How to Set Aside Illusory Appearances and Follow the Vine to Find the Melon: Grasping the Tathāgatagarbha

In the operation of all dharmas, the seventh consciousness and the tathāgatagarbha always function in conjunction; the two depend on each other, and neither can be dispensed with. It is impossible for a dharma to involve only the operation of the tathāgatagarbha without the manas, and it is also impossible for a dharma to involve only the operation of the manas without the operation of the tathāgatagarbha. Therefore, as long as one realizes the manas, one can follow the vine to find the melon and seize the tathāgatagarbha—that is not difficult. When the seventh consciousness decides to abandon the life faculty, the tathāgatagarbha absolutely cannot override it regarding the life faculty, and the sentient being will certainly die. Both sentient beings and insentient things are sustained and held by the tathāgatagarbha; this depends on which kind of existent dharma it is. On insentient things, the tathāgatagarbha and the seventh consciousness cannot personally and singly sustain them; rather, it is the tathāgatagarbhas of all sentient beings that sustain them together.

In fact, realizing the tathāgatagarbha is still quite easy. Knowing that every dharma involves the operation of the tathāgatagarbha, that in all kinds of life activities it is the tathāgatagarbha that maintains them, that the running of the seven consciousnesses is the result of the tathāgatagarbha's protection and support, and that the appearance of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas is the result of the tathāgatagarbha's manifestation—there is no dharma that appears without the credit of the tathāgatagarbha; all endeavors are accomplished by the tathāgatagarbha. As long as one can set aside the illusory appearances and refuse to acknowledge them, one can discover the functions and roles of the tathāgatagarbha, and thereby realize the tathāgatagarbha and seize hold of it. <

What are the illusory appearance-dharmas? They are the activities of the five aggregates. The activities of the five aggregates completely and tightly veil the eyes of sentient beings, so that they see only the activities of the five aggregates and not the functional capacities of the tathāgatagarbha behind them. Only by observing the activities of the five aggregates clearly and recognizing their unreality and falsity can one push aside the five aggregates like withered branches and fallen leaves, thereby revealing the tathāgatagarbha, this fresh flower.

How does one recognize the falsity of the activities of the five aggregates and eliminate the self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi)? One should seek out all the functions and roles of the five aggregates, clarify their concepts, sort out their connotations, grasp their patterns of activity, and then contemplate their origins and course in order to realize their falsity. Then one can set aside all the activities of the five aggregates, and the functions of the tathāgatagarbha will be brought to light; that is realizing the tathāgatagarbha, just like realizing the existence of the wind.

The tathāgatagarbha reigns behind the curtain behind the seventh consciousness, like performers in a two-man act, singing in harmony with one another, cooperating seamlessly. That is why some people say that a part of the subconscious is the tathāgatagarbha. If one can separate the functions of the subconscious from those of the tathāgatagarbha, one realizes the tathāgatagarbha in that very moment. Typing is the result of the joint operation of the tathāgatagarbha, the seventh consciousness, the sixth consciousness (manovijñāna), and the body consciousness; it involves both conditioned, arising-and-ceasing dharmas and unarisen, unceasing dharmas. Being able to distinguish them clearly and precisely is wisdom.

To follow the vine on all dharmas and feel one's way to the tathāgatagarbha, one must first locate the vine accurately. The tathāgatagarbha is like a melon; the melon grows on the nodes of the vine. The vine nodes correspond to the twelve sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana) among the five aggregates—that is, the six sense faculties and six sense objects. These are the most lively, vividly animated, and full of vitality. Thieves run rampant here, and the noble one conducts his affairs here; it may be called a place where ordinary and noble dwell together, where dragons and snakes are mingled, and where all transactions take place. At this point it all depends on the discernment of the person: whether one can distinguish the noble one from the thief, the ordinary from the noble, the dragon from the snake. Whoever has piercing, fiery golden eyes will surely be able to capture the thief and also recognize the noble one.