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Dharma Teachings

20 Feb 2023    Monday     2nd Teach Total 3869

Are the Sixth and Seventh Consciousnesses within the Mind of Tathāgatagarbha, or Is Tathāgatagarbha within the Mind of the Sixth and Seventh Consciousnesses?

If the tathāgatagarbha were within the minds of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, would the minds of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses have an inside? How would the position of "inside" be determined? If the sixth and seventh consciousnesses were within the mind of the tathāgatagarbha, would the tathāgatagarbha have an inside? How would the position of "inside" be fixed?

Each person's entire five aggregates and eighteen realms are all created by the tathāgatagarbha through the seeds of the seven great elements. The seeds of the seven great elements are dharmas within the tathāgatagarbha. It is said that the seeds of the seven great elements are outputted to form various dharmas, but in fact the seeds of the seven great elements have never gone outside the tathāgatagarbha; otherwise, there would be dharmas existing independently outside the tathāgatagarbha, not held and sustained by the tathāgatagarbha—which is impossible. Since the seeds of the seven great elements do not go outside the tathāgatagarbha, yet ceaselessly arise, cease, and change upon sentient beings' five aggregates and eighteen realms, can the five aggregates and eighteen realms exist outside the tathāgatagarbha? Are there dharmas existing independently outside the tathāgatagarbha?

The meaning of the one true dharma realm is that the entirety of sentient beings' worlds is a single true dharma realm—the tathāgatagarbha—all dharmas within the tathāgatagarbha, with no dharma existing independently outside the tathāgatagarbha. Although "inside" and "outside" have been spoken of, the tathāgatagarbha still has no inside or outside; the whole is identical to suchness (tathatā). Since no outside can be found, there is likewise no relative inside.

——Master Sheng-Ru's Teachings
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The Arising, Abiding, Change, and Cessation of All Dharmas Are Governed by Karmic Seeds

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