The characteristics of the Ten Suchnesses are defined in the group with wholesome destinies

The meaning of the Ten Suchnesses with regard to the second group of humans and heavenly beings (Jen T’ien) is defined by Chih-i as a white color, which signifies purity, pleasure, and goodness. These are different from those in the … four lowest states. “Appearance” is related to revealing the good and pleasant perspective, by which the appearance of beings that are born as humankind and deities are pure and superior. “Nature” refers to white color as wholesomeness in contradistinction to beings in hell whose nature is black. “Substance” means that the intrinsic essence of oneself is related to the mind of pleasure. “Power” is associated with the potential capability to do wholesome deeds. “Function” is to refrain from committing evil deeds and to perform wholesome deeds. “Causes” refers to wholesome deeds. “Conditions” refers to the mistaken views regarding self and possessions that keep one continuing to be reborn into the world, but these views are considered to be wholesome in a worldly sense since they are the conditions of a rebirth into a good destiny. “Effects” is the natural outcome from a wholesome mind. “Retributions” refers to the joy one naturally experiences. The last suchness “beginning-and-end-ultimately-alike” means the same as in the … case of the four lowest states. (Vol. 2, Page 77)

The characteristics of the Ten Suchnesses are defined in the group with evil destinies.

The first group includes four destinies to where hell-dwellers, hungry ghosts, animals and asuras tend to go (Ssu-ch’i). The meaning of the Ten Suchnesses in this group is portrayed by Chih-i in black color, consisting of evil activities and causes of suffering. “Appearance” means when a person who has an evil appearance is doomed to fall in one of these unpleasant states in his/her next incarnation. His/her destiny has been revealed through distinctive marks that can be thoroughly seen by the Buddha, less deeply by the bodhisattva, vaguely by the Two Vehicles, and are not seen by an ignorant man. “Nature” refers to the nature of beings that are in these states as “black and evil” (Hei-eh), and they can hardly change. The evil nature is paralleled with wood, within which fire is contained. Because of its fire-nature, the wood can burst into flames under certain conditions. The evil nature is what causes rebirth in these four destinies. Chih-i argues that if there were no evil nature (fire-nature) as the internal cause for fire to burst out, there would be no rebirth in the evil destinies. It is like in the case of a clay-image, which has the appearance of wood, but does not have the fire-nature, and thus, it would not burn. “Substance” refers to the material and the mental elements of beings that have been destroyed countless times as the form of torment in their past existence and are experiencing the same process of torment at present, and will suffer again in their future existence. Such tormented material and mental elements are what constitute the substance of a being. “Power” refers to evil abilities that beings can potentially possess, such as the hell-dwellers who are capable of treading the edge of a blade, the hungry ghosts who can swallow copper and chew iron, the stronger animals who conquer the weaker ones, and so on. “Function” means that beings who construct, engage in, and exercise three kinds of karman (Ch., Sanyeh; Skt., trīṇi karmaṇi), i.e., body (Shen), speech (Yü), and mind (I), build up wickedness. These are called functions. “Causes” refers to “habitual causes of evil” (Eh-hsi-yin) that reproduce themselves continuously. The tendency for evil to emerge by habit is the cause for wickedness to be easily completed. “Conditions” refers to the wickedness of self and wickedness of possession as auxiliary causes. “Effects” refers to the continuing effect of evil caused by the attachment to the state of desire. For example, beings with desires that are reborn in hell still mistake suffering for pleasure. “Retributions” refers to the retribution resulting from effect (Pao-kuo). For example, when beings with many desires are in hell, they are tortured by copper pillars and iron beds (as a consequence of tending to objects of desire). “Beginning-and-end-ultimately-alike” is spoken of in terms of the Threefold Truth (Emptiness, the Provisional, and the Middle Way). First, from the perspective of emptiness, the beginning and end suchnesses are all emptiness, and thus, are ultimately alike. Secondly, from the perspective of the provisional existence, the beginning and end suchnesses are all provisional existence, and thus, are ultimately alike. Thirdly, “ultimately alike” refers to the mind that is the Mind of the Middle Way-Ultimate Principle (Chung-shih Li-hsin). It is not different from that of the Buddha, and is capable of attaining Buddhahood. (Vol. 2, Page 76-77)

In this part, Chih-i defines the common meaning of the Ten Suchnesses. “Appearance” signifies external existence that can be distinguished; “nature” denotes internal being that is unchangeable; “substance” refers to the principal quality that intrinsically belongs to oneself; “power” refers to potentiality; “function” refers to that which constructs; “causes” refers to the causes that bring about effects similar to themselves (such as a good thought produces more good thoughts, and a bad thought produces more bad thoughts); “conditions” refers to indirect or conditional causes; “effects” refers to the effects that are the same as their causes; “retributions” refers to the effects resulting from the deeds one has done in the past incarnation (such as a good life leads to a pleasant rebirth, and a wicked life leads to an unpleasant one); and “beginning-and-end-ultimately-alike” refers to the identity of the first suchness “appearance” and the last ninth suchness “retributions,” as both the beginning and the end share the same reality: the beginning contains the destination pointing to the end, and the end is the result that manifests what is contained in the beginning. (Vol. 2, Page 75-76)

To Chih-i, the Relative Truth and the Ultimate Truth constitute the Ultimate Truth that reflects objective reality:

“With this [Dharma of the Relative and Ultimate] as objective reality, what dharma is not incorporated? To bring forth knowledge with this object, what kind of knowledge would not be initiated?”

When the Dharma of Sentient Beings is considered to consist of the Relative and the Ultimate, it also signifies inconceivability. Since the Dharma of Sentient Beings is inconceivable, it is subtle. Chih-i concludes:

“The Dharma of Sentient Beings is inconceivable—though Ultimate, it is yet Relative; even though Relative, it is yet Ultimate. The Ultimate and Relative are identical and of no hindrance to each other. One should not view and look at living beings with the eyes of an ox or a sheep and evaluate and measure them with the mind of an ignorant man. Only when [one] has the knowledge like the Tathāgata, can [one] evaluate and measure [them].”

This is to say that the Dharma of Sentient Beings is related to the Twofold Knowledge concerning the Relative Truth and the Ultimate Truth.

These two truths embrace each other. The Relative contains the Ultimate and vice versa. Speaking of the Relative that contains the Ultimate, the real intention of the Buddha is to utilize the Relative as an expedient means, and to gradually guide sentient beings to attain Buddhahood. Speaking of the Ultimate that contains the Relative, the Relative as an expedient means is an indispensable device in revealing the Ultimate Truth about universal liberation for all sentient beings. The Relative and the Ultimate are two facets of the same reality that constitute the Dharma of Sentient Beings. (Vol. 2, Page 74-75)