Can We Control Tathāgatagarbha?

If we could directly control the tathāgatagarbha, making it help us lose weight and gain weight, beautify ourselves, and alter the constitution of our rūpakāya (form body) to become healthier and more majestic, then we would need the wisdom of knowing the way (bodhisattvajñāna). We would have to thoroughly understand the principle of how the tathāgatagarbha operates to cause weight gain and weight loss; this wisdom would be very profound and sharp. If we possessed such wisdom, wouldn't it be wonderful if in the next life we could have the tathāgatagarbha produce for us a rūpakāya that is neither too tall nor too short, neither too fat nor too thin – a majestic form body?

Actually, you do not need to understand the principle of how the tathāgatagarbha operates all dharmas, nor do you need to try to control the tathāgatagarbha. It is sufficient to be able to control your sixth and seventh consciousnesses (the mental faculty of discernment and the defiled mental consciousness), especially by controlling the manas (the defiled mental consciousness) well. Then, all dharmas, including the rūpakāya, will follow our wishes as we desire. We need not tell the tathāgatagarbha anything; there is nothing it does not know. It is not something anyone can dominate or control. As long as we plant the seeds of wholesome karma, it will naturally manifest the fruition of those wholesome karmic seeds, fulfilling our wishes.