Next we will discuss the doctrine of the Ten Suchnesses. The Chinese term translated as “suchness” has many meanings. First, there is the sense of “in this way,” “in that manner”; second, there is the sense of “faith”; third, that of “just as something is,” or natural aspect; and fourth, the sense of the Ten Suchnesses themselves. Actually, all these senses are at work together when we speak of the Ten Suchnesses.

• Such an appearance. Every being invariably has its own characteristic form. For example, a morning glory bears red, white, blue, or purple trumpet-shaped blossoms. That is the morning glory’s particular form, its natural aspect. This is what is meant by “such an appearance.”
• Such a nature. If a being has its own characteristic form, it invariably has its own particular nature, one that is in keeping with its form. Some morning glories have the nature of bearing red blossoms, others white. The forms and colors of the blossoms accord with the nature of the plant. This is what is meant by “such a nature.”
• Such a substance. A being that has its own form and nature also has its own embodiment. This is not some sort of special attribute that remains eternally unchanged or exists autonomously, without relation to anything else. It is simply the thing itself, called “such a substance.”
• Such a potency. A being possessed of an embodiment, or body, invariably has some degree of potency appropriate to that body. The morning glory seed contains the latent power to sprout and bud. This is what is meant by “such a potency.”
• Such a function. Potency invariably produces a degree of activity, or function. The power latent within the morning glory seed absorbs moisture and causes the seed to swell, break its skin, and begin to sprout; it causes the sprout to push through the soil and emerge above ground. This is a function of the potency of the morning glory seed naturally manifesting itself and is an example of “such a function.”  
  Up to this point, we have been talking about the essence and workings of individual existent things. There are countless phenomena in this universe of ours; consequently, the workings of their potentialities take place among all the various phenomena. Nothing in this world exists entirely of and by itself; everything is inevitably linked in complex ways with other phenomena. Innumerable phenomena interrelate, giving rise to still more phenomena. All this takes place in accordance with a certain law, which we will examine next.
• Such a cause. Phenomena always have causes. This truth is so obvious that further commentary seems unnecessary.
• Such a condition. If, however, a given cause is not accompanied by certain conditions or opportunities, as it were, it will not produce an effect. If a morning glory seed is left shut up in a desk drawer, it will never sprout. Even if you plant it in the ground, it will not sprout if the weather is too cold or the earth is too dry. That will happen only when certain conditions are met: the coming of spring with its warm temperatures, abundant rainfall ensuring good moist soil, and so on. 
• Such an effect. When a certain primary cause combines with a certain secondary cause or causes, a certain result necessarily follows. This is what is meant by “such an effect.” 
• Such a recompense. It is not simply a matter of a certain effect being realized, however; that effect always results in something else later on. For example, the blooming of the morning glory (the effect of causes) gives people the pleasure of seeing beautiful flowers. On the other hand, people may have the disappointment of seeing flowers that are less large and beautiful than they had expected. In any event, the principle is the same: the effect of a chain of causes always has an influence later on (recompense). The law that governs the recompense that a certain effect will have is what is meant by “such a recompense.”
• Such an ultimate integration of them all. The workings of the above nine factors are always evident in countless ways within our society and the universe as a whole. Moreover, they are interrelated in complex ways, so that it is often impossible to tell by purely human wisdom what is cause and what is effect. Yet they always function in accordance with a law that is the truth of the universe. Nothing, no state of affairs, no working of anything whatsoever, falls outside the power of this law. Everything from form to recompense, from first to last, is equally under the rule of this universal law. This is what is meant by “such an ultimate integration of them all.”

To perceive and contemplate that all things in the universe in all their workings and interrelations are grounded in this law is to understand the true aspect of all things.