Commentary on the Treatise on the Establishment of Consciousness-Only

The Retribution-Consciousness, which is the eighth consciousness, has multiple meanings to its name. First, ripening through alteration: the fruit ripens only when the cause undergoes alteration. This meaning applies broadly to others, as all seeds produce fruit through alteration. Second, ripening at a different time: the fruit ripens at a time distinct from the cause. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, this is explained in terms of the time of creation, not the nature of the seed itself, as it is accepted that cause and effect occur within the same temporal frame. Third, ripening into a different category: the fruit repays the cause by manifesting in a different nature.

Explanation: The eighth consciousness of a Bodhisattva on the eighth ground is called the retribution-consciousness, ripening through alteration. Present actions serve as causes, which are stored as seeds within the eighth consciousness. Once ripened, the eighth consciousness transforms to produce the fruit, hence it is called the retribution-consciousness. "Ripening at a different time" means present actions are stored as seeds in the eighth consciousness; when conditions mature at another time, the eighth consciousness generates the fruit. This "time" may be immediate, tomorrow, late in life, the next lifetime, or even after immeasurable kalpas. Since the timing is uncertain, the fruit is also uncertain. Through repentance and cultivating wholesome dharmas, the fruit can be altered. "Ripening into a different category" means actions performed in a human body may result in retribution experienced in a hell-being body, a heavenly being body, the body of a sentient being in another world, a Bodhisattva body, a Pratyekabuddha body, or even manifest as Buddhahood when retribution matures.

Karma can be fixed or unfixed. Fixed karma can become unfixed; unfixed karma can become fixed or even eradicated. Repenting of unwholesome karma immediately can transform it into unfixed karma or cause it to vanish. If the mind does not generate remorse and instead increases malice, unfixed karma will turn into fixed karma, inevitably bringing retribution. Once an unwholesome karma is created, if not repented, it doubles overnight; doubling again the next night, it accumulates until the karma becomes immense. This is because the seed of unwholesome karma continuously perfumes the mental faculty (manas), which in turn perfumes the mental consciousness, leading to the creation of the same unwholesome karma again in the future. This cycle continues endlessly, bringing incessant suffering across lifetimes. A single utterance can fully plunge one into hell. After the retribution is exhausted and one returns to the human realm, due to habitual tendencies from past karma, one will inevitably recreate the same unwholesome karma and fall back into hell to undergo retribution. In this way, sentient beings ceaselessly create unwholesome karma without awareness, enduring immeasurable kalpas of suffering while remaining utterly ignorant of the cause.