Different Realizations, Different Views

Question: My understanding of the meaning in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra—wait, the Śūraṅgama Sūtra—is that when the nature of hearing is discussed as belonging to the tathāgatagarbha, it is unborn and undying; but when discussed in terms of the liberation path of the Two Vehicles' śrāvakas, it is of a nature of arising and ceasing, right?

Answer: From the perspective of the āśraya-parāvṛtti seed-wisdom (bīja-jñāna) realization attained by bhūmi bodhisattvas, when observing the myriad dharmas of the three realms, all are born from the tathāgatagarbha through the seeds of the seven great elements, and all are the tathāgatagarbha. From the perspective of someone who has seen the mind but lacks the seed-wisdom of consciousness-only, the myriad dharmas of the three realms and the tathāgatagarbha are neither identical nor different. The nature of hearing of the tathāgatagarbha is unborn and undying, while the nature of hearing of the ear consciousness is subject to arising and ceasing. According to the consciousness-only teachings, the nature of hearing of the ear consciousness is also the nature of hearing of the tathāgatagarbha. From the perspective of prajñā, the nature of hearing of the ear consciousness and the nature of hearing of the tathāgatagarbha are neither identical nor different.