Does Matter Truly Have Weight?

Facing an object countless times heavier than one's own body weight, if in a moment of extreme urgency, one forgets the weight of the object or has no time to consider it, focusing solely on rescuing the person trapped beneath, one can instantly push the object away. After rescuing the person, upon realizing what an incredibly heavy object one had just moved, one is startled. At that moment, no matter how hard one tries to push the object again, it cannot be budged even slightly. Why is this so?

In the urgency of the moment, the conscious mind (mano-vijñāna) loses its deliberative power and does not inform the mental faculty (manas) that the object is extremely heavy. The mental faculty does not consider the weight of the object; it only intends to push the object aside to save the person, and as a result, the mental faculty achieves its goal. Afterwards, when the conscious mind perceives the object, it is astonished, recognizes its weight, and informs the mental faculty. Upon learning this, the mental faculty knows that it is utterly impossible to push aside such a heavy object by its own strength alone. Consequently, the Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature) ceases to assist the mental faculty.

All phenomena are created by the mind alone—created solely by the Tathāgatagarbha, created solely by the mental faculty, and created solely by the conscious mind. As long as the conscious mind and mental faculty intend to create any phenomenon, the Tathāgatagarbha will provide the raw materials and produce the outcome. The prerequisite is that it must accord with karma. Without meditative concentration (dhyāna), the conscious mind scatters wildly and gives misguided commands, causing the mental faculty to encounter obstruction upon hearing them. In meditative concentration, the power of the conscious mind is weak, and the mental faculty can do whatever it intends, leading to success. How foolish are those who only grasp at the conscious mind! Those who revolve around the conscious mind, not knowing to focus on the master, the main trunk, the essential point, the fundamental root—how shallow is their wisdom! During hypnosis, by controlling the conscious mind and preventing it from giving misguided commands, one can utilize the mental faculty to uncover many secrets. Changing the mental faculty becomes easy; returning to the past or going to the future presents no problem.

No matter how heavy a material object is, even if it is as large as Mount Sumeru or as heavy as Mount Sumeru, it is still composed of the four great elements (mahābhūta). The four great elements themselves have no weight; therefore, the material form (rūpa) composed of them should also be weightless. Sentient beings, obscured by ignorance (avidyā), do not understand this principle. Due to the force of karma, they perceive the weight of material forms. Those with profound meditative concentration have subdued ignorance and opened the power of their mind. Only then are they not constrained by matter or its perceived weight. They can freely handle matter—lifting it high, pulverizing it, reassembling it, passing through it, and so forth. They can also manifest matter at will, manipulate the four great elements, and master material forms.