The Meaning of the One True Dharmadhātu

The meaning of the One True Dharma Realm is that all dharmas are manifested and upheld by the tathāgatagarbha; they are all functions and operations of the tathāgatagarbha. There is no dharma that can exist apart from the operations of the tathāgatagarbha, and a corpse is no exception. If a dharma is not upheld by the tathāgatagarbha, it immediately perishes without remainder, leaving not even a trace. The true body left behind by a practitioner belongs to the material form of all sentient beings; it is jointly upheld by the tathāgatagarbhas of sentient beings with karmic connections, including the practitioner's own tathāgatagarbha, which also upholds it. A finger that has fallen off one's own body is at first upheld by one's own tathāgatagarbha, so it still has warmth, and the nervous system is still functional; if it is reattached, it can be used. If one's own tathāgatagarbha does not personally uphold it, the finger will have no warmth and will become stiff; at that point it is jointly upheld by the tathāgatagarbhas of sentient beings with karmic connections, and reattaching it will be of no use.