How to Contemplate That All Dharmas Are the Nature of Tathāgatagarbha?

In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the World-Honored One repeatedly explains that the five aggregates and the eighteen realms are all of the nature of the tathāgatagarbha—they are neither of the nature of conditionality nor of the nature of naturalness. That they are not of the nature of conditionality and not of the nature of naturalness can be understood with much deliberation, but the nature of the tathāgatagarbha is extremely difficult to comprehend. Even after realizing the tathāgatagarbha, it is still hard to observe, and understanding it is not so easy either.

The formless and markless seeds of the four great elements compose the tiniest of particles; the particles then gather together to form slightly larger particles, and then the seeds of the four great elements continually compose particles, and the particles continually gather together, ultimately forming material form that is visible to the naked eye. From nothing to something—from empty, formless seeds to tangible, tiniest particles—this in itself is utterly miraculous, just like magic. That is why it is said that the tathāgatagarbha is the magician.

It is said that the tathāgatagarbha outputs the seeds of the four great elements, but in reality the seeds of the four great elements do not go outside the tathāgatagarbha; the particles they compose do not go outside the tathāgatagarbha, and the material form they form does not go outside the tathāgatagarbha either. Our physical body arises and ceases within the tathāgatagarbha, never going outside of it. The tathāgatagarbha is formless and markless, so the physical body cannot possibly have form and marks—then what state is it actually in?

If one says that material form arises, it must necessarily separate from the tathāgatagarbha and go outside of it, having an independent form and appearance; the seeds of the four great elements go outside the tathāgatagarbha, and when they cease, they return into the tathāgatagarbha. But the seeds of the four great elements are formless—how could they transform into tangible matter? How does the conversion occur? Outside the tathāgatagarbha, how would matter exist and change? Who would rely upon it?

The seeds of the four great elements compose particles, the particles gather and compose larger particles, the seeds of the four great elements continually compose particles, the particles continually gather, and finally the physical body appears, with form and marks. Yet the physical body has no arising—it has not gone outside the tathāgatagarbha. Since the seeds of the four great elements have not gone outside the tathāgatagarbha, the physical body cannot go outside the tathāgatagarbha either. If the seeds of the four great elements left the tathāgatagarbha to form particles, how would they have functions and effects after leaving the tathāgatagarbha? Who would give these to them? How would the seeds operate after leaving the tathāgatagarbha? How could the formless be transformed into the tangible? If the physical body went outside the tathāgatagarbha, how would it exist and change? Who would rely upon it? At death, when the four great elements separate and the seeds return into the tathāgatagarbha, how do they go back? If they had gone outside the tathāgatagarbha, there would be no question of returning into the tathāgatagarbha. It turns out it is all the tathāgatagarbha playing by itself, putting on its own show, performing magic for itself to watch, amusing itself.

When consciousness seeds are generated, they form the consciousness mind; since the consciousness seeds do not go outside the tathāgatagarbha, the consciousness mind does not go outside the tathāgatagarbha either. Apart from the tathāgatagarbha there are no seeds; apart from the tathāgatagarbha there is no consciousness mind, no mental concomitants of the consciousness mind, and no feeling, perception, volitional formations, or consciousness. If feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness operate within the tathāgatagarbha, arising and ceasing, arising and perishing in disorder, then form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are all affairs within the household of the tathāgatagarbha—the illusory transformations have not transformed beyond the house either; the tathāgatagarbha enjoys them alone, amusing itself.

Since all dharmas have not gone outside the tathāgatagarbha, there is no arising; and they do not return into the tathāgatagarbha, so there is no ceasing. Nothing whatsoever appears in the world, there is not even a world, nothing exists at all—so one might as well sleep all day long. But who is it that sleeps all day? The rules and principles within the tathāgatagarbha are so mysterious, so uncanny—if one does not figure them out, one probably will not sleep well anyway.