What Is Seeing One's Nature?

The seeing-nature is the marvelous meritorious nature of the Tathagatagarbha's seeing of dharmas, formed by the seeing-seed of the Tathagatagarbha. Only after the Tathagatagarbha sees dharmas can the seven consciousnesses have seeing, thereby perceiving their respective corresponding dharmas. The seeing-nature is also called Buddha-nature, or Tathagatagarbha-nature; it is the wondrous function of the Tathagatagarbha. Without Buddha-nature, all dharmas would be incapable of functioning and could not arise. Therefore, the Buddha stated that all dharmas are the nature of the Tathagatagarbha, all being the functional activities of the Tathagatagarbha.

Buddha-nature and seeing-nature are also called the perceiving-nature, which is the Tathagatagarbha's nature of perceiving all dharmas. The perceiving-nature of the Tathagatagarbha has no arising or cessation, yet its manifestation is conditional. The conditions are the existence of arising-and-ceasing dharmas such as light and darkness, form and emptiness, obstruction and penetration, etc., as described in the Shurangama Sutra. Without these arising-and-ceasing dharmas and conditioned dharmas, the perceiving-nature cannot manifest and operate. Only after the Tathagatagarbha perceives and cognizes all dharmas can the seven consciousnesses have perception and cognition, enabling them to perceive all dharmas, cognize all dharmas, and experience all dharmas. Therefore, the Buddha stated that the perceiving-nature of the Tathagatagarbha is the marvelous true suchness nature, and that all dharmas are this marvelous true suchness nature. Without the marvelous true suchness nature, no dharmas could manifest or be born. This Buddha-nature, this marvelous true suchness nature, is of such importance that, when harmoniously combined with the Tathagatagarbha's five universal mental factors, it perfectly manifests all dharmas, causing the world of the five aggregates to appear so brilliantly colorful and diverse.

The Tathagatagarbha is like an electric lamp, while Buddha-nature is like its light. The electric lamp emits light, illuminating all dharmas; only then can the Tathagatagarbha operate all dharmas, with the mental factors accompanying their functioning during operation. After the Buddha-nature manifests its wondrous function, all dharmas appear, the seven consciousnesses perceive the dharmas, and the eight consciousnesses operate harmoniously together. The seeing-nature and Buddha-nature depend on the Tathagatagarbha's fundamental substance to function; however, they are not equivalent to the fundamental substance of the Tathagatagarbha, nor can they function unconditionally at all times. Herein lies a phenomenon of arising and ceasing. Yet, one must not confuse the arising and ceasing of Buddha-nature with the arising and perishing of the dharmas of the five-aggregate world; they are fundamentally distinct. Worldly dharmas come into being from non-existence, arising out of nothing, whereas Buddha-nature is inherently existent, requiring no birth.