How to Contemplate That All Dharmas Are the Nature of Tathāgatagarbha

In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the World-Honored One repeatedly explains that the five aggregates and the eighteen realms are all of the nature of the tathāgatagarbha—they are neither of a spontaneous nature nor of a nature arising from causes and conditions. That they are not of a spontaneous nature and not of a nature arising from causes and conditions can be understood with a good deal of reflection, but the nature of the tathāgatagarbha is extremely hard to comprehend. Even after realizing the tathāgatagarbha, it is difficult to observe, and understanding it is by no means easy.

The formless and unmarked seeds of the four great elements compose the tiniest of particles; these particles then gather together to form slightly larger particles, and then the seeds of the four great elements continually compose particles, and the particles continually aggregate, ultimately forming material form that is visible to the naked eye. From nothing to something—from empty, formless seeds to tangible, tiniest particles—this process of creating something out of nothing is itself utterly miraculous, like magic. That is why it is said that the tathāgatagarbha is a magician.

It is said that the tathāgatagarbha outputs the seeds of the four great elements, but in reality the seeds of the four great elements do not go outside the tathāgatagarbha; the particles they compose do not go outside the tathāgatagarbha; nor does the material form they form go outside the tathāgatagarbha. The physical body arises and ceases within the tathāgatagarbha, never going outside of it. Since the tathāgatagarbha is formless and without marks, how could the physical body possibly have form and marks? So what state is the physical body actually in? If material form were said to arise, it would necessarily have to separate from the tathāgatagarbha and go outside of it, having an independent form and appearance. The seeds of the four great elements would be able to go outside the tathāgatagarbha, and upon ceasing, the seeds would return into the tathāgatagarbha. But the seeds of the four great elements are formless—how could they transform into tangible matter? How is the transition between existence and nonexistence accomplished? Outside the tathāgatagarbha, how would matter exist and change? Who would serve as its support?

The formless, unmarked seeds of the four great elements compose particles; the particles gather and compose larger particles; the seeds of the four great elements continually compose particles, and the particles continually aggregate, until finally the physical body appears—having form and marks, yet unborn, never going outside the tathāgatagarbha. Since the seeds of the four great elements have not gone outside the tathāgatagarbha, the physical body cannot go outside the tathāgatagarbha either. If the seeds of the four great elements left the tathāgatagarbha to form particles, then after leaving the tathāgatagarbha, how would they have functions and effects, and who would give these to them? How would the seeds operate after leaving the tathāgatagarbha? How would they transform the formless into the tangible? If the physical body went outside the tathāgatagarbha, how would it exist and change? Who would support it? At death, when the four great elements separate and the seeds return into the tathāgatagarbha, how do they return? If the seeds never went outside the tathāgatagarbha in the first place, then there is no question of returning into it. It turns out that the tathāgatagarbha is simply playing by itself, putting on a show for itself, performing magic for its own amusement.

Seeds of consciousness are generated and form the conscious mind; since the seeds of consciousness do not go outside the tathāgatagarbha, the conscious mind does not go outside the tathāgatagarbha. Apart from the tathāgatagarbha there are no seeds; apart from the tathāgatagarbha there is also no conscious mind, no mental factors of the conscious mind, no feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness. If feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness operate within the tathāgatagarbha, arising and ceasing, arising and ceasing in disorder, then form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are all affairs within the tathāgatagarbha's own household. The illusions have not been conjured outside the house; they are the tathāgatagarbha's private enjoyment, its own self-entertainment.

No dharma whatsoever has gone outside the tathāgatagarbha, and therefore there is no arising; nor does anything return into the tathāgatagarbha, and therefore there is no ceasing. There are no phenomena in the world at all, no world either; there is nothing, nothing exists at all—so one might as well sleep all day long. But who is it that sleeps all day? The rules and principles within the tathāgatagarbha are so mysterious that without figuring them out, one probably cannot sleep well anyway.