The Great Thousand Worlds Are the One True Dharma Realm

Material form does not arise and perish by itself. If material form could arise and perish by itself—arising on its own and automatically perishing on its own—that would mean material form has a truly existing self-nature. Since matter would have a self-nature, it would not need the tathāgatagarbha to manifest and sustain its existence; matter would not be produced and upheld by the tathāgatagarbha, and then there would be places where the tathāgatagarbha does not pervade.

So where does material form actually come from? There must be some source. Even if it fell from the sky, that would still be a source—but such a source cannot possibly exist, because if things could fall from the sky and matter could emerge from it, then it would not be the sky. Searching high and low, only the tathāgatagarbha can produce material form, because the seeds of the four great elements within the tathāgatagarbha can generate matter. All other dharmas are produced by the tathāgatagarbha and none of them can in turn produce material form.

After these material forms are produced by the tathāgatagarbha, the tathāgatagarbha continues to uphold the material forms it has produced, and therefore material forms exhibit the phenomena of arising, ceasing, and change. Moreover, they arise, cease, and change moment by moment: the tathāgatagarbha must, moment by moment, transmit the seeds of the four great elements, continually altering the material forms, so that matter gradually changes and finally disappears. The tathāgatagarbha pervades all places and all dharmas; there is no dharma that is not upheld by the tathāgatagarbha. Without the tathāgatagarbha's upholding, no dharma could exist. There is no place where the tathāgatagarbha does not pervade; therefore the entire great trichiliocosm is the one true dharmadhātu.

Most of the time, when our merit is insufficient and conditions are not ripe, we easily let slip a very profound sentence hidden in the sutras, dismissing it as ordinary, commonplace language. Yet everyone must cultivate for one immeasurable kalpa, two immeasurable kalpas, or even three immeasurable kalpas before truly awakening to the full meaning of that sentence. As for the four characters "one true dharmadhātu," we must cultivate for three immeasurable kalpas before we can thoroughly understand them. The difference lies in each person's conditions in various respects—merit, meditative concentration and wisdom, mental disposition, and so on. Cultivate more merit and more meditative concentration; subdue afflictions and afflictive obstructions as much as possible; make the mind gentle and pliant; gradually remove the "self" within the mind—remove it again and again, subdue it again and again—then one can realize the twofold selflessness of person and dharmas. Although this is extremely difficult to accomplish, we must still strive to do it.