The Fundamental Cause of the Arising of the World of the Five Aggregates

The physical body of each sentient being has such an intricate organizational structure, the nervous system is so refined, and its functions are even more subtle. The tathāgatagarbha is truly a master craftsman—what kind of design blueprint does He use? Who designed it for Him? How does the tathāgatagarbha construct the physical body according to the blueprint? This is truly marvelous beyond words!

Why is there the birth of a five-aggregate body? What was the initial cause of the world and the five-aggregate body? The Śūraṅgama Sūtra mentions a key point: the manas was not content with the status quo and wanted to discern something, so it sought outward, and the tathāgatagarbha cooperated—only then did the chaotic world come into being, and subsequently the five-aggregate body was born. Before this, there were only the tathāgatagarbha and the manas, in a state of dim obscurity. Therefore, the birth of the five-aggregate body can only be traced back to the tathāgatagarbha, leading to the conclusion: name-and-form is conditioned by consciousness (the tathāgatagarbha), and consciousness (the tathāgatagarbha) conditions name-and-form.