The Tathāgatagarbha Still Possesses Mental Factors in Nirvāṇa without Remainder

Even in nirvāṇa without remainder, the tathāgatagarbha must constantly discern karmic seeds. If the tathāgatagarbha lacked wisdom and could not form determinations (adhimokṣa), it would not know what the karmic seeds are or whether they have matured; then an arhat could never emerge from nirvāṇa and would still have the manas and a body of the five aggregates. In nirvāṇa without remainder, if the tathāgatagarbha lacked meditative concentration (samādhi), then the mind of the tathāgatagarbha would be scattered and distracted. But from what would the tathāgatagarbha become scattered? The Śūraṅgama Samādhi spoken of by the Buddha in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra refers precisely to the samādhi of the tathāgatagarbha, which neither exits nor enters. Since that is so, the tathāgatagarbha never exits samādhi—how could it be scattered and lacking meditative concentration? The wisdom of the tathāgatagarbha neither increases nor decreases; it forever possesses the great prajñā wisdom, 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 concomitants (caittas) of the tathāgatagarbha still exist.