The Perception of Tathāgatagarbha Is Buddha-nature

Q: Once while sitting on the steps reciting Buddha's name, in a state of neither looking nor not looking, suddenly a black object darted past before my eyes. My heart was startled, and I wanted to see what it really was. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a black bird. At that moment, first the eye consciousness saw it, then the mental faculty sensed whether there might be danger, hence the instinctive startle without thinking. After being startled, wanting to know what it actually was, the mind consciousness arose to examine it carefully, recognizing it as a bird. This process is like that bird flying through the ever-present consciousness-mind, just as a mirror constantly reflects whatever passes before it. Normally, humans possess a function that exists continuously whether you look or not—this is the seeing nature, the function of seeing. Is this seeing nature the Buddha-nature?

A: Suddenly a black object darting past before the eyes is the indistinct form perceived by the eye consciousness. The inner startle and desire to see clearly what it is arise because the mental faculty, not knowing what the object is, becomes alarmed and wishes to discern it carefully. Before this, consciousness appears—the eye consciousness alone cannot independently discern objects. That is the mental faculty habitually grasping and clinging; the eye consciousness and mind consciousness instantaneously sense an object passing before the eyes. If the mental faculty were not habitually grasping and clinging, even if a fierce tiger appeared before you, let alone a black bird, you might not necessarily notice it.

The seed of the seeing element within the Tathagatagarbha gives rise to the seeing nature of the Tathagatagarbha—this is the Buddha-nature. The Buddha-nature is the second moon (the seeing nature) that manifests based on the first moon (the Tathagatagarbha). The Buddha-nature operates first, followed by the instantaneous operation of the seven consciousnesses. The rest need not be elaborated here; investigate and realize it yourself when conditions mature.