Name-and-Form Conditions Consciousness; Consciousness Conditions Name-and-Form

The organizational structure of the physical body of every sentient being is so intricate, the nervous system so refined, and its functions and operations even more subtle. The tathāgatagarbha is truly a master craftsman—what kind of design blueprint does He use? Who designed it for Him? How does He construct the physical body according to the blueprint? It is truly marvelous beyond words!

Why is there the birth of a five-aggregate body? What was the initial cause for the existence of the world and the five-aggregate body? The Śūraṅgama Sūtra mentions a key point: the manas wanted to discern something, and so it reached outward to seek, and only then did the undifferentiated world come into being. Before that, there was only the tathāgatagarbha and the manas, dim and obscure. The birth of the five-aggregate body can only be traced back to the tathāgatagarbha, leading to the conclusion: name-and-form is conditioned by consciousness (the eighth consciousness), and consciousness (the eighth consciousness) conditions name-and-form.