The Simile of the Magician

A magician manifests countless celestial flowers in the air, brilliantly colored, and also manifests celestial cats and celestial dogs. The question arises: Does this magician truly exist? Or is he merely a provisional designation, a false persona without any real existence? If one claims the magician is truly existent while the Tathāgatagarbha is not truly existent, then how did all phenomena arise? Are they not manifested precisely by the magician-like Tathāgatagarbha? It is impossible for the Tathāgatagarbha, which is not truly existent, to manifest all dharmas. This is like claiming a person does not exist, yet that same person is eating—it defies logic. It is like claiming a storehouse does not exist, yet it holds immeasurable things—this too defies logic.

The meaning of the character "实" (shí) in "实体" (substantial reality) signifies true existence; it is being, not emptiness or falsehood. It is fundamentally distinct from the tangible reality that has form and appearance, that can be seen and touched. The tangible "实" (reality) that can be seen and touched is false reality; it is not truly existent. It is an illusory, false appearance, conjured by the real mind of Suchness (实相心), which itself is unseen and untouched. The "实" (reality) of the real mind, the Tathāgatagarbha, is unseen, untouched, and without any appearance. Yet, the mind-essence exists without falsity; it possesses true function and true existence. Within the mundane and supramundane, this alone is real; everything else is illusory.

In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the Bhagavān's statement "犹非真非真" (yóu fēi zhēn fēi zhēn) means that the sentient beings' ālaya-vijñāna (storehouse consciousness) is still not the true self; it is not yet completely real. This is because within the mind-essence, it still contains the seeds of arising and ceasing created by the seven evolving consciousnesses. These seeds still possess the nature of arising and ceasing; it is not yet the self characterized by eternity, bliss, true self, and purity (常乐我净), nor is it completely constant and unchanging. Only upon attaining Buddhahood does the amala-vijñāna (immaculate consciousness) become the true self, the complete and perfect reality, no longer subject to the arising, ceasing, and transformation of seeds, thus becoming the state of eternity, bliss, true self, and purity.