Six Asaṃskṛta Dharmas

The first is the Non-action of Emptiness. This means that mental activities are like empty space, devoid of action—utterly pure and clear, with no dharmas to grasp at or distinguish. The mind's capacity is vast, able to contain all things, yet containing all things without distinguishing them, nor does this affect its capacity or the mind's expanse. Unmoving and thus, it allows all phenomena to manifest freely—arising, ceasing, coming, and going—while the self-mind remains utterly undisturbed. Such non-action refers to the eternal non-action of Tathagatagarbha. However, the seventh consciousness can also ultimately attain such non-action through cultivation. At this point, cultivation is completely and perfectly fulfilled.

The second is the Non-action of Selective Cessation. This means that when the sixth and seventh consciousnesses encounter dharmas, after applying wisdom to make selections, they cease a portion of conditioned dharmas, resulting in a pure, non-acting mind—empty, signless, and wishless. This type of non-action arises through making choices and distinctions, selecting not to create certain dharmas. It is non-action emerging from nothingness, non-action characterized by arising and ceasing, non-action that can increase or decrease continuously—unlike the innate, unchanging non-action of Tathagatagarbha.

So, does Tathagatagarbha possess the mental activity of selective cessation? Tathagatagarbha does not distinguish worldly dharmas and thus does not engage in selection; it only discerns seeds, distinguishing whether seeds are ripe or not and whether they need to manifest. After discerning, it then selects whether to give rise to dharmas. Tathagatagarbha’s selection is not deliberative like that of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses; rather, it makes choices with extreme swiftness, almost without process, as if an automated program—a manifestation of great wisdom. When immense wisdom reaches its limit, it is like a fixed program, with no fluctuation in mental activity, neither increasing nor decreasing in wisdom or mental function. Tathagatagarbha also cognizes the mental activities of the seventh consciousness and makes selections regarding them, complying when conditions align, but not complying when causes, conditions, or seeds are absent. At such times, the seventh consciousness cannot act as it wishes. Although Tathagatagarbha makes selections, it does not extinguish any dharmas, for it is mindless—it does not extinguish any of its own mental activities. Thus, Tathagatagarbha does not possess the non-action of selective cessation.

The third is the Non-action of Non-selective Cessation. As summarized above, Tathagatagarbha possesses the non-action of non-selective cessation. Its non-action does not arise through selective cessation but is innate and unconditioned. Its mental activities neither increase nor decrease; no matter what, it does not extinguish any conditioned mental activities, nor does it add any. Through cultivation, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses continuously increase in meditative concentration and wisdom, their minds becoming increasingly pure and non-acting, forming wholesome and pure habits until they reach a state where mental activities cease and non-action is achieved without the need for selection.

The fourth is the Non-action of Immovability. This non-action is of two kinds: one refers to Tathagatagarbha’s non-acting nature of immovability toward dharmas—unmoving and thus; the other refers to the deluded seventh consciousness’s non-action of immovability toward the six dust realms, typically referring to the state of bodily and mental stillness attained when meditative concentration reaches the fourth dhyana.

The fifth is the Non-action of the Cessation of Perception and Feeling. This refers to the state in the cessation samadhi where the six consciousnesses have ceased, the mental faculty (manas) has extinguished the two mental factors of perception and feeling, and there is no perception or feeling toward the realm of dharmas—a state of utmost mental purity and non-action.

The sixth is the Non-action of Suchness. This refers to Suchness being completely non-acting toward the mundane world—unmoving and thus, devoid of any mental activity. Because it lacks the seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing nature of the seven consciousnesses, it does not distinguish the mundane world, does not know the mundane world, does not know dharmas, and has no grasping or aversion toward any dharmas. Its mind-ground is purely non-acting.