Commentary on the Mahayana Vijnaptimatrata Sutra
Chapter 3 How the Functions of Ālayavijñāna Are Manifested
Section 1 Ālayavijñāna Transmigrates the Body Like a Face Reflected in a Mirror
Original Text: Bhadrapāla, what is the meaning of vijñāna? Vijñāna is called the seed. It can give rise to various kinds, sprouting the karmic body. Perception, awareness, thought, and ideation are all enveloped within vijñāna. Knowing suffering and joy, knowing evil and good, and knowing the realms of good and evil—therefore it is called vijñāna.
Explanation: Bhadrapāla, what is the meaning of vijñāna? Vijñāna is called the seed; it is the consciousness of seeds, the mind-substance that contains seeds, encompassing the seeds of sentient beings' karmic actions and the innate seeds that give rise to the five aggregates in the mundane world. Ālayavijñāna, relying on these seeds, can bring forth the various defiled karmic retribution bodies of sentient beings. The nature of knowing, the nature of awareness, the nature of thought, and the nature of recollection are also simultaneously contained within the substance of ālayavijñāna. Only after the six consciousnesses arise can one know suffering and joy, know evil and good, and know the various good and evil realms. Because it contains these defiled seeds, this consciousness is called ālayavijñāna.
Because ālayavijñāna contains the seeds of the five-aggregate body, it can give rise to the sprout of the five-aggregate body. "Seed" signifies the capacity to give birth; it can produce all kinds of karmic retribution bodies—there is every kind of karmic result because every kind of karma has been created. "Sprout of the body" refers to the sprout of the body faculty, generally meaning the body faculty in the embryonic stage. Simultaneously, the seeds of sentient beings' knowing nature, ideational nature, awareness nature, and recollective nature are also enveloped within ālayavijñāna. When the seed-consciousness within the mind-substance is projected forth, sentient beings possess the functions of knowing, ideating, awareness, and recollection. With the emergence of these functions of consciousness, they know suffering, know joy, know good and bad, and know the realms of good and evil. The nature of knowing always pertains to the six consciousnesses; it does not refer to the knowing of ālayavijñāna. Ālayavijñāna does not know suffering, does not know joy, does not know good, does not know evil, and does not know the realms of good and evil. These two natures of consciousness are easily confused. When we read the sutras, we must distinguish whether the consciousness mentioned refers to the six consciousnesses or to ālayavijñāna in order to correctly understand the meaning of the sutra.
Original Text: As you asked: How does consciousness depart from this body to receive another karmic retribution?
Explanation: As you asked, how does ālayavijñāna leave the physical body to receive the karmic retribution body of the next life?
The physical bodies of beings in the six realms are all karmic retribution bodies. The physical bodies of the four types of noble ones are also karmic retribution bodies, though they are bodies of wholesome retribution. Ālayavijñāna itself does not receive karmic retribution; it is the six consciousness bodies manifested by it that receive the karmic retribution. Ālayavijñāna merely manifests and carries the karmic retribution of sentient beings; in reality, it is the manas (seventh consciousness) that receives the karmic retribution, but manas does not experience the bodily sensations of suffering and joy—it only experiences mental suffering and joy. If the six consciousnesses were to receive retribution, they cease at death. The six consciousnesses of the next life are new; the original six consciousnesses do not receive the karmic retribution. Ālayavijñāna certainly does not receive karmic retribution; it has no feelings of suffering or joy and is entirely characterized by neutral feeling. It also does not become an animal, hungry ghost, human, deva, etc.—it becomes nothing at all, so it does not receive retribution.
Who then becomes the devas and beings of the six realms? It is manas that becomes them, but manas does not know the suffering or joy of the body. Only the six consciousnesses have the feelings of suffering and joy, both physical and mental; only they experience the evil retribution. Therefore, it is the six consciousnesses that receive the retribution. But the six consciousnesses cease at death; the next life brings new six consciousnesses, so the original six consciousnesses that created the karma do not receive the retribution. Is there then a true recipient of karmic retribution? In truth, there is no true recipient of retribution. All dharmas are illusory; all phenomena are illusory like this, lacking true reality. When we feel gain and loss, we should analyze and contemplate: is there truly a person who gains and loses? Is there true gain and loss? There is neither. There is no subject of gain and loss; all dharmas are illusory like this.
