Commentary on the Mahayana Vijnaptimatrata Sutra
Chapter Nine: How Can the Subtle Consciousness Sustain Bodies Both Large and Small?
Original Text: Mahābhūta addressed the Buddha, saying: “How does consciousness appropriate a heavenly body, and even appropriate a hellish body?” The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, consciousness, together with the dharmadhātu, sustains a subtle vision. It does not rely on the physical eye as the basis for seeing. This subtle vision, conjoined with the sphere of merit,
Explanation: The Bodhisattva Mahābhūta asked the Buddha: “How does the ālaya consciousness appropriate the form body of a heavenly being, and even the form body of a hell being?” The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, the ālaya consciousness endows sentient beings in the dharmadhātu with a very subtle vision, which is a minor supernatural power. Without relying on the physical eye, they can perceive the realms of the heavenly palaces through the mind’s eye, independent of the eye faculty. This special function of the mind’s eye perceiving forms is supported by one’s own meritorious karma. It is due to the maturation of meritorious karma that the blessed realm of heaven appears, and the mind’s eye sees the heavenly palace brought about by one’s own merit.
Original Text: perceives the heavenly palaces, the pleasures and amusements. Seeing this, it becomes joyful. Consciousness then becomes attached, thinking thus: ‘I shall go there.’ Affection, attachment, and longing become the cause of existence. Seeing its former body lying discarded in the place of corpses, it thinks thus: ‘This corpse is my great benefactor. Because it accumulated various wholesome actions, I have now obtained this heavenly reward.’
Explanation: “He sees in the heavenly palaces that the heavenly sons and daughters are enjoying themselves, playing and frolicking. Seeing this, his mind gives rise to joy. Once this joy arises, his mind becomes bound and attached to the wondrous realm of the heavenly palace. He then thinks: ‘I should be reborn in this heavenly palace.’ This person becomes the cause for birth into a heavenly form body within the three realms due to his greed and attachment to the superior realm of the heavens. Upon reaching the heavenly palace, he sees his own deceased form body lying in the place where corpses are discarded and thinks: ‘This corpse is my great benefactor. Because of all the wholesome actions it performed, I have now obtained this heavenly reward.’
“From this, we should understand that whenever we delight in any realm, we become bound and hindered by that realm; similarly, when we loathe any realm, we also become bound and hindered by it. Therefore, we should not give rise to minds of delight or aversion towards any realm. As long as there is mind, there is bondage; there is no liberation, no escape from the cycle of birth and death. To seek liberation and avoid bondage, one must be mindless towards all realms. Without mind, there is no bondage by realms; non-attachment brings liberation.
Original Text: Mahābhūta addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One, since consciousness has such affection and regard for this corpse, why does it not take residence in it again?” The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, it is like cutting off and discarding one’s hair and beard. Although the discarded hair is seen to be dark, glossy, fragrant, and lustrous, could one replant it on the body to make it grow again?” Mahābhūta replied to the Buddha: “No, World-Honored One. Once hair and beard are discarded, they cannot be replanted on the body to make them grow again.”
Explanation: Mahābhūta addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One, since this person has such affection and fondness for his corpse, why does he not re-enter and appropriate the corpse?” The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, it is like cutting off one’s hair. Although the discarded hair is still dark, glossy, and lustrous, can one reattach it to the body and make it grow again?” Mahābhūta replied to the Buddha: “No, World-Honored One. Once hair is cut off, it cannot be reattached or replanted on the head to make it grow again.”
The Bodhisattva Mahābhūta understood that as soon as the mind gives rise to greed and attachment, it becomes bound by the object of that attachment. This person loves his own corpse and would also be bound by it, but he cannot return to his corpse and come back to life.
Original Text: The Buddha said: “So it is, Mahābhūta. A discarded corpse cannot be re-appropriated by consciousness to receive karmic retribution.”
Explanation: The Buddha said: “Indeed it is so, Mahābhūta. The rules of the dharmadhātu are such that once a corpse has been completely abandoned, once the seventh and eighth consciousnesses have both left the form body and the first six consciousnesses have ceased, the eight consciousnesses cannot return to the form body to make it live again.
“To abandon the form body, all seven consciousnesses must have left it. If the manas (seventh consciousness) has not yet departed, it is not considered complete abandonment. If the manas is still present, the person can revive. Because where there is manas, there is the eighth consciousness; such a person is not dead. The first six consciousnesses can be reborn, and the person can come back to life.”
Original Text: Mahābhūta again addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One, this consciousness is profoundly subtle and elusive, without substance that can be grasped, without form that can be sought. How can it sustain large bodies like that of an elephant? Even if the body is solid as diamond, how can it penetrate and enter? A strong man’s body, with strength rivaling nine elephants—how can consciousness sustain it?”
Explanation: Mahābhūta again addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One, the ālaya consciousness is so subtle, so profound, so hidden, difficult to perceive, without substance to grasp, and without form to seek. Then how can the ālaya consciousness sustain the bodies of large beings like elephants? How does it reach the form body of an elephant to maintain the life of beings with such large bodies? Even if the ālaya consciousness is solid like vajra, how is it possible for it to enter the body of a very powerful strong man, whose strength rivals nine elephants, and sustain it?”
