The five aggregates and eighteen realms are all transformed and created by the eighth consciousness

Question: Do the six elements—earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness—exist simultaneously with the eighth consciousness, or does the eighth consciousness exist first and then give rise to the six elements?

Answer: The seeds of the six great elements, or the seven great seeds, are seeds intrinsically possessed by the eighth consciousness; they are not born later. Wherever the eighth consciousness exists, the seven great seeds exist. When the causal conditions are complete, the eighth consciousness outputs these seeds, thereby producing the five aggregates, the eighteen realms, and the world of sentient beings. The eighth consciousness exists at every moment without interruption. When a sentient being's karmic seeds mature, He first outputs the five great seeds of earth, water, fire, wind, and space, forming the universe—the material world (bhājana-loka)—in which the sentient being is about to live. Once the living environment has been created, He then outputs the great seeds of earth, water, fire, wind, and space to fashion the sentient being's material body. After that, He outputs the seeds of the mind consciousness to produce the sentient being's mind consciousness, and then outputs the seeds of the five sense consciousnesses to produce the first five consciousnesses. In this way, the sentient being's seven consciousnesses and five aggregates are complete, and the being can emerge from the womb and live a life in the world of the five aggregates. The manas participates in all of these activities of the eighth consciousness; all of this is also brought about by the eighth consciousness in accordance with the manas.