Explanation of the Mahayana Vijñapti Sūtra

Original Text: Virtuous Guardian, when sentient beings' physical bodies die, the consciousness carries the seeds of sensation, perception, and the dharmadhatu to the next life. Due to the karmic connection with parents, the consciousness takes refuge in the fertilized egg, giving rise to name-and-form. Sensation, perception, and the dharmadhatu all follow the consciousness to the next physical body in the same way. Just as from the superior power of flowers, the nose gains the faculty of smell; from the superior power of smelling, the fragrant object is obtained. Again, just as from the superior power of the wind-body, contact with the form and touch of wind is obtained; due to the superior power of the wind, the fragrance can reach afar. Similarly, from consciousness arises sensation; from sensation arises perception; from perception arises dharmas (phenomena). Thus, one is able to discern the wholesome and the unwholesome.

Explanation: The Buddha said, Virtuous Guardian, when sentient beings' physical bodies die, the alaya-vijnana carries the seeds of sensation, perception, and the dharmadhatu to the next life. In the intermediate state (antarabhava), due to the karmic connection with parents, the alaya-vijnana takes refuge in the fertilized egg, giving rise to name-and-form. Sensation, perception, and the dharmadhatu all follow the alaya-vijnana and migrate to the next physical body in the same manner. It is like how because of the special power of fresh flowers, the nose gains the faculty of smell; because of the nose's superior faculty of smell, the fragrant sense-object (gandha) can be perceived. For example, because of the special power inherent in the wind element, contact with the form and touch of wind is obtained; further, due to the wind's transporting power, the floral fragrance drifts to distant places. By the same principle, because of the alaya-vijnana, sensation arises; because of sensation, perception arises; because of perception, dharmas (phenomena) manifest. Sentient beings are thus able to understand the wholesome and unwholesome nature of dharmas.

The alaya-vijnana contains the seeds of sensation, perception, and the dharmadhatu. When conditions mature, it projects the karmic seeds of sensation and perception along with the seeds of the six consciousnesses. Sensation and perception then appear, and sentient beings gain the functional capacity for sensation and perception. The seed of the body faculty is the first to manifest, depending on the karmic conditions of the parents, giving rise to the body faculty. Then, the seeds of the consciousnesses also gradually manifest and function. The seeds of the eye, ear, nose, and tongue faculties arise depending on the body faculty. Depending on the conditions of the six faculties and six objects, the seeds of the six consciousnesses also begin to function. In this way, sensation, perception, and the dharmadhatu arise once more.

Because flowers have fragrance and the nose faculty possesses the olfactory function, relying on the nose faculty's smelling nature and the power of nose-consciousness, we are able to perceive the fragrant object of the flowers. The nose faculty apprehends the smell-dust (gandha-dhatu) of the floral fragrance. Contact between faculty and object occurs, and nose-consciousness arises, discerning the smell-dust, thereby apprehending the characteristic (nimitta) of the smell. Thus, the fragrance of the flower is perceived. Through the functions of nose-consciousness and the mind-consciousness, the characteristic of the smell-dust is grasped, obtaining the fragrant object. Consciousness is necessary for obtaining; without consciousness, it cannot be obtained. 'Obtaining' means grasping the characteristic, meaning apprehending or clinging.

Because the wind element itself has the power of conveyance, it enables contact between wind and form. When wind touches the flowers, the floral fragrance drifts to other places. Similarly, the alaya-vijnana also has the functional capacity to project seeds. After a person dies, the alaya-vijnana comes into contact with karmic seeds and carries the five aggregates to another physical body in another world. Just as the fragrance of flowers can drift far due to the wind's pushing force, similarly, because of the alaya-vijnana, the seeds of sensation, perception, and the dharmadhatu can migrate to another physical body. The wind element metaphorically represents the alaya-vijnana. The flower represents the body faculty. The floral fragrance represents the seeds of sensation, perception, the dharmadhatu, and the five aggregates. The nose faculty possesses the faculty of smell because of the function of nose-consciousness; it is through this that we can smell the fragrance and have perception. This illustrates that sensation and perception are functions of the six consciousnesses. The six consciousnesses can apprehend the six objects (dusts): forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and mental objects (dharmas). The six objects can manifest upon the mind-consciousness.

Original Text: Virtuous Guardian, when sentient beings' physical bodies die, the consciousness carries the seeds of sensation, perception, and the dharmadhatu to the next life. Due to the karmic connection with parents, the consciousness takes refuge in the fertilized egg. Sensation, perception, and the dharmadhatu all follow the consciousness in the same way. Just as from the superior power of flowers, the nose gains the faculty of smell; from the superior power of smelling, the fragrant object is obtained. Again, just as from the superior power of the wind-body, contact with the form and touch of wind is obtained; due to the superior power of the wind, the fragrance can reach afar. Similarly, from consciousness arises sensation; from sensation arises perception; from perception arises dharmas. Thus, one is able to discern the wholesome and the unwholesome.

Why can the six consciousnesses apprehend the six objects (dusts)? Because there is a physical body with six faculties, and because there is the Tathagatagarbha, there is the alaya-vijnana. The alaya-vijnana can transmit the six objects (dusts). The six consciousnesses arise depending on this, sensation and perception appear, and the sense-objects manifest. This shows that the alaya-vijnana can manifest the six objects (dusts) and can also manifest the six consciousnesses. Only then can the six consciousnesses apprehend the six objects. From the alaya-vijnana, sensation arises; from sensation, perception arises; from perception, appearances manifest. For example, the alaya-vijnana transmits sound. Contact between faculty (ear) and object (sound) gives rise to ear-consciousness. Ear-consciousness hears the sound, giving rise to sensation (vedana). With sensation comes feeling/perception (samjna), and the sound manifests upon the ear-consciousness. Because there is nose-consciousness, the smell-dust can be discerned and manifested. 'From perception arises dharmas' means that because there is perception, the six objects (dusts) as dharmas appear. 'Dharmas' represent the six objects (dusts); 'perception' (samjna) represents the six consciousnesses.

The perception of the six consciousnesses is: eye-consciousness sees, ear-consciousness hears, nose-consciousness smells, tongue-consciousness tastes, body-consciousness feels tactile sensations, and mind-consciousness cognizes. This is called perception (samjna). What dharmas (objects) arise from eye-consciousness? Form-dust manifests. Without eye-consciousness, could one know form-dust? Eye-consciousness apprehends the form-dust, and thus the form-dust appears. For instance, only with eye-consciousness can one apprehend the characteristic of the cup on the table. Without eye-consciousness, could one apprehend the characteristic of the cup? Then one would not know there is a cup. Only the arising of eye-consciousness discerns the cup; eye-consciousness apprehends the characteristic of the cup. This is eye-consciousness apprehending form-dust.

Again, for example, because there is ear-consciousness able to hear sound, ear-consciousness apprehends the sound-dust. Without consciousness, could it be apprehended? This process of apprehension is the process of conceptualization (samjna). One aspect is the discerning function; another is the function of apprehending characteristics. Conceptualization (samjna) is the mental factor (caitasika) of conception, which can also be called the aggregate of conception (samjna-skandha). The conception aggregate first discerns; after discerning, it knows what this is – that is apprehending. After discrimination, it is apprehending the characteristic. Then it assigns a name. This is the complete process of conception (samjna). With nose-consciousness, the smell-dust can be apprehended. With body-consciousness, tactile objects like the warmth of sunlight, hunger, thirst, and fatigue can be apprehended. Because there is mind-consciousness, which apprehends mental objects (dharmas), one can cognize all dharmas, thereby knowing good and evil, right and wrong, good and bad.