Commentary on The Sutra of the Compendium of Father and Son (162)

The Aggregate of Death and the Aggregate of Birth

Original Text: "O Great King, consciousness is the master, karmic formations are the conditioning factors. These two serve as mutual causes. The initial consciousness arises. Either it proceeds to the hell realms, or it falls into the animal realm, Yama's realm, or the realm of the asuras; whether human or deva, once the initial consciousness has arisen, each receives its corresponding karmic retribution. The mental factors of the same category continue to function in succession. When the final consciousness ceases, it is called the aggregate of death. When the initial consciousness arises, it is called the aggregate of birth."

Explanation: Great King, the ālaya-vijñāna (storehouse consciousness) is the master giving rise to the subsequent five-aggregate body. Karmic seeds are the object-condition. Through the combination of these two causes and conditions, the initial consciousness of the next life arises. Sentient beings either proceed to the hell realms, fall into the ghost realm, or take rebirth in the animal realm—these are the three lower realms; or they are reborn in the three higher realms: the realm of the asuras, the human realm, or the deva realm. Once the initial consciousness arises, sentient beings begin to receive their respective karmic retribution. Then, the consciousness within the same physical body continuously operates in succession. When the consciousness ceases at the end of life, the physical body becomes a corpse, called the aggregate of death. The initial consciousness arising within the physical body is called the initial consciousness, and the five aggregates of the physical body are called the aggregate of birth.