nature, the complete Suchness nature. Everything perceived is Suchness. At this stage, one possesses All-Encompassing Wisdom and becomes a Buddha. Regrettably, those who do not recognize gold see only the basin or bowl, not the gold. They have no choice but to remain poor vagrants, begging for survival while guarding gold—how pitiable. Similarly, ordinary beings guard the Tathagatagarbha within their bodies but fail to recognize it, acknowledging only the five-aggregate body. Thus, they have no choice but to remain within the cycle of rebirth in the six paths—even more pitiable.