Original Text: The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, it is like the wind element, which has no substance and no form. When it emerges from a deep valley or a crevice, its force is fierce and violent, capable of toppling Mount Sumeru and shattering it into dust. Mahābhūta, what is the form and appearance of the wind element that can topple Sumeru?” Mahābhūta replied to the Buddha: “The wind element is subtle and wondrous, without substance and without form.”
Explanation: The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, it is like the wind element, which has no form and no substance. After emerging from deep mountain valleys or gaps in rocks, its force is extremely fierce. This great storm or tornado can topple Mount Sumeru and reduce it to dust.” The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, what is the form of the great wind that can topple Mount Sumeru?” Mahābhūta replied: “The wind element is extremely subtle, without form or substance, without shape.”
“Mount Sumeru is countless times larger than Earth. It is composed of the hardest seven treasures. Earth has soil and water, but Mount Sumeru has none of these; it is entirely made of vajra-like precious substances, extremely solid. A great wind that can topple Mount Sumeru and reduce it to dust must possess immense power; this is no ordinary wind or storm. Similarly, the ālaya consciousness is formless and without characteristics, yet its power is likewise immense. It can enter the body of a very strong elephant, sustain it, and keep the elephant’s life continuously functioning.
Original Text: The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, the wind element is subtle and wondrous, without substance and without form. Consciousness is also like this: subtle, without form or substance. It can sustain bodies both large and small. It can receive the body of a mosquito or the body of an elephant. It is like a bright lamp, its flame subtle and wondrous. Placed in a room, it dispels all darkness according to the room’s size. Consciousness is also like this: according to the causes of various karmas, it sustains bodies large and small.”
Explanation: The Buddha said to Mahābhūta: “The wind element is subtle and wondrous, without substance and without form. The ālaya consciousness is similarly subtle, without form or substance, invisible, inaudible, intangible. Regardless of how large or small the form body is, the ālaya consciousness can sustain and operate it. It can receive the body of a mosquito or fly, or the body of an elephant. It is like the flame of a bright lamp, extremely subtle. When placed in a room, the light, according to the size of the room, dispels all darkness within it. The ālaya consciousness is also like this; it can sustain form bodies large and small according to the karmic causes of sentient beings.
“The form body of a Sambhogakāya Buddha is extremely tall and large; Earth is like a table tennis ball in the palm of a Sambhogakāya Buddha’s hand. Yet the immaculate consciousness can sustain the body of a Sambhogakāya Buddha. The smallest bodies, such as mosquitoes, flies, ants, and bacteria, the ālaya consciousness can also sustain. Why can the ālaya consciousness sustain any kind of form body equally? Because it is itself formless, substance-less, without characteristics or color, and pervades everywhere. It can pervade the largest body and also pervade the smallest body.
“However, the functional role of the ālaya consciousness in large and small bodies is the same. The ālaya consciousness in a bacterium, in an elephant, in a dragon, or in a garuḍa—its functions are identical, without difference. The ālaya consciousness does not complain, saying, ‘Look at the karma you created, making me sustain such a small body.’ It does not complain; it has no feelings, no sensations. It also does not complain, ‘Sustaining such a large body for you is so tiring.’ Large and small bodies are the same to it. It can effortlessly sustain the sentient being’s form body, allowing it to survive and live normally.
Original Text: Mahābhūta addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One, what is the nature of the characteristics of karmas? By what causes and conditions do they manifest?” The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, being born in heavenly palaces, eating heavenly delicacies, experiencing peace and happiness—all these are brought about by the fruits of karma.”
Explanation: Mahābhūta addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One, what are the characteristics of the karmas created by sentient beings? By what causes and conditions do the karmic characteristics of sentient beings manifest?” The Buddha said to Mahābhūta: “One who creates wholesome karma ascends to the heavenly palaces, eats the exquisite food of the heavens, and lives a life of peace and happiness. All this is brought about by the maturation of wholesome karma. The exquisite food of the heavens appears through mere thought, transformed and complete with a hundred flavors, requiring no manual preparation, no labor, and no farming. This is the blessed fruit of wholesome karma.
Original Text: It is like two people, thirsty and weary, wandering the wilderness. One obtains cool, sweet water; the other obtains nothing, suffering the pain of thirst and weariness. The one who obtains cool water had no one give it to him. The one suffering thirst and weariness had no one obstructing him from obtaining water. Each experiences the suffering or happy retribution according to their own karmic causes.
Explanation: “For example, two people are wandering on the wilderness; both feel extremely thirsty, parched, weary, and tired. Yet one of them obtains cool, delicious water to drink, while the other obtains not a single drop and can only endure the agony of thirst and exhaustion. The one who obtained the cool water had no one give it to him, yet he obtained it. The one suffering thirst had no one obstructing him or preventing him from obtaining water, yet he could not drink. Both are brought about by karmic causes; each experiences suffering or happy retribution according to their own wholesome or unwholesome karmic causes.
Original Text: Mahābhūta, you should thus perceive wholesome and unwholesome karma as the white and black halves of the moon in the sky.
