The Five Great Seed Functions of Tathāgatagarbha

The inherent seeds of the tathāgatagarbha are the seeds of the seven great elements, among which the five great element seeds—earth, water, fire, wind, and space—are the fundamental elements that constitute material form (rūpa-dharma), while the seed of the great element of seeing and the seed of the great element of consciousness are the elements that constitute the mental dharmas (citta-caitta) of sentient beings' eight consciousnesses. Material form refers to the six sense objects—the realms of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma—together with sentient beings' five faculties, making eleven material forms in total. All material forms in the universe's material world (bhājana-loka), including sentient beings' physical bodies, from the vastness of the universe and worlds down to the form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma of a single mote of dust, are all formed by the tathāgatagarbha using the five great element seeds. 

How does the tathāgatagarbha output the five great element seeds to form material form? The five great element seeds initially output are formless and markless, neither material nor mental dharmas; after forming the initial extremely tiny particles, they become material form with marks. The initial material form cannot be seen not only by the naked eye but also by the most sophisticated microscopes; then the particles rapidly accumulate and combine, growing larger and larger, becoming extremely tiny particles such as electrons, protons, neutrons, nucleons, quarks, and so on that can be seen by precision instruments, and finally forming tangible, marked masses of matter visible to the naked eye. 

This operation of the tathāgatagarbha is truly inconceivable: it can transform formless seeds into tangible material form, as if conjuring out of thin air—the tathāgatagarbha can be called the greatest magician. When the tathāgatagarbha slightly alters the proportions and quantities of the five great element seeds, the material form changes and its material properties change; moreover, the five great element seeds in material form are constantly being output and withdrawn moment by moment. If the material is in a growth stage, the number of seeds output will continuously increase and the proportions will also change; if the material is in a stage of aging and maturation, fewer and fewer seeds are output and the proportions also change. The same material, at different stages and under different environmental conditions, has different compositions, different functions, different colors, smells, and tastes, different emanations, different speeds of arising, ceasing, and mutation, and different shapes and appearances.

From the very beginning as tiny particles, matter possesses a certain potential energy and kinetic energy, because the seeds are output and withdrawn back into cessation on the particles moment by moment, with arising, abiding, alteration, and cessation never pausing; the particles therefore move at high speed in a regular manner along certain trajectories, thereby producing energy. From the tiniest particles, continuous aggregation forms small particles, which then aggregate into larger particles, then further into even larger particles, finally becoming matter with a fixed shape; the energy aggregates ever larger, the forces of action grow ever greater, and the magnetic field forces grow ever stronger.

All kinds of particles have movements following certain regularities; moving along fixed orbits, this motion produces potential energy, and where there is potential energy there is energy; people can utilize this energy to benefit human survival. There are many kinds of matter, and thus many kinds of energy produced. The various disciplines that have appeared in the secular world, such as physics, chemistry, optics, and other sciences, all study material form, studying the energy of material form as well as the conversion and conservation of energy, but none has reached a final, perfect conclusion, because scientists do not understand the dharma of the tathāgatagarbha and do not know the operating principles of the tathāgatagarbha; therefore, all their high-end, cutting-edge research and scientific experiments can never attain ultimate completeness. Only the Buddha can penetrate the ultimate source of the material world. 

If we combine the principles of how material form arises with scientific experiments, we can overcome all the inconceivable phenomena of physics, chemistry, optics, mathematics, and so on that exist in the world and the universe. If we master Yogācāra and possess the wisdom of Yogācāra seeds, we can investigate all worldly disciplines thoroughly and reach directly to their roots—including religion, philosophy, psychology, physiology, biology, and all other disciplines—all of which are functions and operations of the tathāgatagarbha. The dharma of the tathāgatagarbha can reveal all the mysteries of the trichiliocosm (three-thousandfold great world system); thus the truth of the universe will be manifest in the human world, and relying on it we can attain the deepest wisdom. When wisdom reaches its ultimate limit, one becomes an omniscient one (sarvajña) and attains buddhahood.

After we cultivate and study the Buddhadharma and attain seeing the mind and seeing the nature, and then cultivate and study further upward, when we possess the wisdom of the varieties of paths regarding Yogācāra seeds and the wisdom of Yogācāra has been developed, and after we have realized a portion of the seed functions and operations of the tathāgatagarbha, then in worldly dharmas, as soon as we come into contact with any category or field of study, we can become an absolute authority; whatever field of study we devote our energy to, we can become top-tier talent, surpassing the world's most顶尖 scientists. In any subject, any dharma gate, any field, we can become a top-tier person. This is the greatest benefit we can obtain in worldly dharmas from studying the Buddhadharma and studying Yogācāra, from realizing the Yogācāra nature—the suchness nature—of all dharmas: the Buddhadharma can make us wise in any field, invincible in worldly dharmas.