What Is Saṃskāra?

The scope of "volition" (saṃskāra) is extremely broad, encompassing the activities of all eight consciousnesses. Broadly speaking, volition refers to movement, operation, action, change, flux, and so forth—in essence, all phenomena that do not cease. Viewed this way, there fundamentally exists no phenomenon or principle, worldly or supramundane, that is devoid of activity or motion. Even the eighth consciousness is perpetually active and in motion, never quiescent or still.

Why is this so? Firstly, because the eighth consciousness possesses the five universal mental factors (caitta). These five mental factors never cease for even an instant; they continuously function without interruption. Even in the state of Nirvāṇa without remainder (nirupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa), the five universal mental factors of the eighth consciousness continue to operate ceaselessly. Secondly, the eighth consciousness itself has its own mental seeds (bīja) that arise and cease moment-by-moment without pause. It is this process that enables the eighth consciousness to persist continuously, to function unceasingly without the slightest stagnation for even a moment, thereby constituting a consciousness that is neither born nor extinguished.

The five universal mental factors of the eighth consciousness—attention (manaskāra), contact (sparśa), sensation (vedanā), perception (saṃjñā), and volition (cetanā)—operate continuously as long as they exist. This activity itself is "volition" (saṃskāra). Furthermore, the mental factor of volition (cetanā) inherently represents the meaning of choice and decision-making, as well as the meaning of operation and action. It is precisely the "volition" of the eighth consciousness that propels all dharmas (phenomena) into continuous operation, with their perpetual arising and ceasing. Therefore, broadly speaking, the eighth consciousness can also be included within the aggregate of volition (saṃskāra-skandha), except that this particular aggregate of volition is itself neither born nor extinguished. The eighth consciousness has the functional capacity to aggregate (saṃcita) all dharmas. Thus, broadly speaking, the eighth consciousness can also be called the aggregate of consciousness (vijñāna-skandha), and it is the most fundamental aggregate of consciousness—an aggregate of consciousness that is neither born nor extinguished. It is precisely due to the functional nature of the eighth consciousness as the aggregate of consciousness that all dharmas are aggregated, enabling dharmas to undergo birth, death, and transformation, and causing sentient beings to revolve ceaselessly in saṃsāra, experiencing unending suffering.

How exactly does the eighth consciousness operate? Firstly, by outputting seeds (bīja), retrieving seeds, creating all dharmas of the five-aggregate (pañca-skandha) world, causing all dharmas to undergo constant birth, death, and transformation without cessation; and by storing karmic seeds and releasing karmic seeds. Secondly, in relation to karmic seeds and all dharmas of the five-aggregate world, it continuously engages in contact, attention, sensation, perception, and volition, causing all dharmas to operate ceaselessly according to conditions. Even while engaged in this constant, unceasing activity, the eighth consciousness remains utterly unaffected in its own nature of quiescent, unconditioned (asaṃskṛta) mind. This activity does not impact its nature of neither perceiving nor cognizing dharmas, free from desire or seeking. Nor does it affect its nature of being unshaken and unaltered by dharmas.

The "volition" (saṃskāra) of the seventh consciousness includes both the volition arising from ignorance (avidyā) within the twelve links of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda), and the volition free from ignorance of the noble ones (ārya). The volition of ignorance is the volition leading to birth, death, and saṃsāra. The volition free from ignorance is the volition leading to liberation from birth and death. The volition of the seventh consciousness plays a decisively crucial role in both saṃsāra and liberation. It is precisely the volition of the seventh consciousness that prompts the eighth consciousness to aggregate the karmic seeds for the birth, death, and saṃsāra of the five aggregates, thereby aggregating the five-aggregate world. Therefore, broadly speaking, the seventh consciousness also belongs to the categories of the aggregate of volition (saṃskāra-skandha) and the aggregate of consciousness (vijñāna-skandha).

The "volition" of the six consciousnesses (the five sensory consciousnesses plus the mental consciousness) is easier to observe and understand. The six consciousnesses are of dependent nature (paratantra-svabhāva); their activity is passively manifested. Whether considered broadly or narrowly, the six consciousnesses are all subsumed under the aggregate of consciousness (vijñāna-skandha). This is because the bodily, verbal, and mental actions created by the six consciousnesses are precisely the causes for the aggregation of karmic seeds, the causes for the manifestation of the five-aggregate world, and the causes for the aggregation of name-and-form (nāma-rūpa). Although this aggregation is passive, it constitutes a significant portion of the aggregating function.