Equality in the Buddha-Dharma

Equality in the Buddhadharma means that the nature of the tathāgatagarbha—the true suchness mind—of every living being is equal. The nature of the true suchness tathāgatagarbha of every sentient being is identical, without difference, without high or low, large or small, superior or inferior, strong or weak, and it is also equal and without difference from the true suchness mind of all the Buddhas of the ten directions. Its nature is pure, its self-substance undefiled, untainted by the six sense objects, and it can equally manifest all dharmas, without discriminating among marks of wholesome and unwholesome, true and false, good and bad, beautiful and ugly, male and female, and so on. Although the nature of true suchness is equal, this does not prevent the manifestations it produces from being unequal, because sentient beings' karmic conditions differ and their karmic seeds differ, so their appearances differ. If appearances also had to be equal, that would itself be unequal, violating the law of cause and effect. The true suchness mind-substance, with its mind of equality, manifests unequal illusory appearances in accordance with conditions—this is equality upon equality, true equality, equality without exception. All unequal appearances are the equal principle-substance of true suchness, equal and without difference, one body without duality.