The Tathāgatagarbha Still Possesses Mental Factors (Caittas) in Nirvāṇa Without Remainder

Even in nirvāṇa without remainder, the tathāgatagarbha must constantly discern karmic seeds. If the tathāgatagarbha lacked wisdom and could not exercise determination (adhimokṣa), it would not know what the karmic seeds are or whether they have ripened; then an arhat could never emerge from nirvāṇa and would have no manas and no body of the five aggregates. In nirvāṇa without remainder, if the tathāgatagarbha lacked meditative concentration (samādhi), the mind of the tathāgatagarbha would be distracted. From what would the tathāgatagarbha become distracted? The Śūraṅgama-samādhi that the Buddha spoke of in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra refers precisely to the samādhi of the tathāgatagarbha, which neither exits nor enters. Since this is so, the tathāgatagarbha never leaves samādhi—how could it be distracted and lack meditative concentration? The wisdom of the tathāgatagarbha neither increases nor decreases; it forever possesses the great wisdom of prajñā, able to discern all dharmas, create all dharmas, and uphold all dharmas. In nirvāṇa without remainder, there are still dharmas that the tathāgatagarbha faces, so the mental factors (caittas) of the tathāgatagarbha still exist.