Commentary on the Mahayana Vijnaptimatrata Sutra
Chapter Six: The Migration of Consciousness is Like Taking Good Medicine or a Warrior Riding a Horse
Original Text: At that time in the assembly, the kumara (youth) Moon-Truth the Supreme rose from his seat, joined his palms, and addressed the Buddha: "World-Honored One, how does one perceive the cause of form? How does one perceive the cause of desire? How does one perceive the cause of seeing? How does one perceive the cause of adherence to precepts?"
The Buddha told Moon-Truth: "The wise perceive the realm of wisdom; the foolish perceive the realm of folly. The wise, upon seeing all beautiful forms and lovely appearances, thoroughly know they are filthy and foul—merely lumps of flesh, sinews, bones, pus, blood, large and small blood vessels, large and small intestines, fluids, brain, membranes, kidneys, heart, spleen, gallbladder, liver, lungs, stomach, undigested food, digested food, yellow phlegm, nasal mucus, saliva, hair, body hair, nails, feces, and urine. Wrapped in thin skin, they are unclean, foul, exposed, dreadful, and detestable. All forms are produced from the four great elements (earth, water, fire, wind). This is the cause of form."
Explanation: At that time, the kumara Moon-Truth rose from his seat, joined his palms, and said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, how can one perceive the cause that forms matter? How can one perceive the cause of sexual desire? How can one perceive the cause of seeing? How can one perceive the cause of adherence to precepts?"
The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Moon-Truth that the wise perceive the realm of wisdom, while the foolish perceive the realm of folly. The wise, upon seeing all beautiful appearances, can fully realize that no matter how beautiful the external form of the body may be, it is filthy and foul, merely a lump of flesh containing sinews, bones, pus, blood, large and small blood vessels, intestines, various bodily fluids, brain membranes, as well as the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, kidneys, etc., including undigested and digested matter, yellow phlegm, nasal mucus, saliva, hair, body hair, nails, teeth, feces, and urine. It is wrapped only in a thin outer skin, extremely filthy and impure, utterly detestable. All such matter (rupa) is generated from the seeds of the four great elements. This is the cause that constitutes form.
When perceiving form, the realm seen by the wise differs from that seen by the unwise. Similarly, regarding form, what is seen by those who perceive Buddha-nature differs from what is seen by those who do not. What is seen by those who are enlightened differs from what is seen by those who are not. What is seen by those who have cultivated wholesome dharmas also differs from what is seen by those who have not.
The wise, knowing all dharmas are illusory, need not avoid them; simply remain unmoved. For example, encountering foul odors, some cover their noses while others are indifferent. Avoiding is grasping at appearances; liking is also grasping at appearances. Without grasping at appearances, one remains indifferent, the mind undisturbed. As long as one grasps at appearances, there is action and mental fabrication; the mind is not empty and pure. Practitioners should similarly transcend regarding food and drink. Those who do not grasp at appearances are indifferent to whether food is delicious or not, satisfied merely with sustenance. Those who grasp at appearances discriminate between tasty and unpalatable, giving rise to liking and aversion, resulting in incessant greed.
The wise, seeing beauty, know it is foul, like a moving toilet; they know beauty is essentially a pile of flesh and blood, and the skin and hair are also unclean, thus not arousing desire. The unwise, seeing a beautiful appearance, give rise to lust and seek it. The body is fundamentally a pile of filth, with nothing lovable about it—merely an object composed of the four great elements. All forms we encounter are composed of the four great elements: earth, water, fire, and wind. All flowers, plants, trees, houses, and the surrounding environment are formed by the four great elements. The universe and the vessel-world are made of the same material, all equal. This is the cause that forms matter.
Original Text: "Moon-Truth, it is like the body born from parents. The hardness of the body is the earth element. Moisture and fluidity are the water element. Warmth is the fire element. Movement is the wind element. That which has awareness, thoughts, and the realms of sound, smell, taste, touch, etc., all these are consciousness."
