What Is Seeing One's Nature?

The seeing-nature is the wondrous meritorious quality of the Tathāgatagarbha's function of seeing dharmas, formed from the seed of the seeing faculty within the Tathāgatagarbha. Only after the Tathāgatagarbha sees dharmas can the seven consciousnesses possess the faculty of seeing, enabling them to perceive their respective corresponding dharmas. The seeing-nature is also called the Buddha-nature, or the Tathāgatagarbha-nature. It is the wondrous function of the Tathāgatagarbha. Without the Buddha-nature, all dharmas would be incapable of functioning and could not arise. Therefore, the Buddha stated that all dharmas are the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha, all are the functional activities of the Tathāgatagarbha.

The Buddha-nature seeing-nature is also called the awareness-nature. It is the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha's awareness of all dharmas. The awareness-nature of the Tathāgatagarbha has no arising or cessation. However, the manifestation of the awareness-nature is conditional. The conditions are the existence of arising-and-ceasing dharmas such as light and darkness, form and emptiness, openness and obstruction, etc., as explained in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. Without these arising-and-ceasing dharmas, these conditioned dharmas, the awareness-nature cannot manifest and function. Only after the Tathāgatagarbha is aware of and perceives all dharmas can the seven consciousnesses possess awareness and knowledge, enabling them to perceive dharmas, to know and see dharmas, and to experience dharmas. Therefore, the Buddha stated that the awareness-nature of the Tathāgatagarbha is the wondrous true suchness nature. All dharmas are the wondrous true suchness nature. Without the wondrous true suchness nature, no dharma could manifest or be born. This Buddha-nature, this wondrous true suchness nature, is of such importance. Combined with the five universal mental factors of the Tathāgatagarbha, it perfectly manifests all dharmas, making the world of the five aggregates so brilliantly colorful and diverse.

The Tathāgatagarbha is like an electric lamp, the Buddha-nature is like its illumination. The lamp emits light, illuminating all dharmas. Only then can the Tathāgatagarbha operate all dharmas, with the mental factors accompanying and functioning during operation. After the Buddha-nature manifests its wondrous function, dharmas appear, the seven consciousnesses perceive dharmas, and the eight consciousnesses operate in unison. The seeing-nature and Buddha-nature depend on the Tathāgatagarbha's fundamental substance to function, but they are not equivalent to the Tathāgatagarbha's fundamental substance, nor can they function unconditionally forever. Herein lies a phenomenon of manifestation and cessation. However, one must not confuse the manifestation and cessation of the Buddha-nature with the arising and ceasing of the dharmas of the world of the five aggregates. The two are fundamentally distinct. Worldly dharmas come into being from non-existence, arising out of nothing, whereas the Buddha-nature is inherently existent and does not need to be born.