Book I of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra: The Buddha's Teaching on the Distinction between Consciousness and Tathāgatagarbha

At that time, the World-Honored One, wishing to enable Ānanda and the great assembly to realize the entry into the non-arising dharma tolerance and to comprehend the unborn and undying fundamental mind, the Tathāgatagarbha, touched Ānanda's head while seated on the lion throne and said to him: "The Tathāgata has always taught that all phenomena that arise are manifested solely by the mind. All causes and effects, the worlds down to the finest particles of dust, take form as entities by virtue of the mind.

The World-Honored One wished for Ānanda and the great assembly to realize entry into the non-arising dharma tolerance and to comprehend the unborn and undying fundamental mind, the Tathāgatagarbha. Seated on the lion throne, he touched Ānanda's head and told him: "I, the Tathāgata, have always said that all phenomena born in the world are manifested by the fundamental mind, the Tathāgatagarbha. All causes and effects of the world, the entirety of the world down to the finest particles of dust, have their own intrinsic nature solely because of the fundamental mind, the Tathāgatagarbha. Without this fundamental mind, the Tathāgatagarbha, these phenomena would have no intrinsic nature of their own.

The word 'solely' means unique, only, exclusively, one and only. The World-Honored One meant that all phenomena born in the world are entirely born from the Tathāgatagarbha; they do not arise from any other phenomenon. Other phenomena are merely supporting conditions for the arising of phenomena, not the direct cause of birth. Without these supporting conditions, phenomena cannot arise; but even with supporting conditions, without the Tathāgatagarbha, phenomena still cannot arise. The World-Honored One further continued that the world down to particles of dust, all causes and effects, can only achieve their own intrinsic nature because of the fundamental mind, the Tathāgatagarbha. It is the Tathāgatagarbha that endows phenomena with their intrinsic nature. Without the Tathāgatagarbha, no phenomena can arise, and thus there would be no characteristics or intrinsic nature of phenomena.

For example, the material aggregate (rūpa-skandha) of sentient beings is born by the Tathāgatagarbha using the seeds of the four great elements. The nature and characteristics of the material aggregate are endowed by the Tathāgatagarbha; its essence is the attributes of the four great elements. The aggregates of sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness are born by the Tathāgatagarbha using the seeds of consciousness. Only after they are born do the functions and intrinsic nature of sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness exist. If the Tathāgatagarbha does not give rise to sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness, then there is no sensation, perception, mental formations, or consciousness, nor their functional intrinsic nature. The functional intrinsic nature of sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness is essentially the intrinsic nature and characteristics of the seeds of consciousness.

Ānanda, if within all worlds, everything that exists, including down to the blades of grass and knotted strands, were investigated as to their root origin, all would have their intrinsic nature. Even empty space has its name and form. How much more so the pure, subtle, pure, and luminous mind, the nature that is the source of all minds—how could it itself lack intrinsic nature? If you obstinately cling to the idea that the knowing nature characterized by discrimination, perception, and discernment must be the mind, then this mind should be separate from all activities of the dusts—form, sound, smell, taste, and touch—and possess its own complete intrinsic nature apart from them. As you are now listening to my Dharma, this knowing arises because of the sound; it is dependent on sound to have discrimination.

Ānanda, if all phenomena existing within the various worlds, including even the finest blades of grass and the minute knotted strands, all have their own attributes, and even empty space has its characteristics and intrinsic nature, then how much more so the pure, subtle, pure, and luminous fundamental mind—the mind-essence that enables all phenomena to have intrinsic nature—how could it lack its own intrinsic nature? If you insistently cling to the view that the mind-essence possessing the nature of discrimination, perception, and knowing must be the fundamental mind, then this mind should be separate from all forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches, separate from all activities involving sense objects, and still possess its own complete intrinsic nature apart from them. Just as you are now intently listening to me teach the Dharma, this is because there is the sense object of sound that your mind then has discrimination. If there were no sound, your mind would have no discrimination of sound. This mind that discriminates sound is not the fundamental mind.