Explanation: “Mahābhūta, from the retribution they receive, one can know whether they are experiencing wholesome or unwholesome retribution. Observing the enjoyments and resources of each sentient being, one knows whether they have created wholesome or unwholesome karma, blessed or unblessed karma. The retribution of wholesome and unwholesome karma is like the moon in the sky, divided into the white moon and the black moon, very distinct. During the white moon phase, the moon grows brighter; during the black moon phase, the moon grows darker. During the black moon, the moon is invisible in the sky, very dark; during the white moon, the moon is very bright in the sky. The contrast between black and white is extremely clear. The wholesome and unwholesome karma of sentient beings is also very distinct. Some live by begging; others live in splendid luxury. Thus, we know whether the karma they created was wholesome or unwholesome.
Original Text: Again, it is like unripe fruit. When the fire element increases greatly, ripening causes its color to change. Similarly, this body, due to an increase in merit, is born into a superior family, with abundant assets, overflowing with gold and jewels, superior features prominent and flourishing. Or it is born in heavenly palaces, happy and free. These are all manifestations of the characteristics of wholesome karma.
Explanation: “Again, it is like unripe fruit. When steamed with great fire, ripening causes its color to change; the color of unripe and ripe fruit is different. When unripe fruit becomes ripe, its color changes. The form body is also like this. Due to the increase of meritorious karma, one is born into a family of superior lineage, obtains abundant assets, has innumerable gold and treasures, and the marks of wealth and nobility become fully manifest. A very superior karmic result appears, or one is born into a heavenly palace, happy and free. The characteristics of wholesome karma manifest such karmic results.
Original Text: For example, a seed is planted in the ground, and the fruit appears on the tree’s crown. However, the seed does not enter the branches from branch to branch to reach the crown. Dissecting the tree, one does not see the seed. No one carries the seed and places it on a branch. The tree grows, its roots firm, yet seeking the seed, one does not find it. Similarly, all wholesome and unwholesome karmas depend on the body. Seeking them within the body, one also does not see the karma.
Explanation: “For example, a seed is planted in the ground, and fruit appears on the crown of the tree. But the tree seed does not move from one branch to another branch and then to the crown. Cutting open the great tree, one cannot find the seed. No one placed the tree seed on a branch. After the tree is born, its roots are very firm, yet within it the seed cannot be found. The seed is likened to the wholesome and unwholesome karmas of sentient beings, which all depend on the form body for existence. Yet within the sentient being’s form body, one cannot find the wholesome or unwholesome karma. However, from the phenomena of the enjoyments of the form body, the karmic results of wholesome and unwholesome actions manifest.
Original Text: Just as because of the seed there is a flower, yet within the seed there is no flower; because of the flower there is fruit, yet within the flower there is no fruit. The flower and fruit advance and increase, yet the advancement is unseen. Because of the body there is karma; because of karma there is a body. Within the body there is no karma; within karma there is no body. It is also like this.
Explanation: “Because there is the seed of the flower, there is the flower, but within the flower seed there is no flower. Because there is the flower, there is the fruit, but within the flower there is no fruit. The flower and fruit are mutually cause and condition for each other. After the flower grows, the fruit emerges. After the fruit emerges, the flower disappears. After the fruit, as a seed, grows, the flower is born. After the flower appears, the fruit is no longer seen. Similarly, because there is the five aggregates body, there is wholesome and unwholesome karma. Because of wholesome and unwholesome karma, a new five aggregates body is generated. Within the five aggregates body, one cannot find the wholesome or unwholesome karma; within the wholesome or unwholesome karma, one cannot find the five aggregates body. Yet the body indeed creates wholesome and unwholesome karma, and within the wholesome and unwholesome karma lie the seeds of the karmic retribution body of future lives. The seeds of the karmic retribution body are like the flower and the fruit.
Original Text: When the flower ripens and falls, the fruit appears. When the body ripens, decays, and perishes, the karmic fruit then emerges. Just as with a seed, the causes for flower and fruit are present. So it is with the body: the causes for wholesome and unwholesome karma are fully present. That karma has no form, nor any sign of ripening.
Explanation: “For example, after the flower ripens and withers, the fruit manifests. When the sentient being’s five aggregates body grows old and perishes, the wholesome and unwholesome karmic results of that life appear. For example, first there is the seed, then the flower and fruit appear because of the seed. Similarly, because there is the five aggregates body, the causes for wholesome and unwholesome karma are fully present. Wholesome and unwholesome karma have no form, nor any sign of ripening.
“Having the seed, the flower and fruit are born. The seed is the cause of the flower and fruit; the seed contains the flower and fruit. The cause of wholesome and unwholesome karma is the five aggregates body. Because of the five aggregates, wholesome and unwholesome karma are created. The wholesome and unwholesome karma themselves have no sign of ripening or unripeness.
Original Text: It is like a person’s shadow, which has no substance and no obstruction, cannot be grasped, does not adhere to the person. Advancing, halting, coming, going—it moves according to the person, yet one does not see the shadow emerge from the body. The karmic body is also like this: there is body and there is karma, yet one does not see karma adhering to the body. Nor is it separate from the body, yet karma can exist.
