Cultivation of Concentration and Chan Meditation for Realization of the Way (Part 1)

Section 3: Understanding the Theoretical Substance of the Eighth Consciousness

1. The Continuous Flowing of Consciousness Seeds Forms the Seeing of the Conscious Mind

Question: Is the eighth consciousness always seeing? The seeing of the manas is point by point—are these points the consciousness, the consciousness formed by the seeds flowing forth from the eighth consciousness?

Answer: Except in nirvāṇa without remainder, where the eighth consciousness does not see worldly dharmas, in all other circumstances the eighth consciousness sees worldly dharmas; it has the nature of seeing, and the seed of the great element of seeing is functioning at all times, so the eighth consciousness sees dharmas at all times. The manas sees in accordance with the eighth consciousness and sees in accordance with the six consciousnesses, but the dharmas seen by these three consciousnesses differ. The points you speak of are imagined by yourself; in reality they cannot be seen. The so-called points are consciousness seeds flowing forth one by one, like electrons, ceaselessly, arising and ceasing and changing moment by moment, and only then does the manas have the capacity for recognition. When the flowing of seeds ceases, the consciousness ceases along with it, and then nothing is known at all. The consciousness seeds are what the eighth consciousness flows forth.

2. The Place Where the Conscious Mind Discriminates Is the Place Where Consciousness Seeds Flow

Question: The seven transforming consciousnesses are neither inside nor outside the body. The tathāgatagarbha is formless and without marks, omnipresent, constant and unchanging, and can give rise to all dharmas. So wherever a dharma appears, consciousness discriminates there—is this the flowing of seeds?

Answer: The seven consciousnesses themselves are also formless and without marks, so one cannot say the seven consciousnesses are inside or outside the body; they have no specific location, because they are conscious minds, not material form. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra, in its first fascicle, discusses this issue. The tathāgatagarbha manifests the inner six sense-objects at the place of the six faculties within the supreme faculty (indriya), and not in other locations, because there are no other locations where it can manifest the inner six sense-objects. Therefore, within the supreme faculty, the contact of the six faculties with the six sense-objects is the crucial point. When faculties, sense-objects, and consciousnesses—the three—combine in contact, the eighteen dhātus are all complete there, and the functions of the five aggregates are also present. Wherever a dharma appears, there is the tathāgatagarbha, and there is the seventh consciousness, but not necessarily the six consciousnesses. Wherever the seven consciousnesses appear and discriminate, the tathāgatagarbha delivers consciousness seeds there to support the operation of the seven consciousnesses, enabling the five aggregates to function normally. This is the result of the flowing of consciousness seeds.

3. Correct Views Also Need to Be Verified Through Realization

Question: The tathāgatagarbha is the substance, and deluded dharmas are the function. The tathāgatagarbha pervades the entire dharma realm; deluded dharmas depend on Him to have all marks, and apart from all marks, the wondrous function of the tathāgatagarbha cannot manifest. So all deluded dharmas are also wondrous existence born of true emptiness (samyag-śūnyatā). Knowing that the tathāgatagarbha is suchness immovable (tathatā-acalita), and that marks are transformations of the tathāgatagarbha—is this correct?

Answer: This view is quite good, and the theory is not wrong, but one still needs to further investigate Chan and realize the substance, marks, and functions of the tathāgatagarbha. The essential substance of the tathāgatagarbha is formless and without marks, but all dharmas born of the tathāgatagarbha are the marks and functions of the tathāgatagarbha. The functions of the tathāgatagarbha also include the seeds of the seven great elements, karmic seeds, and the mental concomitants (caittas) of the tathāgatagarbha. When one has cultivated meditative concentration (samādhi) well, then investigate the huatou "Who is dragging this corpse around?"—when the causes and conditions are complete, one can awaken to why it is so. The tathāgatagarbha does not pervade empty space, because the tathāgatagarbha is not material form and cannot exist in empty space; if the tathāgatagarbha were in empty space, it would not be empty space. On the contrary, it is empty space that is within the tathāgatagarbha—empty space is an extremely tiny material form, the boundary-aspect of form, within the tathāgatagarbha.

4. The Relationship Between Tathāgatagarbhas Is One of Mutual Compatibility and Interaction

Question: Every person has a tathāgatagarbha. Are the tathāgatagarbhas of different people mutually compatible and overlapping?

Answer: The tathāgatagarbhas of sentient beings are mutually compatible, but they do not overlap one another. The tathāgatagarbha has no shape or marks and cannot overlap; only dharmas with shape and marks can be spoken of as overlapping or not. However, the tathāgatagarbhas of sentient beings have a close, mutually cooperative relationship, jointly generating, manifesting, and sustaining the living environment of sentient beings. The tathāgatagarbhas are interconnected with one another; the mode of connection is unique, and its scope is extremely vast. Only after attaining the wisdom of the varieties of paths can one excavate the secrets within, bit by bit.

