Black Box World (XXVIII)

The mental faculty and the Tathāgatagarbha can encompass all dharmas. Whatever dharmas the Tathāgatagarbha manifests, the mental faculty can perceive whatever dharmas the Tathāgatagarbha manifests, experience whatever dharmas it manifests, and cognize whatever dharmas it manifests. All the six sense objects of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects, the realm of the body faculty, the five sense faculties, the five sense objects, and the form included in the mental base—these eleven types of form—are all cognized by a certain knowing. What is this knowing? It will ultimately be realized. When cultivation reaches a certain level, it will be realized that all dharmas are merely the functional manifestations of the Tathāgatagarbha, and that the Tathāgatagarbha is truly me! At the time of Buddhahood, the Tathāgatagarbha is the true self, eternal, blissful, self, and pure! These illusory functional manifestations are not the functional manifestations of the five aggregates as self; they are all manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha, all being the functional manifestations of the Tathāgatagarbha.

For another example, take a blind person. When a blind person walks and cannot see the road, he uses a walking stick. When the stick probes forward and hits a rock, the conscious mind perceives it as hard, even though he may not know it is a rock; when he touches the rock with his stick, he still does not see the rock, nor does his body come into contact with the rock, yet he knows there is an obstacle ahead and will try to avoid it while walking. Without eyes, he can know it is a rock, or know it is hard, something that can trip him.

Therefore, knowing hardness, or knowing it is a rock, knowing form and touch objects, does not necessarily require seeing with the eyes or touching with the body; there are other methods of cognition, all of which, of course, involve great secrets. For instance, with a guide dog, when the blind person uses a guide dog and the dog sees an obstacle ahead and changes direction, the blind person is guided to turn accordingly. Thus, without using his eyes to see the road, the blind person knows to go forward, backward, left, or right. This knowing is quite peculiar; this knowing can occur without the eyes, without the five consciousnesses. If we develop all these functions, the six sense faculties will interconnect and function interchangeably.

Another example: when we close our eyes, although we do not see external forms, we can still see darkness. Darkness is also a type of form. After closing the eyes for a long time, it no longer feels too dark, and some light and colors may appear before the eyes. Those without meditative concentration may see multicolored lights, while those with meditative concentration may initially see red, then golden-red, and finally pale yellow. Later, the light and colors seen become even fainter and brighter. Although our eye consciousness is not presently active, we can still see the forms before us with closed eyes. Whose faculty of sight is this?

What do these functional manifestations indicate? They indicate that behind our superficial illusory functions, there exists a true, indestructible virtue, capability, and function that can encompass all dharmas. We can possess the functions of seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing without relying on the five sense faculties. Ultimately, whose function are the roles of the six sense faculties? They are all the functional manifestations of the Tathāgatagarbha. When we no longer regard the functions of the six sense faculties as the self or as real, and become less and less attached to them, our inherent wisdom and virtuous capabilities will manifest, radiating with great brilliance. Once all these functions are developed and revealed, all dharmas will no longer be obstructed, nor will they remain any secret.