Explanation: The Buddha said, "Moon-Truth, the physical body born from parents: that which has the nature of hardness is the earth element. Not only is the earth element present in the sinews, bones, and muscles, but it is also in the blood; the entire physical body contains the earth element. Water also has hardness; wind blowing against the body causes pain—wind also contains the earth element. That which flows and moistens is the water element; every part of the body has the water element, primarily blood, saliva, urine, and sweat. That which has warmth is the fire element. That which moves and is light is the wind element—'light' represents lightness, 'move' represents flow; the light, floating movement, the movement of the energy channels in the body—all represent the wind element. Breathing and the flow of blood belong to the wind element. All that has perception and awareness, capable of cognizing the realms of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas (objects of mind), are the six consciousnesses."
Original Text: Kumara Moon-Truth again addressed the Buddha: "World-Honored One, at the time of death, how does consciousness abandon the body? How does consciousness migrate from the body? How does consciousness know it should abandon this body now?"
Explanation: Kumara Moon-Truth said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One, when sentient beings are nearing death, how does the Alaya-vijnana (store consciousness) abandon the physical body? How does the Alaya-vijnana leave the physical body? How does the Alaya-vijnana know it should abandon the physical body now?"
Upon what basis does the Alaya-vijnana know it should abandon the body now? It must perceive the karmic seeds and karmic conditions, deciding to leave the body based on them. The Alaya-vijnana manifests and sustains the physical body based on karmic seeds. When the karmic seeds and conditions indicate that at a certain moment it should no longer project the seeds of the four great elements to maintain the body's existence, and the karmic conditions no longer permit the Alaya-vijnana to sustain the body, the Alaya-vijnana knows the body should cease to exist then. It should withdraw the four great elements and cease projecting them. At that moment, the physical body decomposes into the four elements, the six sense objects (six dusts) can no longer manifest normally, the six consciousnesses can no longer arise and cognize the six dusts normally, and thus the six consciousnesses gradually disappear. The manas (mind consciousness, the seventh consciousness) and the Tathagatagarbha (Buddha-nature, the eighth consciousness) then depart from the body.
Original Text: The Buddha told Moon-Truth: "Sentient beings receive retribution according to their karma. The flow of consciousness is continuous, sustaining the body without cease. When the allotted period ends and the retribution concludes, consciousness abandons the body and migrates to receive [a new existence] according to karma. It is like boiling milk mixed with water. By the power of fire's heat, the milk, water, and fat each disperse. Similarly, Moon-Truth, when a sentient being's life ends, dispersed by karmic power, the physical form, consciousness, and the sense bases and elements each scatter."
Explanation: The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Moon-Truth that sentient beings receive karmic fruits according to their good and evil deeds. The Alaya-vijnana continuously projects seeds onto the physical body, enabling it to continue existing and functioning. When the lifespan ends, the Alaya-vijnana then abandons the physical body and migrates to the next life's body according to the sentient being's good and evil karma. It is like water and milk mixed together and heated by fire; the milk rises, and the water remains below—water and milk disperse separately. The lives of sentient beings are also like this. Due to karmic conditions, when a sentient being's life ends, the five aggregates disintegrate; the physical body and the conscious mind separate; the twelve sense bases (ayatanas) and the eighteen elements (dhatus) all scatter.
Original Text: "Consciousness is the basis, taking the dharmadhatu and the thoughts of the dharmadhatu, along with good and evil karma, to migrate and receive another retribution."
Explanation: The Alaya-vijnana is the basis of sentient beings' lives; the five aggregates rely on the Alaya-vijnana to apprehend the eighteen dhatus (elements). After the Alaya-vijnana abandons the original physical body, the seeds of the five aggregates return to the Alaya-vijnana. The seeds of the four great elements and the consciousness seeds all return to the Alaya-vijnana. When conditions are ripe, the Alaya-vijnana, following the mental power (thoughts) of the manas and the good and evil karmic seeds, migrates to the five-aggregate body of the next life, projecting seeds again to form the five-aggregate body of the next life. The six sense bases, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses will then reappear.
