The Tathāgatagarbha Is Unperturbed by All Dharmas

Question: When you look at the moon, your Tathagatagarbha manifests the image of the moon for you. When you do not look, the moon ceases to manifest for you. Although you mentally know it is still hanging in the sky, that is merely the knowing of your conscious mind. I wonder if this understanding is correct.

Answer: When you do not look at the moon, it is because the manas (mental faculty) has no intention to look. Why would the Tathagatagarbha bother to manifest it for the manas? If it manifested the moon while the manas has no interest, wouldn't that be pointless for the Tathagatagarbha? The Tathagatagarbha never engages in unnecessary actions; when there is nothing to do, it simply remains inactive, as it has no interest in anything. The mental knowing that the moon is hanging in the sky is the knowing of isolated consciousness.