5. There Is No Phenomenon of Tathāgatagarbhas Merging or Separating

Question: The tathāgatagarbhas of sentient beings are like many light bulbs together, their lights merging without obstructing one another. When two people shake hands, do their tathāgatagarbhas merge together, and when they do not shake hands, do their tathāgatagarbhas separate?

Answer: The most important point we must know is that the tathāgatagarbha is formless and without marks; it is not like the five-aggregate body with marks and shape, or material form, which can overlap, can touch one another, and can combine together. Tathāgatagarbhas will absolutely never merge together. The tathāgatagarbha can be likened to a lamp; the lamplight it emits—light merging with light without obstruction—has close cooperative relationships that we cannot yet know, and each can know the karmic seeds stored by the others. Hands can shake hands, but tathāgatagarbhas cannot merge.

6. The Relationship Between the World of the Five Aggregates and One's Own and Others' Tathāgatagarbhas

Question: The tathāgatagarbha is formless and without marks, so vast as to be unknowable and inexhaustible, with all dharmas of the world within it. Each person has their own world—is each person's world manifested by their own tathāgatagarbha?

Answer: The tathāgatagarbha is neither large nor small. To say He is large is to say He is small; no matter how large you say He is, it is small. To speak of large and small is to speak of shape and marks. However large, it is still small; however small, it is still large. How could a dharma that is without marks yet encompasses all marks have large or small? And this encompassing is not the kind of encompassing that material form has.

Everything in each person's world of the five aggregates is manifested by their own tathāgatagarbha and has no relation to the tathāgatagarbhas of others. But it is not entirely unrelated either. Although all the six sense-object realms each person contacts are the inner object-aspects manifested by their own tathāgatagarbha, these inner object-aspects are derived from the outer object-aspects. The outer object-aspects are jointly manifested by the tathāgatagarbhas of all sentient beings with shared karma, and are related to the tathāgatagarbha of every sentient being with shared karma. If other sentient beings commit great good or great evil, this can influence the outer object-aspects, and thereby also influence each person's inner object-aspects. Therefore, the tathāgatagarbhas of sentient beings are interconnected.

7. What Is the Use of Studying the Dharma of the Tathāgatagarbha?

Only by knowing that there is a tathāgatagarbha and realizing the tathāgatagarbha can one know the source of all dharmas, can one not grasp at dharmas, can one thoroughly know that the five aggregates are without self, can one exhaust ignorance, end birth and death, attain liberation, and escape the suffering of the cycle of birth and death. Not knowing there is a tathāgatagarbha and not realizing the tathāgatagarbha, one regards all dharmas as truly existent; thus one cannot remove craving and attachment, cannot remove ignorance, cannot thoroughly end birth and death, and cannot attain ultimate liberation. Ignorance causes sentient beings to cling, create karma, and suffer. Studying the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha can exhaust ignorance and thoroughly resolve birth and death. Realizing the tathāgatagarbha and knowing the true characteristics of the worldly and the supramundane, one can give rise to great wisdom; with this wisdom, one accomplishes the Buddha-way and is forever free of birth and death.

8. Only After Realizing the Eighth Consciousness Can One's Own Mind Be Changed and Transformed

Question: Only after personally realizing the eighth consciousness can one gradually come to fully know the nature of the eighth consciousness, and can the mental activities truly be transformed?

Answer: After personally realizing the eighth consciousness, one can observe His operation directly, and the pure substance-nature He displays in that operation. In this way, one gradually comes to clearly know the pure, unconditioned nature of the eighth consciousness, gains a model and a refuge for one's practice, and can then gradually undergo the transformation of the basis (āśraya-parāvṛtti) into His pure, unconditioned nature, thereby becoming endowed with noble nature. At the same time, one increasingly and ever more deeply observes the illusory, unreal nature of one's own five-aggregate body and all dharmas, and the afflictions and clinging within the mind gradually lessen, so the mental activities are gradually transformed.

Without realizing the eighth consciousness, one cannot observe the operation of the eighth consciousness, cannot directly observe His pure, unconditioned nature, and the mind has no refuge, so the mental activities cannot be transformed. Not knowing where the eighth consciousness is and not recognizing Him, one cannot directly observe and discern Him; therefore, realization is extremely crucial. Only by realizing the true mind and taking refuge in the true mind can the deluded mind gradually become pure and gradually be subdued; only after being subdued can the mind attain freedom. Having realized the true mind and knowing that all dharmas of the five-aggregate world are false appearances manifested by the true mind, one no longer creates evil karma for the sake of the five aggregates, no longer creates karma of greed, anger, and delusion for the sake of the five aggregates. When ignorance is destroyed, one knows what is true and what is false, and from then on no longer takes the false as true; the afflictions can then be subdued.