How Does Tathāgatagarbha Record Karmic Actions and Output Karmic Seeds (Four)

To be more specific, let me give another analogy to illustrate the entire process of the tathāgatagarbha outputting consciousness seeds and drawing them back. Take a water pump as an analogy: what the water pump outputs is circulating water, and the tathāgatagarbha is like the water pump. The consciousness seeds output by the tathāgatagarbha are like water droplets. The water pump can send water out drop by drop, forming a water flow, and this water flow is equivalent to the stream of consciousness formed by the seeds output by the tathāgatagarbha. After the water pump sends the water out, the route the water travels brings back the surrounding soil, dust, grass and trees, pearls, and other objects. Wherever the water flow passes, it brings back the debris from those places. The water is sent out and then returns; because the pump uses circulating water—what is called circulating water means that after the water goes out, it will return to the water pump and then be sent out again.

If there is debris in the water pump, it will carry that debris out along with the water: if it is emery sand, it carries out emery sand; if it is soil, it carries out soil; if it is weeds, it carries out weeds. Then, along the route the water flow travels, it will also bring some debris back to the water pump along the way. In this way, the water is no longer the original water that was sent out, but water carrying debris. These items may be filthy things, or they may be pure treasures. Among them there is soil, dust and sand, and some things like waterweeds; it may also carry other treasures, such as emery sand, jewels, and the like. The route the water travels is equivalent to the realms of the six sense objects, and the water flow is equivalent to the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of sentient beings. Along the route traveled by the six consciousnesses of sentient beings, they bring back the bodily, verbal, and mental actions they performed toward the realms of the six sense objects, among which there are both defiled and tranquil karmic actions.

So what does this water pump store? It stores not only water, but also all the debris the water has brought back along the way—whether filthy things or pure things, emery sand and jewels, or stones, earth, and sand—all of it is brought back. The more things brought back, the more will be output along with the water in the future. When the water pump has stored a lot and is full, it becomes easy to output; the more things it carries, the more easily the conditions mature, and the more easily the water pump sends this debris out. If it carries a lot of emery sand and this condition matures, then when the pump outputs water, the water is sent out carrying the emery sand, and the water flow carries treasures—the water flow becomes very precious.

If the water flow carries a lot of soil and dust along the way, which is stored in the water pump, then when the pump sends out water, it will also send out soil, dust, stones, or weeds—this debris along with it. Such water is called dirty water, equivalent to the evil karma of the conscious mind, and this process is called circulation. After being sent out, the water flow returns again, and what it brings back on the return journey may be different: perhaps it brings back emery sand again, perhaps sand and soil again, perhaps other things; perhaps it has thrown off the emery sand, perhaps it has thrown off the soil—none of this is certain.