Explanation: “It is like the shadow cast by a person on the ground—formless, without characteristics, without substantial obstruction, and thus cannot be touched; people cannot grasp it. The shadow does not bind the person. The shadow advances, retreats, comes, goes, stops—all move according to the person. Yet one cannot see the shadow emerging from the body. The karmic retribution body is also like this: there is a form body and there is karmic retribution, yet one cannot see the karmic retribution binding the form body. At the same time, karmic retribution cannot exist apart from the form body.
“The shadow is likened to wholesome and unwholesome karma; wholesome and unwholesome karma operate according to the sentient being’s five aggregates body. Karmic retribution is formless, just as the shadow is formless. Karmic retribution exists because of the body and because of karma, but we cannot see the karma; we can only see the form body. From the form body, one knows whether the retribution is wholesome or unwholesome; one knows what kind of karmic actions the five aggregates body performed in past lives—wholesome or unwholesome.
Original Text: It is like pungent, bitter, astringent, and various flavored medicines, which can cleanse and eliminate all illnesses. The body becomes full and joyful, its complexion radiant. People who see it know he has taken good medicine. The medicine’s flavor can be perceived, but its ripened effect is formless. It cannot be seen by sight, cannot be grasped by touch, yet it can nourish a person, making the skin lustrous and the complexion bright.
Explanation: “It is like medicines with various flavors such as pungent, bitter, and astringent, which can cure and eliminate all illnesses, making the body’s appearance moist and radiant, the form body healthy. Others, upon seeing him, know he has taken good medicine. The medicine’s flavor can be smelled, but the effect produced by the medicine is formless and without characteristics, invisible to the eye and ungraspable by hand. Yet the medicine can nourish a person, making the skin lustrous and the complexion bright.
Original Text: Karma, being formless, can nourish the body in the same way. For one nourished by wholesome karma: food, drink, clothing, internal and external resources are abundant, splendid, and beautiful. Hands and feet are well-proportioned, appearance is handsome and fine. Dwellings are luxurious; mani pearls, gold, silver, and various treasures overflow and accumulate. Peace, happiness, joy, and contentment prevail. One should know this as the characteristic of wholesome karma.
Explanation: “By the same principle, the wholesome and unwholesome karma created by sentient beings are all formless, substance-less, and without characteristics, yet they can nourish the form body, causing it to experience either blessed retribution or unblessed retribution, just as medicine nourishes the form body. Sentient beings who create wholesome karma are nourished by it in their five aggregates body. Their food, drink, clothing, bedding—both internal and external—are nurtured to be wealthy and splendid. Their hands and feet are well-proportioned, their faces dignified, their form body appearance upright and majestic. Their living environment, the houses they dwell in, are luxurious and extravagant, filled with mani jewels, gold, silver, and overflowing with various treasures. They live a life of peace, happiness, joy, and comfort. Seeing sentient beings enjoy such a life, one should know this is the characteristic of wholesome karma; this person created wholesome karma and obtained wholesome retribution. Karma itself has no form, yet from the form body, the characteristics of karma can manifest.
Original Text: Being born lowly, in borderlands, poor, with resources deficient and lacking, enviously longing for others’ pleasures, eating coarse and bad food, or obtaining no food at all, appearance ruined and ugly, dwelling in lowly places—one should know this as the characteristic of unwholesome karma.
Explanation: “What is the retribution for those born into lowly, borderland, and poor families? The resources they use are deficient, lacking this or that. Their food is coarse and unpalatable, or they have no food at all, often suffering hunger and cold. They often envy the happy lives of others, unaware that this is the karmic result of their own past unwholesome actions. Their faces are ugly, without flesh, bones protruding, indicating a poor appearance, not a blessed one—thin and withered, without luster. Their dwellings are in lowly tribes, mountain valleys, or wild lands. Observing these living conditions of sentient beings, one knows these are all characteristics of unwholesome karma, the karmic result of creating unwholesome actions.
Original Text: It is like a bright mirror reflecting the beauty or ugliness of a face. The image in the mirror has no substance; it cannot be grasped. Similarly, consciousness, nourished by wholesome and unwholesome karma, causes birth among humans and gods, or birth in hell, among animals, and so on. Mahābhūta, you should thus perceive karma and consciousness cooperating in transformation.
Explanation: “It is like a bright mirror, which can reflect the beauty or ugliness of a face. The image in the mirror has no substantial obstruction; it is merely a reflection. We cannot extract the shadow from the mirror. Seeing the karmic retribution of sentient beings, one knows what karmic actions they have performed, just as seeing the image in the mirror reveals the appearance of the person outside the mirror. Using the principle of mirror reflection, it illustrates how the ālaya consciousness contains the wholesome and unwholesome karmas created by sentient beings. These karmas cause sentient beings to be born among humans and gods, or born in the hells, among animals, or as hungry ghosts—the three evil destinies. Mahābhūta, you should perceive it thus: the karmic seeds of sentient beings and the ālaya consciousness cooperate in this way to transform and migrate into the five aggregates body of the next life.
