Which Changes First: The Internal or External Aspects Following the Operation of the Six Consciousnesses?

There is a saying: Afflictions are precisely bodhi. Afflictions refer, on one hand, to greed, hatred, delusion, killing, arson, and other unwholesome dharmas, and on the other hand, to daily trivialities like eating, drinking, defecating, and urinating. Bodhi refers to the Tathāgatagarbha. All dharmas are manifested and sustained by the Tathāgatagarbha, and so are external appearances. Therefore, the arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing of external appearances are all accomplished by the Tathāgatagarbha, and internal appearances are certainly also manifested and sustained by the Tathāgatagarbha. All changes in mountains, rivers, and the great earth are the doing of the eighth consciousness, the Tathāgatagarbha. The arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing of all dharmas are the doing of the eighth consciousness, the Tathāgatagarbha.

The six consciousnesses can never directly alter external appearances because they contain no seeds and do not correspond to external appearances. Moreover, the six consciousnesses are dharmas that arise later; there must first be internal appearances before the six consciousnesses can arise. Therefore, it is impossible for the six consciousnesses to directly change external appearances. The Tathāgatagarbha contains the seeds of the four great elements and the six great elements; thus, all dharmas are determined by the Tathāgatagarbha. Consequently, the direction for investigating these matters is already quite clear. Since the six consciousnesses can only contact internal appearances and cannot contact external appearances, how can the actions and karmic formations of the six consciousnesses still involve changes to external appearances? This is where the great secret lies.

When I pick up a book from a table with my hand, the hand can only contact the internal appearance of the book; what is picked up is the internal appearance of the book. Yet, the external appearance of the book is no longer on the table; others cannot see it or pick it up. What exactly is the relationship between internal and external appearances? Do internal appearances come first, or external appearances? Certainly, external appearances come first. Do external appearances change first, or internal appearances? Certainly, external appearances change first. Where do internal appearances come from? Certainly, the eighth consciousness, the Tathāgatagarbha, manifests them based on the external appearances. Therefore, any change in dharmas must first occur in the external appearance. Then, the changed external appearance is transmitted through the physical sense faculties to the subtle sense faculties, forming the internal appearance.

However, since my hand cannot contact the external appearance of the book, how can it cause the external appearance of the book to change first, thereby causing the internal appearance of the book to change? For another example, when the six consciousnesses create the karma of killing a person, they can only contact the internal appearance of the person, not the external appearance. So how do the six consciousnesses cause the external appearance of the person to cease? Moreover, the external appearance of the person must cease or be destroyed first, and only then can the internal appearance of the person subsequently cease or be destroyed. Because internal appearances originate from and are manifested based on external appearances, it is certain that external appearances change first, and then internal appearances follow suit. This great secret is left for those with affinity to investigate carefully; no more words can be devoted to it here.