Here, the "flow of consciousness" refers firstly to the Alaya-vijnana's own consciousness seeds projecting moment by moment, enabling the Alaya-vijnana to operate continuously and uninterruptedly. Secondly, it refers to the Alaya-vijnana projecting the seeds of the seven consciousnesses, enabling them to function continuously to sustain the life activities of the five-aggregate body. The Alaya-vijnana continuously sustains our physical body, enabling its life activities to continue without cease. When this lifetime ends and its karmic retribution is exhausted, the Alaya-vijnana abandons the current physical body.
Original Text: "Moon-Truth, it is like the great auspicious medicinal ghee (Mahaprasada Ghrita). By the power of the flavors of many excellent medicines, through the process of cooking and combining, it becomes the great auspicious medicinal ghee. It abandons the nature of ordinary ghee, holding the power of the good medicines—the six flavors of pungent, bitter, sour, salty, astringent, and sweet—to benefit the human body, thereby providing the body with color, fragrance, and flavor. Similarly, consciousness abandons this body, holding good and evil karma and the dharmadhatu, etc., migrates, and receives another retribution."
Explanation: Moon-Truth, it is like the medicinal ghee called Mahaprasada Ghrita (Great Auspicious Ghee). It is made by combining many excellent medicines and processing them through cooking. This processed medicinal ghee no longer has the taste of ordinary ghee; it possesses the flavor power of the good medicines. The good medicines have six flavors: pungent, bitter, sour, salty, astringent, and sweet. These six-flavored good medicines are used to nourish the human body, conveniently providing the body with color, fragrance, and flavor. After consuming it, one gains nourishment and relief from bodily ailments. Similarly, the Alaya-vijnana abandoning this body, holding good and evil karma and the dharmadhatu, migrating to receive the karmic retribution of the next life in another body, follows the same principle.
The Mahaprasada Ghrita symbolizes the Alaya-vijnana. The combination of the flavors of many medicines symbolizes the combination of sentient beings' good and evil karma and the seeds of the dharmadhatu within the Alaya-vijnana. The Alaya-vijnana holds the seeds of form, sound, smell, taste, and touch; it holds the seeds of various dharmadhatus; it holds the good and evil karmic seeds, which then benefit and nourish the physical body of sentient beings in the next life.
Original Text: "Moon-Truth, the substance of the ghee is like the body. The combination of various medicines forms the great auspicious [ghee], just as the combination of various dharmas and sense faculties forms karma. The tastes and touches of the various medicines contribute to forming the ghee, just as karma nourishes consciousness. Consuming the great auspicious [ghee] brings radiance, fullness, splendid complexion, beauty, peace, security, and freedom from afflictions, just as good [karma] nourishes consciousness, bestowing various pleasurable retributions."
Explanation: Moon-Truth, the substance of the ghee is like the physical body. The combination of many kinds of medicine forms the Mahaprasada Ghrita, just as the combination of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, dharmas (objects of mind), and the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind faculties enables the creation of karmic actions. The combination of various medicinal flavors forms the flavor of the Mahaprasada Ghrita ghee, just as the karmic seeds of body, speech, and mind nourish the Alaya-vijnana. When the sick consume Mahaprasada Ghrita, it makes the body strong, the spirit full, the complexion ruddy, and the body and mind peaceful and free from illness, just as wholesome karmic seeds nourish the Alaya-vijnana, enabling sentient beings to receive pleasurable karmic retribution.
"Nourish" means storing wholesome karmic seeds in the Alaya-vijnana; the five-aggregate body produced by the Alaya-vijnana then experiences pleasurable retribution. Wholesome karma supports the Alaya-vijnana; the seeds are stored within the Alaya-vijnana, which then enables sentient beings to receive pleasurable karmic fruits, manifesting a five-aggregate existence that experiences pleasurable retribution.
