Must Karmic Seeds Manifest into Activity through the Seeds of the Seven Great Elements?

When karmic seeds ripen, the tathāgatagarbha discerns them and then transmits them forth, allowing the karmic seeds to become manifest, so as to realize the karmic retribution of sentient beings. How does the tathāgatagarbha realize karmic retribution, and in what form does it realize it? Karmic retribution is nothing other than the state of one's body and mind and world. Changing karmic retribution means changing the physical and mental state of sentient beings as well as their living environment; it is through changing the body-and-mind world of sentient beings that the tathāgatagarbha realizes the karmic seeds of sentient beings.

So how are body and mind manifested and changed? When the tathāgatagarbha transmits forth the six great seeds—earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness—it can manifest the body-and-mind world of sentient beings, and at the same time, with the cooperation of the tathāgatagarbha's seed of the great element of seeing, they together form the body-and-mind world of sentient beings. The tathāgatagarbha changes the body-and-mind world also by transmitting forth the seven great seeds, and by altering the combinational structure and forms of the four great seeds, thereby bringing about changes in the body-and-mind world. The formation and change of sentient beings' physical bodies are accomplished through the arising and alteration of the four great seeds together with the seed of the great element of space; the formation and change of the living environment of the material world (inanimate environment) are likewise accomplished through the arising and alteration of the four great seeds and the seed of the great element of space. All dharmas of sentient beings within the three realms are formed by the tathāgatagarbha transmitting forth the seven great seeds, and all karmic retributions are likewise manifested by the tathāgatagarbha transmitting forth the seven great seeds. Among these, material form is synthesized jointly by the four great seeds plus the seed of the great element of space; mental dharmas are formed by the seeds of consciousness; and the tathāgatagarbha's seed of the great element of seeing forms the seeing nature of the tathāgatagarbha, which cooperates in the generation and change of all dharmas.

Apart from the seven great seeds, there would be no material form and no mental dharmas; then there would be no physical bodies of sentient beings, no conscious minds of sentient beings, and no living environment for sentient beings. The world would have nothing at all, and there would be no world; then there would be no question of sentient beings creating karma and realizing karmic retribution. Therefore, it is said that no matter what kind of karmic retribution sentient beings have, its realization must depend on the seven great seeds cooperating with the karmic seeds, so that the karmic seeds can become manifest and the karmic retribution can be realized.