Are karmic obstacles eliminated by the mind consciousness or by the manas?

Karmic obstructions are the obstructions of ignorance (avidyā) — obstacles to one's own mind summoned by the evil karma created through the power of ignorance. They obstruct one's own mind from obtaining good retribution, good fruits, and even good karma; wholesome dharmas cannot be accomplished, and moreover they obstruct the wise cognition of all dharmas. Ignorance initially resides in the manas; the root lies in the ignorance of the manas. The ignorance of the mind consciousness originally all comes from the manas. Under the influence and impetus of the manas's ignorance, the mind consciousness is also tainted by environmental conditioning. Once the manas's ignorance is eradicated, the mind consciousness is no longer tainted by environmental conditioning, much less by the manas's ignorance, and thus the mind consciousness becomes pure. The ultimate purity of the mind consciousness is the result of the purity of the manas; if the manas is not pure, it will certainly impel and drive the mind consciousness to engage in impure karma, and once defiled karmic seeds are formed, there will be karmic obstructions in future lives. Therefore all karmic obstructions are eliminated after the manas becomes pure, because the manas is the originator of it all — as the saying goes, the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it.

When the manas's merit increases, its meditative concentration strengthens, and its wisdom grows, a portion of ignorance is eliminated, a portion of the mental disposition is transformed, a portion of the afflictive obstruction (kleśāvaraṇa) is removed, a portion of the obstructions to wholesome dharmas, wholesome karma, wholesome fruits, wholesome retribution, and wholesome conditions is removed, and the obstructions encountered in learning Buddhism are already lightened by a portion. However much of the manas's ignorance is eliminated, that much the mind becomes pure, that much karmic obstructions decrease, and that much wholesome karma increases.

At the time of eradicating the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), realizing the fruits, and seeing the mind and seeing the nature, meditative concentration and wisdom greatly increase, and the mental disposition simultaneously undergoes a fundamental transformation. When the mind becomes pure and one obtains purity of the dharma eye, a portion of the afflictive obstruction is eliminated, and thus the karma leading to the three evil destinies is eliminated accordingly, signifying that one need no longer undergo painful retribution in the three evil destinies, and the remaining karma need only be retributed in the human realm. Each time sentient beings attain a kind of meditative absorption (samādhi), a portion of their karmic obstructions is eliminated — including the second, third, and fourth fruits of the Small Vehicle, including the various checkpoints of the Great Vehicle, and also including attaining the bhūmis, the first, second, and third bhūmis. When wisdom grows, thoughts and views change, the mind changes, and the afflictive obstruction is eliminated, the corresponding karma is eliminated. Repentance can also eliminate karmic obstructions from past lives, because the mind — the manas within — recognizes its own ignorance, foolishness, and afflictions, and resolves to correct them; when the mind changes, the corresponding karmic obstructions are eliminated, or a portion of them is eliminated.

Karma is divided into fixed karma and unfixed karma. Fixed karma cannot be altered and must be retributed before it is exhausted; but unfixed karma can be altered and does not necessarily have to be retributed before it is exhausted — it may be partially eliminated through repentance, with a portion still undergoing retribution. Even fixed karma can be altered under special circumstances. Special circumstances refer to when a sentient being's mental power is strong, wisdom is strong, meditative concentration is strong, repentance is sincere and weighty, and the mental disposition has been greatly transformed — then the karma is also altered. If no karma at all could be altered and all of it had to be retributed before being exhausted, then not a single person in the world could become a Buddha. Because sentient beings' karma is too abundant and too heavy, it is simply impossible to undergo and exhaust all of its retribution. Moreover, if karma could not be altered, then sentient beings' repentance would be useless and could not eliminate karma.