Original Text: "Consuming the ghee contrary to the method causes the countenance to turn foul, pallid without blood, ashen like a dead soldier, just as evil nourishes consciousness, bestowing various painful retributions. Moon-Truth, the auspicious, precious ghee has no hands, feet, or eyes, yet it can take in the good medicine's color, fragrance, flavor, and power. Consciousness is likewise: it takes the dharmadhatu and various wholesome karmic experiences, abandons this body's realm, receives the antarabhava (intermediate state), and attains divine, wonderful thoughts."
Explanation: If someone consumes the Mahaprasada Ghrita medicine improperly, their complexion turns ashen, pallid, and bloodless. Originally, the medicine is meant to cure illness, but if taken incorrectly, one can be poisoned by it. This metaphor illustrates that if sentient beings create evil karma, the evil karmic seeds stored in the Alaya-vijnana support it. Then the Alaya-vijnana projects the evil karmic seeds, and the sentient beings' five aggregates receive painful retribution.
Moon-Truth, the Mahaprasada Ghrita medicine has no eyes, hands, or feet, yet when all the medicines are combined, it can absorb all the excellent medicinal properties—the color, fragrance, flavor, and power of the good medicines. The Alaya-vijnana is also like the Mahaprasada Ghrita medicine; it apprehends the dharmadhatu, apprehends the feelings (vedana) of the six consciousnesses, and the wholesome karma of sentient beings. The Alaya-vijnana abandons the physical body of the present life and manifests an antarabhava (intermediate state) body. Within the antarabhava body, the five-aggregate body attains the divine eye and produces the supernatural powers and thoughts of a deva (celestial being).
Original Text: "It sees the six desire heavens and the sixteen hells. It sees its own body—hands, feet, and sense faculties dignified and beautiful. It sees the corpse it abandoned, thinking, 'This is my body from a previous life.' It further sees a lofty, supreme, wonderfully adorned celestial palace, variously ornamented, with flowers, fruits, plants, trees, and vines covering it, radiantly splendid like newly refined gold, adorned with manifold jewels. Seeing this, its mind becomes greatly joyful. Due to this great fondness, consciousness then entrusts itself to it."
Explanation: With the divine eye, it sees the six heavens of the desire realm and the sixteen hells. Simultaneously, it sees its own deva body—hands and feet dignified and beautiful, the five sense faculties and countenance lovely. Seeing the corpse it abandoned, it knows this was its human body from a previous life. Afterwards, it sees a tall, supreme, and adorned celestial palace, decorated with the seven treasures, exceedingly magnificent, with various adorned flowers, fruits, forests, trees, and vines covering it, dazzlingly brilliant, a scene of splendid beauty, as dazzling as newly smelted gold, adorned with numerous jewels. Seeing the gardens and palaces, its mind becomes greatly joyful. Due to this fondness, the Alaya-vijnana entrusts the five-aggregate body to be reborn in the heavens, obtaining a deva body and experiencing the karmic retribution of a deva.
Devas all have gardens; each deva prince has a garden filled with various fruits, lush flowers and fruits, and vines covering it. The garden is adorned with many precious jewels, extremely splendid and magnificent. Both the preceding and following descriptions are seen within the antarabhava state. Within the antarabhava, sentient beings experience karmic retribution possessing the divine eye, able to see the beautiful scenery and palaces of the heavens. As soon as the mind becomes attached through liking, it becomes bound and entrusts itself to the celestial palace, becoming a deva.
Original Text: "This person of good karma abandons one body and receives another, at ease and without suffering, like a rider abandoning one horse and mounting another. It is like a strong warrior, fully equipped with martial skill, seeing enemy troops approach, dons sturdy armor, mounts a fine steed, and departs fearlessly. Abandoning the realm and sense bases of the body, migrating to receive superior bliss, is also like this."
