What Exactly Are Conditioned Dharmas?

All conditioned dharmas are false appearances illusorily manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. In order to communicate and express themselves fully, humans have established corresponding names for these dharma-marks. Even without names, discrimination is still possible; it is only that without names, it would be inconvenient for sentient beings to communicate verbally, and they could not make clear to one another what each is referring to. Animals never establish names and marks for conditioned dharmas, yet they discriminate all the same; however, they are unable to communicate with one another—understanding can only be conveyed tacitly, not through words.

Through studying the Dharma and cultivating practice, by engaging in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and deliberation (manasikāra/manana) in accordance with reality upon the marks and names, one will attain wisdom that accords with reality, discriminating and clearly knowing the true substance and meaning of marks and names, deeply understanding that conditioned dharmas are illusory and unreal. The mind will no longer be moved and turned by conditioned dharmas, but will instead be immovable in suchness (tathatā-acalita), just like true suchness. In this way, the mind of the seven consciousnesses will draw closer and closer to true suchness, becoming more and more like true suchness, until in the end the mind becomes as pure as true suchness, and the cultivation of the path is complete.

The trichiliocosm (three-thousandfold great world system) manifested by all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is a conditioned dharma. What exactly is it, or is it nothing at all? These conditioned dharmas are all generated from the formless and markless seeds within the tathāgatagarbha; they are empty and illusorily manifested, with no substantive dharma existing, and therefore one cannot say what these conditioned dharmas are. But neither can one say that these conditioned dharmas are nothing at all, because these conditioned dharmas still exist in terms of their marks, possessing their corresponding illusory functions on the level of worldly dharma. Although these functions are also illusorily manifested, and in reality they are all functions of the tathāgatagarbha, these functions do indeed have their effects—this is precisely why they are called conditioned dharmas; otherwise, they would be unconditioned dharmas.

Conditioned dharmas are called conditioned dharmas precisely because they possess dharma-marks and functions within the worldly realm. Thus these conditioned dharma-marks are given names such as "such-and-such," for the convenience of discriminating and grasping (upādāna) them. A person of wisdom clearly understands the true face of these conditioned dharmas; although he still needs to make use of these conditioned dharmas, he uses them without the slightest obstruction or discord, with an inwardly calm and at ease mind, without greed or anger, and without partial attachment. Everything he does violates neither the ultimate truth nor the conventional truth, and with great wisdom he takes up the Bodhisattva's work of benefiting sentient beings.