Explanation of the Mahāyāna Vijñapti Sūtra

Original text: O Bhadrapāla, when consciousness abandons this body to receive rebirth elsewhere, at the time of death, the consciousness is entangled by karmic obstructions. When the retribution is exhausted and life ends, it is like the cessation concentration (nirodha-samāpatti). The consciousness of an Arhat—like an Arhat entering cessation concentration—when the Arhat’s consciousness departs from the body, it ceases. Similarly, the consciousness of the deceased abandons the body and the eighteen elements (dhātus), propelled by the power of mental faculty (manas). Thus it is known that at that moment, all the deeds performed by this person (I, so-and-so) in life manifest at the time of death, remembered clearly. Both body and mind endure intense suffering.

When the first six consciousnesses of a dying person cease, the mental faculty (manas) perceives this and simultaneously observes the condition of the physical body, realizing it is beyond hope and unusable. The volition mental factor (cetanā) then resolves to abandon the physical body and seek a new one. The ālaya-vijñāna (storehouse consciousness) gradually departs from the body in accordance with the mental faculty, and both leave together. When an Arhat enters cessation concentration and further resolves to transcend the three realms to enter the remainderless nirvāṇa, this is determined by the volition mental factor of the mental faculty. Similarly, the consciousness of the deceased abandons the physical body and the eighteen elements, propelled by the power of the mental faculty’s mental formation (manaskāra), for all such actions are driven by the mental faculty and directed by its volition.

Afterward, the mental faculty still desires to take rebirth and possess a physical body. The ālaya-vijñāna, in accordance with this mental formation of the mental faculty, may produce an intermediate state body (antarābhava) for its use or directly manifest rebirth in a heavenly realm. The mental faculty does not wish to extinguish itself, as it has not severed attachment to selfhood. It always seeks to continue existing, desiring another five-aggregate body to utilize. The ālaya-vijñāna accords with it, manifesting an intermediate state body—this is propelled by the power of the mental faculty’s mental formation. When an Arhat extinguishes the physical body and the eighteen elements, this too is the ālaya-vijñāna propelled by the power of the mental faculty’s mental formation. The Arhat’s mental faculty mentally resolves to leave the three realms and transcend birth and death; the ālaya-vijñāna accordingly departs from the physical body and no longer gives rise to any dharma. At the time of death for ordinary sentient beings, the mental faculty also resolves to abandon the physical body, mentally intending to be reborn into the next life’s body. The ālaya-vijñāna accordingly manifests an intermediate state body, propelled by the power of the mental faculty’s mental formation.

When sentient beings approach death, they know their life is ending. All the good and evil deeds performed throughout their lifetime manifest entirely, remembered clearly and without the slightest confusion. These are recollections arising in the mind consciousness.

At this moment, the being has not yet breathed their last. Before departing, their entire life’s process flashes by rapidly, like a film projection. The mind consciousness then knows everything done in that lifetime and where it is destined to go—whether reborn in a good path or an evil path—it knows all this. Afterward, the mind consciousness ceases. The mental faculty, knowing there is no hope, abandons the physical body. Carrying attachment to self and craving, it then manifests an intermediate state body.

While the mind consciousness has not yet vanished, "both body and mind endure intense suffering." The body suffers due to the disintegration of the four great elements. The mind suffers, firstly from despair over life, secondly from separation from loved ones, and thirdly from the inability to cling to worldly desires any longer. Thus, body and mind endure the torment of suffering.

Original text: O Bhadrapāla, what is the meaning of consciousness (vijñāna)? Consciousness is called the seed. It can give rise to various kinds of complex karmic retribution bodies. Perception, awareness, thought, and recollection are all contained within consciousness. Knowing suffering and joy, knowing evil and good, and knowing the realms of good and evil—therefore it is called consciousness. As you asked, how does consciousness leave this body to receive other retribution?

Explanation: The Buddha said, "O Bhadrapāla, what is the meaning of consciousness? Consciousness is called the seed—the seed consciousness, the mind substance that contains seeds. It holds the seeds of sentient beings’ karmic actions and the innate seeds that give rise to the five-aggregate world. The ālaya-vijñāna, relying on these seeds, gives rise to sentient beings’ various complex karmic retribution bodies. Sentient beings’ knowing nature, awareness nature, recollective nature, and thinking nature are also simultaneously contained within the ālaya-vijñāna’s substance. After birth, sentient beings can thereby know suffering, joy, evil, good, and various wholesome and unwholesome realms. Because it contains these seeds, it is therefore called the ālaya-vijñāna. As you asked, how does the ālaya-vijñāna abandon this body to receive the remaining karmic retribution body?"

Because the ālaya-vijñāna contains the seeds of the five-aggregate body, it can give rise to the sprout of the five-aggregate body. "Seed" signifies the capacity to give birth; it can give rise to all kinds of karmic retribution bodies—all possible retributions exist because all kinds of karma have been created. "Body sprout" generally refers to the sprout of the body faculty (kāyendriya), typically meaning the body faculty in the embryonic stage. Simultaneously, the seeds of sentient beings’ knowing nature, thinking nature, awareness nature, and recollective nature are also contained within the ālaya-vijñāna. When the consciousness seeds within the mind substance are projected, sentient beings manifest the functions of knowing nature, thinking nature, awareness nature, and recollective nature. With the appearance of these functions of consciousness, they know suffering, joy, good, bad, and wholesome/unwholesome realms. The knowing nature belongs to the six consciousnesses, not the ālaya-vijñāna. The ālaya-vijñāna does not know suffering, joy, good, evil, or wholesome/unwholesome realms. These two types of consciousness nature are easily confused. When reading sutras, we must distinguish whether the "consciousness" mentioned refers to the six consciousnesses or the ālaya-vijñāna to correctly understand the sutra’s meaning.

The Buddha said, "As you asked, why does the ālaya-vijñāna leave the physical body to receive another retribution body?" The physical bodies of beings in the six destinies are all retribution bodies; the physical bodies of the four types of saints are also retribution bodies, albeit wholesome ones. The ālaya-vijñāna itself does not receive retribution; it is the six consciousnesses’ bodies that it manifests which receive retribution. The ālaya-vijñāna merely manifests and bears the retribution for sentient beings. Actually, it is the mental faculty that receives retribution, but the mental faculty has no feeling of suffering or joy—it experiences equanimity (upekṣā). If it were the six consciousnesses that receive retribution, the six consciousnesses cease at death, and the six consciousnesses of the next life are new. The original six consciousnesses do not receive the retribution; the ālaya-vijñāna certainly does not receive retribution—it feels neither suffering nor joy and is entirely in a state of equanimity. It does not become an animal, hungry ghost, human, deva, etc.—it becomes nothing at all. Therefore, it does not receive retribution.