The Classification of Worldly Dharmas

Mental factors (caittas), as the name suggests, are dharmas that belong to the mind. Emotions, attitudes, opinions, suggestions, anxiety, agitation, jealousy, sadness, and so on—all of these are dharmas that arise on the mind, dharmas that belong to the mind, and therefore are all called mental factors. Dharmas that arise on the body, dharmas that belong to the body, are, as the name suggests, called dharmas belonging to the body. Dharmas belonging to the material body—for example, falling ill, changes in body weight, the occurrence of all kinds of mishaps, things being produced, or things being reduced, and so on—all the arising, ceasing, and changes that occur on the body are dharmas belonging to the body. The material body is divided into the internal body and the external body: the internal body is the physical body, and the external body is the six sense objects of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma; taken together, they all constitute the body of the five aggregates. The physical body is material form, and the dharmas that arise on the body are also material form, so whatever belongs to material form is also material form. All dharmas that belong to the body are also dharmas that belong to the mind—which mind does this refer to?

All worldly dharmas are divided into material form and mind, as well as what is neither material form nor mind; their ownership is divided into dharmas belonging to the mind and dharmas belonging to the body, as well as dharmas belonging to neither body nor mind. All these dharmas are subsumed under the ownership of the tathāgatagarbha. Once all dharmas are returned to the tathāgatagarbha, there is nothing left at all—so what are we still craving and clinging to now? It is all empty, all false appearance. Unfortunately, the habit of craving and clinging is too deeply rooted and too hard to transform. The fundamental reason is that the true reality of the dharmadhātu has not been understood, has not been seen clearly. This matter takes three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas to be thoroughly clarified, and at that point, the practice of the path is also complete.