What Are All the Dharmas in the World Ultimately?

In the third volume of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the Buddha states that the seven great seeds are intrinsically perfect and interpenetrating, fundamentally the Tathāgatagarbha—neither arising nor ceasing, pervading the entire Dharma realm, serenely abiding eternally, and manifesting according to karmic conditions. Since the seven great seeds are inherently of the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha, like the Tathāgatagarbha itself, they neither arise nor cease, neither increase nor decrease, have never been defiled, and interpenetrate without obstruction, forming the illusory world. Thus, the seven great seeds, like the Tathāgatagarbha, do not come or go, are neither empty nor existent, neither changing nor different, purely and eternally abiding, yet without any image. What, then, is the appearance and nature of the world constituted by these seven great seeds?

The seven great seeds are not empty, for they possess functional efficacy and attributes, capable of forming all dharmas; yet, being neither arising nor ceasing, they are the truly existent dharmas within the essence of the Tathāgatagarbha mind. Though the seeds are not empty, they are formless, devoid of any mundane conventional appearances. Therefore, the eyes of ordinary people cannot see, perceive, or know them, calling them "empty." Yet, in truth, they are emptiness (śūnyatā).

Since the seven great seeds are formless and empty, and neither arise nor cease, they do not emerge from within the Tathāgatagarbha, nor do they cease and return into it. Since the seven great seeds do not depart from the Tathāgatagarbha, yet are able to form all dharmas of the world, then formless dharmas cannot form dharmas with form. The conventional phenomenal appearances that are formed are still empty and formless—they are of the nature of emptiness. Furthermore, because the Tathāgatagarbha is formless, the formless cannot contain dharmas with form, for the nature of form and formlessness are mutually incompatible. Therefore, all conventional dharmas manifested and formed by the seven great seeds must necessarily also be formless in order to exist within the empty appearance of the Tathāgatagarbha.

Why, then, do sentient beings perceive all conventional dharmas as having form? For what reason do sentient beings perceive phenomenal conventional appearances? For example, sentient beings perceive the four great elements forming a material body and the five aggregates body constituted by the seven great elements, moving from place A to place B, with the five aggregates vividly present. There is self, others, objects, time, space, location—all kinds of phenomenal appearances are present, not a single one missing. What are these phenomenal appearances? Why are there appearances of form, appearances of mind, and dharmas that are neither form nor mind? The four great elements and the five great elements have never arisen; they do not depart from the Tathāgatagarbha. Why, then, do conventional material bodies and various object appearances manifest? The element of sight and the element of consciousness have never arisen; they do not go outside the Tathāgatagarbha. Why, then, do conventional mental appearances arise and become present?

The material body is a false and illusory appearance; in reality, it does not exist. The five aggregates body is a false and illusory appearance; in reality, it does not exist. Place A and place B are false and illusory appearances; in reality, they do not exist. Time and space are false and illusory appearances; in reality, they do not exist. All these phenomenal appearances are illusory perceptions of sentient beings—the seeing itself is illusory, and even the illusion is illusory.

Since none of these dharmas have ever arisen, there can be no talk of their cessation. The seven great seeds have never departed from the Tathāgatagarbha; they have fundamentally never emerged from it, nor have they ever ceased. There has never been a time when they ceased and returned into the Tathāgatagarbha; fundamentally, these events have never occurred. If they had, then outside the Tathāgatagarbha there would exist dharmas not belonging to it. What, then, would be the boundary between such dharmas and the Tathāgatagarbha? What would be their relationship? This becomes difficult to explain. Since all conventional dharmas have neither arisen nor ceased, who, ultimately, perceives the arising and cessation of these dharmas? With what are they perceived? Has the perceiver ever arisen? Will it cease? What are the phenomenal appearances of the process and result of perception? Have they arisen? Have they ceased?

Within the Tathāgatagarbha, there is no such thing as a five aggregates body moving from place A to place B, no entering the womb, exiting the womb, or leaving the body, no arising or cessation of any dharma. All events and phenomenal appearances are the false perceptions of the seventh consciousness (manas), illusory seeing, hence perceiving illusory dharmas. In reality, none of it exists; nothing whatsoever has happened. Everyone, go back to sleep! If you cannot sleep peacefully or rest assured, then rise and study the Buddha Dharma. Study and then realize it. Strive to realize the essential reality of all dharmas, discern all phenomenal appearances clearly, and you will awaken from the great dream. In the false play of the world, fundamentally there are no people, no play, no spectators. What is it then? A dream. But it is not even a dream; there is no dream either. Who sees the dream? Who watches the play? No one.

Finally, when one truly realizes these dharmas, one will be unable to suppress an overwhelming urge to weep bitterly! Through beginningless kalpas, it has been utterly unjust—pointlessly creating so many karmic actions, enduring so much suffering, all the grasping and rejecting, craving and attachment, false movements, all kinds of anguish and distress, such intense effort, such entanglement, only to find that in the end, nothing at all exists. Isn't it profoundly unjust and pitiable?