Can Ordinary Beings Turn to the Tathāgatagarbha?

The initial success of reliance-transference to the Tathagatagarbha occurs at the stage of the first bhumi bodhisattva. Bodhisattvas below the first bhumi are diligently engaged in reliance-transference, learning to perform it. Ordinary beings, having not realized the Tathagatagarbha, cannot rely upon it. Not knowing where the Tathagatagarbha is, what its characteristics are, how can they rely on it? It is like relying on the void; the imagined Tathagatagarbha is not an observable reality and cannot be relied upon.

Moreover, ordinary beings cannot actively utilize the Tathagatagarbha. Not knowing its location, characteristics, functions, or how to utilize it, everyone merely imagines the Tathagatagarbha. This is called conjecture and fantasy, or speculation. While ordinary beings are permitted to speculate, even to guess with seventy or eighty percent accuracy, it is ultimately useless. When consciousness ceases, they will be plunged into darkness, bewildered and at a loss.

The sign of successful reliance-transference is a transformation in mental nature, resembling that of the Tathagatagarbha, where afflictions are eradicated and wisdom increases. If reliance-transference is not yet successful, but one is gradually changing oneself, subduing afflictions, and incrementally increasing wisdom, accumulating to a certain degree leads to a qualitative leap: afflictions are eliminated, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses transform into wisdom. This marks the success of reliance-transference, though it is only preliminary. Complete reliance-transference results in Buddhahood. Therefore, one cannot judge whether there is realization of the mind (明心) based on the success or failure of reliance-transference. Realization of the mind has its own criteria and content; reliance-transference is not that criterion.

Buddhist Dharma has become very confused. The reason for this confusion is that many people have not traversed that path. They rely solely on understanding, reasoning, and speculation. Even if their guesses are ninety percent correct, they remain highly inaccurate because, after all, they have not seen it with their own eyes. Their minds certainly lack firm grounding. A cat drawn from a tiger is still not a tiger.