Can the Seeds Be Purified Before Enlightenment?

Purifying karmic seeds generally occurs after the afflictions have been severed, meaning one no longer creates karmic actions driven by afflictions; only then can the seeds become purified. While eliminating habitual tendencies of afflictions, each bit of habit eliminated purifies a corresponding portion of the karmic seeds. As long as afflictions are not completely severed, actions of body, speech, and mind will still create unwholesome karma, preventing the purification of karmic seeds. Before awakening, because one has not realized the true nature of all phenomena and still holds the view of self, one will still cling to the self and create unwholesome karma due to this self-attachment; thus, the karmic seeds cannot be purified. After awakening, upon realizing Suchness and knowing the emptiness of the nature of all phenomena and the non-self of the five aggregates, one can gradually subdue afflictions, and the unwholesome karma created for the sake of the self becomes less and less. Only after attaining the Bodhisattva grounds can one cease to create gross unwholesome karma, at which point the seeds begin to purify. However, because residual afflictive habits and ignorance remain, the arising of subtle unwholesome and unskillful karma is still unavoidable.

Buddhist practitioners should cultivate the habit of introspecting their own minds, as this can quickly subdue afflictions. Afterward, one must diligently strive to eradicate afflictions. Only after cultivating the first dhyāna (meditative absorption) can one begin to gradually eliminate afflictions. Otherwise, one merely suppresses the afflictions, and they will resurface when conditions arise, leading to actions of greed, hatred, and delusion. After severing the view of self and realizing the mind, possessing the first dhyāna is necessary to have the capacity to eradicate afflictions. Any method other than this only suppresses afflictions; it does not uproot them. If the roots are not removed, the weeds of affliction will grow again. Consider a pool of dirty water: to purify it, one must first stop pouring more dirty water into it; only then can one devise a way to clean the existing dirty water. If one continues to pour dirty water in, it becomes impossible to purify the pool. Therefore, purifying the seeds is only possible after awakening. Before awakening, one can only suppress afflictions and strive to avoid creating unwholesome karma.