The Manas That Connects Cause and Effect Between Past and Future Lives

After a person dies, the manas and the tathāgatagarbha do not perish; together they carry karma into the womb to be born, giving birth to another you in the next life. The manas continues unbroken from past lives to future lives, so there is something that connects life after life—and that is you. Because in past lives you did not understand cause and effect, you disregarded your future self and acted willfully and recklessly, creating bitter karma, causing the you of this life to suffer endlessly. If in this life you continue to act willfully and recklessly without understanding cause and effect, you will still face unceasing affliction in future lives. The one who suffers is always yourself, not others—creating karma life after life, regretting it life after life, yet never learning the lesson.