The World of the Black Box (XII)

The secret of the Tathāgatagarbha manifesting the internal perceived divisions at the point where the sense faculties, sense objects, and consciousness interact involves profound Dharma principles, touching upon the deep truths of Consciousness-Only. For instance, the external form object—our eye faculty does not actually go to that form object, nor does it come into contact with the substantial form object, yet we see the form object. The form does not reach the eye, nor does the eye reach the form, yet we are able to see the form—this is truly strange. When we look at a distant mountain, that mountain is very far from our eye faculty; our eye faculty certainly cannot reach it, nor does the mountain come to our eye faculty, yet we see that mountain. This is indeed very strange. All of this pertains to the mysteries of Consciousness-Only, involving the wisdom of all modes. This mystery is profound beyond profundity.

For example, that distant mountain outside—who manifests it? It is co-manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha of sentient beings sharing collective karma. After manifestation, the Tathāgatagarbha of all sentient beings sharing that collective karma collectively upholds that mountain. Does our Tathāgatagarbha participate in the external mountain? Of course it does! We are also one of the sentient beings sharing that collective karma. When we see that mountain, that mountain is connected to us. Our Tathāgatagarbha also participates in manifesting it and in upholding that mountain—that is the external perceived division.