Here the World-Honored One teaches the great assembly to distinguish between consciousness and the Tathāgatagarbha. What cognizes sense objects is consciousness. Only when sense objects like sound appear can consciousness cognize them; without sense objects, there is no cognition by consciousness. The Tathāgatagarbha does not cognize sense objects, yet it possesses its own complete intrinsic nature apart from sense objects. The universally pervasive mental factors (the five omnipresent mental factors: contact, attention, sensation, perception, and volition) continue to operate normally even when there are no sense objects present; mental activities like attention, contact, sensation, perception, and volition operate incessantly without end.

Even if you extinguish all seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing, and inwardly guard a state of secluded stillness, this is still a discrimination of the dust of phenomena, a shadow-play of discrimination. I do not command you to insist that this is not mind. But you should carefully investigate within your mind: if, apart from the preceding dusts (sense objects), there is a discriminating nature, then that is truly your mind. If that discriminating nature has no substance apart from the dusts, then it is merely the shadow-play of discrimination of the preceding dusts. The dusts are not permanent. If they change or perish, this mind would then be like hairs on a tortoise or horns on a rabbit. Then your dharma body would be equivalent to annihilation. Who then would cultivate and realize the non-arising dharma tolerance?

Even if you eliminate all perception and cognition of the six dusts, guard an internal state of secluded stillness and emptiness, without thought, without discrimination, without mental activity, this is still discrimination and cognition of the dust of phenomena (dharmadhātu), an illusory act fabricated by consciousness. I am not necessarily commanding you to regard this discriminating nature as not being mind. But you should investigate and contemplate more minutely within your mind: if there is a discriminating nature apart from the sense objects it faces, then this mind is truly your fundamental mind. If this discriminating nature has no substance apart from the sense objects, then this discriminating nature is an illusory act performed by consciousness which discriminates sense objects. Sense objects are not permanent and indestructible. If the sense objects change or perish, this mind that discriminates sense objects would be like tortoise hair or rabbit horns—utterly non-existent. Then the dharma body you recognize would be equivalent to annihilation. Who then could cultivate and realize the non-arising dharma tolerance?

The World-Honored One meant that the dharma body is not annihilated, and it is the objective basis for sentient beings to cultivate and realize the non-arising dharma tolerance. If the dharma body were annihilated, the objective basis would be gone, and then it would be impossible to cultivate and realize the non-arising dharma tolerance and attain the wisdom of non-arising. Consciousness, which depends on sense objects, is annihilable; when the sense objects perish, consciousness perishes. Therefore, the mind-essence that cognizes sense objects is not the dharma body.

The meaning of these several paragraphs collectively shows that the World-Honored One is teaching the great assembly how to distinguish between consciousness and the fundamental mind, the dharma body, the Tathāgatagarbha. Distinguishing the born-and-ceasing consciousness from the unborn and undying Tathāgatagarbha prevents mistaken realization and avoids taking a thief for one's son. This includes the sentence: "But you should carefully investigate within your mind: if, apart from the preceding dusts, there is a discriminating nature, then that is truly your mind." This sentence also shows the World-Honored One teaching the great assembly how to distinguish consciousness from the Tathāgatagarbha, avoiding confusion between the true and the false. It does not show the World-Honored One teaching a method for realizing the fundamental mind.

Some people deliberately extract this sentence and use it to justify their erroneous method of trying to realize the mind (mingxin) and attain fruition through consciousness alone. Here it does not at all show the World-Honored One teaching realization of the mind and attainment of fruition through consciousness. He was teaching how to distinguish the true mind from the false mind. Even if one can distinguish the true and false minds, it does not mean one has realized the mind and attained fruition, nor does it determine when one might realize the mind and attain fruition. However, the most fundamental aspect of studying the Great Vehicle Śūraṅgama Sūtra should be the ability to understand the difference between the true and false minds. This is called correct knowledge and view—merely a matter of understanding. It is still very, very far from actual realization of the mind. Do not continue to misunderstand such a monumental error as thinking consciousness alone can realize the mind and attain fruition. Nowhere in any sutra teaching, nor in the treatises of truly realized great bodhisattvas, can evidence be found that consciousness alone can realize the mind and attain fruition. No true good spiritual friend would engage in such unreliable things based on emotional thinking and intellectual interpretation.