How to Understand That All Dharmas Are Suchness

All dharmas are true suchness, born and sustained by the Tathagatagarbha; they all possess the nature of Tathagatagarbha, reality, and suchness. Since all dharmas are born from the Tathagatagarbha, they are manifested by the Tathagatagarbha through the seven fundamental elements. They all possess the inherent nature of the fundamental elements and are real and unchanging. The Tathagatagarbha and its seeds do not change or move with the birth, cessation, or transformation of any dharma; they are truly immutable, hence also called true suchness, possessing the nature of true suchness. All dharmas born from the Tathagatagarbha essentially possess the nature of the Tathagatagarbha, so they are all true suchness. This is the meaning of "all dharmas are true suchness."

The Tathagatagarbha causes all phenomena to ceaselessly undergo birth, cessation, and change, yet Itself remains unchanged. If the Tathagatagarbha were also subject to change, It would be a dharma characterized by birth, abiding, alteration, and extinction, which would entail grave faults. If this were the case, problems would arise: When did the Tathagatagarbha come into being? How was It born? Before Its birth, when nothing existed—not even the myriad phenomena, nor even space—what was that state? Where would the karmic seeds of sentient beings reside? Where would the manas (the seventh consciousness) reside? If the Tathagatagarbha could cease, how would It cease? For what reason would It cease? After Its cessation, what would become of the seeds of all dharmas? Would sentient beings still receive their karmic retribution?

The Tathagatagarbha abides nowhere; certainly, It does not abide within the myriad phenomena. Otherwise, when the myriad phenomena perish, would the Tathagatagarbha perish along with them? If one were to dissect the myriad phenomena piece by piece, could one then find the Tathagatagarbha? This is fundamentally impossible. The entire process of the growth and destruction of all phenomena is the functioning of the union of the four fundamental elements, all orchestrated and sustained by the Tathagatagarbha.

Within all dharmas, one can find traces of the Tathagatagarbha's operation. Its traces and marks are the mental dharmas and material dharmas formed by the seven fundamental elements, all of which are the intrinsic materials within the Tathagatagarbha Itself. Therefore, seeing the dharma, one should see the Tathagatagarbha. All the green mountains reveal no other dharma; the entirety is a single true Dharma Realm—the unborn, unceasing Tathagatagarbha. Not even a fraction of a dust mote is permitted to exist outside the Tathagatagarbha. All are dharmas within the Tathagatagarbha's mind, and all are the Tathagatagarbha's essence, characteristics, and function. Sentient beings live within the Tathagatagarbha, yet in reality, there are no sentient beings—all are the Tathagatagarbha. What dharma is not the Tathagatagarbha? What dharma can exist independently, transcending the Tathagatagarbha? None can.