Which Consciousness Undergoes Continuous Rebirth Through Celestial, Subterranean, and Human Realms in the Cycle of Samsara?

Question: Some say that the intrinsically pure Tathagatagarbha, being of emptiness, contains the defiled seeds of the seven consciousnesses; thus, it drifts along with karmic forces, taking rebirth within the three realms and six paths. At times it ascends to the heavens, at others descends to hell. Or it may be born in the human realm, but due to rejecting the true Dharma, it reappears in hell. Can the Tathagatagarbha take rebirth? If it takes rebirth, does that mean it undergoes birth and cessation?

Answer: First, although the Tathagatagarbha mind is empty, it should not be termed "emptiness" but rather the "mind of emptiness." This is because the Tathagatagarbha is the substance of the mind, not a property representing that substance. Properties are attributes subordinate to the mind-substance used to describe it; they are not the substance itself. Only by relying on the mind can there be the properties of the mind.

Second, the Tathagatagarbha does not take rebirth. Although it contains the defiled karmic seeds of the seven consciousnesses, it is the seventh consciousness that undergoes rebirth in accordance with karma; the Tathagatagarbha merely follows the seventh consciousness to the place of rebirth. When the seventh consciousness takes rebirth, it is the Tathagatagarbha that enables the seventh consciousness to do so. Without the Tathagatagarbha's cooperation in projecting the karmic seeds and the seven fundamental elements, the seventh consciousness cannot take rebirth. Therefore, one should not say that the Tathagatagarbha undergoes cyclic rebirth in the heavens, hells, or human realm; rather, it is the seventh consciousness that continuously undergoes rebirth through the cycles of heavens, hells, and the human realm.