Commentary on the Mahayana Manifestation of Consciousness Sutra

Venerable Bhadrapala addressed the Buddha, saying: "O World-Honored One. Sentient beings, though aware of the existence of consciousness, are like a treasure confined in a box—it remains unmanifested and unknown. O World-Honored One. Not knowing this consciousness, what form does it take? Why is it called consciousness? When sentient beings die, their limbs thrash chaotically, their eyes change appearance, and they lose self-control. Their faculties perish, the great elements disperse, and consciousness departs from the body. To where does it go? What is its intrinsic nature? What appearance does it have? How does it relinquish this body and receive another body?"

Although many people study the Buddha Dharma, those who possess truly great virtuous karma are exceedingly rare. Eighty percent or even more will descend into the three evil realms. Even though they studied the Buddha Dharma in this lifetime, they still cannot avoid the three evil realms. This is because the virtuous karma they created in this life is very slight, while their evil karma from past and present lives is abundant and heavy. For example, harboring greed in the mind, with a strong stingy and miserly heart, will inevitably lead to rebirth in the hungry ghost realm. Furthermore, those with heavy karma of hatred and delusion will respectively descend to the hell realm to receive retribution or become an animal to receive retribution. Among those who study the Buddha Dharma, these afflictions of evil karma are almost entirely uneliminated and unsubdued. The afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion only begin to be eradicated upon attaining the third fruition. Even upon attaining the first fruition, they cannot yet be eradicated. However, after attaining the first fruition, the three fetters are severed, meaning there is no longer the bondage of karma leading to the three evil realms, and one will not be born into the three evil realms.

Some might say that the Buddhist sutras state that upholding the Five Precepts ensures rebirth in the human realm, and since they uphold the Five Precepts, they will surely attain human rebirth. However, this is not necessarily so. Firstly, one cannot accurately judge whether one has truly upheld the Five Precepts well. Secondly, even if one has genuinely upheld the Five Precepts, if the conditions for evil karma from past lives happen to ripen, one must follow those evil conditions into the three evil realms, revolving in birth and death without choice. As for the merit of upholding the Five Precepts, one can only receive the corresponding virtuous retribution when the conditions for virtue ripen. Heavenly beings also uphold the Five Precepts—those in the desire realm heavens, form realm heavens, and formless realm heavens do not violate the Five Precepts and have committed no evil deeds. Yet, after death, many of them descend directly into hell. This indicates that the conditions for their hellish karma have ripened, and thus it cannot be avoided. When the heavenly beings' blessings are exhausted, they descend into hell because the seeds of evil karma from beginningless kalpas still exist within them. If the conditions for virtuous karma are minor, not yet ripened, or lack sufficient power, they will still fall into evil realms. Where sentient beings go upon death depends on which directing karma is most powerful and which karmic condition ripens first.

Although some people commit evil deeds, if they can sincerely generate a pure and vast aspiration, and at the time of death, the power of this virtuous aspiration surpasses the force of their evil karma, they can be reborn in a virtuous realm by relying on this great power of aspiration. Therefore, for students of the Buddha Dharma, attaining the first fruition is an urgent matter. If one attains the first fruition in this life, one can attain the first fruition again in the next life, or perhaps the second fruition, and thus for life after life, one will not suffer in the three evil realms. Afterwards, continuing to attain the third and fourth fruitions, eradicating afflictions, one will achieve liberation of mind and liberation through wisdom. The third fruition entails eradicating the two afflictions of greed and hatred, which requires cultivating to the first dhyāna. Attaining the first dhyāna is, of course, somewhat difficult. However, after attaining the first dhyāna, eradicating afflictions becomes less difficult.

Yet, many people claim they have eradicated greed, feeling as if they no longer crave worldly dharmas and have no interest in any worldly affairs. In reality, they have not eradicated even a trace; that is merely a state of suppression, not eradication. Because they have not severed the view of self, nor attained the first dhyāna, nor cultivated away the five hindrances, it is impossible to eradicate the affliction of greed. Others, having no outward manifestation of sexual desire, claim they have eradicated the affliction of lust. In truth, this is merely a superficial suppression and restraint; psychologically, it is not severed. In the bardo state, they will still take rebirth due to lustful craving. As long as one takes rebirth due to male-female desire and obtains a physical body in the next life, greed has not been eradicated. Those who can truly eradicate greed will not take rebirth again, except for Bodhisattvas who have attained the first dhyāna or beyond.