Suchness of Phenomena: The Fundamental State Remains Whether Observed or Unobserved

Some say that the state of matter differs depending on whether it is observed or not. But if matter is not being observed, how can we know its state when unobserved? As long as we know the state of matter, it means matter is being observed; without observation, we cannot know its state. For example, is there any difference in a wall when someone is looking at it versus when no one is? If ten people look at the wall versus one person, is there any difference in the wall? Is there any difference between the house before we leave and after we leave? Of course, a material phenomenon (rūpa-dharma), whether observed or unobserved, is constantly arising and ceasing moment by moment. The difference lies in whether we have the concentration and wisdom to perceive these changes.

The material phenomena (rūpa-dharma) of the universe, the vessel world, are produced by the tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature) of sentient beings with collective karma, based on their shared karmic seeds. When all sentient beings disappear, the karmic seeds also cease, the karmic conditions end, and the material phenomena will gradually vanish, which requires a certain amount of time. If one knows that a material phenomenon has changed and knows its state after the change, this knowing of the result is the self-witnessing portion (svasaṃvitti). Where there is a self-witnessing portion, there must be an objective aspect (nimitta), and there must be a subjective aspect (dṛṣṭi). Where there is a subjective aspect, observation must have occurred. Without observation, there is no self-witnessing portion as the result of observation, and thus nothing is known.

If a person is locked in a sealed, unobserved space with no one to observe them, can their body turn into a wave? You can experiment: go to an uninhabited mountain where no one observes you, and then personally experience whether your body turns into a wave. If this were the case, who would dare to leave a child alone at home? Science and experiments are not necessarily truly scientific; perhaps there are many phenomena that science cannot explain accurately and truthfully, or perhaps the explanations are wrong. Anything inconsistent with the Buddha Dharma, anything that cannot be explained by the Buddha Dharma, must contain errors or omissions. No matter what methods or instruments scientists use for experiments, they ultimately rely on their eyes to identify the results. This identification operates through the collaboration of eye-consciousness, mind-consciousness, the mental faculty (manas), and the eighth consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna). Therefore, knowing a result necessarily means observation has occurred; there is no such thing as the unobserved.

All material phenomena (rūpa-dharma) inherently lack obstructive function, as proven by those with the psychic power of unimpeded movement (ṛddhi). Why then are those without this power obstructed by material phenomena? It is due to the mistaken interpretation by mind-consciousness and the mental faculty (manas), which regard all phenomena as real. The mind becomes obstructed and unpassable, and thus matter acquires obstructive function. If the mind is free from obstruction and impediment, the body can immediately transcend walls, high mountains, deep seas, or even Mount Sumeru. Two bodies can completely coincide without any sensation of compression. This is because matter is inherently in a particulate state and also a wave state; it is fundamentally so. Hence, matter possesses energy and momentum.

The material body is formed by the solidified delusions of the mental faculty (manas). The delusions of the mental faculty are all solidified and difficult to change. Therefore, all phenomena become obstructive and impassable, leading to various dissatisfactions and frustrations in the mind. By transforming the mind, one can transform all phenomena.