Original Text: Mahābhūta said: “World-Honored One, how can the subtle consciousness sustain the sense faculties and appropriate large bodies?” The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, it is like a hunter entering the forest, holding a bow and poisoned arrow, shooting a fragrant elephant. The arrow poison touches the blood; the poison circulates through the elephant’s body. Its limbs are then disabled; sense faculties and objects perish together. The poison flows to the vital points; the body’s color turns blue-red like clotted blood. Having killed the elephant with poison, it then transforms and departs.
Explanation: The Bodhisattva Mahābhūta asked the Buddha: “World-Honored One, why can such a subtle and profound ālaya consciousness sustain the six sense faculties (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind faculty) of sentient beings and appropriate large-bodied beings like elephants, garuḍas, and dragons?”
The Buddha said to Mahābhūta: “For example, a hunter enters the forest holding a bow and arrow smeared with poison. He uses it to shoot a large fragrant elephant. The poison on the arrow seeps into the elephant’s blood and is carried by the blood throughout the elephant’s entire body. Then the elephant’s body and limbs become powerless and immobile; the five sense faculties cease to function, the six sense objects disappear, the six consciousnesses cease, and the elephant dies. The poison flows to vital points like the heart, and the whole body turns blue-purple, like coagulated blood. Using poison to kill an elephant causes it to die.
“If the arrow is not smeared with poison, after hitting the fragrant elephant, the elephant suffers only superficial wounds, which heal after a while, and the elephant does not fall. But when an arrow smeared with poison pierces the skin, the poison penetrates the bloodstream and is carried throughout the body. When it reaches the heart, the elephant collapses. Once the poison circulates to the heart, it spreads throughout the body, the five sense faculties cease to function, the manas sees this and decides to abandon the elephant’s form body, and the elephant dies. Those who die from poisoning turn blue and dark because the blood no longer circulates. Where blood does not circulate on the form body, it turns black-purple; where it does circulate, the skin remains clean and natural.
Original Text: What do you think? Can the poison and the elephant’s body be compared in quantity and size?” Mahābhūta replied to the Buddha: “World-Honored One, the poison and the elephant’s body differ vastly in quantity and size; they cannot be compared. It is like comparing Mount Sumeru to a mustard seed.”
Explanation: The Buddha said to Mahābhūta: “What do you think about this matter? Comparing the poison and the elephant’s body, their quantity and volume—is there any comparability?” The Bodhisattva Mahābhūta replied: “World-Honored One, comparing the poison and the elephant’s body, the difference is too vast; they cannot be compared. It is like comparing Mount Sumeru to a mustard seed—the difference is too great; there is no comparison.”
“How large is the elephant’s form body? How heavy is it? How much poison is there? Why can such a small amount of poison kill the elephant? Poison the size of a mustard seed can fell an elephant as large as Mount Sumeru. This shows that although the poison is small, its effect is immense. And the ālaya consciousness is even smaller than a mustard seed; its function is similarly immeasurable, beyond the imagination of sentient beings, inconceivable.
Original Text: The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, similarly, consciousness abandons this body to appropriate the sense faculties; abandoning these realms, it transforms according to karma. It is also like this.”
Explanation: The Buddha said to Mahābhūta: “The ālaya consciousness abandons the form body to go and sustain the sense faculties of another form body, causing the sense faculties of that other form body to grow. It abandons the eighteen realms of this form body and, following wholesome and unwholesome karma, transforms and migrates to another form body. It is also like this. Although the ālaya consciousness is not even the size of a mustard seed, its functional role is truly great, beyond imagination.
Original Text: Mahābhūta again addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One, why does the subtle consciousness sustain large bodies without tiring?” The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, Mount Sumeru, the king of mountains, is eighty-four thousand yojanas high. The two great dragon kings, Nanda and Upananda, each encircle it three times. When these two great dragons exhale, they shake Sumeru. The waters of the inner sea all turn to poison. These two dragon kings are long and immensely powerful. The two great dragon kings, Vāsuki and Takṣaka, are also their equals.
Explanation: Mahābhūta again addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-Honored One, why can such a subtle ālaya consciousness sustain the body of an elephant without becoming tired or weary?” The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, Mount Sumeru, the king of mountains, is eighty-four thousand yojanas high. The bodies of the two great dragon kings, Nanda and Upananda, each encircle Mount Sumeru three times. When these two dragons become greatly enraged, they shake Mount Sumeru, turning the waters of the four great seas poisonous. These two dragon kings are long-bodied and immensely powerful. The two great dragon kings, Vāsuki and Takṣaka, are comparable in size and strength to these two dragon kings.
Original Text: What do you think? Is the consciousness of the four dragon kings different from that of a mosquito?” Mahābhūta said: “World-Honored One, the consciousness of the four dragons and that of a mosquito are not different.”
Explanation: “Mahābhūta, what do you think? Is there any difference between the ālaya consciousness of the four dragon kings and that of a mosquito?” The Bodhisattva Mahābhūta said: “The ālaya consciousness of the four dragon kings and that of a mosquito are identical; their functions are the same. It’s just that the function of the mosquito’s ālaya consciousness is restricted; originally it could overturn heaven and earth, but now it can only sustain such a small body.
