To Which Dharma Does Time Belong?

Time is not a real dharma composed of the four great elements, nor is it directly produced by the tathāgatagarbha; it is a false appearance that manifests after the tathāgatagarbha gives rise to material form. It is not an external sense-object, and the tathāgatagarbha cannot take it as an object. Only after the eye consciousness and mind consciousness have been generated can time be judged and discerned on the basis of material form. When there is no eye consciousness or mind consciousness—for example, during sleep—the manas can still judge time, also discerning and judging on the basis of the material form produced by the tathāgatagarbha. Therefore, there is no such dharma as time existing independently, nor is it divided into outer representation and inner representation. The manas can also discern dharmas that belong neither to the outer representation nor to the inner representation.