Does the Tathāgatagarbha undergo rebirth into the six realms?

Answer: First, although the mind of the tathāgatagarbha is empty, it cannot be called "emptiness" (śūnyatā); rather, it should be called the mind of emptiness-nature. This is because the tathāgatagarbha is the substance of the mind, not a representation of the substance's nature. The nature is subordinate to the mind-substance and is used to describe the substance; it is not an entity—only in dependence on the mind can the mind's nature exist.

Second, emptiness (śūnyatā) is the nature of the principle-substance, not an entity; therefore it cannot contain seeds. It is the mind-substance that contains defiled or pure karmic seeds.

Third, whether it is emptiness (śūnyatā) or the mind-substance, neither can contain defiled seeds of the seven consciousnesses, because the seeds of the seven consciousnesses are seeds of consciousness, inherently pure—they are the pure tathāgatagarbha nature and will never be defiled. It should be said that the mind-substance of the tathāgatagarbha contains the defiled seeds of the karma created by the seven consciousnesses.

Fourth, the tathāgatagarbha cannot take birth. Although the tathāgatagarbha contains the defiled karmic seeds of the seven consciousnesses, it is the seventh consciousness that follows karma to take birth. The tathāgatagarbha merely follows the seventh consciousness and the karmic seeds to manifest the realms of the six paths and the body of the five aggregates (pañcaskandha), and only then do the seven consciousnesses go on to take birth. When the seventh consciousness takes birth, it is the tathāgatagarbha that determines the seventh consciousness to take birth; without the tathāgatagarbha's cooperation in outputting the karmic seeds and the seven intrinsically existing great seeds, the seventh consciousness would be unable to take birth. Therefore, one cannot say that the tathāgatagarbha transmigrates and takes birth in the heavens, on earth, and in the human world; rather, it should be said that the seventh consciousness continuously transmigrates and takes birth in the heavens, on earth, and in the human world.

Fifth, since the tathāgatagarbha does not take birth, He does not transmigrate through the six paths. The realms of the six paths are illusory appearances manifested within the mind-substance of the tathāgatagarbha; the tathāgatagarbha does not go into the six paths—rather, the six paths continuously manifest within the tathāgatagarbha. The nature of the tathāgatagarbha is neither coming nor going, suchness is immovable; all dharmas and marks arise and cease within the tathāgatagarbha, and all are manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. Even empty space is merely an insignificant false appearance within the tathāgatagarbha, let alone the realms of the six paths. Therefore it is said that the tathāgatagarbha does not take birth and does not transmigrate.