The True Meaning of the Selflessness of Dharmas

The dharma of no-self in dharmas is the profound wisdom realm of Consciousness-Only dharma realized by bodhisattvas on the bhūmis. Among all the dharmas surrounding the five aggregates, one gradually realizes that a portion of dharmas are not the self and lack self-nature, then realizes that most dharmas are not the self and lack self-nature, and finally realizes that all dharmas are not the self and lack self-nature, thereby ultimately attaining buddhahood. Sentient beings believe that all dharmas possess certain real attributes, and thus their minds give rise to attachment, resulting in grasping at dharmas. Post-bhūmi bodhisattvas possess profound wisdom of the seeds of Consciousness-Only and can directly observe how a portion of dharmas and most dharmas are born from and held by the tathāgatagarbha; consequently, they no longer regard a portion of dharmas in the threefold world or most dharmas as truly possessing self-nature, and thus they realize the no-self of a portion of dharmas and the no-self of most dharmas.

Pre-bhūmi bodhisattvas and ordinary sentient beings, lacking the ability to directly observe the origins and essence of a portion of dharmas and most dharmas in the threefold world, believe in their minds that these dharmas have a certain reality and possess self-nature. They take the material universe (the vessel world) to be the vessel world itself, utterly unable to observe that the vessel world is entirely an attribute of the tathāgatagarbha, a function of the tathāgatagarbha, constituted by the seeds of the tathāgatagarbha. Therefore they believe that dharmas have a self, thereby producing the grasping at a self in dharmas. Sentient beings take all the principles and dharmas they cognize to be truly existent, believing that principles and dharmas are simply principles and dharmas, utterly unable to observe what the essence of these principles and dharmas actually is, not knowing that they are all attributes of the tathāgatagarbha and have no so-called self-nature of their own. Therefore they believe these principles and dharmas possess self-nature and belong to the self, and thus they produce the grasping at a self in dharmas.

If sentient beings could directly observe that the material universe is constituted by the seeds of the tathāgatagarbha, is an attribute of the tathāgatagarbha, and is in essence the tathāgatagarbha itself, then they would no longer take the material universe to be the material universe; they would see the shadow of the tathāgatagarbha in the material universe, see its functions and operations, and there would be no view of a self in dharmas and no grasping at a self in dharmas. If sentient beings could directly observe that the six faculties and six sense objects are composed of the seeds of the tathāgatagarbha, are attributes of the tathāgatagarbha, and are in essence the tathāgatagarbha itself, then they would no longer take the six faculties and six sense objects to be the six faculties and six sense objects; they would see the shadow of the tathāgatagarbha in the six faculties and six sense objects, see its functions and operations, and thus there would be no view of a self in dharmas and no grasping at a self in dharmas. (The six faculties and six sense objects are a portion of all dharmas and are also dharmas.)

If sentient beings could directly observe that all rules, principles, conventional truth, and ultimate truth are formed by the seeds of the tathāgatagarbha, are attributes of the tathāgatagarbha, and are in essence the tathāgatagarbha itself, then they would no longer take all these rules, principles, conventional truth, and ultimate truth to be rules, principles, conventional truth, and ultimate truth; they would observe the shadow of the tathāgatagarbha in these principles and truths, see its functions and operations, and thus there would be no view of a self in dharmas and no grasping at a self in dharmas. Therefore, the no-self in all dharmas realized by bodhisattvas on the bhūmis does not mean that all dharmas are not the tathāgatagarbha; on the contrary, it means precisely that the essence of all dharmas is the tathāgatagarbha, that they have no self-nature of their own, that all dharmas entirely lack the self-nature of the five aggregates, and are empty, illusory, unreal, and destructible. Here the "self" refers to the conventional false self of the five aggregates and the false self of the seven consciousnesses, not to the tathāgatagarbha.

The meaning of "all dharmas are not the self, are not different from the self, and do not dwell in mutual relation" is not that all dharmas are not the tathāgatagarbha, are not different from the tathāgatagarbha, and do not mix with the tathāgatagarbha; on the contrary, the essence of all dharmas is the tathāgatagarbha—all are dharmas within the one true dharmadhātu, all are true, all are real and unchanging dharmas. Whoever regards all dharmas as self and not-self—that is precisely who this "self" refers to; whoever grasps at all dharmas as self—that is precisely who this "self" refers to. Of course, it is the manas and the seven consciousnesses that grasp at all dharmas as self, as oneself, as possessed by me, and for one's own use. Therefore, after cultivating the wisdom of the seeds of Consciousness-Only and realizing that all dharmas are not the self and not mine, one no longer grasps at all dharmas as self and as belonging to self.