The Fish and Water Metaphor for the True and the False

If the fish is taken as a metaphor for delusive dharmas, and the water as a metaphor for the wondrous luminous true mind, then the fish cannot leave the water, just as delusive dharmas cannot leave the true dharma. When the fish moves, the water moves; when the water stirs up waves, the fish moves. When the fish does not move, the water does not move, and the waves are calm. When the manas moves, the tathāgatagarbha moves and manifests realms; when the manas does not move, the tathāgatagarbha does not move—nirvāṇa is tranquility.