All dharmas are originally neither conditioned by causes and conditions nor of a spontaneous nature

All dharmas are fundamentally neither produced by causes and conditions nor by nature. In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the World-Honored One negated those two possibilities regarding the arising of all dharmas—causal origination and natural existence—which leaves only one: all dharmas are the nature of the tathāgatagarbha, born and manifested from the tathāgatagarbha. Therefore all dharmas possess the nature of the tathāgatagarbha; this is the only conclusion that can be drawn. The non-Buddhist paths (tīrthikas) who do not know of or refuse to acknowledge the tathāgatagarbha all say that all dharmas either arise from various causes and conditions, or that they exist naturally, arising on their own. But the World-Honored One said that all are born from the tathāgatagarbha; without the tathāgatagarbha, no dharma whatsoever could be established.

The World-Honored One taught that for the five aggregates (pañcaskandha), the six sense faculties, the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses, the twelve sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana), and the eighteen elements (dhātu), the source of each and every dharma is the tathāgatagarbha—not an aggregation of various causes and conditions, not something naturally existing—but produced by the tathāgatagarbha in accordance with various conditions. The World-Honored One explained this thoroughly, negating and blocking off all other possible places and sources from which all dharmas might arise; only the tathāgatagarbha can give rise to all these dharmas. The analysis in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra is precisely to teach sentient beings to engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and see that the five aggregates, the twelve sense bases, and the eighteen elements are all false and illusory, all born after the fact, all subject to arising and ceasing, and all coming from the tathāgatagarbha. On this basis, we too can engage in contemplative practice to eliminate self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi), and then locate the tathāgatagarbha and understand the functions He performs—this is seeing one's true mind and awakening to the true mind. Therefore the Śūraṅgama Sūtra is fully sufficient to enable us to realize the tathāgatagarbha.