What Are the Four Aspects of Tathāgatagarbha?

The seeing-part of the Tathagatagarbha is its discerning nature towards sentient beings' root-body and material realm. The Tathagatagarbha can cognize the two mental factors of Manas (the seventh consciousness), namely attention and thought. After cognizing them, it cooperates with Manas to manifest all phenomena of the threefold world. Therefore, without Manas, the Tathagatagarbha cannot function to bring forth all dharmas. The seeing-part of the Tathagatagarbha is also reflected in its ability to discern sentient beings' root-body, material realm, and karmic seeds. The Tathagatagarbha possesses an immense number of seeing-parts; apart from not perceiving the specific objects of the six dusts (sense objects), everything else is within its perception. The appearing-part of the Tathagatagarbha includes the external six dusts and the internal six dusts, as well as sentient beings' five aggregates, the material universe, and the mind of the seventh consciousness.

The self-witnessing-part of the Tathagatagarbha is its ability to directly witness and know the objects it discerns. That is, after the seeing-part of the Tathagatagarbha discerns Manas, the root-body, and the material realm, the Tathagatagarbha possesses a knowing. This knowing is the self-witnessing-part. Therefore, the Tathagatagarbha has knowledge; regarding the six dusts, it is without perception and knowledge, but concerning other dharmas, it can know them all. The witnessing-of-self-witnessing-part of the Tathagatagarbha, as observed through the direct perception wisdom of Bodhisattvas on the Bhūmis (Grounds), reveals that the Tathagatagarbha can know and verify that it has cognized the mental activities of Manas, has discerned the root-body and material realm, and has discerned the karmic seeds. This means the Tathagatagarbha can introspect its own operational state and can introspect what it is currently doing. This is the witnessing-of-self-witnessing-part of the Tathagatagarbha.

Regarding the six dusts, the Tathagatagarbha still has awareness and knowledge. However, the mode, method, and content of this awareness and knowledge are not the same as those of the seven consciousnesses. The sixth consciousness (Manovijñāna) cannot comprehend the nature and content of the Tathagatagarbha's awareness, nor understand exactly how it is, because the root-body and material realm also belong to the six dusts.