Explanation: This person with good karma, when abandoning one body and receiving another, experiences ease and joy without suffering. When dying, there is no pain during the decomposition of the four elements. When receiving the deva body, as soon as the mind feels joy, it enters the celestial palace and becomes a deva, without any pain at all—no need for birth through a womb, no suffering in the womb. The rebirth of a person with good karma is like a rider abandoning one horse and immediately mounting another. Changing bodies is like changing horses—abandoning the human body, obtaining the deva body. The Alaya-vijnana is like the rider. It is also like a strong warrior, fully equipped with armor and weapons, seeing enemy troops approach, immediately dons sturdy protective armor, takes up the finest weapons, mounts the best steed, and rides out to meet the battle. Moreover, possessing superb martial skills, he feels not the slightest fear. It is the same for those who create good karma when going to take rebirth, abandoning this body and migrating to that body.
A person who creates good karma feels no fear before death; within the antarabhava, there is no fear; when taking rebirth, there is no fear. Because in this life they created good karma, wholesome roots and karma nourish the Alaya-vijnana. When the Alaya-vijnana abandons this body and takes hold of that body, the five aggregates receive pleasurable retribution; the karmic fruit of bliss manifests, and thus one experiences the wonderful enjoyment brought by the good karma. Sentient beings who create evil karma, however, when the evil karma manifests, experience extreme suffering; their hands and feet thrash about, and they know they are bound for the three evil destinies.
Original Text: "From the Brahma-kaya heaven (Brahmakayika) up to the summit of existence (Bhavagra, the highest heaven of the formless realm), they are born within them."
Explanation: Those who create good karma can be reborn not only in the six heavens of the desire realm but also in the first dhyana heaven of the form realm, up to the highest heaven of the formless realm. As long as they possess the corresponding level of meditative absorption (dhyana), they can be born into the corresponding heaven.
Brahma-kaya heaven (Brahmakayika) refers to the form realm heavens. "Brahma" signifies purity, meaning freedom from sensual desire—specifically, the absence of sexual desire. The heavens from the first to the fourth dhyana all belong to "Brahma" because the devas there are androgynous, neither male nor female, with pure minds free from desire. Without at least the first dhyana or higher, one cannot ascend to the form realm heavens. Rebirth in the six heavens of the desire realm only requires cultivating merit, creating wholesome karma, and possessing the concentration of the desire realm (kamavacara dhyana). Besides cultivating merit and creating wholesome karma, one must cultivate the first to fourth dhyanas to be reborn in the form realm heavens. Having merit alone without dhyana is insufficient to reach the form realm heavens.
Mara Papiyas (the Evil One, or King Mara), because he cultivated great merit and virtue during his human life but did not attain the dhyana of the form realm—only the "access concentration" (anagamya-samadhi, the concentration just before entering dhyana)—was reborn after death in the highest heaven of the desire realm, Paranimmita-vasavatti (the Heaven of Controlling Others' Emanations). The merit and virtue in Paranimmita-vasavatti are also immense, and they possess the kamavacara dhyana (desire realm concentration). Concentration itself carries merit—it is the merit of concentration—plus the merit from his own cultivated wholesome actions, resulting in the greatest merit within the desire realm. Therefore, Mara Papiyas can rule the six heavens of the desire realm, governing all sentient beings within the desire realm. As long as beings are in the desire realm heavens, they are his subjects, under his jurisdiction. Once someone cultivates and attains the first dhyana, he can no longer control them.
Therefore, before sentient beings attain the first dhyana, Mara comes to obstruct them, preventing them from succeeding, because once they succeed, they are beyond his control. Even after they attain it, he will still obstruct them, causing them to lose the first dhyana, because he possesses a very strong desire for retinues, always wishing for more subjects under his rule. Facing such situations, one must continue to cultivate merit, repent more to eliminate karmic obstacles. When merit and virtue increase greatly, one will break free from Mara's control. If an individual's merit is very great, even Mara cannot overcome them. Without merit, even ordinary ghosts and spirits can obstruct one; even an ant in the antarabhava state can come to take revenge. Therefore, Buddhist practitioners should repent more and dedicate more merit, thereby eliminating karmic obstacles and increasing merit and virtue.