“The ālaya consciousness sustains the bodies of elephants and dragons yet never feels weary. When we do things, the conscious mind feels tired, the manas decides to rest or sleep. The manas cognizes the state of fatigue and also cognizes the overall condition of the form body. Then it gives rise to deliberation and makes choices, and the ālaya consciousness accedes to the manas, doing whatever it decides to do as much as possible. The ālaya consciousness can manifest the momentary conditions of the entire form body, which the seventh consciousness can perceive and fully understand. Then it constantly makes decisions, continuously adjusting the form body to keep it comfortable and prevent fatigue.
“When thirsty, the manas decides to drink water; when sitting causes back pain, it decides to change posture or stand up and move around—all these are decisions made by the manas. Yet the manas itself never tires, has never rested. Since beginningless time, the ālaya consciousness has also never rested; it too never knows fatigue or weariness. If we knew what the ālaya consciousness does every day, great wisdom would arise. All dharmas are manifested by the ālaya consciousness. As for how they are manifested, that requires gradual contemplation after enlightenment.
“Yojana is a Sanskrit term. A small yojana is forty li, a medium yojana is sixty li, and a great yojana is eighty li. Calculate how tall Mount Sumeru is at eighty-four thousand yojanas. The bodies of the two great dragon kings Nanda and Upananda are long enough to encircle Mount Sumeru three times—how enormous must their dragon bodies be! But garuḍas specifically eat these dragons. How large must a garuḍa be? It’s unimaginable. When it spreads its two wings, it can block out the sun, plunging Earth into darkness.
“The four great seas each have a dragon king. The ālaya consciousness of the four dragon kings is identical to that of a mosquito, yet the mosquito’s ālaya consciousness sustains such a small body—this is determined by the mosquito’s karmic seeds. The ālaya consciousness manifests the form body according to karmic seeds. The Buddha’s immaculate consciousness can manifest the Buddha body; the sentient being’s ālaya consciousness keeps sentient beings as ordinary beings. The function of the ālaya consciousness is the same, yet the form bodies it manifests differ, all due to differences in karmic power. The Buddha’s immaculate consciousness can manifest a great thousand-world system and even countless trichiliocosms. And the mosquito’s ālaya consciousness? It can only let the mosquito suck a little blood; sometimes it cannot even obtain a little food. So this karmic power is also formidable; it can limit the superior functions of the ālaya consciousness.
Original Text: The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, it is like a small drop of the poison bhallataka entering the mouths of the four dragons; the four dragons then die. What do you think? Which poison is greater—the small drop of medicine poison or the poison in the dragon’s mouth?” Mahābhūta replied to the Buddha: “The poison in the dragon’s mouth is great; the small drop of medicine poison is extremely minute.”
Explanation: The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, if a tiny bit of bhallataka poison (a self-made poison) is introduced, only the size of a drop of water, into the mouths of the four dragon kings, the four dragon kings will die immediately. Although the four dragons can fill the four great seas entirely with poison, a tiny drop of bhallataka poison is enough to kill them; they cannot withstand it and will inevitably die from poisoning. Mahābhūta, what do you think? Which is more potent—the toxicity of a drop of water-sized poison or the toxicity within the dragon’s mouth?” The Bodhisattva Mahābhūta said: “The toxicity within the dragon’s mouth is greater; the toxicity of the small drop-sized poison is too minuscule.”
“This tiny drop-like poison is extremely insignificant, disproportionate to the dragon’s body and to the toxicity spewed from the dragon’s mouth, yet it can have such a great effect, killing the dragon king. The ālaya consciousness is smaller than a water drop, smaller than a dust mote; it has no mass, no shape, yet the function it performs is immeasurably vast—it can manifest the worlds of the ten directions. Isn’t this formidable and miraculous!
Original Text: The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, large-bodied beings, with strength rivaling nine elephants—the subtle consciousness, colorless and formless, not an object of discrimination, sustains them according to karma. It is also like this.”
Explanation: The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, those large-bodied beings have strength rivaling nine elephants.” (What kind of elephant? Heavenly elephants are called fragrant elephants, and there are even more powerful ones; their strength rivals nine elephants.) “The subtle ālaya consciousness is colorless and formless, itself not discriminating any dharmas—unaware of their wholesomeness or unwholesomeness, beauty or ugliness, size or shape—yet it can sustain the sentient being’s form body according to their wholesome and unwholesome karma, also potent like poison.
Original Text: It is like the seed of the nigrodha tree, extremely minute. Planted, it gives rise to a tree, vast and spreading, with branches and twigs by the hundreds and thousands. What do you think? Can the seed and the tree be compared in size?” Mahābhūta said: “World-Honored One, the seed and the tree differ vastly in size, like the hole of a lotus root compared to the realm of space.”
Explanation: “For example, the extremely minute seed of the nigrodha tree gives rise to a very tall tree. After this tiny tree seed is planted in the ground, it grows into a towering tree that spreads widely, with hundreds and thousands of branches reaching high into the sky. Mahābhūta, what do you think? Can this minute seed and the great tree be compared?” Mahābhūta said: “World-Honored One, the seed and the tree are too vastly different; it’s like comparing the holes in a lotus root to the realm of space—utterly incomparable.”
