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 an inherent nature nor of a nature produced by causes and conditions. That they are not of an inherent nature and not of a nature produced by causes and conditions can be understood with a good deal of reflection, 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 by no means easy.

The formless and markless seeds of the four great elements combine to form the tiniest of particles; the particles then aggregate, forming slightly larger particles; then the seeds of the four great elements continually form particles, and the particles continually gather together, ultimately forming material form that is visible to the naked eye. From nothing to something—from formless, markless seeds to tangible, tiniest particles—this process of arising out of nothing is itself utterly miraculous, just like magic; that is why it is said that the tathāgatagarbha is the great 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 form do not go outside the tathāgatagarbha; the material form that is formed likewise does not go outside the tathāgatagarbha. The 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 the physical body actually in? If one says that material form arises, it would necessarily have to separate from the tathāgatagarbha, going outside of it to have an independent form and appearance. Could the seeds of the four great elements go outside the tathāgatagarbha, and when the seeds of the four great elements cease, return into the tathāgatagarbha? But the seeds of the four great elements are formless—how could they transform into tangible matter? How does the transition between existence and nonexistence occur? Outside the tathāgatagarbha, how would matter exist and change? Who would serve as matter's support?

The formless, markless seeds of the four great elements form particles; the particles aggregate, forming larger particles; the seeds of the four great elements continually form particles, and the particles continually aggregate, until finally the physical body appears—having form and marks, yet unborn, never having 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, then after leaving the tathāgatagarbha, how would the seeds of the four great elements have functions and effects, and who would give them these? How would the seeds operate after leaving the tathāgatagarbha? How would they transform from the formless into the tangible? If the physical body went outside the tathāgatagarbha, how would it exist and change? Who would support it? At death, when the four great elements separate and the seeds return into the tathāgatagarbha, how do they go back? If the seeds never went outside the tathāgatagarbha in the first place, then there is no question of returning into the tathāgatagarbha. It turns out it is all the tathāgatagarbha playing by itself, playing games with itself, performing magic for its own viewing, amusing itself.

Consciousness seeds are produced and 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 also no consciousness mind, nor any mental concomitants of the consciousness mind, nor 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 tathāgatagarbha's own household; even the conjured transformations do not transform beyond the household—it is the tathāgatagarbha's exclusive enjoyment, its own amusement.

Since no dharma whatsoever goes outside the tathāgatagarbha, there is no arising; and since none returns into the tathāgatagarbha, there is no ceasing. There are no phenomena in the world at all, nor any world; there is nothing, nothing exists at all—so one might as well just sleep all day long. But who is it that sleeps all day? The rules and principles within the tathāgatagarbha are so mysterious—if one does not figure them out, one probably will not sleep well anyway.