What Dharma Do the Sense Organs, Body, and Material World Belong To?

The root body and the realm of utensils both refer to the material phenomena transformed by the Tathāgatagarbha using the five great seeds, providing the material forms necessary for sentient beings' existence. They share common material attributes and are constantly arising, ceasing, and changing. Among them, the root body is the individual karma of sentient beings, while the realm of utensils is their collective karma. The roots include the eye root, ear root, nose root, tongue root, and body root. The body refers to the entire physical form, encompassing all five roots. The utensils refer to the universe, the realm of the world, including the Three Realms: the desire realm, form realm, and formless realm. This encompasses the palaces of various heavenly realms, various mountains, rivers, lands, trees, treasures, as well as diverse living environments and utensils necessary for survival. The realm denotes the boundaries between different material utensils; the desire realm has boundaries with the form realm, and with the formless realm, each of the Three Realms possesses its own distinctions and boundaries.

Since the root body and realm of utensils are material phenomena, the five great seeds operate within them. Therefore, they all possess energy and are energy fields. Forms, sounds, scents, tastes, and tactile sensations all contain energy, significantly impacting the body and mind of sentient beings. The universe contains various sounds, so-called celestial music, yet sentient beings do not understand their origin. This is because the universe contains various material phenomena; the movement and collision of these phenomena generate energy fluctuations, thereby forming sounds. The void in the universe is vast, boundless, and limitless. Sounds drift through the air without obstruction, appearing exceptionally spacious, distant, resonant, and awe-inspiring. Sentient beings hearing them may feel tranquility and yearn for them, or they may feel fear and panic, seeking to avoid them.

Why do sounds emerge in the void? This is because the void is not empty; it contains numerous particles in immense quantities. The movement and mutual collision of these particles generate sound. These particles are composed of the five great seeds: earth, water, fire, wind, and space. The vibration of each great seed can release energy. When combined, they generate even more energy, and energy can transform between them, creating new forms of energy. Precisely because of this, humans utilize water energy and wind energy, converting them into electrical energy for power generation, lighting, and use in production and daily life.

Visual objects and sounds are forms of energy; scents are also a form of energy. Some fragrances have an invigorating and refreshing effect, while others inhibit brain nerve cells, causing unconsciousness or poisoning. The same applies to tastes, and even more so to tactile sensations. Thus, all six sense objects (forms, sounds, scents, tastes, tactile sensations, and mental objects) possess energy. The universe, the realm of utensils, contains various energies corresponding to forms, sounds, scents, tastes, tactile sensations, and mental objects.