Original Text: The Buddha said: “So it is, Mahābhūta. Seeking the tree within the seed, it cannot be found. If not for the seed, the tree would not arise. The subtle nigrodha seed can give rise to a great tree. The subtle consciousness can give rise to a large body. Seeking the body within consciousness, the body cannot be found. If consciousness is removed, the body does not exist.”
Explanation: The Buddha said: “Indeed it is so, Mahābhūta. If one seeks the great tree within the seed of the tree, the great tree cannot be found. But without the seed of the tree, the great tree cannot arise. Similarly, that subtle ālaya consciousness can give rise to the large body of a sentient being, but if one seeks the large body within the ālaya consciousness, it is utterly unfindable. Without the ālaya consciousness, there would be no form body.
Original Text: Mahābhūta again addressed the Buddha, saying: “How can the indestructible, vajra-like consciousness dwell within a fragile, swiftly decaying body?” The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, it is like a poor man obtaining a wish-fulfilling jewel. Due to the jewel’s power, lofty buildings, exquisitely carved and beautiful palaces, lush gardens, blooming flowers and fruits, elephants, horses, courtesans, attendants, resources, and objects of enjoyment naturally arrive. Later, that man loses the wish-fulfilling jewel, and all the resources and objects of enjoyment completely vanish.
Explanation: Mahābhūta again addressed the Buddha, saying: “Why can the ālaya consciousness, indestructible like vajra, dwell within a fragile, swiftly decaying form body?” (The ālaya consciousness is also called the indestructible vajra body in the Diamond Sutra; the form body can decay and perish, but the ālaya consciousness is indestructible like vajra.) The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, it is like a poor man obtaining a wish-fulfilling jewel. Due to the miraculous power of the wish-fulfilling jewel, resources for living appear at will. Lofty buildings, beautiful and magnificent palaces, lush gardens, blooming flowers and ripened fruits, elephant and horse carriages, slave servants—all these naturally appear before him. If this person later loses the wish-fulfilling jewel, all the resources for living vanish completely.
“The wish-fulfilling jewel is miraculous and solid, extremely reliable. Even a thousand vajras could not destroy it. Yet the resources for living it manifests can quickly disintegrate. The ālaya consciousness is like the wish-fulfilling jewel—eternally indestructible—yet the form body it manifests and sustains can quickly vanish and perish. Our present form body and resources are manifested by the ālaya consciousness. But why doesn’t it provide us with better resources? Because the ālaya consciousness is constrained by our karmic power; it manifests resources for existence according to our wholesome and unwholesome karma.
Original Text: The wish-fulfilling divine jewel is solid, true, and firm. Even a thousand vajras cannot destroy it. The resources it produces are false and impermanent, swiftly scattered and destroyed. Consciousness is also like this: indestructible, yet the body it produces swiftly decays and perishes.”
Explanation: “The wish-fulfilling divine jewel of the world is solid and firm; even a thousand vajras cannot destroy it. But the resources it manifests are false and impermanent, swiftly scattered, destroyed, and vanished—destroyed when destroyed, vanished when vanished, scattered when scattered. The ālaya consciousness is similarly indestructible, yet the five aggregates body it produces swiftly decays and perishes.
“Not to mention a thousand vajras; even millions, billions, or immeasurable vajras could not destroy the ālaya consciousness. No person or thing can destroy the ālaya consciousness. Why can the ālaya consciousness not be destroyed? Because it is formless, without characteristics, unborn and undying. If the ālaya consciousness had form, no matter how solid, it could be destroyed and annihilated. When the world ceases to exist, with no world, there is no dharma; no solid treasure can exist. Vajra and wish-fulfilling jewels would likewise vanish, because all forms must rely on the world to exist; without the world, all forms have no basis.
“The form body is not solid; it is swiftly born and swiftly extinguished. A human body lasts a hundred and eighty years and then perishes. Many people feel this lifetime is very long, but in the eyes of heavenly beings, it’s merely a few minutes. Some beings like mosquitoes live their entire lifetime; their lifetime in our eyes is just a few minutes or hours. Some bacteria are born and vanish within minutes; even if we don’t kill them, they disappear quickly. Even heavenly beings live for thousands of years; their thousands of years are hundreds or even thousands of times longer than thousands of years in the human world, yet in the eyes of bodhisattvas in other Buddha lands, that is still a very short lifespan.
“Some people think that when they reach the Pure Land, they can return in the time it takes to turn around. But in that instant, the time it takes to snap one’s fingers, how much time passes in our Sahā world? Perhaps Earth no longer exists. Time is a false appearance; it can be long or short according to our merit. The greater the merit, the longer the perceived time; the smaller the merit, the shorter the perceived time. Conversely, in the three evil destinies, the less the merit, the longer the suffering. One year in the hungry ghost realm is equivalent to hundreds or thousands of years in our world.
“One year in hell is also thousands of years in the human world. The more suffering beings feel, the longer time seems; the happier beings feel, the shorter time seems. The eighty thousand great kalpas in the Heaven of No Thought—how long is that in human Earth time? It cannot be calculated. For the heavenly beings there, it passes in the snap of a finger. If we sit in meditation for an hour, for others a long time may have passed, but for ourselves, we emerge from meditation very quickly. Time feels short when happy and long when suffering.
