What Does "The True Mind Is Neither Lost Nor Attained" Mean?

The True Mind cannot be attained, nor can it be lost. What does "neither lost nor attained" mean? It means neither arising nor ceasing. Without arising, there is nothing to attain, for it is originally present; without ceasing, there is no need for arising, and thus nothing to attain. The True Mind itself is unconditioned dharmas, requiring no attainment. The unconditioned dharmas cultivated through practice still have a time of cessation, being subject to arising and ceasing. The true suchness unconditioned neither arises nor ceases, accompanying the Tathagatagarbha like a shadow following a form. The Tathagatagarbha is formless and without characteristics, mutually containing one another. This mutual containment has no form of containment; it merely means non-rejection, mutual cooperation, and jointly accomplishing all dharmas. The Tathagatagarbha of the Buddha and that of sentient beings are likewise the same, mutually cooperating. Therefore, the Tathagatagarbha of sentient beings need not merge into the Tathagatagarbha of the Buddha. The Tathagatagarbha is not material form; it has neither inside nor outside and cannot enter into one another. Only material form can mutually merge and enter.