The Object-Aspect of Tathāgatagarbha

When the sense object realm appears, that is the object-aspect (nimitta). Any dharma, apart from the tathāgatagarbha itself, is an object-aspect of the tathāgatagarbha and can be discerned by the tathāgatagarbha. Only afterward is it discerned by the manas, and only after that is it discerned by the six consciousnesses. However, the tathāgatagarbha also possesses self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana) and can also discern and introspect upon its own functioning, which is likewise its own object-aspect. The object-aspects of the sense object realms discerned by the eighth consciousness, the seventh consciousness, and the sixth consciousness become increasingly false and increasingly unreal.

All dharmas are object-aspects of the tathāgatagarbha, including the seven consciousness-minds and the mental factors (caittas). The tathāgatagarbha is also an object-aspect discerned by the manas and the mind consciousness, including the mental factors of the tathāgatagarbha. Seeds are object-aspects of the tathāgatagarbha; after attaining buddhahood, perhaps they are also object-aspects of the seven consciousnesses.