“The power of ignorance obscures the minds of sentient beings, preventing them from perceiving the supremely indestructible ālaya consciousness. Where there is karma, there is deluded attachment; where there is ignorance, there is deluded attachment; where there is deluded attachment, there is obscuration. They see the false but not the true; they cannot realize the true nature of the dharmadhātu. If one repents more, it can eliminate karma and remove obscurations; only then can cultivation progress. If karma is not eliminated at the time of death, there will be obscurations, preventing rebirth in a wholesome destiny; one will fall into the three evil destinies to suffer. Karmic obstructions cause the mind to be unclear at the time of death, preventing mindfulness of the Buddha and obstructing rebirth in the human realm, wholesome destinies, or pure lands. Only repentance, dedication, cultivation of wholesome dharmas, and accumulation of much merit can make the power of the vow greater than the power of karma, the power of merit greater than the power of karma. The stronger force prevails first, enabling instantaneous rebirth in a wholesome destiny.
“Cultivation means always making the power of wholesome karma greater than the power of unwholesome karma, always receiving wholesome retribution, while unwholesome karma is continuously postponed. When, in future lives, the power of the Way increases, bearing the karmic fruit becomes a minor matter, no longer a problem. For example, having killed someone in the past, but now becoming a bodhisattva of several stages—this unwholesome karma of killing is a small problem, insufficient to obstruct the cultivation of the Buddha Way. When one’s merit has increased upon attainment, repaying a life is inconsequential; one can even manifest many form bodies to benefit oneself and others. Again, for example, having now become a great millionaire, encountering a creditor demanding repayment of a small debt is no problem at all—a mere trifle. But when poor and lowly, even a small debt could not be repaid. After cultivating wholesome dharmas, when the power of merit is great, any debt can be repaid without problem, until finally one cultivates and learns to become a Buddha.
Original Text: Mahābhūta said: “World-Honored One, how does the subtle and soft consciousness penetrate coarse and hard matter?”
Explanation: The Bodhisattva Mahābhūta said: “World-Honored One, the ālaya consciousness is formless and without characteristics, so subtle and pliant. How does it penetrate into a coarse and hard form body?”
“For example, an elephant’s skin is extremely coarse, hard, and thick. How does the ālaya consciousness enter it? The ālaya consciousness does not penetrate through the skin. Before the elephant is born, the ālaya consciousness has already entered. Then it continuously sustains the elephant’s body. Regardless of how thick the elephant’s skin grows, it does not enter or exit through the skin, nor does it come and go through any part of the elephant, because the ālaya consciousness has no form or substance, so there is no entering or exiting. After the elephant dies, the ālaya consciousness indeed departs from the elephant’s body, yet still without any sign of departure. No one can see the ālaya consciousness entering or leaving the elephant’s body. Therefore, it is said the ālaya consciousness neither comes nor goes.
Original Text: The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, water’s nature is extremely soft. A rushing torrent or cascading spring can penetrate mountains and rocks. What do you think? How do the substances of water and rock compare in hardness and softness?” Mahābhūta said: “World-Honored One, rock’s substance is hard, like vajra. Water’s substance is soft, providing pleasurable sensations.”
Explanation: The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, water is so gentle, but when the water flow is extremely rapid, cascading down from a cliff, it can penetrate mountain rock. Comparing the substances of water and rock, how do their hardness and softness compare?” Mahābhūta said: “World-Honored One, the substance of rock is extremely hard, like vajra; while the substance of water is soft. When water touches the body, it provides a pleasant sensation.”
“Comparing the substances of water and rock, their hardness and softness indeed differ greatly. Yet soft water can perform such a great function, penetrating rock. Therefore, hard things are not necessarily truly hard, and soft things are not necessarily fragile.
Original Text: The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, consciousness is also like this: supremely subtle and soft, able to penetrate hard matter, migrating into large bodies to receive retribution.”
Explanation: The Buddha said: “Mahābhūta, the ālaya consciousness is also like this: subtle and soft, yet able to penetrate the hardest form body, migrate into the bodies of large beings, and cause sentient beings to receive retribution.”
“Saying the ālaya consciousness is soft is merely a metaphor. The consciousness mind, formless, without characteristics, and without substantial obstruction, cannot be said to be soft or hard. Yet it can dwell within all hard, large bodies—truly subtle and inconceivable. Does the consciousness of a ghost or spirit attaching to the body of an elephant or dragon constitute penetration and entry? No. Does it dwell within the elephant’s body? Also no; it’s merely a way of sustaining.
“There is also no concept of the ālaya consciousness penetrating or not penetrating. All consciousness can sustain form dharmas and perform their due functions. If a ghost or spirit attaches to a piece of wood or a stone, it can make the stone or wood move without entering inside it. A ghost or spirit attaching to a house can make the house move, yet it is not inside, outside, or in the middle of the house. In the past, there was a kitchen god who attached to a stove, treating the stove as its body, yet the kitchen god could not be found on the stove at all. The ālaya consciousness is likewise—without a physical body, without shape, yet possessing sustaining functions.
