The Five Universal Mental Factors (caittas) of the Tathāgatagarbha

The meaning of "the three realms are mind-only" is that all dharmas in the world of the three realms are born from the tathāgatagarbha mind. Why can the tathāgatagarbha give rise to the myriad dharmas? Because the tathāgatagarbha mind is fully endowed with the seeds of all dharmas; having seeds, it can give rise to all dharmas—seeds have the aspect of generative capacity. The seeds of all dharmas are the seven intrinsically existing great seeds (earth, water, fire, wind, space, seeing, consciousness) within the tathāgatagarbha mind, and together with karmic seeds in coordination, the dharmas of the three realms can be manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. The tathāgatagarbha operates within the worldly dharmas of the three realms in the manner of mental factors (caittas). When He operates, He simultaneously outputs karmic seeds and the seven great seeds; the tathāgatagarbha uses the seven great seeds to give rise to mind dharmas and material form. When mind dharmas and material form are both complete, the worldly dharmas of the three realms are complete.

The tathāgatagarbha in the stage of sentient beings possesses only the five universal mental factors (sarvatraga-caitta). Among them, the tathāgatagarbha's mental engagement (manaskāra) is directed toward the seeds, toward the five-aggregate body, toward the seven consciousnesses, and toward the inanimate world (bhājana-loka). The tathāgatagarbha's mental factor of contact (sparśa) contacts the karmic seeds, contacts the five-aggregate body, contacts the minds of the seven consciousnesses, contacts the universal inanimate world, and contacts the outer six sense objects. After contact comes the operation of the mental factor of feeling (vedanā), which receives and accepts those objects of contact—that is, takes them in—yet within this, no feelings of suffering or happiness arise; there is no suffering or happiness, entirely neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā), that is, no felt experience at all. After the reception, the mental factor of perception (saṃjñā) operates; perception is knowing and discerning, and then it grasps signs and holds signs. The tathāgatagarbha's manner of grasping and holding signs is utterly different from that of the seven consciousnesses. Finally, the mental factor of volition (cetanā) comes into function, deliberating and choosing, deciding to act, and thus outputs the seven great seeds and begins to transform and fabricate—thereupon the worldly dharmas of the three realms appear.