Suchness Not Retaining Own-Nature Is Not Suchness Lacking Own-Nature

The phrase "Suchness does not guard its intrinsic nature" means that the eighth consciousness, Tathāgatagarbha, does not abide in its fundamental state of utter emptiness but instead emits seeds from within the mind-body, thereby giving rise to the phenomenal existence of all dharmas in the three realms. Here, "Suchness" refers to the substance of the eighth consciousness itself. The substance of the eighth consciousness inherently possesses its own intrinsic nature, distinct from the nature of all mundane dharmas. If Suchness, the eighth consciousness Tathāgatagarbha, lacked intrinsic nature, it would not be autonomous but would instead be a conditioned dharma. Any conditioned dharma lacks autonomy; absence of intrinsic nature implies absence of autonomy, meaning it has no independent substance. Yet Suchness, the eighth consciousness Tathāgatagarbha, eternally possesses its unique intrinsic nature, eternally immutable, and thus embodies supreme autonomy.

Nirvana has no intrinsic nature because nirvana is a purified state of the eighth consciousness, a state of solitary existence. A state has no intrinsic substance; it is a manifested dharma used to illuminate the eighth consciousness. If "Suchness" does not refer to the substance of the eighth consciousness but rather to its authentic, unchanging nature—a quality—then this Suchness has no intrinsic substance; it is without intrinsic nature.

Since it is said that "Suchness does not guard its intrinsic nature," this indicates that Suchness, the eighth consciousness, possesses intrinsic nature—namely, emptiness. The eighth consciousness contains seeds and thus has non-emptiness, enabling it to manifest all dharmas according to conditions. Yet even while manifesting all dharmas, it remains fundamentally empty in nature; it is not characterized by existence, nor is it identical to the dharmas themselves. Precisely because Suchness, the eighth consciousness, possesses the intrinsic nature of emptiness, it can accomplish all dharmas. If Suchness, the eighth consciousness, lacked this intrinsic nature of emptiness, it could not accomplish all dharmas; it would remain solely itself.

No matter how many dharmas the eighth consciousness, Suchness, manifests, it always retains its original nature. Just as gold does not remain in its inherent state but transforms into the shapes of gold ornaments, no matter how many ornaments are crafted from it, gold always retains the attributes of gold, its essential substance. Precisely because Suchness has intrinsic nature, it is said to "not guard" it—yet this "not guarding" still implies existence. Suchness is originally utterly empty, possessing nothing, yet it gives birth to all dharmas according to conditions. While giving birth to all dharmas, it still maintains its original nature. The eighth consciousness does not lose the attributes of its substance by giving rise to all dharmas. The attributes of the eighth consciousness's substance never change; otherwise, the eighth consciousness would not be an immutable dharma.

The principle that "the eighth consciousness accords with conditions yet remains unchanged, and remains unchanged while according with conditions" illustrates that the eighth consciousness is eternally immutable, possesses intrinsic nature, and this nature never alters. The three intrinsic natures—the imagined nature of the seventh consciousness, the dependent nature of the first six consciousnesses, and the perfected nature of the eighth consciousness—are all without intrinsic nature; they exist solely by relying on the substance of the eighth consciousness.