Can Isolated Consciousness Alter External Appearances?

The three transforming consciousnesses, in harmony, give rise to all dharmas. When causes, conditions, and karmic seeds ripen, they can also transform all dharmas, when the causal conditions mature. However, to alter the external appearances (nimitta), one must change the karmic seeds, which requires altering the ripening of the causes and conditions for those karmic seeds. Whether seeking a short-term rapid change or a long-term gradual change in the external appearances, the sixth and seventh consciousnesses—these two transforming consciousnesses—must possess immense power to induce changes in the karmic seeds within the Tathāgatagarbha. Once the karmic seeds change, the external appearances can be altered. If the sixth and seventh consciousnesses lack strength, the sense-accompanying consciousness (manovijñāna) cannot effect changes to the external appearances, and the dream-state solitary consciousness (manasikāra) is even less capable of altering the external appearances. Only the sixth and seventh consciousnesses in meditative concentration (samādhi) can swiftly change the external appearances; ideally, it is the solitary consciousness and the manas (mental faculty) in concentration. The scattered solitary consciousness, the sense-accompanying consciousness, and the manas are incapable; they lack the power.

The dream-state solitary consciousness is almost entirely incapable of altering the external appearances because the power of consciousness is extremely weak, or utterly powerless, and there is no concrete karmic action (karma) to induce a transformation in the karmic seeds; thus, the external appearances cannot change. When awake, even if the solitary consciousness engages in wildly fantasizing, it still cannot alter the external appearances in the short term, due to its scattered and powerless nature. However, if the solitary consciousness can concentrate its energy on a specific fantasy, it becomes very powerful and might rapidly alter the external appearances. Relying on the conceptualization (saṃjñā) of the manas and the conceptualization of the solitary consciousness, even without physical or verbal actions, it can change the karmic seeds, thereby transforming the external appearances. Therefore, mental conception (citta-saṃkalpa) and mental action (manas-karma) are also karmic actions and bear karmic retribution.