The One True Dharma Realm: The Whole Is Suchness

All dharmas are consciousness; the whole is precisely suchness (tathatā), and apart from this there is nothing else. Even a single blade of grass is consciousness, let alone everything else. The wind cannot blow by itself, trees cannot sway by themselves, and the myriad things cannot arise and cease, or cease and arise, on their own.

The eighth consciousness is unborn and unceasing; what arises and ceases are the myriad things and affairs—dharmas brought into function by the eighth consciousness. The substance of the eighth consciousness neither arises nor ceases, while the functions of the eighth consciousness arise and cease moment after moment; all the worldly dharmas of the three realms are His functions. These functions are all functions of the seeds of the seven great elements, and the totality of the seeds of the seven great elements is the eighth consciousness; likewise, the totality of all dharmas is the eighth consciousness. All dharmas are like golden vessels, and the eighth consciousness is the gold itself; when you see a golden vessel, you should have seen the gold.

The eighth consciousness operates and functions by means of the mental factors (caittas), using seeds to generate all dharmas. The eighth consciousness uses consciousness-seeds to give birth to consciousnesses, forming mental dharmas. There are also material dharmas (rūpa), which are generated by the seeds of the five great elements. There is also the great element of vision, which is the visual nature of the eighth consciousness itself; in this way, all the functions and capacities of the eighth consciousness are complete.

The eighth consciousness itself also has consciousness-seeds, which flow forth moment after moment, forming the eighth consciousness's own capacity for discernment; and this flowing forth never stops—except at the Buddha-ground—therefore the eighth consciousness never ceases. The seed-flow of the seven consciousnesses has times when it stops, therefore the seven consciousnesses can cease and are subject to arising and ceasing; the eighth consciousness has never undergone arising or ceasing.

All dharmas are material dharmas and mental dharmas; mental dharmas include the eighth consciousness and its own mental factors, and include the seven consciousnesses and the mental factors of the seven consciousnesses. Mental dharmas include conditioned dharmas and unconditioned dharmas. The entire world is just like this: the whole is the eighth consciousness, and the whole is precisely suchness (tathatā). This is the entire outline of the Buddha's teachings; the finer details need not be discussed for now.