Whether the Mental Factors of the Tathāgatagarbha Still Exist and Function in Nirvāṇa Without Remainder (Anupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa)

If an arhat could still emerge from nirvāṇa without remainder, it must be that some karmic seed has matured, and the tathāgatagarbha, operating in accordance with that karmic seed, gives rise to the manas; then the manas together with the tathāgatagarbha enters the womb and gives birth to the five aggregates and the eighteen realms. When a karmic seed matures, the tathāgatagarbha must be able to know it; and when a karmic seed has not yet matured, the tathāgatagarbha should likewise be able to know it. So what is this knowing of the tathāgatagarbha?

When the tathāgatagarbha operates in accordance with karmic seeds, it is the functioning of the mental factor of volition (cetanā). Before the mental factor of volition runs its course, there is the operation of the mental factor of perception (saṃjñā), which is to discern and grasp marks—discerning the karmic seeds and grasping the mark of whether or not a karmic seed has matured. Prior to the mental factor of perception is the mental factor of feeling (vedanā), which receives and accepts the karmic seeds. Prior to the mental factor of feeling is the contact (sparśa) of the mental factor of contact with the karmic seeds, and before contact there must be mental engagement (manaskāra) directed toward the karmic seeds. Within nirvāṇa without remainder, the tathāgatagarbha has no other affairs; this is the only thing it can do.

Moreover, for the tathāgatagarbha to carry out this one task, it must also have its own existence and unceasing operation to guarantee the carrying out of this task. The tathāgatagarbha's own existence and unceasing operation depend on the continuous perfusion of its own seeds of consciousness, forming an unbroken stream of tathāgatagarbha consciousness. The five universal mental factors (pañca-sarvatraga) accompany the tathāgatagarbha's unceasing operation—this is what is meant by the tathāgatagarbha being continuous and unbroken, neither arising nor ceasing.