Just as we commonly speak of earning money: who earns it? Who gains the money? If it is said the physical body gains the money, the physical body is like wood—it cannot move by itself, nor can it enjoy anything—how can it gain money? If it is said the six consciousnesses gain money, the six consciousnesses are formless and without characteristics, and they arise and cease instantaneously—how can they earn and gain money? If it is said manas earns and gains money, manas cannot do anything by itself; it relies entirely on the six consciousnesses to act. Manas also does not enjoy; it is the six consciousnesses that enjoy. The eighth consciousness certainly does not earn or gain money. For example, if someone gains tens of thousands of yuan monthly, how is it gained? What exactly is called "gaining"? Does the body gain it? After repeated observation, one cannot find the earner or the gainer of money.
Conversely, when we lose something, upon careful contemplation: who exactly is the one losing? In truth, there is no loser; there is no gainer or loser. All dharmas arise from causes and conditions; when various causes and conditions come together, an illusory appearance arises. All phenomena also cease due to causes and conditions; as the various causes and conditions gradually disperse, an illusory appearance vanishes. Nothing is a true dharma, yet we regard it all as real. Then, within these dharmas, we suffer, rejoice, create karma, and receive retribution. But is there a true recipient of retribution? In truth, there is no true recipient of retribution.
Original Text: The migration of consciousness from the body is like the image of a face appearing in a mirror, like the impression of a seal manifesting in clay. For example, when the sun rises, wherever its light reaches, all darkness is eliminated. When the sun sets and its light fades, darkness returns as before. Darkness has no form or substance; it is neither permanent nor impermanent, nor can its location be pinpointed. Consciousness is likewise—without substance or form, manifesting through sensation and ideation.
Explanation: Ālayavijñāna abandons the present physical body and migrates to the physical body of the next life, just like a face appearing in a mirror. Ālayavijñāna is like the mirror; the facial likeness symbolizes another physical body. The physical body of the next life is manifested by ālayavijñāna, just as the impression of a seal appears on sealing clay—ālayavijñāna is like the clay, and the physical body is like the impression. For example, when the sun appears, wherever its light shines, all darkness is eliminated. When the sun sets, darkness returns as before. Darkness has no form, color, or material obstruction; it is neither permanent nor impermanent, nor does it have a true location. Ālayavijñāna is also like darkness—without material obstruction, without form or color. When the mental factors of sensation and ideation arise in sentient beings, the function of ālayavijñāna is manifested.
The Buddha uses the metaphors of a mirror, sealing clay, and darkness for ālayavijñāna. Ālayavijñāna is formless and without characteristics, just as darkness has no image. Ālayavijñāna is like a mirror that can display a face—the five-aggregate body is like the face, appearing within the mind of ālayavijñāna. Ālayavijñāna is like sealing clay; the clay corresponds to ālayavijñāna, while the five-aggregate body is like the impression appearing on the ālayavijñāna clay. The impression is entirely composed of the clay, but the clay is not entirely the impression. The five-aggregate body entirely originates from ālayavijñāna, but ālayavijñāna is not the five-aggregate body.
Ālayavijñāna is like sunlight; the physical body is like darkness. Darkness appears or disappears depending on the sunlight; the physical body arises or ceases depending on ālayavijñāna. When sunlight emerges, wherever it shines, all darkness vanishes. Where did the darkness go? It has no origin and no destination. For example, a room is originally dark; when the light is turned on, darkness vanishes wherever the light shines. Where did the darkness go? There is no true darkness; it is merely an illusory appearance. After the sunlight fades, darkness reappears as before. Darkness has no form, no material obstruction; it is empty. It cannot be touched by hand or contacted by the body. It is neither permanent nor impermanent; it has no true location. Similarly, ālayavijñāna is formless, without characteristics, without material obstruction. It cannot be seen by the eye or touched by hand. When sentient beings' sensations and thoughts arise, ālayavijñāna is thereby revealed.
"Ideation" refers to the nature of discernment and grasping appearances. After the sensation and ideation of sentient beings arise, ālayavijñāna's function is manifested upon them—that is, its function is revealed upon the five aggregates. Although ālayavijñāna is formless and without characteristics, as it operates within the formed and characterized five-aggregate body, the activity of ālayavijñāna is manifested.
